The document discusses how heaven's worship of God should influence earthly worship in the church. It notes five key points: 1) Heavenly worship acknowledges the centrality of God; 2) It exalts the authority of God by being thoroughly biblical; 3) Heavenly worship emits intense passion and emotion for God. The document encourages applying these principles to improve how much worship services focus on God alone and are driven by Scripture rather than preferences.

1. Heaven Help Our Worship
Heavenʼs Effects on Earthly Worship
Selected Scriptures
INTRODUCTION
One of the most impactful sermons for me as we attended
the Shepherdsʼ Conference this past week was Dr.
MacArthurʼs message on Jesusʼ attacking the temple in
Mark 11:12.
- we have typically called Jesusʼ running the money
changers out of the temple his “cleansing” the
temple, but Dr. MacArthur was clear in
demonstrating that “attacking” was in fact what
Jesus did
- Jesus was describing Godʼs coming judgment on
the temple by his actions of turning over the tables
of the money changers.
Why? - because the temple was the central place of
Godʼs public praise among His people.
- but Godʼs people had made that place nothing
more than a den of thieves. Godʼs worship was
devalued and made common - even sinful.
People gave little attention to God and more
attention to their own personal gain.
Jesus never attacked any place but the temple.
And
In fact, Jesus attacked the temple twice in his public
ministry - at the beginning and at the end.
Jesus

2. - indicating that the whole of his ministry focused
upon how God was treated - how men worshiped
and did not worship him.
The measure of any society is found in its worship.
In our present day, the church is the central place for the
public praise of God - we are the temple of God. This
gathering (not necessarily the building) - but this
gathering of people is the house of God.
- If we call this Godʼs house, it better be His house,
and not ours.
If we want to fool around with innovation, creativity, and
popularity we must not do it with our stewardship of the
Lordʼs temple.
The worship of God is most important to God and should
also be to us as well.
This is clear throughout the Scriptures.
Worship is the purpose of your salvation
1Pet 2:9 (NASB) But you are a chosen race, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, a people for [God's] own
possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies
of Him who has called you out of darkness into His
marvelous light;
Worship reveals the reality of your salvation
Phil 3:3 (NASB) for we are the [true] circumcision,
who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ
Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh,
Worship demonstrates the depth of your salvation

3. Roma 12:1 (NASB) I urge you therefore, brethren, by
the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living
and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, [which is] your
spiritual service of worship.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you
may prove what the will of God is, that which is good
and acceptable and perfect.
Worshipers are who God seeks – Becoming a Christian is
becoming a worshiper of God
John 4:21-24 LOOK AND READ
But what is worship?
! The word worship is a contraction of an old
expression in the English language, woerth-scipe,
denoting the ascription of reverence to someone or
something of superlative worth.
When we talk worship as Christians – we are talking
about how we value God – how we esteem Him – how we
treasure, savor, love, enjoy God
There is so much we could say about the subject of
worship
- and there is much we will say about worship
There are many different angles and avenues I could take
in addressing the subject of worship
- I want to concentrate on aspect of the
multifaceted and glimmering radiance of the
subject of worship
o PUBLIC WORSHIP – what we do when we
gather as a group on the Lordʼs Day

4. So – if worship – in general is valuing God – finding
ultimate worth in God
Our public worship – is how we publicly and openly
demonstrate – show – how much we value God
If an unbeliever were to walk into our service tonight
- listen to our songs – follow all the words
- hear us pray
- hear us preach
If that unbeliever was to look at us –
- see us sing – see us praying and see us
preaching or listening
What would they leave thinking about God?
Maybe they would have had a good time – were
warmly received – made to feel welcome – enjoyed
the sermon – thought the singing was fun
" But – what would they go away thinking about God
" OR – would our worship even cause them to think
about God?
Would a visitor leave knowing more about God –
humbled by what God is like – joyful because of
what God has done – stunned by the nature,
character, acts and immensity of God?
What would they leave thinking about what we think about
God?
I am not convinced that these are the kinds of questions
that come into our minds
" - when we are looking for a church
" - when we come to church

5. " - when we who are in leadership plan worship
services
Why do I say this? - just to be critical?
- no – that is not my aim
- I say this because the contemporary worship
wars force me to believe that often there is very
little thought about God in the planning of,
participating in and evaluation of worship service
You know what Iʼm talking about when I speak of
the worship wars
- primarily over the issues of music and use of
instruments in church services
- some think the hymnals are just as valuable as
Bible and that all projection screens are satanic
- some seem to think that Jesus only approves of
classical music and worship is deeper when it is
orchestral
- some assume that anything that was written in
the 18th centuries should remain there.
- some think that all hymns are worthless and
songs not placed on a screen but sung from a
hymnal guarantees worship to be dry and
pointless
- some get violently upset if anything other than a
piano and organ are used in the service
- some get arrogantly annoyed if a piano and
organ are used in the service
There is a major battle going on based upon music
styles – traditional, contemporary, blended, etc.

6. Some bash the modern day religious music and argue
for the religious music they enjoyed singing when they
were younger, forgetting that there was controversy
surrounding the tunes and beat of those songs by their
own grandparents
I am convinced that very few people think about God
when planning or participating in worship services
based upon the discussions Iʼve had with visitors as to
why they do or do not come to church
• very consumer driven – and style conscious
• - very focused – I will only go somewhere where
the music sounds the way I want it to sound
• Something canʼt be worshipful if it isnʼt what I like
to hear
So – we plan services and participate in services
- based on what the crowd will think
I wonder –
" - would we be comfortable doing our worship
service in heaven?
I mean – the heaven described in the book of Revelation
4&5
" - we have spent many weeks looking at these two
chapters
- thinking a great deal about the subject of
worship that surrounds the throne of God
" "
- after what we have seen of how the angels and
all creation worship God from these chapters
o would we feel comfortable taking our
service and conducting it within the throne
room of God?

7. If we were to have our Sunday service in heaven – before
the throne
- what would be the same or different about our
worship?
That is why I entitled these messages
- Heaven Help Our Worship
o Because we have seen much about the
worship of God in Heaven
o How should heaven affect our own
worship?
- Could heaven give us any help in how we should
plan and participate in public worship?
Letʼs ask the question another way:
- If you were to walk away from the worship scene
in Revelation 4 & 5
o – what would you think about God?
o – what would you think the people in
heaven think about God?
How much is God worth – from examining the
worship of Revelation 4 & 5 in Heaven.
Beginning today and running for 2 more messages
- I want us to think about our public worship – the
way we publicly and openly say what we believe
about God and publicly and openly show how
much we value God
We will first examine how heaven should affect our
worship – from Rev 4 & 5
Next time
- we will examine some of the Scriptural issues
about worship

8. Our final message – will discuss practical issues
-
o Music – what songs should we sing – how
should we sing them; what instruments
does God approve; are hymnals sacred
and screens satanic?
o Where does preaching fit with the subject
of worship
o What about prayer, evangelism, the order
of the service, etc
But first – what about heaven? – How should it affect our
worship
- can the scenes of heaven help us in our own
public worship?
We pray the Lordʼs prayer –
" Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven
" Do we conduct our services that way – thy worship
be done on earth as it is in heaven?
How can Heaven Help our Worship?
I want to suggest 5 thoughts to consider about the
worship of heaven and how it should make us think about
our own worship
I. HEAVEN ACKNOWLEDGES THE
CENTRALITY OF GOD – worship should be
singularly directional
Recall where the throne is
Good illustration:
79-80 – One of the saddest experiences of my childhood happened
on my tenth birthday. Invitations to the celebration were mailed
days in advance to eight friends. It was going to be my best

9. birthday ever. They all came to my house right after school. We
played football and basketball outside until dark. My dad grilled hot
dogs and hamburgers while my mother put the finishing touches on
the birthday cake. After we had eaten all the icing and ice cream
and most of the cake, it was time for the presents. Honestly, I canʼt
recall even one of the gifts today, but I do remember the great time I
was having with the guys who gave them to me. Since I had no
brothers, the best part of the whole event was just being with the
other boys.
! The climax of this grand celebration was a gift from me to
them. Nothing was too good for my friends. Cost was immaterial.
I was going to pay their way to the most exciting event in town – the
high school basketball game. I can still see us spilling out of my
parentsʼ station wagon with laughter on that cool evening and
running up to the gymnasium. Standing at the window, paying for
nine 25-cent tickets and surrounded by my friends – it was one of
those simple but golden moments in life. The picture in my mind
was the perfect ending to a ten-year-old boyʼs perfect birthday.
Four friends on one side and four friends on the other, I would sit in
the middle while we munched popcorn, punched each other, and
cheered our high school heroes. As we went inside, I remember
feeling happier than Jimmy Stewart in the closing scene of Itʼs a
Wonderful Life.
! Then the golden moment was shattered. Once in the gym,
all my friends scattered and I never saw them again the rest of the
night. There was no thanks for the fun, the food, or the tickets. Not
even a “Happy Birthday, but Iʼm going to sit with someone else.”
Without a word of gratitude or goodbye, they all left without looking
back. So I spent the rest of my tenth birthday in the bleachers by
myself, growing old alone. As I recall, it was a miserable ballgame.
! I tell that story, not to gain sympathy for a painful childhood
memory, but because it reminds me of the way we often treat God
in worship. Though we come to an event where He is the Guest of
Honor, it is possible to give Him a routine gift, sing a few customary
songs to Him, and then totally neglect Him while we focus on others
and enjoy the performance of those in front of us. Like my ten-
year-old friends, we may leave without any twinge of conscience,
without any awareness of our insensitivity, convinced we have
fulfilled an obligation well.
How central is God in our worship?
How vertical is our worship – how horizontal is our
worship

10. What is the Bible about? – God
How much is God the focus – the aim – the end – the
sum total of our experience of worship
- did you walk in here to focus all of your heart and
mind – with all your might upon God and His Son
Christ, in the power of the indwelling Spirit?
Worship is about concentrating on and connecting with
God
"
Worship should be more of a God-centered concentration
that a man-pleasing concert
" Yes – there is etiquette when you attend a concert
- but this is not a concert
- we are not here to say how much we value the
performance or the performers
We are here to say how much we value the person of
God Himself
Worship is not a concert to be played nor a consumer
product to be used
- Worship is a person to be adored and esteemed
and loved and treasured and valued in a public
and vocal manner
True Worship does not centralize its celebration upon
• A holiday, a home, our nation, world wars our
leaders, good times, warm feelings, traditional
values – religious ideals – family values
True Worship is singular in its direction
- it is focused upon God

11. What else – what more – dominates the scene in
Revelation 4 & 5 than God
II. HEAVEN EXALTS THE AUTHORITY OF
GOD – worship should be thoroughly biblical
We would be here a long time if we began to examine
all of the biblical expressions of worship we see driving
what was said and done in Heaven around the throne
of God
The Bibleʼs truth – theological truth – was prominent in
the worship of the angels – the 24 elders and all of
creation
Did you sense the authority of God in the reading of
Revelation 4 & 5
- this was not – do your own thing time
- this was not – be flippant about truth time
They were very careful about what they said about God
John 4:24
NAU John 4:24 "God is spirit, and those who worship Him
must worship in spirit and truth."
This is a virtual non-issue in much of what goes on in
the modern music scene especially
- Just a question – how much of what has gone on
here today been driven by what Godʼs word
says?
- from the prayers the preaching, the songs, the
fellowship – every element – could you give
Scriptural warrant for what and why you have
done all you have today?

12. Heavenly worship is thoroughly founded upon and
focused upon truth – is ours?
III. HEAVEN EMITS THE INTENSITY OF GOD
– worship should be passionately emotional
Do you find intensity in the worship of Heaven in Rev
4& 5?
" V 8 4 living creatures begin – day and night
" Vv 9-10 – 24 voices follow them
Watch it build in intensity in Rev 5
" V 8-10 – 28 voices raise their praise
" Vv 11-12 – add to it many angels – more than
is imaginable
" V 13 – then add everything in creation
There is profound intensity in their worship – it is a
loud, emotion-filled display of the worth of God
Our worship should be intense:
How intense?
"
NAU Psalm 42:1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my
soul pants for You, O God.
NAU Psalm 63:1 O God, You are my God; I shall seek You
earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a
dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 Thus I have seen
You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. 3
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will
praise You.
NAU Psalm 103:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is
within me, bless His holy name.

13. Piper-
Now let's be specific. What are these feelings that make the
outward acts of worship authentic? What are the feelings toward
God that turn learned forms into genuine worship? For a sampling
of the extraordinary rich emotional responses in worship, we do
best to look into the world's richest book of worship, the book of
Psalms.
Some of the highest worship begins with the feeling of brokenness
and contrition and grief for sin. "The sacrifice acceptable to God
isa broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not
despise" (Psalm 51:17). I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my
sin"(Psalm 38:18).
Mingled with the feeling of genuine contrition is the feeling of
longing or desire. "As a hart longs for the flowing streams, so
longs my soul for thee, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living
God" (Ps. 42:1,2). Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is
nothing on earth that I desire besides thee. My flesh and my heart
may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever
(Psalm 73:25, 26).
Also mingled with our sense of sin and our longing for his mercy is
the feeling of fear and awe before the holiness and magnitude of
God. "I will worship toward thy holy temple in the fear of
thee" (Psalm 5:7). "Let all the earth fear the Lord, let all the
inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him" (Psalm 33:8).
And as he approaches, forgiving all our iniquity, crowning us with
honor, satisfying us with good (Ps. 103:3-5), our hearts well up with
the feeling of gratitude. "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his
courts with praise! Give thanks to him, and bless his name!" (Ps.
100:4).
And mingled with our gratitude are the feelings of joy and hope.
"Be glad in the Lord and rejoice and shout for joy all you upright in
heart" (Ps. 32:11). "Why are you downcast, O my soul, and why are
you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help and my God" (Ps. 42:5).
These are examples of some of the feelings that come from God
and move us to God in genuine worship: contrition, sorrow, longing,
desire, fear, awe, gratitude, joy, hope. When these feelings are
quickened, the heart is no longer far from God. Worship is no
longer lip-service. It is genuine and authentic.
How intense is our worship – do we even allow for the
expression of any emotion – or must we remain stoic?

14. I dare say – if you show your value of your spouse or
your children without emotion or intensity
" - they will not believe you
" - and you will frustrate and hurt them
" I am not talking about emotionalism - but a focused
and intense passion
IV. HEAVEN PRODUCES THE SEVERITY OF
GOD – worship should be convincingly fearful
Recall the peals of thunder, etc
Psalm 97
Psalm 67:7 (ESV)
" 7" God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear
him!
After hearing the message – after singing the songs –
is there a sense of holy awe, reverence and even a
degree of fear
" - or have we been so slap happy and bouncy
and playful – that we would never know or value the
justice of God
Not to say that Godʼs severity is to dominate – but do
we even contemplate the reality of it
Romans 11:22; Hebrews 10:26-31
Romans 11:22 (ESV)
22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward
those who have fallen, but Godʼs kindness to you, provided you
continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.
Do you value God so much – that you value sin less

15. Do you see His severity and seriousness so much
" - that you hate sin more
" - long for sinners to be saved all the more
" - long for the coming of God in all His glory
more?
V. HEAVEN DISPLAYS THE MAJESTY OF
GOD – worship should be stunningly regal
Just look at the colors and the amazing display of God
(4:3)
Look at what is said of Him – 4:8, 11; 5:9-10; 12; 13
Psalm 96
He is a king – sovereign – majestic – regal – royal –
God
VI. HEAVEN DESCRIBES THE
TRANSCENDENCE OF GOD – worship should be
uniquely dissimilar
Who or what in heaven was like God –
There was an exaltedness – a separateness of God from
everything else in Heaven
He is not like us – not in any way shape or form
He is different – separate –
I donʼt think these ideas should drive us from God
" - but to Him
We need to spend less of our time and effort in our
services trying to make God common – and show Him to
be very uncommon

16. I donʼt think we are in any danger in the American Church
of over emphasizing Godʼs otherness – Godʼs
separateness from us
After reading Revelation 4&5 – I have a hard time
picturing God being please with pep-rally style worship
gatherings
- I didnʼt hear the 24 elders or the 4 living
creatures running around heaven chanting –
“God is rad – Heʼs my dad”
- Or as one preacher said – he went to heaven
and had a nice playful time with Jesus in the sea
of glass before the throne – where he and Jesus
splashed water on each other and Jesus
eventually dunked him
That is very different than the Apostle Johnʼs
experience in Rev 1 with the exalted Christ
VII. HEAVEN REHEARSES THE REDEMPTION
OF GOD
Worship should be obviously cross-centered.
Worship should rehearse, remind of and revel in the work
of Christ in Salvation
That is exactly why all creation and all heaven erupts in
such exuberant praise
- because the only one worthy to take the scroll –
that had in it the rest of the book of Revelation –
that reveals How God will bring final redemption
and ultimate glory to the earth
o was the lamb slain – slaughtered – yet
living
§ the crucified and resurrected Christ –

17. It is a celebration of forgiveness from sin and Godʼs
ultimate triumph over sin because of Christ
It is facinating to see some who are retreating from
dwelling on the work of Christ as central to our worship.
We almost make it ancillary in our thoughts.
In fact, one Baptist pastor authored a popular book not
long ago called, 90 Minutes in Heaven
• where he said he clinically died in a car accident and
was transported to heaven.
One of the paragraphs I found most fascinating in the
book is where the author indicates that there is a lot of
music going on in heaven - but none of it will be about the
cross
He states:
As I stood before the gate, I didnʼt think of it, but later I
realized that I didnʼt hear such songs as “The Old Rugged
Cross” or “The Nail Scarred Hand.” None of the hymns
that filled the air were about Jesusʼ sacrifice or death.
I heard no sad songs and instinctively knew that there are
no sad songs in heaven. Why would there be? All were
praises about Christʼs reign as King of Kings and our
joyful worship for all he has done for us and how
wonderful he is.
Obviously - the vision that this author had is very different
- opposite to the vision that John the Apostle had.
- for the author of the book - the cross is a sad, past
act that find no place in the throne-room of heaven
- for the author of the book of Revelation, the cross,
the slaughtered lamb - and what that slaughter
represents causes the entire universe to erupt in

18. continual praise - the cross, redemption, the cost,
the victory gained by it are continually rehearsed
in heaven.
CONCLUSION
But here is the problem – we are not in heaven
- it is one thing to look at heaven and see why they
are so focused
- maybe if He showed us Himself like He showed
Himself to John – if His glory were physically
manifested now – we might respond differently
We canʼt re-create the throne-room scene in its details -
thatʼs not what Scripture asks us to do.
But there are some elements of the worship of heaven
that should be affecting our worship on earth.
And let me go one step forward - the very elements that
should be true of our corporate worship, must first be true
of our personal lives if we want to see heaven help our
public praise.
Does you life acknowledge the centrality of God because
it is singularly directed?
Do your life decisions exalt the authority of God because
those decisions are thoroughly biblical?
Does your lifestyle emit the intensity of God, because you
respond with passionate God-driven emotions?
Is your attitude about life sobered by the severity of God,
because you are full of a profound awe-struck fear of
Godʼs greatness?

19. Do you carry yourself on a regular basis in such a way
that you are affected by the majesty of God, impacted by
the stunning regality of who God is?
Do you live in a way that comprehends the transcendence
of God - so you base your living in a very unique and
dissimilar way than the norms of the world?
Could someone examine your life, your speech, your
decisions, your character, your love, your emotions, your
anxieties, your confidence and see that you are steeped
in rehearsing Godʼs redemption through Christ?
If heaven is to affect our worship, it must first impact our
life.
Next week we will take a closer look at what the Bible
itself says about the subject of worship to give us deeper
categories from which to see our life and our gatherings.