Accountability

Pearl of Great Price

Jesus’ Discourse on the Church

Matthew 18:1 “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?””

A: 3fold vv. 3,4,5

Humble yourself as a child, and watch out for stumbling blocks

Do not be, and look out for the brethren (under pretty stiff penalty)

Guard your innocence at all costs, For:

Matthew 18:8–9 ““If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire. “If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell.”

Emphasis shifts from the ‘little one’ to every single little one

Read Text

Consider your worth

“no man is good!” -Pastor Dave

Matthew 13:45–46 ““Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

Parable: about the value of the Kingdom? or the value of the sinner?

Who is the Seeker? Who sold all that He had?

Who sought who? and at what Price?

1 Corinthians 6:20 “For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

Jesus - you have a blessed assurance

your faith is not your own

He sought you, and will pursue you

Every single one… so that you may be reconciled to the fold - the 99 - under the guidance of the Great Shepherd

This is not supposed to be an individual endeavor, but a team sport

1 Pet 1:14-23

If our faith / salvation

engrafts us into the covenant community

Turns our hearts toward Him / and His righteousness, faithfulness

drives us to start to become more like Him, or endeavor to do so

We should love to be with the people of God

We should love to commune with His Image Bearers

We should love to be in His house, serve His people

Hebrews 10:23–25 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

Forsaking the Assembly

We mustn’t forsake the assembly

Assembly is not merely a Sunday Gathering

though that is a part of it

We mustn’t cower away from our responsibilities as God’s:

Image, Representative

To seek God’s face, righteousness, faithfulness...

We must fervently seek His bride - as He is molding her to perfection

We must too be focused on this

and our holiness is a communal endeavor

So… Are you your brother’s keeper?

Sin must be dealt with:

Leviticus 19:17 “‘You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him.”

Accountability

Matthew 18:15 ““If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.”

highlights the intention of accountability and discipline

What is your experience with Church discipline and acct?

Concerns that lead to Gossip, “prayer”, genuine / active concern?

Have you ever had to confront sin, or recieved rebuke?

was it done properly?

Perhaps it wasn’t done at all?

- ‘where is the leadership’

Necessity of going first privately - shows the priority of accountability

concern for the soul, and reconciliation (Church and God)

Goal: to restore without gossip, condemnation

Relationship with sin needs to be right

If He listens, you have won him over

Presupposition: He is actually sinning

Important to be sober and vigilant with a pure heart

1 Peter 5:8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

Matthew 18:16 ““But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed.”

This is for authority

That there is agreeance on the transgression

Now two say, authority of two

Deuteronomy 19:15 ““A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed.”

Matthew 18:17 ““If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”

If the transgression continues, It may have repercussions and reverberations through the whole Church

Authority and Responsibility

Matthew 18:18–20

Bound and Loosed

Seeking earnestly in prayer to

do the will of the Father

to make perfect the Bride of Christ

Our Father will see to it

Verse taken out of context - 20 to mean the opposite of assembling

The Holy Spirit is guiding us and the Father is protecting us

1 Jn 4:7-21