Today's "Sparkling Gems From The Greek - Volume 2" by Rick Renner has an excellent message that every born again believer MUST know in order to fulfill our calling, finish our race and live abundantly in our new and better Covenant!
A Promise to Overcomers
…To him that overcometh….
— Revelation 2:7; 2:11; 2:17; 2:26; 3:5; 3:12; 3:21
We all have things that we need to overcome in life —
whether it’s trouble in relationships, weight gain, health issues, financial
difficulties, problems at work, or mental attacks
in the mind. But regardless of what obstacles oppose us,
Jesus called us to be committed to becoming an overcomer!
When He spoke to the Church in Ephesus in Revelation 2:7,
Jesus cried out, “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….”
The subject of this Sparkling Gem is not the tree
of life, as that would require an entire Sparkling Gem all by itself.
But today we are looking at the word “overcometh” — a word that Christ used
when He spoke to all seven churches in the book of Revelation. They were all called
to be overcomers (see Revelation 2:7; 2:11; 2:17; 2:26; 3:5; 3:12; 3:21).
The word “overcometh” is the Greek word nikao, which
denotes a victor, a champion, or one who possesses some type of
superiority. Often this word was used to portray athletes who had gained the
mastery of their sport and ultimately reigned supreme as champions in the
competition. It might also refer to a military victory of one foe over the
other. The word nikao can be translated to control, to
conquer, to defeat, to master, to overcome, to overwhelm, to
surpass, or to be victorious.
It is important to understand that the word nikao can
describe either an athletic victory or a military victory. This
means Jesus was conveying two messages. First, He told these early believers
that the only way to defeat the foes they faced was for them to maintain the
attitude of an athlete. To win the contest before them, they had to eliminate
all spiritual apathy and prepare for the toughest competition they had ever
engaged in. Nothing less than a full commitment would be sufficient to master
the exterior adversaries and interior struggles they were facing. Whether Jesus’
imagery referred to a runner, wrestler, discus thrower, or any other type of
First Century athlete, His message was clear: Only a thoroughly committed
believer will win a victor’s crown.
Because the word nikao was also used militarily to
depict the absolute crushing of an enemy, Jesus’ words held a second meaning:
He was calling believers to rise up like an army to attack and defeat the
external and internal enemies that threatened them. Spiritual complacency and
the lack of passion were intolerable enemies of their faith that had to be
conquered. They were to wage war against the weaknesses Christ had
brought to their attention. Winning this victory would require the highest
level of determination they had ever known, for apathy and complacency are
always the most difficult enemies for a person or a church to conquer.
It must also be noted that the tense for “overcometh” speaks
of a continuous and ongoing victory. This means Christ wasn’t urging
these believers to run a temporary race or to fight a short-term battle. He was
demanding a commitment to start and to remain in the race until the
finish line was reached — to attack and defeat their foes and then to remain victorious
over their enemies. Thus, Jesus was actually asking them, as He asks each of
us, to be permanently and consistently undeterred in overcoming and
obtaining victory in every area of their lives.
Christ commands believers throughout all generations to be
overcomers. Christians are to make it their continual and unrelenting goal to
maintain victory in every possible sphere of life as long as they live on this
earth.
Have you made the commitment to be permanently and
consistently undeterred in obtaining every victory in your life? Why not
start by making that commitment right now?
How encouraging and exciting to KNOW that our God intends for us to walk in "continuous and ongoing VICTORY!" Let's do whatever it takes to get to that position of preparedness so that we are never taken by surprise by the enemy again! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with "Not Today":
Shalom in Him!
