Day Nine - Bacon or Eggs

The difference in calling Jesus "Lord" and calling Him "Savior" is much more to me than semantics. I am at least going to use it for the purpose of discussion and teaching.

The central and defining message of the Gospels, generally, and of Jesus' life and ministry, specifically, is the kingdom of God that He inaugurated. As a result, the call to follow after Jesus is one that includes forgiveness of sins, but also transcends it to embrace a much larger scope of Kingdom activity.

The summons of Jesus' call to "come unto Me", "come after Me", and "follow Me" are specific invitations to make Him the Lord of everything that encompasses us. He must become His followers' identity.

Do we, therefore, remove the "Jesus is Savior" element of our Christian faith? Not at all. Instead, we orient our focus by making Him Lord and crowning Him King, giving Him and them (the two statements) the emphasis they require. This reorientation changes everything. It means I am no longer the king of my domain. We yield control of our mind, body, and soul. This is why it is so difficult and, honestly, rare that adults are saved. Children find it easier to believe and submit. It is really all they have ever known. Their minds are like sponges; they are vulnerable and innocent and can be taught well or abused. Some adults find it acceptable based on  their personality type, the way they were raised, mental make-up and, yes, gender, to believe and submit. Some adults just cannot. No matter how hard they try, their will and way is paramount and essential to their identity and they refuse to forfeit their rights.

Let's consider children and youth who, perhaps, made a profession of faith, were baptized at a young age, and are very submissive and obedient. They get into their teenage years and creep into an adulthood where they begin to have more and more freedom and liberty to find their own way. The idea of college looms. They are so excited to get away and be their own person and make their own decisions but, at the same time, good parents and youth leaders are prepping them to carry with them all the things they have learned about God and His Word. This is when we drill into their heads things like "you may be out of my sight, but God sees everything." Now it becomes more about not being punished by parents, but disappointing God. It is about developing character and integrity that represents who we see them as, and who they identify as. Truly, some are disappointed. Some even become disillusioned. Whether they say it or not, they feel it is unfair. That is why, after years of college, military, etc., many young people fall away. They have tasted the "pleasures of sin" and the "deceitfulness of the world" and they become unfruitful (Matthew 3:22).

My question to you, who have obviously come back home, is have you come back to where you started? Listen, you may not have gone off to college, you may have never really rebelled against God, country, church, parents, tradition, and so forth, but has He been and is He now the center of your universe, or is faith just a byproduct of your life? I fear that so many believers are merely that, and not disciples following their Master and Lord. In church, sure. Tithe, okay. Respectable people, at least what is seen on the outside. These things are good, but are they what our God demands and deserves.

Calling Jesus Savior really demands nothing of us. He does the heavy lifting by dying on the cross. Having Jesus be our Lord demands everything of us, primarily our will, and this is that one thing we seek to hold on to above all else. Submitting your will and surrendering control of your life is for a precious few. Most will not. What percentage of us are up for the challenge?

Before you raise your hand, let's think about it. Your habits, hobbies, interests, attitude, personality, worldview, tendencies, traditions - these are what we are talking about. You feel me? Oh, I wish it was so simple that we would all be right if we just. . . No, giving a little more money, time, effort, unfortunately will not be all that God requires. It is about who we are, not just what we do.

What a person does is not what sends them to hell. It is what they have not. They have not accepted Christ as their Savior. What we do identifies us to the world as a Christian, but it is what only God sees, it is the motivation behind what we do, that is what reveals to God our true heart for Him.

Read Psalm 51:17

This is God's desire for us. Yielded and broken, not just the sacrifices, but us.

In Philippians 2:21, Paul describes the people who are with him and his need for Timothy to join him. He writes, "For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus." This is the difference between believing and full blown Lordship/Discipleship.

Look at a breakfast plate of bacon and eggs. The chicken was involved in producing a great product, but the pig sacrificed to provide the breakfast. The pig gave it all.

Watch this short clip of Adrian Rogers saying it:

Simply pray today for God to help you see anything in you that is held back from Him and then begin to turn loose more and more and move day by day. Ask Him for transformation - a makeover-  and get ready.

In Christ,
Pastor Todd