Lordship
From the Cluttered Desk... August 11, 2002 Volume 48, Edition 30
WALTER J. CHANTRY once said, “Jesus will not be Savior to any man who refuses to bow to him as Lord.” We talk a great deal about salvation. Normally, you will hear someone say, “Trust Jesus as Savior and Lord.”
THE NEW TESTAMENT never refers to Jesus that way. In the Scriptures, it is always “Lord and Savior.” The term “Savior” is used a little over thirty times. The term “Lord” is used over four hundred times. In the Scripture, His name is Lord.
JOHN C. CHAPMAN writes, “No repentance is true repentance which does not recognize Jesus as Lord over every area of life.” Charles Colson says, “If Christ is Lord of all, Christians must recapture their sense of moral outrage. If Christ’s lordship does not disrupt our own lordship, then the reality of our conversion must be questioned.”
MY MENTOR, Vance Havner used to say, “Jesus Christ demands more complete allegiance than any dictator who ever lived. The difference is, He has the right to. Salvation is not a cafeteria where you take what you want and leave the rest. You cannot take Christ as Savior and refuse Him as Lord and be saved.”
THIS ARTICLE is not about the Lordship/ Salvation debate. It is about looking in the mirror. Is Jesus Lord of your life? In all things? Have you compartmentalized your faith? Do you have areas in your life where you are not interested in what the Lord has to say? Have you looked in God’s mirror and turned away, rejecting what He has shown you?
THE TITLE “LORD” is found over 700 times in the New Testament. To call Jesus Lord is to call Him God. To call Him God, is to acknowledge that you aren’t. In the earliest Greek, the word meant “to have power or authority.” It later came to describe one who is in control.
IN PHILIPPIANS, Paul tells us that Jesus is exalted because He is Lord. Romans tells us that salvation is based on a confession of Jesus Christ as Lord. When Thomas saw the resurrected Christ, he called Him both Lord and God.
AUGUSTINE SAID, “Jesus Christ will be Lord of all or He will not be Lord at all.” Thomas Brooks, the Puritan, wrote, “Though Christ’s coat was once divided, He will never suffer His crown to be divided.”
JESUS SAID, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not the things I say?” Good question. What’s our answer? Let’s examine a few obvious areas.
ONE, is Jesus Lord of your eyes? What you watch? Where you cast your gaze, your glance, your stare? The first look may not be sin, but the second surely is. What are you seeing with your eyes as you read, watch TV, walk down the beach, search the Internet? Are your eyes committed to Christ?
TWO, what about your hands? Are they pure and undefiled? Are they holy hands? Are they clean hands? The Scripture has much to say about our hands. We are reminded that clean hands and a pure heart are necessary if we want to worship and get in God’s presence.
THREE, what about your feet? Where do you go? Where do your feet take you in your free time? Is it a place where the Lord would feel comfortable? Have your feet taken you to places or led you to situations where your faith might be compromised or questioned?
FOUR, what about your ears? What are you listening to? Is it nothing to you when people take God’s name in vain? Have you watched so much, listened to so much, you don’t even recognize when someone is being flippant or foul in the use of God’s name?
FIVE, what about your mind? What are you putting into your mind? What are you reading? What is being recorded on your memory chip? What picture, word or image has been burned onto the hard disc of your brain?
SIX, what about your money? Is He in control of your checkbook? Your spending? Your investments? When the offering plate passes by, do you ignore it or invest in kingdom business? Are you laying up treasures in heaven or buying into wood, hay and stubble that will burn up one day?
SEVEN, what about your time? Is your church attendance under His Lordship? Do you only come when you feel like it or is it a commitment?
LET’S BE HONEST. Doing a spiritual inventory is unpleasant. We see things about ourselves that we would rather not see. We tend to see sin in others easily. We tend to excuse our own sin. We are all guilty of wanting others to live by standards we refuse to live by ourselves.
LORDSHIP is about giving God a blank check and letting Him fill it in. It’s about letting Him set your priorities. It’s about seeking Him in your decision making. It’s about turning your agenda over to Him. Something about, “not my will but Thine be done.”
THIS IS NOT ABOUT legalism or works salvation. This is about loyalty to the boss. If I say someone is my boss, my commander in chief, my Lord, and I don’t follow His orders, or obey His commands, I am not under authority. I am disobedient. I am rebellious. I am insubordinate.
IT’S ALL ABOUT who is going to run your life. Lordship is an essential element of revival. It is essential for a healthy church and a healthy believer. In the Word, it’s non-negotiable. Either He is or He is not. So let’s close by asking a simple question: Is Jesus Lord of your life?
