Dock
Resource Kit
Sunday sermon, 10 May 2026
Summary
This week Abie talked to us about what it means to live in the victory of Christ. As the final sermon in the Love Has Won series, Abie reminded us that Easter is not just a past event we celebrate once a year, but a present reality that shapes how we live every day. Looking particularly at the book of Acts, we saw how the resurrection transformed fearful disciples into bold witnesses through the power of the Holy Spirit. Abie explored how victory in Christ is relational; rooted in intimacy with Jesus and behavioural; expressed through lives of love, justice, mercy and service. Through the stories of the early church, including Stephen’s martyrdom, we were reminded that hardship does not cancel Christ’s victory. Because Jesus has risen, love has won, darkness does not get the final word, and Christians are called to keep participating in that victory through hope, prayer, faithfulness and love.
Key Points & Takeways
1. We Live in a Post-Resurrection World - Easter is not over; the resurrection changes every day of Christian life. Jesus’ victory affects how believers live, hope, suffer, and witness. The resurrection was publicly witnessed and historically proclaimed.
2. Victory is Relational - The disciples moved from fear to boldness through the Holy Spirit. Living in victory begins with ongoing intimacy with God. Faith is not sustained by a one-time experience but continual relationship.
3. Victory is Behavioural - Christians are not saved by good works, but transformed faith produces action. The early church demonstrated victory through generosity, justice, mercy, and care for the vulnerable. Love for God overflows into love for others.
4. Victory Must Be Continually Chosen - The early church experienced persecution, grief, and suffering. Stephen’s death appeared to be defeat, yet the gospel continued spreading. Christians are called to keep choosing hope even when circumstances are painful.
5. Love Has Won — Even When It Doesn’t Feel Like It - Poverty, injustice, suffering, and disappointment are real. Yet the resurrection means darkness never has the final word. Every act of prayer, hope, mercy, and witness pushes back against darkness.
Dock Discussion Questions
What stood out to you most from this sermon, and why?
Abie said that “victory is relational.” What does it look like practically to stay rooted in relationship with Jesus day by day?
The early church demonstrated Christ’s victory not only through preaching, but through generosity, justice and care for others. Where do you see opportunities for us to live this out today?
Why do you think it is important that the book of Acts includes stories of suffering and persecution alongside stories of victory and growth?
Where in your life do you currently need help choosing hope, faith or perseverance instead of fear or discouragement?
Long-form, edited transcript
LOVE HAS WON.
Living Victoriously Through Him
1 Corinthians 15:3-5, Micah 6:8, Isaiah 1:17, 1 John 5:2-5
Today is the 5th and final week on our sermon series ‘Love Has Won’, and today we’re closing off looking at what it means to Live in the Victory of Christ. Some of us, myself included, might be thrilled that Lent is over. Our chocolate, social media, sugar and meat consumption can go unchecked again for another year. Lent is over, but Easter is not. And never will be.
We are living in a post-resurrection world. And that doesn’t just affect us in March/April depending on calendars. That affects us every day of our lives. Every day of our lives we are, or at least should be, affected by the realities of Christ’s resurrection, his victory and what that means for us and how we live and how we show that to others.
The cross undoubtedly looked like a crushing defeat to Jesus, to his followers and his message. Crowds of people cheered as he was welcomed into Jerusalem and crowds of people jeered at him and condemned him when he was brought in front of Pilate.
We don’t know exactly how many people witnessed his arrest, abuse and crucifixion, but some estimate it could have been thousands. We know it happened during Passover, a hugely important festival which would have drawn vast numbers of people in. And we know that Jesus had a reputation for drawing a crowd. News of his arrest and death would have spread. The officials and religious leaders who were trying to silence him would have made sure of it.
We don’t know exactly how many people saw his defeat. But scripture does give us an idea of how many people saw his victory.
1 Corinthians 15:3-5:
“Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, [Peter] then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, he appeared also to me.”
Jesus’s resurrection was evidenced by over 500 people. I’d like to add that the gospels of Mark and John tell us that before he appeared to Peter, he appeared to Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Salome, and Mary the Mother of James.
Those 500 people know without a shadow of doubt that Jesus has risen from the dead, because they have literally seen him. This is the days before deepfakes and AI. They have literally seen him. They know that Jesus is victorious, and by showing himself to them, they get the immense pleasure of being a part of it.
And the best part of getting good news is sharing it. I’m a terrible gossip, and it genuinely is something I’m working on, but in my defence it’s not that I enjoy sharing malicious rumours about people, but I just love sharing good news! I love the feeling of hearing something exciting and the joy of seeing other people finding out about it. But yeah, I’m working on that!
But this, the resurrection of Jesus, the news of his victory isn’t gossip that is supposed to be kept a secret, it’s literally the best thing to ever happen to humanity and Jesus wants it to spread like wildfire. The best thing about good news is sharing it. Hearing something exciting and seeing the joy of other people finding out.
So for all those 500 people, they have experienced the victory of Christ, they are a part of it, and it’s their job now to share the news and convince others.
To share the good news that Love Has Won.
How would you go about that?
Because it does sound pretty unbelievable.
How would you convince someone that love has won?
For inspiration today we’re going to dive into the book of Acts a little. Our next sermon series is looking at the story of Pentecost so I’m sure we’ll spend much more time in it over the next few weeks, so this is just a preview of what’s to come, with some themes I'm sure will be unpacked a little more ahead of summer.
Living in the victory of Christ is relational. It’s knowing that Jesus has won and choosing to have a personal relationship with him. But it’s also behavioural. It’s knowing that Jesus has won, and it’s choosing to live a life that is testimony to this.
The book of Acts is where we see this exemplified in the lives of those in the early church. The 500 and beyond. It tells the story of this group of people who have witnessed something incredible, discovered that Love has won, and the ways that embodying this victory changed their lives and is still changing the world today. The way it changed their relationship and their behaviour so powerfully and convincingly that we’re still sitting here today, 2,000 years later because of their witness.
Victory is Relational
Living in the victory of Christ starts with our relationship with Christ.
Acts opens with the disciples scared, locked away and in hiding. They had seen their saviour crucified and - though they had also seen him rise from the dead - they were still appreciative of the situation they were in. They are the devoted followers of a man deemed so dangerous and destructive he must be put to death, surely they must be next? Christ has won, they know that. But perhaps they’re still unsure what they are supposed to do with this knowledge.
Maybe some of us can relate to that feeling?
Throughout Jesus’s earthly ministry they were some of his closest friends, they knew what it was to be in close, intimate relationship with him, and following his death, resurrection and ascension they must have felt that separation so deeply, having lost not just their leader, but their friend. Christ has won, and they know that. But they still feel alone, and are unsure what they’re supposed to do next.
Maybe some of us can relate to that feeling?
So they sit, and they wait. Obeying the instruction he gave them before he left.
Don’t leave, because there is a gift coming for you. You will be baptised with the Holy Spirit. You will not be alone. So in this tension of fear, confusion, and faith, they wait.
Then scripture tells us that the Spirit of the Lord comes upon them in this locked, upper room, and suddenly from this new place of intimacy any semblance of fear seems to fly out the window. They are filled up with the Holy Spirit and it changes their relationship with God forever. Whereas before they had a connection with their tangible friend Jesus, now they have this supernatural one with the Spirit who dwells within them. And it changes them.
Peter - a man who shortly before Jesus’s death couldn’t even admit to a lowly servant girl that he knew Jesus - was now suddenly confident enough to stand up, address the crowd and quote scripture to them, explaining all that Jesus had and would do.
It’s not in the Bible, but I can just imagine him going “I know I denied him before, but I was scared then. I’m not scared anymore. Because I know that my redeemer lives. I know that he has won. I’m not scared anymore.”
He quotes David
“‘I saw the Lord always before me.Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest in hope,
27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
you will not let your holy one see decay.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.”
Living in the victory of Christ starts with our relationship with Christ. It has to be grounded there, because without faith, those disciples would have just had fear and confusion. It has to be relational, because this is not a one time thing. We read a similar account a few chapters later in Acts 4 where it says:
“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”
If I told you I’d not spoken to my husband since our wedding day, you’d think “why not… you might technically be married, but what was the point? And what are you getting out of that relationship?”
If they had been baptised by the Holy Spirit, enjoyed that day and then never sought out that sort of intimacy with the Lord again, I think we’d ask the same question.
How could I convince people how great my husband is if I’d not hung out with him in 6 years?
How could I convince people of how love had won if I didn’t actively seek out that love for myself?
Maybe we can relate to the confusion of not knowing what God has next for us.
Maybe we can relate to the fear of feeling alone.
Without faith, that is often all we end up with.
But just wait.
Because Jesus says there is more coming for you, and that whatever it looks like, you are not alone. We know this story today because those 500 people leaned so heavily into their relationship with Christ that it changed the world. They discovered the victory, that Love had won, and they never let go of it.
Victory is Behavioural
Victory is relational, but it is also behavioural. Before Christ the Jewish people lived, or at least attempted to live, by the laws found in the Torah, 613 of them to be precise. They believed that through obeying these laws they could remain a set apart, holy nation, and that it would protect them from the wrath of God.
Then Christ came, he took upon all the sins of the world, even those yet to be committed, he died on the cross and paid the price for all of us so that we could be set free.
No longer do we need to live by strict rules and regulations, and Paul is very clear throughout his epistles that we are not saved by good works, but through the ultimate sacrifice of Christ.
We could never have earned our salvation, and now we need not strive to.
We are not saved by good works. Having said this… James 2:14-17 reminds us that the way we live our lives is still important. Because it speaks to what our faith actually means to us:
“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
We don’t do good things because we believe that we can earn our spot in heaven or because we’re trying to avoid God’s wrath, but because to share in the victory of Christ means to join in the battle against darkness. Victory is behavioural.
Micah 6:8
And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”Isaiah 1:17
"Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, and please the widow's cause.”1 John 5:2-5
“This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”
Love for God is keeping his commandments and showing love to his children.
Enacting this is the victory that has overcome the world.
For the early church in Acts, they modelled this beautifully.
“With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them.”
Acts 4:32
They didn’t just testify with their words, but with their actions.
The Holy Spirit didn’t just change their relationship with God, but it changed how they saw their relationship with all of God’s children.
And that’s still our charge today.
We run the Night shelter because each and every guest is a child of God who is worthy of security, sustenance and dignity.
We run the Baby bank because each and every family are children of God who are worthy of care, hygiene and safety.
We run addiction recovery groups because each and every addict is a child of God worthy of support, guidance and hope.
We don’t do these things to earn brownie points with God, we do them because we recognise how deeply we are loved, and we feel compelled, not obliged, to share that love with others. We’re not trying to convince God or other people that we’re good, but that love is good, love is powerful and love is winning.
The Bible tells us that we love because he first loved us.
Victory is relational. We know that we are loved.
Victory is behavioral. We share that love with others.
We witness to hope, serve the vulnerable, resist evil boldly, encourage others in faith because when we pray ‘Thy Kingdom come, on earth as is in heaven’ we understand the role we have in bringing about that kingdom.
Victory is a Choice
Victory is relational.
Victory is behavioral.
Victory is something we have to keep choosing.
Hopefully you will have noticed Jamie’s wonderful banner outside that reads ‘Love Has Won’ which was put up a few weeks ago ahead of Easter, the time we celebrate the victory of Jesus on the cross. We remember all he did for us, all he’s doing for us, and all we are called to do for him in response.
Love has won.
We that believe that, don’t we? This is the 5th and final week of this sermon series, so it’s been said to you a lot of the last month.
Love has won.
But do we always believe that when we read the news?
Or when something terrible happens in ours, our lives of those we love?
Or when we contemplate the devastating realities of those on our doorsteps?
According to the most recent data from the Church Urban Fund, there are just over 12,000 parishes in England, and ours is the 1,050th most deprived. That means we’re in the bottom 8%. We score particularly badly in childhood poverty. 67% of children in our parish are living in poverty. And pensioner poverty. Over 70% of the pensioners in our parish are living in poverty.
We’ve been banging on for the last 5 weeks about how Love Has Won, but how on earth are we able to confidently say that when we see such real and tangible experiences of loss and darkness all around us?
Again, here we will turn to the book of Acts and see how the early church responded when they too weighed up the realities of both victory in Christ with defeat in life, and what that looked like for them.
It would be amazing if the story was just “the people got filled with the Holy Spirit. They went out and preached to everyone. Everyone converted. They all did wonderful things. And now everything is fixed.” But sadly that’s not the reality we see today, and it’s not the reality they saw back then.
Chapter 7 tells us the story of a man named Stephen. One who was “full of God’s grace and power, who performed miracles and signs amongst the people.” We read about what an amazing witness he was to the cause, about how he was arrested and questioned, and about how - even when full of the Holy Spirit - he was stoned to death by the religious leaders.
In that moment, it didn't look like love won. And in the face of this defeat, it would have been really tempting, and really understandable I think for the followers of Jesus to return back to that locked, upper room.
Again, they have seen someone violently executed for the same message they are preaching.
There they are, banging on about the victory of Christ, and suddenly they are confronted with an enormous loss.
Maybe you can relate to this.
Perhaps we’ve all had times when our faith has been rocked by a crushing defeat.
Or an accumulation of negative headlines. Or just a season that feels too disappointing for us to consider ourselves victorious. Circumstances in which you might feel silly or stupid for believing victory is possible. Times when we might be tempted to accept defeat. When we’re not even sure we can convince ourselves that love has won.
Following the death of Stephen, it says that the followers scatter and that a great wave of persecution swept over the church. Men and women were dragged out of their homes and thrown into prison for their faith. With great mourning they are said to have buried Stephen.
And then, verse 8:4-8 says
“Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city.”
The death of Stephen was a huge loss. It was scary, and heart breaking, and the Bible tells us they mourned him greatly. But their relationship and faith was strong enough to know that Stephen’s death did not mitigate the victory of Christ. If anything, it causes them to up their game.
Jesus’ victory is decisive but we have to participate in his triumph, even when things don’t feel victorious. In the face of defeat, they didn’t give up. They sought out safety as they scattered, and they mourned as they grieved their friend. And these are completely natural things to do and feel when we experience seasons of loss and disappointment.
But they did not give in to defeat.
Psalm 30 says “weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”
The victory of Christ was not mitigated by their experience of defeat. Instead they pushed on harder that joy, hope and faith would continue to spread. Every act of love, word of hope, rejection of the devil weakens the power of darkness.
Victory is relational.
Victory is behavioral.
Victory is something we have to keep choosing.
To participate in the victory of Christ means daily choosing to reject the powers of darkness, believing that God is saying ‘Just wait. You are not alone’, and playing the roles we are called to play in the meantime in showing this victory to those around us. I don’t know if our prayers can end wars, but I know that as long as we keep praying for it, the enemy has not beaten us. As long as we have hope, we are participating in the victory of Christ.
I don’t know if the small, faithful decisions we make day to day will change the world in any tangible way, but we know that with every small step, the enemy’s grip in our lives is weakened.
I don’t know if my words up here today will have any impact on any of you today, but as long as you’re all still turning up and tuning in to hear a message about the victorious kingdom of God, the enemy knows he is not welcome here.
This is how we choose victory.
This is how Love is winning at this church.
Not because we are perfect, or our lives are perfect, but because we know that whatever happens, love wins. It won all those years ago at the first Easter, and it has won every day since.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus,
thank you that through your death and resurrection, love has truly won. Thank you that your victory is not only something we celebrate at Easter, but something we are invited to live in every day.
Fill us afresh with your Holy Spirit. Help us to stay close to you, to trust you when life feels difficult, and to reflect your love in the way we live and serve others.
Give us courage to keep choosing hope when we feel discouraged, faith when we feel uncertain, and love when the world feels dark.
May our lives point people to your victorious kingdom, and may we never forget that because you are risen, darkness never has the final word.
Amen.