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The word of Christmas we are focusing on today is the word LORD. Let’s go back to the verse we read a couple of days ago. In Luke 2:11, the angel announced to the shepherds, “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (ESV). 

What does it mean to say Jesus is Lord? Lord is not a word we use in everyday language. But it is an important word for worship. In the Bible, the word Lord means the person with supreme authority, the master. In our day, we might use the terms, owner, boss, or CEO. The lord is the one who is in charge.

Lord is a title God uses for himself over seven thousand times in the Old Testament. So these Jewish shepherds knew the angel was announcing the birth of a divine person. This was no mere baby. He wasn’t even simply of earthly royalty. This baby, this Messiah — the Christ — was God himself!

Probably the most important passage about Jesus’ Lordship in the Bible is in Philippians 2. It describes his divinity, his incarnation, his suffering, his exaltation, and his Lordship over all creation. The Bible says this in Philippians 2:6-11:

“For he, who had always been God by nature, (divinity) did not cling to His prerogatives as God's equal, (7) but stripped Himself of all privilege by consenting to be a slave by nature and being born as mortal man (incarnation). (8) And, having become man, He humbled himself by living a life of utter obedience, even to the extent of dying, and the death he died was the death of a common criminal (suffering). (9)That is why God has now lifted him so high, and has given him the name beyond all names (exaltation), (10) so that at the name of Jesus "every knee shall bow", whether in Heaven or earth or under the earth. (11) And that is why, in the end, "every tongue shall confess" that Jesus Christ is the Lord (Lordship), to the glory of God the Father (PHI).

Jesus is the Lord, the supreme authority, the Master, the Owner of all because He is the Creator and Savior of all. He is your Lord, whether you want Him to be or not. If you refuse to surrender to Him, that does not mean He is no longer Lord. He is Lord. Period. Why? Because God said so. Jesus already paid the price to redeem you. He is your Lord. Therefore, He has the right to determine your eternal destiny.

The question is not: is Jesus Lord? He is! The question is: have I submitted to His lordship? You don’t make Jesus Lord, as though you were awarding Him a ceremonial title. The position is already His, given to Him by God the Father. So you don’t make Jesus Lord, but you do acknowledge Jesus as your Lord by surrendering to hHm. The choice is up to you . . . for now. 

But as that passage says in Philippians, the day will come that “every knee shall bow—” whether in heaven or earth or hell itself—and “every tongue shall confess—” that includes the tongue of every person who has ever lived, including the tongue of Satan himself— “every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” Some will bow and confess in worship, others will bow and confess in defeat. But it is inevitable—one day everyone will bow and confess the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

For those who acknowledge Jesus as their Lord in this life, the Bible promises this in Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (NIV). The Bible says in Acts 4:12, “For there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (NIV).

Jesus says in Matthew 10:32-33, "Everyone who acknowledges Me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before My Father in heaven. (33) But everyone who denies Me here on earth, I will also deny before My Father in heaven” (NLT). I know it’s a heavy message, but we have to understand who the baby in the manger truly is. “O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.” What are you withholding in your life so that Jesus is Lord?

Scripture To Meditate On: Revelation 19:16, “On His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords” (ESV).

Prayer to Pray: “Jesus Christ, I confess that You are Lord. All glory and honor are Yours. You are the Creator of heaven and earth, and You are the Redeemer of all. I humbly bow my knee and lift my heart to You. I acknowledge You as the One to whom all my allegiance is due. In Your name I pray, Amen.”

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