Go a little deeper
Pastor Keith Kirkpatrick argues that the church's deepest need is an accurate, larger view of God, since worship is what we give our attention, time, money, and hope to. A small view of God produces small worship. He surveys how John, the author of Revelation, received a vision of Jesus and later a vision of heaven, and he urges listeners to look beyond what is seen to what is unseen.
The central image of the chapter is the throne. Pastor Keith notes that the word recurs throughout Revelation because the throne signals who actually rules, and he observes that everyone gives something the place of rule in their life—career, family, addiction, pride, even problems—and that these make poor kings. By contrast, John sees God occupying heaven’s throne, surrounded by jewel-like color, a complete rainbow recalling God's covenant after the flood, twenty-four elders in white garments and crowns, lightning and thunder, seven torches of fire, and a transparent, still sea. He reads each detail as a sign of God's worth, mercy, judgment, and accessibility.
The message turns toward worship and response. Four living creatures, full of eyes, ceaselessly declare God's holiness, and the elders surrender their crowns to God, saying God is worthy because he is the source of creation. Pastor Keith insists that worship is not merely singing but declaring worth, and that seeing God rightly reshapes identity and posture. The closing section invites listeners to set aside whatever has taken God's place and to receive the free gift of grace by believing, ending in prayer and an invitation to respond.
Take this with you
Worship reveals what rules you
Pastor Keith defines worship as ascribing worth—what you think about, spend time and money on, and hope in. Everyone places something on the throne of their life, whether career, family, addiction, pride, or a problem, and these cannot bear the weight. Drawing on Revelation 4, the call is not to invent a throne for God but to recognize the God who already rules on it and turn attention from false gods to the real one.
Heaven's access is unhindered
In Revelation 4 John describes a perfectly transparent, still sea before the throne. Pastor Keith reads this image as unhindered access to God: nothing obstructs the view of the throne, and everything can be seen without obstruction. This is one of several sensory details in the vision, and he uses it to show that God's people have direct access to view him rather than a distant, obscured deity.
The rainbow points to covenant mercy before judgment
The rainbow around the throne in Revelation 4 recalls God's covenant with Noah after the flood, which Pastor Keith reads in Genesis 9. He notes that in this vision the rainbow appears before the storm of judgment rather than after it, presenting it as a sign and warning by which God signals all people to turn to him and trust him, since his judgment is real. The main thread is God's covenant faithfulness and mercy toward all people.
Identity is received, not achieved
The twenty-four elders wear white garments and crowns, which Pastor Keith says represent righteousness and victory given rather than earned. Drawing on 1 Peter 2:9, he says believers become a people chosen by God who share in his royal and priestly identity by adoption, not by family background or religious performance. The implication is that believers can stop letting the world's labels define them and instead see themselves as God's people.
Worship is the fitting response
In Revelation 4 the four living creatures never cease declaring God's holiness, and the elders bow in worship and surrender their crowns to God, declaring him worthy because he is the source of creation. Pastor Keith argues that when people truly see God, their questions shrink and their posture changes. Worship, then, is not a musical style but an authentic acknowledgment of God's worth and of one's need for him. The message closes by urging listeners to respond to Jesus while there is time and to live for eternal things rather than the temporary.
The conversation,
in their words.
Transcript from the recording’s captions. Select any timestamp to hear the original audio.
revelation revelation come on do me a favor everyone just shout the word revelation revelation it's what we all need is a revelation perhaps the greatest detriment to the church today perhaps the greatest detriment to your life today is an inaccurate view of god the greatest need in our nation is not political reform the greatest need in our nation today is not a new leader the greatest need in our nation is not greater health care the greatest need in our nation is not a bill to be passed by congress and approved by the
senate the greatest need in our nation is an accurate view of the lord god almighty we need to not put our hope in man we need to look beyond man to a real god we become what we worship worship means to ascribe worth worship is what you think about worship is what you spend time on worship is what you spend your money on worship is where you put your hope and some of us need a greater revelation of a great god that our hope would be found in him and could it be that god is greater than you've ever imagined he has to be
if god is god and you are not that means there's more to know of god and the greater your revelation of who this god is the greater your worship which is what happens to the author of the book of revelation revelation is the last of 66 books you find in the bible if you brought your bible turn to the book of revelation john is the author and in chapter one when he gets the revelation of jesus christ john falls down as though dead this is a guy that had learned from jesus he was a student of jesus he walked with jesus he talked with jesus he touched jesus yet when he gets the revelation of jesus christ he could do nothing but fall down as though dead and god in his grace jesus reaches out and touches him and says
fear not our god is for us and he reminds john of who he is i am the first and the last i am the living one i died and i am alive forevermore that's who our god is he is for us and when we get to know him greater we get to see who he is more clearly now this author john he he's given this task from jesus in revelation 1 19 jesus tells him right therefore the things that you have seen those that are and those that are to take place after this if you're just joining us you can catch up to where we are john writes down the things that he sees in revelation chapter one this book is the revelation of jesus
christ and in chapter one he he gives us a description of what he sees and then he writes down the things that are found in chapters two and three we find seven letters to seven churches from jesus the number seven means complete jesus speaks to the first century church and he speaks to every church in every age these are the things that are we are living in what's called the church age and there is coming a point when the church age will be up and jesus will return to take his church and then we will see the things that will take place jesus warns us that we should be ready for his return in luke chapter 10 he warns us that when he returns it will be like the days of
noah and lot people will be focused on the wrong things in luke chapter 10 verse 27 jesus is speaking when he says they were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage until the day when noah entered the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all likewise just as it was in the days of lot they were eating and drinking buying and selling planting and building but on the day when lot went out from sodom fire and sulfur reigned from heaven and destroyed them all so it will be jesus says on the day when the son of man is revealed we are living in days of distraction we are distracted by the things that we
can see and there is something even more important that is what we can't see and what we read in revelation chapter 2 and 3 is that even the church can miss what matters most that the church can misplace jesus and not put him in the proper place as the head of the church the center of the church the church is all about jesus yet jesus warns that the church can abandon its first love the church can compromise become complacent as we learned in the last of the seven churches become lukewarm and it makes jesus sick once he wants to spit it out and as to every church jesus gives an
opportunity to know him even greater he corrects us he loves us and he reminds us that we can repent which means to change your thinking to turn to him and when you live in obedience there's a great reward this will be hard for a moment but it's always worth it and so jesus says to this last church in revelation chapter 3 verse 20 there's this great invitation he says behold i stand at the door and knock if anyone hears my voice and opens the door i will come into him and eat with him and he with me one of the shortest most powerful sermons given by jesus to the church if you put me in the proper place
if you open up the door of your heart i will be with you and you will be with me and we will be one and we will do life together you get to be with god not because you're a good person or because you did the right things but you accepted the great invitation from jesus and i've got to warn you this invitation will not last forever there is coming a point when things are to come john notes this in verse 19 that there's a time that there are things that are to take place after this after what after the church age after this great invitation when you receive jesus we're told in revelation 3 20 he comes into your life when you open up the door of your life jesus says
i will come into him and eat with him and he with me and then there's this great reward it's in the very next verse verse 21 he says to the one who conquers when you have jesus you are more than a conqueror jesus defeated the devil he defeated death you're more than a conqueror and he says you will rule and reign with him he says i will grant him to sit with me on my throne as i also conquered and sat down with my father on his throne there is coming a day when you will get to see and participate in what jesus is doing now we enter into revelation chapter 4 in the time that will take place after this john records for us in revelation chapter 4 verse 1 after this after what after the
church age after what we just read about in revelation 2 and 3 what we're going through right now after this i looked and behold a door standing open in heaven when you open the door of your heart to jesus you have a door open for you in heaven and what john's going to give us a glimpse of is that our god is greater than our imagination has ever allowed us to see who god is and he gets to see god in revelation chapter four and the and he says this and the first voice this voice he hears in revelation chapter one which i heard speaking to me like a trumpet said come up here if you have your own bible i would underline that phrase it's an important one it gives us a glimpse of what will also happen to the church that there's a great invitation from
jesus to join him come up here and i will show you what must take place after this the church should never get complacent or too comfortable jesus is coming again soon and this voice is like a trumpet as pastor john one of our staff pastors here reminds us if you were in a room and you heard a trumpet it would get your attention this grabs our attention and reminds us that there is a god there is a heaven and first corinthians 15 52 paul writes to the church and says in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable and we shall be
changed it will happen in just a moment we know not the hour nor do we know the day but we do know we can be prepared we can know the way which is through jesus when paul writes to another church in thessalonica there was some confusion about what happens when you die if a person has already believed in jesus and they've died do they miss jesus because he has not come yet and paul writes to them and he reminds them when we have the hope in jesus as he told the church in corinth he says to be absent from the bodies to be present with the lord and so to the thessalonians he says in first thessalonians 4 i do not want you to grieve as one without hope you do not need to be naive or uninformed but you can know
full well that when you die and you have jesus you have a living hope this tells us that if you live it's for christ if you die it's a gain you don't actually die you really start living but then he goes on to say in first thessalonians 4 16 for those of us who are living the lord himself will descend from heaven with the cry of command with the voice of an archangel with the sound of the trumpet and the dead in christ will rise first then we who are alive who are left here's this phrase again will be caught up together that phrase is where we get the word rapture and the latin is rapturo it simply means to be caught up when jesus returns the church will be caught up with jesus in the clouds to meet the lord in the air
so we will always be with the lord therefore encourage one another with these words we should be looking forward to the second coming of jesus we'll get to be with the lord is there anything greater than that we get to be with god it won't be invisible it won't be distant some of us have a small view of heaven because we have a small view of god and as we get this glimpse here we should look forward to what that's going to be like when we get to be with god that what john experienced the church will experience that we'll see the greatness the vastness the wonder of our god some of us have problems on this side of heaven and we wonder why god would allow us to go through this i'm telling you our god is greater than
any problem you're facing our god is greater than anything we see on this side of him he's always been god and so john continues in verse two and says at once i was in the spirit and behold everyone say behold behold it's a phrase to capture your attention a throne stood in heaven with one seated on the throne it's the same idea that happened to john in chapter one when he was in the spirit on the lord's day he was given the revelation of jesus now he's in the spirit and he gets the revelation of heaven and the first thing he sees is the throne everyone say throne throne is a central theme throughout the book of revelation 46 times the word throne is used 14 times just in chapter 4 the word throne
is used it implies a rule a reign it means someone is in charge and although our nation is not run by a monarchy we certainly understand the idea of thrones we are obsessed with thrones uh people binge watch game of thrones today on the news we're obsessed with the monarchy in england we're obsessed with who will be 18th to the throne we want to know what it was like behind closed doors we're obsessed with these ideas because we want to know who's going to rule who's going to reign and all of us in our lives allow someone to be on the throne of our lives it's what you allow to rule your life it's what takes your attention it's what you listen to it's what you serve
some of you have allowed your career to be on the throne of your life you serve your career you get up and you go to work just to make money to pay bills to do it all over day after day to hopefully get a vacation and maybe retire when you're old and tired and your career is something you serve it's something you were told that if you go get enough degrees and you work hard enough you can become successful and that's what you end up serving it becomes your identity it's it's who you are it's what shapes your time and what's valuable to you some of you it's your family yes your family can be on the throne and family is good but they are a terrible king when you put your family on the throne what begins to happen is you get let down your family can leave you your family can get sick your family is full of sinners
your family is not the greatest to put on the throne for others it's not family it's an addiction you don't even want to do it but you keep coming back to this this addiction that you serve that consumes you that you do everything you do in your life for what's on your throne and for some it's just pride you don't want god because of the view you have of god so you don't need god and so you just declare that i i am on the throne of my life i dictate what i want to do and and john wants to capture our attention in revelation 4 2 and he says there's actually one who is seated on the throne he wants to turn our attention to the one who is seated on the throne that in heaven we will see the only one that
matters is the one seated on the throne now there is nothing normal about what we're going to read in revelation chapter 4. some of us have bought into the lie of the american ideology that we can have god figured out that god can somehow be fit into the box of our understanding and that somehow we can think how god works or uh who he is or what this looks like in our lives and some of us think we have a certain view of god and we're not that that in awe of who god is and what john's about to do is to widen up the wonder of our imagination to let us know the one who's seated on the throne is indescribable but he's going to do the best job he can with words to get our hearts attention and so he says in verse 3 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 john does not describe a person he goes to a glimpse of jim's jewels he lets us know there's there's value there's creativity there's a worth to god that he uses through the symbolism of these two jewels jasper and carnelian it's pretty awesome to think about that our god and the majesty of the creator is colorful jasper is like a diamond it's clear and when you go shop for diamonds for me it was
a long long time ago the clearer the diamond the more valuable the diamond is worth so the salesperson will try to convince you that you want to get the most valuable diamond possible but the only way to see this clarity is to have the right looking glass so you spend more money so that one day you might look through a magnifying glass to see its purity john says when you get to see the throne god is so great you need no glasses this jasper is pure it's great it's wonderful not only is he like the jasper which is pure which stands for righteousness the clarity of this jasper stone he's like carnelian which is like a ruby
red red stands for redemption you have the righteous and the redeemer on the throne this crimson red is pure it's beautiful and as he's looking at the throne he sees only two gems throughout the book of revelation there are constant references to the old testament it reminds us that our god is the ancient of days that the old testament reveals the god of the new testament and in the old testament a high priest which is a person that would bring people to god god would appoint them and they they were simply to to make sure that their sins were atoned for and that they had a right relationship with god they wore special garments they were set apart they didn't dress like everyone else and they had a special robe and they had a breastplate
that covered their chest with 12 stones on the the chest these 12 gems on this breastplate represented the 12 tribes of israel and of those 12 stones two of them are mentioned here the jasper and carnelian jasper represents the firstborn son ruben and carnelian represents the last born son benjamin john reminds us that the one who sits on the throne is the first and the last and surrounding the throne he sees a rainbow normally when we see a rainbow we see but half the bow john sees the entire circle complete
everything will be complete in heaven the rainbow is actually god's idea it goes back to a reminder of the covenant that he made with all living creatures we read about it in genesis chapter nine the rainbow came after the flood god's judgment upon the world and in genesis 9 verse 12 god said this is the sign of the covenant that i make between me and you and every living creature that is with you for all future generations i have set my bow in the cloud and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth a covenant is a great commitment and the rainbow was and is and will forever be a reminder
of god's covenant with his people it was god's idea today i drive around town i see rainbows hanging from homes representing a support of a small group of people i see rainbow stickers on businesses throughout our downtown that say you are welcome here with a rainbow uh distinctly inviting a certain group of people today we see protests with an agenda of rainbows uh celebrating and persuading a certain agenda of one group of people but the word of god says that the rainbow was actually god's idea and was never intended just for the lgbtq it's actually a reminder for all people of god's great mercy
that although we have sin although we're depraved although we deserve to be wiped out god reminds us of his steadfast love his faithfulness that we would turn to him that we would trust him that we would see he's the god that was and he is and will forever be god and the rainbow reminds us of the faithfulness of god's mercy and in heaven this rainbow has the appearance of an emerald which emerald is green it represents life he's the life-giving covenant keeping god and he lets us know who he is and as we see this rainbow when do rainbows normally come out after the storm in this case god's kingdom is upside down this rainbow comes out before the storm it's the storm of god's judgment we
refer to this as the great tribulation it's god's wrath that will be poured out on those that reject him god's judgment is real because he's a righteous perfect god and we see these warning signs these signals for all people to turn to him to trust him and in revelation 4 verse 4 around the throne so there's the great throne full of color there were 24 thrones and seated on the thrones were 24 elders clothed in white garments with golden crowns on their heads the word elder means overseer it could also just be described as leader we have 24 leaders sitting on thrones around the great throne 24 are 212s 12 representing the old testament the
12 tribes of israel god's faithful people god has a promise he loves his people it's a reflection of his prophecies the promise of his word and the other 12 is a reminder of the 12 apostles the word apostle means one sent by god it's the one sent by jesus the old testament and we have the new testament we have prophecies and we have fulfillment we have the god of old and we have the god of new this 24 represents all of god's people this is awesome as i reflected on this week how great it will be to see abraham and sarah and jacob to see david and daniel to see rahab and ruth
how awesome is that going to be to see them in heaven but not just them we're going to get to see peter and paul and lydia and mary this this is representing all of god's people and they're clothed with white garments which means white represents righteousness they're pure not because they lived a good life not because they lived a religious life not because they were born into the right family but they believed in jesus christ and he gave them the the righteous garments we read about this to the seven churches they're clothed in righteousness because he is righteous and they have these crowns which is are awesome this is the crowns of life and in greek is stefanos it's it's it's the crown of victory it's when you won the race when you get the prize
you get victory and here they have the crown of life it's the same crown that was offered to the church in smyrna in revelation chapter 2 this church that was poor financially they were persecuted they were beaten down even to the point of death and jesus tells them in revelation 2 10 he says be faithful even unto death and i will give you the crown of life this crown that's given when you're faithful to god is what we will see god's people have in heaven clothed in righteousness clothes with the white garments seated before the throne this is who you are peter when he describes god's people in first peter 2 9 he says but you when you've received jesus you are a
chosen race a royal priesthood a holy nation a people for his own possession that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light you see when you've received jesus it's not just for the forgiveness of your sins your identity is changed you're no longer who you used to be you're no longer identified by the family you are born into you're identified by your adoption into god's family you're no longer in darkness but you've been transferred to god's glorious light you're a royal priesthood your daddy is the king of all kings he's the great high priest so what does that make you a royal priesthood you normally wouldn't see those two words together royalty and priest
but that's exactly who you are because god changes your identity and you ought to look forward to what that's going to look like in heaven when we see god clearly for who he is we start to understand more clearly who we are not who others say we are not who you say you are not any label that the world can put on but what the word of god says and in revelation 4 verse 5 we read this from the throne came flashes of lightning and rumblings and peels of thunder could we just stop here for just a moment how many you when you see lightning start to count how far out the lightning is until you hear the crackle the thunder come on one mississippi two mississippi and then you hear that crackle of a thunder and you think that that thing is close by because there's
power in that lightning there's some awe in that thunder and here we have from the throne of god we we know it's not distant it's right in front of john peels of thunder and lightning this tells us there's a storm coming these are the warning signs of the storm that's to come this is signaling the judgment of god he's letting us know that he's getting ready and as we continue to read this we read and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire the number seven means complete which are the seven spirits of god the holy spirit is completely god one god in three persons and as the holy spirit prepares for
judgment he's described here as fire seven torches of fire in the book of deuteronomy our god is described as an all-consuming fire in the book of hebrews our god is described as an all-consuming fire when the church was born in acts chapter 2 and the spirit of god falls afresh on believers of jesus the spirit comes as tongues of fire so we see god's great judgment comes from a god that's completely perfectly able to judge and before the rumblings and the the lightning before the holy spirit in verse six before the throne there it was as it were a sea of glass like crystal
a sea of glass normally you don't think of a sea like glass you might see a lake like glass at six a.m in the morning if you want to go out and head out on the lake and get there before anyone else but you never see the sea like glass because the sea is full of currents the sea is moved by the wind and causes waves the sea reminds us of chaos you don't want to be in the middle of a sea in the midst of a storm but in heaven this sea is perfect like glass in fact if you look into the sea you can't see the bottom because there's an obstruction of view but in heaven everything is crystal clear nothing will obstruct your view you have
direct access to the throne this is absolutely wonderful this glass i imagine we're going to be able to walk on this water this is how perfect it will be in heaven everything is uncovered and laid bare we have direct access to view god and john gives us a glorious glimpse of what worship will look like in heaven and around the throne in verse six 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 and 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 i don't know about you but were you thinking of this scripture before you came to church this morning see this is as weird as that actually sounds like these are four creatures each with six wings with not two eyes but eyes all in the front all in the back and even within what are these living creatures scholars have not come to the same conclusion there are different viewpoints of what these four living creatures are some say these four living creatures describe the four-fold ministry of jesus
found in the first four books of the new testament there are four biographies of jesus matthew mark luke and john they're described as gospels gospel means good news and matthew could describe the royal gospel of jesus in the description of a lion he is the king mark could describe jesus as that of a servant as mark himself quotes jesus and saying the son of man came not to be served but to serve like an ox as we read the book of luke the doctor lets us know that jesus is the fullness of man the favorite phrase of jesus for himself is the son of man like the face of a man and then john magnifies jesus as he describes the son of god glorious in all his ways as he
soars to heights like an eagle still some would say this that it's actually representation of the worship of the church the church should worship like these four living creatures a lion is like spiritual warfare we need to look out and we need to be on the front lines to fight and ox is meek meekness means strength under control the face of a man represents the wisdom of man god made mankind different than any other creature in his image and the eagle represents worship soaring to heights that no other creature can do because we worship god still others say that these four living creatures represent creation itself all aspects of god's wonder and creativity in creation so we see the lion the
noblest of creation we see the the ox the one that's willing to serve even with its strength we see man representing god's image and then we see the eagle the swiftness of the birds of the air so we see all the creatures will worship the one on the throne see regardless what our viewpoint is of these four living creatures here's what we do know they see god clearly eyes represent knowledge perception we only have two eyes these living creatures have so many eyes which means this they can see more clearly who god is and what do they see when they see the throne john tells us in verse 8 and by 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 this is not one day this is not a show that was put on for john he says this is day and night they never cease to declare who god is that god is holy holy holy the word holy means set apart the number three means perfect our god is perfectly completely set apart he alone is holy triune holy is god the father holy is the son jesus christ holy is is the spirit of god he is completely perfect one god in three persons he is holy holy holy is the lord
god almighty the lord is yahweh it's the name god gave himself i am who i am the all-encompassing one the word god means elohim is the creator god almighty is not to be taken lightly we use words flippantly in the english language for it's not the most in-depth language in the world almighty is used only nine times in the book of revelation and two times outside of this book it means god is sovereign he's completely in charge he's in control despite what the world looks like our god sits on the throne he is holy holy holy he is the lord god almighty and these creatures remind us he's not just sometimes god he
was and is and is to come god not for four years not for eight years not for a lifetime like some kings you can take all the leadership of the world every king prime minister and president they're just amateurs compared to the greatness of the one who sits on the throne and let these living creatures and the wonder and awe of the imagination remind you that he is holy this is an awesome god this is the god that we just sang to this is the god that if we really had a glimpse of how great he is it would shape who we are and john tells us whenever the living creatures verse 9 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 these are all god's people they fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever and 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 god's people can't help to do what we are created to do which is worship him we must respond the way john responds in revelation chapter one that when you really see god you fall down as though dead you put him in his proper place he's greater than we can fathom
oh you hear so many of us think that somehow we're going to approach god in heaven one day with all of our questions i'm going to ask god why fill in the blank no you won't you will fall down as though dead you will see that god is greater than any preacher could preach a million sermons and any song you could sing a thousand times over he's greater and they lay down their crowns the their victorious crowns they lay it to the true victor knowing i didn't get this on my own i didn't get this because of my good behavior i got it because of the one who's seated on the throne and i have to declare who he is this is what worship is worship is not singing worship is
declaring worth to god worthy are you our lord and god to receive glory and honor and power today i wonder what do you give glory and honor and power to that's what you worship what gets the glory in your life what gets the honor in your life what gets the power in your life he's worthy of all that we are he allows us as the writer of hebrew says to to approach him in a time of need this king is also a helper he's the holy spirit he's with you he's for you he reminds us of his greatness and he's
not just the king on the throne we're told for you created all things and by your will they existed and were created my friends you were created by a creator that is awesome it means god has a purpose and a plan for your life you are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of god there is no exception if you hear my voice today i want you to hear the word of god he created all things and by his will you exist that means the breath in your lungs is a gift from god he didn't have to do it but he did you woke up today and his mercies were
new every morning he just looks at you and he loves you and he just waits for you to turn your attention to how great he is he stands at the door like a great gentleman he doesn't break down the door in force like we see with sin today he's a great god he's for you he wants you to be a conqueror he wants you to see who he is he is the creator that when he speaks it happens he brings something out of nothing we would love to think in this world we have life figured out the enemy will love to make you think that you're an evolved creature but even evolution can't say where matter came from but the bible tells us that you are made because god is a life-giver that you would turn your attention to who he is that you you would have an awe
and a wonder of worship that as as paul preaches about jesus in colossians he says for by him all things were created in heaven and on earth visible and invisible whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authority all things were created through him and for him every artist today does not come up with it on their own they have the imprint of the creator and he paul tells us in verse 17 is before all things and in him all things hold together he's the head of the body the church he's the beginning the firstborn from the dead that in him the in everything he might be preeminent my friends i don't know about you
but i think the church could use a little more worship for our god is worthy he's worthy i don't want you to think it looks like a certain way it doesn't look like me it doesn't look like the person in front of you or behind you it's a response and it's just an authentic response it's acknowledging your need for god it's not having it figured out it's wanting to grow in faith it's wanting to get to know this god is turning your attention to him it's recognizing that of all the problems in the world and we all have problems that's your your point to shout amen we all all of us all of us are broken all of us have a need for this god some
of you are hurting he's a healer some of you are in a dark place and depressed he brings light and hope some of you are stuck in your sin and i want you to know there's no sin too great for god he died on the cross for the salvation of all your sins he wants you to be delivered set free so that you're no longer held in bondage of sin sin separates us from god the bible says we've all sinned and fallen short of the glory of god the bible also tells us that sin will lead to death hell is a real place and god does not send anyone to hell he's a loving god hell is reserved for those that reject
the god of love that reject the free gift of grace hell is only reserved for those that reject god's gift of eternal life my friends it is never too late with god ever even on the cross jesus displayed his wonderful mercy to the thief on the cross that thief never went to church that thief didn't memorize scripture but yet the thief opened up his heart he opened up the door to jesus and said today you will be with me in paradise jesus wants that for you he wants to be with you forever this is a good thing you have a
goddess for you i don't know what image you have conjured in your mind about god i i can't imagine but i do know it's limited because my view of god is limited as i grow in grace i just want to get to know this god greater i want us as a church to i want this church to be so much about jesus but as i think about this church and i think about my own life i think each of us have a throne and for many of us we've put our problems on the throne and you serve your problem so if it's a bad marriage it consumes you it consumes your thoughts you take matters into your own hands what do you have to do how can you fix it if it's your
addiction if it's health if it's wealth you can put all kinds of things on that throne and i'll tell you it's a terrible servant if you want to change that problem today dethrone the problem dethrone your christian ideology of god and i'm not asking you to put god on the throne because i need you to hear what john says he's already on the throne so all you're doing now is turning your attention from a false god to the real god one of the ways the bible describes this is not thinking about things on earth or things below
but think about things above that can be hard with all the distractions of the world i think that's why jesus told us there'll be many that are pursuing relationships alcohol just like in the days of lot just like in the days of noah everything we have on this earth there's nothing new nothing there's nothing new today on this earth and our god wants to grab your attention today i wonder have you done that do you know where you'd go if your heart stops beating i don't want to scare you into heaven that's not the point of god's grace but you can know with confidence hope this found in him [Music] god does not want you to be scared he gave us the book of revelation not to scare us but to prepare us
so that we wouldn't live this world for the temporary things but we would live our lives for eternal things i won't just ask you for a moment would you shut your eyes right where you are would you just close your eyes i want you to think about the one who's on the throne right now what's your view of god based on what we just read today in revelation 4. think about that god think about the colors think about the sounds think about the songs in heaven think think about the wonder of this god and he allows you access to him [Music] just right now in this moment with all the eyes closed i want to ask you have you received this god today and if you've not right now is your time
not another day not a better day there's no greater time than right now because god loves you i would like to count to three when i get to that last number three if that's you today would you slip your hand up towards heaven and a surrender to jesus christ if you want that life you want that love you want the free gift of eternal life today is yours it's free from god by believing in him if that's you at three slip your hand up one you do it because he's god and you're not two you do it because of the gift he's given you because of what he's done for you if that's you slip your hand up right now three he wraps himself with your love amen anybody else praise god
you want jesus today slip your hand up and just a surrender you can even put both hands up one hand up this is surrendered to the lord today you're removing yourself from the throne of your life and you're saying i i need you god i want you god is there anyone else this changes everything you no longer have to bear the burden of figuring life out bitterness removed in jesus name shame gone in jesus name guilt buried in jesus name you have a new identity because of jesus christ
if that's you pray a prayer like this it must be sincere from your heart just pray something like this in your heart lord jesus i need you i believe in you today forgive me of my sins today i choose you i want to follow after you [Music] and we pray in the mighty name of jesus so be it amen amen my friend if you made that decision today we want to know about it we want to celebrate with you we want to pray for you by name you are not alone would you please please just text us one word life to the number that's on the screen 541 527
your life to the lord you got to start making different decisions you need to start thinking about what you're listening to what do you see with your eyes what do you say with your mouth we've got to reshape our lives jesus is coming soon so come on it's worth more than a golf club it's okay to get excited about the lord i think sometimes at church we get a little bit nervous are we are we are we allowed to celebrate the the eternality of god yes you can sometimes you just need to shout sometimes you need to proclaim it with your hands sometimes you need to jump sometimes you need to move sometimes you need to just throw your hands up in awe and wonder and surrender to god
sometimes you just need to be still and know that he's god no matter what the posture is we just want to worship him would you stand to your feet as we celebrate that today if you made that decision we want to know and celebrate with you you're not alone god we thank you for your church we thank you for the family that we have in you we thank you that you're not done with us yet god so awaken your church today i pray that you would protect us from what the enemy wants to do may we want more of you this week jesus may we get into your word so your word would get into us god may our children know you early may they hide their word in their hearts so that they would not sin against you protect them from the lies of the enemy protect them from the lies on the internet god protect them from all the things
that the enemy wants to do i pray in jesus name for revival and central organ i pray that it would start here in this room lord may you start with our hearts may you open up the wonder of our eyes to how great you are you are holy lord you are holy holy we join heaven's song today and we celebrate you lord we celebrate you we celebrate you we give you thanks in the wonderful name of jesus amen
Read · talk · practice
Keep growing.
Together.
What Occupies the Throne
In Revelation 4:2 John sees God occupying heaven’s throne, and Pastor Keith argues that everyone gives something the place of rule in their life. Substitutes such as career, family, addiction, pride, or a problem cannot bear that weight. This section invites honest reflection on what actually commands our attention, time, and hope, and on turning that attention to the God who already rules.
Revelation 4:2
- What would you honestly name as the functional throne of your life right now, and how would you know?
- Pastor Keith says family can be a good thing but a terrible king. Where have you seen a good thing take God's place?
- How does recognizing that God is already seated on the throne change the way you approach the things that compete for rule in your life?
Seeing God's Worth in the Details of Worship
In Revelation 4:3-6 John describes the throne with jewels, a complete rainbow, thunder, torches of fire, and a transparent, still sea. Pastor Keith treats these as more than decoration: he reads the jewels as communicating purity and redemption, the rainbow as covenant mercy, the thunder as signaling coming judgment, and the transparent, still sea as unhindered access to God. He connects the rainbow to God's covenant with Noah in Genesis 9. This section explores how attention to these details can enlarge wonder.
Revelation 4:3-6 · Genesis 9:12-13
- Which image in Revelation 4 most enlarges your sense of God's worth, and why?
- Pastor Keith connects the rainbow to God's covenant mercy. How does remembering God's past faithfulness affect your present trust?
- How does Pastor Keith explain the transparent, still sea as an unobstructed view of God in heaven?
Identity Given by God
The twenty-four elders appear in white garments with crowns, which Pastor Keith interprets as righteousness and victory received rather than achieved, and he connects their number to all of God's people across the old and new covenants. He ties this to 1 Peter 2:9 and the idea that believers are adopted into God's family and given a new identity, and he recalls the crown of life promised to the church in Smyrna in Revelation 2. This section considers how the gospel reshapes self-understanding.
Revelation 4:4 · 1 Peter 2:9 · Revelation 2:10 · Revelation 4:10-11
- What label from your past or present has been harder to release than the gospel's description of you?
- Pastor Keith says believers receive a royal and priestly identity because of adoption, not performance. How does that differ from how you usually evaluate yourself?
- The elders surrender their crowns to God. How does Pastor Keith's explanation that their victory came from God reshape the way you view your own accomplishments?
The Holiness and Eternal Reign of God
In Revelation 4:8 the four living creatures never stop declaring that God is completely holy. Pastor Keith explains holiness as being set apart and the threefold repetition as completeness, then ties it to God's eternal reign as the one whose reign extends through all time. He also notes that the title 'almighty' has a particular significance in Revelation and means God is sovereign and completely in charge. This section explores those explanations of God's character.
Revelation 4:8
- Pastor Keith explains holiness as being set apart and the threefold repetition as completeness. Why does that matter for how you think about God?
- Pastor Keith says God is not sometimes God but reigns throughout all time, and that the world's leaders are amateurs compared to him. How does that description of God's reign land with you?
- The creatures declare God's holiness ceaselessly in John's vision. What does their unending declaration reveal about who God is?
Responding to the Worthy God
In Revelation 4:10-11 the elders bow in worship and surrender their crowns to God, declaring God worthy because he is the source of creation. Pastor Keith says worship is not merely singing but declaring worth, and he cites Colossians 1 to show that Christ is the source and sustaining power of creation. He also teaches that existence and breath are gifts from the Creator, who made people in his image and has a purpose for them. The message closes with an invitation to receive grace and live for eternal things.
Revelation 4:10-11 · Colossians 1:16-17
- Pastor Keith explains that the elders lay down their crowns because victory came from the One on the throne. How does that explanation shape your understanding of worship?
- Pastor Keith distinguishes worship from singing. What are other ways you declare God's worth in daily life?
- Pastor Keith teaches that existence and breath are gifts from the Creator. How does that claim shape the way you receive your own life?
Answers from this recording
Start a conversation.
What does Pastor Keith mean when he says everyone has a throne in their life?+
He observes that people are fascinated with thrones and rulers because everyone lets something rule. For some it is career, which becomes identity and shapes time and money. For others it is family, which is good but cannot bear the weight of ultimate trust. Still others give the throne to addiction or pride. The message's point is misplaced worship: whatever takes your attention and service is functioning as king, and the vision of Revelation 4 redirects that attention to the God who actually rules from heaven.
How does Pastor Keith interpret the rainbow and the jewels around the throne?+
He reads the jewels in Revelation 4 as communicating purity and redemption: jasper like a clear diamond standing for righteousness, and carnelian like a ruby standing for redemption. He reads the rainbow as recalling God's covenant with Noah after the flood, which he cites from Genesis 9. In this vision the rainbow appears before the storm of judgment rather than after it, which he presents as God's warning and invitation for all people to turn to him and trust him. The main thread is that the rainbow belongs to God's covenant and stands as a reminder of his faithfulness and mercy.
What do the twenty-four elders and their crowns represent in this message?+
Pastor Keith explains that the number twenty-four combines the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles, representing all of God's people across old and new covenants. Their white garments signify righteousness given by God rather than earned, and their crowns are described as crowns of life or victory, the same crown promised to the church in Smyrna in Revelation 2. When they cast those crowns before the throne, Pastor Keith says, they are acknowledging that their victory came from the God who rules from heaven, which shapes the message's claim that identity and reward are received from God.
What does Pastor Keith say the four living creatures teach about worship?+
He notes that interpreters differ on what the creatures represent—some see the four Gospels, some the church's worship, some creation itself—and he does not settle the question. What he says is clear is their ceaseless declaration in Revelation 4:8 that God is completely holy. Their many eyes suggest fuller perception of who God is. Later in the message he describes worship as an authentic response that acknowledges one's need for God rather than a matter of having everything figured out.
