Jesus Is Lord

       In our American culture Jesus Christ is generally respected, even beloved.  Unfortunately, it’s usually some silly putty form of Jesus.  A Jesus that we try to squish into the image we want.  Silly Putty Jesus is always kind, tolerates every lifestyle no matter how sinful, and always votes the way we would. In contrast, the Biblical Jesus towers above us making claims that are shocking.  In our culture if people listened to what He said and claimed He would most likely be “cancelled.”  Let me give you a few examples:

     One, the real Jesus claimed to be God.  In our culture Jesus as spiritual guru or life coach is celebrated but being God, that’s outrageous.  Even Jesus own family had trouble with his teachings at first; the Scripture says in Mark 3:21 “when his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, ‘He is out of his mind.”  The religious leaders picked up stones to kill him when he said of himself “Before Abraham was, I am,” a deity claim which infuriated them.   Yet we Christians see Jesus as He is; He is the second person of the holy Trinity, God the Son.  We see Him as eternal and all powerful. We believe He will return some day to openly reign and rule over everything and everyone.

     Two, the real Jesus was a blunt truth teller.  In our culture where confronting anyone is often considered hate; Jesus shows us that very direct truth telling can be necessary.  He told the pillar of the community Nicodemus that he “must be born again” (John 3:7).  He confronted the evil of the corrupt religious leaders telling them they were vipers and sons of Satan (Matthew 12:34).  In a culture that dying on a cross was a horrifying possibility under the Romans, Jesus told his followers that to follow him meant they were to “take up their cross” (Matthew 16:24).  We who are Christians would be wise to stick with being ambassadors for Jesus, not his editors.  He says hard things, share those too.      
 
     Three, the real Jesus claimed to be the only way to God, the only way to heaven.  In John 14:6 He says, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.” And the church believed Him. Even when the Jewish leaders told them to stop preaching in the name of Jesus the apostles responded with “salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).  The implications are staggering.  All who reject Jesus as Lord and Savior are lost.  That means - Hindus are lost.  Muslims are lost.  Agnostics are lost.  This idea offends.  Yet I must ask is it loving to never challenge someone who you believe is on the “wide path to destruction” (Matthew 7:13)?  Most people have read the famous John 3:16 in Scripture but I encourage you to keep reading.  It says in John 3:18 “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” How we respond to Jesus has eternal consequences.    

     In a word, all of this can be summed up in the title Lord.  Jesus is not our personal assistant or a genie who gives wishes but Lord.  He demands to be the CEO or owner of our lives.  He will not take second place.  He says even our love for our families must be behind our allegiance to Him.  Read through the gospels, when Jesus saw that He had a large crowd He usually intensified His call to be His disciple.  He often held up a light to what many want to hide in the fine print.
 
     So, the critical question is:  Is Jesus Lord of your life?

Pastor Derek Dickinson
Journey Christian Church