Matthew 5:1-12

Back when Jesus was first getting started, he gathered his disciples and began goin' around preachin' that the Kingdom of Heaven was just around the corner. People responded so that great crowds came out he see Jesus and hear what he had to say. Jesus got up on a hill so they could hear him. And he spoke to all those who came to learn from him.

He said, "God blesses the poor in spirit. The Kingdom belongs to them. God blesses those who are concerned about the state of the world; God will do something positive about their concerns. God blesses the gentle; they will receive all that they have not demanded. God blesses those who deeply want to please God. God will satisfy them. God blesses those who care for others first. God will take care of them. God blesses those whose hearts are focused on God. They will know God! God blesses those who build bridges. They are doing God's work. God blesses those who face troubles in this world for doing right. The Kingdom is for them.

The Jesus looked the people right in the eye and said: God blesses you when people talk bad about you and undermine you and punish you unjustly because of me. Don't feel bad, but be glad when that happens. Remember that God will reward you. You're in good company. That's the way people treated God's prophets in the Bible.

Christians traditionally call these blessing "The Beatitudes." But they are really just blessings. Jesus is speaking to the people who believe in him; his disciples. He has been telling them that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. In these blessings he is telling them what impact the Kingdom will have on them. They will be blessed!

Blessed by whom? By God! Because the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand God blesses those who are poor in spirit, and merciful and etc.

But who are these blessed people really? Those who are poor have no money or power to trust in, so they trust in God. Like the widow I preached about two Sundays ago. She put her trust in God. So the "Poor in Spirit" are those who have put her full trust in God and not in Earthly things. Blessed are those who mourn. This mourning could be for the state of the world. It may not be just for our own hurts but for injuries and pain experienced by others. Blessed are the meek. "Meek" does not mean that they don't stand up for themselves. It means that they are gentle and don't force themselves upon others. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness." These are the people who truly seek to know God. "Blessed are the merciful." God is merciful and these are those who seek to show mercy to others like God. "Blessed are the pure in heart." These are people who are single-mindedly focused on God and the Kingdom. "Blessed are the peacemakers." These are those who try to bring people together instead of tearing them apart. "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake." Sometimes the coming of the reign of God in people's lives leads to persecution. God blesses those who suffer such.

That is all nice and everything; Jesus says that all those good people are blessed. Then he hit the crowd with the last blessing. At first it sounds like a continuation of the blessing right before it: blessed are the persecuted. But it's different "Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you." It's not just those unnamed people out there somewhere, but the people looking into Jesus' eyes are blessed.

Blessed are you. Have you ever put your whole trust in God like someone who has no other hope? - You are blessed. Have you ever been concerned for the state of our society or the world? - You are blessed. Have you ever put someone else's needs before your own? - You are blessed. Have you ever yearned to have a closer walk with Jesus? - You are blessed. Have you ever tried to show the same forgiveness and grace that God showed you? - You are blessed. Have you ever tried to live for God and God alone? - You are blessed. Have you ever tried to bring people together? - You are blessed. Have you ever been called names or sneered at or ignored because of your faith? - You are blessed.

That is the bottom line: you are blessed. The kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Jesus the Savior is here with us. And all who serve him are blessed.

Today is the Sunday on the church calendar when Christians traditionally celebrate "All Saints Day." I know when we hear the word "saints" with think of Roman Catholics and their saints. But in the Bible the word "saint" means anyone who has been saved. If you have given your life to Christ then you are saved and you are a saint.

The message that we get from the Word today is that we are blessed. Because the reign of God has come into our lies, we are blessed. The Kingdom of Heaven is your inheritance! God will take care of you and give you the world. God will fill the emptiness in your heart and soul and forgive your sins. You will know God and be known as God's sons and daughters. Even when people mistreat you, you will be in good company.

The Kingdom of Heaven is closer than it has ever been. Jesus the King looked at his disciples� Jesus looks at his disciples� Jesus looks at you and says, "Blessed are you!"

1 John 3:1-7

John's words about God's children reminds me of a story. Once upon a time there was a woman who had two daughters. The woman was a wise and loving mother. But despite her care for them they grew up hateful and selfish. As soon as they could they both abandoned their mother and went out to fulfill their selfish desires.

Years passed and the woman, who had stayed in contact with her two wayward daughters, discovered that she was terminally ill. Out of love she sent word to both daughters telling them that her days were short. One of the daughters came to her mother and spent her last days with her. As she watched her mother suffer and die she grew to know her again for the first time. She saw the faith and the love and the wisdom that was always in her mother but that her selfishness had never before let her see.

When the woman died her other daughter arrived for the funeral. But people could see the difference between the two daughters. The one that had been with her mother had learned her wisdom and love. She was no longer the selfish, spiteful woman her sister remained. She was like her mother a person of love and wisdom.

What does it mean to be called the children of God? To some people "the Children of God" means one thing and to others another? Some say, "We're all God's children aren't we?" Well, that sounds reasonable because we are all descendants of the first human beings created by God. Often this way of speaking of all God's children is a way of calling for human rights for all and love for neighbor. After all if we are all "God's Children" then even a non-Christian of a different race on the other side of the world is my sister or brother. In that sense we are all children of God by creation.

But John has a different meaning of "The Children of God" in mind. He is not thinking of "God's children by creation" but "God's children by salvation." He writes, "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!"(NIV) To John the title "Children of God" is a lavish gift from God the Father. It is a title that we have and some don't.

But before you get proud and think you are somehow special because you are called "God's Children" consider this. Nowhere does is say that this title was not offered to others. In facts a reading of the Gospels makes it clear that Jesus offered this title "Child of God" to everyone. it is just a matter of some accepting is and others rejecting it. Like the two daughters in the parable: One got to know her mother and gained a great gift from it. She truly because the daughter of her wise and loving mother. The other did not, but stayed a selfish spiteful emotional orphan. We were all God's Children by creation. But only a few have accepted the gift of that relationship with God and they are God's Children by salvation.

So what does it mean to us that God has lavished this great gift on us? First of all it means that we are inheritors of the riches of the Kingdom of God. John writes, "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." Some people think of heaven as just a continuation of this life without all the negative things present. But the Bible speaks of us becoming glorified. It says that we will be like Jesus.

Do you remember the passage I read from Luke. It described Jesus as appearing as he had in life. He was even able to eat with the disciples. The wounds that had killed him were ever visible. But at the same time he was able to appear in locked rooms and disappear at will.

John says, "What we will be has not been made known." I won't try to speculate on how we will appear after the resurrection. But it's clear that the depth of our inheritance in Christ is far beyond what we can even imagine. We speak of heaven as having streets of gold, but its glory is far beyond that. By calling us "Children of God" and heirs of heaven we have indeed be given a lavish gift from God.

But is that all it means to be called a child of God? No, as children of God we are also called to responsibilities. John says that "everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he (Jesus) is pure." So as God's Children, we have a responsibility to live pure lives. John goes on, "In him (Jesus) there is no sin." And if we are in him, and Children of God, there should be no sin in us.

John says, "No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him of known him." Does that mean that a person who commits any sin is no longer a Child of God? That is how some have interpreted this. But John is talking about continued unrepentant sinning. We all commit sins. The difference is that when a Child of God recognizes they have sinned, they repent, and with God's help they try to purify their lives of that sin.

So as Children of God we have a responsibility to become more like Christ in our daily lives. Some people think that receiving the gift of salvation is the end of the road. But this makes it clear it is just the beginning. Now that we are Children of God we are called to let the Holy Spirit mold our lives to be more like Christ's. Like the daughter who came to her mother before her death we are called to get to know our heavenly Father and become like him.

Perhaps another parable will bring all things together. Once upon a time there was a king who had great wealth. In this king's realm there was a region that had been through a great famine. Since the king had such great wealth he sent great amounts of aid to that region. In fact he sent so much that the region became the richest in the kingdom.

How should the people of that region react to the King? Should they show undying loyalty to that king? Or should they openly disregard that king's laws?

You tell me. Out of great love God has made you Children of God. The greatness and the depth of this gift will not be fully realized on this side of the resurrection. If we are truly grateful for this gift and look for the hope of Jesus' return, then it should effect the way we live. We should seek to follows God's ways as shown to us in Christ.

In other words, if we are children of God, we should act like it.

Matthew 5:1-12

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a prince who upon ascending to the throne gathered his subjects to address them. This was a good king, but even as he was being corronated he was in the midst of a battle against evil princes who wanted his throne. As they gathered the subjects wondered, "What would the King do and say?" Would he make heavy demands on them as was his right? Would he lay down laws and guidelines? What was about to happen as this king took power?

This is the situation in our lesson today. Jesus had just begun his ministry of proclaiming that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. He was healing and casting out demons. He was declaring that the time had come for God to rule in people's hearts. And some were already following and believing in him.

Jesus of course is the King. He is a King in the midst of a battle against the princes of evil. The faithful souls that gathered around to hear his teachings were his subjects. As his subjects gathered what would this new King say? What would Jesus say to his disciples? That is the environment into which Jesus spoke the Beatitudes.

The Beatitudes are some of the best known words of Jesus. They are familiar to us and we like them. They talk about blessing the poor and the meek. Those are comforting thoughts. Unfortunately I think we often misunderstand them and make them into something they are not.

One major school of thought is that the Beatitudes are meant to give us moral direction. In other words Jesus is saying, "Be meek so you can inherit the earth." By blessing those who are poor in spirit and forgiving and peacemakers, Jesus is holding up those ideals for others to follow.

One recent expression of this interpretation has characterized these saying as the "Be Happy Attitudes." The idea being that, in the Beatitudes, Jesus is holding up attitudes of living that lead to happiness. In other words if you live an attitude of mercy you will receive mercy from others and God. These ways of living lead to happiness.

I deeply respect the preacher that wrote the book the Be Happy Attitudes. However, I disagree with his interpretation. The Beatitudes are not primarily moral guidelines. They do provide some moral guidance. But that is secondary to their primary purpose.

So if the Beatitudes are not moral guidance what are they? They are exactly what they appear to be. They are blessings. Each one begins, "Blessed are," and so on. It literally means "happy are..." But the happiness is more than some momentary giddiness or transient warmth of spirit. It is a higher stage of happiness and well being. It is a happiness that can come only form God. A happiness above anything this world can provide. These blessings are being spoken by Jesus the very Son of God. He, himself, is promising these blessings.

These blessings from God are the direct result of the coming of the Kingdom of God. In the chapter just before this one Jesus begins his ministry of spreading the Good News. He tells people that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, God's reign of justice and peace is coming. In this age the poor are trampled upon and mistreated. But because the Kingdom of God has come, the poor, the meek, the peacemakers will all be blessed.

In many ways this is the opening address of Jesus' reign over his kingdom. The Beatitudes are not laws to be followed. Jesus is not saying, "Be merciful or you will not be shown mercy." These are royal decrees of blessing upon those whom God chooses to bless. Jesus the Messiah or King is making a royal proclamation! "Henceforth and forevermore the poor in spirit, who have hitherto been trampled under the wheels of oppression by the rich, shall have bestowed upon them the Kingdom of God." "Henceforth the peacemakers, who hitherto have been crushed by the machinery of war and labeled as unpatriotic, shall be given the royal title 'the children of God.'" And so on... These are not moral laws to be followed, but proclamations of justice and grace to be celebrated.

What exactly are these blessings from on high, and to whom are they given. Lets take a closer look. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of God." The prophets of ancient Israel referred to the poor as an example of holiness. The poor had no material wealth or power, so their only hope was in God. The poor were those who looked to God and God alone not to wealth or power of knowledge for their deliverance and salvation. Their poverty forced them into a faith that made them trust God for each day's bread. In like manner the poor "in spirit" is anyone who, like the poor, trusts in God alone. These poor and faithful people shall own the kingdom as co-heirs with Christ.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." These are probably those who mourn for their sins and the sins of others. They are truly sorry for how human sin has hurt God and their fellow human. They are also saddened by the chains of sin that bind and imprison others. God will comfort them by forgiving them and calling others out of sin too.

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." These are not those who are timid and shy. The meek are those who are humble before God. They are those who are not proud and arrogant. They don't demand things out of self importance, so they shall be given the world.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." One who hungers seeks after something. These are people who don't delude themselves into thinking they can be righteous by themselves. Hungrily they seek after the true righteousness that only God can provide. And they shall not be disappointed. God will give them the righteousness they seek after.

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." In this world people often take advantage of the merciful. In God's kingdom those who show mercy to others shall receive mercy from God.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." The pure in heart are those who single mindedly try to serve God. Their motives and wills are not stained with desires to do things against God's will. In the Kingdom to come they will be blessed by seeing God.

"Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called Children of God." Peace in the Bible is more than the absence of war. In includes justice and community wholeness. What we would call peace with justice; an end to injustice and war. Those who seek these things will be called God's children.

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and speak all manner of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad for great is your reward in heaven." Persecution itself is not a blessing. But enduring persecution is a sign of loyalty. And those who are loyal enough to endure this persecution will be greatly blessed.

How can one obtain these blessings? How can you or I own the Kingdom of God, be comforted, or inherit the earth? How can we become righteous and obtain mercy? How can we see God and be called Children of God?

It's easy. To obtain the blessings of the Kingdom just embrace the King: Jesus. Once you give yourself to God all the rest will follow. It's like becoming an American citizen in a way. People in other lands dream of freedom. Sometimes they must become Americans to obtain it. They were born under the reign of governments that inhibit freedom. When they become Americans all the blessing of liberty spelled out in our constitution are theirs, because they are under its rule. If you want the blessings of the Kingdom of Heaven, just pledge your loyalty to its King: give your life to Christ.

You cannot obtain the blessings of the Beatitudes on your own. You cannot earn the Kingdom of God or status as a child of God. You can only accept it as a gift from God. You must embrace Christ as the ruler of your life and submit yourself to his definitions of love, justice and mercy. You must make him the Lord of your life. Then as a citizen of the Kingdom of God and as a Child of God all those blessings are yours.

Then Jesus will look at you from his holy mount and say: Blessed are you faithful, the Kingdom of Heaven is yours. Blessed are you who are merciful, I will show you mercy. Blessed are you who morn your sins and pray for others, your prayers are answered. Blessed are you who speak up for Peace and Justice, you are God's children. Blessed are you because you are part of God's Kingdom.

Matthew 5:1-12

After his baptism and temptations, Jesus began traveling through Galilee proclaiming the coming of the Kingdom of God. It was during this ministry that he delivered what we call the Sermon on the Mount. Let's get the picture in our heads. Jesus was traveling around and the description of his actions included primarily casting out demons and healing with a little teaching thrown in. Now keep in mind that there were many healers and wonder workers in Jesus' day. Some of them were probably genuine, but many were false. The false wonder workers were just showmen using people's pain to get what they wanted.

But Jesus was different. He did go around working wonders and people came to him to be healed. But Jesus also had disciples. And these disciples traveled with him and he taught them. They were like a little community that followed Jesus around.

People probably wondered about this Jesus. What was going on here? He taught like a Rabbi but he healed people like a wonder worker. His teachings were profound yet down to earth. And he backed up what he said with actions. He could have demanded money and gifts from the people, but he didn't.

It was in this context that Jesus taught the lesson we call the Sermon on the Mount. Just as people were wondering to themselves "What's this Jesus all about," Jesus told them. The Bible says that when Jesus saw the crowds he went up the mountain and sat down and began to teach his disciples. Now, when most people picture the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is standing before a crowd of thousands of people. And there probably were thousands of people in the crowd, but Jesus is not addressing the crowd. It says that he addressed his disciples.

This would not have been the 12 disciples we usually think about. At this point only four of those had been called. The "disciples" were the people who had come to believe in Jesus and were following him to learn from him. It may have been as many as a hundred of more people, but it was much less than the crowd we usually think of.

There is something else important to notice here. It says that Jesus went up the mountain. You might think that this was to get away from the crowds so that he could talk more privately to the disciples. But it also has some symbolic importance. Moses had gone up a mountain, so in a sense Jesus is being portrayed as a second Moses.

There are several things we can learn from the beatitudes about what Jesus is all about and what following him is all about. First of all the church is a community of deliverance. Matthew chooses is words carefully when he reports and describes Jesus actions and teachings. He makes it clear that Jesus is deliverer; a Savior. Up till that time Moses was the greatest deliverer that people knew of. He had led the nation of Israel out of bondage and to the promised land. God worked mighty wonders through Moses.

Matthew wants his readers to see that Jesus is like Moses in many ways. Jesus had come to lead people out of slavery to sin and death just as Moses had led them out of slavery to Pharaoh. Through Moses God had sent the ten plagues, parted the red sea and brought forth water from a rock and food from the wind. In the same way through Jesus God was working mighty deeds like calming the storm, casting our evil, healing the sick, feeding the hungry. Of course we understand that what Jesus was doing was much greater. The scope of Jesus act of salvation covers all of creation while Moses was just a foreshadowing of what Jesus would do.

But it was important for people to see what kind of religious figure Jesus was. He was not just a teacher who formed a school of thought like the Pharisees or the Sadducess. He was not a "flash in the pan Messiah-wanna-be" who would lead a military revolt. He was not just some wonder worker who put on a good show. Jesus was a Savior and Deliverer. And what he was doing was creating a new nation of God's people. He was creating a holy priesthood of believers who would following him in this work of delivering people from sin and death. And we know that holy nation of priests as the Church of Jesus Christ.

The second thing we learn is that it is a community of humility. Just look at the beatitudes. Blessed are the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful. Jesus is saying that God chooses to bless those with these attitudes. God will deliver the meek and give them the earth. God will reward the merciful and show them mercy. God will bless the pure in heart and they will see God!

One of the overriding attributes of all these that are blessed is humility. These are the people who think of others first and humble themselves before God. There are the one who mourn because they have sinned against God and their neighbor and God will comfort those who mourn. These are the ones who hunger and thirst for righteousness. God will satisfy them. These are the ones who's hearts are pure.

This community of deliverance is distinguished from other communities by its humility before God. The community of political leaders seek to serve themselves by taking power, but this community seeks to serve others even to the point of sacrifice. The community of the Pharisees and Sadducees try to manipulate God, but this community seeks to surrender to God. The community of the rich try to buy deliverance, but this group is meek and poor in spirit before God. The community of the military seeks power through war, but this community seeks peace.

The third thing we learn is that is a community of suffering. The end of the beatitudes is a kind of rude awakening. Verses 3-9 are all "blessed this" and "blessed that." Then it says "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake." Now the disciples might have though of other people who were persecuted and they could feel sorry for them and be happy that God would bless them. But that wasn't enough. Jesus then said, "Blessed are YOU when people revile YOU and persecute YOU and utter all manners of evil against YOU falsely on my account."

Like and good preacher Jesus uses his pronounce carefully to bring the message home to the hearers. They will suffer and be persecuted. They will be slandered and hated because of him. And they were! They were persecuted and died horrible deaths and to this day Christians are still persecuted.

But Jesus told us it would happen. He told us that we would be persecuted. It isn't easy to be God's humble community of deliverance. Often times the people trying to bring real peace are the ones that are treated the worse. When ever someone is enslaved to sin there is someone enslaving them and they don't what then delivered. So when the church speaks out against murder or drugs or pornography or gambling or materialism or homosexuality - there is always someone who hates us for it. But Jesus tells us to rejoice because God will reward us for that faithfulness.

People today look at the church and they wonder, "What's this Jesus all about?" And they come to a lot of conclusions based on what they see of the church. They figure Jesus is all about mutual affirmation and feeling good and that the church is just a mutual affirmation society that could care less about those outside. Others think Jesus is all about judging people and making them feel bad and guilty because that is all they see the church doing. Some think that Jesus is about just getting together with people who are like each other because to them the church looks like and exclusive country club. Some people think the church is about keeping certain people in positions of political power of keeping certain political philosophies in power because that is what they see of the church.

Are we really what Jesus intended us to be? Is the church today a humble community of deliverance that is willing to suffer for the Jesus? Too often the church is busy looking out for its own interests. Too often the church degrades into some kind of social gathering place. Too often the church is not willing to suffer for the sake of Jesus and the people he died for.

What do people see when they look at our lives? Do they see humility and meekness and hunger for righteousness and mercy? Are we willing to let people slander us and speak bad of us because the stand for the right? Maybe we need to sit down and listen a little closer to what our Lord has to say.

Revelation 7:9-17

It was just another Sunday and John a first century Christian was at church. He worshipped God every Lord's day because that is what Christians do on Sundays. But that is where the ordinariness of his worship ends. You see John was not in a church building on this Sunday. He was in prison "on account of the Gospel." His crime against the Roman government was being a Christian.

I imagine this time of worship was done in secret. After all being a Christian was a crime. I also imagine that it may have been before dawn. Because once dawn broke the taskmasters would have come for the prisoners to put them to work in the mines on the Island of Patmos. They didn't care that is was Sunday. To the Roman guards it was just another day to make the prisoners work.

The Romans had gone to a lot of trouble to keep John and others from worshipping Christ. John was one of the lucky ones. Others had been fed to lions, or set ablaze to light the games. Yet John continued to worship even in jail. His religion had cost him his freedom and others their lives. Yet he faithfully devoted himself to his Savior.

In the midst of John's dungeon as he faithfully prayed something happened. It was a marvelous miraculous occurrence. God reached down and lifted John out of his Hell of Earth to give him a glimpse of Heaven. God hadn't taken him up to set up permanent residence in Heaven. God just brought him to Heaven for a visit. So that John could see what God was doing and could tell the other Christians what he had been shown.

One of the things John saw was a great crowd of people from every nation and time. They were red, yellow, black and white. They were young and old, male and female. They were robed in white and were waving palm branches and singing. "Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the throne and to the Lamb!"

At that the angels gathered around the golden thrones. And the heavenly elders who represent God's people and the four living creatures who represent all God's creatures fell on their faces before God. And they sang: "Blessing, glory, wisdom thanksgiving be unto God, be unto God. Honor power might and glory, be unto God forever and forever."

Then one of the elders turned to John and said, "Who are these clothed in white robes and where did they come from?" How was John to know who these people were and where they came from? So John turned the question back to the elder and said "Sir you know. Who are these?" The elder replied, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them pure in the blood of the lamb."(Rev. 7:14) These were the Christians, and Jews before them, who had been faithful to God in times of trouble.

I imagine that as John looked at the faces for those in that heavenly choir he could recognize a few faces. The faces of brothers and sisters who had given their lives in service to God. The ones he had known who had been fed to lions and killed by gladiators because of the Gospel. And those who had died in the salt mines of Patmos where John was.

God wasn't showing John just any heavenly choir that Sunday. God was revealing to John his spiritual destiny. After all John had washed his robe in the blood of the lamb. He had given his life to Christ. And John was going through a time of tribulation. So this would be his reward. He would stand in heaven one day waving a palm branch a symbol of victory. And he would be dressed in a heavenly white robe instead of the drab prison uniform he now wore. And he would no longer hunger or thirst or faint in the heat of the sun. And God would wipe every tear from his eye. But John's reward was not just in the by and by. This vision gave John hope in the here and now. Hope to face the days for tribulations to come. Strength to see him through all that would happen to him. And John's testimony of all he saw has been an inspiration to Christians ever since.

Today is just another Sunday. And like John we are worshipping God today because that is what Christians do on Sundays. But the similarity doesn't end there. It is true that none of us fears being imprisoned of killed because of our religion today. But the world is still trying to keep us from glorifying God on the Lord's day. The world doesn't threaten us with death instead it entices us. "There are so many other things you could do on Sunday morning." "Think of the work you could get done." And, "wouldn't it be nice to sleep in just once." That is just the beginning. The world is always trying to keep us from glorifying God in our daily lives. It creates things for us to do that take away from our times of prayer and devotion. It creates loyalties and values that conflict with our loyalty to Christ. Yet we have faithfully set aside the time and placed value on worshipping God.

And what has God done. He had temporarily lifted us above the evil of the world around us. He has shown us a choir of gloriously robed saints praising God. And who are these Saints in glorious robes. They are the ones who have believed in Jesus and been true to him in times of trouble. And in my mind's eye I can clearly see John standing with the Baritones praising God.

Might we be in that choir some day? Have you ever been through times of trouble? If you have ever been through times of trouble raise your hand. That is the first criteria for joining this choir. The second criteria is: have you washed your robe in the blood of the lamb. I won't ask for a show of hands. Have you put your trust in God and God's Son Jesus. If you answered yes then this is your destiny. To be gloriously robed in a heavenly choir. To have God wipe every tear from your eye. That is not just a promise for the by and by, it is a reality for the here and now. When we faithfully trust in Christ through times of trouble God will reward us in this life. He will give us hope and peace. God will give us strength to life through troubles times. Then, when we die, we will join that heavenly choir of saints doing what we Christians do best: Worshipping God.