THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST

by Bill Jackson

(part 2 of 4)

Chapter 2

THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST AND THE INDIVIDUAL CHRISTIAN

 

A Christian is a person who is eternally secure in Christ the

Lord; he is not one who is asked to make Christ Lord. He is already

Lord. However, failure to recognize this fact can lead to dismal

failure in the Christian life. Recognition of and glad adherence to

His Lordship are the only factors necessary for success in the

Christian life. This be real and practical; it is easy to begin every

prayer, "Lord Jesus, we love You", and not truly obey His commands.

Anyone can say "Christ is Lord", but an overcoming Christian will

gladly obey Him even when this leads in dark, perilous ways. It is in

darkness, danger and trial that the Lordship of Christ becomes vividly

real.

The first aspect we shall consider is that Jesus must be Lord of

all our aims. Every person who is going somewhere must be aiming at

something. A ship without a chart is a pitiable object on the raging

sea of life. Hebrews 12 gives us a clear picture of the aim of every

Christian's life.

We are first reminded that we are encircled by a cloud of

witnesses; these are testifying to the faithfulness of God manifested

in the battles of faith in Hebrews 11. Note that many of the heroes

did not seem, by earthly standards, to have won. Some wandered about

in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented.

They were nobodies, but God says they proved their worth in an

unworthy world. We can think that if God says "Well done" to some of

us, He will have to apologize to these heroes of faith.

We are to lay aside every weight and the sin which often besets

us, and run with patience the race that is set before us. This is

speaking of cheerful endurance as we move through the fiery darts of

Satan; it is the spirit like that of the immortal soldiers in

Tennyson's "Charge of the Light Brigade".

"Cannon to the left of them,

cannon to the right of them,

Cannon in front of them

volleyed and thundered;

Stormed at with shot and shell,

boldly they rode, and well

Into the jaws of death,

into the mouth of hell..."

When you are running the race, Christian, take heed that you are

running on the right race track. You may be running for security,

popularity, prestige; your church may be running for attendance, or

results; you may be seeking a ministry or a wife; you may be running

for 101 reasons, and yet be on the wrong race track. Pity the man who

has attained, has won his race, has gained his prize, only to have the

Lord look with sadness and say, "You ran well, but you ran the wrong

race. I wanted you to run to Me, and I would have given you all this

and more. You reached your goal, but you failed in the only valid

race."

This is pictured well in Philippians 3: "...I count all things

but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my

Lord:..., forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth

unto those things which are before." The substance of every Christian

life is summed up, "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high

calling of God in Christ Jesus."

Christian, consider what race track you are on. What is your

object, your goal? "That I may know Him..." Unexciting indeed to

many Christians of this age who have ambitious goals and aims. May

our ambition be that we become nothing, that we may find our all in

the one worthy goal of a Christian life.

"My goal is God Himself, not joy, nor peace,

nor even blessing, but Himself, My God.

'Tis His to lead me there, not mine, but His

'At any cost, dear Lord, by any road.'

So faith bounds forward to its goal in God

and love can trust her Lord to lead her there;

Upheld by Him, my soul is following hard

'Till God hath full fulfilled my deepest prayer.

No matter if the way be sometimes dark;

No matter though the cost be oftimes great;

He knoweth best how I shall reach the mark;

The way that leads to Him must needs be straight.

One thing I do know, I cannot say Him nay;

One thing I do, I press toward my Lord.

My God, my glory here from day to day

And in the Glory there my great reward."

As we faithfully pursue the goal that is authorized, God has

promised to meet every need. If we need a wife, she will be there,

when we need her! If we need some money, it will be there, when we

need it! Whatever we need He will supply. If our only goal were to

have, from Him, all and only what He ordains us to have, what

satisfaction we would find in the Christian life.

He is the Lord of all our alliances, and has laid down specific

rules for these in His Word. To flout these instructions is to invite

decay and death; to obey them, though obedience may seem difficult, is

an open door to His blessing.

II Corinthians 6:14 commands us not to take on an unequal yoke;

i.e., ally ourselves with that which is not of Him. It may be in the

business world that we are tempted. Someone is an astute businessman,

and while not a Christian, he is really as good as some Christians we

know. Could not I go into partnership with Him, and thereby really

succeed so I can honor God with the profits of my business? The

answer is simple: NO! God cannot be honored by that which is the

fruit of disobedience. You cannot be a business partner with an

unsaved man.

It doesn't seem, however, that the Bible forbids your being in

the employ of an unsaved man. If you are, God's Word tells you to do

your best "as unto the Lord". It is the alliance that the Bible

speaks so plainly against.

Most Christian young people will freely admit that the unequal

yoke pertains to marriage: never marry an unbeliever. That is, most

young people except those who dated unsaved people, fell in love with

them, and therefore are basing their opinion not on the Word of God,

but on the idea that "they feel good about it" and "they can always

win the person after marriage."

A young man in a university was contemplating asking an unsaved

girl to marry him. She was sweet and nice, and they seemed

intellectually compatible. Just before he was to propose, he asked

the advise of a Christian professor. This is the story that the

professor told.

"When I was a young man, I too fell in love with an unsaved girl.

She was so intelligent, and it seemed we were meant for each other.

Before I proposed to her, I decided to ask my minister for advice. He

strongly advised me not to marry her, and to immediately give her up.

It was a tough decision to make, for I loved her very much. But I

finally decided."

"You gave her up for the Lord?"

"No, I married her. Jim, my wife is a wonderful person, but she

is not a Christian. I have never been able to lead her to the Lord.

There are many things we share, but that sweet fellowship of a

Christian husband and wife has never been experienced, and a large

part of my life is barren because of my disobedience. It may be the

hardest thing you can imagine, Jim, but my only advice is that you

obey the Lord."

Many Christian young people have this problem simply because they

thought they could date an unsaved person and face no future problems.

The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. It is

never to be trusted. The only safe rule is never to date someone you

cannot scripturally marry.

A great problem facing American churches today regards

ecclesiastical alliances (ecumenism). This concerns allying ones self

with other Christians or churches or denominations that are existing

in known sin, especially the sin of being allied to God's religious

enemies. Such alliances must be shunned, even at the expense of

fellowship you might desire. You must be willing to stand alone for

Him.

In the Bible, a clear line of demarcation has been drawn between

light and darkness. It is tragic that many Christians by-pass

scriptural boundaries in their alliances.

We know there are many who are religious but lost. However, it

has begun to seem that such ones, if they gain national prominence,

can be sought as useful helpers in co-operative evangelism. We must

protest! How can biblical evangelism be furthered by employing those

who lightly esteem the Bible, reproach the Name of Christ, show

disdain for the perfection of His Work and are in league with the

arch-enemies of our Blessed Lord?

We must take care that we never solicit or employ the help of any

such person or organization in our Lord's ministry through us, lest we

end up looking to His enemies to bless His Work.

Because Billy Graham's crusades, movies and books have filled the

Christian world, it is necessary for Christians to clearly and

scripturally assess their attitudes towards this ministry, and to base

their conclusions on scriptural principles. Too often, our reason for

allying ourselves to a person or movement is that it works, or seems

to be blessed. As disciples of Jesus Christ, our only criterion must

be, What does He say about it?

Billy Graham's motives and ministry are not our responsibility,

but it is our responsibility to have the right attitude toward every

child of God, and if my assessments be grounded in scripture, I must

obey them, not just consider or pray about them.

II John 10 speaks of our attitude toward one who does not abide

in the doctrine of Christ. Malcolm Muggeridge was one of the speakers

at the 1974 Bill Graham Lausanne Conference. In his book, Jesus

Rediscovered, he said, "I prefer to suppose that some body snatcher,

accustomed to hanging about Golgotha... heard in his dim-witted way

that the King of the Jews was up for execution... So he waits until

the job is done, finds out where the corpse has been laid, drags the

stone away and then making sure no one is watching, decamps with the

body."

I Corinthians 5:11 speaks of our attitude toward one who is an

idolater. In the Catholic Mass, the congregation is called upon to

worship the Host, a man-made wafer. On 11/21/67, Billy Graham

received an honorary degree at Belmont Abbey College, a Roman Catholic

school. In his message he said, "The gospel that built this school

and the gospel that brings me here tonight are still the way of

salvation."

II Thessalonians 3:6 admonishes us to withdraw "from every

brother that walks disorderly." At a NCC luncheon, 12/6/77, Billy

Graham said, "I don't know anyone who has done more for the Kingdom of

God than Norman and Ruth Peale." Concerning Christ, Peale said, "I

like to describe him as ...the nearest thing to God." (Modern

Maturity Magazine).

Romans 16:17,18 tells us to mark those that bring offenses

(snares). Certainly a major snare today is the senseless inclusivism

of the ecumenical movement. The New York Star, 6/26/79, quotes Dr.

Graham: "Protestants I have talked with are thrilled with the new

Pope. He is almost an evangelist because he calls people to turn to

Christ, to turn to Christianity. Sometimes at the end of my sermons I

quote John Paul II because his is an evangelistic message to turn the

world to Christ..."

The Roman Catholic view of the Sacrifice of the Mass,

strengthened by the ultraconservative stand of John Paul II, has

always been emphatic in attributing propitiation to the Mass. As the

Vatican II document "The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy" states,

"It is through the Liturgy that, especially in the divine sacrifice of

the Eucharist, the work of our redemption is accomplished."

The clear scriptural command is to avoid such a person and his

ministry. Every Christian should avoid all involvement with such as

Billy Graham meetings, films and books. We should pray, not for the

success of his meetings, but for the man, and for other Christians

that they may see the plain biblical commands regarding fellowship

with such as Billy Graham.

Lest we imagine that such exhortations are formented by

disgruntled fundamentalists of today, let us read the words of Charles

H. Spurgeon (November 1887):

"Believers in Christ's atonement are now in declared union with

those who make light of it; believers in Holy Scripture are now in

confederacy with those who hold evangelical doctrine are in open

alliance with those who call the fall a fable, who deny the

personality of the Holy Spirit, who call justification by faith

immoral...

"Yes, we have before us the wretched spectacle of professedly

orthodox Christians publicly avowing their union with those who deny

the faith...It is our solemn conviction that where there can be no

real spiritual communion there should be no pretense of fellowship.

Fellowship with known and vital error is participation in sin." (The

Sword and The Trowel)

Thirdly, He expects to be acknowledged as Lord of our actions.

Joshua was reminded, just before he entered the Promised Land, that

his strength lay in obedience to God. Jesus said it very aptly, "If

ye love me, keep my commandments" and "Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and

do not the things that I say?"

When deciding about any action, the question is never how much

good does it seem to do?, but what does He say about it. If we are

confronted with anything that is plainly forbidden in scripture, we

should not consider it, pray about it or seek the will of God

concerning it. We must obey, without question, what He says in His

Word.

A young man, whom the Lord was using in Christian ministry, fell

in love with a talented young lady. There was one problem: the lady

had a living husband, whom she had divorced when she was not walking

with the Lord.

Of course, they had the advantage of living in an age when

divorce and remarriage are commonplace, and when it is easy to find

Christian friends who are willing to look at all the spiritual

possibilities of the union, and bypass scriptural restrictions.

Although the man admitted not being able to justify the marriage from

scripture, they were married.

Now the problems begin to surface. If the blessing of the Lord

seems to be upon the union, those who know of the woman's previous

divorce have to think that God's blessing is upon disobedience. If

the blessing of the Lord is withheld, two talented lives are lost to

the Lord's service. If there is anyone in the local church who feels

that it is not God's will to continue in active fellowship with the

church if scriptural discipline is not administered, that person is

lost to the local church. If the oversight of the church knew about

the problem, allowed the marriage to take place, and then allowed the

couple to continue in the local church ministry, the whole concept of

the Lordship of Christ in the local church is damaged. If, later on,

there are others who are faced with any situation that demands

sacrifice in order to be obedient to the Lord, they can always reason

that this couple was not obedient and seem successful, so why should

they sacrificially obey?

The problem, now out of hand, began when a young couple rather

than trust the Lord by obeying Him, began to reason it out, sought

counsel concerning the problem, and did everything except that which

was required: simply obey.

Of course there is still a solution: repentance and submission to

local church discipline. But it is possible that the couple can never

know the fullness of the blessing that would have been theirs with

obedience to the Lord.

It is so simple when reduced to scriptural priorities. God only

demands from us unconditional obedience, total surrender and implicit

faith. All of which are our most reasonable service.

There is absolutely no justification for those who try to attach

conditions to our obedience to God: if I get the witness in my spirit,

I'll obey. The plain stand must be: if He has spoken, I will obey.

We must not think that we will obey IF it seems that it is popular, or

if we can see, using human foresight, that things will probably work

out all right. Even when we march to the brink of Jordan, we must

still go on if He has commanded, and bring our feet over the very brim

in simple obedience. If He sees fit, He will roll back the waters; if

He wills our feet to get wet, we march on though we march to the death

for Him. He is not asking us to obey only in ways that seem

prosperous and pleasant; He is asking us to obey regardless. If He

delivers, all praise to His Name. He does all things well, and we

must simply obey Him unconditionally.

The total surrender He demands is not a pleasant thought, for

total surrender means to be reduced to nothing. Nobody wants to be

nothing. We all aspire to be something. But we must remember that

the power that will truly overcome is His Power; His infinite Power.

Those who remember math from school will know you can add nothing to

infinity. You cannot add anything or something, but you can add

nothing. As long as we are something, the fullness of His Power will

never be realized. The Spirit was given without measure to Jesus

because of the mind of Jesus as revealed in Philippians 2:5-8.

It is when we become nothing that His power is realized. One

reason we find it hard to be nothing is that we are always trying to

prove to people that we are something. Therefore, the first step is

to realize what we are in Christ; He has made us somebody, a partaker

of the Divine nature. When we know who we are in Him, we lose all

desire to prove anything to anyone. He could empty Himself, and in so

doing He fulfilled God's requirements and proved the truth of God's

Word in His humiliation and exaltation.

It is the same with us; we understand all that we are in Christ,

and we know that our worth to God depends not on our abilities,

attitudes or accomplishments. It rests completely upon His Work for

us (not in us). Then we can fully yield ourselves to God, Who will do

what He wants with us through His mighty power. In this way our

Christian lives become fully utilized by God as, in ourselves, we

recognize that we are nothing that all may be of Him.

Our problem is that we say we want to decrease because we believe

that, in this way, we can increase. So we strive to decrease but all

the time we're really aiming to increase. If we strive to be

anything, we deny the biblical truth that we are complete in Him.

Implicit faith. Why? Because He is faithful that promised. The

quality of our faith can only equal the completeness of our dependence

upon Him, and we can only allow ourselves to be completely dependent

on One Whom we know to be completely dependable. Thus, "that I may

know him", becomes more than a sentimental dream; it becomes the

foundation upon which our faith may be firmly grounded. Without faith

it is impossible to please Him." To know Him is to love Him, to trust

Him, to obey Him.

God has an aim for our lives, and that aim is expressed in

Hebrews 2:10; "...bringing many sons unto glory..." Jesus is not

satisfied with just having washed us in His blood. He wants us to

live glorious lives. In the last day He will have to tell the truth

about us, and He wants it to be a pleasant truth. He wants to say

"Well done", but He will not tell a lie. It is with profound regret

that He will lay many stripes on the backs of them that knew the

Father's will, and did it not (Luke 12:47).

"When I stand at the judgement seat of Christ

and He shows me His plan for me.

The plan of my life as it might have been

had He had His way and I see

How I blocked Him here and I checked

Him there and I would not yield my will;

Will there be grief in my Saviour's eyes;

grief, though He loves me still?

He would have me rich and I stand there poor;

stripped of all but His Grace.

While memory runs like a haunted thing

down paths I cannot retrace.

And my desolate heart will well nigh break

with tears that I cannot shed.

I will cover my face with my empty hands;

I will bow my uncrowned head..."

Of course, when we hear of being led to Glory, we think of a King

upon a throne. God's idea of Glory is very different. It is a King,

knowing He is King, laying aside His garments and washing His

disciples' feet. (John 13:3-5)

We read in Job 1:8 that God has a good testimony to give to Job,

"a perfect and upright man", that might seem glorious to us. However,

the real glory came several days later when Job, sitting on a dunghill

and scraping his boils said, "though He slay me, yet will I trust in

Him."

It matters not (although it often matters a lot to us) whether we

finish our days on a throne or a dunghill; what matters is whether we

have obeyed Him, surrendered fully to Him, really trusted Him. The

Captain of our salvation wants to bring us to Glory, that, with

nothing or with plenty we have all things in Him.

The ancient hymnist wrote:

"Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart

Nought be all else to save that Thou art..."

We all know certain facts, and because these facts are finite, we

can know many. But to know God, the Infinite One; if we were to truly

know Him He would so fill our finite minds that anything else we know

could only be known in relationship to Him. May He so be our vision

that He completely fills our horizon and we know all things as fully

subject to the great Fact in our lives: our Savior the Lord Jesus

Christ.

Many of us have sung the hymn "He's Everything to Me." What we

really meant was that He is a great deal to us. We must challenge

ourselves. Do we really want Him to be everything? Do I want to lose

all claim to popularity, all claim to everything? Do I really want to

know Him?

Paul, in Philippians 3, states that all things were counted as

loss "for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for

whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but

dung (refuse, garbage)," that I may know Him. We have all had God

take things from our lives, and then we recognized them as refuse.

How many times we have been tempted to leave the vision of Christ,

through Whom we see all things aright, and go back and sneak a look

out of the back window, with a magnificent view of the garbage can!

Do we mourn for that which He took away? Do I spend a pleasant

Sunday afternoon meditating about my garbage can?

"The pleasure lost I sadly mourned

but never wept for Thee

'Till grace my sightless eyes received,

Thy loveliness to see."

 

Entered by Sherie Bennett for S.O.N. (Salvation Online Network)

Edited by D. Moore (Computers for Christ #11)


Index of Preacher's Help and Notes

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