1. God promises to give us victory over and in the world that is set in opposition to Him
Romans 8
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
2. To understand our victory we need to understand His – 2 Corinthians 2.14-17
14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
• Key Word for our victory – THANKS
• Leads in Triumph – a custom of Roman Armies in which:
o The Army dispatched a herald to Rome to announce the good news of victory (herald/preach)
o When the people heard the cry of the herald, they began making preparation for the triumphal procession
o Special incense was used so that as the people smelled the aroma they would know the procession was coming
o The celebration resulted in thousands of people lining the streets of Rome waiting for their hero General and his army to parade through the town
o The General appeared in a gold-plated chariot drawn by white horses
o Officers of the defeated army were chained behind the General’s chariot and would be executed; behind them the rank and file of the defeated army marched to be enslaved to Rome
o The chains represented the power of the hero General
o The people cheered, especially when they saw their defeated enemies
3. God’s triumphal procession for Paul and us
a. There was a time Paul was at war with Jesus/you and me, too
b. But Jesus conquers – He ALWAYS (continually) leads us captive in his procession
c. He leads us to:
• Death – Galatians 2.20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Romans 6.3-4 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
• Service – Romans 1.1 Paul, a servant [slave] of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,
I. God’s Triumph Shows Us That to Conquer, We Must Be Conquered
A. In the Lord’s Triumphal Procession I find Victory
1. We are participants in HIS victory
2. His Victory was not/is not easy
B. I Learn Submission Instead of Authority
1. We want to ride in the chariot and help Jesus drive
2. We make a mess when we try to be in charge
3. There are areas of failure in our lives – those are the places where we don’t let Jesus be Lord
4. Centurion in Matthew 8.5-13
5 When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.
5. The Centurion knew that to have authority he had to learn to be under authority
II. God’s Triumph Shows Us That Our Victory is Through His Son
A. He Leads Us in HIS Triumph, not Ours
1. Jesus won the victories for us
2. He has overcome the world and shares victory with us
B. The Battle Belongs to the LORD – 1 Samuel 17.46-47
46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hand.”
III. God’s Triumph Shows Us That Victory Is ALWAYS Ours (v. 14)
14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession,
A. In Every Time and in Every Place
B. Regardless of External Circumstances – Acts 16.25 cf. Psalm 119.62 At midnight I rise to praise you, because of your righteous rules.
C. Redefine Victory
1. Joyous Times to be a Christian – Hard times – Stopped in Tracks
2. Victory comes by being chained to Jesus’ Chariot and by His strength dealing with anything we face
3. It’s not worldly success it’s on a whole different level
1. Faith IS Our Victory 1 John 5.4
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
2. Faith is practical, daily
a. Diagnosed with a serious illness? Do you still believe? Faith is victory!
b. Meet with a major disappointment? Faith is victory!
c. Loss of a loved one? Do you still believe? Faith is victory!
d. Stress on the job? Do you still believe? Faith is victory!
e. Conflicts with loved ones? Do you still believe? Faith is victory!
