If Jesus is Lord, I Am Not
Citizen House Creed — Part 1
My wife and I love visiting museums. Lydia particularly loves learning anything about ancient Egypt. So when the Nefertari exhibit about the roles and influence of women in Eqypt landed at the Kimble in Fort Worth, we jumped at the opportunity to attend.
For most of us, the first thing that comes to mind when we think about Eqypt is mummies and pyramids. To say that the Egyptians had extensive rituals to prepare for their burial and the afterlife would be an understatement. Their entire lives revolved around appeasing a pantheon of gods to find favor upon their demise. In looking at numerous artifacts at the exhibit depicting offerings made to the gods, I was reminded that’s God’s people have always been a remnant amidst a pantheistic culture.
When you read the first few books of the Old Testament, remember that not only were the Israelites enslaved by the Egyptians, but they were surrounded by nations that worshiped other gods — both in the wilderness and as they entered the promised land.
This is the context in which the 10 Commandments are given. The first two of which are: “You shall have no other God’s before me” and “You shall not make for yourself an idol.” In fact, Moses preaches to the Israelites before they enter the Promised Land -
“Hear, O Isreal: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deut. 6:4–5)
This passage is referred to as the Shema in Hebrew. The Jewish people would (and still do) recite this passage daily. It serves as a kind of pledge of allegiance to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and excludes allegiance to any other gods. It calls people to devote their entire being and every activity to this One God. I could make an argument that this passage is the key verse in the entire Old Testament…it’s that big of a deal!
But God’s people having a singular allegiance isn’t only a theme in the Old Testament. Jesus was born during the rule of the Roman Empire. Interestingly, when Rome would conquer lands, they would allow people to continue their religions under one condition — that they would submit to Caesar as lord. In fact, soldiers would force subjects to verbally state “Caesar is lord” as a sign of surrender and allegiance. It’s no wonder that Herod, the Romans, and the Jewish leaders (because they perceived it a violation of the Shema) wanted Jesus dead upon hearing that he was a King.
But here’s the great news, although Jesus was the King of the Universe, He didn’t try to obtain earthy power. He lived a perfectly humble life, one that you and I couldn’t do, and was killed on a cross in our place. Jesus took the punishment that we deserve for our insurrection against Him. Because of His obedience, the Father raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand- the place of authority. And one day, every human from every people group will verbally pledge their allegiance to King Jesus. (Phil. 2)
Jesus’ death and resurrection proved that he is the only one with the right to demand our full surrender and allegiance. Thus we declare “JESUS IS LORD!”
Paul, a Jewish leader who likely had not only the Shema memorized but the entire Torah said it this way in his first letter to the Corinthians -
“For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth — as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords” — yet for us there is one God, the Father,…and one Lord Jesus Christ…” (I Cor. 8:5–6)
In the midst of a pantheistic culture, under the rule of Caesar, Paul takes the concept of the Shema and focuses it on the person of Jesus. This means that all of our love, our longings, our entire being, belongs to Jesus.
Being a Christian isn’t simply subscribing to a set of beliefs, attending a church, or reciting a prayer when you were 7 years old, it’s being moved by what Jesus has done for you and surrendering your life to Him as King.
Missiologists and church historians have noted that every great Jesus movement and revival in history has had at its core people who fully declare “Jesus is Lord”. Others have described movement catalysts as having a “white-hot faith.”
If Israelites had to combat devotion to a “god” like Ra or Baal, and the early church had to deny that “Caesar is lord”, what are the deities today that we need to denounce?
Where I live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, there are mosques, Buddhist temples, mystic readings rooms, Universalist churches, and other religious centers within about a 2-mile radius of my home. I have neighbors that worship other gods. What’s not as obvious are the other gods that our western culture pledges allegiance to. Things like money, power, politics, sex, and sports. My favorite sports radio station is currently running an ad that states “If football is a religion in Texas, then consider this church!” They mean that as a joke, but it’s an incredibly accurate statement.
I have come to believe that the chief “lord” in our society is the self, the individual. The primary philosophy of our day is that it doesn’t really matter what or who you devote yourself to, as long as you’re being true to yourself. We’re able to pick and choose from different sources of authority as long as ultimately we’re the ones in control. In this way, it becomes ok to be a “Christian” but Jesus is merely one of the numerous gods that I pledge allegiance to. At the end of the day, I am the lord of my life.
But the truth is, if Jesus is Lord, I am not.
In Citizen House, we want to be known as communities that unapologetically declare that Jesus is Lord. We say it this way —
“We surrender every area of our lives to King Jesus.”
Our money, our time, our families and relationships, our jobs — every part of our being and every activity that we engage in belongs to Jesus. We don’t have the right to create our own identity. Jesus does.
We want to continue the legacy of the Shema. And we denounce any other claim to lordship as did the early church and believers throughout history.
To Jesus alone belongs our allegiance. This is our manifesto. This is our creed.
This is part 1of a 5 part series on the Citizen House Creed. VIEW PART 2
