Do I really, really stand in awe of my God’s glory, tremble at His holiness and “can’t wait” for His return. Do I?
Revelation 19 lets us listen to heaven’s worship, celebrating God’s triumph.
Verse 1: "After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying, 'Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just.'"John is so stunned that he falls down (v10) & starts to worship the angel who had come to him with all this revelation. But the angel stops him and says,
"You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God."God let John hear the celebration of heaven so that in his exile and his suffering he might join in and worship God. John wrote it down in a book so that we might listen to the worship of heaven and join in. Confirmed:
“In His presence is fullness of joy and at his right hand are pleasures forevermore.”Savour and worship God!
- Worship is savouring the worth of God: it is an open declaration of His beauty and power and wisdom – His holy character.
- Worship is pursuing and connecting with the living God, celebrating His salvation, glory and power with all our might.
- It is all about loving Him, honouring and admiring him; fearing and enjoying him.
- Private and public savouring worship is the open enjoyment of God as our own fountain of life.
In Revelation 19:1 they cry out, "Hallelujah [which is a Hebrew word for praise God]—hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God."Three Things the Multitude of Heaven sees of God :
- Salvation
- Glory
- Power
- FIRST they see them in the judgment on Babylon and the avenging of the servants of God. Verse 2: Heaven worships God for his truth and justice manifest in his final judgment. Heaven worships God because his judgment is everlasting: "Once more they cried, 'Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.'" Evil and rebellion against God will never escape to arise again to torment the servants of the Lord.
- The SECOND thing that moves heaven to worship God is the sight of his absolute sovereignty as the Ruler over all things.
Verse 6: "Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunder peals, crying, 'Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.'"He is the Lord. He is God. He is Almighty, therefore he reigns. Singing the praises of God with hope, confidence and joy is the rock bottom foundation for all worship. God’s sovereignty brought a thunder peal of Hallelujah from the great multitude. And – oh yes! – our God’s sovereignty will keep us singing with all our might, even if it costs us our lives. (Another reality check). Our God reigns over Babylon and over the beast and over every power in heaven and on earth and under the earth.
- And finally the THIRD thing that moves heaven to worship is the sight of the marriage of God's Son.
Verse 7: "Let us rejoice and exult and give God glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready."All of redemptive history for thousands of years has been aiming at this marriage in glory.
Revelation 19: 8: "It was granted her to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure—for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints."
- Question: So how did the Bride make herself ready? Answer: By putting on fine linen, bright and pure.
- Question: And what is the fine linen? Answer: The righteous deeds of the saints.
- Questions: But how did the saints come to do these deeds? By what power or means did the Bride of Christ clothe herself with fine linen? Answer (Rev. 19:8): "It was granted her to be clothed with fine linen."
- Question: By whom? Answer: By God.
But………we do not do one of these righteous deeds in our own strength. They are a gift from God—prepared before the foundation of the world that we might walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).
How fitting it is for heaven to cry out: "Give God the glory!” Fitting for heaven, fitting for every member of the human race.
Today is the day I want to repent of and ditch lip-talk, lip-worship – and with a first love - appreciate the salvation, glory and power of my Heavenly Father and my Jesus. Glib cheerfulness or the occasional Hallelujah isn’t going to do. Enforced optimism or being mildly pleased with God – only insult Him and His salvation, sovereignty and the marriage of the Lamb.
I don’t want to go after a worship informed by who I THINK God is, but rather informed by the God’s revealed Word, inspired by the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, please, show me Jesus and grant me the capacity to marvel and join in with heaven’s worship.
Our Father in heaven,
“Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory for ever and ever. Amen!”
