Lord of All

Acts 10:36-48 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.

^{Silent Prayer}

^{Titles say a lot about a person. They reveal accomplishment. They provide a description of the person who wears them. Someone who is a medical doctor has earned the title, and it is understood it came with great effort over a long period of time. Someone who wears the title of Dr. is obviously someone of great intelligence because the title represents someone with a great aptitude and expert knowledge.}

Someone who is an Olympic Gold Medalist, just by virtue of the title is known to be a person with superior athletic skill. The title represents discipline, training, sacrifice, and skill.

Think about the title, “Heavy Weight Champion of the World.” That’s pretty impressive, isn’t it? That title speaks to the respect someone has earned for their great strength. Someone with that title doesn’t get messed with.

But all of those titles, though impressive, are limited in scope. Even the person who is Heavy Weight Champion of the World is only just that-a heavy weight champion. However, there is one title which has no limitation. It speaks of an unending power and overarching influence. It bears weight in all situations and carries authority in all circumstances. The person who has this title knows everything about math and science that can be known. The person who has this title has no physical or earthly limitation.

There was great applause, no doubt, when Dr. Chapman and Dr. Maxsom and Dr. Gillenwater walked across the platform to receive their degrees. I’m sure there is great rejoicing and celebration when someone wins an Olympic Gold Medal or is touted the “Heavy Weight Champion of the World,” but there is only one person who possess a title which will earn them the kind of respect which causes every knee to bow in awe and worship. That person with that title is Jesus and He is LORD OF ALL!

First of all, Jesus is Lord in Scripture.

Ephesians 1:9-10 And He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, ¹⁰ to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment–to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

Scripture establishes that God’s plan before time began always was and is for Jesus to be Lord. He raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in power.

Ephesians 1:19-22 That power is like the working of his mighty strength, ²⁰ which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹ far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. ²² And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church.

There is what we call “super powers” in the world. They are defined as: “a country that has the capacity to project dominating power and influence anywhere in the world, and sometimes, in more than one region of the globe at a time.” That’s power. That’s authority.

Yet this Scripture tells us in Ephesians that Jesus’ rule, authority, power and dominion is higher and greater than any other authority.

In Matthew 28:18 Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me.” That’s why anyone claiming to have new authority or more authority than Jesus or to give counsel contrary to the words of Jesus is a fake and will lead you down the wrong path. Jesus has all authority. No one else has more. If He said it, that’s the way it is, You don’t need to get a second opinion because there is no other opinion that could trump Jesus.

Colossians 1:15-20 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Jesus is so Ultimate that He is both the first and the last. He is the Ace, the Top, the Greatest, the Best and the Dominant. He outstrips and outshines any other. He is Primo and unsurpassed in every way. He is the Glue holding the universe together.

I love the way Michael W. Smith describes Jesus in song. He says He is:

Above all powers
Above all kings
Above all nature
And all created things
Above all wisdom
And all the ways of man
You were here
Before the world began
Above all kingdoms
Above all thrones
Above all wonders
The world has ever known
Above all wealth
And treasures of the earth
There’s no way to measure
What You’re worth

Psalm 97:9 shouts, “For you, O Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.”

Second, Jesus’ is Lord By His Name.

When you are in a courtroom and you hear that the Honorable Judge so and so is entering the courtroom, you will also hear the words, “All rise.” The name of the judge elicits a certain response out of those who are present. Rising is a sign of respect. It’s an acknowledgement of the judge’s authority. When the name of the President of the United States is announced in Congress, there is a generous response that the name elicits. However, it’s not the name, but the office the name represents which causes people to respond with respect.

Well, we read in Philippians 2:10-11 “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Here it is the name alone that will bring all of heaven and earth to its knees to call Jesus Lord.

Why would every knee bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord? What is it about His name that will one day cause every person everywhere whether they have previously acknowledged Jesus as Lord, to kneel in worship and confess Him as Lord?

An angel appeared to Joseph before Jesus was born to tell him what to name the child. The angel said, “You shall call His name Jesus for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

Picasso’s name is associated with great art. Henry Ford’s name is associated with cars. When people hear Martin Luther King’s name they think “civil rights” hero. The name Michael Jordan takes your mind right to basketball. There are names I could mention that would cause you to reflect on an award winning book or movie; names I could throw out that would make you think of politics or science. But there is no other name but the name of Jesus which has the power to save people from their sins (Acts 4:12).

Jesus did what He was born to do. He did what His name suggested. Only a sinless Messiah would be qualified to pay the price for the sins of all humankind. Jesus is Lord because He lived a perfect, sinless life. Ghandi may be well-known, but he can’t save people from sin. Mohammed may have a following, but he can’t save people from their sin. Confucious may have the respect of some people, but he can’t save people from their sin. Bhudda may have fooled some people, but listen to me, only the name of Jesus has any power to save you from your sin! Jesus is Lord because He freed us from the power of sin and death by being crucified and rising from the dead three days later.

All roads don’t lead to God. Allah won’t save you. Charles Russell doesn’t have what it takes to deal with your sin. It’s not just a matter of semantics. Getting your semantics right is critical because there is only one name you can call upon to deliver you from sin, and it is the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Jesus’ Lordship is also seen in His miracles.

Jesus is Lord over creation.

In Mark chapter four, Jesus and the disciples were in a boat and a storm rose up. Jesus was sleeping soundly, but the disciples were freaking out. They woke Jesus up and frantically said, “Don’t you care if we die?” The truth is, they don’t sound too much different than we sometimes when the storms of life rage around us and we think our boat could be overturned any minute, we’re often quick to ask Jesus the same question. “Do you care about what I’m going through?”

Jesus woke up and Mark 4:39 says Jesus rebuked the winds and the waves. Immediately the storm stopped. He showed He was Lord over the winds and waves, the natural elements. When He speaks, they have to listen to Him.

Listen to me. Mother Nature is a figment of someone’s imagination. There was and is no sun god, no sea god, no moon god or no thunder god. Jesus Christ alone is Lord of Creation! Twila Paris put it this way:

You are Lord of the Heavens and Lord of my life
Lord of the land and the sea
You were Lord of Creation before there was time
And Lord of all Lords You will be

And Jesus isn’t Lord of Creation because He was created first like the Jehovah’s Witnesses believe. He is Lord of Creation because He created it all. The Word says Jesus was with God in the beginning. When there was nothing, there Jesus was.

Revelation 4:11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

You didn’t ooze out of something. You didn’t morph out of something. You were created by the Lord God with great care, detail and design. Jesus is Lord of Creation.

Jesus is Lord Over Demons

We also see Jesus’ Lordship in delivering people from demonic possession. We read in 1 John 3:8, it says, “The Son of God was manifest, or appeared, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” One of those works is to hold men captive to false systems, to wickedness. Jesus showed He was Lord every time He overpowered Satan and his demons. He did it time after time after time after time. There were at least nine recorded exorcisms in the New Testament. One of the main reasons Jesus had so many opportunities is simply because under the preaching of Jesus, when demons were present, they couldn’t keep quiet. They’d cry out in panic and fear when they were confronted with Jesus. They recognized His Lordship before He ever dealt with them.

You find that exact scenario in Luke 4:31-36. A demon living inside a man screamed out in the middle of Jesus’ teaching. Jesus was preaching good news to the poor, preaching liberty to the captives, announcing Himself as the Messiah and the demon couldn’t take it! Makes me think of a line from a famous movie, “You can’t handle the Truth.” The demon couldn’t handle it. He knew Jesus was Lord, and he couldn’t deal with it.

James 2:19 says, “Even the demons believe and they shudder.” They shudder because they are in constant fear. They know Jesus is Lord. They know the Lake of Fire is real. And everywhere Jesus went and encountered demons, they were exposed and defeated.

Jesus is Lord Over Sickness

Matthew4:23 “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.”

Jesus healed leprosy, a progressive skin disease. Leprosy made a person unclean. Lepers were ostracized by society and were relegated to isolation. By healing the lepers, Jesus showed He could make anything clean—even a leper.

Many of His healing miracles were also accompanied by the forgiveness of sin. In Matthew 9, Jesus healed a paralytic and the words of healing included words of forgiveness. He said, “Take heart, son, your sins are forgiven.” The teachers of the law called Jesus a blasphemer.

Forgiveness is the greatest miracle that Jesus ever performs. It meets the greatest need; it costs the greatest price; and it brings the greatest blessing and the most lasting results. In forgiving sins along with healing, Jesus was revealing that He was more than a Healer. He was the Lord, the Forgiver of sin.

Jesus is Lord Over Sin.

If sin is the master of a person, then the person can’t be Lord. But Jesus was mastered by nothing, not even sin.

Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin.”

It wasn’t that Jesus didn’t have an opportunity to sin. There was opportunity everywhere. Though He wasn’t popular with the religious crowd, the people whose lives were transformed became avid followers. Just think of the temptations that come to those who rise to great fame and popularity. From pride to temptations of the flesh, Jesus would have had great opportunity.

Then think about the way Satan tempted Him in the dessert. Jesus hadn’t eaten for 40 days. He was at His weakest point physically, but that’s when He proved His strength that came from His Heavenly Father was enough to defeat the enemy. For even when we are at our weakest, the strength that comes from God alone is more than enough. Jesus didn’t fall for Satan’s schemes. He didn’t take the bait. He didn’t give in to a temporary moment of physical satisfaction or pleasure. No, He proved that He could live for His eternal purpose every moment of every day.

There were also temptations of course to retaliate when He was being falsely accused, beaten and taunted, stripped of His earthly dignity and crucified on a Roman cross. But Isaiah 53:7 says, “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”Why didn’t He fight back? Why didn’t He call the angels of Heaven down to deliver Him from the cross? Why didn’t He show them who was boss?

He didn’t do any of that because He didn’t need to. He knew who He was. He didn’t have to prove anything to anyone. It would have circumvented His purpose. He only needed to do what He came to do and in so doing, He would prove He was Lord. He showed His Lordship in that He didn’t react in the flesh in any sinful or destructive way. He lived a perfect life and executed a perfect plan which makes Him Lord over sin.

In that respect, you could say Jesus is also the Lord of Life. He got life perfectly right, and because He did, He can help you get life right. He says in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life.”

He is life. He offers life. He gives abundant life, a peace-filled life, an empowered life, a joy-filled life, a satisfied life, a victorious life, a meaningful life, and eternal life for all who trust in Him for salvation. If it has to do with life, Jesus is all about it.

Perhaps the clearest evidence that Jesus is Lord is simply that…

Jesus is Lord Over Death.

When you watch any documentary of any famous person on TV, it celebrates their accomplishments and achievements. It highlights what that person was known for in their particular field of expertise. But when you watch a movie or documentary about the life and times of Jesus, it ends in a way unlike any other documentary. Death isn’t the end for the life and times of Jesus. He rose from the dead to make Him Lord over death. Death is swallowed up in His victory. Death couldn’t conquer Him. He succumbed to nothing. Jesus Christ is Lord over death and the grave! Death is swallowed up in His victory. I Cor. 15:54 “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” ⁵⁵ “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

Can anyone celebrate with me this morning? Does that reality give anyone hope this morning? Does that put a spring in anyone’s step this morning? I’m glad I know the One who knows the way out of here. I’m glad I know the One who has conquered death. Hallelujah! I’m glad I am in a relationship with the Lord of Scripture who is the Lord over creation, the Lord over demons, the Lord over sin, the Lord over sickness, the Lord of Life and the Lord over death. Do you know Him? Is He your Lord?

Romans 10:13 says, “Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” Is He your Lord?

David wrote, the Lord is MY shepherd. -Psalm 23

Mary said, “…They have taken away MY Lord” – John 20:13

Thomas said, “My Lord and my God!” – John 20:28

Paul wrote, “…Christ Jesus my Lord” – Philippians 3:8

Knowing what Scripture says and how Jesus has proven Himself over and over again, I have come to tell you that you fall into one of two categories today. Either you can say with David, Mary, Thomas, Paul and myself, “Jesus is MY Lord” now or you will everyone on that day not in worship and praise, but in submission and regret as you confess Him as Lord. Knowing who Jesus is, knowing what He can do, knowing what He wants to offer you, why not make Him your Lord today?