Christ's Promise (Rev. 2:7)

In this part of the sermon: Martin defines 'overcoming' as a present, ongoing state of conquering, defeating, and triumphing over enemies in combat, drawing on its usage in Luke 11:22, Romans 12:21, John…

Our Lord's analogy from Luke 11:21-22 is used to define 'overcome' as overpowering a strong, armed opponent, illustrating the defeat of Satan by Christ.

When the strong man fully armed guardeth his own court, his goods are in peace. There's a man who's got all of his spoils. In his home, he's got the door locked, and he sits outside fully armed. He's got submachine gun.

9:52 - 10:10 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin defines 'overcoming' as a present, ongoing state of conquering, defeating, and triumphing over enemies in combat, drawing on its usage in Luke 11:22, Romans 12:21, John…

The character of Christian is used as a commentary on what it means to be an overcomer, highlighting that victory comes despite battle scars and periods of doubt, through grasping the 'key of promise'.

to the one who within the visible church is something more than a mere attachment to the visible church, but one who is vitally joined to Christ and therefore gains the victory. Facing these enemies, he comes away the victor. Now, it doesn't say he'll come away without battle scars, nor that he'll come away with a perfect battle record, but like Bunyan's Christian, he'll come away the victor. If you want a commentary on what it means to be an overcomer, just reread Pilgrim's Progress.

14:48 - 15:25 Read in full sermon

The point: Examine yourself: if you are not conscious of conflict, battle scars, or triumph in spiritual combat, you may not understand what a true Christian is.

Martin quotes Bishop Ryle's 'Holiness' to emphasize that a true Christian is a soldier from conversion to death, not living a life of ease, and must fight the world, flesh, and devil or be lost.

For when our Lord speaks and promises blessing, he promises blessing to the overcomer, indicating that every true Christian, if he's to be an overcomer, must be a victor in combat, and you can't be a victor in combat unless you're in the midst of it. The Lord has no armchair gentles. So Bishop Ryle, in his wonderful message on this whole subject of the fight, says, and I put in another plug for you, for his book on holiness. You have to do this periodically because we get a new generation of people coming in who haven't tapped some of the richness of Ryle's book on holiness.

17:09 - 17:53 Read in full sermon

The point: Ask yourself: Are you conscious of the battle with the world, the flesh, and the devil? Are you expending real energy in fighting these enemies? Are you grieved at defeats and rejoicing in triumphs?

The common experience of battling with household bills is used to illustrate what it means to be 'conscious of conflict' and expend personal energy, joys, and frustrations in a real struggle.

Are you grieved at areas of defeat? Do you rejoice in the triumphs of God? Now let me try to explain what I mean. If I were to ask you today, how many of you are conscious of having a battle with the bills?

28:41 - 28:55 Read in full sermon

The point: Ask yourself: Are you conscious of the battle with the world, the flesh, and the devil? Are you expending real energy in fighting these enemies? Are you grieved at defeats and rejoicing in triumphs?

The struggle against weight gain and bad eating habits is used to further illustrate being 'conscious of conflict' and actively fighting against personal desires, showing that ignoring the battle means losing it.

There are many of you conscious of the battle of the bills. That's not something that just is resolved by faith or goes on outside of you. It demands your thinking, your energies, your joys, your frustrations. Some of you are conscious of the battle of the bulge.

29:38 - 29:54 Read in full sermon

Driving home: But when Almighty God says to him that overcometh, I will give those blessings are such that if God does not give them, on his terms, there's no way to go around the back door and get them. You've had it.

Martin tells a story about offering a child a computer for washing dishes versus offering it to a computer science graduate (Paul Emmerich). This illustrates that rewards are only desirable if suited to one's nature, showing that only the godly desire spiritual rewards.

Suppose I said to some of the children here this morning, look, if you kiddies will come on home today to the preacher's house, and after we're done here, and after we're done eating, if you'll wash the dishes, you know what I'll give you? I'll give you a large three million dollar digital computer. Kid looks at me and says, huh? He not gonna come do my dishes.

38:42 - 39:08 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The promise of rewards legitimately sustains believers in conflict, as hope of reward and fear of punishment are inherent human motives, even before sin. This hope revives…

The imagery of hand-to-hand combat, where one looks the enemy in the eye and blood spatters, is used to describe the intense, personal nature of spiritual warfare against the flesh, world, and devil, emphasizing the need for sustaining promises.

Now if reward and the hope of reward is the only motive a man has, it's doubtful that he's a child of God. But it is one of the powers. It is one of the powerful, motivating factors in the life of the Christian. You take a man who gets in the midst of hand-to-hand combat, and that's all the Bible knows about in its imagery of battle.

44:25 - 44:48 Read in full sermon