Why Call Ye Me Lord?

(Article for publication week of 4-3- AD 2014)

 

"And why call ye me 'Lord, Lord', and do not the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46).

It is obvious from this searching question of our Lord that there is more to receiving Christ as Lord than a mere profession. Our Lord warned us in Matthew 7:21-23 that many who call Him Lord will finally be sent to everlasting hell. To receive Christ as Lord is to acknowledge Him as Lord, confess that He is Lord, submit to Him as Lord, and obey Him as Lord. Dear readers, the only people who are truly saved are those who are obedient to Christ. Faith in Christ is necessarily accompanied by obedience to Christ.

Note well, no man is saved by his obedience, but none are saved apart from it. A true believer imperfectly obeys Christ, yet he sincerely and consistently obeys Christ. As dear Isaac Watts expressed it one of his hymns, "The best obedience of my hands, dares not appear before Thy throne." Salvation is all of God's sovereign grace, and not by man's efforts in any sense, yet the grace of God teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world (Titus 2:12). God works both to will and to do of His good pleasure in those to whom He gives saving faith. George Keith was blessed to express this Biblical truth in one of his fine hymns like this, " 'Twas all of Thy grace we were brought to obey, While others were suffered to go, The road which by nature we chose as our way, Which leads to the regions of woe"! Or as Phillip Doddridge expressed it in the hymn "Grace' Tis a Charming Sound" (my great grandfather, Martin Luther Shows' favourite hymn), "Grace led my roving feet to tread the heavenly road, And new supplies each hour I find, While pressing on to God"!

Now the things that Christ has said are those things that He has given in His Word, His Father's will (Matthew 7:21). Here is the essence of receiving Christ as Lord for salvation- submitting yourself entirely to the word of God. If you are truly saved there is only one thing that matters at the end of the day, "what saith the scriptures?" I am continually amazed at those who claim to be saved who live their lives without any apparent concern for what the Bible says. A few years ago there was a fad going around of people wearing jewelry, etc with "WWJD" (what would Jesus do?). Friend, the Lord has not left us without the answer to that question. We know what Jesus would do by reading in His word what He actually did. He obeyed the scriptures! Christ obeyed the law of God, the scriptures to a jot and a tittle, and His obedience is imputed to all His elect for their eternal justification. The believer in Christ knows well that he cannot perfectly obey the word of God. He trusts in Christ's obedience for his whole and sole righteousness. But he also  regards the precepts of Christ in the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as his rule of life. The precepts of Christ in His word are the laws of an all-wise and all-good King and His subjects must be seeking to submit to them and obey them. Your imperfect obedience cannot save you, but  it is the indispensable evidence that you are saved. Why call ye Christ your Lord if you are not doing what He said?

Christ, Your Potentate

(Article for publication week of 3-27- AD 2014)

"Which in His times He shall shew, Who is the Blessed and Only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of Lords; "(I Timothy 6:15).

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Absolute Monarch of the universe. He is the "Kurios." He governs everything and everybody. He raises up kings, and by Him they rule, and to Him they must give account, along with every other man. The government of Christ is an absolute Monarchy, not a "democracy" (the most despicable form of government devised by men). Christ the King shall soon return to judge all His subjects, and deal with them according to their works. The relationship of all men to Christ is the relationship of subject and King, not a relationship of equality.

Now dear reader, I ask you, "what is your response to the rule of Christ?" If you are saved you are thrilled about that. Those who have been saved by grace love their Monarch and want to serve Him. They love Him Personally, and they love His laws that are given in the Bible. The relationship of a saved man to Christ, is that of a loyal subject.

Unsaved men are also Christ's subjects, though rebellious ones. When the King comes He will deal justly with all His subjects. He will say to His loyal subjects who love Him and His laws, "enter into the kingdom prepared for you from before the foundation of the world", and "enter into the joy of thy Lord." To His rebellious subjects He will say, "depart from me ye workers of iniquity, I never knew you"! He will command that the unprofitable servants be bound hand and foot and cast into outer darkness where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth forever and ever (I shudder to write it!).

Here is what it means to receive Christ by faith. It means to repent of your rebellion against your rightful King, and sue for mercy (for He is a good King who delights in mercy). To receive Christ by faith to the saving of the soul is to bow to Him as your only Potentate. To receive Christ by faith is to submit to His rule and to obey His laws. The sinner who receives Christ by faith loves the Lord Jesus and sees in Him the perfections of God (for He is God). When it comes down to it there are just two kinds of people- those who love Christ and His Monarchy, and those who do not.

Dear readers, the King is coming! Those of you who are saved are looking forward to it. We are looking forward to the Great Day when our Lord will vindicate Himself and show Who the real King is. We look forward to the day when all tyranny shall be put down. We look forward to the day when our King shall trample all His enemies under His Holy feet. Believer, do not be cast down by the temporary setbacks we see around us. We are on the winning side!

I close my article this week with a summons from my King and yours to lay down your arms of rebellion against the only Potentate and sue for mercy. Those of you who will not receive the Lord Jesus Christ are making a serious and eternal mistake. You are on the losing side! Though the world and the devil seem to be winning sometime, they most certainly are not! You better come to the King now and bow down to Him and submit to His rule. You will have to eventually either way. If you refuse to bow now as a loving and loyal subject, you must do as so as a conquered rebel when the King comes. May the Holy Spirit graciously draw you to the King and Saviour.

LORD of LORDS

(Article for publication week of 3-20- AD 2014)

 

"And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, 'KING of KINGS , and LORD of LORDS" (Revelation 19:16).

In our present series of articles on saving faith we have been considering receiving Christ as a principle act of faith (John 1:12). The sinner who receives Christ for salvation must receive Him for all that He is. Dear reader, if you will be saved, you must receive Christ as Lord and Saviour. For the past few weeks we have been dealing with the glorious truth of the Lordship of Christ. We continue to emphasize that the Lord Jesus Christ is absolute Lord of everything and everybody by creation, and by purchase. Saved people love to bow the knee to Christ now because they love Him, and lost people will be forced to bow to Christ at the final Day and for eternity.

It is enlightening to consider exactly what is meant by the Lordship of Christ. The Greek word most generally translated as "Lord" in our New Testament is the Greek word "kurios." Kurios means "supreme in authority." It refers to one who is in control. It is also translated as "God", "master", and "sir." This should help us to see the implications and consequences of the Lordship of Christ. When the scriptures refer to Christ as Lord, it is declaring His Deity, His rule, and the respect that He is rightfully due.

It is also enlightening to note that after the Resurrection of Christ He is invariably addressed and referred to as "Lord."  It is most irreverent to refer to Christ simply as "Jesus."  No right thinking person would dare address the President of these United States as "Barrack." The dignity of his office dictates that if you were invited to the White House you would address him as "President Obama", or "Mr. President." No respectful child would call their parents by their first names (although some heathens in this present age dare so to do). Much less should we who are creatures refer to our Creator by His first Name. Much less should one who claims to be saved by grace refer to our Lord and Saviour by His first name. We should follow the Biblical example of always referring to the Lord Jesus Christ by His proper title of "Lord."

The Lord Jesus Christ is the absolute monarch of the universe. He is as it says in Revelation 19:16, "KING of KINGS. and LORD of LORDS." Dear reader, He is your King. It is incumbent upon you to obey your King. If you are saved, you will gladly obey your King. But if you persist in your disobedience, your King will call you to account at the Last Day and deal with you as the rebel you are. As an ambassador of the KING of KINGS, and LORD of LORDS, I call upon you to cease your rebellion against your Monarch and sue for mercy. May the Holy Spirit make you willing in the day of His power.

 

 

Bow Now, or Bow Later

(Article for publication week of 3-13-2014 AD)

"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, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:9-11).

The Lord Jesus Christ, Who is truly God, possessed eternal glory. He underwent a great humiliation in becoming a Man. In His humiliation, He humbled Himself to the death of the cross. In so doing, He paid the sin debt of His elect people. God the Father was satisfied by the atoning death of His Son, and His perfectly righteous Life, and so raised Him from the dead for our justification. God the Father has now bestowed eternal honour upon His eternal Son, and exalted Him to His rightful Throne at His Own Right Hand. The Lord Jesus Christ is presently seated at His Father's right hand pleading the cause of all for whom He died (Roman 8:34). Now God demands that everybody, everywhere bow to His Son and confess that He is Lord. And every knee shall indeed bow to Him (Romans 14:11).

God glorifies His sovereign grace by efficaciously drawing some men to His Son to worship Him. God sweetly forces all his chosen race to bow down to His Son and confess His name. It is with silken cords of love and grace that God uses to bring poor sinners to love a Saviour for Whom they had no love by nature. Here is the mark of a sinner saved by grace; he loves for the Lord Jesus Christ to be his Lord. He gladly bows his knee to Him. He gladly confesses that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father. The believer in Christ knows that his chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, and this he is able to do only through the merits of His rightful Lord. Those who are saved by grace are presently bowing to Christ and confessing His Lordship.

Those who refuse to bow to Christ and confess Him as Lord now, will be forced to do so after death and at judgment. "Every knee should bow", and " every knee shall bow." Every unbeliever shall bow to Christ at the final judgment and confess what they refused to confess in this life, that He is Lord. Every scoffer shall bow; every skeptic shall bow; every "free thinker" shall bow; every secular humanist shall bow; every agnostic shall bow; every atheist shall bow; every Moslem shall bow; every Hindu shall bow;  every Buddhist shall bow; every New Ager shall bow; every cultist shall bow; every papist shall bow; every "liberal churchman" shall bow; every hypocrite shall bow; every lost church member shall bow; every friend of the world shall bow; every rebel against Christ shall bow. EVERY knee shall bow, and EVERY tongue shall confess what they refused to acknowledge in this life for salvation, that Jesus Christ is Lord. Omnipotent God will glorify His justice and wrath by forcing every unrepentant and unbelieving sinner to bow down to His Son . And then He will send every last one of them to hell to be punished forever for refusing to bow and confess for salvation. Dear reader, if you will not bow now, you will bow later. And all through eternity you will be weeping and wailing and gnashing your teeth as you are punished by the Lord you refused in this life. We cannot begin to imagine how awful hell is, but no doubt one of its miseries will be that the lost will have to bow to a Lord that they do not love.

On the other hand, those who love Christ and are bowing to Him now and confessing His Lordship now, will go on in eternity doing in perfection what they did imperfectly here: worshipping Christ. And that is what makes heaven, heaven. Dear reader will you bow now, or later?

(Article for publication week of 3-6- AD 2014)
 

"Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, Whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36).  

When Peter was preaching on the Day of Pentecost he confronted his hearers with the real issue that we all face- the Lordship of Christ. I would have you know assuredly that same Christ is still your rightful Lord. God the Father hath given to His Coequal and eternal Son, crown rights over everything and everybody. Dear Reader, there is one Lord of the universe, and it is not you.

Note well, it is God the Father Who hath made His Son Lord. As dear old Rolfe Barnard used to say, (in response to folks who claimed they had finally made Christ their Lord) "you can't make Christ your Lord, God the Father has beat you to it"! Christ possessed the same glory as God from eternity, but He undertook a great humiliation, and Now God the Father hath bestowed upon Him the honour of Lordship (Philippians 2:5-11). Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is truly God, and truly Man, lived a sinless life, and died a disgraceful death to atone for the sins of His elect people. God the Father is well pleased with His Son's work and raised Him from the dead. Now He is ascended back to His rightful throne where He rules and reigns over everything and everybody.

Now this is the issue that you and I face- who is Lord? My friends the issue is not whether you were dipped or sprinkled. The issue is not whether you are congregational, or Presbyterian, or Episcopal. The issue is not whether you are Calvinist or Arminian. The issue is not whether you are a premillenarian, or a postmillenarian, or an amillenarian. The issue is not whether you are a conservative, or a liberal, or a middle -of- the- roader. The issue is not whether you are a Republican, or Democrat, or Constitutionalist, or Libertarian, or an Independent. All these things may have their rightful place, but they are secondary to the ONE GREAT ISSUE- who is Lord?

I want you to know that Christ is Lord. He bought you and the whole universe, lock, stock, and barrel by His life, death, burial , resurrection, and present session. You don't "accept" a Lord; you bow down to Him. Christ is not begging you to open the door of your heart and let Him in. Friend, you don't "let" a Lord do anything. I will tell you what Christ does. He DEMANDS that you bow down to Him, and worship Him and obey Him. It is a wonderful thing to worship and obey Christ because you love Him. This is what it means to be saved. Those of you who are not saved are bound and determined to live like you want , and do things your own way. Your "lord" is yourself, the world and the devil. But mark it down neighbour, the time will come when King Jesus is going to knock you off your high horse and force you to bow down to Him, and confess that He is the Lord. Every knee shall bow to Christ, and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord. Those who do so now because they love Christ will enter into His eternal glory with Him. Those who are forced to bow by His omnipotence at the day of judgment will face Him forever as their Lord to punish them forever in hell.

How is it with you dear reader? Are you bowing to Christ as Lord now because you love Him? Or will you be forced into submission by Christ at the final Day? My Lord is not a beggar, and His true preachers are not beggars. We are not begging anyone to "accept Jesus." What we do when we preach is to assert the Crown Rights of our Lord and demand that you repent of your rebellion against Him. May He have mercy upon you.