Revelation 4: The throne room of God
The center of the universe
1. Throne: “One sitting on the throne” (v. 2) is Jesus. And Jesus is…
A. G______________; no longer the baby in the stable
B. S_______________; He is not anxious; He is in control
C. S_______________; He is Lord over All!
D. Two questions:
1) When deciding on difficult issues of theology, where do you start?
Do you start with “God is sovereign over everything” or do you start with “Man is pretty good”?
2) Who is on the throne of your life?
2. Imagination:
A. Unimaginable imagery
1) C_________ (v.3)
2) E_____________ (v. 4)
3) W____ M_______________ (v.5-6)
4) L______________ C_________________ (v.7-8)
B. John stumbles to find the right words
1) No human C_______________ exists to describe what he sees
2) When compared to Isaiah 6 and Ezekiel 1, John is A______________
3. Worship:
A. C__________________ (v.8 “they do not cease”)
B. C__________________ (v. 9,10 “forever and ever”)
C. C__________________ on Holiness (v.8 “holy, holy, holy”)
D. C_________ their C_____________ (v. 10)
E. C__________________ (5:11,13)
Conclusion: Hebrews 4:16
Quotes:
Christ, as he is God, is infinitely great and high above all. He is higher than the kings of the earth; for he is King of kings, and Lord of lords. He is higher than the heavens, and higher than the highest angels of heaven. So great is he, that all men, all kings and princes, are as worms of the dust before him; all nations are as the drop of the bucket...He is so high, that he is infinitely above any need of us; above our reach, that we cannot be profitable to him; and above our conceptions, that we cannot comprehend him. Christ is sovereign Lord of all. He rules over the whole universe, and doth whatsoever pleaseth him. His knowledge is without bound. His wisdom is perfect, and what none can circumvent. His power is infinite, and none can resist Him. His riches are immense and inexhaustible. His majesty is infinitely awful.
Jonathan Edwards, in a sermon, “The Admirable Conjunction of Diverse Excellencies in Christ Jesus.”
How can we imagine the combination of such opposites? That’s just it; we can’t IMAGINE . But God has manifested just such a thing.
Ronnie Collier Stephens, in an article, “Jonathan Edwards and What Isaiah Said about Christmas,” regarding Jesus from Revelation chapters 4 and 5.
Ezekiel’s description [in Ezekiel chapter 1] appears incomprehensible, almost incoherent, as he struggled to make sense out of the spectacular, supernatural scene that he witnessed. Both Ezekiel’s description and that in Revelation 4 describe what could be called the divine war machine ready to unleash judgment.
John MacArthur, from his commentary on Revelation
There is a saying in our culture: “You can be so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good.” That is not in the Bible. As a matter of fact the Bible teaches, unless you are heavenly minded, you will be no earthly good.
Gary Gaddini, pastor of Peninsula Covenant Church, Redwood City, California, from his sermon series on Revelation.