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Welcome to Redemption Church in Plano TX. My Name is Chris Fluitt and we have been talking about fierce love.
Fierce Love
God’s love is fierce and He wants us to have that same bold, passionate, warrior’s love.
Today I want to talk to you about a love that conquers.
A Love that Conquers
Conquer means to overcome by force. Conquer is often used to describe military actions. Does it make since for love to conquer?
Jesus is known as a “Conquering King.”
A Conquering King
The prophet Daniel received a vision that is often called the “conquering king vision.”
Daniel 7:13 (NIV) “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.
Daniel 7:14 (NIV) He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
So, Jesus is a conquering king, but we need to remind you that history has seen many kings set on conquering the world.
As early as Genesis 10 we see a man named Nimrod who dominates the world. He names himself king & a god and builds a tower to himself named Babel.
By the end of Genesis we see the Pharaohs of Egypt conquer the world and enslave and brutalize many people.
Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, destroyed many nations and enslaved countless people on his way to world domination.
Persia’s king Artaxerxes…
Greece’s Alexander the great…
Rome’s Julius Caesar…
Vlad the Impaler, Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, Mao, Stalin, Hitler…
The list goes on and on and continues today: men who would be conquering kings.
This is the pattern of the world: To conquer through violent force… You take what you want…You grow big and powerful by making others small and weak.
Do you know where this pattern comes from? This pattern comes from the devil himself.
Revelation 6:2 (NIV) I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.
When this first seal opens, it reveals a rider on a white horse who rides out as a conqueror bent on conquest. This rider is the Anti-Christ.
All the previous men we listed… Nimrod, Pharaoh, Caesar, Hitler… They all follow after the pattern & type of the devil’s anti-christ. This is not by mistake, but after the pattern of this world.
A conquering King
The pattern of this world is to be a conquering king through the weapons of this world.
But Scripture warns us to not be conformed to the pattern of this world.
Romans 12:2 (NIV) Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
We need to be transformed into a new pattern. This pattern is Jesus! Church we need to be transformed into Jesus. Everything we do should be like Jesus.
Our weapons and wars are not like the pattern of this world.
2 Corinthians 10:3 (NIV) For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.
2 Corinthians 10:4 (NIV) The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
Make love not war?
There is an idea that Christians should be pacifists… that we should be opposed to war.
Like it or not, we are in a war-zone. 2 Corinthians says that we do wage war, but not as the world does. Christians, followers of Jesus, we are called to wage war. We are called to be warriors for Jesus.
We are called to a new pattern of warfare. This pattern is Jesus.
Jesus is the pattern of the conquering King whom the world really is looking for. Jesus conquers our worlds through love.
A love that conquers
Scripture tells us that love is not something God does, but who God is.
1 John 4:8 (NIV) …God is love.
This conquering King named Jesus, wages war with love. The cross was not just a thing that happened. The cross was Jesus waging war.
Colossians 2:15 (NIV) And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Jesus, the conquering King, disarmed the powers & authorities of this world… the same powers that lie, steal, kill, destroy… Jesus disarmed them and made a spectacle of them… he made fools of these powers when he triumphed over them by the cross.
The cross triumphed and what is the cross, if not HIS LOVE FOR US?
His warfare is like nothing else the World has ever seen.
Isaiah 9:7 (NIV) Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
His kingdom will have no end… No one has ever accomplished this.
The greatness of His government & PEACE has no end. Most governments & countries grow larger by waging wars & winning wars. The conquering kings of this world know if they can kill enough people they can take what they want, but How does Jesus conquer? Jesus conquers through PEACE! Through Love! Through the self-sacrifice of the cross.
In Revelation Jesus shows up at the battle of Armageddon. Jesus shows up with His angels & saints to fight the devil & his evil army. But I can’t find where an angel or saint fights in this battle. Jesus is the only one who fights in this battle, and do you know how He, Jesus the Conquering King, fights?
Revelation 19:21 says a sword proceeds from the mouth of Jesus and strikes down the army of the devil.
Your Bible tells you clearly what the sword represents. Ephesians 6:17 tells us that it is the Word of God. Jesus wages war by simply opening His mouth and speaking Truth. Jesus is the one the apostle John says is full of Grace & Truth and He wages war by simply opening His mouth.
Even in war Jesus displays a love that conquers.
A love that conquers
So how do we follow this pattern?
We know all too well how to follow the pattern of this world that conquers through hate, division, stealing, lying, killing… How do we receive that transformation that Paul talked about in Romans 12?
We conquer through His Love
Remember that God is Love! That same love needs to live inside of us.
Romans 5:5 (NIV) And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Through the Holy Spirit, God’s love is poured into us. Stop operating by your love; begin to operate by God’s love that has been poured into your heart.
Romans 8:37 (NIV) No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Through the love of this conquering King Jesus, we become more than conquerors.
The pattern of this world is to take… but God’s pattern is to give. Jesus gives us strength.
Philippians 4:13 (NIV) I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Jesus gives power.
Acts 1:8 (NIV) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Jesus gives us victory through faith.
1 John 5:4 (NIV) for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
Jesus is our conquering King and He is making us to be conquering kings, as well
Earlier we told you about the pacifist who thought to make love not war… I want to tell you differently.
Make war & love
We should be warriors that are after the pattern of Jesus. We should conquer through love.
I want to encourage you to do warfare. Not as the world does it, but as Jesus does it!
- Fight in love for you family… your children & your marriage. Stop being a pacifist. Wage war.
- Wage war against drug addiction. Find a way to position yourself in this fight.
- Wage war against every spirit of darkness.
- In prayer do spiritual warfare against the enemy.
- As Jesus opened His mouth and a sword of Truth conquered… you too need to open your mouth and conquer with the Truth of God’s Word.
- There is a war ongoing for your mind, your heart, your sould, your Spirit… don’t stand on the sidelnes. Enter into this war and fight. Learn to LOVE yourself!
- Don’t just be touched emotionally by the race issues in our country… wage war. Fight in love and conquer.
- Stop letting the devil be comfortable around you. Become a threat!
Your enemy… wage war in love and see them become your friend. Wage a war of love and see a Saul become transformed into the Apostle. See people redeemed. Jesus tells us to love and pray for our enemies. He tells us to be a blessing to our enemies. This is how our heavenly conquering King fights!
Make war & Love!
We conquer through His Love
His love is strong, bold, powerful. You are more than an conqueror through His love!
Finally, we can’t conquer through His love until His love conquers us.
His love conquers us
musician
God is the strongest… but it is not His strength that brings us to Him.
God is the wisest… but it is not His wisdom & intelligence that brings us to Him.
God has abilities like no one… wealth like no one… holiness like no one … yet none of these bring us to Him.
What brings us to Him? What is it that won us over? What was it that ended our war with God and reconciled us?
Romans 2:4 (NIV) Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
What brings us to repentance… the place where we surrender in this war with God, is not His judgment… It’s not news of Hell… not fear or pride… it’s not the promise of better things…
HIS KINDNESS! His loving kindness has conquered me.
Psalm 63:2-3 (NIV) I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. a
I have seen you in the sanctuary….but that is not why I glorify you.
I have beheld your power & your glory… But that is not why my lips praise Your name.
IT IS BECAUSE our LOVE is better… better than life! Better than anything I have experienced in this life!
God you win. Your love has conquered me.
Psalm 23:1-6 (NIV) A psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Has His love conquered you today?
Is that love on the inside of you?
Are you ready to overcome through His love?