Home Sermons To Dwell Above with Saints We Love
November 4th, 2026
At the Presbyterian General Assembly in early October 2010, a new subordinate standard Kupu Whakapono (Confession of Faith) concluded with these words:
As God’s people,
we look forward in hope and joy
to the return of Christ,
to the new heaven and earth,
where evil and death will be no more,
justice and peace will flourish,
and we shall forever delight in the glory of God.
The book of Revelation provides a context to those words, although Christians down through the ages have struggled a lot with how to handle this final book of the Bible.
Revelation is a type of literature (genre) all by itself: prophecy, letter, apocalypse.
Apocalyptic literature unveils hidden divine mysteries, often concerning the end times, cosmic conflict, and God’s final intervention in history. It typically features:
Today, All Saints Day, I want to jump from King David’s testimony in Psalm 34 to the denouement in Revelation 7.
David, in the context of a psalm that begins with an account of his social humiliation, invites us to join him in celebration of God’s goodness. Listen!
Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. Psalm 34:3–10
His focus on God in this life provides a springboard to glimpse what he, our Christian family who have gone before us, and saints of every tribe and language and colour of their skin are now doing in heaven!
This passage is one that I often read at a Christian funeral.
After this I looked, and there was an enormous crowd, no one could count all the people! They were from every race, tribe, nation, and language, and they stood in front of the throne and of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. They called out in a loud voice: “Salvation comes from our God, who sits on the throne, and from the Lamb!” All the angels stood around the throne, the elders, and the four living creatures. Then they threw themselves face downward in front of the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Praise, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might belong to our God forever and ever! Amen!” Revelation 7:9–12
At this point I want to share with you a worship song taken directly from verses 10 and 12.
Notice all the saints from every race, tribe, nation, and language!
In response to a conversation between one of the elders and John about the origin of this multitude, the elder says:
These are the people who have come safely through the terrible persecution. They have washed their robes and made them white with the blood of the Lamb. That is why they stand before God’s throne and serve him day and night in his temple. He who sits on the throne will protect them with his presence. Never again will they hunger or thirst; neither sun nor any scorching heat will burn them, because the Lamb, who is in the center of the throne, will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Revelation 7:14–17
Let me briefly employ my love of alliteration to give you seven words beginning with the letter ‘S’ to outline the blessing that these saints have, and we will have also if we hold onto our faith until the end. I believe that all who die faithfully in Christ are included in this passage.
Do you think that saints are very special people? Are we saints? What about this verse then?
To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 1:7
God calls us all saints!
In the New Testament, “saint” is often a direct address for believers. For instance, in 1 Corinthians 1:2, Paul writes: “To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be saints…” Such phrasing underscores that this title applies not only to a special subset of Christians or certain exceptional figures, but to all who place their faith in Christ.
However you and I engage in service for God down here, it is a prelude to what we will do in heaven. And fear not! Some of us have difficulty standing for our worship songs. There will be no problem in glory!
Whatever dangers you and I face in this life, and there are many, we are assured of God’s protection when we are together in his presence. But when we go back to King David, we become aware that God’s protection is also for us here and now!
To gain a full understanding of the implication of this statement, we need to read chapter 5 of the book of Revelation, where Jesus is described as a slain Lamb and is the centre of worship. And of course, the theme of God as shepherd goes right back to Psalm 23 that we sung earlier, and to Jesus’s statement in John’s gospel, “I am the Good Shepherd who gives his life for the sheep.” Multiple layers!
And once again we could delve into the Biblical connections of those words. For me the most obvious one is Jesus’s encounter with the Samaritan woman. Jesus said:
Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. John 4:14
But I enjoy this verse from Isaiah, which connects strongly to our Revelation passage:
They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat upon them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water. Isaiah 49:10
Seven words that stand out from the Revelation passage: stand, serve, safety, security, shepherd, spring, and solace.
Words that surround the saints in glory! Words that will surround us all, as we trust in and follow Jesus to the end of our days on earth!
Before the throne of glory, a vast, unnumbered throng,
From every tribe and nation, lift up a joyful song.
Clothed in pure robes of white, with palm branch in each hand,
Out of great tribulation, redeemed by grace they stand.
No longer shall they hunger, nor thirst beneath the heat;
No scorching sun shall strike them, no bitterness defeat.
For seated on the high throne, the Lamb shall be their guide,
And shepherd every wandering soul to wander by His side.
He leads them where the fountains of eternal comfort flow,
To springs of living water that wash away all woe.
And God, with loving mercy, shall bend from high above,
To wipe away each falling tear with everlasting love.
