BOL 191 Keeping up with the Joneses 00:00:00.86\00:00:06.47 Today. Dr. Byrd speaks on the topic "Keeping up with the 00:00:06.50\00:00:13.11 Joneses." And now, here he is, speaker/director of Breath of Life Ministries, Dr. Carlton 00:00:13.14\00:00:18.28 Byrd. PB: The Word of God says to us today, "But a certain man 00:00:18.31\00:00:25.02 named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a" what? Come on, sold a what, everybody? 00:00:25.05\00:00:30.39 Aud.: Possession. PB: "And kept back part of the price, 00:00:30.43\00:00:34.76 his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, 00:00:34.83\00:00:39.03 and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, Ananias, 00:00:39.07\00:00:43.41 why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, 00:00:43.44\00:00:48.14 and to keep back part of the price of the land?" 00:00:48.18\00:00:52.05 Verse 4: "Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after 00:00:52.08\00:00:57.02 it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou 00:00:57.05\00:01:01.56 conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto" whom" 00:01:01.59\00:01:06.70 Aud.: God. PB: "And Ananias hearing these words fell down, 00:01:06.73\00:01:11.70 and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that 00:01:11.73\00:01:15.37 heard these things. And the young men arose, wound him up, 00:01:15.40\00:01:18.94 and carried him out, and buried him. And it was about the 00:01:18.97\00:01:21.61 space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was 00:01:21.64\00:01:26.55 done, came in. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me 00:01:26.58\00:01:32.32 whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so 00:01:32.35\00:01:38.46 much. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed 00:01:38.49\00:01:41.46 together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, 00:01:41.50\00:01:43.77 the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the 00:01:43.80\00:01:47.47 door, and shall carry thee out. Then fell she down straightway 00:01:47.50\00:01:52.37 at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, 00:01:52.41\00:01:55.24 and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. 00:01:55.28\00:01:58.18 And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as 00:01:58.21\00:02:04.79 heard these things." Our message this morning is entitled 00:02:04.82\00:02:09.99 "Keeping up with the Joneses." Keeping up with the Joneses. 00:02:10.03\00:02:16.10 Father, we ask that You now would permeate in this place by 00:02:16.13\00:02:18.63 the power of Your Spirit. Speak, Lord, for your servants here. 00:02:18.67\00:02:22.44 We give you the praise, the honor and the glory. 00:02:22.47\00:02:24.41 Forgive us for our sins, we pray. And when the appeal time 00:02:24.44\00:02:28.08 comes, You move, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:02:28.11\00:02:32.25 Keeping up with the Joneses. We've heard this expression for 00:02:32.28\00:02:42.09 years. But in case you don't know what this means, according 00:02:42.12\00:02:46.09 to this philosophy conspicuous consumption occurs when people 00:02:46.13\00:02:53.23 care about their standard of living in relationship to others. Put another way, 00:02:53.27\00:02:58.94 keeping up with the Joneses is when you try to match the 00:02:58.97\00:03:05.28 lifestyles of other people; try to own all the same things as 00:03:05.31\00:03:10.59 people you know and people you don't know in order to seem as good as them, or you 00:03:10.62\00:03:16.46 try to have all the same things as other people to avoid 00:03:16.49\00:03:20.56 looking poor or broke. If they get a new car, you get a new 00:03:20.60\00:03:28.14 car. If they get a new house, you get a new house. If they get 00:03:28.17\00:03:35.71 a new outfit, you get a new outfit. In other words, keeping up with the Joneses 00:03:35.74\00:03:41.45 is when you spend money you don't have to buy things you 00:03:41.48\00:03:46.99 don't need to impress people you don't like. Now, it used to be 00:03:47.02\00:03:54.23 that spending money on status symbols for the sake of 00:03:54.30\00:03:58.37 flaunting your wealth was an activity reserved for celebrities and millionaires. 00:03:58.40\00:04:06.94 But now, in 2015, that has all changed. Conspicuous 00:04:06.98\00:04:15.12 consumption, or keeping up with the Joneses, has brought the 00:04:15.15\00:04:20.92 lifestyles of the rich and famous to everybody. Rich and poor. Ten people will 00:04:20.96\00:04:28.20 be living in a two-bedroom apartment, but yet they will get 00:04:28.23\00:04:32.83 the biggest flat-screen TV they can, even if it means paying 00:04:32.87\00:04:38.47 rent-a-center $50 a month for 50 years and when it's all 00:04:38.51\00:04:43.38 said and done, you've bought 50 big-screen TVs for the price of 00:04:43.41\00:04:48.92 one. Keeping up with the Joneses. People will get every credit card they can. 00:04:48.95\00:04:55.82 They will max them out, they will dress nice. St. Johns, Hugo 00:04:55.86\00:05:02.76 Boss, Versace, Prada, Ralph Lauren. You name it, they get 00:05:02.80\00:05:08.27 it, and they charge it. Don't worry about paying the balance 00:05:08.30\00:05:11.97 off, go ahead, look good but stay broke. Keeping up with the 00:05:12.01\00:05:18.78 Joneses. People will go out, buy an expensive car, Mercedes, BMW, 00:05:18.81\00:05:25.15 Cadillac, Lexus. They'll put some rims on it, put some 20s on 00:05:25.19\00:05:29.66 it, add some spinners to it. But yet, you're living with your 00:05:29.69\00:05:34.63 mama, keeping up with the Joneses. People will spend $50 a 00:05:34.66\00:05:41.80 month for cable TV but won't invest $50 a month in a savings plan for their future. 00:05:41.84\00:05:48.88 Keeping up with the Joneses. We've got folks that can't 00:05:48.91\00:05:54.52 afford it, but they have weekly maid services, private contractors and landscapers, 00:05:54.55\00:05:59.55 and yet in all these instances a little elbow grease could lead 00:05:59.59\00:06:07.13 to huge savings. But we want to keep up with the Joneses. Why? We want to show off our success. 00:06:07.20\00:06:13.87 We have a need to have what other people have. We live in 00:06:13.90\00:06:18.07 a society that favors instant gratification over hard work. 00:06:18.11\00:06:22.34 We are keeping up with the Joneses. But let me tell you 00:06:22.38\00:06:29.42 something today. You're worried about keeping up with the 00:06:29.45\00:06:32.62 Joneses, and the Joneses are broke. Do I have a witness in 00:06:32.65\00:06:38.63 this place? They're living check to check, just like you. They're 00:06:38.66\00:06:43.10 robbing Peter to pay Paul, just like you. They, the Joneses, are 00:06:43.13\00:06:50.81 broke. In the book of Acts we find the biblical version of 00:06:50.84\00:06:55.41 keeping up with the Joneses. But before we get to that, let me 00:06:55.44\00:06:59.81 say this: I love the book of Acts. Why do I love the book of 00:06:59.85\00:07:05.35 Acts? Acts is the model for what the church should be. Acts is 00:07:05.39\00:07:10.43 the model to actively pursue souls. I love evangelism, and a 00:07:10.46\00:07:14.63 lot of the book of Acts is about evangelism, so you know I love 00:07:14.66\00:07:18.10 this book. In Acts chapter 1, the church is looking for, 00:07:18.13\00:07:21.00 waiting for, praying for, and expecting something miraculous 00:07:21.04\00:07:24.27 to happen through the power of the Holy Ghost. In Acts chapter 00:07:24.31\00:07:27.41 2, the day of Pentecost comes, and the church is baptized with 00:07:27.44\00:07:30.85 the Holy Spirit, so much so that 3,000 souls are saved in one 00:07:30.88\00:07:35.72 day. In Acts chapter 3, a lame man is healed by God through the 00:07:35.75\00:07:40.16 ministry of Peter and John so then the church, in Acts chapter 00:07:40.19\00:07:43.73 3, is a miracle-working church that is not inundated with rules 00:07:43.76\00:07:46.90 and regulations but a church that gave what it had to 00:07:46.93\00:07:50.03 minister to the needs of people. Acts chapter 4 tells us of the 00:07:50.07\00:07:55.57 arrest and examination of Peter and John by the Sanhedrin simply 00:07:55.60\00:07:58.77 because they were not ashamed or scared to tell the 00:07:58.81\00:08:01.24 gospel of Jesus Christ. And even though Sadducees arrested them, 00:08:01.28\00:08:05.28 the Bible still says that in Acts chapter 4, 5,000 people 00:08:05.31\00:08:08.98 still heard them, they converted and believed on Jesus Christ, 00:08:09.02\00:08:12.75 and then even when they were put in jail, the Bible says 00:08:12.79\00:08:16.39 how under the power of the Holy Ghost Peter and John spoke 00:08:16.42\00:08:19.46 with such articulation that they were released. 00:08:19.49\00:08:22.90 Let that be a lesson for us today. Satan can try to bind us 00:08:22.93\00:08:27.04 all he wants, but Satan can't bind my God. 00:08:27.07\00:08:31.81 If God says loose them, you shall be loosed. 00:08:31.84\00:08:35.81 If God says bind them, you shall be bound. Satan is 00:08:35.84\00:08:40.82 no match for God. Greater is He that is in us than 00:08:40.85\00:08:45.55 he that is in the world. If God be for us, who can be against 00:08:45.59\00:08:51.23 us. Let no weapon formed against us is going to prosper. 00:08:51.26\00:08:55.86 But then, in Acts chapter 5 we recognize that the 00:08:55.90\00:08:58.70 church has some problems. The church has some difficulties. 00:08:58.73\00:09:02.80 The church has some hypocrites. So don't be surprised that 00:09:02.84\00:09:07.94 some of this is in the church today. People say, I'm surprised 00:09:07.98\00:09:11.05 the church has problems, I'm surprised the church has 00:09:11.08\00:09:13.35 hypocrites, I'm surprised the church has difficulties. Let me 00:09:13.38\00:09:16.22 be clear: If we had it back in the day, we should expect some 00:09:16.25\00:09:21.69 of that today. I tell people all the time, the church has never 00:09:21.72\00:09:25.06 been and never will be perfect. I tell people all the time, 00:09:25.09\00:09:28.66 if you're running from church to church looking for 00:09:28.70\00:09:30.30 the perfect preacher, the perfect choir, the perfect band, 00:09:30.33\00:09:32.63 the perfect praise team, the perfect officers, 00:09:32.67\00:09:34.84 the perfect members of the perfect church, 00:09:34.87\00:09:36.60 you're going to run forever, because you will never find 00:09:36.64\00:09:39.04 the perfect church because you'll never find perfect 00:09:39.07\00:09:42.91 people. The reason why I'm in which church, the Seventh-day 00:09:42.94\00:09:45.78 Adventist Church, is because we serve a perfect God who's given us a perfect message. 00:09:45.81\00:09:51.29 Do I have a witness in this place? [Aud. reaction] 00:09:51.32\00:09:53.36 PB: We're imperfect but God is perfect. Such was the case of 00:09:53.39\00:09:57.03 the church in Acts 5, with all its good, it had imperfect 00:09:57.06\00:10:00.63 people. Acts tells us about two of these imperfect people: 00:10:00.66\00:10:02.90 Ananias and his wife, Sapphira. We know the story. 00:10:02.93\00:10:08.90 Ananias and Sapphira, if you study it carefully, 00:10:08.94\00:10:12.81 had heard about a generous gift that Barnabas, 00:10:12.84\00:10:16.44 another church member, had given in chapter 4, 00:10:16.48\00:10:19.25 in verses 36 through 37. So, they decided to give a 00:10:19.28\00:10:24.15 gift like Barnabas, because they're keeping up with the 00:10:24.19\00:10:29.92 Joneses. Ananias and Sapphira believed that they could take 00:10:29.96\00:10:32.03 advantage of God's church without giving an account 00:10:32.06\00:10:34.10 of their actions. They believed that all things done 00:10:34.13\00:10:37.07 for show, or without a sincere heart, would still be 00:10:37.10\00:10:40.50 blessed in the same way as those done in faith and 00:10:40.54\00:10:44.81 without regard for praise. But I'm here to let somebody know, 00:10:44.84\00:10:48.21 God can't bless mess. Ananias and Sapphira believed 00:10:48.24\00:10:53.98 they were smarter than everybody else. Ananias and Sapphira 00:10:54.02\00:10:58.69 believed they could outsmart the Holy Ghost. 00:10:58.72\00:11:02.02 But that's what Satan, the father of lies, 00:11:02.06\00:11:04.49 will make you think--that you can outsmart the Holy Ghost. 00:11:04.53\00:11:08.60 Satan will capture our best to do his worst. 00:11:08.63\00:11:11.97 Satan knows what strings to pull in our lives. 00:11:12.00\00:11:15.10 Satan knows what buttons to push. Satan knows what 00:11:15.14\00:11:18.61 imperfections to play on to get the reaction that he wants. 00:11:18.64\00:11:21.78 Satan knows where the blind spots in our characters are. 00:11:21.81\00:11:25.21 He knows not only where they are but he also knows how 00:11:25.25\00:11:28.78 to reach them. Satan comes to us discreetly. 00:11:28.82\00:11:33.25 He comes to us indirectly. Satan never comes up to us and says, 00:11:33.29\00:11:36.52 I'm here. Satan never comes up to us and says, I'm the devil. 00:11:36.56\00:11:41.90 I'm here. Satan never comes in a red suit with a horn, 00:11:41.93\00:11:47.37 pitchfork or a tail. Satan knows if he did, we'd run. So, 00:11:47.40\00:11:54.94 the prince of darkness comes as an angel of light. 00:11:54.98\00:12:00.65 He comes not as evil, but he comes as good. 00:12:00.68\00:12:04.75 He comes not as an enemy, but he comes as a friend. 00:12:04.79\00:12:07.62 He comes not as a judge, but he comes as an advocate. 00:12:07.66\00:12:10.56 He does not call what he offers sin, but he bursts with 00:12:10.59\00:12:15.33 its pleasure. Good times, a chance to be with and accepted 00:12:15.36\00:12:21.90 by the in crowd. Satan writes no commandments, 00:12:21.94\00:12:27.01 and he requires no commitment. Satan does not mind coming 00:12:27.04\00:12:31.98 to church or singing in the choir or serving on the board, 00:12:32.01\00:12:35.48 particularly when he is still getting more of our time, 00:12:35.52\00:12:39.42 more of our energy and more of our money. Satan is happy to 00:12:39.45\00:12:44.16 share with the Lord, because some of his best workers and 00:12:44.19\00:12:47.86 some of his most effective work is done in the church. 00:12:47.93\00:12:53.10 You see, we don't have to walk down the aisle to join 00:12:53.13\00:12:55.90 Satan to serve him. We don't have to change anything, 00:12:55.94\00:13:00.51 we can stay just as we are, live the same old way, 00:13:00.54\00:13:03.45 talk the same old way, go to the same old places. 00:13:03.48\00:13:06.18 We don't have to do anything at all, just stay the same as we 00:13:06.21\00:13:10.32 are. The story is told of a man walking down a country road 00:13:10.35\00:13:14.12 one cold winter day. Spotting a snake that was half frozen to 00:13:14.16\00:13:20.23 death, the man in his compassion picked up the snake, 00:13:20.26\00:13:23.77 put it on the side and underneath his coat in order 00:13:23.80\00:13:27.34 that the snake might be kept warm. In order that, a little 00:13:27.37\00:13:31.21 later on, he would revive the snake. Later, when the snake was 00:13:31.24\00:13:36.38 revived, the snake bit the man. The man then dropped the snake 00:13:36.41\00:13:41.12 and said, how could you be so cruel as to bite me? When you 00:13:41.15\00:13:45.55 were suffering and half dead, I picked you up, I carried you, I 00:13:45.59\00:13:50.33 put you under my coat and I revived you. But just as soon as 00:13:50.36\00:13:55.03 you got better, you bite me. The snake looked up at the man and 00:13:55.06\00:13:59.27 said, Man, remember, I'm a snake and it's my nature to bite. 00:13:59.30\00:14:04.87 Don't you ever forget that Satan is a snake, 00:14:04.91\00:14:08.74 and Satan's not to be played with or touched. 00:14:08.78\00:14:12.05 If we get too close to him, he will bite. 00:14:12.08\00:14:15.62 If he's picked up and carried, he will bite. 00:14:15.65\00:14:19.22 Beware of the devil, he will bite. 00:14:19.25\00:14:22.72 Back at Ananias and Sapphira. You know the story. 00:14:22.76\00:14:25.13 So, they decided to sell some land, donate the proceeds 00:14:25.16\00:14:28.33 to the church. Now, before presenting the money to Peter, 00:14:28.36\00:14:31.20 however, they planned to privately hold back a portion 00:14:31.23\00:14:34.80 of their earnings for themselves. Now, let's be clear: 00:14:34.84\00:14:39.47 There was nothing wrong with them in their keeping part 00:14:39.51\00:14:45.78 or all of the proceeds, or even the entire land itself. 00:14:45.81\00:14:51.69 They could have done that. But Ananias and Sapphira's sin 00:14:51.72\00:14:56.79 stemmed in the fact that in trying to keep up with the 00:14:56.83\00:15:01.26 Joneses, they pretended that the amount they gave was all they 00:15:01.30\00:15:06.40 received. Their deed was not careless, but it was contrived. 00:15:06.43\00:15:11.24 It was not an honest mistake, it was deliberate dishonesty. 00:15:11.27\00:15:17.95 Ananias and Sapphira conspired to withhold part of the 00:15:17.98\00:15:23.45 purchase price for themselves. Ananias brings then the 00:15:23.49\00:15:28.79 remainder of the money, lays it at the feet of the 00:15:28.82\00:15:31.39 apostles--you know the story--and then steps back and 00:15:31.43\00:15:35.13 waits for the applause of the people. But instead of applause, 00:15:35.16\00:15:41.24 you hear silence. Instead of a smile, he sees a frown 00:15:41.27\00:15:46.98 on Peter's face. Instead of receiving looks of admiration 00:15:47.01\00:15:51.41 and faith, he sees stares in the eyes of the people. 00:15:51.45\00:15:56.48 I like how The Message Bible puts it in verses 3 and 4, 00:15:56.52\00:15:59.95 when Peter asks: "Ananias, how did Satan get to you, 00:16:00.06\00:16:05.86 to lie to the Holy Spirit and secretly keep back part of 00:16:05.89\00:16:09.50 the price of the field? Before you sold it, it was all yours. 00:16:09.53\00:16:13.54 After you sold it, the money was yours to do with as you wished. 00:16:13.57\00:16:17.31 So what got into you, to pull a trick like this? 00:16:17.34\00:16:22.24 You didn't lie to men, but you lied to God. 00:16:22.28\00:16:27.62 And just as soon as Ananias hears these words, 00:16:27.65\00:16:31.22 he falls dead. Peter didn't cast any spell on him. 00:16:31.25\00:16:37.99 Peter did not cast any curse on him. Peter didn't 00:16:38.03\00:16:42.46 even touch him. No lightning struck him. He just fell dead. 00:16:42.50\00:16:48.17 But then it gets more interesting. 00:16:48.20\00:16:51.14 Three hours later, Sapphira shows up. She doesn't know 00:16:51.17\00:16:58.28 what has happened to her husband. Now, if she hadn't 00:16:58.31\00:17:01.92 been so headstrong, if she hadn't had such tunnel vision, 00:17:01.95\00:17:06.99 she would have been in tune with the mood of the building. 00:17:07.02\00:17:11.33 And she, when she walked in, would have sensed something's 00:17:11.36\00:17:15.36 wrong around here. But her pride and her greed wouldn't 00:17:15.40\00:17:20.04 let her sense it. People looked at her then looked away 00:17:20.07\00:17:24.11 in shame and fear. No one seemed to want to say much to her, 00:17:24.14\00:17:27.78 so Peter asked her if she had sold the land for a certain 00:17:27.81\00:17:36.18 amount. Yes, she said. Then he asked, How is it that you have 00:17:36.22\00:17:42.96 agreed together with your husband to tempt the Spirit of 00:17:42.99\00:17:47.30 the Lord? Well, Sapphira, the same people who buried your 00:17:47.36\00:17:52.27 husband, the same people who carried your husband out of here 00:17:52.30\00:17:57.47 are going to be the same ones that bury you and carry you out 00:17:57.51\00:18:02.08 of here. And immediately, the Bible says, she's dead. Sure 00:18:02.11\00:18:04.78 enough, carried out by the same men and buried by the same men 00:18:04.81\00:18:06.68 that buried her husband. Now, why did they have to die? 00:18:06.72\00:18:11.89 Why did they have to die unnecessarily? Keeping up with 00:18:11.92\00:18:18.93 the Joneses. Barnabas, in chapter 4, had sold his land and 00:18:18.96\00:18:22.93 other possessions and gave it to the church. In those days, 00:18:22.96\00:18:26.03 much honor was given to such acts of benevolence and 00:18:26.07\00:18:29.70 sacrificial giving. But Ananias and Sapphira's problem, 00:18:29.74\00:18:33.78 not that they held back, but that they lied, but also 00:18:33.81\00:18:39.08 that they were interested in the praise that they could 00:18:39.11\00:18:41.28 gain from their fellow church members, more so than the 00:18:41.32\00:18:43.65 work of God itself. They saw the praise that Barnabas 00:18:43.69\00:18:49.19 had received, and so now they decided, We want recognition. 00:18:49.22\00:18:54.30 They saw Barnabas getting accolades, so now they wanted 00:18:54.30\00:19:00.90 accolades. They saw Barnabas getting a plaque from the 00:19:00.94\00:19:04.37 church, so now they wanted a plaque from the church. 00:19:04.41\00:19:07.68 They saw Barnabas having a building named after him, 00:19:07.71\00:19:11.18 so now they wanted a building named after them. 00:19:11.21\00:19:14.82 Ananias and Sapphira weren't going to let anybody outdo them. 00:19:14.85\00:19:19.49 Too many of us are more interested in impressing than 00:19:19.52\00:19:24.89 in expressing. Too much of what we pass off as religion 00:19:24.93\00:19:29.06 is designed to impress others about something about ourselves 00:19:29.10\00:19:32.63 and not to express something about how good God is. 00:19:32.67\00:19:36.00 When you give in church so that somebody else sees what 00:19:36.04\00:19:41.24 you put in the plate, that's designed to impress. 00:19:41.28\00:19:45.55 When you carry your Bible just so folk can see you 00:19:45.58\00:19:48.15 carry your Bible, that's designed to impress. 00:19:48.18\00:19:52.95 When you come to church just so you can be seen, 00:19:52.99\00:19:57.09 that's designed to impress. But I read somewhere 00:19:57.13\00:20:02.20 that the Bible says pride goeth before destruction, 00:20:02.23\00:20:06.30 and a haughty spirit before a fall. Quit trying to 00:20:06.33\00:20:11.67 keep up with the Joneses. And then let me throw this in. 00:20:11.71\00:20:15.38 How can you impress God? You were conceived and shaped in 00:20:15.41\00:20:21.15 iniquity. How can you impress God? You were not there when God 00:20:21.18\00:20:23.75 laid the foundation of the world. How can you impress God? 00:20:23.79\00:20:27.22 You were not there when He called things that were not 00:20:27.26\00:20:29.46 and made them into things that are. How can you impress God? 00:20:29.49\00:20:32.76 God doesn't need you to impress Him. God wants you to 00:20:32.79\00:20:37.23 express and not impress. That's why Paul said present your 00:20:37.27\00:20:42.30 bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, 00:20:42.34\00:20:46.44 which is your reasonable service. Ananias and Sapphira 00:20:46.47\00:20:50.05 were afflicted with the same disease that's sending some 00:20:50.08\00:20:53.82 of us to the poorhouse and it's going to send the 00:20:53.85\00:20:56.25 rest of us to hell. Keeping up with the Joneses. 00:20:56.28\00:21:04.13 We see someone somewhere doing something or getting 00:21:04.16\00:21:09.23 something, and we decide that we're going to do the same 00:21:09.26\00:21:12.23 thing or get the same thing, whether we can afford it or not, 00:21:12.27\00:21:15.10 whether we really like it and whether we really want it or 00:21:15.14\00:21:18.74 not, we get it because we're keeping up with the Joneses. 00:21:18.77\00:21:24.11 Ananias and Sapphira loved their money. They made the sale, 00:21:24.15\00:21:30.45 they looked at the cash, and they couldn't bear the 00:21:30.49\00:21:34.49 thought of giving all of it away, so they kept some of it 00:21:34.52\00:21:42.03 back. The Bible does not say that money is the root of all 00:21:42.06\00:21:46.87 evil. The Bible says that the love of money is the root of all 00:21:46.90\00:21:54.84 evil. Ananias and Sapphira wanted to look more generous 00:21:54.88\00:21:59.65 than what they really were. They wanted the apostles to think 00:21:59.68\00:22:02.92 they were like Barnabas. They wanted external religious 00:22:02.95\00:22:07.52 approval. They not only loved money, but they loved the praise 00:22:07.56\00:22:13.46 of men. But then they lied to cover their covetousness, the 00:22:13.50\00:22:21.57 give the impression of generosity, they lied. Sin must always have a covering. 00:22:21.60\00:22:30.11 If you love possessions and you love the praise of men, 00:22:30.15\00:22:32.81 your love for truth will dissolve into deception and 00:22:32.85\00:22:36.52 fraud. That's the meaning, my friends, of hypocrisy. 00:22:36.55\00:22:41.76 Hypocrisy, then, always results in discrediting the Holy Ghost. 00:22:41.79\00:22:47.46 Look at the text. Verse 3 says, they lied to the Holy Ghost. 00:22:47.50\00:22:52.20 Verse 4 says, they lied not to man but to God. Verse 9 says, 00:22:52.23\00:22:57.81 they tempted the Lord. Why in your right mind would you try 00:22:57.84\00:23:03.58 to discredit the Holy Ghost? Maybe they didn't even believe 00:23:03.61\00:23:08.45 the Holy Spirit was even present in the church. Maybe they 00:23:08.48\00:23:11.99 didn't believe in the Holy Ghost reality, maybe they had 00:23:12.02\00:23:14.09 never thought about the real presence of the Spirit of 00:23:14.12\00:23:16.02 the Living God, or maybe they just believed that in His 00:23:16.06\00:23:19.03 presence, in some theoretical way, He was there but He wasn't 00:23:19.06\00:23:24.60 real. Maybe they thought He was there but He was real but that 00:23:24.63\00:23:27.60 He wouldn't really punish them. Listen to this good, now: 00:23:27.64\00:23:31.04 Perhaps they had a view of grace that says no matter how 00:23:31.07\00:23:35.81 devious and hypocritical you are, God always tolerates 00:23:35.84\00:23:40.38 everything. Some of us--listen to me good--some of us seem to 00:23:40.42\00:23:47.39 think that the more we spend, the more God will forgive us. 00:23:47.42\00:23:53.70 That Christ is some sort of eraser on the chalkboard of our 00:23:53.73\00:24:00.77 souls. We begin completely enamored with the magnitude of 00:24:00.80\00:24:05.14 love Jesus has for us--and yes, He loves us and that's a good 00:24:05.17\00:24:08.28 thing, but then on the flipside, we've failed to be convinced of 00:24:08.31\00:24:11.31 His perfect anger toward our sin. Yes, God loves the sinner, 00:24:11.35\00:24:17.49 but God hates the sin. We need to be balanced in our fear of 00:24:17.52\00:24:24.53 God and our love for God. Our actions should be based on our 00:24:24.56\00:24:29.83 love we have for Christ and the fear of His perfect wrath. 00:24:29.86\00:24:33.54 [Aud. reaction] PB: Listen to me, friends of mine: 00:24:33.57\00:24:36.04 God is loving, but God is also wrathful. I believe that 00:24:36.07\00:24:41.34 when we get in that great getting-up morning, 00:24:41.38\00:24:43.71 many individuals who proclaimed yes, God is love, yes, 00:24:43.75\00:24:46.51 God is love, who live any kind of way, they're going to 00:24:46.55\00:24:48.62 be sadly disappointed. Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord. 00:24:48.65\00:24:53.39 You reap what you sow. Just because we're washed in the 00:24:53.42\00:24:58.43 blood of the Lamb doesn't mean we are saved from His heavenly 00:24:58.46\00:25:04.33 leather belt. [Aud. reaction] PB: We live a life sustained by 00:25:04.37\00:25:10.51 grace, but we should also live a life with a constant respect for 00:25:10.54\00:25:14.14 God's perfect discipline. God--listen to me good--God has 00:25:14.18\00:25:21.08 every right to discipline His children. And that discipline 00:25:21.12\00:25:27.62 takes different forms at different times. God's 00:25:27.66\00:25:32.83 discipline can come with a gentle reminder. God's discipline can come 00:25:32.86\00:25:36.93 from withholding blessings on our lives, and God's discipline 00:25:36.97\00:25:41.47 can also come by removing us from the situation like he 00:25:41.50\00:25:45.61 did Ananias and Sapphira. Whatever form God chooses, 00:25:45.64\00:25:49.71 He is right in His choosing. Stop living in competition 00:25:49.74\00:25:56.15 with somebody else. You're worried about somebody else 00:25:56.18\00:26:00.12 and they've already gone about their business. 00:26:00.16\00:26:02.62 Stop spending your life and your energy trying to keep 00:26:02.66\00:26:06.76 up with somebody else. Stop trying to outdo somebody, 00:26:06.80\00:26:10.87 stop trying to keep up with the Joneses. Someone gets 00:26:10.90\00:26:15.97 a new suit, new dress, new house, new car and we have 00:26:16.00\00:26:18.97 to have one. Admiration is one thing, but stop trying 00:26:19.01\00:26:23.51 to be somebody you aren't. You'd better say that what 00:26:23.55\00:26:27.15 God has for me, it is for me. Stop hating on somebody else. 00:26:27.18\00:26:34.92 When God blesses them--I say it all the time--learn to 00:26:34.96\00:26:37.56 be a cheerleader. Because if God is blessing somebody else, 00:26:37.59\00:26:41.60 God must be in the neighborhood and it's just a matter of 00:26:41.63\00:26:45.63 time before God starts blessing me! Stop taking God for granted. 00:26:45.67\00:26:52.64 Stop sowing wild oats during the week and praying for 00:26:52.67\00:26:55.91 crop failure on the Sabbath. Stop taking the forgiveness 00:26:55.94\00:27:00.12 of God for granted. If there's one great lesson we can 00:27:00.15\00:27:04.45 learn from Ananias and Sapphira, it's that we must be real 00:27:04.49\00:27:07.79 and sincere in all we do. It's not just what we give but how 00:27:07.82\00:27:16.13 sincere and honest we are in what we give that gives us the 00:27:16.16\00:27:19.77 right to the blessing. That's what I've learned in life: 00:27:19.80\00:27:23.37 some people can make more, but have less. Because if you're 00:27:23.41\00:27:30.21 not giving out of a sincere heart, you're going to miss out 00:27:30.25\00:27:33.95 on your blessing. The New Testament says that one day 00:27:33.98\00:27:39.89 Jesus stood near the Temple treasury. He was observing 00:27:39.92\00:27:43.29 people returning their tithes and offerings. Now, 00:27:43.32\00:27:45.59 I hate when people say it, I'm trying to correct that 00:27:45.63\00:27:47.60 around here. We do not pay tithe and offerings. 00:27:47.66\00:27:52.10 We do not pay tithes and offerings. We return tithes 00:27:52.13\00:27:59.21 and offerings, are you hearing what I'm saying? 00:27:59.24\00:28:01.31 How can we pay what God has already given us in the first 00:28:01.34\00:28:05.21 place? [Aud. reaction] PB: We return to God what is already 00:28:05.25\00:28:08.32 rightfully His. Jesus at the Temple, observing people 00:28:08.35\00:28:13.96 returning tithes and offerings. A woman timidly approached 00:28:13.99\00:28:18.56 one of the collection bins. She puts in two pennies and 00:28:18.59\00:28:22.90 then she slips away into the crowd. No one pays this woman 00:28:22.93\00:28:28.17 any Thank you for joining us for another exciting broadcast. 00:28:28.20\00:28:31.41 We'd like you to partner with us as we offer the 00:28:31.44\00:28:34.41 Breath of Life to a dying world. All of our sermon titles 00:28:34.44\00:28:38.25 and DVDs can be purchased at www.BreathofLife.tv. 00:28:38.28\00:28:43.75 Until next time, God loves you. END 00:28:43.79\00:28:58.77