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 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.
