I Will Keep You from the Hour of Trial

The sermon opens with the words of Jesus Christ in the letter to the church in Philadelphia (one of the seven churches in Asia Minor in the book of Revelation): 'Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial' (Revelation 3:10). The pastor places this promise in the historical context of Revelation, when early believers under Roman rule were compelled to worship the emperor and faced imprisonment, loss of livelihood, social exclusion, and even death for refusing.

The sermon then explains the symbolism of the four horsemen in Revelation 6 — the white horse (the antichrist), the red horse (war), the black horse (famine), and the pale horse (Death and Hades) — as prophetic images of global catastrophes. The pastor affirms that war, famine, and plague have been, are, and will continue to be realities that humanity faces.

The central message of the sermon is the protection and hope that God promises to believers in all circumstances. Even if the body suffers and dies, the promise of spiritual salvation and eternal life in heaven — where there will be no more war, sickness, or grief — is the greatest source of comfort for every believer.

The pastor directly connects the sermon to the COVID-19 pandemic unfolding at the time, with tens of thousands infected, major cities like New York and Los Angeles eerily empty, and massive economic damage. He emphasizes that the outcome of the pandemic depends not only on government action but also on individual responsibility, and calls on the congregation to act responsibly toward their community.

In closing, the pastor calls the congregation to draw closer to God through Bible reading and prayer, and to fellowship, encourage, and support one another both spiritually and materially. He cites James 4:15-16 to remind believers that true faith must be accompanied by practical acts of love, and that the local church will actively seek ways to help those in need with food and financial support.