Keep the faith because Christ has conquered!

Brothers and Sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ,

Christ, “After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave them many convincing proofs that he was alive.
He appeared to them over a period of 40 days and spoke to them about the kingdom of God…
He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.
“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” Acts 1:3-11

This event has great and many implications for us.
Sometimes we can feel so bound to times and dates that our hearts hurt and our minds are vexed. Our earthly circumstances may cause us to become despondent, anxious, down & depressed. The worries of this world can sometimes become so great that we want to retreat into the foetal position – crawl up into a ball and find a warm dark place where we can withdraw into ourselves.

Jesus, “ascension into heaven.” is the reason why we are to encourage each other daily to ‘Keep the faith for Christ has conquered!’ Heaven is the place to where Jesus ascended. We believe that Jesus welcomes all those who in faith have called on his mighty Name for mercy, forgiveness and grace.
Christ has entered heaven itself and is in the presence of God the Father – at His right hand. When Jesus was still with his disciples He spoke to them about where He was going.
‘Let you hearts not be anxious, do not be troubled in my Fathers house are many rooms. I am going there to prepare a place for you.’

It is from that place that Christ will come with the spirits of those who have died, those who have ‘fallen asleep in Christ’, to judge the living and the dead. Though Christ’s body is in heaven, yet he says “Lo I am with you even to the end of the age.” As to His divinity, majesty, grace and Spirit He is not absent from us for a moment.
You may well be wondering why I was led to preach on the 4 riders and their horses. How can we make sense of this ‘Apocalyptic literature’.
We gain our assurance of the resurrection of the dead from the fact that where the Head is, there his members will be also.
Jesus promised that his disciples would experience troubles, persecutions and trials in this world. But we ought not fear, give up or be discouraged.

As Paul wrote to the Ephesians, (6:12)
“Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but
against the rulers, against the authorities, against
the powers of this dark world and against the
forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
Satan and his evil followers – both evil spirits and wicked people whom he has deceived and enticed to join him in his rebellion against the one true living God – have their wicked schemes through which they seek to lead the children of God astray. My friends, in the face of Satan’s temptations,
‘keep the faith for Christ has conquered all his
enemies, Satan, sin and the last enemy, death!’
The Lord has given the forces of evil a license to do whatever they desire but the havoc and destruction is limited to serve God’s sovereign purposes.
Remember how the Lord tested the faith of Job. God put a limit on his suffering.
“The Lord said to Satan, “he is in your hands; but you
must spare his life.” Job 2:6
The Lord allows trials, tribulation and adversity to refine and test our faith. John sees this spiritual battle in the form of the vision of the 4 riders and their coloured horses.
This vision is given so that God’s people do not lose heart or renounce their most precious faith. From the ascension of Christ till the day of his return this fierce battle rages. Who is the rider on the white horse holding a bow, given a crown and bent on conquest? Some have said it is Christ and the white horse is the Gospel.

Others disagree saying, ‘Compare the rider of Chapter 6 with the rider of chapter 19.
Both ride white horses but the rider of Chapter 6 wears a victor’s wreath and carries a bow. The rider of chapter 19 wears a royal crown ‘with many diadems’ and is armed with a sharp sword proceeding from his mouth.
The context of 6:2 is one of conquest while that of 19:11 ff is one of righteous retribution. Clearly the rider of Ch. 19 is the risen Christ who will come to judge the living and the dead.

Those who have kept the faith and persevered to the end will ‘live in the house of the Lord forever’. Those who joined with Satan in rebelling against the Lord and his Anointed will be condemned to eternal punishment.
Satan comes as an angel of light in the spirit of conquest, seeking to deceive and tempt people to join in his rebellion.
Consider the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness.
Satan offers Jesus the easy way out saying: ‘I will give
you all the kingdoms of the world if you worship me.’
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your
God and serve him only.’” Luke 4:5-8
It was God’s will that only through the suffering and death of Christ the victory over Satan, sin and death would be won.
If the first seal suggested invasion from without, the second seal may refer to internal strife. John sees a red horse whose rider is given a great sword and the authority to take peace from the earth, allowing men to slay each other.

Red symbolizes slaughter and bloodshed.
We should not be surprised if the saints of God are not spared this evil.
Indeed, Jesus promised, many would die for their faith – Barnabas aid tells the stories of the slaughter and persecution of the saints across the world today.
Anarchy and bloodshed are symbols of the last days.
With the opening of the 3rd seal there comes a black horse, its rider holds a scale in his hand. A voice from the centre of the throne room announces famine prices for wheat and barley, and warns against hurting the oil and the wine.
The scale indicates a time of scarcity when the cost of living goes through the roof.
The poor get poorer and the rich get richer.
We should not be surprised when the world endures famine and injustice.
The 4th seal is opened, there comes a horse with the colour of a corpse.
His rider is Death, and following along behind, his inseparable companion Hades.
Authority is given to them over a fourth part of the earth – limitations are placed on their murderous activity – they bring death to a quarter of humanity.
Four means are mentioned – the sword, the famine, the evil beasts, and the pestilence. The imagery of John’s vision has its roots in Old
Testament apocalyptic writing.
Many books and many different interpretations are given to explain the meaning of ‘the last days’. My parents were convinced that the teaching of Hal Lindsay (Late Great Planet Earth) was the truth.

He said that 1984 was the date when the great tribulation would commence.
In a later book, titled The 1980s: Countdown to Armageddon, he indicated that he believed it was possible that the battle of Armageddon could occur in the not too distant future, stating, “the decade of the 1980s could very well be the last decade of history as we know it.”
My parents, with two other families purchased 100 acres of land in the middle of Victoria so that we could survive the days when Christians would no longer be able to buy or sell. My Uncle even built a bunker and buried drums of diesel so we would be self sufficient.

My dear friends, we should be careful how we interpret Scripture not making it say more than it says or any less either.
We must take to heart the clear teaching of Scripture. There is a spiritual battle and the forces of evil wage war against God’s people seeking to deceive and lead them astray. We have been taught to pray, ‘lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil One.’ Let us be on guard, “Many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate one another, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
And this Gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end shall come. Matthew 24:10-14

God is patient, delaying the day of his coming, not wishing any to perish, but turn to him is repentance and call on Jesus for the forgiveness of their sin.
The call to repentance is urgent!
Scripture warns all everywhere not to delay.
We pray to the only true, living Saviour God for those near and dear to us who are not ‘right with God’ that they like the lost son, might call to God for forgiveness and mercy. Let us not be flippant for eternal destinies are at stake.
We are called to seek the lost, urging them, ‘Be reconciled to God.’
The message of the Gospel is, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has
gone through the heavens, Jesus the son of God, let us
hold unswervingly to the faith we profess.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to
sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one
who has been tempted in every way, just as we are
-yet was without sin.
Let us then approach the throne of grace with
confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find
grace to help us in our time of need.”
When tempted, let us set our minds – our goals in life on the things that are above where Christ is seated at God’s right hand. Remember, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Let us be laying up treasures in heaven as we walk by faith in the footsteps of Jesus.

By the grace of God and the enabling power of the spirit of Christ working within us, may we be loving God with all our heart and all our soul and all our mind and all our strength. May we also be loving God’s people from the heart – is it not love covers over a multitude of sins. May we also have hearts that are filled with compassion for the lost, for those who unless they are born from above, face an eternity separated from God. Their lot is describes as one where there is ‘weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ I urge you to everyday fix your eyes on Christ the author and perfecter of your faith. Let me conclude with reading part of Lord’s Day 9
The eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who out of nothing created heaven and earth and everything in them, who still upholds and rules them by his eternal counsel and providence, is my God and Father because of Christ His Son.
I trust Him so much that I do not doubt He will provide whatever I need for body and soul, and He is turn to my good whatever adversity He sends me in this sad world.
He is able to do this because He is Almighty God;
He desires to do this because He is a faithful Father.
To Him be the glory, the honour and the praise forever and ever,

AMEN.