FOREVER WORSHIP by Dr. Shah, Clearview Church, Henderson, NC
Introduction: Today we are in our third message in laying the foundation of our end-times prophecy series. In the first message, we learned how being an overcomer is a major goal and benefit of studying end-times prophecy. In the second message, we learned how praying together is also a major goal and benefit of studying end-times prophecy. In today’s message, we will learn how studying end-times prophecy changes the way we worship. Turn to Revelation 15:1-3 (page #1891).
Let me again say a word about the prophecy series coming up. This will not be your average series on prophecy. Our series will probably go on for several years, but we will take breaks in between and have different series during Christmas, Easter, and Summer. This series will be a comprehensive and systematic look at end-times prophecy, laying one block down at a time. If you want a head start, start reading the Book of Romans. As I mentioned last week, you will find that it is a great blessing to study prophecy.
Revelation 15 1 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete. 2 And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. 3 They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!”
Context: Last weekend, I made a statement – “If you don’t enjoy worship here, you may not enjoy heaven there!” Heaven without worship is not heaven at all. In fact, that is hell. When we think of worship in the Bible, we only think of the Old Testament, and that’s not accurate. “Worship is an important theme in the New Testament, but nowhere does it come into such sharp focus as in the book of Revelation” (Donald Guthrie, “Aspects of Worship in the Book of Revelation”). The Book of Revelation gives us a glimpse, a sample, of what worship will look like in the New Heavens and the New Earth. When we read the Book of Revelation, imagine being allowed to peak behind the curtain to see what is coming up. Some of you are wondering – “What’s the use of studying about worship in heaven now?” “Don’t we have the whole eternity to worship God in heaven?” Listen carefully: When we see what worship in heaven looks like, it transforms our worship on earth. By the way, our worship down here needs more than just a transformation.
- It needs a confrontation with the holiness of God.
- It needs a recognition of the sinfulness of our hearts.
- It needs a comprehension of the greatness of our salvation.
- It needs a vision of the Great Shepherd who wipes away all our tears.
- It needs a submission of our whole being to the great mystery of God.
Unfortunately, our worship down here misses the mark terribly. In a typical service, both the unchurched and the churched struggle with worship. The unchurched struggle for obvious reasons. Jesus said in John 14:6 “…I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Without the Holy Spirit, worship is just make-believe, a fantasy. The churched also struggle with worship because, at its core, worship is a time to adore and magnify someone far greater than us, someone to whom we owe everything. If we have sin in our lives, doubts in our hearts, or anger in our spirit (God, self, or others), how can we truly worship God. David says in Psalm 24 3 “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully.” “Lifting up our souls to an idol” = wrong priorities. When things, people, and self is at the place that only belong to God, it will hinder our worship. Also, misunderstanding and lack of understanding can keep us from worshipping God. Jesus said to the Samaritan Woman, who was arguing with him about the location of the worship, in John 4 22 You worship what you do not know…24 “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” If you don’t know Jesus as your Savior and King, you don’t have the Holy Spirit, and Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
If many churches and Christians were truly honest, we would have to admit that worship is missing in our lives. Instead of acknowledging our real problem, we try to retreat to the familiar – familiar songs and familiar styles. It’s much easy to do that than to correct our worship. It impacts our end-times series: If you have trouble understanding worship in Revelation, you will have trouble understanding end-times prophecy. They are inextricably linked. Warren Wiersbe – “If the study of prophecy makes me want to argue instead of worship, there is something wrong with my studies.”
For the next few minutes, I want us to glance at 7 worship services in the Book of Revelation and see what we can learn from them:
1st Worship Service – An Apostle in Exile
Revelation 1 (page# 1874-1875) – 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, (The Holy Spirit is front and center in leading in worship but his goal is to point us to Christ.) and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, (start of a service) 11 saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches…12 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; 15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; 16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. 17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last…”
Several lessons here:
- The vision was led by the Holy Spirit. A. W. Tozer – “If God took his Holy Spirit out of this world, what we are doing would go right on and nobody would know the difference.”
- The vision of the worship was Jesus, the resurrected Lord.
- The vision was overwhelming.
- The vision was reassuring. It had a tender touch. (So also, in Daniel 10:10 “Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands.”
Application: Our goal in worship is to magnify Jesus. We are the body of Christ. Our misbelieves and misbehaviors can be the wrong touch.
2nd Worship Service – Heavenly Beings and Earthly Beings
Revelation 4 (page# 1878f) 2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne…6 Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. 8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. (Echo of Isaiah 6 and Ezekiel 1) And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” Worship begins with acknowledging the holiness of God. That’s where Reginald Heber got his famous hymn. 9 Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: 11 “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.” They are praising the creative power of God.
Revelation 5 4 So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. 5 But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” 6 And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain…8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. (The Mystery of the Paradox) 9 And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.” They are praising the redemptive power of Jesus.
Several lessons here:
- We need to understand that the first step of worship is the holiness of God.
- We need to adore both the creative power of God and the redemptive power of Christ.
- We need to understand the mystery in worship, the mystery of the paradox between the Lion and the Lamb.
Application: Do you appreciate the great mystery in worship, the beyond comprehension of God? Bishop William Quayle – “When wonder is dead, the soul becomes a dry bone.”
3rd Worship Service – The Martyrs
Revelation 7 (page # 1882) – 9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”…14…“These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. 16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Several lessons here:
- We need to remember our brothers and sisters who are suffering for the gospel.
- We need to appreciate the tender image of the Shepherd who leads us and wipes away our tears.
Application: Can you see the healing power of true worship?
4th Worship Service – The Elders
Revelation 11 (page #1886) – 15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” 16 And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying: “We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned. 18 The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints.”
Several lessons here:
- Recognition of the wrath of God against sin in this world is an important part of worship.
- Repentance from our own sins is also an important part of worship.
Application: What does worship do for your sin life? What does worship do for your view of the sin in this world?
5th Worship Service – The Super Evangelists of Israel.
Revelation 14 (page#1889) 1 Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. 3 They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. 4 These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.
Important lesson here: Worship is more than just to keep the saints comforted; it is also to get the sinners converted.
Application: Does worship bring the lost to Christ?
6th Worship Service – The Victorious
Revelation 15 (page #1891) 2 And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. (God has musical instruments waiting for us on the other side!) 3 They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! 4 Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.”
Important lessons here:
- Worship declares that God is victorious over all his enemies.
- Spiritual warfare is also part of worship. Beware of the Enemy’s infiltration.
- Good music is an important part of worship, and musical instruments are God’s gift (trumpet, harp, lyre, cymbals, pipes). Martin Luther – “Music is God’s greatest gift. It has often so stimulated and stirred me that I felt the desire to preach…I place music next to theology and give it the highest praise.” Francis Schaeffer – “Let me say firmly that there is no such thing as a godly style or an ungodly style. The more one tries to make such a distinction, the more confusing it becomes.”
Application: Does worship help you see that we have the victory in God, that the Enemy is defeated?
7th Worship Service – All of Us
Revelation 19 (page# 1895-1896) 1 After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! 2 For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.” 3 Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!” 4And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!” 5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!” 6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” 10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
Hallelujah = praise to Yahweh or praise the Lord; “alleluia” is the Latin transliteration of the Greek transliteration of “hallelujah.”
Important lesson here: Worship is a party that never ends!
Application: Who do you want to see around that throne?
Invitation: Are you saved? Are you a true worshipper? Will you worship around the throne of God in the New Heavens and the New Earth?