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C:\LESSON\PRAISE\WORLAMB1.DOC 11.08.91 A NEW DIMENSION IN PRAISE PART 3 WORSHIP THE LAMB PART 1 Revelation 5:9 to 14 read This is one of the greatest pictures in the Bible of the word that I want to speak to you about -- and this word is -- WORSHIP We speak very freely of praise - and thanksgiving -- and get it mixed up with WORSHIP --- WORSHIP is not praise - and - praise is not thanksgiving They each stand by themselves -- and many times they overlap -- and sometimes they happen together -- but we should know exactly what we are speaking about -- Here in Revelation 5 -- we have a picture of the church in WORSHIP - better than anywhere else in the Bible -- Before we get to this -- let us look at this word WORSHIP -- In English -- the word -- WORSHIP -- many years ago -- meant -- worth-ship -- This was saying -- This person has a certain worthiness about them -- They are persons of respect -- Today we say -- WORSHIP A judge who sits at the bench in a court of law -- is addressed as -- Your Worship -- WORSHIP THE LAMB PART 1 A mayor of a city is called -- Your Worship the Mayor -- By this we are saying -- You have not just been elected -- you are there because you should be there -- You are worthy of that position -- your character - your works - Everything about you -- Says -- Yes -- you are worthy -- You should be there -- The word -- WORSHIP -- has in it the idea of adoration -- It is the giving of yourself it is to magnify it is to exalt You will find these words in the Bible -- and when we are speaking of God -- they are turning us back to the idea of worship -- The Hebrew word for - WORSHIP - is very rarely translated as worship - because this is not exactly the word in the Hebrew -- The word in the Hebrew is -- SHA/CHA/H The literal translation means -- I bow down it means I stoop in front of it means I crouch or fall down flat on my face WORSHIP THE LAMB PART 1 From this position I stretch out my arms in exalting you To the place that you deserve to be in To the place of worthiness It is right so I exalt you with my hands -- as I kneel as I crouch before you this is the idea --- You will notice with all these translations of the word SHA/CHA/H -- they describe the way that I am feeling inside in terms of body language -- I bowing down I kneel before you I crouch I exalt you with my hands raised All of these positions would demand body language -- It is impossible to understand what the Hebrew meant by WORSHIP unless I get to understand what they were doing with their body -- When they bent the knee when they bowed down when they raised their hands they were saying what their heart felt --- In one sense they were doing -- What Paul says in Romans 12 -- That we are to present our bodies a living sacrifice-which is your acceptable form of spiritual worship It is saying -- My heart I give it away to you -- you are worthy of possessing my entire life -- WORSHIP THE LAMB PART 1 It is right -- it is proper for you to be the one who controls my entire being -- I give myself to you as a living sacrifice -- I am dead to myself and I am alive to you because you have become my life --- The Greek word for worship -- is to kiss toward -- A perfect illustration of this is in the Gospel -- where a woman came to the house of a Pharisee - and she knelt down in front of Jesus - and washed his feet with her tears - and then kissed his feet -- This is exactly what the Greek word for WORSHIP means -- I kneel down I bow and I kiss toward It has in it that idea of love If I am left with the bow down the crouch the kneel it could be a cold action - unemotional -- But the Greek have inserted that idea of kiss -- it is the idea of love -- it is the pouring out of the heart felt compassion towards another --- People in Bible days used this in a very casual level -- When they meet each other there is a bowing down -- They were saying -- SALOM -- Peace to you The idea of bowing down was -- I serve you so that you might have peace -- WORSHIP THE LAMB PART 1 Put this together -- and this is how the Bible understands -- this word WORSHIP -- Putting WORSHIP into its exalted place - you are Saying --- you are worth being there it is right that you should be there I delight to place myself before you Let us look at how they use this word - SHA/CHA/H - in the Psalms -- Psalms 5:7 says -- But as for me in the multitude of thy loving kindness I will enter thy house - thy holy temple and I will bow down in reverence - in worship to thee David is saying -- As I come into the house of God -- and consider his loving kindness -- I see that God has entered into covenant with me - and he has stated in his loving kindness -- that he will never leave me - nor forsake me -- When I understand such a God as this -- I bow down or as we would say -- I WORSHIP -- David says in Psalms 132:7 -- when he is speaking about bringing the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem - to Mount Zion - and the very presence of God abiding there -- He said -- Let us go to his dwelling place -- let us worship at his footstool -- When I consider who God is -- I dimly comprehend his glory -- then everything inside me collapses - and I bow down at his footstool --- WORSHIP THE LAMB PART 1 Psalms 138:1 says -- I will thank thee with my whole heart I will sing praise unto thee before the gods I will bow down I will worship toward thy holy temple and give thanks (praise) to thy name for thy loving kindness and for thy truth Look at all the other words that are used here -- Last week I used the word - YA/DAH - to give thanks He is saying -- I am bowing down -- my whole inner being - my whole life prostrated before you -- But at the same time I confess you - for who you are -- When the prophets looked forward to the day of the Messiah and the Kingdom of God they saw it as a day marked off - by WORSHIP - bowing down Isaiah 49:7 says -- Thus saith the Lord the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One Then he addressed Jesus in prophecy -- To him whom man depiseth to him whom the nation abhorred This is his own people turning away from him To the servant of rulers He is saying -- This is the Messiah despised and rejected of men and abhorred by his own nation Who is he -- he is only a carpenter -- we will label him the servant of rulers -- WORSHIP THE LAMB PART 1 Isaiah says -- I see when that day comes -- when the day of the Kingdom of God comes -- Kings shall see and arise He is saying -- Even kings who were participating in causing him to be despised and abhorred -- they will stand to their feet as when a dignitary walks in -- and princes shall also bow down (worship) -- It will be a day when the highest authorities of the planet - will prostrate themselves before The Messiah The King of Kings With all this in mind -- I say again -- the greatest picture in the Bible of worship throughout the ages -- is in Revelation chapters 4 and 5 -- First of all I must say that the Book of Revelation is a book of symbols -- Revelation 1 says -- These things were given to John to signify -- to make known by signs and symbols This book -- you could say is like reading through a book of cartoons -- I do not mean the funny pages -- I mean more of a political cartoon - where there are certain symbols employed -- There is a wealth of information as long as you know what the symbols mean --- WORSHIP THE LAMB PART 1 When I come to the Book of Revelations -- I find it full of symbols full of holy cartoons A picture that is worth many words if you do not understand -- it is because you are not clued into the symbol This is why it is the last book in the Bible -- It was put last by the Holy Spirit -- because you cannot understand it without the other 65 books - because this is where all the symbols are -- This is why this book is not for people who do not know God -- He puts it in cartoon form - so that only those who are enlightened by the Holy Spirit can understand -- So when I come to these two chapters - 4 and 5 - I find a series of pictures -- they are thrilling pictures and they lead me to worship --- Revelation chapter 4 says -- After these things I looked and behold a door was open in heaven -- Now the cartoon begins -- Here is heaven and it is not with a capital "H" - in the Bible it does not have a capital "H" -- I will go to Heaven when I die -- If you look throughout the whole Bible - you will not find this statement -- Heaven should be understood more as the heavenlies -- the dwelling of God -- WORSHIP THE LAMB PART 1 Ephesians 1 says -- We are seated with God in heavenly Places -- we are there right now It has got nothing to do with - the never-never land in the sky -- it is that dimension of the Holy Spirit -- John said -- I saw a door open -- -- What is a door -- It takes you from one room to another it takes you from one area to another God is saying -- Come through this doorway and see things as they really are -- Now you are in another room another area another part of the universe Now let us look at the cartoons We do not yet have a language to describe this part of the universe -- so we have pictures --- Verse 2 says -- And immediately I was in the Spirit -- and behold a throne was set in this heavenly part of the universe -- and one sitting on the throne -- Here we have a very simple picture -- There is a person - and as you read on you will see that they do not have a body -- John here is saying -- I saw the invisible -- I saw a real person who was sitting on a throne -- WORSHIP THE LAMB PART 1 Now how can an invisible person sit on a throne -- I do not know -- it's just part of the picture -- I am now confronting God -- a real person -- a real spirit -- And to my way of thinking -- Throne means -- ruling -- reigning -- control -- So this very real person - unconfined by body in the cartoon is sitting on a throne -- I do not believe that there is one place where God is sitting on a little throne -- and to see him I have to go there -- But this is the best that my little mind can understand There is no golden throne in the corner of the universe -- anymore than there is a bag of gold at the end of the rainbow --- This would mean God is nowhere else but there -- God is everywhere but I cannot think about this -- I can only think it -- I cannot explain this to you - for I cannot explain it to myself -- God says -- Try and understand it this way He is invisible - unlimited - not confined to body - space - or time -- Everything that you have understood by Rulership King --Lord This one sits on the throne -- He is sovereign God -- Lord of all -- WORSHIP THE LAMB PART 1 John says -- He that is sitting on the throne is like jasper stone and sardine stone in appearance -- Jasper is a crystal clear stone -- Sardine -- fiery red -- John is saying -- I am seeing a real person here -- and to look at him -- I am seeing something of absolute purity -- Elsewhere in the Bible It says -- God is light - and in him there is no darkness at all- Sardine -- the flaming red -- At the beginning of the Bible -- when man sinned and was put out of the Garden -- and as he looked around he saw the Tree of Life -- it was like a flame of fire -- When Moses met with God -- he saw a bush that was burning but yet was not consumed -- The scripture says -- Our God is a consuming fire -- As John continues to look -- he saw around the throne 24 elders - upon thrones -- Verse 5 says -- And out of the throne proceeded lightening -- thunder -- voices WORSHIP THE LAMB PART 1 We see this in Exodus 19 at Mount Sinai -- when God who is Holy gave his law -- Saying -- This is the way I am -- translated into man's words the 10 commandments --- John then sees around the throne a rainbow -- The rainbow was first seen when Noah first came out of the Ark -- and God made a blood covenant with Noah -- and it was sealed in the sky by the rainbow --- John is seeing A God who is utterly holy A God who was revealed at Mount Sinai when the law was given A God who has surrounded himself by a rainbow of covenant The 24 Elders You may consider this though -- whenever God moves -- he moves with the number twelve -- When God moved in the Old Testament to have a company of believers -- he did it with twelve tribes -- and when he established the new kind of believers in the New Covenant he started out with 12 apostles --- I suggest to you the 24 Elders are the believers of all ages -- everything that comes under the 12 of the Old and the 12 of the New -- We are seated around the throne of God -- or as the New Testament WORSHIP THE LAMB PART 1 Says -- we are seated in heavenly places-- seated on thrones in the very presence of God -- with white robes on -- Revelation tells us -- In chapter 19 -- that the white raiment is the righteousness of the saints - We are declared as if we have never sinned Pardoned and welcomed as if we are Jesus himself We have crowns on our heads We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ The four beasts or better said -- the living creatures Ezekiel says -- they are Cherubims -- In Genesis -- the Cherubims are the way to the Tree Of Life --- They are the guarantee of God bringing about his salvation --- The Cherubims who are around the throne WORSHIP God -- Saying -- Holy -- Holy -- Holy is the Lord God almighty -- This is WORSHIP Cherubims are the highest form of - angels - Then the 24 Elders fall down before him Notice -- they fall down WORSHIP THE LAMB PART 1 Although exalted -- to thrones in the presence of God -- as princes by the grace of God -- they chose to fall down -- and they worshipped him who lives forever and ever -- they cast their crown before him - This is WORSHIP They are saying -- I am not worthy of this -- you are worthy of this -- you gave me the throne -- you gave me the crown -- I give you my life -- This is WORSHIP Worthy art thou O Lord and our God to receive glory honour and power for you did all things-- for thy pleasure They WORSHIP him as the creator AMEN