The Lordship of Christ
Let's let's shift gears here in and jump into a time of teaching. I'm excited about sharing this morning.
When you see that image a lot of us would probably say hey, look at that hummer. That's it. That's a pretty cool Hummer. But the reality is it's actually not a Hummer. This is a Hummer. This is the original Hummer that came out but then in our culture and our society, we tend to take things and say well let's add something to that. Let's make it a little different. So from the original Hummer then Arnold got a Hummer, you know, and I needed to have four door so I can put people in the back and that's kind of cool. So he got one of those and then more people wanted some so you had one like this it looked a little bit more like a Jeep and had four doors and maybe a little place in the back to like a pickup truck. And so they just kept evolving and then here's one that looks more like a traditional SUV and a Jeep and and oh, yeah, I like that hummer. I'm going to get one of those types of Hummers and then you can get this one's even more so like a standard G4 SUV yet. It was still thought of as a Hummer and then you arrived back where that Drive down the street and you said hey, look at that hummer. But it's not a Hummer. And sometimes this sort of movement I believe happens in Christianity. Where we have this essence of what Christianity is about but over time and years we add something to it and we had something else to it and we had something else to it and then pretty soon the thing that we call Christianity actually isn't Christianity. There's a need to talk about Theology and to talk about Doctrine and a talk about scripture and those things that are essential versus those things that aren't essential. There is something that is essential that is of the essence of something and then there are other things that are beneficial they benefit the essential but they're not essential in and of themselves for example, the church gathering together for worship and communion and teaching for the word of God is essential that's that's of the essence of what it means to be Christians and and to be part of Christian leaders to gather together doing that inside a building is very beneficial and nice to have a building to do that in but it is not essential. But you but can you see how suddenly we point to a brick building Lisa? Hey, there's the church. Don't run in the church pay that guy hurt the the church wall there and then suddenly were talking about Christianity and the church, but really what we're talking about is something that's beneficial not essential but suddenly, it's become. Essential it's become so we we kind of get our theology model some that's why I think every now and then it's good for us to remind ourselves. That's not a Hummer. Okay. It's not and sometimes the things that we get so focused on and so worried about their not Christianity. So I want to begin a series that we're going to we're going to do between now and Easter and it's going to be a loosely-knit series. You don't have to panic all this has to be the longest series ever but we're going to visit topics of Great Value essential critical convictions and topics in the life of the church and we're going to start this morning with the most essential one the single non-negotiable element of Christianity. Papa in John chapter 1 writing about Christ John says and the word Christ became flesh human inkarnate and tabernacled fixed his tent of Flesh Among Us lived while and we actually saw his glory his honor his majesty such Glory as the only begotten son received from his father full of grace favor and loving kindness and Truth. John early in his gospel announces that dramatic and radical truth that God himself Add come Among Us in the flesh in Jesus Christ to reveal himself. You can continue to look at scriptures and see this theme act says it bluntly Paul says or an ax Peter says so all the people of Israel should know this truly. God has made Jesus the man you nailed to the cross both Lord and Christ. Christ identity as the one sent from God as God In the Flesh as the one proclaimed the anointed one the Messiah the Christ and Lord, that's the heart of Christianity. You can see it here. Then Jesus came to them. This isn't Matthew chapter 20, then Jesus came to them and said to his disciples all power in heaven. And on Earth is given to me think about the boldness of that statement. It is a statement that rises out of the essential that I'm talking about this morning the lordship of Christ. Because he is Lord and God he can say to his disciples all authority. All authority all power on Heaven and Earth is given to me Paul talks about it this way in Romans chapter 1. He says the good news is about God son. Jesus Christ Our Lord as a man. He was born from the family of David but through the spirit of Holiness. He was declared to be God's son with great power by rising from the dead. That's the heart of the Gospel that Jesus is God come to us in the flesh. And therefore since he is God In the Flesh. He is Lord. Paul says elsewhere in the New Testament that when you Proclaim Jesus is Lord, that's an activity of the Holy Spirit working in your life. And in your heart to Proclaim that truth that Jesus is Lord. And that is the fundamental truth of Christianity when someone comes forward and says, I'm joining your church. I'm joining this body to be part of this Christian body here. What do we ask him to do make the good confession? I believe that Jesus is the Christ the son of the Living God and accept him as my Lord and Savior. That's the very heart. The very essence of our faith of Christianity is the lordship of Christ. Our church was founded the restoration Movement by Alexander Campbell and Barton W Stone and one of the first the first statement they made sang. This is our identity as a church. They said the Church of Christ upon Earth is essentially and intentionally and constitutionally one consisting of all those and every place that profess their faith in Christ and obedience to him and all things according to the scriptures that statement rose out of a culture that had dozens and dozens of denominations and Creeds and everyone would say, oh you want to fellowship with thought you want to take communion without you want to be on our board on our leadership team. Here's the 37 things. You must affirm in order to be considered a good Christian. You see how what started out as a Hummer suddenly became this stretch. Limo, you know, it's not only the lordship of Christ, but we're going to keep adding to that and adding to that and adding to that and our church was started the Restoration Church the independent Christian Church rose up in the midst of that and said we cannot keep adding to the clarity of the scriptures. We cannot keep saying no, you can't take communion unless you use this translation of the Bible or you're not a good Christian and left you have this understanding of the end times or you're not a faithful follower unless you follow this teacher or this believer for you've got to understand this chapter this way so many things were kind of added to And they pulled aside and said no we need to not be we're not the only Christians but we want to be Christians only and so our identity starts with Christ in his lordship. That's the essential. That's the one essential. If you start their than everything else can grow out of that but it starts with that recognition that Jesus Christ is Lord. Is Lord of the universe and I accept him as Lord Of My Life? CS Lewis talked about the lordship of Christ and I want to read a quote from him and it's one is probably pretty familiar. I don't want to read kind of an extended portion around it. He talked about the clarity of the lordship of Christ.
And God's history with Humanity by starting in the Old Testament with the Jews and the Hebrews and establishing them as a people who were set apart and who were to hear from the prophets God's Own Revelation. And then Lewis says after talking about the Old Testament that he says this he says then comes the real shot talking about history and religion. He says then comes the real shot among the Jews there suddenly turns up a man who goes about talking as if he were God he claims to forgive sins. He says he has always existed. He says he is coming to judge the world at the end of time now, let us get this clear other religions might talk about someone as if the world is all God all all language hearing. It did a little better among pantheist like those in India anyone might say that he was part of God or one with God there be nothing very odd about it. But this man since he was a Jew Could not mean that kind of God God in the Hebrew language in the Jewish language meant that a being that was outside the world who who made it and was infinitely different from anything in it. And when you have grass that you will see that what this man said was quite simply the most shocking thing that has ever been uttered by human lips. And so in the midst of History Christ appears this Jewish man and announces I'm gone.
I existed before Abraham was I can pronounce and announce forgiveness of sins. I will come one day and judge the entire universe.
Lewis talks about how radical the Forgiveness of sins is and then he continues
He told people that their sins were forgiven and never waited to consult all the other people who in their sins had undoubtedly injured he unhesitatingly believed as if he weren't behaved as if you were the party chiefly concerned the person chiefly offended in all the offences. This makes sense. Only if he really was the god whose laws are broken and his love is wounded in every sin in the mouth of any speaker who is not got these words would imply what I can only regard as a silliness and a conceit unrivalled by any other character in history yet. And this is the strange and significant thing even his enemies when they when they read the gospels do not usually get the impression of silliness and conceit still less do unprejudiced readers. Christ says that he is humble and meek and yet we believe him Not noticing that if he were merely a man humility and meekness are the very last characteristics. We would contribute to some of his things. Here's the most famous part of this quote that you may have heard. Again it again Lewis says, I'm trying to prevent anyone saying they're really foolish thing that people often say about Jesus. Here's what they say. They say, I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be gone. That is one thing. We must not say Louis continues a man who was merely a man and said the sort of things that Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic on the level with a man that says he's a poached egg or else he would be the devil of hell. You must make your choice either this man was and he is the Son of God or else a Madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool. You can spit on him and call him a demon or you can follow his feet and call him Lord and God but let us not come to him with any patronizing nonsense about him being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend. The lordship of Christ is the central claim of Christianity the central claim of the gospels the central claim of Christ and Luis is Right. Anyone who would come and say I am God and by my own authority I forgive sins or they remain Unforgiven anyone who would say I come and judge the entire universe Luis is right, either that person is insane for saying those things that are not true about them or their evil trying to deceive others into believing something that's not true about them or their true. and even for the the harshest skeptic, I think if you're open-minded the reliability of the historicity of the gospels themselves and the record we have point to Christ coming and saying and doing the things that we see in the gospels even his enemies recognize the fact that there was this great man named Jesus who came and talked and gathered followers and and and healed and
his lordship is the essential element of Christianity. Another some implications for us on that that I want us to think about a little bit this morning. The lordship of Jesus gives perspective to life and theology all other wannabe Masters in our life that cry ultimate and our lives are not ultimate not think about that. Think about the gift that is to understand the essential reality of the lordship of Christ being the core essential of Christianity that Jesus is Lord. That's the Ultimate Reality in the universe. That means when money says to us when Whispers to us, I'm the most important thing you've got to have enough of me. We can reject that not simply out of some sort of strong. Well, I reject that we can reject it because it is not true. All those other things that want to claim in our life. I'm the most important thing are not the most important things are career or holding power. Even when we have failures in our life failures in our career or failures in a relationship. The adversary will come whisper to us all that's your identity the fact that you have failed in this way. You are March Forever This Way You Are permanently this or that you're divorced or separated Oracle. You have a broken relationship with your children for you have this relationship with him in the devil wants to say this is Ultimate and the reality of Christ lordship makes all of those other things not ultimate.
Doesn't mean they're not difficult doesn't mean they're not hard, but they are not ultimate. We are not formed. Our identity is not shaped by hardships. We faced or failures in our life or whether we have a lot of money or a little money or successful career or not. A successful career Christ is the Ultimate Reality in the universe is God himself in the Flash. And when we Embrace Christ that becomes our identity. Think about this all the other doctrines that cry ultimate in our ears are not ultimate. Now hear this next sentence careful carefully. Okay. I'm not saying that secondary doctrines aren't important. They are important just because something is secondary doesn't mean it's not important but it is indeed secondary if I'm praying with someone in the hospital who's never accepted Christ and they say I get it. I understand it. He is Lord and I accept him as my Lord. I want to be saved. I don't say oh good. There's just about 45 minutes more of dispensational theology. I got to teach you before you can go to heaven. Do I do I say, oh, I'm going to get this Bible on you got to memorize this certain verse or let me get a chart out. You got to understand these certain things about the prophet or about the Epistles. Do you see how fast the essence that's the primary truth? And so it's a gift to us because you don't have to freak out or panic when someone says what must I know to be saved. You must know that Jesus Christ is God In the Flesh and he is Lord come to save us.
From that we build more we add more we grow but that's the essence and think of all the energy in the volumes of books that are spent on secondary doctors arguments Church splits, I think about it for a moment. Maybe 80% of the vast denominational landscape in North America is because of division over secondary doctrines. It is not because one church is saying Jesus is Lord Church of saying he's not It's because of secondary things and how much more powerful would the Church of God in North America. And in this glow be if we were United around that one Central truth and not divided on lesser truce. And so it is a gift to affirm this truth this lordship of Christ both theologically and in our life. Our movement is known by this saying in Essentials unity in nonessentials Liberty in all things love in the things that are essential we are united and there are non-negotiables. There are Hills upon which we will die. This is true. We can't budge on this so don't miss hear me. There is the ology that is important and vital that we do not let go of no matter what and those Essentials unity in nonessentials Liberty. Grace with one another Brace with Brothers and Sisters in Christ who don't take communion every Sunday, but take it one supporter. What's wrong with you? I am not going to church like that. That's not Grace when someone says you take communion every week. What's up with that you a bunch of weirdos, you know, we show them Grace and there's a million other examples of things in which we show Liberty and in all things scripture says they will know we are his disciples by our love in all things life. So that essential reality reminding herself sometimes what we call the church, you know Christianity. Is it reminding yourself of that which is essential gives us this blessing the skip also the lordship of Christ reveals the exact nature of God now think about the implications of that truth. Michael Ramsey said God is Christ. Like I didn't hear him. There is no on christlikeness at all. Jesus Is God In the Flesh Hebrew says what I said in that sentence that Jesus is the exact replication representation of God the exact that's the language in Hebrews. Jesus is the exact representation of God. It's a part of the radicalness of the lordship of Christ in that God that Christ is God come in the flesh. Is that his lordship reveals the exact nature of God. So if we want to know what is God like we can go to the gospels we can go to Jesus Christ. We can read how he treated those in need we can read how he treated those caught in sin and we can discover with absolute confidence the exact nature of God. I don't know about you but sometimes I think the adversary slips this wedge into my thinking and I think of God as one person and Jesus as another in terms of their character having Jesus is like nice and gods like a Robbie's in trouble and just like that ain't no no, he's my buddy, you know and goes like we're all okay, but don't let me catch you without Jesus next to you cuz if I catch you alone. Jesus help me out. Is the devil ever wedge that kind of weird thinking in your head that somehow God is different higher up more judgmental more. Holy. Jesus kind of gets between God and us is if God is angry and Jesus is some hair taken care of that. That's not what scripture teaches scripture teaches that Jesus is the exact representation of God. And so even the disciples Jesus had to say unless it when we going to see the Father and Jesus said if you've seen me You have seen the father. So it is God who says the woman caught and send and throwing his feet. I don't condemn you.
It is God who says it was the Samaritan who got it, right? It is God who sees the woman at the well and treats her with Grace. It is God who hangs on the cross and says father forgive them for they know not what they do. Jesus is the exact representation of God and Reveals His nature to us and lastly the lordship of Jesus is unique proclaiming a God who became human. No other religion on the globe for claims this radical truth that God became human again. But that's sometimes we get so familiar with stuff. But the impact isn't what it should be that God became human. Every other religion talks about God as distinct and separate in such a way that I will never have anything to do with those humans and they've got to make sure that they arrive at a nice level of Enlightenment before they can even comprehend me or they do enough obedience to the words. I've given to them in order to be worthy in my presence and yet to Christianity for planes this God who became human Who became an infant? Who became someone who suffered?
Jesus understands our Human Condition God understands our Human Condition Psalm 103 says God knows what we're made of he knows that we're dust and that were frail Hebrews 4 talks about how Jesus was tempted and suffered in every way the way we suffered human meat. Do you know that Jesus understands the pain of unanswered prayer?
Have you thought about his humanness in the gospels when he prays to God?
Can this past remaining way when on the cross he says my God my God. Why have you forsaken me? He understands that pain. He still says None the last year. Will he still trusts the father in that moment, but he understands that pain of not getting the answer he was seeking.
We have a God who became flesh who understands our Frailty and our weakness who perhaps expects more failure from us than we expect from ourselves. After radical nature of the gospel and all that is tied up in the lordship and the Incarnation of Christ This is why Paul says and and in Colossians we continue to preach Christ which person is kind of summarizing his whole life his ministry the heart of what it means to be a leader in the church the heart of what it means to be a Christian in the world. He says so we continue to preach Christ to each person using all wisdom to Warren sand at each everyone in order to bring each person in the God's presence as a mature person in Christ. He wants to preach that gospel this good news about the God who became human. About Jesus who was both human and divine about Jesus being Lord having Authority and his authority being so absolute that he can forgive sins. He can absorb our judgment that we can be saved and know God personally and forever and soap to the world out there that doesn't know that to the world is terrified of God to the world is bought into false religion that say Well, if you get intellectual enough or if you climb up the spiritual ladder enough and you get enlightened you come to Nirvana, or maybe you just follow the rules and I think that means doing something horrible in the name of that job because you're just faithful disciple of the religion to all that false religion out there. At least people down this path that says You must jump through these hoops to be pleased to please God to be saved by God to all those who are lost.
They can get more money. Or more drugs or more obedience to a false religion that those things are what is necessary to be safe to that lost world. We are called to be the church those who know the truth about Christ identity those who gather and worship and go to do what Paula saying here preach Christ to each person using all wisdom to want to teach everyone order bring each person into God's presence as a mature person in Christ to do this fall says, I work and struggle using Christ great strength that works so powerfully in me. Not only to know that essential truth and to cherish the lordship of Christ but to share it and to preach it to go and invite and Warren and Challenge and woo others to know that truth about God, but he has come in the flesh and provided our salvation.
now I'm on level. I just want to say the sermon is done. Okay, take a big deep breath.
You can set yourself Robbie that was uncharacteristically short. I want to add a moment here. I want us to I want us to watch a video because we have a real-world opportunity to live up to the faith. We Proclaim we have an opportunity to look at the lost world around us and extend the truth about Christ as Lord. As many of you know, and I'll tell you a little bit about the video before we show it. We've been having some Connection to the Past year or so with a missionary in Liberia. And there is tremendous growth going on in Liberia and opportunity for the gospel to be expanded churches are being planted and exploding with growth. The desperate need is for leadership training for pastors. And for those who to lead those churches in Liberia. So we've been partnering so far and just conversation away a little bit of assistance with a group in Liberia this trying to get a Christian Bible College off the ground and the person who has started this is right here from Lexington and and God tapped on her shoulder about three or four years ago and said you need to get involved in helping make disciples in Liberia and issues a few years older and he was a children's minister to church here in the area and said, but that's just a silly thing I've ever heard you I'm not going to lie. Where is that from? But it kept coming and kept coming and she answered that call move to Liberia and doors have opened again and again and again and next Sunday morning. One of the pastors you're going to see in this video whose first name is Jones will be here to preach to us along with Shani Wellspring who you will see in this video to share with us and next Monday evening and all this kind of came about last minute. Sometimes when you were with Liberia International everything doesn't work on your time scale. So we're taking advantage of the opportunities that we have Shawnee and Pastor Jones here next Monday evening. We will have our missions banquet in the fellowship hall at 6:30 Child Care be provided. So I want you to fill out your card. If you watch this video put in the offering basket little later thing. If you're coming to the mission banquet, we need to plan on this finger food appetizer type of vent about we still need to plan how many people are coming the right amount of food the right amount of child care so you can hear first-hand I from Shawnee and Pastor Jones about what's going on in Liberia, but I want you to watch this video. We're going to show it to you next time. Brush your teeth today cuz I want you to be praying about and thinking about coming next Monday night to learn more about blessing this ministry. Like I said, it is exactly what I preached about this morning and exactly what Paul talking about in Colossians. How do we make Christ known to the world his lordship to those who need?