TEXT: LUKE 6:46
By Bro Chris Afekolu (Bishop).

And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? (Luke 6:46 KJV)

The Lordship of Christ is really a question of management. Who controls your life? Is it Christ? A business will thrive or fail, depending on the quality of the Management. If an expert directs it, it will prosper; if the proprietor is unskilled or negligent or extravagant, bankruptcy is the inevitable result.

Life is a complicated business, and must be managed by an expert. No human being is competent to manage his own life successfully, for he not lived long enough to experience
life as a whole.

Until he has that experience, he will make all kinds of blunders which will prove damaging, if not fatal. By the time that he has acquired the necessary experience to live prudently, the most productive period of his career will have passed. He is confronted with the dilemma of making mistakes through inexperience and of having too short a time after the
experience is acquired to enjoy his competence. He needs the advice of an expert from the very beginning.

Jesus is such an expert in all facet of life. He encountered every major problem that life can present. He was experienced in temptation. At the very outset of His ministry, He was tested by the devil. The Bible stated he was alone in the barren wilds of the Judean wilderness; he endured the pangs of hunger, the privation of loneliness, the desire for power, and the allurement of sudden fame. Satan suggested that Jesus take a shortcut to attaining His Kingdom, but He sternly refused. While He could have reasoned that the end justify the means, just like majority of us, he would not take any secondary method of accomplishing the work which had been entrusted to Him.
Yielding to temptation would have been a violation of His relationship to His Father. “For in that He himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to help them that are tempted” {Heb. 2:18}

Jesus expertise in meeting all varieties of temptation is needed in the management of life. He can analyse the nature of each temptation from the standpoint of its potential consequences, as well as its spiritual exposure. The most dangerous temptations that a Christian faces are not those that involve a sudden loss of moral integrity. In the most unfaithful temptations, Satan tries cunningly to deflect the Christian from the intention of God for His life. Jesus understands the pressure of service.

When the betrayal of a trusted colleague tends to make us sour or cynical, or when disappointments in professional or business life upset us; we can recall that Jesus was denied by one of his Apostles, betrayed by another, and deserted by most of them. Nevertheless, He did not accuse God of injustice nor abandon His calling as being futile and unprofitable. He can instill confidence into the disillusion. He can heal the wounds of broken promises and deliberate betrayals. He encourages us to persist in the task which God has given us to perform, even though others fail us or obstruct our way.

Jesus is able to cope with the pressures of poverty. While here on Earth, He never owned His own home; His transportation consisted of His feet, never a chariot. When he wanted a coin for an illustration, He had to borrow it. He never used the wonderful pulpits we have these days but rather a fishing boat serves the purpose. He did not even own a grave, and
He was provided by Joseph of Arimathea. All through His ministry, He was dependent on  others for support. This same Jesus can still provide bread for the hungry, shelter for the homeless, and work for the unemployed.

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich (2 Corinthians 8:9 KJV). As Lord of our fortunes, He is able to exalt those who are deprived and humble over those who are self‐satisfied and arrogant.

Because He is lord of our fortunes, He can save us from frustration. When we labour and accomplish some purpose and fail, we may feel depressed and discouraged. Sometimes this occurs because we have selected the wrong objective. When Christ shapes our lives, He destines us for ultimate success. He is not in the business of making failure. The success of a life does not depend on spectacular effects or on publicity but rather on total obedience to God. When everything seems to go wrong, when cherished hopes are unfulfilled and the work of a lifetime totters on the verge of collapse, and then confidence in the Lordship of Christ is the antidote to frustration. In the perspective of eternity, He is working out what we see only partially in time (example). We usually see life from the wrong side, and feel that it is a mass of inexplicable confusion, random choices, and gross mistakes. But when God’s work is finished, the pattern will appear, and it will be perfect.

Similarly the Lordship of Christ gives strength for opposition. “Be of good cheer,” He said. “I have overcome the world” {John 16:33} opposition of one kind or another always confronts Christians. It may come from people, from circumstances, or from our own nature. Yet in obedience we can say, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me”
(Philippians 4:13 KJV). Christ can enable us to resist attack, to expose deceit, and to win victories by following His directions.

How the Lordship of Christ is made practical? There are four steps;

1. The first is to learn His purpose. This purpose may be disclosed by some new understanding based on God’s word. An open mind and a prayerful spirit will bring consciousness of divine direction in life.
2.  The second step is to accept His purpose. God does not hand the Christian a blueprint for his career. He proceeds by directing one step at a time. Obedience involves the acceptance of the purpose for the immediate future, trusting Him for the outcome of life as it unfolds.
   When next step becomes apparent, there must be a cheerful acceptance of it. Sometimes it presents difficulties to be overcome or conquered. Sometimes its requirements may seem disagreeable or even irrational. Faith enters at this point.
3.  The third step is to obey promptly. A soldier in the army does not tell the commanding officer that he will take the latest order under consideration. He must obey instantly, for the crucial turning point of a campaign may be involved.
   Likewise, God’s commands to the members of His Church must be obeyed at once, or disaster may follow – example King Saul {1 Sam. 15:22}. What do we do with God’s command today?
4.  The fourth step is to prove the obedience. In a parable quoted by Luke, Jesus contrasted two men who built their houses, one on sand, and the other on rock {Luke 6:47‐49}. When the floods came, the house on the sand was washed away because its foundation dissolved in the swirling waters.
   The house on the rock remained unmoved, because the ground on which it was constructed was unyielding. The life which is disobedient to the lordship of Christ may seem prosperous while all circumstances are favourable. But when the situation changes, it collapses and is swept away. The life that is built on obedience to the known will of God abides forever.