4 February 2015
Opening Prayer/Worship
Hymn: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty
Theme: The Body of Christ
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Topic:
Accountability
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Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-20
The Lord your
God will raise up for you a prophet like
me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet. 16This is what you requested of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you
said: ‘If I hear the voice of the Lord my God any more, or ever again see this great fire, I
will die.’ 17Then the Lord replied
to me: ‘They are right in what they have said. 18I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among
their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command. 19Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall
speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable. 20But any prophet who speaks in the name
of other gods, or who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded
the prophet to speak—that prophet shall die.’
Introduction
Accountability means being held
responsible. As children of the Most
High God, we need to remember that we are accountable to Him for blessings,
gifts and talents that He gave us.
Accountability is the willingness to use our resources -time, intellect,
connections, finances and so on- to serve God, family, friends and
strangers. There is a saying that action
speaks louder than voice, and the same goes for accountability. To be accountable is to be authentic in
meeting expectations for the responsibilities in our lives. However, there are times when life becomes
overwhelming, and we feel we do not have what it takes to meet the needs around
us. At such times, we should remember
that God does not demand from us what He has not already provided. God used five loaves and two fish to feed
over five thousand people; the little boy’s role was to hand the food over to
Christ! Although what you possess may
appear insufficient for the responsibilities in your life, we serve a God of
unlimited resources. Our faith through
accountability for God’s blessings unlocks His power to help in our time of
need.
Questions/Discussion
1. Describe accountability.
Ezekiel 34:1-24
The word of the Lord came to me: 2Mortal, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel:
prophesy, and say to them—to the shepherds: Thus says the Lord God: Ah, you shepherds of Israel who have been
feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep?3You eat the
fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fatlings; but you
do not feed the sheep. 4You have not
strengthened the weak, you have not healed the sick, you have not bound up the
injured, you have not brought back the strayed, you have not sought the lost,
but with force and harshness you have ruled them. 5So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd;
and scattered, they became food for all the wild animals. 6My sheep were scattered, they wandered over all the
mountains and on every high hill; my sheep were scattered over all the face of
the earth, with no one to search or seek for them. 7 Therefore,
you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8As I live, says the Lord God, because my sheep have become a prey, and
my sheep have become food for all the wild animals, since there was no
shepherd; and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the
shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep;9therefore, you
shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 10Thus says the Lord God, I am
against the shepherds; and I will demand my sheep at their hand, and put a stop
to their feeding the sheep; no longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I
will rescue my sheep from their mouths, so that they may not be food for them. 11 For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and
will seek them out. 12As shepherds
seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek
out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been
scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them
from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed
them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited
parts of the land. 14I will feed
them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their
pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on
rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15I myself will
be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. 16I will seek
the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured,
and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I
will feed them with justice. 17 As for you, my
flock, thus says the Lord God: I
shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats: 18Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, but
you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture? When you drink of
clear water, must you foul the rest with your feet? 19And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your
feet, and drink what you have fouled with your feet? 20 Therefore,
thus says the Lord God to them: I myself will judge between
the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21Because you
pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at all the weak animals with your
horns until you scattered them far and wide, 22I will save my
flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and
sheep. 23 I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant
David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24And I, the Lord, will
be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.
John 6:1-15
After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of
Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. 2A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the
signs that he was doing for the sick. 3Jesus went up
the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. 4Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. 5When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming towards
him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?’ 6He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was
going to do. 7Philip answered
him, ‘Six months’ wages would not
buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.’ 8One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said
to him,9‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two
fish. But what are they among so many people?’ 10Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ Now there was a
great deal of grass in the place; so they sat
down, about five thousand in all. 11Then Jesus
took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who
were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, ‘Gather
up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.’ 13So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the
five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. 14When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began
to say, ‘This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.’ 15 When Jesus realized that they were about to come
and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by
himself.
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that
‘all of us possess knowledge.’ Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.2Anyone who
claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; 3but anyone who loves God is known by him. 4 Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols,
we know that ‘no idol in the world really exists’, and that ‘there is no God
but one.’ 5Indeed, even
though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as in fact there are
many gods and many lords— 6yet for us
there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist,
and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we
exist. 7 It is not everyone, however, who has this
knowledge. Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still
think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience,
being weak, is defiled. 8‘Food will not
bring us close to God.’ We are no
worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow
become a stumbling-block to the weak. 10For if others
see you, who possess knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they
not, since their conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food
sacrificed to idols? 11So by your
knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed.12But when you
thus sin against members of your family, and
wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may
not cause one of them to fall.
2. What are the lessons for us in Mark 1:21-28 regarding
accountability?
Mark 1:21-28
They went to Capernaum; and when the
sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 22They
were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and
not as the scribes. 23Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean
spirit, 24and he cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of
Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of
God.’25But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be
silent, and come out of him!’26And the
unclean spirit, throwing him into convulsions and crying with a loud voice,
came out of him. 27They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another,
‘What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and
they obey him.’ 28At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding
region of Galilee.
3. What are the benefits of being accountable?
Psalm 111:1-10
Refrain: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom.
Hallelujah! I will give thanks to the Lord with my
whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, in the congregation. Great are the
deeds of the Lord! they are studied by all who delight in them. R His work is full of majesty and
splendour, and his righteousness endures for ever. He makes his marvellous
works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and full of compassion. R He
gives food to those who fear him; he is ever mindful of his covenant. He has
shown his people the power of his works in giving them the lands of the
nations. R The works of his hands are faithfulness and justice; all his
commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever, because they are done
in truth and equity. R He sent redemption to his people; he commanded
his covenant for ever; holy and awesome is his name. The fear of the Lord is
the beginning of wisdom; those who act accordingly have a good understanding;
his praise endures for ever. R
Ecclesiastes 11:1-6
Send out your bread upon the waters,
for after many days you will get it back.
2 Divide your means seven ways, or even eight,
for you do not know what disaster may happen on earth.
3 When clouds are full,
they empty rain on the earth;
whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.
4 Whoever observes the wind will not sow;
and whoever regards the clouds will not reap.
for after many days you will get it back.
2 Divide your means seven ways, or even eight,
for you do not know what disaster may happen on earth.
3 When clouds are full,
they empty rain on the earth;
whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.
4 Whoever observes the wind will not sow;
and whoever regards the clouds will not reap.
5 Just
as you do not know how the breath comes to the bones in the mother’s womb, so
you do not know the work of God, who makes everything.
6 In the morning sow your seed, and at evening do not let
your hands be idle; for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or
whether both alike will be good.
Hebrews 13:1-21
Let mutual love continue. 2Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by
doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. 3Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in
prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were
being tortured. 4Let marriage be
held in honour by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will
judge fornicators and adulterers. 5Keep your lives
free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has
said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’ 6So we can say with confidence,
‘The Lord is my helper;
I will not be afraid.
What can anyone do to me?’
‘The Lord is my helper;
I will not be afraid.
What can anyone do to me?’
7 Remember
your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of
their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8Jesus Christ is
the same yesterday and today and for ever. 9Do not be
carried away by all kinds of strange teachings; for it is well for the heart to
be strengthened by grace, not by regulations about food, which have not benefited those who
observe them. 10We have an
altar from which those who officiate in the tent have no right to eat. 11For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought
into the sanctuary by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside
the camp. 12Therefore
Jesus also suffered outside the city gate in order to sanctify the people by
his own blood. 13Let us then go
to him outside the camp and bear the abuse he endured. 14For here we have no lasting city, but we are looking for
the city that is to come. 15Through him,
then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit
of lips that confess his name. 16Do not neglect
to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are
keeping watch over your souls and will give an account. Let them do this with
joy and not with sighing—for that would be harmful to you. 18 Pray for us; we are sure that we have a clear
conscience, desiring to act honourably in all things. 19I urge you all the more to do this, so that I may be
restored to you very soon. 20 Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the
dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the
eternal covenant, 21make you
complete in everything good so that you may do his will, working among us that which is pleasing in his sight,
through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Intercession/Worship
Conclusion
Our faith through accountability for God’s
blessings unlocks His power to help in our time of need.
Closing Prayer (Collect for Fourth Sunday after Epiphany)
Living God, in
Christ you make all things new. Transform the poverty of our nature by the
riches of your grace, and in the renewal of our lives make known your glory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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