Overcoming Basic Truths God wants His People to Know, Part 6 By Pastor Dan Kennedy © March 11, 2018 www.pastorkennedy.com “Overcoming” is an interesting word. Overcoming can be a key goal in a healthy school or educational system: wanting students to combat the deficits that accompany illiteracy and the lack of adequate and balanced instruction both in the classroom and in practical skill development.   Overcoming can be a driving motivation for those who have given their lives to reduce poverty and encourage individual development for occupations that can provide a living wage.  Overcoming can be an essential outcome for those seeking to recover from abuse, abusive substances and human trafficking.  The benefits of overcoming are visible across a wide spectrum of life’s individual and corporate landscape. It is also very critical in the spiritual domain. God wants us to overcome that which will destroy us spiritually and further alienate us from a deeper relationship with Him. Is what we want to overcome the same as what God wants us to overcome? Throughout the Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, God Admonishes us to Overcome – to have victory over sin, self and the devil! In the first Book of the Bible, Genesis, God Admonishes the Firstborn Son of Adam and Eve to “Master” – to Overcome, Dark and Sinful Desires Genesis 4:3–7 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. 6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” In the final Book of the Bible, Revelation, Christ Admonishes each of the Seven Churches to Overcome and be Victorious in their arena of struggle. This is what Jesus says to the final Church, Laodicea. To the Final Church… in Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22) Revelation 3:14–22 14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” From the beginning of the human race to the end of the church age God has admonished those He created to Overcome. If we do not overcome, what is the assured outcome. Dilemma Defeat Destructiveness  If we do overcome, what is the promised outcome. Sufficient Grace Spiritual Growth Abundant Salvation   Rev. 2:8-11 8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: …. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer…Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death. I can’t begin to know what the “Crown of Life” means, but I know it is far greater than anything this life has to offer. Revelation 3:14–22 14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: …. 21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to sit with Christ on His Throne. The following passage tells us about that which, in eternity, will survive the Judgment of God. 1 Corinthians 3:11–15 (ESV) 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. All of us have things which have happened in our lives to bring us either joy and blessing, or guilt and sorrow. If joy or guilt over past actions bring us emotional responses and concrete outcomes in this life, what about the outcomes of the reality in eternal life? There will be a day when all our life will be revealed and judged by God’s fire. Whatever survives God’s purifying fire will be our reward. I believe the Scripture affirms that which survives God’s refining Fire from this life to reward us in eternity, could likely rise from the choices that God has given to us, through His power and grace, to overcome. Everyone struggles with not so good things in life to overcome. What are some of the things in your life which you need to overcome? How are you going to overcome them? Slaves in Egypt into the Promised Land – a Parallel In thinking through the various aspects of overcoming, it seemed we could parallel our basic emotions and dynamics today with that which Israel faced in leaving the slavery of Egypt, their journey through the wilderness, and then entering the Promised Land. This journey for Israel can closely parallel a person’s life from leaving slavery to sin and finding a relationship with Christ; then, growing in our Christian faith, with an assured hope of Eternal Life, all the way to the end of our life. Overcoming while Beginning Our Spiritual Walk Overcoming Despair:   Israel endured despair through abuse for some 400 years until God powerfully delivered His People from Slavery. There are often two sides to deliverance and judgment. Israel was not delivered until she had grown to be a great nation and could possess their Promised Land; and, the severe judgment and destruction of the nations who were going deeper and deeper into utter perversion, defiling themselves in God’s future Promised Land, did not happen until “the sin of the Amorites” (the ones Israel were to defeat and destroy) had “reached its full measure.” (Gen. 15:16) Exodus 1:11–14 11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly. 14 They made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their hard labor the Egyptians used them ruthlessly. Exodus 3:7–8 7 The Lord said, (of Israel in Slavery) o “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. o I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and o I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians… Hear some of the words of the above verses depicting the abuse of Israel in Slavery: Oppressed Forced Labor Worked them Ruthlessly Made their lives bitter with hard labor Used them Ruthlessly Misery Suffering  Generation after generation…for some 400 years. How did the Israelites overcome Generations of Despair? The Certain Hope of Future Deliverance The Israelites believed that one day God was going to deliver them. That hope was initiated by Joseph’s desire to have his bones taken out of Egypt when his fellow Israelites left, revealing the internal hope that God had given them of their Promised Land, given to them by their father Abraham. Joseph’s Assurance Genesis 50:25 25 And Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath and said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.” Moses’ Follow-through Exodus 13:19 19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear an oath. He had said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place.” God’s Promise to Abraham Genesis 15:15–16 15 You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” If we face ongoing Despair, we must hold on to the Hope of God’s Word in our hearts, if not in this life, we who know Christ, have certainty for our eternal future. Hebrews 13:5 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “I will never leave you; or I forsake you.” Psalm 9:9–10 9 The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. 10 Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. Some might ridicule our hope in God and eternal life. Tell me, what hope does a person without God have when faced with certain despair? Overcoming Hopelessness: – Facing the Armies of Egypt and the Red Sea  Adversaries, and the miraculous Destruction of the Enemy Exodus 13:17–18 17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle. Psalm 106:7 7 When our fathers were in Egypt, they gave no thought to your miracles; they did not remember your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea. Exodus 14:10–14 10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” 13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Read the full passage of God’s deliverance through the parting of the Red Sea in the ENDNOTES – Exodus 14:13-31) Have you ever faced an impossible situation like Israel faced at the Red Sea? How do we respond if our hope is in God? We may fuss and fume as did the Israelites, but the answer is always the same. Nothing is too hard for God. Nothing is Too Hard for God Abraham and Sarah face an impossible situation confronting God’s Promise of their having a child. Genesis 18:13–14 13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son.” Jeremiah Faced Impossible Circumstances, what conclusion did he come to? Jeremiah 32:17 17 “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. Jeremiah 32:26–27 26 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 27 “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? Have there been times when your situation seemed hopeless? To Overcome: Hope in God. Is Anything too Hard for God? Overcoming while Growing in Our Spiritual Maturity paralleled with the Israelites Overcoming while Wandering in the Wilderness Seeking to Overcome Debilitating Thirst but Finding Bitter Water: Finding water which had been everyone’s hope to bring life, had instead been revealed to be bitter and life-threatening.  The Lord Who Heals. After the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea, the Israelites traveled three days in the desert, but no water was found. Everybody was thirsty, parched, angry and tired. They started grumbling against Moses. Then they found water…bitter, bacteria laden, death-threatening, terrible tasting water. There the Lord tested them. Exodus 15:22–27 The Bitter Waters of Marah and the Oasis of Elim 22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) 24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” 25 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord made a decree and a law for them, and there he tested them. 26 He said, “If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.” 27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water. Overcoming Bitter Circumstances Have you ever been involved in a relationship, family, group or church that you believed to be a blessing and an answer to your thirst for personal fulfillment, spiritual growth and honest friendship, only to find a bitter experience? Maybe you found yourself in a promising time of life when the clouds grew dark and circumstances became ominous, sickness raised its unwelcomed head, or a deadly accident occurred, or financial pressures overwhelmed you. You found yourself in a dark cave of bitterness. Did you find healing from that bitterness? How was it found? The Power of the Cross The “tree” or piece of wood that God showed Moses, to throw in the bitter water is often referred in current day “Marah” experiences in our lives, as being the power of Christ’s Cross, which has the only power strong enough, which we can cling to, to conquer the bitterness of life that come in the drought of the wilderness experiences in our life. To Overcome Constantly yielding the abusive experiences, circumstances and individuals to the hand of God for His Justice and His Healing in our life is exactly what Jesus did.  1 Peter 2:20–24 20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” 23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. His “tree” brought into our life brings us healing from the bitter waters we may face in life, which are toxic and threaten to destroy us. The same toxic bitter water found back in the world (Egypt) – a “disease” that has killed many, no longer has to be a threat to our survival, since we have the empowerment of Christ through His Cross, and the indwelling of His Holy Spirit. Overcoming the Anxiousness for Lack of Provision:   but Manna was given, the Heaven-sent Spiritual Provision Exodus 16:1–2 16 The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month (a month and a half) after they had come out of Egypt. 2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” Exodus 16:13–15 13 …in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. Exodus 16:31 31 The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. Numbers 11:7–8 7 The manna was like coriander seed and looked like resin. 8 The people went around gathering it, and then ground it in a handmill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into cakes. And it tasted like something made with olive oil. Deuteronomy 8:16 16 He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. For 40 years, in the wilderness, God fed heavenly manna to this large nation (600,000 men over the age of 20, with their wives, women and their families’ multiplying children) until they entered the Promised Land. (Ex. 12:37; Joshua 5:10-12) To Overcome, Trust God to Provide Matthew 6:31–34 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. God has promised provision for those seeking His Kingdom and His Righteousness, trust in Him to Provide. Overcoming while Walking in the Promised Land Enemies’ Continued Existence: A Test to See Who Would Obey the Lord’s Commands  We are not free from testing because we enter our promised land. In some cases, the battle is just beginning so we can secure the land under the New Kingdom. A person who has become a Christian is not free from overcoming testing and trials because of his or her decision to follow Christ. Generational and family issues still exist. Personal tests still abound. Maturity is a continuing process. We are growing in Grace and in the Knowledge of the Lord. Judges 2:20–23 20 Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant that I laid down for their forefathers and has not listened to me, 21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. 22 I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their forefathers did.” 23 The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua. Judges 3:1 These are the nations the Lord left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan Judges 3:4 4 They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord’s commands, which he had given their forefathers through Moses. The Biblical Concept of Generational Sins – and the Need to Overcome Exodus 20:3, 5-6 3 “You shall have no other gods before me… 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. Just as there are characteristics recognizable in each family, there is also the reality of generational sins, passed down from one generation to another. Daniel’s prayer of confession in Daniel 9 evidences a cry for forgiveness and mercy for the families in Israel. Daniel 9:8–11  Daniel 9:8–11 8 O Lord, we and our kings, our princes and our fathers are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. 9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; 10 we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. “Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. To Overcome So, as leaders in our families, we should pray for forgiveness for the sins of our fathers and cleansing for our families, by the authority of the blood of Jesus Christ, and initiate a Godly pattern of behavior through the strength and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Other Issues that may arise to test our Overcoming faith  Deuteronomy 13:1–4 13 If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, 2 and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, “Let us follow other gods” (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,” 3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. Paul experienced the test of a thorn in the flesh, which he needed to Overcome. God was teaching him that His Grace was sufficient.  2 Corinthians 12:3–10 3 And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— 4 was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. 5 I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. 6 Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say. 7 To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Overcoming while Preparing for Our Final Home King Solomon summarized older age poetically in Ecclesiastes 12. Ecclesiastes 12:1–7, 13-14 1 Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them”— 2 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain; 3 when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop, when the grinders cease because they are few, and those looking through the windows grow dim; 4 when the doors to the street are closed and the sound of grinding fades; when men rise up at the sound of birds, but all their songs grow faint; 5 when men are afraid of heights and of dangers in the streets; when the almond tree blossoms and the grasshopper drags himself along and desire no longer is stirred. Then man goes to his eternal home and mourners go about the streets. 6 Remember him—before the silver cord is severed, or the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, or the wheel broken at the well, 7 and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. 13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. Spiritually Overcoming: Looking Up More Frequently  Longing More Deeply  Losing the Attachments of the Worldly Lure  Laughing and Rejoicing with What is Becoming “More” – more than we can think or perceive, and more than we could ever imagine. Eternity.  Conclusion If we do not overcome, what is the assured outcome. Dilemma Defeat Destructiveness  If we do overcome, what is the promised outcome. Sufficient Grace Spiritual Growth Abundant Salvation   Adversity seems to be a key instrument that God uses in spiritual growth to reveal sin, correct ways, and prompt change in each of the lives of those seeking Him. God’s Word gives clarity in who we are. His Word is filled with instructions and examples of those who have chosen to honor God, sometimes while suffering great loss, but all the while Overcoming, while still grasping eternal hope. Everyone who wants a relationship with God will struggle to have victory over the world, the flesh and the devil. God’s continuing desire is that we Overcome. _____________ ENDNOTES God’s Deliverance for Israel at the Red Sea Exodus 14:13–31 13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” 15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17 I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.” 19 Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, 20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. 21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. 24 During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. 25 He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.” 26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” 27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. 28 The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived. 29 But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. 30 That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. 31 And when the Israelites saw the great power the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant. John 16:33 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Romans 12:21 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 1 John 4:4 4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 1 John 5:1–5 5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. Revelation 12:10–11 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Repentance and Overcoming Jesus speaks to each of the seven Churches in Revelation 1-3, and shares with them an area in which they should overcome, and the profound benefit for them in overcoming. We cannot fully comprehend the benefit that rewards such an overcoming spirit, just as we cannot begin to understand the blessing in store for us who overcome, but here are two which we may begin to grasp. To the Church in Ephesus (Rev. 2:7)  To the Church in Smyrna (Rev. 2:8-11)  8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: …. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer…Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death. To the Church in Pergamum (Rev. 2:16-17)  To the Church in Thyatira (Rev. 2:25-29)  To the Church in Sardis (Rev. 3:3-6)  To the Church in Philadelphia (Rev. 3:10-13)  To the Church in Laodicea (Rev. 3:19-22)  14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: …. 19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”