The Bride An Overcomer
The book of Revelation is a book, not seven
letters, written to the seven churches in Asia Minor. While John was
exiled to the island of Patmos, he was instructed by Jesus to write
this book (Revelation 1:9-11):
I, John, both your brother and companion
in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was
on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for
the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's
Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet,
saying, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,"
and, "What you see, write in a book and send
it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to
Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to
Philadelphia, and to Laodicea."
Some believe that these seven churches
represent seven different church ages throughout church history.
Others believe that these seven churches represent seven different
conditions within the Body of Christ at any given time. Whatever the
case is, there are overcomers in each of the seven churches
including the worst case scenario.
Jesus exhorted the believers within each of
the seven churches to be overcomers. To those who overcome, Jesus
promises them eternal rewards.
| Church |
Revelation |
Rewards |
| Ephesus |
2:7 |
To him who overcomes I will give to eat from
the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of
God. |
| Smyrna |
2:11 |
He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the
second death. |
| Pergamos |
2:17 |
To him who overcomes I will give some of the
hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and
on the stone a new name written which no one knows except
him who receives it. |
| Thyatira |
2:26-28 |
And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until
the end, to him I will give power over the nations-- 'He
shall rule them with a rod of iron; they shall be dashed to
pieces like the potter's vessels'-- as I also have received
from My Father; and I will give him the morning star.
|
| Sardis |
3:5 |
He who overcomes shall be clothed in white
garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of
Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and
before His angels. |
|
Philadelphia |
3:12 |
He who overcomes, I will
make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go
out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God and
the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which
comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on
him My new name. |
| Laodicea |
3:21 |
To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with
Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My
Father on His throne. |
The Bride of Christ is an overcomer. Jude
wrote to exhort us to maintain our life pure and holy before God. We
are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus
Christ (Jude 1). He also encouraged us in Jude 20-25:
- To build ourselves up on our most holy
faith
- To pray in the Holy Spirit
- To keep ourselves in the love of God
- To look for the mercy of our Lord
Jesus Christ unto eternal life
- To be merciful to those who doubt
- To snatch others from the fire and
save them
- To hate our garments defiled by
corrupted flesh.
God our Heavenly Father is able to keep us
from stumbling, and to present us faultless before the presence of
the glory of our Bridegroom with exceeding great joy.
There are two primary things that we need
to overcome:
- the desires of our human flesh
- the ways and values of the world's
system
Both of these seek to dominate and control
our lives by imposing their worldly and sinful values upon us. But
God has given us the power to overcome the world. Whatsoever is born
of God overcomes the world (1 John 5:4). He has given us His Holy
Word and His Holy Spirit.
Paul exhorted us in Romans 12:21:
Do not be overcome by evil, but
overcome evil with good.
How do we overcome our flesh and the world?
We overcome by:
| Overcoming By |
Scriptures |
| Our faith in Jesus Christ |
1
John 5:3-5
For this is the
love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His
commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God
overcomes the world. And this is the victory that
has overcome the world--our faith. Who is he who
overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the
Son of God? |
| The blood of Jesus |
Rev
12:11
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love
their lives to the death. |
| The Word of God abiding in our hearts |
1
John 2:14
Because you are strong, and the word of God abides
in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.
|
| The Holy Spirit |
2
Tim 1:14
That good thing
which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit
Who dwells in us. |
| The presence of God in our lives |
1
John 4:4
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them,
because He Who is
in you is greater than he who is in the world.
|
| The word of our testimony |
Rev
12:11
And they overcame
him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of
their testimony, and they did not love their lives
to the death. |
May we, the Bride of Christ, remember the prayer of David in
Psalm 16:
Preserve me, O
God, for in You I put my trust.
O my soul, you have said to the LORD,
"You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You."
As for the saints who are on the earth,
"They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight."
Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god;
Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer,
Nor take up their names on my lips.
O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.
I will bless the LORD Who has given me counsel;
My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
I have set the LORD always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be
moved.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will rest in hope.
For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
We are preserved in Him, and we are also
overcomers in Him.
Yet in all these things we are more than
conquerors through Him Who loved us. For I am persuaded
that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor
powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor
depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us
from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:37-39
Written on:
4 February 2004