A Disciple Indeed

Lordship
Philip 3:7-8

“ But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him…”

LOSS – a detriment


SURPASSING GREATNESS – to excel


RUBBISH – dung, the most valueless


WESLEY -I still account both all these and all things else to be mere loss, compared to the inward, experimental knowledge of Christ, as my Lord, as my prophet, priest, and king, as teaching me wisdom, atoning for my sins, and reigning in my heart.

Paul writes that everything that created profit as well as everything on this earth a distraction or detriment to knowing Christ. Wesley notes that Paul addresses God as Christ – Messiah; Jesus – prophet; Lord – king.

To know Jesus as Messiah is to accept Him as savior; To be forgiven and cleansed and to have access to the power of His resurrection. This power will automatically raise us from the dead but it is here to empower us to live as more than conquerors.

To know Him as Jesus is to know Him as a human, Son of God, profit and teacher. He not only died for us, He lived among us to show us the glory and love of God. To know Him as Jesus we walk as He walked.

To know Him as Lord is to know Him as the supreme commander of our lives.

The things of this temporal world distract us from Him. To get ourselves untangled from this world we need to see these things as they truly are – dung. They are not evil or sin in themselves but if we see them for what they are – temporary distractions to our mission from God, or worse, idols that set themselves up in our hearts in place of God, we will control their influence on us as opposed to vice-versa.

Heb 12:1-3 “ Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race set before us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith….”

APPLICATION

Giving Lordship to Christ involves putting earthly things in their place….which is the lowest position. Christ is to be ahead of me, my plans, my desires and things.