Lordship Integrated Bible Studies 1. The Call of Lordship 2. The Cost of Lordship 3. The Charge of Lordship 4. The Challenge of Lordship 5. The Confidence in Lordship If Jesus is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all. Tony Galea 1
1. The Call of Lordship All throughout Matthew s gospel we see the authority of Jesus in what he says & in what he does. We see that Jesus has the authority as Christ, Saviour, Judge, & as Lord. When people were addressing Jesus as Lord it was more than saying: Sir to be respected, but Lord to be obeyed. What are some ideas you have that surround the notion of Lordship? What does it mean to have Jesus as Saviour & Lord? Can you have one without the other? Matt 7:15 Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. 21 Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one 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 drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles? 23 Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers! 24 Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. 28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. 8:1 When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean. 3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. I am willing, he said. Be clean! Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. i. Accepting Responsibility Read Matt 7:15-20 We are to beware of false teachers & false behaviours. If the wolf is the natural enemy of the sheep what are the dangers we are to beware of? What is our responsibility as Christians? What is the result of not taking heed to this warning? ii. Accepting Jesus Word Will Read Matt 7:21-28 What is the danger of just a verbal profession? 21-23 What is the danger of just intellectual knowledge? 24-27 What is it that will test if Jesus is really Lord of your life? What is the significance of Jesus authority? iii. Accepting Jesus Sovereignty Read Matt 8:1-3 How did the leper respond to the Lord Jesus? If we accept Jesus as the Sovereign Lord of our lives, what attitude must we have? * Will YOU accept Jesus Call to make Him Lord? If Jesus is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all How does Grace fit into the assessment of this statement? What areas in your life are you holding back from the Lord Jesus? How can we help one another come & remain under the Lordship of Christ? Tony Galea 2
2. The Cost of Lordship What are some of the things in life where you count the cost? Why? Jesus doesn t mince His words about the cost of following Him as Lord of our lives. Jesus hates us being superficial or having a lukewarm faith. Why? V25 & Rev.3:15-17 Luke 14:25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters yes, even their own life such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28 Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, This person began to build and wasn t able to finish. 31 Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. 34 Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear. The Cost of Jesus Lordship i. Put Jesus first before my Relationships v26 What does Jesus require? What s more important than family? ii. Put Jesus first before my Ambitions v27 Why is Jesus saying that some sort of death experience must take place? If Jesus is Lord what does that make us? What is point of v28-32? iii. Put Jesus first before my Possessions v33 How do you do that? Read Lk 9:57-62 Read Luke 14:15-24 Harsh but similar words once again. What point is Jesus making again & again? If Jesus is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all. Does this statement ring true? The Benefits of Jesus Lordship i. Jesus invites us to H v15-24 ii. Jesus invites us to be S v34 iii. Jesus invites us into His W v27 Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear. Is it time that we recommit our lives to the Lord Jesus? Tony Galea 3
3. The Charge of Lordship Does money make the world go around? What is good about having a lot of money & what is problematic about wanting more money? Luke 12:13 Someone in the crowd said to him, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. 14 Jesus replied, Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you? 15 Then he said to them, Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions. 16 And he told them this parable: The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops. 18 Then he said, This is what I ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I ll say to myself, You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry. 20 But God said to him, You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself? 21 This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God. i. The Temptation of Wealth 13-19 Why & How can we be tempted & trapped with money & possessions? ii. The Accountability of Wealth 20,21 Why is this Rich man foolish? Why can we feel uneasy with being accountable? iii. The Worry of Wealth 22-34 Read all 22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Why do we worry? What do we worry about? How does that make you feel? Who worries about possessions & wealth? How can worry be destructive deceptive & distractive? What is the cure for worry? 31 If Jesus is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all. Does Jesus have to be Lord of my money? Discuss: Our hip pocket is often the last thing to get converted? Read Matt 6 :19-34 - What else does Jesus say about wealth & worry & what is the antidote? Read 2 Cor 9: 6-15 What does Paul say we should remember? V6 How does God want us to give & why? V7,8 How are we rich already? V9-11 What will generosity bring & show? V11-14 Will we ever be shortchanged? V15 * My Attitude to Wealth Can our wealth be enjoyed & employed at the same time if our purpose is to honour the Lord? What changes do I need to make in regards to how I think of money? Tony Galea 4
4. The Challenge of Lordship What are some of the ideas that come to mind when you hear the word worship? Read Romans 12 1. Lordship involves Worship Rom 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God this is your spiritual act of worship Our worship of the Lord Jesus cannot take place unless we are under the Lordship of Christ. What are the motivations & the extent of our worship? Therefore Offer your bodies. 2. Lordship involves Transformation 2.Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God s will is his good, pleasing and perfect will How do we conform & how are we transformed? Body, Mind & Will What are the benefits of being transformed? 3. Lordship involves humble Service 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us What is Humility? V3 Why is humility important in the Body of Christ? V4,5 How is humility used? V6 What is your gift? Take time out & talk about this. Encourage one another about their gifts. How are you serving? Who are great examples for you in serving the Body of Christ? It may be appropriate to thank God for all those involved in humble service at St Johns! 4. Lordship involves Relationships 9-21 Would it be right to say, if we have some relationship difficulties in our lives, we are not fully under the Lordship of Christ? * Lordship & Me If we are serious about the Lordship of Christ, our lives will be one of Worship, Transformation, humble Service & harmonious Relationships. Serving Christ usually means satanic opposition & days of discouragement. When life becomes difficult, when we feel like bailing out in ministry, read what Paul says we should do in V12,13. If Jesus is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all. Are there areas in our life you still need to hand over? Tony Galea 5
5. The Confidence in Lordship What areas in your life do you find hard to trust God completely? Be honest you are amongst friends! Proverbs 3:5,6 is God s promise of God leading his people with direction in their lives. God keeps his promises, but when we obey His Word, our obedience prepares us to receive & enjoy what he has planned for us. Coming under the Lordship of Christ, means obedience to the Word of God. 1. Our Responsibilities. Read Proverbs 3 & discuss these responsibilities i. To learn the Word of God. 1-4 The only way to know God s will is to obey the Word of God ii. To Obey the Word of God 5-8 - Work through each phrase of our key verses 5,6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart lean not on your own understanding in all of your ways acknowledge him. If Jesus is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all. and he will make your paths straight. iii. To Share God s Blessing 9-10 If we don t faithfully give to the Lord, we don t really trust the Lord! iv. To Submit to God s Discipline 11,12 God punishes us not as a judge punishes a criminal, but as a parent disciplines a child. 2. Our Privilege 13-35 What are the blessings we are to enjoy? Discuss these blessings. i. True Wealth that comes from wisdom 13-18 ii. Harmony with God s creation 19,20 iii. God s care 21-26 iv. Good relationships with others 27-35 It s possible to have a godly home in the midst of an ungodly neighborhood, for God blesses the home of the righteous (v.33). We are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, and one dedicated Christian in a neighborhood can make a great deal of difference and be a powerful witness for the Lord. Living under the Lordship of Christ not only will be for our own benefit & the benefit for others, but also for the benefit of God s glory. We have nothing to lose but everything to gain if we fully give ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus. Please pray that we will all do that. If Jesus is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all. Tony Galea 6