Pastor Dave Martin ~ Cross Creek Community Church ~ March 11, 2007

“Accountability”

Family series Part 6

Wrapping up our “family series” we’re tying it all together in speaking on accountability.

“Accountability” – to be liable, subject to giving an account, To be answerable to God Almighty.

We must reject the idea that every time a law's broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.
Ronald Reagan

·         So often today we hear… my parents didn’t raise me right that’s why I have a drinking problem… my mother was domineering & father was passive and that’s why I’m… Pass the buck and make excuses…

·         Spouses, children, church, society… to be good citizens – requires to be accountable to each other…

·         Our actions affect others… personal responsibility is required – your life is being transcribed!

·         We’re all ultimately accountable to God Himself.   Have you ever thought seriously about this?

Hebrews 4:13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

·         Today when we hold people “accountable” – you usually get excuses… there are no excuses before God

·         All is uncovered and laid bare before the Judge whom we with absolute certainty will give an account

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

·         Every dirty little secret will be exposed, every word, every thought, every action… nothing will be hidden

·         On the flip side… the money you gave, the prayers you prayed, the words you used, the good deeds you did, the attitude you displayed, those you served, the lives you touched… The good fruit will be displayed

Philippians 2:10-11 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

·         Not one intelligent being in the universe is exempt… angels & saints in heaven; people living here on earth; Satan, demons & unsaved in hell – God says, every knee will bow & every tongue will confess.

Romans 14:12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

·         Every authentic believer in Jesus Christ will stand before the “Bema” Judgment Seat of Christ (1Co 3:10-15; 2Co 5:10) and give an account of their lives since being spiritually reborn into God’s family.

·         1Co 3 speaks of the quality of your works being tested by fire… rewarded or suffer loss (yet saved)

I’m Accountable to God…

1.  To Know & Love Him Personally.

1 John 4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Ecclesiastes 3:17 “…God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed."

·         Do you personally know God this morning?  We must get this right or suffer the dire consequences

·         We are free moral agents with the power of choice… a will that can choose… accept or reject God

·         As sinners, God loves us and sent Jesus as an atoning sacrifice for our sins… He paid the sin debt.

·         We can reject Christ by simply ignoring Him – out of sight & mind and miss salvation… remain lost

2 Thessalonians 1:8 in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don't know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. NLT

John 3:36 And all who believe in God's Son have eternal life. Those who don't obey the Son will never experience eternal life, but the wrath of God remains upon them." NLT

·         If you choose to remain lost in your sin you will give account someday for your refusal to repent

·         Don’t leave earth without the sin question settled… don’t be a recipient of God’s wrath – be saved.

·         God has done everything to save you… revealed Himself – Son, Word, Creation… without excuse

·         My sin has separated me from God – “God sized hole” – more unsaved than saved (Mt 7)

·         I’m accountable to know God personally… Come to Jesus and find peace in the storm…

Genuine Salvation…

Ø       Admit my sin & be willing to turn from my sin (repentance).

Ø       Believe Jesus sacrificially died for your sin & rose again.

Ø       Invite Jesus Christ to come into your life as Savior & Lord.

Mark 12:30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

·         We’re saved by faith and we live by faith. Eph 2:8-9; Rom 1:17

·         Only a true believer is able to love God with your entire being – heart, soul, mind, strength

·         Salvation produces a genuine life-change resulting in spiritual fruit Gal 5:22-23

I’m accountable to personally Know and love God

I’m Accountable to God:

2.  To Teach my Family… (Spouse, children, extended family, etc. - ten truths to be teaching in the home)

·         To Fear their God (respect for God’s house)

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 9:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

·         To Guard their minds (daily battle in our culture)

Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

·         To Obey their parents (respect, authority, discipline, consistency)

Proverbs 6:20-23 ²⁰ My son, keep your father's commands and do not forsake your mother's teaching. ²¹ Bind them upon your heart forever; fasten them around your neck. ²² When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you. ²³ For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life,

·         To Select their companions (birds of a feather flock together)

Proverbs 13:20 He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.

1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character."

·         To Control their lust (self-disciplined, eye gate, Godly restraint)

2 Timothy 2:22 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

·         To Enjoy their spouses (closest thing to “heaven” – make it good)

Proverbs 5:15 Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 ³ It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; ⁴ that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, ⁵ not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God;

·         To Watch their words (buildup or tear down, use sparingly)

Proverbs 4:24 Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.

Proverbs 12:18 Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

·         To Pursue their work (not slothful or lazy but diligent a hard worker)

Proverbs 6:6-8 ⁶ Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! ⁷ It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, ⁸ yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.

·         To Manage their money (10% off the top is God’s, He must come first)

Proverbs 3:9-10 ⁹ Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; ¹⁰ then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. Proverbs 23:4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.

·         To Love their neighbor (Love God & neighbor is the whole law, love is shown)

Proverbs 3:27-29 ²⁷ Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. ²⁸ Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow"-- when you now have it with you. ²⁹ Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you.

Matthew 22:39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

I’m Accountable to God:

3.  To Serve Christ by Serving One Another.

1 Peter 4:10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.

John 12:26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

·         God saves us, His Spirit indwells us, He spiritually gifts us to be making a difference.

·         We come to Christ, get connected into the church body then begin serving one another…

·         Every member a minister… not letting someone else “do it”… see a bulb out – you change it!

·         Other-centeredness not self-centeredness – I’ve been crucified with Christ… dead to self and the old nature allowing Christ to live in me and work through me in supernatural ways.

·         Being His servant means obeying and following Him… God works through His servants!

A large group of European pastors came to one of D. L. Moody’s Northfield Bible Conferences in Massachusetts in the late 1800s. Following the European custom of the time, each guest put his shoes outside his room to be cleaned by the hall servants overnight. But of course this was America and there were no hall servants.

Walking the dormitory halls that night, Moody saw the shoes and determined not to embarrass his brothers. He mentioned the need to some ministerial students who were there, but met with only silence or pious excuses. Moody returned to the dorm, gathered up the shoes, and, alone in his room, the world’s most famous evangelist began to clean and polish the shoes. Only the unexpected arrival of a friend in the midst of the work revealed the secret.

When the foreign visitors opened their doors the next morning, their shoes were shined. They never knew who did it. Moody told no one, but his friend told a few people, and during the rest of the conference, different men volunteered to shine the shoes in secret. Perhaps the episode is a vital insight into why God used D. L. Moody as He did. He was a man with a servant’s heart and that was the basis of his true greatness.

Gary Inrig, A Call to Excellence, (Victor Books, a division of SP Publ., Wheaton, Ill; 1985), p. 98

·         Faithful in a little, God graces you with more – Mt 25:21

·         Serving wholeheartedly Eph 6:7 as we serve one another in love Gal 5:13

·         Who are we serving? The Living God Heb 9:14… that’s why we’re eager to serve 1Pet 5:2

·         Thank God for the many servants at Cross Creek… Awana, Cross Roads, CR, Jr. Church, SS classes, small group leaders, deacons, greeters/ushers/parkers, prayer warriors, servants!

In a "Peanuts" comic strip one of the girls went up to Charlie Brown and said, "Yes sir, Charlie Brown, Abraham Lincoln was a great man. Charlie Brown, would you like to have been Abraham Lincoln?"

"Well, now, I don't think so," he replied slowly; "I am having a hard enough time being just plain old Charlie Brown...."

One Christian put it this way "When I die I will not be asked, 'Why were you not like Billy Graham or Martin Luther, or this or that great leader in the church?'   God will ask… Why were you not yourself?' "

God does not expect me to be a person other than myself. But He does expect me to make full use of my God-given abilities and to live a life of integrity and faithfulness before Him.

—Bold Ones on Campus —Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations

I’m Accountable to God:

4.  To Reach my World with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

·         In Mt 28:19 every believer is commanded to “go make disciples… baptize them… teach them…”

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

·         We’re His “witnesses”…”martoos” – it’s where we get the word martyr – those who witness for Christ (in what you have seen or heard or knows) even to the point of death. 

·         We have a hard time communicationg to the world about Christ if we’re living like the world…

·         I am crucified with Christ, I’m His servant “doulos”… dead to self and surrendered to Christ in obedience reaching our world with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

·         Friends and relatives account for 86% of those who come to faith in Jesus Christ… my witnesses

·         Friend Day is next Sunday – a two part series… “Is Jesus Coming Again?” ~ Invite your friends 

The young salesman was disappointed about losing a big sale, and as he talked with his sales manager he whined, “I guess it just proves you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.” The manager replied, “Son, take my advice: your job is not to make him drink. Your job is to make him thirsty.”

So it is with evangelism. Our lives should be so filled with Christ that they create a thirst for the Gospel.

November-December 1985, Preaching.

·         The Lord commands His servants to be busy making disciples

Luke 14:23 "Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.

·         Reach people before it’s eternally too late.  Jesus is coming soon – compel them to come!

·         The responsibility for evangelism is for all believers.  We are instructed to bear fruit and are challenged to be prepared. It is not an issue of personality type, nor should it be an issue of personal comfort.

·         Reaching people for Christ is an issue of obedience.

·         Accountable – To know God, To teach your family,  To be a Servant, To Invite my friends to Christ

“Friend Day” next week!

Let’s Pray

Messages

Adapted from following resources:

The Heritage Foundation - http://www.heritage.org

Family Life - http://www.familylife.com

“Successful Christian Parenting”, John MacArthur; Word Publishing 1998

“The Five Love Languages”, Gary Chapman; Northfield publishing 2004

“Starting Your Marriage Right”, Dennis & Barbara Rainey; Nelson Books 2000

“Battle Cry for a Generation”, Ron Luce; Cook Ministries – NexGen 2005