Jesus Christ Is Not Our Lord If . . .

Lk. 6:46, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?”
The phrase “Christ is Lord” Is easier to say with our lips, than to demonstrate
with our deeds. But Christ calls us to do more than talk about His lordship. It is not
His purpose to attract a host of talkers or even admirers; He desires a people who will
love Him with an active, responsive, and obedient love. “Why do you call Me ‘Lord,
Lord,’” He asked, “and do not do the things which I say?”
Contrary to widespread opinion, there is more to Christianity than just simply listing it as our religious preference. Whatever we may say, Jesus Christ is not really your Lord if you don’t do the things that He says.
a. Even if you’re among those who take the will of Christ most seriously, it’s a
common occurrence for us to overrate the level of our own obedience. We very
likely make the same mistake with Christ that we make with our friends: we
expect to be judged solely on the basis of our ability and our intentions.
(A) We have high principles, we know what we should do, and we really do
intend to get around to it; we just haven’t done it yet. So despite the relatively
low level of our actual performance, we still wish to be seen as superior
persons; we just happen to be running a little behind on our “To Do” list.
Christ, however, does not see us in terms of what we “plan” to do (and the truth is, our friends probably don’t either). Jesus sees us in terms of our real obedience. “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?”
2. Why not just come clean? Why not just be completely honest and admit that we really think some parts of the Lord’s will are “insignificant.” We may take Him seriously in the areas that seem to be important to us, but we feel free to ignore His commandments on other matters.
(1) To really have Jesus Christ as your Lord, means that you honor all of His will and commands. One thing we need to understand about our Lord. He never issues commands carelessly. The real test of whether you’ve actually accepted His lordship is whether, or not, you yield to His will when it comes into conflict with your own.
(2) The real truth is this. The person whose will you obey, that person is your real lord. Never think that Jesus commanded a trifle, nor dare to trifle with anything he has commanded.
(3) Acts 20:32.

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