“JESUS IS THE LORD OF ME”

(Foundations Discipleship Series)

Session #2                                                        Westgate Chapel                        

PROPOSITION:  That the Christian life is to be lived under the Lordship and ownership of Jesus Christ since we are not our own but have been bought with the price of His blood.

i.    introduction

-     IN the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

-     GENESIS 1:26,

      “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ (27) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:26-27)

-     THIS means that humans share, even though imperfectly, in God’s nature, that is, in His communicable attributes (life, personality, truth, wisdom, love, holiness, justice), and so have the capacity for spiritual fellowship with Him.[1]

-     AND one of those attributes that God gave us at creation was free will.

-     EVEN though we were created with the capacity for spiritual fellowship with Him, He desires that fellowship to be our choice . . . not as robots.

-     THE risk that God took was that we would be so foolish as to reject the love of our Creator and decide to be the lord of our own destinies . . . which is precisely the route that Adam and Eve chose.

-     AND the seed of that rebellion against God in the Garden of Eden has unfortunately been passed down from generation to generation and is in everyone of us to this day.

-     ONE day, when Kathryn was 3 or 4 she was running one weekday in the sanctuary in Cedar Rapids, where we were pastoring at the time.

-     A CUSTODIAN stopped her and tried to corral her and get her back to me . . . when she threw her hands on her hips and announced, “You are not the boss of me!”

-     THAT is the seed that is in everyone of us that came all the way from the original sin in Eden . . . and burst into the headlines last week when the Federal Courts tried to remove “under God” from our pledge of allegiance.

-     WE have been saying that to God for thousands of years now, “You are not the boss of me!”

-     IT is the spirit behind all lawlessness and sin.

-     YOU find it in the family, in marriages, in businesses, in schools, and in the streets . . . wherever rebellion raises its ugly head.

-     IT is the reason that every generation has to come up with some outlandish fashion statement, because as soon as the last generation’s rebellion becomes acceptable it has lost its purpose . . . to say, “You are not the boss of me!”

-     IT is not just “young people being young people.” It is the spirit of the world, the spirit of the antichrist saying, “You are not the boss of me!”

-     IT is God’s gift of free choice gone terribly wrong.

-     IT is man or woman on the throne of their lives, and the tragedy we see all around us in families, in communities, in nations are the result of humanity saying to God, “You are not the boss of me!”

-     THIS is part of the image of God that was marred in us when sin entered creation through Adam and Eve’s sinful choice.

ii.   the lord of the kingdom

-     NOW jump all the way from Genesis to Romans 10:9,

      “. . . if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

-     IN this verse the apostle Paul is giving us the method of regeneration/salvation, which is faith and confession in the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

-     WHEN you and I confess that Jesus is Lord, we are asserting three unalterable truths that are front and center of our salvation:

1.   That Jesus is God.

2.   That as God, Jesus is exalted to the right hand of the Father.

3.   That you belong to Him.

-     WHAT was marred of the image of God in Eden is restored in Christ when we are saved. . .Jesus is established on the throne of our lives.

-     JESUS is Lord!

-     SALVATION is NOT just getting the sin/guilt issue dealt with, your past forgiven and then on with life as pleases you.

-     SALVATION is the restoration of free choice under the Lordship of Christ.

-     AND the Christian life is living out the rest of your days with Jesus as the boss of you.

-     THAT is the essence of true discipleship.

-     “JESUS is the boss of me!”

-     GOD the Father created you . . . therefore you belong to Him.

-     GOD the Son redeemed you . . . therefore you belong to Him.

-     GOD the Holy Spirit indwells you . . . therefore you belong to Him.

-     ON all three counts He is Lord of your life.

-     NO wonder, in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (page 1132), the apostle Paul writes,

      “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; (20) you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

-     BEFORE you made Jesus the Lord of your life you were ruled by sin. In John 8:34 Jesus said,

      “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”

-     YOU might have thought that you were in control of your life but that is just an illusion that Satan uses to trick the people of the world until he has completely destroyed them.

-     JESUS saw you on the auction block in the slave market and loved you!

-     THAT was why He died on the cross for you. He laid aside the robes of glory, left heaven, took up an earthly body and gave His very life to buy you back and free you from slavery to sin.

-     HE paid so high a price for you and me!

-     THAT is why Paul can say, back in 1 Corinthians 6:19, “You are not your own . . .”

-     THE context of 1 Corinthians 6 happens to be a discussion of Christians who thought they were free to take each other to court or indulge in sexual immorality.

-     AND Paul is reasoning with them to honor God with their bodies and their business dealings for the simple reason that “You are not your own, you were bought at a price.”

-     YOU are not the boss of you!

-     JESUS is the boss of you now!

-     THAT is the essence of the Christian life!

-     FORGIVENESS from sins without Jesus being the Lord of your life is NOT the Christian life!

-     I HAVE heard people describe friends or family and say, “They have received Christ as Savior, but He is not Lord yet.”

-     FRIENDS, there is no such experience. It does not exist.

-     HERE is the Christian life as described by Jesus in the form of a commission for the church. In Matthew 28:19-20,

      “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

-     THE life of discipleship is clearly articulated by Jesus here as,

1.   Repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

2.   The obedience of water baptism as a demonstration of the work of repentance and faith that has already taken place.

3.   A life of learning and obeying everything Jesus commanded.

-     WHY?

-     BECAUSE Jesus is the Lord of every Christian and we are not our own. Jesus is the boss of me!

iii.  the life of the kingdom

-     IF Jesus is Lord, then you and I are not.

-     WHAT does life look like with Jesus as Lord?

-     WELL, it is a life lived out in the new boundaries of the kingdom of God . . . the range of God’s effective will, which is without limits.

-     IT is a life of daily surrender to Christ.

-     REMEMBER, when you became a Christian, you brought the kingdom of your life (the range of your effective will) into the kingdom of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

-     THE life you now live as a disciple of Jesus is totally new and different than the life you have lived before.

-     IT is 180 degrees opposite of the way the world lives and what the world values.

*     The world says, “You are what matters . . . your rights, your happiness, your freedom.”

-     The Kingdom of God says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)

*     The world says that the way up is over the backs of whoever stands in your way.

-     The Kingdom of God says “whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:35)

*     The world says, “Get what you can and hold on to it so you will have something left over at the end.”

-     The Kingdom of God says, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 6:38)

*     The world says, “Look out for yourself, no one else will take care of you.”

-     The Kingdom of God says, “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:4)

*     The world says, “Do whatever it takes to get yourself to the top of the heap and stay there until you are noticed.”

-     The Kingdom of God says, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35)

-     THE life of the Christian in God’s Kingdom is 180 degrees the opposite of the life of America.

-     YOU have to expect this difference and be looking for it in every area of your life, not just when you are at church.

-     YOU have to live on the alert to the fact that Satan is feverishly at work in our world (through books, videos, movies, TV, famous people) to indoctrinate us all to a life that is completely the opposite of God’s kingdom.

      “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” (Isaiah 5:20)

-     AND it is not just a matter of “what would Jesus do?” in the hopes that somehow, maybe we can replicate Jesus’ actions if we try hard enough. That is impossible to do!

-     THE Christian life is living every day from a new center and power Source in the “control center” of your life . . . Jesus on the throne of your life and mine.

-     IN Galatians 2:20 the apostle Paul describes it this way.

      “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

-     JESUS in you! That is the power Source for this new life of surrender and obedience.

iv. surrender to the Lord of the kingdom

-     NOW, to complete this session, the test of true discipleship (and surrender to the Lordship of Christ) has to be applied on a personal level.

-     HAVE you been bought with a price?

1.   Is Jesus Lord of your spirit, your attitudes?

      “For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.” (1 Peter 4:6)

2.   Is Jesus Lord of your mind?

      “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2)

3.   Is Jesus Lord of your physical body?

      “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” (Romans 12:1)

      “Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.” (Romans 6:13)

4.   Is Jesus Lord of your passion, your zeal?

      “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.” (Luke 10:27)

5.   Is Jesus Lord of your resources?

      “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously . . . (9) And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work . . . (11)You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” (1 Corinthians 9:6-11)

6.   Is Jesus Lord of your time?

      “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, (16) making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16 NASB)

7.   Is Jesus Lord of your gifts and abilities?

      “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man or woman’s gift is prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, contributing, leading, showing mercy . . . let them use these in proportion to their faith.” (Romans 12:6-8)

8.   Is Jesus Lord of your family and relationships?

      “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.” (Luke 14:26)

9.   Is Jesus Lord of your career?

      “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” (Luke 16:13)

-     THIS is the true Christian life!

-     AND living this quality of life is evidence that the transformation has happened in your life . . . that you pass the test of faith.

-     IN Acts 26:20, the Apostle Paul is describing to King Agrippa the essence of the Gospel that he preached,

      “First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.” (Acts 26:20)

-     THIS evidence of the genuineness of your Christian life is the level of surrender to Christ in the nitty gritty of your life and mine.

v. conclusion

-     THESE are not just quaint spiritual notions for those occasional saints who are inclined to being especially spiritual.

-     YOU cannot be a born again, Spirit-filled Christian and not have Jesus the Lord of your life.

-     THE Christian life is NOT just get your sins forgiven and go to heaven when you die.

-     THE Christian life is a new way of living in the Kingdom of God by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit . . . surrendered to Jesus as Lord.

-     AND when the Holy Spirit confronts us with areas of our lives that have slipped into our old rebellious ways, there is no alternative for the true Christian other than surrender.

-     ARE there areas of your life that need to come under the Lordship of Christ today?

1.   Spirit, attitudes?

2.   Mind?

3.   Physical body?

4.   Passion, zeal?

5.   Resources?

6.   Time?

7.   Gifts, abilities?

8.   Family and relationships?

9.   Career?

-     WHY not settle some things with God today?

-     USE this altar as your time and place of fresh surrender.

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[1]Walvoord, J. F. (1983-c1985). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (Ge 1:24). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.