TEXT: REVELATION 4:9-10
INTRODUCTION: Today it is not uncommon to see the phrase “worship experience” on sign after sign in front of various kinds of church buildings. The phrase advertises times people can come and “worship.” Generally, this means they can come and get in on some sort of sensory-stimulating concert atmosphere that looks almost identical to the halftime show of the big football game. The world is good at taking good words like worship and giving them a bad redefining. For you and I who believe the Bible and want to live in accordance with it, we find our model for worshipping God in the Book. Let’s look at the book of Revelation and discover how the redeemed worship around the throne in Heaven.
- The Worship is Selfless (v. 10a) “The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne,”
- The position of the worshippers would take all attention and presumption away from them and place it upon the One on the throne.
- The Worship is Sacrificial (v. 10b) “…and cast their crowns before the throne,”
- The reward that had been worked for and earned was discarded and given to the One who was indeed worthy. It was a sacrifice.
- The Worship is Singular in Focus (v. 11) “Thou art worthy”
- Throughout these few verses, the words “him” and “the one” and “Thou” are mentioned. All attention is placed upon God.
ILLUSTRATION: An old farmer went to the city one weekend and attended the big city church. He came home, and his wife asked him how it was.
“Well,” said the farmer, “It was good. They did something different, however. They sang praise choruses instead of hymns.”
“Praise choruses,” said his wife, “What are those?”
“Oh, they’re okay. They’re sort of like hymns, only different,” said the farmer.
“Well, what’s the difference?” asked the wife.
The farmer said, “Well, it’s like this. If I were to say to you, ‘Martha, the cows are in the corn,’ well that would be a hymn.”
“If on the other hand, I were to say to you, ‘Martha, Martha, Martha, Oh Martha, MARTHA, MARTHA, the cows, the big cows, the brown cows, the black cows, the white cows, the black and white cows, the COWS, COWS, COWS, are in the corn, are in the corn, are in the corn, are in the corn, . . .’
Well, that would be a praise chorus.”
Quotes of Note:
“I can safely say, on the authority of all that is revealed in the Word of God, that any man or woman on this earth who is bored and turned off by worship is not ready for heaven.” ― A.W. Tozer
“The root of all virtue and grace, of all faith and acceptable worship, is that we know that we have nothing but what we receive, and bow in deepest humility to wait upon God for it.” ― Andrew Murray
“Do not flatter yourselves: if you go to places of worship merely to look about you or to hear music, you are not worshipping God.”
“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” John 4:24
A MERRY HEART:
As the storm raged, the captain realized his ship was sinking fast. He called out, “Anyone here know how to pray?” One man stepped forward. “Aye, Captain, I know how to pray.” “Good,” said the captain “You pray while the rest of us put on our life jackets; we’re one short.”
PULPIT FACT:
Did you know that the great preacher and writer Harry Ironside was thought to be dead at birth? The baby did not have a detectable pulse until 40 minutes after being delivered. The baby was resuscitated, and that baby thought to be dead went on to become a powerfully used servant of God.
SUNDAY’S COMING:
As Sunday nears, take some time to prepare your heart by spending seasons in praising God. Thank God for the little things. Slow down and consider His goodness in your life. Realize that everything you have and all that you enjoy comes from the same source. A prepared heart will go a long way in creating a profitable preacher.
Share this post
Justin Cooper, Assistant Pastor
Since 2006, Pastor Cooper has served as an evangelist and as a pastor, traveling across the nation holding revival meetings and preaching in Bible conferences. Pastor Cooper moved to join our staff in 2019 and is building the Tabernacle Bible Class. He and his wife, Desarae, are an incredible blessing to both the college and church families. Pastor and Mrs. Cooper have one son, Lincoln.
Stay connected