Christ Is Lord of All

In meditating on this blessed subject, my heart has been greatly blessed with the Person of Christ as I have seen Him in His beauty and glory as the eternal Son of God, God, very God. I have seen Him in His condescension as the Son of Man and in His unique position as the God-Man, the One Mediator between god and men, the Man Christ Jesus. Also I have seen Him in His beauty and glory as the One in whom two natures dwell, the nature of God and the nature of man, but with just one personality, that of God Himself because He is God. It is this glorious Person that we desire to speak of in these messages, showing that He is Lord of all.

In Phil. 2:5-12 we read these precious words: ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but make himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.'

Here in these words we have the great statement of what God Himself has done. He has highly exalted Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of God, and given Him a name which is above every name, and says ‘that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, whether in heaven or in hell or upon this earth and that every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.' And, dear friend, this will be done to the glory of God the Father because it was God the Father who purposed and planned that in ‘Christ should all the fulness dwell' (Col. 1:19).

The Scriptures, over and over, proclaim that it was God's purpose from eternity to make Jesus Christ Lord of all.

In Eph. 1:9-10 this great truth is set forth. Brother Paul said that it was to him, that the mystery of God's will was made known, that, according to ‘God's good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: that in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one ALL THINGS IN CHRIST, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, even in him.'

Again in that same first chapter of Ephesians we have the exalted position given to Christ. God the Father ‘raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all' (Eph. 1:20-23).

Yes, our Blessed Lord has a name above every name. He has been given authority over all things and in Him dwells the fulness of the Godhead bodily. He is LORD of ALL.

Also this great truth of the exalted position of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is set forth in Chapter one of Colossians in these words, ‘God hath delivered us from the power of dark ness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell' (Col. 1:13-19).

So in all these Scriptures we are shown that CHRIST IS LORD OF ALL and that every one shall bow to him as Lord either in mercy or in judgment because of His position as Lord over all things.

Also in I Cor. 12:3 we read that ‘no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Spirit'; and this every soul does whom God saves as he bows to the Lordship of Christ in salvation. You see no man can be saved apart from bowing to Jesus as Lord.

Let us understand that the expression in Col. 3:11 that ‘Christ is all, and in all' means that He was in all the counsels of God concerning man. You see, there was a time when this earth had no being. As solid as the mountains look, as boundless as the sea appears and as high as the stars in heaven look, they once did not exist, and man, with all the high thoughts he now has of himself, was a creature unknown. And where was Christ then? The Scriptures plainly tell us. John 1:1 says that Christ was ‘with God' and ‘was God' and Phil. 2:6 says that He was ‘equal with God.' According to John 17:5, 24 He was the Beloved Son of the Father, and shared His glory before the foundation of the world. Proverbs 8:23 tells us that ‘He was from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.' Even then He was according to I Pet. 1:20 ‘Foreordained before the foundation of the world' and all His people were ‘chosen in Him' then according to Ephesians 1:4.

So we understand from Scripture that Christ is LORD OF ALL be cause He was from the beginning, equal with God the Father, and therefore deserves our worship, praise, adoration, love and obedience.

Again, there came a time when this earth was created in its present order: sun, moon and stars, sea, land and all their inhabitants, were called into being and made out of chaos and confusion. And last of all, man was formed out of the dust of the ground. And where was Christ the Lord then? Hear what the Scripture says: ‘all things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made' (John 1:3). ‘By him were all things created, that are in heaven and that are in earth' (Col. 1:6). ‘And Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands' (Heb. 1:10). ‘When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: when he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: when he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: then I was by him, as one brought up with him' (Proverbs 8:27-30).

So we see then that our Lord was the creator of all things and all things were made by Him. So He is ‘Lord of all' and is to be worshipped, praised, loved, obeyed and bowed down to in adoration. Yes He is Lord over all for He is God and beside Him there is none other.

Again, there came a day when sin entered the world for Adam disobeyed God and fell from his state of innocence into a state and nature of sin and rebellion against God. But not only did he fall and come under the curse of God, but all of his posterity fell with him and we all came under the curse of God's broken law and we have all become sinners (Rom. 5:12-13). I ask the question, ‘Where was Christ then?' I answer, ‘It was He who gave the first promise of His coming there in Gen. 3:15 to our fallen parents that He would in time come and die in the place of His people.'

In the fulness of time, He left the glory He had from all eternity with the Father and came down into this world to provide His salvation for His sinful people. He took our nature upon Him, was born of a virgin and became a man. As a man, the second Adam, He did the will of God perfectly, which we all had left undone, and as man He suffered on the cross the wrath of God which we ought to have suffered. He brought in everlasting righteousness for us. He redeemed us from the curse of a broken law. He opened the fountain for all sin and uncleanness. He died for our sins; He arose again for our justification. He ascended to God's right hand, and there sat down, waiting till His enemies should be made His footstool. And there He sits now, offering salvation to all who will come to Him, and managing by God's appointment all that concerns the salvation of souls. Therefore because of all He has done for poor sinners, God has made that same Jesus both Lord and Christ, and to Him every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

See Him, our Blessed Lord, sitting on David's spiritual throne in the heavenlies (Acts 2:34), His mediatorial throne of mercy, angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him (I Pet. 3:22). He rules over His spiritual kingdom, the church, made up of believers, for He is the Lord of His people, for they have all bowed to Him as King and Ruler. He loves them and they love Him, so they follow their Lord, the Lamb, whithersoever He leads.

Again there is coming a time when sin shall be cast out from this world, wickedness shall not always flourish unpunished. Satan shall not always be the god of this age; creation shall not always groan, being burdened. There shall be a time of restitution of all thing. There shall be a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness and the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Rom. 8:22; Acts 3:21; II Peter 3:13; Isa. 11:9).

And where shall Christ be then? And what shall He do? Let II Thes. 1:7-9 tell us! ‘The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengence on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power when he shall come to be glorified in his saints...' Yes when the Lord Jesus comes the second time to receive His people unto Himself, He shall also pronounce judgment upon all those who have not bowed their knee to Him.

We have a picture of this judgment scene in Matt. 25; 31-34, 41 in these words, ‘When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world...then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.'

Yes, He is LORD OF ALL, the dead and the living, and every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord to the glory of the Father.

But that is not all! See Him in the new heaven and new earth and behold Him with all His blood-bought people, the church, as he receives glory and honour from them as He is the Temple, the Light, and the Beloved Bridegroom of all His people. Also out from His throne proceeds the WATER OF LIFE and from His river grows the tree of life, and His servants shall serve Him and they shall see His face and reign with Him for ever and ever. Yes, the meek shall inherit the new earth and Christ the Lord shall be the king forever.

Oh, dear friend, the whole Bible pictures Jesus Christ as Lord, therefore every knee shall bow to Him as Lord, therefore every knee shall bow to Him to the glory of God the Father. I pray that each one of you will bow to Him now while yet there is mercy to forgive you of all your sins and His blood to cleanse and wash you whiter then snow.

I want you to listen attentively today for I want you to get everything I say upon this most important subject of the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Dear friend, did you know that God's true way of salvation is little known today? That statement is true: for the Gospel which is being preached today, even in orthodox circles, is often an erroneous gospel. Listen while I explain this statement. For many years it has been taught that nothing is required for a sinner's salvation than to ‘accept Christ as his personal Savior.' Later, he ought to bow to Him as Lord, consecrate his life to Him, and serve Him fully. But even if he fails to do so, heaven is sure for him. He will probably miss some millennial crown: but having received Christ as his personal Savior, he has been delivered from the wrath to come.

But, my dear friend, this is a reversal of God's order. It is the devil's lie, and only the day to come will show how many have been fatally deceived by it.

You might say, ‘Pastor that is strong language.' Yes, I know it is, but let us test it by the eternal Word of God, not by what I say, or some church says, or what some evangelist or personal worker says. What does God's Word say?

Listen now! Everywhere in the New Testament where the two titles of our Lord occur, that is, Lord and Savior, they are always in this order, which shows us that the Scriptures give our Lord Jesus His rightful place in the salvation of sinners AS LORD OF THAT INDIVIDUAL'S LIFE and THE SAVIOR OF HIS NEVER-DYING SOUL. You see, when God saves a sinner that sinner receives the eternal Son of God in all His offices of Prophet, Priest and King. In His office as Prophet to teach us, He is the Christ, the Anointed of God. In His office as Priest to die for us and to mediate for us, He is Jesus, the Son of Man. In His office as King to rule over us, HE IS THE LORD to whom has been given the power to give eternal life to as many as believe on His name (Jn. 17:2-4).

Let us see how the Scriptures bear this out and show that He is received, both as Lord and Savior. Listen to these precious words of the Virgin Mary as she spoke of her Lord and Savior in that order. Her words are found in Luke 1:46-47:‘And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.' She recognized Him as both Lord and Savior, Lord and King to rule over her, and Savior to forgive her and take away her sins by the sacrifice of Himself.

Again watch how II Peter 1:11 puts it. ‘For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.' Here His Lord ship and Saviorship are combined together showing that

He becomes the Savior of none and there is no entrance into His everlasting kingdom until the heart and will receives Him unreservedly as Lord.

This same truth of His being Lord and Savior and that we receive Him in all His offices when God saves us, is brought out in Acts 5:31 in these words:‘Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince' - a ruler, the Lord- ‘and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.'

There are many, many other Scriptures in the Bible which show this, but let us confine ourselves to the Book of Acts and see how the Apostles preached the gospel and we will quickly discover that the message of the apostles was altogether different, not only in emphasis, but also in substance, from the preaching of our time. In the second chapter of Acts we find Brother Peter's first sermon is upon the Lordship of Jesus Christ. He shows that the reason for the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was due to the blessed fact that Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of God, now sat upon David's throne in heaven and therefore as Lord He sent the Holy Spirit as His and the Father's love-gift to His believing people. Verse 33 tells us that the Lord Jesus was exalted to God's right hand, and as Lord He was ruling and reigning over His people and over His enemies here upon earth.

Then comes the great climax of his sermon in verse 36 which brought conviction and salvation to the hearts of thousands that day. Listen! ‘Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.' Brother Peter says He is Lord and you must receive Him as Lord of your life to be saved.

This verse - Acts 2:36 - corresponds to our Lord's claim after His resurrection in Matt. 28:18 that ‘All power' - all authority - ‘is given unto me in heaven and in earth' and bear out Brother Peter's words in Cornelius' home in Acts 10:36 that ‘Jesus Christ is Lord of all.'

Yes, He is Lord, Lord of all. Oh how these words have been ringing in my soul these past weeks. HE IS LORD OF ALL, CHRIST IS LORD OF ALL, LORD of my life, LORD of my will, and it is the deep desire of my heart to follow Him daily recognizing His Lordship because I belong to Him by creation, regeneration and redemption, and He is the Savior of my soul.

So we see then that not only did Brother Peter preach Christ as Lord on the day of Pentecost to the Jews, but also to the Gen tiles in Cornelius' home. He is Lord, declared Brother Peter, both over the Jew and Gentile alike. For ‘the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew and also to the Gentile' (Rom. 1:16).

You see, dear friend, the gospel of the grace of God in Christ Jesus frees us from the slavery and bondage and reign of sin and makes us ‘free from the law of sin and death' (Rom. 8:2). It takes us from the kingdom of light, the kingdom of God's dear Son (Col. 1:13) and makes us willing bondslaves of Jesus Christ who is our new Lord and King.

Listen now as we build upon the foundation which we have laid. There are few today who have a right conception of what a Scriptural and saving conversion is as given to us in the gospel. I believe the call to salvation, Biblical salvation, is set forth in these two Scriptures. In Isa. 55:7 we read, ‘Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thought: and let him RETURN UNTO THE LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.' Also we read in I Thes. 1:9 these words: ‘How ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.' In these verses we see that conversion is ‘a turning to God, a return unto the Lord'; it is a BOWING TO HIS LORDSHIP IN VOLUNTARY SURRENDER OF ALL THAT WE ARE AND HAVE.

I would say that conversion is a turning from sin unto holiness, from self unto God, from Satan unto Christ, and this worked in us by the Holy Spirit. It is the voluntary surrender of ourselves to the Lord Jesus, not only by a consent of dependence upon His merits to save us, but also by a willing readiness to obey Him, giving up the keys of our hearts and laying them at His feet. Yes it is the soul declaring, ‘O Lord my God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over me' - namely, the world, the flesh and the devil - ‘but by thee only will I make mention of thy name' (Isa. 26:13).

You may ask, ‘Why does God demand repentance and submission of our wills to the Lordship of Jesus Christ?' It is because of our stubborn, rebellious nature. We have cried like Pharaoh in Exo. 5:2, ‘Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice?' or like those recorded in Job 21:14-15 who ‘say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of they ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?' or like those in Luke 19:14 who sent a message to the king, ‘saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.'

Yes this is the heart of every soul outside of Christ; it is enmity against God, rebellious, refusing to fall at His feet in repentance and refusing to have Christ to rule over him. But when the Holy Spirit works and convicts us of sin, He causes us to see what sin really is, THE RIGHT TO DO WITH MY LIFE AS I PLEASE, AND ‘GOD YOU STAY OUT OF IT.' And He shows us that this sin is rebellion against God, a refusal to submit to the Lord. The Holy Spirit causes us to realize that we have been an insurrectionist against Him who is exalted above all.

What does the sinner do now? He finds himself guilty before God, helpless and hopeless. He must lay down his arms of rebellion and hoist the white flag of surrender for he cannot win against God. He must acknowledge his true condition before God that he has lived as a rebel against the throne of God and deserves the wrath of God to fall upon him because of his state of rebellion.

But, does God bring a sinner here to confess his need of Christ and to acknowledge his guilty rebellious condition before God, and then leave him there? No, the Holy Spirit shows him that if he will bow to Christ as Lord and Savior, then God can and will save him and make him a new creature in Christ. He will take away his strong rebellious heart and give him a heart of purity and love. He will take away his bent to sin and give him a hatred for sin, a deep desire to leave it and a longing to be holy and righteous as Christ (Ezek. 36:25-27; I John 3:9).

The Holy Spirit shows him from the Word of God that there is a beauty and glory in Christ and that He is a sufficient Savior for his soul. The Holy Spirit well show the sinner from the Word of God that he died in Christ and that all the benefits of Christ's death have been given him freely and that he has now become a servant of the Most High God, a willing bond-slave of the Lord Jesus Christ who will now bring forth fruit unto holiness (Rom. 6:4, 18, 22).

Yes, the fully convinced sinner who has been taught by the Holy Spirit will bow at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ and proclaim like Thomas in John 20:28 that Christ is ‘My Lord and my God.' Yes Lord, Lord of my life, Lord of all I am, Lord of all I possess, Lord of all because I have become His willing bond slave and desire His rule only in my life.

Oh, dear friend, let me tell it to you in love and kindness. God saves no sinner in Christ on that sinner's terms. He saves him only on His terms which are:‘If any man come to Christ, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sister, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be His disciple' (Luke 14:26). And again in Luke 14:27 ‘And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Christ, cannot be His disciple.' Again in Luke 14:33, ‘Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be Christ's disciple.' These are His terms, bowing to His Lordship, His authority, becoming His willing bondslave so that Christ will be all in all.

And now in closing, let me ask you a pointed question, ‘Is Christ your Lord? does He in fact occupy the throne of your heart? does He actually rule over your life? If not, then most certainly He is not your Savior, unless your heart has been renewed, unless grace has changed you from a lawless rebel to a loving subject, then you are yet in your sins, and on the broad way to destruction.

Today let us continue upon the gracious subject, CHRIST IS LORD OF ALL. Dear friend, to rightly understand God's Word and His purpose in redemption there must be an opening of our spiritual eyes to the Sovereignty of our Lord Jesus Christ, His Lordship, His Headship, His Kingship and His right to rule over the hearts and lives of those whom He saves. We must bow to His authority, His right to dictate the terms of salvation and give up ourselves to Him to rule over us in all matters of our lives. We must understand that as Lord and King, as Sovereign, He alone can break the power of sin in our lives. He alone can bind the strong man, Satan, and set us free. He alone has the power to take us out of the kingdom of darkness, the kingdom of Satan, and bring us into His kingdom of light and love. He does all of this for He is Lord, all-powerful, all glorious; and our salvation is based upon His work of redemption and grace.

Follow us now! The sovereignty of Christ, His Lordship, His Kingship, His Headship is set forth for us in the eternal purpose of the Triune God in these words in Eph. 1:9-11. ‘Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: that in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one ALL THINGS IN CHRIST, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; EVEN IN HIM:in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.'

To me, dear friend, the substance of these verses is this: that the great objective upon which the heart of God is set is the bringing of all things into subjection to the Lord Jesus Christ. I Cor. 15:26-28 sets forth this same truth, that all things have been put under Christ's feet, under His authority and control for He is Lord. Again Eph. 1:20-23 tells us the same thing, that the eternal purpose of God, the one great object of His heart, is being carried out now, for God has raised Christ ‘from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:and HATH PUT ALL THINGS UNDER HIS FEET, AND GAVE HIM TO BE THE HEAD OVER ALL THINGS to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth ALL IN ALL.'

What all of this means in a practical way of application to each one of us is this: that there is no phase in the scope of salvation that is not under His control and authority for He is Lord. Therefore being Lord we must bow to His Lordship, His authority in salvation. We must come under His Headship for He has been appointed Head over all things to the church.

Let us work this out in this way. The Holy Spirit through the New Testament writers establishes His unimpeachable sovereignty. In Matt. 11:27 we hear our Lord saying, ‘ALL THINGS are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father: neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, AND HE TO WHOMSOEVER THE SON WILL REVEAL HIM.' Here we have stated the absolute sovereignty of Lordship of Jesus Christ IN SALVA TION: it is that no man can have this revelation of the Father apart from receiving it as a free gift by grace from the Son, and that He gives it to whomsoever He will. This forever then does away with this false doctrine so widely preached today that a man can have the Saviorship of Christ without bowing to His Lordship. Dear friend, Christ reveals Himself to no sinner as Savior while yet that sinner refuses to bow to Him as Head, as Lord and as King of his life. So we see then that He is sovereign; He is Lord over salvation, and WHOSOEVER WILL is contingent upon WHOMSOEVER HE WILLS.

Again, look at the statement made in Acts 5:31 that God has exalted Christ ‘with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.' We see here that there is no true repentance, no true faith, no true forgiveness of sins apart from receiving them at the hands of our Sovereign Lord who has been exalted at God's right hand to give them to us.

In repentance we come to the Sovereign Lord, forsaking our own way, and turning from our own thoughts and bow to His rule over our lives (Isa. 55:7). We change our minds about sin. We confess that it has been against His sovereignty, His Lordship, and that we have been nothing but ungodly rebels. In repentance, sin and self are dethroned, for true repentance has a sorrow for sin so deep that the sinner is willing to turn his back upon his sin and live henceforth ‘unto righteousness.' It is a radical change of mind and heart resulting in transformed conduct (II Cor. 5:17; I Jn. 3:7, 9). The sinner now hates that which he once loved, that is sin in all its forms, and now loves what he once hated and that is God's unsullied holiness.

True REPENTANCE results in SELF-ABHORENCE (Luke 10:13; Joel 2:12-13; Job 42:5-6; Psm. 51:1-12), while FAITH IN CHRIST AC KNOWLEDGES HIS SOVEREIGNTY OR LORDSHIP. The only evidence of true repentance is ‘fruit worthy of repentance' (Matt. 3:8; Acts 20:21). This is nothing less than the fruit of the Spirit made possible by the Lordship of Christ in the heart, which Lordship is bowed to in the gift of repentance of faith. Faith, SAVING FAITH, can mean nothing less than the poor repenting, believing sinner has come willingly to give himself up to Christ as Lord, taking himself out of his own keeping and entrusting himself into the keeping of the Lord Jesus Christ. He cannot and will not yield himself up to another unless he believes that the One into whose hands he has trusted himself for time and eternity is powerful enough to keep him. Therefore he commits his whole being to Him, HE YIELDS UP THE WHOLE MAN TO THE WHOLE CHRIST (II Tim. 1:12).

Now let us see Christ's sovereignty or Lordship in REDEMPTION. First He said in Jn. 10:17-18, ‘I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.' We see that the life of the Sovereign Lord was not taken from Him, but He chose to lay it down of Himself. The redemption of His people was the one object for His being here on the earth. To save them and bring them with Him to glory to share in His glory was the joy that was set before Him (Heb. 12:2). He tread ‘the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of almighty God' (Rev. 19:15) alone for His people that as their Lord He might conquer death, hell and the grave (Rev. 1:18). For what reason? that He might by the power of His shed blood, applied to the hearts of His people by the Holy Spirit, bring "many sons unto glory.., and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage' (Heb. 2:10, 15).

The Scriptures speak of redemption as being ‘the CROSS of our LORD Jesus Christ' (Gal. 6:14), the ‘CRUCIFIX of the LORD of glory' (I Cor. 2:8). Why? Because He is the LORD OF RE DEMPTION, the one ‘Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world' (Gal. 1:4), by His sovereign power, so that He might ‘present us holy and unblamable and unreprovable in God's sight' (Col. 1:22). It is He, the Lord of redemption who ‘loved the church, and gave himself for it:that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, that he might present it to HIMSELF a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish' (Eph. 5:25-27).

We also see Christ's sovereignty or Lordship in RESURRECTION. Rom. 1:3-4 tells us that God's Son Jesus Christ our Lord, ‘was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, BY THE RESURRECTION from the dead.' Peter in his message on the day of Pentecost based Christ's Lordship upon His resurrection. He said that David ‘being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; he seeing this before SPAKE OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST...and this Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses...therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both LORD and CHRIST' (Acts 2:30, 31, 32, 36).

Being therefore the LORD OF RESURRECTION, He could say to Martha in John 11:25-26, ‘I am the resurrection, and the life:he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.' Praise be to His glorious name that being the LORD OF RESURRECTION, He ‘quickeneth whom He will' (Jn. 5:21). No wonder the Scriptures say, ‘Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power' (Rev. 20:6) because He is Lord of the FIRST RESURRECTION which is the resurrection of poor sinners from the grave of sin. Listen as our Lord Himself explains this for us in Jn. 5:25! ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.'

Yes indeed that soul is blessed who is called by the LORD OF RESURRECTION to come unto Him for life. Only the Lord of glory, the Lord of resurrection, can do this. To me this throws out the window man's so-called free will, for it makes the sinner willing in the day of His power, the power of resurrection, to lay down his arms of rebellion, seek for mercy, and bow to the Lordship of Christ in repentance and faith.

He is also the Lord of the SECOND RESURRECTION, the physical resurrection of the dead, both saints and sinner. ‘Marvel not...for the hour is coming, in the which all that hear his voice, and come forth, they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation' (Jn. 5:28-29). The Scripture also says in Rom. 14:9 that He is Lord both of the LIVING AND THE DEAD: ‘For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.'

There is yet another thing that shows Christ's sovereignty and Lordship in the realm of salvation and it is the way THE SCRIP TURES PICTURE POOR SINNERS COMING TO CHRIST. In each picture drawn for us we are shown the sinner bowing to, and acknowledging His Lordship. In Matt. 8:2 we find these words, ‘Behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, LORD, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean, and Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean.' In Matt. 15:21-28 we find the Canaanite woman coming to Christ for her daughter and she ‘worshipped him, saying, LORD, help me...then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt.' In Luke 23:39-43 we find the thief on the cross, after admitting his sinnership and expressing true repentance, crying ‘LORD, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom, and Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.'

In Acts 9 we read of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, who became Paul the evangelist, as he traveled on the road to Damascus. It is said that he heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? and he said, Who art thou, LORD? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks, and Saul trembling and astonished said, LORD, what wilt thou have me to do?' (vs. 46). Again in Mark 10 we find our Lord healing the blind man Bartimaeus who cried after Him. In verse 51 we read, ‘and Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, LORD, that I might receive my sight.'

So we see in all these pictures - and there are many more - of poor sinners coming to Christ, that they bowed to and acknowledged Him as LORD.

Further I would say that in my study of this subject on the Lordship of Christ that I find it is not recorded that in the days of our Lord's flesh that any of His disciples, either ad dressed the Lord or spoke of Him, by his personal name of Jesus; it was always LORD. Also in the Epistles of Paul, and in fact all of the writers, when referring to the facts of the gospel history, speaks of what the LORD said (Acts 20:35), and did (I Cor. 11:23), and suffered (I Thes. 2:15; 5:9-10). It is our LORD Jesus who is coming (I Thes. 2:19). The sinner is invited to believe on the LORD Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31; 20:21) and the saint is enjoined to look to the LORD Jesus Christ for deliverance (Rom. 7:24, 25).

Dear friend, all this wide range of Scriptures can lead to no other conclusion but that CHRIST IS LORD and that there is no salvation in Him, apart from us bowing to His Lordship in obedience to Him as our Head to rule over us. In fact, why should He save us if we are not willing to crown Him as our Head? He is spoken of in Eph. 5:23 as ‘being the head of the church' and certainly no body could live apart form its head. If He would command women to submit themselves unto their own husbands, and do it as unto the Lord (Eph. 5:22), how could He allow any sinner whom He has saved to be His, and allow that sinner to keep his own way and live apart from Him? There is no way it can be done, for ‘he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit' (I Cor. 6:17) and ‘we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones' (Eph. 5:30).

In closing let me tell you my heart: when God the Holy Spirit worked in my heart and showed me my guilty, lost condition before God, and let me see that salvation was in Christ the LORD alone, I cried after Him and desired to crown Him LORD. Since He has saved me there is still that one cry ‘Thou art my LORD and I desire none other to rule over me. Take my feet, my hands, my eyes, my lips, my ears, my emotions, my imaginations, my under standing, my affections, my will and make them your very own, for I desire no other LORD but thee. Take me and use me as Thou wilt, for I am Thine by creation, by the New Birth, by redemption and by adoption.' I cry ‘Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee' (Psalm 73:25).

My dear friend, do you know Him as your LORD? Have you bowed to His Lordship in repentance and faith? Remember He is the Savior of none who have not bowed to him as Lord.

Listen as we go into this fourth message. To me it is refreshing in this dark day of sin in which we live to read in the Holy Scriptures of the exalted position that our Blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has as the eternal Son of God and as the Son of Man for He is Lord of all. Why do I make this statement? Because we are living in a day when our Blessed Lord Jesus is humanized, laughed at, ridiculed, made fun of, and is set forth from the average pulpit as a defeated Savior who has done all He can do to save poor sinners, but now must wait until they get ready to accept Him, for He cannot and must not cross the sinner's puny little will.

But when you turn to Phil. 2:9-11 you read about, not a defeated Savior, but a living Lord who has been given a name which is above every name and one who has authority, all authority, all power, in heaven and in earth. There we read that ‘God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:' and ‘that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.' And dear friend, this bowing will be done in time, to the praise of glory of His grace; or at the Great White Throne judgment, to the praise of the glory of His justice.

Neither does I Peter 3:22 picture our Blessed Lord Jesus as a mere man who can be treated as one pleases and who comes at the beck and call of any sinner. We read that ‘By his resurrection, Jesus Christ has gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.' You see, dear friend, Christ bows to no man's authority; all bow to His authority. Christ bows to no man's terms; all bow to His terms, which is complete, willing obedience to His Lord ship.

In Rev. 17:14 we read that ‘the Lamb will overcome those who make war with him, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings.' He rules in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay His hand for He is Lord of all (Dan. 4:35). By Him, by our Blessed Lord Jesus, the kings of the earth reign and princes decree justice. Their hearts are in His hand, and He can turn them withersover He pleaseth as the rivers of water (Prov. 21:1).

Also Rev. 19:6 pictures our Lord Jesus the Lamb, as the ‘Lord God omnipotent' who rules and reigns over all the earth and heaven and also hell is under His authority. Rev. 19:16 says that ‘On his vesture and on his thigh is written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS,' for He is the all powerful One before whom all the universe shall fall. He is no sissy man in whose face you can spit and laugh, but He is the One out of whose ‘mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God' (Rev. 19:15) as He brings all His enemies down at His feet as His footstool (I Cor. 15:24-26).

Let us go further. The Book of Revelation pictures our Blessed Lord Jesus, not as defeated Savior who has no power over anyone, but as the ‘Lord God almighty, whose judgments are true and righteous altogether' (Rev. 19:2). He is pictured as the conquering Lord who puts down all rebellion, who judges all ungodliness and unrighteousness, who brings all sin into judgment, who passes the death-sentence in the lake of fire upon all who die unrepentant and who do not bow to His authority as Lord while yet in this body. He is pictured as the Lamb whose great wrath is come and there is none who is able to stand before Him. He is pictured as the King of Saints, but also the Judge of the ungodly; the Beloved of His people, but also the Avenger of God's holiness to those who die in their sins. He is pictured as the Faithful and True Witness, both in grace to His people and in judgment to His enemies. He is pictured as the Lord before whom the inhabitants of heaven bow in grace and praise, and before whom the inhabitants of hell bow in judgment and blasphemy.

Oh what a Lord is Jesus of Nazareth the Christ of God before whom all in heaven, in hell and upon earth shall fall and confess His Lordship. My dear friend, have you ever bowed your will, your affection, your knees, to Him who is Lord of all? Dear friend, let me tell you in love, you will either bow to His Lordship here upon this earth while yet there is time for repentance and faith and find grace in His eyes, or you will bow to Him at the Great White Throne Judgment where there will be no mercy, nothing but awful words ‘Depart from me, ye that work iniquity' (Matt. 7:23), and then be cast into the lake of fire which is the second death which is eternal punishment (Rev. 21:8).

Oh, dear friend, why don't you bow to His Lordship now? Why don't you seek for mercy now? Why don't you look to Christ now for His grace? Soon it will be too late.

Listen as we go further in our study! Rom. 14:6 declares Christ Jesus to be ‘Lord both of the dead and the living.' He is the Lord of the dead, for ‘with Him are the souls of the departed.' As Rev. 1:18 declares, He has the ‘keys of hell and of death.' He has the keys of the dead's respective habitation and knows them all by name, and though nothing but dust remains of their bodies, He has laid it all up securely against the morning of the resurrection, when He will bring them up to be judged.

Hundreds of millions upon millions have died since Adam, dead indeed as to their bodies, but alive as to their souls, more alive, in truth, than they ever were upon earth: and all gathered in some mysterious world under the universal Lordship of Christ. Blessed are those who have died in the Lord, but damnation to those who have died in their sins.

But He is also the Lord of the living upon the earth today, for He fixed the bounds of their habitation, and the number of their months is with Him. It is His to kill and to make alive, for He is Lord. As no accident or disease can remove you, dear friend, till the Lord pleases, so no skill can prolong your life when He shall say, ‘Return ye children of men.' Every man living today will meet death at the Lord's appointed time.

We must all abide His pleasure who ‘Hath the keys of death and hell, who shutteth and no man can open, who openeth and no man can shut.' And it is He who determines the length of our life and the time of our death, who is Lord both of the dead and the living. That is my God and my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Again I Cor. 2:8 pictures our Lord Jesus as the Lord of Glory. Why? Because His glory fills heaven and earth. He received honor and great glory in His condescension to be the Son of Man and as the Son of Man to die upon the cruel cross in the place of His people. Every stripe upon His back was His glory as He suffered in His people's place. Every drop of blood that poured from His body was His glory as He gave it for His people's sins. his separation from the Father was His glory as He went to hell for His people. The giving up of His life in the great cry ‘It is finished' was his glory as He did it gladly for His people.

Surely He is the Lord of glory for He took the spoils of victory with Him as He led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. Surely He is the Lord of glory for He sent back the Great Comforter, the Holy Spirit of God, who is God, to be His people's indwelling salvation. Surely He is the Lord of glory for He has been crowned with great honor as He sits upon His throne in heaven receiving the praise of His people. Listen to those in Rev. 5:12-13, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.' Yes, indeed, He is the Lord of glory, crowned with many crowns.

Again, Acts 10:36 pictures our Lord Jesus Christ as Lord of all, Lord of all power and might, all worlds, all persons, all things, and all events: ‘He hath left nothing that is not put under His feet.' He is Lord of the seasons; He crowns the laborers of the farmer with plenty, as He calls for the famine to chastise the crimes of an ungrateful nation. He is Lord of the elements: the winds are His ministers, and earthquakes and volcanoes fulfill His Word. At His righteous command the hurricanes, tornadoes and cyclones blow and tidal waves come. At His righteous command whole cities are wiped out by fire and plagues and war. Also at His righteous command the fires of revival begin to burn and souls, precious souls, are brought under the convicting power of His Holy Spirit.

Yes, all things are under His feet. He is Lord over all the earth (Micah 4:13). Nothing is too trivial for His notice, not a sparrow, not an insect falls to the ground without His knowledge and consent. How much more does He care for man, choosing the place of his birth and fixing the bounds of his habitation. Then the same sovereign had continues with him in his passage through this life. ‘A man's heart deviseth his way; but the Lord directeth his steps' (Prov. 16:9). Success does not depend upon talent, nor education, nor wealth, nor friends, nor upon any thing else that is human; but on the Lord alone. ‘Promotion cometh neither from the east nor the west; the Lord is Judge, He setteth up one, and putteth down another' (Psalm 75:6).

Dear friend, these things we have spoken of today surely picture our Lord in all His glory as King, Ruler over all. Do you know Him as Lord? Have you bowed at His feet in repentance and faith? Has he come into your heart and subdued you by conquest?

Oh I trust that you know Him. If you do not, then cry after Him and heed Isa. 55:7, ‘Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.'