Revelation 5:9-14
And they sang a new song:
"You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased men for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."
Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang:
"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!"
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:
"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!"
The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Please take the time to read the broader context, Revelation 1-4.
Questions:
- What is the main point John makes?
- This is a glimpse of worship in Heaven. How does it make you feel?
- Who is being worshiped in this passage? Why?
- How and why do the worshipers use the word "worthy"?
- How does passage fit with this statement? We are baptized believers participating in the life of God for the sake of others.
What else is on your mind this week?
19 comments:
Starting a few hours early this week.
I am sitting here watching IU play football. It’s not nearly exciting as the LSU/Kentucky game that finished a few minutes ago.
Here’s a rather Long Article about profanity on TV. It’s getting worse. Does that matter? What is a Christian’s role in such a secular thing?
I was really disappointed to hear about IU’s basketball coach’s “sloppiness,” as he calls it. Some are calling for his firing. If you care at all, you can read it Here.
This issue reminds me of conversations we sometimes have about Christian living.
It was neat surprising Brent last night after church. He turns 40 this week, so we had a little surprise gathering in the FLC. I think we got him pretty good.
Last Wednesday evening I walked into the kitchen as the WEM was getting ready to start. Nobe came up to me and said, “Hey Al, the numbers are down.” I kinda snapped at him and said, “What do you want me to do about it?” I was kinda joking but forgot to smile. We apologized to each other; he for possible discouragement; me for my abruptness and not smiling.
I have come along way, trust me, in not focusing on numbers, but it is still hard not to notice that our numbers are not trending upward presently. I’m not the only one who notices these things.
Hey, Bigg Daddy, we need to make one of THESE. It should then be mounted on a trailer for flexibility and portability.
I don’t know if you have been paying any attention to it, but The Situation in Turkey is not getting better.
Allen, old bean, maybe you should give Turkey a miss. Wouldn't you rather see Israel? You could tour all the places Jesus went...protected by well-trained, well-armed, American-loving Israeli soldiers.:)
Okay, I'm going to do something I don't do very often--I'm gonna stir the pot a little! :) In regards to numbers/evangelism, etc., God never told us to worry about numbers. He said to obey Him. And, yes, that means to make disciples of all nations,but it doesn't mean we worry about not "saving" enough people. I don't think we can do the saving, anyway,God does. We've got to encourage each other to share our faith in a way that's not threatening or off-putting, then trust God to give the increase. Allen, you're so conscientious about everything, it's natural that it would extend to evangelism. It's okay to be concerned, just not so worried that you feel you have to shoulder the whole burden and leave God out of the equation. YOU'RE DOING ENOUGH. I'm fully convinced that everybody who's going to be saved, will be.
Donna
I just re-read that, and it sounds critical. It wasn't meant to be.
D.
To echo what Donna is saying. The parable of the sower is a perfect one for this subject. You can try and try with individuals to reach them but it is their heart that must be soft enough to accept the word, take it into their hearts and allow it to grow. Our job is to sow the seed by our words, actions and example. We can pray for them continually and ask God to change them but it is up to them. That is what is so wonderful about Christianity. We fully turn it over to Him, do our best and let Him do the rest. When I was younger I got so totally consumed with problems myself and others were having that it caused me to loose perspective and robbed me of the time at hand. I won't tell you it doesn't happen now but not as intensely and not as long. I think I have finally turned it over to Him when it's too much for me and that is such a relief. I hope never to lose the ability to care deeply for others but to do it in a more positive and trusting way. Rain, blessed rain. I was going to have to water the impatience and God did it. Have a wonderful day and week. Sherron
As I re-read our scripture just now. 'And they sang a new song'. That says so much, doesn't it. Something different, something beautiful and fresh. Every day is a new song for us. Something new, something beautiful. And we put our trust in the only one Who is worthy to bear our burdens, forgive our sins, answer our prayers, comfort us and guide us and understand where we are and who we are. He died to make each person worthy because he knows our worth. That should give us so much hope and comfort. Without Him I am not worthy but with Him I have value. And Allen, you be careful over there and I'm with Donna, reconsider where you will visit, OK. Sherron
Yes, you got me good Sunday evening. I really appreciate all those who stayed and surprised me. Tracy did a pretty good job of keeping it a secret. Looking back, there were a few clues that I should have seen, but I guess I'm just oblivious. Allen and his "fib" were pretty convincing too. I have to say, I am not good at doing things like that without spilling the beans. It's a good thing I don't play poker, I wouldn't be very good bluffing.
I guess turning 40 isn't so bad. Especally, when a couple of years ago, I wasn't sure if 38 would happen.
I love all you guys and I thank the Lord every day for such a great wife, kids, friends and church family.
Tracy has already warned me that if I do the same for her in a couple of years, I will see my last birthday. Hmmm....
Thanks again!
Brent
Did you see This? Weird.
I identify with the Old Testament prophets (and Jesus as he weeps over Jerusalem). They carried a burden, and I think I carry that same burden from time to time. I trust God; certainly not enough. I just feel a call to be concerned about people; this comes, I hope, from God’s concern about me and you. I am pretty well at peace most of the time; sometimes I just don’t when and where to stop being concerned about people. I err on the side of caring too much, I guess.
Numbers are important to God, I think. The Bible certainly has lots of them. They are important ONLY in that they represent individual souls. I am thinking of the parables we read on Sunday.
You know what I need after 10 years here? I need a break. How ‘bout a 3 month break, to rest and renew?
I enjoyed interacting with our food pantry clients and workers today, as usual. Mike C. does a masterful job of welcoming the folks as they come in, and the people in back serve efficiently and lovingly.
I am getting to know the regular clients; it takes time.
I am really enjoying spending time with the workers as well. Dennis P. works every week. He is a Vietnam vet, and today I asked him about that 11 month experience. Interesting stories were the result.
We actually had one of clients working today. His name is Jerry. I had a really good chat with him. He is looking for a place to belong.
Better news about Turkey
Our passage this week is about worship.
Eugene Peterson once said:
People who do not worship live in a vast shopping mall where they go from shop to shop, expending enormous sums of energy and making endless trips to meet first this need and then that appetite, this whim and that fancy. Life lurches from one partial satisfaction to another, interrupted by ditches of disappointment. Motion is fueled by the successive illusions that purchasing this wardrobe, driving that car, eating this meal, drinking that beverage will center life and give it coherence.
Sadly, Peterson describes many of our lives. We are up and we are down, depending upon the circumstance that we find ourselves in. We are happy if our team wins, our bank account is growing, if we get our way, if the weather is good, if we eat the food the want, etc. We are down if we don’t get our way, if we not in control, if the weather is bad, if our team loses, if we don’t have enough money, etc. Many live moody, erratic lives because they have no true center.
Peterson continues:
In worship God gathers his people to himself as center. . . Worship is a meeting at the center so that our lives are centered in God. . . We worship so that we live in response to and from this center, the living God. Failure to worship consigns us to a life of spasms and jerks, at the mercy of every advertisement, every seduction, every siren. Without worship we live manipulated and manipulating lives. If there is no center, there is no circumference. People who do not worship are swept into a vast restlessness, epidemic in the world, with no steady direction and no sustaining purpose.
More Turkey News
All this is taking place a long way from where I plan to go.
This is sad and troubling:
Growing Crisis of Sexual Addiction among Christian Women
According to a Religion News Service release, there is a crisis brewing in the Church: a growing epidemic of sexual addiction among women. A new book from Pure Life Ministries by authors Steve and Kathy Gallagher, Create in Me a Pure Heart, explores the scope of the problem and provides biblical answers for the church and the struggling woman. For twenty-two years, Kathy Gallagher has been helping women cope with their husbands' sexual addictions. Now she is responding to a growing number of women addicted to porn and online sex. "Thirty years ago," remarks Gallagher, "you never would have thought that the woman sitting next to you in Sunday school might be viewing porn. But with the growth of the Internet, the gap between what men and women do in secret has been drastically reduced." Nielsen NetRatings indicate nearly one-third of the visitors to adult websites are female. Today's Christian Woman reported that 34 percent of their online newsletter readers admitted to intentionally accessing Internet porn.
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