Transcript
Revelation 4:1-11 In his vision on the island of Patmos, the Apostle John saw a door standing open in heaven and a glorious throne, surrounded by a rainbow resembling an emerald. This rainbow was a sign of God's eternal covenant with the earth since the time of Noah (Genesis 9:12-16), and that covenant adorned His throne. Around the throne were four living creatures, six-winged angels like the seraphim Isaiah saw (Isaiah 6:2-3), who day and night never stopped crying out, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty." They are worshipers before God's throne, and their faces depict four characteristics of worship we should possess.
1. Worship like a lion Worship with courage. A lion is not the largest, tallest, fastest, or smartest animal, yet it is called the king of beasts because it "does not back down from anything" (Proverbs 30:30). "The righteous are as bold as a lion" (Proverbs 28:1). Don't be a Christian who is ashamed to confess Jesus, whether in your dorm, at work, or in business. God does not need our worship; we are the ones who need Him, for He is the one who gives life and breath to everyone (Acts 17:24-25). Let everything that has breath praise the Lord (Psalm 150:6).
2. Worship like an ox Worship with perseverance. An ox plows precisely during the dry season, because it is preparing for the coming rain. Likewise, we continue to worship not only when blessed, but precisely when a visa hasn't been issued, when healing hasn't been manifested, or when economic and family pressures haven't passed. "Judah must plow" (Hosea 10:11), and Judah means praise. Believe that when we worship diligently, the rain of blessings will surely fall, and the Lord will restore the years that the locusts have eaten (Joel 2:24-26).
3. Worship like a man Worship even in weakness. The Lord remembers that we are dust (Psalm 103:14). Lucifer, the worshipping angel, fell despite being in glory, but the Lord waits for us to worship Him. What the Devil truly wanted to snatch from Job was his worship. In a single day, Job lost his possessions and all ten of his children, and then his body was afflicted with painful sores. Yet he did not sin with his lips: "The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised" (Job 1:21). "Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him" (Job 13:15). In the end, the Lord restored Job and blessed him twofold (Job 42:10-17). Whoever learns to worship in weakness on earth will worship in glory in heaven.
4. Worship like an eagle Worship with unwavering faith. An eagle does not panic when a storm comes. It cannot stop the storm, but it spreads its wings and flies above it, reaching over 4,600 meters, higher than the highest mountains in Australia or Indonesia. "But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles" (Isaiah 40:31). There is no mountain or storm in our lives greater than our God.
When the Mona Lisa painting was stolen from the Louvre Museum in 1911, even more people came and paid for tickets just to see the empty wall. Let us not come to church just to see an empty space. The presence of the Lord is real and powerful. Therefore, let us worship with courage, with perseverance, even in weakness, and with unwavering faith. The Lord Jesus Blesses You.
