Chapter 13

LORDSHIP: THE ANSWER TO
REBELLION

IN THE LAST FEW CHAPTERS of this book, we have been looking at pictures of God’s people in rebellion. We have seen the absolute failure of such an attitude, and the Lord has been speaking to our hearts, challenging us to see ourselves mirrored in their behavior.

In this chapter I want us to look at a man who is a picture of just the opposite behavior. This man is almost an unknown in our Bible stories; he is so overshadowed by the others around him. But before we turn to find him, look with me in Luke, chapter 2, to where we see, once more, the Christmas story.

Do you know who were the first preachers of the gospel during the earthly lifetime of our Lord Jesus? It always surprises some people to find that the gospel was being proclaimed within minutes of the birth of the Lord Jesus. Verse 9 begins the story of the angels and their visit to the shepherds. Verses 10 and 11 record the first gospel message ever preached during the life of Christ here on this earth: “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

This was the message preached, and now look in verse 14 and see what this message was intended to produce here on earth: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” A twofold message was to bring a three fold result. But when we compare the words of the angels with the world around us, we see a tremendous difference. We see no glory to God, no peace on earth, and certainly no good will among men. Sadly, if we compare the words of the angels with the lives of many Christians, we still find no glory to God, no peace in their hearts, and an absence of love and goodwill to others.

Yet the reason for this failure is not hard to find. The angels brought a twofold message which was to have a three fold result. Many believers have responded to only one part of the angelic message, which is why there is no fulfillment in their hearts. The angels’ message said, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” They spoke of a Saviour who is also Lord. I find this lack of response to Christ’s lordship is one of the greatest sources of weakness and failure in many Christians lives, both young and old.

Every Christian appreciates Jesus as Saviour. It is so satisfying to know sins are forgiven and be assured of a home in heaven. It brings a warm sense of security in a world so full of uncertainty. But such a limited response will never bring the glory, the peace, and the goodwill. The threefold result can only be realized when the twofold message is fully
responded to, and Jesus becomes not only Saviour but Lord.

Why is there this natural hesitancy to hold back from making Jesus Lord of our lives? I see it in every walk of life, pastors, missionaries, church officers, teachers; all of us are ready to call Him Saviour, but calling Him Lord, in the real meaning, is another thing. Oh yes, many people address Him as Lord. I often hear beautiful prayers full of love to Christ. During such prayers I hear the phrase “Dear Lord Jesus” said with much affection and obvious sincerity. It sounds good; however, the word Lord is not a term of affection, but a term of ownership.

In Luke 6:46 Jesus said, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” The one test of submission to lordship is obedience. The idea comes from the lord/slave relationship. If He is my Lord, then I am His slave. A slave had no rights of his own, no possessions, no will- nothing of his own. He was the property of his master. The Bible teaches that we are not our own, but have been bought with a price. Because He bought us, He owns us. We are His slaves, and He is our Lord. The fact that I am faithful and obedient to my Lord and Saviour does not imply any wonderful spirituality in me; this is normal slave behavior.

It is good to realize who pays the price with relation to these two names. When we call Him Saviour, we are acknowledging that He has saved us. The other side of John 3:16 is 1 John 3:16, for it tells us, “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us.” God the Son laid
down His life for us; Jesus paid it all. That is why we call Him Saviour. It costs us nothing to have Him as our Saviour, because all the price was paid by Him.

When we come to the name Lord, it is a different story. If Jesus is to be my Lord, then I am to be His slave. I must give up all that I am and have. I must renounce my rights to my own life. I pay the price of submission to Lordship or I don’t, whichever the case may be. Christians freely call Jesus “Saviour”; salvation is God’s free gift, and it costs them nothing. Many hold back on yielding to His lordship; it costs too much. God has no bargain basement. The cost of submission to His lordship has not changed since it was first introduced. It cannot be increased, because it takes all that I am and have. It will not be decreased because if Jesus is not Lord of all, then He is not Lord at all.

The name Saviour is connected with His saving death; the name Lord is connected with His saving life. Saviour denotes Him as my Advocate in heaven, the One who pleads His precious blood before the throne of God. Lord indicates Him as the One to whom I bring my old broken, failing behavior pattern. As I learn to commit myself to Him step-by-step (as
we saw in chapter 5), then He builds a new behavior pattern. As I commit my ways, then He directs my path; but He can only do so when my hands are off my life, and He is Lord.

The sad thing is that so many Christians react to the idea of lordship as if they were going to lose out on living. They feel that when they yield their lives to Christ, it is goodbye to all the joy and peace and delights of life. From then on, it is a grim, slogging, grinding experience. This is far from the truth. When I make Him Lord, then I am finished with rebellion. The end of rebellion means the restoration of fellowship, as we saw in Genesis, chapters 2 and 3. And this is why we were created, to have fellowship with God. I never fulfill the purpose for my being created until I make Him Lord, But when I do fulfill the purpose of my creation, only then does life make sense.

Jesus never takes from a person anything that is worthy and honorable. He always adds to the life of the believer. His lordship, which costs me everything, adds to my life a totally new dimension in living. If my faith costs me nothing, then it is worth nothing. If it costs me everything, then it is worth everything.

This chapter is entitled “Lordship: the Answer to Rebel lion.” I want us now to look at that special character who so perfectly demonstrates for us the cost of submitting to His lordship.

I have heard many messages concerning the Christmas story. Messages that refer, of course, to Mary and the baby Jesus, then to the shepherds, the wise men, the angels, the inn that had no room; but rarely have I heard a message about Joseph. And yet the more I have thought about this man, the more I have realized what kind of character he had. Consider for a moment that God had to choose a man who was going to be responsible for raising His own Son. He had the whole of history from which to make this choice. Who would you choose to raise your son, if this was the way it had to be? A rich man could provide for all his needs. A scholar would give him the best education. A king could give him power. God could have chosen anybody, and yet He chose Joseph. This should surely mark this man out as being someone super special. No wealth, no educational achievements, no power, no genteel sheltered life; just a pair of hard, calloused hands and the skills of a village carpenter, and yet he
was God’s own selection.

As we look into Joseph’s story, we find that there is not a single word recorded as spoken by him. Much was said and spoken by Mary, but Joseph is the strong, silent man. He is not known for what he said, but only for what he did. If we select the passages in Matthew’s gospel where we meet him, we find a noteworthy set of consistent acts. We meet Joseph in four places, and each time he has a real problem on his hands.

We see in Matthew 1:18-19 that he is battling with one of the biggest problems that could ever face a man. The girl he loves and to whom he is engaged has suddenly become pregnant. The child she is bearing is not his. Now what should he do? By the Jewish law she could suffer a severe
punishment, if he wishes to raise the matter. But no, he is courteous and kind enough to consider simply breaking off the engagement. And then we read in verse 20: “But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream.” How strange, God spoke to him in a dream.

After the birth of Jesus, Joseph has a problem once more. Herod is on the attack, but “behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream” (v. 2:13). Once more, God met him in a dream. Later he is in Egypt, and again we read, “behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph” (v. 2:19) . Finally, when he is perplexed as to where to go, “notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee” (v. 22).

Four times he has dealings with God, and each time it is by a dream. We could truly call him Joseph the Dreamer. But notice this: he was God’s man, and God chose him for the superb excellence of his character. In each case God told him to follow a certain line of action, and it is thrilling to see his immediate response to the lordship of God. Never once did he question how or why; in each case the Bible gives his response not in words, but in actions. We shall see that after each dream, we find three verbs. The whole story of Joseph is a four-times-repeated incident: the dream, followed by three verbs.

Let us weigh the cost of submission to lordship in the life of Joseph. In the first dream, God told him to marry Mary. What a challenge, to marry a pregnant girl—totally against all his principles and his pride and his culture! To marry a bride who was not a virgin was completely unacceptable. But see what Joseph did: “Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife” (Mt 1:24). Notice the three verbs: “being raised,” “did,” “took.” Not a word of argument or pleading or resistance, just immediate obedience. He sacrificed his honor.

At the time of the second dream, the wise men had just departed, leaving Mary and Joseph bewildered by the magnificence and glory of their visit. “And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt” (2: 13). Just consider the implications of this demand from God. Here he was being asked to leave his own country, to become a refugee, and to fly to another country. What an ordeal—to leave his own land, God’s land, to become a total stranger, going to a foreign country where he did not know the language, and to walk all the way. The natural fear and nervousness against making such a move must have risen up in his heart. But see his response: “When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt” (2:14). There are the three verbs once more: “he arose,” “he took,” “he departed.” Don’t miss those two words by night. His obedience was such that he went immediately. How easy to have said, “Let us wait until it is day; now it is dark and dangerous outside,” but no, he was God’s man any time, all the time.

The third demand came when he was safely settled in Egypt. Being a good carpenter, he would soon find himself in a successful business. He was out of all danger. No one knew who they were. Herod’s spies did not reach into Egypt. All was well, and then God called again. God called Joseph to leave his new home, the very first home that he and Mary had established, to return to Israel, to the domination of Rome, to the uncertainty of the future.

Verse 21 shows his immediate obedience in the three verbs: “he arose,” “and took,” “and came.” He left his security and his success—because he was God’s obedient man.

In the fourth dream he is faced with a problem of choice. Judaea was the best place to be; it was David’s country, where his people belonged. But God had other plans. God wanted him back where he began, back to Nazareth, to the old place where he was well known. And so Joseph is warned once more in a dream, and once more we read the set of three
words: “being warned of God, in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee.”

“And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth.” He turned aside . . . he came . . . and dwelt.

And that is all we have in the Bible concerning God’s dealing with and through Joseph. What a man—no rebellion, just a constant obedience to God. This was the man who raised the boy Jesus and gave to Him the example of an obedient servant. There would be much busyness in that
home in Nazareth as the years went by, but as long as Joseph was there, God had a man he could trust. What a reward Joseph had for his obedience—he had real family fellowship with the Son of God. For the rest of his life, he walked with God. Even when he died, the boy he raised, the Son of God, was there to comfort him in death.

These are the kind of people God is looking for today. Maybe little nobodies, of no importance in the eyes of this world, but as long as Jesus is both Saviour and Lord of their lives, God can still do His mighty work through their yielded lives.