Let me ask a couple questions about our home planet and its population to begin today. How many nations/countries are in the world? Anyone want to guess? Ballpark? 196 [ (not incl. Puerto Rico, Bermuda, Greenland, Palestine, Western Sahara, and even the components of the United Kingdom (such as Northern Ireland,Scotland, Wales, and England ]
How many tribes on the planet? By one count there are over 600 First Nations tribes in Canada alone. It’s impossible to know how many tribes or people groups there are in the world.
How many people on the earth? http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/ 7.1 billion
How many languages on earth? Over 6900. According to Ethnologue, there are currently 6,912 living languages, defined as languages that people speak today.
Interestingly, the part of the world with the highest level of linguistic diversity is Papua New Guinea. The region has approximately 830 languages for around 5.4 million people. That's about one language for every 6,500 residents. Cindy Lai, our missionary to PNG, has her work cut out for her!
That’s a whole lot of people. That’s a whole lot of communities. Let’s bring it closer to home.
How many languages would you guess are spoken in Toronto? According to the City of Toronto web site, the 2006 census revealed that there are 140 languages spoken in the GTA.
There are 5.5 million people in the GTA. Half of Toronto’s population was born outside of Canada. There are 200 distinct ethnic origins.
In light of that, let’s stand together and read our key passage for today.
Revelation7:9 After 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 before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 11 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, 12 saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”
13 Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” 14 I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “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. 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 shelter them with his presence.16 ‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst.The sun will not beat down on them,’nor any scorching heat. 17 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.’”
God’s idea of the life the continues after this one, that we see here in the book of Revelation, is a stunning picture of heaven.
It is not to be understood as being poetry without substance. It is not intended just to bring comfort. It is a picture of coming reality. It is God’s picture of heaven.
It’s not the heaven and its inhabitants that God wishes will happen, but the heaven that both is and will be. It IS because those who have passed away in Christ already experience this in real time.
This is a present reality for them. Members of this congregation who are absent now due to death are experiencing what we just read in our passage today.
IT WILL BE because this is a picture of the reality of our future, our eternity with God.
It is not a complete picture. Scripture is full of images of heaven, and in fact the dominant theme of Scripture is that the new heaven and the new earth will be in many ways similar to what we know currently of life on this planet.
Minus the impact of sin, minus the mourning and weeping and suffering that are daily occurrences on this planet; things that are very familiar to us in this room.
To me this is a beautiful picture. A countless multitude of people, all known by name by God. Every single people group on this planet is represented. Every language spoken. Every nation, every tribe. This speaks of God’s desire for all nations, all people.
And it speaks of what has already been and will continue to be the massive global appeal and global vision of the gospel.
Do you know that, if there is an earthly language in heaven, English will NOT be the dominant language. It might be Spanish at the rate things are going. Better brush up.
We’ve been thinking about the Great Commission over the past couple of weeks.
A few weeks back I talked about the calling and mission we have as a church to make disciples in obedience to Christ’s last words on earth before His ascension. We looked at the friends and foes of the Great Commission.
Last week Pastor Lee spoke of the fact that despite how we may feel, when we are in Christ Jesus, God enables us, qualifies us to serve Him and be part of the global vision to reach the world with the message of the gospel
As I look at this passage, it strikes me that an overwhelming theme here is a beautiful unity in God. I see oneness of proclamation, of worship and of joy.
Oneness of Proclamation
10 And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
What would that sound like? Does anyone want to translate this into another language they know? Others?
Let’s shout it out together: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
The sense I get is of one people, one family of God in infinite diversity sharing the same song. It’s of one people gushing sincere gratitude to the God who has saved them from themselves, from their sin, from destruction, and FOR the life of a freed person.
The freedom that each one began to experience in Christ while here on this plain, and now in the picture painted in this chapter of the book of Revelation, each person knows and is experiencing the full manifestation of that liberty.
With one voice they acknowledge the Kingship of God and of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. The very substance of salvation, the path to it through Jesus Christ, belongs to God.
Oneness of Worship
“They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”
When gratitude is genuine, when the massive price paid by the Son of God for the salvation of the world is understood by hearts open and minds open to the reality of the gospel, we just want to worship! We want to pour out our adoration and worship and thanks to God.
We want to bow down before His throne, before the seat of His majesty and honour, and pay tribute for the priceless gift given of Jesus blood for the sins of the world..
Sometimes when we’re together here in worship I’m praising God for all His goodness in my life. And then it dawns on me in church that I’m surrounded by people who have received the same gift as I have, whose hearts overflow as mine does, whose worship is received by God as a chorus of glory and honour and praise.
Then I remember that this is being experienced simultaneously around the world by countless millions.
The praise and worship we give to Him is no ego rush for God. There is no news for Him here. He needs no praise or worship to know who He is, of course.
But all these people so profoundly aligning themselves with reality, with the truth that God is God, with the truth of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ - that simple reality of understanding, and of course the immense intimacy of knowing relationship between God and His redeemed people. That is God's joy.
Oneness of Joy
16 ‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst.The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat. 17 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.’”
In this prophecy of what heaven will be like, there is the complete absence of mourning. Revelation 21 completes this picture: PPT: 3 “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
There is nothing but joyful communion for all. There is nothing but springs of living water for all. In John’s picture of heaven in the book of Revelation, there’s not any need for external light. Chapter 21 continues:
22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Wow. This is God’s picture of the next life, the one that follows the thing that you and I are living right now. It’s a stunning picture of God’s welcome and embrace of humanity.
It’s also NOT a picture of what’s called universalism. The popular idea that everyone one the planet gets in, or that only those who merit it because of their good works can be present.
Notice, there’s a book, and in that book are contained the names of those who live there.
And it says: Nothing impure will ever enter it. Notice the garment, the clothing everyone is wearing. It is white. And it is white in an odd way. They PPT:: “have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb”.
How can something be washed in blood and made white, made clean? It’s a beautiful picture of what? Of the gospel!!! All who are in heaven have been made clean by the blood of Jesus Christ, their sins forgiven, their offenses against God blotted out.
The holy God, in whose presence nothing unholy can stand, is now surrounded by people made holy...not through their actions, not through their works.
There is nothing we can do to earn our way into heaven. It is by Jesus blood, by His sacrifice alone that we are accepted.
Where does all this lead us? Well, we’ve talked a fair bit lately about the Great Commission - that we are called to make disciples.
And we’ve talked about how through believing in Jesus who then gives us His Holy Spirit, we are made ready to serve, qualified to love God and to love people.
We’re called to give testimony to the amazing love and the amazing grace of God. We’re called to live in such a way as to validate that testimony - to live as true disciples who are apprentices of the Master, Jesus Christ.
We are becoming like Him intentionally. Our behaviours are becoming like His. Our reactions - how we respond when we are slighted, when we are hurt by others, when we see people with real needs around us - our actions are becoming like those of our Master.
And in our love for each other - for fellow brothers and sisters in Christ - we demonstrate true discipleship: "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death". 1 John 3:14.
So we're called to give testimony, and here’s the thing. Listen closely. The great purpose of that testimony, and the ultimate purpose of life together as the church on mission; it is TO POPULATE HEAVEN.
The call of Jesus to make disciples is the call to be used by God to bring about His purpose, to see realized, actualized, the picture in the book of Revelation of all tribes, nations and peoples bowing before God’s throne, dwelling forever in perfect harmony and peace.
So...this thing we are talking about - it is no small matter, it is not trivial, it is not, of course, uncontroversial.
We live in a pluralistic world where there are a huge number of people who believe something very different than the gospel.
You know, when Jesus called together His disciples and told them to GO and make disciples, the world was in that regard pretty much as it is now. All kinds of people believing all kinds of things. But Jesus says ‘Go into all the world’.
As followers of Jesus, we need to catch the global vision of Jesus. This is good news.
If it didn't really matter, Jesus would have said:’ GO about your business and be nice people and make sure you don’t step on anyone’s toes.’
Jesus could have said “Go into all the world and Shhh! Don’t say anything. All roads lead to Rome. All religions get people to heaven and give them ultimate meaning while on earth!" Jesus didn't say that.
God has, incredibly, given us, by His grace, the ministry of populating heaven, of planting seeds in people's lives - out of love - that God will water and grow to become the fruit of knowing God, the fruit of salvation, the fruit of joy in many lives. That’s what the call to make disciples is.
It is about heaven, but for all of us, way before we get there, it’s about becoming like Jesus.
You might be saying...Thaaaat’s not what I signed up for. That’s a waaaaaaaay too radical vision. It’s too literal. It’s, frankly, too challenging. It’s not where I’m at.
Well, it’s not the job of the gospel, and it’s certainly not my job to make myself or anyone else comfortable. Maybe at a wedding. Maybe at a funeral.
But for the rest of life, my friends, we have a calling. We have a mission. We have a responsibility before God to make disciples of all nations. And God has brought all nations to our doorstep.
Over 50% of Torontonians are from another place. Many of them brought the gospel with them here and are involved heavily in sharing the good news with our post-Christian culture. Many others have come here and do not know Jesus Christ.
What is our motive for going and making disciples? Love. What qualifies us to make disciples? Ourselves being disciples - apprentices learning from our Master.
What effect does understanding this and being obedient to the call to make disciples have on us? It clarifies and prioritizes our life together. It helps us move in the will and purposes of God.
A few minutes after today’s service, as we’ve mentioned, those of us here who are interested will gather in this space for a discussion.
We’ll ask the question: How is God calling us to reach this community, this city, with the knowledge of the love of God, the knowledge of Jesus Christ, the knowledge and experience of the gospel.
I hope you’ll join us for what will be the first of a number of congregational dialogues about how God is calling us to fulfill the Great Commission at such a time as this.
May God be at work in our hearts and lives. May God’s desire for this community become our desire. May God strengthen our resolve to be obedient to Jesus’ command to make disciples.
May He refresh in you the strength to stand firm in His name. May we, motivated only by love, share the gifts God has given us and plant seeds in Jesus' name that will eventually Populate Heaven. Amen.
