In Bible Study Fellowship this year we are studying Revelation. In chapters 4 and 5 we are provided images of the power of God and what the worship of God looks like as seen in these verses from those chapters -
Revelation 4:5-6 - "5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, 6 and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal."
Revelation 4:8-11 - "8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” 9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
Revelation 5:8-14 - "8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” 11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” 14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped."
I think it is really importance that we never lose our sense of awe and wonder of our God - who sent His Only Son, Jesus for our redemption and restoration. Images help us get our arms around this idea of the greatness of God. Images of storms, of immense oceans and of the mountains can leave us speechless as we grapple to get our heads around the power and beauty of what we are witnessing.
Some who know me understand I have an obsession with sunrises (and sunsets - see the photo at the beginning of this post - taken 2-3 years ago). I now have likely over a thousand photos I have taken over the last 11 plus years of mainly sunrises but also sunsets. For me personally I see the wondrousness of our God, hints at the beauty of the world He created before we marred the world through our sins and faint traces of what the new heavens, new earth and new Jerusalem will look like when we are reunited and fully restored by Jesus Christ on the day of the Lord.
For me Psalm 19 (linked) speaks clearly to how God demonstrates His presence to us during our current time of separation from Him. Here is the opening verses 1-3:
Psalm 19:1-3 - "1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard..."
I share this with you today so that you too might ponder God's greatness and the beauty of His creation and of His plan which Has wonderfully shared with us.
I am sharing a few additional images below that you should check out that are examples that I have been able to catch of God displaying His awesomeness - displays that leave me breathless and leave me ready to fall to my knees as we see in Revelation 4 and 5. We see the majesty of how God has created light that when refracted in different ways produces richness and hues of colors, textures and beauty.
Jesus is the Light of the World (John 8:12) and the Light shines in the darkness and darkness will not overcome the Light (John 1:5). Hold onto this hope this morning.
And also as I read Psalm 19, it is clear that without speech, God is speaking clearly and loudly that He is here and desires us to turn to Him with all of our love as we know that while we were still sinners, God first loved us by sending our Lord Jesus to demonstrate the kind of love that should leave us in awe!
Lord Jesus, my prayer as we go into this upcoming weekend, that we stand (or maybe better yet, fall to our knees) in awe and wonder of You - looking for and finding Your presence in all that you have created! And then, as we see in Revelation, worshiping You with our whole being! Amen.
Enjoy this weekend knowing the truth of the work, the peace and love of our Lord and Savior Jesus,
Patrick Engesser
Revelation 4:5-6 - "5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, 6 and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal."
Revelation 4:8-11 - "8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” 9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
Revelation 5:8-14 - "8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” 11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” 14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped."
I think it is really importance that we never lose our sense of awe and wonder of our God - who sent His Only Son, Jesus for our redemption and restoration. Images help us get our arms around this idea of the greatness of God. Images of storms, of immense oceans and of the mountains can leave us speechless as we grapple to get our heads around the power and beauty of what we are witnessing.
Some who know me understand I have an obsession with sunrises (and sunsets - see the photo at the beginning of this post - taken 2-3 years ago). I now have likely over a thousand photos I have taken over the last 11 plus years of mainly sunrises but also sunsets. For me personally I see the wondrousness of our God, hints at the beauty of the world He created before we marred the world through our sins and faint traces of what the new heavens, new earth and new Jerusalem will look like when we are reunited and fully restored by Jesus Christ on the day of the Lord.
For me Psalm 19 (linked) speaks clearly to how God demonstrates His presence to us during our current time of separation from Him. Here is the opening verses 1-3:
Psalm 19:1-3 - "1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard..."
I share this with you today so that you too might ponder God's greatness and the beauty of His creation and of His plan which Has wonderfully shared with us.
I am sharing a few additional images below that you should check out that are examples that I have been able to catch of God displaying His awesomeness - displays that leave me breathless and leave me ready to fall to my knees as we see in Revelation 4 and 5. We see the majesty of how God has created light that when refracted in different ways produces richness and hues of colors, textures and beauty.
Jesus is the Light of the World (John 8:12) and the Light shines in the darkness and darkness will not overcome the Light (John 1:5). Hold onto this hope this morning.
And also as I read Psalm 19, it is clear that without speech, God is speaking clearly and loudly that He is here and desires us to turn to Him with all of our love as we know that while we were still sinners, God first loved us by sending our Lord Jesus to demonstrate the kind of love that should leave us in awe!
Lord Jesus, my prayer as we go into this upcoming weekend, that we stand (or maybe better yet, fall to our knees) in awe and wonder of You - looking for and finding Your presence in all that you have created! And then, as we see in Revelation, worshiping You with our whole being! Amen.
Enjoy this weekend knowing the truth of the work, the peace and love of our Lord and Savior Jesus,
Patrick Engesser
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