Walk to Easter, Luke 6: Christ's Lordship Requires our Obedience

"Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?" Luke 6:46

As we continue in our walk through the book of Luke, we find ourselves this evening at chapter 6. In this chapter, Jesus asserts his lordship. He is king over all, and he demands obedience from his followers. He shows this in how he is the Lord of the Sabbath (6:1-11) and in his kingdom teachings given in the Sermon on the Plain (6:20-49). In this sermon, Jesus gives men ethical standards to live by, such as loving your neighbor and not judging others. At the end of this sermon, we find him giving the famous parable of the house on the rock. Yet before this parable, he makes an interesting statement that I'd like to look at tonight.

In Luke 6:46, Jesus asks a question: "Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?" This question really hit me this evening, and as we look into it, I hope it will convict you as well. Look what Jesus is saying here: there are many who are calling Jesus "Lord" yet not obeying him. The term "Lord" here simply refers to one who is in a position of authority or a master. There were many who were calling Jesus "Lord" or "master," but they weren't really living as if it were true. Their words stated that Jesus was their Lord, but their hearts did not. And it is this great travesty that will ultimately deceive men into thinking that they are saved, though they are not.

You see, Jesus is Lord. He is the highest authority, he is the Master. We do not "make" Christ Lord. However, we can respond to his lordship rightly, or we can respond to his lordship wrongly. To respond rightly is to do all of his commands, and even to build your life upon them, as the man who built his house on the rock did, and thus be saved. Or, hearing his teaching, we can reject it, refusing to respond in obedience, and thus calling Christ "Lord, Lord" in vain.

What I want to ask all of this evening is this: have we responded correctly to the Lordship of Christ? Many times, we are hypocrites, claiming to be "Christians" yet following the pattern of this world. How have you, in your own life in the past week, said with your mouth that Jesus was "Lord," yet your heart has been far from him?

Let me encourage you this evening: do not be like the Pharisees. Yes! Proclaim that Jesus is Lord! Proclaim it to your friends, to your coworkers, and to your family members. But also, live as it is true.

As we continue to walk towards Easter, let us note that in this point in the story, Jesus is establishing his kingdom authority. He is showing the world who he is, and he is proving that he is the Son of God. However, persecution is quick to come. the religious men of the day are soon to be annoyed with him and desirous of his death. But let us not get ahead of ourselves...