Pastor Randy Mason

If you want to do work that lasts for the short term invest your life in living for the moment. If you want to do work that lasts a life time invest your life in a career and spend your time climbing the ladder of financial success. If you want to invest in something that will last an eternity invest your life in the lives of others, which will in turn impact not only their lives, but the lives of their friends and family down through the generations and on into eternity.

I think each of our lives represent one of these three examples.

There are those who just live life for the moment. Live, eat and be merry. Do whatever brings instant gratification. Others will invest in work that lasts a lifetime. They work hard, educate themselves, live a moral life, put their kids through school and college and climb the career ladder having been successful in their career, but their motivation for living is just this life and they leave no lasting spiritual legacy. The other group are those who invest in the lives of others. Those who pour their lives into sharing Christ with others and encouraging them to be obedient to the Lordship of Christ.

How do we practically invest our life in the lives of others to the extent that it has an impact throughout eternity. I think the key revolves around the subject, or the doctrine of the Lordship of Christ. Is Christ ruling supreme in your life where every decision you make you are seeking His divine plan, or is Christ just a figment of religious symbolism that you pull out every Sunday when you put your church clothes on and go through the drudgery of going off to church? Depending on how you view the subject of the lordship of Christ will determine if you live for the moment, a lifetime, or for eternity.

Jesus Himself gives the first statement into the significance of the Lordship of Christ. “Why do you call me, Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46).

To make Christ Lord and recognize Jesus Christ as our Lord, the first requirement then is utter and total absolute obedience to Christ. The Lordship of Christ means that we recognize Him for who He is and give Him the honor that He is due. He has earned it. He is worthy of it. He is Lord!

Ultimately our walk with Christ should begin by recognizing and confessing that He is Lord. This is how salvation is obtained. “That if thou shalt confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10).

The Apostle Peter is an example of a man who lived for the moment. When confronted with the question of whether or not he was one of Christ’s followers he lied and denied that he knew Christ. After Peter denied Christ he repented and turned his life over to follow the Lordship of Christ. Once Peter placed Jesus at the pinnacle of His life there was no more denying, no more doubting, no more arguing. Peter is now living for eternity.

When we come to grips with who the risen savior really is there will be no more vacillations, no more apathy, no more denying, no more living for the moment, but living totally for Jesus and influencing people into the family of God that will have a profound impact one million years from now because we invested our lives in people by bringing them to Jesus.

The Lordship of Christ will affect our lives in three ways. 1) The Lordship of Christ will radically change our worldview. We will now approach life with a Christ centered worldview where everything we do is motivated by our desire to please our Savior Jesus Christ.

2) The lordship of Christ will change our behavior. Both our minds and our wills must submit to the obedience of Christ. The life that exhibits the lordship of Christ is a Christian who has put the selfish ambitions and desires of the flesh in there proper place, the place of death and then takes on the life of union and communion with Christ and goes out and lives his or her faith in a way that has lasting eternal consequence.

3) The Lordship of Christ will change our relationships. The elements of our relationships that are not Christ honoring whether it is cultural, familial, tradition, or whatever is not Christ honoring in our relationships will fall away and we will take up new relationships where Christ is at the center.

I want to encourage you to make Christ the Lord of your life and get busy impacting the world for Christ that will leave an eternal legacy. Only one life to live and only that which is done for Christ will last.

Pastor, Randy Mason

Liberty Baptist Church