Jesus the Lord

What is missing today in the church is failure to recognize the lordship of Jesus Christ. Dr. Tony Evans says the evidence of that recognition is when we decide to go public with our commitment. You get righteousness by your faith in Christ, but you only get delivered by your confession of Christ. Celebrating 40 years of faithfulness, this is the alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, author, speaker, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas, and president of the Urban Alternative. Sometimes there's a difference between what we believe and what we admit to believing.

Dr. Evans says that can be a dangerous distinction both during our life and after it. You'll want to turn to Romans chapter 10 as he begins today's lesson. Today I want to look at the name Lord. When the fullest expression of Jesus is given, it is given in this phrase, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is his human name. Christ is his office.

Lord is his title. This passage has led to a great deal of misunderstanding and confusion, but the implications are nothing short of staggering. We're told that if you confess with your mouth, verse 9, the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Now, something about that ought to catch your attention, and that is that that verse says that there are two things you need to get saved. It says you must confess with your mouth and you must believe in your heart, and when you do those two things you will be saved. Now, what ought to capture your attention about that is that there is a dual requirement for salvation which goes against so many other scriptures that do not give you a dual requirement of salvation. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. He that believeth shall be converted. Over and over again, we're only told that to be saved you must place faith alone in Christ alone for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life. But in this passage we're told you've got to do two things. You've got to not only believe but you must also confess if you're going to be saved. Which is it?

Must I do one thing or is there a dual requirement? What happens if I believed on Christ, have a heart attack, and never confess? Am I saved or am I not? Part of the confusion wraps around the word saved.

We've addressed that before but let me repeat it again. The word saved has three tenses to it. There's salvation in the past from the penalty of sin, there is salvation in the future from the very presence of sin, and then there is salvation in the present from the power of sin.

But the word saved is used of all three. So when you see the word saved, you've got to ask which tense is he referring to? Is he referring to salvation yesterday when you accept Jesus as your personal substitute? Is he talking about salvation tomorrow when sin will no longer be an issue or a question? Or is he talking about salvation in the present when I'm overwhelmed with the world, the flesh, and the devil, and the effects of the three in my life? It is an understanding what saved he's referring to that will help you to make sense of the verse. In fact, he helps us a little bit in verse 10 when he says in verse 10, with the heart a person believes resulting in righteousness.

So you're made righteous simply by the belief. But he says you're not saved until you confess. So I would like to submit to you that he is not talking here about going to heaven. He's talking about bringing heaven to you. He's not talking about salvation past from the penalty of sin or salvation future from the presence of sin. He's talking about salvation present from the power of sin and its agents, the world, the flesh, and the devil, and the circumstances that are the result of all three. He's speaking present tense because he's speaking to believers, not non-believers. Now, by way of introduction, this becomes a staggering concept because he says to be saved in the present, not talking about going to heaven but having heaven come to you, to be saved in history, to be delivered in history, to find victory in history, to be an overcomer in history, demands more than your faith in Christ.

It demands your confession of Jesus as Lord. So that brings up his name, Lord. The word Lord from the Greek word kurios is used in the Septuagint—the Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Old Testament— as the word for Yahweh, and Yahweh is the Old Testament word for God. So when the word is attached to Jesus, it is a reference to his deity, the fact that he is God. This got Jesus in great trouble in Matthew chapter 22, because in Matthew chapter 22, the Pharisees are struggling with the fact that they believe Messiah was to be a man, but that was all they understood. So Jesus comes to him and says, well, if Messiah is only a man, then why would David say his son was also his Lord?

Psalm 110 verse 1. Why would David say that the son who would come from him would also be the master over him? It says they didn't know how to answer him, but that's what got him killed in Matthew chapter 26, verses 41 to 43 and verses 63 to 65. It says this man makes himself to be the Son of God.

Crucify him. What crucified Jesus was his claim to be Lord, Yahweh of the Old Testament. So when the Bible says that his name is the Lord Jesus Christ, it is bringing his deity Lord alongside of his humanity Jesus, fulfilling the office of Christ.

So God Lord Jesus man Christ office anointed one prophet, priest, and king. He says that Jesus Christ must be confessed as Lord, supreme ruler, absolute sovereign. Over and over again in Scripture, Jesus Christ is proclaimed as Lord of all.

In Ephesians chapter 1 verses 22 and 23, it says everything is underneath Christ, that he is Lord. The Bible declares over and over again that all of life is to be defined by Jesus Christ. Romans chapter 14 verses 8 and 9. Whether we live, we live unto the Lord. When we die, we die unto the Lord.

Whether we live or die, it's always for the Lord, referring to Jesus Christ. So when you say Lord, you are saying that he is the Son of God, he is deity, and you are also recognizing once you have accepted him as supreme ruler. When Thomas, doubting Thomas in John 20 verse 28, fell at his feet, he says my Lord my God. He recognized Lord meant he was God in human flesh.

So when you have the name Lord, you are giving recognition of who he is. Now you must believe him to be the Lord, to be saved, but you must confess him as the Lord for your salvation to work. There are many Christians on their way to heaven, well if you're a Christian you're on your way to heaven, Christians who are on their way to heaven who have to wait till they get there to see it. Because while they have trusted Jesus Christ, they have not confessed him. He says that it is in the confession of Jesus as Lord that you are saved. You get righteousness by your faith in Christ, verse 10 says, but you only get delivered by your confession of Christ. What is missing today in the church and among Christians is failure to recognize and place themselves underneath the lordship of Jesus Christ. To recognize his comprehensive supremacy over all of life.

There is no part of life that sits outside of the lordship of Jesus Christ. Colossians chapter 3 verse 17, whether it's in word or deed, it must all be done to the Lord, referring to Jesus Christ. And not only must you believe that, you must confess that. The word confess is a word that means to acknowledge something.

It means to let it be known that you agree with this. The failure to confess, to publicly acknowledge your association with Jesus Christ blocks you being delivered in history. We live in a day where there is no shame, and people will confess illegitimate allegiances. They want to be recognized in illegitimate relationships. They want you to accept that which is outside of what is acceptable to a holy God, and they will let you know, this is who I am. I'm not hiding, this is who I am.

Get used to it, cuz this is me. Well now, if they can confess that in public with no shame, then you and I ought to make it clear, appropriately clear, kindly clear, but absolutely clear, I am a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the failure to do that means he will not save. That is, deliverance in history. He's not talking about eternity, he's talking to believers. It has to do with his intervention with his people in time and space. Dr. Evans will come back in a moment to tell us more about the importance of confession. Right now though, I want to tell you that what you're hearing today is part of a series of lessons called Encountering Jesus Names. To most of us, a name is just a label, but in the Bible, and especially when referring to Jesus, it's much more.

How much more? You'll find out as Tony translates in-depth scripture research into clear, relevant insights into what it means to be the Lamb of God, the Alpha and Omega, and more. Right now, we'd like to send you a copy of all 11 of these full-length messages on CD or as digital downloads as our gift when you make a donation to help support Tony's work here on the air and around the world.

This offer is only available for a limited time, but if we hear from you right away, we can include an extra bonus. Tony's hardcover photo book, Experiencing Israel. In this guided tour of key locations in the Bible, Dr. Evans reveals the historical and spiritual significance of each setting, allowing you to discover the Holy Land like never before. Together, this combo offer of Encountering Jesus Names and Experiencing Israel will enrich your understanding of Christ and build on the spiritual foundations of your faith. So visit us today at tonyevans.org for details or call our Resource Center at 1-800-800-3222.

That's 1-800-800-3222. Tony will come back with more of today's lesson after this. God has an amazing plan for your child's life, and there's no greater joy than helping them discover it. Dr. Tony Evans' Kids Guide series can help, instilling Kingdom principles in your child by teaching them how to build others up with their words, understand God's attributes through His names, and engage in spiritual warfare against the enemy. Written for kids ages 8 through 12, these easy-to-read books are filled with biblical truth aimed at guiding young readers into a deeper love for God and confidence in His faithfulness. And because you can read them as a family, these guides are sure to encourage everyone in your home. Bless your child by helping them discover God's amazing plan for them so they can unlock their potential for a lifetime of following Jesus.

Learn more about the complete line of kids books at tonyevans.org. Right now, let's get back to Dr. Evans for part 2 of today's teaching. I love Revelation 12 verse 11. Revelation 12 verse 11 says, And they overcame him by the word of their testimony.

They had to speak the word of their—they had to testify about their association and identification. And those who call on the name of the Lord because they've confessed the name of the Lord will find deliverance in history. You cannot be ashamed of him out there, but then call on him out there to turn this around, to overcome this in your life, to beat back the satanic attack.

If you are ashamed of public association, that is a denial of the relationship, even though you legally may have it. It is time for Christians to come out the closet. It is time for Christians to proclaim their allegiance to Jesus Christ, and then he says the benefit then is you can call.

You can dial 911, and there will be somebody who picks up the phone at the other end when you need to be delivered. One of the reasons we have so little deliverance is that we have so little confession. That is public association with Jesus Christ and submission to his authority. He that calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

So sort of like this. The Bible says Jesus sits on the right-hand side of the Father. So this is my right-hand side. So Jesus is sitting here.

The Father is sitting here. I call on the Lord. Lord, this is Tony Evans.

Tony Evans needs deliverance. I got this situation in my life. I'm defeated.

I need to overcome it. Lord, it's not working out for me. Please, Father. Please, Father in heaven, please.

I'm calling on you to deliver me from this. The Father who's sitting here then turns to the Son. Son, Tony Evans just called on me because he needs me to come down there or send the Spirit down there to turn something around in his life. What do you think, Son?

Father, he rarely brings me up. He doesn't want to ever want to witness. Nobody knows he's a Christian but him. Other than when he in church, that's the only time he gets his praise on.

He really is a pretty secret agent Christian. Son, since he denied you and since you are the love of my life, since you are my only begotten, I can't help somebody who's gonna use my blessing to deny you further. And since I don't want to insult my relationship with you, I can't do much for him. Father, I understand you denying Tony Evans because if he denies me, then he's denied you because of the relationship I have with you. So I understand right now we can't save him. We can't deliver him because he doesn't understand the nature of this relationship. You must confess in order to be free to call. But he that calls on the name of the Lord because they have confessed the name of the Lord, the promise is he will not be disappointed.

He says God will break in. But let me explain this. This is not a buffet.

Let's get this straight. It's not a buffet. See, when you go through a buffet line, you pick and choose what you want. I want a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but I don't want any of that.

Skip the salad, you know. I want the dessert. No, no, let me see.

Let me see. I like those vegetables, don't like those vegetables. And then we come to the end of the line. This is not a buffet. Ephesians 1 22 and 23 says, Christ is over all. So there is no area of your life to which he cannot speak into.

There's no area of your life, your work, your finances, your relationship, your attitude. There is no area he can't speak into and overrule. And until the lordship question is settled, heaven will stay a long way away and his divine presence, intervention, transformation, deliverance, healing that you could have and should have will be denied you.

He will say no because he doesn't want to help you to deny his son further. But he who calls on the name of the Lord. Let me just read this to you. Colossians 1.

You need to hear it because he hears the problem. For a lot of Christians, Jesus is—he's prominent but not yet preeminent. Let me say it again. Jesus is popular and he's prominent. I mean, you didn't have to come to church, you know? But he was prominent enough that you decided to get up and come to church.

That's a good thing. He's prominent enough that you'll say grace before you eat. He's prominent enough that his name will come up. Maybe you'll read a Bible verse before you get started in the morning. And so he's prominent enough that he gets some of your attention.

But when he has to compete with other affections, things you really like, then his prominence may decrease because you like this more. So let me read you chapter 1, just a few verses of Colossians where Paul writes these words about Jesus. He says in verse 15, For he, Jesus, is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities. All things have been created through him and for him.

Let me say it again. All things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church, and he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he himself will come to have first place in everything. There is nothing that is to sit outside of him.

There is no subject matter, no education, no accomplishment, no business that belongs in the hands of a Christian to which he is to be excluded. Because when that business goes left, you gonna call on him. When that relationship goes left, you gonna call on him.

When that health goes left, you gonna call on him. And he's gonna want to know when you called on him, did you confess him? Because everything is to be attached to him. And when you come under the lordship of Jesus Christ, and I understand we do not do it perfectly in our humanity, but you have got to accept to do it progressively, to grow in your knowledge of the lordship of Jesus Christ. And that leads to the concluding verse in Philippians chapter 2, where he says in verse 9, For this reason God hath highly exalted him, and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow of those who are in heaven, of those who are on earth, of those who are underneath the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. God just doesn't want you to confess Jesus. He just doesn't want you to confess Jesus Christ. He wants you to confess that Jesus is Lord.

Why? To the glory of the Father, which means God gets excited when he sees you recognize the lordship of Jesus Christ. He gets discouraged when he sees us as believers deny the lordship, the rulership, and fail to confess the ownership of Jesus Christ.

But when we do that, we begin to honor and glorify the Father, which gives him our undivided attention. Dr. Evans will come back in a moment with a final story about the law of the jungle and why it might be the perfect model for true Christ followers. But first, don't forget to take advantage of that special offer I mentioned earlier. You'll get Tony's beautiful and informative photo book, Experiencing Israel, along with all 11 full-length messages in his current teaching series, Encountering Jesus' Names.

They're yours with our thanks when you make a contribution to help us continue to bring this program to you and other listeners each day. Just visit tonyevans.org to get the details and make the arrangements. You can also get some in-person help from a member of our resource team when you call 1-800-800-3222 any time of the day or night.

That's 1-800-800-3222. God gives to us out of love, hoping we'll respond the same way, but that's not always how it works. Next time, Dr. Evans will talk about how we ought to relate with our God who provides. Right now, though, he's back with a final story to close out our study on Jesus the Lord. In closing, there was a boy who was about to be mauled by a lion. Find the lion and had leaped at him and got his paws on him. But there was a missionary who was a hunter, and he saw the event and he picked up his rifle and he shot the lion, killed the lion.

The boy had been injured, and so he picked the boy up and took him back to his tribe in Africa, and they healed him. The missionary went back to his house. A few weeks later, he hears noise coming toward his house, the missionary does.

And the noise is the boy with a whole line of people behind him carrying things. The boy walks up on the porch of the missionary. The people following the boy bring their baskets and put it on the porch of the missionary. The missionary said, well, what are you doing? The boy said, I'm coming to live with you. The missionary said, you're what? I'm coming to live with you. What do you mean you're coming to live with me?

I don't understand. Well, he says, it's the law of the jungle. He says, the law of the jungle is when somebody saves your life, they own you.

When they saved your life, they own you. You delivered me. I would have been dead if it weren't for you. And because the only reason I'm alive is because of what you did, I'm gonna spend the rest of my life saying thank you for your deliverance.

So I'm here to serve you. But the missionary said, but you don't have to do that. Oh, I know I don't have to do it, but it's the law of the jungle. And in the law of the jungle, you got to be grateful for somebody who delivered you from certain death. If you're here today and God has saved you, if you've been forgiven for all of your sins and you have eternity waiting for you, God has delivered you from certain death.

So it ought not be that hard. It's the law of the kingdom for you to bring your life, your dreams, your hopes, your desires, your relationships, and lay them at the cross and say I'm here to serve you. And I'm not going to apologize to my peeps. I'm not going to apologize to my homeboys, homegirls, co-workers that I belong to you because they didn't save my life. They didn't deliver me. They didn't forgive me. They didn't give me heaven. You did that and so you own me. The alternative with Dr. Tony Evans is brought to you by the Urban Alternative and is celebrating 40 years of faithfulness thanks to the generous contributions of listeners like you.