Jesus: The Conqueror

I. What do Darius the Great, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Napoleon, Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun, and Jesus have in common? They are the greatest conquerors that the world has known. Some might think it strange to list Jesus with these men but it is not, for He is the greatest conqueror of all. He withstood the greatest enemy earth has ever known and continues to bring people into his kingdom.

II. The world needed a conqueror like Jesus. In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, He declared everything was “very good,” Genesis 1:31. Soon, Satan entered the Garden of Eden and led Adam and Eve away from God, introducing sin and death into the world and disrupting the “very good” creation.

III. From that terrible beginning, the devil has been the enemy of humanity . John describes him as the “serpent of old who deceives the whole world” in Revelation 12:9. 1 Peter 5:8 describes him as a “roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.” The devil is also a conqueror who takes captives by deceit, 2 Timothy 2:25-26. Those who sin belong to him, “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning,” 1 John 3:8. His kingdom is full of darkness, deceit, and bitterness. Satan promises many pleasures but it is simply bait to lure the unsuspecting soul into destruction.

IV. Sadly, our sins brought us under Satan’s control , Romans 5:12. Through sin, he held the power of death over our heads, Hebrews 2:14-15. Without Jesus, we would be without hope for no person or multitude of people could overcome the power of sin and death held by the devil. Into this hopeless situation, Jesus came to defeat Satan and deliver us from sin and death.

V. Jesus did not enter the world unopposed. Revelation 12:1-5 describes Satan as waiting for Jesus to be born so he could destroy Him. The woman, who represented God’s people, brought forth Jesus and God protected Him from Satan. We clearly see this in Matthew 2:1-18 (do not read) describes Herod’s attempt to kill all of the male babies under two years old to kill the rival king who was born in his province. Satan tempted Jesus before His ministry, in Matthew 4, and tried to thwart God’s plan throughout Jesus’ life. Satan could never overcome Jesus, either by force or deceit.

VI. Sin

VII. Jesus defeated Satan’s power of sin. As studied before, Satan introduced sin in the Garden of Eden and separated man from God. Yet even in this dark hour, there was hope of sin’s defeat. Genesis 3:13:15. There would be enmity, or mutual hatred, between the seed of man and Satan: between Jesus and Satan. Satan would strike Jesus but the wound would not be fatal; however, Jesus would crush Satan with a deadly blow.

VIII. Jesus was born to save men from sin. In Matthew 1:21, Gabriel told Mary, “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” As God, Jesus had the power to forgive sins. Through His sacrifice on the cross, Jesus paid the penalty due for sin for all men, Isaiah 53:3-6. Jesus offered His blood, which could take away sin, so that we would no longer be separated from God, Hebrews 10:1-14. After conquering sin, Jesus sat on His throne on high, Hebrews 1:1-4.

IX. Death

X. When Satan introduced sin into the world, death as punishment for sin was also introduced, Genesis 3:1-4; 19. As with sin, no man could conquer the power of death; all were subject to its power.

XI. Hosea 13:14, foretold the hope of death’s defeat . In Hebrews 2:14-15, we learn that when Jesus lived as a man, died and was resurrected, he conquered Satan and took the power of death from him, Revelation 1:18, “And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.”

XII. Death could not hold Jesus, Acts 2:22-31. Jesus, reigning at God’s right hand holding the key of death, will rule until the end when He empties Hades of all its dead, thus conquering death once and for all, 1 Corinthians 15:20-26.

XIII. Restoration

XIV. When Satan introduced sin and death, he polluted a creation that was “very good.” Not only did Jesus conquer sin and death but He will restore all things so that they are once again “very good.” However, this restoration will not take place on earth but in heaven.

XV. In Acts 3:19-21, Peter preached repentance in Christ, the source of our hope of refreshing times from the Lord. Peter preached that Jesus must be in heaven until the restoration of all things. Remember, in 1 Corinthians 15, Jesus would reign until death was conquered and He returned the kingdom to God. This kingdom would come after the destruction of this world, 2 Peter 3:1-13.

XVI. Revelation 21:1-8 and 22:1-5 describe the new heavens and earth as a place of unspeakable joy untainted by the filth of sin. God dwells in harmony with His people in this wonderful home. The pain introduced in Genesis 3 is gone. The curse of sin is removed and the Tree of Life, which was taken from man in Genesis 3, is restored.

XVII. When Jesus conquered Satan, He destroyed the power of sin and death and restored the home that Satan destroyed.

XVIII. What does it mean for us?

XIX. Through Jesus, we can conquer the power of sin in our lives. Isaiah 53:10-12 tells us that when we obey the gospel, Jesus’ sacrifice is not in vain; we continue His victory over sin. Romans 6:1-11-Christians should not live in sin when they have been rescued from sin. When we turn back to sin, we treat His sacrifice for us as worthless, Hebrews 6:4-6; 2 Peter 2:20-21.

XX. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, since Jesus conquered death, we can be confident that He will raise us from the dead. Obedience to the gospel leads us to immortality in Jesus, 2 Timothy 1:8-10; Philippians 3:7-11.

XXI. Since Jesus will restore all things, bringing a new home for the children of God, we have hope of living forever with God, Romans 8:18-21. 1 Peter 1:3-9: We have a heavenly inheritance waiting for us so we must endure.

XXII. As Jesus conquered sin and death to restore harmony between God and those who seek Him, we, through Jesus, can conquer any obstacle that stands between us and heaven, Romans 8:31-39. Revelation 19:11-16, pictures Jesus as the conqueror on whose side we must fight.

XXIII. Invitation

XXIV. The great earthly conqueror, Napoleon, said of Jesus:

XXV. I know men; and I tell you that Jesus Christ is not a man. Superficial minds see a resemblance between Christ and the founders of empires, and the gods of other religions. That resemblance does not exist. There is between Christianity and whatever other religions the distance of infinity. … His religion is a revelation from an intelligence which certainly is not that of man. The religion of Christ is a mystery which subsists by its own force, and proceeds from a mind which is not a human mind. We find in it a marked individuality, which originated a train of words and actions unknown before. Jesus is not a philosopher, for His proofs are miracles, and from the first His disciples adored Him. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself founded empires; but upon what foundation did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force! But Jesus Christ founded His upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him. (Federer, W. J. (2001). Great Quotations St. Louis, MO: Ameri Search.)

XXVI. Would you join His army today?