How can you worship God when the world bombards you with images of rising prices, illness, and unrest, and the gallery of your mind fills up with fear? This sermon concludes a journey through the book of Revelation and pauses at chapter 7, between the image of a suffering world and the image of God’s judgment, where God seals His people and leads them toward an uncountable multitude in white robes. Stories of persecuted Christians, from a Romanian pastor to a dark prison cell in Korea, show what it means to belong to God on the dangerous journey to eternity. Listen and discover who has the final word in your story.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- In Revelation 6 the souls of the martyrs under the altar cry out, "How long?" What does this image say about the suffering of God's people, and why, as the speaker noted, is it still relevant today?
- In chapter 7 John first hears about the 144,000 who are sealed and then sees a countless crowd from every nation. What did a seal mean in the ancient world, and what does this picture say about God's protection of His people?
- The speaker pointed out that Paul describes the Holy Spirit as a seal God places on His children. How does knowing that you belong to God change the way you see hardship, given that the seal does not mean freedom from suffering?
- Christians in a Romanian prison prayed for their torturers and gave them their last piece of bread because they knew whom they belonged to and where they were going. What about their attitude moves you most, and why?
- Which images in your personal "gallery" make it hardest for you to worship God right now, and how might the picture of the Lamb who wipes away every tear transform them?
- The speaker closed by asking: if we will worship God in eternity, why not start now? How can you practically worship God this week in the middle of what you are struggling with?
