R1660 The Believer’s Obligation

God has an encouraging word for your life. If you and I have given our hearts and lives to the Lord Jesus, and if you haven't, I'm inviting you to do that today, you can give your heart to Jesus right now. Because that's the work of God by his Spirit. And you give your heart and life to Jesus, you're not going to go and live in a cave.

Now some of you might, and that's have a nice time. What have we got in our world? We've got football games, we've got friends, we've got campuses, we've got work, we've got feelings, we have emotions. You know Paul, the apostle who wrote this, he put it like this, he said, the good that I would, that I do not, and the evil that I don't want to do, that I do, and he even called himself a wretched man. There's like a tug of war going on, a war between the flesh, me the man, the person, you the lady, and the Spirit of God. And the Bible tells us that Christ lives in me.

How do I live this out? Here's what the Bible says. The Bible says that when you get married, you become one flesh. Now that's hard for us to understand. It's far more than the physical relationship.

It's the totality of the oneness. It's this remarkably difficult thing to understand that two people, male and female, so very different, can become one so much. You know, you and I even say sometimes of our parents, grandparents, and I'm sure some of you say that of me and Karen. You know, the longer you're married, you even start looking like each other, right? Now I want to apologize to some of you wives here that you look like him a little bit, and I know that's terrible, but you're doing it because you love him, right? We become one flesh. All right, my son-in-law has a ring on his finger. He is legally married in the sight of God.

He is husband to his wife, but that carries with it an obligation that he has to carry out to her as his wife, and she has to carry out to him as her husband. That's exactly what happens when you and I, by the Spirit of God, are born again of the Spirit of the living God, Paul put it like this. He said, for me to live is Christ. That's what Paul said, and we're going to see how this works in Colossians. He's writing to a people who are living out their lives in a world in which they've got the pagans of the Greek philosophies that deny the deity of Christ, they deny the sufficiency of Christ, they deny salvation in Christ, and on the other side, they've got the religious zealots all full of all their laws and regulations, their traditions, all the things that they do, all the means and methods, the way they walk, the way they talk, the way they worship. You do this and you don't do that, and these Christians who have been set free by the grace of God are caught betwixt and between.

How do you live in a world like that? All right, let's watch this. I want you to look at this with me.

We're gonna put it up on the screen for you. Colossians chapter three, I'm gonna just read the first four verses, okay? This is what Paul says. He says, since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God the Father. Verse two, set your minds on the things above and not on earthly things, why? Verse three, because you died, you're dead, accepting the fact that your life is now hidden with Christ, and I'm going to explain that to you in a minute, with God, so that when Christ, who is your life, appears for you, so it is that you also will appear with Him.

He will appear for you, you will appear with Him. Isn't that a great passage of Scripture? Let's just talk for a minute about the believer's obligation. You know that little word obligation there is a great word. It really means a duty, you have a duty or a commitment.

Someone comes up to you and says, you are obliged to do something. So I use Dan, my new son-in-law, who I think is absolutely terrific. I mean, Dan's parents who are here today, who are the most wonderful people.

We were talking one day this week and we were just comparing notes together and having such a great time. And they looked at us and they said to me and to Karen, you know, we've been praying so much. They've got three wonderful sons.

We've been praying so much for Dan, that he would find a wonderful Christian young lady to be his wife. We said, wow, we've been doing the same thing. Now get this, they live in Zimbabwe.

I'll explain that to you, some of you later. They live in Zimbabwe in Africa. We live in South Carolina. We were praying in South Carolina.

They were praying in Zimbabwe and God answered our prayers. My son-in-law, my daughter are married and they have a duty and a commitment and obligation. When you give your life to Christ, you have an obligation.

Paul's gonna show us about this. Probably my favorite definition of obligation. I love this. An obligation is a debt of gratitude for a favor that someone has done for you. Don't you like that?

Well, how much do you not suppose? If it is a debt of gratitude, how much more do you suppose we ought to be grateful that the Lord Jesus Christ loved us so much that he came down to this earth. He died upon a cross, taking upon himself the sin of the world. By the power of God, he was raised from the dead.

He ascended to be seated at the right hand of God in heaven, now making intercession for us. And because of what Christ has done in us and for us, he now fills us with the fullness of everything that Christ is. That's why Paul, in the preceding verses, was able to say, I want you to know the purpose for which I proclaim and present to you the whole counsel of God is exclusively that you may be full and become completely mature in all of everything that God gives to each one of us.

That's what an obligation is. It expresses the reality of our relationship with Christ and it reminds all of us of our obligation to Jesus. That little word there at the beginning of chapter three, since then, did you notice that?

Look at that word, since then. Because of what Jesus has done for me. On account of the fact that the Christ life is in me, that I'm now able to live out Jesus in me, I can be in the world but not of the world. Therefore, because of that, I have an obligation before God. So what are these obligations? There are four obligations that he talks about. Number one, the believer has an obligation to be reminded.

Don't you love being reminded of things? Look at verse one. He says, on account of the fact that you are being reminded of the fact that you've been raised with Christ. You know what Paul's saying, our obligation as believers is to be reminded that we are co-resurrected with the Lord Jesus.

Did you know that? As a believer, you are co-resurrected with the Lord Jesus Christ and that happens the instantaneous moment you gave your heart to Jesus. That's what happens when you give your heart to Jesus. Here's what happens, all right?

Get this now, this is very important. At the moment of your conversion, so when did you give your heart to Jesus? Can you just remember that for a second? When were you converted? When did you encounter the holiness of God and confess your sin to Jesus Christ and by faith trust him into your heart?

That's the moment three things happened to you. The first thing that happened to you is that you died with Christ. Number one, when you gave your heart to Jesus, you died with Christ, what does that mean? It means that you took hold of and became partnered into the very death of Jesus Christ, you died. That's why Paul said, I have been crucified with Christ. You cannot be a believer and not have died in order to become a believer.

Business cannot have continued as normal. That's why the Bible says repent and be converted so that your sins may be blotted out. Forgive the interruption, we'll be back in just a moment with more of today's message on the believer's obligation, but know that we're here for you. We'd love to pray with you anytime, 24 hours a day at 866-899-WORD, that's 866-899-9673 or online at tewonline.org where you'll discover great resources like this. My book, Saturdays with Billy, is about an extraordinary relationship with a precious man who impacted lives across the world. You don't wanna miss this opportunity to be inspired by his life too.

That's just one of many great resources you'll find on our website, tewonline.org. Now back to today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. What did Jesus do? Remember Jesus came to this earth, he went to a Roman cross where they nailed him to the cross, he took upon himself the sin of the world and he gave up the spirit and he said, Father, into your hands I commend my spirit and he died and with him died every one of the sins of every person ever committed, past, present and future. And when you give your heart to Jesus Christ, you instantly become partnered with, you receive what Jesus has already done. You died with Jesus on that cross.

That's what happened. Second thing that happened at the moment of salvation is that you were raised with Jesus. See, Jesus didn't stay in the grave. Bible says on the third day, by the power of God, God raised him up, Jesus came back to life. He didn't come back to life, bringing with him out of the grave all of our sin. Nope, he crucified the sin, our sin died with him because we are now dead in our trespasses and sins.

We've been forgiven of our sin, but the Bible says that our sin remains dead, gone, buried because Christ has been raised from the dead and the Bible tells us and Paul is telling us, listen, I want you to know as you live out this life, please be reminded that you've been co-resurrected with Jesus, you're alive, my friend, you are alive, you are forgiven, you're alive, you have hope because you're alive in Christ. Well, that's not all, the moment of salvation, what's the third thing that happens? You live with Christ. You remember what happened to Jesus? Okay, he went to the cross, he died taking our sin upon himself, on the third day by the power of God, he was raised up and then he went back to the mount of ascension, remember after appearing to over 500 and he went on the mount of ascension, he had some of his disciples there and all of a sudden he was taken up, he was taken up into heaven and he went up into the clouds and he went back into heaven and he took a seat at the right hand of God because in his right hand is the very ownership of God, all his power and all his authority, in his hand he holds the scroll, the title deed of everything upon this earth, you can read about it in Revelation chapter four, he has in his hand the very title deed of all the affairs, all the stuff that we deal with, all the pain, all the authority, all the power he holds in his right hand and what Jesus wants us to know, since then you are in Christ Jesus, you got an obligation my friend, remember, remember that you've been raised with Christ, Galatians chapter two and verse 20, I have been crucified with Christ, you ready for the next part?

Nevertheless I live, now get this, you ready? Nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me, I am a Christian man, Christ lives in me, lives in me, who is this Jesus? There he is, he's seated at the right hand of God the Father, all the essential attributes of the Godhead are in fact by the power of his spirit, the very resources made available to me as I try to figure out, how do I live this life as a Christian person and be a Christian at the same time? I want you to stick with me here guys, this is very important, this will transform your walk with Jesus. Some of you today looking at me here, you're engaged in a battle aren't you? You'd be the first one to say to me, Doc, I'm a Christian person, but your life sure doesn't look like it, does it?

How do I cope, how do I behave in my marriage? How do I control what's going on in my flesh? How do I enjoy this life while at the same time being a Christian person? Some of you are going to say to me, do I have to? You mean I've got to give up this, got to get? The Christian life is not about giving up, it's about taking on. Guys watch me, it's not about giving up, it's not about thou shalt not, it's about thou shalt. This is the fullness of Christ. I'm crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ who lives in me. What's he trying to tell us? I think Paul's trying to tell us that the believer is obliged to be reminded that this co-resurrection is a fact fully accomplished in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what he's saying to us.

It's powerful man, it's just so amazing. All right, number one, be reminded. Here it is, number two, where is it?

Number two, number two, there it is. I want you to get, this is our second obligation, not only to be reminded, but be determined, be determined. You'll see that in the second part of verse one, in the beginning of verse two. There are two instructions there that speak to the believer's determination.

You know, how much do we need to talk about what it means to be determined? Now guys, listen to this carefully. I want to quote to you what Jesus said. I didn't say this, the Pope didn't say this, Billy Graham didn't say this, Allah didn't say this, Confucius didn't say this, Jesus said this.

And you can read it for yourself in John chapter 15 and verse 19. Jesus said, if the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first, Jesus said. He goes on and he says this, if you in fact belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. As it is, because you've given your heart to me, Jesus said, because you're a Christian person, you do not belong to this world, but I've chosen you out of this world and this is why the world hates you. Jesus said that.

You know what he just told me? He looked at me and he said to me, my son, my child, you belong to me and the world is gonna hate you because you are me. And look at me, Jesus said, how much they hated me. They crucified me because I'm righteous and I'm holy. And so it is because you are in Christ. You are living out the fullness of Christ. You've been crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, you live, yet not you. It's me who lives in you and because of that, the world cannot own you.

The world cannot say you belong to the world. And I tell you something, I've got you in the palm of my hand. Not only be reminded, but be determined. Be determined to do two things, he says.

This is the solution. Number one, set your hearts on things that are above in heaven where Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of God. What's he talking about with the heart? That word there literally means set your affections, not on the things of the earth, but set your affections on the things that are of God. Set your heart on the things that are of God. Set your affections, your inclinations, subject by the spirit of the living God. Be about the business of a perpetual pursuit after the things of God. Now guys, I want you to listen to me carefully. Look at me, because I'm about to make a really arrogant statement. Take me out of the picture.

Just take me out of the picture here. I will guarantee you, because you set your heart on things that are above already, God has blessed you in some way by being here. This is part of God's plan. Set your heart.

Why? That's where Christ is seated, because that's where you take hold of lordship. That's where in the fullness of Christ, you begin to understand the sovereignty of God.

It's at this point that you really take hold of the kingdom of God, of kingdom work, of the value that God places in the things that really matter. Parents, look at me. Look at me. I hope you don't think I'm being brash when I say this. I'm telling you, when I sat down next to my beautiful wife yesterday, which is something I've never got to do, as the father of the bride, and I looked up at my two sons, and my two beautiful daughters-in-law, and I looked up at my daughter, Shelly, so beautiful, and my new son-in-law, Dan Vayers. I've got to tell you, parents, listen to me. Show your children how to set their hearts on things above. And then having said that, don't ever give up on those that you love, because God's in control. Not only is God in control, but He has arranged it that you and I would be at this moment listening to Dr. Wilton. I pray that as you've heard him teach and preach from the pulpit, you'd open your heart to what he wants to share next. Are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ? Why don't you pray this prayer with me right now? Dear God, I know that I'm a sinner, and I know that Jesus died for me on the cross. Today, I repent of my sin, and by faith, I receive you into my heart. In Jesus' name. My friend, I welcome you today into the family of God.

This is exciting news. If you just gave your life to Christ, praying along with Dr. Wilton, would you let us know? Would you let him know? He wants to pray for you, and he wants to put some freedom resources in your hands that'll help you grow. You can call us at 866-899-WORD, and we'll send you those resources right away. Here's the number, 866-899-9673. 24 hours a day, that'll connect you with one of us. Happy to talk or listen or pray or meet us on our website at www.tewonline.org. That's www.tewonline.org.