How do you worship God when the world is becoming a less and less safe place, and the suffering cry out: how long, O Lord? This sermon leads us through the images of the book of Revelation (Revelation 6-8): the prayers of the saints rising like incense, God’s people sealed as His own possession, and a countless multitude in white robes before the throne of the Lamb. These images remind us that whatever is happening in your life, God is watching over you on a safe journey to eternity. Listen and see which of them can change your perspective today.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- In Revelation 7:1-17 the angels hold back the winds until God's people are sealed. What might the seal have meant to the first readers, who knew the emperor's seal as a mark of ownership?
- John first hears the number 144,000, then sees a crowd no one can count from every nation and language. What does this shift in the picture say about God's people and who belongs to them?
- The sermon reminded us that Christians are sealed with the Holy Spirit as God's possession. How does knowing you belong to God change the way you go through suffering and trials?
- The prayers of those crying "how long?" rise before God like incense. When your prayer seems pointless, what helps you believe that God hears it?
- The people in white robes are clean not because they are great but because of the blood of the Lamb, and the Lamb becomes their shepherd as in Psalm 23. Which of these pictures of eternity moves you most, and why?
- The speaker encouraged us to let the pictures of eternity outweigh the hard pictures of daily life, like bills, illness or family problems. How can you worship God this week in the middle of what troubles you?
