Those of us who are shepherds in the Kingdom of God know that from time to time God asks for sheep of our flock to move from this flock to the great flock in Heaven. Or, as it has sometimes been put, it becomes time for people to leave the Church Militant and join the Church Triumphant, to transfer from active participation this local church to the Church of Heaven.
And people grieve. People miss their loved ones. And this is not limited to the family – In most churches, people grow close over the years. There are people in this church whom we’ve known for 20, 30, even 50 years or more. And pastors are not immune to the grief. This week, Saundra and I received word that the woman who taught our children how to play the piano had transferred to Heaven from one church, and a dear friend who used to keep our puppy when we’d travel transferred to Heaven from another church. We will miss Dee and Virginia.
Today is All Saints Day, a Christian holy day that dates back to the fifth century. “It is a day for giving God solemn thanks for the lives and deaths of his saints.”
So who are the saints?
In the New Testament, the saints are those people who have chosen to set themselves apart from the world to follow Jesus. The word is hagios, which means “those who are set apart.” Unlike Catholic practice which requires that two miracles be attributed to a particular person after their death before they are called a Saint (with a capital S), most Protestant practice takes the original Biblical meaning of the word as essentially a synonym for “followers of Christ”. In other words, most of the people in this church are saints.
All Saints Day recognizes that the Church is an eternal organism, composed of those saints who have died – the Church Triumphant and those saints who are now alive – the Church Militant. This is the day that the Church Militant – you and I – remember the Church Triumphant – those who have experienced the victory of Christ. We each belong to the Church Militant and fight the great war for good by leading ourselves and others to the protection of Christ – and one day, we will each belong to the Church Triumphant and live in the visible presence of God and Christ.
But how should we live in this world? Jesus has words for us:
One day, Jesus walked up on a small hill and spoke to a crowd assembled on the slopes. He was creating the Church Militant as He spoke these words, the sermon known as the Sermon on the Mount:
He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
If your spirit is weak and broken, if you are humble and not arrogant, you will find the kingdom of heaven, for the entrance gate has a bar beneath which you must bow to Jesus as wiser and worthy of being followed.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
If you mourn it is because you care about another, and you have the interconnectedness of spirit which is asked for by Jesus. You do not have a hard heart which cares for no one. You have already begun to love others, and so you will be comforted one day in Heaven by the love of Christ.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
The Greek word translated as meek was used to describe a powerful stallion which is under control – great strength under control. It does not mean “timid” – that is a change in our language over the centuries. It is those with strength under control who will inherit the earth – not the wild, not the timid, but those with a quiet strength.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Do you want righteousness – or do you hunger and thirst for righteousness? Has it become your passion? If so, you will find that righteousness as you follow Christ.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
The vengeful will be destroyed, but the merciful will find mercy as God gives it to you who have shown it to others.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Are you deceitful or wicked, do you harbor mean desires? Or is your heart pure? Purify your heart so you will see God one day.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Those who make peace with others will be respected for their efforts. They are the ones who will be recognized throughout the centuries for representing God’s will.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
What an honor to be persecuted for doing the right thing! This will lead you into the kingdom of heaven, for you held to good principles even when attacked.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Do people attack you and lie about you because you represent Christ truly? Then be glad, for Jesus is awaiting you in heaven with a great reward, just as the prophets of old before you!
When we sit and think again about each of these verses, we can begin to understand what Jesus asks of us.
First, we don’t walk into Heaven with our head held high. We bow to Jesus, recognizing that we are not as smart, not as wise, not as strong as we think we are. We must become humble, recognizing that everything we think we can do well is something that we do well only because of the gifts of God – and God has someone else who can do better than we can. We should always be looking to learn more from people who have wisdom, people in high places and people in low places. Always look to others with an attitude of “what can this person teach me by their words and deeds and attitudes?” We must be poor in our spirit if we are to be accepted in the kingdom of heaven, for God has eternity to teach us all things – if we can be taught! Are you poor in your spirit – or are you too sure of yourself to bow to Christ?
After we have entered the kingdom of heaven, do we mourn for those we’ve left behind? For all of us have friends, family, and neighbors, people we love, who have chosen not bow to Christ. Do we mourn for them? Don’t fear – Christ will comfort us as He takes our hearts and accepts them for the goodness they hold. For those people who do not mourn will not be comforted by Christ, since mourning is inherently an emotion of caring about others – and we must care about others before we are following the path of holiness. Don’t be afraid to mourn, for it tells something about the strength of your character, that you care for others.
And there are the meek, those who have great strength of character which is under control. Long after the arrogant but wild leaders of the world and each community have died, those with that gentle strength will still remain on the New Earth, for Revelation tells us that the old earth and heaven shall pass away and be replaced by a New Earth and heaven. Character is very important in the kingdom of heaven. Is your character growing toward meekness, a quiet strength?
I see many people today who want righteousness. But how many hunger and thirst for righteousness? Righteousness begins with following Jesus – and it grows as we work to have a righteous character inside ourselves. Only then does righteousness spread to others – Are you one who wants others to be righteous, but does not work very hard at becoming righteous yourself by following the commands of Jesus? Take in righteousness, strive to make it part of your body, soul, and mind, and you will be filled with righteousness.
But the next step as our righteousness fills us is to remember the mercy that God has given us – and become merciful to others. We all know that SELF-righteousness destroys. And so, the more righteous we become, the more merciful we must become to those who are not righteous. After all, compared to Jesus, the finest of us are but filthy rags, while He wears the snow-white robes of purity.
It requires purity to see God. God will not allow the impure to see Him. His gaze is like a powerful laser; any impurity in the individual upon whom He looks soaks up so much of His power that the individual explodes. Only a pure, crystal-clear heart can stand in front of God and see Him. God must be able to shine through us, not blocked by any blemish. Only the heart which has been cleansed by a complete devotion and following of the perfect Son of God can stand in His presence. But the pure in heart will see God.
And those who make peace in the world – and first in their own souls – will be called children of God. For it is the fruit of the Spirit to have peace – and only those who have peace can help others achieve peace. It is perhaps the most difficult task – even pastors fall prey to the desire to fight against others. It is easier to fight evil people than to lead those people to peace with goodness. But making peace is the key to being known as children of God. Peace comes by following Jesus.
And of course, the Enemy of souls leads people to persecute those who follow Jesus. Consider it a great compliment when people persecute you for your Christian beliefs and attitudes, for your righteousness, for your peace-making. For the Enemy has seen that your faith is genuine – and others have seen this too. Most importantly, Jesus has seen this – you are persecuted, yet persist in your faith. And so, no matter what the persecutors do to your body – you will have entered the kingdom of heaven and will be with Jesus forever.
And what happens to you if you die for your great faith in Jesus, if you persist until the end, if you become a martyr?
You become one of the “great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” The Apostle John, in his great vision of Heaven, tells us in Revelation 7 that “They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
And later an angel explains that these people, perhaps you among them, “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 shelter them with his presence.
‘Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on 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.’
Today we honor those people who belonged to our local fellowship and have transferred to heaven in the last year. And we remember that we shall soon be with them – in just a few years, or months, or perhaps even in a few hours. Let us be worthy of being among them.
Consider this Psalm. This is a Psalm with testimony from the people who have chosen to seek God, who have followed the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, and now reside with Jesus. Imagine your departed friend speaking to you from Heaven, beside the author of this poem, David the King. From Psalm 34 (NIV):
1 I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 I will glory in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
9 Fear the Lord, you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
22 The Lord will rescue his servants;
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.
for they will be called children of God.
Those who make peace with others will be respected for their efforts. They are the ones who will be recognized throughout the centuries for representing God’s will.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
What an honor to be persecuted for doing the right thing! This will lead you into the kingdom of heaven, for you held to good principles even when attacked.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Do people attack you and lie about you because you represent Christ truly? Then be glad, for Jesus is awaiting you in heaven with a great reward, just as the prophets of old before you!
When we sit and think again about each of these verses, we can begin to understand what Jesus asks of us.
First, we don’t walk into Heaven with our head held high. We bow to Jesus, recognizing that we are not as smart, not as wise, not as strong as we think we are. We must become humble, recognizing that everything we think we can do well is something that we do well only because of the gifts of God – and God has someone else who can do better than we can. We should always be looking to learn more from people who have wisdom, people in high places and people in low places. Always look to others with an attitude of “what can this person teach me by their words and deeds and attitudes?” We must be poor in our spirit if we are to be accepted in the kingdom of heaven, for God has eternity to teach us all things – if we can be taught! Are you poor in your spirit – or are you too sure of yourself to bow to Christ?
After we have entered the kingdom of heaven, do we mourn for those we’ve left behind? For all of us have friends, family, and neighbors, people we love, who have chosen not bow to Christ. Do we mourn for them? Don’t fear – Christ will comfort us as He takes our hearts and accepts them for the goodness they hold. For those people who do not mourn will not be comforted by Christ, since mourning is inherently an emotion of caring about others – and we must care about others before we are following the path of holiness. Don’t be afraid to mourn, for it tells something about the strength of your character, that you care for others.
And there are the meek, those who have great strength of character which is under control. Long after the arrogant but wild leaders of the world and each community have died, those with that gentle strength will still remain on the New Earth, for Revelation tells us that the old earth and heaven shall pass away and be replaced by a New Earth and heaven. Character is very important in the kingdom of heaven. Is your character growing toward meekness, a quiet strength?
I see many people today who want righteousness. But how many hunger and thirst for righteousness? Righteousness begins with following Jesus – and it grows as we work to have a righteous character inside ourselves. Only then does righteousness spread to others – Are you one who wants others to be righteous, but does not work very hard at becoming righteous yourself by following the commands of Jesus? Take in righteousness, strive to make it part of your body, soul, and mind, and you will be filled with righteousness.
But the next step as our righteousness fills us is to remember the mercy that God has given us – and become merciful to others. We all know that SELF-righteousness destroys. And so, the more righteous we become, the more merciful we must become to those who are not righteous. After all, compared to Jesus, the finest of us are but filthy rags, while He wears the snow-white robes of purity.
It requires purity to see God. God will not allow the impure to see Him. His gaze is like a powerful laser; any impurity in the individual upon whom He looks soaks up so much of His power that the individual explodes. Only a pure, crystal-clear heart can stand in front of God and see Him. God must be able to shine through us, not blocked by any blemish. Only the heart which has been cleansed by a complete devotion and following of the perfect Son of God can stand in His presence. But the pure in heart will see God.
And those who make peace in the world – and first in their own souls – will be called children of God. For it is the fruit of the Spirit to have peace – and only those who have peace can help others achieve peace. It is perhaps the most difficult task – even pastors fall prey to the desire to fight against others. It is easier to fight evil people than to lead those people to peace with goodness. But making peace is the key to being known as children of God. Peace comes by following Jesus.
And of course, the Enemy of souls leads people to persecute those who follow Jesus. Consider it a great compliment when people persecute you for your Christian beliefs and attitudes, for your righteousness, for your peace-making. For the Enemy has seen that your faith is genuine – and others have seen this too. Most importantly, Jesus has seen this – you are persecuted, yet persist in your faith. And so, no matter what the persecutors do to your body – you will have entered the kingdom of heaven and will be with Jesus forever.
And what happens to you if you die for your great faith in Jesus, if you persist until the end, if you become a martyr?
You become one of the “great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” The Apostle John, in his great vision of Heaven, tells us in Revelation 7 that “They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
And later an angel explains that these people, perhaps you among them, “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 shelter them with his presence.
‘Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on 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.’
Today we honor those people who belonged to our local fellowship and have transferred to heaven in the last year. And we remember that we shall soon be with them – in just a few years, or months, or perhaps even in a few hours. Let us be worthy of being among them.
Consider this Psalm. This is a Psalm with testimony from the people who have chosen to seek God, who have followed the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, and now reside with Jesus. Imagine your departed friend speaking to you from Heaven, beside the author of this poem, David the King. From Psalm 34 (NIV):
1 I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 I will glory in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
9 Fear the Lord, you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
22 The Lord will rescue his servants;
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.
And so remember those who have led you in the faith to Christ.
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