Revelation: "To Him That Overcomes ..."

The Book of REVELATION. It is the last book in the Bible which most people, even followers of Jesus, find difficult to understand. I love the book of Revelation for several reasons. First and foremost because it is "the revelation of Jesus Christ." The first five words of that book tells us that! This book REVEALS JESUS Himself ... Who He is. It's an "uncovering," an "unveiling," a "disclosure." In the New Testament, the word revelation describes the unveiling of spiritual truths (Romans 16:25; Galatians 1:12, Ephesians 1:17 and 3:3). It describes the revealing of the sons of God (Romans 8:19), Christ's incarnation (Luke 2:32), and His "glorious appearing" at His second coming (2 Thessalonians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:7). In all its uses, the word "revelation" refers to something or someone, once hidden, becoming visible! In this case, it's Jesus Himself! OH, I want to know what that is! I also like Revelation because it is very clear, very straight forward in revealing who will get into heaven and who will not. I am interested in the WHO will make it. Aren't you? Not all of this book can be easily understood but there are things which can be and are so important we must take them to heart!

Again and again, Jesus is telling us directly "He that overcomes I will" ... and He proceeds to lists different things He will do or give those in reference to eternal life if they "overcome" AS HE OVERCAME (Revelation 3:21 --"To him that overcomes 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." -emphasis mine-) But notice, Jesus said He OVERCAME too! What did Jesus overcome? It's going to get interesting! First, we need to know what it means to overcome and what are we to overcome? The book of Revelation makes it very clear that "overcoming" is a necessity to enter and live eternally in the Kingdom of God. Let's first reference a dictionary for a definition. Overcome: Succeed in dealing with a problem or difficulty. To prevail, get control of, to control, bridle, tame, master, conquer, defeat, overpower, subdue, etc. Are you getting the picture? It is evident then, to overcome something means to get control of it and defeat it. There is one thing that no one has personal control over in their lives. One thing. That one thing is SIN. The Bible says in no uncertain terms that we as Christians are to live an overcoming life in our battle against sin. That victory isn't "by the skin of our teeth" because scripture tells us in Romans 8:37 that we ARE MORE THAN CONQUERERS through Him that loved us. Victory over sin is possible. But pay close attention to what I'll be saying. For every believer in Jesus Christ, victory over sin is 100% guaranteed... it's a done deal because Jesus gave us that gift by His dying on a cross and taking our punishment for sin. To overcome sinning is tougher. Sound contradictory? I'll explain before this blog is finished.

Though believers want to live a life pleasing to God it can be quite daunting to fight what our natural, fallen flesh craves. That could be drunkenness, passions so strong that we contemplate engaging in an adulterous affair, or uncontrolled lusts that have driven us deep into pornography. If not careful, we can think, say, and do things that are not in accordance with God's will. Even Paul, who wrote around 14 of the 27 gospels in the New Testament and who was called to follow Jesus had this problem! He wrote, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I don't do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I don't want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who does it, but it is sin living in me. I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. I don't do the good I want to do, but the evil I don't want to do, and I keep doing it. Now, if I continue doing what I really don't want to do, it is no longer I doing it, but it is sin living in me." Poor Paul. I believe he was not only lamenting regarding himself, but he was describing any of us who battle our flesh to keep it controlled and subdued. There is a particular verse in 1 John that people get confused about. It is an appropriate verse to inject right here. Again, PAY ATTENTION.

1 John: 7-8, "But if we walk in the Light, as He is in the Light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." People become confused about verse 7 & 8, but it really is very clear what John is telling us. People interpret this to mean this: If I am a believer according to the Apostle John, all my sins are gone. Yet why then does he turn around and say I'm deceived if I say I have no sin when it just said the blood of Jesus cleansed me of all my sin. How can I, therefore, still have sin if I was cleansed of all of them? Every person, no matter how bad they are or have been, who becomes a believer in Jesus and makes Him Lord of their life is forgiven of every sin they have ever committed. It's finished, it's guaranteed, it's a done deal. There is no if, and's, or buts about it. Your slate is clean. You have a new beginning because the blood Jesus shed has cleansed and washed away all your transgression. In that sense, you have no sin. However, I guarantee you that just like Paul, you will fight your flesh as Paul did and sooner or later YOU WILL say or think "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I don't do, but what I hate I do. As it is, it is no longer I myself who does it, but it is sin living in me. I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. If I continue doing what I really don't want to do, it is no longer I doing it, but it is sin living in me." In this sense we must say and admit we have sin. Scripture does not contradict itself. Followers of Jesus (call us believers call us Christians) will still fall short of the glory of God and commit sin due to our propensity to sin though we don't want to. We want to be perfect and please God all the time. We just cannot carry it out! Therefore, verse 7-8 is telling us, if we walk in the Light (follow and stay with Jesus) we have no sin yet don't be deceived- we WILL SIN (at some point)! However, and this is big .... with confession and repentance, God will always forgive us because we follow Jesus. So if we remain IN HIM, IN THE LIGHT, though we sin from time to time as humans, His Blood continues to cleanse and He continues to forgive. What a loving Father we have!! This promise is only for believers.

Why do we become weak and give in to sin sometimes even though it's not what we want to do? Because, God's Spirit in us and our flesh (with emotions, feelings, wants, passions and drives) are constantly at odds with one another. This is why Jesus statement in Revelation 3:21 concerning "overcoming" is so incredible, "To him that overcomes 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.") These words are so great, they can almost be hard to grasp! There is way more to being forgiven of sin, we can actually get a hold over sin (remember the definition I gave over overcome?). Stay with me here! To find out how we can prevail over, bridle, and tame our desire to sin we need to look at Jesus, our forerunner and example since He admitted He overcame too. The more we learn and grow in His Word, the desire to sin wanes! Let's look at some clues. Involved is your will. Jesus said, "Not my will, but Yours be done" -- giving up any desire, direction, or way He wanted things done. He also said, "God, You have given Me a body, and I have come to do Your will (Hebrews 10:5-7). Again, Jesus declared in the garden of Gethsemane as He prayed to the Father the night before His crucifixion, "Not my will, but Thine be done" (Luke 22:42).

Think about YOUR "will." Basically, your will is another word for sin in the flesh that we have all inherited. It includes a myriad of areas, including pride, impatience, selfishness, unrighteousness, irritation, laziness, vanity, complaining, sexual impurity, unbelief, envy, greed, I could go on and on! As a man, Jesus also had this self-will and was tempted, but His firm resolve from the very start was, "Not My will, but Yours be done!" For me to desire to overcome as He overcame, I need to make that same decision and faithfully stick to it, no matter what happens or how I feel. God gave Jesus the strength and resolve He needed to deny Himself, every single time. God does that for us too. He really does. How desperate are you to gain the victory? How vehement are your cries to God? How willing are you to obey? Do you want to be saved from death? To overcome as He overcame, you need to follow Jesus in everything, also in how you pray to God for help. The battle can seem overwhelming but you are not alone.

You can use the Word as a weapon. God’s Word is a sword (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12). It is the absolute truth and a powerful weapon against Satan’s and sin’s deceit. When Jesus was tempted by the devil, His reply always started with “It is written…!” (Matthew 4:1-11) But Jesus didn’t only quote the Word; He had authority when He used God’s Word, because He also lived by it. In John 1:14 we read the astonishing words that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Jesus could be described as the Word personified. His entire life was a fulfillment of God’s Word, and thereby God’s will. When I read the Bible, I fill myself with God’s wisdom. It is the weapon He has given me; words to use against Satan’s deceit like Jesus did, words that show me what to do, words of comfort. I must do exactly what I read. Then I am wielding the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. I totally expose Satan’s lies and deceit and overcome all the sinful tendencies in my flesh. Living according to these words makes me invincible. It's not an easy road, it's narrow and few find it. But if you are serious, if you commit yourself to do His will, God will supply you with everything to fight and get victory over the vices and weaknesses in your life. You WILL be an overcomer.
Until next time,
-Pat-