We continue in our series Hope Found Here and this month our theme is Hope in the Conquest.
Perhaps for some Hope in the Conquest is a little too abstract, so maybe I need to define it a little more: Hope in the Conquest of Sin; Hope in the Conquest of Death; and Hope in the Conquest of Fear.
Our hope comes from being in a real relationship with Jesus, He has conquered the power of sin and death. If we are in Christ, if we have accepted Him as our Lord and Saviour we have no need to fear our past, our present or our future. We are secure in Him, He is with us, Jesus is our certain hope.
Jesus is our hope and He brings light into our darkest hours. When we are discouraged by circumstances and situations, Jesus is our certain hope. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:37, “We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”
To conquer means to be victorious over an adversary. To be “more than a conqueror” means we not only achieve victory, but we are overwhelmingly victorious, not through our own strengths or efforts, we are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us, forgives us and saves us.
Throughout the Bible there are many examples of people who had a certain hope in what God was able to do; People who trusted God to bring the victory trusted God to be overwhelmingly victorious.
In the Old Testament God brought miraculous victory to His people. For example, in Exodus 14 the Israelites were fleeing from the Egyptians, Pharaoh had sent his soldiers and chariots after them, the people were scared and fearful, in Exodus 14:13-14, Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” Humanly speaking, this bunch of refugees fleeing across the desert was no match for the army of Egypt, but God tells them not to be afraid, He would fight their battles for them.
The Lord told the prophet, Jeremiah, that He was bringing armies against the rebellious Israelites as punishment for their disobedience, but even then in Jeremiah 1:19 God said, “They will fight you, but they will fail. For I am with you, and I will take care of you. I, the Lord, have spoken”.
In 2 Kings chapter 7, an entire army fled their own camp when God caused them to hear the sounds of a great army coming and then the Israelites were able to raid the enemy camp for food for their families. The Israelites were “more than conquerors” because they were saved from the approaching army and also benefited from what their enemy left behind.
Listen to Romans 8:35-39, Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake, we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The Apostle Paul wrote these words to encourage believers in Christ to stand firm in their hope and knowledge that God is faithful. To stand firm in faith when attacks come, knowing that not only will we win in the end, but Jesus enables us to win now. The Devil does not have any power to steal our eternal destiny. Satan can not separate us from the love of God. We have Hope in the Conquest of Sin, Hope in the Conquest of Death, and Hope in the Conquest of Fear because our Hope is Found in the One who can never be defeated.
Nothing we face, no trial, no tribulation, no circumstance, no situation can ever separate us from Father God, if we are His children through faith in His Son, then we have the certain hope of His love and protection. Let me remind you of the words of Jesus in John 10:27–29, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and He is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.”
If Jesus Christ is your Lord, if He is your Saviour, then you also have a mighty Father who fights for you. He enables you to be more than a conqueror in every circumstance and situation. You can face the trials of life with the certain hope that you are not alone. King David said it well in Psalm 23:4, Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You can approach the darkest valleys with confidence, knowing that nothing can happen to you that is not permitted by your loving Father God for your good. As Paul said in Romans 8:28, And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.
Do you have Hope in the Conquest of Christ? He has already conquered death to give you the promise of eternal life. John 3:16, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” Titus 1:2, This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God—who does not lie—promised them before the world began.
1 John 5:11, this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
Almighty God is with you every moment of every day until you see Him face to face. Again King David wrote in Psalm 139:7–12, I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— but even in darkness, I cannot hide from you. To you, the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.
Deuteronomy 31:8, “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” No sin of mine, no sin of yours, no attempt of the enemy, absolutely nothing can stop God from being with us and we are more than conquerors because He is with us.
In Matthew 28:20 Jesus said, “be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” There is truth found here, there is hope found here, Jesus is with you. nothing can separate you from Him. Because of His resurrection, Jesus conquered sin, conquered death, conquered fear. Our Hope is in Him and in Him alone.
In all of our lives, we will face difficult situations, we will face terrifying circumstances, we will face trials and tribulations, but we will not face them alone, God is with us. When problems come we can face them with confidence. We won’t just scrape through in our own strength, God is with us.
You won’t just manage to somehow survive your trials, you will be more than a conqueror. No opposition of man, no accusation, no trial, no condemnation, no circumstance or situation, absolutely nothing will separate you from God and His endless love for you when you know Jesus as your Lord and Saviour.
Do you know the love God has for you?
Are you in a real relationship with Christ?
If not, then repent of your sin, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and be saved!
Hope is found here in The Conquest of Sin, the Conquest of Death and the Conquest of Fear. God has provided everything that is necessary to forgive us of our sins. God has provided everything that is necessary to save us from Hell and promises us eternal life with Him in Heaven. God has provided His presence, we do not need to live in fear because God is with us. Nothing, absolutely nothing can separate us from His love, His mercy, or His grace.
The final thought is this, if you are in Christ this morning, you are more than Conqueror. Never doubt the promise of God to be with you and live in the security of God’s love and care for you.
God is for you and nothing can separate you from Him, in Him you are ransomed, you are healed, you are restored, you are forgiven, He is for you not against you, He loves you, He cares for you, He blesses and protects you, He is with you, and in Him you are more than a conqueror.
Let’s pray.
