The birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus mark the fulfillment of prophecy dating back to The Fall when Adam and Eve were cast out of Eden. This redemptive work of Christ offers all of us salvation in Him today, where its full effect will be experienced by all who receive Christ, the Lord when in the unforeseen future, we spend eternity with Him in paradise. We, Christ’s church, invest much time in Jesus as Savior, and rightly so. But, we invest far less time in exploring what it means that Jesus is Lord and what impact that ought to make in each of our lives. After all, Jesus is Lord!
In Jesus’ day, “lord” was commonly used as a title of respect toward earthly authorities. This occurred when the leper called Jesus “lord,” showing respect to Him as healer and teacher (Matthew 8:2, 25; 15:25). However, something changed with the title “lord” as applied to Jesus after the resurrection. When we speak of Jesus as Lord, it’s more than a title of honor or respect; it’s also a way of declaring Jesus as God. When Jesus appears to the disciples after the resurrection, Thomas sees Christ (nail holes in His hands and a hole from the spear thrust in His side), and Thomas cries out, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). From this point forward, when the disciples – the apostles shared the message of Christ, they declared Jesus is Lord, meaning “Jesus is God.”
We read in Romans 10:9, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” The word Paul uses for “Lord” (kyrios) is Greek for “lord” or “master” but is used throughout the Greek Old Testament, the Septuagint, for the Hebrew words Yahweh and Adonai (God). The declaration, “Jesus is Lord,” offers far more than respect to Jesus but actually acknowledges that He is God and, therefore, has all authority and is indeed Lord of all.
Since Jesus is Lord of all, including you and me, what ought to be our response to Jesus as Lord? First, let’s look at Christ’s own words, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Jesus, in one short statement, describes what it looks like to follow Him as Lord. Then, He explains what we ought to do in response to His Lordship. Let’s look at three responses from this verse.
Since Jesus is Lord, we ought to deny ourselves in following Him. People are willing to pay a high price for something they value. So then, is it surprising that Jesus would require this much commitment from His followers? The ultimate purpose of denying self is to glorify God. Jesus is talking about denying self in the essential battle of life. In the struggle of who will be the lord of our hearts, we need to surrender that position to God and Him alone. As Christ occupies the throne of our hearts, He’s able to lead us through His Spirit. To what end? Only through Christ’s power and leading can we genuinely glorify Him, be blessed, and bless others.
Since Jesus is Lord, we ought to imitate Him. Christians are called Christ-followers because they follow their Lord by imitating His life and obeying His commands. What is meant by “taking up one’s cross?” To take up the cross meant to carry your own cross to the place where you would be killed. Many Jews had been killed that way by the Romans. Applied to Christ’s disciples, it means identifying entirely with Christ’s message, even if it means death. We must deny our selfish desires to use our time, talent, treasure, and testimony for our own gain and choose to use them to advance Christ’s kingdom. Carrying one’s cross is giving our very lives to Christ no matter where He leads. We are called to imitate Jesus by sharing His character, love, and mission. This occurs as we deny ourselves and, by His transforming power and leading, imitate Him.
Since Jesus is Lord, we ought to invest our lives in His service. If this present life is most important to you, you will do everything you can to protect it. You will not want to do anything that might endanger your safety, health, or comfort. If Christ is most important to you, you will do anything to glorify Him. You will do anything, no matter how uncomfortable or safe, to know Him and make Him known and to share the love and message of Christ with others. Jesus’ disciples, His followers, Christians, are not to live for their own pleasure but in service to the Lord.
Being a disciple of Christ, acknowledging Him as Lord requires more than denying certain things, but denying personal control of our lives to Him. It’s taking up our cross and being willing to do whatever and go wherever the Lord leads, trusting Him, no matter what lies ahead, for His glory. It’s following Him in our actions, being on mission with Him by being everyday missionaries in the everyday mission fields of where we live, work, go to school, and play.
Jesus is Lord. This is true, whether or not people acknowledge the fact. Someday, all will submit to the truth (Philippians 2:9-11). Jesus’ humiliation, His humbling Himself by taking upon His divinity humanity, being born in such modest means, living a perfect life, dying on the cross for our sins, and being resurrected for our salvation became the grounds for His exaltation. By humbling Himself on the cross out of love, He demonstrated that He truly shares God’s divine nature, who is love. Therefore, Jesus is God, Lord (kyrios), and as God, has divine status and authority.
When Christ returns, all will acknowledge Him as Lord. We can either do so now by choosing and receiving the salvation that comes from placing our trust in Him or later when we’re no longer presented with the ability to choose salvation. Today, the Lord lovingly calls out to all of us to receive Him as Lord and Savior. Today, He offers us the resources of heaven in this life and confident hope that we will spend eternity with Him. Come to Jesus, the Lord. Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!