No Obligation
Here’s something you need to know: You don’t have to do that anymore.
Let me explain.
When I was in college I worked at a paint store.
My dad was a teacher and in the summers he would work doing Handy Man jobs for people and a lot of that work was painting. I would go with him and that gave me the chance to earn some money.
We got to know the owner of the paint store where we always went to buy paint. His name was Waldo.
Waldo was famous in Montgomery, AL for one thing… he could match any color paint. He had a real eye for it.
These days, you walk into a paint store and if you want to match a paint color they will put your paint sample under an electronic eye and scan it and a computer will match the color.
But before there were computers and electronic eyes, there were people who had an eye for color and if someone was really good at matching paint colors, people would come to your store.
Waldo was so good at this that he opened his own paint store. He needed help at his new store and he hired me to work there. As long as I worked for Waldo, I had to do what he said.
I had to move paint, mix paint, load paint, stock paint, restock paint, whatever he needed, whatever he told me to do, that’s what I did.
As long as I worked for Waldo I was obligated to do what he said.
Once I stopped working for Waldo, I didn’t have to do that anymore.
We Forget WHO We’re Obligated To
For a lot of us, we often forget who we are obligated TO and what we’re obligated to DO.
We often end up doing things, things we regret, and then we say things like,
We can’t help it.
It’s just the way we are.
We say, I’m just predisposed to do that.
Or, it’s just the way I was raised.
Or, we rationalize our bad behavior and poor choices and say things like…
I had a hard day.
I deserve this.
I need this.
I’ll do better tomorrow, but right now…
So we default to whatever gives us immediate relief, escape, and satisfaction.
We can explain it away but we’ve forgotten who we are obligated to and what we’re obligated to do.
Why do we do the things we regret?
When I stopped working for Waldo, I was no longer obligated to do anything he said.
I didn’t have to do that anymore.
So why is it that we so often do things that we know we shouldn’t do, we have no obligation to do, but we do it anyway knowing that we will regret it later, but in the moment it feels like we have to do it?
The answer to that question is elusive and simple at the same time.
It’s called SIN.
And more often than not we feel compelled to sin. We have sinful urges and desires that have control over us.
But if you have decided to follow Jesus, there’s good news for you.
In Romans 8.12-17, the Apostle Paul writes…
Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.
Paul says, therefore…. in other words, because of everything I’ve said up to this point… you have NO OBLIGATION to do anything your sinful nature urges you to do.
Why are we under No Obligation?
What has Paul said up to this point? Why do we have NO OBLIGATION to do anything our sinful nature urges us to do?
Because…
v1 – Because there is No Condemnation for us! – Romans 8.1
v2 – Because we belong to Jesus! – Romans 8.2
v2 – Because the Holy Spirit has set us free! – Romans 8.2
v3 – Because God sent Jesus in a body! – Romans 8.3
v3 – Because Jesus sacrificed his life for our sins! – Romans 8.3
v4 – Because Jesus fully satisfied the law! – Romans 8.4
v5-6, 9 – Because we allow the Holy Spirit to control our minds! – Romans 8.5-6, 9
v9 – Because the Spirit of the Living God is living in us! – Romans 8.9
v10 – Because Christ lives in us! – Romans 8.10
v10 – Because the Holy Spirit gives us life! – Romans 8.10
v10 – Because we have been made right with God! – Romans 8.10
v11 – Because the Spirit of God raised Jesus from the grave! – Romans 8.11
Therefore, because of all this (and more! ch 1-7!), You have NO OBLIGATION to do anything your sinful nature urges you to do!
But Everybody Struggles
We all have urges, appetites, impulses, desires, temptations, struggles.
The truth is… Everybody struggles.
And maybe you need to be reminded of that today. Maybe you feel like you’re the only one, that no one struggles with what you struggle with. But here’s the truth.
Everybody struggles.
A lot of us, even people who aren’t Christian, feel this burden to be perfect. Maybe that feeling is greater for those of who at one time in our life made the decision to follow Jesus.
Whenever we fail, and we all fail, we feel all this guilt and shame. But here’s what you have to understand: You don’t have to be perfect! Only one person was ever perfect. His name is Jesus. You are not Him!
You don’t have to be perfect. But you do need to know you’re no longer obligated to follow the impulses and urges of your sinful nature.
But what’s happened for many of us is that we’ve convinced ourselves: This is just the way we are. Our struggle, our problem, our pitfall, our vice… we’ve decided we don’t have any control over it. It has control over us. We might not be able to say that, articulate that, but it’s true.
We’re stuck in addiction to whatever it is.
We’re trapped in habitual sin.
It may be gossip. Over eating. Over buying. Lying. Cheating. Over indulging. Lust. Taking advantage of other people. Fill in the blank with your sin of choice!
The reality for many of us is that we haven’t named it so it still has control over us, power over us!
We feel obligated to do whatever we’re tempted to do when we’re tempted to do it and we get so fixated on it in the moment that we do it. Then, almost immediately, feel the wave of guilt. Unless we don’t. In which case we may be trapped in more darkness than we even know.
The Problem of Living in Obligation to Sin
When that happens, here’s what happens. Paul says…
For if you live by its dictates, (doing whatever your sinful desires want you to do) you will die.
Paul doesn’t beat around the bush. He doesn’t mince words. He calls it what it is, like it is.
Remaining obligated to your sinful desires has only one ending, one destination, DEATH.
And remember, for Paul, death means separation from God.
Life = unity with God. Living in Christ. United with Christ.
Death = the opposite. Separation from Christ. Dead in our own sin.
And just as a reminder, life in Christ begins with our baptism (Romans 6) when we are united with Christ.
When this happens, when we are united with Christ in baptism, everything changes.
But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.
How do we put them to death?
Baptism.
But let’s be honest, those sinful deeds have a hard time staying dead.
I think that’s why Paul would later say in Romans 12.1:
…I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice…
We have to continually PUT TO DEATH those things that are trying to PUT US TO DEATH!
Who Are You?
The good news is that we can do this. We can! We have to remember that there is a space between stimuli and response. And in that space, it’s of paramount importance that we remember this truth…
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
We are sons of God. Daughters of God. This is who we are. And if we live FROM this identity, from who we are and whose we are, everything changes.
If you were to ask me the question: Who are you? I might say something like…
My name is Corey Trevathan. I live in Lewisville, TX and I am the preacher at the Riverside Church here in Coppell. I’ve been here for almost 7 years, but before that I was in youth ministry for 16 years. So in other words, I used to be cool, but now I’m not!
I love to spend time with my family, I love to run… I’m a big runner. I don’t run marathons, at least I haven’t yet, but I have run half-marathons. That’s probably my main hobby outside of doing whatever my kids love.
My wife, Alisha, and I have 3 amazing kids. And we have an amazing dog, a golden retriever named Belle.
That’s a little bit about me.
If I were to ask you who you are, you might tell me your name and what you do for a living. You might tell me a little bit about where you live and about your family. You might even tell me about your hobbies, the kind of food you like, and the teams you pull for.
All that is great. BUT that doesn’t answer the question: WHO ARE YOU?
Your name is not who you are. What you do for work is not who you are. Your family isn’t who you are. Your hobbies aren’t who you are.
All those things tell me about you, but they don’t tell me WHO you are. They don’t answer the question of identity.
Remember WHO You Are
Who are you? Paul says, remember who you are. You are CHILDREN OF GOD!
If you have been united with Christ in baptism, you have the Spirit of the living God living inside of you and you are sons of God, daughters of God, children of God. This is WHO you are!
And this is what the Spirit of God living within you does in you:
So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.
It’s as if Paul is saying to these early Christians living in the ancient city of Rome some 2000 years ago and to us living today…
“Remember WHO you are and WHOSE you are!”
In one of the most iconic movie scenes of all time, Luke Skywalker is confronted with answers to questions he always had about his true identity.
In Star Wars, Episode V, The Empire Strikes Back, here’s what happens…
Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader are in an epic lightsaber fight.
With one swing of his saber, Darth Vader cuts off Luke’s hand. Luke is seemingly rendered helpless.
But Darth Vader doesn’t want to kill Luke. He wants to talk to him. He wants to convince him to come to the dark side. He believes that together their power will be strong enough to rule the galaxy.
Darth Vader tells Luke, “Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father.”
Luke replies, “He told me enough. He told me you killed him.”
At this point, most people think Darth Vader says, “Luke, I am your Father.” This is actually one of the most misquoted movie lines of all time.
What Darth Vader actually says is, “NO. I am your Father.” In other words, “No. I didn’t kill your father, I am your father!
Luke is confronted with the harsh reality that his worst enemy, the evil Darth Vader is his father. And this truth is almost more than Luke can bear.
Because every son, every daughter, understands this truth. That as children we bear the image of our Father.
That’s true for all us in one way in terms of our physical fathers. There’s a sense in which the bear the image of our earthly fathers and mothers.
But what Paul wanted these early Christians to understand was that because of their baptism, they have a NEW IDENTITY.
Living FROM Your New Identity
Because they have the Spirit of the Living God living inside of them, they are NO LONGER OBLIGATED to obey their sinful nature and instead, they are OBLIGATED to follow the way of Jesus. To live a life that honors their Father in Heaven.
As a son of God, a daughter of God, now you get to choose. And whenever you choose to do what a son of God would do, what a daughter of God would do, you will find the power of the Holy Spirit within you leading you all along your way.
You see, there is no obligation for us to follow the way of sin. As children of God, we are indebted to the One who gave everything for us because He loves us.
The next time you’re being tempted to do the very thing you know you shouldn’t do, remember…
You don’t have to do that anymore!
You don’t work for Waldo anymore!
Your identity is not as a slave to sin anymore. You have a new identity in Christ because you are a new creation in Christ.
What does it change?
You are no longer obligated to do what your sinful nature desires. You don’t have to do that anymore. Because you are a son, a daughter of God.
This week you’re going to be tempted. It might even happen later today! When it does, remember who you are. Your Enemy is not your Father. God is your Father! You live for HIM!
The Way of Suffering
By the way, this passage closes with these words…
And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
We are heirs of God’s glory. We have a great inheritance. But with that inheritance, with our identity as sons and daughters of God comes this… we must also share his suffering.
What does that mean?
We’re going to talk about this more in the next post.
But you should know this, early Christians… they rejoiced whenever they had the opportunity to suffer for the name of Jesus because they believed God counted them as worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus! (Acts 5.41)
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