In all the Earth’s history there have been the conquerors and the conquered. Among some of the more famous conquerors are these: Genghis Khan, Alexander The Great, Cyrus The Great, Attila the Hun and Julius Caesar.
While these conquerors varied in terms of greatness and success, they shared in common the ability to kill others and take their riches and to convince people underneath them to kill people and take their riches.
They were feared because they were cruel and heartless. They would mow down like stubble anyone who got in their way.
Jesus Christ is the greatest conqueror ever to live . But He conquers with love and mercy, with kindness and goodness. He exercises His control as a Shepherd not as a Slave Master.
They conquered to enslave others, to expand their territory and to enrich themselves at the other’s expense. Jesus conquers to set people free, to make His Flock safe and free and to enrich the sheep at His own expense.
I want to mention Julius Caesar and his famous victory declaration. “Veni, vidi, vici” is a Latin phrase meaning, “I came, I saw, I conquered.” He used this phrase in a letter to the Roman Senate around 47 BC after he had achieved a quick victory in his short war against Pharnaces II of Pontus at the Battle of Zela.
If anyone could properly use that phrase it is Jesus. He came, He saw, He conquered. I repeat that He came as a Shepherd of the sheep, not as an Oppressor of the weak. He takes care of His conquests like a Shepard does his flock, but the others took advantage of their victims.
Look to the text: "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father." John 10:7-18 (NASB)
I. JESUS CAME:
A. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
B. He came with a purpose and mission.
1. To give, abundant, full, free, joyful life.
2. To do the will and work of the Father.
3. To care for the flock as the Good Shepherd, not the unreliable chicken-hearted hireling.
4. To seek and save the lost.
5. To set us free from the Old Covenant Law and “when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” Galatians 4:4-5 (NASB).
6. Isaiah prophesied about Him, His message and His purposes. “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD And the day of vengeance our God; To comfort all who mourn, To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.” Isaiah 61:1-3 (NASB).
C. He came to bless, benefit and to be our Lord, Savior and Shepherd. Other conquerors came to steal and kill and destroy – Jesus came to die and to give life to believers.
D. If Jesus had not come,
1. We would not experience God’s sacrificial love through Jesus.
2. We would not experience the depths of God’s identification with us. The writer of Hebrews informs us, “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. Hebrews 2:17 (NASB).
3. We would not know His atoning death and life-giving resurrection, and thus we would not have hope of our own future resurrection.
E. A story is told of a pastor who was preparing his Christmas message when he fell asleep in his study at the church. He dreamed that he was in a world into which Jesus had never come.
He walked out on the streets, but no church steeples pointed to heaven. He went to the mall and there were no decorations or Christmas carols. He was summoned to visit a dying woman, but on arriving found that his Bible had no New Testament, there were no promises of heaven, no comfort in the touch of Jesus. So he bowed his head and wept in bitter despair, for he could offer her no real hope beyond the grave.
Suddenly the pastor was awakened by the choir down the hall practicing the familiar Christmas carols. Joy filled his soul as he realized as never before why we sing, “Joy to the world, the Lord has come!”
Jesus changes everything. Because He came, the Bible’s promises of heaven and eternal life are yours forever. You don’t walk in darkness and uncertainty. You have a Savior who lived a perfect life, and defeated death forever on the cross!
Jesus came and:
II. JESUS SAW:
A. Earthly conquerors saw opportunity for gain, power, glory, fame, and success. Theirs was a materialistic, selfish, vicious outlook. Jesus saw the need to sacrificially care for those under His control and authority. He said, “He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.”
B. The Shepherd sees what goes on in the world at large and in the lives of His sheep individually.
1. When Israel was in bondage in Egypt, Jesus saw their suffering and sent Moses to deliver them.
2. When ancient Nineveh was totally corrupt, Jesus saw their atrocious sin and sent Jonah,
3. When the people were in great darkness, Jesus saw their travail and sent Jesus, the Light of the world.
4. When Jesus saw the corruption of the Jews, He lamented, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.” Matthew 23:37 (NASB).
5. When He looks at our world, He sees:
a. Political corruption, unethical behavior and dishonesty.
b. Many churches that have abandoned the Bible as the final word on doctrine and practice.
c. Too many professed believers living just like the unbelievers around them.
d. Man’s inhumanity to man.
C. Sometimes we feel that God doesn’t see and is not aware of our lives. That’s how Hagar felt when fleeing from Sarah, she wandered into the wilderness, hopeless and helpless. But she heard God speak about her unborn son and his future life. Then she said to the Lord who spoke to her, "You are a God who sees." Genesis 16:9-13 (NASB).
D. He sees:
1. When you are mistreated, outcast, down-and-out, He sees you in your hurt and sorrow.
2. When you are caught up in sinful activities and relationships, and you seek for relief, He sees it.
3. When you are distressed and depressed, He sees it.
4. When you are struggling, doing your best, but losing ground and confidence. He sees it.
5. When your faith grows weak, your hope is dimmed, your joy is gone, and your strength depleted, He sees it..
E. We need to know that God sees and knows, and watches over us for our good. Knowing that He observes us is both comforting and alarming. A young lady was looking out the window of her second story apartment. She noticed that man walking along the street trying the doors of cars parked on the street. He took off like a shot when she hollered, “”Hey, Fellow! God is watching you!” For wrong-doers that’s bad news, but for believers it is a blessing!
Jesus came, Jesus saw and
III. JESUS CONQUERED:
A. Those ancient conquerors are not called conquerors for no reason.
1. They were relentless, fierce, merciless and powerful.
2. Armies fell before them like grass to a mower.
B. Jesus is not called a conqueror for no reason.
1. He conquered the demons He cast out.
2. He conquered the diseases and handicap He healed.
3. He conquered the chicanery of the Pharisees and Sadducee with divine Wisdom.
4. He conquered sin on the cross.
5. He conquered all the forces and resources of evil that were unloosed on Him and He withstood them.
6. He conquered Death and Satan by His Resurrection from the dead. He said, “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.”
a. He did that when He broke the chains of death.
b. He did that when He opened the tomb.
C. The author of Hebrews said, “Since the children have flesh and blood, He also shared the same things, so that by His death He might destroy the one who has the power of death (that is, the devil) and might free those who were slaves all their lives because they were terrified by death.” Hebrews 2:14-15 (ISV). He conquered sin, death and Satan by His resurrection on that first Easter morning and He gladly shares the victory with us:
1. Paul wrote, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, "For your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered. But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:35-37 (NASB).
2. “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57 (NASB).
3. “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” 1 John 5:4 (NASB).
D. We need to willingly, humbly and fully surrender all to Jesus the Compassionate Conqueror
1. There is no greater freedom than to be conquered by Jesus.
2. There is no greater victory than to be conquered by Jesus,
3. There is no greater life than to be conquered by Jesus.
4. There is no greater fulfillment than being conquered by Jesus.
5. There is no greater freedom than for Christ to conquer and rule in our lives..
E. The hymn, "Have Thine Own Way, Lord" is more than a song; it’s a trusting, willing surrender of life to Jesus. The author, Adelaide Pollard, had a burning desire to do missionary work in Africa. The hymn was composed when Adelaide Pollard was trying, unsuccessfully, to raise funds to make a trip to Africa. Her unsuccessful attempt to do this led to her experiencing a "distress of soul."
This crisis of the soul led her to a prayer meeting, and the simple prayer of an elderly lady at the prayer meeting, provided a willingness to “Let go and let God.” This elderly lady had prayed, “It really doesn't matter what you do with us, Lord, just have your way with our lives.” After the prayer meeting, Adelaide returned home and wrote the hymn as we sing it today.
Let’s make it present tense. He comes, He sees, He conquers. Yielding to His way is the key to being a conqueror in Jesus..
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