More Than Conquerors

Cosmic Warfare & the Church

‘Conquering’ is __________ ?

Has Mount Everest been ‘conquered’?

Were the Nazis’ “conquered” at D-Day?

What follows…

• Jesus @ War

• The World @ War

• The Church (and You!) @ War

“The Son of God appeared for this

purpose: To destroy the works of the Devil.”

1 John 3:8

The First Battlein the Wilderness

Jesus has “over-powered the strong man”(Lk 11:21-22)

“If I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come

to you.

 21When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. 22But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes

away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils.”

Luke 11:21-22

Storm the gates of hell! (Matt 16:18-19)

“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my

church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the

keys of the kingdom of heaven; Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you

loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

Matthew 16:18-19

Healings and exorcism

“On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11and a woman was there

who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could

not straighten up at all…Then (Jesus) put his hands on her, and immediately she

straightened up and praised God.  

“16Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for

eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?"

Luke 13:11-16

Miracle Type Mark Matt Luke John

In all four gospels          

1. Feeding of 5,000 nature 6.35f 14.15f 9.12f 6.5f

In three gospels          

2. Walking on water nature 6.48f 14.25f   6.19f

3. Peter's mother-in-law healing 1.30f 8.14f 4.38f  

4. Man with leprosy healing 1.40f 8.24f 5.12f  

5. Paralyzed man healing 2.3f 9.2f 5.18f  

6. Man with shriveled hand healing 3.1f 12.10f 6.6f  

7. Calming the storm nature 4.37f 8.23f 8.22f  

8. Gadarene Demoniac(s) exorcism 5.1f 8.28f 8.27f  

9. Raising Jairus' daughter revivification 5.22f 9.18f 8.41f  

10. Hemorrhaging woman healing 5.25f 9.20f 8.43f  

11. Demon-possessed boy exorcism 9.17f 17.14f 9.38f  

12. Two blind men healing 10.46f 20.29f 18.35f  

27. Crippled woman healing     13.11f  

28. Man with dropsy healing     14.1f  

29. Ten men with leprosy healing@distance     17.11f  

30. High Priest's servant healing     22.50f  

Miracle Type Mark Matt Luke John

In two gospels (Mark, Matt)          

13. Canaanite woman's daughter exorcism@distance 7.24f 15.21f    

14. Feeding of 4,000 nature 8.1f 15.32f    

15. Fig tree withered nature 11.12f 21.18f    

In two gospels (Mark, Luke)          

16. Possessed man in synagogue exorcism 1.23f   4.33f  

In two gospels (Matt, Luke=Q?)          

17. Roman Centurion's servant healing@distance   8.5f 7.1f  

18. Blind, Mute, and Possessed man exorcism   12.22 11.14  

Only in one gospel (Mark)          

19. Deaf mute healing 7.31f      

20. Blind man at Bethsaida healing 8.22f      

Miracle Type Mark Matt Luke John

Only in one gospel (Matt)          

21. Two blind men healing   9.27f    

22. Mute and possessed man exorcism   9.32f    

23. Coin in fish's mouth precognition/nature?   17.24f    

Only in one gospel (Luke)          

24. First catch of fish precognition/nature?     5.1f  

25. Raising Widow's son at Nain revivification     7.11f  

26. Exorcism of Mary Magdalene exorcism     8.2  

27. Crippled woman healing     13.11f  

28. Man with dropsy healing     14.1f  

29. Ten men with leprosy healing@distance     17.11f  

30. High Priest's servant healing     22.50f  

Only in one gospel (John)          

31. Wine miracle at Cana nature       2.1f

32. Official's son at Capernaum healing@distance       4.46f

33. Sick man at Pool of Bethesda healing       5.1f

34. Healing of the Blind Man healing       9.1f

35. Raising Lazarus revivification       11.1f

36. Second catch of fish precognition/nature?       21.1f

“I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven!”(Lk 10;18)

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed

the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those

who are disobedient

Ephesians 2:2

It’s a war between worlds!

What this ‘means’…

• There are casualties of war

• There is no ‘neutral ground’

• Things are not always ‘fair’

• Victory doesn’t just ‘happen’ – we have to fight for it (duh)

• We should stop asking, “Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?”

“Good people” should expect bad things!

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this

world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

“Behold, I make all things new” (Rev 21:5)

“The process of redemption is not concerned simply with the

reformation of the moral person…but (also) the

extension of the benefits of divine victory to all parts of the

created order.”

Colin Gunton, Actuality of Atonement

We live in a state of tension…

• Rom 16:20• Rev 21:1• Eph 1:23• Col 1:16-20• Phil 2:9-11, 3:21• 1 Jn 3:8, 4:4, 5:4-5

• 2 Thess 3:2-3• Matt 6:13• 1 Tim 4:1-7• 1 Cor 4:4-6• 1 Thess 2:18• 1 Jn 5:19• 2 Cor 4:4• Eph 2:2, 6:12• 1 Pet 5:8

Certain Victory On-Going Battle

“…everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome

the world, even our faith.

Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes

that Jesus is the Son of God.”

1 John 5:4-5

Your heart is a battleground…

We are

more than conquerors through Christ when we…

Forgive one another

(2 Cor 2:10-11)

“I have forgiven you in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that

Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware

of his schemes.”

2 Cor 2:10-11

Resist the temptation Resist the temptation to violenceto violence (of (of allall kinds) kinds)

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil

with good.”

Romans 12:21

Build bridges of love (1 Cor 9:20)

“To the Jew I have become like a Jew…”

1 Cor 9:20

Pray unceasingly ‘on all occasions’ (Eph 6:18)

Civilian Soldier

Afraid to talk about Jesus(Passive Religion)

Brags about Jesus via actions

(Aggressive Spirituality)

Stick to the cool and smart

Search out the ‘un-cool’ and needy

Speaks Judgment Plots Goodness

“Do I have to go to church?”

“Do they have to go to church to see

God?”

Guilt and Tension“Have I been sinning?”

Love and Liberty!“Have they been feeling

loved?”

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.” Rev 21:1

Love our Planet,

Cherish our World

(John 3:16)

Offer hope to the hopeless,

inclusion to the outcasts