Which Lord Is My Lord
10/22/95 Stewardship Joshua 24:14-27 Luke 9:57-62 , 14:25-35
In every period of the people of God’s history, you will find that God’s people have secretly served gods other than the Lord God. We saw it in our Old Testament reading when Joshua told the people, "now if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves which gods you will serve." Joshua’s message is, all of us are going to serve some kind of a kind. It will either be the Lord, or a god of our own choosing or one that we ourselves design. I want you to answer honestly at the close of the message, "which lord is my lord?"
There is a crisis in the church today over the misconception of the understanding of the word lord. What do we mean when we say that Jesus is lord of my life? Some people think that when we say the Lord Jesus Christ, we’re simply adding a phrase like Mr. Jesus Christ. We don’t use the word lord much in our everyday language. so its lost a lot of its true meaning.
I’ll try to help you understand what lord means through the illustration of a car. I am lord of my car. I paid some money for it. I’ve got a piece of paper at home that says I am the title owner. Nobody else has the right to use that car without my permission. I can take the car where ever I want to go. It doesn’t matter what time of day or night it is, when I want to use my car, I simply get my keys, crank it up and I’m gone. Nobody has the right to tell me, you can’t use your car today. If I want to paint it a different color, that’s my business. If I want to trade it or sell it, I can do that too. I could even give it away if I wanted to do it.
The fact that I am lord of that car also means I’m responsible for that car. If it needs gas, I need to put it into the car. If something goes wrong with the engine, I need to have it fixed. If there’s a sign that says no parking here or you will be towed, I need to make sure that I don’t park in that spot. If I come to a red light, I need to be the one to stop the car. As lord of the car, I am its source for whatever it is that it needs. As lord of the car, I am going to try to protect my investment. I am not going to do anything that’s going to intentionally damage any part of the car.
Now let’s just suppose for a moment that I one day I woke up and this car had the ability to think and act for itself. So after church several people had asked me for a ride home, and I told them all yes sure. But when I got into the lot the car was gone. My immediate response would be that someone had stolen the car. So I rush into the church to call the police but when I get in the phone is ringing. It’s Pastor Toby and she says, Honey the car is home.
I ask well how did it get there. She says, "It came by itself. When I asked the car where were you, it said, "It knew you would be giving people rides home after church, and it just didn’t feel like going the extra miles and carrying the extra weight." Now I’m Lord of this car, and its got the nerve to up and leave when I need it the most.
Now suppose one day, I finally get on the expressway in that car and I want to hit 55. I’m mashing the pedal to the metal and am barely doing 40. I ask the car what’s wrong. The car says, "I’ve never done more than 35 in the city. I’m not sure I should go that fast." I tell the car, "Look, I’m the lord here, trust me, you cannot only do 55, you can easily hit 85." The car responds, "yeah but I’m not sure that I can handle it. My tires have never gone that fast, the engine might overheat and blow up. I tell you what I’ll do. Each month for the next 20 months, I’ll drive one mile faster until I can get use to going that fast. I know you’re my lord, but there’s no use rushing things."
Now after having taken 20 months to do what it could have done in 20 seconds, the car is faced with another challenge. There I am doing 55 on the highway trying to get to another church to preach when all of a sudden the car pulls over to the side. I ask what in the world are you doing. " The car responds, well my tank is getting low and I don’t want to run out of gas" I tell it, you’ve got enough gas to get to the next exit and gas station. The car says "yes, but I don’t see any gas stations around and I’m afraid I won’t have enough to make it." I say look, "I’m the one that puts the gas inside of you that makes you run. I’m telling you get on the road. There is gas ahead at the next stop."
The car responds, "now lord I know that you have provided for me in the past, but I’ve always been in the city and could see the next gas station. Out here on this highway, I can’t see a thing except me about to run out of gas. Look at the gas gauge. Now Please, get out and catch a ride with someone else and bring me back some more gas so that I can make it to this place you want to go."
Clearly from this illustration you can see that having ownership and being Lord were not the same for the two vehicles. As a matter of fact, with the second car, all that the lord had was a title of ownership, with very little control of his property. Isn’t that where most Christians are today in their relationship with Jesus Christ.
They accept the fact that by dying on the cross for their sins, Jesus purchased them from the clutches of Satan and of hell. They will say yes Jesus is my owner, I belong to Him. He is the Lord of my life. And yet they are not there when Jesus wants to use them, they are not willing to push themselves to reach their potential in God, and they are not willing to trust God to meet their needs.
The number one issue facing the church today is the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Are we willing to obey Jesus or not? Do you know that studies show there is very little difference between those who go to church and those who do not. The reason is the lordship of Jesus Christ. People think that because they can come to church and listen to some singing and a sermon, that somehow they are going to be transformed into a disciple of Jesus Christ. We all agree that going to a mechanic’s garage and hanging around for an hour a week will not turn you into a car. Why do we think hanging around a church for an hour a week will turn you into a disciple of Jesus Christ?
Many people who are in the church, are basing their whole salvation on the belief that Jesus was a liar. They don’t believe that Jesus was telling the truth in the Bible. When Jesus said, "In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be disciple." They believed Jesus was lying. They insist that Jesus said, anybody who gives up an hour or two for Sunday worship will be my disciple.
When Jesus said in , Luke 14:26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple. They believe Jesus was lying. They insist that Jesus said, "I’ve got to take care of everything my family wants and that will make me a Christian." They believe Jesus was lying when He said in Luke 14:27 " And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." They insist that Jesus said, "Even though I know what I’m doing is wrong, God knows my heart and how much I love him. As long as I ask for forgiveness everything is fine. God understands my weakness in this area."
Not only do people want Jesus to lie, there are many people who want their pastors to be good liars at the appropriate time. For instance 31% of our membership come to church less than one Sunday a month. But at their funeral all 31% will want me to say how faithful they were in putting God first. 52% of our members have either never came to Bible Study or have not been within the past two years. Yet at their funeral they will want me to say, they were a real student of the word of God with a desire to learn about Jesus Christ.
35% of our members will not participate in anything other than Sunday worship service. Yet at their funeral they will want me to say, that they were strong supporters of the church’s programs and ministry.
68% of our members have never tithed, and yet they will want me to say how they loved God more than they loved things. We’ve got people who are going to spend more on their funeral than they ever gave to the church in a ten year period. Some today give more each week to cigarettes, alcohol and the lottery than t they do to the church. Yet would get upset if told their giving indicated a greater love for things than for God.
How many of you would think I was wrong to be honest at the funeral of member Joe. Member Joe was very active in the community. He went to games, concerts, Atlantic City and a host of other places. Since Jesus was Lord, he’s been to church twice this year. The last time was Easter, and the second time is here at his funeral. The truth is Joe wasn’t at church because he didn’t want to be.
Member Joe was faithful in keeping up with the soap operas and did not miss an episode of the OJ trial on CNN because He kept up with things that were important. For six years Member Joe intended to make it to Bible study as soon as he could find the time. Death has now kept him from coming and for the first time in six years, I can say that Joe has a good reason for not making it to Bible Study this week.
Member Joe was excited that his church would have programs all the time, but he was too busy to support a single event. Joe was not interested in coming to things that the church sponsored because the world offered something a little more stimulating. Especially some of the tv programs and cable movies.
Member Joe had a nice home and a good job. He always bought new cars. He was the finest dresser in the community and believed in having nice things. Member Joe never once in his life paid a tithed to God. He loved money a lot more than he loved God. But Joe believed that Jesus was lord of his life and knew that if he ever hit the lottery, he would give 10% to God. Friends there is remote chance that Member Joe made it to heaven, but based on the word of God, Member Joe might be in hell at this very moment. You see Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven"
Saints if we want the truth to be told at our funerals, why don’t we live the life that God is calling us to live today. Why are we not submitting ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ now? It has been suggested that too often we are guilty of lying in church by the songs that we sing. Perhaps we should change some of the words that we sing.
He is Lord, ought to be changed to He is Lord as long as He agrees to what I want. I Surrender All should be changed to I Surrender Some Of It. Take My Life And Let It Be, should be changed to Take My Life and Leave It Alone, I Am Thine Oh Lord should be changed to I Am Thine Oh Lord Temporarily, I Have Decided To Follow Jesus should be changed to I Have Decide To Follow Jesus Part Time And Only to Selected Destinations.
What kind of steps are we willing to take to make Jesus Lord of Our lives? There is far too much of the world’s philosophy in the church. Sometimes the people in the church don’t expect us to truly allow Jesus Christ to be lord of our lives.
One Christian who found herself going through a divorce was asked by other Christians, "have you started dating other people yet." Don’t they know the word of God does not give you a license to break your marriage vows simply because the other person is acting the fool. If you are married, it doesn’t matter what your spouse is doing, until your divorce is final God expects you to live as a faithful married person.
We talk about role models for our youth. One role model we could use is that of a young couple in our church that are dating each other and are able to say to the other young people, we are committed to each other and to God to avoid having sex until after we are married. We need some single young men and single young women who can say, I’m keeping myself holy and pure before God in terms of my sexual lifestyles. We need spouses who can say, we are faithful to each other and are committed to working out our problems without heading for the divorce court. We believe that Jesus is our Lord.
Everyday that we get out of bed, we must decide is Jesus going to be the Lord of my life today. Do I really intend to do what he wants me to do. Am I committed to go all the way with him today. If we don’t make that decision, then like Joshua said, we are going to choose to follow some other god.
Suppose you were at a wedding and the pastor was asking the questions, Do you agree to take her as your beloved wife, and the groom said, yes as long as I don’t find anybody any better. Do you agree to be faithful to her? I agree to be faithful at least 90% of the time. Do you agree to have her in sickness and in health. I agree so long as she doesn’t get sick for more than two years. Do you agree to have her for richer or poorer? I agree with the riches, but if things get to tight I might have to get out.
Everybody at that wedding should go down and try to rescue that bride from making the biggest mistake of her life. We wouldn’t give that marriage a chance of making it. We all know that from the beginning the commitment on the groom’s part is lacking. It’s just a matter of time before he is going to be out of there and she is going to be left all alone.
Do you realize that if we laid our relationship to Jesus Christ on the same scale as we did this couple about to get married, we wouldn’t do much better than the groom did. God asks us, will you be faithful to me. We say yes God, at least on Sundays and as long as there’s nothing else that I really want to do. God asks will you stick with me when things are going well for you? We say yes Lord, as long as you don’t let them get too bad. If you don’t handle things quickly enough your way, then I’m going to have to handle them my way.
After we’ve answered God with all these limitations and restrictions, we act as though we’ve done God a favor by us calling Jesus the lord of our lives. God may be on the verge of tears, because He’s sees through our half hearted commitment.
Instead of worshipping God because He is God, we try to use God. We use God to get peace of mind. We use God to get a job. We use God to get a spouse. We use God as though God’s only purpose for existence is to see to it that we are kept happy, healthy, and wealthy. It would be far better for us to learn that it is much better to have God first and have God himself than to have all these other things and not have God. The challenge before us to seek more of God, and to seek God for Himself alone, rather than seeking God to get him to do something for us.
Jesus said something once that sort of takes the wind out of the sails of pride. We may come to that point in which we have decided to put Jesus first in our lives by deciding that serving God is desirable . We’re into the word of God studying it as commanded by Scripture. We’re into bringing our tithes and our offerings into the church. We’re striving to live at home, at the church, at school and at work as Christ told us to live. Jesus said, when you’re doing all these things, and others say, "wow, what a fine Christian you are" Luke 17:10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ’We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’"
That which many Christians see as extraordinary, Jesus said was the duty of all of us. Stewardship of what we have is going to be determined by whether or not Jesus is our Lord. If He is our Lord the way we give our money, our time, and our talents will confirm it. If Jesus is not our Lord, the way we give our money, our time, and out talents will also confirm it.
Jesus did not come with a message of easy believism. Jesus never said, "if you just believe, you will be able to be my disciple." In our New testament reading, a person came to Jesus saying I’ll go wherever you want me to go. Jesus warned him, where I go, you don’t always get the conveniences you may now have.
Jesus told another man, Come Follow Me. The man let him know, Lord I’m willing but I’ve got some heavy responsibilities to handle. Jesus said, leave those responsibilities to someone else. I’ve got something far more important for you to do. Another man told Jesus, he was willing to follow, but first he had to go back and have one last party with his family. Jesus let him know that if he thought there was something more important than his lordship over his life, then He was not fit for the kingdom of God.
Where are you in your relationship to God this morning. Is Jesus your lord or have you called in a substitute because serving the God of the Bible seems undesirable to you. Are you following Jesus at a distance because there are some conveniences you’re not ready to give up to follow Him. Are you thinking that the responsibilities that life have been dumped into your life somehow excuses you from making Jesus the lord of your life. Are you intending to make Jesus Lord just as soon as you go back and say good-bye to everything else.
Today is the day of salvation. Today Jesus is either Lord of your life or you have made either yourself or some other entity Lord. Let me tell you this about Jesus. He loves you. He cares for you. He calls you to come and follow Him. He knows that you have potential for the kingdom of God and for yourself that you have not yet begun to tap into. He knows that your only hope for salvation is found in him. He knows that with Him, your life can find the completion that it seeks.
