An exposition of Revelation 4:1-11. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, August 10, 2008.
How do you take the infinite and make it understandable to the church? That is the task of John in today’s passage. The church was experiencing extreme persecution, and John was exiled far away on the island of Patmos.The Lord has something to say to the church in the midst of the storm, and it is this: God is bigger than anything in the universe that might be troubling you presently, and nothing is able to snatch you out of his loving hands.
- Confidence is born out of a vision of God’s unequaled power, glory, and majesty (verses 2-6). Jesus is telling John that the sovereign judge of the universe is still in control, and all who are persecuting the church will give an account, and the church will be vindicated. This message is for believers today too. We are not alone. God is with us and for us; who will never leave us or forsake us, and nothing in this world can harm us.
- Courage is established through an awareness of God’s sovereign power. There is a door opened to heaven (verse 1), and it will never be shut. This means that we can see it, we have access to God sitting there, through our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Such confidence and courage inspires profound worship and joyful submission. Even when everything is falling apart, God is still in control. He is worthy of all praise and worship.
This is what we need: to know that God is in charge and we are not. The question is: Are you in the midst of a storm? If so, come to Jesus. Come to Jesus now.