“I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you.” John 14:18
Dear Ones:
Scripture tells us that God “…raised Christ from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 1:20) Paul goes on to say that He is above all “principality and power, might and dominion,” (v.21), and has,”…made a show of them openly, triumphing over them.” God the Father has “…put ALL things under His feet,” so that He IS the Conqueror, the Over-comer, and now, the Reigning, Sovereign Lord, and Redeemer. This is Christ in this moment, unalterably victorious over every foe of our souls. Thus, we see Jesus, the Conqueror “without,” for He is in heaven, seated victoriously at the right hand of the Father. But He is also the Conqueror “within,” for the Spirit of the Conqueror has been given to us. Do we see and grasp the significance of this fact?
Where do we begin in our consideration of living BY and WITH the Conqueror? The Lord Jesus has declared Himself to be “the Alpha, and the Omega, the beginning and the end.” We thus begin with HIM, and the finished work on Calvary. If we would learn to appropriate rightly and well this blessed Conqueror, His strength and power, his patient endurance, and overcoming resolve, then we must see, understand, and grasp certain truths from God’s perspective. We begin with the great “ending,” when Jesus said on the cross, “It is finished.” What was finished, accomplished? It was the perfect work of God, by which a sinful soul could be saved from the judgement of sin, the power of Satan, and the deplorable domination of self. It was a “way” that was conceived in the heart and mind of God, before the world began, and realized with perfection and completeness, howbeit at incalculable cost in suffering and sorrow to the Father who gave the Son to die, and the Son, who took upon Himself the sins and judgment for those sins, of the whole world. What then was the essence and means of such a “conquering” work?
Christ the Conqueror, identifying Himself totally and perfectly, with our need, took upon Himself “all” sin, the basis for all judgement, and basis for being enslaved by Satan. He overcame all temptation to turn aside from this mission, was willing to suffer in every conceivable way with regard to rejection, misunderstanding, excruciating physical pain, and eventually, the ultimate suffering of separation from His Father. He never ceased to trust and obey. His devotion, and faithful, perfect life, proves the veracity of His OVERCOMING strength, both to be an inspiration to us, but also, a call to participate in it. Jesus told His disciples before He ascended into heaven, that He would be with them, “I WILL come to you.” He goes a step farther in telling them, concerning the Spirit of God, “…He dwells WITH you, and shall be IN you.” (Jn. 14:17) Paul’s grasp of this reality, that of “Christ dwelling in us by faith,” is revealed by his words: “Now thanks be to God, which ALWAYS causes us to triumph in Christ.” (2 Cor. 2:14) He writes to the Christians in Rome, “In all these things, we ARE more than conquerors THROUGH Him that loved us.” (8:37) How is it that the glorified Christ in the first chapters of the book of the Revelation calls every believer of each of the seven churches to be an over-comer? It is because the work of Christ has been finished, sins have been paid for and dealt with, and the believer has been placed in union with, the very LIFE of the Conqueror, the great OVER-COMER. Now, each believer is called upon to believe God according to His word, going forth in faith to “reign in life,” and overcome every enemy by virtue of Christ’s victorious life.
Dear Father, give us to see and understand that we are called to live by the life of the Conqueror, by His Spirit. Grant us the vision of this reality, and the strength to lay hold on Thee for its realization today, where we live. Fill us to the full with Thy Spirit, strengthening us to overcome all day long. We praise and thank Thee, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad