Worship on Earth as it is in Heaven
Don’t you long for heaven? There are so many times in life where I wish heaven was right here and now. In Matthew 6:10, Jesus teaches us to pray, "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." We long for heaven so often, but we are meant to seek to make here and now be as much like heaven as possible. I want earth to look like His kingdom in heaven. His will is done in heaven, always, and I long for it to be that way here and now. There are many ways this can play out, but we’re going to focus on one aspect today. Worship.
People often think of heaven as sitting on clouds with harps singing for eternity. That’s not what heaven is. There is SO MUCH more to heaven than that. It’s going to be more real and more truly living than we even experience in life right now. But singing is a core aspect of heaven because worship is the core aspect of heaven. Now, singing is only a portion of our worship to God. But it is an essential component of our worship. There are over 50 direct commands in the Bible that tell us to sing. Singing is mentioned over 400 times in the Bible. It’s not just a central aspect of heaven, but it should be here and now as well. On earth as it is in heaven.
This morning we'll explore key themes from the songs of Revelation to understand how we should worship. Each song in Revelation reveals different aspects of God's character and our response to Him in worship.
God is worthy of all glory and honor. This is the most foundational reason we are to worship. This is the why behind it all. If we get caught up in all of the how and neglect the why, we aren’t worshiping. We worship solely because God is worthy of our worship. He is the only one worthy of our worship. We see this in every song sung in heaven. And we see that it is central to the first song sung.
Revelation 4:8-11
8 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!”9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four 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,
11 “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.”
God is the object of our worship. The focal point of heaven is God on His throne. The elders fall down where? Before Him who is seated on the throne. Each song sung in heaven has God at its center. Why? Because God is at the center of everything. He is the only eternal one, so they sing in verse 8, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” and in verse 10 it says they worship him who lives forever and ever. He is at the center of creation, so they sing in verse 11, “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.” He is sovereign and in control of all of heaven and earth, so in verse 10 they sing to the one who is seated on the throne as sovereign ruler of all existence. God is and should be the central focal point of our worship.
One thing that means is that we must labor to have a proper understanding of God. Worship flows from and is centered on a right understanding of God. Our songs should reflect that. We should never sing anything to God in worship that isn’t true about His character or actions, or that even could be easily misconstrued about His character or actions. I think this analogy will help you see why that’s important.
I love my wife and think she is beautiful. What if I told her, “Sara, you are so beautiful. Your blonde hair is one of your greatest features.” (She’s a brunette.) That wouldn’t go over well. And what if I said, “Sara, my dear beloved, your blue eyes are one of the things I first loved about you.” (She has brown eyes.) She would begin to question not just if I loved her, but if I even knew her. She definitely wouldn’t take it as a compliment. How much more important is accurately portraying our God in worship of His character and actions. Infinite. It is infinitely more important. God is the object of our worship. God as He is. As He truly is.
We see that we worship because of who He is and what He has done. We see they worship Him because of His eternal nature and His act of creation. But He is also worshiped because of His act of salvation.
Revelation 5:9-14
9 And they sang a new song, saying,
“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,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
We worship because we have been redeemed. And God is the one who has redeemed us. When people are redeemed in the Bible, often they sing. Redeemed people have reason to sing. The reason Jesus is worthy, and a new song is sung in verse 9 is because He was “slain, and by His blood ransomed people from God.” It’s not just the sovereign God on His throne that is worshipped. But God the Son is worshipped because He took on flesh and humbled himself to the point of death on a cross. We see in Revelation 5 the same way we see Paul burst into doxology in Philippians 2:8-11:
8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
If Christ is worshipped because He has redeemed, we need to note who it is that Christ has redeemed. That’s part of what the elders are singing and why they are singing. He has “ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”
Worship is multigenerational and multiethnic. How long has God been worshiped? Since the beginning. How long will He be worshiped? Forever. Worship is intergenerational because ever since creation of man, God has been redeeming man. And Christ bears the marks of His redemption into eternity. He’s seen in heaven as the Lamb that has been slain. So, worship is multigenerational because you have the redeemed from every generation of history worshiping Him. It’s multiethnic because it’s people from every tribe and language and people and nation. Worship isn’t white. It is red, yellow, black, and white. It isn’t red, white, and blue. It’s every tribe and people and language.
Revelation 7:9 – After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands…
We live in a city that is around 10% Hispanic, and a Hispanic church meets within our building. Our church should look like the community if we are to look even partially like heaven. That means with an average worship attendance of around 350, we should have 35 hispanics if we are to look like the community God has planted us in, let alone look like heaven. Oh Lord, thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.
Following that verse we just read in Revelation 7:9 is the redeemed multitude from every nation singing this song of victory:
Revelation 7:10-12
10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
We worship God in reverence and humility. The posture in which we worship matters.
The Greek word for worship in the New Testament is proskyneō.[1] Here is how Strong’s defines its meaning and where it was derived: “(meaning to kiss, like a dog licking his master's hand); to fawn or crouch to, i.e. (literally or figuratively) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore):—worship.”
The posture and manner in which you worship is part of the act of worship itself. We are told to lift our hands in worship[2] (Psalm 134:2 – Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the Lord!). We are told to bow before the Lord in adoration[3] (Psalm 95:6-7 – 6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! 7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand). We are told to lift our eyes (Psalm 121:1-2 – I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.) You can even fit all of those into one posture!
You might think, “I don’t sing. I just sing in my heart. I don’t like to show emotion. I don’t want to make a spectacle.” Well, if you’re that way in heaven, I’ll just say you will stand out. Almost every time in the Old Testament where idol worship is contrasted with worshiping God alone, it is said you shall not bow down to idols. The posture of your life and worship matters. In humility we are to bow down to the Lord alone.
We do that because He is worthy, for His character, and for His actions, what He has done.
Revelation 15:3-4
3 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
“Great and amazing are your deeds,
O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
O King of the nations!
4 Who will not fear, O Lord,
and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
Again, as we saw earlier, redeemed people sing. This specifically says the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. This is crucial for us in understanding that we sing not only because of who God is, but because of what He has done.
Our worship testifies to God's faithfulness in our lives. As soon as the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, they sang.
Exodus 15:1-2
1 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying,
“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.
2 The Lord is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him…
My favorite hymn of all time, written by a man born just up the road in Franklin, KY is “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” You will hear all of the themes we have hit on in the song. Just listen to the lyrics. God is central yet praised for His faithfulness in our lives.
[1] Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
there is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
as Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.[Refrain]
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed Thy hand hath provided:
great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me![2] Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest;
sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
join with all nature in manifold witness
to Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love. [Refrain][3] Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow:
blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! [Refrain]
Then we get to the final song.
Revelation 19:1-8
1 After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out,
“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
2 for his judgments are true and just;
for he has judged the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her immorality,
and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”3 Once more they cried out,
“Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.”4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” 5 And from the throne came a voice saying,
“Praise our God,
all you his servants,
you who fear him,
small and great.”6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,
“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
8 it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
We worship because God is just and victorious over all his enemies.
In the end, He wins, and He wins for good. Our worship doesn’t just look to the past at His faithfulness, but it trusts in His faithfulness into the future.
When your team wins at the buzzer, you know what you do? You shout, you jump, you lift up your hands, you sing and cheer and high five! Why? Because you win! Y’alll, Christ’s is the victory! He has defeated sin and death! He wins, and because He wins, we win! So, let us shout!, let us sing!, let us bow down in worship, because He alone is worthy! Great is His faithfulness! Forever past. Here right now. And forevermore. We must worship Him.
[1] https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4352/esv/tr/0-1
