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Hear the Word of the Living God, beginning with verse 1. After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, Come up here, I will show you what must take place after these things.
Immediately I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and one sitting on the throne, and he was sitting, and he was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardis in appearance. And there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance.
Around the throne were 24 thrones, and upon the thrones I saw 24 elders sitting, clothed in white garments of gold and golden crowns on their heads. And out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder.
And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne was something like a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind.
And the first creature was like a lion, the second creature was like a calf, the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings are full of eyes around and within, and day and night they do not cease to say, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.
And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the 24 elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne saying, worthy are you our Lord and our God to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things.
Because of your will they existed and were created. Let's bow in prayer and ask God's help as we worship Him and look into His Word within this hour. Father, we thank you of your great Word. Your Word, when your Word speaks, you speak.
Lord, help us to remember this. And Lord, we are commanded to tremble in your presence before your Word. Lord, we thank you what David said, the law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true and they are righteous altogether.
They are more desirable than gold, yes, and much fine gold. Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them your servant is warned and in keeping them is great reward. Father, I would pray and our prayer this morning is as we worship you, may our worship be acceptable before you.
May your Holy Spirit help us in this hour to give you all praise and glory and honor. And as David cried out, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Oh Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.
Father, we thank you and you are worthy of all praise and glory. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. As we continue this, I'd like to begin my introduction with something I read in a book you don't see often.
I think it's out of print. It's from a little pamphlet I read on worship. It's worship the missing jewel, the missing jewel of the Evangelical Church. We can say that today, isn't it? That this is a jewel that's missing within the church and Tozer had some great discernment and insight on this and I'd like to give you an excerpt of what he said about worship.
He says something very valuable and insightful in his unique way and he tells us this, quote, man was made to worship God. God gave to man a harp and said here above all the creatures that I've made and created I've given you the largest harp.
I put more strings on your instrument and I've given you a wider range than I have given to any other creature. You can worship me in a manner that no other creature can. And he goes on to say and when he sinned man took that instrument and threw it down in the mud and there it has been laying for centuries, rusted, broken, unstrung.
And man instead of playing a harp like the angels and seeking to worship God in all of his activities is ego-centered. Turns in on himself and sulks and swears and laughs and sings. But it's all without joy and without worship.
He goes on to say this, worship is the missing jewel in the modern Evangelical Church. We're organized and we work, we have agendas, we have almost everything but there's one thing that the churches, even the gospel churches, do not have.
And that is the ability to worship. We're not cultivating the act of worship. It's the one shining gem that is lost to the modern church and I believe that we ought to search for this until we find it.".
G. Campbell Morgan, another great preacher in his generation after D .L. Moody and if you want to know a little bit about G. Campbell Morgan, the man that preceded him is D. Martin Lloyd-Jones. Great man of God here.
Morgan says this in short about worship, the supreme thing is worship. The attitude of worship is the attitude of a subject bent before the king. The fundamental thought is that of prostration and bowing down.
Another man of God that's not heard, not as popular as the other men, W .H. Griffith Thomas said this, revelation and worship are the foundation of everything. And of course the early church father Augustine of Hippo prayed this prayer, thou hast made us for thyself O Lord and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.
That is so good. I love that prayer. Thou hast made us for thyself. Listen to that. O Lord and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee. And of course the great question I mentioned this last Lord's Day and the Westminster Shorter Catechism and we are so familiar with this and we've even memorized it but do we really know its meaning?
Do we really know its context? Do we really know its depth? What is the chief end of man? What is man's chief end? Think of that. Answer. Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Forever.
Isn't that what heaven is going to be all about? It's about God. Isn't that what worship is about? It's about God. It's not about us. It's not about the pastor. It's not about the preacher. It's not about the speaker.
It's not about singing. It's not about whoever may lead or whatever. It's about God. Worship is focused on God. So in this wonderful text today, Revelation chapter 4 gives to us what true worship really looks like before the throne of God.
Doesn't it? It gives us insight and by the way this is an experience that very few had and I mentioned this. It was given by the Holy Spirit to just a handful of men of God within the Old Testament and the New Testament.
Just a handful. Just a handful. Think of that. Isaiah the prophet, as I mentioned, had such an experience and a vision in Isaiah 6 as he saw the Lord high and lifted up and his train filled the temple.
Isaiah saw that. Ezekiel the prophet had such a vision of God which he records in the first chapter of his prophecy by the River Shivar and there he tells us of the majesty and the wonder and the splendor and the glory of the vision of the throne of God, the wills.
We're going to look at that today, the wills. And then the Apostle John had this glorious experience. This glorious but awful experience. I say awful in the sense it was all stricken to him. It brought him to awe.
That's what worship is. Awe, fear, glorious, splendor before God. And then this is what verse 1 says, and after these things I looked and behold a door standing open in heaven and the first voice I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me.
This is actually the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ glorified referring to his first vision. There's a fresh vision here. Come up hither. Come up here. I come up and I will show you things which must take place after this.
Then in verse 2, immediately I was in the Spirit. I was in the Spirit and behold a throne set in heaven and one sat on the throne and the Spirit of God literally transforms the Apostle John and beyond time, beyond space, and then he's lifted into the third heavens.
He sees the marvelous throne but he sees who's on the throne. He sees the God Almighty, holy, glorious, and majesty, the King of glory. Then the heavens of heaven and the very throne room of God of Almighty.
He will see these things that is going on to take that will actually take place in the future and then it begins to unfold what takes place in Revelation chapter 6 after we see four and five. It's like four and five is a sneak preview of what is happening and how worship literally is taking place in heaven.
And before the actual unfolding of what is going to take place after these things, we find that in chapters 4 and 5, it's just absolutely awesome. And it's awesome, it's breathtaking, it's majestic, and I'll be honest with you, it doesn't matter how, what kind of words I try to say before you today and ministering to you, there's no way that I could describe what is literally taking place here unless the Spirit of God takes the scales off our eyes and allows us to understand by the Spirit of God to see what is going on.
The Spirit of God has to do this. He is really our true teacher because he is the Spirit of truth. Now we are blessed, we are privileged to see as we read this and catch this glimpse of heaven. Now as we've seen on last Lord's Day, we've already seen and learned that the centerpiece, as it were, in this awesome scene of heaven was the throne of God.
God's throne. That means there's a king, there's a throne, and he reigns. That's what it means. It's not one that he just sits and rests on, he's reigning. That means he's sovereign, he's over all. And aren't you glad of this today, of all that's taken place in our world, that God orchestrates, he rules, he is controlling everything.
Now if we lose sight of that and don't believe in that, we're in trouble. But God is in control, isn't he? I like what R .C. Sproul said, if God is not sovereign, then God's not God. But guess what? God is God and he is sovereign.
So that's what the Scripture says. Well, verse 2, and behold, a throne set in heaven. One sat on that throne. That's the one we're looking at. And then, by the way, when we truly get a true glance of who God really is, we're changed.
No man can leave the presence of God and really catch a glimpse of God and then walk away unless he is changed. We're changed. And that's what we want. We just don't want to hear information, we want transformation.
We want to be different people, don't you? We should be a different breed of people in this world. We should be lights of the world and stars shining bright that people see Christ in us, no matter where he has planted us.
Well, he's on the throne and the one that sits on the throne is described in verse 3. He is who sat on the throne like... Notice the verses, that word, like, like, like, because that's the best way that John can describe this in the language in which he wrote this.
And originally it was written in Greek, but here it's translated in our language. But the word like is saying, it's the best description he can give. Like a jasper, like a sardis, an appearance. That's like a diamond, like a stone that's full of glory and beauty.
Like if I were to take a diamond, could you imagine a diamond the size of a bowling ball? There's not one that exists on this earth as far as I know of. They're big diamonds, but they're probably secure and no one literally, I don't know who owns them, but worth is probably billions.
But think about in heaven. I mean, the whole place is glistening with jewels and diamonds and sardis stones and green and transparency and this glory shines from the throne and it bounces off all of heaven.
Like an emerald, an appearance of emerald. So it tells us who's on the throne. It was none other than the King of Glory, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, God Almighty, the Father, the Son, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, shining in brilliance and diamond and glory.
Then John noted this, not only was it a throne, the one who was on the throne was glorious and around the throne, then from the throne. It's all the throne. The center of heaven is the throne of God, high and lifted up.
And then scripture says it was a rainbow around the throne. That rainbow belongs to God, by the way. It speaks of His faithfulness, His grace and His mercy toward mankind, a symbol of faithfulness. For God gave the rainbow to demonstrate His grace and mercy.
The devil would like to take that from God, wouldn't he? And put it forth today in the pride gay movement. People say, oh, you're being so mean to attack them. But I'm telling you what the Bible says, that those that are unclean, they will not enter into the city that we're talking about today.
They must be washed, they must be cleansed. And there is hope for these people. They are our mission field, by the way. We're to love these people. We're to love sinners. For such were we. God loved us.
God loves and we're to love our enemies for God loves His enemies. But we're to tell people the truth, and that's what love is. It's telling people the truth of God. Thus sayeth the Lord. Take them to the scripture, not your opinions, not what you have to think about it or whatever.
Take them to the word of God. Chapter and verse and say, this is what God Almighty says. Your creator, the one that made you. Sin's messed us up. And, you know, think of it as a sin has so clouded us from this right here.
But this is such purity, such holiness that God takes us by His mercy and allows us to see this. And God, God, think of it, that that rainbow reminds us that as a covenant that God made to Noah, that he would not drown mankind again.
And it was a symbol of that promise. But the next time and as we see in Revelation, it's not going to be the water that will cleanse the world from its filth and sin. It will be fire. And God is that consuming fire and he will purify the earth.
He's going to do it because it all belongs to him. Then in verse four, we see that we noted also around the throne, 24 thrones and the thrones, 24 elders sitting, clothed in white robes, and they had crowns of gold on their heads.
And as we suggested that the 24 elders are most likely representatives of the church and studying this verse. There's so many views, as we said, but pretty much the view of these elders, as some commentators say, they're like angelic beings, but angels do not reign.
Angels do not have crowns. Commentator Kissmaker says this. Do angels have anything in common with priests? Are angels kings who wear a crown? Are angels given the duty to judge human beings? The answer to these questions is no.
Angels do not sit on thrones, but elders do. Instead, if the elders are angels, then redeemed humanity is not representative at the throne. He goes on to say, therefore, the 24 elders represent the redeemed saints.
So that's the take on that. There's different commentators that view that, of course, but I believe with Kissmaker on that. Now, we noted also, fifthly, another preposition before the throne. Before the throne, we find that in verse 5, there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne in verse 5, and from that throne were proceeding, what, flashes of lightning and rumblings and crashes of thunder, peals of thunder.
You ever been close to thunder and lightning? I mean real close. It's terrifying, folks. It's blinding. That's a small demonstration of God's power. Small demonstration, but it speaks of His holiness, His power, and His glory.
So in the opening words, there is a resemblance to the last chapter of the Apocalypse where John speaks about the river of water of life. In Revelation 22, 1, it proceeds from the throne of God and the lamp.
John, for John, God's throne depicts the majesty and the grandeur of the Almighty God, and he writes with an Old Testament passage in mind, and the scene of Mount Sinai shaking, when God shook Mount Sinai, when He gave His law, and no one was to even touch the mountain because of His holy presence, or they would be shot through for it.
That's how holy it is, God's presence. The scene, I should say, of Mount Sinai, when God Himself came and gave the Decalogue to the Israelites. Judgment is about to roll out on earth, folks. Judgment.
And here in Revelation 4 and 5, John MacArthur said this, and I'll repeat it again. I like this quote from him. Flowing out from God's presence, symbolized by the throne, John saw a precursor, a precursor of the fire storm of divine fury about to burst on the sinful world.
We're getting closer to this. Before the throne, we see Him in glory, by the way, that's the end quote. And here before the throne, we see the splendor and the beauty and the majesty of a sovereign, all-powerful God.
Think of this. All-powerful, all-wise, Almighty, ever-present, holy, holy in everything He is. And the scene then is the scene of a throne of glory of God Almighty as He begins to unleash His judgments upon planet earth.
And that's actually what's about to take place. Because in context, you see in 4 and 5, He's seeing a precursor of that, like MacArthur said. And then from Revelation chapter 6, all the way to the very end, until Jesus Christ comes back in power and great glory with all the holy angels.
You see God unleashes the vows, the bowls, and then the trumpets. And it takes place. And then of course, Jesus being King of kings and Lord of lords will rule this earth in power and glory. And this is going to be a great glorious day.
This is what we're looking forward to. But not for sinners. Not for the wicked and those who enjoy. That's why the scripture says, if you read it, you don't see many signs on this. MacArthur said, put this on a church sign and see what happens.
God's angry with the sinners, the wicked, every day. Yeah. No, you know what you see nowadays? Don't be surprised. So, so, so, so. What I'm about to do in your life. And then you see slash God. And every time I see things like that on church billboards, you see it's quite often in our world.
I think to myself, God didn't say that. God didn't say that. That's putting, that's man's word. Adding something to what God, when we open up this Bible, these 66 books, this is God speaking. But when we see little cute quotes like that, that is not God speaking.
It just, that goes all over me when I see things like that. The day of the Lord's coming, folks. We don't hear enough of this, but it's truth. And we need to hear it. The final climax of all things. So, so it's an incredible vision that shows us what is on the horizon, what's around from before the throne of God.
Verse six, before the throne, before the throne, there was a sea of glass like crystal. And in the midst, in the center of the throne, around the throne, were four living creatures. Listen to this. These four living creatures full of eyes and front and back.
This passage introduces the four living creatures who will play a very significant role of the events to unfold in Revelation. And by the way, it's something to say this. They are in the midst of the, they're in the midst of the center of the throne, right in the middle of it, around the throne, meaning that their station is in the inner circle nearest to the throne of God.
You know, if you were to tell people this today, they would look at you like, you got to be kidding me. This sounds like a sci-fi picture that's going on. But I assure you, this is not a sci-fi picture.
This is reality. This is the reality because God is that great reality. See, people wants to escape that reality, right? We live in a world, they love science fiction. I don't mind seeing it on pictures here and there, but I know what reality is.
But we're talking about people that wants to escape it. Because a lot of times, reality to people that are wicked and guilty sinners is very painful, isn't it? But they don't know how to redirect, I should say, redirect that pain in the right direction.
They turn it on themselves. A lot of times it ends in suicide, unfortunately. They put that on themselves, the guilt, and that's sad. But we are to give people hope and say, look, you could take it to God and God is ready to forgive you.
He's merciful, even though He's all holy. But if you point them to Jesus, Jesus is willing to forgive and He's able to forgive. Well, this is not a sci-fi picture, is it? This is reality. These creatures were made.
By the way, God made these creatures. He created them specifically to worship Him, the triune God, the Father, the Son, the Spirit. And what do they say? Holy, holy, holy. God in three persons. Father, Son, Spirit.
Holy, holy, holy. Lord God Almighty. The imagery comes from the prophecy of Ezekiel. Turn with me to Ezekiel real quick. I want you to see this. Ezekiel chapter, it's in chapter 1, but I want to go to chapter, go to chapter 10 with me to Ezekiel.
Chapter 1 is very similar, but this is really brought out to us in the Old Testament of this prophet that saw this. He saw the same thing Isaiah saw, and he saw the same thing, really, Paul had a quick glimpse of, that it was too, he said, it was unlawful for man to utter.
And then the Apostle John, the same thing. But notice in chapter 10, notice what Ezekiel says. I'm going to try to read the most of this chapter. Then I looked, and behold, in the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim, something like a sapphire stone in appearance resembling a throne appeared above them.
And he spoke to the man clothed in linen and said, Enter between the whirling wheels under the cherubim and fill your hands with coals of fire between the cherubim and scatter them over the city. What's about to take place is God is about to judge Jerusalem, what's going on.
But there is a great wrath of judgment that's coming upon this whole world. And he entered into my sight, he said, now, verse 3, now the cherubim were standing on the right side of the temple when the man entered, and the cloud filled the inner court.
There's the glory. Verse 4, then the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub to the threshold of the temple, and the temple was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the Lord.
Moreover, the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks. And it came about when he commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, Take fire from between the whirling wheels, from between the cherubim, and entered and stood beside a wheel.
Then the cherub stretched out his hand from between the cherubim to the fire, which was between the cherubim, took some and put it into the hands of the one clothed in linen, who took it and went out.
And the cherubim appeared to have the form of a man's hand under their wing. Now, listen to this, verse 9. Then I looked and behold four wheels beside the cherubim, and one wheel beside each cherub. And the appearance of the wheels was like, he even says it, like the gleam of a tarshish stone.
And for their appearance, all four of them had the same likeness as if one wheel were within another wheel. And when they moved, they went into any of their four directions without turning as they went.
But they followed in a direction which they faced without turning as they went. Their whole body, their backs, their hands, their wings, and the wheels were full of eyes all around the wheels belonging to all four of them.
Now, what is he describing here? Actually, what he's describing, MacArthur says, is the cherubim had bodies like men and like chariot wheels and were full of eyes denoting full perception both to see the sinners and their fitting judgment.
That's MacArthur on that. Now, folks, this is really what this is talking about is God. This is God's war machine. That's what it is. He operates it. The wheels, look at verse 13, the wheels were called, in my hearing, the whirling wheels, and each one had four faces.
The same thing John saw, right? Four, four. The first face was the face of a cherub, the second face was like the face of a man, the third face like a lion. Same thing John saw, and the fourth face was the face of an eagle.
Then the cherubim rose up and they all, and are the living beings that I saw by the river Shebar. And now when the cherubim moved, the wheels would go beside them, and when the cherubim lifted up their wings to rise from the ground and the wheels would not turn from beside them, when the cherubim stood still, the wheels would stand still, and then when they rose up, the wheels would rise with them, for the spirit of the living beings was in them.
Then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim, and when the cherubim departed, they lifted their wings and rose up from the earth in my sight. With the wheels beside them, they stood still in the entrance of the east gate of the Lord's house, and the glory of God of Israel hovered over them.
These are the four living beings. These are the living beings, I'm sorry, that I saw beneath the God of Israel by the river Shebar, and so I knew that they were cherubim. Each one had four faces, each one had four wings, and beneath their wings was a form of a human hand.
As for the likeness of their faces, they were the same faces whose appearance I had seen by the river Shebar. Each one went straight ahead. Now I don't know about you, don't try to figure that out. Now my question is, is not this foreign to us?
Is not this so far in the way we think that God created these awesome, terrifying creatures, incredibly beautiful but glorious, but awesome beings that were just utterly indescribable? And like I said, don't try to take everything in Ezekiel chapter 1 and try to comprehend it.
It'll blow your mind. It's so grand and glorious, but we know it exists. We just read a whole chapter, and we saw worship there, and we saw the glory of God. But go back to John Revelation 4. The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature was like a calf, the third living creature like the face like a man, and the fourth living creature like the flying eagle.
Four living creatures. These cherubim, exalted order of angelic beings, frequently associated in Scripture with God's holy power. You remember in Genesis? Remember in Genesis after man's sin? Let me read it to you.
Genesis 3 .24. 3 .24, verse 24, chapter 3. It's important to note Genesis, by the way. Hey, by the way, these bookends helps us understand the whole plan and the panorama of what God is doing in His world and His purposes.
Now, Genesis 3 .24, after Adam and Eve sinned, God drove them out of Eden and stationed a cherubim at the entrance to keep them from returning. That's the Scriptures. Two carved cherubim were placed in the Holy of Holies, by the way, in 1 Kings chapter 6, verse 23 to 28, called also the most holy place, symbolic of guarding God's holiness.
But yet, God desires His created beings to partake with His holiness. But yet, in the world in which we live, this is frightening to people. It's foreign to people. It's frightening because there's a judgment, but that the only way that we can enter into God's presence is through the precious blood of Jesus Christ in which He made the way for us to come before the throne and the courts and be cleansed.
Because within us is this dirtiness, is it not? Even as a Christian, I was telling my son the other day, you just don't repent. You don't repent. Yes, that's the beginning of the Christian life, is repentance.
But I'm here to tell you, Calvin said this, and he's right, the whole life of the Christian is repentance. Because we're so scarred, and as David said, my sin is ever before me. Do you feel that? And the more you go into God's Word, and I read MacArthur on this, and he's right, in sanctification, the bad news is you're going to feel bad.
But the good news is, in sanctification, there's growth in grace. Yes, we're going to feel bad, but we bring our badness and our dirtiness before God, and God has the remedy. And people need to see that the truth is Jesus Christ is the cleanser.
He's the sanctifier. His blood purges. Everything that we have from God today is through Jesus Christ. There's no other way. And we're going to see after a while in Isaiah 1, religion stinks to God. Stinks.
It's putrid. But through Jesus, it's pleasing. It's like a sweet-smelling aroma through Jesus, through the blood of His cross and His sacrifice. And by the way, it's through the blood of the cross, but when Jesus rose again, it was all, all accepted.
And it's like God says, that made it all complete. It's beautiful. Let's go back to see this. This is what is in and around the throne of God. The four living creatures, now in verse 8, gives us the description of what is happening toward the throne, verse 8.
The four living creatures having six wings. Six wings. Listen to this. We're full of eyes around, within. Could you imagine seeing this? Eyes within, around, and they do not rest. There's no rest. Day or night.
God created these creatures to worship Him. That's how much God loves worship and praise. Think of that. These creatures were specifically made. And here's mankind, made in the likeness of God. And they've thrown the harp of worship into the mud, like Tozer said.
But Jesus has taken that harp. It's almost as if Jesus has taken up that harp, and He's cleansed it, and He gives it back to us. What are these creatures saying? Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty, who was, is, and is to come.
The scene of heaven culminates in worship, directed toward God, the triune God. And in this passage in chapter 5, the five great hymns of praise during the singing, of which is the size of the choirs, gradually increases to a climax.
It keeps increasing louder and more glorious, and it's almost like it's breathtaking. And all this worship never ceases, and it's all God-centered. Isn't that the way worship is? It's, God commands it, but it's God-centered.
Always God-centered. And you know, let me, let me squeeze this in. Another quote from Calvin. Our hearts are factories of idols. We have a tendency to worship so many other things, but yet the truth, God is the true seeker, and He desires worship, and, and He even gives us the help and the ability to worship.
And yet, but worship is ought to be reserved to God and God alone. Isn't that what the first commandment says? Thou shalt have no other gods before me, God said. The worship is reserved for God and God alone, since there's no one in the universe like God, right?
David prayed this in 1 Chronicles 17. O Lord, verse 20, there is none like you, nor is there any God beside you. It's a buildup of worship. MacArthur says in his commentary here, there, the hymns of praise begin in verse 8 with a quartet, the four living creatures.
In verse 10, the 24 elders join in, and in Revelation 5, 8 hearts are added to the vocal praise. Yes, God believes in stringed instruments, to those that try to do away with stringed instruments. The rest of the angels then add their voices, they said in Revelation 5, 11, and then finally in, in Revelation 5, 13, all created beings in the universe join in the mighty chorus to praise God.
And if you look through the Psalms, even the trees of their fields will praise God. All God's creation will praise God. And Jesus says, if you don't praise me, even the rocks will cry out and praise me.
Does God love praise? He loves praise. But it must be acceptable praise and worship. We know all worship, it's not acceptable. Just look at Cain and Abel. The four living creatures worship, focusing on God's holiness, God's holiness.
That's the reality, God's beauty. That's the beauty of God, holiness. Threefold repetition, holy, holy, holy. Isaiah 6, 3, you see it there, holy, holy, holy. Holiness is the only one and only of God's attributes sought that's repeated and raised to the third degree.
It's the summation of all that God is. Everything about God and all that He is is holy, holy, holy. But it's the one thing we don't hear enough of. And that's sad, isn't it? All of His attributes, love, grace, mercy, wisdom, faithfulness, judgment, wrath, goodness, justice, sovereignty.
Wesley said God is a God of thousands and thousands of attributes. There's probably so many more. I never think about God's holiness. Complete separation from evil of any kind. He's absolutely untainted from any evil, error, wrongdoing, unlike angels that have some sin and humans that we've sinned, all whom have sinned.
1 Samuel 2, 2 says, Hannah declared, there's no one holy like the Lord because He alone is majestic in holiness. Exodus 15, 11. The prophet Habakkuk praised God because His eyes are too pure to approve of evil and He cannot look on wickedness with favor.
Habakkuk 3, 3. Tozer says this once again in the Knowledge of the Holy, a book I would highly recommend every Christian to read. We cannot grasp the true meaning of the divine holiness by thinking of someone or something very pure than raising the concept to the highest degree that we're capable of.
God's holiness, Tozer said, is not simply the best we know, infinitely bettered. We know nothing like the divine holiness. It stands apart, unique, unapproachable, incomprehensible and unattainable. The natural man is blind to it.
He may fear God's power, admire His wisdom, but His holiness he cannot even imagine. End quote. But you know, holiness is the way to God. But we cannot be holy within ourselves. Jesus Christ brings that to us in flesh, His flesh, His holiness.
And by the way, His holiness is perfect, right? So to be holy He does not conform to a standard. Tozer says, He is that standard. God is that standard. He is absolutely holy with infinite, incomprehensible fullness of purity that is incapable of being other than it is.
He is holy. His attributes are holy. That is, whatever we think of as belonging to God must be thought of as holy. Wow. Listen to the Scriptures. Psalm 47a. God sits on His holy throne. Psalm 111 9. Holy and awesome is His name.
1 Peter 1 16 in which we covered. God Himself declared, You shall be holy for I am the Lord that is holy. We cannot be as holy as God, can we? That's absolutely preposterous. But He does command us to be holy as He is holy.
Let's go to verse 9 now. Verse 9. Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne lives forever and ever. Now, not only is God's holiness calls for worship, His power is calls for worship.
We worship God because He is all powerful. You know, we sung it this morning. Holy, holy, holy Lord God almighty. Right? He's almighty. We cannot imagine in His infinitude that, in other words, His infinitude has with God.
Everything about God and His attributes, His mercy, His love, His justice has no limitations to it. In other words, it's endless. It's unchangeable, too. He's immutable. And all that God is, He does not change.
But His infinitude is, there's no limits to it. There's no end to it. Now, this catches us up into the third heavens, folks, when you start dwelling on these things. But the Word of God says much about God's power.
Not only God's holiness, but we worship Him for His power. In song, praise of the living creatures refer to God as the almighty. He's the almighty. Isn't this what God revealed to Abraham? In Genesis 17, 1, I am almighty God, He told Abraham.
That term identifies God as the most strongest, the most powerful being, utterly devoid of any weakness, conquering power, overpowering strength that no one can oppose. No one's ever won a battle against God.
No one ever will. Can't fight against God because, you think of it, God created in all that we see that exists, Romans 1, God spoke with the power of His Word. Folks, we can't imagine this. He spoke it.
It happened. God is almighty. He, without effort, can do whatever His holy will purposes to do. Read Isaiah 40, Psalm 115, 3. The Psalm is declared, Our God is in the heavens. He does whatsoever He pleases.
God's power is seen in creation, Psalm 33, 9. Listen to David, through the Spirit of God, He spoke and it was done. He commanded and it stood fast. Heaven created the whole entire universe, galaxies after galaxies, and we're just that small, earth is that small little speck.
And the entire galaxies, it's so, it's incomprehensible, folks. God controls all of it. You know, David expressed praise. Go with me to 1 Chronicles 29. I want you to see this. Don't you love this? This is David's prayer and they're offering the temple.
And listen to what David said. Now, we're talking about true worship here. And listen to what he says. It's in verse 10. So David blessed the Lord in the sight of all the assembly and David said, Blessed are you, O Lord, God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever.
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty. Indeed, everything that is in heavens and earth, yours is the dominion, O Lord. And you exalt yourself. Notice that.
You exalt yourself as head over all. Both riches and honor come from you and you rule over all and in your hand is power and might and it lies in your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone. Now, therefore, O our God, we thank you and we praise your glorious name.
But notice in verse 14, but who am I? Who am I? And who are my people that we should be able to offer a generous generously as this? Who are we? Right. Who is man that there are men mindful of him for all things come from you, all things come from you and from your hand we have given you for we are sojourners before you and tenants and as our fathers were in our days on the earth are like a shadow and there is no hope.
O Lord, our God, all of this abundance that we have provided to build you a house for your holy name, it is from your hand. He gives God all credit and all is yours. Since I know, O my God, that you try the heart, that means the reigns, the inner motives of our heart.
You try the heart and delight in uprightness. I and the integrity of my heart have willingly offered all these things. Now, so now with joy, I have seen your people who are present here make their offerings willingly to you.
O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, our fathers preserve this forever, the intentions of the heart of your people and direct their heart to you and give to my son Solomon. He's praying for a son, a perfect heart to keep your commandments, your testimonies and your statutes and to do them all and to build the temple for which I have made provision.
And then it ends. Then David said all this in the assembly. Now bless the Lord your God. He tells the assembly to bless God and all the assembly bless the Lord. And then what happens? The God of their fathers and they bowed low in prostration and did homage to the Lord, to their king.
There's worship, folks. That's worship. You know, in Ephesians, Paul said, Ephesians 3 20, Paul praised God for being able to do far more abundantly above all that we can even ask or think according to what?
To the power that works in us. 2 Corinthians 9 8, God is able to make all grace abound in you so that always have an all sufficiency in everything you may have abundance for every good deed. God even gives you and I the power to live in him.
We live and move and have our being, but he also gives us the power, the grace to live the Christian life. And we even though in our failures, repentance, faith and all these gifts that God gives us, helps us along the way.
Paul wrote to Timothy, expressing his confidence in God's power for I know whom I have believed and I'm persuaded that he's what he's able. He's able to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day.
Hebrews 2 18 reveals that the Lord Jesus Christ is able that he's able to come to aid those who are tempted. Hebrews 7 20 25 reassures believers that he's able to save to the all those who draw near to God through him since he's always lives to make intercession for them.
In our text, God's holy, but he's all powerful. Now, this is all speaking of judgment that's coming now. God's judgment and it's a powerful folks. Nahum 1 6, who can stand before his indignation? Malachi 3 2, who can endure the burning of his anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire and the rocks are broken up by him. God will judge wicked rulers even though they don't know it, but it's coming. That's why we're to pray for them that they would repent because a terrifying judgment and by the way, the writer of Hebrews says it's a terrifying thing to fall in the hands of the living God.
Terrifying. These wicked rulers foolishly think that they can stand against God. Psalm 2, read that. Psalm 9 and 11, Moses says, who understands the power of your anger? Moses asked, your fury according to fear that is due you.
Isaiah 13 6, wail for the day of the Lord is near. Wail. It will come as destruction from the almighty scripture says. Joel 1 15, Joel also warns God's coming judgment. Alas, for the day, for the day of the Lord is near and it will come as destruction from the almighty.
Now, if you go to Revelation, this is what's about to come on the earth. And all this worship is just beginning to just climax before the God that's about to give justice. Now, these four living creatures, they cry out before God, give an honor, glory and thanks to Him who lives forever and ever.
So much more I can say. But I do want to get going, get to my application to this. And I think the application says so much. Lord willing, we'll pick up on the rest of it because my time is short. But the worship, what we need to catch here and what we need to take home with us is that we worship God for He's holy, but we also worship God for He's all powerful.
Isn't that requiring fear? I mean, don't you fear? We have a generation today, there's no fear of God before their eyes. There's mockery, there's blasphemy, and yet God allows them to live another day.
I think about myself where I failed in my own sins. I say, Lord, then You're yet so quick to forgive me and cleanse me, put me on my way. I need to be repentant, repentant, repentant. Well, what are we to do?
Well, I want to point you, first of all, that God desires worship, but it must be true worship. Like I said, Isaiah 1 says this about, is our worship going to be acceptable or not? Hear the word of the Lord.
Scripture says in Isaiah, verse 12, when you come to appear before me, who requires of you this trampling of my courts? He says, bring your worthless offerings no longer. Incenses, abomination to me, new moons, Sabbaths, calling of assemblies, all these things.
I cannot endear iniquity and the solemn assembly. Doesn't the Scripture say if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me? Verse 14, I hate your new moon. This is things God hates. He's talking about religion, folks.
Externalism. No heart worship of loving God and your appointed feast. In other words, Jesus says, you honor me with your lips, but your heart is far from me. This is what they're doing. They have become a burden to me.
I'm weary of bearing them. And then, so when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you. Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen to you. Your hands are covered with blood, but it doesn't stop there.
Then God says, wash yourselves, wash. And then he says this, make yourselves clean. Remove the evil of your deeds from my sight. Cease to do evil. That's repentance. Stop it. Learn to do good. Seek justice.
Reprove the ruthless. Defend the orphan. Plead for the widow. That's pure religion. That's what James says. Undefiled. And God, it's almost like God says graciously now, come now and let us reason together, says the Lord, though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow, white as snow.
And though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool. If you consent and obey, you will eat the best of the land. And then he says this, but if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.
Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Folks, I'm telling you, this is this is this is God almighty. He hates religion. He hates these things. It's just hypocritical and play acting. We have to be genuine and sincere and not sincerely wrong to be sincere and truth in our hearts.
Unfamed. It's so important, Jesus says, and he said this and revealed this to a a woman at the well in John four. He didn't reveal this to one of those smart boys in the synagogues or a Pharisee or a scribe.
He tells us to a prostitute. And then he says, and I was coming and now is it when the true worshippers will worship? No question about it, they will worship the father in spirit and in truth for such people, the father seeks to be worshippers.
God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Folks, that's where it is. Can I give you one more? Can I give you one more? Time's about gone. Maybe to go with me to Psalm 15.
Just five verses, but it's packed. Why don't you take a look at this? Even though it must be true heart worship, our lives should exhibit godliness. Lord, in Christ's one who may abide in your tent, who may dwell on your holy hill, he who walks with integrity and works righteousness and speaks truth in where his heart starts there.
Then it works its way out. He does not slander with his tongue. He's not a slander, nor does evil to his neighbor. This is practical Christianity. Nor takes up a reproach against his friend and whose eyes a reprobate is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord.
He swears to his own hurt. He does not change. He does not put out his money at interest usury, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He does these things. He who does these things will never be moved, will never be shaken.
That's Christianity. Look at Psalm 24. Psalm 24. And I close with this. The earth is the Lord's and all that it contains, the world and those who dwell in it. God is the creator, but he is sovereign, right?
For he has founded upon the seas, he established upon the rivers. Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? That's a question. And who may stand in his holy place? The question is who? Who? Well, he answers it.
Verse 4. He who has clean hands and a pure heart. You know who cleans hands? Those hands, that's our relationship with one another. We got to get that right, folks. With our parents, with our children, one another, with our brothers, with our sisters.
We demand forgiveness and forgiving, repentance constantly. Who? He must have clean hands, a pure heart. That's our relationship with God. See, there you have the both. And then what does he say? He doesn't leave it there.
Who has not lifted up his soul to vanity, to falsehood, and has not sworn deceitfully? Verse 5. He shall receive a blessing from the Lord and the righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of those who seek him.
Don't you want to be that generation? Who seek your face, seek God's face. Even Jacob, Selah. And then he says this with almost like an encouragement, with a glorious invitation. Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty. The Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates, and lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts, the Lord of the armies. He is the King of glory. Praise his holy name. Let's go to the Lord and let's pray. Our Father, we do thank you in heaven, and we thank you, Lord, that you are the Lord God Almighty.
There's none like you, the one only, and we worship you through the one and only Son of the living God, Jesus Christ. He is the righteous one. The only way our worship can be acceptable, O Lord, before you is through him, for he is the righteous one, the one that you said, this is my beloved Son and whom I'm well pleased.
Hear him. Hear him. May we hear Jesus. May we hear you, Lord. The one that has redeemed us by his precious blood, the one that has made us kings and priests unto you, and the one that one day in eternity will reign forever and ever as King of kings, Lord of lords, and come in great power and glory.
Lord, we anticipate that day. Lord, this life is a dressing room for eternity. May we prepare our hearts for the eternal city and prepare it for us. Help us, O God, as these living creatures and as all these elders, they just say with a great exaltation, worthy is the land that was slain to receive power, riches, wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.
So, Father, may all praise belong to you, and it does belong to you, O Lord. And we give you thanks. Change us, Lord. Transform us. And may we be true worshipers that love you. And may our worship be acceptable in spirit and truth and in the beauty of your holiness.
We pray this in Jesus name. Amen and amen.