“The Great Cloud of Witnesses” – Hebrews 12
Lord God, as we are gratefully gathered here today (and also gathered through the technology you have given us), we pray that your Holy Spirit would have full reign in all of us, guiding both my words and our hearts. May we not leave today the same as when we came, but more closely aligned to You and Your Will. In Christ’s name by the power of the Spirit we pray, amen.
What is All Saints Sunday? Why is it that every Sunday after Halloween, we take time to sing about Saints, light candles, share and remember names? What is this all about and why does it matter? All-Saints Day is an old Christian holiday in which we specifically remember those who have gone before us. We remember those who have died in the Lord, who have completed the race, and have been made perfect by the sanctifying grace of Christ.
It can be a bittersweet Sunday for many. While we celebrate that those who have died in the Lord are now with Him forever in heaven… we also miss them. We celebrate their victory, but we also grieve that they are no longer with us. And we are right to do this. We are right to grieve and mourn when death separates us from those whom we love in the Lord. However, All- Saints Day is an opportunity for us to remember the blessed truth that we still share in fellowship with the saints, even in spite of our separation from them, and that we have the blessed hope that we will be reunited with them one day when Christ returns.
Now, while the second point might make sense, we may wonder – how do we share in fellowship with the saints now? How can we be in fellowship with them when they are no longer present with us? Well, there are several reasons why we still have fellowship with the saints, even though they have passed away.
Firstly, every saint – every true believer who has died in the Lord – leaves some kind of legacy behind. No saint is perfect, at least not in their life here on earth. But all saints leave some kind of influence on the people that come after them. They may have influenced many, like the apostles, the church fathers and mothers, and the reformers. Or they may have influenced some, like a pastor or an evangelist. Or maybe they influenced only a handful of lives, the closest circle
of friends and family around them. But regardless of the number, every saint leaves an influence, and it is that influence which is passed on to the living which creates that blessed communion, or fellowship with the saints.
For the faith that the Saints lived out is passed down to us and lived out in us. Their legacies literally live on in us. The faith of the Old Testament believers lives on in us, as they witnessed to God’s mighty actions and his promised coming in Christ. The faith of the apostles still lives on in us, because their witness to the risen Christ is the reason we come together to worship today. The faith of the church fathers and mothers still lives on in us, because through them we follow many of the same teachings and doctrines that the early church held to. The faith
of the reformers lives on in us, as the biblical teaching that was refined and corrected through the reformation is central to who we are as a church today. In addition to this, the faith of those Christians we have known in our own lives, lives on through their influence on us. In short, we share in fellowship with all of these people – Jews, apostles, church fathers, and reformers, and others, through the legacy that they have passed down to us through their expressions of faith.
Moreover, the Hebrews and the original apostles called upon the same God that we do. The early church worshipped the same Christ we do. The church fathers and mothers taught the same teachings that we hold to. The reformers boldly proclaimed the same scripture that we do. Men such as the Wesleys were led by the same Holy Spirit that lives in us. All these people faced trials and temptations, just as we do. They worshipped the same God. They read the same scriptures. They prayed, just as we do. They walked in faith, just as we do. And in the end, they gained the victory through the same Christ who leads us to victory. Because we live the same faith that they did, we are united with them. We share in fellowship with all the saints.
Throughout his writings, Paul asserts that the Body of Christ is a metaphor for the church of Christ. Christ’s body is made up of the church – it is made up of all God’s people who love and serve Him and seek to extend His ministry. But the Body of Christ is not just here on earth. It is also composed of the saints in heaven above, who have been made perfect through Christ. And so, this means that as we are all made one through Christ in the Lord’s Supper, we share in fellowship not merely with each other, but with all believers – on earth AND in heaven. How incredible is that! How that changes Communion!
And so, we see that because of the legacy passed down and the one faith in Christ that is shared by all… we are mystically yet truly united in fellowship with the saints above. The saints above may no longer be with us physically, but we share in the same Holy Spirit that they shared in. Through that bond of the Holy Spirit, we do have fellowship with the saints, and we are indeed surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.
What does all this mean for us? Well, Hebrews 12:1-2 gives us our answer. It says:
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” How were the saints able to live out their faith? By fixing their eyes on Jesus. The only reason that the saints could run their race and leave the legacy they did was because they sought to imitate Christ and follow his example. They sought to imitate the one who was the pioneer and
perfecter of their faith. And this is what we should seek to do as well.
And what was Christ’s example that he left? We find it here in verse 2, where it says “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The saints too looked to the ultimate example of Jesus’ victory. They looked to the joy of salvation that was set before them through Christ. They followed Jesus and scorned the shame of the crosses of their own lives, disregarding the shame from their trials and temptations. And eventually, as they passed into death, they gained victory. They were made perfect in their death, and came into the presence of God through the finished work of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Now, lest we fall into error, Hebrews 12:3 gives us a cautionary note. It reminds us that we should look first and foremost to Christ for encouragement. For Hebrews 12:3 says “Consider him (Jesus) who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Jesus is the one we should ultimately follow. We should be careful not to make the saints into idols. While it is true that they have been made perfect in heaven, no saint is perfect on earth. They struggled with sin, just as we do. We don’t worship them, or their example. We worship Christ, and we follow His example.
Nevertheless, we can and should be encouraged by the saints who have gone before us. Because ultimately, the saints and their examples should point us toward the ultimate example of Christ. The example and legacy of the saints should encourage us as we seek to fix our eyes on Christ. The courage of the martyrs, even in the face of death, should encourage us to bold and fearless in our proclamation of the gospel. The wisdom of the church fathers and mothers should lead us as we seek to answer the difficult challenges of life. The saints’ self-sacrifice, putting sin to death, hoping in the midst of difficulty, their devotion to scripture, prayer, and servanthood… all of these things the saints did should encourage us as we seek to follow Christ more closely in
our own lives.
But even more than this, the example of Christ and the saints should also encourage us and cause us to be ever more diligent in letting our faith shine before others. I’m sure that all of us can think of at least one person who has passed away who had an influence on our faith. Well, here’s the thing: whether we realize it or not, all of us here today are influencing someone else’s faith as well.
We remember what we said earlier – that all saints leave a legacy behind – an example of faith that should ultimately point others around them to Jesus. Given that we who trust in Christ will all be saints one day, shouldn’t that make us strive to leave good examples for those around us? Shouldn’t that cause us to strive to imitate Christ in our lives? Because people are watching us, whether we realize it or not. Someday, someone will be remembering you and your example of faith. The question is, what would you want people to say about you as a Christian after you die? This might make us pause. It might be a difficult challenge for us, but I believe that it’s one we need to hear. It is important for us to remember that we are being watched. As Christians, we are literally bearing witness to Christ in our walks of faith. What will our witness be?
However, while All Saints Day might be a day for us to be challenged, it is also a day when we may rightly seek comfort as well. As we remember from earlier, today can be a difficult day for many people. I know it’s a difficult day for me. As we said before, it’s natural and even right to miss those who have passed on. But we do have this hope – while we still share in fellowship with them now, even in death, a day is certainly coming when we will be reunited with all the saints in heaven. We look forward to a day when we will see again our loved ones in the Lord – and not just them, but all of the great company if believers: past, present, and future.
There will be a day when we who trust in Christ will join the vast multitude described in Revelation chapter 7: a multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, that is beyond count. There will be a day when we join in fellowship with them in the heavenly kingdom, wearing our white robes, having been made perfect in death through Christ. We sing God’s praises forever, serve Him in love, and never again will we struggle with sin or evil. We will be with the Lord forever, and we will never again be separated from those whom we love.
What a glorious reality that is that we have to look forward to! Can you even begin to imagine what it will be like? Standing with all of the saints, from the very beginning of creation, to the very end of the age. Seeing our loved ones again who died in the Lord, never struggling with sin or sorrow anymore. Thanks to Christ, this is the blessed reality that we have to look forward to. In this, we can have hope on those darkest days. And in this, we find the strength to carry out our witness, to imitate Christ, and to leave that legacy of faith for all to see.
So church, let us go out confessing the name of Jesus, following Christ our captain, looking to Him and the saints who have gone before, being encouraged and uplifted by them. And let us look forward to that great and glorious day when “From earth’s wide bound, and from ocean’s farthest coast, through gates of pearl” will stream in the countless host, “singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Hallelujah. Hallelujah” Would you pray with me?
Almighty God, we do give thanks for all these blessed truths which we remember on all Saints Day. Help us to remember them. Comfort us in our loss, but help us to take up the examples of the Saints, and most of all the example of Christ. Help us to so live like Christ, that our lives are an example to others. And when life is hard and painful, remind us of the blessed future that is to come – that we may be faithful and rejoice. All these things we pray in the name of Christ – our Lord and Savior, our example, and the pioneer and perfector of our faith.
Amen.
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