Jesus Christ, The Lord of the Sabbath: WHO, WHY & WHAT (Remastered, Luke 6:1-11)

 

Jesus said to the legalistic Pharisees about Himself during an argument about the Sabbath law: "The Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath" (Luke 6:5). Why did He say it? Who does Jesus claim Himself to be here? What was the response of the Pharisees? Watch this video as I explore Luke 6:1-11 in detail  #ServeToLead #PreachTheWord #TheLordOfTheSabbath #GospelofLuke

[Ps: This message is actually an expanded and remastered version of a message that I shared in one of my Christian Fellowship (CF) campuses on the topic of The Lord of the Sabbath based on the Gospel of Luke]

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THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Young Men and Women, Consider the Lordship of Jesus

“Christ died and rose again for this very purpose –
to be Lord both of the living and of the dead”
(Romans 14:9, NLT)

Here Paul claims that our Lord Jesus Christ died and came to life again for one main purpose – to establish His lordship over dead and living. This is in keeping with the crucial sentence of the Pentecostal sermon by Peter: “[God] has made this Jesus, who you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” (Acts 2:36). We, as Christians – Christ-believers – must emphasize that Jesus who died for us lives to rule in the lives of those He has redeemed.

It is tragic that while many Christians verbally acknowledge Christ’s lordship, they do not display it in the day-to-day practice. They are willing to grant Him the position of constitutional Sultan (or Monarch), as long as they can remain prime minister (or president). Like Peter when God instructed him to eat, they reply Him back, “No, Lord” (Acts 10:14). Do we ever say “no” to Him? He moves us to pray in prayer meetings, but we say “no, Lord.” He calls us to service or witness and we say “no, Lord.” To such Jesus says, “Why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?” (Luke 6:46).

It is possible to accept Christ as Saviour and to reject Him as Lord. But the truth is: He cannot be divided. We cannot accept Him in one position and reject Him in another. Hudson Taylor was right when he said, “If Jesus is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all.” In almost the same way, A.W. Tozer writes, “It is altogether doubtful whether any man can be saved who comes to Christ for His help, but with no intention of obeying Him.” Jesus’ reign in our hearts is very practical and extends to every area of life. If we disobey Him, all our recognition of His lordship is nothing… useless. The test is not what we say but what we do. What we perform always speaks more loudly than what we profess. Isaiah puts the situation very abruptly, “O LORD our God, others have ruled us, but you alone are the one we worship” (Isaiah 26:13).

So now, how can we acknowledge Jesus’ lordship? We MUST do the following: 1) Understand that we are saved by His grace alone and so we worship Him gladly and freely; 2) Make a break with the past and vow that other ‘lords’ shall no longer rule in your life; 3) Decisively renounce all known sin or disobedience toward God and others; 4) Enthrone Christ alone and refuse to acknowledge any other name; and 5) Depend on the Holy Spirit – “No one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3).

Jesus is Lord! Amen.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Timothy, Hear this Doxology! (1 Timothy 1:17)

“To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God,

be honour and glory forever and ever. Amen.”

(1 Timothy 1:17, ESV)

I never knew this word before – doxology. Simply, it mean “an expression of praise to God.” As I read through 1 Timothy 1, it’s not surprise that the apostle Paul, who recognizes the grace and mercy of God in his own life, would conclude his testimony with a doxology praising the God who did it all. Paul calls God “the King of the ages” which literally described God as the eternal King. He is unaffected by time and is the King ALWAYS. Paul also refers the Lord Jesus as King, “King of kings and Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:15). In the time of Paul and Timothy, most early Christians were persecuted because they won’t acknowledge the Roman emperor as divine and they paid for their lives believing and praising God as the only King that they will worship! Describing God as “the King of the ages” represents Him as higher than all authorises or other gods of the Roman and pagans world (Paul was writing this letter to Timothy who served in the city of Ephesus in which emperor worship took place).

God is also “immortal,” meaning He does not die, ALWAYS is. He is “invisible” as the Spirit (read John 1:18 which also refers to Jesus) and He is “the only God” (read Exodus 20:1-4 and Deuteronomy 6:4-5). With all of these wonderful descriptions about God, I join Paul in giving “honour and glory” to Him my King! The closing phrase “forever and ever” is also translated as “to the ages of ages” and this compliments God as “King of the ages,” the Triune God. Wow! The word “amen,” meaning “so be it” or “Yeszzza!” concludes the doxology very well. This is how Eugene Peterson paraphrased Paul’s doxology and as you read this – on laptop, tab or smartphone – read it aloud (it’s okay if people think you’re crazy) as you give praise to the King:

“Deep honour and bright glory

to the King of All Time –

One God, Immortal, Invisible,
ever and always. Oh, yes!”

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.