TEACHING

Don Atkin

THREE ESSENTIALS IN OVERCOMING

- THE INTEGRITY AND AUTHENTICITY OF CONVERSION

The right to become a child of God is granted to each one who believes in His name and is born of God (John 1:12-13). However promises of ultimate salvation and placement in God’s kingdom are reserved for the overcomer:

To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. - Revelation 2:7.

He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death. - Revelation 2:11.

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. - Revelation 2:17.

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. - Revelation 2:26-28.

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. - Revelation 3:5.

He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. 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. - Revelation 3:12.

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. - Revelation 3:21.

Since all of the promises are "yes" and "amen" in Christ Jesus, it is fair to conclude that the conditional guarantees made to these seven churches, located in seven cities/regions in Asia, are for all who overcome. It is also fair to conclude that those who do not exercise their rights to become children of God, meet the conditions, and therefore do not overcome,

1. Will not be permitted to eat from the tree of life,

2. Will be hurt by the second death,

3. Will not receive the hidden manna, a white stone, or a new name,

4. Will not receive power over the nations or the morning star,

5. Will not be clothed in white garments, his name will be blotted out from the book of life, and Jesus will not confess his name before His Father and His angels,

6. Will not be a pillar in the temple of God, and will not bear the name of God, the New Jerusalem, or Jesus’ new name, and

7. Will not sit with Christ on His throne.

This severely narrows the playing field, calling into question the "easy-believism gospels" that are so widely propagated! Jesus said:

"Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." - Matthew 7:14.

So, how do I become one of the few? How do I find the narrow gate, embrace the difficult way, and become an overcomer? What is it that gives integrity and authenticity to my conversion? What are the three essentials in overcoming?

And they overcame him (1) by the blood of the Lamb and (2) by the word of their testimony, and (3) they did not love their lives to the death. - Revelation 12:11

Who overcame him? The brethren (verse 10). Whom did they overcome? The devil (verse 9). The brethren overcame the devil (1) by the blood of the Lamb and (2) by the word of their testimony, and (3) they did not love their lives to the death.

I. BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB

"What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus."

Redemption: In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. - Ephesians 1:7. In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. - Colossians 1:14.

Reconciliation: In Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. - Ephesians 2:13. And by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven,. - Colossians 1:20a.

Peace: Having made peace through the blood of His cross. - Colossians 1:20b.

Clean Conscience: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? - Hebrews 9:14.

Bold Access: Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God. - Hebrews 10:19-21.

The kingdom of God is righteousness (through redemption), peace and joy (because of reconciliation) in the Holy Spirit. What a way to LIVE! ~ in right standing because the sin-debt has been paid; in relationship because we have been brought near and have bold access; and in peace and with a clean conscience, because we know Him by the Spirit and bear the fruit of the Spirit:

I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. - John 14:18-19.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law (and therefore no ground for Satan to stand upon). And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. - Galatians 5:22-25.

We are indeed thankful for the overcoming power of the blood and new life (the new creation) in the Spirit. We are therefore equipped, enabled, to walk out this new covenant in His blood.

(Jesus:) And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you." - Luke 22:20.

(Jesus:) "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." - John 6:54

(Jesus:) "It is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." - John 6:63

Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will. - Hebrews 13:20.

An overcomer must believe and receive the full impact of these truths regarding the work of the cross and the new covenant blessings that are his/hers through Christ and His redemptive, reconciling ministry. To be less than totally convinced of our position in Christ, seated in Him at the right hand of the Father in heavenly places, leaves us vulnerable to the accuser of the brethren:

Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down." - Revelation 12:10.

It is our testimony of what the word says that the blood does that overcomes our enemies. This testimony must be filled with faith, without doubting. We need to know who we are in Him and what He has done (and is doing) for us.

II. THE WORD OF OUR TESTIMONY

I have been in fellowship meetings in many nations where opportunity is given for testimonies. They often begin and end with, "I remember 43 years ago when Jesus saved me from my sins." While this is wonderful, it ~ alone ~ does not constitute the word of our testimony that overcomes. Neither do "proof texts" assure us of victory.

We are to embrace the maturing process as disciples, eventually learning how to walk in the Spirit as sons of God. We will grow in our ability to recognize and faithfully obey God’s voice so that He actually becomes "Lord" of every element and situation in our lives.

Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord," shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in your Name?" And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" - Matthew 7:21-23.

The practice of lawlessness (doing your own thing, making your own decisions, guiding your own life, etc.) is rampant in what we call "church" today. Many sincere believers have never been discipled in how to know, hear, follow and obey Jesus as Lord.

God’s rhema word is given us by the Spirit of Christ in each specific situation.

What does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach). So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. - Romans 10:8,17.

In I Chronicles 14:8-16, David faced two attacks by the Philistines. David inquired of God, then David inquired again. God gave him two separate strategies for two separate situations! Both times, faith came to David by hearing the word of God.

Jesus: "I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me." - John 6:30.

Jesus: "I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak." - John 12:49-50.

Jesus is the perfect example of the Overcomer Son, a model for all overcoming sons.

1. He knew that He was the Son of God.

2. He knew that He had been sent.

3. He knew what His Father was commanding.

4. He spoke what His Father was commanding.

5. He knew that the Father’s command is everlasting life.

6. He knew that the Father’s authority had been given to Him.

Confidence, not in self, but in our identity, position and authority as sons of God is essential to overcoming faith. Speaking (what God is saying) with authority constitutes the word of our testimony. (Again: NOT simply a "proof-text" but a "rhema" word!)

III. LOVING NOT OUR LIVES

Paul points out that we are not to give place to the devil (Ephesians 4:27. He writes:

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. - Ephesians 6:12.

John spells out how the devil gains access:

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. - I John 2:15-17.

Our passions, our desire for possessions, and our ambitions for position and power neutralize the word of our testimony. They are the cravings of a dead man! What a contradiction! Yes, the love of our self-life severely hinders us from our new life in Christ.

Much that we do ~ even our "worship services" ~ are sometimes designed by the flesh to appeal to the pleasure of the flesh. How many move from fellowship to fellowship in search of what brings them pleasure?

God is committed to bringing many sons to glory, to filling the earth with both His government and His glory through sons. For this to be realized, each son will need to embrace the same process as the Firstborn:

Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. - Hebrews 2:14-15.

So many believers spend all their lifetime in bondage, because they fear the very thing that will liberate them and then mature them into overcomer status. Dietrich Bonhoffer wrote, "The call to Christ is a call to come and die." In counting the cost, Jesus said:

If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. - Luke 14:26,27,33

Paul discovered how to live as a disciple:

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. - Galatians 2:20.

He preached, Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).

Believers need to discover the joy that is set before them, and engage the process that will make their joy complete.

Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. - Hebrews 12:2-3.

Jesus endured the cross for the joy of ruling His earthly kingdom with His bride at His side. We bear the cross of self-denial daily for the joy that is set before us ~ being at His side as His bride! (If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. - II Timothy 2:12.)

There are three essential ingredients in the overcoming life ~ (1) the blood of the Lamb, (2) the word of our testimony, and (3) loving not our lives to the death!

It was a family gathering, and a relative was almost paranoid with fear for us when we announced that we were going to serve the underground church in China. Nothing I said seemed to give him peace. Finally, I was driven to the bottom line and said, "God told us to go. He didn’t tell us to come back."

Only those who are ready to die are truly free to live in Christ!

We may be confident of the finished work of the cross for us as individuals. We may also be confident that we have heard from God on a matter. Are we ready to die in obedience? Are we willing to give up our position, reputation, security? Can we prefer one another?