Week 3 We Are Overcomers

Lesson 3: We Are Overcomers

1. Read over Revelation 2:1-3:22 again. The more we read a passage the more the Holy Spirit

reveals to us.

2. Write down on the chart from last week or on a separate sheet of paper, all of the things Jesus has against the seven churches, the rebukes He gives them for compromising.

Our enemies seek to overcome us, to have victory over us, to defeat us.

Psalm 13:4 and my enemy will say, " I have overcome him, and my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken. "

Who Are Our Enemies?

3. Read the following verses and write down 3 of our enemies:

• James 4:1-3
• James 4:4
• I Peter 5:8

Deuteronomy 7:1-2 lists we call the "Ite Brothers"

"When the Lord your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and stronger than you, and when the Lord your God delivers them before you and you defeat them, then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them and show no favor to them.

The land here refers to our hearts. We have many things in our hearts that keep us defeated. The meanings of these words show us who these enemies are:

Hittites-fear

Girgashites- rejection

Amorites- worthlessness

Canaanites-shame

Perizzites- insecurity

Hivites - defilement

Jebusites- hopelessness

Each of the seven churches had to battle the enemies that seek to destroy us and keep us from God's perfect plan for our lives.

Ephesus battled with their flesh in not surrendering totally to the Lord.

Smyrna battled with Satan.

Pergamum battled with the world and Satan.

Thyatira battled with the world.

Sardis battled with their "ITE Brothers".

Philadelphia battled with Satan.

Laodicea battled with their flesh and the world.

2 Peter 2:19b for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.

4. Which enemies do you have the most battles with in your life today?

Deuteronomy 7:1-2 tells us about these enemies in our hearts, but the great news is, God will overcome those who come against us.

5. Read Jeremiah 1:19 and record your thoughts

6. Write out and memorize John 16:33. This verse will keep you when the enemies come at you! This is a promise you can stand on!

I will leave you today with another promise:

I John 4:4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

Week 2: We Must Be Overcomers

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes…

In chapters 2 & 3 of Revelation, we find messages given to seven churches in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). These messages are full of instructions in how to partner with Jesus in his worldwide preparation of the church for His 2^nd coming. Jesus is showing us the kind of church that He is building and what His agenda is. We have built our own churches our way for too long, now is the time to do it God’s way!

This preparation will take a spiritual maturity, faith, and level of obedience the church today does not walk in. These messages define the truths and focus necessary to equip the church to walk in Love for Jesus. Each church was challenged politically, economically and spiritually, just as we are. Jesus stressed faithfulness as a very important value to Him. Our love is expressed as we obey, heed His warnings, and believe His promises, especially His eternal rewards to overcomers.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. In these end times, there is a deeper truth that we must pursue and it will take the supernatural help of the Holy Spirit to understand it. It will also take a focused determination to comprehend the truths being referred to.

In each of the messages to the seven churches, we find:

exhortation: what they must do or continue to do

rebukes for compromise: what they must not do. God is sending His refining fire to purge these things out of our lives.

promises to the overcomers: eternal rewards. These are incentives for diligent faithfulness, to helpbelievers be equipped to stand firm in the pressure to come!

· Jesus knew what we would need to be sufficiently motivated during the release of the glory and crisis in His end time plan. They equip us to persevere by being anchored in eternity with confidence. When suffering is seen in God’s light, it loses its power to intimidate.

· Heavenly rewards are given to believers according to their works, or according to their response of gratitude to Jesus for giving us so great a salvation.

·Most of these rewards will be received by all believers in an introductory way, but

some will receive a greater measure of these blessings. Only overcomers receive the

fullest measure of these rewards. Our obedience is deeply connected to our rewards.

· descriptions of Jesus’ majesty

Even though these messages were to specific churches 2000 years ago, they still apply to the church today, to all believers who are awaiting Christ’s return. In these messages we are praised for the things we are doing right, rebuked for our compromises, encouraged in the things we should be doing, and promised rewards for overcoming.

As you study these churches I want you to ask the Holy Spirit to answer these questions:

· Where am I? Which church resembles my life?

· Which church most resembles the church I attend?

1. Please read Revelation 2:1 – 3: 22, noting the repeated phrases.

I know your ... He is encouraging them to continue in these things. I have a few things against you… He is sending forth fire to purify their hearts. To him who overcomes, I will give… He is giving promises to give us hope. The One who ... He is giving us a description of Jesus to strengthen us for our tasks.

2. Write down all the exhortations for each of the seven churches.

Week 1: We Must Be Overcomers

The Lord has given us at This Is Your Season Ministries so much Word and we want to share it with you all. We are living in a time of plenty, where the Word is freely given, yet indifferently received. We are coming to a time when the Word will be scarce because of great persecution, but it will be passionately received. We must store up His treasures in the storehouse, just like Joseph prepared Egypt for the years of famine.

The book of Revelation tells us great and terrifying things about the times to come, the times we are entering into. It is written to those who have an ear…

Revelation 2:7 He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes…

We have great promises and great instructions if we but open up our eyes and ears to what God is speaking to us. As the time of Jesus’ return nears, God will release His presence more and more upon His people. God’s remnant will display great wisdom and power, to bring God’s people closer and closer to the saving and sanctifying knowledge of Jesus Christ!

But with this manifested presence, more and more will be required of us. We must walk with a higher standard of obedience. We must be overcomers. This study will help us to see what needs to be overcome, and how we can be overcomers.

This is a long and in-depth study, meant to be taken slowly and chewed upon. We will study being an overcomer for 10 weeks. Each week will be on our website for you to copy and do the study in preparation for the teaching on Thursdays. If you have any comments or questions about this study, please e-mail us at thisisyourseason@verizon.net.

We must be Overcomers

Week 1

Jesus is coming back for His bride and He is coming soon. We should be excited just like a bride anticipating her wedding. And also just like a bride, there are many preparations that must take place before that glorious day. We must be prepared, but how? What is expected of us?

Daniel 11:32 The people who know their God will display strength and take action.

In order to gain more understanding on a bride waiting for her bridegroom, I want to go over ancient Jewish wedding customs. A traditional Jewish wedding is so different than our weddings, but they give us a wealth of understanding of our covenant relationship with Jesus, the bridegroom of the church.

There are three parts to the Jewish Wedding: the betrothal, the wedding ceremony, and the wedding feast.

The betrothal has many parts:

· the match is initiated by the father of the groom and the bride must give her consent.

· a bride price must be paid by the father of the groom to reflect the value of the bride.

· voluntary love gifts given by the groom to his bride as an expression of his love for her.

· dowry given to the bride by her father to equip her for her new life.

· marriage contract – written document stating the rights of the bride, the assurance of provision for the bride’s needs, and the promise of the groom to return for his bride.

· sealing of the betrothal with a cup of wine offered to the bride by the groom. They are considered married at this point.

· The groom then leaves to prepare the place for them to live. He pledges he will return. They do not see each other until the wedding ceremony.

· The bride entered into a time of preparation and waiting including washings, wearing of a veil, undistracted devotion and great anticipation. This is a time of ritual washings to symbolize her separation from her former life and her new life with her beloved.

1. Read the following verses and write down what they say to you about our betrothal to Jesus.

· John 15:19

· 1 John 4:10

· 1 Corinthians 12:4-7

· Jeremiah 32:38-41

· Luke 22:20

· John 14:2-3

· Matthew 25: 1-12

After an undisclosed time, the wedding ceremony takes place.

· The grooms father decides when the son may return for his bride

· Groomsmen run ahead of the groom announcing his arrival

· Unmarried friends (virgins) of the bride would provide light for the groom if he came at night, and accompany the bridal party to the wedding ceremony.

· Bride is lifted up and carried to the ceremony

· Both the bride and the groom worn white garments

· After the ceremony the bride and groom would go away together for 7 days to consummate the marriage

2. Read the following verses and write down what they say to you about our wedding ceremony with Jesus.

· Matthew 25: 1-12

· Revelation 19:7-8

· Isaiah 61:10

· Mark 13:32-33

After the 7 days, the couple and their guests share in the wedding feast.

3. Read the following verses and write down what they say to you about the wedding feast.

· Matthew 22: 2-14

· Revelation 19:9

· Revelation 22:17

· Luke 12:35-38