[Originally preached on 18 May, 2003]
Revelation 5
One of the most important things that we do, as creatures of God and as Christians, is worship. That is why we were made and that is why we have been redeemed. Worship is a priority of Christian discipleship. And yet, until recently, I have not done much thinking or studying on this topic. When I was in seminary I took no course on the subject and until recently, I did just about no teaching on the subject. It’s become clear to me that this is not good. So, I thought that it would be good to take advantage of the text before us to take a look at some aspects of worship. Now, let me say that there are some limitations here. We do not have a ‘worship service’ in our text. And so, we won’t see everything that might be included in a worship service. Yet what we do have here will help us understand what is going on when we do gather as the church for worship, as well as when we have our own personal and family times of worship.
Let’s start by looking at how the worship of this text begins. In two places we hear the word, ‘worthy’: ‘Worthy are You’ or ‘Worthy is the Lamb’. What is this all about? To declare someone worthy is to say that this person is deserving of something. At the heart of worship is the conviction that the God we worship is worthy of that worship and more. Hence, the words of the Psalmist,
Give to the Lord, O heavenly beings, give to the Lord glory and strength. Give to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. [Psalm 29:1-2]
This worshiper is convinced that the Lord is worthy of receiving worship. In our text, the worshipers are declaring that Jesus is worthy to take the scroll, worthy to receive their praise. It is this conviction that fuels true worship. Without it, worship is empty. And so, a working definition of worship: worship is the proclamation of the worthiness of Jesus that comes of out the convictions of the worshipers.
Now, it needs to be said that the word ‘proclamation’ is a neutral one. It can simply mean a plain, straightforward statement. It says nothing about how the statement is being made. But as we look at our text it is clear that this proclamation is made with exuberance. We read about the singing of praise and about loud voices. We see the elders falling down and the living creatures shouting their Amens. Worship is the proclamation of the worthiness of Jesus with some feeling. Now, here keep in mind the things that I told you last week. The key issue isn’t the emotion itself. It is the state of the heart. But hearts that love Jesus, hearts that are caught up with Him, will worship with feeling. Their affections will be involved in some way. Now, it needs to be said that the feelings being expressed aren’t always going to be happy ones. There are times when worship will be rather somber. Here, just consider some of the solemn expressions of the Psalms. But still, the heart is engaged.
Now, let’s move on and notice something else from our text. Did you see that there are reasons for this worship? Listen again to the song of praise offered to Jesus.
Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation… Revelation 5:9
That ‘for’ can also be translated ‘because’. There are reasons for us to worship Jesus. This is important because it is the companion to our emotional involvement in worship. We are always pursuing a biblical balance in our discipleship. So, here we see that there are reasons why we exuberantly proclaim the worthiness of Jesus. We don’t just emote. At the top of the list is the cross. ‘… for you were slain…’ Behind our worship is an awareness of the cross. We remember what happened there, the endurance of the cruelty of men, the suffering of the wrath of God because of our sin, all done for us. It is Christ crucified who draws forth our proclamation of His worthiness. But the text goes on. This song includes the results of Jesus’ work on the cross. ‘… by your blood you ransomed people for God…’ Ransomed from what? From sin, from death, from wrath. And ransomed to what? The song includes this too.
… and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth. Rev. 5:10
The song is teaching us that at the heart of worship is the Gospel, how Jesus has rescued us. Out of our growing experience of the Gospel we ‘proclaim the excellencies of Him who called [us] out of darkness into His marvelous light’. [1 Peter 2.9] We are convinced that He is worthy because we have tasted of the Gospel. And so, good worship is based on good theology, a good understanding of the Gospel.
Now, let’s move on to something else. In verse 9 we read that the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders sang ‘a new song’. What is this ‘new song’? This same language shows up elsewhere.
Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. Psalm 98:1
Why a new song? Is there something wrong with the old ones? Well, actually, yes there is. The old songs are incomplete. There is a new song because something new has happened. The new thing that has happened in our text is that Jesus has come forward to take the scroll. He has conquered. He has overcome. Now, ‘all authority on heaven and earth belongs to [Him]’. [Matthew 28.18] So, these songs of heaven incorporate the new thing that God has done. At each new stage in the history of God’s plan of redemption, the Church has sung news songs of worship that incorporate the new things that God has done. The songs of David's day are different from the songs of Moses’ day. A lot had changed. And both are different from the songs that the Church sings today, after the cross. And this is reflected in our text.
Now, all of this applies the smaller scale also. Listen to David.
I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. Psalm 40:1-3
David encountered a problem. He cried out to his God and his God heard him and rescued him. And what is the result? David sings a ‘new song’. This new song incorporates this new thing that God had done personally for David. It includes David's latest experience of the grace of God. And the same should be true of you. The Scriptures assume that you are growing in your experience of what it means that Jesus is your faithful Savior. The Scriptures assume that your also encounter problems, cry out to your God, the Lord Jesus, and find Him faithful as He once again rescues you. And so, out of this kind of experience comes a new song for you, as well. This doesn’t mean that you need to write something from scratch. Rather, the old hymns that you’ve been singing take on new depth. Because of your recent experience of the grace of the Gospel those old hymns become more profound for you. ‘Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.’ How many times have you sung that or heard it sung? But see what happens the next time you grasp more clearly how much of a wretched sinner you really are. See what happens the next time the Spirit opens your eyes to see some of the despicable evil that remains deep within your heart. See what happens when these truths are driven home and then when the Spirit once again applies the glorious grace of God in Christ to you. ‘Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.’ It becomes a new song in your mouth because of your new experience of the Gospel.
A moment ago I said that good worship is based on good theology. I need to add something to that. Good worship, the heartfelt proclamation that Jesus is worthy, is based on the growing experience of what good theology is about. The quality of what happens on Sunday morning depends on what goes on during the rest of the week. If, during the week, you are not growing in your experience of the truths of the Gospel, if your soul isn’t having dealings with God, then corporate worship will be dull. It’s going to feel like the same old hymns, the same old prayers, and the same old Bible readings. And it will feel this way because there is no reason to proclaim His worthiness. There has been no ongoing experience of His grace. There is no new song in your mouth in response to what Jesus has been doing with you because He hasn’t been doing anything with you. But, if your experience of the Gospel is real, if something has been happening between you and your Lord, then it will show. There will be the conviction that He is, in fact, worthy. You know that because you’ve experienced it. And that will make itself known. The solution for a dull, boring worship service on Sunday is not jazzier songs or a peppier worship leader. The solution is for the congregation to faithfully pursue a growing walk with Jesus the rest of the week.
Let’s look at something else. We see in our text different groups worshipping. First, there are the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders [8]. Then there is myriad of angels [11]. Then there is the group that includes every creature in heaven, on the earth and under the earth and in the sea [13]. Here, we have these different groups, but each group worships with one voice. They either sing the same song [9], or shout the same praise [12,13]. Now, they could have worshipped as individuals who just happen to be together. But they didn’t. Each group worshipped as one. This reflects the unity of the worshippers. There are some these days who gather with others in the church but who actually are worshipping individually. For these folk, the rest of the congregation is unimportant. It’s a matter of ‘me and Jesus’. But that’s not what corporate worship is about. When we gather as the church for worship, it is both a statement of our being a community and a strengthening of that community. We are worshipping as the one Body of Christ. Sunday worship is not an individual affair. It is a community affair and we each worship as a part of the community. I stress this because we need to develop a greater sense of community. We have lots going against us in this. For example, we don’t live near each other, and we live in a culture that stresses individualism heavily. But worship is one way of dealing with those obstacles if we approach it biblically. Corporate worship strengthens community.
There are a couple of things that I’d like to point out from the last verse. Listen again.
And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" and the elders fell down and worshipped. Revelation 5:14
Let’s start with the second part where the elders fall down. This isn’t the first time. They were doing the same thing earlier in the text and also in chapter four. I suppose you can say that they are following a long established line of those who have fallen down before God. It seems that Moses was doing it all the time. Why? Actually, the Scriptures speak more than just a bit about our gestures in worship. We are commanded to lift holy hands. [1 Timothy 2.8] Some of the saints have prayed on their knees. [See Daniel 6.10.] At other times they would bow their heads in reverence. [Exodus 4.31] Let me read to you about the time when Ezra led the people in worship. Watch for the different gestures.
And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, "Amen, Amen," lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Nehemiah 8:4-6
What’s with all this? Do these gestures matter? Here, we encounter the fact that worship is not just a matter of the mind. The whole person is involved and what we do with our bodies is saying something. It says something to the God we are worshipping and it is saying something to ourselves as well. Do you think that it would make any difference if, for my personal prayer time, I got comfortable on the sofa, slouching a bit, put my feet up on the coffee table and with my hands tucked behind my head I began to pray? Doesn’t that say an awful lot about how I view what I am doing? Doesn’t it reinforce to me that I can just relax and kick back when I pray? Would I sit that way if I were talking with someone senior to me whom I respected a great deal? If I did, what would that say to this other person? There are certain intangibles associated with worship. And that makes sense. There are intangibles associated with any interaction between ourselves and another person. This includes things like how we carry ourselves, what our bodies are doing. There are some solid Presbyterian churches that are installing kneelers in their pews so that the people can kneel during certain prayers. Do you see why? We need to be careful lest our worship become too mental or too casual. We are meeting with God, after all.
Then the last thought, the ‘Amen!’ of the four living creatures. The saying of amen at the end of a prayer was not intended to be the signal that the prayer is over. Saying ‘Amen’ is to express an endorsement of what has been said. It was included in that passage I read from Nehemiah. After Ezra offered praise to the Lord the people responded with their amens. They were making clear that they wholeheartedly agreed with Ezra. His praise of God was theirs also. So then, when I finish a prayer, it is not I who is to say amen. Actually, it is you who is to say it. The prayers offered from the pulpit are actually your prayers to God. You can express your own endorsement of them – and should – by your saying your own ‘Amen’. This is why, in some churches, you’ll hear someone say, ‘Amen’, even in the middle of the sermon. He is expressing his own endorsement of what was just said. Is this the most crucial aspect of worship? No. But it does affect the tone of worship. It does affect you. It’s another way of being less passive and more involved in what is going on.
Worship is one of the great joys of being a Christian. There is a lot more that we all need to understand about this part of the Gospel. But I think that we’re making some progress here. And I am confident that in time the Spirit will show us more. Until then let’s ask for grace so that we can put into practice what we have seen.
Revelation 5
One of the most important things that we do, as creatures of God and as Christians, is worship. That is why we were made and that is why we have been redeemed. Worship is a priority of Christian discipleship. And yet, until recently, I have not done much thinking or studying on this topic. When I was in seminary I took no course on the subject and until recently, I did just about no teaching on the subject. It’s become clear to me that this is not good. So, I thought that it would be good to take advantage of the text before us to take a look at some aspects of worship. Now, let me say that there are some limitations here. We do not have a ‘worship service’ in our text. And so, we won’t see everything that might be included in a worship service. Yet what we do have here will help us understand what is going on when we do gather as the church for worship, as well as when we have our own personal and family times of worship.
Let’s start by looking at how the worship of this text begins. In two places we hear the word, ‘worthy’: ‘Worthy are You’ or ‘Worthy is the Lamb’. What is this all about? To declare someone worthy is to say that this person is deserving of something. At the heart of worship is the conviction that the God we worship is worthy of that worship and more. Hence, the words of the Psalmist,
Give to the Lord, O heavenly beings, give to the Lord glory and strength. Give to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. [Psalm 29:1-2]
This worshiper is convinced that the Lord is worthy of receiving worship. In our text, the worshipers are declaring that Jesus is worthy to take the scroll, worthy to receive their praise. It is this conviction that fuels true worship. Without it, worship is empty. And so, a working definition of worship: worship is the proclamation of the worthiness of Jesus that comes of out the convictions of the worshipers.
Now, it needs to be said that the word ‘proclamation’ is a neutral one. It can simply mean a plain, straightforward statement. It says nothing about how the statement is being made. But as we look at our text it is clear that this proclamation is made with exuberance. We read about the singing of praise and about loud voices. We see the elders falling down and the living creatures shouting their Amens. Worship is the proclamation of the worthiness of Jesus with some feeling. Now, here keep in mind the things that I told you last week. The key issue isn’t the emotion itself. It is the state of the heart. But hearts that love Jesus, hearts that are caught up with Him, will worship with feeling. Their affections will be involved in some way. Now, it needs to be said that the feelings being expressed aren’t always going to be happy ones. There are times when worship will be rather somber. Here, just consider some of the solemn expressions of the Psalms. But still, the heart is engaged.
Now, let’s move on and notice something else from our text. Did you see that there are reasons for this worship? Listen again to the song of praise offered to Jesus.
Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation… Revelation 5:9
That ‘for’ can also be translated ‘because’. There are reasons for us to worship Jesus. This is important because it is the companion to our emotional involvement in worship. We are always pursuing a biblical balance in our discipleship. So, here we see that there are reasons why we exuberantly proclaim the worthiness of Jesus. We don’t just emote. At the top of the list is the cross. ‘… for you were slain…’ Behind our worship is an awareness of the cross. We remember what happened there, the endurance of the cruelty of men, the suffering of the wrath of God because of our sin, all done for us. It is Christ crucified who draws forth our proclamation of His worthiness. But the text goes on. This song includes the results of Jesus’ work on the cross. ‘… by your blood you ransomed people for God…’ Ransomed from what? From sin, from death, from wrath. And ransomed to what? The song includes this too.
… and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth. Rev. 5:10
The song is teaching us that at the heart of worship is the Gospel, how Jesus has rescued us. Out of our growing experience of the Gospel we ‘proclaim the excellencies of Him who called [us] out of darkness into His marvelous light’. [1 Peter 2.9] We are convinced that He is worthy because we have tasted of the Gospel. And so, good worship is based on good theology, a good understanding of the Gospel.
Now, let’s move on to something else. In verse 9 we read that the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders sang ‘a new song’. What is this ‘new song’? This same language shows up elsewhere.
Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. Psalm 98:1
Why a new song? Is there something wrong with the old ones? Well, actually, yes there is. The old songs are incomplete. There is a new song because something new has happened. The new thing that has happened in our text is that Jesus has come forward to take the scroll. He has conquered. He has overcome. Now, ‘all authority on heaven and earth belongs to [Him]’. [Matthew 28.18] So, these songs of heaven incorporate the new thing that God has done. At each new stage in the history of God’s plan of redemption, the Church has sung news songs of worship that incorporate the new things that God has done. The songs of David's day are different from the songs of Moses’ day. A lot had changed. And both are different from the songs that the Church sings today, after the cross. And this is reflected in our text.
Now, all of this applies the smaller scale also. Listen to David.
I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. Psalm 40:1-3
David encountered a problem. He cried out to his God and his God heard him and rescued him. And what is the result? David sings a ‘new song’. This new song incorporates this new thing that God had done personally for David. It includes David's latest experience of the grace of God. And the same should be true of you. The Scriptures assume that you are growing in your experience of what it means that Jesus is your faithful Savior. The Scriptures assume that your also encounter problems, cry out to your God, the Lord Jesus, and find Him faithful as He once again rescues you. And so, out of this kind of experience comes a new song for you, as well. This doesn’t mean that you need to write something from scratch. Rather, the old hymns that you’ve been singing take on new depth. Because of your recent experience of the grace of the Gospel those old hymns become more profound for you. ‘Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.’ How many times have you sung that or heard it sung? But see what happens the next time you grasp more clearly how much of a wretched sinner you really are. See what happens the next time the Spirit opens your eyes to see some of the despicable evil that remains deep within your heart. See what happens when these truths are driven home and then when the Spirit once again applies the glorious grace of God in Christ to you. ‘Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.’ It becomes a new song in your mouth because of your new experience of the Gospel.
A moment ago I said that good worship is based on good theology. I need to add something to that. Good worship, the heartfelt proclamation that Jesus is worthy, is based on the growing experience of what good theology is about. The quality of what happens on Sunday morning depends on what goes on during the rest of the week. If, during the week, you are not growing in your experience of the truths of the Gospel, if your soul isn’t having dealings with God, then corporate worship will be dull. It’s going to feel like the same old hymns, the same old prayers, and the same old Bible readings. And it will feel this way because there is no reason to proclaim His worthiness. There has been no ongoing experience of His grace. There is no new song in your mouth in response to what Jesus has been doing with you because He hasn’t been doing anything with you. But, if your experience of the Gospel is real, if something has been happening between you and your Lord, then it will show. There will be the conviction that He is, in fact, worthy. You know that because you’ve experienced it. And that will make itself known. The solution for a dull, boring worship service on Sunday is not jazzier songs or a peppier worship leader. The solution is for the congregation to faithfully pursue a growing walk with Jesus the rest of the week.
Let’s look at something else. We see in our text different groups worshipping. First, there are the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders [8]. Then there is myriad of angels [11]. Then there is the group that includes every creature in heaven, on the earth and under the earth and in the sea [13]. Here, we have these different groups, but each group worships with one voice. They either sing the same song [9], or shout the same praise [12,13]. Now, they could have worshipped as individuals who just happen to be together. But they didn’t. Each group worshipped as one. This reflects the unity of the worshippers. There are some these days who gather with others in the church but who actually are worshipping individually. For these folk, the rest of the congregation is unimportant. It’s a matter of ‘me and Jesus’. But that’s not what corporate worship is about. When we gather as the church for worship, it is both a statement of our being a community and a strengthening of that community. We are worshipping as the one Body of Christ. Sunday worship is not an individual affair. It is a community affair and we each worship as a part of the community. I stress this because we need to develop a greater sense of community. We have lots going against us in this. For example, we don’t live near each other, and we live in a culture that stresses individualism heavily. But worship is one way of dealing with those obstacles if we approach it biblically. Corporate worship strengthens community.
There are a couple of things that I’d like to point out from the last verse. Listen again.
And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" and the elders fell down and worshipped. Revelation 5:14
Let’s start with the second part where the elders fall down. This isn’t the first time. They were doing the same thing earlier in the text and also in chapter four. I suppose you can say that they are following a long established line of those who have fallen down before God. It seems that Moses was doing it all the time. Why? Actually, the Scriptures speak more than just a bit about our gestures in worship. We are commanded to lift holy hands. [1 Timothy 2.8] Some of the saints have prayed on their knees. [See Daniel 6.10.] At other times they would bow their heads in reverence. [Exodus 4.31] Let me read to you about the time when Ezra led the people in worship. Watch for the different gestures.
And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, "Amen, Amen," lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Nehemiah 8:4-6
What’s with all this? Do these gestures matter? Here, we encounter the fact that worship is not just a matter of the mind. The whole person is involved and what we do with our bodies is saying something. It says something to the God we are worshipping and it is saying something to ourselves as well. Do you think that it would make any difference if, for my personal prayer time, I got comfortable on the sofa, slouching a bit, put my feet up on the coffee table and with my hands tucked behind my head I began to pray? Doesn’t that say an awful lot about how I view what I am doing? Doesn’t it reinforce to me that I can just relax and kick back when I pray? Would I sit that way if I were talking with someone senior to me whom I respected a great deal? If I did, what would that say to this other person? There are certain intangibles associated with worship. And that makes sense. There are intangibles associated with any interaction between ourselves and another person. This includes things like how we carry ourselves, what our bodies are doing. There are some solid Presbyterian churches that are installing kneelers in their pews so that the people can kneel during certain prayers. Do you see why? We need to be careful lest our worship become too mental or too casual. We are meeting with God, after all.
Then the last thought, the ‘Amen!’ of the four living creatures. The saying of amen at the end of a prayer was not intended to be the signal that the prayer is over. Saying ‘Amen’ is to express an endorsement of what has been said. It was included in that passage I read from Nehemiah. After Ezra offered praise to the Lord the people responded with their amens. They were making clear that they wholeheartedly agreed with Ezra. His praise of God was theirs also. So then, when I finish a prayer, it is not I who is to say amen. Actually, it is you who is to say it. The prayers offered from the pulpit are actually your prayers to God. You can express your own endorsement of them – and should – by your saying your own ‘Amen’. This is why, in some churches, you’ll hear someone say, ‘Amen’, even in the middle of the sermon. He is expressing his own endorsement of what was just said. Is this the most crucial aspect of worship? No. But it does affect the tone of worship. It does affect you. It’s another way of being less passive and more involved in what is going on.
Worship is one of the great joys of being a Christian. There is a lot more that we all need to understand about this part of the Gospel. But I think that we’re making some progress here. And I am confident that in time the Spirit will show us more. Until then let’s ask for grace so that we can put into practice what we have seen.
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