Overcomers

We are part of something bigger than ourselves. I was reminded of that when we gathered as a conference these last few days. We are connected with like-minded Christians churches who share a common mission. The mission of the Global Methodist Church is both biblical sound and it is distinctly Wesleyan: The Global Methodist Church exists to make disciples of Jesus Christ and spread scriptural holiness across the globe.

We are to make disciples because we want others to receive grace, come into the household of God, and learn to trust and follow Jesus. We do this by living out our faith - sharing what Jesus taught, speaking truth, serving as He came to serve, loving one another, and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide and direct our path.

We also are aim to spread scriptural holiness across the globe. This part is distinctly Wesleyan and takes a bit of unpacking. There is an expectation placed on all who follow Jesus. We are to be a holy people. Leviticus 19:2 ““Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” We find this command repeated in the New Testament - 1 Peter 1:15-16

1 Peter 1:15–16 ESV

but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Jesus put it this way in Matthew 5:48 “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

As intimidating as that sounds, rest assured, you are not expected to be holy under your own determination and power. You would fail every time. This is a work of God in your life by way of the Holy Spirit - but you are to seek it out. Let me try to define scriptural holiness this way: we are to live lives that reflect God’s character and love as God loves. That is the call of every Christian.

This is the transforming work that God desires to do in each of our lives. As a Church, it is our mission not just to make disciples - those who believe in Jesus and follow His teachings - but to make disciples who are so completely transformed that there is no mistaking who they belong to. A people who walk in peace, speak truth, love extravagantly, give generously, worship passionately, witness boldly.

Imagine how different Cambridge would be if everyone trusted and obeyed the teachings of Jesus. If everyone showed grace to one another, forgave their offenders, met one another’s needs, treated one another justly? That outcome begins with each of us.

Here at Grace, I believe we desire to surrender to and be fully devoted to God. I believe we are passionate about what is important to God. And we love our neighbors. So many of you demonstrate that love every day. And it is our desire to make more disciples. And we are not alone in this work - we belong to something greater.

Now I know in the day to day life of the church, most of our members may not see or feel that connection to the bigger movement which is the Global Methodist Church - much less our connection with the full universal Church of Jesus Christ. It is understandable - we tend to focus on the people we see beside us and the ones we are serving. But every once in awhile - it is important to recognize and appreciate that we are not alone in our work and our reach is not limited to Dorchester county.

We are a part of a movement made up of faithful disciples from different nations, tribes, peoples and languages. And we are part of something even greater and broader than that. We belong to the Church Universal - made up of Christians, past and present, who worship our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ.

This is the Church that the writer of Revelation, John, saw in a vision worshipping before God’s throne in heaven.

Revelation 7:9–10 ESV

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

John vision is of the full Church in all its glory worshipping in heaven after our work on earth is complete. There will be a day when this age in which we live will come to an end. The last of the faithful who bore witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ up to the very end, who lost their lives for the sake of the gospel, are now entering into God’s presence.

Last week, for those who were here, you may remember John being called up to heaven and doing his best to describe what he saw. He saw God sitting on his throne and in his right hand was a scroll written on both sides and sealed with seven seals. This scroll has been called by some theologians the “scroll of destiny” - this is scroll contains God’s complete will and judgment and the time had finally come for it to be enacted. We listened as a mighty angel proclaimed with a loud voice “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And there was no one found in all of heaven, and on earth, and under the earth who was worthy to open the scroll. John wept at the realization - how would God’s perfect will for creation ever be realized, how will evil ever be completely eradicated, if no one could open the scroll?

But then one does step forward to open the scroll - one who is worthy. “behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” And John saw a Lamb standing as though it had been slain. This is Jesus and at the sight of him, all of heaven bows in worship.

Revelation 5:9–10 ESV

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

Then In chapter 6, Jesus begins to open the scroll. As each seal is broken, we find the fulfillment of what is written occurring on the earth. We hear of conquering, war, famine, pestilence, persecution, natural disasters. This is a time of the Great Tribulation. Throughout history, during various times and in various places , there has always been times of tribulation.

In Greek, the word translated as tribulation is “th-lip-seos” - which means persecution, affliction, distress. It comes from the root word “thlibo” which means pressure.

Tribulation is part of the human experience. We all face tribulation to various degrees in the course of our lives. However, John is not witnessing general tribulation, he sees the Great Tribulation at the end of time. Life is going to get really hard right up to the moment Jesus returns. Just as labor pains intensify the closer a mother comes to delivering her child - so will be the tribulations leading up to Christ return.

Jesus warned his disciples that they would face tribulation…

Matthew 24:9 ESV

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.

And then he looked far ahead and warned…

Matthew 24:21 ESV

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.

This is a widespread, hell on earth, Great Tribulation. Everyone will be impacted by the breaking of the seals, but listen to what happens when the 5th seal is broken:

Revelation 6:9–11 ESV

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

There is going to be a time of great persecution against the Church before Jesus returns. The souls of the dead cry out “How long Lord?” It will not be forever, but it will be for a time. In a gracious moment of relief, especially for the reader as we read about what is to come, we reach chapter 7 - which serves as an interlude. Between the breaking of the 6th seal and the opening of the 7th, we are given a different perspective.

God tells his angels to go and seal the foreheads of the believers who are on the earth before the seal judgements are enacted. The judgements do not fall upon them. They have been washed by the blood of the lamb, and so they can endure the hardship that is to soon to unfold because their destiny is secured. To them belongs eternal life.

Then we witness this great multitude from every tribe, people, and language crying out in worship of Jesus. John watches as this last remnant of the faithful stride across the finish line.

And we read in Rev. 7:13-14

Revelation 7:13–14 ESV

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

For today’s purposes, I don’t want to get too caught up in the details of the vision - trying to figure out when and where things are happening - reviewing the different theological takes on certain aspects of what John saw. What I’d like you to take away is simply this -

You belong to something greater. The moment you accept Jesus’ invitation and receive his grace, you become part of a body of believers from every nation, every tribe, every language - and not just those living today, but also those who fought the good fight and now are part of the Church triumphant. You are also connected with those yet to come. This is the body of Christ. We are in Him and He is in us.

He has given us a mission to accomplish during our time on this earth. We are to make disciples and spread scriptural holiness across the globe. Our time here is not easy, he told us it would be hard, there will be times of tribulation, but He has sealed us as His own. He protects and strengthens us as our Good Shepherd. He will accomplish God’s will for our lives as we trust and obey. Make sure you are counted among the saints!

There will come a time when this life is over and we will join all the saints in worship as we await the new heaven and the new earth.

Revelation 7:15–17 ESV

“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. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

We are overcomers in Christ - through faith and empowered by the Holy Spirit - so let’s encourage one another and fulfill our mission.

Amen.