The Duty of Man

Read Ecclesiastes 12:9-14

  • As the book concludes, Solomon’s simplifies things for us

  • The only sensible and true way to live is to fear God and keep His commandments; This is whole the duty of man.

    Fear God. Do what he tells you. 14 And that’s it. 

    Fear God [revere and worship Him, knowing that He is] and keep His commandments, for this is the whole of man [the full, original purpose of his creation, the object of God’s providence, the root of character, the foundation of all happiness, the adjustment to all inharmonious circumstances and conditions under the sun] and the whole [duty] for every man. (Amplified)

    • It is the purpose of his creation
    • It is the foundation of all happiness
    • It gives us guidance for life and how to adjust to life circumstances

    Fear God

    Revere – Deep respect or admiration, hold in high regard Fear
    • Often seen as a negative word rather than inspiring
    • A healthy Fear of God is something positive

    Proverbs 16:6 – Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the Lord evil is avoided.

    Fear can be a deterrent

    • Punishment is a deterrent; prevent us from sinning
    • The Fear of God keeps us mindful of the judgment to come

    12:14 – For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing,whether it is good or evil.

    • Life isn’t about the here and now but eternal

    • When you fear God, you have the big picture Keep His Commandments

    A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten commandments with her five and six year old students. After explaining the commandment to “honor thy father and mother”, she asked if there was a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters. Without a missing a beat, one little boy said “ Thou shall not kill?

    •Keep His Commandments/Obey them •It affects how we live

I. What obedience is not:

A. Obeying only when you see others doing it. • It is ingrained from our younger years

• Our love and obedience should never be dependent upon what others are doing or not doing; Our motivation is the acts of men!

B. Obeying only the commands that make us feel good

• When we let feelings dictate our obedience and we pick an choose what commands we will obey and when we will obey them

C. Obeying the commands we believe are beneficial and work in our best interest

• When there are unfavorable consequences involving rejection from others, pain & sacrifice

D. Obedience does equal being religious

  • As we get older, we can lose the commitment to obedience we once possessed at first.

  • Obedience is often the area that is neglected

  • We replace our old worldly actions with new religious ones.

  • We can feel these religious actions replace the necessity of obedience.

    Ecc. 7:16-18

    16 Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise—why destroy yourself? 17 Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool—why die before your time? 18 It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes.

  • Solomon examines those who are excessively righteous (self-righteous and judgmental) and those who are wicked and pursuing evil

  • Young Christian see your sin, only concerned about

  • Problem; When we see others sin more than ours

  • Both wickedness and self-righteous lead to ruin

  • Neither is the way to live

    Q – What does obedience look like?

    Jesus is the perfect example

  • The world created through him & the Son of God

  • Yet he was not exempt from obeying His Father.

  • Jesus did everything that was expected of Him.

  • He was obedient to death; even on a cross!

  • His heart stayed obedient, even when the call was to something humiliating and painful

    • Jesus had no limits to his obedience

• He did not allow His emotions to be the final authority in His life. Nothing stopped his obedience

• The commands of God are not for our discussion, analyzing, examination, selection, consideration, but for obedience

• We must strive to obey the commands of God
Obedience is something we all can do.
• All we need is a heart that is willing
Because God/his knowledge & wisdom is 100% right, it offers us security/stability in unstable world

  • If you are looking to build your life on what is right, secure, & stable, build on the commands of God

  • This leads to an eternal inheritance & good rewards

  • Don’t waste time seeking security from wealth, possessions, popularity,

    circumstances or achievements, but Fear God & Keep his commands and allow Him to fill your life with meaning, purpose and joy