On Earth as in Heaven 2: Worship on Earth as in Heaven

This podcast is brought to you by Walnut Grove of Lutheran Church in Langley, D.C., in the hope that it will draw you closer to the one who loves you most.

Today's message is based on Revelation chapter 4, verses 1 to 11.

Revelation 4 · chapter mention

I want to read to you a portion of that as we begin.

Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives forever and ever, the 24 elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever.

They lay their crowns before the throne and say, You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.

Years ago, when I was pastoring in Saskatchewan, I was visiting an elderly gentleman by the name of Rudy.

And during one of our visits, he asked me to conduct his funeral for him when that time came.

And eventually Rudy did pass away, and uh came time to conduct the service.

And his service was held in uh one of the churches in the city of Swift Current.

And then I rode with the funeral director in the hearse, and a procession of us, which included a family and a few friends, drove an hour and 15 minutes to a little church out in the country, which was Rudy's home church as he was growing up.

And it's Trinity Lutheran Church, it's known locally as St.

Boswell's.

And then we sang a hymn while Rudy's daughter played on the organ in that church.

And then Rudy's casket was placed back in the hearse for the very short drive to the cemetery for that church, which was just on the east side of the church building.

And there we laid Rudy to rest until the day of resurrection.

Now, I tell you that story because we in uh that worship in town or city churches are kind of missing out on something that's important.

In country churches, they often have their cemetery right next to the churchyard.

And in this particular case, as with many others, they're laid out in a very important way.

When people are sitting in the pews, worshiping, facing the altar, they are facing east.

They are facing toward Jerusalem because that is where Jesus is going to return on the day of resurrection.

And people in the cemetery are buried with their feet to the east, so that when they rise, they too are facing toward Jerusalem.

And it's a reminder that our worship is always resurrection focused.

But there's even more richness here in the layout of the church in the cemetery in the case of St.

Boswell's, because the cemetery is to the east of the church building.

And it's a reminder that the people that are sitting in the pews facing the altar are not the only ones who are worshiping God.

Because all of those on the other side of the altar are also worshiping God in heaven.

And so you have a picture of God's people in heaven and on earth, on both sides of the altar, worshiping God together.

And this truth is reflected in the classic Lutheran communion liturgy, where the pastor concludes the preface by saying, Therefore, with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify your glorious name, evermore praising you and saying, And the congregation responds by singing the sanctus, holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Worship on earth is always meant to mirror the worship that is always happening in heaven.

Now it's easy for us to go off track in our worship and make it human-centered.

And we can do this when we think that the main thing in worship is the quality of musicianship or vocals, or you know, how good the sermon was or the degree to which we are emotionally moved.

And this makes sense because we experience worship through our senses and it involves our emotions.

And because we're worshiping God, we want to do it well, right?

But the human aspects of worship are secondary matters, not the main thing.

And when we make them primary, we can lose sight of what is truly important in worship.

And when our worship goes off track, then our life goes off track also.

For we tend to become like what we worship.

So how do we reset our hearts and minds so that our worship of God is both faithful and true?

And to answer that question, we're going to look at Revelation chapter 4, verses 1 to 11, and see what worship is like on the other side of the altar, so that we can worship God on earth as it is, as He is in heaven.

Revelation 4 · chapter mention

Now, last week we saw that the purpose of the book of Revelation is to give God's people on earth a glimpse into the heavenly realms, to see how the future would unfold so that they can be strengthened to endure the persecution and trials that they face here on earth.

And that's why when we open the Bible to Revelation 4 this week, we see that John is invited to come up here into heaven.

And the first thing that he sees is not the chaos and turmoil of earth, but a throne.

And unlike many other parts of Revelation, this is not a symbol or a metaphor, it's a reality.

God is telling us through his word that he is king.

And his rule and his reign stand at the center of everything.

For the throne that John sees is not empty.

He sees someone seated there, radiant, beautiful, and holy.

And he describes the one on the throne with the language of precious stones, jasper, carnelian, emerald.

He's reaching for words because human language cannot fully capture the glory of God.

And this is the first truth about worship.

Worship does not begin with us, worship begins with God.

It begins with the throne.

It begins with the one who sits on that throne.

And when we gather for worship, the main thing is not that we're trying to create a spiritual atmosphere.

We are responding to a reality that already exists.

We are joining a worship service that never ever ends.

And this is good news.

Because it means that worship is not dependent on our moods, our energy, or our performance.

Worship is anchored in the unchanging reality of God on his throne, ruling over all things from heaven.

When life feels chaotic, Revelation 4 reminds us that above the chaos is a throne, and God is reigning over all things from that throne.

Now John sees around the throne twenty-four elders, and these represent the people of God across all time.

And closer still are four living creatures representing all creation.

And they are strange and beautiful beings, covered with eyes, full of life and praise.

And what are they all doing?

They are responding to God's goodness, graciousness, and glory by wholeheartedly worshiping Him.

The living creatures worship God by proclaiming His holiness.

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come, they proclaim.

Now the word holy means set apart.

And so holiness with respect to God means that God is not like us.

He is not a bigger version of us.

He is utterly unique, utterly pure, and utterly glorious.

And then the elders worship God by proclaiming his worthiness.

You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.

These elders are saying that God deserves to have his people use all of their God-given power and energy to give all glory and honor to him, because everything that exists owes its existence to him.

And so the first truth about worship is that worship begins with God, as we saw earlier.

But here's the second.

In worship, we respond to God.

We are responding to God's goodness, graciousness, and glory by wholeheartedly giving him the praise and glory and honor he deserves on earth as it is in heaven.

Worship is not something we perform.

Worship is something we join.

So we can say that worship is a cycle, a cycle that always starts with God.

He is ruling and reigning over all things.

There is nothing that happens outside of what He permits.

Yes, the world is in a terrible state, and sometimes it seems as though it's getting worse.

But God has not abandoned his creation.

Now we need to pause and admit here that God's people in heaven have some very clear advantages over those of us here on earth.

For they can clearly see God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as He truly is.

And they can clearly see God's plan for the salvation of all creation unfolding.

Now we can see the beauty of creation, the vastness of the cosmos, and the intricacy of the inner workings of a single human cell, and conclude that someone must have designed and created all this.

We can read the Bible, find that it resonates with the deepest hungers of our heart, and surmise that an incredible love must be behind it all.

We can be moved by the accounts of Jesus' teaching, healing, and compassion in the gospels and deduce that he was a very special person.

But without faith, we cannot see God, and we cannot see his plan for the salvation of the world unfolding.

And without seeing God and how he is at work in this world, we cannot worship him.

It seems counterintuitive, but we need faith to see things as they really are.

And we need to see things as they really are to truly worship God on earth as he is in heaven.

And this is where many of us struggle, including me.

We hear the call to worship God as He is in heaven, but our vision is cloudy.

Our hearts are distracted.

Our world feels louder than the throne room.

But here's the good news, dear friends.

God gives us the faith we need to see what we need to see.

Faith is not something we manufacture.

Faith is a gift.

Faith is the spirit opening our eyes.

Faith is heaven breaking into earth.

And that's why this day, the day of Pentecost, matters.

Because the same Spirit who opened heaven to John is the Spirit who opens heaven to us.

The Spirit gives us the sight we lack, the strength we need, and the courage we desire to worship God on earth as He is in heaven.

And when the Spirit opens our eyes, everything changes.

And so what does happen when the Spirit opens our eyes?

What does worship on earth look like when it is shaped by worship in heaven?

Well, when the Spirit opened heaven to John, it wasn't to give him an escape hatch from the world's chaos.

It was to give him courage to live faithfully in the world as it was.

Revelation is not, Revelation chapter 4 is not an invitation to withdraw.

Revelation 4 · chapter mention

It is an invitation to see reality as it truly is.

Because when you see God on heaven's throne, you stop being ruled by earth's spheres.

A church that sees God on his throne becomes a church that cannot be shaken.

A Christian who sees God on his throne becomes a person who cannot be bought, bullied, or blown off course.

And this is what worship does.

It recenters us, reorders us, and recommissions us.

And so what does spirit-shaped worship produce in us?

It produces courage and suffering.

Because the throne is not empty.

God is still ruling over all things.

It produces holiness in daily life.

Because the one we worship is holy and we want to become more like him.

It produces sacrificial generosity.

We want to be very generous towards others because of the way God has been infinitely generous toward us.

And it generates a witness to the world.

Because the true worship of God always overflows and impacts the way that we relate to the world.

See, Pentecost is not just about tongues of fire, it's about a people who have, by faith, seen God on his throne in heaven and therefore cannot stay silent.

Pentecost is about spirit-empowered worship that becomes spirit-empowered mission.

And so the challenge that I'm setting before you today is this lift your eyes to heaven.

See the throne where God reigns.

See the Lamb of Jesus, who is bringing God's plan of salvation to fulfillment.

See the Spirit who opens heaven and fills the church with himself.

And let your worship become your witness.

Because the same spirit who opened heaven to John, the same spirit who filled the disciples with boldness, the same spirit who gathers the church into the worship of heaven, is the spirit who fills you today.

And so go now in the power of the Spirit with the courage of heaven and worship it on earth as our sisters and brothers in Christ are already worshiping in heaven.

Amen.

Dear Jesus, we thank you for your revelation that you gave to John to encourage your followers back in that time.

And we pray that you and your love and your graciousness and your revelation would be an encouragement to us in our own time.

We pray, Lord, that by your spirit you would give us faith that helps us to see that the Father is indeed on the throne.

You are indeed unfolding all of the Lord's salvation plan for all creation.

And the Spirit is still filling and empowering and strengthening us.

And so bless us, Lord, and help us to be a blessing.

And we pray all these things in your precious name.

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Thank you, Link Luxemburg.