Accepting Jesus Christ as Lord

This Christmas, I want to ask you two questions: 1) Do you believe in the Lordship of Jesus Christ? and 2) Is He your Lord?

If someone asked you to renounce Jesus Christ as Lord of your life in order to save your life, would you do it? Now don't answer that quickly.

Jesus said, "He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for My sake shall find it" (Matthew 10:37-39). Friend, when you come to Jesus Christ, it is not Christ and, or Christ plus, or Christ after. It is Christ Lord. Do you have that conviction?

If you have that conviction, let's move to the next level of commitment in your life that reflects Jesus as Lord - Are you confessing Him as Lord? Confession does three things: it means you are saved, it seals your salvation and subdues Satan, and it strengthens saints.

First, CONFESSION MEANS YOU ARE SAVED. Romans 10:9 says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."

Don't tell people you are saved if you refuse to confess Jesus Christ openly and publicly. Jesus plainly said, "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels" (Matthew 8:38).

Charles Haddon Spurgeon said, "If the convert declares that he knows the Lord's will but doesn't mean to attend to it, it is your duty to assure him that he is not saved." If we do not call the world to accept Jesus as Lord, then we are perverting the Gospel and insulting Christ.

Second, CONFESSION SEALS SALVATION AND SUBDUES SATAN. Satan has plans to sabotage your life in 2003, and the only thing that he fears is whether you will yield to Jesus as Lord of your life.

How do you overcome Satan in 2003? Revelation 12:11 gives the answer: "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death." What was the word of their testimony? Christ is Lord.

Why did Jesus come? "Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death" (Hebrews 2:14).

We live in bodies of flesh and blood and in order to save us, He became flesh and blood, that through His death, He might destroy the devil. Jesus was born as a baby in a manger to save God's children and destroy Satan. When Satan gets on your case, you need to clearly, boldly, unashamedly declare the Lordship of Christ, because it seals salvation and it subdues Satan.

Third, CONFESSION WILL STRENGTHEN SAINTS. Do you want to grow this year? There is nothing that will help your faith grow like confessing Christ is Lord, just as the shepherds did over 2,000 years ago.

Are you having difficulty with some left over sins from your old life? Confession brings possession. Make your boast in the Lord. It will help you to separate from that old crowd. You ought to witness to them, but you cannot run with them.

Tell them Jesus saves! If you are living a wonderful life and you don't tell them the reason, then you're taking credit under false pretenses. Who enabled you to live that life? Who gave you the power? Let them know that He is Lord.

God knew our need was not education, so He didn't send an educator. Our need was not money, so He didn't send an economist. Our need was not health, so He didn't send a physician. Our need was salvation, so He sent a Savior. And that Savior is Christ the Lord.

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11).