The need for understanding what LORD really means.

In many ways, I think culture has invaded the church (as a whole) and due to this, a watered down version of the gospel has come our way. I'm thankful that there are some that teach the Word of God, in context, but seem to be so many that offer programs that seem to lose focus on Jesus, and who He is.

What I think most, is that there is more stress on making people feel good - rather than pursing holiness. Yes, there is joy in Christ - let there be no doubt about that. But I have experienced seeing people who praise Jesus with their lips, but at the same time, choose to remain in sin, remain in sinful lifestyes, sinful relationships. So with that in mind, I want to consider what LORD really means.

First, I want to look at the Greek term, show what the bible teaches, and then, most importantly, see how it needs to apply when we call ourselves Christians.

Lord - kyrios; kyrie

But what does it mean?

Looking at Thayer's, and the usage of the term, it means the following:

having power or authority

He to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has the power of deciding; master, lord

So, let's really consider what that means...

Several times in scripture, Jesus talks about the servant and master relationship, meaning this... if we are Christians, we belong to Him. This means if He commands something of us, we are bound to Him to do that, to be obedient to Him.

So how does the bible address this?

One of the most impacting passages of Scripture says a great deal about what I find happening in the church today.

Jesus addresses this in plainly in the bible looking at Matthew 7:21-23

Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'

Pretty heavy stuff... "I never knew you." Because they praised Him with their lips, but the never gave over authority of their lives to Jesus. They felt that they could do these works in His name, and it would be enough. But where was the relationship? Without following the commandments, without following Jesus as Lord, they have no place with Him.

There is a priority to following Jesus, to having Him be our master. In Matthew 8:21-22 shows an example of this:
Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

Now to explain this passage, it doesn't mean the guy's dad had just died - Levitical law would have forbidden the guy to even be out in public - but his father might have been older, and the family business would need to be taken over when his dad died - so he's basically saying he has to do all these other things and then, when that's done, then he could come and follow Jesus.

Another example is the story told of the rich young ruler. Look at Matthew19:16-22:
Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" So He said ot Him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments." He said to Him, "Which ones?" Jesus said, "'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?" Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Our priorites have to be in check, to put it another way, Jesus says in Luke 14:26-33, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it, lest after he has laid the foundationa ns is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going to make war with another king does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple."

So what is Jesus saying here? Count the cost, be willing to forsake all, and follow Him. That's what it means to for us to call Him Lord. He says in Matthew 16:24, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."

Are we willing to give up our comforts, are we willing to give up what makes us happy, and seek Holiness instead?

One more example of knowing Him is key, something Jesus says that we cannot ignore. In John 14:15 He says, "If you love me, keep My commandments."

John reaffirms this in his first letter, and the whole really talks about truth, knowing Jesus, dealing with sin, and most importantly love.

1st John 2:3-6:
Now by this, we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

So Jesus is our Lord - not only because He has authority over us - but as our master, He is the model we are to follow after.

And what is one of the first commandments Jesus gives out? When He starts His ministry in Galilee, it says in Matthew 4:17:
From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

I hear of churches saying lots of things, but I rarely hear anything about repentance anymore - yet it is this very thing Jesus calls us to do. It seems like the churches will play up a feel good message, but not teach the Word of God. They will talk about Jesus, may even talk about being "born again" but they will never talk about needing to repent to do it.

Yet if we consider Romans 10:9
that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Here He is... called Lord. But when it comes to Lord, you must mean it. See, even the demons believe, and they tremble (James 2:19) But they would never call Jesus Lord, because they do not desire for Him to have authority over them.

We have to be doers of the word, to be in action. As James put it in in James 1:22, Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, decieving yourselves.

So to you Christians out there, we need to live in repentance, seeking holiness first, seeking to serve Jesus, our Lord - being obedient to Him and His commandments - praying for one another, serving one another, and loving one another - desiring to live for His Word.

Jesus doesn't want fans, and He doesn't want admirers. He wants followers, and He wants disciples.

As Jesus puts it in Matthew 12:30, "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad."

If you are caught up in sinful lifestyles, sexual immorality, adultery, or caught up in other sins - can you genuinely say you are for Jesus when you praise Him with your lips, but don't do the will of the Father by choosing to stay in your habitual sin? To put it another way, we can look to serve Jesus, or we can serve our own desires, but we can't have it both ways. We should seek to turn away from sin and be for Jesus, but trying to live out a dual nature will never please Him.

I have a feeling that there are many people claiming to be Christians today who will be among those saying "Lord, Lord" upon judgement day - so perhaps, those who were unwilling to give up their sin found it too costly to give up - and perhaps those people were never truly Christians to begin with. If you are complacent with your sin and ignoring the call for repentance - or worse yet, showing an outward display of celebrating sin in your life and prasing Jesus with your lips at the same time, you should reevaluate your relationship with Christ.

If you've been offended by this statement, what are you holding onto that prevents you from serving Jesus as your Lord?

Does it mean you are in a place you don't belong? Because I will say this. If you are holding onto your habitual sin... stop. You can't have it both ways, pick Jesus, or pick your sin. I urge for people to repent. Reject what you know you are doing wrong, and genuinely follow after the commandments of the Lord. By doing so, then you will know the truth is in you.