"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36)

Introduction:    In the dictionary, the definition of the word lord is one with absolute power, absolute authority. We often speak of commitment, but the real question is surrender. When you're committed, you're in control; when you surrender, you relinquish control. If a robber puts a gun to your head, you don't commit your wallet; you surrender it! The Church today seems determined to mold itself into an image that the world dictates. The grand old truths of the Bible are being abandoned for new concepts and ideas. The spiritual heritage left to us by godly men is slowly fading away. Fundamental teachings of the Bible are being questioned. In the name of tolerance the precious truths of God's word are being cast aside.  As we engage the Enemy in our battle for truth, the Church today must boldly proclaim the Lordship of our Savior, Jesus Christ. 

I.          THE PROBLEM THE CHURCH FACES

Rom.12:2

A.        The Intention To Appear Trendy

For the last twenty years or so, the Church has been bombarded with outlandish ideas and programs. The Church today may have innovation but it has little inspiration. Maintaining a positive self image has taken the priority over guarding the truth. How is this seen in the Church today?

·         PR-DRIVEN CHURCHES. The Church, somewhere along the way, has lost the clear message of the Gospel. Instead of simply—"Go ye therefore and teach all nations..." churches today are implementing market strategies by using pollsters and public relations managers.

·         OUT OF CONTROL PRAGMATISM. Many pastors today instead of asking "what's true?" are asking "what works?"  It seems many today care more about methodology instead of theology.

·         POPULAR TRENDS. Many have become like "children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine" (Ephesians 4:14).  They say, "Make no demands on people (afraid of offending)." Concerning fulfilling the Great Commission; "Let's just not have service and have a big Super Bowl party!" Concerning real and serious discipleship; "Sure we use a great series of group studies based on I Love Lucy episodes."

B.         The Imperative To Affirm The Truth

For the Church to be effective today there are several Christ-like qualities that are essential: Biblical discernment, wisdom, determination, endurance, rightly dividing the Word of Truth, strong convictions, the ability to speak the truth without wavering. Today, the Church is too obsessed with opinion polls, surveys, market strategies, merchandising schemes, to build crowds. The Church seems obsessed with its public image, not offending unbelievers, being politically correct, and other shallow, selfish matters. The question is, "who are we trying to please, God or man? The Savior who died for us or the secular world?"

II.         THE PERSON ON WHOM THE CHURCH SHOULD FOCUS (Jude 4)

A.        Why Christ's Lordship Is Denied

Verse 4 describes apostates as—"denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ." Their rejection of Christ's authority was the basis for their apostasy from the start (Mat.28:18). They resented His lordship and rejected Him as their Master because they were rebellious and wanted the authority over themselves. Jude gives us the major reason for their rebellion:

·         Immorality (W. 7-8).

·         Greed (VI1).

·         Lust (V4).

This shows us that the root cause of false doctrine is nearly always immorality and sinful lust not ignorance or misunderstanding. If a person wants to indulge their sinful desires then they must reject the authority of Jesus Christ in their life.

B.         Ways Christ's Lordship Is Denied

(Eph. 4:17-20) What are some of the ways the lordship of Christ is denied today? :

·         SEEKER-SENSITIVE METHODS. Churches today tailor their services to suit the palates of "seekers" More emphases is placed on entertainment. Entertainment has replaced the preaching of the Gospel. The result is that Christ's headship over the Church is diminished by removing His Word from its rightful place. This serves to silence His rule over the life of His people and in essence, surrenders Christ's headship over the Church.

·         NO-LORDSHIP THEOLOGY. Many preach and teach today that surrender to Christ's lordship is an optional matter, relevant only after a person has been a Christian for awhile. This reduces the Gospel to easy believism while carefully omitting any reference to His authority as Lord. Gone from the message are the Lord's call to discipleship and all His commands that demand cross-bearing and self-denial (Matthew 16:24; Mark 10:21; Luke 14:26-27, 33). This no-lordship Gospel also avoids calling sinners to repentance.

·         ACCOMDATIONS TO POLITICAL CORRECTNESS. Those willing to compromise the truth to make Christianity appear more politically correct is in effect denying Christ as the Head of the Church. Scripture is clear in forbidding women from teaching men or having authority over the Church (1 Timothy 2:12). But today we see an open floodgate of women into pastoral and teaching roles. Many seminaries today are aggressively pursuing women for pastoral training programs. Many once conservative Churches are now placing women in positions of authority All this feminism has its roots in Gnosticism. Changing the Word of God, the role of pastoral leadership, and the Biblical model of headship given us by God just to be politically correct. (Illus: Political Correctness Kills).

Christ's headship over the Church is being disputed and displaced. To have a right understanding of the Church we must start by recognizing Christ as the One and only true head of the Church and whatever interferes with His role has its roots in apostasy. Every form of apostasy is an absolute denial of (Jude 4) and is rebellion against Him!

III.       THE PLAN THE CHURCH SHOULD FOLLOW (Eph. 5:21-33)

A.        The Meaning Of Headship

What does the Bible teach concerning headship? Ephesians 5:23 makes it clear—"For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the Church, and he is the Savior of the body." And yet for the past 20 years or so this concept of headship has been the subject of on-going debate. Many strive to find creative ways to strip from headship the concepts of leadership and authority. Many feminists today say the word "head" in Ephesians 5:23 means nothing more than "source". They believe the husband should be the loving protector and provider to the wife, but it surely doesn't give him the right to have any authority over her. But friends, if the husband's role is void of authority, Christ's headship and authority over the Church is also voided. 1 Corinthians 11:3—"But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God." Jesus shows us this by His obedience to the Father's will.  As Jesus voluntarily submitted to His Father's will (John 6:38), wives are to submit to their husbands, and the Church is to submit to Jesus (Ephesians 5:24). This is commanded by God.

B.         The Manner Of Headship

God's eternal purpose of Christ as Head of the Church is seen in Ephesians 1. The Father directed the entire plan of redemption as a way of exalting His Son as Lord over all. Eph. 1 describes that all things are put under His feet, and as Lord over all, Christ would be the Head of the Church, and the Church would be His body and bride. God the Father has given His Son:

A place of authority (Eph. 1:20-21); A perpetual authority (Eph. 1:21); A permanent authority (Eph. 1:22-23). But any question as to the relationship of Christ's authority as Lord to His headship over the Church is settled in Colossians 1:18—"And he is the head of the body, the Church: Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence." First place is His! And nowhere ought that truth to be more evident than in the Church where His people openly and freely submit to Him as Lord. He and He alone, is the only true and proper head of the Church. No pope, politician, or potentate has any right to usurp His title or occupy His office.

Conclusion:   False teachers can be identified by the watering down the Gospel or distorting its message to make it more acceptable to lost man (1 Corinthians 1:22-25). They show their true colors by seeking men's approval rather than God's approval (Galatians 1:10). They declare it by attempting to reinvent the Church so it will be more pleasing to the world (John 15:18-19).  All these things serve to effectively overrule Scriptural authority in the Church and thus they are "denying the only Lord and our Lord Jesus Christ." If there were only three words we might be allowed to speak, those three words should be, "Jesus is Lord!" There is no middle ground for the Christian: Jesus must be Lord of all, or He can't be Lord at all.

We should be deeply concerned about the state of the Church today!  It is imperative that we get engaged in the battle for truth! The first way is to affirm Christ’s due position in the Church once more. My question today is, "Does Christ have the rightful place in your life?" Do you confess Him as Lord? One day everything above, below, and on the earth will bow and declare Him to be Lord and God. But you can do so now!