Finish this sentence for me. “Jesus is _____________.” This morning we are going to consider the lordship of Jesus. Back in the 1970s and 80s at what I believe was the height of the Charismatic Movement in America you could hear and see all over the place signs and stickers that said “Jesus is Lord!” Jesus would love to be truly recognized and followed as Lord over this city or that city, but just repeating those words will not make it so. Have you ever encountered those people who may refer to Him as “my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? Once again, if there is no life, no living to confirm that claim those are just empty words. It is my belief that, first, most people, even saved people, do not realize what they are saying when they refer to Jesus as “Lord.” Secondly, if we were to use that phrase AND REALLY MEAN IT, there would be a massive change in the lives of God’s people today. Before we get too deeply into this message we need to understand the meaning of the term “Lord.” LORD refers to the one who has absolute power, absolute authority, the one who is the master. Many so-called “Christians,” “believers” do not understand this. We understand that during the days that the New Testament was written Rome ruled the known world. The ruler of the Romans was Caesar. Caesar was a title, and there were many Caesars. However, one thing was held in common. Caesar was not just to be considered “ruler,” but he was to be considered as a god. In fact those under his rule were required to declare their allegiance to him by saying, “Caesar is Lord.” Refusal to do so could result in death! So, it was serious business, a life altering claim for a believer to declare JESUS IS LORD! (Sadly, it does not appear to be so serious a claim today.) Today it does not seem to bother professed believers to declare “Jesus is Lord” on Sunday and live for the world, the flesh, and the devil the rest of the week. When we come to Jesus for salvation, we come as we are, trusting Him alone to save us. When you were saved, you probably didn’t “understand it all,” but you didn’t have to. What one needs to understand is that he/she is a lost sinner, bound for hell, and deservedly so, and that the only way to escape eternal condemnation is to “throw” himself/herself on the mercy of God by applying Christ’s payment for sin through faith. However, after one is saved, (I repeat, after one is saved) they need to realize that they are “under new management” - self and sin are to no longer be in control, and they have a new Lord. You are not your own -- I Corinthians 6:19-20: “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (20) For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” When you trusted Christ as Savior, that was the last decision you made with “self” as lord of your life. Beginning in Luke 6:19 through the end of the chapter we see Luke’s record of the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount. We are studying this sermon on Sunday evenings, and we have already seen that it is indeed a guide to practical Christian living. We have seen and will continue to see that in this Sermon Jesus has given us some very direct commands. For example, He has taught us that we must be forgiving, that we are to love our enemies, that we are to love God more than material wealth, and more. At the end of the Sermon He showed us the difference between merely hearing His words and hearing them and doing them. At the end of the sermon He asked in Luke 6:46 He asked, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” How can we today call Him LORD Jesus Christ when we fail or refuse to follow His commands and practice His lifestyle? But regardless of what we do He is Lord!

I. THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST WAS THE INITIAL CONFESSION OF THE LORD’S CHURCH.

II. THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST IS THE AUTHENTIC CONFESSION OF A TRUE CHRISTIAN.

III. THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST WILL BE THE ULTIMATE CONFESSION OF CREATION.