Sermon # 38 - Invest Time In Your Marriage Series

We read in Matthew 18:23, “Therefore is the kingdom of the heavens likened unto a man who is king who would take account of his slaves.” (JUB)

The kingdom of God is as we considered earlier compared to a king who would hold accountable his slaves who worked for him. The king held the slaves accountable only because he had a relationship with them, and they worked for him.

This accountability we realize is applicable to many areas of our lives, and we are specifically trying to understand how this applies to marriage relationships as well. All that we have, our abilities, time, strength, our family, our income, all of it has been bestowed to us by God and hence, it is valid that He will hold us accountable for the way we use all of them. When God calls us to give an account, we should be those who are ready to give a proper account of all that He has blessed us with.

If you ever wondered about the kind of relationship we have with God, it is a blood relationship that was established by the Lord Jesus when He shed His precious blood for us on the cross of Calvary for our sins. The precious blood of Jesus redeemed us, and therefore it is inevitable that when we come into such a relationship with God, that He will for certain hold us accountable for all that He has entrusted to us.

We highlighted three words from the above mentioned verse. 1. King, 2. Slaves and 3. Took account. For any relationship to accomplish its purpose, accountability is a basic and vital part of that relationship.

Accountability in work place

Here are a few examples. In a factory there is a special room allotted to keep the stores, where most of the spares needed for the functioning of that factory are stored. Periodically, the supervisors will shut down the store for a day, to take stock of the things that are in the store to make sure that the stock that is recorded in the books, and the actuals that remain in the store tally. These frequent stock taking helps the store manager to be accurate, have a stock of all the necessary spares needed, so that when there is an inspection from the higher ups, there will be no issues in his accounting, and he remains well stocked for the smooth functioning of the factory.

Accountability in school

In a school there are teachers and students. The purpose of this relationship is that teachers teach the students their assigned subjects, and children learn what is being taught them. The routine tests and examinations, which most students dread are those accountability tests to ensure that the students have comprehended what was taught by their teachers. The teachers correct these answer sheets handed over to them which is part of their accountability to the children.

There are some parents who don’t send their children to school regularly, and have them stay home for every small ailment. If we want our children to grow up to be disciplined, it is crucial that they attend school regularly. Most schools also impose certain rules for their students like the minimum number of days a child should have attended school, punctuality and that leave should be taken only with prior permission. These rules are set only because the school authorities have a relationship with the child who is admitted to their school, and are accountable for their overall development. It is good to remind ourselves that accountability is always two sided.

Accountability at church

As much as we are conscientious about worldly things, we should be circumspect in matters pertaining to God, and the church as well. Sometimes, members will plan to be out of station for various reasons, but don’t find the necessity to inform the pastor or leaders in the church and apprise only when asked. It is good to remind ourselves that even in church there is a relationship between the pastor and the congregation. The pastor teaches the word, while the congregation gather to listen and learn from the word. It is only when there is mutual effort, and both are accountable to each other, that this relationship will grow.

We read in Numbers 27:16-17, set a man over the congregation....that the congregation of the LORD be not as sheep which have no shepherd. (Webster)

This is the prayer of Moses that the Lord should set a man over the congregation of Israel, so that they have a shepherd to guide them. A relationship is established between the shepherd and the sheep this way; the shepherd provides fodder for the sheep, while the sheep faithfully follow after the shepherd. So also, the pastor is the shepherd of God’s flock, whose duty is to feed them the word of God, while the sheep are to trust the shepherd and receive the word that is taught with a receptive heart.