We continue in our series Hope Found Here and this month our theme is Hope in the Conquest.
Hope in the Conquest of what? 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.
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 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.
There are far too many Christians who do not live as those who are more than conquerors. Instead of walking in victory over Sin, Death and Fear, they are bound by besetting sins. They are fearful of death because they lack the assurance of forgiveness and the promise of eternal life. They continue to be fearful of circumstances and situations that come into their lives. The truth is too many people seem to be stuck in a shallow form of religious activity instead of experiencing a deep personal relationship with Jesus.
All of us, at some time in our Christian walk, will sadly experience situations that test our faith and our resolve. We will encounter physical or emotional difficulties. We will have days when our confidence in God falters. We will have days when we stumble in our faith. We will have days when we experience spiritual battles. Those are the days when we need to remember that God loves us, Christ died for us, and “We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”
Our hope is found in the one who has already Conquered Sin and Death and Fear. Trust Him and Him alone, listen to the words of Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.
Perhaps the root cause of some of the problems we face in life comes from us trying to do things in our own strength. Instead of trusting Jesus, instead of praying, instead of waiting on God, we depend on our own wisdom and understanding.
Sometimes, by the grace of God, we will get it right, but we are meant to seek God’s will in all we do. He has a perfect plan for each of us, a plan designed to make us the people He has called us to be. Deuteronomy 32:4, God is the Rock; His deeds are perfect. Everything He does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright He is!
Is there an area of your life that you need to trust God in right now? Is there an area of your life that you need to surrender to God before it becomes a bigger problem? Surrender to God this morning, trust the power of The Holy Spirit to work in you and through you. Don’t struggle with it on your own, don’t try to win the battle in your own strength, be more than a conqueror by trusting the One who loves you.
Jesus has defeated the power of sin and death and fear so walk in the victory Christ has already purchased for you by shedding His blood. In every storm, in every trial, in every circumstance, you can stand firm on the Rock that is Christ. Don’t doubt, don’t fear, trust Him.
Don’t be content with a small shallow faith, allow God to draw you deeper to His side. In Him, you are already more than a conqueror, there is no reason to feel defeated, there is no reason to fear, you already have the victory, through Jesus your Lord and Saviour.
Listen to the words of the Apostle Peter recorded in Acts 10:34-36, “I see very clearly that God shows no favouritism. In every nation, He accepts those who fear Him and do what is right. This is the message of Good News for the people of God —that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, He is Lord of all.”
“Jesus Christ, He is Lord of all.”
He is Lord, He is Lord
He has risen from the dead
And He is Lord
Every knee shall bow
Every tongue confess
That Jesus Christ is Lord
You might happily sing those words in worship but does your daily life demonstrate that “Jesus Christ, is Lord of all your life.”
Jesus, Christ, Lord, three names for our Saviour.
Jesus, Yeshua in Hebrew, Iesous in the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew, and our English spelling of the Greek is Jesus. In Cantonese it is YehSou. In Ghanaian Yesu. In Hawaiian Jesu.
In Italian Gesu. Whatever language you speak the root meaning of His name is “The Lord is Salvation.”
Christ, Christ is a title, it means “Messiah,” “Anointed One,” or “Chosen One.”
Lord, Adonai in Hebrew, in Greek Kyrios or kurios. The meaning is supreme master, one who has absolute control.
Jesus Christ, He is Lord of all, He is Sovereign, He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, Alpha and Omega, Beginning and the End. Saviour, Healer, Baptiser in the Holy Spirit and Coming King.
Jesus is our hope and He brings light into our darkest hours. We are secure in Him, He is with us, Jesus is Lord of all. If you are feeling discouraged by circumstances or situations in your life, remember Jesus loves you, He is your certain hope.
There is an amazing relationship that is created when Jesus you call Jesus your Lord, as a follower of Christ you are called to follow Him, you are called to serve God, but He does not call you a servant, He calls you His friend. Listen to the words of Jesus recorded in John 15:9-13, ‘As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit – fruit that will last – and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: love each other.
Jesus loves us, He calls you, He calls me His friend. He was willing to lay down His life so that we could be saved. Before we knew Him, before we were His friends, while we were His enemies, dead in our trespasses and sins, He died so that we could be reconciled to Him. Do you understand the depth of His love?
Can you comprehend His willingness to suffer in your place so that He could call you friend? At the Cross is where He paid the price for your sin and mine. At the Cross is where our salvation was assured. Christ lay down His life so that we could become more than just a friend of God, we are adopted into the family of God. God is our Heavenly Father, if we are in Christ we are children of the Living God.
What do I mean when I say if we are in Christ? I mean we have become a Christian by repenting from our sin and accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour. He is our Lord and we are His follower, His disciples. We follow His teaching, we trust His words, we obey His commands. He is meant to have first place in our lives. We are meant to willingly surrender ourselves to God’s will and purpose for our lives.
Sadly, there are those who are thankful for Christ’s commitment to them, His willing sacrifice for them, but there are those who are unwilling to fully surrender to His will and purpose for them. Some seek only a comfortable Christianity, maybe turning up for an occasional service if it fits in with their schedule. For some, a couple of hours every Sunday worshipping the God who loves them saves them and blesses them it too much effort.
People ignore the unrevoked command of God to remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy. That’s all of the Sabbath not just an hour or two if we can fit it in.
Friends, if God does not have first place in your life, if honouring God, worshipping God, serving God, is not at the centre of your life you are not fully surrendered to Him. He deserves your time, He is worthy of your attention, time with God is not a waste of time. He deserves first place, not last. He should be your first thought not an afterthought.
When was the last time you asked Him, “Lord what do you want to do with my life?” When was the last time you asked Him, “Lord how can I glorify you more?” When was the last time you asked Him, “Lord, how can I serve you in your church?”
Don’t just call Him Lord, surrender to His lordship of your life.
The final thought is this: There is hope found here this morning, Jesus Christ, He is Lord of all and when we surrender ourselves to His Lordship, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
I will close with the words of the Apostle Paul recorded in Philippians 2:1-11, “Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from His love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honour and gave Him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Amen
