The Truth about Lordship

Transcription

1 The Truth about Lordship 1. Jesus is Lord and will be recognized as such Philip. 2:9-13 states, [9] Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, [10] that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, [11] and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. [12] So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; [13] for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Jesus is Lord. Upon a day, all those who love Christ will kneel before Him and gladly say, Jesus is Lord. Even those who have rejected Christ will bow before Him and acknowledge Him as Lord before they are judged and sentenced to eternal separation from Him. The question is not if everyone will acknowledge that Jesus is Lord, but when they will do it. Everyone will do acknowledge Him as Lord, either in this life or the next. Those who reject Him in this life will regret not having made the decision to have Him as Lord, before they die. Those who die without Christ, will be doomed to a godless eternity. This raises the question, Is Jesus the Lord of your life now? 2. The Meaning of the word Lord kurios, Greek 2962, Strong s 1

2 kurios, koo'-ree-os; from kuros (supremacy); supreme in authority, i.e. (as noun) controller; by implication Mr. (as a respectful title) :- God, Lord, master, Sir. Lord the one with supreme authority, the controller, the master the one who calls the shots. Remember studying in history the feudal system of lords and vassals? The lords were the noblemen, wealthy class who owned the castle and the land. The vassals were the poor class. They worked the land for the noblemen, who would pay them and provide them protection. If evil people came into the land, the vassals could retreat to the safety of the castle 3. The decision to become a Christian is a Lordship decision Contrary to many people s understanding, the decision to ask Christ into one s life is a lordship decision. It is more than easy believism. In 2 Cor. 4:5 Paul talked about the gospel and said, For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake. Romans 10:9-13 confirms the fact that when we ask Christ into our lives, it is a lordship decision. The passage states, [9] that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; [10] for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. [11] For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed." [12] For there is no distinction 2

3 between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call upon Him; [13] for "Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved." When people ask Christ into their lives, thy need to ask Him in as Lord. If they do not want Him as Lord, then He does not come as Savior. He is not about giving out fire insurance. Matthew 7:21-23 states, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. [22] "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' [23] "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM Me, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.' I found this little poem that speaks about the Lordship of Christ. Ye call Me Master and obey me not, Ye call Me Light and see me not, Ye call Me way and follow me not Ye call Me Life and desire me not, Ye call Me wise and acknowledge me not, Ye call Me fair and love me not, Ye call Me rich and ask me not, Ye call Me eternal and seek me not, Ye call Me gracious and trust me not, Ye call Me Noble and serve me not, Ye call Me mighty and honor me not, Ye call Me just and fear me not, If I condemn you, blame me not. 3

4 4. How you can tell if Jesus is Lord of your life You are seeking to obey and trust God Luke 6:46 states, "And why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? Proverbs 3:5-6 states, Trust in the Lord with all your heart,and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Illustration: On the day before Easter, April 18, 1992, Madalyn Murray O Hair kicked off the 22 nd Annual National American Atheists Convention in Austin, Texas. She rallied atheists and said what you might expect; As long as there is religious slavery, mental slavery, we re not going to get anywhere as a nation. So, we re calling for the total, complete and absolute elimination of religion in American culture. We would not be in difficulty [as a ntion] if we weren t being ruled by those classes of persons who believe in fantasy. Why have the convention on Easter weekend? She responded, We want to take back Easter and make it a celebration of the start of spring. A placard carried by an atheist marching to the capitol stated the message succinctly; In God we trust. Not! He was following the fad of negating a statement by tagging not at the end. This atheist was on to what we do, as well. We pledge our allegiance to Go but reserve the right to tag on, Not! God I trust you with my money. Not. Lord, I give you complete control of my business. Not! Father, please be the God of our home. Not! Thanks to an atheist, we may better understand trust, and the lack of it. You are denying yourself, taking up your cross daily, and following Christ Matthew 16:24-27 states, 4

5 [24] Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. [25] "For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it. [26] "For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? [27] "For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according to HIS DEEDS. Illustration: When you please God, it doesn t matter who you displease. When you displease God, it doesn t matter who you please. Who are you seeking to please? There are good deeds in your life Ephesians 2:8-10 states, [8] For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; [9] not as a result of works, that no one should boast. [10] For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Good deeds are seen in your service to God. Is it your passion to serve? Do you serve Him faithfully. Is there a ministry you can call your own? There is fruit in your life Matthew 3:8 states, "Therefore bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance; John 15:8 states, "By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. 5

6 Galatians 5:22-23 states, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Fruit of the Spirit The fruit of lips praise to God The fruit of souls won to Christ do you actively share your faith The fruit of righteousness a holy life The fruit of good works deeds done for Christ Matthew 7:16-20 states. "You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? [17] "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit; but the bad tree bears bad fruit. [18] "A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. [19] "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. [20] "So then, you will know them by their fruits. There is an increasing maturity and holiness 2 Cor. 3:18 states, But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. 1 Peter 1:15-16 states, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; [16] because it is written, You shall BE HOLY, FOR I am HOLY. There is a crucifying of the flesh and it s desires Galatians 5:24, Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 6

7 5. Why we can trust Him as Lord Some people say, I m not going to give the control of my life over to anyone. That s crazy. But that is exactly what Christ calls us to do. In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus states, "[28] Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. [29] "Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. [30] "For My yoke is easy, and My load is light." Conclusion Is Jesus the Lord of your life, or have you just wanted fire insurance? Have you turned over every area of your life to Him? a. your finances b. your marriage c. your children d. your thought life e. your language the words that come out of your mouth f. your priorities g. your schedule h. your eating habits i. the things that you look at j. the places you go on the internet k. the people you hang out with l. your finances 7

8 m. your hopes and dreams Chuck Swindoll put it this way, Lord, I am willing to receive what you give; to lack what you withhold; to relinquish what you take; to suffer what you inflict; to be what you require. And Lord, if others are to be your messengers to me, I am willing to hear and heed what they have to say God can do a lot better job with your life than you can. Trust Him! Illustration The Apostle Paul reminds us that we have been bought with a price. Jesus death paid the debt for our sins, but is Jesus getting what he paid for? Answer that question based on the following scenario. You walk into a restaurant and pay full price for a hamburger, fries, and a drink. The counter attendant takes your money and sldes you a tray of food. As you unwrap the hamburger you discover someone has already eaten half of it. A quick bite of your fries tells you they are cold, soggy, and limp. You sip on the straw to calm your nerves, but get a mouth full of melted ice. Immediately you race to the counter and claim you ve been robbed. You complain that you did not get your money s worth. You demand the goods for which you fully paid. If that ever happens to you, remember that s what happens to Jesus all the time, when people are not allowing Him to be Lord of their lives. He gives us a choice. Let s pray. Perhaps you need to ask Christ to step back onto the throne of your life. 8