The Lordship of Jesus Christ (1)

Sunday, 11 October 2020 05:21

The Lordship of Jesus Christ (1) - Taiwo Akinola

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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 ...... and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father ~ Philippians 2:9-11.

Introduction:

The subject of the lordship of Jesus Christ is a most crucial issue in Christian living. It is an essential assessment that determines who is a real Christian believer, and how relevant a man will ever be to the Ultimate Plan of God for the ages. And, yes, it is an important factor that confirms which church is truly the largest Church in town.

Authentic Christian living begins when due reverence is essentially accorded the sacred truth of the lordship of Jesus Christ. When the lordship of Jesus becomes a settled issue in a believer’s life, all other issues in his life will follow that pattern. To be sure, the more we yield to His lordship, the more of His grace we find.

The lordship of Jesus Christ deals not only with compelling demons to bow, but also with daily submission and surrender of our entire self to His authority and leadership, recognizing His sovereign right to rule preeminently over us. It involves dying to ‘self’ and enthroning Jesus Christ in the central places of our lives. This, happily, is the quintessential panacea for stress-free Christian living.

Who is a Lord?

The word, ‘lord’, expresses all patrician grades of dignity, honor and majesty. It is a title of respect given to noblemen who qualify for absolute submission. ‘Lord’ properly denotes a person - proprietor, ruler, master or sovereign - possessing supreme power and authority in a particular space. True lords always deserve respect and obedience.

In biblical perspective, the ‘Lord’ often refers to Jehovah as the Proprietor of all things, and to Christ the Ruler of the universe (Psalm 110:1; Colossians 3:17; Romans 14:9). However, as a title, it is sometimes appended to kings (Genesis 40:1,7; 2 Samuel 19:19); to princes and nobles (Genesis 42:30,33); to husbands (Genesis 18:12); to prophets (1Kings 18:7; 2Kings 2:19); and in general, to persons of illustrious standing (Genesis 24:18).

Understanding the Lordship of Jesus Christ

The Father-God exalted Jesus Christ to be the Messiah, the King so long expected. God gave Him dominion in the heavens and made Him Ruler of all things (John 17:2; Ephesians 1:21). And, in the exercise of this office, He rules in heaven and on earth, and will yet come to judge the world. He is the Supreme Governor of all things and all persons, Jews and Gentiles, angels and men.

God bestowed the office of Lord to Jesus Christ His Son because Jesus surrendered Himself in deadly obedience. He accomplished the work of salvation through His crucifixion, and triumphed victoriously over all enemies by His resurrection (Acts 2:36).

In essence, Christ's being Lord is an actual fruit of His sacrificial death, and His glorious resurrection from the dead. He is Lord and we must proclaim Him so with greatest eagerness and delight!

In a major public address, Jesus Christ Himself gave us the first clue into the significance of His Lordship, thus: "Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46). In essence, He was saying, if anyone recognizes Him as Lord, then the first obligation from such a person is complete obedience.

In this regard, S.M. Zwemer made a sobering statement that compels our attention: “Unless Jesus is Lord in all, He is not Lord at all.” This is a great challenge to all Christians to bring every area of our lives under the sovereign rule of Jesus Christ. There should be no rivalry for His throne in our lives.

We all should acknowledge Jesus Christ as the universal sovereign and, in absolute love and submission, relate with Him accordingly, to the glory of God the Father. Our obedience must be yielded to Him because of the position He occupies in the spirit realm, and the absolute authority that was granted to Him after His death and resurrection (Matthew 28:18). And, this is the basis of any true worship.

God the Father not only appointed Jesus Christ to be the Lord of lords and King of kings invested with power and authority for that office, but He also made Him manifestly so by the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:36; 5:31). And it is in this power that we celebrate Him as Lord.

Whenever a believer cringes at obeying any divine instruction, we should suspect an underlining issue with his position on the Lordship of Jesus Christ. However, when Jesus Christ is truly embraced as Lord over a person’s life, he will promptly and gladly fulfill his duties, obligations and responsibilities to Christ, to His Body and to the world at large.

The Lord Jesus Christ Deserves Our Eternal Reverence

Without doubt, Jesus Christ is eminently eligible to be called and adored as the Lord of glory (1Corinthians 2:8; Revelation 19:16). He deserves our full reverence, honour and obedience. We must acknowledge Him in all of our ways, and do only what pleases Him even as He commanded.

Notwithstanding all the sweetness with which the name of Jesus Christ is associated, and the condescension by which He has brought Himself so near to us, our faith should never take independence from Him, or forget that He is Jesus Christ our Lord.

He saves from sin, Satan and destruction. He is the Governor of the universe, from whose power and justice any man who refuses His mercy has every thing to dread. And that is why we all should allow the spirit of devotion and worshipful reverence towards the Lord Jesus Christ to reign in our hearts. Happy Sunday!

To be continued ...