Revelation 4:9-11

August 4 y 5, 2018 • Pastor Netz Gómez
HEAVENLY WORSHIP

“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.”

I. REVIEW
Revelation 4 Is the most detailed description of the throne room in the Bible.
Psalm 50:2 calls it “the perfection of beauty.” The throne room of the Father and the
Son, who is at his high thank, is the origin and epicenter of the beauty of creation
and the will of God for everything that exists. Jesus called it “his glorious throne.”
Mt. 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then
he will sit on his glorious throne.”
Heb. 4:16 “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we
may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Even as weak people we are invited to draw near to this throne and interact
with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, who are a real person that
is seated on a real throne. When we pray and worship we have access to this throne
even though we don’t see it with our natural eyes. Our prayers and songs go straight
to this place.
We have seen that what God places around His throne is very significant
because it expresses who He is and how he acts. This throne is also the origin of
the judgements and decrees we will see in the rest of the book.
Rev. 4 y 5 paint the scene of the Throne in the context of the end times. The
story of the book of Revelation is founded in the revelation of the beauty of God’s
throne. God, the Holy Spirit, is preparing His church for the unique dynamics that
will unfold in the narrative of the book of Revelation by anchoring us in the
revelation of the sovereignty and glory of God shown in these chapters.
Psalm 45:6 “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom
is a scepter of uprightness.”
One of the primary reasons that the Father sits on His eternal throne was
revealed to John in this chapter so that his identity as the Eternal Transcendent
Creator, and Omnipotent Sustainer of all things could convince John and his
readers. As we keep these words, we are certain about the things to come in the rest
of the book of Revelation according to God’s plan.
The Holy Spirit reveals to John what the Father feels about Jesus, including His
total support and trust. He also revels the Father’s plan to exalt Jesus as King,

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sovereign over the earth, giving him infinite resources from His throne to fully
execute his “master plan.” Revelation 6 to 22 is the development of Jesus’ battle plan,
which begins in chapters 4 and 5.

II. THE WAVES OF HEAVENLY WORSHIP
v.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,”
Every heavenly creature, especially those in positions of authority in the
Heavenly Kingdom, is a direct witness to God’s greatness and gives Him glory for it.
This incites us and all of creation to do the same (5:13). The living creatures or
seraphim do this, not because they are forced to, but because it is a holy response
that explodes within them when they are exposed to God’s greatness.
Worship in spirit and in truth is always the response to the revelation of the
transcendent beauty of God. We must turn our knowledge about God to actually
knowing God that turns every truth we learn about Him into a meditation of Him,
something which takes us to prayer, worship, and obedience.
God is so vast and inexhaustible that in His being that those who are closest to
Him forever discover new facets of His beauty, receiving a new impartation of His
grace and declaring what they see by His Spirit to all of creation. We can’t imagine
the depth of what the seraphim declare about God as they behold Him with such an
intensity for so much time.
When the living creatures declare that God is holy three times they are forever
manifesting the transcendent beauty of God. In doing this they give “glory and
honor and thanks” to him. The 24 elders are so impacted by the revelation these
prophetic oracles express and by the glory that is unleashed by the Holy Spirit that
they “cast their crowns” before the throne, declaring that God is truly “worthy” of
receiving all things. This worship provokes more worship precisely because God is
manifested in everyone who participates in it. We minister to God when we decla
Psalm 22:3 “Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.”
The act of honoring God means giving him importance and recognizing him
with reverence. Giving glory is recognizing who God is: Holy , powerful, and eternal
— He is the source of all things, and all recognition is His. Giving thanks is
demonstrating appreciation to God for what he does for His own.
v.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,”
Bowing before someone is the ultimate gesture of honor for them above
oneself. Applying this to our worship to God shows that worship will always find
ways of being expressed in external actions like raising our hands, bowing,
dancing, etc.
When they cast their crowns they are saying, “all victory and achievement
come from you!” and they are recognizing His sovereignty and His right to

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receive worship. Obtaining rewards or crowns makes a lot more sense when we
know we can offer them at His feet. If a crown is something we are to give back to
the Lord in worship, the desire to gain one makes more sense. In fact, the desire to
present our life’s work as faithful servants as an offering to God is a motive that
honors Him.
v.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”
Humility is not just humiliation, but recognizing who God is and who we are.
Realizing that the victory, accomplishments, and success come from God is an act of
worship that helps us eliminate human boasting that tends to take credit for what it
obtains for its own exaltation.
1 Cor. 4:7 “… For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you
did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive
it?”
Nothing dissipates the pride of the flesh or the competitiveness of human
projects than the understanding of God’s infinite greatness. Some of us are so
caught up wanting honor or a good reputation from people that we disguise it as a
concern for our calling.

III. LESSONS FROM HEAVENLY WORSHIP
Worship is not about making up beautiful things about God; it is simply
recognizing who He is (4:8), what He has done and promised (4:11; 5:9-11), and
how worthy He is of our praise.
Rev. 5:12-14 “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.”
This heavenly worship reminds us that our devotion to God will remain in
eternity. At the same time, as worshippers of God, we are all on an equal playing
field, far beyond whatever our calling is or what gifts we have.

IV. GOD LONGS TO BE DESIRED
God is self-sufficient, but He longs to be desired. His love makes him
sensitive to those He loves, which speaks of His desire for intimacy with us. As
Richard Foster states: “Our God is not made of stone. His heart is supremely sensitive
and tender. No action goes unnoticed, no matter how small or insignificant it may
be.” A simple glass of cold water is enough to catch His eye (Mark 9:41). Just as a
mother delights in the flowers her son brings her, Jesus recognized the man with

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leprosy that came back to thank him and was saddened when the other nine did not
(Luke 17:17-18).
If we ask the Holy Spirit to help us love God more and better, He will do it and
this should be our most prevalent conversation with God because this is the greatest
commandment, which is the greatest impact on God’s heart and ours.
Deut. 6:4-5 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love
the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
might.”
God delights in our affection and in our willingness to allow the Holy Spirit to
fill us with love for Him. In the depths of worship we feel overtaken by the glorious
majesty of God, and all other desires for attention and affection are aligned. Only
God is God, and only He deserves the first place, far and above every other love,
anxiety, fear, or desire that could consume.
The greatness of God demands our attention: The fact that God is Lord of
history and has everything under control helps us to see everything else as we
should. Worshipping God corrects our perspective about persecution, poverty,
and misfortunes.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
1. When you pray how should you picture God’s throne?
2. How should true worship arise from your heart?
3. How can worshipping God help you have a correct perspective about your
accomplishments, problems, and difficulties?

Other Sermons In This Series

Revelation 1:1

May 21, 2015

Revelation 1:4-8

April 19, 2018

Revelation 1:5b-8

April 19, 2018