Jesus as Savior, Jesus as Lord
And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
Luke 6:46
Most, if not all of us here today know Jesus as our Savior, but do we really know Him as our LORD?
One day we realized we were hopelessly lost and destined for hell, and we came to the conclusion that there was nothing we could do to redeem ourselves.
It is then we realized our need for a Savior. Someone who could set us free from sin and condemnation. Someone who could redeem us from the curse of sin.
Someone who could rescue us from eternal damnation.
Lu 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
2Ti 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:
1Jo 4:14 ¶ And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
You see, we all need a Savior, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Billy Sunday was a famous baseball player in the early part of the last century.
He was dramatically saved by the grace of God and became famous as an evangelist.
In preparation for a city wide mission in a large city, Billy Sunday wrote a letter to the mayor asking him if he knew the names of individuals who had spiritual problems and needed help and prayer.
How surprised the evangelist was when he received a package from the mayor's office. In the package was the city's telephone directory.
You see, everybody needs a Savior!
And we have all freely accepted Jesus as our Savior. We repented of our sins.
We saw the error of our ways, realized we needed a Savior, and sorrowfully repented.
All of that is well and good. The Bible teaches us that Jesus is our Savior. He died on the cross that we may be set free from our sins.
But it doesn't stop there! You accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, but have you made Him your Lord?
It is one thing to accept Jesus as our Savior, but another to make Him our Lord.
The Greek word for Lord is “koo-ree-os” (Kurios) which means;
Supreme in authority
Controller
Master
In our modern dictionary the word means, a person who has authority, control or power over others.
You see, we live in a rebellious generation today who resents others for having authority over them.
They disrespect authority.
They talk about their rights, disregarding the sovereignty of God, doing what is right in their own eyes.
So Making Jesus our Lord means surrendering our own will and desires.
Making Jesus our Lord means taking up the cross and following Him.
Making Jesus our Lord is to surrender our all to Him. To live under His control. To allow Him to be Master of our lives.
But so many people don't want to do that. Even many of those who claim to be Christians don't want to commit their lives to God.
They will accept salvation, they accept Jesus, they ask God for forgiveness, but that is about as far as it goes.
It's like, “I have repented, I asked for forgiveness, but I'm not willing to allow Jesus to be LORD and master of my life.
Not willing to submit my ways to God's ways.
They will say the sinner's prayer, and hope that is enough, but they don't want to commit their whole life to God.
To follow Him, to keep His commandments, to take a stand for Him, that's not on their agenda.
They want to have control of their own lives.
They know if they really make Jesus Lord of their lives, they may have to make some drastic changes, like where they go, what they do, how they treat their spouse and children, what they say, and to support and be faithful to the church.
1. Let us make Jesus Lord of our finances.
1 Cor. 16:2 “On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.
Deut. 16: 17 “Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you.
Proverbs 3:10-11 (Sower version) “Honor the Lord by giving Him part of your wealth, and by offering Him the first fruits of all your income. Then your barns will overflow with food and your vats will overflow with wine. »
Tithing and offerings are our way of honouring God with what He has given us because everything belongs to Him, the earth, and everything in it belongs to the Lord (Psalms 24:1). So there is nothing we can give to God that can surprise Him. Paying God first is an act of worship, a way to show our Father that He is first in all things! It also helps us not be attached to money and have a good attitude of heart regarding money.
“Deuteronomy 8:17-18 (Sower version) “Take care therefore not to say: It is by my own strength and my power that I have acquired all these riches. On the contrary, remember that it is the Lord your God who gives you the strength to achieve prosperity and that He does it today to fulfill the“Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.
So Jesus should be the Lord of our financies
2. Jesus is Lord over my mind, my body, and my soul and how they work together.
Jesus is Lord over my thoughts, my feelings, my will, and my memory.
Jesus is Lord over the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart.
Pr 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Is Jesus your Savior, or is He both Savior and Lord?
