Jesus or Self: Who Is Lord Script

 

There are some questions that everyone will answer. Does Jesus have the authority to bring about religious change in me? And where did he get that authority? But the ones we are doing a deep dive into today is: Does Jesus have the right to tell me how to live my life every day?  Does he have the authority to do it?

Intro

Today we are delving into two questions. Does Jesus have the right to tell me how to live my life every day?  Does he have the authority to do it?

But we’re actually asking if you are I have the authority or right to decide what we want to do when we want to do it.  We’re really deciding who is Lord. Is it ourselves or is it Jesus?

If you have your Bible, turn with me to Mark 11:27-33. Now, if you don’t have a Bible, please go to the contact page at timeless talks.net and send us a message that you would like a free Bible. We will be glad to send you one as quickly as possible.

In Mark 11, as he and his disciples entered town, they were met with some very unhappy religious leaders.  They planned to challenge Jesus in public in hopes of destroying his influence and wrecking the public’s opinion of him. At the same time, they hoped to regain some of the political clout they had lost to him.

The people who have approached him are the Pharisees, the chief priest, the scribes, and members of the Sanhedrin. It is a group of the most influential people of Jesus’ day.

They challenge Jesus in verse 28. “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?”  If the public sees Jesus not answering, or answering poorly, he loses the positive public opinion. The public will be ashamed of him. Conversely, public opinion will swing toward the leaders, like it used to be.

Jesus responds with a question. His question will put them on the spot where they are exposed for their true religious attitude. Jesus asked, (Mark 11:29-30)  “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.  (30)  Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.”

Jesus has just turned the tables on them.

Now the challengers must deliver a good response themselves to avoid shame.  You can almost see them huddling up together to quietly discuss exactly how they want to answer this very dangerous question. What made it dangerous was that the leaders had rejected the message of John the Baptist and had not repented as John demanded.  And at the same time they were rejecting all the authority of Jesus.  All their former decisions were catching up with them, and they were about to be shamed, again.

What did they say in that huddle? Mark 11:31-32  And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’  (32)  But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet.

You see, they did not have a good, truthful answer to respond with.  Shame was at their doorstep. These people from the religious establishment answered: “We do not know”.  They were being exposed to the people who served as judge and jury. Bad answer. Shame on them! 

Jesus told them that he would not answer their question.

The public already knew anyway. They had known for quite some time. I think you do, too. His authority came from Heaven.

On a different day, Matthew described the thinking of the people. Matthew 7:28-29  And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching,  (29)  for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.” Yes, the common people knew

In his ministry, he proved to everyone that he had the authority to forgive sins when he healed the paralytic. He showed his power on earth when he produced a large, filling meal for thousands using a boy’s lunch. He showed his authority over all illnesses by healing the lame, the lepers, those with fevers, and even the blind. He proved he was God’s Son. He was showing you and me that he is equal, in every way, to God the Father. He has all authority.

But let’s get back to our questions. Do we have the authority or right to decide what we want to do whenever we want to do it?

After we examine Jesus, we either determined that he is God’s son or we did not. There are no other choices. He either is, or he is not.

Let’s contrast at the results of Jesus being Lord, and then the disadvantages of being my own Lord.

If Jesus is God’s Son, then he has all authority. He himself said, (Matthew 28:18) … “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Since he has authority everywhere in the universe, he has the right to be our Lord. Peter told a huge crowd in the 1st sermon ever preached, found in Acts 2, (Acts 2:36)  Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that god has made him both lord and christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Paul, in writing to the Philippians, made sure they understood the position that God has given to Jesus. (Philippians 2:9-11)  Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,  (10)  so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,  (11)  and every tongue confess that jesus christ is lord, to the glory of God the Father.

When Jesus is Lord of your life, we gain a freedom like no other. Jesus said in John 8:31-32  “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,  (32)  and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Humble servants of the Lord Jesus follow ALL his commands. And we are made free from sin as a result. Paul wrote, Romans 6:16-18  Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?  (17)  But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,  (18)  and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

Jesus even talked about how his “yoke” of service is good. He said, Matthew 11:29-30  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  (30)  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”    I like easy, don’t you? And I like light burdens, and you do too.

His Lordship guides me into becoming a better and better person, a better and better Christian. Jesus gives his obedient servants a plan that will walk us higher and higher. His apostle, Peter, wrote, 2 Peter 1:5-10  For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,  (6)  and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,  (7)  and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.  (8)  For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  (9)  For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.  (10)  Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.” So, IF we add to our faith each of these qualities, and IF we are diligent, and IF we keep practicing these qualities, well, we won’t be making mistakes any longer. And that is an excellent idea.

And then there are the disadvantages of being your own Lord. These do NOT respect the evidence or god’s proclamations. These individuals want to do anything they want, anytime they want, anywhere they want.

They make THEMSELVES LORD.

Everyone can choose. The wisest man to ever live, other than Jesus, said anyone can do anything they want in life. But he also gave everyone a warning. He said, Ecclesiastes 11:9  Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.

The egocentric individuals have no help with the difficult decisions life presents. Oh, they may find someone at the local pub or the locker room that can sympathize with them, but their life and their advice are far from guaranteed.

The structures of life can vanish like the dew on a hot summer day. Because of arrogant attitudes, people lose their jobs. And with the job gone, homes can be repossessed. And your mate may abandon you. Do you see the downward spiral? Life is not getting better. It is in a sharp decline.

Being your own boss is always full of decisions, mistakes, trials and plenty of errors. And what is more, those decisions that must be made seem to never end.

But everyone needs to look at the paycheck for being a slave, like Romans 6.16 told us earlier. What is the reward for being immoral? Is it broken homes and broken hearts? What benefits to the greedy have? They love money. Money becomes their idol. Do they become selfish and lonely? What bonus is there for being abusive and heartless?  What merit is there for being brutal physically, mentally, verbally, to our children, our mates, or our co-workers? And how many life-long friends do the treacherous have?

You see, when you get the final paycheck, the one for being your own boss and being the slave to sin is…. drum roll please…     DEATH.  Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, …”

Will you decide now to make Jesus Lord? How will you do it? If there is any uncertainty, please get in touch with us right now. You can send a text or leave a voice message at the phone number you see here. You can also use the contact form over at TimelessTalks.Net. Either way, don’t hesitate. We will get back to you and give you a customized answer on how to make him Lord. You could also use either method and let us know that you would like to take the free, online Bible correspondence course that you can do at your own pace.

Now, put down your Bible. Pick up the phone and use it.

Until we can visit some more, goodbye for now.