Sermon – Revelation 4:1-11 – Leading the Congregation to God

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – Revelation 4:1-11 – Leading the Congregation to God

Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church

June 29, 2008

This morning we will be ordaining and installing the elders and deacons that you elected a couple of weeks ago. The people in these positions are used by God to lead the church and order our lives. So this morning lets reflect on what the Bible tells us are the duties and responsibilities of being an elder.

Will you pray with me? Lord Jesus after being with us on earth you ascended into heaven leaving behind the church. You established elders as leaders of your church. Speak to our elders, guide them, and through them guide this church in its uncertain future. Help us all to live lives as you have directed us to live. And we pray all of this in your glorious name, amen.

Revelation 4:1-11 After this I looked, and there in heaven a door stood open! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." ² At once I was in the spirit, and there in heaven stood a throne, with one seated on the throne! ³ And the one seated there looks like jasper and carnelian, and around the throne is a rainbow that looks like an emerald. ⁴ Around the throne are twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones are twenty-four elders, dressed in white robes, with golden crowns on their heads. ⁵ Coming from the throne are flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and in front of the throne burn seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God; ⁶ and in front of the throne there is something like a sea of glass, like crystal. Around the throne, and on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: ⁷ the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with a face like a human face, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle. ⁸ And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and inside. Day and night without ceasing they sing, "Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to come." ⁹ And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the one who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰ the twenty-four elders fall before the one who is seated on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing, ¹¹ "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."

The Hebrew word !qez" is a adjective which simple means “old”. Abraham and Sarah were “old”, nearly 100 years old when they had Isaac their son. But sometimes !qez" is used as a noun and in that case we get the phrase, “the old one” or the word “elder”. In ancient times there were elders of cities who served as a sort of mayor, and elders of tribes who gathered in councils to lead nations.

After a famine forced the children of Israel to settle in Egypt they began to organize themselves into families and tribes. The leaders of the tribes were called !qez" elders. When Moses and Aaron approached Pharaoh with God’s command to free the children of Israel from captivity they did not go alone. Rather they were accompanied by the elders of Israel.

As the Israelites wandered in the wilderness they came to a mountain where God spoke to the people with a thunderous voice out of a fire which generated thick smoke and deep darkness. It had been assumed that anyone approaching God, the creator of the universe, would instantly die because the glory of God was too much for any creature to bear. But they were wrong and they heard directly from God. The first role of an elder of the church is to listen for God. Regular daily prayer is essential for elders to place themselves in the presence of God where they can hear God’s voice and know what God wants the church to do. An elder does not represent the congregation on a church board, rather an elder is commissioned by the church to listen for God’s voice and discern what God is telling the church.

When Moses descended the mountain he brought with him two stone tables containing the Law of God. He gave the tablets to the elders. It was the responsibility of the elders to protect the law, see that priests were properly educated, and ensure that the law was regularly proclaimed and obeyed. The second role of an elder of the church is to protect the Word of God. It is essential that Elders study and meditate on the Word of God every day. It is their responsibility to ensure that Word of God is proclaimed and taught to the people of church. And the elders are to enforce God’s law by exercising the power of church discipline when someone in the church ignores God’s law and turns to sin. The authority to enforce God’s laws is given to elders by God who seats them on thrones around his and places gold crowns on their heads.

When the Elders of Israel realized that they were speaking with God they became very afraid. Fear is our natural reaction when in the presence of the overwhelming glory and power of God. God told Moses that this fear was a good thing because it would motivate the elders to obey God’s law. So the third role of an elder of the Church is to obey the Word of God. The command to be holy is not optional. And an elder must not be a fornicator, or an idolater, or someone guilty of adultery, or a thief, or a pickpocket, or a slanderer, or a swindler. Anyone, who is called by God as an elder, must put off their sin, and be clothed by God in their white robe of purity.

The elders of Israel were present at major festivals and had an important role to play in God’s forgiveness of Israel’s sins. Whenever a bull was sacrificed for the sins of the nation the elders placed their hands on the head of the bull symbolizing that the sins of the people were placed on the bull. So the fourth role of an elder is to bring the congregation to God in worship where we confess our sins and ask God for forgiveness. Elders are responsible for serving the bread and the wine that symbolizes the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins.

When Moses was overwhelmed with the duties of being a judge he called seventy of the elders of Israel for assistance. The Holy Spirit came upon the elders so that they were able to assist Moses in his work. So the fifth role of an elder is to receive a portion of the Holy Spirit and with it the power of God to do ministry in the church.

By New Testament times the elders of Israel were not listening to God. They did not fear God and did not obey God’s commandments. They served on a council with the High Priests and the Scribes called the Sanhedrin. They listened for the voice of the Roman Emperor and obeyed Roman laws. When they heard God’s voice from the mouth of God’s only son, Jesus, they did not recognize it, and tried to silence it by condemning Jesus to death on a cross.

But the voice of God can never be silenced. It is contained in God’s Holy Word, proclaimed in preaching, taught in classes, and meditated on in prayer. According to the Book of Acts as new churches were started elders, or in the Greek presbu,teroj were appointed to listen to God in prayer, ensure that God’s word was preached and taught, and that God’s law was obeyed. These elders or presbyters gathered together in a great council in Jerusalem to inquire of God concerning important matters facing the church. And they dedicated their lives to prayer and fasting so that they could lead others to God.

This past week the elders and ministers of the Presbyterian Church (USA) met in its 218^th General Assembly. Grace and I drove up to San Jose to observe the elders and ministers of the church as they prayerfully discerned where God is leading our denomination. Many very important issues were decided and I would like to tell you about what happened in two of those instances.

First, as you know the State of California is now permitting marriages of same sex couples. Thus a man may marry a man and a woman may marry a woman. However, our Book of Order defines marriage as a covenant between a man and a woman. After prayerfully considering what God would have the church do, in light of what California is doing, our Elders and pastors decided that the teachings of the church should remain unchanged. Some believed that God was calling the church to recognize same sex marriages, but a majority of the assembly affirmed that God wants us to only recognize marriages between a man and a woman.

Second, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has had a rule that practicing homosexuals should not be ordained as deacons, elders and pastors. After much prayerful discernment the Assembly decided to remove this rule from our constitution and focus us instead on the vows that deacons, elders and pastors take when they are ordained and installed and which you have in your bulletin today. This change in our constitution is not yet effective. Elders and pastors in presbyteries around the country will be meeting over the next year to discern what God is calling us to do concerning this important issue. Please pray for the elders and pastors of San Gabriel Presbytery as we prayerfully consider what the General Assembly has done and ask God to lead our church in these uncertain and changing times.

This church has engaged in a period of prayer and discernment to determine whom God is calling as our leaders. Now the people chosen by God must undertake a period of prayer and meditation to discern where God is leading this church as we become a growing multicultural church for the Eagle Rock Community. The Elders who will be ordained and installed in few minutes are being called by God through this church to lead us. My advice to the new elders is to center yourselves in prayer. Join us for early morning prayers. Read scripture every day. Remember that the law of God is entrusted to your care. See to it that scripture is proclaimed and taught in this church. And by your example lead the members of this church away from sin to repentance and obedience, always remembering that your authority to lead this church comes from God whom you must honor, love and obey. And to the congregation, shower your new leaders with prayer. Help them as they guide the church. Respect their decisions as they listen to God in prayer and scripture. Follow their lead in living holy lives pleasing to God. And come closer to God through their leadership and through the proclamation of God’s Holy Word.

Father in heaven, we approach you in worship today and ask for blessings on our new elders and deacons. Clothe them in white robes of pure lives. Crown them with the authority to lead the church. And speak to them that they may discern your will and help us to walk in your ways to the glory of your name, amen.