“CHOICES THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE #3-CHOOSING JESUS AS LORD”
COLOSSIANS 1:15-20
INTRO: Jesus asked in Luke 6:46—“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do
not the things which I say?” Most Christians claim that JESUS is
Lord but many times the way they live their lives does not back up
their claim. God judges by our heart, not by our words but by our
works. Jesus is truly Lord of our lives when we speak, think, and act
according to the Lord’s words.
Everyone serves someone. Whether it is the Saviour or it is self.
Whether it is ambition or the Almighty. We all serve someone.
Friends, I want you to know this evening that Jesus Christ is the
ONLY ONE who loves each one of us unconditionally and forgives us
completely. I want HIS direction. I give HIM my devotion. I live for
HIS delight. Friends, there is no ONE else who can compare to HIM.
I choose Him as my LORD. So Friend, I ask you tonight, “Who are
you serving? Who is the authority in your life?” “Does He have your
complete devotion?” Someone has said, “If Christ is not Lord of all,
he is not Lord at all.” We all choose whom we will serve.
Friend, you will never be the best you can be for God until you make
Jesus the Lord of your life. As we continue our series on CHOICES
THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE, I want us to consider CHOOSING
JESUS AS LORD. I want to ask you three questions this evening.
First…
(1) WHAT IS YOUR CHOICE?
JOSHUA 24:15—“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose
you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your
fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of
the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house,
we will serve the LORD.”
*HERE ARE SOME COMMON CHOICES:
A. SOME SERVE PEOPLE. Some choose an esteemed or respected person to
serve. They look to authority figures—A pastor, a professor, or a politician.
But when this person’s imperfections come out they are become quickly
disillusioned and seek another idol to follow. Some serve people through
close relationships which become their ultimate authority. They do
whatever their spouse desires. They strive to please their children in
everything. Much has been written concerning the dangers of
codependency. Many are so dependent on the people they emulate that if
that person falls or passes away it throws their world in chaos and often
into deep depression. Some even commit suicide because they believe they
cannot go on living without that person to follow.
B. SOME SERVE PLANS. Some choose to serve a mission, a ideal, or an
organization. Not that they things are bad in and of themselves but when
we allow them to crowd out the time we need to spend with God then they
become bad. My Company, my Church, my club, my cause. We feed the
poor, save the environment, or strive to get our candidate elected. Some are
always pursuing some plan, some cause, some agenda. Some are always
raising the flag for something they deem important.
C. SOME SERVE THEIR PERSON. Many today serve a personal agenda.
Their eyes are fixed on accomplishment. They want this degree. They want
to reach that milestone; they want to build their company. Sadly, most
people in the world today serve themselves. The goal is to serve yourself;
suit yourself; help yourself, and take care of yourself. Many live by this
philosophy. That is the religion of the masses today.
Friend, if you have never a made choice, a committed choice, for Jesus
Christ as Lord, you are probably in that last agenda. You have been swept
up in the cultural current of our day and carried away in the wave of living
for self. Joshua had it right when he challenged the Israelites—“Choose you
this day whom ye will serve…”. Who we serve is our choice. We do not
make that choice because of coercion but by decision. Each day each of us
choose whether we are going to serve the Saviour or someone else.
ILLUS: William Henry wrote the poem “invictus” more than a hundred years
ago. Right before Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber, was
executed he wrote out these words and left them on a table:
It matters not how straight the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
(Dr. James MacDonald. 10 Choices. p. 60).
Dorthea Day, whose life was characterized by “Invictus” until she met Jesus Christ as Lord, wrote a parallel poem to declare the new choice she was making. It is entitled “conquered.”
I have no fear though straight the gate:
He cleared from punishment the scroll,
Christ is the Master of my fate!
Christ is the Captain of my soul.
Two different people who made different choices about whom they would serve
led to two radically different outcomes. Friend, you choose everyday who is going to be in charge. So let me ask you once again, WHAT IS YOUR CHOICE?
But let me also ask you…
(2) WHAT IS YOUR CONCEPTION?
PHILIPPIANS 2:9-11—“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and
given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of
Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in
earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
*Friend, Are you following the right Jesus? Many today have a distorted view of
the true Saviour of the Scriptures. We need to make sure that we have not
embraced a man-made unbiblical view of the real Jesus. How do some view
Jesus today? :
A. JESUS IS MY BUDDY. Friends, Jesus is not our pal. He is not our co-
pilot. Even though He calls us friends in John 15 when we see Him face-
to-face we will not be slapping him on the back or giving Him high-fives.
But we will be down on our face before Him in deep humility. Philippians
2:9 reminds us—“…God…hath highly exalted him, and given him a name
above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…”. At
the name of Jesus, not the mere sound of the word, but the authority of
Jesus, all should pay solemn homage. It is to the glory of God the Father, to
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord; for it is his will, that all men should
honor the Son as they honor the Father. (MATTHEW HENRY’S COMMENTARY ON THE
WHOLE BIBLE CONDENSED VERSION by Matthew Henry. The Master Christian Library Version 5. Copyright
1997. AGES Software. Albany, OR). Friends, HE IS LORD!
B. JESUS IS MY BODYGUARD. Some see Jesus as their safety net or good
luck charm. I will call on Him when I need Him. He and I have an
understanding: don’t-call me-I’ll call you. Friends, Jesus is not a bodyguard,
He is the Lord! Does He take care of His own? Absolutely! But He is more
than just a safety-net or bodyguard, HE IS LORD!
C. JESUS IS MY RELIGIOUS ARTIFACT. Jesus is at the Church, not in the
real world in which I live. I pay Him homage and get some warm feelings.
But He really has no power to change my life. NO, that is not the Biblical
Jesus! Jesus is alive! Friends, if the tomb could not hold Him, the Church
cannot hold Him either. In fact, God cannot be put into a box! He is
working in the hearts of people and changing people’s lives! HE IS LORD!
D. JESUS IS MY BENEFACTOR. Many serve the Lord only for what they can
get out of Him. Many have this idea, “I used to be really messed up, but I
have discovered that Jesus wants to heal my diseases, fill my bank account
with money, and answer every prayer I offer. As long as He continues to
give me what I want, I’ll call Him whatever He wants to be called.” Friends,
Jesus is not our divine bellhop nor is He our genie waiting to grant our
every wish. He doesn’t serve us, we serve HIM! HE IS LORD! Sadly, this is
a North American, Western World, last century distortion of the Biblical
Jesus.
E. JESUS IS MY SOCIAL CONSCIENCE. Many today say, “Don’t tell me
about the Cross or preach to me about the tomb. Keep that Heaven and
Hell stuff to yourself. Don’t tell me about needing forgiveness for my sin.
Jesus is my motivator toward being good. I want to be a nice person like
Jesus.” Friends, Yes Jesus is our example and He does help us to love our
neighbors and to be good citizens, but the social Jesus won’t take you very
far in this life. And it is for certain that He won’t get you to Heaven. Jesus
didn’t come to leave us an example—even though He is the best example to
follow—Jesus came to die for our sins and rise again for our justification!
Romans 4:25 tells us that He “was delivered for our offenses, and was
raised again for our justification.”
Friend, WHAT IS YOUR CHOICE? WHAT IS YOUR CONCEPTION? And the final question I have for you…
(3) WHO HAS CONTROL?
2 CORINTHIANS 5:14-15—“For the love of Christ constraineth us;
because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth
live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose
again.”
*It all comes down to one of two choices: SELF or THE SAVIOUR.
A. SELF. Because “the love of Christ constrainteth us” Christians “should not
henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose
again.” Self is not the object for which we live. Matthew Henry said, “We
should not make ourselves, but Christ, the end of our living and actions. A
Christian’s life should be devoted to Christ. Alas, how many show the
worthlessness of their professed faith and love, by living to themselves and
to the world!” (MATTHEW HENRY’S COMMENTARY ON THE WHOLE BIBLE CONDENSED VERSION by
Matthew Henry. The Master Christian Library Version 5. Copyright 1997. AGES Software. Albany, OR).
Romans 8:5 tells us—“For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of
the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.” Friend,
will you live for SELF or will you live for…
B. THE SAVIOUR. In Colossians 1:15-20 we are given a wonderful picture of
the greatness of our Saviour. It tells us there that:
· JESUS CHRIST IS LORD—HE IS UNIQUE. It tells us He is “the image of the invisible God…”. Friends, Jesus is unparalleled. He is unprecedented. There has never been anyone like Him nor will there ever be. He alone is one with God. The word “image” here means “the exact replica”. He is the visible representation of the invisible God. The Bible tells us there is One God that exists eternally in three persons. Jesus is the only person of the Godhead that the human race has ever seen. Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God—“…the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person…”. John 1:18 tells us—“No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” V15 also tells us that He is “the firstborn of every creature.” Jesus Christ is unique in rank and privilege. He is the second person of the Trinity. No one can compare to HIM!
· JESUS CHRIST IS LORD—HE IS THE CREATOR. “For by him were all things created…” (v16a). Jesus spoke and the entire universe came into existence (John 1:1-3). Scientists now tell us that there are 140 billion galaxies each of which are filled with billions of stars. Hebrews 1:2 tells us that the Father “by his Son…made the worlds.” Jesus looked over the vast nothingness and spoke and the world came into existence.
· JESUS CHRIST IS LORD—HE IS OUR GOAL. “All things were created by him, and for him.” (v16b). Friends, this universe was made for Jesus! He is the ultimate reason everything exists. He owns it all and it was made for His purposes. This verse tells us that Jesus Christ created all things, whether thrones, dominions, or principalities, or powers. Jesus Christ has all authority! HE IS LORD!
· JESUS CHRIST IS LORD—HE IS THE SOURCE. “All things were created by him, and for him. And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” (vv. 16b-17). Because of Jesus Christ, this universe holds together. Atoms are the building blocks of molecules, which are the building blocks of matter. Atoms are so tiny that a half a million can hide behind a single human hair. In the center of an oxygen atom, there is a nucleus of eight positively and eight negatively charged particles. Like charges repel each other. Scientists cannot figure out why the nucleus of every atom isn’t flying apart. Everything should be exploding at this moment. Karl Darrow, a physicist at Bell Lab says, “This means that all the mass of nuclei have no right to be alive at all. They should have never been created, and if created they should have blown up instantly. Yet there they are…Some inflexible inhibition is holding them relentlessly together.” (Dr. James MacDonald. 10 Choices. p. 70). Friends, Jesus Christ is holding this universe together!