Who is the One who has all authority? Who is Lord? Hello, I’m Phil Sanders, and this is a Bible
study “In Search of the Lord’s Way.” Today we’re exploring the fact that Jesus is the Lord. Stay tuned.
Welcome to In SEARCH of the Lord’s Way! We’re here to search the Scriptures for God’s will. We
want to know the truth, because only the truth can set us free from sin and from the false ideas that
are so widely taught. We need the truth, and the best source of spiritual truth is still found on the
pages of the Bible. They give us a way to evaluate what we hear. The noble Bereans “received the word
with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11).
And that’s what we must all do, so that we may not believe a lie. Thanks for taking time with us today.
We want to be a part of your life each week.

The inspired apostle Matthew wrote in Matthew 16:13 to 17: Now when Jesus came into the
district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the
prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Well Simon Peter answered, “You are the
Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because
flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”

 

What people say and think about Jesus is crucial to their spiritual well-being. Jesus said the Father’s
prompt to Peter and his confession: that “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” was true.
Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ or the Messiah. Now the Hebrew term “Messiah” is translated with the
Greek term “Christ.” The Messiah was the promised king of the Jews, the Son of David. The word
“Christ” means “anointed.” The Lord Jesus is also the Son of God, sent from heaven, to reveal God’s
will to us.

 

We offer this study free on Jesus is the Lord! And if you’d like a printed copy of our study and live in
the United States, mail your request to In Search of the Lord’s Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083
or send an e-mail to searchtv@searchtv.org. Or you can call our toll-free telephone number. That
number is 1-800-321-8633. We also have materials free on our website at www.searchtv.org.
We’ll now worship in song, read from Acts 2:29 to 36, and explore what it means to say Jesus is the
Lord.

 

Our reading today comes from Acts chapter 2, verses 29 to 36, and it is the conclusion of the
sermon that Peter  preached on the day of Pentecost about Jesus Christ. “Brethren, I may confidently
say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to
this day. And so, because he was a prophet and knew that GOD HAD SWORN TO HIM WITH AN OATH TO
SEAT one OF HIS DESCENDANTS ON THE THRONE, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ,
that HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh SUFFER DECAY.

 

This Jesus God raised up again, to which we all witnesses. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: ‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, SIT
AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET.’ Therefore let all the house of
Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Yes, Jesus is both Lord and Christ.

Let us pray. “Oh Heavenly Father we pray that You will help us always to glorify You and to glorify
Your Son Jesus who is both Lord and Christ. Help us to treat Him as our Lord and to be obedient to His
will. In Jesus name, Amen.”

The apostle Peter told the household of Cornelius in Acts 10:38 to 43, “You know of Jesus of
Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing
good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging
Him on a cross. God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, not to all the
people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with
Him after He arose from the dead. And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify
that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. Of Him all the
prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of
sins.”

Now Jesus has been anointed as the King of kings and the Lord of lords (Revelation17:14). He will
judge us all on the last day. The Lord Jesus said, “He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings,
has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day” (John 12, verse 48).
Now we’ll not be judged by what people think, by what councils vote, or by opinion polls. We’ll be
judged by the words that Jesus spoke, words that can be found in the New Testament.
Now since He’s our King and Judge, we must recognize our accountability before Him. The apostle
Paul told the Athenians in Acts 17, verses 30 to 31, “Therefore having overlooked the times of
ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has
fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed,
having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” You can be sure that one day you will
stand before the Lord in judgment. God will hold you and me accountable for how we have lived our
lives.

 

We’re accountable for our attitudes towards other people. The Lord said in Matthew 5:21 to 22,
“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits
murder shall be liable to the court.’ But I say to you that everyone who’s angry with his brother shall
be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ [that is Raca,
“empty-headed”] shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ [that’s the
word moron] shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.” God knows all that happens in our hearts.
And we’re accountable even for our thoughts. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 5, verses 27 to 29
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who
looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right
eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it’s better for you to lose one of the parts
of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” When people think sexually immoral
thoughts, they sin against their spouses and their God.

 

We’re accountable for our words as well. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 12:34 to 37, “For the
mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. The good man brings out of his good treasure what is
good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. But I tell you that every careless word
that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the Day of Judgment. For by your words you
will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

 

We’re also accountable for our actions. 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 10 says, “For we must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for the deeds of his body,
according to what he’s done, whether good or bad.” Now God’s Word further says in Romans 2:6 to
11, that “He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing
seek for glory and honor and immortality, he’ll give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation
and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor
and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.”
We’re accountable to the Lord Jesus whether we know it or not, whether we acknowledge it or not,
or whether we agree with it or not. Jesus, our Creator, who died to save us from sin, is also our Lord.
Not only do we confess Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, we also confess Him as our Lord.
On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit proclaimed through Peter and the apostles to all the Jews that
God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified (Acts 2:36). God has made
Jesus to be your Lord and mine.

The word “Lord” indicates two very crucial concepts. First, to call Jesus “Lord” means that He is
divine, He is deity, God. The word “Lord” is often spelled with all capital letters in the Old Testament.
“Lord” is the English word used to translate the word “Yahweh.” This is the word the Lord God used to
identify Himself to Moses at the burning bush.

 

In Exodus chapter three, God called Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt and into the
Promised Land. Moses was reluctant and offered several excuses to God as to why he shouldn’t lead
them. Well at one point Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The
God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to
them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I am has
sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:13 and 14). Now the word in Hebrew “I am who I am” translates into Greek
as “kurios” and into English as “LORD.”

 

When the Holy Spirit proclaimed Jesus as Lord on Pentecost, he was speaking clearly of the Divinity
of Jesus Christ. Philippians 2 and verse 6 says that Jesus existed in the form of God. And Philippians 2:5
to 11 it says, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed
in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but He emptied Himself,
taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance
as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every
name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and
under the earth, and that every tongue [listen to this] will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory
of God the Father.”

 

Jesus has always existed in the form of God, but He emptied himself and took the form of a
servant, being fashioned as a man. And in humility obeyed His father by dying on a cruel cross. Because
Jesus suffered and died for us, God exalted Him, gave Him a name above all names, and demands that
at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Jesus Christ is Lord! Now this
type of worship is not for men but for deity, for God.

 

Second, to call Jesus “Lord” means that you’ve decided to obey Him. He is your master, and you are
His servant. The word “Lord” in the Bible often refers to one who owns slaves. When you and I became
Christians, we became the slaves of Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 6 verses 19-20 says, “Or do you not
know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not
your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” The Lord Jesus purchased us
with something far more precious and costly than silver or gold. 1 Peter 1:18 to 19 says, “knowing that
you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things
such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” As our Creator, silver and gold would have cost nothing to Jesus, but He sacrificed His blood and
His life to redeem us.

 

A master owns his slaves and has the right to make decisions over their lives, decisions the slaves
must accept. You may not always understand the Lord’s decisions, but you can always trust that the
Lord Jesus will act for your best interest. All of us are servants to someone or something. It’s better to
be the servant of One who loves and cares for us. Some enslave themselves to their lusts and their
pleasures, which only last for a time and later destroy them. Some become the servants of the devil,
who uses them with cruel, false promises. The devil is never your friend; no matter what he may offer
you. And f you choose to follow him, he’ll lead you where you never wanted to go. When you take
Jesus as your Lord, you give yourself to Him, the one who always will love and you and take care of
you. He is the Way, the only way, to heaven.

 

The question isn’t whether Jesus will be a good and kind master; the question is whether you’ll be a
good and obedient servant. Obedience isn’t always natural to us; we have to learn it. The Bible says of
Jesus in Hebrews 5, verses 8 to 9, “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things
which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of
eternal salvation.” If we’re to please our Lord, we must obey His will. Obedience is how we show to
Him our faith and our love.

 

The Lord Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” in John 14:15. Now
obedience also reveals our faith. John 3 and verse 36 in the New American Standard says, “He who
believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of
God abides on him.” Now, how can the Lord rule in your life, if you aren’t willing to keep His rules or
His commandments? You can’t say that you’ve made Jesus Lord of your life, if you are rebelling against
Him and if you refuse to obey what He teaches and what He commands.

 

The Bible says in 1 John 2, verses 3 to 6, “By this we know that we have come to know Him [that is
to have a relationship with Him], [and that is] if we keep His commandments. The one who says, ‘Well
I’ve come to know Him [I’m His friend, I love Him, I’m close to Him],’ and yet He doesn’t keep His
commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of
God has truly been perfected. And by this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in
Him ought himself to walk [that is to live] in the same manner as He [that is Christ] walked.” Can you
say, “Jesus is my Lord”? Do you walk in His steps? Are you following Him? Are you close to Him? Do
you love Him?

 

Let’s pray together. “Heavenly Father, help us to love the Lord Jesus with all our heart and soul and
mind and strength. To be obedient to His will, to walk in His way, to Love Him and to serve Him. And
Father help us to love others because He did. This is our prayer in the name of Jesus, Amen.”

 

The Lord Jesus said clearly in Matthew 28:18, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given
to me.” The Lord Jesus doesn’t have some authority over our lives and souls; He has all authority. No
one can overthrow or silence Him. The devil and his followers would love to see Jesus defeated. Many
may decide to follow evil and overcome the Lord; but they will fail. Revelation 17:14 says, “They will
make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is the Lord of lords and King of kings,
and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”

 

Will you follow the devil or will you follow the Lord Jesus? You reveal which side you’ve selected by
the way you think, talk, and act. One day you’ll stand before the Lord and give an account for how
you’ve lived. Are you prepared to stand before the Lord in Judgment? Is your heart right? Today is the very best day to get right with God. There’s no future of peace with God by putting off your
repentance, or the declaration of your faith, or of your obedience to the Lord.

 

How do we obey the Lord? Well first, we must know His will as it’s revealed in the New Testament.
If you don’t know the Word, you can’t obey it. Second, we must believe that Jesus is the Lord, the
Christ, the Son of the living God. Your trust in the Lord says, that you do really recognize His place, you
trust Him because you know Him. And so with trust and love, you turn away from rebellion and sin and
you turn to the Lord in repentance. And whatever he asks, you’re ready to do because you love Him—
that’s repentance. Then upon the confession of your faith, you’re obedient to Him in baptism. Now
that’s when He’ll wash away every sin, add you to His family the church. Won’t you do that today?
We hope that today’s study about Jesus Is the Lord has caused you to be willing to confess Him and
to follow Him always. If you live in the United States and you want a free printed copy of this message,
mail your request to In Search of the Lord’s Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083 or send an e-mail to
searchtv@searchtv.org. Or you can call the Search office toll-free at 1-800-321-8633. There’s also a
schedule of our programs, a map with the location of churches in your area at www.searchtv.org. Or
you can watch SEARCH anytime on YouTube! Subscribe to our channel, “SearchTVMinistry.” And be
sure to like the programs that you watch; this will help spread the program.

 

We do ask that you focus your heart by worshiping at church. Everybody needs a church family.
And we hope that you’ll go and be a part of a congregation. As always we say to you, to tell a friend
about our program and God bless you, we love you from all of us at In Search of the Lord’s Way.