Author: John Johnstone

Sermon: Sunday, 22nd June, 2025
Speaker: John Johnstone
Scripture: Zechariah 4

Something significant is about to happen in the life of our church. From August, Leven Free Church will commence their own morning services. We will no longer be meeting together here. Around 20 people will move on and will be greatly missed but will do so in the best of circumstances – to plant a new church. It would be easy for some from both sides to become discouraged. Sometimes we say that there is safety in numbers. Should we not stay together and plan for a megachurch in the Gallatown, Kirkcaldy’s finest suburb? Will Leven Free Church be able to kick on and grow and develop? Will Kirkcaldy Free Church grow once again, having been pruned back? Will either church have enough resources to even survive in the secular environment of modern-day Scotland, with churches closing left, right and centre? We all might have our own thoughts on this matter. But we’re gathered around God’s Word this morning to try and find a Biblical way to think about this new venture. Perhaps a strange vision 2,500 years ago seems like a strange place to turn to. I hope we will see together that it is not. In fact, this vision will instruct and inspire both church planters and church revitalisers alike.

This is the 5th of 8 visions which the prophet Zechariah receives from the LORD. We need a little background in order to understand the vision properly. In 586 BC, Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians. The city was burned, the temple destroyed and thousands were carted off 1000 miles east to Babylon. The Lord used the Babylonians to judge his own people for their spiritual adultery. Around 70 years later the Babylonian empire gave way to the Medo-Persian empire. Their king, Cyrus, allows the Jews to return to their homeland and around 50,000 did so. These people make a good start laying the foundation for a new temple. However, they face outside opposition and become more focused on their own homes and forget about the importance of the temple. The work grinds to a halt. So, what does the Lord do? He sends two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, to stir the people to action once again. But the task of rebuilding the temple and the walls of the city seem enormous. It just looks too difficult. The task seems to loom over them, like an ominous mountain.

1. A magnificent vision

Zechariah sees: ‘… a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lamps on it, with seven channels to the lamps. Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.’   (Zechariah 42-3) Oil pours from the olive trees into the bowl, allowing the lamps to burn continuously. What is the lampstand? It is the community of God’s people. It stands for the church. We see this both in the Old and New Testaments.

‘The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.’ &nbsp: (Revelation 1:20) The lampstand is made of gold to indicate how valuable and precious the church is to God. The function of a lampstand is to give light to the world.

‘Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.’   (Philippians 2:14-16)

‘You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.’   (Matthew 5:14-16)

What is God saying to the people in Zechariah’s day? He is reminding them that although the task of rebuilding the temple and the city might seem daunting and even impossible, they will be able to do it because of the divine resources they have. By his Spirit, represented by the oil, God enables us to do his work. God will supply the power needed for the temple to be rebuilt. Nothing is impossible with him. In fact, verse 9 says: ‘The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it.’ In other words, God is promising that in Zerubbabel’s own day, the temple shall be completed. It is as if God is saying: ‘I will build my temple.’

And what was true for God’s people then is also true for God’s people now in 2025. Jesus says ‘And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.’   (in Matthew 16:18) If Jesus promises to build his church, will he not supply the power for it to be built? Can we not step out in faith to plant and revitalise? There is really not too much difference between church planting and church revitalisation. In both situations, we are sowing seed, and depending on the Spirit of God to work.

There will be times in the next few months and years when we see obstacles to our gospel work piling up into a mountain. We might wonder if there’s any point to the prayer meetings and witnessing and worship services. We will wonder about our own resources. Where can we get the strength to continue in the work? Some of our people might have low morale. At such times, let’s return to this vision; the resources which really matter, which really change lives, all come directly from the Spirit of God.

2. Do not trust in human strength

Verse 6 is the key verse in this passage: ‘So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.’

Maybe some of the Israelites looked at the foundations of the temple and started to play the ‘if only’ game. If only we had the resources Solomon had when he built the first temple. Israel was so wealthy and powerful back then. If only we had access to the great forests and skilled craftsmen. Verse 10 indicates to us that some doubted the temple project: ‘Who dares despise the day of small things…’ Today, maybe some of us will be tempted to say, if only we had £1,000,000 to buy our own church and manse in Leven. If only we had purpose-built café and large group of musicians to make our worship services more attractive. In KFC, we might think, if only we had more elders at this end of Fife. If only we could see more people coming to faith. If only people in Scotland were more interested in speaking about spiritual things. If only I wasn’t so busy. If only I wasn’t more gifted and better at speaking to people.

What does God say? He says that it’s not really about the human resources in Leven or in Kirkcaldy. ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.’   (Zechariah 4:6) We might seem weak in the eyes of the world. Our gatherings might even seem pathetic to some. We might not have millions in the bank or influence and power in our society. But the wonderful truth is this: building the Kingdom of God in the Kingdom of Fife is not about our own resources. It is not about our strength or might. It is, rather, about God’s Spirit being at work. We sang from Psalm 146: ‘Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.’   (Pslam 146:3-5)

In Scotland, our oil is running out. There is not an endless supply of oil in the north sea. Humanity is always stressing about how we can find new sources of the energy we need. However, when it comes to the energy the church needs, we actually do have an endless supply of power. Isn’t that remarkable? Do you believe that? In the vision, the oil from the trees gives a constant supply. We need not fret about the future.

The success of Leven Free Church does not depend on the Murrays, or even the Brooks or Donalds. They are all dispensable, in the best possible way. And Kirkcaldy Free Church certainly doesn’t need me and or anyone else in the church family. We need the Spirit of God to work. Many of us know this already. And yet, if we are honest, we can slip into worldly thinking. Once we do this or that, then the church will really take off, we start to think. It is not true. I love the fact that you are who are leaving are doing something which is actually beyond your ability to succeed. Because that means that you are utterly dependent on God to work, if things are to progress. And that’s the best place to be. We need a vision statement that allows for the power of God. That means we can legitimately step out in faith and trust in God to supply all that we need, and all that we currently don’t have!

3. Trust alone in the Spirit of God

If Leven Free Church is to grow numerically, see conversions and see saints discipled in the faith then they will need to depend on God’s Spirit for everything. Only the Holy Spirit can breathe life into those dry bones of Ezekiel chapter 37, making them into a vast army. Only the Holy Spirit can remove the veil of unbelief which covers the eyes of the people of Leven and its surrounding towns and villages. To change even a single person in Leven necessitates a divine miracle of God. God’s Spirit must bring light into the darkness even as he did on the 1st day of creation. ‘The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.’   (2 Corinthians 4:4-6)

How will be able to tell if Leven Free Church and Kirkcaldy Free Church are trusting in the power of God the Holy Spirit? That is a good question. The short answer is just one word: prayer. Prayer is the barometer of how much we are trusting in God’s Spirit. Prayerlessness, not praying, means that we think we can get on fine in the church without God’s supernatural help. We become self-dependent. That’s why it’s a really concerning sign if a church’s prayer meeting is small and if people lack enthusiasm to gather to pray. Each and every day, as individuals, as families and as churches, let’s do all we can to be a praying people. Remember Exodus chapter 17 and the scene with Joshua and his men fighting in the valley against the Amalekites; it was when Moses’ arms were help up in prayer that the battle was won. It is the same today.

Let’s end by considering the 2 olive trees with their branches found on either side of the lampstand. What do they represent? ‘These are the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth.’ (Zechariah 4:14) One stands for Zerubbbel the governor, who was anointed for his task and was in the family tree of Israel’s kings. The other stands for Joshua the High Priest, who was also anointed for the task. The priest and the governor are the divinely appointed channels for conveying the blessing of the Holy Spirit to the people of God. Together, they point forward to the true priest-king, the Lord Jesus Christ. They foreshadow Christ, through whom the Holy Spirit came to the church on the day of Pentecost. ‘Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.’   (Acts 2:33)

Whenever a church tries to use its own oil for its work it always ends in unfaithfulness, pride and disaster. So, let’s pray that in this new chapter for both of our churches, we will so depend on God in prayer that there would be a continuous supply of God’s oil in order that we can shed light into this dark world, share the gospel with those around us, maintain the unity of the church and understand the will of God through the Word of God. This is the Word of the Lord all of us here this morning: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.’ (Zechariah 4:6)

Sermon: Sunday, 8th June, 2025
Speaker: John Johnstone
Scripture: Leviticus 16

These days, we have a good understanding of how dangerous dirt and viruses and bacteria can be.  If you go to an operating theatre in the Victoria hospital, you would expect the whole room to have been disinfected and you would expect the surgical instruments to be sterile.  Whatever comes into that operating theatre also need to be totally clean.  For example, instrument trolleys entering the room must be clean.  These things seem obvious to us.  But it wasn’t always obvious.   My grandmother was a midwife and when she worked with the indigenous people in the Amazon, they would cut the umbilical cords with dirty knives and so lost many babies.  Thankfully, that was something they could learn and quickly put right and these unnecessary deaths stopped.  Even small amounts of bacteria can be deadly.  The pandemic brought that home to us too.  You couldn’t have people carrying the corona virus walking into an old folk’s home and infecting the vulnerable.  We got used to washing our hands again and again, wearing masks and some of us even wiped down our grocery shopping.

What is true in the physical realm regarding dirt and bacteria is also true in the moral and spiritual realm regarding sin.  Sin is deadly.  It contaminates and spreads easily.  The wrong things we all do and say and think cause chaos in the world.  Just as medics have a no-nonsense approach to bacteria in an operating theatre, so God has a no-nonsense approach to sin.  He will not tolerate it.  He hates it.  It must be dealt with.  And just a someone with dirty hands cannot just walk into an operating theatre, in the same way, we, contaminated as we are, cannot just saunter into the presence of God.  And because God is the Creator of all things, he is the one who decides the way he must be approached.  Sadly, this is not always obvious to us.  But here’s the good news.  Despite our rebellion and sin, God still loves the world.  Astonishingly, he offers us reconciliation.  He can be approached if, and only if, we come with sacrifice for our sin.  And this sacrifice must be offered in the way he has commanded.  We are not free to just make up our own terms.

When friends fall out, it is a beautiful thing when they reconcile; this often means both sides apologising.  But with God, the blame is all on our side.  The obstacles blocking our relationship with God is our guilt and rebellion and selfishness.  How does God deal with all of these obstacles? How can we be reconciled to God.  In one word, through atonement.  God needs to do something to remove our sin, to remove the barrier which separates us.  Jesus leaves Heaven and comes to earth to pay the penalty for our sin, so we can be at-one with God again.  What is atonement?  Atonement refers to the work of Christ in which he bears the penalty for sin, paying the debt owed to God’s justice and reconciling humanity with him.  Jesus sacrifices himself to pay our debt.

Atonement is what is necessary for us to have a relationship with God, so it is absolutely crucial that we understand it well.  And one of the best ways to understand atonement is to come back to the holiest and most important day in the Jewish calendar, the Day of Atonement, also called Yom Kippur.  What lies at the heart of this day? ‘This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites.’   (Leviticus 16:34)  The heart of this day is that animals die as substitutes for the people.  Blood is shed in sacrifice in order to deal with human sin.

1. A solemn warning: do not underestimate how holy God is

This chapter begins reminding us (verse 1) about what happened to Aaron’s 2 sons – Nadab and Abihu.  These men ignored God’s clear instructions about how he is to be approached.  They enter the Holy Place, where God’s special presence dwelt, but did so on their own terms, and not on God’s terms. They are behaving as if God isn’t really that holy and they weren’t really that sinful. Here’s the thing – God does want us to approach him but only in his way, on his terms.  And today there is only one way to do so- through trusting in Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross.  Jesus says: ‘I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.’   (John 14:6)

Through Moses, the Lord once again warns the High Priest Aaron not to worship God any way he pleases.  Everything has to be done according to the Lord’s instructions.  This was a matter of life and death.  ‘Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.’   (Leviticus 16:2)

For the last few years, we have attended the fireworks display in Buckhaven.  The bonfire is enormous and so the organisers put up a fence around it and try to ensure the safety of the public.  It would not be wise to ignore this fence and start moving closer to the fire.  It might be deadly.  We need to respect the intensity of the fire.  We don’t act as we please around it.  Sometimes we forget that our ‘… God is a consuming fire.’   (Hebrews 12:29)  We need to understand that we are unholy sinners and so if we want to draw close to a God who is totally holy and pure, we need to come carefully, on his terms. 

AW Tozer: ‘God’s justice stands forever against the sinner in utter severity.  The vague and tenuous hope that God is too kind to punish the ungodly has become a deadly opiate for the consciences of millions.  It hushes their fears and allows them to practice all pleasant forms of iniquity while death draws every day nearer and the command to repent goes disregarded.  As responsible moral beings we dare not trifle with our eternal future.’

Tozer is right.  We have tried to domesticate God and water down his holiness. This is a huge mistake.  Let us heed the warning given through Nadab and Abihu.  We must approach God in God’s way.  And the way is magnificent!

2. What happened on the Day of Atonement?

How did the Lord want to be approached by his people?  On one day of the year, the Day of Atonement, one man, the High Priest, would come into the LORD’s presence to represent the whole nation.  He has to wear special clothes and wash himself before putting them on.  These clothes were not the impressive, regal clothes he would often wear, including the royal ephod with its 12 precious stones and the gold-plated turban (see Leviticus chapter 7) but a plain white linen tunic.  In other words, he dressed like a slave in humble clothes, reminding us all that God must be approached with humility.  Because no man can see God and live, he must take finely ground fragrant incense into the Most Holy Place, throwing it onto the fire, creating a kind of smokescreen, protecting him from the dazzling glory of God.

He must not come into God’s presence empty-handed but with sacrifices.  Although Aaron was High Priest, he was still a sinner and so first a bull had to be sacrificed to make atonement for him and his household.  The bull’s blood is to be sprinkled 7 times before the atonement cover (verse 14).  Seven is the number of completion and so this speaks of total and complete atonement for all sin.

Now we come to the two goats.  ‘He is to cast lots for the two goats — one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat.’   (Leviticus 16:8)  The first goat is to be sacrificed as a sin offering (v9).  Its blood will also be sprinkled on the atonement cover of the ark of the covenant (verse 15), which lies within the Most Holy Place.  The reason given for this act is clearly given:  ‘In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been.’   (Leviticus 16:16)

There was so much drama on this day. Part of the tension would have this- will the priest make it out alive?  Will his sacrifices on behalf of the people be accepted by God?  They would only know for sure when the priest reemerged from the tabernacle.  What about the other goat, the scapegoat? We read: ‘He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness.’ &nbsp: (Leviticus 16:21-22)

What happened to the scapegoat happened publicly, in the sight of all the people.  Again, the meaning is clear: because the wages of sin is death, the sins of the people are symbolically transferred onto the scapegoat, which carries those sins away, never to be seen again.  Why two goats?  You could say that the first goat is sacrificed so God’s people would know their sins had been forgiven.  The second goat, the scapegoat, is led far away into the wilderness, never to return, and this was so God’s people would know that their sins had been forgotten.  What a powerful symbol.

3. The Day of Atonement fulfilled by Jesus

How should we respond in our hearts today to the rituals which took place thousands of years ago on the Day of Atonement?  We must realise that these rituals were temporary yet important signposts pointing to the true Day of Atonement – Good Friday, when Jesus laid down his own life on the cross.  So, as you picture the High Priest moving into the Most Holy Place, what should you be thinking about?  You should be thinking about the real event itself – Jesus entering Heaven with his own blood to make atonement for us. 

‘But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.’ &nbsp: (Hebrews 9:11-12)

Sinclair Ferguson: ‘The rituals of the Day of Atonement was an acted parable, a copy of what Christ was to do on the great day when He made atonement. The blood of animals is both inappropriate and inadequate to provide the cleansing necessary to approach God. Animal sacrifice could not atone for human sin. Neither could any finite individual atone for sin against the infinite God. Only the blood of the divine image incarnate could cleanse our sin and enable us to enter safely into the presence of God, who is a consuming fire.’

The Day of Atonement was inadequate and never intended to be a permanent solution to human sin.  Why were these rituals not enough? 

• Very briefly, because the blood of bulls and goats cannot wash away human sin.  Only Jesus’ precious blood can. ‘It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.’   (Hebrews 10:4)     
• Also, the High Priests who taking part in the rituals were sinners themselves.  We need a perfect High Priest, and only Jesus can be that for us. 
• Finally, this Day of Atonement had to be repeated year after year.  Only Jesus’ death can provide a once-and-for-all solution. ‘Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.’   (Hebrews 7:27)

Friends, when we read Leviticus chapter 16 understanding that it all points to a future Day of Atonement at Calvary, the actions here become all the more precious.  The first goat which was slaughtered points ahead to Jesus who was slaughtered on the cross, as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  Because of Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice, when we come to trust in Jesus through faith, God’s rightful anger at us is turned away.  Jesus’ sacrifice of himself atones for our sin and satisfies the just wrath of a holy God. 

The word for turning away God’s wrath is propitiation. ‘If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.’   (1 John 2:1-2)    

As we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we give thanks that the penalty for our sin has been paid for and now we have been reconciled to God.  Because of Jesus’ blood shed for us, we now have the enormous privilege of being able to come into our Father’s presence any time we like.  We no longer need animal sacrifices.  They were just temporary.  The rituals of the tabernacle and temple are now no longer required.  This fact was dramatically displayed when Jesus died on the cross and simultaneously the temple curtain was torn in two from top to bottom.  Jesus’ death is all we need to make us clean in God’s sight.  Truly, it is a marvellous thing that something as serious as my sin no longer blocks me from having a relationship with the Lord  Each time you pray to your heavenly Father, instead of taking prayer for granted, rejoice in what Jesus has done to make it possible- he entered Heaven for us with his own blood to atone for all of our sins.

Think again of the scapegoat, this time more personally.  Jesus is the true scapegoat.  All of our sins were laid on him, and he carried them away, never to be cast before us again.  This is wonderful news.  Think of the scapegoat in the light of this verse: ‘All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.’   (Isaiah 53:6)

I have always loved Psalm 103:12 – ‘As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us’.  The scapegoat expresses the same truth- our sins have been sent away with no possibility of coming back.  They have been removed.  Jesus’ blood is so powerful and effective that our sins have gone for good.  Satan loves to remind you of all the ways you have let gone down.  He loves to cast our sins before our faces.  ‘Look what you did!’  We can say to him: ‘Satan, yes I am a sinner, but Jesus has carried my sins so far away that they are never coming back.’

Before the throne of God above
‘When Satan tempts me to despair, And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there, Who made an end to all my sin,
Because the sinless Saviour died, My sinful soul is counted free,
For God the Just is satisfied, To look on Him and pardon me.’

If you are not yet a Christian, what does God want you to do? ‘On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work…’   (Leviticus 16:29)  ‘Denying’ ourselves speaks of humbling ourselves before God, recognising we are sinners and he is perfect.  Who receives God’s grace?  Those who humbly confess their sins.  ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’   (James 4:6:) 

If you repent of your sin, and ask Jesus to cleanse you with his blood, you too can know the peace of being reconciled with God.  Never come to God arguing you’re quite a good person.  Come confessing your sin, and asking Jesus to wash you.  In other words, come to God in God’s way.

Sermon: Sunday, 25th May, 2025
Speaker: John Johnstone
Scripture: Revelation 7

If we are honest, it is all too easy to skip over passages like Revelation chapter 7, particularly the first half of the chapter. But that would be a big mistake. You’ll miss out on so much encouragement. Encouragement? At first, it might be hard to see what the ‘sealing’ of 144,000 people has to do with us today. However, that’s why it’s so important to be a regular in church and go through all of God’s Word. A preacher’s job is to help people to understand God’s Word and apply it to our lives and situations today. Jehovah Witness often speak of how only 144,000 people will make it to Heaven, interpreting this number literally. Are we meant to? No! Most numbers presented to us in this apocalyptic book are symbolic. So, what is going on here?

Let’s briefly recap. In chapter 4, we were given the magnificent image of the occupied throne. We were reminded that the great ruler at the control centre of the universe is not one of the rulers of the superpowers like the US, China or Russia, and it is not chance or chaos ruling us, but it is the Lord God Almighty. However, John’s vision does not end with a throne. Next, in chapter 5, we saw a scroll with writing on both sides in the hand of God the Father. This scroll symbolises God’s plans for human history. At first, no one could be found who was worthy to open the scroll, and bring God’s plans to fulfilment. However, there is a lion-like Saviour who is going to put things right! This lion is also a Lamb who has been slain.

In chapter 6, we were introduced to the four riders of the apocalypse. Through these coloured horses, and the opening of the first four seals, God is telling us what must take place between the first coming and the 2nd coming of Jesus, which includes right now. God wants us to be prepared for the great suffering on the earth from the time of Jesus’ ascension in the 1st century, until the day Jesus returns, at the end of the world. God says to expect a world of military conquest (the white horse), war (the red horse), famine (the black horse) and death (the pale horse). And this is our experience of life. God’s warning is exactly right. The 5th seal transported us from the earth up into Heaven, where the martyrs ask God how long the suffering of Christians on earth must last for; God tells them it will be until he has finished gathering in all the saints. Then, most soberingly, we saw that the opening of the 6th seal marks the Day of Judgement. Those who have rejected God in this life will have nowhere to hide from God’s justice on that day. They will have missed their opportunity to receive God’s mercy. They must now face the consequences of their own failures.

Why have I spent time recapping the events of the first 6 seals? Because in verses 1-8 of Revelation chapter 7, we have a flashback to an event that takes place before the opening of the first 4 seals, before the judgment of the horsemen begins. Then, in verses 9-17, there is a flash-forward to a scene in Heaven after the 6th seals are opened and the Day of Judgement has taken place. We are used to watching films with flashbacks and flash-forwards – so I am confident we cope with this! It really is a joy to appreciate what is going on here.

1. A flashback, giving us wonderful security

In verse 1, John sees four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. These angels are not allowed to harm any of the people on earth until 144,000 of God’s people are specially sealed on their foreheads. In other words, judgment cannot begin until God’s people receive special protection. Who are these 4 angels? The best answer is that these 4 angels are the 4 horsemen we have already studied together. Why do I say that? Because in Zechariah, where the 4 horsemen are first mentioned, these horsemen are also identified as the: ‘…the four spirits (or winds) of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world.’   (Zechariah 6:5)

Who are the 144,000 from the tribes of Israel? This number should not be taken literally. The 144,000 stands for the church across the ages. 12×12 = 144, and this refers to the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles, in others words, the whole of the church from both the Old and New Testaments. The number 1000 is a number of completeness, telling us that God has the entire church in mind here, and not a specific number. This is the completed church symbolised in special numbers. This stands for all of God’s people in every age. This is where is gets personal. If that is true, then we (if we are Christians) are included in the 144,000.

What is God saying to us here? He is saying that yes, as Christians we must live in a world full of trouble, tribulation, persecution, suffering and death. But will we make it through all of this? Will we be able to keep going and make it to Heaven? Or to use the question found in chapter 6 verse 17, on the Day of Judgement, who will be able to stand before God? Yes, we will be able to stand because God will keep us secure amidst it all.

So, if we are willing to dig into these theological numbers and images a wee bit, we arrive at a marvellous truth- right now, all Christians are being kept by the power of God, and although we will stumble and fall, we will make it to Heaven, not because of our own power but because of his power at work in us. We know this to be true because he has sealed us.

What, then, is this seal? Seals are made on something to mark ownership, authenticity, and to protect them. For example, I sealed the 4 bins at the back of the church with the numbers 191, even painting those numbers on them. This proves they belong to the church. We will look after them. Genuine Levi jeans have a special label and red tag on them to seal them as genuine items and not fake goods. So what is the seal God places on our foreheads to mark us as his (verse 3)? Well, in chapter 14 we read: ‘Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.’   (Revelation 14:1)

We are sealed with the names of God the Father and God the Son. But we are also sealed by God’s Spirit: ‘When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession – to the praise of his glory.’   (Ephesians 1:13-14) This mark on us is God’s protection on us. It says that we belong to him, and that means although we will suffer and might even be martyred for our faith in Jesus, we are protected spiritually by God by his own special seal.

This is the doctrine of perseverance of the saints. True Christians cannot fall away and be lost. ‘…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.’   (Philippians 1:6) God never abandons his work! ‘I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.’   (John 10:28-29 6:5) Sometimes we double wrap our shopping if we are carrying heavy bottles of Irn Bru, and we don’t want the bag to burst. Double wrapping something makes it doubly secure. We are double wrapped – held by both the Father and the Son. ‘The Lord will keep you from all harm – he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and for evermore.’   (Psalm 121:7-8) As well as being double-wrapped, we also have a triple seal, involving Father, Son and Spirit.

What a tremendous comfort this must have been to the early church, persecuted as it was by the Romans. And what a tremendous comfort to those we read about in our Steadfast Global notes last week- those 45 Christians from 10 families expelled from their village in India just for being Christians. And think of the 10 Christian children detained with their 5 Sunday School teachers in China. Yes, they must suffer now, but God will keep them safe spiritually and will keep their inheritances safe in Heaven for them. : ‘This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.’   (1 Peter 1:4-5)

Here’s a crucial question. Who has this seal? Is it those with perfect faith or really strong faith? No! The seal is upon all believers. That includes those struggling with sin and those with doubts and fears. As long as you have faith in Jesus, and receive him as your King, you can be confident about your eternal future, because you have been sealed with the Spirit of God. This makes you an authentic believer. This means you belong to God, and if you belong to God, he will not let any ultimate harm come upon you.

Not many people have job security these days. But it remains a desirable thing to have. How much more desirable is eternal security- to know that we’ve a secured tenancy in Heaven. Can you be a Christian one day, and then lose your Christian faith the next? No. The perseverance of the saints means that all those who are truly born again will be kept by God’s power and will persevere as Christians until the end of their lives, and that only those who persevere to the end have been truly born again.

2. A flash-forward – our celebration in Heaven

As we move on to look at this great multitude in Heaven in verses 9 – 17, we are looking into the future, and if we are born-again Christians, then we are looking at our own futures! Now the suffering church has become the celebrating church. We could happily spend weeks in these verses, but let’s take a bird’s eye view of they key things. What does the apostle John see?

He sees that the church in Heaven is uncountable and international. It is (verse 9) a great multitude that no one can number. Sarah’s gran was present in London on the 8th of May 1945 for VE Day. More than 100,000 gathered to celebrate with the royal family. This was the biggest crowd she had ever experienced. The crowd in Heaven is far bigger than that. We think back to God’s covenant promise to Abraham in Genesis: ‘He took him outside and said, ‘Look up at the sky and count the stars — if indeed you can count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’   (Genesis 15:5) God will keep this covenant promise. Revelation 7 is a prophecy of what will certainly come to pass. And we will be there.

It is an international family, with Christians united forever from all tribes and nations, dressed in white. That’s why we celebrate having believers in KFC from Scotland, Nigeria, Romania, Moldova, Slovakia, the US, India and even Northern Ireland. This is a wee foretaste of Heaven on earth. Because it is Jesus who binds us all together. In fact, we shall be standing together in the presence of the Lamb. We will know that we don’t deserve it. We will have that sense of wonder, that although we were sinners on earth, lost and blind and dead, God in his loving-kindness dealt with our greatest need, that of forgiveness. We will cry out in unison: ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’   (Revelation 16:10)

At football matches when our team wins, we sins songs of self-congratulation. We have done it! Not so in Heaven. There the songs reverberate with praise to God. He alone saves. He has done it all. He chose us and called us and kept us and has now glorified us! We shall be wearing white robes, speaking of the removal of our guilt and shame and also of the fact that we are now a kingdom of priests forever, through our union with Christ. We’ll wave palm branches, even as the disciples did back in John chapter 12, to mark the coming of God’s King into the world. We too will joyfully acknowledge that Jesus is our King. We will forever give our allegiance to him.

Again, let us ask: who are these Christians in Heaven? This is a crucial question to answer as surely we all want to join this crowd. We do not want to miss out. We are told: ‘Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come? I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’   (Revelation 16:13-14)

Those in Heaven are those who have come through the great tribulation. In other words, the pathway to Heaven is one of suffering. For Jesus, his entry to Heaven followed his suffering. That is the order. Suffering now on earth and then glory forever in Heaven.

Robert Murray McCheyne: ‘No pain, no palm. No cross, no crown; no thorn, no throne; no gall, no glory.’

What a tremendous encouragement to us all as we suffer in the Christian life – without the cross there is no crown. In the hard times, we must focus on our future bliss in Heaven. ‘Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.’   (Colossians 3:2) A swimmer was swimming the channel in the fog and started to struggle. She gave up with just a mile to go. However, the next time she attempted the crossing she could see the shore and she kept on swimming. We can see the shore of Heaven and this propels us forward, to keep on keeping on amidst the trials of the Christian life.

Those in Heaven are those whose filthy, sinful, stained robes have been washed white in Jesus’ blood. Friends, think of the simplicity of salvation. Were we to die tonight and God were to ask us why he should let us into his Heaven the answer is this: we don’t deserve Heaven, not one of us, but we trust not in ourselves and what we have done, but in Jesus and what he has done on the cross, and it is his blood and his blood alone which can wash away our guilt and sin.

What will we be doing in Heaven? We will at last enjoy unbroken fellowship with God. The words are all so beautiful and tantalising; (verse 15) we shall be before God’s throne, serving him with great joy, sheltering in and basking in his presence. It sounds too good to be true. But it is true.

The troubles of this fallen world (verse 16) shall all be gone. Hunger and thirst – gone. Sickness and death – gone. And perhaps most wonderful is this, that he who died for us will care for us forever and ever. The Lamb will be our Shepherd, knowing exactly what we need and able to provide it. We will drink from springs of living water and God will wipe every tear from our eyes. How we ought to yearn for that day. It is coming. No more doubts and no more fears. Just face-to-face fellowship with Jesus, the Lamb who loved me and gave himself for me.

Sermon: Sunday, 20th April, 2025
Speaker: John Johnstone
Scripture: Revelation 5

Easter Sunday

If there is no God and no life after death, it’s impossible for people to find true meaning and purpose in their lives. Life just seems like a cruel game of chance; we are born and then live for a relatively short time, experiencing all kinds of suffering and difficulties and then we die. As humans, we instinctively know there must be more to life than just eating and drinking and trying and often failing to enjoy ourselves. If all there is is the material, life feels so empty and pointless.

History is not going anywhere. We can get away with most of our evil actions as we are not accountable to anyone. There is nothing and no one to live for. Clearly, some people are dissatisfied with this lack of meaning and purpose and are looking for answers. I was pleasantly surprised to read the report from the Bible Society which said that in England and Wales there has been a sharp rise in young people attending church.

‘This dramatic growth is owed largely to younger generations. In 2018, 4% of the 18 to 24-year-olds reported that they attended church monthly, compared with 16% in 2024. For men, this increased from 4% to 21%, and, for women, from 3% to 12%.’

That’s so encouraging. Some are looking for meaning. Some are thinking of life’s big questions: why are we here and what happens when we die?

Last Sunday morning we considered John’s vision of the throne in Heaven in Revelation chapter 4. The image of an occupied throne is one desperately needed today. So many are taught that the here and now is all there is and there’s nothing beyond what we can see. However, God provides the apostle John with an open door, through which he can see that chance, chaos and meaninglessness are not what lies at the centre of the universe. In fact, this world has been made by an almighty and good Creator, who rules from his throne in Heaven. The Lord is in ultimate control, not human dictators or politicians, and history is unfolding according to the purposes of God. Not only is this God transcendent and all-powerful; he is also merciful and forgiving and we can enter into a relationship with him through Jesus Christ.

However, John’s vision does not end with a throne. The vision continues into chapter 5. God has a lot more to tell us. Yes, God created the world and keeps the world going giving us life and breath, but a lot has happened since the creation. During the time of Adam and Eve, sin entered the world through their disobedience to God’s simple command. And through sin, our relationship with the thrice holy God has been broken, as has our relationships with one another. Human beings, made in God’s image are capable of great acts of love and altruism and yet we also commit evil acts on a daily basis. The world is in crisis. There is war and greed and mental and physical health problems and lying and stealing and all kinds of brokenness.

GK Chesterton once entered an essay competition where you had to answer the question: What is the problem with the world? Let me read the whole essay: ‘Dears Sirs, I am. I am what is wrong with the world.’ This is the truth of the matter. Like Chesterton, I am a sinner who needs God’s forgiveness. If you can admit that, you are well on your way to enjoying the true meaning of Easter.

If we are to find meaning and peace in our lives we need more than the image of God on his throne. We need a way for our dirty sins and guilt to be dealt with. We have rebelled against our Creator and have gone our own way like wandering sheep and we need someone who can put this right. We need peace with God. Does God have a plan to deal with the wrongs in my life and yours? Does he have a plan to overcome evil and death and the power of the Devil? The answer is yes! And God unfolds his plans for human history through these pictures in Revelation chapter 5. If we can understand the gist of these pictures we will find thrilling truths about what God has done and will do with this broken world. In the plan of God, after creation and the Fall comes redemption and re-creation.

1. A sealed scroll which no one can open

‘Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals.’   (Revelation 5:1)

What does this mean? What is this scroll sealed with 7 seals? God the Father is on his throne and in his right hand, the hand symbolising authority and power, he holds his plan for human history. It’s unusual for writing to be on both sides of a scroll but this tells us of the detailed nature of God’s plans for all of his creation. I believe this image of the scroll is much-needed today because it reveals to us that life is not meaningless or based on chance, but is actually under the sovereign control of the one living and true God who has a wonderful purpose for his Creation. The 7 wax seals are like God’s own signature. What he has decreed is sure to come to pass.

But there’s a problem. No one can be found who is able to open the scroll. This might seem unimportant to us, but John understands how serious this is (verse 4) as he weeps and weeps. He knows an unopened scroll would mean that God’s plans to bless his people cannot be carried out. There’s no one able to deal with sin and death and Satan. There’s no one who can deal with our problem of guilt. If there’s to be any positive future for the human race, someone must be found who can be the channel through which God’s purposes can be achieved.

Poythress: ‘The destiny of the church and of the universe hangs in the balance over the question of whether someone can open the scroll.’

This is a moment of high drama. John holds his breath. There’s a sense in which the entire universe holds its breath. Even from amongst the great 24 elders, there is no one who can deal with human sin and bring restoration between God and humanity. Will God’s plan of salvation be thwarted? Will they come to nothing, like many of our own human plans which begin with good intentions but then fade away? None from the myriads of angels is able to answer the challenge. It reminds me of Valley of Elah, when Goliath comes to challenge the Israelite soldiers, but all remain silent and the situation seems desperate and hopeless. No one is able to take on and defeat Goliath. Here, no one, it seems, can deal with human sin and its devastation. No one can conquer the giant of sin.

2. The one worthy to open the scroll

John’s weeping soon turns to joy and wonder.

‘Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.’   (Revelation 5:5)

There is hope after all. There is one who can open the scroll. Out of all those in the universe, Jesus and Jesus alone is able to put things right. That’s what we celebrate every Easter and every Lord’s Day. But this ‘worthy one’ is not referred to as Jesus here. He is given three other names. Let’s work through them so we can understand this triumphant worthy figure.

  • Jesus is called the Lion of the tribe of Judah. (verse 5)
This goes all the way back to God’s promise to Jacob in Genesis.

‘You are a lion’s cub, Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness – who dares to rouse him? The sceptre will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his.’   (Genesis 49:9-10)

This is a magnificent prophecy and promise in the very first book of the Bible. From the line of Judah, a king will come to whom all the nations of the world will give their allegiance. He will be a lion, speaking of his strength and power and majesty. This is the Messiah, God’s promised king who will rescue fallen humanity. Jesus is that strong and regal lion. Jesus will destroy our enemies.

  • Jesus is called the Root of David.
This name also stems from the Old Testament; in Isaiah chapter 11, someone is identified to whom the nations will rally and who will be full of the Holy Spirit. As well as being a descendant of David, mysteriously this One must also precede David, because the root of David must come before David himself. This speaks of the fact that Jesus is eternal. He has always existed. He is God. He comes from David’s line in his humanity, but precedes him as God.

This is thrilling. There is a lion-like Saviour who is going to put things right! There is hope for humanity. But then there is a twist. The elder calls John to ‘see’ this lion of Judah. However, when John turns, it is not a lion he sees but a totally different image.

  • Jesus is called the Lamb who was slain.

‘Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the centre of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders.’   (Revelation 5:6)

John is looking for a majestic king but what he sees is a Lamb which has clearly been slaughtered, and yet this Lamb is alive, standing at the centre of the throne, the place of rule.

This is the Easter story. God could not save the human race from its sinfulness and rebellion through weapons and soldiers. Instead, someone worthy would have to become human, and die in their place, paying for the sin which separates humanity from God. Jesus died on Good Friday for our sins. But he did not stay dead. He rose on the third day, ascended into Heaven and right now Jesus remains there on his throne, yes as the conquering Lion but also as the Lamb.

Poythress: ‘This visions sets forth in dramatic form the central paradox and mystery of the Christian faith. God achieved his triumph and delivered his people, not through the fireworks of military might, but through the weakness of crucifixion.’

What is God saying to us through these animal pictures in the Bible? They are not to be taken literally, of course. God is saying that Jesus is both a lion and a lamb. He is indeed a lion who with great power destroys the power of Satan, sin and death. But he is also the Lamb, and this picture speaks of the way in which he destroys Satan and sin and death – he does so by his sacrificial death on the cross. No one forces Jesus to die the awful death of crucifixion. He voluntarily lays down his life for others. This is true strength and true love. Jesus is the lion and the Lamb. He is the King and he is the Saviour. Can you say Jesus is your Saviour and Lord?

3. The Lamb who was slain – a closer look

When the people of Israel were waiting for their Messiah king to come and rescue them, most of them got it wrong. They were hoping for a political rescue from the imposed rule of Rome. But the Messiah would be spiritual Saviour who would rescue us from something far more serious than foreign occupation: our own sin. But if the people had known and understood their Bibles better, then they would have seen how much they needed someone else able to die in their place.

In Isaiah we read a prophecy of what would happen to the Rescuer.

‘He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.’   (Isaiah 53:7)

And even before this prophecy, we need to remember what happened during the Passover. In Exodus chapter 12, the angel of death is killing the firstborn sons of Egypt, but for the sons of Israel, there is one way to be protected. A passover lamb can die instead of them, and if it is sacrificed and its blood was painted over the lintels of their front doors, they would be protected from the angel of death. The angel would ‘pass over’ their homes. In other words, for the sins of Israel to be dealt with, a lamb dies instead of them. This act was a signpost to the future when Jesus, the true Passover Lamb would die for our sins.

‘Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch – as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.’   (1 Corinthians 5:7)

Let me be clear – no one else can deal with your sins and bring you into a right relationship with God. You cannot deal with them on your own. You cannot make up for them. You need God to deal with them. You need to repent by turning away from your sinful life and trust instead in Jesus’ death on the cross. Only by his death can we be saved from our sins. Victory comes through sacrifice. The victorious Lion conquers through sacrificing himself as a Lamb for us.

4. The Lamb who is worshipped

We don’t have time this morning to unpack the marvellous songs given to Jesus in this chapter. But let us see the main thing here – the proper response to Jesus is worship. He is supreme as both Creator and Saviour. True worship always honours Jesus and to worship God you must worship Jesus.

I got a hand-written envelope through the front door yesterday marked ‘Good news’ and got excited for a moment. What could it be? Actually, it was a letter from a Jehovah Witness inviting me to a Bible study. The thing is, Jehovah Witnesses believe Jesus is just a creature to be honoured but not God to be worshipped. But God’s Word reveals the worship he receives in Heaven, not just from the 24 elders, the cherubim (verses 8-10), but from a wider circle of beings, millions of angels (verses 11-12), and finally from the widest circle of creatures possible.

‘Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honour and glory and power, for ever and ever!

Friends, when Jesus comes again, everyone will worship him as the King of Kings – all of creation. But for some it will be too late. What do you worship? Is it money? Is it pleasure? Is it your family? What is the one thing you cannot do without? That is your god. That is what is most important to you. For the Christian, Jesus is most important to us. We worship him because in his love.

‘…with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.’   (Revelation 5:9)

Why does it say ‘purchased’? Because all humans were slaves to their sins and wrong desires. A price was needed to free these slaves, and redeem them. Jesus paid this price with his own blood. How could be not worship him for that? He is the Lamb who was slain, but rose again on the third day. Now he reigns supreme from the control centre of the universe which is in Heaven. he is described in this way:

‘The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.’   (Revelation 5:6)

Horns are an image speaking of power and majesty. Seven is the number of completeness. Jesus has total majesty. The seven eyes are God the Holy Spirit. Jesus is all-seeing and all-knowing. He is God, and so we worship him. Worship the servant-king, the Lion and the Lamb. Worship Jesus, the only true God, full of might and mercy, fierceness and forgiveness.

Sermon: Sunday, 13th April, 2025
Speaker: John Johnstone
Scripture: Revelation 4

Have you ever felt like giving up watching the news or reading the newspapers? It seems like bad news follows bad news. From the wars in Ukraine and Palestine to the trade wars and the economic uncertainty they are bringing. As I was preparing this sermon there were Scottish news items about a gang attacking an off duty police officer. Judge Lord Arthurson said the group acted like a ‘feral mob’, likening the account of the attack to a ‘dystopian genre horror film’. In the Steadfast Global prayer notes I read that in Uganda: A new Christian and mother of six children was murdered by her husband on 23 March after making her first visit to church in Busembatya town. Closer to home, there are situations in our own lives that bring us distress and great pain. In short, quite often we feel the world is just in a mess and it seems things are out of control.

Surely, many think, a God who is both all-powerful and good would not allow the world to continue like this. Is God too weak to sort the mess out or does he just not care? It was exactly the same back in John’s day. Christians were often brutally persecuted under the reign of various Roman emperors. They were marginalised or banished and sometimes even killed. Becoming a Christian usually made your life far more difficult in terms of getting on in everyday society. Where was God in all of this? It is understandable that many of us just want Jesus to come back and put an end to all the evil and suffering. But what are we to do in the meantime? How are Christians able to carry on day after day, without living in fear and without losing faith that God is really in control. If we are truthful, sometimes it really does feel like Trump or Putin or Jinping or Apple or Amazon rules the world. Or maybe it seems like no one is in control, and everything is just chaotic and pointless. What is the answer? What can we say to those who feel like giving up on God? How does God meet us when we are tempted to stop trusting in him?

God provides the antidote to fear and doubt here in Revelation chapter 4. He wants to reassure us that he is the one who is in control, and does this through a marvellous vision, given to John. The word ‘revelation’ or apocalypse means God revealing to us that which is normally hidden. Just because it is normally hidden does not mean that it is not true. There is order and control and authority and meaning in the universe, it’s just that we cannot usually see it with the human eye.

So what does God do for John and for us today? ‘After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven.’   (Revelation 4:1) If we are to know more about who God is and what his purposes are, he must reveal those to us. We cannot work it out just by guessing or even by looking at the world he has made. We can only truly know God if he makes himself known. And that’s what he does here in Revelation 4. God opens a door so that we this morning are able to gaze into the very centre of the created order. Jesus is the voice (verse 1) beckoning John and saying: ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.’

1. An occupied throne

‘…there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.’   (Revelation 4:2) John is able to enter the ‘real world’ and see what is really at the centre of the universe. And the truth is, the world is not in chaos. It does not say that ‘chance’ is on the throne, and that really there’s no meaning to life whatsoever. Nor does it say that mother nature is on the throne. Caesar is certainly not on the throne, even though Rome is the superpower of the day. In fact, there is a person on the throne – the Lord God Almighty. Sure, today Putin and Trump and Jinping have their thrones, and Starmer an even smaller one! But these are but temporary and limited thrones. Revelation even mentions the throne of the evil. Writing to the church in Pergamumm we read; ‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is.’   (Revelation 2:13) But there is only one throne which really counts. There is only one throne which is eternal and all-powerful and that is the throne of God.

The word throne is mentioned 62 times in the New Testament and 47 of them come in Revelation. God wants the picture of him occupying the throne to fill our minds. The word throne is mentioned about 10 times just in this chapter. I love Leon Morris’ comment here:

‘John’s readers were evidently familiar with earthly thrones and they were troubled by all that Caesar’s throne meant. John will not let them forget that there is a throne about every throne.

As the Getty hymn puts it: ‘There is a higher throne than all this world has known, where faithful ones from ev’ry tongue will one day come.’ We might not understand all the imagery in this chapter, but one thing is clear: God is in control and this ought to give us great reassurance. Not only is God in control, but he is all-powerful and wise and merciful and forgiving and holy and majestic. That’s the good news. The one who reigns is a good and glorious and merciful God. And we see all these qualities through the images given to us here.

I love the description in verse 3: ‘…and round the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.’ Why is there a rainbow around God’s throne? The rainbow reminds us of God’s covenant – his commitment to his people. And that commitment is eternal. The rainbow reminds us of God’s mercy and forgiveness of sin. When the entire world deserved to be destroyed, the Lord saved humanity through Noah and the ark, acting in mercy and forgiveness. Wow. The one on the throne is a God of power and might, the Creator and Sustainer of all things, but he is also full of mercy and forgiveness.

Words cannot adequately describe the glory and majesty of God and so God is depicted in terms of dazzling and beautiful light: ‘And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and round the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.’   (Revelation 4:3) This speaks of the transcendent beauty of God.

When you are at an airport, so many things are happening at once, with flights and baggage and delays and cancelled flights and storms. There are times when it might seem like chaos at an airport. But were we taken up into the airport control tower, we would realise that the controller’s commands are being sent out to all of the airport staff and that things are actually in good order.

Vern Poythress: ‘Through this vision we are transported into the control tower of the entire universe. From this vantage point, as we understand the Controller and his plans, things fall into place. And even if they sometimes escape our comprehension, we know the One who does comprehend it all. His plans cannot and will not fail.’

Friends, the next time things happen to us which are really hard we might well be tempted to doubt God’s goodness or His power or love. What is the solution? We must come back to Revelation chapter 4. We must walk through the open door described here and remind ourselves who is really occupying the throne and what He is like.

‘God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.’   (1 John 1:5) God is good and God is holy and God is glorious. Don’t get anxious about those who sit on the small temporary thrones. We don’t give an account of our lives to them, only to God. This passage, if we rub it into our lives, should totally change our perspective on the news. We will continue to hear more and more bad news. But God will work it for good. Don’t be frightened, even if we are persecuted for being Christians. God is not in the least bit fazed by earthly or demonic rulers.

‘The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.’ He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.’   (Psalm 2:2-4)

2. A worshipping crowd

What is the right and only response to this all-powerful, majestic, holy God? In a word: worship. Verse 4 introduces us to 24 smaller thrones surrounding the Lord’s throne. These are thrones of the 24 elders. At first, I thought these must be the thrones of Christians who have died and gone to be with the Lord, and some take this view. However, I think it is more likely that they are angelic beings. Why is that? If you go to Revelation chapter 5, these 24 elders are singing about the church and they say: You have made ‘them’ to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.’   (Revelation 5:10) If the 24 were human, I think they would sing you have made ‘us’ to be a kingdom of priests. I found Poythress helpful here:

The elders are angelic beings and hence not identical with the church. But they and the church are still images of one another.’

Perhaps there are 24 angels standing for the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles. Whoever exactly these 24 beings are, the crucial thing about them is that they fall down before God and worship him, laying their crowns before Him. What does it mean to lay your crown before God? You are acknowledging that He is the rightful Ruler of all things. They are giving God the first place. All other sovereignty must yield to His.

What gives God the right to deserve worship from the angelic hosts of heaven and from all human beings in the earth, including us? Thee answer is given: ‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.’   (Revelation 4:11)

As the Creator of all things, God owns and controls all He has made. It would be foolish for creatures like us to try and push ourselves onto God’s rightful throne, would it not? And yet, that is exactly what many of us are doing. Many people want to be in charge of their own lives and live any way they want. They don’t want to let God be God. They don’t want to worship and obey Him. Instead, they want to go their own way, rebelling against God. Friends, this is a very foolish and treasonous thing to do. It is foolish to reject the true King.

Let me urge you to copy the angels in Heaven. They give God his rightful place. They respond in worship and submission. Christians are those who can say: ‘Lord Jesus, I am not in charge of my life any more. You are.’ We cast our little crowns before the throne. Queen Victoria heard a sermon on Revelation chapter 4 and with tears said to the preacher: ‘…because of what you said about the coming of the world’s rightful King, I wish still to be here when he returns, that I might lay my crown at his blessed feet.’

From verse 6, we are introduced to the 4 living creatures. We’re not used to such unusual creatures. As we have seen often in Revelation, the key to unlock these weird visions is the Old Testament. Very similar creatures are found in Ezekiel chapter 1, and there they are identified as the cherubim. Notice that these 4 creatures are closest to the Lord’s throne and so are likely to be mighty and important angelic beings. They are covered with eyes. It is as if God’s heavenly assistants reflect his own attributes. And so the eyes on these beings speak of the fact that God is able to see everything that happens in the whole of His created order. Nothing is hidden from his sight. No one can conceal anything from God. And the references of the lion and ox and eagle and man speak of God’s power and majesty, swiftness and intelligence. We are told what the 4 creatures say again and again: Day and night they never stop saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.’   (Revelation 4:8)

God is holy, which means he is totally separate from his universe. He is the only uncreated one, who was and is and is to come. He is the only one who has always existed. And he is perfect in every respect. This is a God of absolute power and holiness and majesty and if the angelic beings know how to respond aright in worship, surely we ought to follow their lead. How wonderful that we could begin our service today joining the angels in heaven singing ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty’. This is a God worth worshipping, worth serving and worth devoting our lives too.

Let me just end by saying that in some ways this is one of the most practical passages in the whole Bible. It won’t make you richer financially or top up your sun tan or guarantee your children or grandchildren will be happy. But if you are feeling overwhelmed by the pain and suffering of this world and are struggling to make sense of it all and are doubting God is in control, then come through the door with John and be reminded that He is ruling and reigning on His eternal throne. This is the great reality of the universe. And if you are proud, living for yourself, and ignoring the true King, even though he made you and even though the earth belongs to him, then you also need to come through the door and see that God is at the centre of the universe, not you. Along with all people, the only right response is to worship him through Jesus Christ.