Submitting to the Lordship of Christ involves giving up personal rights and obeying Him without reservation. Everything you own and all you belong to Jesus—you are His, and He’s Lord, the boss, master. In our lives, there should be no rivalry for His throne. Welcome to our NEW LIFE SUNDAY WORSHIP CELEBRATION!
The Lord wants you to make a real change in your life: that of living with Jesus as the Lord or Leader or Boss of your life (Philippians 2:9-11; Matthew 28:18)
Samuel Zwemer: “Unless Jesus is Lord of all, He is not Lord at all.” We do not make Jesus Lord; He is Lord! You and I and every person for that matter do not make Jesus any higher than he already is today. He is already Lord. What we do is acknowledge that living truth and submit ourselves to the sovereign rule and ownership of the Lord Jesus Christ
WHAT IT MEANS TO ACKNOWLEDGE JESUS CHRIST AS LORD
A. Jesus is the ruler of your whole life - For Jesus to be Lord of your life means that He is the ruler, the boss, the master of your whole life. He cannot be Lord of a part – He must be given control of the entire life - the whole life (Matthew 6:33; Galatians 2:20)
B. Jesus calls the shots in your private life - The inner sanctuary, the spirit and soul, contains the mind, the emotion, and the will. It is in our spirit and soul that we think, feel, choose, decide, dream, and plan. Battles are fought and won or lost on the battleground of our private life. Is Jesus Lord over this area of your life? (John 14:15; Isaiah 1:2-3; Matthew 7:21)
C. You follow Jesus’ leadership in your public life (2 Corinthians 5:15) - We need to see the public life in the context of home life, the workplace, the classroom, and the neighborhood. We need to see it in its relationship with friends, family, work colleagues, neighbors, and classmates. We need to see it in its attitude toward possessions, obligations, and responsibilities, and the use of time and resources. This includes our use of social media and entertainment (Proverbs 3:5-6)
THE PRACTICAL IMPLICATION OF JESUS AS LORD
A. Surrender your life to Jesus Christ (Luke 6:46) - What must a person do in order for Jesus Christ to be Lord of his life? The easy answer is, “Yield your life to Him.” This involves taking your hands off the controls of your life and allowing Him to be in control Does Jesus have the key to every room in your private life? Does He have the key to every room in your physical/ public life? Is there a room marked “PRIVATE – KEEP OUT”? If so, you must be willing to surrender that key to the Lord (2 Corinthians 4:5)
B. Let go of ownership of your life (it’s now Jesus who owns you) - When you say that Jesus is Lord, you must also acknowledge that he is the One who owns you (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) Yielding to the lordship of Jesus Christ also involves total and unreserved obedience. If He is the Lord of your life, you are going to do what He tells you to do One of the most important words in the Christian vocabulary is “Obedience.” We move forward in our spiritual growth in direct proportion to our obedience to the revealed truth of God’s Word (2 Corinthians 5:15) If you want to honor God, obey him. If you want to be used by God in a powerful way, obey. Obey immediately, exactly (no revisions), and completely Remember that delayed obedience is the same as disobedience (Luke 6:46)
C. Serve Jesus your Lord (Romans 12:11; Isaiah 6:8) - If you acknowledge that Jesus is Lord, you will seek to practice: The Three A’s of Christian Service: Anywhere, Anytime, and Any cost. The lordship of Jesus Christ in our lives involves our willingness to go where He sends us, when He sends us, regardless of the cost. Is Jesus the Lord of this area in your life? Can you honestly say, “Anywhere, Lord! Anytime, Lord! Any cost, Lord?” The Christian life is a wonderful life. Part of its great joys is in serving Christ the Lord. The life Christ has for His children requires that we die to ourselves. There can be no rivals to the throne of our life. It is to be occupied by Jesus alone (John 14:21)
Part of the really exciting things in your life is the idea of changing so that you conform to the perfect plan of God for you. Submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.