Lord of All or Not Lord at All: No Weekend Citizenship

Sermon outline

Jesus is Lord by right of creation, so living under Him means obeying Him every day of the week and holding everything you have as a steward, not an owner, and when you let go of 'mine, mine', all of His abundance is open to you.

1. Who is the King of glory?

   Psalm 24 answers that the King of glory is the Lord Almighty, and the silver and gold are His. As the Old Testament reveals God as King, Lord and owner of all, the New Testament reveals Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords, who came to re-establish the kingdom of heaven on earth, which only a king can do. The Greek word kurios means one who possesses ultimate authority, and He has transferred that authority to the church, the called-out ones.

   “We do not have to make Jesus Lord, he is Lord. We just accept him as Lord.”

   • Psalm 24:7-10
   • Haggai 2:8
   • Revelation 19:16

2. Lord by creative right

   Before He came to earth, Jesus was the Word, the source of creation: God spoke and there was light, through Him all things were made, and He sustains all things by His powerful word. He is Lord by creative right whether we acknowledge Him or not. You too were created by the word of God and known before you were conceived.

   “You are a word out of a chapter, out of a verse, out of a book.”

   • Genesis 1:1
   • Genesis 1:3
   • John 1:1-3
   • John 1:14
   • Hebrews 1:2-3
   • Jeremiah 1:5

3. The Lord needs it

   Jesus sent two disciples to untie a colt no one had ever ridden and to say 'The Lord needs it'. He had not bought or hired it, and there is no sign that He arranged it with the owner; as Lord and creator of all, He already owned it, and one word was enough for its steward to let it go. Everything we possess is ours only because He allows it, and the same authority lets us decree things and call them into existence, because life and death are in the power of the tongue.

   Illustration: The colt had zero mileage. Today it would be like Jesus saying, 'Go down to the corner, find a brand-new Mercedes-Benz with the keys in it, and bring it to Me.'

   “Everything we have and possess is only because he has allowed us to, because he is still Lord of it.”

   • Mark 11:1-6
   • Proverbs 18:21

4. Let this mind be in you: Jesus is Lord of all

   Paul tells us to have the same mindset as Christ, so that if we think like He thinks, we will act like He acts. Jesus humbled Himself to death on a cross, and God gave Him the name above every name, at which every knee bows and every tongue confesses that He is Lord. Satan has power, but not that much power: at the name of Jesus he must flee.

   “Satan has power, but not that much power. Jesus is still Lord.”

   • Philippians 2:5-11

5. Living under a Lord

   Lordship makes a kingdom better than a republic, because there is enough for everybody: it protects citizens from competing for resources and destroys jealousy, fear, deceit and hoarding. Whatever God gives a citizen is never for ownership but for stewardship. The most important confession anyone can make is 'Jesus is Lord', which brings salvation and a right relationship with God, so there is no condemnation but boldness to come into His presence.

   Illustration: Most of us only know a lord as a landlord, which gives a small taste of living under a Lord.

   “When God blesses you with anything, it's never for ownership but for stewardship.”

   • Romans 10:9

6. Why call Me Lord and not do what I say?

   Jesus said His disciples must deny themselves, take up their cross daily and love Him above family, and asked why we call Him Lord and don't do what He says. If we declare Jesus is Lord, we must be doers of the Word, consulting Him and waiting for His green light. There is no weekend citizenship in the kingdom: you cannot live for Him on Sunday and for yourself the rest of the week, and because He is Lord of every circumstance you need not operate in fear.

   “Jesus is either Lord of all or not Lord at all.”

   • Luke 9:23
   • Matthew 10:37-38
   • Luke 6:46
   • James 1:22
   • 2 Timothy 1:7

7. Give up all concepts of personal ownership

   This does not mean selling your house and car, but knowing Jesus is Lord of everything you have, because you brought nothing into the world and will take nothing out. If we think we are owners, we make ourselves lord and must fight for what we get and hoard it in fear, but God is a great accountant who balances your books and restores seven times what was lost. 'Mine, mine' cuts off His resources, while letting go releases a generous spirit, and the best time to give is when things are tight.

   “You cannot say, Lord, Lord, and then say, mine, mine.”

   • 1 Timothy 6:7
   • Proverbs 6:31
   • Romans 5:5