God's Glory

This past Sunday, the pastor preached from Revelation 4 about God's glory. He said heaven is glory...glory to God. I found this very interesting as I am not sure I understood what glory to God was all about before now. I just thought of glory as something you give God...by worshipping. I realize now that God already has all the glory. We just need to acknowledge that when we worship.

Here are my notes from the sermon:

Finally home - heaven

-Heaven = glory
-chapter 4 is the first chapter of John's glimpse of heaven.
-Revelation is not just a picture of the future-but what is happening now.
-Parts are literal, some figurative, some symbolic , ultimately though at the end of the day Christ wins
-rainbow -like after the flood, symbolizes God's mercy and grace
-sin = making something else more important than God's glory
-2 Corinthians 4:6 - God allows some to see His glory and not others
-floor - barrier between heaven and earth and reflects God's glory
-whatever you do, everything, do all to the glory of God
-in heaven you will give all your glory to God not to what you have done. Our crowns will be given to God, all their glory laid down before God
-glory and worship - do not confuse worshipping God with God's glory. We worship His glory, but His glory is there whether we worship it or not.  We need to ensure we are thinking about God's glory not ours daily.

Revelation 4
1 After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! 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 behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.  3 And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.  4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads.  5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God,  6 and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And around the throne, 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 the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight.  8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"   9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever,  10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,  11 "Worthy are you, 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."   

Father, I love you because you first loved me. I acknowledge your glory. Please help me to acknowledge your glory in everything I do right today as I can do nothing right without you. In Christ's name I pray. Amen