Our Job is to Love Jesus

Revelation 7:9-17

St. John’s United Church of Christ
Greeley, Colorado
October 8, 2023
Rev. Juvenal Cervantes

 This week I approached the manager of a wholesale store. I told him that I admired his ability to multitask and ensure that his employees are on task and customers are well served. He appreciated my comments and our conversation quickly turned to his concerns at home. He said his mother lives by herself in another state and that he calls her twice a day and how she is unable understand how he handles the multiplicity of assignments at any given moment. He also expressed how he worries daily for his mom and her wellbeing and shared with me other stresses that he is facing.

Daily we meet individuals with enormous burdens and some of us carry huge burdens as well. Where can we obtain the greatest help for our lives?

Internationally, our attention this weekend has been Israel as they deal with the terrorist attacks from Hamas, this on the day of Sukkot, the harvest festival named for the temporary dwellings, recalling the booths in which Jews lived during their journey from Egypt.

Our answer is found in God’s word. It may seem paradoxical in the extreme, the last thing you’d think you should do when you need help and hope. But it is the key to living for Jesus, serving him effectively, and experiencing his power where we need it most this morning.

To amplify that wonderful truth, first we need to set the stage.

Joining Jesus in heaven

We’re looking for pictures of Jesus in the Book of Revelation. We’ve seen him on his throne in divine majesty; we’ve watched him open the word of God in omnipotent power. Now we watch heaven worship him as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Some who attack Christianity insist that “Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet…a great and powerful man, but a man nonetheless. A mortal.” Let’s see if John agrees.

“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” (v. 9).

This was the standard four-fold division of the peoples of the world. Today we might say, every nation and state and race and language. Despite the racial bigotry which was rampant in John’s time. In heaven’s worship of Jesus, everyone is included. Rich and poor, priests and people, sinners and saintly Christians–we’re all here.

We are “wearing white robes” (v. 9a). These refer to priestly robes as well as victory robes such as the Roman generals wore. Why are they white? Because “these 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” (v. 14). As every mother knows, blood on a garment is one of the hardest stains to remove. But not this blood: Jesus’ blood has bleached out all the stains of sin in our lives. His forgiveness has removed them forever.

We are “holding palm branches” in our hands (v. 9b). These were used by the Greeks and Romans as victory signs at the Games, like our gold medals today.

If Jesus is your Savior and Lord, you’re in this crowd. You’re one of the saints of the ages, joining the angels of all eternity. You’re wearing the white robes of salvation and holding the palm branches of victory. This is our future with Jesus.

What will we be doing?

“And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb'” (v. 10). We are engaged fully in the worship of Jesus. We are loving him with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength.

We will do this forever: “They are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple” (v. 15a). This is not Sunday morning in heaven, but Tuesday evening. This is our eternal joy, and privilege, and delight.

What will Jesus be doing?

“Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat” (v. 16). Why not? Because “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” (v. 17). He will be the Shepherd of his sheep, leading us to green pastures and still waters. He will wipe every tear from our eyes, as he comforts and protects us forever.

When those in heaven worship Jesus, they are blessed by Jesus. When they honor him, they are honored by him. When they give him their highest praise, even though they have come through “great tribulation” (v. 14), he gives them his highest blessing and reward. Those who worship Jesus experience the presence and power of God.

Where do we find Jesus on earth?

What does this scene in heaven have to do with us on earth? Let’s keep exploring. In Isaiah 43:21, God says that we are “the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.” We were created to praise God. That’s what we’ll do in eternity, and what he wants us to do now.

So worship is how we experience his presence and power today.

Psalm 22:3 teaches that God inhabits the praises of his people.

When Daniel was in danger of losing his job and his life, “Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before” (Daniel 6:10). And God spared him in the lion’s den.

When Israel was going to war, with the very future of the nation at stake, “Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever'” (2 Chronicles 20:21). The result? “As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against [their enemies] and they were defeated” (v. 22).

When Paul and Silas were beaten in Philippi and thrown into prison, “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them” (Acts 16:25). The result? “Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose” (v. 26). And the jailer and his family were converted.

We experience God’s power and help when we worship him. Worship connects our souls to his Spirit. Worship elevates Jesus to the throne of our hearts. Worship surrenders our lives to his Lordship and thus to his power, hope, and help.

Now, what does that fact have to do with the challenges we face?

The large majority of us worry about the perennial issues: our family’s health and happiness, the choices our children are making with their lives, meeting their needs. Caring for our aging parents.

But today those challenges are exacerbated in a world whose moral compass is a moving target. A world where drug and alcoholism is an epidemic among young people, where terrorism and safety concerns are higher than they have ever been in our nation’s history.

The Pew Research Center, suggest we daily wrestle with five problems are (1) not having enough time for yourself; (2) controlling outside influences upon your family; (3) balancing work and family; (4) not having enough money; and (5) stress on your marriage.

Additionally, in our culture, we are judged by the success of our efforts. Our children are judged by their popularity, their grades, their success in athletics or other activities. A household is judged by the money he makes. We’re judged by the house we own, the car we drive, the clothes we wear, by our appearance and social status. We’re supposed to balance all that while meeting your family’s needs, every day of your lives.

Conclusion

What is the key to the presence and peace of God for my soul? What will position us to receive all that God wants to give? What is it that when we neglect this we pay the price in frustration and defeat? What is it that we need to do that bring us victory? The truth is, my friends, life is not about us.

Our culture makes it all about us. It’s all about our hard work and effort to meet our family’s needs, to help our kids succeed, to make our family happy and fulfilled, and to meet our personal needs along the way. But it’s not.

It’s not about us. We don’t have to do this by ourselves. We don’t have to do this the best that we can and hope for the best. It’s not about us.

Our job is to love Jesus. With him at the center of our day, our priorities will be in order. We’ll have his peace in the midst of our hectic days. We’ll have his wisdom as you try to guide our family. We’ll have his strength as we wrestle with work and finances. We’ll have his love for our family. We’ll find our significance and worth as a person, not in our temporary possessions and appearance and social status, but in his incredible love for us. Our first job is to love Jesus.

And then our job is to bring our family and friends and strangers to Jesus. To lead them to worship him, honor him, love him. To join them at his feet each day in surrender and worship. Our success is the result of this simple question: Do we love Jesus?

Do we start the day in prayer and Scripture and worship? Do we make your decisions by asking how this will honor Jesus? Do we speak with him throughout the day? Does his opinion matter more than those of our friends and even our family? Would he say we worshiped him yesterday? Will he say we worshiped him tomorrow?

Loving Jesus is the key to his power and help, wherever we need them most. Then, if you love Jesus and help others to love Jesus, when they are before the throne of Jesus one day, they will spend eternity thanking him for you.

A website encouraged people to answer a question. Eighty percent of children answered the quiz correctly, but only 17 percent of adults. Here it is: What is greater than God, more evil than the devil, and if you eat it, you’ll die? The answer: “nothing.”

Nothing is greater than God. That’s true in heaven, where Jesus is being worshipped this moment. Is it true for you?