13. I Overcome as Jesus

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From the time we began Studies in John, we have built towards these lessons and this moment. What does it mean that we overcome just exactly as Jesus overcame? We must know the complete answer.

In this lesson, we will build out from the verses of the letter to Laodicea, but our focus is on “overcome,” leaving the throne for the next lesson. “Overcome” is the central action of the gospel; it is one of three working together as God’s directive to mankind – overcome, subdue, increase. But first we must define redemption and salvation to their clearest and simplest forms.

Redemption & Salvation. Redemption is one thing. Redemption is everything Jesus does to win our love for Him. Yet we must love Him as He is. And Jesus, along with being our life and our love, is also the One who connects us always with God, the One who humbles Himself for Father’s sake, and the One who loves all who belong to Him. Jesus must win our love for Him in each of these distinctions of His Person and role inside of us.

Then, Salvation is one thing. Salvation is God through us into our world, the original purpose of God for humans. Redemption – love Jesus. Salvation – God through us.

Watch Out! The single most frequent command of the New Testament is “Watch out, take heed, beware.” Although all the New Testament writers include this commandment, Jesus speaks it the most.

When we first embraced our precious union with Christ, fleeing from a gospel of death which we did not understand, we set aside, for a season, these direct warnings. Now that we know the simplicity of redemption and salvation, we realize that these stern and direct warnings never had anything to do with good versus evil or heaven versus hell inside a ‘gospel’ of death.

Stay Inside of Me. Here again is our circle of us in Jesus in the gospel of life. Every single warning in the New Testament is saying one thing only – “Stay inside of Me.”

Stay inside of Me, and I inside of you. Just as the branch is not capable of bearing fruit of itself, except it be attached to the vine, neither can you, if you do not stay inside of Me (John 15:4). Fruit is God-Love-through-us.

Eating and Drinking of Christ.  Salvation, then, is NOT a “destination,” salvation is the fruit of our lives coming out from staying inside of Jesus. Salvation is God through us for others.

Those whom I love, I discipline and instruct. Be eager, then, and change the way you think. Look and see, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone should hear My voice and open the door, I will go in to him, and I will dine with him and he with Me. This is nothing other than a vivid and intimate picture of the meaning of John Chapter 6, eating and drinking of Christ, thinking like Jesus as we partake of His Spirit Words.

Jesus as Source. Now let’s go to the ability of Jesus for this particular overcoming. – These things says the ‘Let it be so, it is so,’ the faithful and true Witness, the beginning and source of the creation of God.

Here is a human. Jesus as Source is speaking that human forth out from Himself by His good and power-filled Word. Death is one thing. Death is the insertion of the lie into the mind of that one human, resulting in confusion. Out from that foolish confusion, then, comes all actions of sin and the divorce of heaven and earth, culminating in physical death.

If Jesus is speaking you, then the you He speaks is the truth.

Another Familiar Diagram. This ability of Jesus and His contention with every single believer as found in this letter to Laodicea are both best described by our familiar diagram.

The believer stays inside of Jesus, regardless of all that contradicts, thinking only by Jesus’ words as his life. The unbeliever might be cold towards Jesus, but there is no mixture; it’s just simple refusal.

Luke Warm. It is the in-between guy, Luke, who is hard to understand. Luke Warm wants to speak Christ as his life – mostly, but when it’s convenient, he also wants to speak not-Christ concerning himself and others. Luke Warm wants to know Jesus in his heart, and he wants to retain the “familiar” parts of himself, that is, his pet demons, as his own self-identity.

The reason for this lukewarmness, this back and forth, or, as James calls it, this split-soul, is always found in the heart-knowing at the center. It is a desire, usually, to hate someone, or it could be a desire to manipulate for self-gain or to identify with this world and its powerful people.

The Wrong Refusals. The chief mark on the inside of such a person is a refusal to justify God and find Him good in all things, and the chief mark on the outside is a refusal to humble himself before his fellow Christians.

Yet Luke Warm does draw near, for whatever reason. And this deceitfulness in one who draws near is very troubling to the Lord Jesus, for He knows that playing games with God is something NO ONE wants to do. For our God is a consuming fire.

And so His stern warnings are directed towards such a one. For us, His warnings compel us to stay inside of Him.

Gold, Garments, and Eye-Salve. Then Jesus lists three things that are always happening for us inside the wondrous place of dining with Him as we abide inside of Him, this continuous interchange of transubstantiation on His part and metamorphy on ours. Those three things are gold, refined out from fire, which is faith in God, the faith of the “Let it be so; it is so.” Next is white garments, which is Christ our all-sufficiency. Third is eye-salve that we might see all things as they really are, including ourselves inside of Christ versus all the not-Christ nonsense we humans are capable of imagining.

These things we obtain from Jesus inside of us and have been doing so with all our hearts.

The Enflowing of Word. I am a faithful and true witness of Christ Jesus; He is my Source and my Completion. I receive the discipline of the Lord with joy; I have changed the way I think. My door is wide-open to Jesus; He is always entering into me. Jesus and I are always dining together, for we are part of one another. I receive all that Jesus is for me; I never refuse Him.

I call God into all Completion through me and through His Church. I say “Let it be to me” and “Yes, Lord” in all things. I overcome all in exactly the same way and for the same purposes that Jesus overcame all. We overcome together. I am seated inside of Jesus inside of His throne in just the same way that Jesus is seated inside the Father’s throne.

To Abide in Christ. I overcome all in exactly the same way and for the same purposes that Jesus overcame all. We overcome together.

This, then, is the topic of our Jesus Secret page. And so we must determine an outline for that page to continue. Even though the primary focus of “to overcome” is for the sake of others, there remains a continual need, prior to the resurrection, for us to stay inside of Jesus. After the resurrection we are sealed utterly into Jesus, and the idea of departing from Him will never enter our minds.

And so the first part of to overcome is to abide in Christ, to put the Lord Jesus Christ upon all that we are.

Focusing Our Study. Next we must know three things about Jesus. What did Jesus overcome? Why did Jesus overcome? How did Jesus overcome? Finally, we want to apply those things to ourselves, but in a particular way.

In Studies in John’s Letters and in this present study thus far, we have defined “to overcome” and “the overcomer” a number of times and in differing ways. On this page we want to define “to overcome” out from Jesus’ overcoming, but also looking forward to what is to come – both in the study and in our lives.

The Jesus Secret Page. The next lesson is “I Sit inside His Throne,” followed by two pages titled “The Pattern of Story.” We are placing “to overcome” as the hero of the Great Story of God.  Then we enter directly into WAR for the sake of the church as we proceed towards the most important chapter in the Bible concerning God’s Great Story, Revelation 12.

So there we have our three boxes for the page. The first will be “Staying Inside of Jesus.” The second will be “As Jesus Overcame.” And the third will be “Overcome – Forward.” We hide in a safe place especially during all-out ATTACK!

Staying inside of Jesus. Jesus says to me, “Stay inside of Me and I inside of you.” My response is through faith, the active confidence that Jesus keeps me always. Inside of Jesus, God shares my life with me. Inside of Jesus, my every next step is inside the love of God and for the sake of others. Inside of Jesus, Father and I walk together, reconciling all to God. The faith of the Son of God is my faith as well. I put Jesus upon myself as my all-sufficiency. I see through His eyes alone. I dine with Jesus and He with me. I know no other; I stay always inside of Jesus.

Defeat By. Jesus overcame three things. He overcame death, the world, and the evil one. And He overcame each of these in their two forms, making it, in a sense, six things that He defeated.

Jesus defeated the contempt of death by keeping Himself inside of God, just as we keep ourselves inside of Jesus. Jesus defeated the influence of the world by ignoring it, and He defeated the violence of the world by taking every step forward with Father, for Father’s sake. Jesus defeated the spirits of anti-Christ by speaking Christ, and He defeated the evil one by absolute refusal. Finally, Jesus defeated outward death by the resurrection.

The Real Meaning. Yet none of that is the extraordinary meaning of the overcoming of Jesus. The real meaning is that He did none of that for Himself, but for us, for our sakes. Jesus overcame for us so that, inside of His overcoming, we might overcome for our brothers and sisters.

HOWEVER – Each of those six opponents defeated by Jesus, and even all of them together, are just a sideshow. Their defeat is not the most important part of Jesus’ Victory for our sakes. The most important thing Jesus did for us was to join us together with God our Father inside of Himself.

For Me, for My Sake. To accomplish that most important thing, Jesus won our hearts for Himself. The world, the evil one, and death had nothing outwardly to do with this most important thing. Yet defeating these for us was an important part of Jesus’ winning of our hearts.

Jesus asked God to save Him from death for me, for my sake. Jesus ignored the world for me. Jesus took every next step with the Father through a violent world for my sake. Jesus spoke Christ for me, for my sake. Jesus refused the evil one for me. Jesus was raised out from the dead by the glory of the Father for me, for my sake.

Putting and Expecting. It does us no good to talk about how we overcome apart from knowing exactly how Jesus overcame. Let’s look more closely at that how.

In every instance, Jesus put Himself into God and then He expected God to keep Him. Yet Jesus did more than that. In every instance, Jesus expected that God was inside of Him, reconciling the world to Himself. This putting and this expecting are through faith alone, seeing God, who is invisible, and therefore disregarding utterly all outward appearance and all human judgment.

God Did. Jesus did not save Himself from the death of contempt, God did. Jesus did not raise Himself from the dead, God did. Jesus did not even join you and me together with the Father inside Himself. How could He do that? That also, was something God did inside His Son.

God the Father gave life to Jesus (John 5). God saved Jesus from death (Hebrews 4). God affirmed Jesus as His Son (Matthew 3), enabling Him to speak Christ as Himself. God gave Jesus the authority to call each next step as the unfolding of the Kingdom, “God with me for the sake of others,” disarming the violence of this world.

Jesus’ Express Permission. God poured out His Love inside of Jesus, enabling Jesus to say, “God knows Me” (John 17), and thus to have no need for any identity from the pressures of this world. It was Jesus’ knowing of His name inside of God and inside God’s Church that enabled Him to stand against all the devices of the evil one. And Jesus walked every step of the Atonement KNOWING that God would raise Him up.

But Jesus did something to put Himself utterly into God and into the expectation of God-with-Me. More than that, God could not have joined Himself to us inside of His Son without Jesus’ express permission.

The Eucharist. Here is an expression of what Jesus did, from the NKJV. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me (John 11:41-42).

I thank You – Eucharist. Speak good grace; that is, speak God into the circumstance. We should always think of eucharisteó as all three, give thanks, speak good grace, and the Eucharist.

This is the cup of the Covenant in My Blood, drink of it. Father, I will drink Your cup.  Placing Father-with-me deliberately for the sake of others.

The Throne of God. This is the throne of God, the place of His authority. This is where God joins with us inside Jesus’ heart, inside the agony of His soul. – Here am I, I and the children whom You have given me. – God You hear me. You are with me. – That the Love with which You have loved me might be inside of them and I inside of them.

In every instance, this is the key of David, indeed it is the Key of the Son of David, that we would place ourselves boldly into God, even inside the confusion and agony of our human souls. That we would speak good grace, turning every next moment we share with Father into goodness for the sake of others.

The Victory. Think of it. Jesus is a man; He is being pushed to His death. By all outward appearance or measurement, He has failed. How on earth can God use My awfulness to save anyone? How can this next step be God inside of Me, reconciling the world to Himself? Yet Jesus had said to the disciples, “I am not alone, for the Father is with Me.”

Here is the Victory. Jesus was absolutely convinced that God was with Him, and that every next step forward was directed by God for the sake of others. Jesus called God into His world; He called all things good.

As Jesus Overcame. Jesus overcame all for me, for my sake; He thought nothing of overcoming for Himself. I live inside the overcoming of Jesus. Jesus received life from God, and inside that life, He cried out to God to save Him from the death of contempt and its false identities. Jesus did not save Himself from death; God did - for me, for my sake. I live inside that life. Jesus received the affirmation of God that He might speak Christ for me, that I might speak Christ inside of Him, silencing all voices that speak against. Jesus gave thanks for every next step He shared with the Father, calling each step, “God in me reconciling the world to Himself,” and thus turned the violence of this world into good cheer for me, for my sake.

Jesus embraced God’s knowing of Him that He might ignore all the pressures and manipulation of this world for me, that I might do the same inside of Him. Jesus called Himself by the Father, by His people, and by His own resurrection, that He might stand victorious against all the strategies of the evil one. God kept Him safe for me, for my sake, inside of Him. Jesus walked every step of the Atonement expecting God to raise Him from the dead for my sake. God raised Jesus from death with me inside of Him. Jesus gave God permission to join with me inside His own soul that I might live always with my Father. Jesus called me into God, and He called God into me and into my world.

Reciprocity. We overcome, then, by the MEANS of God, that is, reciprocity.

I ask God to save me from contempt for you, for your sake, because I live inside of Jesus doing the same for me. I ignore the world for you, for your sake, because I live inside of Jesus ignoring the world for me. I take every step with my Father through circumstances that often go against me, for you, for your sake, because Jesus does the same for me. I speak Christ into you, for your sake, because I live inside of a Jesus who speaks Himself inside of and as me.

Present Perfect Tense. I refuse the evil one for you, for your sake, because I live inside of Jesus refusing the evil one for me. I walk inside of the resurrection Life of Jesus for you, for your sake, because I live inside of a Jesus who is resurrected for me.

The thing is, none of Jesus’ overcoming is past tense, but all of it is present perfect tense. That means it began in the past, yes, but it continues actively inside every present moment, living and energeoing, in full completion. “I have been crucified with Christ” is present perfect tense. “Yet I live” is always all right now.

I Overcome – for You. I ask God to save me from contempt for you, for your sake, because I live inside of Jesus doing the same for me. I ignore the world for you, for your sake, because I live inside of Jesus ignoring the world for me. I take every step with my Father through circumstances that often go against me, for you, for your sake, because Jesus does the same for me. I speak Christ into you, for your sake, because I live inside of a Jesus who speaks Himself inside of and as me. I refuse the evil one for you, for your sake, because I live inside of Jesus refusing the evil one for me. I walk inside of Resurrection Life for you, for your sake, because I live inside of a Jesus who is resurrected for me. I expect God to arise as life inside of me for your sake, that you might live together with me. I call God into your world that you might know Him.

Authority and Power. We must understand this absolute fact. When we place ourselves boldly into God and into His throne, just as Jesus did, when we declare a shared Hheart with God that we might humble ourselves for the sake of our brethren, when we give thanks inside of and for the sake of all things, when we speak good grace into all, when we synergeo with God through faith alone, turning every next step we take together into goodness for others, when we join Father and others together in the agony of our own souls, expecting God to raise us with them into LIFE –

We dwell in energeoing AUTHORITY, and all conquering power is now coming through us.

Reading for Next Time. The next lesson is titled “I Sit inside His Throne.” For that lesson, read Revelation 4 in the JSV at least twice.

I saw a throne set inside of heaven and One sitting upon the throne. The One sitting there was in appearance [as in a vision] like a jasper stone and sardius; and a rainbow encircled the throne, which was in appearance [as in a vision] like an emerald.

A “throne” is the seat of authority. God’s throne is the Mercy Seat. We are inside this One seated upon that throne. One of our questions is this. Why does God use crystals to describe this One seated upon all authority, inside of Whom we also are seated?

Let’s Pray Together. “God our Father, we ask that You would cause us to dwell in all the knowing of our hearts, inside of the overcoming Jesus accomplished for us, for our sakes. We finally understand, Oh God, that Jesus did not overcome for Himself, but for us, that we might live inside of His overcoming, that we might be safe inside of Him.

“Father, You have changed our minds; You have caused us to think in the same way that Jesus thinks. You have turned us around that we might be that same overcoming of Jesus for the sake of our brothers and sisters all across the earth. God, our Father, we call You into their world.

“God, we place our own feelings of contempt into You, that our brethren might be saved from all false identities. Father, we have spoken Christ until we know that He is True inside of us; now enable us to speak Christ for the sake of our brothers and sisters, that they might know Jesus as He truly is inside of them.

“God, our Father, we turn every step we take together with you into goodness for the sake of Your Church, that all the violence of this world be negated for the sake of blessing. Father, we refuse the evil one, and we cast him down that he might accuse our brethren no more.

“Oh God, we expect You to raise us always into life, and we expect that You raise our brethren together with us.”