Part 1 The Unknown Joys of Submitting To The Lordship Of Jesus
The Unknown Joys of Submitting To The Lordship of Jesus
Tuesday, February 13, 2024
Message from the heart of the Lord.
Pastor, I woke up with this message in my heart. I believe it's important to share. I'm noticing good people who love the Lord, stepping into eternity without experiencing the full joy of their salvation.
If you know anyone who has made Jesus 'The Savior' of their life, and not 'The Lord' of their life, please, in a gentle, kind and loving way, tell them the importance of continuing the process by allowing Jesus to become Lord of their life. Accepting Jesus as Savior is absolutely critical. It saves us from the wrath of God and reserves our home in Heaven. Once we are saved, we need to continue the process of making Jesus our Lord. When we do, we will experience His peace; we can enter into His rest; the Spirit of God can teach us God's plan for our life; the Spirit of God will lead, guide, and direct our path; we will avoid the pitfalls caused by leaning to our own understanding.
I admit that it's not easy because God gave us 'Free Will', and we're so smart. Anyway, no matter how hard it is, it's a necessary part of our relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!
Jesus is Savior and Lord!”
Sad lessons from the life of Lot.
2 Peter 2:7-8 (NLT) 7 But God also rescued Lot out of Sodom because he was a righteous man who was sick of the shameful immorality of the wicked people around him. 8 Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day.
Prosperity mixed with self-inflicted pain and avoidable loss.
Lot prospered by being connected to the Abrahamic covenant. Genesis 13:5-6
Chose to live apart from the covenant. Genesis 13:7-11
Needed to be ransomed. Genesis 14:13-16
Was tormented daily by the immorality around him.
(2 Peter 2:8)
Was morally compromised evident in his offer of his two daughters. Genesis 19:4-8
(When we see how terrible the sins of others are, we easily excuse our own failings. Bad choices will be compared favorably against worse choices.)
Was rescued by angels with great personal loss; (his wife and all his wealth.) Genesis 19:24-26
Was raped by his two daughters. Genesis 19:30-36
Became the father of two nations who rose up against God’s people and were eventually judged. Genesis 19:37-38
The word of God still called him a righteous man.
Lot was a righteous man who had no Lord but himself.
Genesis 13:8-14 (NLT) 8 Finally Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not allow this conflict to come between us or our herdsmen. After all, we are close relatives! 9 The whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I’ll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I’ll go to the left.” 10 Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley in the direction of Zoar. The whole area was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the LORD or the beautiful land of Egypt. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 Lot chose for himself the whole Jordan Valley to the east of them. He went there with his flocks and servants and parted company with his uncle Abram. 12 So Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom and settled among the cities of the plain. 13 But the people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinned against the LORD. 14 After Lot had gone, the LORD said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction--north and south, east and west.
Too many Christians live like Lot.
Like Lot, too many Christians today are not living the way God intended… lives marked by the full joy of God’s salvation, divine guidance, peace, Me-nuah, avoidance of pitfalls caused by leaning to our own understanding.
Matthew 23:37-38 (NIV) 37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate.
This is because they have not come to accept Jesus as their Lord. They want Him as Savior, healer, blesser etc., but not as Lord. Like Lot, many trust in themselves and will not seek the Lord before making their choices.
Proverbs 14:12 (NLT) There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.
Divine Paradox: We were made to rule and to reign as kings , yet we are expected to lay our crowns before the King of kings. Revelation 4:9-11
The Christian life is not about what you do or what you have, but about whose you are.
Freedom from the Lord opens us to bondage.
Isaiah 26:13 (ESVi)
“O LORD our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone we bring to remembrance.”
Different lords who rule today
Society (culture, strong ethnic/national affiliations)
Employer
Government
Intelligentsia/Academic Authorities
Demons, principalities and powers.
Self (the worst, in a class all by itself)
Invictus William Ernest Henley (1849-1903)
Different means to achieving lordship
Conquest (political: vassals, colonies to overlords;)
Bullying (mental: academic authorities; leads to rebellion/insurrection)
Transaction (employer to boss: resignation; citizen to government: election)
Recognition and surrender ( a strong sense of belonging and identity) Free, not compelled by external pressure. (eg. Melchizedek to Abraham; Abraham to Sarah; Jesus to His disciples ; parents to children).
