What Does It Mean to Call Jesus Lord?

Devotional

Day 1: The Crucial Question That Changes Everything

Jesus’ direct inquiry cuts through casual assumptions like a proposal demanding response. This moment mirrors relational turning points where vague affection becomes costly commitment. To call Jesus “the Christ of God” means surrendering all other loyalties, not just affirming a theological fact. His identity as the eternal King who suffered reshapes every priority, relationship, and secret motive. The answer determines whether we build on sand or bedrock. [00:24]

“Peter answered, ‘The Christ of God.’”
(Luke 9:20, ESV)

Reflection: What specific area of your life still resists naming Jesus as Lord? How might confessing Him as Christ recalibrate that space today?

Day 2: The Cross as Public Identification, Not Private Decoration

Following Jesus means embracing the shame Rome reserved for rebels. Modern crosses sanitize what first-century disciples understood: allegiance to Christ risks ridicule, loss, and being mislabeled. This isn’t about jewelry but joining Jesus’ countercultural march against sin’s tyranny. The call isn’t to suffer for suffering’s sake, but to share in His victory through sacrificial love. [24:51]

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
(Luke 9:23, ESV)

Reflection: Where does following Jesus currently cost you social comfort or reputation? How does His cross empower you to bear that weight today?

Day 3: Losing Your Grip to Find Your Life

White-knuckling safety keeps us frozen on life’s cliffside. Like the pastor’s paralyzed grip during a climb, we cling to control, comfort, or approval while Jesus calls us downward into vulnerable trust. Releasing our death-grip on temporary security makes space for His eternal hold. True freedom comes not from securing our footing but following His lead. [27:11]

“For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”
(Luke 9:24, ESV)

Reflection: What false “handhold” are you clinging to instead of Christ’s guidance? What one step of release could you take this week?

Day 4: Gaining the World, Forfeiting the Soul

Success metrics lie. Accumulated wealth, likes, or accolades become soul-cages if disconnected from eternal purpose. Jesus’ parable of the rich fool exposes the tragedy of stockpiling treasures God never audits. Our digital age amplifies this tension, mistaking visibility for value. Only investments in Christ’s kingdom outlast death’s portfolio wipe. [30:49]

“But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
(Luke 12:20-21, ESV)

Reflection: What earthly measure of success most tempts you to compromise eternal priorities? How can you redirect that energy toward kingdom richness today?

Day 5: The Coming Kingdom and the Final Exam

Life culminates not in accolades or regrets, but in Christ’s appraisal. His judgment seat exposes every pretense, yet offers hope to those who trusted His cross over self-justification. The transfiguration previews this reality: temporary struggles yield to everlasting glory. Live now for the “well done” that outshines all human approval. [32:35]

“For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”
(Luke 9:26, ESV)

Reflection: Whose opinion weighs heaviest in your decisions? How might living for Christ’s final approval free you from lesser fears today?

Sermon Summary

Jesus prays, then turns and asks the disciples, Who do the crowds say that I am? The crowds call him John, Elijah, a prophet, a significant human at most. Then the question shifts: But you, who do you say that I am? Peter answers with Israel’s loaded hope: the Christ of God. That confession pulls together the story the Scriptures have been telling since Genesis 3, through Abraham’s promise, David’s throne, and Daniel’s Son of Man who receives an everlasting kingdom. The title lands like a claim of allegiance. If Christ is Lord, Caesar is not. If Christ is King, every lesser lord must move.

Jesus then seals their confession with a command to silence, not because the word is wrong, but because their expectations are. The Son of Man must suffer, be rejected, be killed, and on the third day be raised. The royal Son of Man and the suffering servant meet in one person. The cross is not an accident; it is a rescue. Sin enslaves and fractures, and it accrues a debt someone must pay. Christ dies for us, to bring us to God, in our place, as the payment. The resurrection shows the debt cleared and death defanged.

Then the call lands on anyone who would come after him: deny himself, take up his cross, and follow. The cross in that world was public shame, not jewelry. So discipleship is a public identification with Jesus that will invite ridicule and resistance. It cannot be done half-heartedly or on the side. Christ is more precious than what life can give or death can take.

Jesus names the motivations that make costly following sane. First, whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Jesus’ sake will save it. Gripping tight to the wrong security looks like safety but becomes a trap; letting go into Christ saves. Second, what does it profit to gain the world and forfeit the self? The rich fool’s barns look impressive right up until the night God calls his life due. Third, there is a final exam. Whoever is ashamed of Jesus and his words will meet the Son of Man in glory as Judge. Live now for the only approval that lasts. Finally, the kingdom is not only future. Some standing there will see it in the transfiguration, the resurrection, and the mission that breaks in now. Darkness is real, but rising is coming, because the King is on the move.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus is the Christ of God [11:24] Peter’s confession ties Jesus to the promised King whose kingdom never ends. If he is the anointed one, then allegiance shifts and priorities realign. Christ does not fit in a side compartment; he claims the center. Calling him Lord means every rival lord gets dethroned. [11:24]
2. The Son of Man must suffer [17:43] Royal glory and suffering service meet in Jesus. The cross is rescue, reunion with God, substitution, and payment for a real debt. Sin’s chains do not fall by advice but by atonement, and resurrection proves the bill is paid. Hope rises on the far side of necessity. [17:43]
3. Take up your cross publicly [25:44] The cross then was stigma and shame, not an accessory. Following Jesus means being known as his, even when it costs reputation or comfort. Identity precedes endurance; when Christ is the treasure, mockery loses leverage. Visibility is not bravado, it is allegiance. [25:44]
4. Saving life can mean losing it [26:50] Clutching control promises safety but hollows the soul. Jesus invites the releasing grip that trusts his lead into life. The path often runs through risk, but the danger is not in obedience, it is in self-protection that keeps a person from joy. Losing for Jesus is how life is saved. [26:50]
5. Live for the final exam [32:01] A real day of accounting is coming, and the Judge is the Son of Man in glory. That future clarity reorders today’s studies, ambitions, and approvals. Aim for the praise that matters most, and lesser verdicts shrink to size. Shame now is lighter than regret then. [32:01]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:24] - Reading Luke 9:18-27
[05:41] - Who do the crowds say?
[07:53] - But you, who do you say?
[08:35] - Peter confesses the Christ
[11:24] - Messiah and the eternal kingdom
[15:33] - The Son of Man must suffer
[18:55] - Why the cross had to happen
[24:33] - Deny yourself, take up your cross
[26:50] - Saving life means losing it
[30:28] - Gaining world, forfeiting soul
[32:01] - Live for the final exam
[33:50] - Seeing the kingdom break in
[35:29] - Three searching questions
[37:33] - Closing prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Luke 9:18-27 (ESV)
18 Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19 And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” 20 Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” 21 And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, 22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” 23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

Observation Questions

What two distinct questions does Jesus ask the disciples in this passage, and how do their answers differ?
What specific commands does Jesus give to those who want to follow Him (v. 23-24)?
How does Jesus describe the fate of the Son of Man in verse 22, and why might this have surprised His listeners?

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think Jesus told the disciples not to tell anyone He was the Christ immediately after Peter’s confession (v. 21)? What misunderstandings might people have had about the Messiah’s role?
Jesus connects His suffering as the Son of Man (v. 22) with the call for disciples to “take up their cross” (v. 23). How do these two ideas—suffering and discipleship—relate to one another?
What does Jesus mean by the paradox, “Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it” (v. 24)? How does this challenge common ideas about security or success?

Application Questions

Publicly identifying with Jesus might invite ridicule or resistance in certain areas of life (e.g., work, family, social circles). Where do you feel most hesitant to openly acknowledge Him, and what practical step could you take to live out your allegiance this week? [25:44]
Jesus warns against “gaining the world” while forfeiting your soul (v. 25). What habits, goals, or priorities in your life might reflect a grip on “the world” rather than eternal treasure? How could you reorient one of these this week?
The idea of “losing your life” for Christ (v. 24) often involves releasing control. What area of your life (relationships, career, finances) do you struggle to entrust to God, and what would it look like to surrender it? [26:50]
How would your daily decisions change if you lived with the awareness of standing before Jesus as Judge (v. 26)? Name one specific choice (e.g., time management, speech, generosity) you could adjust to align with this truth. [32:01]
The sermon mentions that following Jesus is a “wild adventure” rather than a “stroll in the park.” When have you experienced following Christ as costly but life-giving? How does this shape your willingness to embrace difficulty for His sake? [16:13]

Sermon Clips

28s

“The the the cross was not what it is today. Today you go to James Avery and you get a really cute necklace, little cross on your necklace. Beautiful. It's a piece of art in in our day and age. It's it's it's a it's a piece of art. It's something that's revered in our culture. In their culture, the cross was an implement of death, but it was also reserved for the worst of criminals.”

27s

“He says, what does a profit a man if he gains the whole world that yet forfeits himself? That word forfeit is to to to release or suffer loss. He goes, what you can gain everything but lose your soul. Jesus will go on with a parable in Luke 12, and I'll steal a little bit of his thunder, where there he says someone comes up and says, hey. Give give me everything that my that that I'm due, like all the wealth of my father. He passed away. My brother's keeping it from me. Give give me my portion.”

31s

“He says it's possible to be wealthy and successful in an earthly realm, but in ways that do not matter in the end. And he moves to the third motivation, that there's a future we might be ignoring. That ultimately you and I will stand before God and give an account for our lives. And this what he says in verse 26. For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words of him will be the son of man be ashamed when he comes in his glory, in the glory of my father and his holy angels.”

37s

“All of these ideas of Christ and Messiah and king and kingdom are culminating in this statement to say, you are the Christ of God. You are the expected one that's gonna rescue us, that's gonna establish a kingdom that is eternal. That is who you are. And Peter didn't know all the implications of that statement. But when we confess Christ is Lord, what we're saying is that you are the rightful king above all other kings. This is who you are.”

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What Does It Mean to Call Jesus Lord? | Luke 9:18-27