The New Testament scriptures speak of how we
must overcome. We made reference
previously to the real meaning of the requirement to overcome for Christians
having been foretold in that old Hebrew story.
They were a nation who had been saved out of slavery and brought through
the sea into the wilderness to be led to their land of promise. Few of those Hebrews who had been brought out
of slavery ever received their land because of their failure to overcome the
difficulties of their wilderness travels.
We have seen how their story was an earthly
copy of our story. We have also seen how
their story came about for our instruction.
Their story is instructing us regarding the kind of faith that God
requires of His people. They did not
have the faith of their father, Abraham, because they did not believe God’s
promises that He would take care of them and bring them into that land of
promise.
If their story was brought about by God for
our instruction, we need to listen to Jesus as He instructs us through that old
earthly salvation story. Let’s look at
their story of that nation traveling toward their land and how it teaches us
about our travel toward our land.
Remember, the covenant promise to Abraham was
the
If the old covenant requirement was
circumcision of the flesh and it foretold the true requirement of circumcision
of the heart, how does that equate to our being required to overcome, in order
to become heirs to that heavenly city? We can see it in the lives of
Joshua and Caleb. We saw how all of the
adult males in God’s army who came out of
Only Joshua and Caleb, however, ever received
that land. Remember that old Hebrew
story. After those ancient Hebrews had been saved from slavery in
The LORD spoke through Moses to say how they
would be allowed to enter, “for they have followed the LORD fully.” (Numbers
32:12) If they were the only soldiers who would enter, then they were the
only ones who met God’s true covenant conditions. They did receive that
earthly land because they met God’s true covenant conditions of having a
circumcised heart and it is shown by their having followed the LORD
fully. Anyone who refuses to follow the LORD fully does not have a
circumcised heart. They do not truly love God.
Of that old covenant earthly Hebrew army, only
Joshua and Caleb had a circumcised heart that loved the LORD with all of their
heart and that followed Him fully. Because
of their love for the LORD and their faith in Him, they were able to overcome
the difficulties of their wilderness and they received the promises. They overcame by their faith.
Their story is instructing us in how we must
overcome if we are to receive the promise of that everlasting heavenly
city. We can only overcome by
faith. Remember, Abraham was the father
of the faithful and, by faith, he was looking for that city built by God
(Hebrews, chapter 11).
How can the covenant requirement of circumcision
of the heart equate to overcoming? Overcome what? If overcoming is
the same as spiritual circumcision of the heart, then we must know what it
means. Jesus tells us something about what it means when He 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." (John 16:33)
Jesus overcame this world but how can we
overcome it? John tells us when he says, “For whatever is born of
God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world —
our faith.” (1 John 5:4)
Jesus led the way and overcame this world and
He won the victory for us. We can only overcome this world by faith in
Him. It must be a faith that believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
If we have true faith in Him as the Son of God, we can be sure that He knows
the way home and we will follow Him there.
As we follow Him through our spiritual
wilderness, we must remember, we are strangers and aliens traveling through a
foreign land. Our attitude must be the
attitude that Abraham had as he was living in that earthly land. He lived in that land with Isaac and Jacob,
fellow heirs of the promise but he was living in that earthly land in tents as
if he was an alien living in a foreign land (Hebrews 11:9).
We are not here on this earth to gain fame and
fortune in this life. We are here to
suffer with Christ and overcome this world.
We are only aliens traveling through our spiritual wilderness on our way
to the Promised Land in that next world and we must overcome this world in
order to become heirs with Christ in the next world.
John tells us about that in Revelation, chapter
21. John describes seeing a new heaven
and a new earth and a New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.
In verses 7 and 8, he tells us "He who overcomes will inherit these
things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. But for the cowardly and
unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and
idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire
and brimstone, which is the second death." Those who overcome will
be the heirs to those things.
He hears a voice telling him that God will
dwell among men. He tells us many things about that heavenly city of
“pure
gold, like clear glass.” (Verse 18) That city will stand fifteen hundred miles
high, having the same width and length.
We are hearing John’s description of what is to
come when this earth has ended and God has fulfilled His promise for an
everlasting home in heaven for the faithful. As we read what John has
written in his book of Revelation, we need to remember that he is speaking in
symbolic terms of what is to come spiritually. What that heavenly home
will actually be like when we see it (If we get to see it) may be much
different from what we see in our minds based on John’s description of
it. Regardless, what it will actually be like will be beyond our wildest
dreams.
Paul is speaking of that place when he says, “but just as it is
written, "THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which
HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE
HIM." (1 Corinthians 2:9) The promises are to the faithful who
overcome, but Paul also says it has been prepared for those who love God.
If we have not been faithful in our fight to overcome, we don’t really love
God.
Remember what Jesus said about that? He
said that the ones who love Him will
keep His commandments (John
We must overcome like Abraham overcame. Abraham overcame worldly logic that was
telling him that the promises would never come through Isaac if he died on that
altar. His faith told him that God would
keep His promises even if He had to resurrect Isaac from the dead. By faith Abraham offered Isaac because he
knew that God would keep His promises.
He knew that God would raise the dead if necessary in order to do
that. We must believe that God will keep
His promise to us and raise us up from the dead if we have come through the sea
of baptism and been raised up with Him.
Remember what Paul said about those who have
been raised up with Christ. He said, “Therefore if you have
been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is,
seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not
on the things that are on earth." (Colossians 3:1-2)
That is why Abraham considered himself as an
alien living in a foreign land. He believed
God’s promise and he was seeking the things above, not the things of this
world.
Abraham did not have his mind set on the
things of this earth. He had his mind
set on things above. He spent his time
on earth living in an earthly
We must have Abraham’s attitude. If we are to overcome this world and receive
the promises we must believe that God can raise the dead and that He will keep
His promise and give us that land if we take up our cross and make our
sacrifice. When we make that sacrifice
we will be offering our best to God.
Remember, Paul said we will be glorified with Christ if we suffer with
Him. If we obey God and do what He has
commanded of us throughout our trials, we will pass our test and it will result
in praise and glory and honor when Christ is revealed in glory.
Our covenant promise is for that city to
come. Those who believe God’s promises
will be looking ahead to that city. God
placed us here to see who would love Him and believe His promise of that city
to come and overcome this world of sin and death. Those who overcome will receive His promise
of everlasting life in that world to come.
We will receive that crown of life that God has promised to those who
love Him.
We saw how that earthly Hebrew nation did not
have their minds set on that Promised Land. Their minds were set on the flesh pots of
If our minds are set on the
things of this earth (The cars and boats and fine clothes and big houses etc.)
and not on the things above, we will not overcome this world and we will not
pass our test.
We can have use of the things of this world
but we must count them as rubbish. We
can have use of some of those things but they must not have control over
us. We must believe God’s promise that
we are only passing through this land (Our world), on our way to that heavenly
city. We must follow Him through the
wilderness of this world and not let its temptations entrap us.
If we are faithful in carrying our cross, we
will overcome this world. If we will be
like Joshua and Caleb and follow the LORD fully (Numbers 32:12), He will lead
us home. If we hold faithful until the
end, it will bring us glory and a share of the covenant promises. It will happen if we will believe God’s word
like Abraham believed God.
We need to follow the LORD like Joshua and
Caleb followed Him and not be fearful; we must be ready to fight. When that nation got to their land, they
heard reports of how mighty their enemies were and they were afraid to fight for
their land. Caleb knew that God had
promised to give them the victory and He believed in the LORD. When the people cried out in fear of the
enemy, scripture tells us, “Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and
said, "We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will
surely overcome it." Joshua
and Caleb overcame because they believed God’s promises.
John tells us (God is speaking) more about
what has been promised to those who overcome. He says that, “He who has an ear, let
him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will
grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the
There is food for thought in that
scripture. Overcoming until the end would mean overcoming until
death. Remember, Jesus told the church in
There is more in chapter 3. Verse 5
says, “He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will
not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My
Father and before His angels.” Verse 12 tells us that “He who overcomes, I
will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it
anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city
of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.” Verse 21 tells
us, “He
who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also
overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” Is that when we
will rule over the nations with a rod of iron?
Will we rule over the nations of that new
earth? John describes that
We have been saved out of slavery to sin but
we must now follow the LORD fully and overcome our spiritual wilderness (This
world) if we are to meet our covenant requirements to receive our land.
Only those of us who have a circumcised heart that follows the LORD fully
through our spiritual wilderness will receive that land. We will follow Him by having been Spirit
led. Remember, Paul wrote, “For all who are being
led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” (Romans 8:14).
Those ancient Israelites were also led by the
Spirit of the LORD. Moses tells us how, “The LORD was going
before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a
pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and
by night.” (Exodus 13:21) Just as those old covenant ones who
faithfully followed the LORD were led to their land, we who are led by the
Spirit of God will be led to our land.
We will have heard the Word spoken through the Spirit.
We overcome this earth when we overcome the
desires of the flesh and make the decision to live for Jesus. We can only
do that if we crucify our body of flesh and circumcise it away.
The inspired scriptures are telling us that we
can fall in our wilderness just like they fell in their wilderness. We
need to believe Jesus when He tells us about our covenant requirements and how
we can end up being disqualified, even after we have been saved from our land
of spiritual slavery. We must follow Him fully or we will fall and not
enter that land of rest.
We must be diligent lest we fall because God
will not be pleased with those who turn back.
Rather than overcoming this world, they will have let this world
overcome them. Evil will have won. If we let this world overcome us, we will
have become slaves to sin, again.
Peter says that “by what a man is
overcome, by this he is enslaved.” (2 Peter 2:19)
He is speaking of those who “have escaped the defilements of the world by
the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in
them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the
first.”
In other words, if we make the commitment to
follow Jesus and begin our journey but afterwards we allow ourselves to be
overcome by the things of this world and we turn back, it would have been
better for us if we had never accepted Jesus in the first place. As Peter tells us, “For it would be better
for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to
turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them.” (Verse 21)
Peter said the last state will be worse than
the first. Our final end will be worse
than what unbelievers who never accepted Jesus will face. We must not let it happen. We must not allow ourselves to be overcome by
evil, we must overcome evil with Good (Romans
If very few of those Israelites who came out
of slavery overcame their wilderness to make it to their land, will it be that
way with us? Remember, Jesus said, "Enter through the
narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to
destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is
small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew
7:13-14) If Jesus said that few will find the right way, we need to
believe Him.
Compared to the promise of eternal life, life
on this earth is short. The promises are to those who make it through
this short life and overcome this world. It is those who persevere and
keep their faith in Jesus and His word that will receive the promises.
One hundred years of a life of following Jesus on this earth would be a very
short time compared to an eternity in hell. If we make it to that land of
rest, we will rest from our labors.
Those people in hell will never rest.
Johnny Rogers
Revised
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