Sermon – November 1

November 1, 2015 All Saints’ Day

Text: Revelation 7:9-17
After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, {10} and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” {11} All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, {12} saying: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” {13} Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?” {14} And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. {15} “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 dwell among them. {16} “They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; {17} “for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

From Stained to Sainted —
The Life and Death of Believers in Christ

Dear friends in Christ, fellow saints washed clean in the blood of Christ:

Last week we celebrated Reformation, and the date that we associated with the Reformation is October 31, 1517. This was the day that Martin Luther posted the ninety-five theses on the door of the church in Wittenburg, and from that point there was no turning back. But why did he choose the date of October 31? He did so because the next day, November 1, was All Saints’ Day, and there would be a large group of people coming to church to celebrate that major festival. In our time All Saints’ Day is not even often celebrated, much less a major church festival. In my life I don’t think I have ever been to a church service centered on this theme. Usually any Sunday close to October 31 we are commemorating Reformation. I thought that this year with November 1 falling on a Sunday, we would have a unique opportunity to observe both Reformation (last week) and All Saints’ Day today.

Quite often when we hear the word “saint” we think of an extra special Christian who has died (St. John, St. Paul etc.). We do not, of course, have the practice of worshiping the dead, nor praying to them, yet we do have a memory of our departed brothers and sisters in Christ. We can remember what God has accomplished through them, but even more importantly we want to learn what makes a person a saint. It is not somebody extra special or extra holy. It is one who has been declared to be holy through Christ. To this end we have a text before us which tells us how a person goes from being a sinner stained with sin to a saint, holy before God. May the Holy Spirit bless our study.

1. It takes being washed in the blood of the Lamb to make us saints
If you go to an extremely fancy restaurant, you’re going to find a dress code enforced. Some will not even let a man in unless he is wearing a jacket and tie. The right clothes are needed for the right occasion. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus spoke a parable about a man who tried to enter a wedding feast without the proper garment. He was promptly thrown out. He tried to enter heaven without the robe of righteousness that God provides.

If we could look in a mirror which would show our spiritual “clothing” we would see filthy, rotten, stinking rags which should be on a trash heap, certainly not fit clothing in which we could approach God. No amount of effort will clean up our spiritual clothing, the stains of sin that we have put on them. No acts of goodness or good intentions will remove the tell-tale marks of sin. There’s no way to camouflage the clothing or just pretend that the sin does not exist. We have soiled ourselves with the filth of pride, with iniquity, with and hypocrisy, and defiance and rebellion, and there’s no way to enter heaven with such apparel.

Yet, in this glimpse of heaven that God gave the apostle John, and gives to us, we see people before God in white robes. How did they get such clothing? How did these people, these who were sinners, get into heaven? John didn’t know the answer, but it was given to him by one of the elders who spoke to him: These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. The only cleanser that can remove sin and guilt is the blood of Christ. This picture of being made white and pure is even spoken of in the Old Testament. We read from Isaiah 1:18, ‘Come now let us reason together, says the Lord, ‘though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’ It is not any normal blood that would make us clean. It is no less than the holy, innocent, precious blood of the Son of God. All those bloody sacrifices of the Old Testament pointed ahead to the one, great sacrifice of the Lamb of God, who gave His lifeblood to make payment for the sins of the world.

Those who are connected to Jesus by faith have what this blood accomplished, namely the forgiveness of sin. Through that cleansing we have become saints – literally “holy ones.” You have become set apart from sin and dedicated to God, clothed in that white robe of righteousness. It’s amazing that such a transformation could occur, for we know what kind of sinners we are, and how deeply we are stained with transgressions, but the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. The forgiveness of God is total and complete, and when you are connected to Christ and His forgiveness, it is indeed proper for you to be referred to as a saint, a holy one of God.

2. Those saints in Christ who have already died have left the great tribulation
Today on All Saints’ Day we think of those fellow saints who have preceded us to the victory celebration in heaven. We think of the Old Testament heroes of faith like Abraham, Moses, Samuel, and David. We follow in the footsteps of the New Testament martyrs like Stephen, Paul and Peter. We also remember those right here in our own midst who have been called to their heavenly rest, and also Christian relatives and friends who have been called home.

These saints have been called out of the great tribulation as our text says. This great tribulation is not a particular event, but life itself. There are times when life is good. Right now the weather has been beautiful, there’s hunting even golf if a person has a mind to do so, yard work has been pleasant, but even on the best day there are the effects of sin on this earth. We get tired, cold and hungry. There is work that we don’t want to do; there is sorrow, pain, suffering, and death. Those saints who have left this earth have left all of that behind. They are celebrating with the Lord. Now there is no doubt in their mind that they are saints because they have left any remnant of sin and unrighteousness behind.

We can gather strength for ourselves knowing that because of Jesus, because He washed and cleansed them, because they are wearing the righteousness of Christ they have indeed received their heavenly inheritance. Heaven is by no means a boring place with which earth could favorably compare. It is not sitting on a cloud strumming a harp. It is a victory feast in which an innumerable multitude has gathered, saints of all time and places to praise our Lord who has redeemed us. In this section of Revelation I think a person can almost feel the excitement.

3. We saints on earth have great blessing to look forward to
Now, my fellow saints, you have these great blessings to look forward to because you also are dressed in the proper clothing. You know that you were not able to make such a garment, you know of your transgressions before God, but the important thing is how God views you, and despite your wickedness God sees you as holy, because you are connected to Christ. In heaven we will indeed be holy for no sin of any kind may enter heaven. Those blessings we will receive are the opposite of sin’s curse. When Adam and Eve fell from perfection, the ground was cursed, they would have to work by the sweat of their brow, there would be pain and sickness, but listen to what our future will be like. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; {17} “for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Knowing that future should help us to deal with the present.

Are you unsure that you’ll get there? Don’t look to yourselves, but look to the Lamb, who will shepherd you. That’s quite a picture, the Lamb is the Shepherd. The same one who laid down His life, and was led to slaughter, will lead us to greener pastures, and guide our footsteps. Jesus not only gives us the proper clothes, but protects us, feeds us, and leads us to the heavenly wedding feast. You may at time feel lost or alone, but when you do, then look to the Lamb of God who is also the Good Shepherd.

We have a blessed fellowship with saints on this earth, but it will be even more joyous when we are with all saints of all time in heaven. This we can look forward to with great anticipation. You can do so with great confidence because God has made you saints, holy ones, by washing away your unrighteousness in the blood of Christ removing every stain and speck of sin.

Until we are re-united with the saints above let our voices ring loudly with praises here below. These praises are directed to the God and to the Lamb who died for us, but yet rose again to victory. Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen.