As we read these words, think about what you are looking at as we see a picture of the 24 elders; most likely, each of these 24 men seated on the inner circle of the Throne was formerly imperfect sinners, saved by grace, cleansed each day by the sacrifice of Christ, glorified at the moment of their death, and now in Heaven offering perfected worship.
Did you catch one very profound truth? Each servant of God we will ever find in Heaven was once an imperfect servant of God the entire time they lived on Earth.
Truth # 1: All Believers, in Every Period, Have
Always Been Imperfect, All throughout Their Lives
One of the most amazing truths of God’s Word is that God accepts and uses imperfect people. Twelve imperfect men would be the most straightforward and most accurate description of the Apostles. The most straightforward and accurate description of John, Paul, Peter, Noah, Daniel, Moses, Hannah, and even Mary would be that they each were imperfect servants.
The same could be said for every servant, every saint, every Christian home, and every Christian marriage. The most straightforward and most accurate description of all we do and are is imperfect.
Truth # 2: Imperfect Saints that are Surrendered Can
Offer Worship that God Treasures and Rewards
So what makes what we do acceptable, pleasing to God, lasting, golden like the crowns of Heaven, and eternal? Submission. The verses we have before us this morning portray the submission God delights in.
The elders (formerly imperfect earthly saints) do a visual for us as they worship in Heaven: they humbly fall on their faces, bowing submissively before Christ the King, and as an offering of worship, lay their golden crowns as His feet.
They humbly fall on their faces in Heaven because they had humbly worshipped on Earth. They submissively bow in Heaven because they have submissively bowed on Earth.
They offer golden crowns in Heaven because God declares their worship on Earth was tested as they provided it, and was found to be like gold. Remember what God has already told us in I Corinthians 3:10-13, that all of our good works will go through the fires of refinement to see what is true gold.
As we open to Revelation 4:10, we look again at Heaven’s most well-known aspect of worship. Note first the elders, note what they do, and then note what the Bible says they actually cast at the feet of Jesus:
Rev. 4:10-11, and 4the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:11 “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will, they exist and were created.”
4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones, I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes and with gold crowns on their heads.
(TRU-10; 120506AM)
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