Worship That Is Worthy
Worship That Is Worthy
Revelation 4:8-11; 5:6-10 (NIV)
Worship is something you do, and not something you talk about. We can, however, talk about worship, what it is, and the various aspects of it in such a way as to be inspired to worship, or to inspire someone to worship. Yet true worship, as pictured in the Bible, and particularly in the book of Revelation, is more caught than taught. True worship results from an encounter with the living God.
Pope Gregory the Great once observed that, “Almost everything said of God is unworthy, for the very reason that it is capable of being said.” John, the writer of Revelation, experienced this truth directly. As we’re told in chapter 4, verses 8-11, John saw “him who sits on the throne and who lives forever and ever” surrounded by the four living creatures, symbolizing all created beings, and the twenty-four elders, symbolizing all of God’s saints. John discovered that the only way he could describe God’s throne was to use objects of exquisite beauty, such as precious and rare emeralds, to describe the indescribable. Yet John had little difficulty describing what the inhabitants of heaven were doing. They were praising God and proclaiming, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” Notice the reaction of the elders. They “fall down before him who sits on the throne,” and “lay their crowns before the throne.”
As we turn to chapter 5, verses 6-10, John tells us, “Then I saw a Lamb, as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne…” Just as before, the four living creatures, symbolizing all created beings, praise the Lamb and cry out, “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” God is worthy of worship because He created all things, and by Him all things exist. The Lamb, who stands in the center of the throne, is worthy of worship not just because of who He is, but also because of what He did. He fulfilled God’s will by purchasing, at the price of His blood, men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. The remainder of chapter five consists of innumerable angels of heaven, and then “every creature in heaven and earth” praising God and proclaiming the worthiness of the Lamb “to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”
In other words, John witnessed the continuous, perfect worship of heaven. If you’re like me, that’s the kind of worship I know I’ll express to my Lord in the kingdom, but I long to express it today. Offering to God worship that’s worthy should be our goal in our public and private worship.
Karen Burton Maims wrote very insightfully about worship in the preface of the hymnbook, Sing Joyfully. I share with you part of what she wrote.
We must remind ourselves, over and over, that the focus of Sunday worship must be upon the living Christ among us. In truth, if Christ were bodily present and we could see him with more than our soul’s eyes, all our worship would become intentional. If Christ stood on our platforms, we would bend our knees without asking. If he stretched out his hands and we saw the wounds, our hearts would break; we would confess our sins and weep over our shortcomings. If we could hear his voice leading the hymns, we too would sing heartily; the words would take on meaning. The Bible reading would be lively; meaning would pierce to the marrow of our souls. If Christ walked our aisles, we would hasten to make amends with that brother or sister to whom we had not spoken. We would volunteer for service, the choir loft would be crowded. If we knew Christ would attend our church Sunday after Sunday, the front pews would fill fastest, believers would arrive early, offering plates would be laden with sacrificial but gladsome gifts, prayers would concentrate our attention.
Yet, Christ is present.
By describing for us the perfect worship of heaven, John enables us to see for ourselves the throne of God, and to offer to God and to the Lamb WORSHIP THAT IS WORTHY. Worship that is worthy ascribes to God His worth, and surrenders to Him in light of that worth.
As we talk about that which we are to do, and should always want to do, let’s ask ourselves the question, “Am I—are we—offering to God and to the Lamb worship that’s worthy?”
What constitutes WORSHIP THAT IS WORTHY?
WORSHIP THAT ACKNOWLEDGES GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY,
ETERNITY, AND WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR US.