Big Idea: Jesus is Lord! But what does that mean? It means he demands our loving obedience because he is the good and rightful ruler of the universe. But how are we to obey? If what we learned last week is true, and we are the bad root, how will we ever produce good fruit. The answer… Jesus! In order to properly obey God we must be found in Christ and be fond of his ways.
Obedience is __________________ service to our ________________ lord.
Be ______________________ in Christ’s Work
Luke 6:47–48 (ESV) — 47 Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.
Question: What is the chief end of man?
Answer: The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.
Proper obedience is the product, not the cause, of our union with Christ. To properly obey God’s Law we must be rooted in Jesus and built upon the rock of his work in salvation.
John 15:5 (ESV) — 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Matthew 16:18 (ESV) — 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Jesus has established our righteousness, both in our standing before God and our service to others. Jesus is the foundation of our obedience, not us. We need Jesus every time to bear good fruit because our original root always bears bad fruit.
Be _________________________ of God’s Ways
Luke 6:46 (ESV) — 46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?
The kind of Lordship that Jesus is speaking of is a kind of joyful obedience, pledge by a servant (or even a son) out of love and respect for the man who is the king. It is fealty to an individual and not an office. In this kind of Lordship, we serve because we want to serve, not because we are obligated to serve.
John 14:15 (ESV) — 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Our actions will be consistent with our allegiances.
Psalm 40:8 (ESV) — 8 I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”
Psalm 119:47 (ESV) — 47 for I find my delight in your commandments, which I love.
In Christ, we don’t have to obey, we want to obey. The proper motivation for service is love for the Lord, but it is not our love for the Lord, it is Jesus’ love for the Lord, which is now our love, in Him.
2 Corinthians 5:14–17 (ESV) — 14 For the love of Christ [possessive genitive] controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Questions to Consider
What does it look like to serve God in Christ?
What are some things you are reluctant to do? How is this sourced in the flesh and not the Spirit? What must you do to properly obey God in these areas?
