“HE THAT OVERCOMES”

E. E. Hoyte

John 16: 32, 33; Revelation 3: 20–22

Just a simple thought, dear brethren, on this word “overcome”, that the Lord Himself uses. It is encouraging to think that the Lord would use such a word—“I have overcome”. Of course, overcoming involves that there are obstacles, so He says, “In the world ye have tribulation”—we know that; but then the word is “but”, and that makes the difference—“but be of good courage”. One would use this word for encouragement, and that was the object of the Lord saying this to them; “Be of good courage—I have overcome the world”. He says to the disciples in Luke, “Ye are they who have persevered with me in my temptations”, Luke 22: 28. He does not use the word tribulation there, but “temptations”. You see how the Lord was consoled by this—how He would regard the company of His disciples persevering with Him.

The Lord persevered too, dear brethren, and the disciples had persevered with Him. They knew the Lord’s temptations; He was not welcomed; He did not have an easy time. Now He is saying, “Be of good courage—I have overcome the world”. There is much for us to overcome; no doubt we have overcome a lot in getting here to this meeting; it is all a matter of overcoming. Each one could have been sitting at ease in his house. It is a matter of overcoming, overcoming difficulties. Think of the Lord saying that, “I have overcome”. What is it for? To encourage us, dear brethren.

Now in the next scripture—I am not going to expound on it; it is more for contemplation than anything else: it is not the amount of what I say, but it is the preciousness of the words coming from the Lord’s own mouth to those who were with Him, who stood by Him. It is true that at the end they forsook Him; it was a very serious time; but the Lord gives them credit for persevering. We know what persevering is; you might not have the immediate strength, but you continue in a certain line, you persevere. This is addressed to His beloved disciples, these men who had journeyed with Him, who could sympathize with Him, and enter into His feelings.

Now the second scripture has to do with departure and declension that have come in. The Lord is not now speaking on earth; He is in heaven, and declension has come in. So the seven assemblies had been going on, and the Lord gives John this vision in relation to this particular assembly. He is taking account of every assembly; taking account of what prevails, wherever they are. And so He arrives at the last one, Laodicea. You might say they are not very encouraging words to Laodicea; He does not speak well of them; there was lukewarmness with them. That is the condition that marks things now, that we have to overcome—it is what Christendom has become. Many of the saints are discouraged and losing their way; ‘I cannot go on any more’. Why not? It is what Christendom has become. So the Lord speaks of lukewarmness in this assembly—lukewarmness. You feel that almost in your bones—the present condition of things. If you do not, you are not sensitive as to the present condition of things, the lukewarmness and indifference to the things of God. So He says, “Thou art neither cold nor hot”. That is the general condition, not cold or hot. “I would thou wert cold or hot.

Thus, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spue thee out of my mouth”. It is a distasteful thing. You might say, ‘This is Laodicea’; but this condition continues, dear brethren.

The Lord is appealing to someone and saying, “He that overcomes”. In the worst condition He is looking for persons who are going to overcome, that is, they are going against the tide; if there is coldness, if there is lukewarmness, that there might be those who buy of Him, as He says, “Buy of me gold purified by fire”. He is giving this invitation—“and white garments, that thou mayest be clothed”. All this would fit into the present picture, dear brethren. We should have these scriptures in our minds as we continue because otherwise we are going to be discouraged ourselves; we shall take on the same lukewarmness and coldness.

So the Lord appeals, “He that overcomes, to him will I give to sit with me in my throne”. Notice what He says now—“as I also have overcome, and have sat down with my Father in his throne”. What a promise this is to the overcomer in such conditions. He brings Himself forward as a Model, “He that overcomes, to him will I give to sit with me”—what an intimate place!—“in my throne; as I also have overcome”. So we have the Lord for a Model, dear brethren. Who has gone through what the Lord has gone through? Who could go through what He went through? The times, one must admit, are very, very difficult, and you feel the lukewarmness. So He would encourage us, “he that overcomes”.

You are going against the current, whatever it is, wherever you are. You do not just drift along with the current; some people do that if they are not swimmers. I think it was remarked in prayer about waters to swim in, but if you cannot swim you will be just washed away with the tide. Swimming means that you have the ability to keep yourself afloat and you have action to keep yourself moving. So the Lord says, “as I also have overcome, and have sat down ...”. This is very cheering, dear brethren. These are simple words, but they are just for the moment, for us, that we do not get discouraged. There is a lot of discouragement around; you have just got to listen to some persons speaking; they are tired, giving up. Dear brethren, the Lord says, “I have overcome”. He did not have an easy time; “I have overcome”, and “He that overcomes, to him will I give to sit with me in my throne; as I also have overcome, and have sat down with my Father in his throne”. I do not have to say more, dear brethren; it is a simple passage, but, it comes from the Lord’s own mouth for times of declension and weakness; this is the word for us.

Word in meeting for ministry, Brooklyn, N.Y.
9 May 1978