What if you decided to plant a small vegetable garden in your backyard, and while turning over the soil your implement struck something solid. Clearing away the dirt, you found a large obviously quite old strong box. With one sharp blow of a hammer the lock fell off. Opening the strong box you discovered that it contained several hundred $20 gold pieces. Would you be excited? Would your heart beat a little bit faster? You would probably experience an adrenalin rush like never before.
How on earth can a Christian, someone who believes the Bible is true and its contents reliable totally and completely, how can such a person read the 21st verse of Revelation chapter 3 without being mentally staggered by what they find there? Here is that verse: “To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His throne.” The only way a Christian can read those words and not be excited is 1) They don’t believe what Jesus just promised the overcomer, or 2) They realize they are not an overcomer, hence the promise does not include them.
What is an overcomer, you ask? An overcomer is someone who has overcome, or is consistently victorious over the deceptions and temptations of Satan. They have obeyed the COMMAND of their Lord to “Be ye holy, for I am holy!” (See I John 2:13-17 and I Peter 1:16). They have, with the Lord’s help, overcome any and all temptations to sin.
No wonder Satan inspires multitudes of preachers to assure their congregations they cannot totally break with sin in this life! No wonder Satan perverts such texts as Romans 7 and I John 1:8.
Brethren, don’t envy King Charles III his temporary and mostly powerless throne over a small portion of this earth. If we overcome, we shall sit with our Lord on His throne that rules the entire universe and all living things in heaven and earth, principalities and powers being made subject unto us. And we will enjoy that reward throughout the ages of the ages. What a future! Don’t be satisfied with getting into heaven, yet so as by fire, or by the skin of your teeth. Go for the reward, the apostle Paul called “the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus!” (See Philippians 3:14). That’s the mark I press toward. Won’t you join me?
Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),
Donald Wiley