We Fall Down

Sunday, we sang this Chris Tomlin song during worship.
(You will need to pause my music playing before playing this video)

In the midst of singing the first verse, I was struck with a powerful realization of the words in which I was declaring.

We fall down
We lay our crowns
At the feet of Jesus
The greatness of
Your Mercy and love
At the feet of Jesus
And we cry holy, holy, holy
And we cry holy, holy, holy
And we cry holy, holy, holy
Is the lamb

The 4th chapter in Revelation speaks of “four living creatures” and how “day and night they do not cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.’” Revelation 4:8. Continuing on in verse 10... “twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne.”

John’s view into heaven was a peak into “what must take place after these things” Rev. 4:1. So if we are singing this song, as a good amount of us do—either along with our CD player or in church on Sunday—how does this relate to us today?

Here are some questions that I immediately began asking myself during the singing of this song...

~Do I fall down? Do I worship in such a humbling, God fearing, reverential way as to literally, as well as figuratively, fall down before God in awe and in worship?

~What is my earthly crown? What crown could/should I lay down at the feet of Jesus? How about my rights to rule over myself—do my own thing, live my life as I want? A crown is a treasure—how about my own treasures? How about the way in which I spend my time, money and resources? Would I, do I, lay those down willingly at the feet of my Jesus?

~And then the biggie!!! Do I just pay God “lip service” with my cries of “holy, holy, holy”? I sing those words. I say that God is Holy. But does my life cry out—“OH MY GOD! YOU ARE HOLY AND, AS CHRIST LIVES WITHIN ME, I WILL LIVE MY LIFE IN HOLINESS!!!”

I’ve been spending a lot of time lately visiting my friend Paul in his letter to the church in Ephesus. Chapter one is all about being secure and seated with Jesus.

“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.” Ephesians 1:13

I am sealed in Christ. If Christ is Holy, then how can I—being sealed with Him—live in an unholy manner? The only way in which I can is by grieving the Holy Spirit who is within me when I consciously make a choice that is not in keeping with God’s standard of holiness.

“And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.” Romans 8:10

Because of God’s righteousness—His holiness!

So back to my questions to myself...

~Does my life cry “holy, holy, holy” to my God? Do I fall short—absolutely, “for there is no man who does not sin” 2 Chron. 6:36. That is not the issue here. The issue today—the deeper question—is do I flee from sin, temptation, and the luring of the things of this world? Do I willingly allow compromise? Am I allowing myself to be “dumbed down”? Do I sing the words, but the reality of my life is that I am not living much differently than the rest of the world?

Does my life look distinctly different because of God’s standard of holiness being lived out within me? That would be a true falling down, laying down and crying out to God in response to His sacredness.

“Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed and were created.” Revelation 4:11