Series 28

Study 8 CROWNING JESUS LORD OF ALL

LIVING TRIUMPHANTLY
by Francis Dixon
Key Verse: “Jesus Christ…is Lord of all” (Acts 10:36)

The most important truth in relation to Christian experience is that Jesus Christ is Lord. Our Saviour’s great objective in all His redemptive work was that He might be Lord in the life of every believer – look up Philippians 2:5-11. Whether we recognise it or not, He is Lord – look up Acts 2:36. In recognition of His work in redemption, God has constituted His Son both Lord and Christ. The Father has given to the Son absolute supremacy. Our Lord Jesus Christ has no equal and no rival. He has no superior; there is none before, beside or beyond Him: “For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living” (Romans 14:9). In our Christian experience we under-estimate the importance of the fact of the sovereignty of Christ. We delight to speak of Him as our Saviour – (Matthew 1:21; Luke 19:10; Romans 10:9-14; 1 Timothy 1:15; Hebrews 7:25) – but the One whom we call Saviour is our Lord (Matthew 3:3; Luke 2:11; Acts 2:36; 10:36; Romans 10:9). Accepting Him as Saviour implies submitting to Him as Sovereign. The One whom we receive as our Saviour (John 1:12) is the Lord; the One who comes into our heart (Revelation 3:20) is the One who sits on the throne (Revelation 3:21). It is great to rejoice in Him as our Saviour, but unless we have recognised that He is the Lord Jesus Christ, and have submitted to His lordship, we have not entered into the full meaning of what it is to be a Christian. What is He to you, now…? Jesus? or the Lord Jesus?

 

1. OF WHAT ARE WE TO CROWN JESUS LORD?

The answer is – the whole life. Let us be practical and specific as we consider this in several different ways:-

  1. Man is a tri-partite being, consisting of spirit, soul and body, so that if Jesus is Lord of my life it means He holds absolute sway and exercises complete sovereignty in the realm of my spirit, soul and body.
  2. Man consists of heart, mind and will; or, to put it another way, he is an emotional, intellectual and volatile being. If Jesus is Lord of my life it means that He is Lord of my heart, mind and will.
  3. Every person has a physical body and many members in that body, of which the apostle speaks in Romans 6:13 – eyes, ears, lips, hands, feet, etc. If Jesus is Lord of my life it means He is Lord of my eyes, ears, lips, hands and feet – indeed of every part.
  4. Our life includes our home, occupation, friends, possessions, relationships, friendships, habits and our service. If Jesus is Lord of my life it means that He is sovereign in all areas of my life. He is upon the throne and there is no rival; He is there at my invitation with my willing and glad consent. Is He Lord in your life like that?

 

2. WHAT DOES IT MEAN, OR IMPLY, TO CROWN JESUS LORD OF ALL?

How does it work out in Christian experience day by day?

  1. It implies absolute ownership. If He is Lord of my life, then all that I am and have is His. I do not belong to myself, but I am altogether His, as Paul reminds me in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. When Christ is Lord of my life, all that I have spoken of before as ‘mine’ is no longer mine but His; no longer ‘my’ body, ‘my’ talents, ‘my’ money, ‘my’ loved ones, ‘my’ home, but His.
  2. It implies unquestioning obedience. If He is Lord of my life, then whatever He says I shall do. Why? Because He is Lord, and as Lord and Master He is fully entitled to have His way in my life and to expect me to obey Him implicitly. When He says, ‘Do this!’ or ‘Do that!’ I will gladly do it, if He is Lord. Look up Matthew 8:9. It is not logical to speak of Him as Lord and then to disobey Him; His lordship implies an acceptance of His will and obedience to His will – look up Acts 9:6.
  3. It implies wholehearted service. If He is Lord of my life, wherever He directs me I shall go. In Isaiah 6:1,5,8, Isaiah uses the name “Lord” three times. Isaiah recognised the lordship of the pre-incarnate Christ; such recognition can be a very disturbing thing, as Isaiah found! The sovereignty of Christ can change our whole lives; but when Christ’s lordship is accepted wholeheartedly it is easy to rejoice in His undisputed sway and to do His will gladly.
  4. It implies implicit trust. If He is Lord of my life, whatever He permits I shall accept, even if it makes the tears run down my face and causes my heart to break. If He is Lord I shall find grace to say, ‘Lord, I cannot understand…but I am trusting You; I know that all is well and that You, my Lord, are working out Your purpose in my life.’ If Jesus is really Lord of my life, when troubles and trials come I am able to say – Job 1:21!
  5. It implies certain reward. If He is Lord of my life, then one day I shall hear Him say, “Well done!” – Matthew 25:21.

What a glorious thing it is that we, as Christians, may actually give the Lord Jesus His rightful place in our lives! Recognising who He is (Acts 10:36), and because He has demonstrated His lordship (Matthew 8:27; Luke 5:4-6; John 21:6), and, moreover, because of our own great need of a supreme control in our lives, we may humbly bow before Him, surrender to Him and crown Him Lord of all!

 

3. HOW CAN WE CROWN JESUS LORD OF ALL?

Note that we cannot do this in our own strength. No-one can do so – for God plainly declares that “No-one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord…'” – (1 Corinthians 12:3), and that is His final word on the matter. It is absolutely impossible in ourselves and in our own strength to make Jesus Lord of our lives. But, thank God, there is One who will, if we ask Him, enable us to crown Him Lord of all; and that One is the Holy Spirit – “No-one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit“. Will you ask Him to enable you to make Jesus Lord in your life?