SCRIPTURE: REVELATION 4:6-11
Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. For many, worship is not about emotion, it is more about recognition of a God.
Chapter 4 begins by John seeing another vision in which he saw an open door in heaven and a familiar voice was heard sounding like a trumpet saying to him, “come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this”.
The Spirit then took control of John and there in heaven he saw a throne on which someone was sitting, and surrounding the throne were twenty four elders (24). These are representatives of the church.
The elders were dressed in white and each was wearing a golden crown. The throne was surrounded by four (4) living creatures, each covered with eyes in front and behind signifying the all-knowing aspect of God. In appearance, the creatures looked as follows: The first had the appearance of a Lion, the second had the face of calf, the third had a face of a man and the fourth had the face of a flying eagle
These creatures engage in perpetual singing and worship day and night saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty, who was, and who is, and is to come”
The elders throw down their crowns (titles, positions and names) before the throne saying, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being”.
The worship in heaven is centred around God’s holy throne and nothing else has attention; no one is reverenced beside him. No other program takes priority and no other throne is recognized. All elders move out of their thrones and fall before the Lord.
These four living creatures represent all the people of God in the New Testament dispensation; it is a picture of the redeemed.
Let us look at the four living creatures carefully and the message they portray to us.
1. LION
Revelation 4:7 states, “And the first beast was like a lion.” Is that a figurative expression? Proverbs 28:1 says, “The wicked flee when no man pursues them: but the righteous are bold as a lion.” Here the saints, the righteous, are likened to a lion. In Ephesians 6:19-20, Paul was like a lion. He was very bold. “And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”
The church in worshiping God must be as bold as a lion. The church should not cower down, but be strong. In Acts 4:29-31 they prayed: “And now, Lord, behold their threatening: and grant unto your servants, that with all boldness they may speak your word, By stretching forth your hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” They were victorious, and they were bold.
2. CALF
Let us look at this thought of a calf, spoken of in Revelation 4:7, which says, “And the second beast was like a calf” The calf is a symbolic expression of a sacrifice. It represents the days of pagan persecution as well as the Dark Ages, an age when many saints sacrificed their lives.
Jesus foretold of it in Matthew 24:9, saying, “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.” In Ezekiel 1:10, Ezekiel saw a vision, he referred to the calf as an ox: “As for the likeness of their faces, the four living creatures had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side; and the four had the face of an ox”. Whether it is called an ox, a bull or a calf, it portrays the same picture of a sacrificial animal.
Aaron was instructed in Leviticus 9:2: “Take thee a young calf for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before the LORD.” These oxen, or calves, were sacrificial animals.
John caught a glimpse of the period of time when God’s people became sacrifices. Revelation 12:11 tells us “they loved not their lives unto death,” and Revelation 17:6 tells us, “And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus”. During that time, when persecution was predominant, the saints took on a sacrificial nature.
3. FACE OF A MAN
The face of a man is also in the throne. Though we are people of faith, our humanity is an advantage. For a long time in the history of man, it has appeared as if it is embarrassing for anointed men of God to reveal their human nature. The Pharisees hated Jesus because he revealed his human nature very well. Church members are very interesting people especially when their pastor is going through a situation. You hear them say; “I can’t believe that Pastor is in hospital, is he not a man of God?”
Some prayer partners will wake you up at 3am so that you pray. And since you are a sleep you feel embarrassed to the point of apologizing. Jesus has already paid the price for humanity. When he entered into the temple and found merchandise of goods in his Father’s house, he got angry and whipped them. He expressed his humanity. Your humanity is a blessing.
When you are tired rest, when you are hungry eat, when you are mourning cry, when you are happy rejoice.
There are preachers who have gone through bereavement, sickness and family issues. You see a man of God crying in his office because he is overwhelmed, here you see religious people saying; “I am disappointed, have you forgotten that God is still God?” The face of a man is a blessing.
4. EAGLE (Flying Eagle)
The church is represented by the eagle. Isaiah 40:31 says, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles.” We are in that time when God is lifting the saints up, enabling them to rise to the light. Just as the eagle can fly toward the sun, we are able to fly right to the Source of light and obtain greater light and greater truth.
God does not want His people sitting down with their wings all folded down. He wants you and me to soar to higher heights and gain greater understanding; He wants us to fly above all of men’s ideas, above all the things of this life. All of this was made possible by the Lamb.
What are some of the ways to worship God?
Christian worship is one of the most important spiritual disciplines in Christian life. If you don’t like worship, then you may not really enjoy heaven because worship is the one thing we know for sure we will be doing in heaven. (Rev. 4:9-11)
1. Singing is a way to worship God (Ephesians 5:19)
2. Raising hands to God in worship (1 Timothy 2:8)
3. Bowing down as a form of worship (Psalm 95:6)
4. Clapping hands in worship to God (Psalm 47:1)
5. Worshiping God by dancing (Psalm 149:3)
Conclusion
Christian worship therefore must be an act of the heart ministering or showing God how much he is valued and adored. It is not just singing about God but singing to God. It is God centred and God focused. Sermon by Rev. Bonface Nyangolo December 5th, 2021