1 00:00:01,560 --> 00:00:04,040 Hey everybody, this is Pastor John Ewart from Inglewood 2 00:00:04,040 --> 00:00:05,920 Baptist Church in Rocky Mountain, North Carolina. 3 00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:08,119 Thank you so much for tuning in to our podcast. 4 00:00:08,360 --> 00:00:11,320 You're going to hear from God today as we share from his word 5 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:15,080 about important issues facing your life that can guide you 6 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:20,680 according to the Bible. Well, good morning, Inglewood. 7 00:00:22,080 --> 00:00:24,840 Take your Bibles and turn to Acts chapter 4, if you will. 8 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:26,440 I'll catch up to you in just a moment. 9 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:28,680 It's good to see you here on Memorial Day weekend. 10 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:34,680 I know that several of our folks are out, but appreciate so much 11 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:36,360 you being here. Perhaps you're a guest here 12 00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:39,160 visiting on the holiday weekend as well. 13 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:43,440 Memorial Day actually originally was called Decoration Day. 14 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:47,960 In fact, I remember some of my older relatives still calling 15 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:50,840 it. That started after the Civil War 16 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:56,080 to remember those who died in the service of our country and 17 00:00:56,080 --> 00:01:01,160 continues to be that memory. Some families have also used it 18 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:04,800 as a time to go and remember relatives who've passed away, 19 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:06,800 put flowers on graves and things. 20 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:10,000 There are about 3 holidays throughout the year where we 21 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:14,000 acknowledge people who have served in our armed forces and 22 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:16,760 recognize our veterans. We have Armed Forces Day, which 23 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:19,080 passed not long ago. We have veteran's day, which is 24 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:21,760 in November. We'll celebrate and recognize 25 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:27,200 our veterans more than Today is a day to remember, to remember 26 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:30,120 those who died. You know, it's an interesting 27 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:32,280 thing to be able to gather in a place like this. 28 00:01:32,960 --> 00:01:34,920 I hope we never take it for granted. 29 00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:39,600 As many of you know, I've done a bit of travelling and a lot of 30 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:43,320 my travelling, a lot of my work in missions and with the 31 00:01:43,320 --> 00:01:45,040 seminary. We're in places where you 32 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:49,760 weren't free together like this. I've met in secret places with 33 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:55,800 secret people and, and, and had to maneuver myself around cities 34 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:58,760 to where I couldn't be followed and, and things like that to 35 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:02,280 meet with people. And so I have friends that I 36 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:05,960 know who have died, friends that I know who've been imprisoned, 37 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:08,919 people who've had their homes bulldozed, people who've had 38 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:12,360 their churches bulldozed, people who have served in, in labor 39 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:14,520 camps, building railroads in Siberia. 40 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:18,960 I've known people who have suffered because of their faith. 41 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:22,160 And so I pray, in fact, in November, during our missions 42 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:24,200 emphasis, I have a friend who will be here. 43 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:26,240 He'll come and share his testimony. 44 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:29,880 He's testified in front of the UN as well as spoken multiple 45 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:33,560 times at the Southern Baptist Convention, where one Sunday 46 00:02:33,560 --> 00:02:36,480 while he was preaching his sermon, the secret police kicked 47 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:39,160 the door down and took him to prison to kill him. 48 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:42,800 And so I'm thankful that this morning I don't have to worry 49 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:45,720 about secret police breaking down the door. 50 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:50,680 We have comfort, We have luxury. We have freedom. 51 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:53,640 But that freedom didn't come without a price. 52 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:58,840 And so we always want to thank, thank those who God used to help 53 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:03,240 secure that price for us and the opportunity for us to gather in 54 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:06,600 freedom this morning. And so I just wanted to stop and 55 00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:12,240 pray, Thank God for that freedom to worship and also the 56 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:14,560 opportunity it provides us to share. 57 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:17,120 And I pray we never take that for granted. 58 00:03:17,920 --> 00:03:21,520 Father, thank you so much for the way that you give us 59 00:03:21,520 --> 00:03:23,760 freedom. You give it to us spiritually. 60 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:27,760 But Father, I also thank you that in this country we have 61 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:31,960 physical, political and religious freedom. 62 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:36,280 Father, I know that that should not be taken for granted. 63 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:40,480 It's a luxury. It's a, it's an opportunity. 64 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:44,160 Father, in that freedom, I pray that we will take advantage of 65 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:47,400 the opportunity to share our faith, to testify in front of 66 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:49,720 others. I pray, Father, that we will 67 00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:54,240 recognize that we should never take the the opportunity to 68 00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:57,000 gather in a church building for granted, That Father, we should 69 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:02,560 fill this house every week with people who enjoy that freedom. 70 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:06,560 Father, I thank you for those who you used to pay a price, 71 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:10,480 those who served in our armed forces, those who have fought in 72 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:12,200 order for this freedom to be real. 73 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:15,760 And pray, Father, for their families during these weekends. 74 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:19,240 Some perhaps you're still mourning those they've lost in 75 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:22,200 recent conflict. So pray Father, that you'll 76 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:25,960 bless them and bless our time that we might gain freedom from 77 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:30,160 your word this morning as we talk about how you worked in 78 00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:32,840 your first church. Thank you in Christ's name, 79 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:36,720 Amen. Well, God is looking for a 80 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:41,280 people to respond to his spirits movement. 81 00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:44,680 I often use imagery of a ship. I do that in a book I row, but 82 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:48,920 also in just thought the fact that God's spirit is blowing. 83 00:04:48,920 --> 00:04:52,280 We need to catch that wind. The question is going to be 84 00:04:52,280 --> 00:04:55,200 whether or not it will be us, Inglewood, if, if we'll be the 85 00:04:55,200 --> 00:04:59,080 ones who catch the spirits movement because the Holy Spirit 86 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:03,440 is actually inviting us to come join the King's mission. 87 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:07,440 He, he's on mission, he has a purpose, he has a plan to bring 88 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:11,600 himself great glory and to use us in redeeming the nation's as 89 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:13,840 we make disciples and fulfil the Great Commission. 90 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:17,920 But we also have an adversary, We have an enemy who doesn't 91 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:20,520 want that to happen. He wants to stop us. 92 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:24,520 Last week in our study in the book of Acts, we saw where Satan 93 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:27,120 tried and failed to silence the church. 94 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:31,600 His first attacks come from the outside, from from persecution, 95 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:34,160 from the outside. But now he's going to move an 96 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:36,320 attack from within. And you're going to see that 97 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:37,920 pattern throughout the book of Acts. 98 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:40,640 He'll attack from the outside. That doesn't work. 99 00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:43,560 He'll he'll attack from the inside to see if that works as 100 00:05:43,640 --> 00:05:47,960 he and the Holy Spirit wage war over the existence of the First 101 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:49,640 Church and over the spread of the gospel. 102 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:53,720 And so as the Holy Spirit begins to move, the enemy notices that 103 00:05:53,720 --> 00:05:56,040 and he seeks to stop that movement. 104 00:05:56,040 --> 00:05:58,920 And I've seen him not only do that in the book of Acts, but I 105 00:05:58,920 --> 00:06:01,720 see him doing that in churches. I've worked with too many in too 106 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:05,160 many places to where Satan's done exactly the same thing. 107 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:08,120 Outside pressure, inside temptation, outside pressure, 108 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:11,880 inside temptation. And I'll watch him paralyze 109 00:06:11,880 --> 00:06:14,280 churches at times. So we need to be on guard 110 00:06:14,600 --> 00:06:17,400 because he can't stand it when the truth is shared. 111 00:06:17,720 --> 00:06:20,080 He can't stand it when the Word of God is preached. 112 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:22,440 He can't stand it when lives are changed. 113 00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:25,920 Just like the testimonies that we saw this morning both 114 00:06:25,920 --> 00:06:30,320 overseas and in the baptistry. He's the father of lies and he 115 00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:34,600 hates the truth. Reminds me of a guy who saw an 116 00:06:34,600 --> 00:06:39,760 ad one day talking dog for sale. So the guy goes and he finds 117 00:06:39,760 --> 00:06:43,320 this ordinary kind of a runny black mutt standing in front of 118 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:46,360 me. He says, you talk dog says, Yep. 119 00:06:47,040 --> 00:06:50,240 I discovered my gift of talking years ago and I wanted to serve 120 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:53,680 our government. So the CIA hired me and I and 121 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:56,600 jetted me around around the world, sitting in rooms with 122 00:06:56,600 --> 00:06:59,400 spies and world leaders. Nobody would ever think that a 123 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:01,920 dog was eavesdropping on them. And so I was one of the most 124 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:06,240 valuable spies the CIA ever had. But I got tired of jetting 125 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:08,560 around the world. And so I took a job out here at 126 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:11,760 the local airport and security and I uncovered all kinds of 127 00:07:11,760 --> 00:07:15,240 illegal things, won all kinds of awards, finally settled down, 128 00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:17,040 had a had a wife, had some puppies. 129 00:07:17,440 --> 00:07:21,080 And now I'm retired. Well, the guy's just amazed at 130 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:22,760 this dog. And he goes to the owner. 131 00:07:22,760 --> 00:07:24,360 He says, how much do you want for this dog? 132 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:26,520 And the owner says about 10 bucks. 133 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:29,120 He goes $10. This dog's amazing. 134 00:07:29,120 --> 00:07:31,360 How in the world could you sell him so cheap? 135 00:07:31,880 --> 00:07:34,160 And the owner simply told him, he says, well, he's a big liar. 136 00:07:34,160 --> 00:07:35,360 He hadn't done any of that stuff. 137 00:07:40,280 --> 00:07:42,000 Well, Satan's a big fat old liar. 138 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:44,520 And he hadn't, he hadn't done anything good either. 139 00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:48,680 And he's going to tempt people to spend the truth, tempt people 140 00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:54,040 to deceit, deceive for sinful purposes, sometimes even within 141 00:07:54,040 --> 00:07:55,560 the church, which is part of our story. 142 00:07:55,560 --> 00:07:58,840 It's a hard text today. Remember last week they were 143 00:07:58,840 --> 00:08:00,240 filled with the Holy Spirit. They're weaking. 144 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:01,880 They're speaking the word of God with boldness. 145 00:08:02,120 --> 00:08:06,320 They're speaking the truth. They knew to whom they belonged. 146 00:08:06,840 --> 00:08:10,920 They knew what truth to follow. They knew what truth to 147 00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:13,440 proclaim. But Satan's not going to settle 148 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:15,760 for that. So he's going to press in on 149 00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:20,640 them and they're going to need a strong reminder of that proof of 150 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:25,560 ownership. To whom do we truly belong? 151 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:28,400 Look at Acts chapter 4. We're going to begin in verse 32 152 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:31,000 a little further along. We'll go on chapter 5 in a 153 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:33,080 minute. Now the multitude of those who 154 00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:35,280 believed were of 1 heart and one soul. 155 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:38,480 Neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was 156 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:40,440 his own, but they had all things in common. 157 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:43,760 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the 158 00:08:43,760 --> 00:08:47,840 resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them 159 00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:50,040 all. Nor was there anyone among who 160 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:53,040 lacked, among them who lacked for all who were possessors of 161 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:56,480 lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of the 162 00:08:56,480 --> 00:09:00,480 things that were sold and laid them at the apostles feet, and 163 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:03,960 they distributed to each as anyone had need. 164 00:09:04,160 --> 00:09:07,680 I just want to share some real basic easy truths for us, but 165 00:09:07,680 --> 00:09:09,760 challenging ones. I think the first thing that we 166 00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:13,840 have to recognize is we must acknowledge God's divine 167 00:09:13,840 --> 00:09:16,320 ownership. We have to acknowledge this. 168 00:09:16,320 --> 00:09:19,880 These early Christians understood and they valued their 169 00:09:19,880 --> 00:09:23,560 identity in Christ. They, they, they valued what God 170 00:09:23,560 --> 00:09:26,720 expected of them. And, and we too, even in our 171 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:29,800 comfort, even in our luxury, sometimes we can get a little 172 00:09:29,800 --> 00:09:31,560 lethargic. Sometimes we get a little too 173 00:09:31,560 --> 00:09:34,640 comfortable, a little too safe. But we too must understand and 174 00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:39,320 value what God expects. Don't miss this. 175 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:42,960 They were one heart and one soul. 176 00:09:42,960 --> 00:09:45,480 I've told you before that that's a characteristic in the book of 177 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:48,640 Acts. There was a unity they supported 178 00:09:48,880 --> 00:09:52,200 and they loved one another. And the Bible says that with 179 00:09:52,200 --> 00:09:56,440 great power the the apostles gave witness to the resurrection 180 00:09:56,440 --> 00:09:59,840 of the Lord Jesus and great grace was upon them all. 181 00:09:59,840 --> 00:10:01,560 There was a greatness happening here. 182 00:10:01,600 --> 00:10:03,960 And part of that was because of their unity. 183 00:10:04,440 --> 00:10:08,120 They were sharing the truth with great power and grace, which led 184 00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:12,520 them to share with one another in powerful and gracious ways. 185 00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:15,400 Sharing was a blessing. It wasn't some burden. 186 00:10:15,400 --> 00:10:18,560 It was a blessing for them as they loved one another. 187 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:24,280 So in spirit filled unity, they were free to be unselfish. 188 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:27,880 It's easy to share with those you really love. 189 00:10:28,720 --> 00:10:32,040 And so all things were in common with them and they gave of 190 00:10:32,040 --> 00:10:34,520 themselves and they gave of their possessions. 191 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:37,040 They received even more from God as they gave. 192 00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:39,240 God bless them. God gave them the ability to 193 00:10:39,240 --> 00:10:43,880 have and they gave and and they brought gifts and they laid them 194 00:10:43,880 --> 00:10:45,960 at the apostles feet. This is just a sign of 195 00:10:45,960 --> 00:10:48,440 submission. It's a sign of trust. 196 00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:53,760 It's easy to submit and trust when you really love one 197 00:10:53,760 --> 00:10:56,200 another. And they even had a way of 198 00:10:56,200 --> 00:10:58,560 distributing to people who had needs, kind of like a budget, 199 00:10:58,680 --> 00:11:01,520 that ministry, a kind of a ministry plan in a way to 200 00:11:01,520 --> 00:11:03,960 discern who really needed something, who didn't. 201 00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:06,960 And so they were willing to give. 202 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:09,800 They were united, they were unselfish. 203 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:13,400 They were unafraid because they recognized the difference 204 00:11:13,560 --> 00:11:18,880 between ownership and stewardship, and they recognized 205 00:11:18,880 --> 00:11:22,520 that God was the true owner of everything of their lives, of 206 00:11:22,520 --> 00:11:26,000 all they had, all they were, all they had, all they would ever 207 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:27,920 become. They it all belonged to Him. 208 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:31,560 So in the power of the Holy Spirit, they moved with great 209 00:11:31,560 --> 00:11:36,800 power, testifying about the resurrected Lord boldly joining 210 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:40,480 the King's mission. Then Luke says, let me give you 211 00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:44,040 a specific positive example. We're going to see contrast back 212 00:11:44,040 --> 00:11:46,720 and forth in this story today. Let me show you a positive 213 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:50,960 example of a, of a specific individual who displays this 214 00:11:50,960 --> 00:11:53,880 understanding, this acknowledgement of divine 215 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:56,320 ownership in a spirit of great generosity. 216 00:11:56,320 --> 00:12:02,680 Look at verse 36 and Joseph or or probably Joseph, who was also 217 00:12:02,680 --> 00:12:06,720 named Barnabas by the apostles, which is translated son of 218 00:12:06,720 --> 00:12:11,120 encouragement, a Levite of the country of Cyprus having land 219 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:15,000 sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles 220 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:17,080 feet. So here's this encouraging giver 221 00:12:17,080 --> 00:12:21,560 Barnabas the the son of encouragement who gave from his 222 00:12:21,560 --> 00:12:24,680 heart gives obviously in the right spirit. 223 00:12:24,680 --> 00:12:28,360 This is a positive example of someone who's understanding the 224 00:12:28,360 --> 00:12:30,240 difference between ownership and stewardship. 225 00:12:30,720 --> 00:12:34,000 But, but remember, there's a battle going on here. 226 00:12:34,560 --> 00:12:37,720 The book of Acts represents battle as well as progress. 227 00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:41,800 So there's a battle raging over the church between Satan and the 228 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:44,000 Holy Spirit. That battle still continues 229 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:45,760 today. And today's church, I promise 230 00:12:45,760 --> 00:12:49,040 you, it continues in Inglewood. It, it might even be in your own 231 00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:53,000 heart and mind today. Satan's not going to simply sit 232 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:55,360 back. He's just not going to let the 233 00:12:55,360 --> 00:12:57,680 church to grow stronger and stronger and stronger and 234 00:12:57,680 --> 00:12:59,880 stronger without some kind of opposition. 235 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:02,520 He's not going to let it grow stronger in this recognition of 236 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:07,960 godly ownership and lordship. So he strikes from within and 237 00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:10,760 he's going to use two of their own, which is what really is 238 00:13:10,760 --> 00:13:15,560 painful. So look at verse 1 of chapter 5. 239 00:13:17,640 --> 00:13:20,000 But to that word. You're going to see that a lot 240 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:24,080 in this passage contrast compared to Barnabas. 241 00:13:24,800 --> 00:13:29,440 Now look at this person. But a certain man named Ananias 242 00:13:29,440 --> 00:13:34,960 with Sapphira or Sapphira, his wife sold a possession and he 243 00:13:34,960 --> 00:13:39,120 kept back part of the proceeds, His wife also being aware of it 244 00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:43,080 and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles feet. 245 00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:47,840 So, so not only was we acknowledge God's divine 246 00:13:47,840 --> 00:13:49,960 ownership, but we need to be very careful. 247 00:13:49,960 --> 00:13:54,040 Please do not be confused by self ownership. 248 00:13:55,120 --> 00:13:59,440 See, we see a contrast Ananias ironically, his name means God 249 00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:04,680 is gracious what I ready and his wife's name means beautiful. 250 00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:08,760 So this married couples also sold property and and and and we 251 00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:14,520 don't exactly know why they did what they did, but maybe they 252 00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:19,600 were jealous of Barnabas. Maybe they wanted attention, 253 00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:22,200 maybe they wanted people to pat them on the back and brag about 254 00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:24,280 them or look good in front of the people. 255 00:14:24,800 --> 00:14:28,600 But we know from the passage and what it teaches us that their 256 00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:33,240 motives were wrong. Something in their heart was not 257 00:14:33,240 --> 00:14:36,480 truly submissive. See, we must give of ourselves 258 00:14:36,680 --> 00:14:41,240 and our resources in a way that glorifies God and not ourselves. 259 00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:45,120 And, and, and the Greek language here is very clear where it says 260 00:14:45,120 --> 00:14:49,880 and he kept back part the Greek verb there means to embezzle. 261 00:14:50,520 --> 00:14:53,520 It's the word for embezzle. It means to set aside for 262 00:14:53,520 --> 00:14:56,280 yourself. There's selfishness here. 263 00:14:57,200 --> 00:15:00,800 And what's interesting is, is they send because they pledged 264 00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:04,520 something to God, then kept it for themselves. 265 00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:08,200 Now they weren't obligated to do anything. 266 00:15:08,720 --> 00:15:10,560 They didn't they didn't, they didn't have to sell their 267 00:15:10,560 --> 00:15:12,120 property. They didn't have to bring 268 00:15:12,120 --> 00:15:13,720 anything. They, they weren't being that 269 00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:18,960 nobody's forcing them to give, but they chose to do this and 270 00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:21,800 they sin because of the pledge that they make. 271 00:15:21,800 --> 00:15:24,280 Now be careful because when you're saved, when you're 272 00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:27,520 baptized, when you join at your, you're pledging yourself. 273 00:15:29,560 --> 00:15:32,440 Be careful that you don't hold something back for yourself. 274 00:15:32,880 --> 00:15:35,320 This same word, this how strong this is. 275 00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:39,440 This same word is used in the Greek translation of the Old 276 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:44,000 Testament called the Septuagint, in the story of Jericho, where 277 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:48,760 Aiken secretly keeps the spoils of Jericho for himself, even 278 00:15:48,760 --> 00:15:50,200 though he's forbidden to do that. 279 00:15:50,280 --> 00:15:53,280 They were set apart, they were sacred, they were supposed to be 280 00:15:53,280 --> 00:15:55,800 dedicated to God. But he keeps some of the gold. 281 00:15:55,800 --> 00:15:58,040 He keeps some of the stuff himself and hides it. 282 00:15:58,520 --> 00:16:01,880 And because of his sin, the entire army of Israel is 283 00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:03,360 defeated. In their next battle. 284 00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:08,480 The people are defeated. One person withholding can 285 00:16:08,480 --> 00:16:11,920 defeat an entire people. You got to understand how 286 00:16:11,920 --> 00:16:15,480 valuable your obedience is to the body. 287 00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:19,200 So we see this act. The Holy Spirit was not about to 288 00:16:19,200 --> 00:16:21,800 let that happen again. He wasn't about to let this 289 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:24,480 happen to his brand new people called the church. 290 00:16:25,800 --> 00:16:30,320 And so this couple embezzled what was sacred out of a selfish 291 00:16:30,320 --> 00:16:33,640 concept of who actually owned it in the first place. 292 00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:39,280 If you ever thought now to be careful about this word, and I'm 293 00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:42,320 going to harp on it and harp on it until you're going to be so 294 00:16:42,320 --> 00:16:46,720 ready for the sermon to be over with, don't be confused by this 295 00:16:46,720 --> 00:16:47,800 word. Stewardship. 296 00:16:48,400 --> 00:16:50,840 This word is not just about money. 297 00:16:51,800 --> 00:16:54,720 Be careful. But have you ever thought about 298 00:16:54,720 --> 00:17:00,280 your stewardship as sacred? That that, that why you give, 299 00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:05,599 why you give, why why you give is a holy act of worship. 300 00:17:05,800 --> 00:17:09,000 Not just what you give, but why you give. 301 00:17:09,760 --> 00:17:13,240 See that? That the motives behind your 302 00:17:13,240 --> 00:17:19,520 giving or not giving indicate a recognition or rejection of 303 00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:23,960 divine ownership. Now again, I'm not just talking 304 00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:25,560 about money. I'm talking about time. 305 00:17:25,599 --> 00:17:27,839 I'm talking about energy. I'm talking about skills. 306 00:17:27,920 --> 00:17:30,480 I'm talking about giftedness. I'm talking about service. 307 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:35,760 I'm talking about your life. What God has entrusted with you 308 00:17:35,760 --> 00:17:41,920 to use for his glory is holy, set aside, set apart for his 309 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:44,040 purposes. Now I want you to see the 310 00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:45,920 duplicate language. It's on purpose. 311 00:17:45,920 --> 00:17:49,120 It's for emphasis, the duplicate language of them putting it at 312 00:17:49,120 --> 00:17:52,160 the apostles feet as an act of submission. 313 00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:55,160 But this was false. This was deceitful. 314 00:17:55,240 --> 00:17:59,240 This was unholy submission. They're lying. 315 00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:03,000 See, it might have appeared to be some act of generosity to the 316 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:08,200 people, but God was watching. God is always watching and he 317 00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:12,240 knows why He knew. He knew why they were really 318 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:15,080 giving and he knows that about you too. 319 00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:18,720 So I, I'm not just preaching about money here. 320 00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:21,760 Now later I'm going to talk a little bit about money. 321 00:18:21,760 --> 00:18:28,240 So don't run, Lock the doors, but I'm not pay attention. 322 00:18:28,240 --> 00:18:29,760 We're talking about heart issues here. 323 00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:31,760 This is important. Look at verse 3. 324 00:18:32,880 --> 00:18:38,200 But see there's that word again. Contrast. 325 00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:45,800 But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie 326 00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:49,480 to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land 327 00:18:49,480 --> 00:18:53,160 for yourself while it remained? Was it not your own? 328 00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:56,760 And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? 329 00:18:57,400 --> 00:18:59,960 Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? 330 00:19:00,720 --> 00:19:03,120 He's not lied to men, but to God. 331 00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:06,560 So the Holy Spirit's revealing truth to Peter. 332 00:19:07,520 --> 00:19:12,880 The Spirit had created unity and generosity, love in the church 333 00:19:13,040 --> 00:19:15,560 and now he's offended at this deceit. 334 00:19:16,240 --> 00:19:19,120 Have you ever thought about the way you give or don't give your 335 00:19:19,120 --> 00:19:22,920 life, your resources, your time and your talent can actually 336 00:19:22,920 --> 00:19:29,440 offend the Holy Spirit? Satan filled his heart just like 337 00:19:29,440 --> 00:19:33,760 the Bible says he did. Judas and both of them over 338 00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:37,240 stinking money. Sad. 339 00:19:38,280 --> 00:19:41,880 They were lying to God and lying to his people. 340 00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:46,000 They were pretending to do something that they had actually 341 00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:51,480 not done as an act of worship. See, our integrity matters. 342 00:19:52,680 --> 00:19:56,640 Our actions must match the the truth of His Word, but so must 343 00:19:56,640 --> 00:20:01,920 our motives. So our why and our who really do 344 00:20:01,920 --> 00:20:03,560 matter. That's why you'll hear me talk 345 00:20:03,560 --> 00:20:06,280 about them. So what is in your heart when 346 00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:08,720 you worship? What do you give? 347 00:20:08,800 --> 00:20:13,880 Why do you give, right? Why do you serve or not serve? 348 00:20:14,640 --> 00:20:20,840 See, we must be one, everybody on board, each doing their share 349 00:20:21,400 --> 00:20:24,320 in order for God to fulfill His mission through us. 350 00:20:24,920 --> 00:20:29,920 Now listen, I want you to see how much this matters to God. 351 00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:33,840 This is a dangerous, dramatic passage of scripture. 352 00:20:34,120 --> 00:20:40,920 Look at verse 5. Then Ananias, hearing these 353 00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:44,320 words, fell down and breathed his last. 354 00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:49,000 He died right there on the spot. So great fear came upon all 355 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:52,560 those who heard these things. And the young men arose and 356 00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:56,000 wrapped him up, carried him out and buried him. 357 00:20:57,400 --> 00:21:02,800 And that's the end of Ananias. But the thing we have to be 358 00:21:02,800 --> 00:21:07,680 aware of is #3 be aware of God's discipline of selfishness. 359 00:21:08,520 --> 00:21:11,400 He won't tolerate it in his church if his church is going to 360 00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:16,840 grow stunning, God kills him. The the Greek word psycho. 361 00:21:17,080 --> 00:21:19,280 Psycho means to literally breathe your last. 362 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:21,040 There's no question about what's going on here. 363 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:24,120 God chooses to remove the cancer from his body. 364 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:29,480 It was so important to maintain unity, so important to maintain 365 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:32,240 integrity. See, Satan brought external 366 00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:36,400 trials to the Jewish leaders and now he brings internal 367 00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:38,600 temptation from one of their own. 368 00:21:39,040 --> 00:21:42,920 But God would not be stopped. The church is mine. 369 00:21:42,920 --> 00:21:48,720 He says this is my body, this is my bride, this is my and I'll 370 00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:52,120 purge her if necessary. I've seen him do it. 371 00:21:53,200 --> 00:21:56,600 I've seen him do it even in the modern church. 372 00:21:57,600 --> 00:21:58,960 He blessed them. Think about this. 373 00:21:59,040 --> 00:22:01,160 He blessed him in the 1st place to where they could even own 374 00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:03,880 property. I mean, they had all these 375 00:22:03,880 --> 00:22:08,040 opportunities to use it as resources and blessings. 376 00:22:08,520 --> 00:22:11,440 They they could have used it for his glory, but instead they use 377 00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:15,240 it as a vehicle for selfish deceit and truth spinning. 378 00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:17,840 There's no place in the church for truth spinning. 379 00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:21,520 Not in your life, not from this pulpit, not anywhere. 380 00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:26,480 He's not going to bless that. Look at verse 7. 381 00:22:27,200 --> 00:22:32,680 It gets even more now. It was about 3 hours later when 382 00:22:32,680 --> 00:22:37,000 his wife came in not knowing what had happened and Peter 383 00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:38,880 answered her. Tell me whether you sold the 384 00:22:38,880 --> 00:22:41,400 land for so much? And she said yes for so much. 385 00:22:42,160 --> 00:22:45,080 Then Peter said to her, How is it that you have agreed together 386 00:22:45,080 --> 00:22:48,840 to test the spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have 387 00:22:48,840 --> 00:22:52,000 buried your husband are out the door and they will carry you 388 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:53,840 out. Nothing like subtle Peter. 389 00:22:56,240 --> 00:22:59,440 Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her 390 00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:00,600 last. Can you imagine? 391 00:23:00,800 --> 00:23:04,040 And the young men came in and found her dead, carrying her 392 00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:07,720 out, buried her by her husband. Now whenever I read this 393 00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:13,400 passage, I imagine these poor young men who had just carried 394 00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:17,200 out and buried the first body and finally returned 3 hours 395 00:23:17,200 --> 00:23:19,760 later. I can almost hear him saying 396 00:23:19,880 --> 00:23:22,720 before we go again, Peter anymore anymore. 397 00:23:28,200 --> 00:23:32,760 Listen to me, the church can only thrive as the people of God 398 00:23:33,560 --> 00:23:36,520 if we can live within the trust and confidence of our members. 399 00:23:38,840 --> 00:23:40,280 That was an important thing I just said. 400 00:23:42,640 --> 00:23:44,400 We have to be able to trust one another. 401 00:23:44,960 --> 00:23:47,800 We have to be 1. We have to have confidence in 402 00:23:47,800 --> 00:23:50,600 one another. When there's unity of trust, 403 00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:54,680 oneness of heart, oneness of mine, the church flourishes in 404 00:23:54,680 --> 00:23:57,440 the power of the Holy Spirit. But where there's a lack of 405 00:23:57,440 --> 00:23:59,800 trust, where there's selfishness, where there's 406 00:23:59,800 --> 00:24:04,000 deceit, it will fail and God won't allow it. 407 00:24:04,320 --> 00:24:07,360 He'll move, He'll act. You know, as believers, we live 408 00:24:07,360 --> 00:24:10,080 in two worlds and it's hard. We're torn, we're stretched 409 00:24:10,080 --> 00:24:12,760 between these two worlds, and we have to decide what we really 410 00:24:12,760 --> 00:24:14,960 value. Because you got to remember, 411 00:24:14,960 --> 00:24:17,520 these were members, that these were believers, right? 412 00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:23,160 So God disciplines for the church to protect her, to help 413 00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:25,720 her. What if God chose to act that 414 00:24:25,720 --> 00:24:30,480 way again, right here, right now? 415 00:24:31,880 --> 00:24:35,720 How is your heart? How's your integrity of 416 00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:40,320 stewardship? Not just your money, but the use 417 00:24:40,320 --> 00:24:45,400 of your time, the use of your best energy, the use of your 418 00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:51,760 best focus, your calling, your giftedness, your skills, your 419 00:24:51,760 --> 00:24:55,680 experience, your service. We have a lot of ministries here 420 00:24:55,680 --> 00:24:59,440 who need volunteers. You can go on our website, go 421 00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:00,960 under ministries. Keep going down. 422 00:25:00,960 --> 00:25:03,440 You'll see opportunities for service and you'll find a whole 423 00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:06,200 list of ministries who need help. 424 00:25:06,800 --> 00:25:10,680 What are you doing? How must we respond then to 425 00:25:10,680 --> 00:25:12,960 these very, very, very dramatic examples? 426 00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:17,760 Well, let's see #4 the fact that we have to submit to, to God's 427 00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:19,760 divine ownership. We can't just acknowledge it. 428 00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:21,360 We actually have to do something about this. 429 00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:23,520 We have to give in to it. We can't just recognize it 430 00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:25,520 exists. We actually have to follow it 431 00:25:25,840 --> 00:25:29,080 and submit to it. Look at verse 11. 432 00:25:29,880 --> 00:25:34,240 So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard 433 00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:36,720 these things. See, God works in a mighty way 434 00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:39,760 and there's fear not just in the church, but in the city. 435 00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:44,040 So we must fear God, we must have awesome reverence of Him, 436 00:25:44,240 --> 00:25:47,880 and we need to fear the ugliness and seriousness of sin. 437 00:25:48,760 --> 00:25:51,680 See, it's interesting because this is actually the first time. 438 00:25:51,680 --> 00:25:55,400 This verse is the first time in the book of Acts the word 439 00:25:55,400 --> 00:25:59,520 ecclesia is used that that word ekklesia comes from the Greek 440 00:25:59,520 --> 00:26:01,440 political system. But it was actually the called 441 00:26:01,440 --> 00:26:03,600 out assembly. You might know that word and but 442 00:26:03,600 --> 00:26:07,000 what that means is, is that they were supposed to be different. 443 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:09,360 They're supposed to be set apart. 444 00:26:09,480 --> 00:26:13,560 They're supposed to be holy. And here's my fear because I've 445 00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:19,080 worked with churches all across this country, my friend, sin is 446 00:26:19,080 --> 00:26:24,120 too familiar. Sin is too normal for some, even 447 00:26:24,120 --> 00:26:27,360 in the church. As one preacher said, you think 448 00:26:27,360 --> 00:26:30,000 you're doing just fine while in reality you've just grown used 449 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:34,520 to the darkness. Sin cannot be normative. 450 00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:39,480 We must stand upon, rely upon, be defined by the truth of God's 451 00:26:39,480 --> 00:26:42,520 word. Deceit undermines the work of 452 00:26:42,520 --> 00:26:46,240 the Holy Spirit. Selfishness withholds worship. 453 00:26:46,880 --> 00:26:50,160 Self ownership denies his sovereignty. 454 00:26:51,080 --> 00:26:55,160 So the same spirit that gave community its growth, I assure 455 00:26:55,160 --> 00:26:56,960 you we'll also maintain its purity. 456 00:26:58,600 --> 00:27:01,600 He protected it. There was no room for a breach. 457 00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:03,880 The church is a holy, called out community. 458 00:27:03,880 --> 00:27:07,680 It must be an environment of the Holy Spirit, guarded by him, set 459 00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:10,920 aside by him. Inglewood, we must be set aside. 460 00:27:11,040 --> 00:27:13,960 We must be holy. We must be the people of God, 461 00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:21,640 and we must fear only Him. Our integrity must be submitted 462 00:27:21,760 --> 00:27:26,640 to His divine ownership. Does your secret hidden life 463 00:27:27,320 --> 00:27:32,760 that no one knows about but you glorify God as much as the 464 00:27:32,760 --> 00:27:38,760 public face people see the the appearance that you try to 465 00:27:38,760 --> 00:27:44,560 project so so do you have such a reverence in awe of God as the 466 00:27:44,560 --> 00:27:48,080 ultimate owner of all that we properly fear being or doing 467 00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:50,400 anything contrary to his will and word. 468 00:27:51,200 --> 00:27:56,600 Everything you are, everything you possess, everything you will 469 00:27:56,600 --> 00:28:01,520 ever have, any everything you will ever be, your life and time 470 00:28:01,720 --> 00:28:05,280 belong to him. You might resist that. 471 00:28:05,720 --> 00:28:07,720 You might not want to believe that. 472 00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:11,000 You might want to reject that because you've worked hard and 473 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:13,800 you think you've earned it on your own and it's yours. 474 00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:17,240 But I'm not just talking about stuff, I'm talking about you. 475 00:28:18,280 --> 00:28:21,560 He created you. Your breath, your heartbeat, 476 00:28:21,640 --> 00:28:24,840 your mind, your heart. And as a steward of the life He 477 00:28:24,840 --> 00:28:29,440 gave you, we must be faithful in caring for and utilizing all He 478 00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:34,520 has given for His glory. So we absolutely are mistaken. 479 00:28:36,200 --> 00:28:40,160 Now hear me if we think the word stewardship just means 480 00:28:40,160 --> 00:28:43,600 fundraising. This isn't just about money. 481 00:28:44,360 --> 00:28:46,600 Let me show you a definition of biblical stewardship on the 482 00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:48,880 screen. Biblical stewardship is the 483 00:28:48,880 --> 00:28:53,240 intentional missional management of all God has given us, 484 00:28:53,240 --> 00:28:57,520 including our lives and time out of love for Him to bring Him 485 00:28:57,520 --> 00:29:02,760 great glory. We are stewards of our entire 486 00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:07,040 existence, our time, our spiritual gifts and talents, the 487 00:29:07,040 --> 00:29:09,240 resources with which He's blessed us. 488 00:29:09,440 --> 00:29:13,360 And the right understanding of an attitude towards stewardship 489 00:29:13,480 --> 00:29:16,240 is actually one of the great true marks of spiritual 490 00:29:16,240 --> 00:29:20,880 maturity. So to understand stewardship as 491 00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:24,920 just being about money is very short sighted. 492 00:29:25,800 --> 00:29:29,600 But to not include money is also short sighted. 493 00:29:29,880 --> 00:29:32,800 So since I'm here, let's talk about it for a minute. 494 00:29:33,960 --> 00:29:35,520 Oh, man, he's gone to Medellin now. 495 00:29:36,640 --> 00:29:38,360 They've padlocked the doors. You can't go anywhere. 496 00:29:40,400 --> 00:29:42,520 I get it, I promise. Listen to me. 497 00:29:43,200 --> 00:29:45,960 I've done community studies all across the United States of 498 00:29:45,960 --> 00:29:48,280 America, churches, I've done them all across North Carolina, 499 00:29:48,280 --> 00:29:51,200 including right here. And I promise you, one of the 500 00:29:51,200 --> 00:29:55,560 top three gripes, one of the top three complaints, and almost 501 00:29:55,560 --> 00:29:58,480 every single one of those dozens and dozens, doesn't matter where 502 00:29:58,480 --> 00:29:59,680 it's been, all parts of the country. 503 00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:03,480 I promise you one of the top three gripes that unchurched 504 00:30:03,480 --> 00:30:06,800 people have about the church is that all the church is concerned 505 00:30:06,800 --> 00:30:11,400 about is wanting my money. I hate that because I, I don't 506 00:30:11,400 --> 00:30:15,640 know why they're hearing that. So let, let's just clear this up 507 00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:18,600 for a minute. The Bible teaches a lot about 508 00:30:18,600 --> 00:30:22,120 love and about the love and the misuse of money. 509 00:30:22,120 --> 00:30:26,080 Jesus taught 16 of his 38 parables about dealing with 510 00:30:26,080 --> 00:30:29,960 money and possessions. In the Gospels, one out of 10 511 00:30:29,960 --> 00:30:34,160 verses, 288 verses deal directly with the subject of money. 512 00:30:34,920 --> 00:30:39,360 The Bible has about 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 verses 513 00:30:39,360 --> 00:30:43,680 on faith, and more than 2000 verses on money and possessions. 514 00:30:44,800 --> 00:30:47,640 Yet some preachers are afraid to talk about it and some 515 00:30:47,640 --> 00:30:49,440 congregations get mad if they do. 516 00:30:49,720 --> 00:30:52,680 It's pretty ironic. Do you want the whole word of 517 00:30:52,680 --> 00:30:55,600 God or not? Do you want to know what God 518 00:30:55,600 --> 00:30:57,000 thinks about? In fact, I'm going to spend a 519 00:30:57,000 --> 00:30:59,840 Wednesday night in a few weeks in our help series talking about 520 00:30:59,840 --> 00:31:02,640 how do we manage money. Not I'm not trying to get your 521 00:31:02,640 --> 00:31:03,720 money. I'm trying to help you 522 00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:06,240 understand what we're supposed to do with this thing because 523 00:31:06,240 --> 00:31:09,640 it's such a big deal. Because the irony in those 524 00:31:09,640 --> 00:31:12,520 community studies is one of the top felt needs. 525 00:31:12,520 --> 00:31:15,280 One of their biggest issues in life is handling money. 526 00:31:16,040 --> 00:31:19,360 So I'm, I, I, the church should never talk about it. 527 00:31:19,440 --> 00:31:20,720 How you doing when you talk about it? 528 00:31:20,800 --> 00:31:22,360 Yet I don't know how to deal with it. 529 00:31:22,440 --> 00:31:24,040 So it kind of leaves a gap, doesn't it? 530 00:31:26,480 --> 00:31:30,160 I mean, money's a problem. It's one of our greatest life 531 00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:34,080 needs and fears. So take a deep breath. 532 00:31:34,080 --> 00:31:36,920 I'm not after your wallet factor. 533 00:31:36,920 --> 00:31:38,960 Reminds me of a preacher. He was preaching one day and he 534 00:31:38,960 --> 00:31:41,160 was talking about the growth of the church and trying to get a 535 00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:42,680 little response from the congregation. 536 00:31:42,680 --> 00:31:45,160 He says if this church is to advance, it must take up its bed 537 00:31:45,160 --> 00:31:46,880 and walk. The congregation says let it 538 00:31:46,880 --> 00:31:50,320 walk, preacher, let it walk. So he's encouraged now, so he's 539 00:31:50,320 --> 00:31:52,480 getting a little stronger. If the church is going to get 540 00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:55,600 better, you're going to throw us aside every hindrance and run. 541 00:31:55,760 --> 00:31:57,760 Let it run, preacher, Let it run. 542 00:31:57,760 --> 00:32:00,000 I mean, he's getting fired up now because, you know, the 543 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:02,240 congregations with if this church really wants to become 544 00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:04,080 great, it's going to take up its wings and fly. 545 00:32:04,120 --> 00:32:06,240 Let it fly, preacher, let it fly. 546 00:32:06,480 --> 00:32:08,480 And then the preacher really getting going is if this church 547 00:32:08,480 --> 00:32:09,960 is going to fly, it's going to cost money. 548 00:32:10,080 --> 00:32:11,600 Let it walk, Preacher, let it walk. 549 00:32:14,320 --> 00:32:17,400 I get it. I get it, right? 550 00:32:17,920 --> 00:32:22,160 God knew this would be a big issue for us, and it is. 551 00:32:23,440 --> 00:32:26,920 Here's what I care about. I care about being completely 552 00:32:26,920 --> 00:32:30,080 selfless, teachable, and willing so that I can mature in my 553 00:32:30,080 --> 00:32:31,240 faith. That's what I want. 554 00:32:31,840 --> 00:32:35,120 I care that God seeks for us to submit our time, talents, and 555 00:32:35,120 --> 00:32:37,000 resources to be used for His Kingdom. 556 00:32:37,680 --> 00:32:41,240 I care about the fact that over 2000 verses of scripture speak 557 00:32:41,240 --> 00:32:44,400 about obedience, worship, and commitment in reference to 558 00:32:44,400 --> 00:32:47,080 financial stewardship. And so I care about preaching 559 00:32:47,080 --> 00:32:49,920 the whole text, see? I have a much greater fear of 560 00:32:49,920 --> 00:32:52,360 disappointing Him than I do, whether you like, whether I talk 561 00:32:52,360 --> 00:32:56,200 about money or not. Because money becomes an idol. 562 00:32:57,120 --> 00:33:00,760 It becomes an object of false worship and security for us, 563 00:33:01,280 --> 00:33:03,360 see? And that, and that's why it LED 564 00:33:03,360 --> 00:33:06,520 Ananias and Sapphira to do what they did. 565 00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:09,880 And you see how strongly God's response is. 566 00:33:10,480 --> 00:33:13,320 So biblical stewardship, including giving your money, 567 00:33:13,600 --> 00:33:16,400 must be, should be an act of true worship. 568 00:33:16,880 --> 00:33:20,640 And as the people of God, we give back to God a portion of 569 00:33:20,640 --> 00:33:24,560 what he has given us to acknowledge that everything 570 00:33:24,960 --> 00:33:27,200 actually belongs to him. That's the point. 571 00:33:27,440 --> 00:33:31,720 So whether that's your money or it's your time or it's your 572 00:33:31,720 --> 00:33:35,880 energy or it's your effort or it's your service. 573 00:33:36,120 --> 00:33:39,240 The idea goes way back to Genesis, long before the law. 574 00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:41,640 But Jesus also never dumbed down the law. 575 00:33:41,800 --> 00:33:44,400 And and the law says the tithe is the Lord's, but the New 576 00:33:44,400 --> 00:33:46,240 Testament giving is based on grace. 577 00:33:46,560 --> 00:33:49,560 It's it's it. So the tithe isn't the the tithe 578 00:33:49,560 --> 00:33:52,000 is just a beginning point. And to think about what can I 579 00:33:52,000 --> 00:33:55,720 give beyond not just money, but my effort? 580 00:33:55,880 --> 00:33:58,360 How can I serve? Where can I minister? 581 00:33:58,440 --> 00:34:00,960 How can I give part of my life? Am I giving enough time to 582 00:34:00,960 --> 00:34:03,280 prayer every day? Am I giving enough time to Bible 583 00:34:03,280 --> 00:34:05,200 study every day? Am I giving enough time to 584 00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:08,600 service every week? It's not just about money. 585 00:34:09,840 --> 00:34:12,960 See, we give ourselves and we give of our things 586 00:34:12,960 --> 00:34:15,960 sacrificially, generously, enthusiastically, lovingly, as 587 00:34:15,960 --> 00:34:19,480 an act of worship, recognizing and submitting to divine 588 00:34:19,480 --> 00:34:21,159 ownership in order to praise Him. 589 00:34:21,239 --> 00:34:24,560 So that time talented money is then faithfully steward, 590 00:34:24,760 --> 00:34:27,199 stewardess. It's distributed by leaders just 591 00:34:27,199 --> 00:34:28,639 like it was then. We have leaders. 592 00:34:28,760 --> 00:34:32,120 And so we will use your time and we'll thank you for your time. 593 00:34:32,239 --> 00:34:35,040 We'll assign you places. We'll use the stewardship of 594 00:34:35,040 --> 00:34:39,120 money to help create ministry and service to fulfill His 595 00:34:39,120 --> 00:34:41,880 mission. So give yourself, your life, 596 00:34:41,880 --> 00:34:47,199 your things, because you know they belong to God and you want 597 00:34:47,199 --> 00:34:51,480 to offer yourself as a living sacrifice in an act of 598 00:34:51,560 --> 00:34:53,760 submission, in an act of humility, in an act of 599 00:34:53,760 --> 00:34:57,200 Thanksgiving for the way that He's blessed you. 600 00:34:58,000 --> 00:35:03,120 Grace, not wealth, enables a person to give greatly. 601 00:35:03,760 --> 00:35:07,480 Some of the greatest givers I've ever known are just some of the 602 00:35:07,480 --> 00:35:10,760 poorest people on the planet financially. 603 00:35:11,120 --> 00:35:15,080 I've I've been in the in literally the poorest nations in 604 00:35:15,080 --> 00:35:20,480 the world and watched people serve and give sacrificially. 605 00:35:21,440 --> 00:35:24,400 Someday I'll tell you about my favorite love offering after 606 00:35:24,400 --> 00:35:27,200 preaching at a church. Teresa knows it was a live 607 00:35:27,200 --> 00:35:30,240 chicken and I was. I stood there with a live 608 00:35:30,240 --> 00:35:33,560 chicken in my arms while I shook hands with folks going out the 609 00:35:33,560 --> 00:35:34,920 door. I'll tell you more about that 610 00:35:34,920 --> 00:35:36,560 one day. So. 611 00:35:36,560 --> 00:35:40,600 So we give, but we also receive. When we give, we receive that 612 00:35:40,600 --> 00:35:42,680 blessing, but we don't give to receive. 613 00:35:42,680 --> 00:35:44,320 This isn't the prosperity gospel. 614 00:35:45,200 --> 00:35:47,560 See, we give from a heart of generous love. 615 00:35:48,000 --> 00:35:52,400 So how and what can you sacrificially and generously 616 00:35:52,400 --> 00:35:56,480 give to praise Him and declare him as your Lord? 617 00:35:57,440 --> 00:36:01,320 Now, one of the things that in a traditional worship service is 618 00:36:01,320 --> 00:36:04,320 often done is the collection of money by passing plates. 619 00:36:04,600 --> 00:36:06,720 This is an act of worship. But I'm, I'm afraid that 620 00:36:06,720 --> 00:36:09,480 sometimes we don't, we don't always think of it that way. 621 00:36:10,040 --> 00:36:13,560 The the, the collection of the financial offering isn't simply 622 00:36:13,560 --> 00:36:15,120 trying to get money to pay the bills. 623 00:36:15,640 --> 00:36:20,640 This is an act of worship. It's a reminder that to every 624 00:36:20,640 --> 00:36:25,600 one of us to rightly fear the one to whom everything belongs. 625 00:36:26,440 --> 00:36:28,160 So today we're going to do something different. 626 00:36:30,040 --> 00:36:33,120 Normally we just collect offering by their boxes at the, 627 00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:36,800 the, the the edge of the worship center and out in the lobby 628 00:36:36,800 --> 00:36:40,160 where people give their, our members give their their tithes 629 00:36:40,160 --> 00:36:42,640 and offerings. You can also give online and we 630 00:36:42,640 --> 00:36:45,440 appreciate you for doing that. But today we're going to do 631 00:36:45,440 --> 00:36:47,760 something different. Today we're actually going to 632 00:36:47,760 --> 00:36:51,040 actively collect the offering by passing the plates, just like 633 00:36:51,040 --> 00:36:55,360 the old fashioned passing of the plates, not simply using the 634 00:36:55,360 --> 00:36:58,080 boxes. Now, you may have already given 635 00:36:58,080 --> 00:36:59,960 what you need to give and we're supposed to give. 636 00:36:59,960 --> 00:37:02,040 So this, this, that's not what this is about. 637 00:37:02,320 --> 00:37:05,000 Thank you for your obedience. And if you're our guest today, 638 00:37:05,120 --> 00:37:08,040 we, we don't want you to put that connect card in there. 639 00:37:08,040 --> 00:37:10,560 That'd be great. Love to have a record of you 640 00:37:10,560 --> 00:37:12,240 being with us. Love to have your prayer request 641 00:37:12,240 --> 00:37:14,720 put that in there. That's, that's not the focus. 642 00:37:15,720 --> 00:37:18,560 Here's the focus. I want us to focus on what it 643 00:37:18,560 --> 00:37:21,880 means. I'm asking the ushers to 644 00:37:21,880 --> 00:37:25,920 purposely pass the place down every row while we respond in 645 00:37:25,920 --> 00:37:30,040 our invitation time because this is also an act of worship. 646 00:37:30,920 --> 00:37:34,840 And in that brief moment, in that very brief moment that that 647 00:37:34,840 --> 00:37:38,880 offering plate is in your hands, just for that millisecond or two 648 00:37:38,880 --> 00:37:40,920 that it's in your hands here, here's what I want. 649 00:37:41,560 --> 00:37:46,680 I want you to prayerfully ask God what He would have you give 650 00:37:46,680 --> 00:37:50,200 of yourself. This is a think of that plate as 651 00:37:50,200 --> 00:37:54,960 an altar, a mobile altar. And in that moment, God, what 652 00:37:54,960 --> 00:37:57,240 can I give you that I'm not giving you right now? 653 00:37:57,240 --> 00:38:02,440 Show me, speak to me. What time can I give? 654 00:38:02,440 --> 00:38:05,920 What service could I provide? How could I volunteer for one of 655 00:38:05,920 --> 00:38:07,760 the ministries? Or maybe it is financial. 656 00:38:07,760 --> 00:38:10,120 I don't know what, what could you give? 657 00:38:10,920 --> 00:38:13,400 So this is not about whether you physically put something in the 658 00:38:13,400 --> 00:38:16,080 plate or not at all. This is much more about your 659 00:38:16,080 --> 00:38:18,840 prayer of submission, your prayer of commitment to His 660 00:38:18,840 --> 00:38:21,440 divine internship. Yield your entire life to Him. 661 00:38:21,480 --> 00:38:27,080 All of us to give all that we have as a living sacrifice 662 00:38:27,080 --> 00:38:30,560 yielded to Him as an act of spiritual worship. 663 00:38:31,200 --> 00:38:35,080 That's your first offering. For some of you, the very first 664 00:38:35,080 --> 00:38:38,720 offering you need to make might be salvation, might be saying 665 00:38:38,720 --> 00:38:42,440 yes to Him, drawing you to His grace, to the faith. 666 00:38:42,440 --> 00:38:45,480 He's helping you with that you need to be saved this morning. 667 00:38:46,520 --> 00:38:51,000 What an offering to yield yourself to His grace. 668 00:38:52,080 --> 00:38:54,360 And for some of you, this is a moment of recommitment. 669 00:38:54,880 --> 00:38:57,800 That's your offering, a moment of new dedication. 670 00:38:58,400 --> 00:39:00,440 Maybe you're here and the pastors are still going to be 671 00:39:00,440 --> 00:39:04,760 here up front, just like normal plates are going to be passed. 672 00:39:04,760 --> 00:39:06,640 We'll be right here. Maybe you need to come and say 673 00:39:06,640 --> 00:39:09,560 I, I need to be baptized like we saw the testimony. 674 00:39:09,800 --> 00:39:12,480 I, I'm, I'm called to missions. I want to know more about that. 675 00:39:12,640 --> 00:39:15,080 I want to join the church. I need someone to just pray with 676 00:39:15,080 --> 00:39:16,200 me. Maybe you just need to come and 677 00:39:16,200 --> 00:39:21,280 kneel and pray God, what do you want me to give or, or pray for 678 00:39:21,280 --> 00:39:23,800 that friend. You know who's hurting? 679 00:39:24,760 --> 00:39:31,400 What can you, what will you give with an honest, authentic heart? 680 00:39:31,960 --> 00:39:33,760 Right now? Your life belongs to Him. 681 00:39:33,760 --> 00:39:36,160 This church belongs to Him. He owns it all. 682 00:39:36,800 --> 00:39:43,280 And he's looking for a people to respond to His Holy Spirit, to 683 00:39:43,280 --> 00:39:46,600 catch the wind, fulfill his mission. 684 00:39:47,640 --> 00:39:49,960 So I'm going to ask the ushers to come forward right now. 685 00:39:50,480 --> 00:39:53,960 Pastors, you all can come to, I'm going to ask you to stand. 686 00:39:55,160 --> 00:39:58,840 And as the ushers come, appreciate these ushers who work 687 00:39:58,840 --> 00:40:02,920 every week to help us. I'm going to pray. 688 00:40:04,320 --> 00:40:08,200 They're going to pass the offering plate the moment that 689 00:40:08,200 --> 00:40:10,280 hits your hand. I want you to be praying about 690 00:40:10,280 --> 00:40:15,280 what God would show you. And then the pastors will be 691 00:40:15,280 --> 00:40:20,680 here as we sing, as we surrender everything to Him, You come in 692 00:40:20,680 --> 00:40:25,120 response to him as well. Father, thank you. 693 00:40:27,720 --> 00:40:34,520 Thank you, Father, that when Satan tempted you with the 694 00:40:34,520 --> 00:40:38,440 opportunity to reign over the earth, you didn't take him up on 695 00:40:38,440 --> 00:40:40,120 that because you already owned it all. 696 00:40:41,040 --> 00:40:45,960 You didn't need to do that. Thank you, Father, for life. 697 00:40:48,200 --> 00:40:51,880 It's yours. You're the creator and sustainer 698 00:40:51,880 --> 00:40:55,720 of it. The sooner we recognize that, 699 00:40:57,040 --> 00:41:01,240 the better off we'll be. I pray right now, Father, that 700 00:41:01,240 --> 00:41:05,400 as we walk through this moment of worship, that Father, people 701 00:41:05,400 --> 00:41:08,000 will think, what? What can I give you that I'm not 702 00:41:08,000 --> 00:41:15,200 surrendering to you now? What can I give as a living 703 00:41:15,200 --> 00:41:18,920 sacrifice? Others need to make decisions 704 00:41:18,920 --> 00:41:21,760 for you. They they need to step forward 705 00:41:21,920 --> 00:41:24,440 as the plate passes. They need to move forward and 706 00:41:24,440 --> 00:41:27,200 take a passenger by the hand and say, I need to know more about 707 00:41:27,200 --> 00:41:29,920 what it means to trust in Jesus. I need to become a member of 708 00:41:29,920 --> 00:41:34,760 this church. I need to be baptized, or I just 709 00:41:34,760 --> 00:41:38,920 need prayer. Whatever we need to do, let us 710 00:41:38,920 --> 00:41:43,360 focus upon you now as we surrender all to you in Christ's 711 00:41:43,360 --> 00:41:44,960 name. Amen. 712 00:41:52,640 --> 00:41:55,240 Thank you so much for listening today, and I also hope that 713 00:41:55,240 --> 00:41:57,760 you'll go to ourwebsite@englewoodbaptist.com 714 00:41:57,760 --> 00:42:00,800 as well as our app and find many other resources that will bless 715 00:42:00,800 --> 00:42:03,000 you and your families. Thank you once again.