The change of the name of that cape did not alter the danger sailing vessels encountered. A new and pleasant name, however, did serve to strengthen sailors to see beyond the storms and trust that safety and peace lay ahead. There was hope in the midst of the tempest. So often in our own lives, all we can see is the turmoil before out eyes. Our minds are filled with the rough seas of worry and doubt. How will we financially make it? What will happen to my kids? What about my health? The concerns may be real, the worries powerful. At times it seems as though we are in a perpetual Cape of Storms, never realizing the calm seas that lie ahead. During those difficult times we need to know that there is hope. Where can we find it? That hope is realized in worship, for in worship we experience what lies beyond those troubles. In worship, the curtain is peeled back so that we are reminded where true peace is found, we see past the shoals and see the calm waters of eternity. We are given a glimpse of not only what lies ahead in the future, but also what is the ultimate reality now. In the midst of turmoil, trouble and hardship, we transcend the problems of our life and we see who is sovereign over history and the world when we worship. To worship is to ascribe worth, to proclaim the value of that which is adored. I’ve quoted William Temple before when defining worship, but his masterful definition of worship is still the best: Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose -- and all of this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable and therefore the chief remedy for that self-centeredness which is our original sin and the source of all actual sin. Given the centrality and importance of worship, it should come as no surprise that as Cornerstone defines its calling in our community, worship would be a key component. Last week we examined the first corner of the Cornerstone vision wherein we stated that God calls people to Cornerstone to realize the need for the gospel to be central in one’s life. The centrality of the good news of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection is most clearly evidenced in our worship. For that reason, we believe: God calls people to Cornerstone Church to respond to God’s call with worship which has Christ as the central focus. Turn to Revelation 5 and follow as I read. What do we see in worship that should change our lives? In worship we see a sovereign God [verses 1-5]For many the Apocalypse of John is hard enough to understand without jumping in midpoint. But in many ways Revelation 4-5 provide an interpretative key to this entire book. In chapter 4 John is in heaven before the throne of God. From this perspective he is able to understand all that goes on in the world. The church, facing hardship and trials, needs to know what lies behind those difficulties. From John’s perspective in heaven he looks past the storms and sees God’s sovereign hand. The future, no matter how dim or frightening, is still the domain of our sovereign Lord. When I drive past O’Hare on I-294 in the winter months when the sun sets early, I am always amazed at the number of planes circling Chicago. If I did not know there was a control tower, guiding each of those planes to land on the proper runway at the right time – I would never fly. But the control tower gives us a different perspective. John is in the control tower. What John sees in that control tower that aids him to make sense of the world beneath is worship. The curtain is pulled back, revealing the God who is over creation. In the center of heaven God is seated on a throne, similar to what we read earlier from Isaiah 6. Having described the worship of the Father in chapter 4, this chapter opens focusing on a scroll in his right hand. The scroll is a legal document, containing official edicts. In Revelation on this scroll are the divine decrees of God’s triumph over evil. That it is written on both sides, an anomaly in the ancient world, points to its completeness. All that can be said is written. That it is sealed with 7 seals tells us that it belongs to God and only God may open it. It is authoritative and secret. But then there is a dilemma. The question is asked: "Who is worthy to open such a scroll?" The closed scroll indicates God plan is unrevealed and unexecuted. If that scroll remains sealed God’s purposes are not realized. To open that scroll by breaking the seals means not merely to reveal but to carry out God’s plan. If no one is worthy then God’s plan is frustrated. If the scroll is not opened there will be no protection for God’s children, no triumph, no new heaven and earth, no future inheritance. It is understandable that John weeps – there is no one worthy in creation to bring to completion the covenant, the promises of God. But then an elder speaks. The 24 elders are mentioned in Revelation 4:10 as they lay their crowns at the feet of God on his throne. They are further defined in Revelation 21:12-14 as comprising the 12 tribes and 12 apostles. They picture God’s people. The representative of God’s people answers the perplexing question raised by the angel in verse 2. There is no reason to mourn – the promised one arrives. Lion of the tribe of Judah is a reference to the prophecy from Genesis 49:10. This promise to the tribe of Judah was partially fulfilled when David ascended to the throne. The scepter, the sign of a sovereign, is ascribed to this coming one. What is more, the one who is worthy to open the scroll is said to be the Root of David. This looks back to Isaiah 11, where from the tribe of Judah, the line of Jesse, one will come up from the stump of a fallen tree and will reign. Again, the promised king will take his rightful place. But here in Revelation there’s a twist. The worthy one is not said to come from the root of David, but is the root of David. While Jesus according to his human nature descended from David, as the Son of God, he is the foundation, the source of David. This dual nature is expressed in Revelation 22:16 where the Lord says: "I am the root and offspring of David." The reason weeping must cease is that the rightful king has come. Christ has triumphed: aorist, past completed action. He has nikao. We wear Nikes, with the swoosh, reminiscent of the winged Greek god of victory. That term is used here as one who has overcome; he has fulfilled what was promised, so he has the right to unveil the future. We worship a sovereign God who is transcendent When talking about finding one who is worthy of worship, the first picture here is that of one who is powerful, transcendent, beyond us. When we worship the constructs of our own imaginations, our gods will always be far too small. The pitiful idols of our own imagination are worthy only to be destroyed. The worship pictured here is that of one who reigns and rules. Worthiness is essential to worship. There’s an important question here: How big is your God? The first image from our passage here is that if there is worship, there is then a gulf between that which is worshipped and the worshipper. There is a difference that we must not forget. When we gather to worship, what takes place here by its very nature is different. There is no casualness or familiarity that lacks awe. For there to be worship we must see our need, that our lack can only be filled by the one we worship. When we gather each week, it is our desire to cause us to see our lives from the perspective of this sovereign God. The reference that will change our lives is not just a slightly different point of view; it is a radical perspective, seeing life from heaven. Our starting point must be from God’s sovereign throne. Our music and our prayers should direct us away from ourselves, our problems, and our concerns so that we see the Father on the throne and the worthiness of Christ. But John saw something more. There is a jolt in verse 6. This Lion, this King who has triumphed, who alone is able to open the scrolls, is suddenly seen differently by John. The Lion is also a lamb. In worship we see a saving God [verses 6-14]11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" 13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" 14 The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped. We worship a saving God who died for us [verses 6-7] The elder points to the Lion who has triumphed. What does John see? Not just a lamb, but a dead lamb who now lives. The powerful phrase here is that he is a lamb with a slit throat. This Lamb was a sacrifice. His triumph, his worthiness is directly tied into his death. He is a lion to conquer Satan, a lamb to satisfy the justice of God. is behind this picture, as this worthy One is deemed worthy not only because he is sovereign, but because he bled in our place. But the slain lamb is no longer dead, but standing. He is standing at the center of the universe, at the throne. In typical apocalyptic literature, images are used to convey truth. This lamb with the cut throat is not defeated. Using the number of perfection, John describes this one as having seven horns, the emblem of power, and seven eyes, the sign of omniscience. We have the perfect picture of our Savior: the power of the Lion in the horns and eyes but also the humiliation of the lamb in bearing the marks of his death. Worship holds both components: lion and lamb. There is both power and service. This is the gospel centered-ness mentioned last week. To see one but not the other is to worship something other than our Lord and Savior. There must be both cross and crown. Triumphalism holds forth the Lion, the sovereign one reigning and so portrays the Christian life as one without pain or suffering, ever victorious. But in our passage the importance of God’s sovereignty is not for sovereignty’s sake – it is redemptive. This view from heaven shows us heaven, but never denies the pain and suffering here. The lamb is the means by which we triumph. Pietism sees the Lamb, ever bleeding, but having little authority and power. This worship may become introspective. The lamb without the lion is ineffective, for there is no guarantee of ascendancy. Rather, worship must maintain the balance of victory over evil through suffering. We worship a saving God who makes us His people [verses 8-10] Surrounding the throne are the four living creatures and the 24 elders, who have harps and bowls. With both music and prayer, they sing a new song. This phrase is used in the psalms when describing a song sung on special festal occasions, often celebrating the mercies of God and his deliverance from distress. Psalms 96 and 98 are introduced as new songs. In our passage the contents described focus on the work of Christ. The content of the new song is the gospel – Christ’s death has created a new people. Their worship is cross-centered and kingdom-oriented. [verses 9-10] The lamb with the slit throat is to be worshipped because his death makes us his people.That he has purchased us implies that we are now his. The work of Christ is complete. Using Exodus terminology, the song of the 24 elders and four living creatures points to ownership, possession. That which he purchased he now owns. His death does not just make their salvation potential, but the transaction is now final, complete. The worship of Christ is trans-cultural. The gospel is not just for one group versus another. It is for every tribe, language, people, and nation. Tribal backgrounds do not disqualify; linguistic barriers are hurdled, geography and even race are cleared by this worthy redeemer. He is not a provincial redeemer, nor only the redeemer of Jewish people, but of people from everywhere. This purchase has a goal of usefulness. We are bought to serve and to reign with him. When we leave here having worshipped, being reminded of his death for us so that we are now his people, there must be the continued worship found in service, in our sacrifice here on earth. We worship a saving God who is all sufficient All creation praises our God – notice the concentric circles around the throne. In verse 11 angels without number join their voices in song. Then in verse 13 all creation sings. Their song consists in rehearsing his attributes, again using the number of perfection, listing seven qualities for which he can be praised. Power: his omnipotence – there is nothing he cannot accomplish. Wealth: his abundant resources – there is no end to all he has to give. Wisdom: his omniscience – what he tells us is good and true. Strength: his might and potency – more than just power, but enduring health. Honor: his value – this term originally meant the value or price of something. Glory: his weightiness, brilliant majesty. Praise: he is a gift beyond all others. What is the response to all this? How can it end? All that can finally be said is Amen. All that can finally be done is fall down and worship.We worship a saving God who is immanent Historically the church has swung between extremes of transcendence and immanence. A majestic cathedral can fill us with awe, but it can be cold. Intimate worship is warm, but it may feel more like God’s family room than God’s throne room. Our worship must seek dignity, as we worship a sovereign God. It must also never lose the excitement expressed by those around the throne – falling down, singing a new song. Because God is close, we will praise him. Music is an important component of that praise. George Grant recently commented: "Ours is a singing faith. At every turn, on every occasion, and in every age the Christian church has been marked by a prolific love of music. Wherever the gospel has been preached, it has simultaneously been sung. Wherever the praises of our God have been expressed in words, they have simultaneously been expressed in melodies. As a result, some of the most glorious music ever produced has been the fruit of faithful worship. . . . According to Martin Luther, ‘Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in this world.'" (World, Nov. 22, 1997, p. 24) The question comes – what shall we sing? What we sing must be, first and foremost, to God’s glory. Second, what we sing will edify the body Lastly, what we sing will make you feel good. Worship should not be equated with entertainment or even described in terms of an emotional response. While emotions are a wonderful part of being a human, getting a tingly feeling can be produced from a tremendous service or an electric shock. The worship of heaven will be quite shock to many of us, as the find ourselves in the minority. While we should seek to worship in ways that are culturally accessible so as to be understood by those around us, we should not use that as an excuse for making worship merely comfortable to what I like. Look back at the list of those who have been purchased in verse 9. Good worship must not be equated with what was produced in 1650 or 1990, it is not just Geneva, but also Georgia, not just European, but African. It would do us good if our congregation would begin to look a bit more like heaven. I have been pleased that, despite being located in a rather middle class area, our congregation is made up of people from a variety of backgrounds. But unfortunately, as I look around we still come from a small portion of the world. One of the keys to changing that is not just how we do outreach, but also how we worship. In the turmoil of a hectic week, we need to know we will not be destroyed by the storms that toss us about. In worship, we see behind the curtain to the God who is in control and who has called us as his own. It is then, though the storms still rage, that the Cape of Storms becomes the Cape of Good Hope, because our hope is in the God who has made us his own. What we do here forms the foundation for what goes on out there. This is important business, for in worship, we are better prepared to face the rough waters ahead. |
