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Back to Sermons Index Back to Home Page 11th November 2007 AMA Glimpse into Heaven! Pastor Colin MeadowsRevelation 4:1-11, Isaiah 6:1-7
Ø The best is yet to come! The last song that Frank Sinatra sang in public before his death in 1995 was one entitled ‘The best is yet to come’. The lyrics of the song told of the love between two people that was just beginning and of how a glorious future was about to burst forth for them. When Sinatra was buried, the words of that song were inscribed on his tombstone. The best is yet to come. Something far, far better than a human love relationship lies ahead for those who have put their trust in Christ. For the Christian, the best is certainly yet to come for we can look forward to entering into heaven, into the very presence of God! There is coming a time when we will be ushered into the throne room in heaven to stand before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. With the 24 elders we will then be on our knees before our glorious holy God as we give glory and honour and thanks to his holy name. Yes, the best is certainly yet to come. We have been taking some glimpses in this series over the last few weeks from the book of Revelation. Firstly we had a glimpse of the Lord Jesus Christ, the first born from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth. We next glimpsed a look at a church that was strong in all things except love. Today we have the chance to peep into heaven and glimpse the Holy One. Ø A glimpse into what must take place! It is helpful as we study the book of Revelation to realize that while Chapters 1-3 refer to the here and now, chapters 4-5 form an introduction to the rest of the book and tell of what lies ahead. Here in Chapter 4 we find that God is about to initiate a great final conflict with the forces of evil, the end result being when the Lamb is triumphant and the devil is consigned to the lake of fire. That in a nutshell is what the rest of the book is all about! Jesus declares what is about to take place: Rev 4:1 “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” The Apostle John was invited to ascend into the very presence of God, much like had happened to Moses in earlier times. Heaven is the place where God chooses to reveal himself and it was here that John saw scenes that must have taken his breath away! The language he uses is similar to that which the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel used when they too had a glimpse into God’s presence. The Bible commentator, Leon Morris, notes that the language used speaks of the majesty and unfathomableness of God! My computer wouldn’t even accept the word ‘unfathomableness’, such is our problem with words. How can you describe the indescribable! There is something very important in what Jesus has said here. He showed John what must take place. A literal translation would say that it is ‘a logical necessity’ that these things will take place - there is no other course of action. What we read here will definitely take place. God Almighty is on the throne of heaven and He will bring about his purposes. We can trust him and we can trust his word. 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” What God says will happen, will happen! What was it that John saw as he peeped through the door? He saw that… Ø God alone is holy! When John peeped in that opened door he saw the Holy One. There before him was a throne with one seated on the throne who was beyond description. Surrounding this throne were 24 elders on thrones, along with seven lamps blazing and an amazing sea that looked like glass. These 24 elders it is suggested are representatives of all believers down through the ages. There were four living creatures present, representing the exalted heavenly beings, who day and night were exclaiming: Rev 4:8 “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” The very essence of God is his holiness. To impress this on the hearers, the word is repeated here three times for emphasis. No other attribute of God is repeated in this way. God is holy, or cut off and separate from all others. RC Sproul notes that the essence of God’s holiness is His greatness and His goodness. He is set apart, in a class by himself. In other words, there is a profound difference between the creator and his creation. This speaks of the greatness of our God, as the all powerful one, the wholly other. Holiness also speaks of absolute purity, or as the Bible calls it, goodness. God does what is right and always acts in a righteous way. Because he is holy he will do what is good. God is thus both great and he is good. The prophet Isaiah had a similar vision of God: Isaiah 6:3 “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty, the whole earth is full of his glory.” Is this your view of God – the one who is wholly other, the great, good and perfect? Let us affirm in our hearts the holiness of God. Yes, God alone is holy. If God is holy, where does this leave us? Ø We are not holy! As we contemplate God as the one who is great and who is good, we become very much aware of our own sinfulness and lack of holiness. We are not set apart as different, nor do we do good. That was the clear experience of Isaiah. As he experienced the holiness of God he exclaimed: Isaiah 6:5 ‘“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”’ Isaiah had a first hand encounter with God and he was shaken to the core, made profoundly aware of his own sinfulness. In our bathroom we have the normal 60w light that we use most of the time. I find that challenging enough in the morning when I take a look as I clean my teeth! However we also have a heat lamp that when switched on shows up every wrinkle and blemish!! It is terrifying to be exposed to the brilliance of that light! Isaiah approached the holy one of Israel, the light of God’s holiness swept over him, causing him to become acutely aware of his sinfulness. The early disciples had a similar such experience when they were with Christ at the time of his transfiguration. God spoke to the disciples and revealed to them who Jesus was, the Son of God whom the Father loved. Matt 17:6 “When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.” When a person experiences the holy presence of God, there is only one response possible. We must get down on our knees with repentant hearts. We realize that God is holy, and we are not. Have you experienced this in your life? As we contemplate the glory and majesty of God and his holy presence, the only possible response we can make is for us to fall on our faces in godly fear. As we do that, an amazing thing happens. God will begin to cloth us with his holiness for… Ø God alone can make us holy! While we cannot make ourselves holy, God can. All is not lost! We do not need to live the rest of our lives in fear of the holy God. He has acted to make us holy. We can experience his holiness as we confess our sins and ask for his cleansing. Isaiah experienced this cleansing. Isaiah 6:6-7 “Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.’” Isaiah could not through his own efforts cleanse himself. He needed the intervention of God in his life. Before he could be God’s mouthpiece to his world, he needed God to cleanse his lips for service, to make them holy and set apart for service. The Apostle John was very much aware of this in his life. 1 John 1:8-9 “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” It is the same for us. God will purify us and cloth us with his holiness. We can by faith become holy in response to the grace of God at work in our lives. The Apostle Peter encourages us as believers to live holy lives, empowered by the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit. 1 Peter 3:15-16 “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written, ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” When a person has experienced the holy presence of God and begins to allow the Holy Spirit to produce in them the holiness that comes from God, then they will begin to sing a new song: Rev 4:11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” What an incredible privilege it is to have been given a glimpse into heaven! We have been able to peer over John’s shoulder and experience this morning something of what he experienced on that wonderful day. We have seen just a fraction of what lies ahead, of the wonder and majesty of heaven. We have glimpsed a tiny picture of the holiness of God and as a result we tremble, for we know that we are sinful people. But there is great hope here as well! All is not lost for God has acted in Christ to provide the way for us to share his holiness. His son died on the cross to take away our sin so that now we can be clothed in the holiness of God, by faith, as we submit to the Holy Spirit. Today we can be cleansed and empowered to live a life of holiness, set apart for God’s purposes. Do you wish to live like that? Why not today look to heaven and set your heart to follow Christ, to submit to him as Lord and Master of your life. You will then start on the most exciting journey you can possibly experience, growing to become holy, just as God is holy. Why not start today?
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