Bible Devotion - 4/21/2021

The year was 1995. It was called "Global Mission with Billy Graham."  It took over a year to pull off and by the end of the event it would be the largest single evangelistic effort in the history of Christianity.

Bob Williams who was the Director of International Ministries for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, had set an incredible goal:  Through the medium of satellite technology, he wanted to reach the largest audience ever to hear a series of messages by Billy Graham.  In order to appreciate the size and scope of what he was trying to pull off, these are just some of the things that were involved:

• 185 countries participated by satellite. 
• The event was broadcast in 117 different languages. 
• It took over 300 hours of transmission time from 10 uplink antennas to 29 time zones, using 30 different satellites. 
• 1 billion people viewed the broadcast television special in 117 countries all at the same time.
• It took 10 miles of video and audio cable. 
• 45 digital beta cam recorders (the most in any one location of the world) 
• Digital trans-Atlantic satellite transmission 
• 75 technical personnel on a 24-hour per day schedule 
• Equipment valued at $15 million.

Dear Christian, can you imagine speaking to, and being heard by one billion people at the same time?  Let me ask you a question.  If you could speak to the nearly 9 billion people alive on this planet right now and you could only say 4 words to them, what would you say?  Here is what I would say?  I would say what one-day every person who has ever lived is going to say and that is…."Jesus Christ is Lord."

The name Jesus literally means "Jehovah saves."  Jesus is His HUMAN NAME.  As Jesus, He is our mediator.  He stands between sinful man and holy God.  As sinless man He takes the hand of God; and as saving God, He takes the hand of man and joins the two together and becomes our MEDIATOR.

1 Timothy 2:5  For [there is] one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

He is also called Jesus Christ.  The name Christ literally means "Anointed One."  Christ is His HOLY NAME.  As Christ He is our Messiah.  The Jesus of the New Testament is the Messiah of the Old Testament.   Jesus is not only the Gentile Savior, He is the Jewish MESSIAH.

But His last name is the name which is above every name, which one day everyone will say, and that is, Lord.  Lord is His HEAVENLY NAME.  As Lord He is our MASTER.

Now the name Lord has several meanings. It could mean Sovereign, it can mean Master, it can mean Ruler, it can mean King. They are all so rich because they describe the way we relate to Jesus, and the way He relates to us.

A great preacher once said:
"Let a man get right on the lordship of Christ and he is right all down the line on every issue.  It means that the flagship of the fleet is the lordship of Christ, and if that ship leads all the other ships—— church membership, fellowship, discipleship, stewardship, worship, will follow the flagship!"

So, the question before you today is not “Is Jesus Christ Lord?” That has been established whether you believe it or not.  The question is:  Is He your Lord?  To help you answer that ask yourself these 4 questions:

1. Why did Jesus die? 
2. Why was Jesus buried? 
3. Why was Jesus raised from the dead? 
4. Why is He alive and reigning on the throne of the universe right now?

Now the answer usually given to that is:  "To save us from our sins."  That is a good answer, but it is only a partially true answer. Here is a more thorough answer to that question?  Romans 14:9 says this...
For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
 
Jesus did not just die to cleanse you as Savior, He died so that you can claim him as Lord. In fact, that is exactly the way we are to preach the Lord Jesus. Paul said in 2 Cor. 4:5....
For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.

Now Jesus is our Savior, and He is also our Redeemer, and we are to preach Him as both.  But we are primarily to preach Jesus Christ as Lord.  If you have asked God to save, then you have made the greatest decision that you could ever make, but in reality, you really made your last decision.  Because the moment you come to Jesus Christ as Lord, He is to make all the decisions from then on.  You are just to carry them out.

When the Apostle Paul met Jesus on the Damascus Road, he asked him the two greatest questions anybody could ever ask.  The first question he asked was before he got saved; the second question he asked was after he got saved.

The first question was: "Who art thou Lord?"  We understood just exactly who the Lord was and who the Lord is.  His second question was: "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" (Acts 9:5-6)

Jesus saves us as Lord, and therefore we are to serve Him as Lord.   That is why the bible says in Romans 10:9….
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.
 
If you are reading this today and saying to yourself, "Well, I have accepted Jesus as my Savior, but I've never received Him as my Lord," then you do not understand the gospel and the cross of Christ.   We do not dissect Jesus and take Him as savior and refuse Him as our Lord.  We are to receive Him as Lord and Savior.

On a similar note, we cannot make Jesus Lord.  God has already done that because in Acts 2:36 it tells us...
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

 If we are simply looking for eternal fire insurance then we mustn’t come to Jesus because He's not an insurance agent, He is Lord of all!

So, the question is not: "Is Jesus Christ Lord?"  That has been settled.  The question is: "Is He your Lord?"  Have you surrendered your life to Him?  If not, stop what you are doing right now, bow your head and acknowledge His rightful ownership over your life.  Declare Him to be “Your Lord” today!


Bro. Jeff