MPC, 29th February 2004.Revelation 4-5 - "Who is Worthy?"
Phil Campbell MPC, 29th February 2004.
Let me read you a letter.
As usual, Lord Emperor, I am referring to you any issues I'm not sure of. I have never investigated Christians before. So I need your advice.
When you're prosecuting Christians, what is the crime that's usually punished? Are any allowances made; is there any distinction for age? Are the weakest offenders treated like the stronger? And is there a pardon given to any who repent? Is punishment attached just to the name Christian, or for secret crimes?
So far, I've handled it this way. Any who were brought to me and accused of being Christian, I've asked them directly, are you a Christian? And if they confess, I've asked them a second and a third time with threats of punishment. If they kept to it, I ordered them for execution. For if nothing else, their unbending stubborness deserved to be punished.
Then I was sent an anonymous list of people accused of being Christians. For those who said they were not Christians, I thought I should let them go, since they recited a prayer to the Gods at my dictation, and bowed down with incense to your statue, which I brought into the courtroom for the purpose. More than that, they cursed Christ... which genuine Christians cannot be made to do. Some others said they had been Christians, but had given it up. They worshipped your statue as well, and cursed Christ.
My dear Caesar, I'd have to say they don't seem to be doing very much wrong; apart from their illegal meetings, it seems like they recite a creed to Christ as God; they share a meal together; and they vow not to commit any theft or robbery or adultery and not to break their word. And the trouble is, the contagion of this Christian superstition is spreading. The temples have been almost deserted. And the market for sacrifices has been ruined. But we can reclaim them... if you're happy with my policy of setting them free without punishment when they deny Christ.
And it's signed your servant Governor Pliny, the province of Bithynia, the year 112. [Paraphrased. See http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/hwc22/Rome/Pagans_v_Christians/Pliny_to_Trajan.html]
Did you notice, in the midst of the persecution of Christians, getting off the hook was so easy. Or at least in the way Pliny proposed it. The Emperor Trajan wrote back. And said, I approve of your policy. He said don't admit anonymous allegations into evidence. And any Christian who's prepared to worship my statue and the rest of the Roman Gods and to curse Christ... let them go.
In other words, who you worship in the Roman Empire... was a matter of life and death.
It's with that in mind that God gives John a vision. In a sense an invitation. To get things in their proper perspective. Verse 1, an open door. And a voice that says come up here... and look around. And I'll show you how it's all going to play out. "Come up here... and I'll show you... what must take place after this."
And John says at once he's in the spirit; it's like an out of body experience. And he's in a throne room. The very centre of existence. And a powerful vision that paints an awesome picture... of how things are going to turn out. And the right way to view reality.
And before we go any further I'm going to give you the bottom line. It's a picture that says worship God the Father who made you. And worship God the Son who bought you with his blood. And don't even think... of bowing before anybody else. It's worth being stubborn about. When you get a glimpse of ultimate reality.
So let's step through the door. And into the throne room.
Look around and what do you see?
You see a series of circles. All concentrated on the centre. Which is the focal point. And the focal point is God himself. Who you'll notice is indescribable. Even in a vision. Think of precious jewels. Like jasper and carnelian. Think of a rainbow made of sparkling emerald. In a circle round the throne. Because even in a vision, that's as close as you're going to get to picturing God.
And the emerald rainbow, says John at the end of verse 3, encircles the throne.
Around that you've got another circle. 24 thrones in a ring. And on each throne, he says there are one of 24 elders. Picture them. Because they're dressed in white, and each of them has a gold crown. These guys are important. These guys have got thrones and they've got crowns. But they're all facing inwards. To the centre of attention. God himself. On the throne. And from the throne in the centre you hear a low rumbling, and long peals of thunder, as subdued lightning cracks the air.
There's never any doubt... as to who's the centre of attention.
There are seven lamps. Which John somehow knows in verse 5 represent God's spirit. Sevenfold. Complete. And in front of the lamps, a crystal sea of glass. Calm and smooth.
Now I hope you're painting the picture in your mind. Because in the midst of this... right in the centre, at each corner of the throne, there are four incredibly impressive living creatures. There's a lion. There's an ox. There's a creature with a face like a man. There's a flying eagle. And symbolically, they're all seeing. Eyes everywhere. And six thundering wings.
The most powerful of all the creatures; the creatures most feared and most fearsome. And without trying to guess what they mean or what they stand for, just try to picture them in your mind like John is. And then notice what they're doing.
Because again, no matter how impressive you find these living creatures; they're impressed by someone else.
And day and night, verse 8, they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."
And not matter how glorious these living creatures look, verse 9 says they're spending their time giving glory and honour and thanks to him who sits on the throne. And lives for ever. And as they do that, can you see in verse 10, the 24 elders join in. And they worship him who lives for ever and ever as well. And they take off their golden crowns, and they lay them before the throne, and they're saying, you're the worthy one, Lord and God... to receive glory and honour and power.
You're the worthy one to be worshipped. You're the one to be thanked.
Because you're the one who created all things. And by your will they were created... and have their being.
It's what the Bible keeps saying over and over again. In the midst of idolatry, where men keep bowing to created things; things they've made with their own hands. Or to a puny little Emperor of Rome. Don't waste your time. Worship the one who by his will brought everything into being. And by his will keeps everything going.
And in the heavenly throne-room, the reality is that everything is centred on him. And no matter how powerful, how mighty, how majestic, the 24 elders and the four living creatures... are in thankful awe... of the one on the throne.
But as we keep reading, you'll notice that's not quite the end of the picture. There's more to come. Because there's one more... who's worthy of worship.
So keep the picture alive in your mind. As you see a double sided scroll... in the right hand of the figure on the throne. It's sealed up. With seven seals.
It's a judgement scroll. And the problem is, in all of heaven and earth, there's nobody worthy... to open the scroll.
Verse 2, there's the mighty angel, and he's announcing at the top of his voice, is there anyone who can open the scroll? Is there anyone worthy to break the seals and open it?
And there's an uncomfortable silence. And nobody steps forward. In all of heaven. And in all of earth.
And John says in verse 4, "I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside."
Except he's given up just a little too soon. One of the 24 elders hands him a tissue and says, don't cry. Look. You've given up too soon. He says, look! The Lion of Judah, the root of David... the great King of Israel... he's triumphed. He can do it. He can open the scroll and its seven seals.
In all of heaven and earth... there's nobody like the great Lion of Judah. The elder says, look around. Meet him.
Now I don't know if you've ever been kind of disappointed by the lion display at the zoo. We were at Western Plains zoo in Dubbo last year. And you read the sign at the boundary of the lion enclosure about the king of the jungle. And you look around, and you're hoping for a glimpse of something scary. And all the lions are just asleep in the grass. There was a kid there trying to stir one up to get a bit of action. And he just lay there. Snoring. Which was kind of disappointing, and not quite what you'd expect from the main attraction at the zoo. Apparently they're only up and about for an hour or two at twilight. When the zoo's closed.
Now the disappointment... or the surprise... that John's about to get is slightly different. But just as jarring.
Because when he turns to see the lion... he doesn't see a lion at all.
Take a look. Because I want you to appreciate what I reckon is one of the most brilliant moments in the whole New Testament. Take it from verse 5 again.
Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals."
Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the centre of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders.
He looks for a triumphant lion. And sees a blood spattered lamb instead. And this slain lamb... is standing in the centre of the throne... that's standing in the centre of the powerful living creatures... who are standing in the centre of the thrones of the 24 elders.
Which means at the centre of the centre of the universe... there's the image of the most humble, most sacrificial suffering.
I mean, there's no surprise, is there? The lamb is a picture of Jesus. And if you get together the courage to see Mel Gibson's movie and you can watch while they simulate the whipping and the blood and the nails and the cross, it's that sacrifice... that John sees as being right at the centre of the throne that's right at the centre of God's glory.
And this dead looking lamb has seven horns of power and the seven eyes that are God's spirit; and the dead lamb steps forward and takes the scroll. Which we're going to see unfurling next time. With the promise of God's justice.
And when he takes the scroll in verse 8, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fall down before the Lamb. And with their harps and their bowls full of prayers, they sing a song. "You are worthy. Because you were slain. And with your blood," verse 9, "you bought and paid for us; with your blood, you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. And you've made them into a kingdom; and you've made them like priests. To serve God. And reign over the earth."
At which point thousands of angels join in the song. Another circle around the throne and the elders and the creatures. And will you notice what they do. They worship the lamb. In very much the same way and the same words as the elders and creatures worshipped the creator in chapter 4.
And in a loud voice they're singing the words of verse 12.
Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!
And then every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, every creature you can imagine, joins in and sings "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Worshipped God the father who made them. And God the son; the blood spattered lamb - who bought them with his blood at the cross.
I wonder if you get any of the impact of that? Or the implications?
It's a picture, in the end, of who's worthy of worship. And who isn't.
It's a picture to keep in mind if you're one of the Christians on Governor Pliny's list. And you're asked to confirm or deny the rumours you're a Christian.
So who are you going to worship? Because there's no way the claims of Caesar can match the claims of the father who created and sustains us. And His Son... who paid for us in blood.
It's a picture as well that raises some interesting questions as well. In a Christian culture today that talks a lot about worship. And asks the question what does real worship look like? You'll find Christians shopping around for a church where they like the style of worship. Which is incredibly odd when you think about it. As if worship is something to have a personal preference about like whether you prefer country and western music or rock and roll. In fact, the confusion seems to be that in the midst of all the music going on in this vision of the throne room, the real worship is something else. That we need to catch hold of.
I mean, do you reckon these first century Christians, the issue was about what style of music they're going to sing? The worship question is a whole lot bigger than that. It's a question of who you bow to. And it's not really about your preferences at all.
I want to suggest to you that the picture of the essence of worship is back in chapter 4 verse 10. And it's worth looking back to. "The twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever..." and how do they do that? They lay their crowns before the throne. And say you are worthy to receive glory and honour and power. Not us.
See, that's how it actually worked with Caesar as well. To worship Caesar back then was to say there's no higher authority. And to submit yourself under his rule.
And so these elders in the vision, with their own thrones, with their golden crowns; worshipping God means laying their own crowns at his feet. Saying we'll do it your way. Not our way. Which is an attitude that's meant to carry through all of life. Every day. And not just an hour or so singing songs in church. Back in Romans 12, Paul says the same. He says, present your whole lives as a living sacrifice. That's your true spiritual worship.
And yet we somehow can't get rid of the idea that worshipping God means singing a few wafty songs. Lay down your crown.
And as you do that and you realise again who else is at the centre of the throne, there's a challenge, isn't there? As we're reminded again what real glory looks like. Because in spite of Caesar's invincible armies, in spite of the glory and power that was the Roman Empire, in spite of the sort of ego that makes the Emperor of Rome demand his subjects bow down and worship... the real glory at the centre of the throne looks like self sacrifice. Looks like the descendant of David who went to the cross. To carry the punishment he didn't deserve.
And so instead of pursuing glory in your career, instead of pursuing wealth and influence and social status; instead of manipulating and pulling strings to make yourself the centre of attention... when you catch a glimpse of John's vision, you'll be moved toward the sort of real worship... that's about sacrificing yourself daily... in honour of the one whose symbol isn't the power of the eagle or the roar of the lion... but a dead looking lamb. Sacrificed for us. And calling us to live sacrificially as well. Determined to worship no-one else... or nothing else ... than the Father who made us. And the Son who bought us with blood. Who's at the centre of your universe?