Sermons by J.H. Blackman, Jr.

Man's Obligation to God

SCRIPTURE READING: [Ecclesiastes 12:1-14]. Note: 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. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil."
OBLIGATION DEFINED:

Any duty or responsibility that is imposed upon man by God.
That which one person is bound to do, or not to do, and will be held accountable for by God.
The conduct which is due to God, by man in obedient submission to His Will.

Paul wrote in Philippians 2:12-14 = "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings." ….. Hebrews 4:1 = "Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it."
Christ said in Matthew 10:28 = "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." ….. Luke 12:5 = "But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, fear him."

The prophet Samuel said I Samuel 15:22 = "And Samuel said, hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams."
Jesus said in Matthew 7:21 = "Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."
Paul writes in Hebrews 5:9 = "And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;"
Peter writes in I Peter 4:17 = "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?"

Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-38 = "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. This is the first and great commandment."
John writes in I John 4:19 = "We love Him, because he first loved us." ….. John 3:16 = "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Jesus in Matthew 4:10 = "Then saith Jesus unto him, get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."
Moses spake unto the children of Israel the "statues and the judgments" of God, "that they may learn them, and keep, and do them" [Deuteronomy 5:1; Deuteronomy 6:1]. And Moses continued in
Deuteronomy 6:12-14 == "Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you."
Jesus in speaking to the woman at Jacob’s well said in John 4:23-24 = "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in the spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and thy that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."

Remember what Jesus had said to Satan Matthew 4:10 and Luke 4:8 = "…For it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."
Jesus said in the sermon on the mount Matthew 6:24 = "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

WEBSTER = "A manager, or one who is entrusted to look after the affairs of another."
GREEK = "One who manages, as a servant, a household or estate."

It is used in regards to preachers, or teachers, of the gospel. I Corinthians 4:1 = "Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God."
It is used in regards to elders (bishops) of the church. Titus 1:7 = "For the bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre."
In general it has reference to every servant of the Lord in God’s service.
Luke 12:42-43 = "And the Lord said, who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler, over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? Blessed that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing." ….. I Corinthians 4:2 = "Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful."

THESE OF COURSE ARE NOT ALL THAT MAN IS OBLIGATED TO DO, BUT THEY DO SUM THEM UP:

Think carefully about what is written in Luke 16:10-12 = "He that is faithful in that which is least if faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?"
If we are not a faithful servant in the use of that which is entrusted to us, we will have taken away from us even that which we thought we had. Remember: the one talent man in Matthew 25:14-30, Here was a servant that had taken away his one talent and was cast into outer darkness. [Matthew 25: 29-30] = "For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

ONE DAY YOU WILL GIVE ACCOUNT WHETHER OR NOT YOU HAVE KEPT THE OBLIGATIONS YOU HAVE TO GOD.