EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/15/2025 8:22 PM
My Worship Time Focus:
Part 11 “How to Recognize an
Overcomer”
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference: 1 John 5:1-5
Message of the verses: “1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is
born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. 2
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe
His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments;
and His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of God
overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the
world — our faith. 5 Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he
who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
I
continue quoting from John MacArthur’s sermon in this Spiritual Diary.
And finally, the seventh letter, verse 22, the
letter to the church at Laodicea, a lukewarm nauseating church, but also had
some overcomers in that congregation. And this is the pinnacle. I mean, up to
now it just keeps – it mounts. Doesn’t it? Eternal life That’s good. That’s
good. The paradise of God. Wow, that’s great. I’m thrilled about that. That’s
so wonderful. It’s even more wonderful to know that I’m not only going to be in
heaven, I’m not only going to be in the paradise of God, but I’ll never ever be
hurt by the second death. I will have that eternal life without any fear that I
would ever lose it. It’s wonderful to know that I’m going to have the full
fellowship with the bread of life, Jesus Christ, that I’m going to have a
crystal diamond that admits me to the celebration with a personal name written
on it that nobody knows but me. It’s the relationship with Christ and me. It’s Christ’s
little nickname for me.
How wonderful on top of that to
know that I’m even going to be able to come back to earth and be delegated
authority to rule in His behalf. I’m going to be able to go around in white
garments symbolizing a worthiness that I’ve never known except what was imputed
to me. My name could never be erased from the Book of Life. God is going to
know my name, because His Son is going to confess my name before the Father and
before the holy angels, that He knows me and loves me and gave His life for me,
and I belong there. I’m going to have a pillar in the temple of God with my
name on it. I’m never going to have to run out of the place in fear. I’m going
to have written on me the name of my God, the place of my dwelling, and my own
new name.
And all of that and then this,
verse 21, “He who overcomes I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My
throne.” That’s just too much. That is too much elevation. Isn’t it? I mean, at
this point you want to say, “Come on, this is getting ridiculous. I’m not even
worthy. Just showing up is enough.” I said this some time back, I don’t think
the big shock of heaven is going to be, “Oh, look who’s there!” I don’t think
the big shock of heaven is going to be, “Oh, look who’s not here.” I think the
big shock of heaven is going to be, “How did I get here? What am I doing in
this place?” And then it all comes and you’re taken all the way up to sit down
with God on His throne as Jesus also overcame. Oh, don’t put me in that
category. I will. And He sat on His Father’s throne. You’re going all the way
up to snuggle down with the Son and the Father on the throne. Wow. That’s what
it means to be an overcomer. Those are the delights you have to look forward
to. In light of that, we can endure anything in this life with that glorious
hope. Amen?
Father, thank You for Your Word
to us tonight. Precious, precious truth, overwhelming truth, thrilling truth,
astonishing, embarrassing – embarrassing truth. We aren’t worthy of this. What
grace is this? What astonishing grace is this? Maybe we could understand taking
us to heaven. Maybe we could understand eternal life in the paradise of God,
but all the rest. And then sitting down on Your throne, it seems utterly
presumptuous. We can’t conceive of ourselves in that kind of holy perfection.
We thank You for this promise and look forward to it with literally rapturous
joy. We bless Your name and we praise You for the gift of salvation in Your
Son. Thank You, thank You. We love You; we believe in You; we long to obey You.
We want to be the true and the pure overcomers for whom all these delights are
now being prepared.
Father, I pray for those who are
here who do not have that sustained faith, that compelling love, that manifest
obedience. Awaken anybody who is living under a self-delusion about their true
spiritual condition and bring them to the foot of the cross to embrace the
sacrifice of Christ on their behalf. If anyone here, Lord, tonight – and we’re
sure there are some – is not an overcomer, may You by Your grace awaken their
heart to that reality and may they rush to cry out with penitence and faith,
“God, be merciful to me, a sinner, and save me, for Jesus’ sake,” that they
might become one of us who have overcome. Use us, Lord, while we’re here that
heaven might be all the more glorious when we get there. We thank You, in Your
Son’s name, Amen.
3/15/2025 8:39 PM
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