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The Reward for Overcomers

Words of Faith Final

The Reward for Overcomers

Words of Faith 11-23-2020

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2020

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

www.faithfellowshipweb.com

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Revelation 2

[17]  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.

 

       The church Pergamum was facing great adversity from the outside—Government, religion, education, and medicine were all standing in opposition to the Gospel. There was also a terrible divide within the church. Teachers were advocating a worldly lifestyle that rejected the Spirit and the Word of God. The one answer was to repent.

        But then, the Lord gave a promise to those who would overcome. It is a threefold promise—hidden manna, a white stone, and a new name.

        Manna was the miraculous food given daily to the children of Israel in the wilderness. For forty years, they did not need to worry about basic food. This amazing nourishment met their needs perfectly. The manna stopped when Israel entered into the Promised Land. But Jesus himself functioned in this way.

       In John's Gospel, Jesus said: "I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (John 6:47-51).

        The white stone was often used as an invitation to a banquet. The Lord was making it clear that believers who overcome these temptations of the world will have the invitation to a wonderful banquet. This probably refers to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

         The “new name, known only to him who receives it” could be the Name of Christ Himself. But it may also refer to the unique nature of every person created by God. We might think of it as the revelation of who you really are. In overcoming the adversity of the age in which you live, God will reveal to you things about yourself that you never knew. God will reveal your created purpose and the things for which He saved you.

         We are reminded of Ephesians 2:8-10 – “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” We are created for a purpose—to do specific good works that God has prepared.

          For those believers who resist the enemy—God will provide all the nourishment we need at the deepest level of our soul. He will provide an invitation to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. And we will know the purpose for which He saved us. What could be better?

 

         Lord God, I want to be an overcomer. I desire to draw near to You and know that You are near to me. I choose to resist the Enemy in the knowledge that He will flee.  I seek the reward that is given to those who overcome—deepest nourishment in You, an invitation to the banquet, and knowledge of my purpose in life. In Jesus’ Name.

 

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2020

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)       

2820 Business Center Blvd.

Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.