OPEN: Fifteen years ago, two of our families went on vacation. They went to NYC and had gone to see the sights and enjoy the pleasures of the city.
But their plans were shattered in a moment’s time… along with the plans of millions of Americans across the nation.
19 evil men, with hearts filled with darkness and hate and their minds dominated by a sense of self-righteousness and vengeance, hijacked 4 airliners and carried out suicide attacks against specially selected targets.
• 2 of the planes were flown into the towers of the World Trade Center
• A 3rd plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C.,
• And the 4th plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania before it reached its destination because of the courage and sacrifice of those on board.
They murdered over 3,000 people were killed during these attacks, including more than 400 police officers and firefighters.
Osama Ben Laden took immediate credit for the attack and Muslims across the Mid-East rejoiced in the crippling of the “Great Satan” (Us)
Expecting further potential attacks, commercial airlines were immediately grounded. The nation was paralyzed and businesses ground to a halt.
America was shocked and devastated and on the verge of financial collapse.
What our nation needed (and what we received from President Bush) was someone who could say:
I understand you fear.
I know the enemy and I have a plan to deal with them.
I know what we’re going to do to face the coming days and we will overcome this hardship and tragedy together.
That’s essentially the message of Revelation 4.
God is saying:
I understand you fear.
I know the enemy and I have a plan to deal with them.
And I know what we’re going to do to face the coming days and we will overcome this hardship and tragedy together.
Notice these words from Revelation 4:1-4
“After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “COME UP HERE, AND I WILL SHOW YOU WHAT MUST TAKE PLACE AFTER THIS. At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.
And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.”
Notice what’s happening here.
Jesus tells John he’s about to see "what must take place after this…"
We’re all familiar with what’s coming in the following chapters.
There’s horrendous pictures of war, famine, pestilence and death.
Preachers and teachers who make a living telling people about the horrors of Revelation jump right into describing the dangers and challenges the future holds.
BUT NOT JESUS
Jesus doesn’t “jump” into the pictures of the future.
Instead, we find ourselves in God’s throne room witnessing an awesome worship service
• filled with strange sights and sounds
• lightning and thunder and rumblings in the distance
• beautiful colors
• unusual creature
• and an inspiring example of how to praise God
(pause…)
When I first began to study this passage I suddenly thought…
"What’s going on here?”
If Jesus has told John that he’s about to see "what must take place after this…" why would the 1st thing Jesus take John to be a “church service”? Why visit this beautiful BUT seemingly irrelevant ceremony. Why not just get right down to the nitty gritty of it all and tell us all about what we REALLY want to know about:
1. the conflict between the forces of good and evil,
2. between the forces of Satan and the angels of God?
But instead we find ourselves being led into a praise service.
Why start here?
Why?
Because that’s where God KNEW we needed to begin.
We need to realize that when we read Revelation – it’s possible for us to focus on the wrong things. TV Evangelists and radio preachers get caught up looking at the wrong things all the time.
You’ll hear or read many of these guys focus on:
1. the powers of darkness;
2. the Mark of the Beast;
3. The battle of Armageddon; and so on.
Most of the teachers who teach this seem to dwell on the darker, scarier aspects of this vision and thus they end up focusing on the wrong things.
ILLUS: For example, how many of you have heard of the mark of the Beast? (“666” described in Rev. chapter 13)
Over the past 50 years or so, prophetic teachers have gotten people so scared of the prophecy about the mark of the “beast” that many faithful church goers have made nuisances of themselves fighting any attempt by our government to use Social Security numbers, identification cards or anything like of the sort. If there's even the hint that "666" will end up being part of their phone number or SS# or any other of a number of other numbers that could be part of their lives... some folks just go spastic.
WHY?
Because they fear that “the mark of the beast” might be placed upon them unawares.
And why are they afraid?
Because these “prophetic teachers” make them afraid.
Now, a couple of questions:
Where do we read about the Mark of the Beast? (Revelation)
Who tells us about the Mark of the Beast? (God)
So do you suppose that God knew this was going to happen?
Of course He did.
Do you think maybe God had planned on this happening?
Yeah, pretty sure He had.
So, if God knew it was supposed to happen and He made plans to deal with it… do you think we could ever do anything to stop it from happening?
Of course not!
In addition, the way God describes the mark of the beast in Revelation 13 it’s obvious that Christians won’t be marked by it one day and then suddenly discover the next day that they’ve been hood winked.
No. When the Mark CAME (for I believe the mark came centuries before we were born - a description of the economic poverty non-Catholics experienced) or when it WILL COME (if it is indeed yet future) Christians will be forced to make a decision:
Take the mark, worship the beast, and survive.
OR follow Jesus and starve (Revelation 13:11-18).
As I researched the internet for comments on "the mark of beast" I ran across some interesting comments
· One of the prominent speculations was that "the mark" was to be an implantable microchip. And that this chip would identify who you are. It would be similar to the photograph in your driver’s license.
· Another speculation was that it would be a number like your SS# similar to your credit card number. Only you would have that number.
· Some conjectured that it would be like a password or PIN number. You’d need it to take out money, or to authorize transactions.
· One site showed a picture of a Bar Code and stated that each bar code in existence had 666 imbedded within it (beats me, maybe they do).
As I read through these internet pages, I found their authors stressing a fear of an approaching "cashless society” and there was a heavy emphasis on "Big Brother" was watching.
One of these authors even wrote:
"The real truth is this. The astounding prophecies of doom and a great Antichrist is just a smokescreen used by the Dark Brotherhood to cast an illusion over the real beast, antichrist and meaning of 666 so the masses will continue to bear the mark."
As I read through these items, I recalled the joke about the man talking to his friend, saying:
"Just because I’m paranoid doesn’t mean they’re NOT out to get me!"
These guys ARE paranoid.
And its easy to understand why.
Revelation can be a scary book.
Revelation would not be a Bible book I would read to children for a bedtime story.
There’s some frightening images in there.
And God knows that!
And that’s why the vision starts in the throne room.
Consider the images that this chapter places in our minds
* It’s Awesome.
* It’s unEarthly – there’s odd creatures in this room.
* Yet its somehow comforting (24 elders in white garments & crowns). These elders at least look something like us.
* And God is worshipped by everything in Heaven and on earth.
Everything and everyone subjects itself to God.
NOT because they have to, but because they want to.
He is worthy.
Everything is voluntary. Spontaneous. Filled with excitement and joy.
There’s a sense of Wonder.
A Sense of Power here.
And an assurance that – if this is my God - my enemies better watch out!
The images that follow this, in chapters 5 through 18, can be frightening and overwhelming.
But our God is bigger than anything the world can throw at us.
He occupies the higher ground, and nothing can stand against His power.
As John wrote in 1 John 4:4 “You are of God,… and have overcome… because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
Jesus taught us: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33
That’s what Revelation is trying to drive home to us.
“You are going to have trouble in this world”
It doesn’t matter how you read the rest of Revelation – that truth is inescapable:
YOU WILL HAVE TROUBLE IN THIS WORLD!
But take heart.
Because of God, because you belong to Jesus - you will overcome.
Thus, Revelation 4 is (not only) telling us we will overcome.
I believe it is telling us HOW we can overcome!
I believe we will overcome by following the example of those in the throne room.
Look at what they’re doing: (Revelation 4:10-11)
Ø They’re singing praises to God
Ø They’re worshipping the Father
Ø They’re focusing all of their attention on Him
Ø Everything is centered on - throne in the midst of the room
Why?
Because, when we do things like that on a regular basis - when we praise and worship God – we focus our attention solely on Him and His throne of power.
We’re focusing our attention:
NOT on our circumstances and difficulties
NOT on our failures and tragedies.
No. When we learn to worship and praise God (as these in the throne room do) we are focusing upon the God who has the power and the majesty and the desire to lift us up out of our despair and hopelessness.
That’s why the 4 living creatures cry out:
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."
God has always been there in the past.
He’s always with us in the present,
And He’ll always be there in the future when we need Him.
He’ll never leave us of forsake us, even in our darkest moments.
That’s why the 24 elders cast their crowns before His throne and sing this praise:
“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."
This is the God who created everything that has ever existed simply by the words from His lips.
He is a God of awesome power and might.
Those who stand against you don’t stand a chance.
We SHALL OVERCOME, because we have the power of God in our corner.
ILLUS: In 1607, a German named Martin Reinkardht wrote a powerful hymn that has been sung in churches for over 400 years. Let me sing a couple of the verses for you.
"Now thank we all our God with heart and hands and voices
Who wondrous things has done, in whom His world rejoices
Who, from our mother’s arms has blest us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today
All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given
The Son, and Him who reigns with them in highest heaven
The one eternal God whom earth and heav’n adore
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore."
How many of you recognized the song?
For centuries this has been a well-known and often sung song of praise.
BUT in the year that Reinkardht wrote that hymn over 6000 people in his German village, including his wife and his children, died of pestilence. In the midst of that great catastrophic social and personal loss Reinkardht wrote one of the most lasting hymns of praise.
Note the words of that last verse:
"All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given…
The one eternal God whom earth and heav’n adore
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore."
In the midst of his tragic loss, Reinkardht must have been reading from Revelation 4.
He literally quoted directly from its words.
But why?
Why did he write that hymn?
I believe he wrote it because he understood what Revelation is trying to tell us:
"In this world you will have trouble… but take heart…"
Focus on God’s throne.
Set your eyes and your heart and your soul on HIM who has the power to help you face and overcome your tragedies and heart aches.
CLOSE: That’s what worship is all about. That’s the reason for our gathering to sing songs of praise and glory to God
• to train us
• to prepare us
• to drive home into our hearts that the only sure power we have to face the fears and anxieties of this world is to focus on the Father and upon His throne.
If you’re not singing on Sunday morning, you’re robbing yourself.
This is what angels and powers and principalities do on regular basis in Heaven.
And they sing because this is a major source of our power in our struggle on this earth.
Sing because you believe in God’s power.
If you can’t sing, make a joyful noise.
Because this is one of God’s tools to give you encouragement in times of struggle.
I want to close with this true story from a few years back.
An elementary teacher by the name of Phyllis I. Martin, teacher told this story.
She said:
“Storm clouds and strong gusts of wind had come up suddenly over Columbus, Ohio.
The Alpine Elementary School radio blared tornado warnings.
It was too dangerous to send the children home.
Instead, they were taken to the basement, where the children huddled together in fear.
We teachers were worried too.
To help ease the tension, the principal suggested a sing-along.
But the voices were weak and unenthusiastic.
Child after child began to cry – we could not calm them.
Then a teacher, whose faith seemed equal to any emergency, whispered to the child closest to her, “Aren’t you forgetting something Kathie? There is a power greater than the storm that will protect us. Just say to yourself, ‘God is with us.’ Then pass the words on to the child next to you.”
As the words were whispered from child to child, a sense of peace settled over the group.
I could hear the wind outside still blowing with the same ferocity of the moment before, but it didn’t seem to matter now. Inside, fear subsided and tears faded away.
When the all clear signal came over the radio sometime later students and staff returned to the classrooms without the usual jostling and talking.
Through the years I have remembered those calming words.
In times of stress and trouble, I have again been able to find release from the tension by repeating,
“God is with us.”
Is God with you?
Have you learned to look to Him in your times of deepest troubles?
In those times you need to remember: God is with you.
But if you don’t belong to God you don’t have that promise.
That’s why we end every service with a time of invitation, giving you the opportunity to come forward and place your faith in Jesus.
INVITATION.
