Brothers and sisters, I always find it very difficult to speak after the Lord’s table, because to me, I feel the Lord’s table is the climax of our gathering. We have been brought to His very presence, and what more do we want? If we will continue in His presence, that is the best of life. None can be better.
So, dear brothers and sisters, thank God, we have all been brought into His very presence. May we continue to stay there until we see Him face to face.
But I have to obey my brother. Will you please turn to the last book of the Bible, Revelation?
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the assemblies.
To him that overcometh, to him will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.
“To him that overcomes”—this is repeated seven times in the second and third chapters of the book of Revelation. At the end of the Lord’s writing to His churches in Asia, He ends every letter with this call: “He that overcomes.”
May we have a word of prayer?
Dear Lord, thank You for having brought us into Your very presence. Now, Lord, what is it that You desire to speak to our hearts? We are all here in Your presence. Speak, Lord; Your servants hear. In Your name, amen.
The last call of the Bible, the last call of God to the church, is the call to overcome.
So, in Revelation 2 and 3, in the Lord’s letters to the seven churches in Asia at the end of the first century, the call to overcome is the call to all.
Brothers and sisters, this is no different from us today. What is the last call of the Lord to His church today? We are living at the beginning of the twenty-first century, but the call to overcome is the same call—the last call of God to His church.
Our Lord Jesus is the Overcomer. He came into this world and lived for thirty-three and a half years upon this earth. He went through all the problems that any human being could ever have, but He overcame.
He lived a life of overcoming: overcoming Satan, overcoming sin, overcoming the world, even overcoming Himself. Now He is seated at the right hand of His Father as the Overcomer. But thank God, His overcoming is our overcoming.
So He calls every one of us who has believed in Him to overcome. As long as He leaves us in this world, we are to be overcomers. We are to be those who not only overcome sin, but even Satan, the origin of sin.
God’s people, brothers and sisters, the call of God to every one of us is to overcome, as He has overcome.
It is true: we are living in a very difficult time. Satan is still ruling this wretched world. But thank God, our Lord Jesus has come. He has overcome. He is now seated at the right hand of God, but He gave His overcoming life to everyone who believes in Him.
So, dear brothers and sisters, we are all supposed to be overcomers, not to be overcome.
However difficult our circumstances may be, wherever we have been placed in this world, brothers and sisters, we are all called to be overcomers for the glory of God. We are not supposed to be overcome by the environment around us. We are not supposed to be overcome by the world, by sin, or by the enemy of God. We are destined to be overcomers for the glory of God.
So, brothers and sisters, let us all ask ourselves a question: Am I an overcomer, or am I being overcome?
The world is not better than before. I would say it is even worse. Satan’s power has not been diminished. I would say, probably, it will be at its uttermost, because he knows that his days are numbered. But thank God, we are called to be overcomers.
So I would like us to look into ourselves and, in the presence of God, ask ourselves this question: Am I an overcomer, or have I been overcome by the circumstances around me, by the power of the god of this world? Who am I? How do I live all my days? Do I overcome whatever may happen to me, or am I a defeated person?
It is true that by ourselves we will not be able to overcome. Since the fall of man, men have been overcome by the enemy of God. But thank God, He has sent His beloved Son into this world, who lived for thirty-three and a half years upon this earth.
He went through all kinds of temptations, sufferings, and confrontations, but He lived a perfect life. He said, “I can do nothing by Myself. I cannot say anything by Myself. I cannot go anywhere by Myself. I do all things according to the will of My heavenly Father.”
He was tempted in all things, but He overcame. Now, brothers and sisters, He has given this overcoming life to each and every one of us who believe in Him.
You know, sometimes when we first believe in the Lord Jesus, all the concern is our past sins. They bother our conscience. But thank God, through the redemption of our Lord Jesus, we know our past sins have all been forgiven.
Not only that, we have been given a new life, even the life of Christ in us. For this reason, He calls every one of us to be an overcomer.
He knows where you are. He knows your circumstances. He knows all the problems that surround you. But He knows His life in us is sufficient for everything. So the last call to the church is the call to overcome.
Brothers and sisters, examine your own lives before the Lord. See whether your life is an overcoming life or a defeated life.
If you live a defeated life, you have missed the power of God in Christ Jesus, because the new life that He has given to you is an overcoming life. Every Christian is supposed to live an overcoming life instead of a defeated life.
The Lord knows where you are. I believe He has placed each and every one of us where we are. We do not choose our parents. We do not choose the place where we will be. It is the sovereignty of God that has chosen us.
He has given us a life that is His overcoming life, and He wants every one of us to live where we are as an overcomer.
You know, when I first believed in the Lord Jesus, my hope was that He would take me as soon as possible. I thought at that time how good it would be if I were the thief crucified with the Lord. In his last days, he turned to the Lord and said, “Remember me in Paradise.” And the Lord said, “You will be with Me in Paradise.”
I often had that kind of thought when I first believed in the Lord Jesus. I did not see the wisdom of God in allowing me to live after I was saved. I fully expected Him to take me as soon as I believed. I thought that would be the best of life.
Now, I wonder if any one of you has ever had such a wretched thought. But God knows better.
Do you sometimes doubt God’s love for you because He leaves you upon this earth? Do you sometimes blame your circumstances, your environment? You say, “If I had better circumstances, I would be a better person.”
But you do not know yourself. If it is left to you, wherever God may have placed you, you will be a failure in yourself. That is for sure. But thank God, He has put Christ in each and every one of us, and He is sure that you will be an overcomer in your environment.
So you find, in the seven letters to the seven churches, that all of the original apostles had died except John. In his old age, he was working in Asia—that is, Asia Minor—among these churches. He was a faithful servant of the Lord.
But during the time of Domitian, he was exiled to the island of Patmos to work in a mine because of his faith in God and in the Lord Jesus.
I do not know whether, on the Lord’s Day, he was free from the work in the mine. John, I imagine, must have been sitting on a rock, facing the sea and looking toward the shore of Asia Minor, remembering the churches that he used to serve while he was there. I think this must have been very natural to him.
As he was musing upon the situation, wondering what had happened to the churches he served before he was exiled, he heard a voice behind him. He looked back at the voice, and he saw what we call the Patmos vision.
He saw seven golden lampstands. In the midst of the seven golden lampstands stood One like the Son of Man. Now, brothers and sisters, this is the Patmos vision.
As a matter of fact, there were more than seven churches in Asia Minor at that time. But God chose these seven churches because they not only represent all the conditions of the churches at the end of the first century, but they also represent the condition of the churches throughout the centuries.
He saw seven churches. One of them, Philadelphia, was faithful to the Lord. One of them, Laodicea, had departed from the Lord. The others varied in their spiritual condition.
Whether it was a victorious church or a defeated church, the call was the same. The call to God’s own is: “He who overcomes.”
So, brothers and sisters, we are now living at the beginning of the twenty-first century. If I am not wrong, I say that the Lord is coming soon.
You remember, before the Lord left His disciples, He told them, “I go, but I am coming. I am coming to take you to Myself. I am going to prepare a place for you, and then I will come to take you to Myself. Where I am, there you will be.”
This is a promise of our beloved Lord. During the first century, the believers waited for the return of the Lord, but the Lord did not return, and they died.
And in the following centuries, Christians waited, looking for the coming of the Lord. They had all taken their lamps and gone out to meet the Bridegroom. But because the Lord delayed, they all fell asleep.
But, brothers and sisters, we who are at the beginning of the twenty-first century, do you think it is right for us to think that the coming of the Lord is very close?
I do not expect to die. I expect to see the return of my Lord, if He will grant me that. But I think it is right for us to think that His return is nearer to us today than it was twenty centuries before. I think it is right for us to think that way.
I have a kind of funny thought. I think, if the Lord should come now, my hope is that this auditorium will be emptied. None will be left behind. Now, that will be glorious.
But, brothers and sisters, whether we will be taken or be left behind depends upon our spiritual condition. Are you ready for the Lord’s return? If He should come now, do you have the assurance within you that He will take you, or will you be left behind?
Is there anything in the world that still captures you? Are you the evil servant, hoping that the Lord would delay His return, and beginning to eat and drink and beat the fellow servants? But then unexpectedly the Lord returns, and the Bible says that he will be cut in two, and there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth in darkness.
In Matthew 24, we are told, “As were the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of Man.” In the days of Noah, God revealed to Noah that He would destroy this earth and called him to build an ark. It was a huge task.
You know, God’s thought was to bring many out of destruction into life. But unfortunately, after one hundred and twenty years of waiting, only Noah and his family of eight were preserved in that ark. The rest died.
Brothers and sisters, the Lord said, “As the days of Noah, so shall be the day of the coming of the Lord.” Two women will be grinding in the morning. Two men will be working in the field. Two will be sleeping at night.
No, it is not six; it is two, because two is the number of witness. Brothers and sisters, these two represent those who will be living at the return of our Lord Jesus. Because the earth is round, in some places it is morning, in other places it is noon, and in some other places it is night. Two is the number of testimony.
The two represent those who will be living at the coming of the Lord. What will happen to them? Outwardly, you do not see any difference. Two women will be grinding in the morning, two men will be working in the field, and two will be sleeping at night.
You know, some people think the Lord is coming, so what shall they do? They dare not go to sleep. Now, brothers and sisters, go to sleep at night. Do not worry. The Lord knows whether you are ready or not.
Even if you are awake, if you are not ready, you will still be left behind. But if you are ready, rest at night; rest peacefully. The Lord knows whom to take.
Suddenly—oh, brothers and sisters, I hope He will come in our lifetime. It is very possible. Suddenly, some Christians will disappear.
But unfortunately, there will be real Christians, believers, who will be left behind because they are not ready for the Lord.
Brothers and sisters, may I ask this question of you? If the Lord should come now, are you ready?
I do not mean that you are so self-confident that you think you are always ready. I mean, searchingly, are you really ready before the Lord?
Have you obeyed Him in all things, great and small things? Do you live a life with Him? Are you praying and waiting for Him, or are you occupied totally with the world? You think you are still young and there is still time. When you get old, as I am, you will wake up.
Brothers and sisters, may I warn you: the Lord is coming.
We are sitting here peacefully this morning, but who knows whether this afternoon there will be a sudden change? The Lord has come. Hopefully, brothers and sisters, all of us here will be taken, so that in the afternoon this auditorium will be empty. Praise God, if that happens.
So, brothers and sisters, we are on the verge of the coming of the Lord. May we be ready every moment?
I know a couple who were friends of mine. Because they thought the Lord was going to come soon, they left their business. They went with a group to a far country place, waiting for the return of the Lord.
But the Lord did not return, and they had to live. So this couple that I knew had to go back to the city and work in order to support themselves.
You do not need to change your profession now. You just need to live for Christ. If the Lord calls you to a certain profession, do it as unto the Lord. And when the Lord shall return, you will be taken.
So, dear brothers and sisters, I always think we are living in a very thrilling time. The Lord may come at any moment. Is that not thrilling? But where will you be if He should return suddenly?
So the Bible tells us He is calling for overcomers. Our Lord has come into this world and overcome, and now He gives this overcoming life to every one of us, that we too may live on this earth overcoming: overcoming sin, overcoming death, overcoming Satan, overcoming the world, and overcoming ourselves.
That is what the Lord expects of every one of us.
So, if you read through the book of Revelation, you will find in the second and third chapters the call to overcome. Then, when you come to the seventh chapter, the latter part, you find there will be a countless multitude, wearing white robes and holding palm branches.
They sing a new song that no one can learn except those who have gone through their lives in this way. These are the overcomers of the ages. Throughout the ages, God has called His overcomers out of this world, and thank God, in spite of their being a minority, there will be a countless number.
Then, when you come to Revelation 12, you find the woman with child. She wants to give birth to a man-child. Satan was not interested in the woman, but he was interested in the man-child, because he knew the so-called church had already fallen into his hand.
But out of the church there will be the man-child, the overcomers, and they will be his end. So there you find him waiting to swallow that man-child. But when the man-child was born, he was immediately taken up to the third heaven.
Now, brothers and sisters, where is Satan today? His headquarters is in the air around us. But this man-child has overcome. He has thrust through the headquarters of Satan and gone into the throne.
This man-child represents the overcomers of the last age. Hopefully, we may be among them.
Satan today is not interested in the so-called church as an organization. Satan is interested in the overcomers of the church. Wherever there are overcomers, that is where his attention will be. But fear not.
When the man-child was born, he was immediately taken up to the third heaven. In other words, when the overcomers have come to their number, God will take them to the third heaven to be the welcoming party for the return of the Lord.
Brothers and sisters, it is wonderful that we are not living in the first or second century. We are living at the beginning of the twenty-first century because we have this opportunity.
We sit here comfortably this morning, but have you ever thought that probably, in the afternoon, hopefully this auditorium will be emptied? But unfortunately, probably there will still be some left behind.
And those who will be left behind—the Bible says they will be cut in two, and they will be weeping and gnashing their teeth in the darkness. In other words, they will regret it to the uttermost.
Brothers and sisters, let me warn you this morning: the Lord may come at any moment in our lives. Be ready for Him. Deal with every situation in your life that does not please Him. Learn to live a life absolutely in obedience to Him. Then do not worry, because when He shall return, you will be taken.
Unfortunately, some will be left. My brothers and sisters, even so, God is gracious. Because, as you read the Bible, even in the three and a half years of great tribulation, out of the great tribulation some defeated Christians will become overcomers, and they will be on the throne with Christ.
So God’s purpose for every brother and sister is that we overcome. In Romans 8, we are told that whom God has called, He has saved; whom He has saved, He has justified; whom He has justified, He has sanctified, because He wants every one of us to take up the stature of Christ.
This is the purpose of God for you. So, dear brothers and sisters, thank God, He has not yet come. He gives every one of us a great opportunity to be ready.
My prayer before the Lord is that when He shall come, brothers and sisters, this auditorium will be emptied. Thank God, if that is the case.
These few words are to encourage you and prepare you. No matter how difficult your present situation may be, learn to be faithful to the Lord. Cooperate with the indwelling Holy Spirit, who is leading you in this way of holiness, that we all may see Him face to face at His return.
So may the Lord bless every one of you. Shall we pray?
Dear Lord, we want to thank You for saving us. But we thank You that You want to save us to the uttermost. Enable us to really give ourselves so totally over to You, allowing Your Spirit to work out Your full salvation in each and every one of our lives.
When Thou shalt return, Lord, may it please You to take every one of us to Yourself and make this room empty for the glory of God. We ask in Thy precious name. Amen.