The Throne of Heaven
Sermon Notes
“The Throne of Heaven”
Today we’re continuing our teaching series on a book of the bible called Revelation. It’s a series about finding peace in a world of chaos, and the text we’re studying today is about the throne of heaven. It gives us an incredible glimpse into the throne of heaven, so we can see the incredible God of heaven has a plan for our chaotic lives and world. Things won’t always be as chaotic as they are now, because God has a plan for our chaotic lives and world. We won’t always have to worry about inflation and paying our bills. We won’t always have to worry about physical and mental health issues. We won’t always have to worry about marital, family, and other relationship issues. We won’t always have to worry about sin and death taking away all our joyful pleasures in life. It’s because God has a plan for our life, and it’s to lead us into infinite, indescribable, joyful pleasures in heaven.
Now this is something both skeptics and believers want. We both want to have joy in life, and we want those joys to last! I mean nobody wakes up saying “I hope to be miserable today...I hope to lose all my joy today...” Nobody wakes up wanting to lose joy, instead we wake up wanting to have joy and even gain more joy. So both skeptics and believers want to have joy in life, and we want those joys to last. Well today’s text gives us an incredible glimpse into the throne of heaven, so we can see the incredible God of heaven has a plan, to lead us into infinite, indescribable joyful pleasures in heaven. Let’s turn to Revelation 4 and get into it. You’ll find Revelation in the back of the bible, it’s the very last book of the bible. We’ll be in Revelation 4:1-11, and the title of the message is The Throne of Heaven. The big idea is that God is infinitely greater, than we can imagine or describe...God is infinitely greater, than we can imagine or describe...
Here’s your context. The book of revelation is about the 2nd coming of Jesus, and what will happen at the end of history when Jesus finally returns. We divided the entire book into four major sections, based on the four major visions John the author receives from Jesus. Last week we finished studying the 1st vision, which was about Jesus and The Churches. So today we’re getting into the 2nd vision, which is about Jesus and the Cosmos. It’s about Jesus ruling over the entire cosmos, the entire universe, and his justice being poured out against evil. This 2nd vision starts in ch’s 4-5 with Jesus giving John a glimpse of the throne of heaven, and it continues in ch’s 6-16 with Jesus giving John a glimpse of the future tribulations that are coming at the end of history. As we study today’s text we’ll learn about: 1st The throne of heaven, 2nd The God of heaven, 3rd The Joy of heaven. We’ll learn about the throne, God, and joy of heaven. Let’s check it out.
Revelation 4:1-11 states, “After this I looked, and there in heaven was an open door. The first voice I heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.’” This 2nd vision is starting with John seeing an open door. He says it’s specifically an open door to heaven, which we talked about a few weeks ago. After noticing this open door, he hears a familiar voice speaking to him, and it’s the voice of Jesus. Jesus invites him to walk through the open door to heaven to give him a little glimpse of heaven. John walks through the open door, he enters into heaven, and what’s the first thing that he sees? He tells us in vs 2.
Vs. 2, “Immediately I was in the Spirit, and there was a throne in heaven, and someone was seated on it.” So the 1st thing John sees is The Throne of Heaven. He sees the throne of heaven, which is the throne of God. It must be incredible because it’s the very first thing he sees! It’s the center piece of heaven, and it should be because the throne is a symbol of God’s sovereign rule over the entire cosmos. But what I love most about this part of the text is John says he saw someone seated on the throne. What he’s seeing is God seated on the throne, ruling over the entire cosmos, holding together every fine-tuned detail of the entire cosmos, without even breaking a sweat. He’s holding together every planet in our galaxy in perfect orbit around the sun. He’s holding together every proton, neutron, electron. He’s holding together every cell, every genetic strand in our bodies, everything that’s allowing us to live and breathe, without even breaking a sweat. He’s seated on the throne, ruling the entire cosmos, without having to flex. It’s the same thing the prophet Isaiah saw when he had a vision of heaven, several hundred years before John was born. The prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 6:1,“In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne.” Both John and Isaiah see God seated on the throne in heaven! The reason Jesus is sharing this vision now, is so we don’t lose hope when he starts talking about the future tribulations coming at the end of history. In two weeks we’ll study ch 6, which is about the future tribulations coming through the Four Horseman and The Apocalypse. Jesus doesn’t want us to lose hope when he starts talking about those things. So he’s teaching us that when the world starts spiraling out of control, we need to remember who’s seated on the throne...When the world starts spiraling out of control, we need to remember who’s seated on the throne...
The fact that God is seated on the throne, means he isn’t panicking or pacing around trying to figure things out like we do. He’s seated on the throne, not panicking or pacing around the throne. Corrie ten Boom was a Christian Dutch watchmaker who went to prison for hiding Jews from the Nazis. Corrie ten Boom said, “There is no panic in Heaven! God has no problems, only plans.” She said God doesn’t panic! God doesn’t have any problems, only plans! God doesn’t need an advisory board, a strategic planning meeting, a war room with advisors, hoping somebody can come up with a solution to the world’s problems. It’s because he already knows the solution, and he doesn’t need back up plans because he knows his plans will work! His plan to save Noah and his family from the flood worked! His plan to save Moses and the Jews from brutal Egyptian slavery worked! His plan to come to die and rise again for the forgiveness of our sins worked!. Jesus came to die for our sins on the cross, and then he rose again on the 3rd day proving his plans are greater than any human plans! His throne and plans, are far greater than our mini throne and plans. He doesn’t have any problems, only plans, and his plans never fail. When our plans fail, we need to remember his plans never fail. We need to remember, he’s still seated on the throne.
Again vs. 2, “There was a throne in heaven, and someone was seated on it. 3 The one seated there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian stone.” Okay so this is the 2nd thing John’s seeing, he’s seeing The God of Heaven. He sees the throne of heaven, but now he’s seeing the God of heaven, and he says God has the appearance of jasper and carnelian stone. The key word is appearance, meaning God isn’t literally jasper and carnelian stone, he just appears to be like those things. John MacArthur states, “All the shining, flashing facets of the glory of God, are compared to a diamond, brilliantly refracting all the colors of the spectrum. A sardius (carnelian) stone, is a fiery bloodred ruby. It expresses the shining beauty of God’s glory, but may also symbolize God’s blazing wrath about to be poured on the sinful world.” John goes on to describe several things that are happening around God’s throne, and it further displays the greatness of God.
Again vs. 3, “The one seated there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian stone. A rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald surrounded the throne.” Notice he sees a rainbow surrounding the throne. It’s a reminder of God’s faithfulness in keeping his promise to never flood the entire populated world again. God tells Noah in Genesis 9:12-13, “This is the sign of the covenant I’m making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all future generations. 13 I placed my bow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” The Hebrew word for bow means a war bow, not a rainbow. But if you look at the curvature of a rainbow it’s shaped like a war bow, and it’s pointing away from the earth instead of towards the earth. So the next time you see a rainbow in the sky, remember it’s a sign that God put up his war bow to have a loving friendship with you. It's a sign of the gospel, which is that on the cross Jesus took the arrows of God’s wrath we deserve, to give us the flood of God’s love we don’t deserve. That’s what this rainbow here in Revelation is supposed to remind us of. It’s supposed to remind us of God’s faithfulness in turning away his war bow, and that he’ll remain faithful to anyone who puts their faith in him, before the future tribulations that are coming.
Vs. 4, “Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white clothes, with golden crowns on their heads.” What John’s seeing now is an entourage of twenty-four elders surrounding God. He doesn’t tell us who they are, but it’s most likely the 12 tribal leaders of Israel and the 12 Apostles of Jesus. They’re most likely surrounding the throne of God to represent everyone who’s been redeemed in both the Old and New Testament.
Vs. 5, “Flashes of lightning and rumblings and peals of thunder came from the throne. Seven fiery torches were burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.” John’s seeing lightning and thunder coming from the throne, which is often a symbol of God’s power and strength. The fiery torches are a reference to the Holy Spirit. The number seven is often symbolic of perfection, and so John’s seeing the perfection of the Holy Spirt burning brightly like the sun!
Vs. 6, “Something like a sea of glass, similar to crystal, was also before the throne.” In the bible the sea is often used negatively to represent storms, rough seas, turmoil. But if you notice what John’s seeing here is a sea of glass, meaning the sea is calm. The implication is that we’ll go through some rough, chaotic, seas on earth, but in heaven it’s a sea of glass. We’ll go through some turmoil on earth, but in heaven there’s only tranquility, in the presence of God.
Vs. 6 continues, “Four living creatures covered with eyes in front and in back were around the throne on each side. 7 The first living creature was like a lion; the second living creature was like an ox; the third living creature had a face like a man; and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings; they were covered with eyes around and inside.” John’s doing the best he can to put into human words something we’ve never seen before. It’s like a scientist trying to describe something new they’ve discovered in the far edges of the universe, but it’s hard to comprehend because we’ve never seen it before. John’s doing the best he can to describe something new he’s discovered in the throne of heaven, but it’s hard to comprehend because we’ve never seen it before. It’s why he’s repeatedly using the word like to describe things. It’s because these creatures in heaven don’t exist in our dictionaries on earth. So the 1st thing he says is they’re like a lion, which is symbolic of strength and power. The 2nd thing he says is they’re like an ox, which is symbolic of faithful service for the benefit of others. The 3rd thing he says is they’re like a man, which is symbolic of intelligence. The 4th thing he says is they’re like an eagle, which is symbolic of swift sovereignty. He further elaborates on this describing their multiple eyes and wings, which allows them to see clearly and act swiftly. So what John’s saying is these are incredible creatures who are strong, serve, intelligent, see and act swiftly. But as incredible as these creatures are, they’re pointing to someone who’s even more incredible.
Vs. 8, “Day and night they never stop saying, ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God, the Almighty, who was, who is, and who is to come.’” What these creatures are declaring isn’t how great and incredible they are, but how great and incredible God is. What they’re declaring around the throne of heaven, is that the God of heaven, is a holy, almighty, infinitely powerful God who’s far greater than they are. As great as these creatures are, the God who created them is even greater.
Vs. 9, “Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the one seated on the throne, the one who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before the one seated on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne and say, 11‘Our Lord and God, you are worthy to receive glory and honor and power, because you have created all things, and by your will they exist and were created.” Like the four living creatures, the twenty-four elders are praising God. They’re praising God specifically for his gracious sovereign will, creating and sustaining them. While he’s seated on the throne, the entire cosmos is being held together by his will...Now here’s what all this means for us today. It means...
1st God has a far greater throne and plan than you can imagine. God has a far greater throne and plan for your life, than any other throne or plan in the entire cosmos. You can make all the plans you want in life for your education, your athletics, your career, your finances, your family. But if things don’t go like you planned don’t let it ruin your life, instead let it remind you that God has a greater throne and plan for your life. Let it remind you that your mini plans won’t make or break your life, because God has a greater throne and plan for your life. I know sometimes it feels like things are spiraling out of control in our lives and world, but they aren’t spiraling out of control for God. Remember God doesn’t have any problems, he has plans. We’re the ones who have problems. But God has a plan for every one of our problems, and every one of our problems will eventually submit to his plan. So don’t get discouraged with life, instead find hope in knowing God has a far greater throne and plan for your life. Find hope in knowing, he’s seated on the throne.
2nd God is far greater than you can imagine. God is far greater than you can imagine, which is evident by the response of the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders. He’s far greater than words can describe, which is why John repeatedly says God appears to be like the things he describes. It’s because he’s having such a hard time describing how great God is. Do you believe God is loving? He’s infinitely more loving than you realize. Do you believe God is just? He’s infinitely more just than you realize. Do you believe God is gracious, wise, powerful? He's infinitely more gracious, wise, powerful than you realize. God is far greater than you can imagine.
3rd Heaven is far greater than you can imagine. If God is far greater than you can imagine, then it means heaven is also far greater than you can imagine. Remember Jesus is giving John a little glimpse of heaven, so some of the stuff John’s describing seems weird because it’s stuff we’ve never seen on earth. But this is exciting because it means in heaven we’ll discover so much more of the cosmos! What isn’t exciting, is if John started describing something familiar like the checkout lines at Walmart...We know what that’s like, but we don’t know what the radiance of God, the sea of glass near his throne, or the four living creatures are like. In vs 11 it says God created all things, and there’s still so much more of those things we’ll get to discover! All the new things we’ll discover in heaven will excite the heart of the curious scientist, the creative writer, the colorful artist, the heart of every human. All the relationships, sunsets, beaches, mountains, sights, sounds, senses we find joyful pleasure in now, will be enhanced in ways far greater than our imaginations! C.S. Lewis says it’s a place where “every chapter is better than the one before it!” It’s impossible to get bored in heaven with every chapter being better than the one before it!
The big idea is that God is infinitely greater, than we can imagine or describe...In this 2nd vision John receives of Jesus and the Cosmos, we’re learning God is infinitely greater than we can imagine or describe, and so is the heaven he’s taking us to. Today’s text can give us peace, because it teaches our world isn’t always going to be as chaotic as it is today. It teaches God has a plan for those who put their faith in Jesus. It’s a plan that includes getting to explore infinite, indescribable, joyful pleasures in heaven with him. Just like Jesus invited John to walk through the open door to heaven, he invites us to walk through that open door too. If we put our faith in Jesus, we’ll get to walk through that open door, and see far greater things than the glimpse John gave us here. We’ll never get bored getting to explore eternity with Jesus. 1stCorinthians 2:9 states, "No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared, for those who love him.”
Communion
Communion is a reminder of this. It’s a reminder of the gospel, which is that Jesus came to open the door to heaven for us. He came to die for our sins on the cross, so we can enjoy infinite pleasures in heaven with him. If you don’t believe that Jesus died for your sins, please refrain from taking communion so you don’t go through the motions of this. Instead use this time to reflect on the message, and consider asking Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of your life. For those of you who put your faith in Jesus we have three stations set up, and in a few minutes I’ll invite you to come forward to whatever station is closest to you. If you have a gluten allergy, the table in the back is serving gluten free bread. When you come forward we’ll give you a piece of bread as a symbol of the body of Christ broken for your sins. You’ll take the bread and dip it in the cup of juice as a symbol of the blood of Christ shed for your sins. After that you can eat, drink, and head back to your seat to pray before we close in worship. Let’s have those who are serving Communion start heading to your stations, as we prepare to remember the good news of Jesus.
On the night Jesus was betrayed he took some bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it saying “This is my body which is to be broken for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. As often as you eat it, do so in remembrance of me, in remembrance of who I am and what I’ve done for you.” When supper ended he took the cup, blessed it, gave thanks for it, and said “This is a symbol of my blood which is to be shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. As often as you drink it, do so in remembrance of me, in remembrance of who I am and what I’ve done.” Respond to this good news by coming forward to receive and remember. Receive his grace for your life, and remember he’s a living savior who’s still seated on the throne. Come as you feel led.