IS
JESUS MY LORD?
Who is Jesus to you? Is He “LORD”?
Some people seem to think that LORD is
part of His name: “Lord Jesus Christ.”
But “Lord” is not part of
His name per se. It is His Title; it is who He is. The Land-Lord is
the manager of the estate. In old times, the servant's “Lord”
was the slave-master. The term “Lord” was applied to a
British Nobleman... one to whom you bowed and deferred.
The Apostle Paul said of Jesus,
“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a
name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things
under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
(Phil. 2:9—11)
The term “Lord” means,
Ruler, Boss, Master.
So the question becomes, “Is
Jesus MY Lord?”
You can say that Jesus is The
Lord, but He is not My Lord if I do not submit to Him,
do His will and act at His bidding. This is what it means to make
Jesus “MY” Lord and “Your” Lord.
So, is Jesus YOUR Lord? --Think about
it before you answer.
As the Apostle Peter concluded his
sermon on the first Pentecost after Jesus' ascension, he said,
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God
hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord
and Christ. (Acts 2:36)
“LORD” means Master and
“CHRIST” means the christened or anointed one, as in the
King. He is called “Blessed and only potentate, the KING OF
KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” (1 Tim. 6:15)
One day, Everyone will be forced to
submit to Him. It is not only true that at the name of JESUS every
knee should bow, but one day every knee WILL bow. The Apostle Paul
said, “...We shall all stand before the judgment seat of
Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every
knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”
(Rom. 14:10,11)
When He says, “Depart from me,
ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his
angels,” (as He says He will to those of His left hand at the
Judgment (Matt. 25:41), NO ONE will defy His order!
But He is not MY Lord NOW if I do not
bow to Him, do His will and move at His bidding. Jesus Himself said,
“He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of
me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of
me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not
worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that
loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” (Matt. 10:37—39)
(To lose your life for His sake means to give up living the way YOU
want to live in exchange for letting HIM rule your life, or be your
Lord.)
“And he said to them all, If any
man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross
daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it:
but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose
himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of
my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come
in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.”
(Luke 9:23—26)
Why do you think so many Christians
were burned at the stake, fed to wild beasts and otherwise tortured
and killed in the early days of the church? --It was because
of their refusal to call the Roman emperor “LORD.” They
took seriously the words of Scripture, “To us there is but one
God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one
Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.”
(1Cor. 8:6) And, “One Lord, one faith, one
baptism...” (Eph. 4:5). They were tortured because they would
not call the Roman Emperor “Lord,” for they had ONE LORD
and that was Jesus Christ! They were willing to give their lives in
order to be loyal to Jesus as their Lord! What about us? Would we
have been that steadfast, or would we have tried to rationalize and
excuse ourselves for having more than one lord?
And what about when the time comes
that we have to receive the mark of the “Beast” or
national ruler-ship (See Daniel 7) and make the “anti-Christ” our “Lord”
in order to have a livelihood, make a living, and be able to purchase
food and goods?* Rev. 13:16 &17 says in regard to the beast and
the anti-Christ: ”And he causeth all, both small and great,
rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand,
or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he
that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his
name.”
But the sad part of it all is as Rev.
14:9—12 says, “And the third angel followed them, saying
with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and
receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall
drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without
mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented
with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in
the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up
for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship
the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his
name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the
commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”
When that time comes, similar to the
way it was with the Roman citizens who were required to call the
emperor their lord to spare their lives, will we have the fortitude
to remain faithful to our Lord Jesus, even if it should mean having
to starve to death, or see our families starve to death, for it?
And even here and now: are we loyal
enough to Jesus our Lord to deny ourselves and live according to His
will? --to say, Speak Lord, thy servant heareth? And to disregard
any friend or family member who is made uncomfortable by our service
to Christ? --It is something we need to think about? Are we really
committed to the Lord, or do we just give Him lip-service?
Jesus says, “Not every one that
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;
but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in
heaven.” (Matt. 7:21) (* I am aware many do not subscribe to a personal "Anti-Christ," but I don't fully buy their logic. -EB) |