Christ the Lord

Acts 2:36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

My wife is 50% Danish, so naturally, we have a few blue Bing & Grondahl Christmas plates which we display on the German plate rail of our 1914 Bungalow. One is our 1911 plate titled "First it was sung by the Angels to the Shepherds in the Field". Can you imagine what it meant to those Jewish shepherds the night of his birth to hear the angels say, “born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” – Luke 2:11? One Christmas devotional asks: What does that word “Lord” mean? What did it mean to these shepherds? It meant “Jehovah”, the Supreme Being to them. Jehovah, God Almighty. The word is applied to Christ. When the angel said, “a Savior who is Christ the Lord,” the angel was saying He is co-equal, co-eternal with the Almighty. How many times do you hear or see some people desire Jesus to be their Savior (to forgive their sins and take them from hell-bound to heaven forever), but do not want Christ to be the Lord of their life. Lord and Savior go hand-in-hand; we cannot have one without the other. Though Jesus’ reason for coming was to seek and save the lost, Jesus Christ is called “Lord” 747 times in the New Testament; far more than He is called “Savior.” He’s called “Lord” because He is Lord. Will we submit to His Lordship? Sin is defined as “missing the mark” of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus; doubting God, ignoring God, taking God vainly or disobeying his statutes and commands. It’s when we align our will and way with His holy Word that we walk in righteousness with the Lord. Christ the King, Thy will be done.

Acts 10:34-36 “Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all.”

Every so often someone says, “Well, I decided to make Him Lord.” Too late for that; He is Lord. You cannot “make” Him Lord; He already is Lord of the kingdom of heaven and earth. Can you receive Him as Lord? Yes. It is us who change from our lordship to His. You can bow your knee to Him and say, “O Lord, You are the King. Therefore, I yield my heart to You.” We no longer make the rules; Jesus reigns. By faith, we received Him as Lord and transfer our trust for this life and eternal life from ourselves to the Savior. We do not do good works to gain eternal life; we do them out of gratitude for having been given eternal life by our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. Christ the Lord.

Philippians 2:9-11 “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

In God We Trust

Merry Christmas, Brian