essons In Lordship Part 7
What Does Lordship Require of Me? (Pt 3)
Introduction: Today we are going to finish up our study on the Lordship of Christ. While this series of sermons may conclude, I can assure you, the topic of Lordship is going to be something we face every day. So far in our look at the practical implication of Lordship we have looked at the following questions:
1. What Am I Holding On To? Is there anything that is keeping me from being totally sold-out for Jesus?
2. Who Am I Hanging Out With? Is there anything or anybody that is coming between me and Jesus?
3. Where Am I Headed? What direction is your life headed? Is that direction being driven by the Lord, or are you setting the course for your life?
Today we are going to look at the implications of Lordship through two final practical application questions. Before we do, let me remind you first of all of the over-arching principle that is guiding our study:
The Lordship of Christ is a Daily Exercise
As I have mentioned previously, accepting Jesus as your Savior is a one-time, specific event, but acknowledging His Lordship is a daily exercise, it is a choice that we must make throughout every day as faithful followers of Jesus Christ. With that in mind here’s our next question:
The Lordship of Jesus Christ demands that we ask...
4. How Am I Going to Live?
I see this is a motivation issue--what is it that drives your decisions? What is at the very core of who you are and how you live on a day-to-day basis? Turn with me to Romans 14. The first thing that I want is to do is to see clearly that the Lord has authority over our daily decisions in life. While it may be nostalgic to think about Frank Sinatra’s famous song, "My Way," if doing it my way doesn’t line up with doing it God’s way then my doing will always leave me wanting, and wondering what I missed.
Look at what Paul says beginning in verse 8:
Romans 14:8-12 (HCSB)
8If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9Christ died and came to life for this: that He might rule over both the dead and the living. 10But you, why do you criticize your brother? Or you, why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11For it is written: As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to Me, and every tongue will give praise to God. 12So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Within the context of addressing how Christians are supposed to behave, and specifically how they are to relate in a Christ-like manner with one another, Paul says, it’s all about submitting to the Lord. There is almost a hint of humor here from my perspective. What I hear Paul saying is: "You all ought to start getting along now, ‘cause you are going to be spending eternity together."
Jesus is the Lord of the living and the dead which means that His authority over our lives is just as valid in the here-and-now as it will be in the hereafter. It also means that He expects us to treat one another here like we would there. We are called to acknowledge the Lordship of Christ in our lives today to prepare us for tomorrow and eventually for heaven.
One of the easiest ways to see whether we are really living for Jesus--if He is the Lord of our lives--is to examine how we get along as fellow believers. If you really took to heart the fact that scripture says that you are going to give an account to the Lord for how you treat other people within the Church would you still say, do, or think some of the things you do?
If our lives are filled with criticism and looking down on others that is a clear sign that we have a problem with the Lordship of Christ. You might say, "It’s not Jesus I have a problem with, it’s people!" I say you’re wrong! If you can’t relate properly to other believers, and they can’t relate properly to you, that your fault not the Lord’s!
A lack of unity within the Body of Christ is always symptomatic of a failure to submit to the Lordship of Christ. We will never have the kind of relationships within the Church that we could have until we have the relationship with Jesus that we should have. And that means He gets to call the shots.
I want us to look at this question, "How am I going to live?" from another perspective. Let’s return again to the book of Colossians and this time go to chapter 3. Last week Paul’s letter helped us focus on direction this week I want us to see that Paul also spoke to them about motivation.
Colossians 3:17, 23 (HCSB)
17And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
23Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men, 24knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord you serve the Lord Christ.
Whatever you do in word or in deed. That pretty much covers it doesn’t it. I wonder if we really process what that means? Think about it--does you say reflect Jesus Christ? Does everything you do reflect Jesus Christ? The reality is both of those statements are true. Our words and our deeds do reflect Christ. The reflection may not look much like the real Jesus, but they will tell a story about who Jesus is in our lives!
Here’s a simple way to look at verse 17: Would Jesus say it? Would Jesus do it? And if the answer is "yes" He would both say it and do it with a spirit of thankfulness. Our words and our actions must go beyond just saying or doing the right thing, our motivation needs to be right as well.
Responding to the Lordship of Christ isn’t just about doing or saying everything He tells you to do. It is also about a life of genuine gratitude to the Lord for His gift of grace and mercy. Lordship is just as much about love as it is about obedience. They will go hand-in-hand for the faithful follower of Jesus Christ.
So the question really boils down to: "Am I living for Jesus?" If He isn’t motivating my choices in life then it’s time for a change.
I want to finish this series with a very straightforward question that I hope will provide a final perspective on these messages about Lordship.
The Lordship of Jesus Christ demands that we ask...
5. Why Does it Matter?
What is at stake if we do not truly acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus Christ? First of all, let me repeat what I have said to you throughout this series: If Jesus is not your Lord, then He’s not your Savior. Or, as someone put it: If Jesus is not "Lord of all" He is not "Lord at all."
With that said, the first reason it matters is that I don’t want anyone going through life with a false sense of spiritual security. I’m afraid way too many people have been told to simple pray a prayer and then get baptized and that is all there is to being a Christian. I agree that a simple confession of sin and an acceptance of Jesus’ death and resurrection are the necessary components of salvation, but those are beginning points not ends within themselves. If you have never taken that next step of surrendering your life fully to Jesus Christ then you need to reevaluate what your decision to accept Him as Savior really meant.
The second thing that I want to challenge you with in regards to why Lordship matters is what is at stake for others. Turn with me to 1 Peter 3. Lordship certainly has serious implications for our lives, but it also affects others that we come into contact with. Let me illustrate that with scripture.
1 Peter 3:15 (HCSB)
15but set apart the Messiah as Lord in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.
Why does Lordship matter? Because when Jesus is Lord in our hearts He will be Lord of our lives and if He is Lord of our lives we will be ready and able to be His witnesses to the world. If you are not ready to give a defense for the hope you have in Christ Jesus then you need to examine your relationship with Him. Who is going to be a witness for Christ in your world? If not you, why not? Is it because you have not set apart Jesus as your Lord?
I want to share one final scripture 2 Corinthians 4:5-6 as we conclude today. The powerful thing about the Lordship of Christ is that there is no way to take credit for anything that comes from it. To do so would be to elevate yourself to Lord and then you would be back at square one. Look at what Paul says in verses 5-6:
2 Corinthians 4:5-6 (HCSB)
5For we are not proclaiming ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves because of Jesus. 6For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," He has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ.
The Lordship of Christ matters because you and I are supposed to be the shinning light in this community. First Baptist Church is supposed to be a beacon of light pointing to the glory of God on the corner of Pacific and G. Are we? If not, then we have a Lordship problem and it’s time we got it fixed! Here’s the question that I want us to ask as individuals and as a Church:
Does my life clearly point others to Jesus?
Do people see Jesus as Lord when the come into contact with FBC?
It’s time we started looking like Him.
