Christ, Our Lord

 

 

Central Thought: Every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord to the glory of God the Father.

 

Hymn: “All Hail the Power of Jesus Name”

Text: Ephesians 1:20-23; Philippians 2:9-11

 

 

We understand from Scriptures that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Word that was made flesh; who was with God in the beginning and by whom all things were made, John 1:1-3 and 14. The Lordship of Christ therefore denotes His authority, ownership of the universe, sovereignty and rulership over all creation.  He is described in the Scripture as the LORD of all flesh.  Thus, all creation is subject to Him.  However, the Lord seeks a personal relationship with every human being – a relationship acknowledging Him in thought, word and deed as SAVIOR, LORD and MASTER.  Every human being is encouraged to enter into this relationship.  We must enthrone Him as LORD, for that is what indeed He is.  We must not only know Christ as Savior, we must also know Him as Lord and Master.  As someone has rightly said, Christ must not only be present in our lives, He must also be prominent and He must not only be prominent, He must also be pre-eminent.  As members of His body, we must acknowledge that we belong to and are responsible to Christ our Lord, Savior and Master.

 

 

Lesson Objectives:

1. To know who Christ is.
2. To acknowledge the Lordship of Christ over all things and in all situations.
3. To exhort believers to a life of holiness and absolute surrender and obedience to Christ.
4. To encourage believers to acknowledge Christ as Lord and Master in their daily living.

 

1. Discuss the Lordship of Christ over creation.

Christ is Lord over all creation:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made.  And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth”, John 1:3 and 14.  These scriptures reveal to us that the Lord Jesus Christ was active in creation.  He is part of the everlasting Holy Trinity.  The Bible further tells us that by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether they be throne, or dominions or principalities or power: all things were created by Him and for Him.  He is before all things and by Him all things consist, Colossians 1:16-17.  Thus, we find that the entire universe is His creation and therefore subject to Him.  He exercises full authority and rulership over all creation.  The seas, winds, storms, etc. are all subject to Him, Luke 8:22-25.  All human governments and authorities are ordained by Him and subject to Him and the king’s heart is in His hands, Romans 13:1; Proverbs 21:1.  He is indeed Lord over the entire universe.

Christ is Lord over all principalities and power:

All principalities, power and the rulers of the darkness of this world are subject to the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us that, “…having spoiled principalities and powers He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it”, Colossians 2:15.  He demonstrated His authority and rulership over the power of darkness during His ministry on earth.  On several occasions, He cast out devils (demons) from people.  The demons knew who He was and obeyed Him, Luke 8:26-38.  He has a Name that is above every other name and at His name all knees must bow, Philippians 2:9-10.  He is exalted far above all principalities and powers and all things have been put under His feet, Ephesians 1:20-23.

 

2. How can we acknowledge His Lordship in a personal way?

While it is true that Christ is lord over the entire universe and that all principalities and powers are subject to Him, He however, wants to establish a personal relationship with every human being. This relationship existed in the Garden of Eden before the fall of man.  When man fell into sin through disobedience of God’s instruction, he lost that relationship.  However, at the fullness of time, God sent His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to redeem man.  Christ died for our sins and rose again from the dead for our justification and it is by Him alone we are saved.  By laying down His life, He demonstrated His willingness to bring man into a personal relationship with Him.  Our part as human beings is to believe in what He has done and receive Him as Lord and Savior by confessing our sins to Him, asking for forgiveness and inviting Him into our hearts to take charge of our lives.  When we do this, He becomes our Lord and personal Savior.  We do not only receive forgiveness but we also allow Him to direct our lives.  In other words, we yield our lives fully to Him and allow Him to direct us.

 

3. How do we reveal His Lordship over our lives to others?

When we receive Christ as Lord and Savior, the Bible says we become new creatures; the old sinful life passes away and a new way of life begins in Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:17. As we daily acknowledge His Lordship, those around us will observe a difference in our lives.  It may be that we were fighters in our neighborhood, that attitude must pass away when Christ becomes our Lord.  A life in which Christ is Lord will not fight, steal, cheat, dupe others, or practice any form of immorality.  The works of the flesh:  adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witch-craft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, sedition, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, reveling, etc. will not be manifest in a life that acknowledges Christ as Lord and Savior.  A life in which He is Lord will demonstrate love, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance/self-control.  We must therefore live our lives in such a way that others acknowledge the Lordship of Christ.

 

4. How is Christ our eternal Lord?

Christ is not only our Lord in this world but when life on earth is over, He remains our Lord. The Bible says, if only in this world we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable, 1 Corinthians 15:19.  Our hope in Christ goes beyond this world.  His Lordship over our lives is eternal.  He has gone to prepare a place for us, John 14:1-3, and He will come again and receive us to Himself.  He is our soon coming King, “…even so, come Lord Jesus”, Revelation 22:20.

 

 

Daily Living Application:

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Creator and Lord of the entire universe. Every human being must acknowledge Him as such.  He seeks personal relationship with all. All people should know that Christ is their Savior from death and eternal judgment; He offers eternal life to all who will acknowledge His Lordship over their lives.  There is no other way of salvation besides Christ who is the Redeemer.  The only remedy for sin accepted by God is the blood of His Son – the Lord Jesus Christ.  There is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved.  Salvation is only by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Acts 4:12.  If you have not already done so, we plead with you today to receive Christ as your Lord and personal Savior.

 

Memory Verse:

Philippians 2:11 – “…every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”