In my Bible reading plan, I have made my way into the Gospels. Typically, I try to read through the Bible chronologically at least once per year. I have done this for several years in a row and have found it very beneficial in understanding the historical flow of Scripture. Reading the Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John has highlighted a truth in my heart regarding the Lord Jesus all over again. Simply put, He is Lord. He demonstrated that truth in His interactions with the religious leaders of that day.
This truth stands out particularly in the first few chapters of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Jesus challenged the longstanding traditions that the Pharisees had built around the Old Testament Scriptures. Let me give you some examples. He and His disciples were walking on the Sabbath. The disciples were hungry and plucked and ate some grain heads. The Pharisees became indignant that the Lord and His disciples had broken their law. So what did the Lord do? He healed a man on the Sabbath. Again, they became angry. He then declared Himself, which He truly is, the Lord of the Sabbath.
You might and you should ask why Jesus would do this. The reason is that He was demonstrating His Lordship, His Kingship. While Jesus Christ submitted fully to the Laws of God and obeyed them perfectly, He was under no obligation to obey extra-biblical rules imposed by the hypocritical religious leaders of His day. Nor are we when we submit to Christ’s rule in the church.
The Bible expresses clearly that Jesus Christ is Lord and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Him as Lord. This is a universal declaration of His Lordship and Kingship. What we know is that believers bow to Him and confess that He is Lord now. Unbelievers will do so on the great day of judgment. So how should Christians respond now to the Lordship of Jesus Christ? Let me give you five ways.
First, we humbly and happily submit to Him. We recognize Him as Lord of all, Lord of the church, and Lord of our lives. Submitting to Him means that we embrace His ways and forsake our own. Second, we do that by recognizing that the way He rules the church and guides us in our lives is by and through His Word. Therefore, our duty as Christians is to read, study, understand, then obey His Word. As Christians, we should happily and joyfully do this.
Third, while you are growing in your understanding of His Word, admire and marvel at the wisdom given to us by Him. Proverbs tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. When we seek to do things our own way, we are either submitting to the vain imaginations of man or even the suggestions of evil. Our minds must be renewed by the Word constantly and consistently or we will simple devolve into our own futile ways. Fourth, as we submit to Him we can learn to live joyfully under Christ’s sovereign rule. He is a good King. He is a faithful shepherd who loves us and cares for us. His wisdom guides us, protects us, and keeps us.
Finally, having this great King is a privilege and we are His kingdom ambassadors. What a joy it becomes to tell others about this great King. The whole world while under His sovereign rule lies largely in ignorance of the joys that we experience as believers. Maybe this week you can share that joy by telling someone about Jesus or at least by inviting them to church.
Joe Tolin
Kingman Presbyterian Church
