Worshipping God - Part 1

REVELATION 4 v 1-11

How does this passage affirm or change our view on worship?

John moves from talking about the conditions within the church in Asia to focusing on the universal church. John sees the course of coming events in a very similar way to how Daniel and Ezekiel. Many of these passages contain a clear spiritual teaching but some go beyond our ability to understand. The clarity of this big and the big theme is that God will defeat all evil in the end. We must live in a way which is obedient and pleasing to God. Over the next few days we will capture glimpses of Christ's glory.

• John begins by showing us a picture of heaven and later on in Revelation we see the coming events for the world. He shows us heaven to show us our hope for the future and then he tells what will come of the earth.
• John was said to be 'in the Spirit' 4 times in the book of Revelation because the Holy Spirit was revealing to John things which could not be seen through human eyes.
• Some questions I asked myself...
• Is your worship about giving the glory to God or is some coming to you?
• Do you encounter God when you worship?
• The imagery that is given in verse 3 & 6 is replicated in Ezekiel 1 v 5 & 28. This wasn't the first time God had been seen in these ways. This imagery of heaven and Christ expands our understanding of Him.
• Just as the seven Spirits represented the Holy Spirit so the 4 creatures represent the 4 characteristics of God. Just the Cherubim (highest order of angels) were guards of the throne, led worship and proclaimed God's holiness. So God's attributes were represented in these 4 animal like creatures.

1. The Lion - Power and Majesty
2. The Ox - Faithfulness
3. The Man - Intelligence
4. The Eagle - Sovereignty

•  These characteristics of God inspire me to worship more because I am worshipping a powerful, majestic, faithful, intelligent and sovereign God.
• This passages talks about the throne in heaven where the creator God himself sits, but is our worship focused on the throne or the God who sits in it?
• We are worshipping a God who is eternal and omnipotent.
• He is Pure and Holy, only good can come from him.
• Do we worship God for more blessing or do worship him to bless Him for his awesome miracles of creations around us and in us?
• There is some amazing imagery of God in this passage - the four creatures, the see of glass which represents God's magnificence and holiness and the thunder and lightning which represents significant events in heaven.
• Is our worship of God driven by a still picture of God or an ever transforming picture as our understanding grows of God?