The Profit of God
Accountable: To be completely responsible for what one does and able to
give a satisfactory reason for it
One major reason for the push to disprove the existence of God is to be
free from accountability to anyone
The appeal of adulthood is to be free from the accountability to parents
I. Accountability in the Scriptures
A. Belshazzar
Daniel 5:24-27 24 Then the fingers of the hand were sent from Him, and
this writing was written. 25 “And this is the inscription that was written:
MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. 26 This is the interpretation
of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished
it; 27 TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found
wanting
B. God’s Word
1. Spoken word
Isaiah 55:10-11 10 “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from
heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it
bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to
the eater, 11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It
shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
2. Jesus, the Incarnate Word
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God.
John 6:38-39(a) For I have come down from heaven, not to do My
own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of the
Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose
nothing
John 16:28 I came forth from the Father and have come into the
world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.
John 17:12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your
name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them
is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be
fulfilled.
C. All creation
Hebrews 4:13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all
things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must
give account.
D. Man
Matthew 12:36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may
speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.
II. The Expectation of the Steward
A. Production
Matthew 25:14-30 14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling
to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods
to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to
another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately
he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went
and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he
who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had
received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s
money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled
accounts with them.
20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other
talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have
gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him,
‘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.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you
delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents
besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful
servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler
over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I
knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and
gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and
went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what
is yours.’
26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant,
you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have
not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with
the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own
with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has
ten talents.
29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have
abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be
taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable (achreios) servant into the
outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
B. Profit
Luke 17:7-10 7 And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending
sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at
once and sit down to eat’? 8 But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare
something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have
eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank
that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I
think not. 10 So likewise you, when you have done all those things which
you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable (achreios) servants.
We have done what was our duty to do.’ ”
My profitability can not be measured by the performance of others
Luke 18:9-14 9 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in
themselves that they were righteous, and despised
others: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a
Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and
prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like
other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax
collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I
possess.’ 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so
much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying,
‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went
down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone
who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles
himself will be exalted.”
III. In Light of These Things…
A. Know the Investment
1. The investment common to all
1 John 2:2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not
for ours only but also for the whole world.
2. The individual investment
Time
Talents
Abilities
Money
B. Give Account to Oneself (regularly)
1 Corinthians 9:27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection,
lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should
become disqualified.
“Winning is not a sometime thing, it’s an all the time thing. You don’t
win once in a while. You don’t do things right once in a while—you do
them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing…”
Vince Lombardi
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