Part 3 The Unknown Joys Of Submitting To The Lordship Of Jesus
The Unknown Joys of Submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Part 3
Tuesday, March 05, 2024
What Does It Look Like, To Be Under the Lordship of Jesus
Two Greek words are translated as Lord in the New Testament
Kyrios
he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord
the possessor and disposer of a thing
the owner; one who has control of the person, the master
in the state: the sovereign, prince, chief, the Roman emperor
is a title of honor expressive of respect and reverence, with which servants greet their master
this title is given to: God, the Messiah
Despótēs,
perhaps from G1210 and πόσις pósis (a husband); an absolute ruler ("despot"):—Lord, master
To be under the Lordship of Jesus is to be His property and at His disposal.
If Jesus is truly our Lord, then…
Jesus sets the agenda for our lives.
Galatians 1:15-16 (NKJV) 15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called [me] through His grace, 16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood,
Jesus determines what gets done, how it is done and when it is done.
Who... God
Why… Pleasing to God
What… Preach among the Gentiles
When… from mother’s womb
How… Reveal Christ in me
We build our lives upon the foundation of His word
Matthew 7:24-29 (NLT) 24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” 28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 for he taught with real authority--quite unlike their teachers of religious law.
We remain faithful even when we do not understand.
We accept that our Lord owes us no explanations.
Hebrews 11:39-40 (NLT) 39 All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. 40 For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.
Hebrews 11:13-15 (NLT) 13 All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. 14 Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. 15 If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back.
We lay down our lives willingly, not by compulsion.
Following Jesus is different from joining a cult. We are invited to yield to Jesus, not forced. In a cult, once you join, you can never go back. With Jesus, we give Him our lives, but we are free to take it from Him anytime we choose. It would be foolish to do so, but the option is always available.
John 10:17-18 (NLT) 17 “The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. 18 No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”
Why does God leave the option of turning away from Him available?
Starting with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the option of not choosing to serve God has always been available. If we are compelled to give Him what already belongs to Him, against our wishes, there is no value in our gift. The value in our gift comes from the fact that even though we can refuse to give it to Him, we freely choose to give it back to Him.
2 Corinthians 9:7 (NLT) You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”
Benefits of Submitting To The Lordship of Jesus
Winning by surrendering. Submission to the Lordship of Jesus is the strategy for victory in life.
1 Corinthians 2:8 (NLT) But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord.
Jesus won by His surrender to the will of the Father.
Philippians 2:8-11 (NLT) 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. 9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
When we surrender to Jesus, we have everything to gain, and nothing to lose; nothing that matters anyway.
We live a disappointment-proof life.
We get disappointed when our expectations are not met. Even when I do not have my way, I know He is always in control.
1 Thessalonians 2:17-20 (NLT) 17 Dear brothers and sisters, after we were separated from you for a little while (though our hearts never left you), we tried very hard to come back because of our intense longing to see you again. 18 We wanted very much to come to you, and I, Paul, tried again and again, but Satan prevented us. 19 After all, what gives us hope and joy, and what will be our proud reward and crown as we stand before our Lord Jesus when he returns? It is you! 20 Yes, you are our pride and joy.
While Paul was prevented from achieving his desire, he did not sound disappointed at all. He knew that in the big scheme of things, He will rejoice over the Thessalonians, so he was willing to wait.
Scriptural strategy for victory in spiritual warfare
1 Peter 5:6-9 (ESV) 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
James 4:7 (NLT) 7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Humbling precedes casting our cares.
Humbling precedes resisting the devil.
How To Know If We Are Truly Surrendered
Jesus is the one we seek to please.
John 6:38 (ESV) For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.
We do not choose what pleases God, rather we discover it on a case by case basis.
The way to bring glory to God is simply to please Him.
Often when people talk of bringing glory to God, they talk of doing great and mighty things of their own choosing. Like Martha, we do a lot of things for the Lord because they bring us some pleasure, and joy. There’s nothing wrong with that in itself. However we must not confuse doing the things we enjoy, the things which please us with glorifying Him.
A Personal Experience
Sanctified Idols (Whited sepulchers)
Matthew 23:27 (NLT) “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs--beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity.
As a musician, I loved making music. When I became born gain, I dedicated my gifts to the Lord. It wasn’t until the Lord allowed me to see that I loved music too much, that I was unwilling to surrender to Him in that area of my life. Christian music was my idol. I discovered that while I had consecrated my gifts to the Lord, all I accomplished was an attempt to sanctify my idol. It had become my white-washed tomb, looking pure and holy outwardly but corrupted by selfish motives inwardly. The test for me was a question, “What if the Lord leads you away from music to other areas of service?” I felt like the rich young ruler recorded in Matthew 19:16-22.
For others, their sanctified idol may be preaching, giving, acts of service… anything we do for the sheer pleasure of doing it but which we present to the Lord, as though we are doing it all for Him.
Loud and Clear by Ruth Harms Calkin
Through years of Sundays
I've listened to preachers
Who love to preach
But one refreshing Sunday, Lord
I listened to a preacher
Who loved those to whom he preached
Your message came through loud and clear.
Relentless by Ruth Harms Calkin
God, You are relentless.
I have yielded
Everything to You
Everything but one small exception
An exception so small
I'm truly amazed
You would even take notice.
Yet it is invariably
To that one small exception
That You keep bringing me
Back, and back, and back
Why does it matter so much to You?
My child
Why does it matter so much to you?
John 17:4 (NLT) I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.
Great or small, whatever He says to you, do it!
John 2:5 (NKJV) His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do [it.]”
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER
Part 1
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!”
The life of Lot:
Prosperity mixed with self-inflicted pain and avoidable loss.
Lot was a righteous man who had no Lord but himself.
Too many Christians live like Lot.
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.
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.
Of all the different lords who rule today
Society, Employers, Government, Intelligentsia/Academic Authorities, Demons, principalities and powers, Self is the worst.
Part 2
When God gave man dominion, He gave him the authority of a custodian, not that of the owner.
Many claim Jesus as their Lord, but act like there is no god.
