The Nature of Saving Faith - Part 3

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Well, I encourage you now to take your Bibles and turn with me to 1 John, chapter 5. I love history; I read in various periods of history, I love World War II, but history as a whole. It's interesting when you examine the great conquerors of human history, one name stands alone. If you're a student of history, you know that; that name is Alexander the Great. Let me just give you a summary of the conquests of his rule. This is one summary, listen carefully:

His father, Philip, was assassinated in 336 B.C., and Alexander inherited a powerful yet volatile kingdom. He quickly dealt with his enemies at home and reasserted Macedonian power within Greece. He then set out to conquer the massive Persian Empire. Against overwhelming odds, he led his army to victories across the Persian territories of Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt without suffering a single defeat. He became the great king of Persia at the age of twenty-five. Over the next eight years in his capacity as King, Commander, politician, scholar and explorer, Alexander led his army a further 11,000 miles, founding over seventy cities and creating an empire that stretched across three continents and covered around two-million square miles. The entire area from Greece in the west, north to the Danube, south into Egypt, and as far east as India, was linked together in a vast international network of trade and commerce. This was united by a common Greek language and culture.

Truly amazing! In that small span of time, Alexander conquered the entire Mediterranean world.

As I think about that conquest, I'm reminded that at a spiritual level, we have even a greater conquest that is ours. In fact, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, Scripture promises that we also have experienced victory over the world, not a military victory, but a spiritual victory, accomplished through our faith in Jesus Christ. That's the message of the next passage we come to in 1 John. We're studying 1 John, chapter 5, verses 1 to 13, And for the third and last time, “The Test of Faith in Jesus Christ and His Gospel.” Let me read for you this morning, not the entire passage, but the first 5 verses, 1 John 5, verses 1 to 5; you follow along as I read.

Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Now the theme of this entire paragraph, that begins in verse 1 and runs all the way down through verse 13, is that the one who believes God's testimony about the biblical Jesus and the biblical gospel has, in fact, been born of God and has eternal life. In this paragraph, John explains four key elements of saving faith, four key elements. The first element we've already discovered together is “The Cause of Saving Faith.” Just in the first part of verse 1, the cause of saving faith. Look at it with me, “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ (literally, has been) born out of God.” Our faith is not because of the new birth, but rather the consequence of it. God first made us alive and then at that same moment in time, we responded in faith to the gospel. If you weren't here when we studied that passage together, I encourage you to go back and listen because that is absolutely foundational to understanding God's sovereignty in salvation.

Now, last week, we began to consider a second key element of faith. From the middle of verse 1 down through verse 5, we discovered “The Results of Saving Faith,” the results of saving faith. John here identifies several guaranteed results that are always found in the life of a person who has true saving faith. These are the three results we discovered last time. First of all, if you have true saving faith, you will have a “Love for God.” Secondly, if you have true saving faith, you will have a “Love for Other Believers.” And then thirdly, we discovered that if you have true saving faith, then you will have a life that is characterized by a pattern of “Obedience to God's Word.” If you're a true believer, if you've really believed in the true biblical Jesus, the true biblical gospel, experienced the new birth, then those things are true of you, be encouraged!

On the other hand, if you say, “I'm a Christian, I believed in Christ, I prayed a prayer, I walked in aisle, I signed a card,” whatever it was, you did, but you do not recognize those things in your life, and you have to honestly say, “They're not in my life,” then please understand, you have not exercised saving faith, you have a dead damning faith. It's not true faith in Jesus Christ.

Today, we come to a fourth result of true saving faith, and that is “Victory over the World.” We see this in verses 4 and 5, look at them with me again, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

Now, first of all, you'll notice that these verses are connected to what comes before with that little word ‘for.’ By the way, the important words in Scripture are often not the large words, but the little words, where the meaning turns. ‘For,’ that means that verse 4 explains the reason for something that John has just said.

Now, there are two possibilities. It's possible that verse 4 is the reason for obedience to God's Word that's mentioned in verse 3. A second possibility is that verse 4 is the reason for all three results that are mentioned in verses 1 through 3. We can't be dogmatic, but I lean toward the second; I think he's looking back at all three of those results, and verses 4 and 5 give the reason that those are true. We love God, we love believers, we obey God's word, why? Why is that a reality? Because as believers, our faith has overcome the world. So, in one sense, verses 4 and 5 are sort of the outflow of the first three and an explanation of them, they give us the reason. But verses 4 and 5 also provide another result of saving faith, and that is “Victory over the World.”

Now, this theme, “Victory over the World,” John develops in several ways. Let's just walk our way through this and consider it together. The first insight that we get about this victory is “The Certainty of our Victory,” the certainty of our victory. Look at how verse 4 begins, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world.” The New American Standard translation captures John's unexpected expression here very well. What we expect John to say is, “The one who is born of God overcomes the world,” but he doesn't. He says, “Whatever is born of God.” Now, obviously, he's still talking about believers since only believers are born of God, but he doesn't say, “he or she or who,” instead, he states the truth in this impersonal way to emphasize its absolute certainty! As one author puts it, “It's not the man or woman but his birth from God which conquerors.” So, look at verse 4 again, literally, it says this, “Whatever has been born out of God (‘Whatever,’ that is, without exception, ‘has experienced the new birth.’) is overcoming the world.” I think he uses the present tense here, and many commentators agree, to make this a sort of timeless statement of fact, “This is always true!” “Whatever is born of God (has been born of God) is always overcoming the world.” It's always true.

So, listen carefully, whatever it is John means by “overcomes the world,” and we'll look at that in a moment, it always is a certain reality wherever there's the new birth. That's what he's saying. John Stott says:

The new birth is a supernatural event which takes us out of the sphere of the world where Satan rules into the family of God. The spell of the old life has been broken; the fascination of the world has lost its appeal.

If you're a Christian, you have been born of God, and listen carefully, your victory over the world is not merely possible, it is absolutely certain! That's what John is saying.

So that, of course, brings us to the second question, “What in the world is this that is absolutely certain in our life?” So, let's look then at “The Explanation of our Victory,” the explanation of our victory. What does he mean? Well, first of all, before we look at this verse specifically, we need to recognize that John's already used this expression or a similar expression twice before in his letter. Already in this letter, we've discovered, first of all, the maturing Christian, the growing Christian, overcomes Satan through knowing and believing God's Word. Go back to chapter 2 and look at verse 13. He's talking about spiritual young people, young men, that is, those who are not only in Christ, but are growing and growing strong and developing, maturing. He says in the middle of verse 13, “I am writing to you young men, because you have overcome (There's our word.) the evil one (meaning Satan).” (Paraphrase.)

How in the world do maturing Christians overcome Satan? Look at the middle of verse 14, “I have written to you young men, because you are strong, and the Word of God remains in you, and you have overcome the evil one.” As we mature in Christ, as we mature in our understanding and knowledge of His Word, the truth about Him, the truth about ourselves, the truth about everything, we overcome Satan! Why? Because we believe God's truth and not Satan's lies. We increasingly understand what is true and what is error.

But he uses his word a second time, not only does the maturing Christian overcome Satan through knowing and believing God's word, but all true believers overcome damning false teaching. Look at chapter 2, verse 18:

Children, it is the last hour; and just as you've heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not really of us.

In other words, he's talking about the false teachers and their followers who had left the faithful churches and gone and started their own thing. He said, “You didn't go with them; you didn't buy into that.”

For if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they…are not…all…of us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know.

And as this passage unfolds, we learned that that overcomes; this anointing, that is the Holy Spirit that gives us an understanding of the truth, doesn't keep us from slipping into some error that would sort of thwart our Christian growth and life, that happens to believers unfortunately, but what will never happen is a true Christian will never believe damning error; he'll never reject the key elements of the Gospel by which he’s saved. He will overcome false teaching and error by his faith.

But back to our text in chapter 5, we learn here that everyone who has experienced the new birth, notice what he says in verse 4, everyone who's been born again, who’s been born of God “overcomes the world.” What is that? Well, let's take it apart. Let's start by defining “the world.” What does he mean by “the world?” The Greek word is ‘cosmos.’ It occurs some 180 times in the New Testament. Its basic meaning is ‘an order’ or ‘an arrangement.’ It's an ordered system as opposed to chaos. ‘Cosmos,’ like the English word ‘world,’ has several different senses in the New Testament. In other words, it's used in slightly different ways. It retains that basic idea of order, but it's used in these ways. It's used of the universe as a whole. It's used of all intelligent life, both men and angels. It's used of the earth, the planet we live on. It's used of mankind as a whole, all of humanity. It's used of fallen mankind, unredeemed mankind, specifically. And finally, the word ‘cosmos’ is used of an organized system of evil created and ruled by Satan, that dominates fallen humanity, is alienated from God, and hostile to God. It's that last sense that John uses most frequently in his Gospel, in 1 John, and in our text. This is the sense of “the world” that he means. Here's how another author, Burdick, a good commentator on this letter, defines ‘world.’ Listen to this:

The world is all that goes into making up the organized system of evil on this earth. It includes such elements as all unregenerate men, their thoughts, attitudes, purposes and desires, (I might add and values.) all influences and forces that are opposed to God, and the patterns of evil practice that characterize life apart from God.

You say, “Boy, that sounds pretty all-inclusive.” It is.

In fact, John Calvin put it this way; he said, “Whatever is opposed to the spiritual kingdom of Christ is the world,” everything that's opposed to the spiritual kingdom of Christ is the world. The world, in this sense, is under Satan's control, Scripture tells us. He's the god of this world, the evil world system that appears to be chaotic, defined by confusion and conflict. In fact, there is a conspiracy–it's a conspiracy of one, it's Satan. He's the mastermind behind it and the apparent chaos is in reality, ‘cosmos,’ an ordered attack on God and His Kingdom. The world, in this sense, hates Christ we're told in John's gospel. It hates His followers we're also told in John's gospel. It is supported by satanically inspired philosophy, religion, and all kinds of pragmatic ideas and viewpoints. In chapter 2, verse 16, John refers to the things that are in the world and its lusts, then he goes on to explain those things. Chapter 2, verse 16, “…all that is in the world, (1) the lust of the flesh, (2) the lust of the eyes, and (3) the boastful pride of life.” Self-gratification, self-fulfillment, and self-promotion; all of that is wrapped up in the system that Satan has created.

So, by “the world” then, in our text, John means the organized evil system created and ruled by Satan that dominates fallen humanity, is alienated from and hostile to God. When it comes to the world in that sense, John says that “whatever has been born of God,” look again at verse 4, “overcomes the world.” The verb means ‘to vanquish,’ to absolutely rout, to conquer.’ In fact, the opposite of this word overcomes means ‘to be conquered, to be beaten.’ Believers are not conquered, they are not beaten by the world, but they overcome or vanquish the world.

How? In what specific ways do we now as believers, all of us, overcome the world? Well, understand it's not a military conquest; it is an intellectual spiritual conquest. Think about the revolutionary change that happened as a result of your new birth. We once loved the world with its lust, chapter 2, verse 15. Now we love God! We once loved lies and error; now we love the truth. We once loved our sin; now we love holiness. We once loved ourselves, and now we love others. We once obeyed our lusts, and now we obey God's Word. That is the victory that overcomes the world. Everything, everyone, “Whatever has been born of God overcomes the world.” That's the explanation of our victory; it's a spiritual victory that has taken us from one kingdom to another.

Next, John identifies “The Means of Our Victory,” the means of our victory. How is it that we accomplish this victory? Before we consider the biblical means, let me just give you a couple of common unbiblical means of overcoming the world. One of them is isolationism and monasticism. With the conversion of Constantine, the church suddenly became intermingled with pagan Roman culture. And some Christians tried to resist being swept into the debauchery that was rampant in the Roman world, using a wrong means. They decided to just isolate themselves, “That'll do it. If I just pull out of the world and disconnect, then that'll allow me to overcome the world.” Eventually, ultimately, some went to total isolation even in a monastic lifestyle. You have the Anchorites who lived on pillars, and then others who lived in caves and all kinds of ways that they pulled themselves out of the world, saying, “That's how I'll overcome the world.” Some Christians still try isolation, “If I can just insulate myself and isolate myself from the world, then I'll have victory over the world.”

A second wrong means to victory is legalism. And that is forbidding actions or behaviors that are popular in the world, but the Bible doesn't forbid. And so, they think that if they add this list of rules to themselves, some biblical, many beyond the Scripture, then they will have victory over the world. There's a big problem there, and I still remember the first time I heard this statement; I was listening on radio to a radio station in Gaffney, South Carolina, and I heard a man named John MacArthur say this, this is way back in my college days, and I've never forgotten, and he says, “The flesh has no power to control the flesh.” And it still doesn't; your rules are not going to give you victory over the world.

A third wrong means is asceticism, denying the Christian’s right to participate in non-sinful but pleasurable human activities. If I just punish my body, then somehow that will allow me to overcome the world. Listen, none of those will produce victory over the world. Why? Because according to chapter 2, verse 16, the world is “in you.” So, you can get out of the world all you want, but you can't get the world out of you on your own.

So, what is the biblical means, then, for victory over the world? Look at verse 4 again, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith.” The Greek word for “victory” is ‘niki.’ It was common in secular Greek, but this is the only time it appears in the New Testament. The word ‘niki’ can refer to ‘the victory itself,’ or it can refer to ‘the means or the power that wins the victory.’ I think that's the idea here. So, look again at verse 4, here's what John is saying, “This is the means of victory, this is the power that has overcome the world, our faith.”

You say, “How in the world does my faith overcome the world?” Well, faith enables us to overcome the world in three ways. First of all, “Our victory over the world commences in the new birth and our initial faith in the Gospel.” Notice verse 4 says, “has overcome.” That refers to an event in the past and almost certainly it's referring to our conversion when we first exercise saving faith. At that moment, our faith in Jesus overcame Satan's evil world system. How? Colossians 1:13, at the moment of your conversion, “God transferred you out of the domain (kingdom) of darkness into the kingdom of His beloved Son.” (Paraphrase.) You see, when a person truly turns to Christ, in that initial faith, he gains victory over the world because he turns his back on all that the world offers, for Christ. The moment I trusted in Christ, the moment you trusted in Christ, suddenly the light came on, and you began to see through the lies of the world system around you; you realized it's all a lie, sin doesn't satisfy; it enslaves! My own way doesn't help; it's the way of destruction and death, and on and on, you began to see the reality and the truth–your initial faith began to overcome the world.

Secondly, “Our victory over the world continues in a continual life of faith, marked by love and obedience.” Notice in verse 5, he uses the present tense, “the one overcoming” is literally how it reads in the Greek text, “the one overcoming.” So, not only do we commence that victory when we first believe, but we continue that victory by continuing to believe. It's interesting, in fact, in Revelation, chapter 2, verse 26, Christ describes the one who overcomes this way, “He who keeps my deeds until the end.” The true believer continues to believe and to obey the Word of Christ until the end.

Thirdly, “Our victory over the world culminates in glorification because we believe when we first come to Christ, we keep on believing, and that faith eventually ushers us into the very presence of God.” And we are transformed, we are delivered from this evil world system, and we are transported into the pure presence of God forever. But let's see if we can drill down on this a little more. How exactly does your faith help you overcome the world? I can’t improve on the way the great Puritan commentator, Matthew Henry, put it. So let me just give you an extended quote from him; this is great, here's what he says.

Faith is the cause of victory, the means, the instrument, the spiritual armor and artillery, by which we overcome. For (Here's why, here's how exactly faith helps us have victory over the world.):

1. In and by faith we cleave to Christ, in contempt of, in opposition to, the world. (Faith helps you just keep on hanging on to Christ, and in so doing, you overcome the world.)
2. Faith works in and by love to God and Christ, and so withdraws us from love of the world. (In other words, your faith causes you to love God and to love Christ, and that weans your heart from loving the world.)
3. Faith sanctifies the heart and purifies it from those…lusts by which the world obtains such sway and dominion over ourselves. (Your faith in God's Word causes you to continue to obey in your thought and speech and actions. And as that happens, the control of the lusts of the world are broken in your life, and you get victory over the world.)
4. It receives and derives strength from the object (That is, faith receives and derives strength from the object of faith.) the Son of God, for conquering the frowns and flatteries of the world. (Your faith seizes on Christ and when Christ begins to matter in your life, the world doesn't matter. It matters less and less and less.)
5. It obtains by gospel promise a right to the indwelling Spirit of grace that is greater than he who dwells in the world. (Listen, by faith, you received Christ; and with Christ, you got the Holy Spirit who dwells within you, and the Holy Spirit who now dwells within you, as John says, “is greater than he who is in the world, Satan.”) (And)
6. Faith sees an invisible world at hand, (That is an invisible world that's coming.) with which this world is not worthy to be compared…and tells the soul… it must be continually prepared to enter. (Your faith tells you “This isn't home, you're just passing through.” Your home is in God's presence. Your home is in heaven. Your home is eventually on a new earth forever, where righteousness is truly at home. That's where you belong. And your faith tells you that, and that rips your grip loose from this world and all that matters here–the world system that Satan has created.)

So, you see the big picture? The key to our victory is our faith in and our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. It's not our faith, but our faith in Jesus, that is the victory. Why is that? It's because the Lord, our Lord is the permanent Victor over the world. John 16:33, Jesus says, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” The world that we live in, both humanity but the system that Satan has created, it rejects Jesus and everything connected to Him. John 1:10 and 11, “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, (Speaking now about the created world.) and the world did not know Him. He came to His own and those who are His own did not receive Him.” So, the world of humanity, of lost humanity, rejects Him, but you and I, because of His grace, we have believed, and we continue to believe the truth about who Jesus is, and His saving work. And friends, that is the victory that overcomes the world.

It's like Paul expresses in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ.” By the way, that's not something mystical that happens to you after conversion. “I have been crucified with Christ” is a truth about every Christian. When you believe, it's as if you died with Christ on the cross to the person you used to be. “And it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” We live by faith in the Son of God, and that faith overcomes the world because of the One we believe in overcame the world. So, faith is the means of victory.

In verse 5, John goes on to explain “The Recipients of this Victory.” He says, “Who is the one who overcomes the world?” John goes on to identify the person who has overcome the world and is continuing to overcome the world like this. Notice what he writes, “Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” The one who is continuing to believe that Jesus of Nazareth, the human person who lived 2,000 years ago was born in Bethlehem, was raised in Nazareth, had a ministry for three years across the land of Palestine, you can still go there and visit, He is a person of history, that person, Jesus of Nazareth, is according to verse 1, the Messiah, and according to verse 5, “the Son of God.” He is the Messiah, the One promised in the Old Testament who would come and deal with sin by the sacrifice of Himself, and He is the Son of God–He is the God-Man.

Notice this victory does not come because of faith itself. Instead, it comes to the one who has faith in God's incarnate Son, Jesus the Messiah. This is the message of this book. Go back to chapter 2, verse 22:

Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus (the human Jesus) is the Christ (Messiah, the Promised One, the Redeemer)? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son (There it is, not only the Messiah, but the Son of God.) does not have the Father. The one who confesses the Son has the Father also.

Go over to chapter 5, verse 10:

The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony God has given concerning His Son. And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. (Verse 13) These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. (Verse 20) And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. (The Messiah) This is the true God and eternal life. (And, oh by the way, verse 21, if you're believing in a different Jesus, it's an idol.)

Who are the overcomers? Who are the recipients of victory over the world? John's answer is very simple. Every true believer, every true believer! If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, if you've repented of your sins, and you’ve put your trust in Him as Savior and Lord, you have overcome the world by your initial act of faith, and you are overcoming the world as you continue to believe in Him.

But if you're here this morning and you haven't believed in Jesus as the Messiah, the Redeemer, the Savior, the Son of God, then understand that this isn't true of you. You have not overcome the world. In fact, let me just say if you've not repented, maybe you came in knowing that, maybe you say, “Look Tom, I'm not a Christian. I know I'm not a Christian.” Maybe you came in thinking you were a Christian but as you look at those first three results, you have to acknowledge, “I don't love God, I don't love other believers. I'm not obeying His Word as a pattern of life.” Then understand this, it doesn't matter what prayer you prayed, what card you signed, how many aisles you walked, how many verses of “Just as I Am” you responded to, you are not a Christian. That's what John says. Where there's true saving faith, those results will always be there. So, if that's true of you, if you're not truly a believer, understand this, you love the world, and according to the Scriptures, you are a slave to its lusts. And no matter how hard you try to free yourself from those lusts, you'll never be able to, you are enslaved just like I once was, just like the people around you once were, like everyone on this planet is apart from the power of Jesus Christ. You live in darkness, in perpetual spiritual darkness; you do not know your Creator, you have no hope of knowing your Creator on your own.

In fact, 2 Corinthians 4:4 says that “The god of this world (meaning Satan) has blinded your mind to truly understand the gospel of Jesus Christ.” (Paraphrase.) That's why you're not in; it's why you've not believed, because your mind is blinded to that, to that great reality.

You say, “Well, what can I do?” Your only hope, and it's a great hope, is to cry out to God, cry out to God in repentance and faith. Say, “God, save me, rescue me from the person I’ve become, rescue me from my slavery to sin, from the guilt of my sin before You that promises future judgment. Lord, save me, deliver me.” You just need to become a beggar before God, throwing yourself on His mercy; that's what you need to do. And the good news is, God is good and always faithful to respond to that. My prayer for you right now, where you sit, is for you to humble yourself and call out with all of your heart to God.

The last insight I want us to see is “The Reward of our Victory,” the reward of our victory. This isn't in our text; it's actually in Revelation, chapters 2 and 3, where I want you to turn with me. As we've discovered, an overcomer is not a special elite, special forces kind of Christian. If you're a true believer, and you just keep on believing, you are an overcomer, and you will inherit all the promises made to those who overcome. And what's amazing to me is in the letters to the “Seven Churches” in Revelation 2 and 3, Jesus makes a series of promises to overcomers, to every true believer. The way He expresses the specific promise in each letter is tailored to the believers and circumstances of that church. But if you are a believer, all of these promises are yours.

Let me just remind you of them. In the letter to Ephesus, the promise to true believers is in chapter 2, verse 7, “To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the paradise of God.” Jesus promises you, believer, that if you have and continue to believe in Him, you will one day enjoy the Tree of Life in God's garden on a new earth, He says, “You'll be there, you'll be there!”

In the letter to Smyrna, the promise to those who overcome is in verse 11 of chapter 2, “He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.” If you're a true believer, Jesus makes a promise to you, you will never be hurt by the second death, by the Lake of Fire; you will never experience it, its horrors.

In the letter to Pergamum, the promise to those who overcome comes in chapter 2, verse 17, “…to him I will give some of the hidden manna, (That's Christ Himself, the bread from heaven. He goes on.) and I will give him a white stone.” This is a beautiful picture; this comes from a custom in the first century world of awarding a white stone to the winners of athletic events. It was like their ticket into the victory celebration. Christ promises believers, the overcomers, a ticket into His victory celebration in heaven. He goes on in verse 17, “…and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.” God gives the true believer a new character, and a new name which only that believer knows, and it's engraved on that white stone that's given to the victors. In other words, He's going to give you your pass, your admission pass, into eternal glory!

In the letter to Thyatira, Christ makes two promises to those who overcome. Look at chapter 2, verse 26:

He who overcomes, and he who keeps my deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; AND HE SHALL (WILL) RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES, as I also have received authority from My Father.

In other words, believer, Jesus is going to give you authority to rule and reign with Him. He goes on, verse 28, “…and I will give him the morning star.” In chapter 22, verse 16, Christ says He is the “Morning Star.” To the true believer who keeps on believing in Him, Jesus promises to give Himself.

In the letter to Sardis, Christ actually makes three promises to those who overcome. Chapter 3, verse 5, “He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments.” He's going to give every believer His perfect righteousness and His Holiness. He goes on in verse 5, “…and I will not erase his name from the book of life.”

Listen, Jesus guarantees you, believer, that He will keep your salvation safe and secure forever. Not only will it not be at risk in this lifetime, it won't be at risk ever in eternity. He goes on in verse 5 to say, “…I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” At the judgment, Christ will confess every true believer to be His, to the angels and to the Father! Can you imagine what it will be like, Christian, to stand in that great gathering, and to have Christ say, “He's mine, she's mine!”

In the letter to Philadelphia, the promise to those who overcome comes in chapter 3, verse 12, “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God.” In other words, Christian, God is going to make you a permanent fixture in His presence. Like a pillar in a temple, you're going nowhere. He goes on to say he will write three new names on every believer, verse 12, “I will write the name of my God, (That means we belong to Him, we share His character, we’re His child.) and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God.” In other words, Jesus is going to give us a new name that identifies us as permanent citizens of the new Jerusalem, the capital city of the New Earth. Christ promises true believers a third name in verse 12, and “My new name.” We don't know what that name is, but the point is, it's His name, and we'll share it, we’ll belong to Him.

And finally, in the letter to Laodicea, the promise to those who overcome is in chapter 3, verse 21, “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne.” We will be continually in His presence; we will be honored by Him. We will rule with Him for a 1000 years in the millennium on this planet renewed, and forever on a new earth in which righteousness is at home.

Listen, if you've been born of God, you believe in the biblical Jesus and the biblical gospel, and your faith in Him makes you an overcomer. Your faith in Jesus and His truth overcomes the world, Satan's evil world system. And therefore, you, Christian, will inherit all the promises Christ makes in Revelation 2 and 3, they're yours. What amazes me about that is not only does He plan to do that, that's overwhelming enough, but that He tells us He's going to do that. And, that He promises, He makes a covenant promise that He will do these things for everyone who believes in Him. Believers, that's our future!

Let's pray together. Father, we are overwhelmed by what You have done for us in Your Son Jesus Christ. Lord, that You have forgiven our sins, that You have adopted us as Your children, that You have given us the new birth through which we have a relationship with You. But Father, we thank You that You've given us the gift of faith, and that faith, that faith has results that we can see and document in our lives, Lord, not perfectly, but we see them if we're truly Yours. Thank You, Father, that we love You, that we love our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, that we obey Your Word, and that by Your grace and by the work of Your Spirit, through the faith that You've given to us, the faith in Your Son, we have overcome the world. You have transferred us out of Satan's kingdom, the world system he rules, into the kingdom of light, the kingdom of Your Beloved Son. You've opened our eyes to see the reality.

Father we once loved the world and its lusts, and now we love You. We once loved ourselves and now we love others. We once obeyed our lusts and sins, enslaved to them, and now we obey Your Word. Father, truly the faith You've given us has overcome the world. Help us to continue to believe, to continue to walk in obedience, until the day we're in your presence.

And Lord, I pray for those who are here this morning who really don't know You. Lord, help them to look in the mirror of Your Word, help them to see that they don't really love You, they don't really love Christians, they don't truly obey You. Lord, remove the facade, the profession, the claim that they know Jesus; help them to see that they're enslaved to their sin, they’re in the darkness, and may they cry out to You with all their hearts even today. Thank You that You are a God who hears the cry of the repentant heart. We pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.