Sermon Central
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Choosing Christ As Lord
Contributed by Douglas Phillips on Apr 10, 2018 (message contributor)
Summary: THIS IS THE THIRD IN A SERIES OF FOUNDATIONAL CHOICES THAT WE MUST AND WILL AND MUST MAKE IN OUR LIVES.
CHOOSING CHRIST AS LORD
THE FIRST TWO CHOICES WE LOOKED AT ARE FOUNDATIONAL TO OUR SALVATION. WE HAVE TO CHOOSE TO ACCEPT GOD’S LOVE AND FORGIVENESS BEFORE WE CAN CHOOSE TO DO ANYTHING ELSE.
THE NEXT TWO CHOICES WE HAVE TO MAKE ARE EQUALLY FOUNDATIONAL AND ESSENTIAL, THESE THOUGH FOR YOUR MATURITY AS A CHRISTIAN. WE MUST CHOOSE TO ASK JESUS TO BE THE LORD OF OUR LIVES, AND WE MUST CHOOSE TO ACCEPT THE BIBLE IN ITS TOTALITY AS THE WORD OF GOD.
THE CONCEPT OF AUTHORITY HAS FALLEN ON BAD TIMES IN RECENT YEARS. OCCUPATIONS AND POSITIONS THAT NATURALLY DREW RESPECT NOW BRING DISILLUSIONMENT AND RIDICULE. IT IS THE VOICE OF AUTHORITY THOUGH THAT BRINGS STABILITY, AND MAKES ORDER OUT OF KAOS.
GODLY AUTHORITY IS A GREAT GIFT THAT GOD HAS GIVEN THE WORLD, IF WE ARE WILLING TO SUBMIT TO THAT AUTHORITY.
THERE ARE TIMES WHEN WE HARDLY NOTICE IT, AND TIMES WHEN WE REALLY DISLIKE IT, BUT WE WILL ALL SUBMIT TO THE AUTHORITY OF VARIOUS AUTHORITIES. THE QUESTION THEN FOR US IS: “ARE YOU CHOOSING TO SUBMIT TO THE AUTHORITY OF GOD? ARE YOU CHOOSING TO SUBMIT TO THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST?
IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT YOU WILL CHOOSE WHO YOU WILL SERVE. IT MEANS THAT THE CHOICE TO CHANGE WHO YOU WILL SERVE IS WITHIN YOUR GRASP.
REMEMBER THE WORDS OF JOSHUA.
JOSHUA 24:15: BUT IF SERVING THE LORD SEEMS UNDESIRABLE TO YOU, THEN CHOOSE FOR YOURSELVES THIS DAY WHOM YOU WILL SERVE, WHETHER THE GODS YOUR ANCESTORS SERVED BEYOND THE EUPHRATES, OR THE GODS OF THE AMORITES, IN WHOSE LAND YOU ARE LIVING. BUT AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSEHOLD, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD.”
POINT ONE: JESUS CHRIST IS LORD
WHILE IT IS TRUE THAT WE CAN CHOOSE WHO WE WILL SERVE, ACCEPTING THE CONSEQUENCES AND REWARDS OF THAT DECISION, WE CANNOT IGNORE THE FACT THAT JESUS CHRIST IS LORD AND THAT ONE DAY WE WILL ALL BOW BEFORE HIM.
PHLIPPIANS 2:9-11:
THEREFORE GOD EXALTED HIM TO THE HIGHEST PLACE AND GAVE HIM THE NAME THAT IS ABOVE EVERY NAME, 10 THAT AT THE NAME OF JESUS EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH AND UNDER THE EARTH, 11 AND EVERY TONGUE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS LORD, TO THE GLORY OF GOD THE FATHER.
FOR SOME IT WILL BE TOO LATE, BUT WE WILL ALL ACKNOWLEDGE THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST.
THE PASSAGES IN REVELATION SHOW JESUS IN ALL HIS GLORY AND POWER, AND OUR RESPONSE WILL BE THE RESPONSE OF JOHN IN CHAPTER 1, “WHEN I SAW HIM I FELL AT HIS FEET AS THOUGH DEAD.”
THESE PASSAGES ALLOW US TO SEE CHRIST IN HIS RESURRECTED GLORY AND SPLENDOUR. THIS IS A FACT THAT CANNOT BE CHANGED BY CHOICE. JESUS CHRIST IS LORD AND WILL FOREVER BE LORD. OUR CHOICE IS WHETHER OR NOT WE WILL SUBMIT TO HIS LORDSHIP.
POINT TWO: ARE YOU FOLLOWING THE RIGHT JESUS
MANY PEOPLE HAVE A MENTAL PICTURE WHO JESUS IS AND IN MANY CASES IT’S DISTORTED OR EXAGGERATED.
1. WE SEE JESUS AS OUR BUDDY: WE ARE ON COOL CASUAL TERMS. THIS IS NOT THE JESUS OF THE BIBLE. IF YOU CONSIDER THE RESPONSIVE READINGS AGAIN I BELIEVE THAT IF WE SAW THE JESUS JOHN SAW WE WOULD REACT IN THE SAME WAY, NOT WITH HIGH FIVES.
2. JESUS IS MY SAFETY NET OR MY GOOD LUCK CHARM: JESUS IS THERE WHEN I NEED HIM, AND AT NO OTHER TIMES WILL WE COMMUNICATE.
3. JESUS IS MY RELIGIOUS ARTIFACT: JESUS IS AT THE CHURCH AND I WILL GO THROUGH VARIOUS RITUALS THERE TO GET A WARM FUZZY FEELING, BUT WILL NOT HAVE CONTACT WITH JESUS DURING THE WEEK.
4. JESUS IS MY MEAL TICKET: THIS IS A FORM OF PROSPERITY GOSPEL THAT SAYS THAT JESUS WILL TAKE CARE OF ALL MY DESIRES. IT’S A FORM OF SERVING YOURSELF.
5. JESUS IS MY SOCIAL CONSCIENCE: JESUS IS MY MOTIVATION TOWARDS HORIZONTAL GOODNESS. WE HOWEVER DO NOT WANT TO HEAR ABOUT THE CROSS AND RESURRECTION, HEAVEN OR HELL.
THERE IS SOME TRUTH IN ALL THESE STATEMENTS, BUT IT IS DISTORTED AND REALLY A PLAN FOR YOU TO REMAIN IN CONTROL.
POINT THREE THE TEXT:
AS WE LOOK AT THE TEXT PAUL BRINGS US TO THE CONCLUSION THAT NO ONE OTHER THAN JESUS COULD BE LORD. CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING.
1. JESUS IS UNIQUE AS GOD:
V.15: THE SON IS THE IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD,
RICH LITTLE WAS A MASTER IMPERSONATOR AND I REALLY LOVED HIS COMEDY, BUT ONE FACT WAS ALWAYS CLEAR. HE WAS NOT THE REAL THING.
JESUS IS THE REAL LORD. HE IS UNPARALLELED, AND UNPRECEDENTED. HE STANDS IN THE SOLITUDE OF HIMSELF IN UNBREAKABLE SOLIDARITY WITHIN THE TRIUNE GOD.
V.15: THE FIRSTBORN OVER ALL CREATION.
THE WORD FOR IMAGE USED IN THIS VERSE IS IKON (EIKON). IT MEANS THAT JESUS IS THE EXACT REPLICA OF GOD. HE IS THE VISIBLE REPRESENTATION OF ETERNAL GOD. JESUS IS THE ONLY GOD WE’LL EVER SEE.
