Jesus: My Lord and Savior

"JESUS: MY LORD AND SAVIOR" - this is the first message in a new series "Name Above All Names." The person of Jesus Christ is the defining reality that makes the Christian faith unique. Between now and Easter we will look at this man whose name is truly "above all names."


The Jesus story really does not make any sense unless you understand the situation of fallen humanity. Look at how the Bible describes the situation of human beings:

ISAIAH 53:6. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. (nlt)

ROMANS 3:10. No one is righteous — not even one. (nlt)

ROMANS 3:23. Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. (nlt)

The language is stunningly clear - this is the situation in which ALL of us find ourselves - we are all in the "same boat." Unless you understand this plight or dilemma, the work of Jesus will make no sense.

But despite this dilemma, the Good News is that we are not on our own. God has intervened. That is the heart of the message of John 3:16 - sometimes called "the gospel in miniature."


JOHN 3:16. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (nkjv)

This verse also describes the new possibilities that come to those who are "in Christ":

2 CORINTHIANS 5:17. If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! (nrsv)

So what does it mean to call Jesus my Lord and Savior?

ROMANS 10:9. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (nlt)

This verse reminds us that our hope is connected both to our verbal expression of faith - what we say - as well as our behavioral expression of faith - the "heart" - the inner transformation that goes beyond just words..."walking the talk," you might say!

Think about these two words - Lord...Savior...

To call Jesus “Savior” is to receive his forgiveness.

To call Jesus “Lord” is to submit to his authority.

To call Jesus "Savior" is hard for some folks. To call Jesus "Lord" is hard for almost everyone, because we are not accustomed to bowing to authority. We prefer to be in charge!

LUKE 9:20. He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” (nrsv)

Regardless of what anyone else has to say - this is the defining question - who do YOU say that he is?


Pastor Mike Slaughter (my mentor from 1996-1999 in my doctor of ministry program in Ohio) writes very eloquently about the power of calling Jesus Lord:

The church has a tendency to lose this clear focus on the person of Jesus Christ and to retreat into a vague theism. This can be seen in much of the theology of the 1960s: "God is love...love is God."

The message and focus of the New Testament church was not a vague concept of a benevolent God. it was a message of radical faith in the person of Jesus Christ.

Jesus was not the example of truth. He was the CAUSE of truth. Every act of the New Testament church was attributed to Jesus. There was no identity in God or salvation apart from him.

In the New Testament church, the meaning was clear. "Lord" meant the one who had absolute authority. The Roman colosseum did a tremendous business because of the Christians' stubborn insistence concerning Jesus' absolute authority.

Telling the good news about Jesus is the unique business of the church. The YMCA has excellent camping and recreation programs. There are many effective social-service agencies in our communities. Multitudes of clubs and organizations welcome our people's participation and involvement. We can offer those around us only one thing that these organizations do not already offer - JESUS CHRIST.

This excerpt is taken from Mike Slaughter's book Spiritual Entrepreneurs. You can read more from Mike in this sermon "Lordship - Who To Listen To."


Sometimes we think that if we take a strong stand regarding the nature of Jesus we may seem to be quite irrelevant to "non-religious" folks! Actually, the opposite may well be true.

Earlier this month at the pastor's conference in San Diego, I went to a workshop led by Dan Kimball. He has done extensive research on the "unchurched." He summarizes his findings this way - "The Like Jesus, But Not the Church!" It turns out many people are "turned off" by some of the common misperceptions of what churches and Christians are like. However many of them have a very open mind and heart regarding the man Jesus!

Read more at this site!