The Lordship of Jesus Christ (3)

Sunday, 25 October 2020 05:37

The Lordship of Jesus Christ (3) - Taiwo Akinola

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I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts ~ Haggai 2:7.

Introduction: This is a moment of hard choices, globally - a moment of social unrest, pains and tears. Unfortunately, I sense that we cannot pray it away; it is an act of God, and it cannot be prevented.

We can pray, however, to handle the situations correctly. With hope and sacrifice and, most importantly, with our thoughts fixated on Jesus Christ the Lord, we can come through it changed for the best.

Happily, more and more Christians are taking active parts in the political processes, especially as we clearly see our Christian views being threatened, daily.

You cannot have a good society without good people, and it is difficult to have good people without a good society. Thus, it is imperative that all Christians become involved in the political life of our society, more so that the Bible teaches that our faith must tally with our everyday living. Albeit, this is best served when we all genuinely embrace the lordship of Jesus Christ.

By all definitions, Jesus Christ is a uniquely supreme Sacred Entity. He is God, sharing the ‘omni’ characters with God-Almighty: eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful and ever-present(Hebrews 1:8-9). He is great, gracious, majestic and glorious altogether (1Chronicles 29:11-13; John 1:1-3).

Jesus Christ is Lord over Angels and over Satan (Hebrews 1:4; Isaiah 6:1-4; Revelation 5:11-12). He triumphed over Satan on the Cross of Calvary, reducing him to the mere status of an eternally defeated foe (Colossians 2:14-17). Jesus is the Absolute Victor - over sin, death, and hell - and today He constantly leads the believers in a beautiful trail of triumph (1Corinthians 10:13; 8:31-37).

Jesus Christ is Lord over the nations. That’s a sober truth that all men, including political leaders, globally, must embrace and fully internalize. Pharaoh discovered this too late (Exodus 9:16; 12:30-33). Nebuchadnezzar also realized it only after he had become an ugly ‘new creature’ (Daniel 4:35).

Final command does not reside in London, Washington DC, Moscow, Paris or Abuja. The final rule comes from the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is Governor over the Nations (Psalm 22:28).

Jesus Christ is Lord over all creation. In a magnificent passage elucidating the supremacy of Christ, Apostle Paul informed us by revelation that: “by him were all things created ..... visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers ....” (Colossians 1:16). Hence, the million galaxies, the billion stars, the most complex forms of creation, the thousand varieties of life in a shovelful of dirt, all were made by Him, for Him and are by Him sustained (Ps. 8:1-9).

Indeed, Jesus Christ is the Universal Lord of all. He’s the Judge, the King of kings, the Lamb of God, the Liberator, Life-giving Light of the world, the Messiah, the Bright Morning Star, the Omnipotent, Omniscient, Precious, Preeminent, Pre-existent Prince of Peace, the Actual Prophet, the Lord High Priest, and our Kinsman Redeemer. It’s wisdom to accept these as the truth, and self-destructive to reject them.

He’s the Actual Desire of All Nations

Comparing the temple of Solomon in 1 Kings 6 with the second temple, the former, being wholly overlaid with pure gold, appeared incomparably more glorious than the latter in its greatest magnificence.

The Jews acknowledge that the Ark of the Covenant, fire from heaven, the Urim and Thummim, the anointing oil, the visible glory, and the spirit of prophecy, which distinguished the former temple, were also missing in the latter.

When the foundation of the second temple was being laid, the old men wept, because they thought, in glory and luster, it came too short of the former. So then, what was in the latter temple that compensated the want of these, and even caused it to excel the temple of Solomon?

Certainly, the excelling glory of the second temple was as a result of an ‘appearance’ in it that made all the difference - the personal presence of Jesus Christ, “the Desire of all nations.”

Jesus Christ is the true temple, “in whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” He was the true Shekhinah glory, of which that of Solomon’s temple was merely a type. Jesus Christ appeared in the second temple, and it was that personal presence that gave the latter house its greater glory. Glory to our Excellent Redeemer! Alleluia!!

Our Battle Zones of Submission

Today, many people acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord only with their lips, but that’s a very costly mistake. There must be a constant acknowledgment of His ownership over us (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Jesus Christ is our Supreme Owner. We belong to Him as His purchased possession, and we ought to fully yield to His lordship.

Incomplete submission to the lordship of Jesus Christ generally devolves into lack of power and fulfillment, inadequate level of grace and favor, lack of assurance, joy and peace and kaleidoscopes of contradictions and struggles.

We will certainly find it useful and wise to probe into the battle zones of indecision with respect submission to His Lordship in our lives. Does God ask you to do something you don’t want to do? Do you think you know what is best for yourself, and unsure that God always has your best interest at heart? Do you nurse an intrinsic fear that what you give to God is lost?

These above are some of the valid battle zones of life today. But we all should rise at once to overcome them and any other challenges we might have in bringing every area of our lives and every constituent of our civilization under the sovereign rule of Jesus Christ the Lord. We must readily embrace His Words as our final commands.

When the Lord demands justice from leaders, He already issued a final command. Justice is a practical virtue and the foundation of any system of government.

When He calls for humility from all mortals, He already issued a final command (Matthew 5:3). Humility is the truth concerning ourselves, about our strengths and weaknesses, about the pull of the selfishness and egoism that lay buried within the best of us. Humility is the truth you should know, as a “privileged dust”, about your need for God in all your ways. Whoever you’re - head of state or tail of state - be humble!

When the Lord commands us to love, He already issued the greatest commandment (Matthew 22: 36-40). Whatever we do - in church, in our families, at work and even in the nations - should flow out of love for God and our neighbours.

When the LORD said “Go Ye”, He already issued the final command. Every other command must give way. Jesus Christ is Lord.

Conclusion

True worship begins within, with a change of heart, and, this can only happen when we truly embrace the Lordship of Jesus Christ. This requires a life of decision-making, of learning, and of fidelity to our Christian calling in this world. We are called to live in the world as godly leaven to our society. May God continue to keep us and bless us all. Happy Sunday!