LIVING A VICTORIOUS CHRISTIAN LIFE – PART THREE

Friends, we are back, hopefully to conclude the message on: Living A Victorious Christian Life. This is the third message on it.

Earlier, we had tried to answer the question: who is a Christian? And then, what does the Christian need to gain victory over?

We found out that the word, victory, implies a conflict, a struggle, a fight – with an enemy or enemies. And we found out that the Christian has enemies. We identified those enemies as: self, sin and Satan; all three working together to deny the Christian victory.

We read three short scriptures, which I’m not going to read now, because we will come to those scriptures as we try to conclude.

But let’s go ahead and pray, and then we will answer the questions: why is it necessary for a Christian to live victoriously or to live a victorious life; and how can that victory be gained or won?

PRAYER:

Father, we want again to obtain Your permission, as we explore this important topic; and also, not only a permission, but Your help; that we may gain knowledge that we would put into practice to live victoriously; for that is the life that pleases You. Help us, O God, we pray in Jesus Name. Amen!

Why is it necessary for a Christian to live a victorious life? Why is victorious Christian living desirable?

Let me start with what an Irish Evangelist (his name is Gipsy Smith) once said. Gipsy Smith said, “There are five Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and the Christian,” And he continues, “And some people will never read the first four.” Which means, the only one they would read is the fifth Gospel: the Christian. You see why living a victorious Christian life is imperative for the Christian?

– Because those who do not know Christ will read you. And that is what would determine whether they would come to Christ or not.

Secondly, the alternative to living a victorious life is living in sin; and sin in the life of a Christian is worse than sin in the life of the non-Christian. You will say why? How? Sin, in the life of a non-Christian, is natural. He cannot help it. But sin, in the life of a Christian, is unnatural. It’s like the difference between a sheep and a pig. It is unnatural for a sheep to wallow in the gutter; but it is natural for a pig. That is a comfortable habitat as it were.

Thirdly, sin scandalizes God and God’s people. God said to King David, when he sinned with Bathsheba – God said:

2 Samuel 12:14

…by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme.

And the Apostle Paul says also in,

Romans 2:24 – to the Jews who would not keep the Law though they know the Law.

He says:

Romans 2:24

²⁴ For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,”

The sorrows of sin outlasts its pleasures: for the momentary pleasure that David had with Bathsheba – he had sorrow upon sorrow for a long time to come.

And finally, sin is very dangerous. The danger is expressed in this observation by one servant of God. He says: Sin would take you farther than you would want to go.

Here, it is only a kiss; it is only a hug. But it takes you farther….and before you know it you have fallen into fornication or adultery. And sin will keep you longer than you would want to stay.

It is just a glass; it is just a sip – and then you become an alcoholic; and then sin would cost you much more than you can ever pay. And the cost may be so high that you end up in hell.

How can a Christian live a victorious life? Let us now go back to those scriptures that we read – revisit them in:

Romans 8:37

³⁷ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

1 Corinthians 15:57

⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 2:14

¹⁴ Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

When you gain victory, the fragrance of the knowledge of God is diffused to every place.

Romans 8:37 – we – over conquer. That’s the literal meaning in the Greek: through Jesus Christ the one who loved us.

1 Corinthians 15:57 – God gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 2:14 – God always leads us in triumph: triumph for possession in Christ.

So you see then, or we conclude that victorious Christian living is only through Jesus Christ. Only through Jesus Christ! But you say, how?

In Colossians 1:27, the bible says: that Christ in the believer is the hope of glory.

The glory in question is not just heaven. God made man in his glorious image and likeness. This glory was lost when man fell into sin. And that’s why Romans 3:27 says:

Romans 3:23

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

Falling short or to come short of the glory of God! The indwelling presence of Christ is the only way man can be restored to the glorious image and likeness of Jesus Christ. And when you are restored to that glorious image and you reflect it, you are living a victorious Christian life – and it is only through Christ. Christ within must be the Christ expressed – which is what victorious Christian living is all about.

But what is the role of the Holy Spirit in all of these, you may ask me. Christ within is the Holy Spirit who represents Him, is the Holy Spirit who resides in you, whom He sent on the Day of Pentecost.

If you recall what Jesus said in John 7:37-39 – interesting:

³⁷ On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. ³⁸ He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

And there is a commentary attached to this: in verse 39. Verse 39 is the commentary, because verse 39 says:

³⁹ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit [Holy Spirit], whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

So it’s the Holy Spirit who is in you, representing Jesus Christ. When we let Him flow out we experience a life of victory over the trinity of enemies: self, sin and Satan. Letting Christ flow out is what a life of dependence is about. And prayer is the expression of dependence. In other words, anyone who would not live dependently on the Holy Spirit would never know victory over self, sin and Satan. And the most effective form of prayer for victorious Christian living is mental prayer, otherwise known as meditation.

Many Christians are familiar only with what I call: punctuated prayer – punctuated in the sense that it is prayer at intervals; and sometimes the interval may be as long as twelve hours or even twenty-four hours. That will not cut it. What the bible recommends is ceaseless prayer. That’s what the scripture recommends – 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

And meditation is what explains this ceaseless prayer best. To underscore the place of mental prayer in victorious Christian living, one Roman Catholic, Cardinal Bellarmine, said: “for him who neglects meditation, it is morally impossible to live without sin.”

The prayerless Christian, who is not praying constantly, who is not praying ceaselessly, cannot live victorious – cannot but live in sin. It is possible to live a victorious Christina life, friend. It is possible. But you have to know your enemies, identify your enemies; and you have to live dependently upon Christ or upon the Holy Spirit who represents Christ in you. The victory is already won. The life of Christ is a victorious life, already.

Beloveth Christian, never forget that there are five Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and you. And some people would never read the first four.

PRAYER:

We’ve come to the end of our discussion, Dear Lord. As the voice of a man is silent now, I trust that the voice of the Holy Spirit will continue to speak to my friends, helping them to gain victory over self, sin and satan, and thereby glorifying Your Name, and attracting many to the Saviour. This is why You have left us on Earth. Grant this, Father, in Jesus Name we pray. Amen!