Sermon Overview Scripture Passage: Romans 14:7-12 God wants us to live with kingdom authority, but there can be no reigning in this life until we confess these three words: Jesus is Lord. Lord means “someone or something having power, authority, or influence.” When we claim to commit to Jesus Christ, we must surrender to His lordship, as Paul explains in Romans, “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself” (Romans 14:7) First, remember the redeeming claim of His lordship. “For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:8). When Jesus died for us, He purchased our souls with His redeeming blood; we are no longer our own, we belong to Him. Adrian Rogers says, “When you gave your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ, that was the last independent decision you ever made.” Second, we see the resurrection conquest of His lordship. “For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living” (Romans 14:9). There can be no other king in our lives; no man can serve two masters (see Matthew 6:24). Christ requires our submission and absolute ownership of all we possess with unquestioned obedience. We shouldn’t be afraid to trust our lives to the One who loved us enough to die for us. Finally, there must be a regal confession of His lordship. “...As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God” (Romans 14:11). We will confess Christ as Lord, whether in this world or the next. Confessing Christ as Lord seals our salvation and conquers Satan; it also comforts and confirms the saints. The more we assert it to others, the stronger our faith becomes. As we confess Christ’s lordship, the things of this world fall away. Our separation from this world convicts those who see the difference in our lives and want to understand the source of our joy. And when we claim Christ as Lord, our decisions seem to make themselves, as He guides us in all things. Apply it to your life Have you surrendered to the lordship of Christ? Is He Lord of all that you have and do, Lord of your thoughts, your tongue, your temper, time, and testimony?
