THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST
                           by Bill Jackson
                            (part 2 of 4)

                              Chapter 2

         THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST AND THE INDIVIDUAL CHRISTIAN


     A Christian is a person who is eternally secure in Christ the
Lord; he is not one who is asked to make Christ Lord.  He is already
Lord.  However, failure to recognize this fact can lead to dismal
failure in the Christian life.  Recognition of and glad adherence to
His Lordship are the only factors necessary for success in the
Christian life.  This be real and practical; it is easy to begin every
prayer, "Lord Jesus, we love You", and not truly obey His commands. 
Anyone can say "Christ is Lord", but an overcoming Christian will
gladly obey Him even when this leads in dark, perilous ways.  It is in
darkness, danger and trial that the Lordship of Christ becomes vividly
real.
     The first aspect we shall consider is that Jesus must be Lord of
all our aims.  Every person who is going somewhere must be aiming at
something.  A ship without a chart is a pitiable object on the raging
sea of life.  Hebrews 12 gives us a clear picture of the aim of every
Christian's life.
     We are first reminded that we are encircled by a cloud of
witnesses; these are testifying to the faithfulness of God manifested
in the battles of faith in Hebrews 11.  Note that many of the heroes
did not seem, by earthly standards, to have won.  Some wandered about
in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented. 
They were nobodies, but God says they proved their worth in an
unworthy world.  We can think that if God says "Well done" to some of
us, He will have to apologize to these heroes of faith.
     We are to lay aside every weight and the sin which often besets
us, and run with patience the race that is set before us.  This is
speaking of cheerful endurance as we move through the fiery darts of
Satan; it is the spirit like that of the immortal soldiers in
Tennyson's "Charge of the Light Brigade".

      "Cannon to the left of them,
   cannon to the right of them,
      Cannon in front of them
   volleyed and thundered;
      Stormed at with shot and shell,
   boldly they rode, and well
      Into the jaws of death,
   into the mouth of hell..."

     When you are running the race, Christian, take heed that you are
running on the right race track.  You may be running for security,
popularity, prestige; your church may be running for attendance, or
results; you may be seeking a ministry or a wife; you may be running
for 101 reasons, and yet be on the wrong race track.  Pity the man who
has attained, has won his race, has gained his prize, only to have the
Lord look with sadness and say, "You ran well, but you ran the wrong
race.  I wanted you to run to Me, and I would have given you all this
and more.  You reached your goal, but you failed in the only valid
race."
     This is pictured well in Philippians 3: "...I count all things
but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my
Lord:..., forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth
unto those things which are before."  The substance of every Christian
life is summed up, "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high
calling of God in Christ Jesus."
     Christian, consider what race track you are on.  What is your
object, your goal?  "That I may know Him..."  Unexciting indeed to
many Christians of this age who have ambitious goals and aims.  May
our ambition be that we become nothing, that we may find our all in
the one worthy goal of a Christian life.

   "My goal is God Himself, not joy, nor peace,
   nor even blessing, but Himself, My God.
   'Tis His to lead me there, not mine, but His
   'At any cost, dear Lord, by any road.'

   So faith bounds forward to its goal in God
   and love can trust her Lord to lead her there;
   Upheld by Him, my soul is following hard
   'Till God hath full fulfilled my deepest prayer.

   No matter if the way be sometimes dark;
   No matter though the cost be oftimes great;
   He knoweth best how I shall reach the mark;
   The way that leads to Him must needs be straight.
   One thing I do know, I cannot say Him nay;
   One thing I do, I press toward my Lord.
   My God, my glory here from day to day
   And in the Glory there my great reward."

     As we faithfully pursue the goal that is authorized, God has
promised to meet every need.  If we need a wife, she will be there,
when we need her!  If we need some money, it will be there, when we
need it!  Whatever we need He will supply.  If our only goal were to
have, from Him, all and only what He ordains us to have, what
satisfaction we would find in the Christian life.
     He is the Lord of all our alliances, and has laid down specific
rules for these in His Word.  To flout these instructions is to invite
decay and death; to obey them, though obedience may seem difficult, is
an open door to His blessing.
     II Corinthians 6:14 commands us not to take on an unequal yoke;
i.e., ally ourselves with that which is not of Him.  It may be in the
business world that we are tempted.  Someone is an astute businessman,
and while not a Christian, he is really as good as some Christians we
know.  Could not I go into partnership with Him, and thereby really
succeed so I can honor God with the profits of my business?  The
answer is simple:  NO!  God cannot be honored by that which is the
fruit of disobedience.  You cannot be a business partner with an
unsaved man.
     It doesn't seem, however, that the Bible forbids your being in
the employ of an unsaved man.  If you are, God's Word tells you to do
your best "as unto the Lord".  It is the alliance that the Bible
speaks so plainly against.
     Most Christian young people will freely admit that the unequal
yoke pertains to marriage: never marry an unbeliever.  That is, most
young people except those who dated unsaved people, fell in love with
them, and therefore are basing their opinion not on the Word of God,
but on the idea that "they feel good about it" and "they can always
win the person after marriage."
     A young man in a university was contemplating asking an unsaved
girl to marry him.  She was sweet and nice, and they seemed
intellectually compatible.  Just before he was to propose, he asked
the advise of a Christian professor.  This is the story that the
professor told.
     "When I was a young man, I too fell in love with an unsaved girl.
She was so intelligent, and it seemed we were meant for each other.
Before I proposed to her, I decided to ask my minister for advice.  He
strongly advised me not to marry her, and to immediately give her up.
It was a tough decision to make, for I loved her very much.  But I
finally decided."
     "You gave her up for the Lord?"
     "No, I married her.  Jim, my wife is a wonderful person, but she
is not a Christian.  I have never been able to lead her to the Lord.
There are many things we share, but that sweet fellowship of a
Christian husband and wife has never been experienced, and a large
part of my life is barren because of my disobedience.  It may be the
hardest thing you can imagine, Jim, but my only advice is that you
obey the Lord."
     Many Christian young people have this problem simply because they
thought they could date an unsaved person and face no future problems.
The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.  It is
never to be trusted.  The only safe rule is never to date someone you
cannot scripturally marry.
     A great problem facing American churches today regards
ecclesiastical alliances (ecumenism).  This concerns allying ones self
with other Christians or churches or denominations that are existing
in known sin, especially the sin of being allied to God's religious
enemies.  Such alliances must be shunned, even at the expense of
fellowship you might desire.  You must be willing to stand alone for
Him.
     In the Bible, a clear line of demarcation has been drawn between
light and darkness.  It is tragic that many Christians by-pass
scriptural boundaries in their alliances.
     We know there are many who are religious but lost.  However, it
has begun to seem that such ones, if they gain national prominence,
can be sought as useful helpers in co-operative evangelism.  We must
protest!  How can biblical evangelism be furthered by employing those
who lightly esteem the Bible, reproach the Name of Christ, show
disdain for the perfection of His Work and are in league with the
arch-enemies of our Blessed Lord?
     We must take care that we never solicit or employ the help of any
such person or organization in our Lord's ministry through us, lest we
end up looking to His enemies to bless His Work.
     Because Billy Graham's crusades, movies and books have filled the
Christian world, it is necessary for Christians to clearly and
scripturally assess their attitudes towards this ministry, and to base
their conclusions on scriptural principles.  Too often, our reason for
allying ourselves to a person or movement is that it works, or seems
to be blessed.  As disciples of Jesus Christ, our only criterion must
be, What does He say about it?
     Billy Graham's motives and ministry are not our responsibility,
but it is our responsibility to have the right attitude toward every
child of God, and if my assessments be grounded in scripture, I must
obey them, not just consider or pray about them.
     II John 10 speaks of our attitude toward one who does not abide
in the doctrine of Christ.  Malcolm Muggeridge was one of the speakers
at the 1974 Bill Graham Lausanne Conference.  In his book, Jesus
Rediscovered, he said, "I prefer to suppose that some body snatcher,
accustomed to hanging about Golgotha... heard in his dim-witted way
that the King of the Jews was up for execution... So he waits until
the job is done, finds out where the corpse has been laid, drags the
stone away and then making sure no one is watching, decamps with the
body."
     I Corinthians 5:11 speaks of our attitude toward one who is an
idolater.  In the Catholic Mass, the congregation is called upon to
worship the Host, a man-made wafer.  On 11/21/67, Billy Graham
received an honorary degree at Belmont Abbey College, a Roman Catholic
school.  In his message he said, "The gospel that built this school
and the gospel that brings me here tonight are still the way of
salvation."
     II Thessalonians 3:6 admonishes us to withdraw "from every
brother that walks disorderly."  At a NCC luncheon, 12/6/77, Billy
Graham said, "I don't know anyone who has done more for the Kingdom of
God than Norman and Ruth Peale."  Concerning Christ, Peale said, "I
like to describe him as ...the nearest thing to God."  (Modern
Maturity Magazine).
     Romans 16:17,18 tells us to mark those that bring offenses
(snares). Certainly a major snare today is the senseless inclusivism
of the ecumenical movement.  The New York Star, 6/26/79, quotes Dr.
Graham: "Protestants I have talked with are thrilled with the new
Pope.  He is almost an evangelist because he calls people to turn to
Christ, to turn to Christianity.  Sometimes at the end of my sermons I
quote John Paul II because his is an evangelistic message to turn the
world to Christ..."
     The Roman Catholic view of the Sacrifice of the Mass,
strengthened by the ultraconservative stand of John Paul II, has
always been emphatic in attributing propitiation to the Mass.  As the
Vatican II document "The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy" states,
"It is through the Liturgy that, especially in the divine sacrifice of
the Eucharist, the work of our redemption is accomplished."
     The clear scriptural command is to avoid such a person and his
ministry.  Every Christian should avoid all involvement with such as
Billy Graham meetings, films and books.  We should pray, not for the
success of his meetings, but for the man, and for other Christians
that they may see the plain biblical commands regarding fellowship
with such as Billy Graham.
     Lest we imagine that such exhortations are formented by
disgruntled fundamentalists of today, let us read the words of Charles
H. Spurgeon (November 1887):
     "Believers in Christ's atonement are now in declared union with
those who make light of it; believers in Holy Scripture are now in
confederacy with those who hold evangelical doctrine are in open
alliance with those who call the fall a fable, who deny the
personality of the Holy Spirit, who call justification by faith
immoral...
     "Yes, we have before us the wretched spectacle of professedly
orthodox Christians publicly avowing their union with those who deny
the faith...It is our solemn conviction that where there can be no
real spiritual communion there should be no pretense of fellowship.
Fellowship with known and vital error is participation in sin."  (The
Sword and The Trowel)
     Thirdly, He expects to be acknowledged as Lord of our actions.
Joshua was reminded, just before he entered the Promised Land, that
his strength lay in obedience to God.  Jesus said it very aptly, "If
ye love me, keep my commandments" and "Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and
do not the things that I say?"
     When deciding about any action, the question is never how much
good does it seem to do?, but what does He say about it.  If we are
confronted with anything that is plainly forbidden in scripture, we
should not consider it, pray about it or seek the will of God
concerning it.  We must obey, without question, what He says in His
Word.
     A young man, whom the Lord was using in Christian ministry, fell
in love with a talented young lady.  There was one problem: the lady
had a living husband, whom she had divorced when she was not walking
with the Lord.
     Of course, they had the advantage of living in an age when
divorce and remarriage are commonplace, and when it is easy to find
Christian friends who are willing to look at all the spiritual
possibilities of the union, and bypass scriptural restrictions. 
Although the man admitted not being able to justify the marriage from
scripture, they were married.
     Now the problems begin to surface.  If the blessing of the Lord
seems to be upon the union, those who know of the woman's previous
divorce have to think that God's blessing is upon disobedience.  If
the blessing of the Lord is withheld, two talented lives are lost to
the Lord's service.  If there is anyone in the local church who feels
that it is not God's will to continue in active fellowship with the
church if scriptural discipline is not administered, that person is
lost to the local church.  If the oversight of the church knew about
the problem, allowed the marriage to take place, and then allowed the
couple to continue in the local church ministry, the whole concept of
the Lordship of Christ in the local church is damaged.  If, later on,
there are others who are faced with any situation that demands
sacrifice in order to be obedient to the Lord, they can always reason
that this couple was not obedient and seem successful, so why should
they sacrificially obey?
     The problem, now out of hand, began when a young couple rather
than trust the Lord by obeying Him, began to reason it out, sought
counsel concerning the problem, and did everything except that which
was required: simply obey.
     Of course there is still a solution: repentance and submission to
local church discipline.  But it is possible that the couple can never
know the fullness of the blessing that would have been theirs with
obedience to the Lord.
     It is so simple when reduced to scriptural priorities.  God only
demands from us unconditional obedience, total surrender and implicit
faith.  All of which are our most reasonable service.
     There is absolutely no justification for those who try to attach
conditions to our obedience to God: if I get the witness in my spirit,
I'll obey.  The plain stand must be: if He has spoken, I will obey. 
We must not think that we will obey IF it seems that it is popular, or
if we can see, using human foresight, that things will probably work
out all right.  Even when we march to the brink of Jordan, we must
still go on if He has commanded, and bring our feet over the very brim
in simple obedience.  If He sees fit, He will roll back the waters; if
He wills our feet to get wet, we march on though we march to the death
for Him.  He is not asking us to obey only in ways that seem
prosperous and pleasant; He is asking us to obey regardless.  If He
delivers, all praise to His Name.  He does all things well, and we
must simply obey Him unconditionally.
     The total surrender He demands is not a pleasant thought, for
total surrender means to be reduced to nothing.  Nobody wants to be
nothing.  We all aspire to be something.  But we must remember that
the power that will truly overcome is His Power; His infinite Power. 
Those who remember math from school will know you can add nothing to
infinity.  You cannot add anything or something, but you can add
nothing.  As long as we are something, the fullness of His Power will
never be realized.  The Spirit was given without measure to Jesus
because of the mind of Jesus as revealed in Philippians 2:5-8.
     It is when we become nothing that His power is realized.  One
reason we find it hard to be nothing is that we are always trying to
prove to people that we are something.  Therefore, the first step is
to realize what we are in Christ; He has made us somebody, a partaker
of the Divine nature.  When we know who we are in Him, we lose all
desire to prove anything to anyone.  He could empty Himself, and in so
doing He fulfilled God's requirements and proved the truth of God's
Word in His humiliation and exaltation.
     It is the same with us; we understand all that we are in Christ,
and we know that our worth to God depends not on our abilities,
attitudes or accomplishments.  It rests completely upon His Work for
us (not in us).  Then we can fully yield ourselves to God, Who will do
what He wants with us through His mighty power.  In this way our
Christian lives become fully utilized by God as, in ourselves, we
recognize that we are nothing that all may be of Him.
     Our problem is that we say we want to decrease because we believe
that, in this way, we can increase.  So we strive to decrease but all
the time we're really aiming to increase.  If we strive to be
anything, we deny the biblical truth that we are complete in Him.
     Implicit faith.  Why?  Because He is faithful that promised.  The
quality of our faith can only equal the completeness of our dependence
upon Him, and we can only allow ourselves to be completely dependent
on One Whom we know to be completely dependable.  Thus, "that I may
know him", becomes more than a sentimental dream; it becomes the
foundation upon which our faith may be firmly grounded.  Without faith
it is impossible to please Him."  To know Him is to love Him, to trust
Him, to obey Him.
     God has an aim for our lives, and that aim is expressed in
Hebrews 2:10; "...bringing many sons unto glory..."  Jesus is not
satisfied with just having washed us in His blood.  He wants us to
live glorious lives.  In the last day He will have to tell the truth
about us, and He wants it to be a pleasant truth.  He wants to say
"Well done", but He will not tell a lie.  It is with profound regret
that He will lay many stripes on the backs of them that knew the
Father's will, and did it not (Luke 12:47).

     "When I stand at the judgement seat of Christ
        and He shows me His plan for me.
     The plan of my life as it might have been
        had He had His way and I see
     How I blocked Him here and I checked
        Him there and I would not yield my will;
     Will there be grief in my Saviour's eyes;
        grief, though He loves me still?
     He would have me rich and I stand there poor;
        stripped of all but His Grace.
     While memory runs like a haunted thing
        down paths I cannot retrace.
     And my desolate heart will well nigh break
        with tears that I cannot shed.
     I will cover my face with my empty hands;
        I will bow my uncrowned head..."

     Of course, when we hear of being led to Glory, we think of a King
upon a throne.  God's idea of Glory is very different.  It is a King,
knowing He is King, laying aside His garments and washing His
disciples' feet. (John 13:3-5)
     We read in Job 1:8 that God has a good testimony to give to Job,
"a perfect and upright man", that might seem glorious to us.  However,
the real glory came several days later when Job, sitting on a dunghill
and scraping his boils said, "though He slay me, yet will I trust in
Him."
     It matters not (although it often matters a lot to us) whether we
finish our days on a throne or a dunghill; what matters is whether we
have obeyed Him, surrendered fully to Him, really trusted Him.  The
Captain of our salvation wants to bring us to Glory, that, with
nothing or with plenty we have all things in Him.
     The ancient hymnist wrote:

     "Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart
     Nought be all else to save that Thou art..."

     We all know certain facts, and because these facts are finite, we
can know many.  But to know God, the Infinite One; if we were to truly
know Him He would so fill our finite minds that anything else we know
could only be known in relationship to Him.  May He so be our vision
that He completely fills our horizon and we know all things as fully
subject to the great Fact in our lives: our Savior the Lord Jesus
Christ.
     Many of us have sung the hymn "He's Everything to Me."  What we
really meant was that He is a great deal to us.  We must challenge
ourselves.  Do we really want Him to be everything?  Do I want to lose
all claim to popularity, all claim to everything?  Do I really want to
know Him?
     Paul, in Philippians 3, states that all things were counted as
loss "for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for
whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but
dung (refuse, garbage)," that I may know Him.  We have all had God
take things from our lives, and then we recognized them as refuse. 
How many times we have been tempted to leave the vision of Christ,
through Whom we see all things aright, and go back and sneak a look
out of the back window, with a magnificent view of the garbage can!
     Do we mourn for that which He took away?  Do I spend a pleasant
Sunday afternoon meditating about my garbage can?

     "The pleasure lost I sadly mourned
        but never wept for Thee
     'Till grace my sightless eyes received,
        Thy loveliness to see."


 Entered by Sherie Bennett for S.O.N. (Salvation Online Network)
 Edited by D. Moore (Computers for Christ #11)