YOUR DUTY (3)

Mark 12:13-17

And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. And they came and said to him, "Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?" But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, "Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it." And they brought one. And he said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" They said to him, "Caesar's." Jesus said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they marveled at him.    

3) YOU HAVE A DUTY TO GOD

God is the supreme, sovereign that all must obey, worship and serve. God does not depend on our service. He has existed for eternity without the universe. Therefore do not think that God depends on the counsel of men. No one can direct Him in His ways or purposes.

Being sovereign He has put a demand on all people, that they must serve and worship Him as God. This is because every human being bears His image, just as the denarii bore the image and inscription of Caesar. When God created man, He made them in His image. Being in His image means that they especially belong to Him and ought to show allegiance and commitment to Him.

 “And to God the things that are God’s” – The coin bore the image of Caesar and thus it belonged to him. Giving him what was his was not wrong. However, some things do not belong to Caesar. Just as the coin bore the image of a man; all men bear the image of God.

Jesus is saying, “Give Caesar his money, because it bears his image. It is his! But, your devotion belongs to God, because you bear His image. You are His!”

Every human being in this world was created in “the image of God”, Gen. 1:26-27. Thus, He owns us and He has the right to demand that we yield ourselves up to His will for our lives. Even if you are not saved, the Lord owns you by right of creation. Therefore you ought to glorify Him as God. If you don’t glorify God as your Creator, then you will replace Him with His creation! And in this you will incur His wrath sooner or later. If you are saved, He owns you by right of creation and by right of redemption, 1 Cor. 6:19-20. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Just as Caesar has the right to demand what is his, God has the right to demand what belongs to Him. Every human has an obligation to give God their worship, their obedience, their praise, their love and their gratitude. We owe Him that for being Who He is and for all that He gives to us. (i.e. life, air, water, food, shelter, family, etc.) Christians are particularly called to live this life with utmost gratitude.

You bear the image of God! That image you bear is a symbol of divine ownership. God has the right to tell you what to believe and how to live – and His demand on you is whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to His glory. God has the right to demand your obedience and submission. He has the right to demand that you receive and believe His Son as your Savior!

According to Rom. 13:4, the state has the “power of the sword”. When we fail to obey the state, there will be consequences, such as imprisonment and death. When we fail to obey the Lord there are also consequences. There is Hell for the unbeliever and chastisement for the believer.

Jesus is telling those men, and us, that we have an obligation to honor the rule of the state, but we have a higher obligation to commit our lives to the Lord and obey Him and His Word. Yielding to the state is our earthly duty. Yielding to the Lord is our eternal duty!

(Ill. Are you truly saved today? Have you yielded your life and will to Jesus Christ? Have you bowed before Him and confessed Him as Lord and Savior and received Him into your life? Have you believed the Gospel?

Are you yielded to His authority? Or, do you do as you please, working Him in when you feel like it? Do you live as one “owned” by the Lord or do you serve as your own master?

 If you are not saved, you need to come to Jesus and He will save you. If you are not surrendered, and many, if not most, are not, then you need to get before Him and yield to His will for your life.)

Conclusion: When they heard the Lord’s answer, “they marveled at Him”. Literally, they stood there with their chins on the chests. They came to trap Him, but He turned the tables on them and He trapped them. They could not argue with what He had said to them. They simply left just as they had left in the previous episode. They left without Christ, without God, without hope for their poor souls. Leaving and closing the door for Christ is so easy – many have done it and you have done it so many times. Will you leave without Christ again today? To marvel at His words is not faith. To leave without Christ in your heart is not faith. And you need faith to be saved.

 I do not what you to simply leave today without Christ. I want you to examine your heart and see where you stand with the Lord today. Do you trust Jesus for salvation? If not, come to Him now! Have you yielded the totality of your life to the control and dominion of the Lord? If not, come to Him now! Are you truly giving to God the things that are God’s?