A Vision Of Heaven

Well, for some time now, we have been working through the seven churches in the book of Revelation. We're working through this book, and this morning we are going to consider Revelation chapter 4, and tonight we'll come back and consider chapter 5. Revelation chapter 4. I believe these are so bound up together, it was important to take them together and to encourage those who haven't heard any of the sermons in Revelation. Revelation chapter 4 is a wonderful one to set before us this morning. This is the word of the Lord, Revelation chapter 4. After this I looked and behold a door standing open in heaven and the first voice which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, come up here and I will show you what must take place after this. At once I was in the Spirit and behold a throne stood in heaven with one seated on the throne and he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald around the throne were 24 thrones and seated on the thrones were 24 elders clothed in white garments with golden crowns on their heads from the throne came flashes of lightnings lightning and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, and before the throne there was, as it were, a sea of glass like crystal. All around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind, the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox the third living creature with the face of a man the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight and the four living creatures each of them with six wings are full of eyes all around and within and day and night they never cease to say holy holy holy is the lord god almighty who was and is and is to come and whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne who lives forever and ever. The 24 elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne saying, Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things and by your will they existed and were created. And may the Lord bless this morning the hearing of his word well we have been studying for these past weeks the seven churches these letters and addresses of our lord jesus christ himself to his churches on earth and if we have given any kind of of careful attention to what jesus has said to his churches overall that that was not the most encouraging section of the bible was it you think about what was said the church churches were really in bad shape in the first century. Ephesus, the very first church, had left its first love. Thyatira and Pergamum were compromised with no church discipline, allowing all sorts of bad things into the church. Sardis was dead. Dead. Jesus said, you're dead they didn't even know it last week we considered laodicea a church that jesus had a really striking indictment given against them when he said that you are lukewarm i am about to vomit you out of my mouth we looked at all the details of that in the surrounding context i'd rather you be cold or hot it was a challenging church to consider the churches in the first century were pretty compromised weren't they it's it's really remarkable to read this and study this this these people were that they were the body of christ in places his body well they had as we considered forgotten their purpose as a church they were struggling with this they were struggling as a church uh and misunderstanding what they were to be a worshiping people a people whose candlestick would burn bright a people who would have a faithful witness all centered around that great activity that they were called to do and to be worshipers of the lord in spirit and in truth they were his light to the world that's what the church is this is where that light shines you understand a little bit if you apply it this way how strong jesus's words are when he said Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness? You can't serve two masters. Apply that to the church. If the eye of the church is bad, the whole thing is going to fill up with darkness. But how do you get there? Revelation, I believe, is showing us a church in struggle and showing us a church discouraged. That's really important, I believe, to understand what we are about to go through now. If you look at the most compromised churches in our day, it really does. If we could boil down the ultimate reason for compromise, the ultimate reason for discouragement, it really does go with all of the struggle that the churches face. They are often oppressed. The conflicts are often terrible. And the big reason being that the church today doesn't ever seem to get the results that it wants. You know that. We're never satisfied. I'm going to go right down the line with what we're not satisfied with. We're like Israel in the wilderness. We didn't expect it quite to go this way. We're just as good of complainers as those stiff-necked people, aren't we? And all of that leads to a lot of dissatisfaction. A dissatisfaction with who we are. A dissatisfaction with what we are to do. A dissatisfaction that ultimately brings a lot of doubt. Where is the power in this? I want to see some, don't you? but when the conflict and discouragement is big and that conflict and discouragement is often relentless it's coming at us from every angle and every place the results when they aren't what we expect them to be and you know this on a more personal level in your own families you know the struggle in your own families you can see you can look at your families and say you know this really has not gone always the way that we wanted it to go our children the struggle when the results aren't what we think they should be and you believe all of this and nothing seems to be going according to plan what is our tendency well uh everything we've studied in these seven churches is what the tendency is the tendency is you could go right down the line you forget you leave you depart you do your own thing you lose confidence in here's the big one this morning you lose confidence in jesus himself what's it worth i mean do i really want to go through discipline what's it worth why do i want that struggle and we fall back into the sort of half-hearted lukewarm state that we were left with in the last church. Neither cold nor hot. Not a wholehearted church. These are all the results of discouragement. Discouragement leads us here. You know that discouragement in your own lives leads you into paths of sin easily. Well, this is what happened with Israel. If you were to look at Israel's history, there's a little passage in Jeremiah that summed up Israel's attitude toward all of the conflict and idolatry and hardship that they found themselves in when they were confronted with the word of the Lord. And you know what Israel said in Jeremiah? It was this, but they reply, Israel, on the part of Jeremiah going out and speaking and calling them back in repentance. This was Israel's reply. It's no use. So we will continue with our own plans. We'll follow the stubbornness of our own evil hearts. This doesn't pay off. None of this really works. This was their struggle. Now, if I'm sure if I went around the room today, this is a much more common sentiment and struggle than we know. When everything goes south, you probably say sometimes the same thing. What is this all worth? Look at the outcomes. Look at the outcomes. Look look at the outcomes of all this we've been involved in and look where it is right now. Where are we going? What are we doing? Where is this moving? Revelation has set us up with this problem. When God's people are overwhelmed with discouragement and they're overwhelmed with these kinds of feelings of giving up and constantly bombarded with temptations this way and that way from the devil and and the evil around us and then you keep on top of that persecution well none of that makes sense jesus doesn't seem very victorious what's the remedy and voila you have revelation 4 and 5 this is the remedy this section is meant to give you fresh air this section is meant to give you perspective this this section is meant to give you light, these series of visions. God has help for you. God has something to show you. And that's essentially what is before us this morning in Revelation chapter four, that what we have is the Lord opening the door of heaven to give us a glimpse to exactly what is going on in heaven right now. To encourage the church, to help the church. It's meant to strengthen the church in its purpose and its mission. To remember and encourage the church that in all of the afflictions and hardships, the Lord is with us. But the way He encourages us is to consider who we belong to. To consider where you belong. To consider what is happening there. To consider your purpose presently in light of that reality that we've forgotten. So we're considering this morning what John is being shown to motivate the church on earth to respond in the same way as heaven responds. That's really the purpose of this, to respond in the same way that heaven responds. Let's remember a minute for where we are in this book, the context, and that'll help a little bit. John had been banished himself to the island of Patmos, remember, for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. John himself had been exiled. John himself had been in persecution. John himself was in the great tribulation. And John being banished there was in the spirit on the Lord's day. Yes, a big emphasis still in the Bible that there is a day of worship set apart. He's there on Sunday. He couldn't head to church, could he? There was no gathering he he very much is a similar situation of psalm 42 i used to go i can't anymore it's at this time that these visions come to john and struggle these these visions come to john himself who represents the church to help the church and the first thing he was to write were these letters to the seven churches. And that's what it was. It was to help them understand. And that first vision itself was helped to understand the victory that Jesus had won by the cross event and that he's raised. But this didn't make any sense for the church. Is this the victorious Christian life? There's so much struggle. There's so much death. There's so much persecution. there's so much pain and now we come to chapter four after jesus had confronted his churches through john this is what we get after this i look and behold a door standing open in heaven and the first voice which i had heard speaking to me like a trumpet said come up here and I will show you what must take place after this in in the context of these awful struggles all of a sudden everything changes and John says I heard a voice all of a sudden we know who this is it's the voice of a trumpet of chapter one it's Jesus's voice and Jesus himself as he was described now speaks to John and gives him this vision John is now standing in the council of the lord and as his prophet if you will he is going up to stand in that council to receive and then speak the things which must shortly take place which are shortly coming to pass so in the midst of all this turbulence on the earth john is called up john come up here and he looks up boys and girls and there's a big door in the sky to give imagery the door opens and all of a sudden he's looking in he's peeking in he's seeing heaven come up here let me show you something verse 2 tells us that immediately he's in the spirit and the first thing what is the first thing he sees i was in the spirit verse 2 at once and behold stop whatever he's about to say here will drive the entire vision the first thing that he's going to see will be the drive of this vision the purpose of this this vision the focus of this vision from which everything else will will flow and notice that that the first thing that he mentions is when he peeks up into heaven come up here i want to show you something, John. The first thing John records that he saw was, I saw a throne fixed there. Huh. That's a moving thought, isn't it? A throne. When you're discouraged and your head is down, you never really look up to see the blue sky above you and the birds singing, right? For all of you Hobbit fans, this is for the children. Remember that spider scene with Bilbo? He's in the forest and it's dark and he's scared, but for a moment he climbs up the big oak tree, right? And he climbs up the oak tree and he pushes his head up and all of a sudden there's little butterflies flying around, right? And he looks up and he says, I can see! I see a lake! I see a river over there! And look at the mountain! I can see. You guys, I can see where we need to go. We're almost there. We're almost there. That's the effect of this. That's this moment. This is why most of you live on a hill in Escondido, you understand. There's a lot of fog down on Broadway. Did you know that? You put us down there to keep us really remembering the struggle, didn't you? I'm coming up to your houses and sitting up on your hills. God gives us moments like this, doesn't he? Let me show you something. So he enters this timeless dimension of heaven. And of all the things that Jesus could have showed him, of all the things that he wanted John to think about and to focus on, what's the first thing that John records? I was in the Spirit, and lo and behold, I saw this throne fixed in heaven. The Lord sets his eyes on the throne. He had just received a letter from one of the churches that they're going to be, the devil's about ready to throw them into prison. Who wants to face that? Who can deal with that? Some of you are going to have tribulation 10 days. Some of you are going to die. Things are a mess. Things are a mess down here. You ever feel that? Feel like life's a mess? Feel like the world's a mess? This is all very complex, isn't it? This is all very confusing at times, isn't it? It's so big and who can process all this? Hard to take at times, isn't it? This struggle is out of control at times, isn't it? In the midst of all this, John has said, come up. Come up here. And what does he see? The boardroom of the universe. This is the boardroom. This is where it's happening. This is the control tower. And this fixed throne, this fixed throne is unmoved. It's not like these emperors who their thrones are toppled left and right. These guys came and go. They were taken out. This throne is fixed. Nobody's toppling this throne. Nothing rattles him on this throne. Nothing throws him. Nothing escapes him. Imagine the calm that must have come over John in the tribulation that all of a sudden he sees the true reality. He sees the real reality of things. Wasn't that Psalm 46? God is our refuge and our strength. A very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear even though the earth is removed. Even though the big mountains are picked up in front of your eyes and thrown off into the middle of the sea. Even though you see wars and you see catastrophic things happen that you can't understand and you can't under-explain. Even though, and the psalmist is using the most catastrophic things he could think of to press this point down. The things that cause the most duress. The things that cause the most stress in life. Even though all that's happening, we will not fear. Why? God's with us. Come up here. Let me show you this. Let me show you something. And there, the Lord and His sovereign power is high and lifted up and the glory is filling that temple. All of a sudden, all the anxieties of what consumes hearts and minds and causes all kinds of anxieties, it's put out. It's put out. Fears are calmed. And that's why John begins to give us some idea of what he saw. It's not meant to go through every detail. You wreck the picture if you do that. Notice what John says. That before the throne was a sea of glass. Pure as crystal, calm, calm. The Bible often uses the sea to describe the earth as a place of turbulence and waters and hardship and of everything that's going on in this world that is out of, seems to be spinning out of control. Who can forget Israel? They approach the sea and how are we ever going to get through that? And then they come to the other side and they look back and the whole thing is as glass and all the enemies have been drowned. It's the same kind of thing. It's Jesus and the disciples in the boat and His mere presence at a word, the sea was calmed as glass. It was His presence. He was the source of the calm. They were as safe in the storm as they were when it was calm because He's with them. And the imagery then is the same. No matter the tribulations on this side of heaven, on the other side, the place to which Christ has already brought us, we're seated there in principle because He's there. He has secured this for you. Jers, before the throne is a sea of glass. Everything that we experience on earth, the turbulence, the trial, the attack of the devil and his armies. In heaven, the sea has been calmed. There is a beautiful rainbow there. There's no storm. That's done. There's no wrath. There's no anger against you. The one to whom it matters? You see, it's almost as if the churches had completely forgotten all of this. They had already completely forgotten what the Lord had accomplished for them. This is the reality. And He's giving them a vision. There's a place of safety for you. There's a place of tranquility. And the insurmountable problems that you face on earth, and you're going to see Revelation's all about Him helping from heaven you'll see you are not to be so discouraged to forget what is really yours i made a covenant of grace at the heart of this vision is the one whom john sees that's it that's that's really the heart of this vision it's the one on the throne but you'll notice here that john won't even describe him second commandment meant a lot to john by the way he wouldn't describe him he uses the imagery of stone something so beautiful that's all he'll say it's he's beautiful jasper and carnelian he's there all that is um is borrowed from from ezekiel let me read it ezekiel was also in the spirit judah was in captivity had been hauled off to babylon their temple and their land ruined and the question was had god abandoned his people had god abandoned his people and ezekiel sees this glorious fire chariot and and notice what it describes about above the firmament over the their heads was the likeness of a throne in appearance like a sapphire stone on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it also from the appearance of his waist and upward i saw as it were the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it and from the appearance of his waist and downward i saw as it were the appearance of fire with brightness all around like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day so was the appearance of the brightness all around it this was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the lord this is what revelation 4 is describing what an encouragement this is what discouraged christians need to see and remember this is the one you know This is the one you believe in. He rules it all. And if He rules everything, this is a vision telling us whatever is decided that ever happens in this universe comes from the boardroom. It comes from Him. I was thinking we just celebrated the ascension and you know what we confess. How does this ascension benefit us? This is a great ascension sermon, isn't it? First, he is our advocate in heaven before his Father. Second, we have our flesh in heaven. We're as good as there. As a sure pledge that he, our head, will take us as members up to himself. Third, he sends us his spirit. Notice the spirit is mentioned in this passage. As a counter pledge by whose power we seek the things that are above. We've got our eye there. We're coming up. Where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God, and not the things that are on the earth. It's not so much in the seeking, we're just looking for better treasures. It's that we're learning to turn our eyes and hope to the glory that is ours in Christ. You think the church needed to hear that? You think you need to hear that? and all of your fret and fear in the fog when you can't see, come up. Come up here for a minute. Let me show you Jesus. Let me show you Him reigning. Let me remind you what is shortly coming to pass. Let me remind you, you have help for the present, and this is where you're going. This is where you belong. He is your advocate. He is your friend. He is the one watching over you. He's the one caring for you. You need that? there's a second emphasis here it's all about the heavenly courtiers isn't it look at uh look at verse six it says you have these elders and then in the the midst of the throne was the sea of glass and all around the throne on each side of the throne are four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind the first living creature like a lion the second living creature like an ox the third living creature with the face of a man the fourth living creature like and eagle in flight and the four living creatures each of them with six wings are full of eyes all around and within and day and night they never cease to say holy holy holy one of the things that revelation will emphasize especially when we get to chapter eight is that when your prayers come up to the throne these angelic beings are presenting your prayers like bowls of incense before the throne. And then they fill that incense thing back up with fire and throw it back down on the earth. What that means is these are ministering spirits helping you to minister salvation to you. And they are working. It is an encouragement of revelation. That's one thing. But these are cherubim. What do these angelic figures do, which is the focus of chapter 4? they reflect the glory of God. Remember when their wings are outstretched? Remember we studied in the tabernacle, all those wings are outstretched around the throne and they form a fence around the throne shielding off that glory. And there were fire torches, Ezekiel says, going back and forth. They're lit up. God is pictured on fire in their midst. Remember Isaiah, he gets a glimpse of this and he says, In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord high and lifted up and the train of His robe filled the temple. And above it stood these seraphim. Each had six wings. With two, they covered their face. With two, they covered their feet. They're in holy ground. And with two, they raised them up, forming the wall. And at once, they called to one another. They're proclaiming in joy in heaven. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of His glory. The whole earth is. They're celebrating that holiness. But the emphasis in chapter 4 is this. They're perfectly doing His will. This is Ezekiel again. That glory chariot of chapter 1. You can go back and read it today. In that glory chariot of chapter 1 where the wheels are spinning, It's the moving chariot throne of God. And here's how it describes these angels. When they went, they went in any of the four directions without turning as they went. What do the Proverbs tell you? Don't turn to the right or to the left. That's God's will for you. They went in any direction without turning, right, as they went. And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them. And when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose. Wherever the Spirit wanted them to go, they went. And the wheels rose along with them, for the Spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. When those went, these went. When these stood, these stood. And when those rose from the earth, the wheels rose along with them, for the Spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. Whatever the Lord decreed happened, they went. They did. You get the message? It's not that hard. God's people weren't taking seriously two things in His church. He summed up the seven churches, they weren't taking serious two things. What was it? His holiness in worship and His will. Isn't that what's lost today? God is encouraging His church to consider what heaven is and what they're doing right now. Heaven is a celebration of His holiness and His will. The very danger is that the church was redefining both. I fear that it's so widespread among Christians today that we've created a generation that has a conception of Jesus that is not even Him. I quote Al Mohler here. I just think this is such a helpful quote. The anemic image we've created of God, many have progressively redefined God so that the deity was cut down to manageable size, a God that even liberals could love. God was stripped of his attributes, robbed of his holiness. Liberal theology stresses the love of God while denying his holiness and justice. Before long, all that was left was a weak, though good-natured deity, hobbling about, generally hoping that his human creatures would just get along somehow. The God of American popular culture is an indulgent heavenly spirit who is of little threat to our lifestyles and luxuries. The vast majority of Americans claim to believe in God, but most believe in an idol of their own imaginations. This deity is always there to be called upon in times of trouble, but he'd never intrude on our personal space, judge our sins, hinder our happiness. This anemic view of God held by many church members is evident in Doctrinal confusion, corrupted worship, compromised evangelism, and spiritual deadness. The absence of awe and wonder and exaltation in our worship indicates that we've rejected the most critical teaching of Scripture, the fear of the Lord. Revelation is showing us these creatures, encouraging us as we're taught to pray. What do we pray? That we would be as willing, as our Heidelberg says, as willingly obedient as the angels in heaven are. This is what our sign has applied it as. We all desire that we may also obey God and do His will on earth as the holy angels do it in heaven. This is what we're supposed to pray. Not my will, but your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. How is that most shown? How is that most shown? What's happening in heaven right now today? Well, amidst all the turmoil and struggle on hardship on earth, John looks up and he sees the elders he sees the heavenly council those we'll look at tonight even those died in the Lord we'll come to some of that all the angels and cherubim and seraphim they're bowing down what are they doing? what do you call that? what is worship? bowing down think that's forgotten? they're singing they're shouting his holiness they're recognizing he's supremely worthy he's the creator he made us and not we ourselves you exist for him not he for you look at verse 4 the 24 thrones around the throne were 24 thrones and i on the thrones i saw 24 elders sitting seated on the thrones were 24 elders clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. And these four living creatures, verse 8, are saying, holy, holy, holy. And when this happens, verse 9, they all give glory. Notice this. Cast their crowns before the throne. They give glory. And they say, worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power for you created all this. It's all yours. And by your will, it all exists and was created. Well, that's a dose we need in hardship, don't we? Notice it's joy to do this, by the way. Do you get a sense that this is lukewarm up there? It's a lot of joy there to do the will of God, which I summarize in those 10 words, and to celebrate His holiness. Why is He showing this to you this morning? Because this is the greatest way you're helped in your tribulation, in your hardship. When you gather as the people of the Lord for worship, you're anticipating something and you're reflecting, supposed to reflect something that's already happened in heaven. That's why the Lord wants you to pray it, that we would do it like that. Pray that you would be obedient as the angels are. angels help us to adore him. Isn't that inspired? Bless him, you angels. And you have this emphasis in Scripture. This is the way you receive. This is the place you receive strength for the way. This is Psalm 84. Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise. Selah, think about it. Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose heart, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the Valley of Baca, the Valley of Tears, they make it a place of springs. They're singing there. The early rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength. Each one appears before God and Zion. But when we forget who's in control and when we become discouraged, you think there's a heart to worship? Isn't this the greatest neglect today? The thing to pull teeth? I say this in total love, it is an utter failure of the church today that churches have by and large dumped half of its worship on the Lord's day. It is an utter failure. You tell me how that's profits your souls, how that profits anyone's soul. One of the most memorable things for me in the ministry in this place was Roger DeStichter's memorial service. When his children got up here and they gave a testimony of what their father's steady commitment to morning and evening worship, the effect that it had on them, that's never gotten away from me. How lovely is your tabernacle, O Lord of hosts. My soul longs, yes, it faints for the courts of the Lord. My heart and flesh cry out for the living God. they got it worships the longing of our heart it's a simple answer because they understood they understood that when we gather as god's people were meeting with him and we continue to see that as it is these saints before us who have gone and were tried and tested and afflicted living in a hard world god inspired their words years ago to tell us they learned something really important you might want to listen the greatest place of encouragement the greatest place of strength the greatest place their hearts burned within them was in the worship of the lord why because it was just the moment where they came up so worship is it's a heavenly meeting they understood something presently was being offered to them they were joining what was happening in heaven. In all of your struggles, your greatest need today is to hear this. You ready? Come up here. And guess where that happens? Every time you gather. It's an invitation for the churches to enjoy what is already happening in heaven. I know we're still sinners. I know that glory can't be fully enjoyed till this body of sin is put off for good. But this is what we're aiming toward and this is where we're taught that this is what jesus is after worshipers in spirit and in truth there's no lukewarmness in heaven your greatest intimacy with god is not the prayer closet important as it is your greatest intimacy with god is you gathering with his people to worship him as the angels do they don't have individual prayer closets in heaven come up here i'll give you what you need come up here that's what you're doing right now come up here that's what we'll do tonight i'll give you air you could see do i need to quote bilbo again i can see come look we're almost there we're almost there come up here you'll fulfill the very purpose for which you exist it's not for you it's to glorify god and what enjoy him forever you need to ask if the reason your existing corresponds with what this is showing you well then i am i close thinking of this i'll worship the king all glorious above O gratefully sing his power and his love. Our shield and defender, the ancient of days, pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise. O tell of his might, O sing of his grace, whose robe is the light, whose canopy space. His chariots of wrath, the deep thunderclouds form, and dark is his path on the wings of the storm. Frail children of dust and feeble as frail. In thee do we trust, nor find thee to fail. Thy mercies, how tender, how firm to the end, our maker, defender, redeemer, and friend. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we need this fresh perspective that you've given to us to come up here. Thank you for helping us today. Thank you for giving us air. Thank you for showing us something so beautiful. And even now, we didn't really even come close to plumbing the depths of this. But we need your encouragement. And thank you for giving it to us through your son may your holy spirit take and may we by the power of the spirit respond and delight as the angels in heaven do of doing your will reverencing you in holiness and worshiping you in spirit and in truth thank you father for hearing us this morning in jesus name amen