Scripture
9After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. 10And they were shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9-10
Observation
As the curtain is pulled back we get a peak at a powerful moment in Heaven. Every nation, tribe, and tongue standing in front of the throne of God and The Lamb. They are only standing there because of the Lamb and His sacrifice for each of them and each of us on The Cross. All of the focus is on the source of salvation. We aren’t told who is in this vast crowd beyond number but there are no doubt Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers (Eph 4:11-12). There are certainly people gifted of the Holy Spirit in different kinds of service, words of knowledge, healing, discernment, prophecy, spiritual language, interpretation (1 Cor. 12). There are people of great wealth, status, renown and reputation mixed in the crowd as well. There are people from every denomination, liturgy and style of worship. Here’s the point. No one is singing about them! Why? There’s only one source of salvation and it’s not us. It’s Jesus! Our purpose, according to this Heavenly Worship service, isn’t to just get people to a worship service, but to lead people to the throne of grace and Jesus Christ. He is the only way to salvation and is the only one worthy of worship.
Application
So, what’s The Church here for if we can’t save anyone? The purpose for every believer in the last chapter of creation is found in the first half of this passage. The Church can’t save anyone but we have the privilege of pointing to the One who can. How? First, we love Him! The Westminster Shorter Catechism says, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever”. Second, we love others enough to tell them of the one we love. We must love people enough to remove every obstruction or distraction between them and their Savior. Sadly, sometimes the biggest obstruction is the Church itself. We can become so convinced in the efficacy of our programs, the safety of our systems, the brilliance of our theological arguments, that people never actually meet the Savior. If we aren’t careful, we can become like the Pharisees who had so many rituals and rules that they actually stood in the way of the One the very one they were called to point to. I don’t want people to meet Jesus face to face in in Heaven, able to name their church and their pastor, yet not knowing their Savior.
Prayer
Let my life be a signpost to Heaven. Let our Church be a preview of this moment of this in Heaven. That right here and right now we would stand together shout with our lives and actions “The Church can’t save anyone but we know the One who can! His name is Jesus and He loves you more than you could possibly know.” Liturgy and systems, epic worship services, excellent presentations can’t ever save a single soul, but they can point people to You. I pray that we would not miss the forest for the trees. That we, as The Church, wouldn’t get so enamored with how we “do church” that we forget why we are the church and who we’ve been called to point to. We are here not to be famous but to make You famous!
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