The Bible with Nicky and Pippa Gumbel, Classic Version, 2015Mfano

We Shall Overcome

In 1963, the folksinger Joan Baez led a crowd of 300,000 people in singing ‘We shall overcome’. The song speaks of overcoming and of discovering hope and a future amid adversity. Echoing her words Dr Martin Luther King repeated the phrase ‘we shall overcome’ over and over during the last speech he ever made on 31 March 1968.

Throughout this year, as we have studied the entire Bible, we have seen that we should not expect an easy life. The Bible is true to real life. Life involves many struggles, trials, tests, temptations, difficulties and battles. Yet, in Christ we can be overcomers. 

Psalm 145:8-13a

1. God’s love overcomes everything

Love is the most powerful force in the world. We overcome through love. This was the message of Martin Luther King who said ‘darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.’

God is the source of love. He is ‘compassionate’, ‘rich in love’ (v.8). ‘He has compassion on all he has made’ (v.9). It is God’s love that overcomes evil.

God’s love is not a weak or feeble love. It is backed up by his power and might. As David continues, he declares how God’s people will ‘tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendour of your kingdom’ (vv.11–12). This is something we can rely on ‘through all generations’ for God’s kingdom is ‘an everlasting kingdom’ (v.13).

As he declares God’s love and power together it is no wonder that he turns to praise: ‘All you have made will praise you, O Lord; your saints will extol you’ (v.10)

Lord, thank you for your amazing love and compassion. Thank you for your mighty acts in history and for sending Jesus to die for us. Thank you that your kingdom is everlasting. Thank you that although the battles in this life may be great, we will overcome and enjoy the glorious splendour of your kingdom forever.

Revelation 12:1-13:1a

2. Jesus overcomes the devil

Do you sometimes feel guilty, even after you’ve confessed your sin and asked for forgiveness? Do you sometimes feel bad about yourself for no apparent reason? Do you ever experience a vague, nebulous feeling of condemnation? 

This is one of the ways in which the devil operates. He is ‘the accuser’ (12:10). The Hebrew word for Satan means ‘accuser’ or ‘slanderer’. He accuses God before people. God gets the blame for everything. God, he says, is not to be trusted. He also accuses Christians before God. He denies the power of the death of Jesus. He condemns us and makes us feel guilty – not necessarily for any particular sin, but with a general and vague feeling of guilt. In contrast, when the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin he is always specific.

This passage tells us how the devil can be overcome. The book of Revelation opens up what is happening behind the events of history and reveals what is ahead. Over and over again, John recapitulates the story from the first coming of Christ to his second coming. Each time there is conflict and persecution, but ultimately there is victory and celebration.

There are three main protagonists in chapter 12:

• The Son
  Jesus is the ‘Son who will shepherd all nations’ (v.5a, MSG). He is ‘placed safely before God on his Throne’ (v.5b, MSG).
• The devil
  The devil is described as the ‘red dragon’ (v.3). His identity is revealed in verse 9: ‘The great dragon was hurled down – that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray’ (v.9). He is the accuser (v.10).
• The woman
  There is ‘a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head’ (v.1b). ‘She was giving birth to a Child’ (v.2, MSG). After her child was snatched up to God and to his throne, the woman ‘fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days [that is, three-and-a-half years]’ (v.6). Later on we read that the serpent tries to sweep the woman away, ‘But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth’ (v.16).

Perhaps, the most obvious interpretation is that the woman is Mary, the mother of Jesus. Other suggestions are that she is the heavenly Jerusalem, personified wisdom, personified Israel, or the church. Given the nature of apocalyptic writing and its many layers of interpretation, she may represent all of them.

What is clear in this passage is that, in the end, Jesus overcomes the devil and his allies. Behind the scenes of human history are great, intelligent forces of good and evil: ‘And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back’ (v.7). In the end, good overcomes evil: ‘But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down … He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him’ (vv.8–9). He attempts to lead ‘the whole world astray’ (v.9).

Right now the church is at war with the demonic forces of evil. But victory is secure. ‘They overcame him’ (v.11a). ‘They’ are the church – the people of God – who are in Christ. ‘Him’ is Satan, the devil, the accuser, the serpent, who will ultimately be destroyed. You overcome him in three ways:

• Trust in the blood
  The cross of Jesus – ‘the blood of the lamb’ (v.11a) – is the supreme victory over the devil. You can be sure of your standing before God. ‘There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 8:1). You do not need to wake up feeling guilty and go to bed feeling guilty. As Corrie ten Boom pointed out, ‘The blood of Christ is like tears in the eyes, it washes away the specks of dirt.’
• Tell your story
  They overcame ‘by the word of their testimony’ (Revelation 12:11b). Your testimony is the most powerful way of overcoming opposition to faith. When you tell your story, in one sense there is no answer. No one can deny what has happened to you.
• Take risks for Jesus
  ‘They did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death’ (v.11c). Or as The Message translation puts it,
  ‘They weren't in love with themselves;
        they were willing to die for Christ’ (v.11c, MSG).
  They were absolutely sure of their future. Therefore, they could take risks, safe in the arms of Jesus.

Lord, we thank you for your great victory over Satan and his angels. Thank you that the moment we side with Jesus we are on the winning side. Thank you for your promise that we will overcome the enemy by the blood of the lamb and by the word of our testimony and because we do not love our lives so much as to shrink from death.

Ezra 6:1-7:10

3. The people of God overcome opposition                                               

Mark Twain once said, ‘The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work.’ Vision without work is just hallucination. The church will not be rebuilt without God’s hand (7:6). But equally it will not be rebuilt without hard work, commitment of time and application.

Although work on the temple was held up because of opposition (as we saw yesterday), eventually King Darius ‘issued an order’ (6:1). They found the original decree of King Cyrus ordering that the temple be rebuilt (vv.1–3). Darius then reissues the order that construction should continue on the house of God and that no one should interfere (vv.6–12).

The temple is completed (vv.14–15) in 515 BC. This was a cause of enormous celebration and joy (v.16). ‘They celebrated with joy ... because the Lord had filled them with joy’ (v.22).

There is then a long period of silence between the end of chapter 6 and the beginning of chapter 7 (possibly 458 BC). Ezra is now introduced as the one who, above all others, was responsible for the establishment of the law for the religious and social life of the post-exilic community of the people of God.

Ezra was a teacher and ‘the hand of the Lord his God was on him’ (7:6). ‘Ezra had committed himself to studying the Revelation of God, to living it, and to teaching Israel to live its truths and ways’ (v.10, MSG). Study of God’s words without action is worthless.

Ezra’s example gives us a wonderful model to follow. He immersed himself in God’s word, committing time and effort to studying it. But he also realised that on its own this was not enough. He allowed God’s word to shape and change his life as well; he put it into action, and taught others to do the same.  

Lord, thank you that we see your ultimate victory over all opposition. Thank you that the people of God overcame obstacles to rebuilding the temple. Thank you that you filled them with great joy. Help us, like Ezra, to study the revelation of God, to live it out and to teach others to live its truths and ways.

As we look around at the church in our nation we see a desperate need for rebuilding. Although the opposition is great, thank you that every small victory is a cause of great celebration.

Pippa Adds

Revelation 12:9

‘The great dragon was hurled down – that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.’

It’s good that the devil was thrown out of heaven, but it’s a pity that he is on earth (... but not for long).

Notes:

Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version Anglicised, Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 Biblica, formerly International Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Publishers, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. ‘NIV’ is a registered trademark of Biblica. UK trademark number 1448790.

Scripture quotations marked (AMP) taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture marked (MSG) taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.