Jesus is Lord

Posted on by korgrocker

“Now, dear brothers and sisters, regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives us. I don’t want you to misunderstand this. You know that when you were still pagans, you were led astray and swept along in worshipping speechless idols. So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.”
1 Corinthians 12:1-3 NLT

With the turning of the page away from issues around the Lord’s Supper, Paul now starts to answer another question from the Corinthians. It’s a shame we no longer have access to the letter the Corinthians must have sent to Paul, a letter that obviously contained a series of questions. The question Paul is now addressing concerns spiritual gifts, and as we read down this chapter, we are so glad that the believers in Corinth provided us with the means to understand more about the Holy Spirit. The NIV translation for verse 1 reads, “Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed”. It is probable that the Corinthian question sought more information about the Gifts of the Spirit, a topic that has sparked discussion and debate ever since. Perhaps there were some manifestations of the Gifts in the Corinthian church that were causing confusion, so Paul acted to set things right. 

Paul continued in the next verse to remind the believers about their previous pagan tendencies, as they were “swept along in worshipping speechless idols”. But it was all different now, and they had accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, bringing with it a lifestyle change that was cataclysmic in its impact, both at the time and for all eternity. But in verse 3, we find something puzzling. Who in the Corinthian church would ever want to curse Jesus? Was there someone there who, under the apparent influence of the Holy Spirit, was doing such a thing? We can only explore potential scenarios because Paul didn’t supply any more information. Perhaps there were some religious Jews who denied the fact that Jesus was the Messiah, and who gatecrashed one of the meetings and said such a thing.

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us”

Galatians 3:13.

Then there is Galatians 3:13, which reads, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole’”. Perhaps there was some confusion about this verse, which the Corinthians would know about from Deuteronomy 21:23. But in the sense that Paul was writing about, it looks as though he had to correct something that was going on.

Paul wrote, “No one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit”. We know, of course, that once someone has declared their faith and belief in Jesus, accepting His atoning death, they receive the Holy Spirit. Peter said in his Pentecost sermon, “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). The gift of the Holy Spirit does not necessarily follow baptism, as we read in Acts 10:44, 47, “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. … ‘Surely no-one can stand in the way of their being baptised with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have’”. But we know that all believers have received the Holy Spirit, and through Him they have one or more gifts. Note that each believer has at least one gift. 

“Jesus is Lord” can only be said by believers who have the Holy Spirit within them. By saying this, a person declares that Jesus was who He said He was: the Messiah, the Son of God, and the second member of the Trinitarian Godhead. Anyone who does not have the Holy Spirit within them, that is, an unbeliever, cannot say this, understanding what it really means. The idea is that someone who says “Jesus is Lord” sincerely expresses their belief. Nobody can say that—in truth and sincerity—unless they do so in the power of the Holy Spirit. 

We pilgrims are Spirit-filled believers, and we can testify to changed lives. Through the Holy Spirit, we have a changed worldview because we have transitioned from the kingdom of the world into the Kingdom of God. As God’s children, we now see what is around us from a spiritual perspective, and we can even become strangely detached from the mayhem that has been caused by sin and evil. We do not escape the problems of living in this world, of course, but we know that it is only for a short time, because one day we will be in Heaven with Jesus. There, we will never stop saying “Jesus is Lord” because that is who He is.

Dear Lord. Thank You for saving us from the consequences of our sins. We declare Your Lordship over all that we do this day and every day. Amen.

One Lord, Jesus Christ (2)

Posted on by korgrocker

“So, what about eating meat that has been offered to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God. There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many Lords. But for us, There is one God, the Father, by whom all things were created, and for whom we live. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created, and through whom we live.”
1 Corinthians 8:4-6 NLT

We pilgrims know that Jesus Christ is Lord. He is our Lord and someone special to us, because our faith is founded on His sacrificial death at Calvary, a hill just outside Jerusalem. A death experienced by the Son of God as He took on the punishment deserved by sinful men and women so that they could stand cloaked with righteousness before Father God. And so we refer to Jesus as Lord.

But what does it mean to say that Jesus is Lord? In those days when Jesus walked around the Palestinian countryside, the title “lord” was commonplace because it was a recognition of a leader or a person with some importance. It was not initially a reference to Jesus’ deity because that came later. In fact, we recall the incident with Thomas after Jesus’ resurrection, when Jesus suddenly appeared through a locked door and stood among His disciples. We pick up the account in John 20:24-25, “One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side””. At this stage, “We have seen the Lord” was a respectful reference to Jesus, and something He referred to in John 13:13, “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am“. But this all changed when Thomas encountered the risen Jesus. Back to John 20:26-28, where we read, “Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed“. Thomas added the divine to the word “Lord”, transforming the meaning to something that equates to “Jesus is God”. 

As an aside, in the UK today, we have a “House of Lords”, an unelected body of politicians who have many similar functions to the House of Commons, the elected part of our government. It scrutinises legislation, holds the government to account, and considers and reports upon public policy. This “House” of “Lords” (and “Ladies” as well) consists of religious leaders (bishops and the like), hereditary peers and political appointees. But there is nothing anywhere near “divine” about them. They are merely a hangover from Britain’s feudal history, and of no relevance to the “Lord” we are referring to, but worth mentioning to avoid confusion.

Generally speaking, a lord is someone with authority, control, or power over others; to say that someone is “lord” is to consider that person a master or ruler of some kind. However, when we apply this definition divinely to Jesus, we discover something awe-inspiring and special. By saying “Jesus is Lord,” we are acknowledging that we must live our lives in complete obedience to Him. In Luke 6:46, Jesus said, “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?”, and that is the issue. We sing the song “Jesus is Lord” with great enthusiasm, but do we really know the implications of what we are singing? If we are not in complete obedience to Him, would it not be more honest to sit this particular song out and not sing it at all? A person who says, “Jesus is Lord,” with a complete understanding of what that means (Jesus is God and has supreme authority over all things) has been divinely enlightened, as we read in 1 Corinthians 12:3, “So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit“. We need that Holy Spirit revelation about Jesus being Lord to really understand what it means.

And so we come to Matthew 28:18-19, the Great Commission, “Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”. Because Jesus is Lord, He is God, and He has the authority to command us to do something. I have met some Christians who say that they are unsure of their role as believers, but if nothing else, the fact that they acknowledge Jesus as Lord means that they are commissioned and authorised to share the Good News of God’s plan of salvation with those people around them. But that is only part of it. As we read through the Bible, we find other ways in which the Lordship of Jesus needs to be recognised and applied in our societies, workplaces, schools, universities, neighbourhoods, and families. In our relationships with one another. In fact, our lives are the very medium in which God has chosen to make Himself known to the world around us. Are we shining like a beacon for God, or are we unrecognisable as a Christian? 

We must, of course, remember that one day the Lordship of Jesus will have to be recognised by everyone, believer or not. Philippians 2:9-11, “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honour and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”. 

And so back to where we started today. Jesus is Lord. If He isn’t, then He’s not Lord at all. There is no halfway house. We can’t allow Jesus to be Lord of only a part of our lives, while we retain ownership of the rest. A sobering thought, because our sinful nature, our “old man”, wants to hang onto the bits of our lives that we enjoy. But thankfully, God is gracious and patient. The Holy Spirit will gently lead us through the process of sanctification, bringing more and more of ourselves under the Lordship of Jesus. It is a lifetime process, and one that won’t be complete until we stand before God in Heaven. 

Dear Lord Jesus. Please forgive us for our sins and our rebellion against Your Lordship. Amen.

Calling His Name

Posted on by korgrocker

“This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Sosthenes. I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.”
1 Corinthians 1:1-3 NLT

In the start of this letter to the church in Corinth, Paul wrote God “made you holy by means of Christ Jesus”. He then continued by saying that all people who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will also be made holy. Sanctification wasn’t just for Corinth – it is available to all believers everywhere. A major part of being a Christian is the requirement to make Jesus Lord. In Acts 10:36b we read, ” … there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.” However, there is a problem in that although Christians are quite prepared to say that Jesus is Lord, this is most usually only a partial commitment. We say Jesus is Lord of a certain part of our lives, but we will continue to control and retain ownership of the other bits. And as a preacher once said, unless Jesus is Lord of all then He is not Lord at all. 

But before we get too far ahead, what does “Lord” mean? In the UK we have the House of Lords, an upper chamber of unelected politicians, there with a variety of titles that start with “Lord”. Landowners became known as “Lords” in medieval times, as feudal rulers, wielding power and authority over the surrounding populations. Today a Lord retains, at least in part, some degree of power and respect. Near where I live there is a Scottish Lord, who can trace his ancestry back to the days of King Robert the Bruce. He too is a landowner living in a large mansion on the banks of the Forth estuary, and who owns property and farmlands in the South of the County of Fife. But more generally, the word “Lord” is used today mainly as a form of respect.

In Jesus’ day, the word “Lord” was used in respectful recognition of the ruling and religious authorities, such as in Matthew 8:2, where Jesus was being shown respect as a rabbi by a leper, “Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean”“.‭‭ Then there is the poignant scene in Matthew 15, of the Gentile woman with a demon-possessed daughter who asked Jesus to heal her. We read, “Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.” But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, “Lord, help me!”” (Matthew 15:24-25). Through Jesus’ ministry, the word “Lord” became much more than a word of respect, building until those words of Thomas, “My Lord and my God! … ” (John 20:28). There came that time when the Lordship of Jesus took on a divine meaning.

In Peter’s Act 2 sermon, we read, “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” (Acts 2:36). In this verse Peter associated Jesus as being the Lord in an eternal and divine sense, and, importantly for the Jews, that He was the Messiah they had been waiting centuries for. 

So when Peter said that Jesus is Lord he was also saying that Jesus is God. And His Lordship wasn’t just retained for the benefit of the Jews. To the Gentile Cornelius and his family Pater said, “This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all” (Acts 10:36). Paul went further in his Roman letter, “Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”” (Romans 10:12-13). So we have gone a full circle, from Jesus being the second Person of the Trinity, leaving Heaven to become a human baby conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of Mary, His becoming a rabbi and respected with the term “Lord”, to finally be recognised as Lord God after His ascension, and bestowed with the ultimate title of Lord of lords, as written in Revelation 17:14, “Together they will go to war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them because he is Lord of all Lords and King of all kings. And his called and chosen and faithful ones will be with him”. ‭ 

For us pilgrims there is an eternal significance to our relationship with the Lord. Jesus said it to Nicodemus in John 3:16, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life”. Paul summed this up in Romans 10:9, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved“. So, we have a challenge. Those three words, “Jesus is Lord”, are not just to be recited. They have to be worked out in our lives, and we have to bring every thought, every deed, under the Lordship of Jesus. We commit ourselves to obey Him. We mustn’t forget that one day everyone will have to acknowledge that Jesus is Lord. Philippians 2:9-11, “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honour and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”. As I write this today, the UK Westminster Parliament has completed a momentous week, passing laws that will decriminalise abortion, and will also allow people to commit state-sponsored suicide. The lawmakers who voted in this way will one day have to kneel before Jesus to explain themselves. A terrible thought because there is only one answer to the unrepentant sinner, and that is “guilty” with an eternal punishment following. And the Bible says that in the process they will have to declare that “Jesus is Lord”, calling out His name. Will they find themselves doing that for all eternity? We don’t know but I wouldn’t be surprised if they do.

We pilgrims remember those verses at the end of Hebrews 12, “Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire“. That’s what we must do, on our knees and calling upon the Name that is above all names, Jesus Himself.

Dear Father God. Thank You for Your grace and mercy, so freely given in this season of favour. We worship You today, and every day. Amen.