Fight for
what’s Worth Fighting For!
Penned by: Kevin K O’Connor
Date penned: Aug 02, 2017
Thought: To examine what being an overcomer
looks like
Scriptural Springboard: Mat 11:12 And
from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
Gen
32:24
And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man
with him until the breaking of the day.
Gen 32:25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he
touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of
joint, as he wrestled with him.
Gen 32:26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh.
And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
The
one phrase that the Lord repeated to each of the 7 churches that He addresses in Rev 2 & 3 “To him that overcometh”
While
obtaining the ‘gift’ of salvation is given to whosoever receives it freely
WITHOUT it being earned, keeping that Gift is a whole differently story. For,
what each one of us has earned by birthright is not life, but death due to our
initial Mom & Dad, Adam & Eve. But, thanks be to God and Him alone for His goodness Who loved us while we were yet
broken and lost in our sins Who gave us Jesus Who bore the punishment for our
sins. Those that not only confess Him as Lord but who also believe in their
heart Rom 10:9 That
if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine
heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. That
is the key ‘belief from the heart’ for anyone can confess Jesus is Lord, but it’s
only those that believe from the heart which are the ones that bear fruit and
prove that they are truly His and are not just wanna
bees. God makes that clear in this parable of the talents Matt 25:14-30 as
well as in Jesus description of the Vine and branches in John 15:1-8. To
be given a sugar pill and not the real deal may make people comfortable, but by
doing so, those that are doing this are giving people a false understanding of
what God is expecting from those who claim His Son as Lord of their lives. So,
God gives us these scripture references that make it clear, but how many times
have heard these preached from the pulpit? Not much, but you will hear how free
God’s Gift is, but not HOW you can tell who is truly His, those that are
reciprocating because their faith is from the heart, not just their mouths. Two
great scripture references for this Truth is given to us in; Jas
1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not
hearers only, deceiving your own selves. Jas
1:23 For if any be a hearer of the
word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a
glass: Jas 1:24 For he beholdeth
himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. AND IN Jas 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Jas 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works:
shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. So, in a way the phrase of ‘once saved, always
saved’ is true ONLY IF it is of the faith that bears fruit as God’s Word
states, NO if it doesn’t. For TRUE FAITH is more than words, its words that ‘agree
with’ or ‘is in alignment with’ God’s Word. Thus Jesus is warning His churches
in Rev 2 & 3 that are straying from the path of ‘TRUE FAITH’
in Him due to disobedience to His Word. And, He makes it clear that “To him
that overcometh…” These are the ones that will TRULY make it into Eternal Bliss
with Him, not those who are naming and claiming Him, but those who by faithful
obedience are truly reflecting that they HAVE TRUE FAITH in Him ‘FROM THE
HEART!’.
So,
I’d have to be honest and say, if God’s Word was preached more that ONLY those
whose lives are ‘accurately reflecting by bearing fruit’ what they’re
confessing with their mouths ‘faith in Jesus’ will be saved, AND, with that
kind of faith, it is ‘once saved, always saved’. For that kind of faith, is not
a show and tell kind of faith, it’s a faith from the heart from start to finish
as is portrayed in the good soil our Lord references here in; Mat 13:23 But he that received seed into the
good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and
bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. So,
one could say in reference to the ‘once saved, always saved’ scenario that ‘once
good soil, always good soil’. BUT, that truly isn’t realized until the person
breathes their last breath for good soil is good from the first to the last and
not just a temporary expression as the soil which had rocks or shallowness. Hence,
you have Jesus admonishing the churches in Rev 2 & 3 to
help them realize WHO would Truly be His and enjoy
eternal bliss with Him “to him that overcometh”. This is the ‘balanced’ type of teaching our
Lord is yearning for from those that are responsible for His sheep not the
lopsided type that emphasizes faith and then doesn’t describe what True Faith,
truly is.
So then, keeping that Gift of Life involves ‘proof
of faith’ which is fruit! With the ONLY exception being those who are mentally
unable to understand or due to age and not reaching the age of accountability
OR those receiving that ‘gift’ on their death beds and are not able to produce
the fruit that reflects their conversion. Picture it like this, each person
born, didn’t will themselves into existence along with each animal or plant,
BUT, if once being born or sprouting a root, that life doesn’t eat or the roots
don’t reach down for the life giving water, that item which was initially given
life due to NO effort of its own, if it doesn’t fight for its continual existence,
will die. And, I’ve heard that even in conception with the millions of sperm
trying to fertilize the egg, only one of those working to do so, actually is
successful. Those that don’t even try, never even become what they could have
been.
And, God reminds us that it’s only in the act
of giving, that receiving is to be enjoyed. And, the four scriptural references
for this Truth are;
2Co_9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly
shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth
bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
Gal_6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Gal_6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of
the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the
Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
Gal_6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap,
if we faint not.
Life and Life Eternal, is God’s Gift to us,
what we do with it, is our gift to Him. Those that learn the joy of
reciprocating enter into His Joy, those that hoard His Gift without bearing
fruit will lose what little they started with. And, a good scripture reference
for said Truth is as follows; Mat 25:24 Then
he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not
sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: Mat 25:25 And I
was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast
that is thine. Mat 25:26 His lord answered and
said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest
that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Mat 25:27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers,
and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Mat 25:28 Take
therefore the talent from him, and give it
unto him which hath ten talents. Mat 25:29 For
unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from
him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. Mat 25:30 And
cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping
and gnashing of teeth.
And, from the following scripture we see
more of the story and why the master was so upset with this servant; Mat
25:14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own
servants, and delivered unto them his goods. Mat 25:15 And
unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man
according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Notice
that the master ‘delivered unto them’ or gave unto them. Just as the verse
shows the giving nature of the master as noted here which reflects his
kindness, notice how something is expected in return. Fruit is always expected
when a fruit tree is given life and cared for. In the same way, those given
life and especially eternal Life by Faith in Christ, are receiving gifts which
are NOT earned, --- BUT --- the actions that follow that Gift are what display
the heart of the one receiving it. Those that accept the Gift and respond in
Love, enter into the Spirit of obedience and thus ‘prove’ themselves to be the
children of God. Those that use the gift for their own selfish interests prove
themselves to be children of satan no matter what they
think or confess. Some GREAT scripture references for this thought are as
follows; Matthew 25:31-46 which is where those that were focusing on
loving Jesus were by nature doing the things He would do, but those who were
focusing only on their works of righteousness, didn’t even know Him. And
another good one is here in; Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the
will of my Father which is in heaven. Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out
devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? Mat 7:23 And
then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work
iniquity.
So, ‘once saved, always saved’ IF that Faith
is as God’s Word says it is, fruitful from beginning to end, not just a
temporary naming Him and claiming Him! A temporary faith is NOT from the heart
but is a shallow soil type of confession. This is the kind of preaching that
should be spoken from the pulpits in accordance with our Father’s heart, NOT in
accordance with the pocket books of those speaking.
Heavenly Father, may those called to speak
Your Heart, speak with a passion that ignites each hearer to enter into the
Fire of obedience that totally consumes them unto Your Glory, Honor, and
Praise. For it’s in the Everlasting, Glorious Name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
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