ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY

Ephesians 5:15 –”Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise,”

 Life is filled with choices.

 Every choice has a consequence to it.
 Browsing in a pet shop, a man sees a beautiful parrot with a red string tied to its left leg and a green
string tied to its right leg.
 He asks the store owner about the strings.
 "This is a highly trained creature," the owner explains.
 "If you pull the red string, he speaks French; if you pull the green string, he speaks Spanish."
 "What happens if I pull both at once?" the curious guy asks.
 "I fall off my perch, you fool!" screeches the parrot...
 This morning I will talk about ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY.
 Responsibility is a sense of duty and obligation to self and other.
 Responsibility means accountability, being trustworthy and diligent.
 It also means accepting duties of roles.

Rules for Living

1. If you open it, close it.
2. If you turn it on, turn it off.
3. If you unlock it, lock it up.
4. If you break it, admit it.
5. If you can't fix it, call in someone who can.
6. If you borrow it, return it.
7. If you value it, take care of it.
8. If you make a mess, clean it up.
9. If you move it, put it back.
10. If it belongs to someone else and you want to use it, get permission.
11. If you don't know how to operate it, leave it alone.
12. If it's none of your business, don't ask questions.
13. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
14. If it will brighten someone's day, say it.
15. If it will tarnish someone's reputation, keep it to yourself.

 Life is filled with choices and we have to take responsibility for the choices that we make.
 We are the greatest at putting the blame on somebody or something else for not making the right
choices.
- I have a lousy boss!
- It must be the mail!
- I tried to call you but you line was busy!
- It’s the system, they have poor services!
- He cut me off!
- I don’t have time, I can’t find time!
 Someone said, "Responsibility is the great developer."
 It builds your character.
 It's what helps you grow.
  Winston Churchill called it, "The price of greatness."
o If we want to do something great with our lives we have to become responsible people.
 We are talking about building our lives on VALUES THAT LAST, and responsibility is the foundation.
 We can't build any of the other values into our lives if we don't personally accept responsibility for our
choices, our character, and our values.
 As what I’ve said, It's obvious that for the past years there's been a decline in the acceptance of
personal responsibility in our society.
 Nobody wants to accept responsibility for anything anymore.
 In fact, we want to accuse and excuse.
 We want to accuse other people -- it's all their fault -- and we want to excuse ourselves -- it's not my
fault.
 I’ve never seen a successful Christian blaming others for his or her setbacks and mistakes.

 What causes that? (WHY DO PEOPLE

THREE FOES OF PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

I. The 'rights' mentality: I demand my rights

 We live in generation where people clamor and rally after the benefits and privileges without taking
responsibility of their actions!
 WE live in a generation where rights are often asked and required but responsibility is the least of the
priority.
 "I have my rights! and that's all I'm interested in."
 We have criminal rights, computer rights, animal rights, children's rights, victim's rights, abortion
rights, housing rights, privacy rights, homosexual rights, the right to not be tested for aids and the right
to not inform anybody if we have been infected.
 One lawmaker suggested that along with our Bill of Rights what we really need is a BILL OF
RESPONSIBILITIES.
 In fact, we already have one. It's called the Word of God.
II. The 'victim' mentality: It's not my fault (trace it down to the Garden of Eden)
 "None of my problems are my fault.
 In fact, they're all your fault."
 We blame. You spell blame, b-lame.
 Every time we blame somebody else for the unhappiness in our life, we are being LAME.
 Here are some examples:
1. Fired for consistently showing up late at work, a former school district employee sues his former
employers arguing that he is the victim of what his lawyer calls Chronic Lateness Syndrome.
2. In Massachusetts a young man steals a car from a parking lot and is killed while driving it.
 His family then sues the proprietor of the parking lot for failing to take steps to prevent such thefts.
("It's your fault that I stole the car.")
3. A man who, by his own admission, has exposed himself between 10,000 and 20,000 times and then,
convicted of flashing on more than 30 occasions, is turned down for a job as a park attendant in one
company, because of his arrest record.
 But he sues on the grounds that he never exposed himself in a park, only in libraries and Laundromats.
 The Wisconsin employment officials (the company who turned him down), ever accommodating to the
expansion of human rights, agree to make an initial determination of probable cause that the flasher
was the victim of "illegal job discrimination".
 III. The 'entitlement' mentality: I deserve it
 "I deserve it.
 The world owes me a living."
 Where does this kind of thinking originate?
 In US, there is this tagline in the federal govt that says: , "We'll take care of you from cradle to grave"
and some people will start to say, "I have the right not to work," so therefore you should pay me to not
work.

 (Ephesians 5:15 KJV) See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
 It shouldn't surprise us to discover that God's Word instructs us on how we are to live, and it doesn't
line up with any of the three ways that we have discussed.
 Instead, we are CALLED UPON TO LIVE RESPONSIBLY!
 Paul said, "…not as fools, but as wise."
 So there are basically two ways to live this life.
 As wise = which means responsibly or
 As fools = which means irresponsibly.
 Once again, we get to make the choice.
 As we have said before, our behavior is based UPON THE VALUES we choose for our lives.
 Let's consider some principles about living our lives in a responsible manner.

I. WHY LIVE RESPONSIBLY?

A. Because God is watching how we live our lives.
(Hebrews 4:13) Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to
whom we must give account.
1. This should be a realization of truth rather than just a reason to live responsibly.
2. God placed us here for a purpose…to glorify Him and to become like Him in our character.
3. We play games with God when we think that He is not aware of what we do, say, or think.
4. Nothing is hidden from Him, and one day we will give an accounting to Him.
(Romans 14:12) So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

 What will God be looking for when He evaluates the way we have lived our lives?
a. He won't be considering our great achievements, our bank account, or our education.
b. He's interested in our character, how we lived the life that He gave to us.
c. God has made an investment in us, and He expects a return on His investment.
 Are we responsible? Do we use our Time, Our Money, Our Influence, Our Mind, Our Relationships,
Our Opportunities and all of the things He gives us wisely or do we use them selfishly?

(cont…) I. WHY LIVE RESPONSIBLY?

B. Because others are affected by your life.
(1 Corinthians 10:24) No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.
1. None of us lives to ourselves alone, we are all interdependent.
2. We're not independent or dependent but interdependent on each other.
3. This verse tells us that we should be concerned about others and not just about ourselves.
a. Billy Joel sang, "I don't care what they say! This is my life."
b. Sammy Davis, Jr. sang, "I've got to be me!"
c. Frank Sinatra sang, "I did it my way!"
4. The basic idea behind these type of songs are I live my life the way I want to and what's it to you?
a. If it doesn't hurt you or you don't know about it, who cares?
b. It's my life and it doesn't matter what I do because it doesn't affect you.
c. The problem is that's wrong!
d. Every decision we make affects somebody else; we may not see the visible results but every time we're
irresponsible it has an impact on someone around us. (young people), (Filipinos thowing garbage, affecting the
entire country)
 A man can say, "I can get away with this. My wife will never know. I can do this and it won't hurt my
wife."
 Kids can say, "I can do this and it won't hurt my parents."
 An employee can say, "I can do this. It's a big company. It won't hurt anybody."

 WRONG!!!

(cont…) I. WHY LIVE RESPONSIBLY?

C. Because God will reward my life.
1. God desires to bless us tremendously.
a. Satan's lie was to convince Eve that God was withholding something good from her.
b. We know that isn't true! He was only seeking to protect her.
c. God truly wants to bless us.
(Psalms 84:11) For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them
that walk uprightly.

2. One of the ways God rewards us when we are responsible is He gives us greater responsibility.
(Luke 12:48b) "…For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of
him they will ask the more."
 Why should God give us more when we're not responsible with what we've got right now?

3. But if we will be responsible He will bless us in ways we can't imagine.

(Malachi 3:10) Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith,
saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room
enough to receive it.

II. HOW CAN WE BECOME MORE RESPONSIBLE?

A. By practicing good stewardship
1. Somebody asked John D. Rockefeller who at one time was the world's wealthiest man, "How did you amass
such a fortune?" He said, "It's real simple. I give the first ten percent as a tithe back to God. I save ten percent.
And I live on the other 80%."

2. Like it or not, God uses money to test us and to see if we will be responsible.
3. When we stand before God, He is going to say, "Were you responsible with what I gave you here on earth?"

B. By controlling my reactions
1. We cannot control events, circumstances, and tragedies that happen to us.
2. But we can control our response and reaction to those circumstances.
3. How do we react? Many immediately begin to whine and complain.
4. We need to think before we speak; that's being responsible.

5. Another way we show responsibility is by not trying to get even with people who hurt us
6. "I don't get mad, I get even!" that is not the responsible way to react.
7. But when we say, "God, I'm going to let You take care of it. I know You're going to settle the score and I
trust You to do that." that puts us in the right and responsible place.

(Proverbs 24:29) Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work.
(Romans 12:17) Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
(Romans 12:19) Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will
repay,”[a] says the Lord.
(Romans 12:21) Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

8. The key to responsibility is learning to control our emotional reactions.

(cont…) II. HOW CAN WE BECOME MORE RESPONSIBLE?

C. By guarding our minds
1. What separates us from the animals is that God has given us a mind.
2. We are challenged to protect or guard our minds.
(Proverbs 23:7a) "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he… "
3. Our minds control everything else.
4. Our thoughts, affect our feelings, and our feelings affect our actions.
5. Some people pride themselves on being open-minded, but their minds need to be closed for repairs!

(Romans 12:1-2) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

6. Paul tells us the to be transformed is through the renewing of our minds.

a. The word 'renewing' means renovation.
b. We need an 'extreme makeover' when it comes to our minds.
(Proverbs 15:14) The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.

7. Some folks say, "I never have any desire to read the Bible."
8. Why is that? Because they've filled their mind with trash rather than truth.
9. We need to guard our minds concerning what we put into them; that is one way of becoming more
responsible.

(cont…) II. HOW CAN WE BECOME MORE RESPONSIBLE?

D. By admitting our mistakes
1. When we make mistakes, we need to admit to it, and deal with it biblically.
2. God's answer to sin is to confess, repent, and be forgiven.
3. Once forgiven, we need to move on for God.
4. Too often rather than admitting, we want to blame someone else.
5. Who do we think we are kidding? We are all sinners!
(Romans 3:23-24) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus:
6. When we fail to accept responsibility and admit to our mistakes, we will not prosper.
(Proverbs 28:13) He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
7. Sometimes we feel so guilty and ashamed over stupid decisions or irresponsible behavior that our guilt and
shame actually extends the problem.
a. We keep doing what's causing the problem.
b. Example : a person who plans to diet.
1) We plan then we blow it and then we think what's the use in even trying? It will only make the situation
worse!
2) Then you will go off for days, sometimes weeks.
3) Then It becomes a cycle of failure.

 When we claim responsibility for our actions, we actually take control over our lives.
 We can now make positive changes about who we are and who we will be.
 I discovered that it is only when we’re taking responsibility for our actions, ceasing to blame others, that we
have the means, focus and ability to make personal changes.
 I learned that it’s OK to make mistakes.
 WE learn from them.
 WE don’t try to hide them or hide from them anymore.
 WE don’t try to justify them.
 WE made them.
 WE accept them.
 WE can go forward not wanting to make the same mistakes again.
 This is especially important in the spiritual area of life.

c. The same THING HAPPENS WITH SIN.

1) I am bad.
2) Since I'm bad, I'm going to blow it again.
3) I feel ashamed, but I cannot break the cycle

4) The guilt and the shame actually keeps us locked in a lifestyle of irresponsibility making one dumb decision
after another.
 What we need is a power beyond ourselves.
 What we need is to admit our sin and deal with it the Bible way.

(1 John 1:9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

CONCLUSION
A. The Christian life is a life of responsibility.
 But responsibility is not something to be afraid of.
 Instead, it is a way to show our lives for God and others, it is the stairway to personal growth, and it opens the
doors for tremendous blessing.

2. As a Christian, have you been faithfully exercising the responsibilities that are yours?
a) Understand, you cannot pass them on to others.
b) You cannot excuse yourself from them.
c) You will give an accounting to the Lord for how faithfully you fulfill them.

 Do you need to confess before God that you have been failing in this matter?
A. Would you today accept the responsibilities that are yours and commit yourself to carry them out to the best of your
abilities with the help of God?
B. Has God been speaking to you about your irresponsible life of sin and your need to repent and trust your life to Christ
in faith?
The word of God reminds us to live our lives circumspectly not as fools but as wise!
1. If so, we invite you this morning to commit yourself to God and a life of responsibility that honors God.

When we claim responsibility for our actions, we actually take control over our lives. We can now make positive changes about who
we are and who we will be. I discovered that it is only when we’re taking responsibility for our actions, ceasing to blame others, that
we have the means, focus and wherewithal to make personal changes. I learned that it’s OK to make mistakes. I learn from them. I
don’t try to hide them or hide from them anymore. I don’t try to justify them. I made them. I accept them. I can go forward not
wanting to make the same mistakes again. This is especially important in the spiritual area of life.