He Is Lord!

MELVIN NEWLAND, MINISTER RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK

(Powerpoints used with this message are available at no charge. Just email me at mnewland@sstelco.com and request #429.)

TEXT: Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:57-62

ILL. This happened in 1968 in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War to a village that was in the path of a large advance by the Viet Cong army. The Viet Cong sent infiltrators ahead to scare villagers into either abandoning their villages or surrendering without offering any resistance.

One such village experienced what they believe to have been a miracle of Divine protection. Under cover of darkness a Viet Cong infiltrator came to the village & warned, “Tomorrow is your day. So if you’re going to get out of this village get out now.”

Most of the villagers were Christians, & they considered themselves a Christian village. So they met together & decided that they would not abandon their village. The whole village agreed that they would turn to Jesus in prayer. Fervently they sang & prayed.

Then at dusk they could see Viet Cong soldiers moving toward the edge of the village, but somehow the Lord filled their hearts with peace & they continued to sing. Then the shooting began. But almost as soon as the shooting started it stopped.

All night the villagers prayed & sang! Then in the morning it was obvious that the enemy was gone. Several days later some of the Viet Cong were captured & brought to the village as prisoners.

When village leaders asked them what had happened, they replied, “As we began to shoot at you, your village was suddenly surrounded by guards dressed in shining white. But when we shot at them they wouldn’t fall. They just increased in brightness & advanced toward us. So we ran away.” (Contributed by Ian Johnson to Sermon Central)

SUM. I don't know how to explain what happened. But remember this story, because I have another one that I want to tell you at the end of this message.

A. Turn with me to Matthew 7:21-23. As you know, this is part of the Sermon on the Mount. And in it Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

"Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, & in your name drive out demons & perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”

B. Now what do we learn from this passage of Scripture?

1. First of all, we learn that just saying the right words & sounding good won’t get us into heaven.

Folks, we’re living in a day when a lot of people know all the right words. But Jesus clearly says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven…”

2. Secondly, being busy & doing good things won’t get us into heaven, either. Jesus says, “Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”

3. So, if saying the right words & doing lots of good things won’t get us into heaven, then what will? Well, listen to vs. 21 & hear what Jesus says. “…only he who does the will of my Father in heaven.”

And in Luke 6:46 Jesus asks, “Why do you call me, Lord, Lord,’ & do not do what I say?” Notice this, in both Matthew & Luke, Jesus speaks of these people as saying to Him, “Lord, Lord.”

Now in the language of that day, whenever there is a doubling of a word such as “Lord, Lord,” or the use of a double imperative like when Jesus would say, “Verily, verily,” or “Truly, truly I say unto you,” the reason is to provide emphasis. In other words, “I really mean this.”

So when they said to Jesus, “Lord, Lord," they were saying, “Jesus, you really are my Lord.” But by His response Jesus is saying, “You may pledge allegiance to me with your lips, but the way you live makes it obvious I’m not your Lord at all.”

I. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR JESUS TO BE LORD OF MY LIFE?

A. Now if it is that important, just what does it mean for Jesus to be Lord of my life?

Well, It means that He calls the shots, I don’t. That is pretty simple, isn’t it? It means that He sets the course for my life. It’s not for me to debate or argue with Him about it. He is Lord, & it means that He gets the last word, period.

ILL. In his book, ”Experiencing God,” Dr. Henry Blackaby wrote, “Many of us want God to speak to us & give us an assignment. However, we are not interested in making any major adjustments in our lives. Every time God spoke to people in the Bible about something He wanted to do through them, major adjustments were always necessary. They had to adjust their lives to God.