Why Do You Call Jesus Lord?

(Luke 6:46) "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you?"  (ESV)

Jesus asked this question of those who were around him during the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:20-49).  The Sermon on the Plain is similar to the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).  Preceding Luke 6:46 Jesus had said that you will know people by their fruits.  True followers of his are characterized by obedience.  If you do not recognize Jesus as Lord he is not your savior.  

To be clear salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.  It is not achieved by our good deeds or religious rituals.  No one deserves to go to heaven because all have sinned and none are righteous (see Romans 3).  Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is never alone.  In other words true faith produces good works and obedience.  True Christians repent of their sins and turn to God.  

It also must be pointed out that Jesus is Lord of all of life, not just a religious compartment.  The home, workplace, social life, business, government, law, education, science, media, the arts, entertainment, and everything else belong under the Lordship of Christ.    

Unfortunately there is an epidemic of people claiming to be Christians who reject the Lordship of Christ.  Many reject the Bible as the literal Word of God, therefore not doing  what Jesus tells them.  They want to pick and choose what they will accept.  They end up rejecting much of the teaching of the Bible which is the teaching of Jesus.  Also there are many who live in disobedience while claiming to be Christians.  They have lives full of immorality, profanity, blasphemy, drunkenness, greed, love of money, and just about anything else you can imagine.  They are focused on the self and do not really care about others or God.  

In conclusion many professing Christians are not true Christians.  They are shown to be spiritually dead by their disobedience and rejection of the Lordship of Christ.  Much of the blame for this condition belongs on the modern church which is not very serious. The modern church has weak teaching and no church discipline.  It is almost as if the modern church itself is rejecting the Lordship of Christ.