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Worthy Of Worship

The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are worthy of worship is one of the main points made in Revelation 5 & 6. Worship is the central or defining act of the church. It’s who we are. It’s why we exist. God created us to worship him. The living creatures and the elders confess that God is worthy of worship because he’s the Creator (4:11).

How then should we worship God? I believe Revelation can help us answer this question. It’s filled with worship, and it is worship God accepts. So Revelation can serve as a pattern or model for our worship. Barry Liesch says,

“Although the Book of Revelation has been studied avidly as a book of prophecy, what it says about worship has been widely neglected. Yet at least fourteen of the twenty-two chapters deal with worship. Worship is depicted as going on unceasingly before the throne. It is not an ‘interlude’ between a sequence of dramatic scenes, as some have termed it.”

Approaching Revelation from the above perspective makes several matters clear. First, worship explains life and calls us to focus on the central issues of life. Notice how the worship in chapters 4 & 5 explains John’s vision. For example, in 4:1-8a there isn’t an explanation of who is seated on the throne. The worship of those around the throne (4:8,11) clearly states who the occupant of the throne is and why he is to be worshiped. Verses 9-14 of chapter 5 serve the same function. They explain who the Lamb is and why he is to be worshiped. This is a characteristic of the worship recorded in Revelation (7:9-17, 11:15-19, 15:1-4, 16:4-7, 19:1-8).

Worship calls to us. It cries, “Look here! Focus your attention and concern here. Here is reality. Here are the things that really matter. Don’t waste your life on trivial matters.”

We need to have our focus adjusted on a regular basis. Robert Webber said,

“When we worship, the conflict between good and evil which we experience in our everyday lives is confronted and resolved. We leave worship once again with the personal assurance that the battle is won – Satan has been, is now being, and will be defeated. Because we are confident in Christ’s victory, we experience a great release from the burden of our sin and we become filled with joy and peace.”

Second, our worship is to be both God-centered and Christ-centered. The subject matter and theme of Christian worship is all that God is for us in and through Christ. Christian worship focuses on and explains who the Lord God Almighty is and what he has done. It also fixes our attention on the person and work of the Lamb. Richard Bauckham stresses,

“It is important to notice how the scene is so structured that the worship of the Lamb (5:8-12) leads to the worship of God and the Lamb together (5:13). John does not wish to represent Jesus as an alternative object of worship alongside God, but as one who shares in the glory due God. He is worthy of divine worship because his worship can be included in the worship of the one God.”

So worship is not about us. It’s about God the Father and God the Son. It is a celebration of and rejoicing in God and the Lamb. The content of our worship should reflect these truths by calling us to be attentive to God and Christ. Here is the real or central battle of life: Who will we worship? Christians in every age fight this same battle.

Third, at its heart worship is expressing our love for God to God. Love that is not expressed is not truly love. Worship is not limited to confession and song, but it should include them. What we say or profess in worship is very important. For our confession is our response to the Lord God Almighty and to the Lamb. It is the verbal expression of our inner conviction regarding the worth and value of God and the Lamb. It can be as simple as Psalm 18:1, “I love you, O LORD, my strength.” It can be as full and rich as Psalm 116. The length is not important. The key is seeing that true worship expresses itself by responding to the person and work of the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb.

Lastly, worship needs to be corporate. Yes, individual worship has its place, but what I am saying is that as individuals we need to worship with other believers. Why do we need such a reminder? Because he’s not merely my God “he is our God.” Furthermore, we are his people. I am not an isolated individual worshipping God by myself. I am part of the people of God. When we worship together, this truth is driven home to me with force.

The corporate element of worship can also be seen in Revelation 4 and 5. In 4:8 we see the four living creatures worshipping God. The worship in 4:11 and 5:9-10 includes the four living creatures and the elders. The worship in 5:11-12 includes “many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand.” The worship builds to the climax of 5:13, “Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing.” This common or corporate act of worship reminds me that God’s plan is bigger than me. As we worship together and recount the acts of God we see that God’s plan is bigger than one congregation. God’s plan includes all creation and in corporate worship we celebrate and remind ourselves of this truth.

Praying that our worship together will strengthen us in Christ,

Elder Jim Gordon