Good evening. Thank you, Ed. Thank you, Annika, for helping us to worship and for all of you coming out on this beautiful day to have an evening gathering to close out our day with the Lord together. If you have a Bible with you, you can turn to the fourth chapter of the book of Revelation and As you may recall, last time I preached from the fifth chapter, but I didn't know if I'd be invited back, and I always love to preach on chapter five, but chapter four is an important context, and I love chapter four. So let's give attention to this beautiful, remarkable passage from God's word. After this, I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this. At once I was in the spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there had the appearance of Jasper and Carnelian. And around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Around the throne were 24 thrones. And seated on the thrones were 24 elders clothed in white garments with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning and rumblings and peals of thunder. And before the thrones were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God. And before the throne there was, as it were, a sea of glass like crystal. And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind, The first living creature, like a lion. The second living creature, like an ox. The third living creature, with the face of a man. And the fourth living creature, like an eagle in flight. 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. And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the 24 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, 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. So far then the reading of God's word. It's so important for us to remember that the book of Revelation is not a puzzle book. What kind of book is the Book of Revelation? It's a picture book filled with visions and images. Before there was an IMAX theater, right? Before there was surround sound or spotlights. There was the kind of literature called apocalyptic literature that presented for us powerful, exquisite, soul-shaking visions. And this is one of them. And what a picture is before us. We heard it read that a door opened to heaven. How extraordinary. I mean, we remember Jacob's ladder where angels went up and down and crossed the portal into the highest of heavens. And this seems to be like that again. A door is opened to heaven, and John is summoned up into, maybe you might call it the control tower of the universe, the throne room of the living God. Picture yourself summoned up there. where the Apostle Paul said he saw things he couldn't even speak of because human words could not describe it. But somehow John is given words inspired by the Holy Spirit to write down for us this magnificent vision, this picture that is to instruct our hearts and our souls. And what we see, first of all, basically is this, that we live in a God-centered world. That's simply my first point. He's summoned up there, and as the rest of the book unfolds, we learn, as Dr. Verne Poitras says, as he actually, I think, does understand the book of Revelation. He says, we learned that God rules history and will bring it to its consummation in Jesus Christ. And he looks, and there he sees a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it, a throne. And this throne is surrounded by a sea of glass, clear as crystal. And there are creatures flying around this throne that is in the center. It's as though these concentric circles are being painted for us, portrayed in the rainbow that encircles the throne. These living creatures that fly around the throne, do you see? There's these concentric circles going out, going out with the one who is on the throne, the Lord God Almighty. in a God-centered universe. That's my first point. When I was a small boy, I remember this very vividly. An older man said, he said, Johnny, what does this world revolve around? And I think I was in third or fourth grade, and we had these diagrams of the solar system and all the planets. And I said, well, the world revolves around the sun. And he said, you're wrong. He said, the world revolves around me. And the sooner you learn that, the better. Nobody else is going to look out for you. You have to look out for number one. You're number one. I'm the center of my universe. You're the center of your universe. but he especially wanted me to know that he was the center of the universe. I ask people sometimes when I talk to people, how would you diagram your life? And I find it very helpful occasionally, I keep it in my car even, to hold up a bicycle wheel. And I say to them, how would you describe your life as a kind of a bicycle wheel? It's a setup, but they'll say, well, this is my job, this spoke is my job, and this spoke is my marriage, and this spoke is my money, and this spoke is my sexuality, and this spoke, these are my hobbies, this spoke is my children, and this spoke is my spirituality, my religion. And this spoke is my car, and this one is my house, and I stop them, and I say, you know, if Jesus was here, if Jesus were here, he would say, excuse me, did I hear you say that one of the spokes on the wheel was your religion? He says, Jesus would say, I can't have that. Because if you want to get it right, Jesus would say, I'm not a spoke on the wheel. The Lord is the hub of the wheel. And then all the other spokes are redeemed, reformed, instructed, governed by, encouraged by, all the other spokes. So if you're in church and you stay awake by drawing pictures, I want you to draw the two bicycle wheels, maybe the wrong bicycle wheel and then the right bicycle wheel, and you can show me a picture afterwards if you want. But Jesus says, I'm the hub of the wheel. The Lord God Almighty seated on the throne is at the center. And this is important for, yes, worldview issues. Theological and philosophical issues, but it's very important personally for every one of us to understand our life is like the bicycle wheel, and Jesus, the Lord God Almighty, will not just be a spoke on the wheel of your life. He will be the hub of the wheel. And then, actually, this bicycle is ruined. It got blown out of tire. I have it taped together. Some of these things are bent. He comes and he renews. He tells us in the Bible how to think about our money, our house, our sexuality, our marriage, our parenting, and all those things, but he does it from the center, the hub of the wheel. Does that make sense to you? And then, this is important for us as we think theologically about, I'll put this over here in case you can see that, as we think theologically and philosophically about the world. Because, you see, human beings think they can make sense out of their world without God, without acknowledging this reality. And, you know, I don't have to tell this well-read congregation what Stephen Hawking would say or Carl Sagan would say or Neil deGrasse Tyson would say the great physicists and astrophysicists who want to make sense of the galaxies without God. Bertrand Russell, the great mathematician, said the world, the universe is merely the massive co-location of atoms. That's all. It's a materialistic worldview without God. But John is disabused of that this day. He's taken up through the door into heaven, and he sees the throne in the center, all the concentric circles moving outward. A lot of people think they can make sense of their world without God. And if you'd indulge me, I remember this was about 20 years ago. I was new to Oyster Bay, New York, and I was invited to this cocktail party that was a fundraiser for the Oyster Bay Community Foundation. And I'm standing on this grand estate looking over the Long Island Sound in front of this gorgeous copper beech tree. And one of the hosts of the event was standing talking to me there when suddenly up walks a gentleman in a bright blue blazer and a tie that had a double helix on it. The woman said, ah, Dr. John Yenchiko, I would like you to meet Dr. James Watson, Nobel Prize winner in biology, the one who discovered the DNA molecule along with Francis Crick, the provost of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories here. Surely you know him. And then she said, we shook hands, and then she said, and Dr. Yenchiko is the new pastor. here in town, and he sort of rolled his eyes. That's all we need, another one of those. And he juxtaposed himself between me and my friend, and he began to talk with her about their tennis game. Apparently they had the same tennis teacher. And I was just standing there. Then suddenly he turns and looks right at me and he says, morality, points his finger in the air. Morality, we at the labs believe that all human beings have a moral compass. And we are going to discover the genetic root of that morality that is in each person. We've not identified it in the genome, but we're making progress. And we believe that all humans have an upright moral sensibility that is genetically coded into them. My friend Caroline said, oh, Jim, she says, I don't have an upright moral compass. She says, ask my husband how selfish I am. Ask my children what I'm really like. He looks at her, he says, oh, no, you're a fine, upstanding member of this community, generous and philanthropic, she says, What we give away may seem like a lot to some, but what we keep is massive amounts for ourselves. And I said, Dr. Watson, if I might be so bold, could it be that both you and Caroline have actually observed things as they are? That is to say, you have observed things as they are, but the explanation is not biological, but theological. looked at me, and I said, that's because the Bible teaches all human beings are made in the image of God, and God is a moral being. And so the imprint of his being a moral being is in every single human being. And you are aware of that. But Caroline is right, that that moral compass is off kilter. is broken, moves and fits and starts in wrong directions, and we see man's inhumanity to man. He looked at me. He said, truth. We at the labs believe that all human beings seek the truth. And we believe that there is a genetic source for that hunger for truth that's in all people. And I'm not exaggerating. He went on, he said, people want to seek the truth and speak the truth. And my friend Caroline is like a wrestling tag team partner. She tags in and she says, oh, James, I don't love the truth. She says, I like it when it's convenient for me. but I exaggerate, I present myself as differently than I really am, and if it suits me. He says, oh, well, you know, you're an intellectual, and she was, and you're an intellectual, and you pursue the truth. She just smirked at me. And I said, Dr. Watson, once again, if I may be so bold, could it be that both you and Caroline have actually observed the human condition as it is? But the explanation is not biological, it's theological. Because we learn from scripture that all human beings are made in the image of God, and God tells the truth. God loves the truth. Jesus said he was the truth. And that imprint, that desire for truth, and to be true, and to speak truth, and to be upset when someone lies, is in every human being. And yet Caroline is right, because she's acknowledged that, well, what does the Bible say? All men are liars. Look at me. We at the labs are going to hire a bioethicist to sort all this out in our genetic pursuit of these things. and he turned and he strode away. And she said, Caroline said to me, she says, I don't know you very well, John, but I can assure you that no one has ever spoken to Dr. James Watson like that in his entire life. And I think God brought you to Oyster Bay to speak these sorts of things to people in New York. Well, I'm not smart like Dr. Watson. I'm not presenting myself like that at all. All I'm telling you is that I have a worldview that understands what John saw, that there is a creator and we are the creature, and the explanation of the universe in which we live must begin with what the theologians call the most important theological truth, which is the creator-creature distinction. The creator-creature distinction. There is a creator, and you are not him. There is a creator, and he's to be the hub of the wheel of all things. Does that make sense to you? You've indulged me with that story, but it makes the point, doesn't it? We understand our universe because God is at the center. Paul exclaims in Romans 11.36, for from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Do your children understand this? Do your grandchildren understand this? We need to help them. to see this wonderful truth. But that's just point number one. We live in a God-centered world. The second point is that since this is a picture book, we actually have to see the beautiful and breathtaking vision and picture that's given to us. And let's just make our way briefly through it because it's given to us to ponder. And when you read the book of Revelation, you should ponder the purpose of verses two through 11, are to present God in his splendor. Let's see if we can get, are you willing to try, even without the IMAX theater or sense around or volume switches, are you willing to try and see how John experiences this sensory overload that he writes down for us? The first thing he saw is a throne. What is a throne? The throne is the place of rule and of judgment. And so, there's the picture. What David writes in Psalm 103, verse 19. Do you know that verse? Psalm 103, verse 19. The Lord has established his throne in the heavens and his kingdom rules over all. Did you know that? It means that he is in charge of the Middle East. He is in charge of Ukraine. He is in charge of your marriage. He is in charge of your children. He is in charge of the affairs of history. He's in charge of Emmanuel Presbyterian Church. I saw one on a throne, and who was it? The Lord Almighty. The second thing it says is that he who sat there had the appearance. Had the appearance of what? Look at verse three, it's very interesting. It says he had the appearance of splendid jewels. stones of jasper and carnelian, and a rainbow resembling an emerald, and as this description unfolds, it's a description of light and dazzling beauty. And you might say, well, wasn't Moses told you can't look at God and live? It is true, no man can see God and live, and yet somehow John sees, and the words he's given to take away is this exquisite beauty and light and color. I'll never forget, many, many years ago, Nina and I went to England, and we decided one day we would visit the Tower of London and see the Crown Jewels. And we got up early and went, and it was an overcast, rainy, drizzly, dreary day. Normally, there are long lines. On that day, hardly anyone was there. And I'll never forget, we went up the steps and went around. And you know how you have to go when there are big, long lines and crowds? You have to wind your turn and wind your way through. But we just walked right along, walked right along. and it was dark in the ante room from which we came, and then suddenly I turned and I was unprepared for what I saw as I entered into the room that held the crown jewels of England. Diamonds, necklaces, emeralds, and rubies, ermine robes, crowns, and of course the bright lights. The lights were shining brightly on them. And it actually, I had to catch my breath. Why was John given these words like this? The answer is, because God is beautiful. Did you know that? Do you believe this? Do you believe this? David, King David understood this. We love Psalm 27, verse four. Remember King David crying out, one thing I ask of the Lord, I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord, and to seek him in his temple. You know, the greatest American theologian probably was Jonathan Edwards. But Jonathan Edwards admits that when he was a child, when he thought about God, it wasn't pleasant. Not sure what his parents taught him or how, but it wasn't pleasant. He actually had horrible thoughts about God. And we can understand how that might happen as dread comes sometimes, but Edward said that after he was converted, he actually began to delight in God, and he speaks of his experiences like this. He said, I began to experience, I love this phrase, inward sweet delight in God and divine things. Let me say that again. I began to experience an inward sweet delight in God and divine things. And that was as God became more than a watchmaker to him, or someone who was out to get him, which is about all that he thought. And the point is, as David understood the beauty of the Lord, as it's displayed here, it's very important for you also to ask the Lord and learn from the Lord how to have an inward sweet delight in God and divine things. In general revelation, looking at the world this morning, you know, a little after six, I was on the ocean in Sandbridge for this community sunrise Easter service before later I went to Resurrection Church, and the sun rose over the ocean. And the colors, it was overcast high, but the sun came through. It was breathtaking. It was beautiful. Then we learned again of the resurrection of Jesus. Death could not hold him. He has conquered sin and death. That is beautiful. Listen, every sunset you see, every child's, every baby's laugh, every piece of music that thrills you. When that cello was playing this morning here and the sound just lifted up your souls, I heard it was beautiful this morning. The music was beautiful. Every movement of music that is beautiful, every person you see that is handsome or beautiful should cause you to rejoice. All the beauty that we see is but a hint of the beauty of God. And John sees these 24 elders. Now I know, I know the old joke about the woman who said she didn't want to go to heaven. Why didn't she want to go to heaven? Because she heard there was 24 elders there. We love our elders here at Emmanuel. And that's not what it's talking about. You know, the numbers in the book of Revelation are so interesting. 24 is divided by 12 and 12, these 24 elders robed in white with crowns on their heads, they represent the church of Jesus Christ in the old and new covenants, the 12 tribes of Israel, the 12 apostles of the new covenant upon which the church is founded and they represent then the church of Jesus. Robed in white, what is this? But the imputed righteousness of Jesus, so beautifully clothing his people, what is this? But the infused righteous deeds of the saints that were given by God to them, cleansed completely. Oh, in heaven, there will be no sin. Wow, won't that be wonderful? He sees the church of God glorified. in that moment. Then there's flashes of lightning and peals of thunder shooting across the sea. Have you ever been to the ocean and seen lightning bolts and hear thunder erupt? The energy from God is there. Then he looks and he sees these creatures. What in the world? What are these creatures? Could they be the seraphim from Isaiah 6? Yes, they probably are. These magnificent creatures flying around, and we're told in Isaiah, with two wings they cover their eyes, with two they cover their feet, with two they fly. And they never stop saying their praises to God, holy, holy, holy. Oh, my friends, listen, when you see these rockets take off, in my generation it was the Saturn V that went to the moon, these massive, Rockets, that thunder. You have to be miles away to watch. And the ground shakes as the Saturn V takes off with its powerful boosters up into the sky. And the roar is overwhelmed. Listen. These creatures are more amazing than any rocket. And yet, they're like tinker toys compared to God. The rockets are like tinker toys compared to the seraphim, and the seraphim are like tinker toys compared to God, who is surrounded by thunder and lightning and a sea of glass, clear as crystal. So. We go through the door with John. We catch a glimpse of the control room of the universe. We see the one on the throne, the Lord God Almighty, who must be the hub of the wheel of our lives and the center of our world and life view, the creator of the creator-creature distinction, the true and the living God. He's surrounded by this gorgeous sea of glass and the colors of the rainbow and the riches of the crowns and the gold and the church dressed in dazzling white. But we do not just see this vision of God, because more important than what we see that they look like is what they are doing and what are they doing. Far more important, what are they doing? The mightiest beings in the universe, They are worshiping God. Wow. So my third point is that as they worship the God that they see, we must join in the chorus. That's what Revelation 4 is all about. The rest of the book of Revelation is the follow-up to this. In chapter 5, they will worship the Redeemer. Here in chapter 4, they worship the Creator, who is revealed in His holiness. We worship first with our voices, verse 8. They never stop saying the praises of God. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come. And they can't stop themselves from praising the Lord. I can't stop praising my Lord. You are worthy, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created. Have you learned how to use your lips to praise God out loud and in the quietness of your own heart? You say, well, I'm comfortable with the quietness of my own heart. I'm not so comfortable singing out loud. Well, I know better than that at Emanuel Church. You guys are good at saying it out loud. Never be ashamed to praise your God out loud. Let your friends know it's the most natural thing in the world for you to worship God with your lips. And then they worship him with their lives. Where do we see this? In verse 10, it says, they lay their crowns before him. What is the crown? The crown is that which is valuable. What is valuable? What are your crowns? What is precious to you? The crown may represent an accomplishment, your accomplishments or your status or your wealth. They worship him with their crowns. They lay their crowns before him. Your marriage, your children, your money, your physical body, Your reputation. These are your crowns. Lay them before God. That's not easy. Not for John Yenchco anyway. And there are times when I know the Holy Spirit says, John, you just love your crowns too much. And I have this little ritual that I go through. I take my clenched fist and I say, this is my grip on my crown. Because I love my reputation, and I love my money, and I love my body, and I love my children, and I love my wife, and I love my country, and I love, and the list goes on. And I lay my crown before him. It's not something you do once. It's not something they did once. You lay your crowns before him. And then they worship him, as we've already said, because he is beautiful. Will you tell him that he is beautiful to you? And if he's not, will you spend time asking him to show you his smile, his kindness, compassion, his mercy, his love, the sweetness of his love? of his very heart for you, his fatherly, tender embrace of you. His beauty. They worship him because he's eternal, who was and is and is to come, and you know the chorus. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. ♪ His mercies never come to an end ♪ ♪ They are new every morning, new every morning ♪ ♪ Great is thy faithfulness, O Lord ♪ ♪ Great is thy faithfulness ♪ Is that worthy of worship? And lastly, they worship because he's the creator. And I tell you, you should never worship the creation. But oh, you can be inspired when you look at a leaf. A leaf! They're budding all over. letting go their pollen all around us. You study a leaf and it takes the energy from the sun 93 million miles away and that energy comes and it absorbs that energy and then the amazing process of photosynthesis occurs and it takes that energy and it turns through the Krebs cycles and through everything, it turns it into sugars and Either we eat the sugars in the leaf or we eat the animals that eat the sugars in the leaf. And we get energy for our bodies. And there's the Krebs cycle. And this is amazing, this is astounding. He is the creator. For you have created, have all things created you. are worthy, O Lord, can you join that chorus? Let's bow our heads and pray together. Lord, we do join the elders who got down off their thrones and fell down before God and laid their crowns before him. And so, in our own way, we join them. We worship you with our lips, this last hymn of praise we trust will come from our hearts. We praise you that you are eternal, the one who was and is and is to come, that the steadfast love of the Lord God Almighty never ceases. We praise you for your beauty, the beauty of your holiness, Show us your glory, we dare to ask. You are worthy, and we are glad to say it. In Jesus' name, amen.