A Summary of Christian Duty (Part 2 of 2)

Scripture is very clear that salvation is not based on our good works.

So as believers do we have an obligation when it comes to caring for others. Today on Truth for Life Alastair Begg continues our study on Christian duty explaining why believers ought to be first in line when it comes to doing good for picking up in Hebrews 13 with verses 15 to 17 now in these three verses we have three aspects of Christian duty, and they are simply these first of all, in verse 15 our spiritual duty with respect to God. Then in verse 16. Our moral duty with respect to man and then in 17 out ecclesiastical Judy with respect to Christian leadership. Secondly, I noticed that our duty is to be shared with respect to others is Matthew Henry quite quaintly puts it, Thanksgiving is good but thanks living is better thanks living is better when John writes, he says, dear children. One John 318, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth, the hymn writer puts it really well. Fill out my life Lord my God in every part with praise that I have my whole being may declare your beauty and your ways, not for the lips of praise alone, but for the praising heart. I ask you for a life made up of praise in every part and that phrase then is expressed in the way in which not only I confess his name, but also the way in which I do good to others of the Jewish people again understood this. All of the blessings that they had experienced want to be passed on to the aliens and strangers in their gates. Deuteronomy chapter 14 and at the end of every three years bring all the times of that use, produce and store it in your towns so that the Levites who have no allotment or inheritance of their own and the aliens, the fatherless, and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied and so the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands the Jewish mind understood this card and give me all this stuff so that I consider him to be a fat cat even give me all the stuff so that I may sit around with my friends and party so that I may congratulate myself on how well I've done so that I may tear down my barns and build bigger and say take life easy, drink and be merry because you've done a tremendous job know he gave it to his in order that we might use it in order that in our moral responsibilities living as citizens in the community and living as brothers and sisters in the family. We would not forget to do good, that we would be do-gooders evangelicalism is that all will record when it comes to doing good were not do-gooders.

Yeah, I understand or not we better start do-gooders because were supposed to be not so that we might gain acceptance with God. As a result of doing good, but in order that by our good deeds we might declare the father's glory and when you think about that.

We found it again and again when we studied in Titus in Titus chapter 2 verse 14. Speaking of what is happened in redemption speaks of Jesus and he says of Jesus. He gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, then what eager to do what is good, eager to do what is good. So is my Christian duty to do what is good. He says the same thing in the eighth verse of chapter 3 of Titus. This is a trustworthy saying I want you to stress these things so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good pastor. He says I want you to stress these things so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good to understand is our Christian duty. The ceremonial offerings that were part and parcel of Judaism are no longer pleasing to God that old order and come to an end. The sacrifices of oxen and all that stuff that's all gone now but the sacrifice of genuine care. Practical support selfless love these the sacrifices which testify to God's grace in our lives and note carefully the incentive for this behavior is not that it brings acceptance with God for that. We have seen only comes by way of the sacrifice of Jesus, but the incentive is that God is pleased how we can evade this avoid this at our peril. Remember, as Jesus teaches in Matthew 25 he speaks of those who minister to the hungry, then the King will say to those on his right.

Come, you blessed by my father take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. I was hungry, give me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger you invited me in, I needed clothes. You called me I had AIDS and you looked after me I was imprisoned and you came to visit me and then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you thirsty, give you drink a stranger invite you in needing clothes and call you when we find you sick or in prison and going visit you and the king replied, I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it for me is why in chapter 6 of Hebrews.

In verse 10 he says to them as a word of encouragement.

God is not unjust.

He will not forget your work and the love that you have shown them as you have helped his people and continue to help them see to have the approval of men and women is delightful to have the approbation of our own consciences. Better still, but to have the well done of God is surely the highest recompense that is child can ever know. That's why you see in the movie. Chariots of fire. Something happens in that moment, I'm sure. Which is why the quote is so quotable after all these years there. Something happens in that statement by Eric Liddell which is far more to do with the motion or the accent or anything else when his sister chides him for his own involvement or for his disparate involvement of the work of the Bible study and when he affirms the flag that God made him fast, and then he says and when I run. I feel his pleasure makes everybody stop for a moment and see if it possible. The answer is yes, it is because with such sacrifices God is. Please and Eric Liddell ran not only to gold in the 1924 Olympics, but he ran to the very end of his journey dying as a prisoner in the prisoner of war camp marriage you feel his pleasure as you go about your daily routine. Are you doing good.

My doing good we doing good as a church we doing nothing good is a church is Hemingway qualities that make us proud.

No. Does that make God predisposed to know God is. Please, in the same way that is apparent when you hear one of your children having done something that is commendable having to help somebody out and they've never mentioned it to you they have and use it as a solicited testimonial by the Lord is come back to you how you feel if you please say she did and I'm please.

He did, then please God is. Please when he finds that were not forgetting to do good or to share with others and we are exercising our spiritual duty to God and praise and our moral duty to others in these expressions and finally ecclesiastical Judy in our submission and respect of Christian leaders. What is the nature of this leadership. First of all, it is pastoral leadership, obey your leaders and submit to their authority.

They keep watch over you. In other words, they fulfill the role of shepherds watching over spiritual sheet. The word that is used in as it is used in the Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Old Testament is the word which is used for a watchman on the city walls, watching for the dawn, watching for people coming without watching for problems within their not put up on that vantage point, so that people might point to them and said my mind must be lovely up on the wall there not put up on the wall to get a suntan and not put up on the wall to get to get a view of the surrounding scenery. There put up on the wall to watch when someone is entrusted with the responsibility of spiritual leadership.

They are to be watchman. That's why Paul says in acts 20 keep watch over yourselves and over the flock of God where God is major and overseer Peter says in first Peter 52 that we should be watching out for the flock. Secondly, it is accountable leadership.

These men what you, as men who must give an account see when leadership is taken seriously and exercised humbly.

It will be done under the constant pressure of knowing that a day is coming when the books will be opened and we will give an account.

When we say that the leadership of the New Testament church is not responsible to the congregation but responsible for the congregation not making it easier for the leader were making it more awesome for the leader. I'd rather be responsible to you than responsible for you, but God says no you responsible for them and you're responsible to me and every decision you make in every sermon you preach and every phone call. You take and every word of advice that you offer, and every rebuke that comes from your lips.

I will hold you accountable for on the day when the books open. They keep watch over you as man who will give an account daughter the annual meeting. That would be easy, but who give an account at that great societies in the air when the lawgiver opens the book's says now let's just see how you did. And it is an account of that that the response to leadership is to be obedient and submissive, obey your leaders obeying him. It says twice now how do we understand this, it is the duty of God's people to obey. While the leaders teach the things which Jesus has appointed them to teach that is the scope of the leader's authority. Anything beyond that is an abuse of authority.

That's why when Jesus sends the, the apostles, I was at the end of Matthew's gospel. He says I want you to go into all the world. I want you to make disciples, baptize them and teach them to obey everything. What I have commanded you.

Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. Where is what God has commanded us to be found in the book. Therefore, what is the leader to do is to teach the book is to be a Hebrews 13 seven leader. Remember your leaders, he said, who spoke the word of God to you.

Why would leaders speak the word of God to you because this is the only authority the authority of personality authority of right ideas authority of schemes and dreams and notions and plans, but the authority of God's will obey your leaders, who spoke the word to you within the permits are of a authority. The only authority that they have, which is the authority of God's word suddenly comes and says well I thought that I had to marry a non-Christian say you know what my advice to you is don't marry a non-Christian feed.

Indeed, if I can give your command.

I'll tell you flat I will marry a non-Christian, why not because the Bible says that you should be on the field with unbelievers is sometimes just as you know I have for my husband. I'm going to divorce. I want to come give your command. Do not divorce your husband why not because the Bible says that God hates divorce. Now you can either submit to my authority, which is derived authority of any authority sent was in this book so many says obey your leaders. The presupposition is the leaders will lead with the Shepherd of God's word bombastic will be arrogant and simply have their own agenda and that's why it's so imperative that God's people are people of the book.

Otherwise, the bail word of warning here in verse nine. Do not can be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings is absolutely superfluous. The reason the writer is not urging blind, unthinking obedience to everything a Christian teacher says stand that don't you. I hope you understand. The writer is not urging upon the people blind, unthinking obedience to everything Christian teacher says when his grace is the apostle Paul in Berea, they examine the Scriptures every day to see these things were so they better be doing to everybody else taken up. I wasn't going home to read that chapter, a fine of what he said is right because the only reason I would submit to it is because it is right and if it's not right is wrong is wrong when of attention when the guy said excited.

He is very confidence in that because then the sheep field in the crook of God's word is that which was around her neck to rescue them from danger and it is the crook of God's word which comes this might him on the nose to sell them from vying with one another and it is the crook of God's will, which is used as the very symbol of the authority that were supposed to be in the same way any submission is exactly like that we are to submit to leadership. While it's exercised in the name of Christ when it is according to the direction of Christ. And when it is by the rule of the word of Christ is supposed to submit to one another only brothers and sisters in Christ as we absolutely are.

So do we submit to one another. Yes we do will help you submit to one another and also submit to leadership within the church. Just in the same way that husband and wife submit to one another as brothers and sisters in Christ unabated. Bible so that when I'm gone. Susie still has to obey Jesus. She also submits to my leadership while Chris God said that's was supposed to and the only reason I would lead is because God said I had to submit to doing what I was told, which was to lead so submission all aware what you see in that case if we submit to one another as brothers and sisters in Christ then why would there be submission to the leadership of the church in the exact same way as there would be submission to the headship of the husband within the in order that everything might be done decently and in order and according to God's plan and his books noticed a very practical way in which the writer draws into a closing says you should obey them so that the work will be a joy, not a burden for that would be of no advantage to you.

In other words, the members of the church have the potential to make your leaders glad or to make them grown when you are writing your getting your leaders glad you made your leaders grow Phillips was in a positive way, turns around, he says try to make their work a pleasure not a burden. By so doing you will help not only then yourselves. Every child knows you aggravate your mother's going to be hot in the house you aggravate your dad you dancing.

I was only six and you go.

Why does it have to be 6-615 was a very good time to leave. Still, US if your father told you be wanting to go up 40 floors in New York City and jump out of the window, you would want to make perfectly sure that you are hearing them correctly and to the degree that you where you would even go up one floor why because that violates every other principal so much that leaders of the church are violating the word of God and leading the people into heresy than the people have the responsibility and the obligation to put their fingers in their ears and head for the hills.

But when it comes to matters of less significance than is really helpful if you make them glad why I keep all these letters. Incidentally, if you write me a real reps in order.

I throw it away. I read it, but I throw it away until you are thrown away. I don't want to have you link to what you said because I know that if you knew how nice I why she wouldn't say that I don't want to be carrying in my records, a bunch aggravation from you so I get rid of them.

I write you a short note and I trash that stuff because I'm not going to hold grudges against you. I don't want to become an old gray man going through my stuff and surfacing recollections would harm my memory of you so I listened I read him and I ditch and I keep the rest. Not because they're full of accolades that are not the full awards of direction, correction, review expectations, encourage I'll tell you this file makes me glad I be prepared to sleep with it under my pillow.

Of all the contribution that you and I have made to Christian leadership in the local church when making leaders glad we made in the leaders grow 1805, the crew are on their boats in the Mediterranean and the sign goes up on the line yard that there's going to be a signal sent.

You can imagine them on deck, looking across at HMS Victory and waiting as the various flags convey the information they look up and what is it say what it doesn't say he didn't shoot up the flagpole.

England expects every man to do his duty that would be simply to restate the obvious. Why would you join the Navy. If you are going to do your duty when you're in the Navy are supposed to do your duty. So why am this point in such a significant moment in the face of battle.

Would you simply reiterate that there be value in it. But when he put up was fantastic that every intelligent English schoolboy knows what he put up in the flags was this England expects that every man will do his duty not to do his duty when I hear from you as my As my general that you are expecting that I will do my duty as an encouragement contained in and the captain of our salvation is aware, looks down from the ramparts of heaven and into the company of those to whom he is redeemed and he says to his son from heaven. We anticipate that all of you will do your spiritually to God morally one another ecclesiastical he to Christian leaders.

Will we respond to God's call and fulfill our duty to question for each one of us. Today's message from Alastair big Truth for Life. Just a minute Alastair will return to close today's program with prayer.

If you were challenged by what you heard today from Alastair. Maybe you'd like to dive deeper into the subject of Christian duty. One of the ways you can do that is to listen to the complete sermon while you follow along with the written transcript that's available you can find the transcript for over 500 of Alastair sermons at Truth for Life.org that link will take you directly to our home page.

There you'll see the image for today's message over to the right you'll see a prompt that reads transcript when you select that you'll be able to view the transcript below in the player image. You can scroll through the text as you listen to the full sermon. Another way to supplement what you hear in this program is by reading the books that our team selects the book that were currently recommending is God's Bible timeline.

The big book of biblical history. This book lays out the chronology of the overarching story of the Bible in a series of illustrated timelines page by page, you learn about the events that took place. The people who lived at the places where everything unfolded from Genesis all the way to the early church and with hundreds of dates and photographs and illustrations included all of this extraordinary history comes to life for additional study.

There were even diagrams of significant structures, things like the tabernacle of the temple which are described in detail in the Bible but are difficult for us to visualize God's Bible timeline is a great reference tool for anyone who is serious about studying or teaching the Bible request your copy today when you donate to support Truth for Life giving is easy to our mobile app or go to Truth for Life.org/donate or call us at 888-588-7884 to mail your donation along with your request for the book right to Truth for Life at PO Box 39, 8000, Cleveland, OH 44139.

Now let's join Alastair in prayer, O God our father, look upon as we pray, in your mercy, and in your grace, take your word and related in our hearts and in these moments is our worship and this may be a daily decision. They have renewed commitment day in which we recognize our privilege and commit to the GT that is before us, for we pray in Jesus name, thanks for listing. Join us tomorrow as we conclude our series of the book of Hebrews by reviewing all that God has accomplished Jesus, the Bible teaching of Alastair big is furnished by formal Learning is for Living