JESUS IS LORD
Here’s the sequence:
Jesus is LORD is our personal declaration
Our daily formation
And our life proclamation
In other words, we can’t claim JESUS AS LORD politically if He hasn’t transformed us personally.
Politics and political engagement is VERY important to me as a Christian…
But we have more people who can quote the news than Scripture
Know politics better than theology
If we’re going to declare JESUS AS LORD for our political mantra it must first be our personal one.
Paul, to the Romans, (A highly political book addressed to the politically divided church of Rome)… says…
Romans 1:3-4 New Living Translation
3 The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, 4 and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.
JESUS IS LORD as our PERSONAL SALVATION
Romans 1:3-4 New Living Translation
3 The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, 4 and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 10:9-13 New Living Translation
9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. 11 As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” 12 Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. 13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Philippians 2:9-11 New Living Translation
9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
and gave him the name above all other names,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Revelation 19 characterizes the return of Christ and says:
Revelation 19:16 New Living Translation
16 On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.
THIS IS OUR PERSONAL MANTRA OF OUR SALVATION!
IT HAS TO start here… if we know who SAVES us we fear what the
world can do.
Romans 8:31: If God is for me, who can be against me?
JESUS IS LORD as our DAILY PRACTICE
Jesus is Lord isn’t a one-time declaration but a roadmap for daily living!
1 Corinthians 8:3-7 New Living Translation
3 But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.
4 So, what about eating meat that has been offered to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God. 5 There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords. 6 But for us,
There is one God, the Father,
by whom all things were created,
and for whom we live.
And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ,
through whom all things were created,
and through whom we live.
7 However, not all believers know this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated.
Colossians 1:16-18 New Living Translation
16 for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
17 He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.
18 Christ is also the head of the church,
which is his body.
He is the beginning,
supreme over all who rise from the dead.
So he is first in everything.
1 Peter 3:15 New Living Translation
15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.
JESUS IS LORD as our POLITICAL RESPONSE
Mark 12:13-17 New Living Translation
13 Later the leaders sent some Pharisees and supporters of Herod to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested. 14 “Teacher,” they said, “we know how honest you are. You are impartial and don’t play favorites. You teach the way of God truthfully. Now tell us—is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay them, or shouldn’t we?”
Jesus saw through their hypocrisy and said, “Why are you trying to trap me? Show me a Roman coin, and I’ll tell you.” 16 When they handed it to him, he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
17 “Well, then,” Jesus said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”
His reply completely amazed them.
v13 — Pharisees and Romans finally agree: Jesus has to go
Caesar was a title of deity given to a Roman Emperor.
It came after Julius Caesar declared himself god.
After: Octavius, Augustus, Gaius, would all take on the title and the claim to be god.
On the coin in Latin: “Divine Caesar son of a god”
The Roman creed declared, “Caesar is Lord” but Christians declared “Jesus is Lord.”
This would later become the same charge Paul and Silas would experience in Thessalonica:
Acts 17:7 New Living Translation
7 And Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all guilty of treason against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another king, named Jesus.”
So they question Jesus 👇
Answers:
He says don’t pay taxes, He’s in rebellion. Treason.
He says pay them… Jews hate Rome, He’s opposed them.
LITTLE MORE CONTEXT
The Roman coin represented more than taxes, although, Rome was notoriously known for and hated for their taxation.
The Jews touted themselves as the free people of God, but since the Babylonian captivity they’ve been enslaved and forced to pay taxes to their captors. Not to mention the inscriptions on the coin, “Divine Caesar son of God”… it was a total slap in the face. Jews hated touching the coins, let alone spending them.
More context…
One of the slogans of the Jewish revolt against the Maccabeans 200 yrs earlier “Pay back the gentiles what they deserved, and obey the law!”
JESUS RESPONSE: They want it? LET THEM HAVE IT! It means nothing to the true God.
Will Durrant:
There is no greater drama in human record than the sight of a few Christians, scorned or oppressed by a succession of emperors, bearing all trials with a fierce tenacity, multiplying quietly, building order while their enemies generated chaos, fighting the sword with the word, brutality with hope, and at last defeating the strongest state that history has known. Caesar and Christ had met in the arena, and Christ had won.
Jesus defeated Ceasar
Ceasar built the Roman empire through violence, overthrowing other cities with murder, violence, and crucifying people who questioned him.
Jesus came, took on Ceasar, and bore the wrath of all that sin, took it to the cross, and DEFEATED IT… ROSE in the face of oppression, violence, and dominance by force, and set a new precedent for becoming scarifical love in the face of political oppression.
Our question as followers of Jesus: Has our Jesus defeated Ceasar or have we merely made him Ceasar? Are we violently opposed to anything but our perspective, not being peacemakers but instead radical policy makers… CAN WE BECOME THE PEOPLE OF JESUS AND DEFEAT THE CHALLENGES OF POLITICAL OPPRESSION IN OUR WORLD NOT BY OUR WILL TO FIGHT BUT BY BECOMING THE GREATEST SACRIFICAL LOVE THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN IT THE MIDST OF IT?
Colossians 3:10-11 New Living Translation
10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. 11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized,slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.
One of the critiques of the early church was its UNITY. Bringing people from all walks of life, all socioeconomic statuses, and all ethnicities.
Jesus welcomed: Children, women, tax collectors, sinners.
He defeats the violence and rage with the exact opposite.
Sermon Questions
- Personal Declaration: In Romans 10:9-13, Paul emphasizes that salvation comes through openly declaring Jesus as Lord and believing in His resurrection. How has your personal relationship with Jesus shaped the way you live out this declaration daily? What areas of your life need further transformation to fully reflect that Jesus is Lord?
- Daily Formation: 1 Peter 3:15 calls us to worship Christ as Lord of our lives and to be ready to explain the hope we have in Him. In what ways can you make “Jesus is Lord” a guiding principle for your daily decisions and actions? How can this mindset affect the way you approach challenges and interactions with others?
- Political Response: Jesus distinguished between earthly and heavenly authority when asked about paying taxes (Mark 12:13-17). How does understanding Jesus as Lord influence the way you engage with political or social issues? In what ways can you model Jesus’ sacrificial love and peace in a world often divided by political perspectives?