Enduring The Four Horsemen

This week Pastor Josh looks at what happens when the kingdom of God confronts the kingdom of evil. We look at Revelation 6 and 7 to see how evil reacts when Jesus seeks to bring his kingdom.

• The breaking of the Seven Seals is Jesus’s way of bringing his kingdom to earth. 
• Evil reacts to the coming kingdom of Jesus by doing all it can to get in some dirty shots before they lose. Evil does this by perpetrating the things that are the very opposite of God’s kingdom.
• In all of this conflict, it seems like no one could stand. But we see in Revelation 7 that those who are sealed by the Spirit of God are able to stand. And not just stand, but sing with joy.

COMMUNITY GROUP QUESTIONS:

1. Let’s be honest: this breaking of the Seven Seals is one of those strange sections of Revelation that has been misinterpreted and misunderstood for so long. What interpretations have you heard around this? How did the sermon help you better understand some of what’s going on?
2. When Jesus brings his kingdom, evil reacts by pushing back. We’ve already seen in Revelation that Jesus has overcome, and the kingdom of evil is seeking to delay his coming by throwing in some dirty shots. What are some ways you see evil at work in the world today? How is evil seeking to delay the kingdom Jesus will establish?
3. Throughout all this calamity and conflict, the world gives up in despair. Surely no one could endure this. But there are some who can: believers sealed by the Spirit of God. As Christians, we have been given what we need to endure. Where do you struggle to believe this? How do you tend to give up in trials rather than believing the Spirit can help you endure?
4. Those sealed with the Holy Spirit are those who have been “washed clean by the blood of the Lamb.” We have hope to endure because we have the hope of salvation. Our confidence and endurance comes from the finished work of Jesus. How are you currently resting in the finished work of Jesus? Where in your life/relationships/inward thoughts do you need the grace of Jesus to comfort and assure you?