Honoring Saints - Encouraging Others
An all-creatures Bible Message

Honoring Saints - Encouraging Others
 
A Sermon Delivered to
The Compassion Internet Church
 
1 November 2015
 
Frank L. Hoffman, Pastor

Scripture References

Isaiah 25:6-9
Isaiah 51:7-8
Isaiah 65:25
John 11:32-44
Revelation 21:1-8

Honoring saints and encouraging others is something that we are to be doing all the time.
 
Today is All Saints Day, an old holiday that was to honor the people who truly followed the heavenly will of God, even though the church has honored some not so saintly people.
 
The evening before All Saints Day was referred to as all hallows eve, but this was corrupted over time into Halloween, because the church really didn’t understand evil and recognize the corruption of this holiday and the world around them.
 
Halloween by name may not seem to be bad, but the holiday really honors the devil and not God, which is what all hallows eve was supposed to do.
 
We are to be honoring saints and encouraging others, and not follow the corrupt ways of this world
 
Even though Isaiah seems to have been speaking about Moab, at the time these words in Isaiah 25:6-9 were written, they nevertheless apply to us today.

6. And the LORD of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain;
A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow,
And refined, aged wine.

First of all, the original Hebrew doesn’t mention marrow which is in bones; all it refers to is fat pieces or choice pieces that could refer to any bountiful food, which will be confirmed as we go on.
 
All this is telling us is that the oppressed of this world, which we believe must include the animals, for there are far more of them being oppressed than humans, will be guests at a lavish banquet that the Lord will host.
 
God is honoring saints, and perhaps some who are not saints in the hope of encouraging others to return to Him wholeheartedly.

7. And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples,
Even the veil which is stretched over all nations.

Everything that is now hidden will come to light and be seen by all.
 
No longer will the acts of evil people be hidden; they will all be exposed.

8. He will swallow up death for all time,
And the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces,
And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth;
For the LORD has spoken.

This is the key; for if the Lord will swallow up death, then there will no longer be any killing of humans or animals, which confirms the heavenly will that we are to bring to earth as it is in heaven.
 
This also confirms the fact that there could be no marrow, for that would require the death of an animal.

9. And it will be said in that day,
"Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us.
This is the LORD for whom we have waited;
Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation."
NASB

This is the Lord reigning over the whole earth and ushering in His peaceable kingdom, which all who are true children of God are diligently working for.
 
God will save the whole earth from the evil caused by the devil, as we talked about last week.
 
This is honoring saints and encouraging others to be peacemaking children of God.
 
Note also what we are told in Isaiah 51:7-8.

7. "Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,
A people in whose heart is My law;
Do not fear the reproach of man,
Neither be dismayed at their revilings.

He is speaking to the saints, the children of God; He is perhaps not honoring saints as much as He is encouraging others to wake up and see the horrible corruption in the world, of which the Lord gives us a couple of examples.

8. "For the moth will eat them like a garment,
And the grub will eat them like wool.
But My righteousness shall be forever,
And My salvation to all generations."
NASB

The evil of this world will gnaw away at the evil and ungodly people of this world, but the honored saints, the children of God, will not be harmed.
 
We hope that this wakes up many people to the evil and corrupt ways of this world.
 
We are to be honoring saints and encouraging others to follow the heavenly will of God, where there is no pain or suffering or bloodshed or human caused death.
 
Now let’s take a look at Revelation 21:1-8, where we are told about the new heaven and the new earth.

1. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.
 
2. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
 
3. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them,

When this happens, there will no longer be a corrupt earth, for no one will follow the corrupt ways of the devil.
 
There will be peace among all humans and animals.
 
This is also what we are told in Isaiah 65:25…

25. "The wolf and the lamb shall graze together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain," says the LORD.
NASB

This is also the way we should be honoring saints and encouraging others here on earth as it is in heaven.
 
We are to be setting the example of heavenly living here on earth.
 
Let’s return to our Revelation passage.

4. and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." 

And since there is no longer any death, neither humans nor animals will kill for food or for any other reason; all will be at peace.

5. And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true."
 
6. And He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.
 
7. "He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.
 
8. "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
NASB

These are the people who stubbornly chose to continue to follow the corrupt ways of the devil and this world, instead of following the Lord our God and His heavenly will.
 
They stubbornly refused to be among those honoring saints and encouraging others; instead they chose to honor the corrupt ways of this world with all its pain, suffering, bloodshed and death.
 
We are not to be among them.
 
We are to separate ourselves from them and their ways.
 
We are to be the peacemaking children of God, who live in the heavenly will of God.
 
We are not only to be honoring saints, we are to be among them, and through our heavenly lifestyle we will also be encouraging others to be among us and God.
 
This is what being a Christian is all about.
 
Amen.

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