 A Year with Jesus Week 2: Lord PDF at bottom Read Philippians 2:5-11; Romans 10:8-13; Luke 6:46-49 “During Jesus’ lifetime, the title “Lord” (Greek: kyrios) was commonly used as a title of respect, such as the modern use of “sir.” After his resurrection, however, the title became a way to reference Christ’s divine status as Yahweh (see esp. Isa 45:21–24 and Phil 2:9–11), predicated on the Septuagint’s use of this Greek word to translate the Hebrew word Yahweh.”[1] kurios (κύριος, 2962), properly an adjective, signifying “having power” (kuros) or “authority,” is used as a noun, variously translated in the NT, “ ‘Lord,’ ‘master,’ ‘Master,’ ‘owner,’ ‘Sir,’ a title of wide significance, occurring in each book of the NT save Titus and the Epistles of John.[2] 1. What does Philippians 2:5-11 teach you about the Lordship of Jesus? 2. What does Romans 10:8-13 teach you about the Lordship of Jesus? 3. What does Luke 6:46-49 teach you about the Lordship of Jesus? Lord of All A Transforming Truth One of the most powerful biblical truths that has transformed both my life and ministry is the touchstone proposition that Jesus Christ is Lord over both the temporal and the eternal. To paraphrase Dutch theologian and statesman, Abraham Kuyper, there is not a square inch in all the universe that Jesus Christ does not claim as his own. That means Jesus Christ is Lord over our salvation, theological, philosophical and ethical views, our thoughts, words, behaviors, attitudes, values, family life, work, checking account, priorities, political views, what we watch on TV and the Internet, what we read, our friendships, our service and witness, and so on. He is Lord over it all. That means he has the right to exercise authority over all of it and may properly expect our obedience in every sphere of our lives. In fact, Jesus asks us what’s the use of calling him Lord if we’re not going to do what he commands (Luke 6:46). The Pathway to Freedom To be sure, he is a loving, gracious, good, patient, compassionate, and merciful Lord, but he is Lord nonetheless and we may not rebel against him with impunity. Amazingly, once we come to know him and relate to him as our Lord, he invites us to go deeper in our relationship and know him as brother and friend. The paradox is only as we submit to his Lordship in every sphere of our lives do we become free enough to pursue all he has created, redeemed and called us to be. A New Worldview This view of Christ’s Lordship ought to inform the way we see the world in which we live. Like a pair of eyeglasses with the proper prescription, we can only see things aright as we look at the world around us through the lens of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. I love the way C.S. Lewis put it. He wrote, I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else. Our fallen nature prevents us from seeing everything perfectly, but we should know because Jesus is Lord, we are able to see the world much closer to the way he desires us to see it. Whether We Recognize Him or Not The truth is, Jesus is Lord over heaven and earth whether we choose to recognize his Lordship or not. However, we are able to live far more faithfully when we are living in harmony with who he is. Things do not work well when we are trying to be our own Lord. Have you noticed? Is He Your Lord? Part of my own calling is to serve others by helping them come to a place where they too will bow before Christ, confess him as their Lord, and live in joyfully harmonious submission with that reality. I deeply desire to help folks understand what it means to submit to Christ’s Lordship in every sphere of their lives, beginning with their salvation. It is vital to realize the Christian faith is not a self-help program that will be of use to anyone (or even make sense) apart from a person dying to self and becoming a new creature in Christ. Only then can a person live the life God calls them to live. Only then is Christ, the crucified and risen Lord, living in and through them by his Spirit (Romans 14:9). Walking Points
[1] Calhoun, S. (2018). Jesus’ Titles. In M. Ward, J. Parks, B. Ellis, & T. Hains (Eds.), Lexham Survey of Theology. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. [2] Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Vol. 2, p. 379). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson. 
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