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[ Pause ] [ Music ] [MUSIC - "HOW YOU KNOW MY WAY"] ♪ Then my ways are found ♪

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♪ Many a weary and sad ♪ ♪ Carried of sunshine her dark kisses found ♪ ♪ Making no sorrowing sound ♪ ♪ Many a weary and thirsty ♪

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♪ Make me a blessing ♪ ♪ Out of my life ♪ ♪ Out of my life ♪ ♪ May Jesus shine ♪

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♪ Make me a blessing ♪ ♪ O Savior ♪ ♪ I pray thee, my Savior ♪ ♪ Make me a blessing ♪

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♪ To someone today ♪ ♪ Make me a blessing ♪ ♪ Make me a blessing ♪ ♪ All of my life ♪

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♪ May Jesus shine ♪ ♪ Give me a blessing ♪ ♪ O Savior ♪ ♪ I pray, my Savior ♪

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♪ May he have mercy ♪ ♪ On someone ♪ ♪ Who wept ♪ we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

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For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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We are more than conquerors, more than conquerors. What strong language for combatants in the most powerful struggle that may ever occur any time, anywhere. It is a struggle between light and darkness, between truth and error.

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It is a struggle that has to do with being victorious or defeated. We like to see a good fight. We like to see a good game, especially when the score is very close. We have a game like Dallas and Washington Redskins, a game that was going up and down.

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Spectators are inclined to stay to the very end. But if it's a runaway game, many will leave before the game is over, such as it was with Texas Longhorns and Texas A&M. We'd like to see a close fight.

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But here, the concern is about being more than conquerors. More than conquerors. These are the words that tell the story. Outcome is not close.

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It is decisive more than conquerors. This is one of the most lyrical passages in the scriptures. The apostle Paul soars from mountain peak to mountain peak, Then rises and goes from cloud to cloud when he explores the mysteries of the terrestrial

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and the celestial. He comes to a startling conclusion, reached with specificity and with finality. We are more than conquerors. To conquer is to overcome, to defeat, to win.

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To be more than conquerors is to experience overwhelming victory. in this world overcome by the use of force, use of violence, the use of arms, guns, bombs, and weapons of mass destruction. The conqueror vanishes the antagonist, subdues the enemy,

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defeats the foe. So let us consider some of the great conquerors of human history. Alexander may be listed, but start with Hannibal,

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who was considered great in recognition of his prowess, recognition of the victories that he won. But Alexander the Great was at the age of 20, instrumental in conquering a goodly portion of the world.

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And he not only was successful in that but he came to the end of his life and it is said that he wept because he had no more worlds to conquer. Alexander the Great. I thought he was great when I was growing up and when I read the last of the story,

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Alexander was a broken man when he drew his last breath. His military career was brief. He conquered the then known world, died at the age of 33, and today the city of Alexandra in Africa

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still bears his name. But if we were to look at Hannibal, that powerful Carthaginian general, under the searchlight of these words, "more than conquerors,"

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we would note that Hannibal conquered the Romans, held their forces in obeisance for 10 years. this military leader of Ebony Hill with a hundred thousand soldiers marched victoriously over the Roman world. With 40 elephants he scaled the Alps.

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He frightened the enemy by putting 40 burning torches on the heads of 40 oxen. And at the end, he committed suicide by drinking poison. So he does not, in my opinion, qualify as being more than conquerors.

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But consider that Napoleon, a mediocre military student, ranked 42nd in the class of '58. And he became a celebrated leader and military genius. He conquered the most prominent nations of Europe.

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He invaded Prussia and Russia, but he had to retreat. So he does not measure up to being more than conqueror. But time will not permit us to consider the many candidates for this distinction. Let us consider one more, however, Adolf Hitler.

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Some time ago, Louis Farrakhan was scathingly criticized because he said that Adolf Hitler was a great man. Well, in a sense, Hitler was a great man. He did not call him a good man, but a great man. Hitler deserves to be considered as a powerful leader.

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After the conquest of Germany, he took steps toward the conquest of the world. He experienced remarkable success. But his evil genius brought disaster to Germany, irreparable damage to Europe, and inflicted indescribable suffering to humanity. So he does not deserve to be honored as more than conqueror.

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So is there no one who rightly deserves this honor more than conqueror, more than conqueror? I was impressed when I heard for the first time the poem Invictus and considered the courage that was exemplified in

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that poem, "Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul. Then he goes on to say, "It matters not how straight the gate, how charged with punishment the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul."

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But to me this is a kind of glorified humanism, to say that one is the master of his fate and the captain of his soul. But let's continue to look. Paul, as he goes from mountain peak to mountain peak, I said, and from cloud to cloud,

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He is soaring with poetical eloquence and he talks about what it really means to have this honor of being more than conqueror, more than conqueror. Well, is there one? The answer comes from the balcony of heaven, yes, there's one.

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one for this honor. There is this one who is the bright and morning star. This one who comes to us from the tribe of Judah and he alone is worthy to open the seal of life. He was misunderstood by his countrymen. He was a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief. We esteemed him and we saw that he was smitten of God. He was

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bruised for our iniquities. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was falsely accused and was unjustly condemned. He was crucified and buried and the tomb was sealed, but he got up early on Easter Sunday morning, early, before Pilot filed his case with the court clerk, early, while guards were still sleeping, early, before the Sun and

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the moon began to finish their work or to begin it early. So early that it is not something that we can really understand how it happened. Too early for Alexander the Great, too early for Hannibal, too early for Napoleon, too early for Hitler. I'm talking about one whose love has no equal, love that

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conquers all. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. And as As Paul comes to the close of this chapter, he says that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers, things that are to come, shall be able to separate us

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from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. you get a chance to read that passage just slowly. In other words, what Paul is saying, that no things, nothing, nothing, nothing.

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So, there's so many things that can get in our way and so many things that can trip us up, so many things that can cause us to become weary with well-doing,

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but Paul says nothing, nothing, nothing at all. One of the things that has us disturbed in our country today is that we have some people who come and they're willing to commit suicide.

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They don't count life so dear. We do. But he says, not death, no fear of death, not life, nothing in life to be able to say

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that nothing in this life shall cause you to be separated from the love of God. Oh, so many people become separated for such frivolous reasons.

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- Yeah. - They've been friends for many, many years and something happens, one doesn't pay a debt or one doesn't keep an agreement here

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and they give up the friendship on that basis. But Paul says nothing, nothing, nothing, Nothing whatsoever shall cause me to give up because of the fact in Christ,

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we are more than conquerors. >> Oh yes. >> More than conquerors. If we really believe that,

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that would turn the course of our lives around, that nothing that can ever happen to us, Here or hereafter will change our relationship with God. Brothers and sisters, that's strong language.

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Nothing, nothing, nothing shall cause us to change. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Well, there's so many things that can happen, but the one who comes to save us

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is the one who comes right where we are. Right where we are, winds may be blowing, but he comes and he causes the wind to be still. Waves may be raging and he speaks to the waves

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and causes them to be quiet. Nothing whatsoever can overpower him. He is the Lord of all creation. He is the Lord of all life.

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I just want to share my testimony. Paul is giving his testimony. He could talk about how he had been mistreated. He could talk about how he thought his life was taken away

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as he was cast over a wall, how he had been a knight in the Dead Sea, and all of that. He could talk about it. But it says, I am absolutely and completely convinced

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that nothing, no thing, no matter how many no's you can have, you can have a whole lot of no's. I was trying to get a church when I was much younger. And I went to the church.

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And I talked with the deacons. And the deacons said, well, we can help you, Reverend. Church is vacant, but we don't make that decision. you see the acting pastor. I went to the acting pastor and he said I can't help you Reverend.

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And I discovered later why he couldn't because he ended up pastoring the church. But when he saw that I was determined he confessed that he couldn't help me. But until I told him that he didn't even confess that he couldn't help me. But Paul says no thing. Think of Think of all the no's in your life.

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Yes Lord. Of the people who said no, that you wished they had said yes. And somehow with all of the no's that are uttered, Paul says nothing. Yes.

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Nothing. No matter how strong, no matter how powerful it may be, nothing shall change me. And that's good news. I say it's good news in a world of bad news.

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Nothing, nothing. ♪ I was sinking deep in sin ♪ ♪ Far from the peaceful shore ♪ ♪ But staying within ♪

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♪ Seeking to rise no more ♪ ♪ But the master of the sea heard my despairing cry ♪ ♪ And from the waters lifted me ♪ How safe am I?

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Love lifted me. Love lifted me when nothing else could help. Love lifted me. Now Paul is writing to the Romans.

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That's a city that has recognition for many who have received honors and plaques and all of those monuments and all of those sort of things. He's writing to them saying, "Nothing, nothing,

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nothing shall separate me from the love of God. Time will come when we must move from this earthly scene and move beyond history, but there is a word that says nothing, no God, no power,

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nothing in this world will separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. As we come now to the hymn of invitation, we extend the privilege of the church

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to accept this Jesus as Lord of your life, to take the stand with the Apostle Paul, that nothing will separate you, that we will come with him more than conquerors.

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Amen. (orchestral music playing) [ Music ] [MUSIC]

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♪ Building its skin ♪ ♪ These victory will help you ♪ ♪ Stomp on the new wind ♪ ♪ Climb that glory onward ♪

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♪ Our passion's subdued ♪ ♪ Lord, never to Jesus ♪ ♪ Needle carry you through ♪ ♪ Ask the Savior to help you ♪

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♪ Comfort, strengthen, and lead you ♪ He is willing to aid you. He will carry you through. Oh, shun evil compassion.

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And languish this day. ♪ God's name only ever ♪ ♪ God's name in every ♪ ♪ Peace of mind and truth ♪

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♪ Kind, loving, and true ♪ Look ever, look ever to Jesus, for He will carry you through. You just ask the Savior to help you. Ask Him to calm your heart, strengthen and keep you.

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He is willing to aid you. He will carry you through. Oh, to him that o'er cometh, God give a crown. ♪ No foe he will conquer ♪

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♪ Though often cast down ♪ ♪ We who is our Savior ♪ ♪ Our strength will renew ♪ Look ever to Jesus, He will carry you through.

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All you do is ask the Savior to help you. Comfort, strengthen, and heal you. He is willing to lay it loose He will carry it loose. [MUSIC]

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