Wisdom Series 10

Wisdom Series

Part 10

“The Wisdom of Accountability”

James 5:16

In the last 9 weeks we’ve talked about the need for wisdom in the following areas:

The Wisdom of a Disciplined Life

Wisdom With Relationships

Wisdom of Clean Living

The Wisdom of the Lordship of Christ

Wisdom of Contentment

Wisdom of Living One Day at a Time

The Wisdom of Forward Focus

Wisdom of Waiting on God, and…

The Wisdom of Being Correctible

Now today we want to look at “The Wisdom of Being Accountable”

Accountability is one of those big, uncomfortable words that makes many of us cringe when we hear it.

The word accountability means to give a report, explanation, or reckoning of your life to God and to others.

For the record, I think accountability happens best in a small group, like a LIFE group or a small circle of accountability partners. (Tell of ours)

The truth is that most of us don’t like the idea of being accountable to another person.

Accountability means you have to be responsible for your actions. You have to keep your word.

FACT: Accountability is part and parcel of New Testament fellowship.

Listen again to James’ words: “Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart].”

There is no way to get away from this passage without hearing the words transparency, honesty, and openness with other members of the Body of Christ.

Christianity is not for lone rangers.

God creates us to be bridges, not isolated islands.

As His people, we are totally interconnected one to the other,

1 Cor 12:12 “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.”

1 Cor. 12:26 “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”

Accountability is needed to overcome spiritual failure. Accountability is needed to overcome family failure. Accountability is needed to overcome ethical and moral failure.

The Bible teaches that God created human beings to be ACCOUNTABLE.

We are not only accountable to each other, but are also ACCOUNTABLE TO HIM…

Romans 14:13 says, “So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.”

The benefit of accountability is that when you have something that you struggle with in secret, and you find yourself in a losing battle, you can bring it into the light by being transparent with another believer.

Until you do, Satan has you right where he wants you.

Satan rules in the darkness, and God’s healing power works best when we bring our secret sins into the light.

There are several roadblocks to accountability:

Rebelliousness—I don’t want to be accountable to anyone!

Fear of betrayal—I don’t trust people to keep my secrets.

Pride—I don’t want someone else to know the truth about me.

These are understandable, but the fact remains that the Bible teaches accountability.

Bringing your junk into the light requires accountability, and great accountability requires trust.

I really believe that a lot of the aversion to accountability exists because we’ve all seen church people whose “private stuff” came out, and instead of being restored they experienced rejection, the sting of gossip, and were treated like lepers.

CHALLENGE: We must get to the place where accountability is an honored and safe practice in the church.

So, let’s look at the right way to restore a brother or sister in our accountability circle once they have fallen into some kind of sin.

How do you handle it?

What do you say?

What should your goal be?

(FLASH ON SCREEN) Gal 6:1-2 “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.”

Now here Paul presents a brother that has been “overtaken” in a trespass.

OVERTAKEN is a very interesting word. It means “surprised.”

“Taken off guard” comes to mind. Or “caught in a trap.”

It’s like an army soldier in some place like Afghanistan who is walking along and suddenly steps on a hidden landmine.

Or, like an animal walking through the snow that suddenly steps on a hidden trap that snaps shut on his foot.

They are surprised, shocked, snared, caught.

They didn’t see it coming and are taken off guard.

This is the idea Paul is presenting.

He’s not talking about someone lost. He is talking about a believer who becomes caught in a trap he didn’t anticipate.

It might be a moral trap—he’s fallen into an illicit relationship.

Or he might be caught in the trap of anger and bitterness.

Or, he might be trapped in an addiction of some kind—pornography, drugs, alcohol.

The idea is that he’s trapped.

He doesn’t want to be where he is.

He knows it’s wrong, but he can’t seem to get out.

You say, “Well, Pastor Jeff. It’s his fault! I mean, he’s a Christian! He shouldn’t be in such a situation!

Well, hold it a minute.

The Bible assures us that we ALL SIN. We’re saved, but we ALL STILL STUMBLE.

James 3:2 “For we ALL often stumble and fall and offend in many things.”

All of us! None is exempt!

John says the same thing: “If we claim, “We don’t have any sin,” we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”—1 John 1:8

So, part of the wisdom of accountability is to realize that we all stumble in many ways and that is why we need others to help us in our walk.

So, in our circle of accountability, what should we do with the one that is trapped?

Paul says first,

“…you who are spiritual restore such a one…”

What does he mean by “spiritual?”

Some special “anointed one” or “saint” or “ivory tower Christian” or some spiritual “Yoda” who is above and beyond the rest of us?

No!

The answer is easy—a SPIRITUAL PERSON is someone who is filled with the spirit and manifesting the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace…

It is a person who is Christ-like that is to do the restoring.

RESTORE comes from a word meaning “to mend.”

And it is in a tense that suggests the necessity for patience and perseverance in the restoration process.

So…It is those who are filled and fruitful that will be used of God to mend what has been torn, and it will take some time and patience.

And secondly…

They are to restore “in a spirit of gentleness…”

Long before Jesus was born, Isaiah the Prophet predicted that His way with fallen sinners would be gentle and restorative.

Is 42:3 “He will not crush the weakest reed or quench a flickering candle.”

He will not crush. He will not quench.

ILLUS: This week I heard David Jeremiah tell the story of a minister describing his fall into immorality.

He said it was like being caught in a surf that carried him irresistibly out to sea.

Try as he might, he couldn’t seem to reverse course and swim back to shore.

He was drowning, going down for the last time when a friend in Christ learned of his situation.

Instead of condemning and rejecting him, the friend gently took him by the hand and fought by his side until the battle was won.

Years later the two men were talking and the man asked his restored friend to describe his experience.

He said, “You were like a lifeguard willing to “risk the surf” to save me.

THE QUESTION IS, “Are we willing to ‘risk the surf’ to save a drowning brother or sister?

Or will we use the tired old excuse, “I just don’t want to get involved?”

Or, “It’s their fault?”

Now, there’s one last important thing Paul points out:

The ones doing the restoring must watch out for themselves…

“…considering yourself lest you also be tempted.”

FACT: We are never more vulnerable than when we are helping in someone else’s restoration.

If we are harsh, condescending, and judgmental, we might find ourselves falling into the very thing that took our friend down.

This is what it means to “risk the surf.”

The Bible warns:

1 Cor. 10:12 “If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.”

CLOSE:

Are you accountable today?

Does anyone know your struggles?

Are you alone and drowning in something where you need someone to “risk the surf” for you?