Printer Friendly Version

ECCLESIASTES 12:13-14
[13] Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
[14] For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

INTRODUCTION
The book of Ecclesiastes is much like that of Job in that its aim is not disclosed until the end. It could be called the Book of realization and renunciation. Solomon tries certain things, realizes that they do not work and then he renounces them.

Solomon is saying that if we look at life from merely an earthly point of view it is not worth living-all is vanity, what's the use? As the Book closes it reveals Solomon's true estimate of a successful life. Solomon says that every successful life should have 2 elements:
1. Fear or reverence. (Fear God) Reverence for God who is above us which will lead us to respect those who are our equals and even those who we deem to be beneath us.
2. Obedience (keep His commandments).
Here Solomon uses a word that is not thrilling.
If I use the word "Honor," It makes us want to salute while standing at attention.
If I use the word "Privilege," it makes us think of enjoyment.
If I use the word "Entertainment," it makes us think of pleasure.

But when I use the word "Duty," it makes us think only of dullness and drudgery.
Solomon gives great importance to the word and says that reverence and obedience are the components of duty. "Fear God and Keep His commandments"!

But we feel that duty is not a pleasant word. It has a sort of hard edge to it.
It was the English poet William Wordsworth (1770-1850) who called Duty "the stern daughter of the voice of God" (Ode to Duty, Stanza 1).

That is the way we see duty-as a stern daughter(or our mother) with her hands on her hips, giving us that look.

Duty is not one of your glamour words. It has a hang dog look of drudgery and dullness. It is, in fact, a humdrum word. It is usually hyphenated with dull and demeaning tasks in life, like the Army's guard-duty, K.P.-duty, and, lowest of the lowest, latrine-duty.

It is so true that duties are jobs that we anticipate with distaste, we perform with reluctance; then we brag about forever.

The Bible certainly doesn't glamorize duty. The Old Testament is a religion of Mitzvot-of Commandments- and the New Testament bestows the obligations of cross and humble servant-hood.

The person of faith is not duty free.
There are a multitude books on the subject of Love.
There is equally as many books on the subject of Grace.
There are many books on the subject of Power.

But I do not recall ever reading a book on the word duty. I have never read a word study, or a chapter, or a paragraph on this word. This is strange because this word plays such an important role in life and in the Bible.

I. THE COMPLAINT OF MAN.
I have heard so many over the years:

Pastor, I have lost my burden for soul winning.
There was a day when soul winning was an opportunity to work for God. I enjoyed knocking on doors and teaching home Bible studies but I don't enjoy it any more. What is wrong with me?

Pastor, I will be honest with you. I don't enjoy the Bible like I once did.
There was a day when the Bible was to me like a love letter from Heaven. God wrote it in bold letters that seemed just for me and I loved to read its pages. What is wrong? Why don't I enjoy the Bible like I once did?

Pastor, I will be honest with you. I don't want to come to church sometimes.
There was a day when I was delighted to come to church. When the choir would sing I felt like the Rapture was about to take place. And, Pastor, when you would preach it spoke right to my heart.

Pastor, my prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling.
I used to love to pray. I used to love to come into the presence of god and to me it was like having an audience with the King of Kings. I used to love to bow my knees and spend hours in prayer. What is wrong with me?

Pastor, I don't enjoy teaching Sunday School like I once did.
It has become a burden to me. I used to enjoy teaching. I will never forget when you asked me to teach and I stood in front of my class with the Bible opened before me what a thrill it was. But now I don't enjoy it anymore.

I think you get the picture:
It could be a bus route-children's church-youth work-quizzing or coaching whatever the opportunity for service that is available. Is this how you are feeling?

II. THE CONCLUSION OF THE MATTER
Here is the conclusion of the whole matter-the meaning of duty. You don't do things because you feel like it you do it because you ought to do them. The final stage of living for God is duty.
Everything else,
    • however comforting,
    • however holy,
    • however true, is only its cradle.

The mark of maturity is reverence and obedience which add up to duty.
You can't even read the New Testament without being aware of the importance of duty.
The Sermon on the Mount makes duty its climax.
The Lord's Prayer gives it preeminence and says that the angels live by duty, "Thy will be done on earth as it is done in Heaven."

The Lord summarized His own life in terms of duty… "I have finished the work…"
All the epistles lead to duty. The Apostle Paul treated everything else of little worth in comparison. Everything else were mere passages on the way to duty.

If I had to define duty, I should say that it is what conscience and the Bible tells us to do in any relation of life. And since everything we do is related to God, duty is doing what is right towards man for God's sake.

Duty is not a cold, hard word.
It is a high and holy word.
It is involved in the most sacred and most tender relationships of life.
Husbands have duties to their wives, and wives to husbands.
Parents have duties to their children, and children to parents.

Our relation to God is based on a tie of duty. So living for God is essentially tied to duty and not inspiration. Some people don't do anything for God because they say I don't feel inspired! INSPIRED……….get a life:

What if Noah waited for inspiration to build the ark?
What if Jesus waited for inspiration to go to the cross?
What if Michelangelo waited for inspiration to paint the Sistine Chapel?
What if I had waited for inspiration to preach this message?

A life of duty is a life that is lived according to purpose, without regard to feeling.
We simply do some things in life because we know it is the right thing to do!
When we live this way, the ordinary is lifted to the realm of the eternally significance.

What the church needs is people (young, middle age and older people) who will say: "I will do what I am supposed to do when I am supposed to and how I am supposed to." If we could get a group like that we could turn a city, a state, a nation, a world, upside down for God.

If in this service I could inspire you to go soul winning, it would probably last until the first door was slammed in, your face.

If I could inspire you to teach a home-Bible study, it would probably last until the first cancellation.

If I could inspire you to Prayer and praise, it would probably last until the first time you don't feel what you want to feel.

If I could inspire you to work in church, it will probably last until the first grumpy person crosses your path.

If I could inspire you to giving, it would probably last until the first time a bill is due and you have to make a choice between paying your tithes and paying a bill.

If I could inspire you to faithfulness, it would probably last until the first time something comes along you want to do and you have to choose between that and going to church, but if I can give you not an inspiration to do right but an obligation to do right.

Then you will say I will do these things not because I feel like it but because I am supposed to then this service could change your life.

C. S. Lewis, in The Screwtape Letters, wrote something powerfully true, of Jesus and of ourselves, when he put these words into the mouth of Screwtape, the senior devil who is giving advice to his young nephew:

"Do not be deceived, Wormwood. Our cause [that is, the Devil's cause) is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemy's will [that is, God's will], looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys."

You see there are some things I don't always enjoy doing.
I don't always feel like preaching. What do you do? I Preach anyway.
I don't always feel life studying and reading my Bible. What do you do? I Study anyway.
I don't always feel like going to church. What do you do? I go anyway.
I don't always feel like praising the Lord when I get there. What do you do? I praise Him anyway.
I don't always feel like praying. What do you do? I pray anyway.
There are some things that are expected.

ALLEGORY:
There was once a vine that felt unappreciated. People often came and removed its grapes without a single word of gratitude.

One day a man sat down to rest in the shade near the vine. Taking the opportunity to explain its concern, the vine said, "As you can see, I am a vine. Men and old women of all ages come by and take my ripe grapes without ever saying thank you to me for all my efforts. How can people be so insensitive?"

The man pondered the question for a moment and then replied, "Perhaps people are insensitive, but in all probability their lack of gratitude comes from a different reason. Just as people expect the sun to shine and the wind to blow, they expect grapes from a vine. They are no doubt under the impression that providing grapes is your duty," the man said with a wry smile.

There are some things that are just expected.

It is amazing how many people expect to be patted on their back for doing what is expected of them in the first place.

We must do our duty!
Even life itself is based on consistency.
Good runners do not worry about the last lap; they concentrate on the challenge of the moment.
Life is like a footrace. If you look carefully, you see life has a balance of good and bad-a pace.
It requires stamina and a sense of timing.

The rhythm of joy and sorrow, working and waiting, eating and sleeping, must be carefully calibrated or we lose the delicate balance so necessary in developing patience, courage, and strength-these wonderful virtues. Life has consistency.

We see this principle so plainly in these things that no one doubts it. Yet, many people think that they can come to church, or pray, or give etc. once in a blue moon and keep up your spiritual strength. You can't.

If God finds it necessary to bring this old world back to the exact spot in the universe every three hundred and sixty-five and one fourth days, and makes the very existence of it dependent upon the consistency with which it completes its orbit, then I can see why it is important to do some of the things we do. There is virtue in consistency. The same God who placed consistency out there in the field and in the air-that same God would not allow us to attain strength In the spiritual realm without the same consistency.

Remember when your mother kept telling you: "Eat those vegetables…they're good for you" Mothers and Dads said a lot of things and they were right!

Often people ask, "How do you remember what you study and put it together?" I do it every day. If I quit, in five years I wouldn't be able to do it at all. There is virtue in consistency.

If we can see this law at work so plainly in these simple illustrations why can't we see that;
Those who sing learn to sing;
Those who preach learn to preach;
Those who visit the sick learn to visit the sick;
Those who love others learn to love others;
Those who practice contrition learn to be contrite;
Those who practice giving learn to be generous;
Those who practice meekness learn to be meek;
Those who practice prayer learns to pray;
Those who practice praise learns to praise;
Those who practice faithfulness learn to be faithful?
We say practice makes perfect.
Living for God is just that practical.
The only way you can learn to be godly is by the exercise of godliness.

Consistent exercise produces Godliness.
Consistency is necessary fro growth. Very often people tell me that they plan to obey the gospel when they are sure that they can live it. I have to laugh. You don't learn to live for God out in the world living for the devil. You don't learn about living for God out In the world.

You are born into the kingdom of God. Does one expect to be born into the kingdom of God full grown?

There never was a human born full grown. We come into this world so weak and so helpless that about all we can do is kick and scream. If we never grow and that is all we are able to do. We come in the kingdom of God as babies and we grow.

First milk and then on to the meat. We grow by what we eat and exercise. We grow by duty. Godly exercise is doing our duty everyday.

Jesus said it another way. He said, "He that looses his life for my sake shall find it."
If you spend yourself in the service of the Lord you will suddenly find yourself possessed with characteristics and talents you never knew you possessed. Just as the exercise of the arm developed muscle so the exercise of a man or woman in the fine art of godliness, of holiness, prayer, fasting, faithfulness will produce a beauty of character that you never knew you could posses.

Do your duty consistently!

STORY OF THE KNOTED GOURD
A man told the story that hanging on a nail in the den of his father's house in Alabama there was a dried dipper gourd. It gleamed with shellac. It is very old. The common gourd has one unusual feature: its stem is tied in a single, permanent, overhand knot. He asked his dad how the knot got there. His father had smiled and explained, "Your grandfather, was a farmer, and he taught me about patience and he didn't even know I was learning. You see my father tied that knot." The son asked, "How did he do it without breaking the gourd." His father replied, "While the tiny gourd was green and growing, I watched him go out in heat of the day and bend the young stem a bit. Each day he would carefully secure it with a piece of cloth and keep it in place. He never missed a single day. He bent it just a little more each afternoon. Days passed into weeks and months and finally that knot tied itself-all because he was patient enough to wait. And now this young man has the gourd on his wall. It is a reminder of the power of consistency.

Living for God is daily.
Look how daily it was for the early church. They lived by daily bread. They worshipped daily, and witnessed daily, and the Lord added to the church daily. Is your experience with the Lord a daily one?

RIGHT HERE IN THIS WORD DUTY IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GOOD AND THE GREAT!

Duty is the difference between a good marriage and a great one.

It has been said that there are seven stages of the married cold.

1st Year the bride gets a cold. The husband says, "Sugar dumpling. I'm really worried about my baby girl. You've got a bad sniffle, and there's no telling about these things with all the strep going around. I'm putting you in the hospital this afternoon for a general check-up and a good rest. I know the food's lousy, but I'll be bringing your meals in from Oliverio's. I've already got it all arranged with the floor superintendent.

2nd Year the bride gets a cold. The husband says, "Listen darling, I don't like the sound of that cough and I've called Doc and Asked him to rush over here. Now you go to bed like a good girl, just for Poppa."

3rd Year the bride gets a cold. The husband says, "maybe you had better lie down honey. Nothing like a little rest when you feel lousy. I'll bring you something. Have we got any canned soup."

4th year the bride gets a cold. The husband says, "Now look dear, be sensible. After you've fed the kids, and got the dishes done and the floor finished, you better lie down."

5th Year the bride gets a cold. The husband says "Why don't you take a couple aspirin." That is the total of all he says.

6th Year the bride gets a cold. The husband says, "If you'd just gargle or something instead of sitting around barking like a seal all evening."

7th Year the bride gets a cold. The husband says, "For Pete's sake, stop sneezing. Are you trying to give me pneumonia?"

A great marriage is one that does the same things the seventh year as the first.

Duty is the difference between a good parent and a great one.

When that first baby is born they love to play this little piggy… When the baby cries at 2 o'clock in the morning, the wife says, I will go and see about the baby, you need your rest for work." The husband says, "No you need your rest, I'll go."
The wife says, I'll go." The husband says, "I'll go." The wife says, "Let's both go."
They Get up and pour milk in the bottle, and warm it up to perfection. Then they get their little bundle of joy and coo over it while they feed it a warm bottle.

Now it is the 6th baby. They have about had it with… "this little piggy…." Now when the baby cries at 2 o'clock in the morning the husband says, "You will have to see about that baby, I need my sleep for work." The wife says, "No way! You will have to go. I am still recovering from having the baby." Husband says, "You go." The wife says, "You go." The husband says, "You go." The wife doesn't say anything, she just puts her foot in the small of his back and pushes-he's going.

He Gets up and gets cold milk, and pours it into a bottle. He props it on a pillow in the general direction of the baby's mouth and goes back to bed. Great parents do the same thing for the 6th as the first.

Duty is the difference between good church and great one.
In a good church when a down time comes and it will come. They don't leave the church. They just ride the tide. If church is down and seemingly dead they will be dead too. But great churches have people who say we are down now but I am going to do what I always have done. I will praise, pray, sing, attend, etc. I will do the same thing every time regardless of circumstances.

Duty is the difference between a good Christian and a great one.

When the day comes and it will when Bible reading, witnessing, praying, attendance etc., becomes a chore and you don't feel like doing it. But you read, pray, attend etc., because you are supposed to. When you exchange inspiration for obligation as a motive for living for God then you have crossed the line from good to great in Christianity. It all has to do with duty.

One word separated the young man who will sell his decency and morality for an evening of pleasure from that young man who walks down the aisle pure and clean and virgin. And that word is duty. It is the one who says it is my duty to be clean. It is my duty to be pure. It is my duty to have honor. It is my duty to have integrity.

There is one word that separates that young lady who walks down the aisle clean and pure and gives herself to her groom a clean, chaste virgin and that young lady who gives a spoiled, soiled, unchaste, unclean body to her young bridegroom and that word is duty.

The same temptations of the flesh come to us all. The temptations to quit or slack off spiritually comes to all. The difference between some and others is that there are those who say, "I am going to do what I am supposed to do, how I am supposed to, when I am supposed to-no matter what."

Admiral Nelson had as his watchword these words, "England expects every man to do his duty." His last words were these, "I have done my duty. Praise God for it."

At Trafalgar, the great battle there, he raised the banner and on the banner were these words, written so his men could see it as they marched to battle, "Not glory, not victory, not honor, not country, but duty." Duty!

Epictetus said, "In life's drama we do not choose our own parts and have nothing to do with those parts. Our simple duty is confined to playing our part well."
I want to be great for God. I believe I am preaching to some who want to be great for God.

Somebody said: "Greatness consists not in one seeking his own pleasure or things or advancement or glory, but in seeking one's own duty.

Therefore:
Greatness is not found in the recital-Greatness is found in the practice room.
Greatness is not found in the performance-Greatness is in the preparation.
Greatness is not found in the pulpit-Greatness is found in the study.
Greatness is not found in getting an A on a test-Greatness is found in proper studying for that test.
Greatness is not found in the dining room-Greatness is found in the kitchen.
Greatness is not one inspired to great heights-Greatness is one who is willing to work in great depths.
Greatness is not found in performing many great feats-Greatness is found in performing many small duties.

For if you are what you ought to be in the practice room the recital will take care of itself.
If you are what you ought to be in the preparation the performance will take care of itself.
If you are what you ought to be in the study the sermon will take care of itself.
If you are what you ought to be in performing these little tasks and little duties that God has given you as your obligation, then the performance and the result and the record will take care of themselves.

If you live a consistent life for God then we will not fear to depart this life and stand before God.

DUTY; FAITHFULNESS IN SMALL THINGS.

There is a story told about a man who came to see a very wealthy business man in the city of Philadelphia by the name of Girard. When he asked Girard for a job Mr. Girard said, "yes I can give you work. See that pile of bricks out there? Carry them over to the other side of the yard and stack them there."

By nightfall the man reported that the project was complete and received his pay.
When he asked if there was more work Girard said, "Yes come tomorrow and put the bricks back where they were." Without a word the man came the next day and did as he was told.

Every day for two weeks he did the same thing. Finally Girard said, "Go tomorrow and buy a large quantity of sugar for me. You are authorized to spend $100,000.00." He did so and when he had bid, the people said who will pay the bill?

The man said, "Mr. Girard will I am his agent."
This man was faithful in small tasks. He did his duty and proved he could do exactly as he was told. He knew how to do his duty. He did his duty in small things and then was given greater things.

The best things are nearest:
    • light for your eyes,
    • flowers at your feet,
    • duties at your hand.
    • "What your hand finds to do…."

Everyday remember:

That to-day you have a God to glorify;
A Savior to imitate;
A soul to save;
A virtue to acquire,
Heaven to seek;
Eternity to meditate upon;
Temptations to resist;
The world to guard against; and
Perhaps death to meet.
Therefore sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

DO YOUR DUTY.

Preacher, we can be the most faithless among the faithful. The most prayerless among the Prayer warriors, have the worst spirit among the spiritual of our own congregations. God has called us to be shepherds of the sheep, to watch for their souls and to feed them and that is our duty.

Church member, what is so desperately needed is commitment and consistency to the church. It is your duty to attend your church-defend your church-extend your church.
If you are an Usher or greeter, it is your duty to be where you are supposed to be when you are supposed t be there-it is your duty.
If you are a Sunday School Teacher then your class is your duty. You should not just blow it off and leave it for a Sunday without making provisions for the class.
It is your duty to be there and prepared.
If you are a Youth Leader then young people are your duty.
Whatever it is give your best-it is your duty.

When Pompeii was destroyed by the eruption of Mt Vesuvius there were many persons buried in the ruins who were afterward found in different positions. There were some found in deep vaults, as if they had gone there for security. There were some found in lofty chambers as if they were trying to rise above the ashes, and cinders, and the lava. But where did they find the Roman sentinel? They found him standing at the city gate where he had been placed by the captain, with his hands still grasping the weapon. There, while the floods of ashes and cinders and lava overwhelmed him, he had stood at his post; and there, after a thousand years, he was found. This is what God wants from us. He doesn't want people going here and there, using the fact that He is coming back soon as an excuse to run around and abandoning their post of duty in their church. He wants them to be found where he has placed them when He comes back. God help us to stand by our duties.

Duty is above all consequences!

Duty commands us to look neither to the right nor to the left, but strait onward.
Every act of duty is an act of faith. It is performed in the assurance that God will take care of the consequences, and will so order the course of the world, that, whatever the immediate results may be, his word shall not return to Him void.

We all get frustrated like Elijah and say, "I'm the only one left." We all have faltered like Peter when he sank because he took his eyes off of Jesus. We have all failed and we feel like giving up, giving out, giving in and giving over. But what I am saying is no matter how you feel it is duty that keeps you moving. What I am saying is, "Never despair, but if you do, work on in despair." You need to see praying, witnessing, faithfulness, fasting, giving, holiness etc. as high and holy
duties. When you don't feel like it and don't that is the first step down.

The moment you don't feel like doing it and don't that is the first step down. This word rings down through the Bible-DUTY-DUTY-DUTY!

You need to look out and see where what you are doing now is leading you. You will arrive where you are going.
You need to say to God so the Devil can hear, "I may not always be desiring, but I am still intending."
I am not going to turn around or take my eyes off of the prize.
I may not feel it today, but I will again soon.
I am going to keep moving, even when I don't feel it.

Receiving God's Spirit is the most wonderful experience that you can have, but you will not always feel on the top of the mountain, but if you can come in on the basis that I may not always be desiring, but I am still intending, then you will make it.

Duty! It is a dull word. But how life changing and powerful it is!