Praise That Opens Heaven

If our thinking is not stretched beyond this world then praise will become something of a chore
Because all we will see are things which have been seen before. The Lord calls us to stretch our vision into heaven; into the place where he dwells and his glory fills the atmosphere. Many things are yet to be revealed, because there is no end to the majesty of our God.

We know that the Angels were created before the earth because in the book of Job it says they looked in on the day of creation with wonder and rejoiced. So that tells me that the Angels have been around more than 6000 years.

In Revelation 4 it describes the actions of the 24 Elders and 4 living creatures around the throne. Whenever the four creatures give glory & honour and thanks to Him who sits on the throne; The 24 Elders see something new and fresh in God and fall down afresh and cast off their crowns before him.

So for more than 6000 years this has been going on in heaven; much longer I would suspect
And because God is so big and so unfathomable this will go on forever; there will always be something new to see in God; something amazing, something beyond our current understanding.

Many sermons focus on the "Now", teaching us how to be successful in this life; but seldom draw our attention to the place of His throne. So the Church is loosing its ability to inspire praise.
The world is not interested because there is no reflection of an eternal realm. The truth is that the role of the Church is really to usher the saints into a heavenly view; but in recent times we have become stuck in earth bound theology, and programs that fill our earthly senses.

A heart that has been confronted by the glory of heaven, seen the riches of his grace and heard the voice of Angels in abandoned worship; Itself has to break forth in rapturous worship.
Because like the 24 Elders we become undone when we see Him.

Therese of Lisieux said: Worship for me is simply a raising of the heart, a simple glance toward heaven, an expression of love and gratitude in times of trial as well as in times of joy; it is a supernatural expanding of my soul and an awakening of my Spirit.

So in lifting our eyes to the realities of heaven and of His throne, our worship is not food for God but it is food for us; our spirit is enlightened and enlarged; like the 24 Elders we are undone in his gaze.

Heaven is our true home and the King of heaven is our true reward; so it stands to reason that if we only see things done on earth from an earthly perspective our praise will have an earthly sound. But Jesus said "As it is in Heaven; So shall it be on earth." So as we see Him in all His glory our praise will take on a heavenly sound.

This is the sound of a supernatural Church; as the Holy Spirit draws us again to the upper room to the place where our attention is drawn to the realm of glory by signs and the sounds of saints who see heaven; Church again fulfils her role of leading men to the gate of Eden, to the portals of glory so they too can catch a glimpse of his majesty and also become undone.

So the Lords heart is that you stretch your thinking beyond the earth and into His Glory.

Col 3:1-2 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of Heaven, where Christ sits at Gods right hand in the place of honour and power. Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only of things down here on earth.

The blessed life is his gift, We cannot earn it, we cannot climb up to it, we cannot win it, we can do nothing but ask for it and receive it by faith. It is the gift of God in Christ Jesus. and where a thing is a gift, the only course left for the receiver is to take it and thank the giver.
Hannah Whitall Smith

To see heaven is not to strive but to rest in his gift, Just as Adam saw the gateway into Eden blocked by his action. So by the action of Jesus the gateway is again open for us.

Take some time to stop and to rest in His works; as you do you will see Him and fall face down like the 24 Elders have been doing for thousands of years.

IAN JOHNSON
ianjohn@xtra.co.nz
www.hisamazinggloryministries.org