We read Revelation 4:6-8;

6 ‘Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. 8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!”’

In the worship of the 4 living creatures, we see that they praised the 3 spiritual attributes of God. In our worship, do we give praise to the 3 spiritual attributes of God?

1. The 4 living creatures praised God to be holy

They used the word “holy” to give praise to God. God is a holy God. Let us not be mistaken that the holiness of God is the only attribute of God; the entire attribute of God is holy. If the love of God is not holy, His love will be a biased and chaotic one. If His righteousness is not holy, His righteousness will cause the good men to be wrong. If God’s power is not holy, His power will be abused. The more we learn about the holiness of a God, the more we will fear Him and give praise to Him.

Here shows that each of the living creatures has 6 wings but the responses of the wings are not recorded. We turn to Isaiah 6:2-4;

2 ‘Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” 4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.’

The Seraphim is very similar to the 4 living creatures because each of them has 6 wings. They similarly cry out to the Lord saying, “Holy, holy, holy!” However, they use 2 wings to cover their face and 2 wings to cover their feet.

Very often, covering your faces have a negative denotation; people cover their faces outside a courtroom because they’ve committed a crime. However, covering one’s face can also have a positive denotation. For instance, in the past when the officials meet the emperor, they wouldn’t dare to lift up their faces and this is a form of respect to the king. Or when Rebekah met Isaac, she took a veil to cover her face to signify that she respected Isaac.

The Seraphim covered his face to show his respect for God; it’s not because he didn’t dare to face the Lord but he didn’t want to offend the glory of God. Today we see some people afraid to offend others; before them, they wouldn’t dare to lift their faces or speak aloud. However, they’re not afraid to offend the Lord. Before God, they cry out loudly and attack the believers and the church of God as if God didn’t exist or God’s existence didn’t matter; they’re more afraid of men than God. Do we have a reverend heart towards God or have we offended the glory and holiness of God?

Holiness is the most important thing pertaining to glory. Any glory that is lacking holiness is deemed nothing. When we talk about the glory of God, we have to recognise how holy He is. He is so holy that we don’t dare to offend and we don’t dare to not worship Him. In our worship, we ought to cover our faces and not think too highly of ourselves. The Lord Jesus Christ said that when the tax collector prayed to God, he didn’t even dare to lift up his eyes to heaven. He even lowered his head and breathed in his chest, “Lord, have mercy on me for I’m a sinner.” Jesus said that this man returned home justified rather than the self-righteous Pharisee.

The 2 wings used to cover our face signify that the things done before God are nothing; we don’t dare to bring these things out to boast or show off.

We turn to Luke 17:9-10;

9 ‘Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. 10 So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’ ”’

Jesus teaches us that after finishing our work, we ought to say this; not for others to hear but for ourselves. We tell ourselves that all that we’ve done is necessary because it’s our responsibilities. When a man deems that this matter is his duty, he’ll do it willingly and be happy. However, if he deems otherwise, he’ll force himself to do it and he won’t be happy. For example, you agree to sweeping the floor when your mom asks you to because you know you’re a part of the family. On the contrary, if your response was, “Why is it me?” then you deem this job as not yours. This shows that you just want to enjoy the benefits of this family without having to play your part. We’re all a member of the household of God and we thank God He has allowed us to be His children. As we enjoy the graces God has given us, have we ever given a thought to help out in the household of God?

How did Isaiah respond when he saw God who is holy? We refer back to Isaiah 6:5;

‘So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.”’

What was the serious sin that Isaiah thought of causing him to say, “Woe is me for I am undone!” He said that he was a man of unclean lips, which causes us to be puzzled. The sin of the unclean lips to the general mass of people (scolding vulgarities/people) is normal. However, we must remember that we do not belong to the general mass of people and are the children of God. We have to use our mouths to give praise to our holy God. if you on one hand you use praise to give praise to God but on the other hand you use vulgarities on others, will God be pleased with the praises you gave Him? God created the mouths of men so that he is able to speak words of edification to others. You can use your words to edify and comfort, remind and exhort others so they will not sin. However, in times of our anger if we speak words of wrath or use vulgarities, these are the words God will not be pleased with.

This is why the bible tells us that we need to bridle our tongues. No matter how holy a person may be, he will still speak vulgarities especially so when he’s in anger. One who pursues after holiness knows that he has to bridle his tongue. It’s not possible for a person to get rid of his anger right away but he can control his tongue so that he will not speak at that time. Truly, in times of anger or disappointment, it’s best to not speak. It’s best for us to recite the Lord’s Prayer in our hearts. When you recite the Lord’s Prayer phrase by phrase, you’ll realise that the words of God can give you peace. This is the speaker’s personal experience that is useful and hopes will be so for everyone.

We saw the responses of Isaiah and the seraphim towards the holiness of God. Today as we worship, do we show the same responses towards our holy God?

Very often in our worship, we only see the almightiness of God and not His holiness because we need His power to help us solve our difficulties. Hence, our prayers are full of faith and we are earnest to ask God to help us in our problems with His powers. However, in our worship, we do not see the holiness of God which is why we don’t pray and ask God for forgiveness. This is our failure and an important point why our prayers are not heard by God.

We know that when Moses came before the Lord, the Lord requested him to remove his sandals; the place where he stood was holy ground, a place where God dwelt. Therefore, he ought to remove the filthy sandals before he’s able to stand before the Lord. Our God is not only an almighty God but also a holy God. His power is also holy and He will not abuse His power. Therefore, if you are planning to commit a crime and you pray for God to help you commit this crime, it’ll not work because God’s power is holy. When we require God’s power to help us, we know our weaknesses and unholiness; does this mean we should not pray?

Some believers claim, “Since we are unholy and our prayers are not heard, what’s the point of us praying and attending services?” This sounds logical and this assures them that there’s no need for them to go to church. But such mentality and words are from the DEVIL! The devil through the mouths of others will tell you, “You’re unholy and God is holy, there’s no need for you to go before Him.”

Indeed, God is holy and so are His powers. If you’re defiled and do not repent, God will not accept you. But God has given you this grace to go before the Lord to acknowledge your sins and repent. You can ask God to cleanse you of your unholiness. Just like prophet Isaiah, “I’m a man of unclean lips, how can I use my unclean lips to preach the words of holiness and give praise to God?” But he didn’t give up because of this and didn’t give up in giving praise to the Lord. He knew that he had to first ask God to cleanse and forgive him; the angel of the Lord cleansed him.

In our worship, we ought to withhold the God who’s holy, know how unholy we are and see the grace God has given us to repent. Shouldn’t we seize hold of this opportunity to repent and receive this grace?

1. The 4 living creatures praised God who was, who is and is to come.

Here uses 3 types of tenses: the past, present and future. This tells us the self-existing God without a beginning and end. The Chinese version of the Bible translates as, “The everlasting that is to come” while the English one is, “is to come”.

We know that our God is one who was, who is and is to come but do you know that He is a God that is about to come? Which is why the 4 living creatures said, “The God who was, who is and to come.”

If you know that the Lord is coming quickly, would you make preparations? You may say that the time is still early and there’s no need for preparations; this is the lazy mentality of men and they’ll not make preparations until the very last minute. If at the last minute you realise you’re unable to make ample preparations, you’ll regret. Hence, Jesus told us that we need to be watchful when we see disasters, wars, famines and pestilences happening around the world. There’s no need for us to fear these disasters because there are even more terrifying disasters to come.

The Lord Jesus Christ tells us that this is but the beginning of all sorrows. The current pandemic is also a form of disaster. You’ll see that this disaster has created much loss for us in terms of human lives. Do you think that at their very last moment, they regret not knowing the Lord Jesus and be baptised earlier? These people reckon that they have a lot of time and even if they contracted this virus, they won’t die immediately. Of course, there are many who die and there are also many who’ve recovered and return home. Hence these people will still not be worried for their souls. Such things happen around us and should serve as a form of warning to us. Our Lord indeed is coming very quickly and the time left for us is not much.

We do not know when is the time for us to leave and hence we have to quickly make preparations. Those who’ve not believed in the Lord have to resolve in the Lord and receive baptism. Those who’ve not received the Holy Spirit have to resolve to pray for the Holy Spirit. Let us no longer indulge in ourselves but be reverend towards God because the Lord is coming very quickly. The Holy Spirit tells us that this is true and the truth also testifies that this is the truth. How then can we treat this matter as something that is false? If you treat this as the truth, why are you not serious in your faith? Why do you not repent and cleanse yourself? We’ve committed a lot of wrongs but there’s no way for us to return back; we can only ask God to have mercy on us and forgive us.

From henceforth, are we able to avoid sinning? That depends on how resolved you are, it depends on how you ask the Lord to preserve you.

1. The 4 living creatures praised God as the Lord God Almighty

God used His power to create and uphold all things. This is why we’re still able to see all things functioning normally. Men are intelligent and also have our “great creations”. However, such creations may go out of control. For instance, the invention of the car is a great invention but cars can break down. The computer is also a great invention but they sometimes malfunction as well. Our connections may be disconnected on our online services anytime.

Men have the ability to create but don’t have full control of it. There are some creations that, when not in control, bring destruction to mankind instead of edification. The creation of God has never been out of control; all things happening on heaven and earth are functioning according to the commands of God. Imagine if the earth didn’t turn as usual; what will happen? This only manifests the mightiness of God.

God’s might has created all things and His authority controls all things. However, when men witness the different disasters that happen on earth, they claim that God is unable to control the things which is why there’s so many disasters in the world. The fact is: God is not out of control, it’s men who’re out of control. Men act on their wills according to their greed, desires and selfishness. They’ve destroyed the entire ecosystem resulting in disasters. Yet, men push this blame to God.

God is the almighty one; let us not look at the disasters of the world and think that God is unable to control all things. Let us not only focus on the evil powers of the devil. God has fixed a time for judgement not only to judge the devil but to judge the sinners. This is why the Bible tells us that while there is flood on earth, God sits on His throne in heaven. This tells us that all things are in God’s control. In our worship, we have to see the almightiness of God. Only then will we be able to give praise to His almighty. As we give praise to Him, we very naturally will also rely on the Lord. We will naturally entrust our lives, blessings and woes on God.

We also see that the 4 living creatures had eyes all over their bodies. Hence, their visions are not limited or constrained by time or space. Meaning, His body within and without are full of eyes. Whether it is in the north, south, east, west, in front or behind, He is able to see all things clearly.

Some are able to see but are unable to see clearly. Those who can see clearly are not necessarily able to see through. For example, those who followed Jesus were able to see Jesus but many were unable to see clearly who Jesus was. Hence, Jesus asked these people, “Who do you say I am?”

Peter replied, “You’re the price, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus said, “Blessed are you!”

The words of Jesus tell us that he who is able to see Jesus as the price and Son of the living God is one who is blessed. However, many only deem Jesus as the great physician. When his illnesses are not cured by Jesus, he departs from Jesus in disappointment. Some see Jesus as a financial aid; when he’s poor in wealth, he departs from Him disappointedly. If you’re able to see that Jesus is the price to forgive us our sins to enter eternal life, you’ll never depart from the Lord. You’ll speak the same words as Peter, “Lord, You have the word of eternal life, who do You want us to go to?”

Peter can be said to have seen very clearly who Jesus is. He was determined to not depart from the Lord Jesus even unto death. However, when Jesus was captured, Peter denied Jesus thrice. Didn’t he see clearly who Jesus was? Didn’t Jesus say that he is a man who is blessed? Didn’t he resolve to not leave Jesus even unto death? Why is it that when Jesus was taken captive, he denied Jesus? He saw Jesus clearly but didn’t see through the death of Jesus. Hence, when Peter saw that Jesus was taken captive and killed, he thought that everything had come to an end. He hasn’t seen through the death of Jesus.

The death of Jesus is a death that overcame death. The death of Jesus is one that is able to be resurrected; it is to complete the salvation plan and bring us into salvation. If a Christian is able to see through the death of Jesus, we can be like Christ who’s able to be victorious over death. We are no longer fearful of the death caused by the persecution of the devil. We’re no longer fearful of the deaths caused by diseases.

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians that a spiritual man is able to see through all things. We pray that the Lord Jesus Christ will grant us spiritual eyesight to see through all things; so that we may face all sufferings boldly and truly entrust our lives and all things onto the hands of the Lord.