In this sermon, the preacher discusses the concept of victory and how it has been lost in our lives. He shares a personal story about his son's struggle with living a Christian life and wanting to avoid any kind of struggle. The preacher emphasizes that true victory comes from living a life of submission to God's will, just as Jesus did. He references John 19:28 where Jesus declares "it is finished" on the cross, highlighting the importance of faith in understanding the concept of victory.

And I want to share with you, out of my heart, a message on victory. Really, my objective in this message is to define what is victory. What is victory? I have found that we have made adjustments in our lives until we have almost come to nothing. And with that in mind, I feel the problem is that we have somehow, someway let the truth of what is victory slip from us. My wife and I have four children, and when the second boy, third child, got saved and he started living for Jesus, he started having the conflict of being saved. And one day he said, you know, if you all would quit bothering me, I could live the Christian life. In other words, if I had no adversity, I could handle this thing. And what he was really trying to say is that he was finding a struggle living, living up to the norm. And so he just wanted to get away from any kind of struggle. So he was reducing this whole business to something that he could live up to. Well, the Lord Jesus gives us some word, a word when he said in John 19, knowing now, and let me turn to that portion of scripture, John 19, 28, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, said, I thirst. And there was set a vessel full of vinegar and they filled a sponge with vinegar and put it upon hyssop and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, it is finished. And he bowed his head and gave up the ghost. This is a very precious portion of scripture to all of us. We see Jesus Christ in his last conscious moments there on the cross and he's bowing his head and he said, it is finished. I'd like to ask you, what do you think was finished? We know for sure that the price or by you and I might be saved by grace through faith that not of ourselves, it's a gift of God. That price was finished. That was settled forever. We know that it was settled forever. I believe he was also saying that I have completely fulfilled everything that was written about me. So now it can be said of me, what was written of me. It's a beautiful story. It's a beautiful revelation. It's a beautiful realization that Jesus Christ, the son of God had all of these different aspects of his life written about him. And one day Jesus Christ, the son of the living God came into this world in a body of flesh. He was God, but he was also man. And my dear friends, he started fulfilling the scripture. He started fulfilling the scripture, not as God, but as man full of God, a perfect example for you and me. He started fulfilling the scripture. He had need go by Samaria to the woman at the well. I mean, it's just so beautiful. To see that Jesus Christ, the son of the living God walked in such harmony with the father, with the Holy spirit and with the word of God, my dear friends, he was fulfilling the scripture day by day. And finally he came to the end of his life, knowing that all scripture had now been fulfilled, bowed his head and said, it's finished. Now, let me tell you something. It could be then said of him, what was written of him. That is victory. That is victory. That is victory. Jesus Christ set the pace, set the course, reveal the life, left us the example. That is victory. Do you say, well, how did Jesus accomplish such victory? He was the son of God. That's how he did it. He was the son of God. Jesus did not accomplish this victory as God. Jesus accomplished this victory as man full of God, the son of man. You say, how did he do it? I believe there are three things that are very obvious in the life of Jesus Christ. One is he lived a life of submission. Jesus said, my meat is to do the will of the father. My meat is to do the will of the father. His very strength, his very life came from doing the will of the father. He found life in that. He said, I do nothing except what I see my father do. Jesus lived in harmony with the father. Jesus did not go out running out here doing his own thing. I know people today say, boy, I'm wanting to do my own thing. Beloved, if it doesn't harmonize with Jesus Christ, you are a rebel. That's right. Jesus lived a life of submission and because he lived a life of submission, it could be said of him what was written of him. Not only did he live a life of submission, but he lived a life of renunciation. Jesus had been given all power in heaven and in earth and he could have done anything. He could have just snapped his finger and called legions of angels. Jesus could have done anything he wanted to do, but Jesus renounced his ability and relied on the ability of another. On several occasions, Jesus indicated of himself, he could do nothing. Isn't that interesting? Here, the most perfect man that's ever lived, having all power in heaven and in earth, and he could have done anything he wanted to do. And he said yet of himself, he could do nothing. Jesus renounced his ability and relied on the ability of the father. He said, I live by the father. That's so interesting. He just relied on the father's ability. A man made this statement one time in front of me and I was shocked and then I listened, and this is the way things like this happen, it seems. We get shocked and then we get the truth. But this man said, Jesus never performed a miracle. And that shocked me. I said, well, he did. I thought, man, this fellow is surely a liberal. Jesus never performed a miracle. And so I listened. He said, what Jesus did was he came face to face with an issue and he did not handle it with his own power. He just related it to the father and the father performed the miracle through him. And that's exactly what happened. Jesus allowed the father to work powerfully through him. He renounced his own ability. Not only did he live a life of renunciation, but Jesus Christ lived a life of faith. This is so fascinating to me. This is baffling to me. And the faith life is fascinating. The faith life is baffling to people. Lost people can't understand it. Carnal people can't understand it. And very few spiritual people understand the life of faith. You say, what do you mean? Well, watch Jesus. In the sixth chapter of the book of John, you don't have to turn to it because I'm just making reference to it. I want you to listen with me if you don't mind. Jesus turned to Philip after seeing 5,000 men, Jesus said to Philip, what about feeding this crowd? And so Philip checked with his own bank account. Philip acted just like an atheist. He reckoned with his ability to feed 5,000 people. Well, Andrew said, listen, I found a lad here with a couple of fish and a few loaves of bread, but what is that among so many? So he was full of doubt. Now watch Jesus Christ, the son of the living God, Jesus told his disciples to have the men be seated for dinner. Was there any dinner there at that time? Just a few loaves and a few fish. If that had been me, I'd say, now God, you give us a couple of tons of fish down here and a couple of tons of bread, and I'll have, then I'll let, I'll know you're on the scene and we'll have this bunch seated. Amen. But Jesus didn't act that way. Jesus said, seat the men. He didn't only say seat the men, you know what he did? He bowed his head and began to offer thanks as if the food was there when it wasn't there in order for it to be there. I mean, Jesus acted in faith. He walked up to Lazarus' tomb and he said, come forth, Lazarus. I mean, acted in faith. Jesus acted in obedience to the light that he had and that obedience to the light enabled God to supernaturally work. But Jesus acted in obedience. He acted in faith. And because he lived a life of submission, a life of renunciation, and a life of faith, he absolutely fulfilled everything that was said about him where it could be actually declared and said of him what was written of him. That's so interesting. You know, that's victory. That is real, genuine victory. Well, you say, what's the point, preacher? Well, the point this morning is this. There are some things that's written about you and there are some things that are written about me. Let's just name, I've named two or three and we won't discuss too many, but we'll discuss two or three. One thing the Bible says about you and me, if we're saved, we're a saint. Now that's what the Bible says about you. The Bible says you're a saint. That's what's written about you. That's interesting, isn't it? What does your wife think about you? What does your husband think about you? What do your children think and say about you? What's being said of you? What's being said of you? What do the people out on the job say about you? What do they call you? What do the people at school say about you? Beloved, it's very important what this world has to say about us. You know, the Bible teaches us that they were first called Christians at Antioch. Do you know why they were called Christians? Because there was so much similarity between the people who professed Jesus and Jesus Christ, they said we're going to call them Christians. We're going to call them Christians. What do people say about you? The Bible says that you're a saint. I was very interested in something the other day. Just recently, several of us, about a hundred of us, went to Europe for our conference. And on this trip, we had a young man that really fascinated me. He was one of the Hannah boys. John Hannah is a guard for the New England Patriots. And there's three of those boys. And we had one of the Hannah boys on the trip with us. And I didn't have time to watch him too much. But I had several people to come by and say something to me. He said, listen, said, I have never known a man, a kid, so much like Jesus, is that boy. Boy, he is a saint. Well, I got to watch him myself. And I found out, folk, you could literally say he was a saint. Because I saw him placed in predicaments where he should have acted like the devil. But you know what? He acted like a saint. And it was being said of him on that trip, just a young man. Boy, here is a saint. You can say what you want. It's written of you and me this morning that we're saints. But it may not be said of us that we're saints. Victory is having it said of you what is written about you. Amen. The Bible doesn't only teach that we're saints, but the Bible also teaches that we're a priest, that we're a priest. You could talk about this all day, but a priest is one that has the ability to go into God's presence and get bread in behalf of those that do not have it. The great illustration of a priest in the Bible is the man who had a friend to come by his house and he was hungry. And he went to another friend's house and knocked and knocked and knocked and knocked and knocked until the friend got up and gave him all the bread he wanted so he could take that bread home and give it to his hungry friend. That's one of the great illustrations of a priest in the Bible. Did you know the Bible says that you are a priest, that I'm a priest? But I wonder if it's being said of us, listen if you need help, that woman, that girl, that boy, that man, they know how to pray. If you just need help, you can just tell them and they will go into the presence of God and they will talk to God and talk to God and talk to God and when they come out they will have bread for you. I wonder if it's being said of you, what's written about you, amen? Back some years ago, a couple years ago, I was in Jackson, Mississippi and a man wanted to meet with me and I was told his last name but I had forgotten that as a young boy, I played with a young boy named Long, Don Long and when I got to the meeting place there stood Don Long. I had not seen him in 35 years and we talked and we talked and we talked about those times when we went fishing on the creek, went swimming in the swimming hall, how we'd pass by my uncle's sugarcane patch and we talked about those sweet experiences I mean we had as kids and then right in the middle of that he said, Brother Manley, he said, you know, he said, I've had an awful life, I've been a drunkard up to seven months ago and I met Jesus and he said, all of my family is lost. I don't have one brother or sister that's saved. My family died, my mother, dad died and my dad may have got saved just a few seconds before he died. He said, my family is just a wretched, miserable family. All of them are drunkards, harlots, oh he said, listen, it's awful to think about my family. He said, I've only been saved seven months. Somewhere the story stopped in there and we got to back to our childhood. He said, you know, I really enjoyed playing back in those days with you but he said, there's one thing I did not enjoy doing. I said, what was that? Almost offended me. He said, I did not enjoy going home and spending the night with you. I didn't understand. I knew my mother was one of the best cooks in the world and I knew my, I just didn't understand why he didn't enjoy going to my house and enjoying the fellowship. So I said, well, what was wrong? He said, he said, your mother would put us to bed and then you'd fall off to sleep and then I would hear your mother praying and she would say, oh God, save Donnie Long. Do not let him die and go to hell and he said, preacher, he said, the only reason I'm saved today is because of your mother's prayers. He said, I've never had anyone to pray for me but your mother and he said, it was your mother's prayers that brought me to Jesus and boy, I thought about his family and I thought about my family, how God has blessed my family and my family is so involved in the ministry of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They're not interested in building houses and lands and bank accounts and boats and motors and educations and all of that but brother, they are interested first and foremost in living for Jesus and I said, man, this boy didn't have a mother that knew how to pray. If there's ever been a priest, my mother has been a priest. She's known how to pray and what I'm saying to you, it can be said of her by Donnie Long, it can be said of her of her own children, it can be said of her by her friends that she knows how to pray. What I'm saying to you today is this, has it, is it being said of you what's written about you? Now that's victory, that's victory. All this business, he's a good old church member, she's a good church member. My dear friends, that has nothing to do, it seems, with victory. The issue is, is it being said of you what's written about you? You could say more but let me just say this. You say, well brother Manly, how in the world can it be said of me what's written about me? How can it be said of me what's written about me? I want to be a consistent Christian. I want to be a person that has a testimony for Jesus. I do not want to be one of these Sunday morning glories that hangs a shingle out and say I'm saved but I look like and smell like and talk like it, look like the devil. And when people see me they know I'm a hypocrite. I do not want to be that kind of person. I want to have it said of me what's written about me. He or she is a saint, a priest, a king, a Christian. It could just go on and on. I want it said of me what's written about me. What can I do? Exactly what Jesus did, live a life of submission. You say, what do you mean? If God just showed me his will, I would do it. That's not the approach, beloved. Romans 12 1 and 2 says sign your name to a sheet of paper and turn it into God as a blank sheet with your name on it. And say, God you put on that sheet anything you want and then God will talk to you. Amen. He wants people that are surrendered. He wants people that love him so much that they are surrendered to it. That doesn't mean he doesn't love everyone. He loves everyone in here today but friends he wants to take us all to a life of submission. We have to live a life of renunciation. This is the time when you have 20th century go-getters, big promoters. And I mean we can promote, we can promote building programs, we can promote all kinds of activities in the church and we can build churches and Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God doesn't have to be around. You say, what do you mean? I mean we have the large, some of the largest business businesses we have in America are motivating businesses, motivating men. What I'm trying to say to you is this, we have this psychic soul power with the ability to do things for God. We will have to come to the end of ourselves and say, Lord I can't, you can, you must. Let's do it and let Jesus do it. Just let Jesus have his way and run our life. We must not only live a life of submission and a life of renunciation but friend we must live a life of faith. We must get to the place that we're so obedient to the Word of God that our obedience place us at God's disposal where if he doesn't keep his Word we are sunk. And living a life of faith on that level will bring the reality of God in our lives and it'll be said of us what's written about us. I realized as I've looked over this congregation this morning that about half of this congregation is awfully young. Nothing wrong with that, that's wonderful, it's beautiful and it may may be difficult for you to see this but one of you these days if Jesus does not come they're going to dust the dust off of your portrait and they're gonna tell the story about you. I wonder what will be said of you. I wonder what will be said of me. I wonder will it be said of us what's written about us. I wonder. Amen.