Choosing to Overcome
Choosing to Overcome
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)
Two doctrines appear to prevail in our day:
First: It is impossible to overcome sin and Satan while we are living in this world.
Second: Divine grace has been given to us as an alternative to overcoming sin and Satan.
Anyone who knows the Bible realizes these are deadly errors.
If you think about it, these two teachings remove our ability to choose to lead the life of victory in Christ.
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If it is impossible to overcome sin through Christ, and if God has given us "grace" because it is impossible to overcome sin and God wants us in Heaven anyway, then the challenge to be an overcomer disappears.
It is no wonder so many of God's people are spiritual babies!
The second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation present steps toward spiritual maturity that accrue to those who gain victory over the problems in the churches. But if it is impossible to gain victory over these problems, and grace serves as a substitute for such victory, then the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation have no meaning.
Take, for example, the first step toward maturity presented in the series of seven steps:
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. (Revelation 2:7)
The problem in the Church in Ephesus was that of falling in love with Christian activities and churches and losing sight of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Those who return to their first love, to an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus, are given access to the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life is the body and blood of Christ.
If we turn our attention away from Christian work and begin to become more intimate with the Lord Jesus, we then have access to the body and blood of Christ.
This reminds us of the promise that if we open the door of our personality we will dine with Jesus.
How important is it that we dine with Jesus on His body and blood?
Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. (John 6:53-57)
If we subscribe to the current teaching that it is impossible for us to overcome sin, and Divine grace provides an alternative to victory over sin, then we are not going to make the effort to cease worshiping the Christian religion and draw close to Jesus.
As a result, we never are going to be given the flesh and blood of Christ to eat and drink. It is as simple and straightforward as that.
Now, if we do not feed on Christ at all times, we have no life in us. We do not have eternal life. We shall not be raised up by the Lord at the last day. Christ will not be dwelling in us. We will not be living by the Lord Jesus Christ in the same manner that Christ lives by the Father.
The Book of Revelation states also the following:
He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (Revelation 21:7)
"All things" refers to all that God is making new in Christ.
The truth is, only the Christian who through Christ has gained victory over the forces that seek to prevent his or her doing God's will is a candidate for the marvelous portions of Divine blessing outlined in the second and third chapter of the Book of Revelation.
All of the following Divine enablements are mentioned in the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation; and only those who through Christ overcome Satan, the world, and their own sinful nature inherit them:
To eat of the Tree of Life.
The crown of life.
To not be hurt by the second death, the Lake of Fire.
The hidden manna–we are given of the body and blood of Christ each time we overcome the enemy, thus making us better able to overcome the next temptation.
The white stone with the new name.
Power over the nations.
The Morning Star.
To be a member of the Royal Priesthood..
To be protected during the Hour of Temptation.
To be created a pillar in the Temple of God.
To sit with Christ in His throne, even as He also overcame and has been seated with His Father in the Father's Throne.
These eleven steps toward the rest of God, toward the first resurrection from the dead, are the product of overcoming every enemy that comes against us.
I believe most Christians have been taught that these rewards are given to us on the basis of "accepting Christ." They are not. They are steps toward spiritual maturity and enablement, just as the Book of Revelation states.
Perhaps if the believers do not view these increments of life as belonging to them already, because of "accepting Christ," they see them as being the portion of some super-Christians who live on another planet.
The reason I place "accepting Christ" in quotation marks is that this phrase is not found in the Bible. The scriptural phrase is, "receiving Christ." The first phrase is a religious formality, in many instances. The second is that of receiving the Man Himself.
In spite of our traditions, no believer is eligible to inherit these Divine positions unless he or she through Christ lives a daily life of overcoming his or her own sinful nature, and Satan.
And as for a mansion in Heaven, this mythologic hope is based on an archaic translation of John 14. It is not a biblical hope.
Now we can see the horrific result of the current Christian teaching. By leading the believers to believe that we cannot overcome through Christ, and it really doesn't matter because God has received us through an unscriptural "grace," we are depriving them of the Divine inheritance that accrues only to those who lead the life of victory in Christ.
Also, Satan maintains his rulership in the world because there are not enough mature Christians to overcome him.
Since so many "ministers of the Gospel of the Kingdom" are preaching "grace" rather than the life of victory in Christ, what substance is it that they do present in their preaching?
I am afraid that many are preaching that if we will "accept Christ," He will make us rich. Am I correct in this?
But what was the viewpoint of the Apostle Paul concerning the desire to be rich?
Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain.
For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. (I Timothy 6:5-11)
Unless we desire to pierce ourselves through with many sorrows, I suggest we flee, flee, flee from those who are teaching that the Gospel of the Kingdom is a way to become prosperous in worldly wealth and that "gain is godliness."
How could any person portray himself or herself as a minister of Christ and teach people that our goal is to become rich in material wealth! Have these self-proclaimed prophets forgotten the Christians in the Arena at Rome?
Whenever people depart from the Scripture and preach a message other than the simple, clear, biblical path of discipleship, of following the Master through every tribulation, you can be sure that deception will follow.
The surest way to avoid deception is to accept our crosses and imprisonments, and faithfully and patiently bear our distress until the Lord Jesus perceives that they have done their work in us and releases us into the peaceful, joyous meadows of the Lord.
As I stated previously, I believe most Christian church members have been taught that all of these Divine inheritances are theirs upon "accepting Christ" in the current fashion. But this is not true.
You will hear the immature believers state they are going to "rule and reign" (sic) with Christ. But this is not the case. It requires a good deal of spiritual maturity before a believer is qualified and competent to govern the nations of the earth along with Jesus. For one thing, they have not had the scepter of iron righteousness formed in them by which Christ and His saints govern.
Another important consideration involves the Church in Sardis.
Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. (Revelation 3:4,5)
Notice that if we do not choose to gain the victory over Satan and His works, there is a danger that our name will be blotted out of the Book of Life. If, at the time of the last judgment, our name is not found in the Book of Life, we will be thrown into the Lake of Fire along with Satan, Antichrist, the False Prophet, and the wicked people of all periods of earth's history.
I realize that the reader may think to himself or herself that he could never be in danger of such a horrible fate. But it probably is true that Judas of Kerioth, when a little boy playing with a toy, never pictured himself being referred to one day as the Son of Perdition!
We in America are unrealistic in this regard. We are not acquainted with the horrors that some people in the world have experienced. So we gainsay the written Word of God, just as Adam and Eve did not take God seriously. The result of the unbelief and carelessness of Adam and Eve has been six thousand years of agony, insanity, and demonic chaos.
If we do not choose to do God's will each day, and continue to drift along in the American materialistic way of life, not living the life of victory in Christ, we stand in danger of the Lake of Fire, according to the infallible, unchanging Word of God. The Book of Revelation, as far as I know, is the only book of the Bible that places a curse on anyone who changes any part of it.
Getting back to the Christian church in Sardis. Notice that it had a name that it was alive. People usually give the name of being alive to a large, growing assembly.
But look what Jesus said about the church in Sardis:
Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment.
To walk with Christ in white is to be a member of the Royal Priesthood. This is a very high honor.
It is my point of view that only the members of the Royal Priesthood will be raised from the dead and caught up to meet Christ in the air, the platform on which He is preparing to descend and establish His Kingdom on the earth.
What about the remaining, possibly, thousands of believers in Sardis? They are not qualified or competent to be members of the Royal Priesthood.
The Royal Priesthood will be victorious in the Battle of Har Megiddo. After that tremendous victory, they will go through the earth with Christ, cleansing the earth of the followers and institutions of Antichrist. The purging of the earth in preparation of the rule of Christ and His saints is set forth in the second chapter of the Book of Joel.
Christ and His saints will govern the nations of the earth for a "thousand years," whether a literal or symbolic time period. Meanwhile the less mature members of the Royal Priesthood will be being brought to perfection in the heavenly Jerusalem.
The final resurrection and judgment will take place. Then, every person having been placed in his or her appropriate area, the Holy City, the heavenly Jerusalem will descend from Heaven as the Bride of the Lamb. Such is the Royal Priesthood. They shall govern all the works of God's hands for eternity.
In the great and growing Christian Church in Sardis, only a few members were eligible to be members of the Royal Priesthood.
Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments.
These few had been faithful in confessing and turning away from their sins, thus washing their priestly garments in the blood of the Lamb.
This leads us to the question concerning the destiny of those Christian believers who, because of the false teaching of our day, were robbed of the choice to gain victory through Christ.
I do not know the destiny of the defeated believers, because the Bible emphasizes the Divine Glory that shall be inherited by those who choose to live in victory through Jesus Christ.
I understand that the deceived believers shall not inherit the Glory promised to those who do choose to live in victory.
Will they all be thrown into the Lake of Fire? That does not seem likely to me. Perhaps they will be chastened severely and then become part of the nations of people who are saved but who are not members of the Royal Priesthood.
Can we lose our crown of authority as a royal priest?
According to the following verse, I think so.
Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. (Revelation 3:11)
The Bible tells us more about the "winners" than it does about the "losers."
I do know that the servant of Christ who chose to bury his or her talent was sent into the outer darkness as well as having his talent taken from him. I do know that those who have been given much shall receive many lashes if they are disobedient, and those who have been given little shall receive fewer lashes if they are disobedient.
There is a Kingdom principle that those who have much shall receive more, and those who have little, even that little shall be taken away. That seems unfair, but it is what the Bible states.
I have pondered for years the problem that the Apostle Paul presented when he wrote that the Potter makes one vessel to honor and another to dishonor. In this case, how can God judge anyone if people can be only what God has made them?
I have believed and taught that in that great Day when the events on earth are brought into the light, we will understand that all works, good and evil, will be shown to have originated in God. However, there is so much we do not know and understand.
Last Saturday evening, August 31, 2013, it seemed Jesus was speaking to me as I was preparing to go to sleep.
He said to the effect, "You are not entirely correct in your belief that all good works and evil works originate in God. If such were the case, how could God judge anyone, if the behavior of all people originates in Him?"
What I think Christ presented to me is that every individual is known to God and is offered choices to make. God truly does not always know what choices the person will make, since the heart of man is exceedingly complex being made in the image of God Himself.
Notice how the complexity of the human heart is presented in the following:
And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. (Deuteronomy 8:2)
If God tested the Israelites by the difficulties of the wilderness in order to know what was in their hearts, then God did not know to begin with what was in their hearts.
That is clear enough, I believe.
Therefore, when God surrounds people with choices, He does not always know in advance what they are going to choose.
It seems evident to me that God will not, at the Judgment Seat of Christ, condemn anyone for having a sinful nature. We did not ask to have a sinful nature, so how could God judge us for having a sinful nature when we never wanted one?
On what basis, then, does God judge us?
On the basis of the choices we make.
I remember some years back, when a churchgoing man died. I felt the Lord's disappointment with the man, which told me that God was hoping he would make different choices. He was a man appointed to a goodly inheritance, but he had made wrong choices.
According to this scheme, the "wheat" are those who made godly choices; the "tares" are those who made evil choices.
I think this is what the Lord was telling me last evening.
I understand that the Potter makes some vessels unto honor, and some unto dishonor.
Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction. (Romans 9:21,22)
Then the question arises, can a dishonorable vessel choose to do what is right and thus become an honorable vessel? What do you think?
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. (II Timothy 2:21,22)
"If a man purge himself from these." I think this expression means that a person has made a choice to cleanse himself or herself from that which is dishonorable. Does that sound reasonable to you?
So I believe Jesus is telling me that it is not true that any individual is fated to be righteous or unrighteous. I think God gives every person room in which to choose to do what is righteous or what is wicked.
I understand that God hardened Pharaoh's heart; He hardened other hearts also, according to the Scriptures.
This sort of thing may be an exception. Or it may be true that before and after this dispensation of hardness of heart, which was administered because of God's plan for Israel, Pharaoh may have made some decisions that either pleased God or did not please God.
I know that I have done some wrong things in the past, even after praying mightily that God would not let me be deceived.
But when I found out that I had been deceived, I made what restitution appeared to be indicated, pulled up my "diapers," so to speak, and pressed on toward Christ.
Is it God who gave me the desire to keep on pressing forward in Christ? I believe so.
I know my mistakes of the past will never be held against me because I chose to turn from what was wrong and do what is right in God's sight. That is the way God is. If we did not need a Redeemer, God would not have given us Christ.
All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. (Ezekiel 18:22)
So my conclusion in all of this is that at the Judgment Seat of Christ we shall be judged according to the choices we made. No person is a God-directed robot. No doubt Judas was faced with choices which would have altered his destiny had he made a godly decision. Yet, I admit there are factors not understood clearly by us in the present hour.
The practical lesson to be derived from all of this is that each one of us should choose to pray without ceasing that God will forgive our sins and help us to live so closely to the Lord Jesus that His Life becomes our life.
I cannot imagine God saying to anyone, "I will not answer your prayer that you may live by the Life of Jesus, because I have appointed you to wrath."
Can you?
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13)