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Lordship
The enemy of rebellion
With Rev Brian MoseleySince the creation of man, there have been numerous times where we have cried out to God for mercy in moments of desperate need. God, out of love and by his grace reached down and rescued those who had come to the end of themselves, cried out to him, and offered miracles and redemption. Unfortunately, our memories are short, and we soon find ourselves in more desperate situations where the entire process repeats throughout the halls of history and until this very day.We have all heard the adage that if we do not learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it. The question that comes to mind is how can we witness the miracles of God, the presence of God, and the word of God and not be permanently changed? The answer is rebellion. The refusal to accept the lordship of Jesus Christ, the presence of the Holy Spirit, and God our father in heaven.Because of his mercy, we have recently been given a momentary reprieve from the crushing tide of a sinful world that is bent on destruction. Once again God has proven that he always overcomes evil, and anew day has dawned for those who love and trust him. The lordship of Jesus Christ over our lives as children of God, has never been more important than now. Today I want to investigate what is necessary to avoid the mistakes of our past and to usher in the great revival across the world, just as the apostles did in the first century.Physical motivations with spiritual consequences:Proverbs 16: 1818 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.Pride:1. It results from the destruction of humility by lies.2. It is spiritual in origin.3. It is used by targeting human nature and tendencies.Proverbs 9: 10, 17– 1810 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.17 “Stolen water is sweet,and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”18 But he does not know that the dead are there,that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.4. It is the elevation of self to the same level or greater than the sovereignty of God.5. It is the destruction of faith in Jesus Christ.
Rebellion:
1. It is driven from a position of lack or being disrespected and devalued.
2. It is defiant acts against established authority.
3. It is demoting God’s truth in lieu of perceived truths that support individual values and
desires.
Moral relativism:
1. The view that moral judgments are true or false is only relative to some standpoint. IE: that of a culture or a historical period, and that no standpoint is uniquely privileged over all others.
2. It is the rejection of God, Jesus, and Christianity.
3. It uses worldly logic and reason.
4. It justifies sin on the individual level.
5. It creates a tolerance of sin on a social level.
6. It enables sin on the community level.
7. It attempts to relieve the soul from the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
8. In honest dialogue, the discussion will always result to a moral reasoning from an intellectual reasoning.
a. Intellectual reasoning
i. all paths lead to God.
ii. Discounting the deity of Jesus Christ.
iii. Equating or elevating beliefs and worldviews above the truth of God’s word.
b. Moral relativism
i. It is unlivable. It allows anything (sin), based on a person’s moral code.
ii. IE most people believe murder is wrong and has no place in society, but
under this idea it cannot be rejected.
iii. Instead of submitting to the fact of God’s truth, people compromise and
reason out that some sin is acceptable based on their own “truth.”
iv.This is a refusal to submit to the lordship of Jesus Christ.
Why do we cling to sin?
1. Lies, pride, and our nature.
2. Our hearts and minds are filled with the world.
3. No faith, either in part or in whole.
Mark 9: 22-24
22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
Lordship equals salvation:
1. It is the narrow way and requires sacrifice!
Matthew 7: 13-14
13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
2. Submission to the lordship of Jesus Christ is the recognition of the power of God over us.
John 20: 27-28
27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
3. It is the acceptance, reverence, and faith that God is real, greater than us, and that he loves us. It is devotion to him and his son Jesus.
Romans 1:20
20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.
So they are without excuse.
1 Corinthians 8:4-6
4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5 For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 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.
1 Timothy 2:5
5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
Ephesians 4:4-6
4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
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4. We are all born into this world with our spirits corrupted and sealed with the mark of sin and death.Those who have received the gift of salvation by grace, through faith, and have been baptized, have been washed clean and have a new seal emblazoned on a resurrected spirit.We now belong to Christ! We have announced to the world and the underworld that we have chosen a side with Christ. We have been made acceptable for the inhabitants of the Holy Spirit. These things create the desire for the lordship of Jesus over our lives! We all were made to serve and are either serving Jesus or serving evil period it is a spiritual law and unavoidable.Romans 6: 16-1816 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.5. Being under the lordship of Christ does not mean we are free from the effects of sin and temptation, but that we are free from that nature.If a person’s nature has not been changed, they are not under the lordship of Christ and have it received salvation.6. Being under the lordship of Christ means we belong to him. We are free from death and the judgment of God towards sin.7. If we are taught “don’t let the sun go down on your anger, yet sin not” we are to hate sin as God does.He will not instruct us to do anything that he does not do! This exemplifies god’s anger and wrath that is coming towards sin.8. God loves his creation but hates sin and its corruption.9. He desires to work through his people under his lordship, to rescue all those who will answer the call of the Holy Spirit for death overtakes them, or Jesus returns.10. We are to fight the spiritual battles by telling the truth of the coming judgment and love and share the gospel as the only way out of that judgement.We must speak of both, not only judgment and not only God’s love!11. Some may have a question “do you mean if I’m not a minister or a preacher, I’m not saved?”No, that is not what I am saying! But you would be willing to do that. You would be willing to sacrifice anything for him, as he did for you. You are totally submitted to him, willingness in the moment or long term.12. We must approach each day, each moment by beginning with the end in mind.We must view every day from a Kingdom mindset. We must view people in circumstances as Jesus does. We must have his priorities and not ours that lead our decisions and choices. God does all of this through us. It is his power, not ours. It is his strength, not ours.
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Evidence of lordship:Galatians 5:22-2422 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.John 13:3535 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”Matthew 5:3-123 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Humble)4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (Relying on Jesus with an open heart)5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. (Gentle and Kind)6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. (Jesus is their priority).7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. (Having empathy, love, and concern)8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (Selflessness)9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Bring peace and order in chaos)10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Those who sacrifice and suffer for Jesus Christ)11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.. Those who attempt to change and teach the word of God out of context, perspective, or measure of its original intent are not under lordship and faith. They do this because they see it as too strict and unforgiving. They teach “seeker friendly” and “tolerant of sin” teachings and are out of alignment with God’s will. We must hate the sin and love the Sinner as Jesus does! We conquer sin with love and truth. Truth is love. We encourage and support them as they absorb the truth, but we do not tolerate sin. Truth is the light that they see while they are deep in the pit. Encouragement and support are the rescuing hand we extend down into the pit to help them out. They must choose, as we must each day. Forgiveness is the embrace we give them when they climb out of the pit and into the light.2. Those who see God’s judgment as a personal attack against them, are identifying with sin and not with Christ. Satan accuses us all! Only those who are not under the lordship of Jesus Christ are being rightly accused.3. Those who teach only judgment and wrath, but do not speak of God’s love are wrong.4. Those who teach tolerance of sin with the excuse of God’s love are wrong.5. The same reasoning “Christians” use to justify to themselves and to others why they have not fully submitted to the lordship of Christ, is the same reasoning atheists and agnostics use to refuse the gift of salvation.6. They do not know the word (truth), thus God’s nature or the fear of God. They do not know his presence. They view everything from their own perspective and are blinded by the lies.7. They focus on the value of the worldly things that they will lose and have no understanding of what they will gain. What do you treasure in your heart?The purpose and value of lordship:1. It is required for the work that must be done before the end.2. It is required for God’s will to be completed through his people, to bless the world.3. Lordship equals love for the world as he does.4. Lordship creates evidence and testimony of God’s glory and power, to reverse all evil and to prove his faithfulness to his people.
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