#51 Lu. 6:46 CALLING JESUS LORD

Introduction:

    In this text Jesus asked a question.  He asked, "Why call ye me, Lord,
Lord...?"   Actually the question in its entirety is,  "Why call ye me,
Lord, Lord and do not the things which I say?"

I.  This question as directed to that crowd

    This question is a part of the Sermon On The Mount.  According to
Matthew when Jesus first started preaching this sermon He and His disciples
were seated alone up in the top of a mountain.  Yet in Luke 6:17 He is
standing on a plain or level spot.  Apparently what happened was that as the
sermon progressed, He and His disciples were able to see other people coming
out of the towns to hear Him.  So He and His disciples came part of the way
down the mountain to a somewhat level spot on the mountainside.  There a
large crowd of people gathered.  Many came to be healed.  Some came to see
the miracles.  Some came to hear Him preach and teach.  Some Bible students
think that Jesus merely started the sermon all over again and preached the
whole sermon from its beginning to this larger group of people.  He may
have.  I don't know.  He may have just taken up where he left off.
    Needless to say, Jesus had already made a reputation for Himself by this
time as a man sent from God.  His reputation was made partially by the
miracles He performed.  You can understand that His miracles would attract a
lot of attention.  Even Nicodemus, when he came to Jesus, said, "No man can
do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him," John 3:2.
    Another way that Jesus had gained a reputation as a man sent from God
was by the great teaching and preaching that He had done in the synagogues.
In whatever town He went to He would go to the worship services at the
synagogue on the sabbath day. It got to the point that everywhere He went
they would ask Him to speak in the synagogue services.  At first they asked
Him to speak chiefly out of respect for the great miracles He had done.  But
it did not take long for people to recognize that God was not only with Him
in the working of the miracles.  God was with Him in His preaching and
teaching.  One of the remarks recorded in Scripture that was said about Him
was, "Never man spake like this man," John 7:46.
    So a lot of people had come out of the towns and villages to see and
hear Jesus as a man sent from God, a prophet from God.  That is how most
folds thought of Him---as a prophet sent from God.  And He was a prophet,
but He was more than just a prophet.  Some few had already realized that He
is more than a prophet.  He is the very Christ, the Son of the Living God.
He is One of the Holy Trinity.  He is Deity God dwelling in human flesh.
    They would all address Him as "Lord."  When they spoke to Him or spoke
about Him they called Him "Lord."  Now the word, Lord, is a term of great
respect.  It referred primarily to an owner of a great estate. He would
usually be a slave owner or slave master.  It could refer to a high
governmental official or magistrate.  It could refer to any great personage.
It would especially be appropriate to use this word with reference to a
king.  Because interfered to a high exalted personage, it  was also
appropriate to use this word with reference to Deity God---and it was.  You
will find verses in Scripture that speaks of God the Father as being Lord
and you will find verses that refer to Jesus Christ as being Lord.  But the
point that I am making is that the word was not used exclusively to speak of
Deity God.  Even in Scripture the word was used primarily to refer to the
owner of an estate, the master of slaves.
    The disciples of Jesus and certain others had come to speak of Jesus as
being Lord.  They most certainly knew that He was not the owner of a huge
estate in the usual sense.  Yet they had come to look upon Him as being Lord
of a much greater estate than the mere ownership of land and business and
slaves.  They looked upon Jesus as being the Christ, the Son of the Living
God.  They looked upon Him as being Deity God in human flesh. As God He was
owner of all the world and all the universe.  Furthermore, they looked upon
themselves as being slaves to Jesus Christ.  They looked upon Him as being
their owner.  They were His property and He was the One who had every right
as their owner to direct their lives.  He had the right to tell them what to
do and what not to do.  He had not yet bought them with His own blood, but
they knew Him to be the Messiah King whom God had promised who would sit
upon King David's throne.
    But now Jesus addresses certain ones in the crowd who had gathered on
the mountain side and directs His question to them.  It is a rather pointed
question.  V.  46, "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things
which I say?" These men were not His disciples.  They did not own Him as
their Lord.  They called Him Lord, but they did not even attempt to obey His
commands.
    Why did these call Him "Lord"?  It is obvious that they did not believe
that He is the Christ.  It is obvious that they did not believe that He is
Deity God.  If they had believed that He is the Messiah, the Christ, the Son
of God in human flesh, then they would at least have been seeking to do the
things that He commanded.  No doubt they had heard men say that He is the
Christ, but they had not yet believe that He is the Christ.
    Now the question is:  Why would they call Him "Lord" if they did not
believe that He is the Christ?  That is a good question.
    The answer is that some called Him "Lord" because of His great
reputation as a miracle worker and as a great speaker.  They thought of Him
as a prophet of God who worked miracles by the power of God and made great
speeches by the Holy Spirit of God.  But there was no way that they thought
of Him as being Deity God.
    It would seem, however, that even if they recognized Him only as a
prophet of God that they would seek to obey Him.  A prophet of God would
speak the word of God and the word of God should be obeyed.  Why address Him
even as a prophet of God and then not obey Him?  It doesn't make sense.
Does it?
    Now some, such as the scribes and Pharisees addressed Him as "Lord"
simply because the great masses of people did.  Everybody else was calling
Him "Lord" and so they did, too.  They surely would not wish to offend the
great masses of people by neglecting to use this term of respect when
addressing Him.  So they called Him "Lord" because everybody else did.
    Now, the scribes and Pharisees most certainly did not believe that Jesus
is the Christ.  They did not even believe in Him as a prophet of God.  They
stubbornly refused to recognize Him either as prophet or as the Christ.
Their refusal to obey Him was a deliberate act on their part.  Publicly they
would pretend to show respect to Jesus by calling Him "Lord," but in their
hearts they had nothing but contempt for Him and the very idea that they
should obey Him was repelling to them.
    No doubt the scribes and Pharisees were not the only ones who took this
kind of attitude toward Jesus.  There were almost certain to be others in
that crowd who had rejected Him as the Christ of God.  Like the Pharisees,
they called Him "Lord, Lord," but they did not obey the things He said.
    In all probability there were some who at this point did not believe,
but they were not opposed to the idea that He might be the Christ.  They had
not rejected the idea.  They were even giving consideration to the idea, But
they simply were not at this point persuaded that Jesus is the Christ.  They
called Him "Lord, Lord," but they did not as yet obey Him because as of yet
they were not believers in Him as the Christ.
    The fact is that if one truly believes that Jesus is Lord in the same
sense that those disciples believed He is Lord, he ought to obey Jesus.  If
one believes that Jesus is the Christ of God---if he believes that Jesus is
Deity God dwelling in human flesh---if one believes that Jesus is the
Messiah King who will sit on David's throne and rule the whole world---if
one believes that Jesus is the One to whom God the Father has committed all
judgment and that Jesus will judge him in the end, then he ought to do what
Jesus has instructed him to do.
    Even if one believes only that Jesus is merely a prophet of God, then he
ought to obey Jesus.  As I said earlier, a prophet of God speaks the word of
God and the word of God ought to be obeyed.
    Surely if one goes beyond believing that Jesus is a prophet and believes
that He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, then he most certainly
ought to obey Him.  As God Jesus is Almighty and All Wise and His word ought
to be obeyed.  As Almighty God into whose hand all judgment is committed
then somewhere down the line He is going to judge every man.
    The question in our text was not directed to the disciples of Jesus, but
there is a sense in which it does well apply to them.  Why would His
disciples believe in Jesus as the Christ, speak of Jesus Christ as being
their Lord and then turn right around and disobey Him?  It most certainly
was not because of any disbelief on their part.  They were all true
believers with the exception of Judas Iscariot.  The answer is that even
those disciples, who were true believers in Jesus, failed to be in complete
obedience to our Lord.  Jesus instructed them to love one another and to
prefer that good would come to the other fellow rather than to self.  But
instead of obeying that command, the disciples were, at one point of time,
filled with petty jealousies and wanting the greater blessing for self.
They got in an argument over who would be the greatest in the Kingdom of
God.  Jesus said, "If you love me, keep my commandments." But instead of
obeying that command, some of them got afraid that they were going to do
more work in the cause of Christ than somebody else.  Some of them even
dared to ask Jesus, "What about this other particular fellow?  What is he
going to do?" Jesus rebuked them saying (and I paraphrase), "If he does
nothing but sit around until I return, what is that to thee?  You do what I
have commanded you to do!"

II.  The question as it applies to the world today

    But now let us apply this question to the world about us today?  Why
do people even in our day and time call Jesus "Lord, Lord" and then not do
the things that He commands?  The answer to that question for a lot of
people is the same as it was for a lot of people back in the days of Jesus
on earth.  They call Him "Lord" because that is what everybody else around
them call Him, but they have neither trusted Him as their Savior nor
recognized Him as their Lord.  This is just a term they have always heard
used with reference to Jesus and so they use it.
    There are some who call Jesus "Lord" and yet do not what He has said
because they are religious but lost.  They are religious in their thinking.
They have joined some kind of church.  They participate in their church
activity.  Some of them even hold offices in their church system, but they
have never trusted Jesus as Savior.  They use this term of respect and
reverence toward Jesus, but they have never yet been born again.  They have
never yet been saved, let alone recognize Jesus as the ruler of their lives.
    Then there are some who have been saved, but they still have not made
Jesus Lord and Master of their lives.  They let the flesh nature dominate
their thinking.  They let the flesh nature dominate their action.  There are
people who have made professions, followed Jesus in baptism, then after a
very brief period of activity in church, they have not darkened a church
door in years.  If you talk to them about Jesus they still call Him "Lord,"
but they do not do the things that Jesus has commanded.
    Now I must admit, there is a sense in which this text applies even to
the best of Christian.  You take someone who has been truly saved, who truly
loves the Lord, and who truly tries to live the Christian life, there are
still some ways even in his life that he does not do the thing that Jesus
has commanded.  He has let down the gap in some way.  He has failed to be as
dedicated as he ought to be and as yielded to Master's command as he ought
to be.  There is no excuse for this negligence, there is no acceptable
explanation.  He simply has let the unregenerate flesh nature take control
of this part of his life.  He has let the Devil have the victory in this
particular case.  He has, in this particular matter, failed the Lord who
saved His soul.
    Now frankly, I do not know of a Christian anywhere who has not failed in
this respect.  I think you will admit to the same thing.  But one of the
points that Jesus was making and that I am making here to you today is that
if you call Jesus "Lord" it ought to be genuine.  It ought to be for real.
It ought not to be merely a term of respect that you use simply because that
is what everybody else calls Him.  If you call Him "Lord, Lord" you ought to
really believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God.  You
ought to really know Him as your personal Savior.  You ought to be a genuine
born-again believer.  You ought to be saved.
    Furthermore, you ought not only to be saved, but you ought to seek to be
obedient to the teachings of Jesus.  You ought to do what Jesus commands.
If you claim Jesus to be your Lord then you ought to be in obedience to His
commands.  To fail to even try to live your life to Him after you have
professed to believe in Him as Lord is nothing short of hypocrisy.
    Furthermore, there is room for improvement in every one of us.  No
matter how strong our faith is in Jesus Christ, no matter how dedicated we
are to His cause, there is still some things we need to be working on to get
our lives in line with the will of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Conclusion:

    Let me ask you this question: Do you from time to time use the term,
Lord,  with reference to Jesus?  Do you ever call Him "Lord?"  Do you really
believe that Jesus is Lord?  Have you trusted Him as your personal Savior"?
Have you sought to surrender your life to Him to let Him be in control of
your life.  Do you willingly let Jesus tell you how to live your life?  Do
you seek to stop doing those things that you know to be displeasing to Him?
Have you undertaken to do those things that Jesus has instructed you in His
word to do?
    Listen, if you have not yet turned to Jesus and trusted Him as your
Savior, then right now is a good time for you to get this matter settled
with God.  You see, you are going to stand before Jesus one of these days
and He is going to be your Judge.  There will be no doubt in your mind that
then that He is Lord and Savior.  You had better not wait until then to call
on Him as ask Him to save your soul.  You had better get that job done
today.
    If you are saved then I think you know that you ought to give Jesus
complete control of you life.  The more you let Jesus have His way the
greater will be your joy even in this life.  There is no way in this world
that you can be happy outside of letting Jesus have His way with your life.
Won't you come today and let the Master take control?  If so, then step out
and come as we sing our invitation hymn.