Blog


Foundation and Authority… The Lordship of Christ


Our world is in chaos but honestly it has been since the angel of God closed the gates to Eden. Actually, since Adam and Eve took the bite of the forbidden fruit.  The issue then, as it is now, is who is your Lord/lord?

If Christ is Lord…your choice in loving obedience (Jn 14:15), then there is nothing in the world to fear. If He is not truly Lord of your life then the only other option is satan as lord (he actually always disguises this as “self” as lord – Gen 3:4-5). When satan is lord you have everything to fear.

King Hezekiah in the Old Testament when Sennacharib, King of Assyria came against Israel, he reminded God’s people to be strong and courageous because despite all the hordes of their army it was just an army of flesh but The Lord our God fights our battles (2 Chr 32:7-8).

So, all those who are God’s people…those who truly know and walk with Christ as Lord, fear not! No matter what we face God is on our side! If He is Your Lord you can always trust in Him (Prov 3:5-6; Ps 37:4-5)!

“I, I Myself, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you are afraid of [a]mortal man, and of a son of man who is made like grass, that you have forgotten the Lord your Maker, who stretched out the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth, that you fear continually all day long because of the fury of the oppressor, as he makes ready to destroy? And where is the rage of the oppressor? Is 51:12-16 Simplified…no matter what, don’t fear man!

Whatever is your Foundation and whoever is your Lord/lord determines what you will fear…this world or Him? Your choice.

What does it mean then for Christ to be The Author of our life and salvation? What does it mean for Him to be Lord of every part of our life?

It simply means that as Author, His Word is Truth and we apply it to every thought (2 Cor 10:4-5), motive (Ps 51:10; 139:1-4, 23-24), responses and conversations (1 Peter 3:15), and in every relationship and action (Lk 14:25-35).

His Word makes it clear what it means for Him to be Lord and Authority in our lives. How are you responding?

When Christ is our Lord, Authority, Foundation, then we can know for certain that our hope, peace, joy, contentment, righteousness, holiness…our fulfillment is found in Him. Apart from Him we will continue to search for meaning, purpose, success and fulfillment in others or things of this world and they will continue to fall short and we will continue to be frustrated. Why? Because we have put our faith in things that cannot satisfy and have failed to see Him as the All-Sufficient Savior and Lord!

Christ as Lord is my righteousness and by His grace I’m made worthy. I do not need to prove my worth to anyone because it is already secure in Him.  I can say with Paul that no matter what I face…good, bad or ugly…nothing can deter or take away from the testimony of His Lordship and presence in my life (2 Cor 6:3-10).

To know Him as Lord means we can truly say that the life we live is Christ in us (Gal 2:20)!

What is your Joy? Peace? Hope? Endurance (yes, endurance)? Assurance? Strength? Fulfillment? Humility? Righteousness? Truth? Love?

If you are seeking any of these apart from Christ as Savior and Lord it will be fleeting at best and frustrating and deceptive at worst! We only find any or all of these in reality when we look to Christ. All that we are and all that we have is in Christ and our help comes from Him (Ps 121). We are alive in Christ so we live like it as His instrument of righteousness. Oh, how we need His righteousness in us so others see Him (Rom 6:11-13).

As we focus on Christ’s Lordship…His Authority in our lives and the Foundation of His Truth as our Guide…let’s consider His Faithfulness that flows from His Truth and why we can count on Him as Lord.

Even when we are unfaithful, He cannot be untrue to Himself and He remains faithful to Himself and to us (2 Tim 2:13)! That Truth is both very encouraging and very daunting…let me explain.

Here’s the reality…no matter what we are facing we can trust in God through Christ and The Holy Spirit to be faithful to His Word of Truth and to our circumstances.  His faithful response is always right and good, not based on our whims, feelings or desires, but on His Absolute Truth and Love.

That is reassuring and I pray that you find it so in every area of your life and relationships. Let this Scripture remind you of His great faithfulness and choose to walk by grace through faith with Him as Lord!

I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, just as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you eagerly await the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.      I Cor 1:4-9

So what does it mean for God to be Faithful in all things and for us to trust in Him? Two things in particular that will help us as we walk in faith:

1) God will always respond according to His Word of Truth because He knows it is good, right and best…even when we don’t like it!  This means that when we sow in the flesh (prideful, sinful self) He must be faithful to allow the destruction that comes with it. This is hard for folks in modern day Christianity to hear (likely Christians throughout history) but it is nevertheless true because it is His very Word and He must be faithful to it. He does it because He loves us and knows that spouting Truth and righteousness to someone who’s willfully walking (sowing) in the flesh will likely create more rebellion. But when we are confronted by the fruit of our own choices (sowing) according to His very Word and faithfulness, there exists a great opportunity to see our own sin and turn to Him.

2) This is the easy one that we all love to read, hear and accept His Faithfulness…He will bring the fruit of eternal life to those who sow in The Spirit!  He is being Faithful and loving in both and we are blessed if we respond to His Faithfulness!

He is Loving and Faithful…always in all circumstances and in every response and the fruit that is brought in our lives by our own choices to either walk with Him or apart from Him (Gal 6:7-8)!

There are many Scriptures that both proclaim Christ as Lord…King of kings and Lord of lords…and that we must see Him not simply as Lord of all the earth and universe but we must make it personal…Lord of my life. The Holy Spirit heavily impressed on my heart these two simple but profound verses that speak to what it means for Christ to be Lord of every part of my life…

“Trust in the Lord with ALL YOUR HEART and do not lean on your own understanding. In ALL YOUR WAYS acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Prov 3:5-6 (Don’t miss the Caps…mine and added for emphasis)

“We are destroying arguments and ALL arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking EVERY THOUGHT captive to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Cor 10:4-5 (Don’t miss the Caps…mine and added for emphasis)

Notice that it doesn’t say trust in The Lord with the parts of your heart that are heavy or the thoughts that you’re uncertain about. Nor does it say that we destroy some of the “arrogance” or prideful thoughts. We are to trust Him with all our heart, acknowledge Him in every thought we have and in every way that we consider, not just when we doubt or struggle or are unsure.

Make it a great day and New Year with family and loved ones in Christ!

Love and Lordship…Food for Thought – Today make Him Lord of every single part of your life, thoughts, relationships, activities and dreams, even your motives…when you struggle and when you succeed; when you hurt and when you rejoice; when you question and when you’re sure; when you are angry and when your are grateful. He can handle it all and will direct your paths and align your thoughts and life with His Truth.

Love and Lordship…Action Item(s)

  1. Choose to spend time with God in His Word and prayer every day.
  2. Ask The Holy Spirit to show you areas of your life you’ve not surrendered to Him.
  3. Ask Him to teach you through The Word and your circumstances how you can surrender all of your life to Christ.
  4. Make two lists…one for what He’s showing you and one for what He’s leading you to do to surrender all.
  5. Ask the Lord to give you strength and then choose in faithful obedience to follow through.