Jesus Is Lord Of All

Text: Jesus said to them, “Come follow me, and I will make you fish for people” (Mark 1:17).

These words were first spoken to Peter and his brother Andrew. Jesus spoke with authority each time He spoke. When He said to Peter and Andrew, “Come follow Me,” He expected them to follow through. He did not say, “Men, if you want to really accomplish something worthwhile, come and follow me.”

Peter and his brother had a mind of their own. They could have thought about Jesus’ words before responding, they could have immediately refused or they could have immediately obeyed. It appears they immediately made the decision to follow Jesus.

Jesus is speaking to people this day. Some respond to Jesus in a positive manner and follow Him. Others hear what Jesus says through preachers, teachers, the written Word, or other Christians, but for whatever reason choose to live life according to the standards of the world.

What does it mean “Jesus is Lord of all”? We know Jesus is the Son of God the Father. We also know Jesus and the Father are one in the same. Jesus was God incarnate or God in human flesh. If God created everything and everyone, then He is far superior to everything and everyone.

Genesis tells us “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Genesis 1:1, 2). God created something out of nothing. God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ. God is God of all or God of everything.

God is Lord of all, so if this is true and Jesus is God in the flesh, then Jesus is Lord of all. What is all? All is everything that is. For example, Jesus is Lord of light, sky, water, land, seas, sun, moon, stars, fish, birds, animals and all humans.

Jesus is Lord of our life. If He is Lord of our life, then we will live our life in accordance to what He relates to us in His Word. When Jesus said to Peter, “Come, follow Me” Peter did not hesitate. He and his brother Andrew “Immediately left their nets and followed Him” (Mark 1:18). The life of Peter and the life of Andrew were never again the same.

When Jesus knocks at the door of your heart, He is actually asking you to follow Him. He knows you are a sinner because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve. He created you and therefore, He knows your heart from the inside out.

Jesus is asking you to confess your sins because He has already paid the price for your sinful nature. He wants you to follow Him by opening the door of your heart just as Peter did.

Jesus will not force Himself upon you. He waits for your invitation. When you confess your sins with your mouth and thank Him for dying on the Cross, you are opening the door for Him to come into your heart.

You no longer want to live for yourself, but you want to live for Him. You no longer concentrate on worldly things, but you concentrate on heavenly things.

You want Jesus to occupy first place in your life.

You want Him to be in control of your life. You know this earthly life is only a journey and when you leave this life you want to spend eternity with Him in His kingdom.

Many times Jesus knocks on the door of the heart of an individual, but that person doesn’t answer the door for whatever reason. Perhaps the individual thinks they are so sinful they are afraid Jesus will not accept them. Maybe the individual believes they have to work to gain His acceptance.

The offer has been made, the opportunity is at hand, but the opportunities of the world appear to be more inviting. This is because the Devil is hard at work, working on the mind of that person. Satan wants to pull a person away from the outstretched arms and hands of Jesus. He is working against our Lord and Savior.

Jesus is Lord of all, but He never pressures anyone to accept His offer of salvation and the chance to spend eternity with Him. After an individual accepts Jesus, sin will probably still occur in that person’s life, but the important thing to remember is that as soon as that sin surfaces, the voice of the Holy Spirit will prompt one to repent of their sin.

What do you suppose Jesus saw in Peter? Why did He call Peter to follow Him? I believe Jesus was looking for common ordinary people with whom He could form a relationship. Peter was a fisherman. He wasn’t a college graduate. He wasn’t superior in any way. He had an elementary school education. Peter was a real person in whom Jesus saw potential.