HE THAT OVERCOMETH
Sermon of TBOLF By Pr. Rufus Ashiedu
(Text: Revelation 3:21)
When Satan and a 3 of the angels in heaven rebelled against God, they were cast down upon the earth. Since then, the earth became the centre of all problems. God’s original purpose for creating man was such that man would be used as a showcase to the devil - a symbol of obedience, righteousness and rulership. But at the fall of man, this plan seemed to have been lost. Nonetheless, God still nursed this plan of His, i.e. that His creatures will bear rule over the earth and the devil in obedience and righteousness. Although this show was lost in Adam, it was gained back through Jesus — as a man, Jesus truly made God proud, he subdued the earth and the devil from his birth to death. In all areas, he overcame for God and has made it possible that men can now fulfill God’s goal of creation. He paid the price with his blood to reconcile man back to God and thus placed redeemed man in a position where he can overcome the earth, thereby fulfilling God’s original purposes.
Thank God, Jesus is now preparing a kingdom where only those redeemed who overcome will eternally dwell in. The sober truth is that only the redeemed overcomers will enter into his kingdom. This is a most serious matter — one may claim to be born again, but unless he stays born again by overcoming daily for the Lord, misery and anguish of soul await such a person.
Christ’s Letters to the 7 churches (Rev 2 and 3): The seriousness of the matter of overcoming is abundantly stressed in Christ’s letters to the churches of the then
Asia minor. The letters were to churches comprising of born again people or true Christians, but Christ warned them severally that only those who overcome would make it at last. Why is God so strong over this issue of overcoming? It derives from his original purposes of using us a showcase to the devil. If a Christian refuses to overcome, he is taking sides with the devil and making the sacrifice of Jesus of no effect. David was punished severely for his sin against Bathsheba, not just because of the sin of adultery, but creating an occasion for God’s enemies to blaspheme His great name. What are we to overcome? The answer is in the letters. In broad outlines, these are listed below. We must overcome:
1. Tendency to develop cold love/desire for Jesus or not to keep the first fire/works. Never allow love for the world to take over.
2. Trials, tribulations and sufferings associated with the calling and Christian faith.
3. Temptation to follow modern, end time revival of idolatrous practices, sexual mischief and perversions of the marriage institution.
4. Temptations to give in to heretic and seductive teachings — the "it doesn’t matter syndrome, permitting and excusing all manner of sins.
5. Tendency towards spiritual decay, hypocrisy, having a name to be alive, but dead — still not acknowledging that one has a spiritual problem.
6. Temptation not to fulfill your calling as a Christian in witnessing, showing love and making use of the open door of ministry in fact allowing the enemy to distract one from his noble work for God.
7. Temptation of being lukewarm spiritually, but content with half hearted zeal and material attainments spiritually blind, lacking discernment.
Brethren, these are broad outlines of areas God wants us to over come they manifest themselves in specific details in our individual lives. May the Spirit of God reveal these to us.
The need to and how to overcome (Rev 2:11; 3:5): He that overcometh all these things will eat of the tree of life, have his name retained in the book of life and will not be hurt of the second death. Great promises, but how do we overcome? In Luke 26:4 1 a, we find the solution watch and pray. These two are inseparable. To watch is to spiritually scan and discern around us and the future. It requires checking our appetites/desires, daily happenings around us as manipulated by Satan, and our spiritual life (prayer life, bible study, etc). To pray is to take immediate corrective action, receive strength and power to overcome the flesh and the earth life.
Watch and Pray: To overcome, we need the combined efforts of watching and praying, not one or the other, but both as we shall see below.
1. No watching/no praying (Mt 26: 5Gb, 69 — 75): We see how disappointing
the disciples were, especially Apostle Peter who grievously denied his master! saying " I know not the man... 7. This indeed was a terrible sin, but thanks to God’s mercies, Peter could have been unrecoverable. If we neither watch nor pray, great will be our fall.
2. No watching/only praying (Acts 12:11-16): The early church was caught unawares with James’ death. Even when they prayed for Peter’s release, they were not watching for the answers. When we only pray, we would certainly pray wrong prayers and encounter embarrassing situations.
3. Only watching/no praying (Acts 27:9-10, 44): Paul watched and knew all that would befall them, but did not pray about the situation. If we watch, but do no praying, our lives may be spared, but it will be plagued with physical losses and sorrows, which may stand in our way of overcoming.
4. Watching and praying (Lk 22:44-44): The example of the master (Jesus Christ) himself is very encouraging and instructive to us all. He subdued his flesh, the earth and the devil and submitted himself to the supreme sacrifice demanded by God for mankind. See the results of his watching and praying below — this is only as our imagination could go.
Lk 22:53: he recognized immediately the forces at play. In routine husband/wife quarrels, many are not able to discern when it is no longer the voice of their darling, but the power of darkness at play, hence they end up always disappointing God in their homes.
Lk 22: 63 — 65: he received divine strength to overcome the cruel mocking of the people.
Lk 23: 8 — 9: he overcame the temptation to please Herod at that crucial moment and possibly annul his sacrifice through pleasing a man.
Lk 23:18—25: he endured the pain of rejection.
Lk 23: 32—46: he endured the sufferings/mockery of the cross.
It was a delicate moment for Jesus, any careless or rash word or act of the flesh could have disqualified his sacrifice — not many of us care about our actions, but not Jesus.
He that overcometh Rev 3:21 as the Lord overcame will sit with him at his throne. Will you still disappoint God? God is looking for overcomers who will teach the earth and the devil obedience, righteousness and authority. Watch and pray today so that you will overcome to the end in Jesus name — amen.