4 Words (Sermon 2) Series

Lessons in Lordship Part 2

4 Words

Introduction: Last week we began our study on the Lordship of Christ by seeing that Jesus is God. Today we are going to continue our study by looking at what I believe are some crucial aspects to the understanding of Lordship. Last week as we were concluding our time of worship I gave you an assignment. It was the same assignment that I had given the students and the faculty at the school prior to beginning our lessons on Lordship. I asked you to consider this question:

If you only had 4 words left to speak in your lifetime, what would they be?

Since some of you may not have been here last week, I want you to take a moment and think about that question:

If you only had 4 words left to speak in your lifetime, what would they be?

Let me share with you just some broad reflections on what the faculty and students said in their final words:

Over half said something about love either for God or for others.

More than a quarter mentioned Jesus by name. Many asked for forgiveness or expressed regret about their life.

You may wonder why I gave this exercise, and because of the way we approach so many things in life, and you may wonder, "What is the right answer." I don’t know that there is a right answer to the question, but I do believe it leads to some spiritual issues that we all need to address and that is what we are going to focus on for the next couple of weeks.

When I was at the school for Spiritual Emphasis Week I had the chance to visit with a one of my former Church members. I told her that I was going to be speaking on Lordship at the school, and about I the assignment that I had given. She told me that she has already determined what her final words will be, and has put them on her headstone at the cemetery. On her stone are the following words:

"Only one life will soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last."

She said that she got her adults kids together, picked up burgers at McDonald’s and then went out to the cemetery and had a party so that they could see what she had said. She told me, "I want my kids to know what I’m living for, I wanted them to see those word and see the dash after the day I was born and realize that when my life was over I want it to have all been for the Lord." She looked at me and said, "Pastor, it’s all about what you do with the dash."

I want to challenge you this morning with the idea that you and I need to be inscribing our final words right now. We need to be determining what we are going to do with the dash that God has given us. While we are still living we have a choice on what we want our lives to say, but I want to propose to you that there will come a time when our words will be chosen for us.

Turn with me to Philippians 2:9-11.

There are 4 simple words that I believe are the most powerful words ever spoken, and ever to be spoken. Interestingly there were two students who stated that these would be their last 4 words. These are words that one day everyone will speak. They may not be your last 4 words but I think they are going to be the first 4 words you speak after you die. What are they?

Jesus Christ is Lord!

Philippians 2:9-11

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

One way or the other, all people are going to have to acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord. Today we all have the opportunity to acknowledge that by choice, by willingly receiving His gift of grace and surrendering our lives to Him.

But not everyone is willing to do that, but that doesn’t change the fact that Jesus Christ is Lord! He isn’t Lord because I said so. He is Lord because He is whether I say so or not. And that is really the whole question that I want to challenge you with over the next couple of days. Not IS Jesus Christ the Lord, but IS Jesus Christ MY Lord.

People don’t like to talk about Lordship because of the implications that arise quite quickly when we consider what it means to both acknowledge and apply Jesus’ lordship to our lives. It is much easier to talk about Jesus as Savior than it is to consider Him as Lord. But I want to propose to you that you absolutely cannot separate the two though we as Christians today have done just that. I remember as a kid growing up in church hearing my Pastor’s offer an invitation that sounded something like this: