The heart of accountability

INTRODUCTION

Once a ship was sailing past the Indian Ocean into the Arabian Sea. Suddenly the vessel’s water leak alarm went off. The crew started searching for the leakage as the passengers got panicky. Finally, they located the leak to the side of the ship where a passenger cut a hole through the ship’s side. When confronted about it by a crew he calmly replied, “Why should it bother you? I have cut a hole under my own berth and I have got all right to do whatever I want as I have paid for the ticket.” Do we misuse our freedom? Do we misuse our rights and privileges? Do we ever take responsibility for our actions?

This morning we are going to see the Christian value of accountability. We are also going to see the different types of accountability mentioned in the Bible.

WHAT IS ACCOUNTABILITY?

Accountability means taking responsibility for one’s actions and being held answerable for those actions. We are all accountable in one way or another. For example, in this world, there are laws to obey and if we fail to be obedient, we may have to suffer the consequences set by the officials who hold us accountable.

When we look into society today, there is a lack of accountability all around. People do not want to be responsible and accountable for their actions. According to the Bible it is the wicked who are unaccountable for their actions.

Psalm 10:13 Why do the wicked renounce God? He has said in his heart, “You will not require an account.” The wicked rejects God because they do not want to be accountable for their actions.

Accountability and rules were established by God at the dawn of Creation. God put Adam and Eve in the perfect environment, but there was a structure in the garden: There were rules to follow. They could eat everything in the Garden, except for the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil. They had roles as man and woman. Adam was to be the protector, his wife Eve was to be the helpmate. They had jobs. They had to be good stewards of God’s creation. Finally when Satan seduced Eve and Adam to eat the forbidden fruit God held them responsible and accountable for their sin.

What was Adam’s response when God asked him an account as to why he had eaten from the forbidden tree? Genesis 3:12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” The very first time man was confronted by God about his sin, he pointed to someone else — his wife! Eve responded in a similar way: Genesis 3:13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Blaming someone or the circumstances for one’s non-accountability did not work at the beginning with God. God still held Adam and Eve accountable for their actions and threw them out of the garden.

Just like in the Garden of Eden even today we are bound by biblical boundaries of accountability. Let us see what are the different types of accountability mentioned in the Bible.

TYPES OF ACCOUNTABILITY

1. Divine accountability.

Every man and woman is accountable to God.

Romans 14:11-12 11 It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’” 12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Every person will have to give an account for their life. We will have to give an account for the decisions and actions of our lives. We can influence people and escape punishment in this world but we cannot escape God. God knows our every thoughts, talk, actions, and motives. God will hold us accountable for our actions and deeds.

Psalm 139:1-8 1 You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely. 5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. 7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

We may be able to hide our character flaws and sins from our families and friends, but we cannot hide anything from God and God evaluates everything that we do.

2. Spiritual Accountability.

Hebrews 13:17 Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.

There are many people who say I will be accountable to God but I do not want to be accountable to any man of God. They hop churches, they never give a hold to be under someone. It is not biblical. If anyone sitting here feel you are under no spiritual leadership, I urge you to have one. As a pastor I will do my very best to be accountable about you to God.

3. Accountability in Church.

James 5:16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Some people feel I am accountable to the pastor, the pastor knows me but I do not have anything to do with the members. No. When we are accountable to a spiritual leadership i.e. the pastor of the church we are also accountable to one another. When we believed in Christ, God not only placed us into Christ, He put us into the Body — into Christ’s Church. We are accountable to one another. Choir team, musicians, pastoral team we are all accountable to one another. If we fail in our area of ministry we must be willing to suffer the consequences set by our spiritual head.

4. Financial Accountability.

We need to be good stewards of the finance God has given us. Our financial transactions should be transplant and legal. Pay back you credits even if your creditor has stopped asking you or has forgotten your debts.

Romans 13:8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.

Job 36:18 Be careful that no one entices you by riches; do not let a large bribe turn you aside.

Pay taxes. Romans 13:6-7 6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

Pay tithes Malachi 3:8-10 8 “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.

5. Professional Accountability.

Colossians 3:22-2522 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.

1 Peter 2:13-14 13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.

6. Familial Accountability.

God wants accountability to start right from the family. Now, who is accountable to whom in a family?

I’d like to invite you to turn to Ephesians 5. Now what is interesting about this passage is here Paul sets forward some very practical, God-ordained principles about home.

Ephesians 5:21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. The husband and wife are accountable to God first and they are accountable to one another. God clearly spells out roles for the husband and wife, but before He does that, He says, “Submit to one another.”

The wife is accountable to God. Ephesians 5:22-24 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Now this isn’t a very popular verse in this age that we live in, but if you truly understand what God is saying here, wives, you’ll know that this is a wonderful accountability. God has tasked men with a special leadership position in the family and never try to take leadership away from him. Men are tasked with real leadership in the home. When God looks at the family structure, he holds the man responsible. Men, you are responsible for every decision and everything of your house. Remember it was Eve who sinned first but God asked accountability first to Adam.

Notice it says submit to your husbands as unto the Lord. God is saying that wives are to follow the leadership of their husband. Remember wives you are not following your husband’s leadership because he’s the greatest guy ever. You’re doing it because the Lord put him in charge. Do it as unto the Lord. You please the Lord when you respect your husband’s role.

Now this doesn’t mean you withdraw and suffer. This does not mean that the husband can be a dictator or very authoritative. I believe it is a mutual submission.

Thirdly, the husband should love your wife. Ephesians 5:25-28 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

You are responsible for showing love even when it is difficult to love, sometimes even when you may not get your way.

We saw wives should submit to your husbands and husbands should love your wives. Should a husband submit to his wife?

In the story of Sarah and Abraham they were going through a very rough period where there were severe disagreements within the family. Sarah herself told Abraham to have a child through Hagar and now Sarah’s son and Hagar’s son are fighting, the ladies are picking up a quarrel very often. Now Abraham got very distressed and probably had fights with Sarah and Hagar often. Every marriage goes through a rough patch sometimes and it is the husband and wife who has to work out their marriage in mutual submission. Finally God had to step in and said, do what Sarah says. It eventually brought peace back to the home. In this situation God himself told the husband to submit to the wife and the husband did and it brought peace.

A husband should submit to his wife when he knows that the wisdom she provides is in the best interest of their family. That is why God over ruled Abraham and said, listen to Sarah and he did. Ask God to give you discernment when dealing with your wife, then you will know how to use submission properly and when it is in your best interest to submit to your wife.

Genesis 2:24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

Once you are married your primary intimacy should be God and your spouse. That is why we need to leave and cleave. Sometimes you have to stand up and say to your parents, in-laws and family, “Hey, I love you, but our home is going to be run this way.” A man and woman must display courage and set boundaries in family which others cannot enter. Leaving and cleaving of friends.

Children are accountable to their parents. You see, parents, if you want the obedience part to work, you have to first obey God and establish a marriage of love, respect, and mutual accountability. That sets your family a long way toward having your children obey you.

Ephesians 6:1-3 1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. I don’t believe children are to obey their parents if their advice is against the Bible. But sometimes when you have parents who are not believers you have to first obey God.

Ephesians 6:2-3 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” In other words, maybe you have parents who don’t obey God, but you must always honor and respect them. That means if you honour your parents you will have long life, you will have a life of quality.

Children you are accountable to obey your parents because God has given them to you. Children, understand you’re parents aren’t perfect but you still need to obey, honour, and respect them. Your parents may not know the latest technology. They may not know to use the mobile phone, internet or face book. They may not look that smart, they may have grey hair, loose dentures, may not be that presentable among your friends. Children you must understand that our parents looked very smart and beautiful once, but now they are old, they worked hard in raising you up. So do not despise them. Children you are accountable to obey, respect, love, and honour them in the Lord.

Now see the progression mentioned in the Bible about family. We have a family culture of mutual accountability. Everyone is accountable to each other to live for God. Then the wife is accountable to follow the God-given leadership of her husband. And then the husband is accountable to lead his wife and his family with servant leadership, responsible for their spiritual condition. Then, the children are to obey their parents in the Lord. A God-honoring family is a family where everyone is accountable to each other in the fear of the Lord.

Let us look at some common excuses people use for not being accountable.

1. My personality is like that. Many people blame their personality for their inability to be accountable. People who are in positions and leadership blame their personalities for not being accountable.
2. I was brought up like that. My parents are to blame. We know that parents make a huge impact on their children, and the effects—for better or worse. Unfortunately, some people use this insight as an excuse to not be accountable and say I never gave any account to my parents or the money they gave me, so I need not be accountable now.
3. No one is accountable, so why me? Another excuse people use is that of circumstances. If the people in my office are not accountable for their actions then why should I be accountable?

The Bible says we are the light of the world and the salt of the earth. Accountability has to begin in the house of God. Even if you had been brought up or presently living a life without accountability God wants you to change and be responsible and accountable for your actions.

CONCLUSION

Let’s examine our hearts this morning and discern our life as to where you are lacking accountability. We are all accountable to man and to God. Let us decide this morning to be accountable for our actions and accountable to the people in our life. Amen and God Bless You.