The Book of Romans: More Than Conquerors

 The Book of Romans

Introduction:

Good morning friends. Welcome again to Eastern Shore Baptist Church. What a blessing it is to see you this morning, to have you worshipping with us. If you are watching online or if you are a first time guest, welcome. 

This morning I want to ask you a simple question. 

“Are you facing a battle?”

Life can be hard. Life can be challenging. Life is often compared to a battle, a conflict, or even war itself. 

I played basketball in high school. Our dreaded cross town rivals were the Montgomery Academy Eagles. I can remember one particular game where MA beat us pretty soundly. We all went back into the locker room after the game was over, tails between our legs, embarrassed. Our coach came in and confidently proclaimed…

“They may have won tonight’s battle, but they have not won the…

WAR! 

That’s right. In life, we lose lots of battles but it is important to realize that we can win the war. 

Just the other day my youngest son Jett came in from auditioning for a part in a musical, “James And The Giant Peach”. He had prepared. He worked as hard as he could work. Still, once the audition came, he felt like he didn’t do enough to warrant a good part. 

He was upset. He was afraid that they weren’t going to choose him to participate. 

Now as adults who have lived for a while, we know a truth about life. My Dad taught me this truth when I was a young wee lad. 

“Son...” he’d tell me…

“Son, life ain’t fair!”

If I were to take a poll by raising hands, I bet that there were be just about a universal response to some of these questions that I am about to ask. 

I guarantee that most of us in this room wanted a job that we didn’t receive. 

I guarantee that most of us in this room wanted a relationship to work out but it didn’t. 

I guarantee that we have prayed for a loved one to be healed, physically healed, and they died anyway. 

I guarantee that we have all studied hard for a test, a mid-term, or an exam but failed it. 

I told Jett that while I was proud that he did his best…

While I was proud that he had prepared…

While I was proud that he put himself out there to be judged and critiqued…

I was proud of all of those things…still…in life sometimes things just don’t work out the way we’d hoped. 

He may not get the part. He may not always steal the scene. He may not always have the spotlight on him. He may be in the background instead of the foreground. 

“Jett…” I told him….

“Jett do you know that in my life that I have been told ’no’ far more times that I have been told ‘yes’?”

Thankfully Jett ended up making the cast and getting a part. We were happy for him. It worked out. 

But it won’t always work out. Disappointment will come knocking. Discouragement will try to creep in. Disillusionment will try to win the day. 

You see friends, Jesus tells His followers in John’s Gospel that this life is indeed a game of life and death. Huge things are at stake. People’s eternities hang in the balance. We have a real enemy who is waging war on the followers of Christ. 

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…”

Our role in this battle is to be good soldiers in the army of God. Paul even tells Timothy this in 2 Timothy 2:3, 

"Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”

Christian, you need to know that everyday that you put your feet to the floor that you are entering the arena, you are walking into the fray, you are setting your sites for war. That why Paul again tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:12 to “fight the good fight of the faith.”

If our daily existence is a battle and our lives a war, it is good to know that we do not wage this fight by ourselves. God is with us, His Spirit protecting us, guiding us, His Son encouraging us. 

Paul encourages us in this battle in 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 saying…

"We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments." 

God has even outfitted us this day for these battles so that we can win the war. 

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."

This morning we will be reading form Romans 8:31-39. There is a wonderful passage here that should encourage all of us. 

Romans 8:37 

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

YOU AND I, WE…ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS! 

The word “conqueror” in the Greek is actually two words put together. The word is hypernikaō…pronounced “Hoop-air-nick-Kah-Oh”. 

Hoop-air meaning over, or beyond, or exceedingly and…

nick-Kah-Oh meaning to overcome, to conquer, or to be victorious. 

When you put these words together, it means “to be more than a conqueror, to gain a surpassing victory, to completely and overwhelmingly overcome”. 

That’s you. That’s me. That’s us. Some of us are sitting in here today feeling defeated, feeling less than, feeling depressed. You’ve been drowning in tears, talking bad about yourself, believing in the lies of the Devil. 

Here me…you are more than a conquerors. You are MORE THAN what I just described. Not because of anything that you have done! No! You are more than a conqueror because of what Christ Jesus has done!

You are not a victim this morning because He is the ultimate victor. 

You are not defeated this morning because He is your Deliverer.

You are not broken this morning because He is your Blessing.

You are not ruined this morning because He is your Redeemer.

He is our Champion and because of that we are not conquered.

Brothers and sisters, that is the title of today’s message. “More than conquerors”. 

Today’s Message:

“More Than Conquerors“

Do me a favor this morning. Fill in the blanks under “Today’s Thought”. 

Christian, you won’t crumble. You’re no coward. In Christ you are a conqueror!

Do you believe that this morning? 

If you believe that this morning, say Amen!

Today’s Thought:

Christian, You Won’t Crumble. You’re No Coward. In Christ, You’re a Conqueror!

Oh Dr. Charles Stanley is one of my all time favorite pastors, teachers, and theologians. He always was just so in tune and in touch with God’s Word. In studying for this message, I ran across one of his messages on this very passage of Scripture. The message was entitled the same as my message this morning, “More Than Conquerors”. I’m not sure when or where this sermon was preached, but I garnered a great deal of wisdom from it. Check out this quote from that message. 

Today’s Quote:

“Because of what Jesus Christ has accomplished for us through His death and resurrection, we are more than conquerors. No situation is too overwhelming for God to handle, no problem too complex for Him to resolve, and no trial too great for His power to overcome. Through faith in Christ, His strength becomes ours, enabling us to face every challenge with confidence, knowing that the victory is already secured by His work on the cross. We live in the assurance that God’s love and power equip us to triumph in all things.” 

Charles Stanley’s Sermon “More Than Conquerors”

Friends, that quote reminds me of all the “maybes” that swirl around in our minds. Maybe I’m not good enough. Maybe I don’t measure up. Maybe I don’t have what it takes. Maybe I’ll fail again. Maybe people won’t like me. Maybe God can’t use me.

Those maybes are often just insecurities dressed up like truth. And the truth is, Christians wrestle with insecurities just like everyone else. We doubt our worth. We wonder if God really loves us after what we’ve done. We question if our prayers matter. We compare ourselves to other believers and feel like we’re always coming up short.

But hear me this morning. Those insecurities do not define you. Those fears and anxieties do not have the final say. You can lay them down at the feet of Jesus. Why? Because He has already conquered them. On the cross He crushed every maybe. In the resurrection He shouted a resounding yes…

Yes, you are loved, 

Yes, you are chosen, 

Yes, you are redeemed, 

Yes, you are more than a conqueror.

That’s exactly what Paul is reminding us of in Romans 8:31–39. Listen to how he says it, beginning in verse 31:

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"

And he keeps going, reminding us that nothing…not death, not life, not angels, not rulers, not things present, not things to come, not powers, not height, not depth, not anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Friends this morning we are reading from Romans 8:31-39. While you are opening your Bibles this morning, I want to remind you…

Statement of Belief:

“This morning, we open the living and powerful Word of God…truth without error, breathed out by Him, and fully sufficient for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. It is our authority, our guide, and our hope. In honor of the God who gave us His perfect Word, I invite you to stand with me as we read it together.”

Today’s Scripture:

Romans 8:31-39 NLT

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? [32] Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't he also give us everything else? [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. [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. [38] And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow-not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. [39] No power in the sky above or in the earth below-indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Pastor: “This is the Word of the Lord.”

Congregation: “Praise His name, praise His Holy name!”

So let’s dive into Romans 8 this morning and answer the question, “How can we live as conquerors in Christ Jesus?”

The first blank to fill in is this: We can cling to Christ’s cross.

Romans 8:32 (NLT) says,

"Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?"

Here’s what Paul is really communicating:

By anchoring our faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross, we gain the assurance of victory over sin and trials.

Why was it important for Jesus to die on the cross? Why did God allow His Son to endure such pain, such anguish, such separation?

Because Christ’s death separates Him from every other so-called world leader. Throughout history, great men have demanded that their followers die for them, Alexander the Great, the Pharaohs, the Caesars, the emperors, the tsars. Every one of them expected loyalty that led their followers to death.

But Jesus is different. He is the only leader in history who laid down His life for His followers. He suffered for them. He bled for them. He died for them. And He rose again so that they could live in victory…so that we could be more than conquerors.

We also cling to the cross because of what it represents. In Jesus’ day the cross was not a piece of jewelry, not a decorative emblem. It was an instrument of shame, suffering, and death. Yet Christ has transformed the symbol of execution into the symbol of eternal life. The cross proves that God can take what is horrible and bring healing, take tragedy and bring triumph, take catastrophe and bring compassion.

That’s why Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:18 (CEV),
"The message about the cross doesn’t make any sense to lost people, but for those of us who are being saved, it is God’s power at work."

The world sees the cross as foolishness because the world thinks in transactions: I do this, I get that. I give to you, you give back to me. But the cross is not a transaction, it’s a transformation.

Angela and I sold our van the other day, and when the salesperson handed me the check she smiled and said, “Thank you for doing business with us…after all, you’re family.” I smiled, but inside I thought, Really? I’m family because I sold you my van? That’s not family. That’s business.

But the cross is not business. It’s not a deal we struck with God. It was His decision, not ours. His sacrifice, not ours. His love, not ours. There’s nothing we could give Him to earn it or repay it. And that is why we cling to the cross. Because it is not transactional. It is transformational.

But clinging to Christ’s cross is only the beginning. Paul takes us even deeper in verse 37, where he writes:

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."

Here’s our second blank this morning: We can claim Christ’s courage.

How Can We Live As Conquerors In Christ Jesus?

First, We Can Cling to Christ’s Cross vs. 32

Next, We Can Claim Christ’s Courage vs. 37

Think of this point like this…

“By relying on the strength Christ provides, we can face any challenge with boldness, knowing He equips us to overcome.”

Over the years, Jesus has been portrayed in a lot of different ways. Some of the portrayals have captured bits and pieces of His life, but others have completely missed the mark.

Growing up, my picture of Jesus was shaped by the old film Jesus of Nazareth. In that movie, He looked wafer-thin, pale-skinned, blue-eyed, and He spoke with a British accent. To me, He seemed more like a fragile ghost than the Son of God. Weak. Meek to the point of being a pushover.

And then today, you see portrayals that are not only inaccurate but flat-out offensive. Andrew Lloyd Webber even cast a black, gender non-conforming woman to play Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar. That’s not just a distortion, that’s an outright denial of the Jesus of the Bible.

The Jesus of Scripture is not weak. He is strong. He is courageous. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He was unafraid to stand toe to toe with the Pharisees and the scribes, calling them “whitewashed tombs” and exposing their hypocrisy. He stared Satan down in the desert and came out victorious, wielding the Word of God like a sword. He stood against the oppressive legalism of Jewish law, declaring that He came to fulfill it, not to be shackled by it.

This is the Jesus who cast out demons with a word. The Jesus who preached boldly even when threatened with stoning. The Jesus who walked right through a mob that tried to throw Him off a cliff. The Jesus who was tempted in every way, yet remained sinless, perfect in act, perfect in thought, perfect in deed.

That’s the Jesus we claim. That’s the Jesus who makes us more than conquerors. And when we embrace His courage, His strength becomes our strength. 

That’s why Paul could write in Philippians 4:13 (KJV),

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

Church, do you see it? We don’t face our battles with our own grit. We don’t stand in our own toughness. We stand in His courage. We live in His boldness. We move forward in His strength.

Don’t think for one second friends that Jesus didn’t have His moments. He did. Remember the Garden. There He was, hours from the cross. Hours from the beatings. Hours from the rods. Hours from the scourge. Fear had its hand on Jesus’ shoulder. It would have been enough to make any of us run for the hills. Not Jesus! He bore down in prayer, remained obedient, He remained courageous. The same courage that was in Christ Jesus is the same courage that He offers you and I today. 

When fear rises, we can claim Christ’s courage. 

When anxiety presses, we can claim Christ’s courage. 

When insecurities whisper lies, we can claim Christ’s courage.

Why? Because He has already won, and through Him, so have we.

Church, don’t miss this…

When the Pharisees tried to trap Him with their questions, Jesus stood with courage.

When the devil tempted Him in the wilderness, Jesus fought back with courage.

When the demons shrieked and trembled, Jesus silenced them with courage.

When the storms raged and the waves crashed, Jesus calmed them with courage.

When the cross loomed large and the weight of the world pressed on His shoulders, Jesus embraced it with courage.

And that same courage is now yours in Christ.

So when fear tries to shake you…claim Christ’s courage.

When doubt tries to break you…claim Christ’s courage.

When insecurity whispers that you’re not enough…claim Christ’s courage.

When the enemy tells you that you’ve already lost…claim Christ’s courage.

Because in Him, you are more than a conqueror.

In Him, you are stronger than the struggle.

In Him, you are braver than the battle.

In Him, you are victorious because He is the Victor.

How Can We Live As Conquerors In Christ Jesus?

First, We Can Cling to Christ’s Cross vs. 32

Next, We Can Claim Christ’s Courage vs. 37

Lastly, We Can Celebrate The Crown of Christ vs. 38-39

So, let’s fill in our last blank this morning. Boy I hope you are feeling encouraged today. I have been looking forward to preaching this message all week. 

How can we live as conquerors in Christ Jesus? We can celebrate the crown of Christ. Go back and read 38 through 39. 

Romans 8:38-39 NLT

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow-not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. [39] No power in the sky above or in the earth below-indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

After reading that passage, this is what I thought…

“By rejoicing in Christ’s ultimate victory over sin and death, we live with confidence that no trial can separate us from His love.”

When I read that, I think back to last week. I told you about Gabriella Gambino. Just 28 years old. A beautiful young woman who battled cancer for 16 months. She faced her disease with courage. She battled like a lion. Just days before she passed, I sat by her bed and read this very passage to her. I told her with confidence that nothing could separate her from the love of God. Not her fear, not her sickness, not even death itself.

Her mother Gina was at her bedside, weeping, hurting, feeling the pain of a mother watching her daughter slip away. And I reminded her that God knew exactly what she was feeling. He knew what it was like to watch His own Son suffer and die. He knew that sorrow, that ache. And because He wears the crown, He can carry us through the valley of the shadow of death.

That’s what it means to celebrate the crown of Christ. His crown is a symbol of victory…victory over sin, victory over death, victory over the grave. Revelation 19:12 says that on His head are “many crowns.” Each crown represents His triumph, His authority, His kingship as Lord of all.

And here’s the wonder of it all: Scripture says that one day, we too will receive crowns. Paul speaks of the imperishable crown (1 Corinthians 9:25). James writes of the crown of life (James 1:12). Peter points to the crown of glory (1 Peter 5:4). These are not crowns of gold and jewels, but crowns of grace…rewards of faithfulness, acknowledgments of overcoming in Christ.

And what will we do with those crowns? Revelation 4:10–11 says the elders fall before the throne and cast their crowns at His feet, crying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power.”

That’s why we celebrate. Because Christ wears the crown now, and one day, we will celebrate by laying our crowns down before Him. He is worthy. He alone deserves the glory.

So why can we celebrate the crown of Christ? Because it reminds us that nothing, not cancer, not fear, not sorrow, not even death can separate us from His love. It reminds us that the victory is already won. It reminds us that one day, every conqueror in Christ will fall down before the Conqueror of all and declare Him Lord of lords and King of kings.

1 John 5:4 (NASB) says,

"For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith."

Friends, we can live as conquerors today because Christ already wears the crown tomorrow.

So how can we live as conquerors in Christ Jesus?

We can Cling to Christ’s Cross, because it was there He purchased our salvation, defeated sin, and turned a symbol of death into the source of life.

We can Claim Christ’s Courage because the same Jesus who stood against the Pharisees, silenced demons, calmed storms, and faced the cross with boldness now gives us His strength. 

And like Paul, we can say with confidence, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

And we can Celebrate the Crown of Christ because He wears the victor’s crown, He shares that victory with us, and one day we will cast our crowns at His feet, crying out, “Worthy is the Lamb!”

Church, do you see it? You are not a victim, you are a victor. 

You are not conquered, you are more than a conqueror. 

You don’t fight for victory, you fight from victory.

So when the devil whispers defeat, cling to the cross.

When fear knocks at your door, claim Christ’s courage.

When death casts its shadow, celebrate the crown of Christ.

Romans 8:37 says, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” That’s our identity. 

That’s our hope. That’s our victory.

Brothers and sisters, my hope this morning is that you will take this information and turn it into your inspiration. 

Turn This Information Into Action!

Closing Prayer:

Heavenly Father,

We thank You today for the victory that is ours in Christ Jesus. We thank You for the cross where sin was defeated and grace was given. Help us to cling to that cross each day and live in its power.

We thank You for the courage of Christ, the boldness of our Savior who faced temptation and overcame, who stood against the powers of darkness, who endured the cross with perfect obedience. Lord, when fear rises and insecurity whispers, remind us that Your strength is our strength and through Christ we can do all things.

And we thank You for the crown of Christ, His crown of victory and eternal authority. Nothing can separate us from His love. One day we will lay every crown before Him and cry out, Worthy is the Lamb.

Father, for those who are weary today, give them hope. For those who grieve, bring comfort. For those battling sin, bring deliverance. Remind us all that we are not victims but victors, not conquered but more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

We pray this in the mighty name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.