What About You?

Bible Book: Selected Passages

Subject: Jesus, Lordship of; Jesus, Centrality of

Introduction

Dr. Vance Havner (1901-1986) explains, “If I had only one sermon to preach, it would be on the Lordship of Jesus Christ. When we get right on that point we are right all down the line. God honors the exaltation of His Son.”1 Rev. James Smith (1802-1862) shares the following: “Jesus, who died for thy sins, is worthy to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. We can never ascribe too much to Jesus. But He is worthy also to be believed, in preference to Satan, unbelief, the world, or appearances; to be trusted with all, for all, before all; to be loved more than any other, in opposition to any other that would rival Him: . . .to be followed, wherever He may lead us, through evil report or good report; to be preferred to ease, pleasure, wealth, health, to anything and everything. Jesus is worthy to be our example, our confidant, our king, and our all. He is worthy of all He requires, all we can give, all His people have done for Him or suffered in His cause.”2

“Jesus Christ is Lord.” Maybe you’ve seen this statement on the roadside emblazoned on a billboard or at the graveside engraved on a tombstone. We will look at this statement in three ways:

I. First, note “Jesus Christ is Lord” as a statement of faith.

1 Corinthians 12:1-3 reads, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” Romans 8:9 reads, “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” Romans 10:9-10 reads, “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” John 3:1-8 reads, “There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, ‘Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.’” Thankfully, we have Scriptural evidence that a Pharisee, named Nicodemus, received God’s gift of everlasting life. Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe explains, “Here in John 3 [:16-21], we see Nicodemus in the darkness of confusion; in John 7:45-53, we see him in the dawn of conviction, willing to give Christ a fair hearing; and in John 19:38-42, we see Nicodemus in the daylight of confession, openly identifying himself with Christ.”3

In the words of the great hymn writer Dr. Isaac Watts (1674-1748):

When I survey the wondrous cross

On which the Prince of glory died,

My richest gain I count but loss,

And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,

Save in the death of Christ my God!

All the vain things that charm me most,

I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,

Sorrow and love flow mingled down!

Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,

Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,

That were a present far too small;

Love so amazing, so divine,

Demands my soul, my life, my all.4

Rev. Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892) warns, “If the professed convert distinctly and deliberately declares that he knows the Lord’s will, but does not mean to attend to it, you are not to pamper his presumption. It is your duty to assure him that he is not saved. Do not imagine that the gospel is magnified or God is glorified by going to worldlings and telling them that they may be saved at this moment simply by accepting Christ as their Savior while they are wedded to their idols and their hearts are still in love with sin. If I do so I tell them a lie. I pervert the gospel. I insult Christ and turn the grace of God into lasciviousness.”5

On May 16, 1920, Dr. George W. Truett (1867-1944) pastor of the First Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas, stood on the steps of the nation’s capital to address a large gathering concerning Baptists and religious liberty. In part he spoke about “. . . the doctrine of the absolute Lordship of Jesus Christ. That doctrine for Baptists the dominant fact in all their Christian experience, the nerve center of all their Christian life, the bedrock of all their church polity, the sheet anchor of all their hopes, the climax and crown of all their rejoicings.”6

Have you said, “Jesus Christ is Lord” as a statement of faith?

II. Second, note “Jesus Christ is Lord” as a statement of falsehood.

Matthew 7:21-23 reads, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” On another occasion Jesus said, “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me” (Matthew 15:8). Jesus asks in Luke 6:46, “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” Jesus continues, “Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great” (Luke 6:47-49).

Dr. Ray C. Stedman (1917-1992) writes, “Wherever you find people who bow to the lordship of Jesus Christ, wherever you find people who truly love and obey Him, you find the true church. Wherever you find those who are outwardly religious but love to acquire status, prestige, acclaim, and power, you find the false church, Babylon the Great.”7 Note the attitudes and actions of those who are actually false Christians, even though they might loudly declare, “Jesus Christ is Lord.”

Note their self-aggrandizing values. Philippians 3:18-19 reads, “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.” Matthew 6:25-34 reads, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? ‘So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ‘Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Emphasis mine)

Note their self-approved ventures. Matthew 7:21-23 reads, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Emphasis mine) 1 John 2:15-17 reads, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

Note their self-assessed virtues. Revelation 3:14-21 reads, “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: ‘I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Emphasis mine) Jeremiah 17:9-10 reads, “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.” Proverbs 28:26 reads, “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But whoever walks wisely will be delivered.”

Jim Elliot (1927-1956), one of five missionaries killed in an attempt to evangelize the Huaorani people of Ecuador, said, “What gets me into the kingdom, from Christ’s own statement, is not saying, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but acting ‘Lord, Lord.’”8 Dr. Vance Havner explains, “We have a great many people today who say, ‘Well, I took Jesus as my Savior. I could ask you tonight how many of you have taken Jesus as Savior and most of you would say you have. But if I ask you is he your Lord, most of you if you told the truth would have to say no. Well, then you are not saved. If you are willing to take Jesus as your Savior and not willing to make him your Lord. If you willfully and deliberately reject him as Lord you don’t even have him as Savior and it is high time that our people were shocked into learning this. Salvation, beloved, is not a cafeteria line where you can go along and take what you want and leave the rest. You can’t take the Savior part and leave the Lord part and be saved. You can’t take Jesus on the installment plan. You can’t take him on approval like you buy a stock of goods. You either take him for all he is or you don’t take him. Now some people may not understand all that Jesus is. I don’t suppose anybody does when they get saved. If you take him for all you know him to be at that time, you are saved. But while I am saying that any person who will confess Jesus as Savior and deliberately and knowingly and willfully reject him as Lord is not saved.”9 Acts 16:30-31 reads, “And [the Philippian jailer] brought [Paul and Silas] out and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ So they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.’”

Paul warns about “handling the word of God deceitfully” (2 Corinthians 4:2). The danger of being deceitful is that you will be deceived. If you tell a lie long enough you will believe it! How many have walked down and aisle and said, “Jesus Christ is Lord” as a statement of falsehood?

III. Third, note “Jesus Christ is Lord” as a statement of fact.

Philippians 2:9-11 reads, “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Dr. Thoralf Gilbrant (1919-2006) and Tor Inge Gilbrant share the following in The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary, “Thus Paul was saying that all beings and powers in creation will acknowledge Jesus’ lordship.”10 Isaiah 45:23 reads, “I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath.” Romans 14:11-12 reads, “For it is written: ‘As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.’ So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.”

Sooner or later everyone will confess “Jesus Christ is Lord”. Please know I am not teaching universalism. According to Philippians 2:9-11 every atheist and agnostic who ever lived will say, “Jesus Christ is Lord” as a statement of fact!

Conclusion

Peter declared on the day of Pentecost, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). Paul writes in Romans 14:7-9, “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.” (Emphasis mine) Dr. Vance Havner explains, “Revival is not a thing in this world but making Jesus Lord of our lives. That is what it is . . .. you can call it a dozen other things, but you will have a revival when God’s people make Jesus Lord.”11

One day everyone will say, “Jesus Christ is Lord” as a statement of fact (Philippians 2:9-11); but today anyone can say, “Jesus Christ is Lord” as a statement of faith (1 Corinthians 12:1-3). Sadly, some say, “Jesus Christ is Lord” as a statement of falsehood (Matthew 7:21-23). What about you?

1A Z Quotes, “Vance Havner Quotes About Christ”, Accessed: 08/23/16 http://www.azquotes.com/author/63425-Vance_Havner/tag/christ .

2James Smith, The Believer’s Daily Remembrancer April 6th Reading (New York, NY: Robert Carter & Brothers, 1872), 101. Accessed: 08/24/16 https://archive.org/details/believersdailyre00smit .

3Warren W. Wiersbe, Wiersbe’s Expository Outline on the New Testament (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 1992), 220.

4Isaac Watts, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” (1707).

5Charles H. Spurgeon, The Soul-winning: or How to Lead Sinners to the Savior (New York, NY: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1895), 30.

6Alan Lefever, “Baptists and Religious Liberty” BAPTISTWAY: Brief Basics for Texas Baptists, page 2, Accessed: 08/23/16 http://www2.dbu.edu/n/texasbaptisthistory/files/2013/09/Brief-Basics-Article-11-29-98.pdf .

7Ray Stedman, What on Earth is Happening? “Russia, Religion, Ruin” (Grand Rapid, MI: Discovery House Publishers, 2003), 107.

9Vance Havner, “The Lordship of Jesus Christ” Sermon Notes (2 Corinthians 4:5).

10Thoralf Gilbrant and Tor Inge Gilbrant, “things under the earth,” The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary – Zeta-Kappa, Word Numbers: #2678 (Springfield, MO: The Complete Bible Library, 1986), Database © 2009 WORDsearch Corp.

11Ibid.

Dr. Franklin L. Kirksey, pastor First Baptist Church of Spanish Fort 30775 Jay Drive Spanish Fort, Alabama 36527

Author of Don’t Miss the Revival! Messages for Revival and Spiritual Awakening from Isaiah and

Sound Biblical Preaching: Giving the Bible a Voice [Both available on Amazon.com in hardcover, paperback and eBook]