Sermon Tone Analysis

we’ve been looking at the birth announcements in Matthew and Luke and considering the names and titles given to Jesus to help us understand the true meaning of Christmas

we’ve been looking at the birth announcements in Matthew and Luke and considering the names and titles given to Jesus to help us understand the true meaning of Christmas

Immanuel: God with us - Jesus took on flesh

Jesus: God saves - he will save his people from their sins

Son of Abraham - “son” vs infant, boy, child - an heir with rights

promises made to Abraham belong to Christ

Son of David

Jesus rightful heir legally through Joseph and by blood through Mary

promises made to David’s offspring belong to Christ

he rules over all the kings of the earth

he delivers us from all our enemies and gives us gives rest and peace

his rule shall last forever

his rule is characterized by righteousness and justice

Son of God, Son of Most High

he is God, equal with God

he possesses everything required to be the Son of David he was prophesied to be

the last title we will consider is found in

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Jesus is Lord

who and what was this infant who was born 2000 yrs ago

what does it mean for us in the 21st century?

everyone is looking for security, peace, contentment, happiness

embracing Jesus as Lord is the key

1.

Jesus is Lord

“kurios” means lord

“kurios” means lord – one who has power, ownership and absolute authority

A “lord” is one who possesses power, ownership and absolute authority.

one who has complete and total control over others

In relationship to those under him a “lord” has total and complete control.

a slave owner

occurs 657x in the ESV NT

applied to kings and those in authority with the power of life and death over others

primary title for Jesus is Lord

used of Jesus 750x in NT

besides the simple title Lord or the Lord, he is also addressed as Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus Christ, Lord Christ, Christ the Lord, … our Lord,

92 of 94x in Acts Jesus is called Lord

92 of 94x in Acts Jesus is called Lord

title of Lord is also given to God: Lord, the Lord God, Lord your God, Sovereign Lord

2x he is called Saviour

A synonym for “lord” is “despot”.

A despot is an absolute ruler, a unilateral dictator.

Jesus in

92 of 94x in Acts Jesus is called Lord

2x he is called Saviour

Jesus is an absolute and sovereign Master and Lord

“Jesus is Lord” is not primarily a description of his deity or of his exalted status but of his position in relationship to us

he is the master with absolute power and authority

over whom?

all who would be his disciples

Jesus to his disciples

John 13:13-14

disciples called Jesus “teacher and lord”

In Jesus corrects the order “Lord and Teacher” because he must first be Lord before he can be teacher.

cannot call Jesus Lord and not do as he commands

teaching of the writers of the NT toward salvation:

attitude of the writers of the NT

Jesus teaching on what is required of those who would come to him and be his disciple

To deny yourself is slave language!

o forsake your goals, your possessions, your plans, your desires, your relationships in order follow Christ.

To deny yourself is to forsake your goals, your possessions, your plans, your desires, your relationships in order follow Christ.

Jesus’ teaching about counting the cost of following him in

– deny self – done with self – done with your goals, your possession, your plans, your desires, your relationships

hate father and mother, hate own life, hate the world and the things in the world, hate the flesh

to hate someone is to violate the 6th commandment ()

- hate father and mother, hate own life, hate the world and the things in the world, hate the flesh

one must be forsake all other relationships if they would have Christ

if it came down to a life or death choice of Christ vs. self or family you would choose Christ

compared to cross bearing

to be a disciple of Christ is to forsake all that this world and this life has to offer

Jesus’ concluding statement:

Jesus demands complete surrender of everything you hold dear so that you can have him.

Luke 14:33

if you would have Jesus he must be your Lord and Master

- unless you renounce everything

if Jesus would have you, you must let go of everything

“you are Lord” = “you are absolute ruler of my life”

following the Lord Jesus = denying self

save life = lose life

save life = lose life

this again is slave language!

you are no longer in control of your life

all this describes the nature and condition of slaves

wherever there is a lord/master there are slaves

cannot have one without the other

one is lord or master because he possesses slaves

to be a slave is to have a lord, a master

no one is Lord of no one and no one is slave of no one

As Lord and Master Jesus demands total and complete submission to his will and purposes and the surrendering of your own.

Luke 9:24

this question in

it is unmistakable what Lord means in the NT

2. Disciples are Slaves

most often it is translated by another word: servant, bondservant

Kittle on “doulos”:

“the meaning is so unequivocal and self-contained that is superfluous to give examples and trace its history”

slave is someone who is dependent, obligated and subject to someone else’s will

is not a servant

mistranslation of doulos goes right back to the middle ages

slavery as it had been known in the bible disappeared by the 13th century and by the 17th century it had come to be associated with the forcible abduction of people, transporting them from their homes with chains and forcing them to live in squalid conditions serving at the whim of their masters and being beaten mercilessly for their failures

because of the stigma attached to slavery it was translated with the less offensive word “servant” wherever it refers to a believer