Is Jesus King supreme in your life? Every child of God must allow the King to be supreme in order to exercise supremely the authority of the King!
You ask, “Pastor, where am I supposed to exercise this authority?” Over the world and its luring, over the flesh and its lusts and over the devil and his lies!
Last week we learned that authority was freely given to Adam in the garden, then it was legally lost to Satan, and then righteously regained by Christ!
But here’s the glitch…there can be no dominance or dominion until we submit to authority…The Lord Jesus Christ!
H.G. Wells said near the end of his life, “…Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all history, but He does not dominate my heart.”
LifePoint: It is impossible to dominate in the natural realm if Jesus does not dominate in the spiritual realm!
VERSE 7-12
Joseph Sung a Romanian Pastor who was tortured and beaten under Communist rule for 25 years. The communists despised his Christianity. After the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe Joseph became a spiritual leader in Romania until his death in 1998.
An American Pastor asked Joseph what he thought of Christianity in America. He hesitantly answered, “In America the key word is commitment.” The Pastor said, “That’s true, so what.” Then Joseph responded, “In Romania there is no word for “commitment” and we would use the word “Surrender” because it is a more accurate word to describe Christianity.”
Then the America Pastor was confused and asked, “But what’s the difference? Isn’t it the same word as commitment?” And Joseph said, “No because when you make a commitment you are still in control, but when you surrender you are no longer in control. You can commit to win souls, share your testimony, read your Bible, but suppose someone comes up to you with a gun and says ‘Stickem up’ what do you do?” then Joseph said, “You Americans like to be in control over everything even you spirituality!”
I think he’s on to something – don’t you?
Christ doesn’t become Lord until we surrender to His person, His presence and His power! How many of us here today would be better at what God has called us to do if we submitted better to Jesus Christ?
FACT: Jesus Christ is called “Lord” in the N.T. 740 times.
Whether or not you’ve surrendered to Jesus – He’s already Lord over all!
Acts 2:36 “…God has made Jesus, Lord and Christ.”
The most important question for all of us is – do we recognize that He is Lord and have we responded to His leadership?
Have We Surrendered To:
1. The Redeeming Claim of His Lordship. Vs. 9a
“For to this end Christ died”
He died wrenchingly in order to claim us regally to Him
1 Corinthians 6:19 “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” NIV
I remind you – if you are saved, your life is under new management! At salvation you were supposed to fire yourself as manager over your life!
Jesus made an incredible investment into your life at salvation let Him manage it for the best return and the best results!
Ephesians 1:13,14
One way He manages us is through the Holy Spirit in us!
“Seal” = the authority given to a legal document.
The State of California has its seal of authority. The President of the United States always speaks behind the authority of the seal of his office. In Bible days a king would take his ring, dip it into hot wax and place it on a document to give it authority. Folks, at salvation all that took place because of the legal claim Jesus exercised at Calvary!
Salvation is not like “Hometown Buffet”!
“I’d like a lot of redemption without the righteousness!”
“I’ll have salvation but hold the authority!”
“I’ll take Savior but not lordship!”
“I’ll take the cross without the resurrection!”
Listen, seed pickin religion with pea pickin redemption leaves you with slim pickin salvation - It’s all or nothing!
2. The Resurrection Conquest of His Lordship. Vs. 9b
“And rose again that He might be Lord…”
KEY: When Jesus died He gave Himself for us; when He rose from the dead he gave Himself to us!
As a believer, there is no other king in our lives! He will not be a moonlighting god, nor will He have a duplex for a throne! Does He really rule over your life? Until Christ has authority over us we life a pathetic existence as a Christian!
Luke 6:46 “Jesus said, Why do you call Me Lord and you question everything I say?”
3. The Regal Confession of His Lordship. Vs. 11
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.” NIV
“In heaven” = angels
“On earth” = mankind
“Under the earth” = demon
Remember on the off set I said, “He died wrenchingly in order to claim us regally to Himself”. Let me remind all of us that every created being will wrenchingly confess Jesus as Lord or regally confess Jesus as Lord!
Ghandi said “I could accept Jesus as a martyr, an embodiment of sacrifice, and a divine teacher, but not as the most perfect man ever born. His death on the cross was a great example to the world, but that there was anything mysterious or miraculous in it - my heart could not accept.”
Remember H.G. Wells – here’s the whole quote, "I am an historian,
I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all history, but He does not dominate my heart."
The reality is… H.G. Wells, Ghandi, Nero, Caesar, Saddam Hussein, Hitler, Dr. Kevorkian, Buddha, Mohammed have wrenchingly confess Jesus as Lord! Will that be said of YOU?
The Results of a Regal Confession:
a. It confirms salvation.
Adam and Eve, Abraham, Isaac, Isaiah, Daniel, David, Esther and only one of the thieves on the cross have regally confessed Jesus as Lord. Thanks be to God that we don’t have to wait to die to confess Jesus as Lord!
If your tongue was to be ripped out of your mouth and you were given one last statement - what would it be? Hopefully it would be “Jesus is Lord!”
It was the year 258 A.D. when the Emperor Valerian put to death all the Christian clergy in Rome and six deacons – they all suffered martyrdom that year in the cruelest ways known to man. One of them included Pastor Lawrence. The day he was put to death the Emperor shouted… “Kindle the fire of wood make no spare. Hath this villain deluded the emperor? Away with him, away with him: whip him with scourges, jerk him with rods, buffet him with fists, brain him with clubs. Pinch him with fiery tongs, gird him with burning plates, bring out the strongest chains, and the fire-forks, and the grated bed of iron: on the fire with it; bind the rebel hand and foot; and when the bed is fire-hot, on with him: roast him, broil him, toss him, turn him: above all, yank his tongue out – as to shut him from speaking the name of Christ!”
b. It controls selfishness.
When I first said “Jesus is Lord”, a lot of my decision making was drastically narrowed! Because you have confessed Jesus as Lord in your life, so many decisions are already made for you – church, witnessing, rudeness, carousing, anger and faithfulness, serving!
LifePoint: Selflessness is a visible and tangible expression of servanthood!
c. It convicts sinners.
We now live our lives openly and boldly in front of others!
So many times we say, “Well I just want them to see my life!”
May I remind all of us – no one is saved by our lives! I don’t know about your life, but my life sticks without Christ – it’s Christ in me the hope of glory! Christianity is swimming with good intentions!
We have to open our mouths and share Jesus! Let’s not keep our salvation a secret – let’s get out of the closet, for goodness sakes everyone else is! Think about it – there’s no one left to witness to in the closet!
d. It conquers Satan.
There’s authority!
Satan hates for us to confess Jesus as Lord because he desperately wants to distract our focus, dominate our minds and disengage our authority in Christ! Is anyone of these happening to you – then deploy that regal confession now!
Listen, we will never be over the devil, the flesh and the world until we are under Jesus – that’s a fact!
e. It comforts saints.
Get this truth: confession strengthens faith and faith strengthens confession – both are working in tandem in a believer’s life! You see when we exercise faith on others, the stronger hold it gets on us!
When someone is struggling with circumstances, remind them that Jesus is Lord. When someone is fearful over a doctor’s report, remind them that Jesus is Lord! When the pink slip arrives to someone you know, remind them that Jesus is Lord! When someone’s marriage is being tested to the limit, remind them that Jesus is Lord! When a child is wayward remind mom and dad that Jesus is Lord!
That kind of confession brings courage and confidence to the child of God!
