Jesus Is Lord – 2 Cor. 4:5 – Bible study
Jesus is Lord
II Corinthians 4:5
by Cooper Abrams – Bible Truth Web Site
“For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus sake.”
INTRODUCTION: Preaching the Lordship of Jesus Christ is not popular message today.
- A few years back a preacher who was attending my church gotmad with me called me a John MacArthurite, because I preached the Lordshipof Jesus Christ. He caused great strife in our little congregationand finally left. He called himself a Baptist preacher. I was glad when he left because he was not of us as 1 John 2:19 says.He did not understand one of the most fundamental truths in Bible, that beingthat Jesus Christ is God incarnate in flesh and He is the Lord, recognizeor accept it or not.
He’s not alone. Many preachers and denominations haveleft off this vital teaching of the Bible. Today, you can supposedlypray a little prayer and get saved and then go out and live like you please.You can have Heaven and the blessings of God and only have to dealwith Christ twice in your life. Once when you supposedly let Him saveyou and then when you die and need to get into heaven.
Yet, Jesus said to his disciples in Matthew 16:24,”If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross,and follow me.”
When God saves a soul, that person is in Christ Jesus.2 Cor. 5:17. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: oldthings are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
The word “if” makes the statement subjective. That is a term which refers to the state of salvation this is being in Christ.When God comes into a heart He changes and ones life changes.
This is not some new philosophy we embrace, or some part-timeendeavor we embark on. This is not a “try Jesus” affair, but a completesurrender of one’s self to Him…as your Master.
It was many years before believers were called Christians.Until those outside the church at Antioch saw the Christ likeness of thosethat followed Jesus and called them “Christ ones” which is what Christianmeans…they were called disciples.
A disciple is one who gives his whole life over to follow another. The disciples of Karl Marx, became devout Communists totallycommitted to communism. The Red Guard were devoted and committeddisciples of communism and Mao and they murdered hundreds of thousands oftheir fellow countrymen who rejected their political ideas. The liberalsof America are totally dedicated to their false and destructive ideas andthe result is the murder of unborn children by abortion, gay rightsthat supports to most sinful of sexual perversions and the destruction ofthe traditional family. They are good examples of what it means tobe a disciple.
Why do you think Jesus ask the Pharisees, the greatest religiouspeople of his day. “Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not the thingsI say.” They professed to know God, there were religious to the corein fact they would kill you for the sake of their religion. How do I know that? The Bible says so. They murdered Stephen,James, and demanded the Romans crucify Christ. They crucified Jesusin the name of their religion.
I hope you do not misunderstand what I am about to say. I have more respect for them than the wishy washy religion of most professingChristians today. The modern trend among many who profess to be Christiansis to refuse to take a stand on anything. These claim to believein Jesus Christ, yet by their actions and philosophy of life deny most ofwhat Jesus said. Their slogan is “Lets us take the non-denominationalapproach, let forget sound doctrine and let us all just come togetherand love everyone in Jesus’ name.”
John 1:1 says, that “In the beginning was the Word, and theWord was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:14 explains “Andthe Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, theglory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth..” Jesus Christ is the word and you cannot ignore, compromise, discountthe Word of God without ignoring, compromising and discounting Jesus ChristHimself.
ILLUS: A good example was the promise keepers movement thatflamed up several years ago and now is mostly dead. There was no truelife in it because it was based on many false concepts. The men runningit did it in the flesh because God will no bless error. At thePK meetings those who attended I believe were sincere people who loved theLord. However, they were told to return home to their churches to breakdown doctrinal barriers that separated Christians.
What they were saying was lets put aside parts of God’s truthfor the sake of unity so we can worship the Lord as one. Well,if you put aside truth then you support lies. Yes, the Lord has told us towork together, and love one another, but never did He say anywhereto do it at the cost of doctrine which means truth.
Jesus address this false teaching saying in John 4:24″God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit andin truth.”
- Question? According the what Jesus said here can youworship God and be in error? The answer is obvious.
Do you know why many take the position of coming together withoutregard for biblical truth. You know why the ecumenical movement isso popular. Do you know why doctrine is ignored, made little of?Do you know why so many who profess to be saved lives worldly lives. Because these people know nothing of the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
True believers, the true saints of God that truly lovethe Jesus Christ, and they follow Him as their Lord. He is theLord of their lives. That means is in control in their lives and theyare His disciples devoted to His will and cause. These true saintssee themselves in total subjection to the Lord Jesus, because He is God Almightyand their Creator. They see Him having the full right to tell themwhat to do and how they are to live their lives.
God’s will is their will and what He wants the most importantthing in their lives. Yes, Jesus Christ is their Lord and they followHim. Why, because these dear people know who Christ is andthey understand the sin from which he delivered them.
- 1. Jesus preached the Gospel on earth and it was a plea todiscipleship, a call to follow Him in submissive obedience, notjust a plea to make a decision or pray a prayer.
a. Matt. 7:13-23. Jesus warned that therewould be some who would take salvation lightly and falsely claimto follow Him.
Today, is sad but a lot of preaching and many churchesignore these warnings and teaches a “gospel that is not another”.
b. In my experience over the years, many claimto be Christians, and yet it in many cases what they say, do and believeis not based on Biblical Truth.
c. In Matthew 7:23, in Jesus’s condemnationof these who claimed to know him was what? What did he call them? “You workers of iniquity. ” Workers of iniquitymeant the practiced lawlessness. They were not in obedience to theLord. They claimed to know Him, did great things in His name, but Jesussaid…He did not know them.
In other words: not even prophesying, casting out demons,or doing great things publicly, could be viewed as evidence of salvation…ifthat person did not live a Holy and dedicated life to the Lord .
d. People are told that because they reciteda prayer, walked an isle, were baptized, signed a tract, spoke in tongues,were slain in the spirit, or had some experience they are saved. Mostthe churches and ministries that promote such things emphasized the blessingsof God, but rarely mention sin and repentance. W
Obedience to the Lord brings the blessings of God and nothingelse. The Lord does not bless His disobedient children but as Heb.12 says…He chastens them.
I have listened to BBN radio for years and it is a good Christianstation….yet I have never heard one of the modern popular preachers preachon the subject of the chastening of God. I wonder why?
Have you ever wondered why so many preachersdo not preach against sin. Surely, the Bible is clear that sin, anysin is destructive and harms us and our loving Savior and God wants us freeof sin for our benefit. So why not warn men, why not urge men to turnto righteousness and repent of sin?
“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into theworld, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds wereevil” (John 3:19).
e. II Cor. 13:5, Paul said to “examineyourselves, whether ye be in the faith, prove your own selves.”
Peter said: “Brethren, give diligenceto make your calling and election sure…if you do these things you shallnever fall.” II Peter 1:10
Luke 6:44. “For every tree is knownby his own fruit, For thorns men do not gather figs nor of bramblebush gather they grapes” In other words a tree is know by its fruit.
d. Genuine assurance comes from seeing the Holy Spirit’stransforming work in one’s life, not from clinging on to some memory of someexperience we had.
When I truly was saved, there was no greatexperience, I again walked an isle, told a preacher I wanted to serveChrist. He improperly, asked if I was a church member! I saidyes and he ask the congregation to accept me as a member on transferringmy church letter!
But folks, what was outward none had no bearing on what tookplace in my heart. Christ came in and changed me and I have never beenthe same person I was since!
My father was upset, when several years later I realized thatI had not been Scripturally baptized and asked the church I was a memberof to baptize me biblically. My father said, dismissing my actions,”You were saved as a boy.” I loved my Dad with all my heartand he was the greatest influence in my life for Christ. He died inSeptember 2000 and went to be with the Lord and I miss him so very much. But dear friends, my dad was wrong. After I professed Jesusas my Savior and was baptized I never lived one day of my life for Him. I claimed Him as my Savior….but He certainly was not in my life and I wasnot a disciple of Jesus Christ. For seven years I was in military serviceand my dog tags said Baptist. That that was not true. True Baptistsare saved people who love the Lord….I did not.
- e. Several things we must understand that the Bible teaches concerningScriptural salvation.
- These are the truths on the matter.
In Luke 8:12, Jesus explained in the parable ofthe sower that a sower sowed seed and as he sowed some fell by the way sideand was stepped on and bird came and ate it.
In Luke 8:11, He said that the seed was the Word of God, TheScriptural Truth, God’s Truth to Man.
He further said that the Devil came and took the word out oftheir hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. It is the Devil’spurpose: Steal the truth or hide it from you. To give falseassurance that one is saved and yet still be in their sins.
- A. John 3:7, Jesus said “ye MUST be born again.”
B. Justification means the act of pronouncing one to be righteous,means acquittal, being justified means acquittal from quilt.
Romans 4:8 “blessed is the man to whom the Lord willnot impute sin”
C. Regeneration: Titus 3:5 “Not by works of righteousnessthat we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washingof regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit.
Being made new, having a new life, changed andone becomes something they were not before. Like the transformationof a butterfly.
D. Jesus Said: “Ye must be born again.”
“Except a man be born again, YE CANNOT SEE THE KINGDOMOF GOD”.
There is no salvation apart from being changed II Cor5:17 ” If any man is in Christ, he is a NEW creature, old things are passedaway, behold all things are become new.”
E. A man is not saved if his life is not changed.
Romans 8:9 “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit,if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not theSpirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
- A. “Will you know, O vain man, that faith that has no deeds or worksis dead?”
B. Faith in a man will produce evidence. It will cause action.
James says, the devils believe in Christ. They have belief, but it is not life changing. They have not beenrejuvenated.
- James 2:14, says, “What doth it profit, my brethren, thougha man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?” Itis not teaching works for salvation, but teaching how to authenticate truefaith. Faith is obedience, faith produces works and if the worksare not there, the faith is not there either.
- Accepting the historical Jesus and being a churchmember or having some emotional experience will not save a person. Wanting heaven and God’s blessing will not save unless there is asurrender of one’s heart to Him. He only saves those who acceptHim as their Lord.
C. Saving faith is a faith that works, not to be saved, but the wordsare the nature result of Christ’s life changing coming into one’s heart andlife.
Can Christ be present in a person and there be no evidenceof if? Can Christ regeneration a person, and that person go on thesame way they were before they were regenerated?????
You mean God can indwell a person and that person notcontinue to walk in sin, and ignore the presence of God?
- A. Matt. 10:22. “ye shall be hated of all men for my name sake:but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.”
- Revelation 2:26, 3:5, 21. Those that overcome,are given power over nations, clothed in white raiment, namesnot blot out of the book of life, and Jesus will confess his name beforethe Father, and will grant to sit the person to sit with me in mythrone, even as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father in His Throne.
- I John 2:19, “they went out from us; but they were notof us, for if they had been of us they would no doubt(means absolutely) havecontinued with us; but they went out that it might be made manifestthat they were not all of us.”
- 1. Some left the church, and there professionof faith. They said they were saved, and were trusting Christ yet,they went back into sin.
2. Why? They apparently were not part of the family.
- 3. Many come to church and seem for a while todo well, but in time they wither and die on the vine, because theirroots were not on firm ground. They built on sand, and when troublecame and they were tested in the storm they withered away.
- A. The Jesus who saves is the Jesus who is the Lordand Master of ones life.
- 1. Luke 6:46. “Why do you call be Lord,Lord and do not the things what I say?”
2. You cannot separate the Lordship of Christ from Christ. You cannot take away His being your Lord, and have Him be your Savior.
3. He saved and is Lord, or He is not Lord anddoes not save.
- You cannot believe on a half-Christ. We take Him for what he is—theanointed Saviour and Lord who is King of Kings, Lord of all Lords or we rejectHim. A. W. Tozer said, “The Lord will not save whom He cannot command.”
- A. Matt. 5:13, “The publican, standing afar off,would not lift up his eyes to heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying Godbe merciful to me a sinner.”
B. Greek work “repentance” means “to precede afterwith a change of mind.
- 1. Five times in Rev. 2-3, Christ instructsthe disobedient churches to “repent”.
2. It means to change one’s mind abouta prior action and to turn from it and not do it again, because one seesthe error of the act.
3. Being sorry for sin is not the samething as repentance. One can be sorry and continue in the action, onlywhen we repent of an action do we overcome it.
4. Biblical repentance involves a changingof mind from sin and disobedience, to turn to God and obedience to him.
- 1. Phil. 2:13 “For it is God which worketh in you,to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
2. It is the natural reasoning of man and a trick of Satanto try and steer a person from the truth.
3. Many have been deceived. Yet, in this room this morningno one need continue any longer under a false hope or deception.
4. Genuine salvation, frees from not only the judgment of sin,but the obligation to continue to sin. Christ frees the sinner, eternallyand presently from sin.
5. Have you been born again? Have you truly become adisciple of Jesus Christ. Do you follow Him and His word. Areyou growing in Christ. Are you more mature and more yield tohim today they you were a year ago.
6. Believe and trust in Christ, yield your life to HIM, today.
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