Jesus Christ is “Lord of both
the dead and the living,” declares the apostle Paul.
Those who belong to Him now will still belong to Him
in the future, even beyond death. They will belong
to Him forever. This is true because Jesus died for
us and purchased us with His own blood (1 Cor. 6:20;
Acts 20:28). Jesus Christ owns us. If we have
believed on Christ as our Savior He is our sovereign
Lord.
There is a special lordship
over us as His saved people. He has become our Lord
by dying for us and rising again. He delivered us
from our death penalty. He has set us free from the
power of sin and its consequences. By His
resurrection He has established an ongoing
relationship with us until He calls us home to be
with Him in heaven.
This extensive sovereign
Lordship is expressed by Paul in these words: “If we
live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to
the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to
the Lord. 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 14:8-9).
There is an extraordinary
comfort in these words for all who know Jesus as
their Lord. If we live, we live unto the Lord. If we
die, we die unto the Lord. He is the Master of both.
We belong to Him whether we live or whether we die.
The only comfort and security in this life is that
we belong to Him. We can trust Jesus Christ to be
wise and utterly sovereign with whatever comes into
our lives and in whatever manner and timing it may
come. This is true whether we are alive or even when
we die. Jesus Christ is Lord; He is sovereign.
My desire in life is that Jesus
will be in practice Lord of every thought and action
in my thinking, in my writing, in my speaking, in my
motives and actions. I want Him to be Lord in
everything there is in me.
I have had people on various
occasions tell me they will not allow anyone to have
that kind of power over their lives. I can
truthfully say I would not allow anyone else but the
Lord Jesus to have that sovereignty over my life.
Yes, I can trust Him as sovereign Lord over my life
because He is God.
The implications of such a
commitment to Christ are astounding. This is the
central message of the Bible. It is the goal of
history. “Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the
Father” (Phil. 2:11). Jesus Christ alone has the
right to be the Lord of all of my life.
Since the precious blood of
Jesus Christ redeemed me there is no part of me that
has not been bought outright. I am no longer my own
boss. Christ alone owns my heart to feel His love
and to love His world. Christ alone owns my mind to
think His thoughts. Christ alone owns my eyes to see
His world. He alone owns my hands to feel, to touch,
and to do His will in His service. He alone owns my
feet to go where He bids me go to do His will. He
owns my whole person to feel His charm and radiate
His person.
You see I belong to Him. I am
His for all eternity. It is no longer I who live,
but Christ lives in me to will and to do His work to
His glory. “The life I now live in the flesh I live
by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and
delivered Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20).
There is only one person who
has the right to possess us because He died for us.
Because He rose from the dead He can now penetrate
and possess our personalities through His Holy
Spirit. He lives again in us.
Is there any area of your life
that is not yielded to Him? That is the most
dangerous area of your life. Hudson Taylor said
correctly, “Jesus Christ is either Lord of all, or
He is not Lord at all.”
The opposite of a self-centered
life is a Christ-centered life. A life that is not
possessed by Jesus Christ is open to the devil. God
created us for His own possession. To whom do I
choose to be the sovereign Lord of my life?
Selah!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
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Unless otherwise noted "Scripture quotations taken from the NASB."
"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE" © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://www.bible.org/. All rights reserved.
Wil is a graduate of William Carey University, B. A.; New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Th. M.; and Azusa Pacific University, M. A. He has pastored in Panama, Ecuador and the U. S, and served for over 20 years as missionary in Ecuador and Honduras. He had a daily expository Bible teaching ministry head in over 100 countries from 1972-2005. He continues to seek opportunities to be personally involved in world missions. Wil and his wife Ann have three grown daughters. He currently serves as a Baptist pastor and teaches seminary extension courses in Ecuador.
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