© 16 Colin Melbourne
Let’s listen to The LORD Jesus Christ, Mth. 7:21-29 KJV;
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
False Conversion versus True Lordship
Is Jesus Christ your Lord and Saviour?
People answer in the affirmative because they once responded to an evangelistic invitation, and made a decision to receive Christ as Lord and follow Him.
Leading sinners to Christ is relatively easy, and the Lord, as ever, is full of grace and truth.
Sinners are drawn to Christ, hear and believe the Gospel, then receive Him as their Lord, and He accepts them immediately.
The majority mean it, and turn from sin and do what the Lord instructs.
Others don’t.
You’ve doubtless noticed people like that in your fellowship; calling themselves Christian, attending meetings, going through the motions, but living like devils.
Counterfeit Christians
These dear ones proclaim Jesus is Lord, but the problem is: He’s not their Lord.
They acknowledge His divinity, and authority, as Lord of Heaven and Earth, and profess faith in His atoning sacrifice on their behalf, with sound biblical doctrine, but in their hearts He’s; an emblem, a membership badge, a religion, an idol, a social focus, and far from being their Lord. They don’t know Him, and He doesn’t know them.
Make-believers live according to their own will, to please themselves, or their denomination’s approved doctrine.
Where they find God’s word agreeable, it is followed, where it conflicts with what they want, or their indoctrination, they ignore it.
Such folk are unsaved, counterfeit believers, whom Jesus loves and longs to save.
He doesn’t send the fellowship busy-body, grilling and driving them away from Him.
Instead, He leads His true children to love them to Him, with mercy, grace and truth, by the Holy Spirit.
The way He won your heart, remember?
Lord, Lord!
These people have been still-born, not born again, not properly birthed into Christ, but deformed, malformed, incomplete. The sort Christ indicated in Lk. 6:46 KJV;
And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
There’s not wholehearted repentance, and submission, to Christ as Lord. They are still in charge, running their life, not Christ. They are in the driver’s seat: Not the LORD.
Make-believers live to please themselves, not to please God.
They ask God to do what they want, instead of living to do what God wants.
Bible Lordship
That is why it is wise to ensure seekers, those interested in becoming Christian, comprehend what Lordship means in practise.
When Lordship is rightly understood, sinners know what they are doing when they receive Christ as Lord.
They are not merely joining a church, or blithely ticking a box of terms and conditions, but throwing themselves on Christ’s mercy, repenting wholeheartedly, and yielding everything to Him as Lord of their lives, once and for all.
Hypocrites call Jesus, Lord, yet live how they choose.
That isn’t Christianity at all.
Whose Plan?
When Jesus is your Lord; He makes the decisions: You follow Him.
Believers embrace God’s plan for their life, not their own.
If Jesus had pursued His own will, each of us would still be Hell-bound in sin. (Mtt. 26:39)
A single action outside of Father’s will, would have been sin, and His Blood could not save anybody.
But Praise God, everything Christ did was the Father’s perfect will, He never acted independently. He received His instructions from Almighty God, and fulfilled them.
Every believer is to live on Earth completely submitted to Christ as their Lord.
Jesus of Nazareth was born under Law, one sin, one slip, would have caused Him to fail in His mission.
Under the New Covenant, we are born again secure in God’s grace, redeemed from all sin, sharing Christ’s dominion over sin, sickness, and all the works of the Devil. Halleluia!
Praise God, there’s mercy if we miss the mark; we ask Him to forgive us, and it is gone forever.
Lord means Bread-giver
The English word ‘Lord’, derives from the Anglo-Saxon words meaning “bread-giver”.
It was customary in ancient England for wealthy tribal Lords to hold open house for the poor at mealtimes. The local destitute could eat their fill at his table, without cost. Such kindness engendered respect and honour for the Lord of their manor.
So it is appropriate to use the same word for the Living Bread of Heaven, Jn. 6:51 KJV;
I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
Our response to God’s Gift, of His Only begotten Son, is to do as He bids us, and follow Him. To trust in The Faith of Christ, and to walk with Him.
Biblical lordship means believers do not decide how they will serve God, they deny themselves and follow Him: Not their own plans and whims.
Christ is their Bread-Giver: All the time, not just for an hour on Sunday.
Preachers and pastors don’t need to drum this Gospel basic into believers, because they eagerly surrender their whole heart and life to Christ.
But oh how much time hypocrites waste with endless counselling, and pointless prayer, trying to persuade God to do what they want Him to.
No, no! That’s the wrong way round.
Believers deny their own will, and wholeheartedly seek the Lord’s will for their lives, His plan: Not theirs.
Yielding everything to God as soon as you get saved is biblical Lordship, and discipleship.
How to make Certain Jesus is your Lord
Do it today.
Do it now.
Get alone with God.
Seek Him, in the Spirit.
Ask Him directly if there’s anything you are holding back from Him, any area of your life not submitted to His lordship.
Pray that, and He will answer every time.
Jot down whatever He highlights to your heart.
Make a solemn list.
Then yield all rights to it, and let Christ have sole right to you, and your future life on Earth.
That’s not difficult when you love Him, because He first loved you.
What did He hold back for Himself before coming to Earth?
Nothing: He emptied Himself of all His glory, and became just like you, but without sin.
What does He hold back from you today?
Nothing: Every true believer is His co-heir, with full legal right to share everything He has. (Rom. 8:17,32)
Prayerfully examine your heart, and see what you are holding back.
With the measure you give, it is measured to you, Lk. 6:38 KJV;
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
Since that biblical principle works between people, it surely works between Father God and His children.
Give Him your whole heart, your whole mind, your whole body, your whole life, and see what He pours into your bosom.
Some wonder why their prayers are unanswered, why they are sick, why they have lost enthusiasm for the things of God.
Often, it’s simply because Jesus is not their Lord, and they are missing His plan for their life.
If that is you, seek His face, repent wholeheartedly, and get back the joy of your salvation.
The key to Smith Wigglesworth’s success in miracle ministry was total yieldedness to the Holy Ghost, and Jesus as LORD.
Smith’s motto was “God says it, I believe it, that settles it!”
And he followed through, doing the word as the Spirit led him. He had holy boldness all the time, overcame immense personal trials, and astounding miracles followed his preaching. He lived holy, and walked in holiness, so that God’s Power was released to work wonders. You’ll learn a lot from Smith Wigglesworth on Manifesting the Divine Nature.
© 16 Colin Melbourne
