[Intro]
Do you find it strange to be called a saint? I think most of us do. How often do you hear phrases like: “I’m no saint?” Or: “nobody’s perfect?” We know that we all have fallen short of the God’s demands upon us. Just as the Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul: “There is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
We do not live a perfect life. We do not love God and love our neighbor as ourselves with all our heart and mind and strength. We are poor, miserable sinners in thought, word, and deed. This is what we confess.
But you are a saint. To be a saint doesn’t mean that you do not sin, that you no longer need the Lord’s forgiveness. We all need God’s forgiveness, and it is precisely this forgiveness that makes us saints. When we are forgiven, we are made holy. When we are made holy, we are saints.
This morning, we observe All Saints’ Day. The joy of today is in its celebration of the unity of the Church Triumphant – those saints gathered already into rest – and the Church Militant – those saints in the present and future Church that struggles still under daily crosses. Today, both the Church Triumphant and the Church Militant constitute but one communion, one fellowship. Together, they are the great multitude of saints that no one could number.
[The Great Multitude]
This is what the Holy Spirit’s Revelation to St. John reveals: “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” (Revelation 7:9).
From what John is witnessing here is the scene of the Church Triumphant. These are the whole body of Christians who have lived from Christ’s bodily ascension into heaven all the way to His Second Coming. You see, those who are in heaven now, and us – who live by faith in Christ – are counted among this great multitude.
But for now – for us on this side of the Church Triumphant, we – by faith – are numbered among those saints. We are saints. But we are also sinners. We live in this paradox, known as the “now, but not yet.” As the Church Militant now, we experience suffering as we fight the battle of faith under the banner of Christ against our evil foes: Satan, the sinful world, and our own sinful flesh.
This, “now, but not yet” is proclaimed in so many of our hymns, but of those many hymns “For All the Saints” and “Behold a Host, Arrayed in White” proclaim it best.
“Oh, blessed communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia! Alleluia!” (For All the Saints, LSB 677, stanza 4)
-and-
“Despised and scorned, they sojourned here;
But now, how glorious they appear!
Those martyrs stand, A priestly band,
God’s throne forever near.
On earth they wept through bitter years;
Now God has wiped away their tears,
Transformed their strife To heav’nly life,
And freed them from their fears.
They now enjoy the Sabbath rest,
The heavenly banquet of the blest;
The Lamb, their Lord, At festive board
Himself is host and guest.” (Behold a Host, Arrayed in White, LSB 676, stanza 2)
This is the great multitude. On earth they feebly struggled. But in heaven, they in glory shine. On earth they wept, but in heaven, God has wiped away their tears. All the while, by faith in Christ, they are saints. Faith now, but truly fulfilled in the Church Triumphant.
For us, on this side of the Church Triumphant, we each experience challenges. We each experience some form of tribulation. We each experience various testings of our Christian faith. But do you know what? By faith in Christ, we are still pronounced holy.
What it means to be holy is to be the Lord’s saints. To be holy means that God has placed His name upon you. This means that you belong to Him. This means that you are holy. So, where and when were you pronounced holy? Well, when you were baptized! There, you heard God’s holy Name pronounced over you, which connected with the water, has marked you as holy, as a saint of God.
But the Triune God is not done with you at your baptism. No, He keeps us holy! The Lord brings us to the Sacrament of the Altar as He delivers His very Body and His very Blood as He says to us, “Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you; this cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” So, when you eat and drink Christ’s Body and Blood and you hear these holy words, you are holy, you are His, you are saints.
As sinners, we don’t deserve God’s grace. All we deserve is eternal death, due to our sins. But God’s holiness comes as a gift, a pure gift, without any merit or worthiness in you.
So, we are saints, not because of anything we have done. On our own, we can never be a saint. We are saints because we find our holiness in the Lord’s forgiveness of all our sins. Again, we are not saints because of what we have accomplished, but because of what Jesus has done for you upon that cross. He suffered and died to make us saints. He rose for our justification so that we would know beyond any doubt that Jesus accomplished salvation for us. We are saints, not by the Law, but by the Gospel. We are saints not because of our perfect life, but by the forgiveness of our sins.
[The Not Yet]
One day, by faith in Christ, you will join the Church Triumphant. On that day, you will physically join that great multitude “clothed in white robes.” Again, these white robes signify their holiness, but where do these white robes come from? Is it by their good works? Doing more good than evil?
No, it is because of being sealed by God as His people! Again, this goes back to your baptism. You see, at the moment you were baptized, you received this white robe of Christ’s righteousness that covers all of your sin. This is the robe that the Church Triumphant wears in heaven. And these robes are made white in the blood of the Lamb shed on the cross. White is the color of purity and saints are made pure by the blood of Jesus shed for you.
On that day we enter the Church Triumphant, you will recognize and discern the earth’s most famous and powerful. You will recognize the rich and the famous as we learned through history. But most of this great multitude are quite unknown from history. And guess what, you will recognize them, too. Just like Peter, James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration, you will recognize Moses and Elijah. You will recognize everyone. You will know everyone. Among the great multitude will be every color of the flesh of humanity. Every person who put their trust in Jesus is there! From every nation and tribe!
But unlike the sinful world that focuses only on outward diversity, it’s not about their skin color. It’s all about their unity of attention. You see, they aren’t paying any attention to themselves. They are united in their gaze upon the Lamb on His throne, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is victorious in His sacrifice of love.
And that is the secret to being among the great multitude. They aren’t there by mistake. They aren’t there by sneaking in. They are there because they share the same blessedness. Blessed are they because Jesus Christ came to earth, became poor, mourned sin, humbled Himself to the point of death, so that they could see God, as children of God – as saints (Matthew 5:1-12). Jesus became a child of man in order to lift us up into what He is: a child of God. You see, the Beatitudes that Jesus preaches describe Him, but they also describe us – as saints in Christ.
Through the Baptismal Font and the Lord’s Altar, we have been sealed by His grace. There, we are made saints as we live the life of a saint in repentance and faith in Christ Jesus. In this grace, we are assured that we will be numbered among the great multitude where we will be before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple; where He shelters you with His presence. There, you shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike you, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne is the Shepherd who guides to springs of living water, and He wipes every tear from your eyes.” (Revelation 7:15-17)
It is only by God’s grace that our sins are forgiven. By God’s grace, we are made holy. We are forgiven and holy. By God’s grace, we are among the great multitude of saints. Amen.
The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +
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