Most Christians say Jesus is their Savior but some don’t submit to Him as Lord. Are you embracing Jesus as your Lord in these three ways? Is HE the LORD, as in the LORD God Almighty? Is He your only Lord, meaning is it Him alone that you entrust your salvation and life to? And is He your Lord (your king and master) that you live in submission and obedience to?

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1. God is LORD. In Exodus 6:2-3, God spoke to Moses from the burning bush saying, “I am Yahweh. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name Yahweh I did not make myself known to them.” The sacred name of God written in Scripture over 6,800 times doesn’t say Yahweh or Jehovah. It’s just the four Hebrew letters Y.H.V.H. (Yod, Hey, Vav, Hey). God’s name was respectfully considered unutterable by ancient Masoretic Jews so these four letters were written with the vowel marks underneath for Adonai (meaning “my Lord”) so this would be read aloud instead. This tradition even continues in most Bible translations today with an uppercase L.O.R.D. used in place of God’s name. Exodus 3:13-15 teaches God’s sacred name is derived from His eternal, self-existent nature. Deuteronomy 10:17 says, “For the LORD [Yahweh] your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God.” Psalm 135:5 says, “For I know that the LORD [Yahweh] is great; our Lord is above all gods.”  In Isaiah 45:21-23 God says, “Was it not I, the LORD [Yahweh]? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me.. “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.. ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.’” For fifteen hundred years prior to Jesus’ arrival “the Lord” was synonymous for God. And God’s lordship was inexplicably connected to His divine attributes.

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2. Jesus is LORD. When early followers of Jesus called Him their Lord they were bestowing upon Him a title and status that previously belonged only to God. Consider how we just read how God alone is the only Lord and only Savior. Yet, Jude 1:25 says, “to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever.” And how we just read every knee will bow to God alone. Yet, Philippians 2:10-11 tells us it is, “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Likewise, Acts 17:24 acknowledges that God alone is the creator, sustainer, and lord saying: “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth.” Nonetheless, 1 Corinthians 8:6 says, “Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” The doctrine of the Holy Trinity helps us articulate and better understand how Jesus can share in the same glory and honor God gets. Romans 10:9-13 says, “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. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” … the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” This last verse is a quote from Joel 2:32 where “Lord” here was the sacred name Yahweh—being understood as referring to Jesus! Jesus is Lord because He’s also the LORD God [Yahweh] of the Old Testament. We’re saved by believing in Jesus as the LORD God of old, putting our personal trust in Him as our Lord and Savior, and surrendering to Him now as the Lord of our lives.

 

3. Is Jesus YOUR Lord? I didn’t ask if you call Him Lord. I’m asking if you live as though He is the Lord of your life? In Malachi 1:6 God says, “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD [Yahweh] of hosts.” Do you have a healthy fear and reverence of Him? Throughout my rebellious sinful years I believed in Jesus as my Savior but it wasn’t until later in life I embraced Him as the Lord of my life. Do you follow Him, submit to Him, obey Him, and seek to please Him in all ways as your king and your master? This is important. In Matthew 7:21 Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” It’s not what you say, it’s what you do. 1 Corinthians 12:3 does say, “no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit” but confidence Jesus is your Lord comes from professing your allegiance to Jesus earnestly from the heart and demonstrating your faith through your actions. As James 1:22 says, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” In Luke 6:46-49 Jesus said, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.” Take Jesus’ words to heart and obey Him! 1 Timothy 6:14-15 says, “keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ… he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.” Colossians 1:10 encourages us to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work.”

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Let’s pray. Thank You LORD God. Heavenly Father, make me more like your Son, my Lord Jesus. Empower me by Your Spirit. Help me live for You. To trust, surrender, and obey. In Jesus’ name. Amen.