The Rewards Of An Overcomer Part Ii Series

THE REWARDS OF AN OVERCOMER PART II

Please open your Bible to Revelation 21:7 as we continue our series on the eternal rewards of heaven with today’s message, “The Rewards of an Overcomer Part II.”

Revelation 21:7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. NKJV

THE AUTHORITY OF A PROMISE KEEPER

The Bible overflows with magnificent promises, and in the book of Revelation, Jesus Christ the ultimate promise keeper, reveals seven of the most awe-inspiring promises found anywhere in scripture. These seven promises are very special. They are given by Jesus Himself as special rewards for those who overcome.

Last week we found that an overcomer believes in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and as the only way of salvation, and that God will reward all who overcome. But these seven promises are on a whole different level of rewards for those who overcome.

But first, does Jesus Christ have the authority to make these promises?

In Revelation 1:8, Jesus said… “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” NKJV

There is nothing before the Alpha and there is nothing after the Omega. That means Jesus is the beginning and the end of all things. When He says… who is and who was and who is to come… He is literally saying He is eternal and unchangeable and… as the Almighty, His authority is boundless and unlimited. He is the eternal King of kings and Lord of lords. He holds all power in heaven and earth. Because of who He is, He has the authority to make these promises and keep them. How great is His authority? He says…

Revelation 1:17 …I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. NKJV

In my book, the fact that He has the keys of death and hell makes Him the absolute highest authority in all the universe. Again… because of who He is, He can say…

Revelation 22:12 "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.

One of the great rewards Jesus will be handing out at the Judgment Seat are special rewards for those who overcome. In Revelation 2-3, Jesus made seven magnificent promises of great rewards that are reserved for those who are faithful to overcome.

Seven times, Jesus said I will… I will… I will… These promises are His promises and He will not fail to fulfill any promise to reward anyone who is an overcomer.

CONDITIONS OF THE PROMISES

Before we dive into this, you must first understand that as glorious as these promises are, and as much as we want these rewards, we cannot receive them until we first meet the specific conditions of that promise which is to overcome. These promises are very special and the Lord wants all who overcome, to have them. With that understanding, let’s look at these magnificent promises of rewards that Jesus will give to those who overcome.

THE FIRST PROMISE: THE TREE OF LIFE

The first promise is revealed to the church of Ephesus in Revelation 2:7…

Revelation 2:7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” NKJV

To understand why this promise is so significant, and the rewards it offers, we first need to understand the background.

The Christians of Ephesus experienced great temptations and suffered difficult times under Roman rule. Jesus greatly commended them for their work, faithfulness and for preserving with patient endurance to not compromise their faith to worship Caesar.

Ephesus is a picture of a church devoted to Jesus. But even though they did all of these things, they forgot the most important thing of all; they were no longer in love with Jesus. They knew the Lord, and they served the Lord, but they were not in love with the Lord. They knew the Lord, but they had fallen away in their love for Jesus.

To be in love with Jesus is to desire Him above all things. To love Jesus is to seek His presence. It is to love His word and to have a hunger to walk with Him and honor Him and please Him in all that you do. You obey Him because you love Him. You honor and serve Him because you love Him. This was missing in their lives, and that same spiritual apathy to love Jesus is missing in the church of America.