Theme : Lessons on Christian Living: Chapter 1 Putting Christ First          

Topic : Appraising my Lordship Journey

Key Passage :  Matthew 7:13-27

Key Verse :  Matthew 7:21

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven

Introduction: 

Everyone tends to overestimate themselves when they evaluate their lives.

How can we recognise our true condition?

Jesus warns us against smugness and self-righteousness in our relationship with God.

How do we appraise our Lordship journey?

1.Do we define Lordship like Jesus did?

a) Is it about motives? Not what we say or do (prophesy, cast out demons, miracles)

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord… Matthew 7:21

b) Is it about wholeheartedness in loving God? Matthew 22:37

• Do we love God with our body, soul and spirit? (soul includes mind, heart and will)

c) Is it about who we serve?

…you cannot serve God and mammon… Matthew 6:24

…as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord… Joshua 24:15

• If our God is mammon (money) instead of the Lord Jesus then we can be bought. Pleasure, fame or possessions will always cause us to compromise. 

example: even CEOs can be bought;7 top executives of a shipyard were featured recently for corruption

2, How do we examine the choices on this journey?

a) There are 2 ways to choose Matthew 7:13-14

• Broad way (popular, easy, my associations)
• Narrow way (lonely, costly, hard)
• Which way have I consistently lean toward? 

b) There are 2 kinds of trees to grow Matthew 7:15-20

• Good tree produces good fruit
• Bad tree produces bad fruit
• Are there good fruits from my decision to follow Christ?

c) There are 2 kinds of houses to build Matthew 7:24-27

• Is my house (life) one of obedience?
• Can my life stand against the flood of God’s judgement?

3.What do we do with the road blocks on our Lordship journey?

• Problem of re-cycled faith

• Distrust of God’s intentions

- will God withhold good things from me? Psalms 84:11

- have I been listening to Satan’s Did God really say? Genesis 3:1



• Failure to inquire for God’s will

Application:  

Appraising 8 areas of my life

• How much of each area is dedicated to the Lord Jesus?
• What was my attitude in offering that area to the Lord?
• How many of my choices were based on God’s will or just self-wisdom.

Article:

• ... they loved not their lives unto death...

On 3 June 1886, 32 young men were burned to death. They belonged to King Mwanga’s court of Buganda (now Uganda). Many other Christians who refused to renounce Christianity also died by spear or fire for their faith.

These martyrdoms totally changed the dynamic of Christian growth, introduced to Uganda in 1877. King Mwanga became increasingly angry as he realized that the converts put loyalty to Christ above loyalty to the king. First he forbade anyone to go near a Christian mission on pain of death, but later resolved to wipe out Christianity. The martyrdoms produced a result entirely opposite to Mwanga’s intentions. The example of these martyrs, who walked to their deaths singing hymns and praying for their enemies, so inspired many of the bystanders that they began to enquire from the remaining Christians. Within a few years the original handful of converts had multiplied many times. The martyrs left a message that Christianity was truly African, not a white man’s religion; with the missionary work carried out by Africans themselves.

Several years ago I heard an African clergyman, born of pagan parents, tell of his conversion. He said: One afternoon I was cycling along a road and met a young man cycling in the opposite direction. He promptly turned about to ride beside me and to talk. He spoke with great enthusiasm about Jesus, whom I had never heard before, how He had destroyed the power of death and evil by dying and rising again, and how He was God become man to reconcile man with God. I heard what my companion had to say, and before we parted I had accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Now, the young man who preached the Good News of Jesus Christ to me that afternoon had himself heard of Jesus for the first time that morning.

May we emulate their zeal for the risen Christ to whom they gave OBEDIENCE even unto death and by their sacrifice brought forth a rich harvest of souls.

Adapted from the Biographical Sketches. * Revelation 12:11