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Preaching the Living WORD through the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4:2 - |
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MASTERED
BY THE MASTER - Part 2 (FATHER’S
DAY SERIES) Pastor I. DEFINITION OF
LORD A. Despótês B. Exousiázō C. Kúrios II. DEFINITION OF
LORDSHIP A. Definitions of
Lordship (Divine): 1. Lordship
is having at His disposal the freedom to create, exercise dominion, dictate
morality, judge, overrule, and destroy. 2. Lordship involves the idea that God has
all sovereignty and power to rule over all creation in all that He desires.
Therefore, all creation is obligated to absolute submission to Him. 3. The light of nature showeth
that there is a God, who hath lordship and
sovereignty over all; is good, and doth good unto all; and is therefore to be
feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served, with all the
heart, and with all the soul, and with all the might. ( III. THE LORDSHIP
OF CHRIST A. Kúrios Refers To Christ’s Position B. Kúrios Refers To Christ’s Deity C. Kúrios Refers To Christ’s Name (Phil 2:6-11) IV. BELIEVERS
MASTERED BY THE MASTER V. FATHERS MASTERED BY THE MASTER A. Spirituality
(2Pe 3:18) 1. One
who is mastered by the Master will grow spiritually.
The Master commands us to grow (pres act imper -
auxánō - lit. “you must keep on
growing”) spiritually
and to do otherwise implies that we are not mastered by Christ. 2. Growing spiritually means to grow in the
grace and knowledge of the Lord (kúrios).
Christ’s grace (cháris - undeserved divine favor) would be salvation and all the
spiritual blessings, which He bestowed upon the believer (Eph 1:3). It would
also include the enablement to live the Christian life and serve Him (2Pe
1:3-4). Knowledge (gnṓsis - here, the result of divine enlightenment) is the knowledge of the person and
work of Christ through the Word. If there is no knowledge of the Written Word
then there will not be much growth in the Living Word. 3. "Grow in grace so you won't groan in
disgrace" is the familiar sound that comes from Barnstable, Cape Cod,
Massachusetts on daily radio, Songtime with Dr.
John DeBrine. Those mastered by the Master will not
groan in disgrace. B. Leadership
(Eph 6:4) 1. One
who is mastered by the Master will lead his family
and others spiritually. The Master commands us not to exasperate our family
but lead them in the instruction of the Lord (kúrios). 2. Speaking to fathers concerning their
children, the first command is to not provoke them
to anger (parorgízō - derivative of orgízō
- wrath). This is not
trying to prevent temper tantrums. Rather it is leading your family in a
Christ-like manner. To lead without love or without justice is leading in an un-Christ-like manner and can exasperate those
underneath us. 3. The second command is to lead (ektŕephō - grow them up) the family in the spiritual training (paideía - rearing and guiding a child toward maturity; can carry the
connotation of discipline cp. Heb 12:5,7,8,11) and spiritual instruction (nouthesia - admonish, i.e. from the Scriptures; Nouthetic Counseling) of the Lord. This is why the spiritual leader must know
the Word and live the Word. C. Worship (Mat
4:10 cp. Deu 6:13) 1. One
who is mastered by the Master will worship only the
Lord (kúrios) in his heart and in the
assembly. The Master jealously demands single-hearted allegiance. 2. We are commanded
to worship the Lord. The word worship (proskunéō) literally means to “kiss.” In ancient
times (and today in some parts) subjects bow in
humility and kiss the ring of royalty. In the Scriptures we see individuals
falling prostrate before the Lord (Jos 7:10; Luk 5:8; 1Co 14:25). 3. The expression of such acts exemplifies
the humility and worship of the heart. God alone is worthy and in His presence we realize that we are completely unworthy. 4. We are not to let anyone or anything have
more value than the Lord. In the context of Mat
4:10, Jesus was being tempted with materialism and power (“all the kingdoms of
the world and their glory”). Christ responded that the Scriptures teach to
worship the Lord only. Augustine said, “Jesus Christ is not valued at all
until He is valued above all.” 5. In addition, the delight of the soul of
the one who is mastered by the Master is to
regularly assemble with his family and other believers to worship the Lord.
Many claim to worship the Lord but are not committed to the one day set aside
for worship. 6. Along with worship, we are
commanded to serve the Lord. The word serve (latreúō) was a word used for priestly temple
duty (Heb. 8:5; 9:9; 10:2; 13:10; Rev. 7:15). Worship includes using our
gifts in the church to edify the church. A worshipful heart is the best
indication that one is mastered by the Master. D. Employment ( 1. One
who is mastered by the Master will serve his
employer for the glory of the Lord. The Master commands us to work heartily
for the Lord (kúrios). 2. The context of Col 3:22 is that Paul is speaking to those who were forced
economically to become slaves in Roman society. Yet, Paul admonished them to
be obedient to their earthly masters. 3. We could apply this to modern day
employment. Not that we are treated as slaves by our
employers, but in that we are to have a good Christian testimony and
serve our employers. 4. It is not a good Christian testimony to
work hard only when the boss is watching (ophthalmodoulía -
“lit. “ eye service”) or only being interested in making yourself
look good (anthropáreskos - lit. “Man-pleaser”). 5. However, the proper work ethic is to work
with all your heart and soul (psuchế) and
sincerely (haplótês) promoting your employer. 6. Ultimately, we are doing this for the
Lord’s glory because in all actuality we are serving Him in our employment
(cp. vs. 24). To be mastered by the Master is to
have the characteristic of a servant (doúlos cp. Rom 1:1 cp. Phi 2:7) even in emloyment. E. Friendships
(1Pe 3:15) 1. One
who is mastered by the Master will make the Lord and
the Lord’s work first in his life. The Master commands us to be ready to
share our faith with everyone. 2. The command is to “sanctify” (aor act imper - hagiázō - make holy or set apart) Christ as Lord (kúrios).
We are to settle the issue and make Christ Lord and Master. 3. One way this is done is by always being
ready to explain (apología - verbal defense; i.e. Apologetics) literally, “the hope in you.” The hope
that the believer has is that Christ has saved him and nothing in this life
can thwart that reality. 4. In fact, trials become opportunities to
share our faith with family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. In all
relationships, the ultimate goal is to see them come to Christ and then to
grow in Christ (1Co 2:2). 5. To be mastered
by the Master is to understand that He has commissioned us to tell others
about Him and His salvation. |
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