Introduction:

·   Illustration: William Cowper’s “There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood,” has the stanza: “When this poor lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave, Then in a nobler, sweeter song I’ll sing thy power to save!”

·   We were created by God for the worship of God.

-Psalm150:6

·   Even beyond the life of our bodies, our eternal souls will resound to his praise!

·   Prayer and preaching will not be needed in heaven.

·   Our occupation in heaven will be eternal praise for our gracious God and King.

·   Revelation provides a vivid picture of eternal worship.

Note the door in heaven (v. 1).

·   Doors are important in the imagery of the book.

-Revelation 3:8; Revelation 3:20

·   John was about to see worship in the future eternity.

Note the throne in heaven (vv. 2–3).

·   Throne is a key word in this book of prophecy, occurring forty-six times.

·   The throne represents God’s sovereignty, his rule, his control.

·   God was “like a jasper,” representing the dazzling glory of God.

-Romans 21:11

·   God’s appearance was like “a sardine stone”—dark red in color to represent the blood of Christ or his wrath.

·   A rainbow reminded John that a covenant-keeping God was still on the throne.

Note the elders in heaven (v. 4).

·   The twenty-four elders are clearly representative of the body of Christ, the church—us!

·   They are “clothed in white robes,” and only believers are so clothed.

-Revelation 3:5

·   They “had crowns of gold on their heads,” the crown of victors.

-1 Corinthians 9:25; 2 Timothy 4:8

·   The elders sing “redeemed us,” and only believers are redeemed.

Note the worship in heaven (vv. 5–11).

·   John’s vision of lightning, thunder, and voices is not unlike what Israel saw when God’s presence was with Moses on Sinai.

·   The “seven lamps of fire” are “seven Spirits of God,” representing the presence of the Holy Spirit, not seven different spirits.

·   Without rest, the four “living creatures” give praise to God.

·   The elders realize that God alone deserves the victor’s crown.

-Revelation 5:9–14.

In worship, John glimpsed the true reality.

·   John of Revelation is the John of the Gospels.

·   In another sense, the John of Revelation is not at all like the John of the Gospels.

·   Very much happened to John, the final disciple, over the years.

·   While the other apostles were charged with the martyrdom of death, John faced the martyrdom of life.

·   Exiled John, with a pastor’s heart, longs for his people.

·   John worships, and in worship he hears the voice of “One like the Son of God.”

·   John, more than anyone else at that time knew the Son of God!

·   In a time of worship, John saw Jesus and was allowed a glimpse of eternal worship.

·   His temporary reality was eclipsed by the ultimate reality of eternity.

In worship, we glimpse true reality.

·   We are constantly bombarded by the reality of today, but we feel empty inside.

·   This present reality is painful, even for dedicated believers.

·   If you were honest, you might say, I just don’t feel like worshiping God today.

·   In worship, we see things as they really are, not as they appear to be.

·   This present reality is passing; the eternal reality we glimpse in Revelation 4 is sure.

-Illustration: Steven Covey writes, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”

·   We must choose the reality to live in: temporary or eternal, material or spiritual?

-Romans12:2

·   Worship renews us, as God touches our minds and hearts.

·   God focuses us on what is more real than the breath in our lungs or the words on our tongues.

·   Even when our bodies lie silent in the grave, we’ll still sing. We’ll sing a nobler, sweeter song in eternal worship of our God and King.