What we are talking about today is an extremely broad topic which encompassed the entirety of the Bible. We are going to be learning about “The Duty of Man”.

Before beginning, we need to understand that each part we are discussing today can be and should be broken down and studied even further.

For example, loving one another is part of our duty … but we have to study the Bible to even find out what love is! How can we love each other when we do not even understand what our God, who IS love, has said about it?

And that is my point right now … each duty we discuss today requires in depth study. Going along those same lines, we come to our first duty … studying the Scriptures.

2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Studying the Word of God is definitely beneficial for us, but our benefit is not the end of all things. We study, gain knowledge and understanding, and become saved so that we can lead others into the arms of Christ … because He is the beginning and end of all things!

Revelation 1:8 “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”

Revelation 21:6 “And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.”

Revelation 22:13 “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”

An extremely important part of studying the Scriptures is so that we can be prepared to answer the questions or arguments of others. Please be aware that there will always be those who consider themselves educated in Scripture or science, but really, they know nothing but destruction.

Proverbs 24:2 “For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.”

On our part, we study in order to teach the Truth of God’s Word so they might be saved.

Proverbs 15:28 “The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.”

So many fall into this weird trap where they believe, falsely, that they know enough and don’t need to study the Bible or Creation. This is an obvious lie which is designed to keep us from learning what God wants us to know and drive us toward useless worldly pleasures, AKA sins, like TV.

Take the study of Creation for example. Unless we know every single facet of God’s Creation, we need to study more. Now. Take the Bible as an example. Unless we know every single doctrine and live according to those doctrines, we need to study more.

Here are the points I am trying to make:

1. There are only three people who have no need to study Scripture … the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
2. Unless we are part of the Godhead, which, obviously, we are not, then we have no excuse not to study!

God hides things from us for a reason. One reason is so we keep seeking Him every single day!

Proverbs 25:2 “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.”

It truly is our duty to study God’s Word every day!

John 5:39 “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”

Acts 17:11 “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”

As far as our duties to God are concerned, I want to try and give you an idea of just how deep pride goes. There are some who act as if God should be thanking them, or otherwise repaying them for their efforts in pursuing Christianity.

This may sound like something totally ridiculous and something neither you nor I have ever thought, but the fact of the matter is this: we are ALL guilty of this! Just one of the ways this mindset manifests is when we believe God MUST answer our prayers how we want them answered and when we want them answered. This immature arrogance is nothing more than the pride of Satan working through us!

Why should God thank us for serving Him? We need to be thankful that He even considers us AT ALL!

When Jesus was describing the relationship between servant and master, this is what He said to His apostles …

Luke 17:9-10 “Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.”

Another duty of ours is to have a good report among all men.

2 Corinthians 6:3 “Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:”

1 Timothy 3:7 “Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”

Hebrews 11:1-2 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report.”

Acts 10:22 “And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee.”

Acts 22:12 “And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there,”

But, why do we need to have a good report among other people? Well, when Jesus was telling us how to identify the saints of God and how to identify the children of disobedience, He said the following:

Matthew 7:20 “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”

When the love, generosity, kindness, gentleness, meekness, and humility of Jesus Christ shines through us and is witnessed by other people, we say more about Christ than our words ever could!

The face we show in society will either be a reflection of God or a reflection of Satan … there is NO in between!

As a side note, keep in mind that, just like the prophet Daniel, we will stick out like a sore thumb in society. Our Lord said we would be peculiar in this sin sick world because of His Godly character shining through us.

Titus 2:14 “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

1 Peter 2:9 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

Daniel 6:5 “Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.”

Take the sport hunter for an example of someone who reflects the enemy’s character. Because they have the same bloodlust of Satan, they are constantly shooting animals for no other reason than to watch something die! These sport hunters have no actual need for the meat … they just want to end something’s life for the fun of it.

Proverbs 12:10 “A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.”

We are supposed to treat animals with kindness and love! Not kill them for a made-up reason. Of course, there are legitimate reason for killing animals. Firstly, hunger. As far as clean animals are concerned, they can be killed for food. Or, when it comes to pests, yes, killing them is a necessity due to their ability to spread disease and destroy crops.

What both of these reasons have in common is this: NEED! And don’t get it twisted, baiting animals in order to fulfill our bloodlust and then lying by saying “it’s a pest” doesn’t fly.

However, the list of reasons people like sport hunter’s use to justify their actions is long and extensive. In their own wisdom and conceit, they are completely justified in their reasons for needlessly killing animals. What does God have to say about all who are wise in their own conceits?

Proverbs 26:5, 12 “Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.”

Romans 11:25 “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.”

Romans 12:16 “Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.”

As we are told in Romans 11:25, it is our duty to teach others about their errors. Why? Firstly, because we love them and want them to come to the knowledge of God so they can repent and be saved. But also, because those in error have spent too much time developing the most comfortable lies, they can think of. We are wise in what WE think … not what God thinks. That is what it means to be wise in our own conceits.

Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

It is the height of conceit to reject what God says because we have spent such-and-such years believing the lies of the enemy.

It is our duty to follow the laws of the land in which we live.

Romans 13:1-7 “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.”

That being said, it is only our duty to follow the laws which DO NOT violate God’s Law. If a law of the land violates the command of God, it is then our duty to break man’s law in order to keep God’s, for it is said in …

Acts 5:29 “Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.”

In Romans 13:6-7, we see a very particular word used; that word is, “tribute”. A “tribute” is defined as a tax. So, as much as people hate paying taxes, the Christian understands that it is in service to God to pay taxes.

Matthew 17:24-27 “And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.”

It wasn’t that long ago that I believed taxes were robbery and was very much against all taxes. In the wisdom of my conceit, I was made a fool. When God blessed me with the understanding of Romans 13:6-7, He was faithful to release me from all my resentment and hatred of taxes.

This next duty is quick and easy to explain but leads into several others. You have all heard me speak adamantly against colleges and the so-called education system because of the sacrifices to faith a person must make in order to graduate.

You have also heard me speak out against things like the History Channel, NatGeo, the Science Channel, and all other weapons of mass deception used against the Bible. I speak out against these things because all they do is give man’s understanding on any given subject.

The Lord says this regarding man’s understanding …

Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”

Need I remind you of what God says about the things men count as “right” or “correct”?

Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

Proverbs 16:25 “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

God has always ensured that His people are well equipped for the work He has placed in front of them. He has always ensured that His people ALWAYS have their needs taken care of.

Psalm 37:25 “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”

More to the point, however, God has always ensured that His faithful children no matter their level of education, status, or income, are PERFECTLY equipped with the knowledge and understanding necessary to perform their duties!

1 Corinthians 1:26-27 “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;”

Not to mention, God’s faithful children have always been considered uneducated, ignorant, and stupid. Though we carry with us the infallible truths of Almighty God, we are the ones considered to be fools.

Acts 4:13 “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.”

Only a loving, honest, heartfelt, and obedient relationship with the Lord will lead to having a real education in both worldly and heavenly things. This is because only the Lord Himself is able to open our understanding of the Scriptures which contains all that is needed to live a fruitful and wise life.

Luke 24:45 “Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,”

The first part of Proverbs 3:5 (above) says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart …”

This is the #1 stumblingblock for all of us. Nonetheless, it is the CORE of Christian duty! It is the duty of all Christians to love God with all our heart, soul, and strength.

Deuteronomy 6:5 “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”

Joshua 22:5 “But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

Matthew 22:37 “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”

Luke 10:27 “And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.”

Of course, without faith, we cannot love Him or trust Him.

Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Part of trusting God is trusting His Word. And it is our duty to trust what He says.

Psalm 130:5 “I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.”

And yes, I am only talking about the KJV when I am talking about the Bible. It is also our duty to fear the Lord.

Psalm 128:1 “Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways.”

Let me explain what this “fear” is again. Fearing the Lord means giving reverence to the Lord. But what does THAT mean?

Giving reverence to God is not just recognizing His great power, it is being AWE-STRUCK at His power. It is fully realizing and accepting that we are nothing in comparison to Him. It is acknowledging that without Him we have a 0% chance at happiness, peace, comfort, or eternal life. It is understanding (and I mean TRULY understanding) that we cannot stand without Him and that it is a truly horrific and terrifying thing to be on the receiving end of His wrath!

Hebrews 10:31 “

So, to fear the Lord, as is our duty, we must recognize His majesty so fully that it drives us to our knees in submission, at motivates us toward obedience. Anything less means we do not really fear Him, and our faith is less than it ought to be.

Moreover, to fear Him means to think in the same way He does. To properly fear the Lord means we have submitted ourselves to His will and have our minds and hearts shaped after His own. What this looks like, generally speaking, is that we will hate evil and wickedness while uplifting righteousness.

Psalm 45:7 “Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.”

Proverbs 8:13 “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.”

Now, obviously there are many other duties of Biblical Christianity, such as forgiveness, loving speech, treating others as we would like to be treated, and constant prayer. Unfortunately, we don’t have hundreds or thousands of hours to discuss each one right now. If you want to know what God says about duty or anything else, just read your Bibles and ask questions!

If there is a single theme in Scripture which speaks to how a Christian ought to be, it is this: self-sacrifice. This world loves to tell us that self-esteem is the #1 thing for a successful life, but that belief is unBiblical and is directly opposed to the truth of human depravity!

2 Corinthians 7:1 “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

Moreover, while Scripture commends self-control as a fruit of the Spirit, the Bible has NOTHING positive to say about self-esteem, self-love, or ANY other variety of self-centeredness! We are told, directly, that our duties are to live our lives as a living sacrifice in submission to God!

Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

The Lord has this promise for anyone and everyone who makes Him the center of their lives.

2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Some may ask, “Is there a single verse which tells us what the entire duty of man is?” Well, God, in His eternal grace, compassion, and mercy has made it very simple for us by telling us about the following in very simple to understand words, written in plain English …

Ecclesiastes 12:13 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”

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