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We often think about obligations as being things that take from us and drain us, instead of being things that bless us. Join us today as we examine the great blessings that Christ gives to those who obey Him.
Thank you for subscribing to the Shepherds Church podcast. This is our Lord's Day Sermon. We pray that as we declare the Word of God that you would be encouraged Strengthened in your faith and that you would catch a greater vision of who Christ is.
May you be blessed in the hearing of God's Word and may the Lord be with you. When I use the word obligation. It's likely that. Maybe the adjectives that pop into your head are not always the most positive.
Obligations tend to be viewed as nuisances to many of us and We think about obligations as far as financial like I have to pay my mortgage. What a great world it would be if that were not the case. I Have to pay my car payment or else.
I can't be mobile. I have to pay my insurance so Boston can have big buildings. We think about it in non-financial ways like I have to be at work on time. That's an obligation and there's some mornings.
I don't want to do that. We think about various events that are on our calendar that pull from us and take from us. We think about how we're obligated to clean our space. Maybe someone that comes easier for I am NOT the most tidy person.
So that obligation nags at me and pulls at me. If you were to list out all of your obligations every single demand that is placed on your life every single company person Relationship or self-imposed standard that you have pretty soon.
You're gonna feel like you're being pulled in all directions even this morning Haley came into the room and I was looking over the sermon and she was like She's like wow with Derek not here. You've got a sing and you've got to do this and you've got to do this and she was listing out all the things.
I say honey, you were overwhelming me. I'm okay to not think about it because our obligations feel like hooks in us that are pulling us in various different directions and if you're if you have a lot of Obligations in your life, you're gonna feel like you have thousands of these hooks that everybody has set in you and they have an expectation for you and this and a Demand of you and you're gonna feel like you're being pulled in a thousand directions.
How many have felt that way we we call it like being pulled in all directions or spread too thin. We live in a world where that is normal that is not the That is not abnormal anymore to be over committed.
Overworked undersleeped. I don't know. I know that's not a word now if you weren't feeling that way. Maybe I did to you what Haley did to me this morning and now you're feeling that way and you're like, thank you I think for all of us though.
We look at obligations as deficits in our balance sheet. How much is this gonna cost me? How much is this gonna require of me? How much capacity am I gonna have to dull out to this thing in order to do it?
We rarely treat our obligations as If they're good things, maybe they are good things, but we always see the cost. And when it comes to our biblical obligations, I think that we've missed something when we take that view into our biblical obligations and The same to-do list where we say Johnny's got football practice on Wednesday.
Lisa's got a dental appointment on Thursday. We've got a project at work on Monday lunch appointment Tuesday birthdays next week holiday cookout next month this and this and that event. Oh, and I've got to read my Bible.
I've got to pray. I've got to go to church and before long the Bible and Doing things that God has told us to do and commanded us to do feel like they're taking from us. Like everything else on our to-do list.
When we do that, we view the good gifts that God has given us as robbing from us. Is it any wonder why? We're so hesitant to commit to reading the Bible or praying or going to church. Because we viewed it on the wrong list.
Instead of seeing it as something that God gave us to bring freedom into our life to lighten our load to give us life. We view it just like another hook that's been put in our chest that's pulling us and dragging us this way or that.
Today I want us to take the hook out. Today I want us to have freedom in what Christ has said when it comes to obligations today. I want us to look at obligations when it comes to biblical obligations a little bit differently.
I want us to look at what Jesus says about these obligations in John 13. And I want us to see the glorious news. That his obligations don't lead to Taking from us they lead to giving to us. That's what we're gonna accomplish today.
Just those two things. So if you will turn with me to John chapter 13, we're in 12 through 17 again, remember last week I told you I couldn't do everything in one sermon on this text. So here we are again.
We'll be focusing on 14 through 17 John 13 it'll be on the screen. I think and No, I normally it's not gonna be on the screen. I'm sorry Wanda. Don't do that. This is just me giving you time to turn there.
John chapter 13 verses 12 through 17. So when he had washed their feet and Taken his garments and reclined at the table again. He said to them Do you know what I have done to you? You call me teacher and Lord and you are right for so I am.
If I then the Lord and teacher have washed your feet. You also ought to wash one another's feet. For I gave you an example. That you also should do as I did to you. Truly truly I say to you a slave is not greater than his master nor is one who is Sent greater than the one who sent him if you know these things.
You are blessed if you do them. Let's pray Lord you have taught us in your word that knowledge is not enough. It's not enough to know the things that you have said. You say in James that it's not enough to be a hearer of the word.
But you must also be a doer of the word. Lord, would you cause us as your people To be able to see the pleasure the blessings the freedom the joy That comes from obeying you Lord, would you please Crucify in our hearts this pagan understanding that being committed to something will take from you and Being obligated to something will rob from you Lord.
Would you get? Would you help us to get your obligations off our to-do list? And would you help us to see them as life and blessing? It's in Christ's name. Amen. Now I could very well get thrown in reformed evangelical prison for saying what I'm getting ready to say next.
But obedience is obligated in the Bible. Obedience is obligated in the Bible. It was obligated in the Garden of Eden where God said don't eat from this tree eat from the rest of these trees. You can do that.
There was there was a Contract there was a covenant there where God said do these things don't do these things. And if you do those things if you break those obligations. Then you will be punished death will come as a result.
The law of God in Exodus Leviticus numbers Deuteronomy. It obligates God's people to obey God's law, and if they don't obey him, then there will be consequences. Deuteronomy 28 is a mist of very challenging Consequences for not obeying the law of God it was obligated by the prophets who said thus saith the Lord repent all throughout the Bible.
Obedience is obligated now. We know that the point of that the reason for that is the Old Testament is trying to show us that in our Depravity we cannot obey in order to be saved. I'm not saying that you should obey in order to try to be saved because That would be like tying the Empire State Building around your neck and going scuba diving in the Mariana Trench.
What I am saying is that now that you are saved now that Christ has paid for your life. Now you've been empowered towards obedience. Obedience is now obligated in a different way obedience used to be in the Old Testament times.
It was the judge that was sitting in the case against you and you're guilty. Now obedience is the breath in order to enjoy the good things of God. It's the gift that he has given you. For you to be blessed for you to be happy for you to find peace and contentment in Christ.
See the whole Bible has got this sort of crescendoing theme where we can't we can't we can't we can't we can't we can't he did. Because he did we can now by the Spirit grow in obedience. He gave us by his Spirit a Gift.
That now we can seek God. So that we can begin being sanctified in obedience. John 14 15 is an example of this. If you love me, you will obey my commandments. That means if you love Jesus You will do the things that Jesus said.
If you don't do the things that Jesus said you need to start asking yourself the question Do I really? Love him. Ephesians 2 8 through 10 says Essentially the same thing for by grace. You've been saved through faith.
Not of yourselves. It is the gift of God not the result of work so that no one may boast. It's it's all God's work. But as we were talking about a new members class this morning Just because it's all God's work to save us doesn't mean that he left no work for us.
Because verse 10 for we are his workmanship. Created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared Beforehand before the foundation of the world for us to walk in. Before you were born before the world was born before time and space and reality were born.
God had good works written in his book for you to do for you to step into. He wrote it before the world was created. There for you. Again, we cannot obey in order to be saved. But now that we are saved We are empowered to obey in that sense.
The New Testament says that obedience is obligated. And that is a good segue for us now to get back to John 13 verse 14, which begins this argument from Christ. He says if I then the Lord wills me to follow him.
The Lord and the teacher washed your feet. You also ought. To wash one another's feet. Ought is a funny word. I heard it a lot growing up candle you ought to do this. If I were you I would do that. You know Ought is a word that's used in moral persuasion.
It's a word where you have an opinion about how someone else should be behaving and you give it to them and you say you. If you're the kind of person I think you already see how I'm ratcheting up the pressure there you ought to do that.
You're essentially saying I have an opinion for you. And here it is. And if you don't do it, my opinion now will be decreased. You're adding moral pressure in the same way that a wife. Who says honey, you know, you really ought to shave that that beard.
There was a time where I had a very out-of-control goatee. My wife very lovingly said you ought to shave that and I heard that as she is giving me an option. That's not what she was doing. She was just being nice.
See when a wife tells her husband you ought to shave that your face or you ought to do that. She's saying there are blessings that I have for you. That if you don't do this. You're not gonna get him and a wise man Will hear these words accordingly.
Ought is the language of appeal. It's the language of motivation. It's the language of I want to convince you to do something but there's a trouble with the word ought in this passage because it does not go far enough for what the Bible is actually saying.
The word here is not Jesus trying to ratchet up the pressure on his disciples to convince them to obey him. The word actually is Ophelia which means obligation. It means that they are that he is owed their obedience.
I'll share with you a few Definitions that I looked up from very incredible Greek lexicons. The first one is from the BDAG. That's sort of the industry standard. Ophelia means to be indebted to someone in a financial sense to owe something to someone in such a way that you were obligated to them.
The Lonita Lexicon says Ophelia means to be obligated in view of some moral or legal requirement to be bound. The NAS the New American Standard Hebrew Aramaic and Greek lexicon says that it means to be indebted and bound to something irrevocably.
Jesus is saying That this is not a you get to this is not if you want to this is you have to. You Could translate the phrase this way verse 14 if I then the Lord and teacher washed your feet then you're Obligated to wash one another's feet.
That's what that that's the strength of that word. Now again, we live in feathered-hair Jesus time where we don't like Jesus to speak to us that way. So I think we soften the words. But Jesus says it.
He's saying that we are because he has done this for us because he's exampled this for us he's saying that we are. That we are owing obedience to him owing Obligated to serve one another. He says that you are obligated to wash one another's feet as we've talked about before that doesn't mean that We take our shoes off.
We are simply not counseled compelled commanded or suggested. To obey in this passage we are obligated. To obey to obey in this passage, which is a fascinating thing. So verse 14 what I want you to see is the word itself has shown That Jesus intended our obedience to be an obligation to him now.
We're gonna unpack why that's so good, but we have to start there now. Let's move on to verse 15. Where I gave you an example? That you also should do as I did to you now, the question is what is Jesus obligating?
He's he said I'm gonna obligate your obedience. I'm gonna obligate that you do this for other people. What is he obligating is? He Obligating the taking off of our shoes and the taking off of our socks and the grabbing of a of a bucket of water in us.
Washing each other's very sweet smelling little wiggly toes. No, John Calvin The great biblical commentator wrote this. We should now note that Christ says that he has given us an example. It is not right to take all his actions indiscriminately as objects of imitation.
The Roman Catholics boast that they follow Christ's example in keeping the Lenten fast, but we must first see whether or not Christ intended to put forward that as a Example as a norm for the disciples to conform to.
We read nothing of the sort in this passage. Therefore the imitation of it by the Roman Catholics is no less wicked than if they tried to fly up to heaven besides. Whereas they ought to have followed Christ they were aping rather than imitating him.
Every year they hold theatrical foot washings and when they have discharged their empty and bare ceremony they think that they have done their duty and They're then free to despise their brothers. But what is far worse when they have washed twelve men's feet?
They cruelly torture all of Christ members and then spit upon the face of Christ himself. This ceremonial comedy is nothing but a shameful mockery of Christ. Calvin is saying that this goes beyond the mere Physicality of the foot washing it actually is Typological and the way that we obey this has to be understood in a typological vein.
What I mean by typology is that it's that it's an example that showcases a major massive truth. Like a figurine represents the original like a baseball card represents the person. It is an imitation of it.
It is a microcosm of it. It is a small thing of it, but it's not the thing it's pointing to the thing He's saying. Jesus is saying let us give ourselves up like Jesus gave himself up. Let us sacrifice ourselves like Jesus sacrificed himself.
Let us be obligated to one another to love one another like Christ has loved us on the cross. It's not sacramental foot washing. It's sacred obedience to Christ. Pouring out our love onto one another.
The disciples knew that that was what Jesus was obligating because you don't see foot washing ceremonies in the book of Acts. They weren't mistaken about what Jesus was saying. You don't see Paul Giving explicit instructions now when you come together and make sure you pull off the sandal this way.
And make sure you grab the sponge that way it doesn't happen. They understood that Jesus was Exampling the gospel and That the requirement the obligation of obedience was to obey Jesus in that. To be a gospel to other people those of the household of God so to recap.
Our obedience is obligated by Christ and it's exampled through the lens of the gospel. Now, let's look at verse 16. Truly truly I say to you a Slave is not greater than his master nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.
Our obligation Needs to be viewed in the lens of our identity because if we get that confused we will mess up what it means to be obligated to Christ. Our identity is that we are a slave of Jesus. How many issues in my life and your life Would have been solved if we didn't have such deep identity issues and Instead of us being the master.
We realized that Christ was the master Instead of us being the Lord. He's the Lord Instead of us being significant. We realized that we're slaves of Christ. How many issues how many grievances would we?
Have not carried for all those years. If we realized that we're slaves. Do not forget who you are. That I think is one of the the easiest way for you to get stuck in patterns of sin and stuck in patterns of doubt.
And stuck in patterns of depression and regret and anxiety is when you forget who you are. I Can't believe they talked to me that way. Why do you think that do you think that you're important? You're a slave.
You should be glad they didn't talk to you worse. This is the way we've got to talk to ourselves brothers and sisters because we have this self Importance in this ego. Where we get our little head bobble going you should see my wife.
Oh now he didn't. I remember Luther once said They they called him a vile sinner. He said what of it? You don't even know the half of it. Get your pen and paper out buckarooney. I Got a lot more to add.
We've got to remember who we are in the obligation that Christ has given us. We don't serve Christ for us we don't serve Christ for our pomp for our Importance. We serve Christ Because he's purchased us for his glory.
We serve Christ because we belong to him because we're his and. Again, we'll see in a moment how good that news actually is, but we're obligated to obedience. We're obligated by a specific example called the gospel and we're obligated with a specific identity called slave.
In order to accomplish this work. Now there's one final thing we need to know about obligation biblical obligation and that it comes from the gospel. Our obligation is. Not diametrically opposed to the gospel.
Although you'll hear many people talk that way Christ did everything you do nothing the gospel frees you now. Go be free in some amorphous way where you float around and do nothing. The gospel and obedience are not opposed.
James does not oppose them. He says that faith without works is dead for God's grace. You've been saved not of your works. But you've been ordained for good works. They work together. The gospel teaches us about our obligation and Jesus has made this out for us in this passage.
So that is unmistakable for instance. When Jesus stood up from the table. He's showcasing how at at a certain point in time he stood up from his glorious position in heaven and he came To us where we are in the mud and the muck.
When he disrobed himself of his heavenly robes and he put on Human flesh he's showing to us the gospel of when he came born in a manger wrapped in the skin of a baby. When he wrapped himself in a towel he's showcasing to us like the Old Testament tabernacle that was wrapped in a white cloth.
That he is the one who tabernacles among us and who brings the presence of God in our midst. When he went down to the floor. He was showcasing how low that he intended to go. Because Christ was not just gonna come down and hang out with us and and have a meal with us.
No, he was gonna go to the cross for us and that's in the lowest moment of his life. He was lifted up. When he gets down on the floor to wash his disciples feet he's showcasing to them the depth. That he's gonna go to cleanse us and to rescue us and to atone for us.
When he grabbed the water and washed their feet he was showcasing that there's a better water that's coming and it's my blood and it's gonna Wash your soul clean from all your stains. When Peter protested in confusion.
Kind of exampling the fact that he was gonna be abandoned by all of his disciples in their confusion. When Jesus poured out the water over their feet. He's showcasing by the kind of death that he's gonna die where he has poured out as an offering for them when he stood up.
From that he's saying that the tomb is not gonna be left with my body still in it because I'm gonna stand up from my death. I'm gonna resurrect from my death and I'm gonna have victory. When he. When he re-robed he's putting on the the robes of new creation.
He is showcasing to us in this moment of foot washing every aspect of the gospel where he's raised from the dead puts on the new Clothing where he ascends back to the table to sit with the father reigning over his church for all of eternity.
Jesus is exampling to us. So when this text says that if you see these things These things that I just did getting down Washing your feet showcasing the gospel when you see those things that is What I'm obligating you to.
I'm obligating you to the gospel to believe it and Also to do it and that is a great blessing to us. See the only reason that we have life in our soul is because he gave it. The only reason that we have a spirit The Holy Spirit is because he sent it.
The only reason that we Will be with God in New Jerusalem is because he invited us and he accepted us. He didn't even allow us to Reject the invitation. We are obligated to him. There is nothing that we have.
James says that every good gift comes from God. So that we're obligated to him. Think about it this way. I Don't dance so don't imagine me if you dance It I promise I don't dance. But if you dance imagine you.
There's person walking in the middle of a busy street. You've got their air pods in they're listening to their favorite song their heads bobbing. They got a little bit of a little bit of movement going on.
Maybe they maybe they've got their feet moving at a certain rhythmic beat that closing their eyes because it's the best part of the song. That's a song that they love and the best part of the song that they love.
I've got their eyes closed and all of a sudden, but you know. Something grabs them something pulls their body vertical and Then the shock of it they clenched their eyes together they have no idea what's going on.
They can't see it. They open their eyes and they see pandemonium. They hear smoke. They hear the sirens. They look and they see the body that's lying under the car and it's not them and the stranger looks at them and says He just pulled you out of that and he just saved you from that.
That was actually you were you were gonna be hit in that moment. No one would have to come up to you and tell you. You really ought to be thankful naturally. Gratitude and sorrow would flood into your heart in a way that you would never forget.
You would never forget that moment. When you tell your grandkids one day that I'm here because of him. The gratitude would be just as real on That day as it was in the day that you had it happen to you because you'd look at all the blessings in your life.
That you've received. Because someone else stood in for you and you would be bound to that person in a sort of way that you would always Be thankful. Think about the difference. That's just a car. That's just your life here.
Think about what Christ has done and being crushed and pummeled for you so that every second of eternity belongs to you because of him. If You've been there one second or if you've been there 10 ,000 years the tears will still flood and gratitude for Christ because you were there because of him his great work of redemption Now obligates you into gratitude.
You see how this works. Jesus when he says that you're obligated to this gospel. He's not saying that I'm taking from you. He's saying that I'm actually giving to you. I'm pouring into you those birthday parties that you got to go to where the magician is awful and The kids are even trying to laugh those take from you.
Those take from you when when when you have to go over to a particular family members house to eat and Gosh they smell like formaldehyde or mothballs. They're not nice. They don't like you. They don't like your wife that takes from you.
Jesus Christ does not take from you his obligation. Pours into you says in verse 17. This is where we land the plane. If you know these things if you know what Christ has done for you, if you know the gospel you are blessed.
If you do them you are blessed. How often you hear a message about biblical obedience where it's not about you need to do this. You're gonna go to hell. Okay. Yes, but in Christ, that's not the message.
Do this if you want joy do this if you want happiness do this if you want blessing. Could it be? That because we viewed obedience to Christ as I'm not sure if I have time for that I'm not sure if I have the energy for that or the motivation for that or the desire for that.
Could it be that maybe we're robbing ourselves of the blessings that God wants to give us? Jesus promises you blessings. If you obey him He promises to strengthen you to develop you to enliven you to awaken you to sharpen you to feed you to nourish you to comfort.
You to bring you peace if you obey him. It's even an if-then relationship. If you do these things then you will be blessed. In fact the more you obey Christ. It's not about status. The more you obey Christ the less you will become but the more blessed you will become as well.
Just like John the Baptist said he must become greater. I must become less. Do you think he suffered as he became less? I Think as he became less His experience of Christ became more. The same is also true obeying little obeying flippantly Allows for flippant blessings.
Now you may end up in heaven. I'm not saying that I'm not we're not arguing here that obedience leads to heaven. You can talk to Martin Luther about that. But what I am saying is that in this life in This temporal life, that is the only hell that a Christian will ever face.
You will rob yourself of blessings of comfort of All manner of gift if You walk through this life without obeying Christ. It is the gift. He's given you for this life. To comfort you in the midst of the storm and it if we look at every aspect of Christianity.
This is true. For instance love look at love. When you love God more you love yourself less. When you love yourself less you become happier. The moments of my life where I love myself more. I'm miserable.
When I think about my needs myself my wants my desires. I'm toxic. I'm septic in Spiritual need of a blood transfusion. So as you love yourself less and love God more you become happier. Joy, joy is not forged in comfort.
We're like electricity. We want the path of least resistance. We won't give me the easy thing. I'm gonna do that. That's not where joy is built. Joy is built in the most taxing and bitter pains you think about it.
Since today's the Super Bowl. Let's use a football analogy. Think about the water boy. The water boy has minimal effort. Water boy is minimal commitment. The water boy slings a Gatorade shaped thing with water or whatever else with electrolytes in it.
That's his commitment. He'll have some joy if his team wins today, but not like the quarterback. Not like the one who woke up early at four o 'clock in the morning on Monday to watch tape before the tape session who bled and sweat and who had broke fingers, but didn't tell anybody about it because they wanted to.
Will their team toward victory. In fact the greater your investment in something the greater your joy and your Experience. When it turns out when you win, I don't think Christ has died to make us water boy Christians.
I think Christ has called us to invest everything we've got and when you invest everything that you've got I promise you. You'll see the sweetest joys. Look upside look outside. I've said this example before it's so good I always remember it.
You go outside right now and you look and you can't see a single star in the sky. The reason is because it's too bright. But you see them against the pitch-black darkness of the midnight sky. If you obey Christ He will lead you sometimes into dark lonely places.
But the shining brightness of his glory will give you more joy Than you would have ever found in comfort. Think about peace. Peace doesn't come in seeking safety. Peace true. Peace Comes in trusting Christ.
Think about patience and self-control. You ever heard somebody say I don't pray for patience. Not to make light of that. I hate that prayer and The reason I hate that prayer is because I want to pray that God would would give me situations where I learn patience.
Because I'm not very good at it. Patience isn't formed in me getting my way. When people get their way they become monsters. Just look at a child who gets his way every day every moment. He is a monster.
Patience is formed when we don't get our way and we have to submit to Christ in the midst of it. That's obedience. Think about kindness and gentleness. You become a kinder person and a more gentle person when you obey Christ.
That's a blessing that's coming to your life. You think about all of these kindness gentleness patience self-control goodness faithfulness hope faith sanctification. Maturity all of these come into your life as blessings when you obey Christ.
And when you focus on yourself, they don't. Think about maturity. Maturity in a Christian sense in a spiritual sense is not guaranteed by the passing of time. You can get away with that in the physical world.
I am 42. I'm not really I'm 39. Just a random number, but hey, I'm 42. Maybe I should take the diaper off. Okay, time has helped you there, right? Maybe I should put the binky away. Spiritually though time.
Time with no effort is not your friend. Time with no effort hardens you. It locks you in a state of maturity. So that's harder to grow. I've met 70 year olds who have the spiritual maturity of an eight-year-old.
I've met people who are near their deathbed who whine and scream and cry like infants. Maturity doesn't grow accidentally. Maturity grows through obedience. A long walk a long obedient faithful walk in the same direction.
Courage. Doesn't get built that way. Humility compassion. None of it. Every good gift that God wants to give you does not get built in apathy and laziness. We have got to not adopt a Let's get to heaven by the skin of our teeth mentality.
While God has called today today. He's given you the opportunity to grow. He's given you the opportunity to to love him and to have peace. And and all these gifts. But they come at a cost. Are you willing to pay that cost?
That cost is obedience. Maybe some questions For us to consider. Would you be more blessed if you had more love in your life? It's pretty obvious, right? Would you be more blessed if you had more joy if you had more patience.
What other people around you be more blessed if you? Had more patience kindness. Would you thrive? I love this question. Would you thrive if you became the person Christ designed you to be? Maybe I want to end with this.
Maybe You have minimal blessings right now. Because you have minimal investment in Christ and that's fixable. That's called repentance. All we have to do is come to the throne of grace and say father I've made it about me again.
Like though like the old song had a bad day again. That's every day for a Christian. Lay your self down and take up Christ and it will bring you Blessing. Let's pray Lord God. We know that we are the problem.
And we know that focusing on us is not the solution. And we know that in your word. You've told us that if I've done these things for you, then you ought to do them for others and Here's the example. The example is the very gospel and if you do it, you'll be blessed Lord.
Help us. Help us to chase after you because you're worthy. Help us to chase after you because we need comfort and help and Lord. Let us revel in the gifts that you've given us. Because our own life will have less chaos less disorder less brokenness and more peace.
If we trust you to do the things that you've said for us to do Lord help us as Christians not to adopt a Salvation alone in the sense of I'm saved and that's all that I'm contributing mentality. Or to help us to not view salvation as the finish line of our faith, but as the starting line and Help us to cling to your word to cling to you and to trust you and Lord we ask these things in Christ's name Amen.