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THE CHRISTIAN'S DUTY
INTRODUCTION--"THE BASIS FOR DUTY"
LUKE 17:7-10
Introduction:
Longfellow wrote these words: “Do thy duty; that is best; leave unto the Lord the rest.”
Benjamin Franklin said this: “Duty is not beneficial because it is commanded, but it is commanded because it is beneficial.”
Duty is defined by Webster as:
“That which a person owes to another; that which a person is bound, by any natural, moral or legal obligation, to pay or perform.”
He goes on to give these examples in his definition:
1. Obedience to princes, magistrates and the laws is the duty of every citizen and subject. (Romans 13:1-7)
Exp: As an American, we have a duty to our country because we are Americans.
2. Obedience, respect, and kindness to parents are duties of children.
Children’s duties are easier if the child has love for their parent.
Ephesians 6:1-3–“Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.”
3. The government and religious instruction of children are duties of parents.
Parents have a duty because they are parents. Parental duty is a pleasure if you have love for the child.
Ephesians 6:4-“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
4. Fidelity to friends is a duty.
Proverbs 17:17–“A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
Proverbs 27:6–“Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”
Proverbs 27:10–“Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not”
5. Reverence, obedience and prayer to God are indispensable duties.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14–“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.”
We could add a few to his list:
6. Husbands have a duty to love their wives.
Ephesians 5:25–“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;”
7. Wives have a duty to submit to their husbands.
Ephesians 5:22-24–“Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.”
8. Soldiers have a duty because they are soldiers.
2 Timothy 2:4–“No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”
Another definition Webster gives is this: “Obedience; submission.”
Still another definition he gives is: “Act of reverence or respect.”
The Strong’s Concordance says that the Greek word translated “duty” here in verse 10 means “to owe (pecuniarily); figuratively to be under obligation (ought, must, should); morally to fail in duty:”
It is translated elsewhere in the New Testament as—behove, be bound, (be) debt (-or), (be) due (-ty), be guilty (indebted), (must) need (-s), ought, owe, should.
I know am belaboring the point, but that is because I want you to understand thoroughly this idea of “duty.”
There is a duty that we mentioned in these examples of duty that I want to expand on. It is the duty mentioned in our text. It is the duty of the Christian to GOD! Christians have a duty because they are Christians! AMEN!!!
That is a truth that many Christians forgotten or have lightly passed over!
The problem, I believe, is that many see their Christian duty as a drudgery!
But listen, Christian duty CAN BE and OUGHT TO BE PLEASURABLE!
Our attitude toward Christian duty is reflects our love for Christ!
If we love Christ, Christian duty can be and will be pleasurable!
In fact, the more we love Christ, the more pleasurable it will be!
However, if our love for other things is greater than our love for Christ, then Christian duty will be seen as a drudgery and most often will be neglected and ignored.
This is just an introductory message to a series on Christian duty.
What is the basis for our Christian duty? Let me share with you at least seven things that form the basis for our Christian Duty:
I. THE FACT OF WHAT CHRIST HAS DONE FOR US!
Romans 12:1-2–“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. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
II. THE FACT OF OUR NEW IDENTITY IN CHRIST!
(Romans 6:1-13)
Galatians 3:27–“For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
We are to take our cue from the one we identify with.
1 John 2:6–“He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.”
1 John 3:16–“Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
1 John 4:11–“Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”
III. THE FACT THAT WE ARE UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP! (Romans 6:16-22)
1 Corinthians 6:19-20–“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”
IV. THE FACT THAT WE HAVE A NEW SPIRIT LIVING WITHIN! (Romans 8:1-15)
Galatians 4:6–“And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.”
V. THE FACT THAT WE ARE PART OF A NEW FAMILY!
Galatians 3:26–“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”
We who are saved are members of God’s family!
A. We Have A New Father! (Romans 8:15-16)
B. We Have New Siblings!
Whether we like it or not we’re related!
We are Brothers and sisters in Christ!
And that relationship carries with it a family responsibility!
VI. THE FACT THAT WE ARE PART OF A NEW BODY!
The Church!
1 Corinthians 12:27–“Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”
We have a duty to one another!
VII. THE FACT THAT WE MUST FACE RECKONING WITH OUR HEAVENLY FATHER!
There are two kinds of reckoning we must face as the children of God.
A. CHASTENING IN THE PRESENT! (Hebrews 12:5-11)
B. THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST IN THE FUTURE!
(1 Corinthians 3:11-15)
Romans 14:10–“. . .for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.”
Romans 14:12– “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”
1 Corinthians 3:13–“Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.”
When my dad gave me and my two brothers duties to fulfill [and he did!], there was always a time of reckoning with my dad.
There were days when I hated to see that paint truck pull up in the driveway. When I knew I hadn’t been obedient to my father.
There were other days that I couldn’t wait for daddy to come home and see what a great job I had done. When I knew I had done all that my father asked me to do, I knew he would be pleased!
Could I tell you that when we did those duties with that paint truck pulling down the driveway in mind, we did a much better job fulfilling those duties and we were more likely to please our father.
And to the contrary, when we didn’t have that paint truck pulling down the driveway in mind, we were less likely to fulfill those duties and less likely to please our father and have to face chastisement.
Granted, my father would rather that we fulfilled our duties as sons out of love for him and our desire to please him. We would do a much better job when our attitude was right. The job went a lot easier when we did it out of love.
But if it took our fear of seeing that time of reckoning with him in order for us to fulfill those duties, then so be it.
If it took the chastisement of our father to motivate us to get it right the next time, then so be it.
Conclusion
As Christians, we are obligated to God to fulfill some duties.
We’ll go over some of these areas of Christian duty in the weeks to come.
The question is, are we going to fulfill those Christian duties.
And if so, with what attitude are we going to do it?
God would rather us do it out of love. It is better for us if we do it out of love.
But if it takes a view of reckoning.
Christian how are you doing? The trumpet could sound any time now.
We could be summoned to give account. Do you have that in mind?
If you aren’t a Christian, your first duty is to repent of your sin and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Have you done that? If not, why don’t you do that right now?
Home Page Contact Us Service Times Sermons Are You Going To Heaven?
NOTICE: THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!