Why I’m More Than A Conqueror
Why I’m More Than A Conqueror . . . And You Can Be Too!
There are thousands of promises contained in the Bible that the people of God can claim as their own. One of the most powerful ones is contained in Romans 8. It is power-packed with supporting elements that explain why Christians experience life a little differently than everyone else and why I am more than a conqueror, and you can be too!
MORE THAN A CONQUEROR
This promise is found in Romans 8:37 which says,
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (NIV)
No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. (NLT)
The phrase, “more than a conqueror” means to prevail mightily and to be completely and overwhelmingly victorious. Now that is a promise I can stand on, but how does this happen? We have to look back from the beginning of the chapter to get our answers. Here we go!
ADOPTION INTO THE FAMILY OF GOD
Some say that everyone is a child of God, but that’s not true. Paul gives us the criteria that are required for adoption into God’s family.
Romans 8:14-16 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.
Adoption is not cheap. It’s a costly endeavor for a family. It was no different in God’s case. He sent His Son Jesus to the cross. Everything hinges on the cross. That’s where Jesus died in our place, took the penalty of our sin upon Him, and shed His blood so we could have life.
We are given the Holy Spirit when we receive Jesus and appropriate all He’s done on the cross. Then those who are led by the Spirit are God’s children. There is a confirmation that we sense by the power of the Holy Spirit that we are a child of God. That gives us a special relationship with God, allowing us to call Him Abba Father. So special!
In addition, the Holy Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in us. As a result of this, we can put to death the sinful nature. We can be controlled by the Spirit instead. SIN NO LONGER CONTROLS US AS A CHILD OF GOD!
FUTURE HOPE OF FULL ADOPTION RIGHTS
If that adoption into the family of God wasn’t enough, it also comes along with some rights as a child of God. We are heirs with Christ of God’s glory. We have a future hope of heaven where every wrong will be righted and death, decay, sin, suffering, and sickness will be eradicated! These are some of the future benefits coming our way. However, for the time we are on this earth, we will experience hardship just like Jesus, but we are encouraged because we know our issues are temporary and can’t even be compared with heaven’s glory that awaits us!
Paul speaks about these future rights in Romans 8:17-24. Here’s just a glimpse into what’s to come.
Romans 8:23-24 23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. 24 We were given this hope when we were saved.
God is committed to His children now and into eternity!
HOLY SPIRIT INTERCESSION
Amazingly enough, it doesn’t stop there! In those moments of earthly hardship when we get challenged and weak, we are promised that we are not alone. In fact, the Holy Spirit is given to us to help us in our weakness. Beyond my wildest imagination, He prays for us in harmony with God’s will and the result is that God works everything out for the good of those who love Him.
Romans 8:26-28 26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. 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.
Honestly, I’m a little overwhelmed at all that Abba Father does for His children.
GOD IS FOR US
Romans 8:31-34 31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.
Do you really believe that God is for you? The glorious message of this chapter is almost too much to accept. God lavishes His love on us in more ways than I can comprehend. He gives us something that we could never attain on our own and that’s right standing with Him. Because of that, no one could ever condemn us and make us feel like we’re not eligible to be a child of God.
And if that’s not enough, this passage says that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father and is pleading for us. This means He is interceding for us according to the will of the Father. We see Jesus in His high priestly prayer in John 17 praying for the church and we can see what’s on His heart for us.
Jesus prays for His disciples . . .
to know Jesus and His Word intimately (2-3, 17, 19)
that God will keep them from the world and from falling away from Satan, evil, and false teaching (6, 11, 14-17)
that they may constantly possess the joy of Christ (13)
that they may be holy in thought, deed, and character (17)
that they may be one (11, 21-22)
that they may lead others to Christ (21. 23)
that they may persevere in the faith and finally be with Christ in heaven (24)
that they may constantly abide in the love and presence of God (26) (summary taken from the Fire Bible Commentary)
What a tremendous blessing for Jesus to be interceding for our success.
Always remember, God is for you not against you! He wants you to succeed!
JESUS LOVES US
Love is the most powerful motivator. There is no other religion that expresses their “god” as a loving god. However, Jesus loves us with not only a love that is vast and expansive and beyond the ability of our natural mind to comprehend (Ephesians 3:17-19), but nothing can separate us from this love.
Romans 8:35-37 35 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? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
God is totally committed to us and because of that, we can be more than conquerors! Here’s the progression of Romans 8:
When you say yes to Jesus, you are adopted into the family of God.
This adoption comes with rights and benefits that we only have in part now.
The Holy Spirit then resides in us as a guarantee of what’s to come as He helps us in our daily walk.
At the return of Christ, God will unlock the remaining adoption rights for us including a brand new glorified body.
So my current hardship on this earth is temporary until I experience the full glory of being God’s child in heaven.
In the meantime, God is for us and working on our behalf.
The Holy Spirit is helping us in our times of weakness and is praying for us the perfect will of God.
Jesus is pleading for us to live this life pleasing to God and to finish this race well.
As a result of the entire Godhead working on our behalf, this leads us to . . . OVERWHELMING VICTORY!
Are you more than a conqueror?
- Pastor Nick DiBenedetto
from the sermon series, “X-Factor” (2/11/24)