Who Is Your Lord? Series

Life, Everlasting, Part II – Who is your Lord?

In Part I, we determined from Ezekiel 37 that, through the breath put in us by God when we give our life to Him, we have life. And through that breath we will know that He is the LORD.

We also briefly touched upon those that claim activities, abilities, talents and smooth talking is evidence enough of their spirituality and that alone will get them into heaven. What was Jesus’ answer to that?

Luke 6:46

46 “Why do you call me, ’Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”

So obviously He was talking to people that had yet to make Him Lord of their lives.

(John 6:47) I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.

In his book I Surrender, Patrick Morley [Man in the Mirror Ministries] writes that the church’s integrity problem is in the misconception "that we can add Christ to our lives, but not subtract sin. It is a change in belief without a change in behavior." He goes on to say, "It is revival without reformation, without repentance."

Most people, when they are about to build a house, want to include all that they will ever need in the planning of that house. They may think about additions and subtractions to the family. They may think about the orientation of the house, such as the north winds in the winter and the cooling southerly breezes in the summer.

After the house is built, they enjoy it for many years…but then something happens. A new addition is needed. Maybe the family decided to increase, invite an aging parent, or adopt a child, but a new addition is needed so, they decide to build that addition. And, when it’s finished, the addition, in and of itself, looks good, yet, from a distance, the older house and the newer addition are different. Maybe they couldn’t get the same windows, or bricks, or siding, whatever it is, but it looks different.

Life with Jesus should never be in addition to the lifestyle we led before we met Jesus. If that is the way it is in your life, then it will be very apparent to everyone that He’s only an addition and that He isn’t Lord and Savior of your life.

Giving your life to Jesus implies that you have to let Him tear down the house, and let Him design it and build it. Life with Jesus can’t and won’t casually lay over your current life like a transparency on an overhead projector.

Unless you are willing to let Jesus take precedence in your life, unless you are willing to let Jesus be first in your life, unless you are willing to let Jesus be Lord and Savior of your life, then there is no life everlasting. What you have is an addition to the lifestyle you had before. That lifestyle has its foundation built on sand, and not solid rock.

So let’s step back a little. Maybe even to the time that you were first saved, and, if you’re not saved this doesn’t mean you don’t have to pay attention. This is for you, too.

Let’s step back to that day when we first put our God-given faith in Jesus, and, in turn, received that life-sustaining breath that brought the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Think back to that day. Are you there? You can close your eyes if you want as you remember summer camp, or another church, or an event. Are you there?

Listen to this question and answer it honestly. What direction have you taken since that day? Has it been a direct path? Has it been a straight road, while all the time you were following the will of God for your life? Chances are…it hasn’t been a direct path. Chances are it’s been a rough road. The chances are very good that that rough road was a road which included self-inflicted detours. Maybe it included selfish turns and rebellious U-turns. Maybe it included impatient speeding. Maybe it included failure to yield to His right of way. Whatever it was, whatever the reason, rest assured…He didn’t get lost, He was still right there with you, trying to get you to turn around, to yield, to slow down, or maybe even speed up, or maybe even stop altogether. All of our lives are impacted differently by the will of God.

As I was preparing this message and reflecting back on my own Christian walk, I was presented with that traditional ‘chase scene’ in the movies. I envisioned my life as following my own road trying to shake the pursuit of God. Do you understand what I’m talking about? Sometimes I was like the person in the car that’s being chased by another car. I would swerve this way or that way, all the while trying to lose the pursuing Creator Who only wanted good things for me.