To the Overcomer by W. W. Sharp

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 16, 1873

To the Overcomer.

By W. W. Sharp

“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.” Rev. 3:21. This promise, the Son of God makes to erring, sin-polluted man. If thou wilt overcome the lusts of the flesh and the temptations of the enemy, thou shalt sit with me in my throne when I am proclaimed King of kings.

Glorious promise to our benighted race! And yet all this is offered to us for doing our duty; nothing more is required. For it is just as much our duty to obey the mandates of God as it was the duty of our first parents to do so. They were on probation, so are we. Life and death were placed before them, so they are before us. In the garden was the tree of life and the tree of death (the tree of knowledge). Of one, they could eat, and live forever; and of the other, if they ate, they should surely die. They partook of the latter, and death was pronounced upon them; and, as they could give no more to their descendants than they possessed, as they were subjects of death, so are their descendants. Thus we see how death came upon the whole race. “Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

A sad condition we are in, indeed, but is there no way of escape? Is this death eternal? No; thank the Lord, we behold Jesus who “came to seek and to save that which was lost.” He comes and dies that we may live. “As in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive.” Yes, Jesus gives us life again. We now have the same chance that Adam had.

“We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God.” We must die because of the sin of Adam. This is the first death. Those who suffer the second death will do so because of their own sins. And, as we have all sinned, the second death has claims upon us; for “the wages of sin is death.” Rom. 6:23.

Now the query arises, Can we escape these claims? Must all who have sinned die the second death? No, there is a way of escape. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” How great the love of God. “Oh! that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” Believe in Jesus; for whosoever comes unto him he will in nowise cast out. “He that hath the Son hath life.” John 5:12. Then by believing on and accepting Jesus, we escape the second death and receive eternal life. This is the only way; for we know that “he that believeth not shall be damned.” God commanded Adam not to eat of the tree of knowledge. “He now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.” Acts 17:30. Shall we do so, and bring forth fruits meet for repentance? This is our imperative duty.

We are God’s created beings; it is therefore our duty to yield unto him perfect obedience. Then we must reform, forsake, or overcome, our sins; and if we do so, we shall receive the promise, or reward that Jesus has offered: “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life,” and “he shall sit with me in my throne.” It is true those who overcome their sins have a great work to do; for trials and temptations are many; but Jesus was tempted the same as we are. He overcame, and knows how to help us, and he is willing to do it. He says, “My grace is sufficient.” If we come humbly, trustingly, to the throne of grace, and ask for strength and wisdom to overcome our sins, Jesus will give freely, and upbraid not. And how great the reward offered to us if we will put away our sins. We were brought forth in sin, and have lived in sin. Jesus helps us to put it away from us, and then bestows upon us the highest gift we could imagine—an eternal reign with him in glory. It is far, far beyond the comprehension of the human mind.

Dear fellow-striver, cannot we afford to endure all the trials and troubles that will be brought upon us for trying to serve God when we realize that for so doing we shall have eternal life in that glorious kingdom? We cannot afford to pause to compare the trials of the way with the glory that shall be revealed hereafter. There can be no comparison. We have nothing with which to compare the Christian’s reward; for all we have here is but dross, and there can be no comparison between gold and dross.

I pray the Lord to help us in the warfare, that we may come off victorious, and at last drop anchor in the broad haven of eternal rest. W. W. Sharp.