I. JESUS IS LORD WHETHER WE ACKNOWLEDGE IT OR NOT:
- Who is Jesus anyway (Colossians 1:15-18)?
- How much did you decide about yourself (when to be born, in what country, to which parents, your color, gifts, attractiveness)?
- What then are you able to control?
- What is Jesus like (Philippians 2:1-11)?
II. WHY DO PEOPLE NOT ACKNOWLEDGE JESUS AS LORD?
- He may ask us to do something that we do not want to do.
- Of course He will, or there would be no issue involved.
- What did God ask the following people to do?
- Abraham – Genesis 12:1-4; 22:1-10.
- Moses – Exodus 3:1-4:17.
- Jesus – Mark 8:27-33; 14:36.
- What does it mean to deny yourself (Luke 9:23)?
- We think we know what is best for our lives.
- A child left to himself will kill himself.
- We think that things change once we are mature.
- Adults left alone also hurt themselves.
- We hire policemen to watch over us, and then have the audacity to say that we know what is best for our lives.
- We are not sure that God has our best interests at heart.
- If God wanted to harm us, imagine what He could do.
- You might say that He does not want to get involved in our lives, but it is ridiculous to say He wants to hurt us.
- You can’t argue that Jesus does not want to get involved in your life.
- This is the whole issue of lordship.
- What does Jeremiah 29:11 say to you?
III. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ACKNOWLEDGE JESUS AS LORD? (Matthew 6:9-13)
- “Our Father,” not “My Father.”
- The disciple must identify with people where they are.
- The disciple has never “arrived” – he is a learner and a pilgrim.
- “Hallowed be Thy name.”
- Jesus did not pray for His name to be hallowed.
- Lordship means surrendering your name. (Are you out to make a name for yourself?)
- “Thy kingdom come.”
- God’s desire is to rule on Earth as He rules in heaven.
- Are you seeking to build His kingdom?
- “Thy will be done.”
- Do you seek after the will of God (John 5:30)?
- So, for God’s will to be done, we must actively seek His will.
- “Give us this day our daily bread.”
- An attitude: all that I have comes from and belongs to Jesus.
- Why is your life not even your own (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)?
- “Forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors.”
- Do I really want God to forgive me the way I am forgiving others?
- This involves the receiving and giving of forgiveness.
- “And do not lead us into temptation.”
- Even into situations where we will be tempted.
- Are you willing to surrender questionable things (Romans 14:21)?
- “Deliver us from evil (or, the evil one – John 17:15).
- Are Christians able to fight their own battles (2 Chronicles 20:15)?
- What five actions must we do for God to deliver us from the evil one (James 4:7)?