A Conquering Church

Adrian Rogers was a motivator, an encourager, and a leader of the faith. He was also passionate about presenting scriptural application to everyday life circumstances, and you'll hear that in today's message.

Now, let's join Adrian Rogers. Be finding the book of Genesis chapter one, and put a bookmark there if you would, and then turn to Ephesians chapter two. We've been in a series of messages, milestones, and new horizons. I've been thinking about the kind of a church that I have endeavored to teach this church to be, and the kind of a church that I want it to be, the church that as we look back on the past, we see our endeavors.

As we look forward, we see our hopes. I've talked to you about a unified church. I've talked to you about a steadfast church.

I've talked to you about a praying church and other things like that. Today, I want to talk to you about a church of conquest, a conquering church. God's plan for Bellevue is that we move forward, not backward.

God's plan for you is that you be victorious day by day. Now, why did God make man in the first place? God made man to have dominion. God made man to have victory. God made man to have mastery. Look in Genesis chapter one in verse 26, and God said, let us make man in our image after our likeness and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. When God made Adam and Eve, he made them king and queen of his domain and God gave them rule. David in the Psalm said the same thing. Put in your margin, Psalm 8 and verse 6, thou made us tend to have dominion over the works of thy hands. Thou has put all things under his feet. That was God's plan. That's why God made man.

He was made for mastery. Do you think that is being true today? Read any newspaper, see the rape, the murder, the war, the riots, the famine, the disaster, the heartache, the tears, the fears, the failures of mankind. Man given dominion has lost that dominion. We're going to look at how it was lost and how our dear Lord has bought it back for us and given it to every Bible believing church and to every spirit filled Christian that we might live and walk in victory.

Three things I want to lay upon your heart. Now go to Ephesians with me and I want you to see what happened to this dominion. First of all, I want you to see that this dominion was legally lost by Adam.

Now underscore the word legally. Legally lost by Adam. Now look if you will in Ephesians chapter 2 verses 1 and 2, and you hath he quickened, that literally means were made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sin. Wherein in time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.

Did you see that? The prince of the power of the air, the spirit that works in the children of disobedience. There's a dark malevolent force at work in the world today and you can look around and see it is the power of Satan.

Now how did this come to pass? Well Satan is a created being. He's not co-equal or co-eternal with God the father. God created him.

A perfect angel. The highest of the high. He was the vice regent in heaven. He received worship and passed it on to the father. He was like a high priest. But the Bible says that he fell by the multitude of his merchandise.

That is what passed through his hands began to stick to his fingers. He took this praise and looked at it and said, you know, I ought to have some of that. I'm too great, too strong, too wise, too beautiful not to be worshiped.

I will be like the most high. And Lucifer, the son of the morning became Satan, the father of the night. And no sooner had he unsheathed his sword of rebellion against almighty God than the thunders of Jehovah's wrath came down the corridors of heaven. And Satan was banished from heaven. He fell from heaven and a third of the angels fell with him and became demon spirits. Now Satan, having lost the battle in heaven, comes to this earth hoping to win the battle on earth, failing to enshrine himself in heaven.

He wants to enshrine himself here upon this earth and receive worship from humankind because it has always been his dark, devilish motive to be worshipped. And so Adam was conned, seduced by Satan to turn it all over to Satan. Now you see, God gave to Adam dominion.

And when God gave it, he gave it. Just as Lucifer had a will, Adam had a will. And so God gave to Adam and Eve this dominion. And since it was given, it legally belonged to Adam. And Adam legally turned it over to Satan. Now it was a stupid thing that Adam did. Sure, Satan beguiled him.

Surely Satan tempted him, but nonetheless, Adam was guilty by turning the dominion, the rule, the authority that God had given him over to Satan. I have a friend whose father gave him, when he was in college, a brand new automobile. You know, it's an amazing thing these college kids think they need new cars. One boy said to his dad, he said, dad, all the kids have a new car except me. Dad said, well, all right, bought him a new car and then went to see him. He said, son, what about all these older cars on the parking lot?

Boy said, those belong to the teachers. My friend's son gave him a brand new automobile. And since the father gave it to him, it was legally his. Do you know what that boy did? He gave it to another college student, gave it to him. Now, if you were his dad, I don't know how you'd feel.

I think I know how I would feel if I gave my son a car and he gave it to somebody else. God gave Adam dominion and Adam turned it over to Satan. It was legally given and it was legally lost. Now, how did Adam turn it over to Satan?

What happened? Well, Adam, rather than obeying God, disobeyed God and began to obey Satan. And when he did, he became Satan's slave. Here's a key verse, Romans chapter six and verse 16. And know you not that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are, literally means his slaves you are, to whom you obey. Whether of sin under death or obedience under righteousness. Now, some people say, no, God still is the God of this world. No, he's not. Satan is the God of this world.

Put it down. Second Corinthians chapter four and verse four, in whom the God of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not. Lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ who is in the image of God should shine under them.

It's very interesting. You know, I'm preaching every Sunday to some people who are blind and they've been blinded by Satan who is the God of this world. And that's the reason that we need to pray that God will open eyes that they might see, that they might understand. Satan now is called the God of this world. Adam had dominion. He gave it to Satan. Satan tempted Jesus to worship him. The Bible tells us in Luke chapter four that Satan took Jesus up to a high mountain and in a moment showed him all of the kingdoms of the world. And he said to the Son of God, Look, all of this I will give you if you will bow down and worship me. Now Jesus said, It is written thou shalt worship the Lord God and him only. But that's not the point right now.

We'll get to that in a moment. The point right now is Jesus did not say it is not yours to give. Jesus recognized that it was now dominion that was legally held by Satan.

The apostle Paul calls him the God of this world. And he had that dominion that Adam gave to him and he offered to give to the Lord Jesus Christ. So the first thing I want you to notice, this dominion was legally lost by a man whose name was Adam. Second thing, this dominion was rightfully and may I say righteously regained by another man, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now God's mighty plan was to righteously and legally take back Adam's lost estate and give it to the sons and the daughters of men. But now listen very carefully church. It was legally lost.

It must be legally restored. Now God is God. We all know that. God can do anything he wishes to do. God could have just stepped in and said, Satan, be gone. I obliterate you and I take back everything that Adam delivered unto you. And now I'm going to give it to a new race of people. You're gone. I'm starting all over again.

Wash my hands of you. He could do that, but why didn't he do that? Because God is true to his own justice. God owes Satan nothing, but God owes to himself very much and God owes to himself that sense of righteousness and justice.

And if God had simply dismissed Satan, sin would have ultimately won even though God just simply dismissed him. Now God has a plan to get back what Adam lost and God's plan is centered in a man. Now dominion was given to a man.

Dominion was lost by man and dominion must be regained by man. And so God says, who can regain what Adam lost? Well, none of the sons of men can do that because all of the sons of Adam have the sinful nature of Adam and a sinner can redeem no one. He's a sinner himself.

He can offer no innocent sacrifice. And besides that, the men of this world and the women of this world since Adam were born slaves. Slaves of Satan. And you see the sons and daughters of a slave are slaves themselves. And no son of Adam, sinner and slave could redeem mankind. And yet the redeemer must be a man. This is the reason for Christmas that God became a man. Jesus Christ, who had dwelt from all eternity in the bosom of the father, the eternal son with the eternal father, stepped out of the ivory palaces, came into this world of woe, became a man that he might redeem us.

Now listen, don't miss it. It's so important that you understand this, that Jesus did not redeem us as God, but he redeemed us as man. Let me give you some scriptures that make that very clear. First Corinthians chapter 15 verses 21 and 22. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. You say, who's Adam? I didn't vote for him.

Why should what he did affect me? Well, friend, if there'd been no Adam, there wouldn't be any you. We're tied up in Adam. The Bible really only recognizes two men, Adam and his progeny, and Jesus and his progeny. Those who are in Adam and those who are in Christ. Now in Adam all die, in Christ all will be made alive. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

Do you get the emphasis by man? Now put down Hebrews chapter two and verse 14. For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same.

The children, that's us. He refers to Jesus. We are flesh and blood. He took part of flesh and blood that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, the devil. Now God in spirit form could never die. In order for God to die, God must become a man. In order for Jesus to pay the full penalty of sin, nullify Satan's claim, there had to be a death of a sinless sacrifice. And Jesus through death destroyed him that had the power of death.

In order to die, Jesus had to become a man that he might destroy him that has the power of death, that is the devil. Another scripture. All of these now are dealing with the humanity of Jesus Christ. Even so we, well, this is Galatians four, verses three through five. Even so we, when we were children, we're in bondage and we weren't made to be in bondage. We were made to be masters, but we were in bondage under the elements of the world.

We were created to be over, not under, but here we are in bondage and under. But look in verse four, but when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his son made of a woman. He had a human birth made of a woman, but now listen to this, made under the law. God, my friend, is going to legally regain what Satan legally turned over. And the Bible says he was made of a woman made under the law to redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Jesus in plain English was born of a virgin that we might be born again. Now Satan, when he saw the second Adam come, realized that his kingdom is threatened, that the second Adam has come to undo and to buy back what the first Adam did and lost. And so Satan gathers all of the artillery of hell to aim it on this second man, this Lord from heaven to get him to sin because if Satan can get him to sin, he has won the victory. And so Satan now marshals all of the artillery of hell against the Lord Jesus Christ to tempt him to get him to sin. Now I remind you one more time that when Satan came against Jesus, Jesus could have said, look, Satan, you don't have any authority over me.

I don't have to worry about your temptation. I'm not only a man, but I'm also God, as much God as if I were not man at all. And as God, I banish you. But he didn't do that. Why didn't he do that? Because he could not defeat Satan as God and be true to his own law. He had to defeat Satan as man and be true to his justice, was lost by man, was given to a man, lost by man and must be regained by man. And so the Lord Jesus Christ comes to this earth and there is a battle and that battle is a battle to get the Lord Jesus Christ into sin and I want you to notice this battle as it goes. First of all, there was the wilderness temptation. Jesus is baptized.

He begins his public ministry at the age of 30. Luke chapter four tells us that he was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted to be tested by Satan. It's all a part of God's plan. Jesus is not running from the battle. And then the Bible says, I think a great understatement, afterward he hungered.

40 days and 40 nights, yes, I suppose so. And Satan comes to him in this weakened condition. Satan comes to Jesus with a temptation. He said, look, if you're the son of God, command these stones that they be made bread. I've been to Israel many times and I've seen those stones that look exactly like a loaf of baked bread round and brown. Command these stones that they be made bread. And Jesus answered, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

And what did Jesus do? He unsheathed the sword of the word of God and he ran Satan through. Satan wounded comes back again with another temptation.

Satan says, come up here. Let me show you the kingdoms of this world. I'll give them all to you. If you'll bow down and worship me, you came to be a king.

Take the easy way. You can have it all. Just worship me. Jesus unsheathed the sword again from the book of Deuteronomy.

I have an idea. He must've been doing his devotions in the book of Deuteronomy. He said, it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God only and him shall thou serve. Satan recoils again.

He comes back the third time. He said, why don't you go up there to the pinnacle of the temple and jump off? And the angels will come and bear you down and you come floating into the court of the temple and everybody will think you're the Messiah. You don't have to go to the cross.

Just jump off and God will protect you lest you strike a stone with your foot. Jesus said, it is written, you shall not tempt the Lord your God. Three times Jesus ran him through with the sword of the word of God. Now, the important thing for you to understand is this, that Luke 4 verse 1 says he was led of the spirit, filled with the spirit, anointed by the spirit in the wilderness. Number two, that he used the word of God over and over and over again.

Why is that so important? Because Jesus did not defeat Satan as God would defeat Satan. He defeated Satan as man should defeat Satan. The same weapons that Jesus used in the wilderness were the weapons that were available to Adam in the garden.

What were they? The spirit of God and the word of God. Jesus filled with the spirit, taking the word of God, won that victory. Over Satan. Now the Bible says that Satan withdrew for a more opportune time. The battle was not over. Satan did not give up easily.

He waited. The most opportune time that he saw next was dark, bloody Gethsemane. I say bloody Gethsemane. There was blood before the cross. Jesus was in such agony in dark Gethsemane that his sweat came as great drops of blood. You will not understand Gethsemane unless you understand the humanity of Jesus.

Jesus is praying. The Bible says in agony. In Bible times, the Agon was a battle.

It's where we get our word agony. All of the forces of hell were battering against the Lord Jesus there in Gethsemane. Metaphorically, there was a cup, and that cup was being pressed to the lips of the Lord Jesus for him to drink. What was in that cup? Sin was in that cup.

Rape, murder, perversion, child abuse, pillage, arson, blasphemy, idolatry, rebellion. It was all in that cup. Your sin, my sin, their sin, all the sins that ever have been, all the sins that ever will be were in that cup. And Jesus was to drink that cup.

Why? Because God had made him to be sin for us, not a sinner, but sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. It was part of God's plan that Jesus would take our sin, carry our sin to the cross, on the cross, with his rich, red, royal blood, pay the penalty for our sin.

But without shedding of blood, there's no remission. Adam got us into a mess. The second Adam came to get us out and see Jesus with black dirt and red blood caked on his face. Oh, Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. You see, had Jesus taken that cup, Jesus would not only be taking our sin, but Jesus himself would become the object of the Father's wrath.

Almighty God would pour out upon his dear son, his wrath and his righteous judgment and the punishment for sin would be on Jesus. And Jesus said, I don't want to do it. I don't want to do it.

Does that bother you? Friend, listen, I'm glad it was this way. I'm glad that Jesus said, please let this cup pass from me because that shows his humanity.

Don't get the idea it was easy, that he's just God, just going through the cross and saying, you can't hurt me. No. Oh, God, no. God, no.

Is there some other way? And silence from heaven said, there's no other way. And Jesus said, nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done. Friend, your destiny hangs on that word, nevertheless. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done. And Satan is defeated again and he shrinks back.

The third round comes in this battle. It's Calvary. The hounds of hell now are baying after Jesus, driving him to the cross. Surely he will turn his back now. Surely he will not allow himself to be put on the cross. Surely he can call 12 legions of angels and they will come and save him.

They laughed at him when he was on the cross and said he saved others. Himself he cannot save, but they were wrong. Friend, it was himself he would not save. He said, no man taketh my life from me.

I lay it down on myself. The only man that Jesus ever refused to save was himself. And Jesus in agony and blood bowed his head, paid the price and said to Telestai, it is finished, it is paid in full.

Satan's back was broken, but he doesn't give up yet. They took the Lord Jesus Christ and put him in the grave and Pilate said, make it as sure as you can. And they put the seal of the Roman government on it.

They rolled a stone in front of it and nature made it as sure as she could. And then death wrapped the son of God in the chains of death and made it as sure as death could. The proud Pharisees said he's dead and sneering Sadducees said he is dead and delighted demons said he's dead. But three days later, the son of God woke up, stretched, took off the grave clothes, put his heel on the neck of death, pulled the sting out of death, took the crown of death and put it on his head and walked out of that grave.

But it's not over yet. Jesus then went down into the netherworld to declare that the battle had been won. And Satan said, oh, oh, don't let him ascend and present the blood in the glory. But the grave could not hold him. The netherworld could not keep him. And Jesus ascended the high hills of glory and there in the tabernacle, not pitched by men, but by God, took the precious blood and offered it there and then sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high.

How did he do this? As a sinless man. He was God. I'm not diminishing his deity.

Be careful you don't diminish his humanity or you miss the whole thing. That he as man brought back what a man had lost. And now he is seated in the heavens. When he comes again, you'll see the nail prints in his hand.

You know what that tells me? Once he became a man, he is forever man. He didn't become a man and then lay it aside.

When he took human flesh forever and ever and ever and ever, he is a man. What love that he became one like us that he might redeem us. Now the third and final thing I want you to see and very quickly, I want you to see what I'm going to call the dominion that is now gloriously given to the church. Look, if you will, here in Ephesians again, chapter 1 verses 22 and 23, the Bible says, and God has put all things under his feet and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.

I have a feeling that I need to back up and go to verse 17. Paul is praying. He says, oh, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of glory may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation and the knowledge of him.

Paul says, oh church, don't miss this. Have the spirit of wisdom and revelation and the knowledge of him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you might know what is the hope of his calling and the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe according to the working of his mighty power. Look at it, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at its own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come and has put all things under his feet and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.

Skip over to chapter two, verse six. And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. When God raised up Christ, he raised up you. You see, Jesus by death destroyed him that had the power of death. And now he is seated in the heavenlies, far above all principalities and powers that ever were. He is there living, risen, victorious and guess who's there with him?

You are. Well, you make me sound like an egomaniac if I say I am. Well, friend, I'll tell you, you are spiritually dull if you say you're not. Understand, friend, that his death, burial, resurrection had your name on it. I want to ask you a question. Has Jesus ascended? Have you ascended?

Let me ask you another question. Does Jesus have all power? Do you have all power? Now, word power means authority.

Doesn't mean that you can fly through the air or walk on water. Authority. Were demons subject to Jesus?

Are they subject to you? Well, friend, you've got to learn this. You've got to learn this. The devil doesn't want you to learn this. One demon said to another demon, if those liberal theologians really ever let Jesus Christ out of that grave, hell help us.

All heaven will break loose. You see, Paul is saying, oh, God, open our eyes. Oh, God, help them to see it.

Oh, God, give them understanding that they have been co-crucified, co-buried, co-raised, co-ascended, and co-seated with Jesus in the heavenlies, and dominion has been given back to them. Now, friend, let me tell you this, and I want you to understand it. Listen from my heart. If you don't have dominion, if you're not living in dominion, dominion is not because the devil is so powerful. Listen, Satan has no power over you. None does he have over you, none. Jesus said, I give you authority over all the power of the enemy, all, all, all, all.

Now, you say, then why don't I have it? Paul said, oh, God, open their eyes. Oh, God, give them the wisdom of understanding that they might know what they have in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Adam lost it. Jesus, as a man, brought it back, and now he has given it back to you through his cross. If you're saved and you've not been living in victory, confess it. That doesn't mean you'll not have pain and sickness and sorrow and disappointment.

You're not to be victorious from these things, but in these things. We're still waiting the redemption of the body, but Satan has no power over you, and if you've been living in failure, it's either because there's willful sin or terrible ignorance, and ask God to help you to be victorious. Now, if you're not yet saved, aren't you tired of being Satan's plaything? Aren't you tired of being a slave to Satan when Jesus has set you free? The fact that Jesus undid what Adam did does you no good at all unless you accept it or receive it.

When Abraham Lincoln made the Emancipation Proclamation, there were still some slaves, A, some who'd never heard of it, and B, who heard of it but couldn't believe it, and others who just decided they were going to stay a new master anyway. Friend, it does you no good until you believe it, receive it, and take a new master, the Lord Jesus Christ. Either you are in Adam, a slave of Satan, or you are in Christ. Would you like to be in Christ?

Pray and ask Him to come into your heart. Say, Lord, I'm a sinner. I cannot save or redeem myself. Lord Jesus, You died to save me. You promised to save me if I would trust You.

I do trust You, Lord Jesus. I receive You now as my Lord and Savior. Father, I pray that many will pray that prayer. Lord, as we give this invitation, that many will come, O Lord, in the strong name of Jesus. Amen. If you would like to learn more about how you can know Jesus or deepen your relationship with Him, simply click the Discover Jesus link on our website, lwf.org. For a copy of this message or additional resources, visit our online store at lwf.org or call 1-800-274-5683. Thank you.