All Saints Day<\/p>\n
November 5, 2023<\/p>\n
Revelation 7:9-17<\/p>\n
The Time In Between\u2014<\/p>\n
A Time to Focus on Future Glory!<\/p>\n
9After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10And they cried out in a loud voice:<\/p>\n
\u201cSalvation belongs to our God,
\nwho sits on the throne,
\nand to the Lamb.\u201d<\/p>\n
11All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12saying:<\/p>\n
\u201cAmen!
\nPraise and glory
\nand wisdom and thanks and honor
\nand power and strength
\nbe to our God for ever and ever.
\nAmen!\u201d<\/p>\n
13Then one of the elders asked me, \u201cThese in white robes\u2014who are they, and where did they come from?\u201d<\/p>\n
14I answered, \u201cSir, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n
And he said, \u201cThese are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15Therefore,<\/p>\n
\u201cthey are before the throne of God
\nand serve him day and night in his temple;
\nand he who sits on the throne
\nwill spread his tent over them.
\n16\u2018Never again will they hunger;
\nnever again will they thirst.
\nThe sun will not beat upon them,\u2019
\nnor any scorching heat.
\n17For the Lamb at the center of the throne
\nwill be their shepherd;
\n\u2018he will lead them to springs of living water.\u2019
\n\u2018And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.\u2019\u201d (NIV1984)<\/p>\n
Dear fellow Saints of God,<\/p>\n
I miss them. I miss seeing their face. I miss hearing their voice. I miss eating with them. I miss working with them. I miss laughing with them. I miss crying with them. I miss sitting in a boat with them. I miss sitting around a bonfire with them. I miss sharing old memories with them. I miss making new memories with them. I miss hugging them. I miss shaking their hand. I miss sharing ideas with them. I miss arguing with them. I miss worshiping with them. I miss communing with them. I just plain miss them.<\/p>\n
How many names and how many faces just went through your mind? Whether it is a parent or a child, whether it is a spouse or a sibling, whether it is a relative or a friend, whether it is a neighbor or a co-worker we all have someone whom we miss. How do we deal with the fact that they are no longer here? Or go put it more bluntly, how do we live with the fact that they have died?<\/p>\n
That is the dilemma that we are going to discuss this morning as we celebrate All Saints Day. As we continue our sermon series The Time In Between <\/em><\/strong>let\u2019s see how our Savior encourages us to remember that the time in between the death of our loved ones and our own death is: A Time to Focus on Future Glory!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The book of Revelation is a powerful dissertation on two passages of Scripture. The first passage is Acts 14:32 where God the Holy Spirit has His servant Paul say to us, \u201cWe must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.\u201d<\/em> We are part of what is called the Church Militant. As disciples of Jesus living in a sin-filled world we are engaged in a spiritual battle for our soul. Every single day the devil, the sinful world in which we live, and our own sinful nature are attacking us with temptations and questions and doubts\u2014 all with the goal of driving us and\/or luring us away from the cross (Pointing to the cross), away from our dear Lord and Savior.<\/p>\n The second passage that we always need to keep in mind when we are studying the book of Revelation is Matthew 16:18 where Jesus Himself guarantees to us that not even the gates of hell itself will be able to overcome His Church, the Church that is built on the rock-solid truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. This is a reference to the Church Triumphant, the Church that is described so beautifully for us here in our text for today.<\/p>\n All Saints Day gives us an opportunity to rejoice in the Church Triumphant. All Saints Day gives us an opportunity to rejoice in what our loved ones\u2014 the people that we miss so very much!\u2014 are now enjoying in heaven above. And what are they enjoying? Let\u2019s look at three blessings that the Holy Spirit highlights here in Revelation chapter seven.<\/p>\n The first blessing is found in the opening verse of our text. John writes, \u201cAfter this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Whenever you are missing someone you love take a moment to focus on where they are now! By the grace of God alone they have joined the \u201cgreat multitude that no one can count\u201d<\/em>! By the grace of God they are standing \u201cbefore the throne\u201d<\/em> of God\u2014 the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth! By the grace of God they are standing \u201cin front of the Lamb\u201d<\/em>\u2014 the Lamb who took away all of their sins by sacrificing Himself on the altar of the cross! By the grace of God they are dressed in that beautiful white robe of perfect righteousness that Jesus secured for them on the cross, the beautiful white robe of perfect righteousness that God the Holy Spirit gave to <\/strong>them when they were baptized in the Name of the Triune God! And note what they are holding in their hand. By the grace of God they are holding a palm branch\u2014 the symbol of victory and a sign of royalty! What a wonderful blessing they have received from the God who loves them even more than we do!<\/p>\n The second blessing that our loved ones are enjoying in heaven is found in verses ten to twelve where the Holy Spirit has John reveal to us, \u201cAnd they cried out in a loud voice: \u2018Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.\u2019 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: \u2018Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!\u2019\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n A number of years ago one of the students in my confirmation class asked me, \u201cWhat will we do in heaven?\u201d I told them that we will worship and praise our God for ever and ever. They responded, \u201cDo you mean that it will be like being in church\u2014 forever?\u201d I laughed and said, \u201cNo, it will be infinitely better!\u201d<\/p>\n For all of eternity the saints in heaven will be proclaiming God\u2019s praise. But instead of picturing heaven as a church service that never comes to an end, think of heaven as a victory celebration that never comes to an end. Think of the last time your all-time favorite team won the Super Bowl or March Madness. Imagine that your high school team finally won the State Championship. After such a glorious victory you had a celebration. Everyone was happy. You go through the highlights of the game. You congratulate both the players and the coaches. It is a wonderful celebration!<\/p>\n Heaven is the final ultimate celebration of victory. And unlike any other celebration we have experienced, this celebration does not and cannot get old. Why? Because it is not a victory celebration for just a season\u2014 it is a victory celebration that lasts for all of eternity! Instead of congratulating the players and the coaches, all the congratulations\u2014 all the glory!\u2014 goes to God! That\u2019s why the saints in heaven proclaim, \u201cSalvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.\u201d<\/em> Just as we know that because of our sins we do not deserve to be forgiven, just as we know that we are saved purely by grace through faith in what Jesus has done for <\/strong>us (Pointing to the cross), our loved ones in heaven are even more aware of the fact that they do not deserve to be living in the very presence of the Triune God Himself. They know that they do not deserve to be enjoying the glory and the perfection, the joy and the happiness that they have now been given. So, no, my friends. Praising God for all of eternity for all the things He has done for <\/strong>us and for all the things that He has freely given to <\/strong>us will definitely not <\/strong>be boring!<\/p>\n That blessing is made even more glorious when we stop to remember that our loved ones in heaven are surrounded by millions upon millions of holy angels who are also worshiping God by saying, \u201cAmen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!\u201d<\/em> Have you ever heard a huge choir and orchestra perform the Hallelujah Chorus<\/em>? I don\u2019t know about you, but by the time they get to that final \u201cHallelujah\u201d I have tears of joy in my eyes! Now imagine millions upon millions of holy angels singing praises to the God of our salvation! That\u2019s what our loved ones in heaven, that\u2019s what the saints who are in the Church Triumphant are experiencing and enjoying each and every day!<\/p>\n The third blessing I want to highlight is found in the closing portion of our text. Look at verses thirteen to seventeen. John writes, \u201cThen one of the elders asked me, \u2018These in white robes\u2014 who are they, and where did they come from?\u2019 I answered, \u2018Sir, you know.\u2019 And he said, \u2018These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n I want to skip over verses thirteen and fourteen\u2014 for now. We\u2019ll come back to them later. Look at verses fifteen to seventeen. God the Holy Spirit had the apostle John record these words so that you and I could know what our loved ones who died believing and trusting in Jesus as their Savior are enjoying right now in heaven above. Right now all the saints\u2014 \u201cfrom every nation, tribe, people and language\u201d<\/em>\u2014 are enjoying a purpose that is infinitely greater and infinitely grander than any purpose they had here on this earth. They have the joy of standing \u201cbefore the throne of God and serving him day and night in his temple.\u201d<\/em> As they are serving God in perfect bliss they are also enjoying the perfect safety and the perfect security and the perfect protection that is now theirs as they live in His \u201ctent.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Let that sink in, my friends. Our loved ones who died trusting in Jesus as their Savior, the saints who have been transferred from the Church Militant to the Church Triumphant, no longer have to fear any <\/strong>of the enemies who attacked them over and over again while they were here on this earth. The \u201croaring lion\u201d<\/em> (1 Peter 5:8) cannot even get close to them. The temptations of the sin-filled world in which they once lived\u2014 no longer exist. Even their own sinful nature has been removed and relegated to the trash bin of the world that is \u201dpassing away\u201d<\/em> ( See 1 John 2:15-17) and destined to be destroyed by fire. (See 2 Peer 2:10)<\/p>\n In addition to all of this, our loved ones who died trusting in Jesus as their Savior, the saints who have been transferred from the Church Militant to the Church Triumphant have been released from all <\/strong>the negative effects of sin: \u201cNever again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them nor any scorching heat.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n How is this possible? What did they do <\/strong>to deserve such unimaginable blessings! Nothing!<\/strong> All <\/strong>of these blessings are free gifts from the \u201cLamb\u201d<\/em>\u2014 the \u201cLamb\u201d<\/em> who came into this world to save them from their sins (Pointing to the cross), the \u201cLamb\u201d<\/em> who physically rose from the dead on Easter Sunday as the Victor over sin, death and the devil, the \u201cLamb\u201d<\/em> who rightfully sits on His throne in the Kingdom of heaven, the \u201cLamb\u201d<\/em> who \u201cleads them to springs of living water\u2026and wipes away every tear from their eyes.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n When we stop to contemplate all of the blessings that our loved ones who died trusting in Jesus as their Savior are enjoying right now<\/strong>, when we stop to envision the glory and the joy, the happiness and the perfection that they inherited the instant they were transferred from the Church Militant to the Church Triumphant\u2014 we realize that even though we miss them, we would not want them to leave behind everything they are now enjoying to come back to this dying and decaying world with all of its pains and all of its sorrows and all of its tribulations.<\/p>\n So how do we deal with the pain and the loss, the loneliness and the emptiness we feel? We stay focused\u2014 focused on our <\/strong>future glory! That bring us back to verses thirteen and fourteen where John writes, \u201cThen one of the elders asked me, \u2018These in white robes\u2014 who are they, and where did they come from?\u2019 I answered, \u2018Sir, you know.\u2019 And he said, \u2018These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.\u2019\u201d<\/em> A more accurate translation of \u201cThese are they who have come out<\/strong> of the great tribulation\u201d<\/em> is \u201cThese are they who are coming out<\/strong> of the great tribulation.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Contrary to what many people want to believe the Bible does not <\/strong>teach or even allow the false hope that there is going to be a \u201crapture.\u201d There is not <\/strong>going to be a time when God will suddenly take all of His children out of this world and leave behind all the unbelievers. Every single day God in His grace and in His mercy takes some of His children out of the \u201ctribulations\u201d<\/em> of this world and welcomes them into the glory and perfection of His heavenly Home. God already knows when and where and how He will take you and me out of the Church Militant and transfer us into the Church Triumphant. On that day and in that moment we will join that \u201cgreat multitude that no one could count.\u201d<\/em> On that day and in that moment we will receive all of the blessings that our loved ones are already enjoying. That is the future glory we are waiting for. That is the future glory that our God has promised <\/strong>to us. That is the future glory that enables us to get through the pain and the loss, the loneliness and the emptiness that we feel now.<\/p>\n It’s very easy for us to think of the names and picture the faces of all the people who prompt us to say, \u201cI miss them.\u201d Praise God that the separation that death brings into our lives is only temporary. Praise God that through faith in what Jesus has done for <\/strong>us we have the confidence of knowing that one day we will join all the saints in heaven and bring our thanks and our praise to our God\u2014 for all of eternity! Stay focused on your future glory!<\/p>\n To God be the glory!<\/p>\n Amen<\/p>\n