Sermon – Heaven – A Place of Worship

  • In our progression through the Heaven series, we’ve looked at who would not be there; what would not be there; that Heaven is a place prepared for believers; and that Heaven is a place of rest.  Today, we will look at worship in Heaven and how that should impact us; and this morning, our order of worship is different just to make sure we aren’t just going through the motions.

  • Revelation 4:1-11 (NLT – Worship In Heaven) … Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast.  The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.”  (2) And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it.  (3) The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones – like jasper and carnelian.  And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow.  (4) Twenty-four thrones surrounded Him, and twenty-four elders sat on them.  They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads.  (5) From the throne came flashes of lighting and the rumble of thunder.  And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames.  This is the sevenfold Spirit of God.  (6) In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal.  In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back.  (7) The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second was like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight.  (8) Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out.  Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty – the One who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”  (9) Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the One sitting on the throne (the One who lives forever and ever), (10) the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the One sitting on the throne (the One who lives forever and ever).  And they lay their crowns before the throne and say, (11) “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power.  For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.”

  • If you go further in Revelation …

  • Chapter 5
    • Jesus (Lamb of God) – is worshipped because He was the only One able to open the scroll.

  • Chapter 6
    • The souls of the martyrs (prayerfully) call for divine justice. 
    • Greek “krazo” means to utter a cry – to exclaim – cry for vengeance – cry in supplication

  • Chapter 7
    • A vast crowd shouts with a great roar
    • The four living creatures and the elders sing

  • Chapter 8
    • There was silence in Heaven for about half an hour before the trumpet blasts

  • Chapters 18 and 19
    • Judgment is proclaimed and celebrated
  • The book ends with the New Heaven and the New Earth – with God living among the people – with there being no need for a temple or the sun – then eternity with God in worship and work.

  • John (the beloved – the apostle) was looking into Heaven – and observes some amazing things … God on His throne … the amazing brilliance of His glory … various creatures, angels, elders, and people worshiping … multiple senses are used – sight, hearing, smell; and full body worship.

  • The throne is the focal point of Revelation 4 (if not the whole book).  Depending on translation (and wording), it appears in this chapter around a dozen times and the book around 40 times.  The action, respect, submission, and worship are focused on the throne and toward the One who is seated upon it – the King – the Lord God Almighty. 

  • The One seated on the throne is the center of attention.  He is the audience.  He is the One that is being honored, praised, and worshiped.  He rules and reigns; and has a Will to accomplish.

  • God is on the throne; and each person has to decide what to do with that truth.  Either you accept it, respect it, and submit to Him; or you spend your life living in opposition to Him. 
  • If God is not your Lord and Savior and the One sitting on the throne of your heart; then something else is; and that something else will just lead to destruction. 

  • The rainbow is God’s glory.  It recalls the radiance of God’s throne in Ezekiel.  We read that it was brilliant like jasper and carnelian and glowed like an emerald.  The Lord God is enveloped by this glow; and nobody – other than Jesus – has the Father in all His glory.
    • “iaspis”                  jasper              precious stone of various colors, such as purple and green
    • “sardion”              carnelian         a reddish, precious stone
    • “smaragdinos”      emerald          a green gemstone

  • Normally, we see a rainbow after a storm; but here it appears before the biggest “storm” ever was to be unleashed … (soon after, judgment is issued – seals are broken – bowls are emptied)

  • The 24 elders could be a specific creation – like the four living creatures … they could represent both the OT and NT (12 from each) … they could be symbolic of all of God’s people … they could be who we are to emulate … they can include both Jew and Gentile (all the redeemed of the Lord).

  • The elders wear the victor’s crown and are clothed in white.

  • They worship with their bodies and voices … they lay prostrate and cast their crowns down … they tell God how worthy He is just because of who He is and what He has done (Creation)
  • There are seven torches – the sevenfold Spirit of God.  He illuminates our way; and we are to follow His leadership in worship.  The people of Israel were also led by a pillar of fire at night.  The Holy Spirit fell like tongues of fire on the day of Pentecost. 

  • The crystal sea highlights both the magnificence and holiness of God. 

  • The four living creatures point back to Ezekiel and Isaiah … they saw cherubim and seraphs … they repeatedly chant about God’s holiness.  They remind us of our need to worship and praise God. 

  • They are symbolic of God’s other attributes … majesty and power (lion) … faithful (ox) … intelligence (human) … sovereign (eagle) … God is all those things; and more.

  • The worship that is described in Heaven should impact how we see worship on earth and prompt us to worship God with all we are; and above all else – remember, HE is your audience and focus!

  • We Should Worship In Humility – the angels, who haven’t sinned, covered their faces.  As majestic as they are, they view themselves as small before God.

  • True worship takes place in an atmosphere of humility.  We can’t worship God if we think we are better than Him or if we don’t think He is worthy; and just going through the motions isn’t taking God, His worth, His holiness, or His grace serious enough.  Yes, having order is specified in Scripture; but we must think about why we do things and give it our best or it doesn’t matter.

  • We Should Worship In Reverence – God’s main characteristic is repeatedly chanted before Him … all other characteristics come from that – faithfulness – justice – compassion – love – grace.

  • To approach God with reverence, we must take our sin and His holiness seriously.  We can’t approach God with unrepentant sin in our lives.  We must remove anything that hinders or causes us to not have a godly fear.
    • In Hebrews 12, the readers are exhorted to worship with reverence and godly fear. 
    • Job 38 says the angels were there during the creation and the sons of God shouted for joy. 

  • We Should Worship Unceasingly – God is praised all the time – the living creatures do not stop!

  • Worship should characterize our whole lives; and it shouldn’t matter if we are alone or with other people – worship is an outpouring of all we are, all we do, and all we have … God deserves worship.

  • As humans, we will worship things – the best choice is to worship (and serve) God with all we are but sadly, people choose hobbies, sports, stuff, careers, and a variety of other things in which to make an idol and put on their heart’s throne – again, that leads to destruction.

  • We Should Worship Enthusiastically – those in heaven used their voices and instruments; and were loud … God is your audience and focus, not your neighbor … block everything else out and give Him your best … if we are excited about a game; and will cheer, clap, and clap; then why not for God?!

  • We Should Worship In Unity – the praise and worship in Heaven is united … one voice saying the same things and praising the same One … they were in agreement that God was to be worship and that He was the only One worthy to be worship based on who He is and what He has done … we should gather and want to gather with fellow believers to praise, worship, study, pray, and give.

  • This morning is different – things have been flipped; but at times, we need reminders like this … we need to never go through the motions; and we should always leave a service better than we came.