Rev. David Holwick C
Boothbay Baptist Church
Boothbay, Maine
May 23, 2021
Acts 5:1-11
YOU CAN'T FOOL EVERYONE
I. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary people.
A. The early Christian church began with explosive growth.
1) In Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost the Spirit came down,
Peter preached a sermon, and 3,000 were saved.
2) In Acts 4, Peter and John are arrested, then released, and
the church grows to 5,000.
B. All this growth put logistical pressure on the church.
1) How would they take care of all these people?
a) They were sticking around to learn about their new faith.
b) How would they eat?
2) Christians responded with an outpouring of generosity.
a) In Acts 2:44 we are told they shared everything they had.
1> Those who had possessions sold them, and shared with
those who were in need.
b) Turn to Acts 4:32.
1> The church has a strong sense of unity.
2> They don't think of stuff belonging to them, but to
everyone.
A> Even houses and property were sold.
3> A great example is given: Barnabas.
A> He sells property and gives it to the apostles
to share as they see fit.
C. It has been called Christian Communism. (or at least Socialism)
1) Karl Marx famously said, "From each according to his
ability, to each according to his need."
2) He is really just paraphrasing these passages in the Bible.
3) But there is an important difference:
a) The communism in the Bible was voluntary. No one forced
you to give anything.
b) And it only worked for a short time. 20 years later the
Jerusalem church was so poor, the Apostle Paul had
to take up collections for it.
c) But it does set a good example of selflessness, putting
others ahead of yourself.
1> This is what Jesus himself taught us.
II. Bad examples can be just as important as good ones.
A. The Bible always balances victory with failure.
1) Joshua - conquest of Jericho was followed by sin of Achan.
a) Everything in the sacked city was supposed to belong
to God, but Achan kept a little for himself.
b) God singled him out for public destruction.
2) King David - his unification of Israel and defeat of foreign
enemies is followed by adultery with Bathsheba.
3) Book of Acts - the victory of Pentecost is followed by the
sin of Ananias and Sapphira.
a) The greatest victories can always be undone by sinful
people.
B. This couple wanted it both ways.
1) They wanted to be heroes in the church, as long as it didn't
cost them too much.
a) They sold some land.
b) They presented some of the money to the apostles.
c) But they said, "Here is all of it."
1> If they had said, "Here is SOME of it," there would
have been no problem.
2> But they lied, and made their gift seem to be more
than it was.
3> They wanted financial security AND applause.
2) God's judgment was severe.
a) Both man and wife fell down dead.
1> Their lack of integrity cost them their lives,
just like with Achan centuries before.
b) This got the church's attention. Disaster always does.
III. All of us want to be a hero - but are we, really?
A. The world notices our failures.
1) The sad case of Ravi Zacharias.
At the end of last year, the ministry of Ravi Zacharias
imploded.
He was a brilliant Christian apologist, defending the faith
all over the world.
I have quoted him in many of my sermons.
Vice President Mike Pence gave the eulogy at his funeral.
But Ravi Zacharias had a hidden life.
He abused women, and bribed them to stay silent.
He told one of them, who was a Christian, that if she ever
spoke against him, she would be responsible for millions
of souls lost when his reputation was damaged.
His ministry has now repudiated him and removed his name
from their organization.
2) How do you stack up?
Dan Lupton tells a story found in the Chicago Daily Herald
newspaper in 1996.
The headline read: "Fairy tale princess story turns sour
after newlyweds lose money."
What had happened was that this young couple, very much in
love, were leaving their wedding reception in the small
hours of the morning.
While they were putting things into the car, the groom laid
on top of the car a large manila envelope that contained
the cash gifts.
It held just over $12,000.
Then they drove off, with the envelope still on the car...
but not for long.
When they got to their hotel, they discovered it was gone
and, thinking back, they knew just what had happened.
The newspaper picked up the sad story and it touched the
hearts of everyone.
Two days later, the paper ran a follow-up story.
It seems that a man named David Yi, an unemployed resident
of the community, found the package, looked inside,
remembered the newspaper article, and returned it to
the couple.
He didn't even consider keeping it.
Yi said, "Whether it was $50 or $1,000 or a million, it
wasn't mine.
It's just [a matter] of right and wrong."
What would you have done in that situation?
What would the man giving this sermon have done?
Now think if you were unemployed and your bank account was
bare.
You can't find a job no matter how hard you try.
The mortgage is due.
And you find an envelope filled with checks and cash...
#8053
As a Christian, you know what you SHOULD do.
But what would you ACTUALLY do?
The reality is that this result is so rare, it gets put in
newspapers.
B. Calling yourself a Christian puts your character on the line.
1) It puts your Savior and your church on the line, too.
2) Our church can only be the kind you want it to be, if
every member takes their character seriously.
IV. A lack of integrity has consequences.
A. It causes distrust.
1) Nobody trusts a liar or a cheat.
2) And once you get that reputation, it is hard to change it.
B. It hinders your testimony.
1) Once you open your mouth and say, "I believe in Jesus,"
people are watching to see if you trip up.
2) The jokes you use, the gossip you share, the corners you
cut are all noticed.
3) Most Christians have a neat solution - they just don't
tell anyone what they believe...
C. It causes non-Christians to be cynical about believers.
1) Some think it is only realistic that we fall short.
Scholar Keith Parsons, who is an atheist, attributes the
success of atheism to religious institutions themselves.
Religions, namely Christianity, set themselves up to fail,
he says, because of the claims they make for themselves.
He says,
"The Christian church, according to its own account, was
charged by its founder to be the light of the world and
the holder to the keys of the kingdom of God.
When so much is expected of an institution or an individual,
moral lapses are going to stick out with particular
vividness.
"It cannot be enough to be no worse than others when you
present yourself as setting the standard."
Parsons then poses this question: "Who needs atheist
agitators when the day-to-day impact of the church on
people's lives is so small?"
#26374
2) That's an honest question.
a) What is the REAL impact of Jesus on your life?
D. It brings reproach on your church.
1) Would anyone look down on this church due to your actions?
E. It wounds your family.
1) Your family name will get a bad reputation that sticks.
2) Your children can pick up bad habits from you.
a) Apples cannot fall far from the tree.
F. It brings death.
1) Ananias and Sapphira are a literal example.
2) But usually the death is more subtle.
a) A life that lacks integrity really lacks God.
b) And on the Judgment Day, you'll find that he won't
recognize you or claim you as his own.
c) The Bible calls this spiritual death, and it lasts
for eternity.
V. How to build integrity into your life.
A. Accept Jesus Christ as your Savior.
Levy Mwanawasa (mwah-nah-WAH-sah) remembered attending a Baptist
mission school in the African country of Zambia as a boy.
The school didn't require a spiritual commitment but it did
teach lessons from the Bible in addition to regular subjects.
In adulthood Levy entered politics and gained a reputation for
honesty so that even his opponents called him
"Mr. Integrity."
In 2002 he was elected president of Zambia.
Soon after this, he began attending a small Baptist church in
the capital, Lusaka.
The president began asking questions about the Christian faith
and how he could join the church.
Church members answered his questions and ministered to him
during difficult times.
After Mwanawasa began attending the church, his mother died
from injuries caused by a fire.
He also lost his two brothers.
One died unexpectedly of illness; the other was murdered.
In 2005, President Mwanawasa was baptized.
He shared his spiritual journey before a packed church, and told
listeners he had been "struck" by Jesus just like the
Apostle Paul's experience on the road to Damascus.
People commented on how the president's life changed from that
point on.
He invited friends and leaders from around the world to attend
church with him.
#29297
President Mwanawasa died three years after his baptism.
One politician paid tribute to him by saying he had observed
the rule of law and gallantly fought graft in all its forms.
You can't say that about many African leaders. Or American...
B. Make God your focus, not other people.
1 Kings 9:4, Proverbs 11:3, Titus 2:7, Colossians 3:23-24.
1) In 1 Kings 9:4, God tells young King Solomon to walk before
him in integrity of heart and uprightness, and to follow
God's law.
Only then would God keep his promises to him.
2) Proverbs 11:3 says the integrity of the upright guides them,
but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.
3) In Titus 2:7, Paul gives advice that is especially needed
today.
He says in everything set an example by doing what is good.
...Show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that
cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be
ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
4) And finally, consider Colossians 3:23-24.
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working
for the Lord, not for men...
It is the Lord Christ you are serving."
C. Work integrity into every area of your life.
1) Marriage and personal relationships.
2) Money and business and taxes.
3) Conversation and promises.
D. Admit your sins and shortcomings and make amends.
1) It's never too late to admit you are wrong.
William Beebe was 42 years old.
23 years previously, while in college, he had assaulted a
young woman.
He was never charged with any crime.
But he became an alcoholic.
Years went by and he began attending Alcoholics Anonymous,
which recommends making amends for our actions that hurt
others, unless doing so would cause further injury.
Beebe wrote the woman a letter of apology, saying, "I want
to make clear that I'm not intentionally minimizing the
fact of having raped you. I did."
"I'm not trying to excuse my behavior, but I was a different
person then.
"I have a purpose, and that gives life meaning.
I didn't have that then."
The woman went to the police and Bill was sentenced to at
least a year and a half in prison.
Some think the woman, and the courts, were too harsh.
So many years had gone by.
But years do not erase guilt.
Only genuine repentance does.
#34244
VI. Integrity is not a means to success.
A. It is the goal in and of itself.
Remember David Li, the guy who found the money-filled envelope?
When his story got out, he was offered jobs by Motorola,
Ameritech, Sony, Hilton Hotels, and a Hyundai dealer.
Mr. Yi wouldn't take any of the jobs he was offered.
He said he would only consider taking a job for which he was
qualified and not one offered solely on the basis of his
doing the right thing.
Such integrity is phenomenal.
It's the kind of integrity God wants us to have.
B. Is this the kind of integrity you have?
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
# 8053 “His Kind of Integrity Is Rare,” by Dan Lupton, Mainstay Church
Ministries, entered March 17, 2007.
#26374 “Atheism: Twilight Or Dawn?” by Michael McCormack, Baptist Press,
http://www.baptistpress.org, March 7, 2007.
#29297 “President of Zambia Accepts Christ, Is Baptized At Local Baptist
Church,” by Shawn Hendricks, Baptist Press,
http://www.baptistpress.org, March 18, 2005; updated to
reflect the president’s death.
#34244 “His Apology Led To His Prison Sentence,” by Kristen Gelineau,
The Associated Press, March 16, 2007.
These and 35,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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