Jesus is our Victory

Topics: Jesus, victory

I. Jesus is our song of victory

* Give thanks to the Lord for His victory over death!

1. Review Psalm 118:15-18
2. Your right hand, O Lord, is majestic in power, Your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy (Exodus 15:6).

II. Jesus is our gate of victory

* Give thanks to the Lord for His victory opened for us!

1. Open to me the gates of righteousness; I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; the

righteous will enter through it. I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me, and You have become my salvation (Psalm 118:19-21).

2. "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13, 14).

III. Jesus is our stone of victory

* Give thanks to the Lord for His victory of salvation!

1. The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone. This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:22-24).
2. "He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:11, 12).

IV. Jesus is our blessed victory

* Give thanks to the Lord for His victory when He returns!

1. Review Psalm 118:25-29
2. "For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'" (Matthew 23:39).

Sermon by Pastor Rod Akins, October 29^th, 2023

Life group flow and discussion questions

Jesus is our victory

An important Guideline of Life Groups: Victory in the Christian life is often experienced through the Body of Christ. We need to personify our Lord's victory by expressing love and forgiveness to one another.

Getting Started:

1. Would you describe your spiritual walk as one of victory and thanksgiving?
2. Are you confident that you have entered through the narrow gate that leads to life by grace through faith in Jesus our Lord?

Discussing Truths:

1. Who sits at "the right hand of the Lord" who does valiantly and is exalted?
2. What are some ways that people celebrate victories in life, whether a sports team, a military campaign, relational milestones or business success?
3. Why do you think that Martin Luther considered Psalm 118 his favorite in all the Psalter?
4. What does it mean that Jesus is both a stone of victory and stone of stumbling (Matthew 21:42-44; Romans 9:32, 33; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:4-10)?
5. How did the Jewish people fulfill Psalm 118:25, 26 during Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday? What is that a foretaste for when Jesus returns (Matthew 23:37-39)?
6. What does it look like to walk in victory instead of trying to gain victory yourself?

Now What? Application:

1. How will you prepare to meet the Lord if He were to return in our lifetime?
2. Try starting every morning with Psalm 118:24, rejoicing and being glad in a new day that the Lord has made.