Aug. 23, 2014 OVERCOMING
Continuing from my last blog, we will now look at the absolute need to be “overcomers” in this life. Throughout Revelation we find that those who are overcomers in this life are the ones who are blessed it the life to come. Revelation is a book in which John tells what he saw and what he was told when God allowed him to see into heaven-wow! If anything should get out full attention, it should be what God has said (through His angles) from Heaven directed to us. As you read in Revelation, you discover that Satan obviously had a lot of power but we also discover that this power was given to him by God. Revelation 13:7 -9: “And it was given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them; and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. If anyone has an ear, let him hear.” Even though we see great and terrible things happening in Revelation, God makes a way for those who overcome in this life. In verse 12: 11 we read: “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death.” We overcome when we do not buy into the ways and schemes of Satan and we do not buy into the world system. It is by the blood of the Lamb (Jesus dying on the cross) and that being our testimony that we overcome. The other critical ingredient of being an overcomer that we see in this verse is that “they did not love their life even to death”! This perhaps is the acid test for us. Is the gospel and all it stands for our “testimony” and is the gospel more important, more precious than our life? We may not know how we would respond to facing death because of our faith but let us examine ourselves and resolve “not to love our lives even to death”. In Revelation we see horrible events unfolding as Satan is given power for a season, but we also see that God has wonderful things in store for the overcomers. I believe that the “big idea”, the “main thing” that God has in mind for His people is that they become overcomers in life on planet earth. To become an overcomer, it is necessary that we have opposition. The scriptures, especially Revelation, are sobering because when we read the scriptures we come face to face with true reality. In a very real sense, the truth of the scriptures is non-optional; they are the plumb line that our life is and will be measured against. For the ones that love God and are maturing in the faith, there is every reason to have hope as we look to future events even though we face opposition in this present life.
Revelation 3:18,21,22: “I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich, and white garments, that you may cloth yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eyesalve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Blessings,
Buddy
Continuing from my last blog, we will now look at the absolute need to be “overcomers” in this life. Throughout Revelation we find that those who are overcomers in this life are the ones who are blessed it the life to come. Revelation is a book in which John tells what he saw and what he was told when God allowed him to see into heaven-wow! If anything should get out full attention, it should be what God has said (through His angles) from Heaven directed to us. As you read in Revelation, you discover that Satan obviously had a lot of power but we also discover that this power was given to him by God. Revelation 13:7 -9: “And it was given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them; and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. If anyone has an ear, let him hear.” Even though we see great and terrible things happening in Revelation, God makes a way for those who overcome in this life. In verse 12: 11 we read: “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death.” We overcome when we do not buy into the ways and schemes of Satan and we do not buy into the world system. It is by the blood of the Lamb (Jesus dying on the cross) and that being our testimony that we overcome. The other critical ingredient of being an overcomer that we see in this verse is that “they did not love their life even to death”! This perhaps is the acid test for us. Is the gospel and all it stands for our “testimony” and is the gospel more important, more precious than our life? We may not know how we would respond to facing death because of our faith but let us examine ourselves and resolve “not to love our lives even to death”. In Revelation we see horrible events unfolding as Satan is given power for a season, but we also see that God has wonderful things in store for the overcomers. I believe that the “big idea”, the “main thing” that God has in mind for His people is that they become overcomers in life on planet earth. To become an overcomer, it is necessary that we have opposition. The scriptures, especially Revelation, are sobering because when we read the scriptures we come face to face with true reality. In a very real sense, the truth of the scriptures is non-optional; they are the plumb line that our life is and will be measured against. For the ones that love God and are maturing in the faith, there is every reason to have hope as we look to future events even though we face opposition in this present life.
Revelation 3:18,21,22: “I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich, and white garments, that you may cloth yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eyesalve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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