Daily Bible Study – Immanuel experience…

LEARN and PRACTICE the WORD of GOD

Prepare for Christmas – December 11

Accountability

Everyone is accountable

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

Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.

The general teaching of Scripture on this subject is summarised in Romans 14:12 “So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God.”

How to prepare ourselves for the accounting submitting day?

1.  Accountable on every careless word

Matthew 12:36-37 I tell you, on the day of judgement, people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

2.  Forgive each other and prepare for the accounting submitting day

Matthew 18:15-17 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 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.

3.  God’s eyes reaches everywhere and nothing can hide from Him, everything is visible for Him

Hebrews 4:13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Jeremiah 17:10 “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

4.  Obey and submit

Hebrews 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you

5.  Be an example to other in conduct, love, faith and holiness

1 Timothy 4:11-12 Command and teach these things. Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

6.  As the day judgement is coming near, encourage each other 

10.  Work to save people to save 

Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

11.  Refuse evil and choose the good

Isaiah 7:15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.

12.  Do not neglect to meet one another

Hebrews 10:25 Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

13.  All have sinned and lost the glory of God

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

14.  Come close to God

Matthew 19:14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

15.  Obey and meditate the Word 

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

16.  Come out of all type wickedness

Ezekiel 3:18-19 If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.

Proverbs 24:24-25 Whoever says to the wicked, “You are in the right,” will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations, but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, and a good blessing will come upon them.

17.  Obey the command of God

Proverbs 3:1-35 My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. …

18.  Be kind to one another

Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

19.  Respect each other 

1 Peter 4:4-5 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

25.  Don’t fall into sexual immorality 

1 Corinthians 5:1-13 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. …

26.  Support God’s servants

Matthew 23:34 Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town,
Matthew 18:3 And said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

27.  Discern the spirit

1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Hebrews 3:13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

Romans 8:7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.

28.  Do not love the world, instead love God and your neighbour

1 John 3:17-21 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God

We know that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Consistent accountability has been a means of God’s protection in our life. To this day, though I’m further along in my walk than I was a decade ago, I do not believe I’m incapable of grievous sin (1 Corinthians 10:12). I am a new creation, and I have the Spirit’s power, but it’s no longer a surprise that when I want to do good, evil is close at hand (Romans 7:21). Understanding that we are all batting on the same team (all have sinned) means we can freely share with these close, trusted friends. Accountability allows us to confess patterns of temptation and in so doing we are restrained from actual transgression.

Few Characteristics of Life-Giving Accountability

The point behind accountability isn’t just to share about sin and hear the hard words of rebuke. Though the wounds of a friend are a sign of their faithfulness, accountability should also be a time to build each other up and encourage each other toward God’s goodness and grace found in the cross of Christ. My friends and I reminded each other who we were in Christ: accepted completely, daughters of the Most High, and forgiven. We reminded each other that we knew Jesus, he was ours and we were his, and we could draw near to him and his throne of grace. In my experience, there were five characteristics that make accountability particularly life-giving:

1. We expressed a genuine love for one another because God had transformed our friendship into brotherhood / sisterhood. We were devoted to one another (John 15:17; Romans 12:10).
2. Each week we had a choice to extend grace or judgment. We could display the love and grace that God had already extended through the judgment of Jesus on the cross (Romans 14:13).
3. Each of us had an opportunity to be honest, which we may not have accomplished had we not established the habit (Ephesians 4:25).
4. There were times we would need to extend forgiveness. Honest friendship sometimes leads to hurting one another. Also as one person might go through a season of struggling with the same temptation we’d learn to bear with our friend (Romans 12:16; Colossians 3:13).
5. We bore each other’s burdens in prayer (Galatians 6:2).

Prayer:  Abba Father, we thank You for Your promises, which contains all that we need to live in this earth. Lord, help us to prepare well to submit our accounts to You. We know that we are accountable for every of our word and deeds. My God and Lord, I realise that in Your grace You have excluded no one from Your gift of Salvation but hold us accountable to believe in Your precious Son – but now I understand that You also hold me accountable to grow in grace and in a knowledge of the Lord Jesus – by faith in Christ and not by trusting in my own abilities. Lord I want to grow in my Christian life and to live my life as unto the Lord. Teach me Your ways and guide me with Your Holy Spirit. Fill me with Your Spirit and a desire to apply all the truths in my life that I am learning – for I desire to do Your will in my life. I pray in Jesus mighty name, Amen