Our series for this month is : PUTTING OUR FAITH INTO PRACTICE
This series has also been divided into parts
TOPIC: TAKING YOUR RESPONSIBILITY SERIOUSLY
TEXT: Matthew 25:14-25
What is responsibility
——-it is to be accountable
——it means to be answerable
——a duty
——a legal obligation
—— you are accountable or answerable for something within your power, control, or management
——the man gave to his servants according to their abilities. V15
——he knew the ability of each servant
——that’s why he gave 5, 2 and 1
God has given each one of us responsibilities according to our abilities
The day of reckoning will come one day, just as it came for those servants
The master who went on a long journey came back one day and the servants had to give accounts
There are 3 main responsibilities we have as Christians
My responsibility to God
My responsibility to my family
My responsibility to the church
My responsibility to God——
——our responsibility to God is our most important responsibility
——without God, you and I will not be here
——without him we are nothing
——the servants in our text had a master, they were answerable to their master
——just as you and I are answerable to God
——so our most important responsibility is to God
——our relationship with God must be our no 1 priority
As we bear this in mind, there are three basic areas where we need to live out our responsibility to Him.
- To worship him——we have a responsibility to worship God and worship him alone
Revelation 22:8-9
Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things.
Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
We must worship God only, worship no other thing or no other one except God
What does it mean to worship:
This means to acknowledge him, to reverence him, to love him for who he is, the creator of the universe, the sustainer of all things, our maker, our saviour, the one who is perfect in every way.
We have a responsibility to worship him, and worship him alone
——-worship him in church,
——-worship him at home,
——-worship him at work,
——-worship him while you are driving,
——-worship God at all times,
We need to realise that whether we worship God or we don’t, we are still worshiping something or someone
Some worship money
Some worship work
Some worship art
Some worship sports, eg football
Some even worship food
some worship their career
some worship their achievements,
When Jesus was tempted by the devil, Jesus said in
Luke 4:8
Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Our first and most important responsibility to God is to worship him
Our next responsibility is to Obey him.
——children’s responsibility is to obey parents so also as children of God, it is our responsibility to Obey God.
James 1:22-25
But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
God blesses obedience
From the main text, the master gave the servants a task it was the servants’ responsibility to carry out the task we can see that those who obeyed were blessed and the one that didn’t obey suffered for it
In V:21——to the first obedient servant, the master said ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
To the second obedient servant in V23: the master said the same thing——‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
And to the one that was disobedient,
V30: And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
We can never be worse off if we obey him
Isaiah 1:19
If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;
Luke 11:28——blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”
Blessings actually come from hearing and obeying God
To accept our status as his child——once you have given your life to Christ, then you are a child of God.
John 1:12-13
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
A lot of people have surrendered their lives to Christ but they don’t really know what it means to be a child of God.
It is our responsibility to accept our status as children of God.
If we don’t accept that we are now children of God, then the devil will make us live in fear
But when we know our rights as children of God, then we can stand our ground even in the face of challenges
We don’t have to live in fear anymore
We don’t have to live like defeated foes anymore
We are children of God and we must live our lives like children of God
1 John 3:1
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!
It is the responsibility of the devil to make us feel insecure
To make us feel we can never amount to anything
John 1:46—-Nathanael said, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
John 10:10
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.——that is the responsibility of the devil
But it is our responsibility to declare and live like children of the most high and confess that joy is our right
Romans 8:14-17
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
In a house where there are servants, the servants have no rights but the children have every right, so it is our responsibility to accept our status as children
Do you know who you are, you are a child of God, start believing it and accept it
B. My responsibility to my family——it does not matter what kind of family you have, or what your position is in that family, we all have a great responsibility to our families in the sight of God
To provide a christian home—-especially if you are the head of the family. We must declare like Joshua in Joshua 24:15——And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Our children need to know that your home is a Christian home where we have Christian values.
They need to see us in the forefront of spiritual matters
Our children must learn Christian values from us
We must be their greatest role models
I pray as parents we will not fail in our responsibilities in Jesus name
To live by Gods standard
God has a standard for families and it is our responsibility to live according to his standard
Gods design for the family is found in
Colossians 3:18-21
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.
Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord.
Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.
Every member of the family has a responsibility
…..To the wife, he says submit to your husband
…..To the husband, he says love your wife
…..To the children, he says obey your parents
——submission does not mean a woman is inferior to her husband
——Galatians 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
——the purpose for submission in the home is so that there will be order in the home, everybody cannot be the head of the family
Submission cannot be forced
Bible says husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church
When you love your wife, she will willingly submit
Children are not left out, they have their responsibility
Colossians 3:20
Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord.
The roles we play in the family is a reflection of our relationship with God.
C. My responsibility to church——once God has led us to the right church you have a responsibility in that church.
Romans 12:4-8
For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Our first responsibility to church is
To find my area of service——once you know what your gift is, then you will know your area of service
Our text says the master gave them talents according to their abilities
They didn’t all get the same but everybody got something, we all have abilities,
It is your responsibility to find your area of service in the church.
What is your gift?
What is the talent the master has given you
If your gift is teaching, then your area of service should be teaching
If your gift is generosity
Then you should be giving to people in need, to the church
Whatever your gift is, that should be your area of service, begin to use it
Why do you think God gave you that gift, it is for you to serve him and to serve people
2.. To depend on others or to work alongside others
Romans 12:4-5—-For, as we have a number of parts in one body, but all the parts have not the same use, So we, though we are a number of persons, are one body in Christ, and are dependent on one another
—-Paul said we are dependent on one another.
When you take your responsibility seriously, and I do the same, we find that we become dependent on each other to fulfill the mission of the church.
What happens when you don’t do your part and I don’t do mine, then the puzzle is incomplete.
No one is asking you to do more than your part, but to simply fulfill your responsibility to do what God has gifted you to do.
If all 3 servants had worked together the masters business would have grown bigger.
So it is our responsibility to depend on each other, to work together for the expansion of the kingdom of God.
I pray we will all take our responsibilities seriously
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