Life of an Overcomer

From The Pulpit by Pastor Joe Laughlin, Victory Church, Omaha, NE.
The foundation scripture for today's message is from Revelation 12:11,"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death". The "they" who are the overcomers mentioned in this passage are the people of God, and the "him" that they overcame is, of course, Satan or the devil. Today let's examine the three areas mentioned in this passage that bring victory over the devil. The first area mentioned is the blood of the Lamb. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The Bible declares that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins (Hebrews 9:22). Under the old covenant, an innocent animal was killed and offered as a sacrifice to “cover” the sins of the people. This offering needed to be repeated year after year as it was only a temporary covering for sins. When Jesus offered His life as a sacrifice for our sins, it accomplished what no other sacrifice could accomplish, eternal redemption from the punishment of sin. This eternal redemption is available to "whomsoever" will call on the name of the Lord (Romans 10:13). This redemption is available to anyone who will receive Jesus as Lord and Savior and believe in Him (John 1:12). By His blood we are justified, by His blood we are purified, and by His blood we are cleansed from all unrighteousness. 1Peter 1:18 reads "knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received from your fathers,(v.19) but with the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish and without spot". Silver or gold cannot save us from sin. Family traditions however well intentioned cannot save us from sin, but Jesus' blood shed for me on Calvary is what has the power to save me from sin. It is also able to make a way for the man or woman of God to overcome the working of Satan's schemes in our life. The second area Revelation 12:11 mentions in overcoming the enemy is "the word of our testimony". For the Christian, to give testimony means to tell the truth about God, and how God has worked in our lives. When we proclaim the truth about God, we are declaring His victory over the work of the evil one in every area. When others hear our story of the difference Jesus has made in our lives and then turn to Jesus for their help, the enemy is defeated once again. The third area Revelation 12:11 mentions in overcoming the enemy is "to not love our lives to the death". Jesus said "whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it" (Matthew 16:25). When a person comes to the place where they are willing to exchange what they want for what God wants, they are in a place where God can really move in their life. The place of complete surrender to God through Jesus Christ is the place of true freedom. If we "freely receive" all Jesus provided for us at Calvary,we are then in a position to "freely give" to others out of what we have received. This is the life of an overcomer.

The Passover Lamb

From The Pulpit for March 2012 by Joe Laughlin, Victory Church,  Omaha


The Passover Lamb

As Christians all over the world prepare in two weeks to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, at Victory Church that preparation includes celebrating the Passover. The Passover meal recounts Israel’s bondage as slaves in Egypt, and how God sent Moses to lead His people out of bondage and into the land of promise. In Exodus 12, we see it was God who gave specific instructions how the Passover meal was to be prepared. Each household was to take a lamb without blemish and kill it at twilight. The blood from the lamb was to be placed on the doorposts and lentil of the house, and then they were to eat the Passover meal inside the house. When the judgment of God came upon the land because of sin, the death angel passed over every house where the blood of the lamb was applied. All who were not under the protection of the blood of the lamb, were under the judgment of sin.
        This of course is a beautiful picture of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is referred to in John 1:29 as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”. It is the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from all our sins. When we receive Jesus into our hearts as Lord and Savior, we are in effect placing His blood on the doorposts of our hearts by faith. The judgment of God is coming upon all mankind, but to those who have put their trust in Jesus Christ, that judgment will “pass over” all who are found to be “in Christ”.
        The Passover meal allows an opportunity for all of us to reflect on this fact, that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Every one of us has felt the sting of the bondage of being a sinner. But God has made a way to be free of the judgment of sin, if we call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Acts 4:12 Peter declared of our Lord, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved”. Salvation is found in no other, but “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). It is by calling on the Lord Jesus and receiving His forgiveness and cleansing that we are set free from a life of bondage under Satan. Through the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, we are delivered from the slavery of sin and set free to serve the living God in the land of promise, both in this life and in the life to come.
        If you have never taken that step to receive the forgiveness and cleansing that Jesus offers, why not do it today? Salvation in Christ is not complicated, but it is not automatic. We must come to God and admit that we are sinners in need of a Savior. The bible tells us that judgment is coming on all unrighteousness, but that God has sent His only Son, Jesus Christ to bear the punishment of sin for all mankind. All who accept these truths, and to as many as will receive Jesus as Lord, to them God gave the power to become children of God (John 1:12). Jesus is indeed our Passover Lamb, slain for us, that we could escape God’s judgment on our sin. Thank you Jesus!