The Battle, The Victory & The Reward

To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

Revelation 3:21

Three persons are set before us here—the warrior, the conqueror, the king. Or, putting the figure in another way, we have—1. The battle; 2. The victory; 3. The reward.
I. The BATTLE. Common life in this world is a warfare; and hence even worldly men speak and write of 'the battle of life!' Much more is the Christian's life a warfare. It is an out and out warfare—for all here is hostile. It is called the good fight, the fight of faith, the good warfare.
(1.) It is INNER warfare. The 7th of the Romans is the description of this—the battle between faith and unbelief, between the spirit and the flesh. This war is private, solitary—with no eye upon the warrior; fought in the closet, on the knees, with the Bible as his weapon; not uncertainly, nor as one that beats the air.
(2.) It is OUTER warfare. The enemies are legion; the world, with all its enmities, snares, pomps, pleasures; Satan, with his principalities and powers—both of these in combination hating, persecuting, attacking. This is 'the great fight of afflictions' (Hebrews 10:32). Thus it is so far public—before men; 'we are made a spectacle to the world, and to angels, and to men.'
(3.) It is DAILY warfare. It is not one great battle, but a multitude of battles—constant warring—there is no intermission and no discharge in this war. The enemy wearies not, ceases not—nor must we. We wake to warfare each morning, and go out to warfare each day. Everywhere we find the enemy posted, sometimes openly, sometimes in ambush. The conflict is life-long, and it is daily.
(4.) It is warfare not fought with human weapons. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal. We do not war after the flesh. It is in divine strength; with the sword of the Spirit; clothed in the whole armor of God. It begins when we begin when we believe. Faith, instead of being the end, is the beginning of conflict; ours is 'the good (or 'glorious') fight of faith.'
(5). It is warfare in which we are sharers with Christ. He first fought the good fight, as the Captain of our salvation—the Lord strong and mighty—the Lord mighty in battle. The inner warfare indeed was not His, but all the rest was. He fought, when here, the same battles as we; and it is into His warfare that we are called to enter. His battle on earth was ours; and our battle now on earth is His. Let us fight it with this remembrance and encouragement. We fight along with Paul, but we also fight along with Christ.
II. The VICTORY. Here it is spoken of as one great final victory, but in reality it is a multitude. As are the battles, so are the victories. There may be occasional defeats—wounds—losing ground; but the tide of victory rolls steadily onward. Inner and outer warfare ends in victory—we are made more than conquerors through Him who loved us. He fought and overcame, and He leads us on to victory—'Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.' The brunt of the battle fell on Him—He routed the army, and it is with a 'conquered foe' that we have to do. Sin, death, the world, the devil, He has vanquished, and He is now leading us on to the same victory.
Seven times in these chapters do we hear the glorious words, 'To him who overcomes.' Each Church had its battle and its victory—even Laodicea—so has each individual. No one can fight another's battle—or win another's victory. Each fights and wins for himself. Fight then, and win; overcome daily; nor faint until the long series of victories is summed up in the one great final triumph—the triumph of each saint, and of the whole Church of God.
III. The REWARD. In these epistles seven rewards are promised—a peculiar reward to each. To Ephesus, the tree of life; to Smyrna, deliverance from the second death; to Pergamos, the hidden manna and the white stone; to Thyatira, dominion and the morning-star; to Sardis, the white clothing; to Philadelphia, to be a pillar and to receive the new name; to Laodicea, a seat on Christ's throne—each according to his peculiar battle and victory. In Laodicea there are warriors and conquerors—few, perhaps, but still some whose faith remained steadfast, raising them out of lukewarmness and worldliness. To these there is a brilliant hope presented—a seat upon Christ's throne.
(1.) A throne. Not salvation merely, or life, but higher than these—glory, honor, dominion and power. From being the lowest here, they are made the highest hereafter. Even out of Laodicea there come God's kings and priests—heirs of the throne!
Let us look forward then, as well as backward. All the promises to these Churches bid us look forward. Amid toil, conflict, weariness, sorrow, backsliding, we have a hope! Let us hold it fast; let us use it constantly. When our hands hang down, let us think upon the throne—the throne and Him who gives it—the throne and Him who sits on it, and shares it with us. It will be glorious enough to compensate for hardship and conflict now!

~Horatius Bonar

Singing in Our Father's House

I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.

Psalm 144:9

Our Father's house has also its music-mansion.  Adoration and praise would seem to constitute the principal employment of the redeemed in heaven.  The visions of glory which floated before the eye of John were all associated with music.  To his sea-girt isle were wafted the strains of the song sung by the hundred and forty and four thousand who stood on Mount Zion.  In his lonely exile he heard the harpers harping on their harps.  And of whom was that celestial choir composed?  The 'redeemed from among men' (Rev. 14:4).  And who and what are the subjects of their song?  Jesus and His redemption!  'Thou art worthy...for thou was slain, and has redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation' (Rev. 5:9).

Blended with the song of redemption will be the song of providence.  Retracing  all the way thy God led thee through the wilderness, thou shalt gather material from each mercy and from each trial, from each joy and from each sorrow, for an eternal hymn of praise to His great and glorious name.  Beloved, you are learning these songs now in the house of your pilgrimage.  As you cross desert sands, or break your lone footsteps through the depth of the wilderness, God is preparing you for the music-mansion of glory.  All His dealings with you in providence and in grace are but to train and attune the powers, affections, and sympathies of your soul to the sweet harmony of the spheres.  Every sunbeam of mercy that gilds your path, and every cloud-veil of judgment that shades it, every heavy footstep of the giant storm, every gentle wavelet dimpling the calm surface of the soul, every soft zephyr that lulls it to repose, is designed by God to instruct and mature you for the music of the celestial state.

 A harp strung by angels and attuned by Christ's own hands awaits you in the music-mansion above, and soon you will sweep its chords to the high praises of the triune Jehovah and all heaven will ring with its melody.

~Octavius Winslow

Rejoicing in His Faithfulness

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever:  with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 89:1

"I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever."  A devout resolve, and very commendable when a man is exercised with great trouble on account of an apparent departure of the Lord from His covenant and promise.  Whatever we may observe abroad or experience in our own persons, we ought still to praise God for His mercies, since they most certainly remain the same, whether we can perceive them or not.  Sense sings just now and then, but faith is an eternal songster.  Whether others sing or not, believers must never give over; in them should be constancy of praise, since God's love to them cannot by any possibility have changed, however providence may seem to frown. 

We are not only to believe the Lord's goodness, but to rejoice in it evermore.  It is the source of all our joy; and as it cannot be dried up, so the stream ought never to fail to flow, or cease to flash in sparkling crystal of song.  We have not one, but many mercies to rejoice in, and should therefore multiply the expressions of our thankfulness.  It is Jehovah who deigns to deal out to us our daily benefits, and He is the all-sufficient and immutable God.  Therefore, our rejoicing in Him must never suffer diminution.  Even time itself must not bound our praises, they must leap into eternity.  He blesses us with eternal mercies--let us sing unto Him for ever.

Note, the second sentence speaks of faithfulness, which is the mercy of God's mercies--the brightest jewel in the crown of goodness.  The grace of an unfaithful God would be a poor subject for music, but unchangeable love and immutable promises demand everlasting songs.  In times of trouble it is the divine faithfulness which the soul hangs upon; this is the bower anchor of the soul, its holdfast, and its stay.  Because God is, and ever will be, faithful, we have a theme for song which will never be worn out, never be disproved, never be unnecessary, never be an idle subject, never valueless to mankind.

~Charles H. Spurgeon

Holy Desire

The desire of our soul is to thy Name, and to the remembrance of thee.

Isaiah 26:8

How sweet and expressive is the phrase, "The desire of our soul!" How it seems to carry our feelings with it! How it seems to describe the longings and utterings of a soul into which God has breathed the spirit of grace and mercy! "The desire of our soul," the breathing of our heart, the longing of our inmost being; the cry, the sigh, the panting of our new nature; the heavings, gaspings, lookings, longings, pantings, hungerings, thirstings, and ventings forth of the new man of grace-all are expressed in those sweet and blessed words, "The desire of our soul!" 

 And what a mercy it is, that there should ever be in us "the desire" of a living soul; that though the righteous dealings of God are painful and severe, running contrary to everything nature loves; yet that with all these, there should be dropped into the heart that mercy, love, and grace, which draw forth the desire of the soul toward the Name of God. This is expressed in the words that follow, "With my soul have I desired thee in the night!"

If you can say no more about the work of grace upon your heart than that - can you really use these words as descriptive of feelings experienced within, "With my soul have I desired thee in the night?" Is your soul longing after the Lord Jesus Christ? Is it ever in the night season panting after the manifestation of his presence? hungering and thirsting after the dropping-in of some word from his lips, some sweet whisper of his love to your soul? These are marks of grace. The carnal, the unregenerate, the ungodly, have no such desires and feelings as these; there is nothing in their heart corresponding with "the desire of the soul" unto the Name of God. But it is the case with all the righteous; for "the desire of the righteous shall be satisfied."

 

~by J. C. Philpot

 

Remembering God's Holiness

Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.  Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

Psalm 97:11-12

Do we rejoice in Christ?  Christians, we know, must expect tribulation in the world.  They must suffer by its malice; but light is sown for them; gladness is prepared for them.  At the appointed time God's goodness will be sure of a harvest.  Those who sow in tears shall, without fail, reap in joy.  When parting, Christ told His disciples:  "You shall be sorrowful but your sorrow shall be turned into joy."  Gladness is sure to the upright in heart, to those who are sincere in religion.  The joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment.  Therefore, without lasting sincerity there is no joy and gladness.

Here are rules for our joy.  It must be pure and holy.  If we love Christ, if we love His kingdom, if we love His people, if we love His Word--we will hate evil and everything that is offensive to Him.  A true love to God will show itself in a real hatred of all sin.  Our joy must culminate in God:  "Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous."  All the streams of comfort flowing to us from Christ's kingdom will cause us to rejoice in the Lord.  Our joy must express itself in praise and thanksgiving:  "Give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness."  Very often we ought to remember God's holiness, His purity, and the perfection of the divine nature.  As David said:  "Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness."

~Matthew Henry, from Moments of Meditation

Better Than Life

Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.  Thus will I bless thee while I live.

Psalm 63:3-4

Life is dear, but God's love is dearer.  To dwell with God is better than life at its best.  Life at ease, in a palace, in health, in honour, in wealth, in pleasure; yea, a thousand lives are not equal to the eternal life which abides in Jehovah's smile.  In him we truly live, and move, and have our being.  The withdrawal of the light of His countenance is as the shadow of death to us; hence we cannot but long after the Lord's gracious appearing.

Life is to many men a doubtful good; lovingkindess is an unquestioned boon:  life is but transient, mercy is everlasting.  Life is shared by the lowest animals, but the lovingkindess of the Lord is the peculiar portion of the chosen.  "My lips shall praise thee."  Openly, so that thy glory shall be made known, I will tell of thy goodness.  Even when our heart is rather desiring than enjoying we should still continue to magnify the Most High, for His love is truly precious; even if we do not personally, for the time being, happen to be rejoicing in it. 

We ought not to make our praises of God to depend upon our own personal and present reception of benefits; this would be mere selfishness; even publicans and sinners have a good word for those whose hands are enriching them with gifts.  It is the true believer only who will bless the Lord when he takes away his gifts or hides his face.

"Thus will I bless thee while I live."  As I now bless thee so will I ever do or rather, so as thou shalt reveal thy lovingkindness to me, I will in return continue to extol thee.  While we live we will love.  If we see no cause to rejoice in our estate, we shall always have reason for rejoicing in the Lord.  If none others bless God, yet His people will; His very nature, as being the infinitely good God, is a sufficient argument for our praising Him as long as we exist.

~Charles H. Spurgeon

Complete In Christ

And ye are complete in Him.

Colossians 2:10

Here is a truth, the vastness of which is only equaled by its unspeakable preciousness.  The Lord Jesus is the life of our acceptance with God.  We stand as believers in the righteousness of a living Head.  Within the veil He has entered, "now to appear in the presence of God for us"  (Heb. 9:24), presenting all His people each moment complete in Himself. 

It is a present justification.  "Ye are complete in Him," "accepted in the Beloved," "justified from all things."  The enlightened soul utterly repudiates perfection in himself.  Completeness in anything that he is, or has done, he totally rejects.  Seeing how incomplete his deepest repentance, his strongest faith, his best obedience, and his most costly sacrifice, he lays himself low in the lowest dust.  Too lowly he cannot think himself; too little he cannot be in his own eyes.  Language fails to express the deep self-loathing and sin-abhorrence of his soul.

But lo!  A voice is heard, and oh, it falls upon his ear like the music of the spheres:  "Ye are complete in Him!"  In one moment all is peace.  The believing soul ceases from his works; the weary spirit enters into rest.  In Christ he now stands complete, his adoption complete, his whole person complete before a Holy God!  Is not this a vast truth, and is it not a glorious one?  Where is the doctrine that exceeds it?  Where is the declaration that has in it such life as this?

Dear reader, it may be thou has long been looking at thyself for one complete thing.  In thy judgment thou mayest reject the thought, yet in thy heart there is that principle which has been looking for something in thyself to commend thee to God--something to make thee more acceptable to and more welcomed by Him.  But behold where thy completeness is found--in, and solely in, Christ!  Oh precious truth!  A poor, vile sinner, standing before a Holy God, complete in righteousness!  Thou art the object of His infinite love and delight, over whom He rejoices with singing.  Oh, how divine, how finished, how glorious must that righteousness be, which so covers thy soul as to present thee before a God of immaculate purity, "not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing" (Eph. 5:27)!

~excerpt from "Morning Thoughts" by Octavius Winslow

The Law of The Spirit

But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

Galatians 5:18

But perhaps my unknown friend may ask why this dispensation of the Spirit is called a law? To which I answer, first, because of its binding power; the cords of everlasting love, the bond of peace, and the girdle of truth, will hold the soul faster than all the lifeless commandments in the world, whether they be from heaven or of men.   

Secondly, it is called a law, because of its constraining power; "the love of Christ constrains me," says Paul; it is a powerful constraint from evil, and mightily influences the mind to that which is good. 

Thirdly, Because of the obedience it produces; the blessed Giver of this law circumcises our hearts, that we may love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul, that we may live, Deut. 30:6. It produces the fruits of the Spirit, which is evangelical obedience; we are taught of God to love one another by the love of God shed abroad in our hearts, which is attended with filial fear that keeps us from departing from God, Jer. 32:40. God directs our work in truth by it, Isa. 61:8; and works our works in us, Isa. 26:12; he works in us an inclining and moving power, "both to will and to do of his own good pleasure," Phil 2:13. Well may this be called the law of the Spirit, when it produces such spiritual obedience; well may the desire of the righteous when it comes be called a Tree of Life, Prov. 13:12; seeing it produces love, joy, peace, meekness, temperance, etc.

This law of the wise is called a fountain, because it plays all its productions high enough to reach the spring from whence it is supplied; evangelical obedience springing from the Spirit of life and love, directed to the glory of God as the believer's chief end, makes the assembly of the saints like a garden enclosed, a spring shut up, or a fountain sealed, Song of Solomon 4:12.

This law of the Spirit of life produces more real obedience to God in one hour than ever hath been produced by all the rules that have been drawn by human wisdom from killing snares. This law of the wise is Christ's yoke that is easy, and it is his burden that is light, Matt. 11:29, 30.

Those souls that are under this are "the circumcision that worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." God wrote this law on our hearts and in our minds does He put it, (Jer. 31:33).

This is the law that goes forth of Zion, not from Sinai, and is the word of the Lord that went from Jerusalem, (Micah 4:2); and those that receive it are the people "that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus," Rev. 14:12. By this law are the servants of God warned, and in keeping this there is great reward, for charity abideth forever, Psa. 19:11.

This is the holy commandment delivered unto us, from which legions have continually departed, 2 Pet. 2:21; because it was only delivered to them in the letter of it, not put into them as a fountain of life. Hence they begin in the Spirit, or with the dispensation of the gospel, and end in the flesh, or under the killing letter.

The law of the wise may be called a fountain of life, because it quickens the dead soul, and raises it to a lively hope; it produces that life which the law promised but could not give because we could give it no obedience; but this law enables a soul to live unto God, to live by the faith of the Son of God; it produces a lively motion toward God; it is attended with life and peace, and enables us to love God that we may live eternally with Him.

Thus, Sir, the believer is not without law to God, for God has written His law in his heart, and he is under this law to Christ as his eternal Head, King, and Ruler. And I think this is speaking as the oracles of God, and preaching it is doing the work of an evangelist, and making full proof of the ministry, much better than telling poor blind souls to look with one eye to Christ, who is our life, and the other to the law, which is death; and it is better than bringing rules of life from a law which is the strength of sin; or telling people that the rule of life is implied in the killing letter; or that it appears from the fitness of things; when we know that a living soul serving God in the oldness of the letter are things that can fit in no better than has darkness and light; the eye of faith and the blinding veil; perfect liberty and a yoke of bondage; real love and a gendering to fear; a display of mercy and a revelation of wrath; one working friendship and the other the motions of sin and vengeance. Are these the things that will fit; or what is the fitness that rises from them?

~William Huntington  (1745-1813)

Rejoicing Redeemer

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth,

that thou has hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes;

even so Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.

Luke 10:21

Here is the one instance on record of our Lord Jesus Christ rejoicing.

We read, that in that hour 'Jesus rejoiced in spirit.'  Three times we are told in the Gospels that our Lord Jesus Christ wept.  Once only we are told that He rejoiced.

And what was the cause of our Lord's joy?  It was the conversion of souls.  It was the reception of the gospel by the weak and lowly among the Jews, when the 'wise and prudent' on every side were rejecting it.  Our blessed Lord no doubt saw much in this world to grieve Him.  He saw the obstinate blindness and unbelief of the vast majority of those among whom He ministered.  But when He saw a few poor men and women receiving the glad tidings of salvation, even His heart was refreshed.  He saw it and was glad.

Let all Christians mark our Lord's conduct in this matter, and follow His example.  They find little in the world to cheer them.  They see around them a vast multitude walking in the broad way that leadeth to destruction, careless, hardened and unbelieving.  They see a few here and there, and only a few, who believe to the saving of their souls.  But let this sight make them thankful.  Let them bless God that any at all are converted and that any at all believe.  We do not realize the sinfulness of man sufficiently.  We do not reflect that the conversion of any soul is a miracle--a miracle as great as the raising of Lazarus from the dead. 

Let us learn from our blessed Lord to be more thankful.  There is always some blue sky as well as black clouds, if we will only look for it.  Though only a few are saved, we should find reason for rejoicing.  It is only through free grace and undeserved mercy that any are saved at all.

~excerpt from "Day by Day with J. C. Ryle"

Singing Through Sorrows

I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.

Psalm 13:6

Here is the man who had sorrow in his heart all the day breaking into song!  We do not find that his troubles were any less.  The enemy was still exalted over him, and boasted of having prevailed; it seemed indeed as though he must soon sleep the sleep of death.  But he never let go his trust.  Whatever were his outward discomforts and trials, he clung to his God and waited patiently for Him; with the result that out of his stormy griefs he built a Bethel, and in the midst of his anguish broke out into song.

When we are sitting under the shadow of severe trial, God can wrap us about with the garment of praise, and fill our mouths with singing.  Although the fig-tree does not blossom, and there is no fruit in the vines, yet the soul may rejoice in the Lord, and joy in the God of salvation.  You cannot starve a man who is feeding on God's promises; and you cannot make that man or woman wretched who has a clean conscience, the smile of God, and the love of Jesus in the soul.

When brave old Thomas Halyburton lost his much-loved son, he made this record:  "This day has been a day to be remembered.  O my soul never forget what this day I reached.  My soul had smiles that almost wasted nature.  Oh, what a sweet day!  About half-an-hour after the Sabbath, my child, after a sharp conflict, slept pleasantly in Jesus, to whom pleasantly he was so often given...Jesus came to me the third watch of the night, walking upon the waters...He stilled the tempest in my soul, and lo! there was a great calm."  When God is bereaving us of all else, He may so fill us with Himself that we shall magnify his bountifulness.

~F. B. Meyer, Our Daily Homily