Today in worship we'll be looking at "The Demographics of Heaven"  (I hope you'll join us at the South Butler Primary School, in Saxonburg, PA at 8:45 or 10:15 a.m.!)  The text for the day is Revelation 5:6-10:  ⁶Then I saw a Lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered, but it was now standing between the throne and the four living beings and among the twenty-four elders. ⁷He stepped forward and took the scroll from the right hand of the one sitting on the throne. ⁸And when he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. ⁹And they sang a new song with these words:   “You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it.  For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God  from every tribe and language and people and nation.  And you have caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God.   And they will reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:6-10 NLT Emphasis added)

This week, we'll be looking at the text, but for this morning let's focus on the statement:  your blood (that is the blood of the Lamb, Jesus), has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.  Those are the demographics of heaven:  people from EVERY tribe and language and people and nation.  When Jesus died on the cross of Calvary, he opened the door of heaven to people from EVERY nation on the planet.  In the Bible the number "four" represents the earth, when we read people from every tribe+language+people+nation (4 different ways of saying the same thing), it's simply numerical "code" for people from the whole earth.  Notice it doesn't say that EVERY PERSON from EVERY tribe and language and people and nation.  It says that people FROM every tribe and language and people and nation.  In EVERY people group on the planet some will be in heaven.  That challenges us to go to every people group and share the new life of Jesus Christ with them.  That's why New Life's mission is:  Sharing the new life of Jesus Christ with the world--one person at a time.

Why is it our job to go?  Because Jesus made it our job.  He told us to make disciples of ALL nations. To do that we must go. Some get to go--literally--we get to travel to parts of the world where people haven't heard of Jesus, or need to hear about Jesus.  Others get to go through prayer, or financial support, or encouraging those who do go before they leave and when they return!

Throughout the week, we'll be looking at what Revelation 5:6-10 says about Jesus, about worship, about the demographics of heaven, and what we have to do with it all!  Praise God for including people from EVERY tribe and language and people and nation in heaven---and for giving us that opportunity!

Let's pray:  Heavenly Father, Thank You for giving people from all over the world the opportunity to live with You for eternity in heaven!  Fill us with the Holy Spirit that we may share Your heart for those who haven't yet heard the Good News of Jesus' salvation, and that we may be empowered to go to them.  This we pray in Jesus' name.  Amen.