Our Lord

As we begin today, let’s recite the Apostles Creed together. For the last few weeks, we have been considering the attributes of God the Son. We’ve seen that he is the Christ, which is to say that he is the promised prophet, priest, and king. We’ve also seen that he is the only son – he is eternally begotten of the Father, not created or made, but very God of very God. So now we come to the third attribute of God the Son – he is our Lord. In studying this, I think it is helpful, as we’ve done before, to understand what we don’t mean and what we do mean when we confess Jesus as our Lord. To start, let’s consider three false beliefs about the Lordship of Jesus.

First, we reject the belief in “Guru Jesus”. There are many in our world who view Jesus as a good teacher. They might say that Jesus taught many good morals – maybe even a superior morality. They adore his teachings on love for neighbor and turning the other cheek. When I was at Auburn, there was a fellow student that got a great deal of attention because he walked around campus in rags, wearing no shoes. He had long hair and a beard. He actually looked quite like the artist depictions of Jesus. One day I asked what his deal was, and he explained that he was a “Buddhist Christian.” He said that he believed that the teachings of Jesus were good and right, though he rejected Jesus as the Messiah. But, you cannot have Jesus as a good teacher and not have him as Lord. CS Lewis said that Jesus is either a lunatic, a liar, or lord. You see, Jesus taught that he was the Son of God. So, we could say that he was a lunatic – that he believed himself to be God like so many psychiatric patients at the asylum. But, if he’s a lunatic, then we can’t say that he is a good teacher. Maybe he wasn’t a lunatic, but instead, he was a liar. Maybe he knew that he wasn’t the Son of God, but he taught that he was. Well, then his teachings aren’t just the whimsies of a crazy person, but they are morally corrupt, and so we can’t say that he is a good teacher. Yet, if we see the high moral value of his teachings. We see that he lived by his own teachings with a faithfulness no other teacher could. We see that his teachings came true – from his prediction that he would be crucified and rise again to his prophecy that the temple would be destroyed. If he really is a good teacher, then we must say that he is no lunatic or liar, but he is lord.

Second, we reject a belief in “Therapist Jesus”. There are many who view Jesus as a useful tool for our own happiness. Some say this skeptically, “Well, if Jesus works for you, then more power to you.” Others, like psychologist Jordan Peterson, see great value in the story of Jesus. They would say that it is good to follow Jesus, even if he isn’t really the Son of God, because in following him you will live a better life, and that’s good for the world and good for you. Still others would go so far as to admit that Jesus is the Son of God, and yet they don’t really worship him or obey him. They hold on to Jesus, not for salvation, but for nostalgia, for the community the church brings, for how it benefits their career. But, Jesus does not exist to make your life better or to give you happy or to help you rightly order your affairs. Jesus does not exist for you. You exist for him.

Third, we reject the belief in “Hostage Jesus”.  There are many who would hold Jesus hostage rather than serve him as Lord. They would say that Jesus is the Son of God, they might even claim faith in him, and yet they refuse to serve him because of some hang-up they have. Some have a doctrinal hang-up. They believe in Christ, and yet they struggle with some of the commands in Scripture, whether it be the command against homosexuality, the restriction of the pastoral role to men, or God’s apparent cruelty in the OT. Many in this camp, in recent years, have taken to “deconstructing” their faith, which is to say that because of one of these hang-ups, they begin to find fault in Christianity, and then to fall away. Instead of trusting Jesus, even when we don’t understand everything, they place their own wisdom and understanding above God’s and turn away from Jesus as Lord of their lives.

Others hold Jesus hostage because of some life event that happened to them or someone they love. Many reject Jesus because of a cancer diagnosis, a wayward child, or a stream of bad circumstances. They made a negotiation with God, “If you’ll get me out of X, I’ll serve you”, and in the end, God didn’t play their game. So, rather than trusting that he is sovereign and will care for them through their trials, they deny his Lordship.

Still others hang up on the conduct of the church. I’ve heard it said numerous times, “I don’t go to church because they are a bunch of hypocrites.” My response has become, “well good, you’ll fit right in!” Some have a beef with a fellow church member or the pastor, and so they stop coming to church and consequently deny the Lordship of Jesus. Let me say this for all pastors everywhere, if your faith is dependent on the pastor’s behavior, you do not have faith! I’ve visited so many inactive members who just stopped coming to church because the pastor didn’t come see them at precisely the right time or a church member didn’t bring them food when they were sick or no one said anything to them at church when they were going through a hard time, and instead of addressing it with the person who offended them (which is what the Bible tells believers to do) or even finding another church where they could feel comfortable worshiping, they just stopped going to church altogether. Brothers and sisters, I hope you understand that there is no way I (or any pastor, for that matter) can meet the expectations and felt needs of every member of this church. Even if I were full-time, there are not enough hours in the day for that. Not to mention, there is no way for me to know every struggle. And, it is disturbing to me that some would deny the most basic acts of Christian obedience – gathering with his people – because of some failing on my part or the church in general.

Now that we understand what we don’t mean, consider what we do mean from Phil. 2:5-11. I mainly want to focus on verses 9-11 as we define the Lordship of Christ. There three ways that Jesus is proven to be Lord here: supremacy, subjection, and submission.

First, Jesus is Lord because he is supreme over all things. Starting in verse 5, Paul lays out this beautiful progression found in the life of Jesus. He starts in the highest heaven, where the Son of God chooses to lay aside his deity so that he might humble himself as a man. He becomes a servant as a man to men, even to the point of death on a cross. Then, in verse 9, it says “therefore God has highly exalted him.” Recognize that Jesus is doubly worthy of his position as Lord. He is worthy because he is the divine son of God who created all things. But, he is also worthy because he was obedient to the point of death so that he might save a people, to the glory of God. And, not only has God exalted him, but he has also given him a name that is above every name. Jesus is the supreme Lord of all things. There is not one atom in all of creation that exists outside of his will. There is not one demon in Hell who is outside of his authority. And there is not one king or president of this world who is not ruled by him.

Second, all things are subjected to the rule of our Lord Jesus. In verse 10, Paul says that “at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow.” Notice who will bow – everyone in heaven and on earth and under the earth. Every last person who has ever lived, whether they reside in heaven or hell, will one day bow the knee to our Lord. Every demon that has resisted his rule to the last trumpet will one day bend the knee. Every atheist, agnostic, Hindu, Muslim, and Jew will one day bow in subjection to Jesus.

Third, every last soul will submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In verse 11, Paul says that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. This raises an obvious question: does this mean that everyone will ultimately be saved? After all, Rom. 10:9-10 says that, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, you’ll be saved. Well, we have to understand that there are two different kinds of confession. There is the confession of faith that comes now in this age of God’s redemptive plan. As Paul explains in Acts 17:30, we live in an age of repentance, where the Gospel is being preached to the ends of the earth and God is calling out his church. Those who, by faith, confess Jesus as Lord become members of his kingdom and wait for the final day of judgment. But, when that day of judgment comes, the window for faithful confession will be closed. On that day, everyone will confess, but many will confess because they stand before the judge of the universe. They will confess as those of a conquered nation must confess their defeat.

So, the question for you today is simple: will you confess and kneel in humble obedience before Lord Jesus today, or will you be made to kneel and confess in humiliation and judgment on that final day? There is something beautiful about the way the Apostles Creed words this confession of Jesus as Lord. Notice, we do not confess, “Jesus Christ, his only son, THE Lord.” No, we confess “OUR Lord”. The creed recognizes the importance of personal confession of faith. Is Jesus your Lord today?