Overcomers Will Reign In Christ - Part 1 — Zac Poonen

Overcoming and Sonship in the New Creation

I want to turn to Revelation and chapter 21. Here it is speaking about the new heavens and the new earth and who are going to dwell there. And it describes this new Jerusalem as a bride adorned for her husband and how God is going to dwell in the midst of his people.

And then it says after describing all those things where he's going to make everything new, verse 5, for whom is this? Verse 7, he who overcomes will inherit these things and I will be his God and he will be my son.

The Danger of Building Doctrine on Isolated Verses

Now, it's a very common mistake that Christians make to take one verse and make a doctrine out of it. And that is how lots of the cults have developed. They got their favorite verse and they build a huge doctrine around that verse and that's about all they see.

And for them that is a major part of the Bible. 90 of the Bible is that verse. Now, it's not just the cults. If you go to the average believer and someone goes to him and says, hey, I'm an unbeliever, you can try this out if you don't believe me.

You can even go to a good pastor or believer and tell him, I'm an unbeliever, how can I be a son of God? I don't think anybody would point you to this verse. He who overcomes all things, he will be my son.

You think anybody would point this verse out? No. They'll point some other verse like, as many as received Him, then He gave the authority to be the children of God. It's true. That's John 1 .12. But you know, everything in that verse depends on what it means to receive Him.

Understanding Biblical Belief and Receiving Christ

There are a lot of expressions used in Christendom which are not found in the Bible. If you understand it correctly, it doesn't matter. We don't have to express things in the Bible in the same way provided the meaning is the same.

We know, for example, one of the great emphasis in the New Testament is on belief. But we know that belief is not what we understand. And somebody asked you, do you believe that? Is so-and-so the president of India?

Do you believe that? I say, yes, I believe so-and-so is the president of India. Well, that's not the type of belief that the New Testament speaks about. We know that. Because there is a belief which is just an acceptance of a certain fact.

And there's a belief which is a committing of oneself. Like in a marriage, where a woman trusts that man and commits herself to him. So that one word, believe, is so important to understand it correctly.

Because our eternal destiny depends on that. Or receive. As many as received Him, to them He gave the privilege to be the children of God. We tell people who want to be born again, ask Jesus to come into your heart.

Yeah, but you'll never find that in scripture. In scripture, it's always believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. But because that word believe is so misunderstood, and millions of people say they believe in Jesus Christ, and we know they're not born again, so we have to rephrase that, so that we explain to people what it really means.

Overcoming as the Condition for Inheritance

So I find personally that since scripture doesn't contradict scripture, I believe that every place where it says how we can be a son of God must all mean the same thing. It can't be contradictory. I'll just show you a few examples.

Here it says, only those who overcome are going to be sons. And they're only going to inherit all these things, all the things mentioned about. But most believers have the idea, whether I overcome or not, I'm going to inherit all these things.

Well, if that's the case, then God must be a liar. God's word anyway. Either God's word is a lie, or this is not God's word. One of the two. If this is God's word, then it's a lie. Or this is not God's word.

Otherwise, if this is God's word and it's true, then it's only those who overcome, who will inherit all these things. And in contrast, the opposite is mentioned in verse 8. But here are the opposite of those who overcome.

The cowardly and the unbelieving, the abominable, murderers, immoral persons, sorcerers, idolaters, liars. They'll be in the lake that burns with fire in Brimston. And then let me show you another verse in 1 John in chapter 5.

Being Born of God and Overcoming the World

See, John is the one who speaks a lot about overcoming. And it says here, 1 John 5 .4 that whoever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that's overcome the world, our pain. So, everyone who's born of God is an overcomer.

Separation from Idolatry and Unclean Practices

If he doesn't overcome, you wonder whether he's had a genuine experience. Because it says here, whoever is born of God overcomes the world. I turn to 2 Corinthians in chapter 6. Here it says, verse 17, 2 Corinthians 6 .17.

Therefore, come out from their midst. He's talking about those who are in fellowship with idols in verse, or darkness, verse 14, and idols, verse 16, etc. Come out from among them, verse 17, and be separate, and touch not what is unclean, and I will welcome you.

And I'll be a father to you. And you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty. So, who is a son and daughter? Those who come out and are separate. That's the way to be a son and daughter.

God says then, I'll be a father to you. So, to whom is God a father? Well, many will say, those who accept Christ as their Savior, God is their father. True. But it also means that they come out from the midst of people and don't touch what is unclean.

Sonship in the Sermon on the Mount

And God says, I'll be a father to you. Or, take another verse in Matthew's Gospel, chapter 5. Matthew chapter 5. How to be a son of God? How to be a son of God?