Show Notes

On All Saints' Day, the church reads the names of those who have died in the faith. Where are they now? In Revelation 7, John sees a multitude no one can number, dressed in white robes and standing before the throne. When an elder asks who they are, John cannot answer. In this sermon on Revelation 7:2-17, Pastor Karl Grant walks through God's revealed answer to that question.

The saints are God's servants, marked with His name. Christians receive that mark in Baptism and can remember it every morning and evening with the sign of the cross. The saints have come out of the Great Tribulation, which is not a future event but the life of the Church right now. They stand before God only because the Lamb's blood has washed their robes white, and Christ keeps doing that washing through His Word, Absolution, and Supper. The saints who now rest from their labors have not become angels, and God did not take them because He needed them; He took them because He wanted them to be with Him.

Preached at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Gibbon, Minnesota, on November 1, 2026, the day four young people received their First Communion, this sermon also speaks to grief. Christians may mourn, but not as those without hope. The saints before the throne are waiting for something better still: the resurrection of the body, when God's own finger will wipe away every physical tear from His people's faces, and death will finally be no more.

Key Takeaways

1. God marks His people with His own name in Baptism. His seal does not keep Christians out of trouble, but it preserves them through it.
2. The Great Tribulation is the life of the church now. Christians should not expect to be exempt from suffering, and suffering does not mean God has abandoned them.
3. The saints stand before God because Jesus shed His blood for them, not because they were good people. He keeps washing our robes through His Word, Absolution, and Supper.
4. Christians do not become angels when they die, and God does not take them because He needs them. He takes forgiven sinners to Himself because He wants them.
5. Christians grieve, but with hope. The saints are with the Lord now, and on the last day God will raise their bodies and wipe away every tear.

Selected Scripture References

• Revelation 7:2-17: God seals His servants, washes their robes in the Lamb's blood, and gathers them before His throne.
• Revelation 6:12-17: On the great day of wrath, the world asks who is able to stand.
• Psalm 130:3: If the Lord kept a record of sins, no one could stand.
• John 15:20: Jesus warns that the world will treat His servants as it treated Him.
• Isaiah 49:21: Zion, thinking she is childless, asks where her gathered children came from.
• Revelation 21:4: God will wipe away every tear, and death will be no more.

Question for Reflection

When you remember a loved one who died in the faith, what does it change to know that they stand before God's throne because of Jesus' blood rather than their own goodness?

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Listen to sermons from St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, a country church six miles north of Gibbon, Minnesota. We belong to the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS).

Children worship beside their parents and grandparents here. We sing hymns, hear readings from the Bible, and pray together. Our preaching centers on Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose again. Through His Word, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, He gives forgiveness and eternal life. Whether you’ve grown up in church or are just beginning to learn about the Christian faith, you’re welcome to visit.

Visit us: 63924 240th St, Gibbon, MN 55335 | (507) 834-6676 | splcgibbon.org

Join us Sundays:

• September–May: Sunday School at 8:30 a.m. | Adult Bible Study at 9:00 a.m. | Worship at 10:00 a.m.
• June–August: Worship at 9:00 a.m.

Plan your visit for directions and what to expect.

#GibbonMN #LutheranChurchMN #LCMSWorship

Revelation speaks to Christians who are suffering under the pressure to give up their faith. The enemies of Christ threaten their livelihood and their lives, and the Church can look powerless. In this Reformation Sunday sermon on Revelation 14:6-13, Pastor Karl Grant asks how God's people persevere when appearances give them little reason for confidence.

God answers with His Word. He calls His children through the Gospel, declares Babylon fallen even while she appears strong, and blesses those who die in the Lord. Christ has already suffered God's judgment for sinners and defeated death. These promises have something to say about the ordinary costs of faithfulness: protecting time to hear God's Word, honoring His name, and doing honest work when nobody is watching.

Preached at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Gibbon, Minnesota, on October 25, 2026, this sermon also speaks to Christians who wonder whether their daily service accomplishes anything. Raising children in the faith, caring for a parent, and serving in the church can be tiring. God promises rest to His people, and their labor in Him is never wasted.

Key Takeaways

1. God sustains His people through His Word, even when the church appears weak and its enemies seem to be winning.
2. Through the Gospel, God makes us His beloved children. His forgiveness teaches us to fear and honor Him above the powers of this world.
3. Christ's death, resurrection, and ascension assure us that evil will not have the final victory. We can trust God's verdict before we see its fulfillment.
4. Christian endurance includes ordinary decisions about prayer, worship, family life, and honest work, even when obedience costs us something.
5. Those who die in the Lord receive rest. Christ keeps His people through His Word, His Supper, and His forgiveness, and their service to Him is not lost.

Selected Scripture References

• Revelation 14:6-13: God calls His people to endure, declares Babylon fallen, and promises rest to those who die in the Lord.
• Revelation 13:1-18: The beasts use power, deception, and threats to demand false worship.
• Matthew 10:28: Jesus teaches His disciples whom to fear when their lives are threatened.
• Psalm 130:4: God's forgiveness teaches His children to fear and honor Him.
• Philippians 1:21: For Paul, living means serving Christ, and dying means gain.
• 1 Corinthians 15:58: Labor in the Lord is never wasted.

Question for Reflection

Where are you tempted to give up faithfulness to Christ for an easier life, and how does His promise help you endure that cost?

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Listen to sermons from St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, a country church six miles north of Gibbon, Minnesota. We belong to the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS).

Children worship beside their parents and grandparents here. We sing hymns, hear readings from the Bible, and pray together. Our preaching centers on Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose again. Through His Word, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, He gives forgiveness and eternal life. Whether you’ve grown up in church or are just beginning to learn about the Christian faith, you’re welcome to visit.

Visit us: 63924 240th St, Gibbon, MN 55335 | (507) 834-6676 | splcgibbon.org

Join us Sundays:

• September–May: Sunday School at 8:30 a.m. | Adult Bible Study at 9:00 a.m. | Worship at 10:00 a.m.
• June–August: Worship at 9:00 a.m.

Plan your visit for directions and what to expect.

#GibbonMN #LutheranChurchMN #LCMSWorship

Show Notes

Jesus ends His parable of the wedding feast with words that can trouble a Christian: “Many are called, but few are chosen.” Does God invite everyone while secretly wanting only a few to come? In Matthew 22:1-14, the king keeps sending servants to bring people to his son's feast. Pastor Karl Grant follows the parable to show that God means His invitation for you.

The first guests go back to their farms and businesses. Those are good gifts of God, but the guests treat them as more important than His call. The sermon asks whether we do the same when Scripture and prayer get whatever time is left after our work. Then it turns to the man without a wedding garment and to the righteousness Christ gives us in Baptism, received by faith.

Preached on October 18, 2026, at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Gibbon, Minnesota, this sermon directs a troubled conscience to Christ's promises. Looking inside yourself to measure your faith cannot give you certainty. Even weak faith saves when it rests on Jesus.

Key Takeaways

1. Farms, businesses, and daily work are gifts from God. We sin when we treat those gifts as more important than hearing His Word.
2. The Holy Spirit calls us through the Gospel. We cannot produce faith or assurance by our own reason or strength.
3. God's invitation is sincere. The king keeps sending servants, and the invitation reaches people with both good and bad records.
4. The wedding garment is Christ's righteousness, given in Baptism and received by faith. Church membership and our own good deeds cannot take its place.
5. Assurance rests on Christ and His promises. Even weak faith saves because of the Savior it trusts.

Selected Scripture References

• Matthew 22:1-14: Jesus' wedding-feast parable warns against refusing God's invitation and standing before Him without the wedding garment.
• Matthew 23:37: Jesus longs to gather Jerusalem's children, but they are unwilling. His invitation is sincere.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14: Paul assures Christians that God chose them and called them through the Gospel.
• Isaiah 61:10: God clothes His people with salvation and righteousness.
• Galatians 3:27: Those baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
• Revelation 19:9: Those invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb are blessed.

Question for Reflection
When you doubt whether God has chosen you, how do His Gospel invitation and the promise of your Baptism answer that doubt?

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Listen to sermons from St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, a country church six miles north of Gibbon, Minnesota. We belong to the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS).

Children worship beside their parents and grandparents here. We sing hymns, hear readings from the Bible, and pray together. Our preaching centers on Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose again. Through His Word, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, He gives forgiveness and eternal life. Whether you’ve grown up in church or are just beginning to learn about the Christian faith, you’re welcome to visit.

Visit us: 63924 240th St, Gibbon, MN 55335 | (507) 834-6676 | splcgibbon.org

Join us Sundays:

• September–May: Sunday School at 8:30 a.m. | Adult Bible Study at 9:00 a.m. | Worship at 10:00 a.m.
• June–August: Worship at 9:00 a.m.

Plan your visit for directions and what to expect.

#GibbonMN #LutheranChurchMN #LCMSWorship