Welcome to Worship
May 16, 2021
Preparing our Hearts for Worship: Rev. Bill Archer
Worship Song (pre-recorded): Lord, I Need You
Worship Team
Children’s Moment: Lisa Jenkins
RBC Easter Offering for North American Missions video: Bobby and Lakeisha Williams, New Orleans, Louisiana
Welcome and Prayer: Rev. Bill Archer
Worship Meditation (pre-recorded): Sing Those Psalms!
Don Dunnevant
Scripture: Acts 4:32-37, 5:1-11
Sermon Series: Acts – The Cure Goes Viral
Sermon Title: Fools Who Tried to Fool God
Rev. Mark Adams
Sermon Notes:
“Be careful not to do your ‘ACTS of righteousness,’ [your righteous PRETENDING] before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in Heaven. And when you give to the needy do not announce it with trumpets, as the HYPOCRITES do in the synagogues and on the streets.” —Matthew 6:1-2
32 - All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.
33 - With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all–
34 - that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales,
35 - and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.
36 - Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”),
37 - sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet. —Acts 4:32-37
1 - Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property.
2 - With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.
3 - Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?
4 - Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”
5 - When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.
6 - Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
7 - About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.
8 - Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?” “Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”
9 - Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”
10 - At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
11 - Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events. —Acts 5:1-11
“All the believers were ONE in heart and mind!” —Acts 4:32
“There were no needy persons among them.” —Acts 4:34
“Stewardship is that divine alchemy by which money is transmuted into men and material possessions exchanged for the eternal riches of mind and spirit.” —J. Wallace Hamilton
“Their evil desire gave birth to sin and their sin when full-grown, gave birth to death.” —James 1:14-15
“Satan roams around the earth.” —Job 1:7
“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” —1 Peter 5:8-9
“I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions.” —Romans 16:17
“Sin has many tools but a lie is the handle which fits them all.” —Oliver Wendell Holmes
“Man looks at the outward, but the Lord looks at the heart.” —1 Samuel 6:7
“For God will bring every deed into judgement, INCLUDING EVERY HIDDEN THING.” —Ecclesiastes 12:14
“You have lied to the Holy Spirit of God and kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land.” —Acts 5:3
“Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.” —Acts 4:11
“We honor Him with our lips but our hearts are far from Him.” —Matthew 15:8
1.) It destroys
.
“I will MAKE myself LIKE the Most High.” —Isaiah 14:14
“Be what you is. Because if you be what you ain’t then you ain’t what you be!” —Old Saying
“Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something different from what it was before—you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God—or else into one that is in a state of war with and hatred of God. To be this kind of creature is Heaven: that is, it is joy and peace and knowledge and power. To be the other means madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence, and eternal loneliness.” —C. S. Lewis
2.) It destroys relationships with
.
“If a Christian is in the fellowship of honest confession with a brother, he will never be alone again anywhere.” —Bonhoeffer
“The single most cause of atheism in our world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips but walk out of the church doors and deny Him with their lifestyle. This is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” —Brennan Manning
3.) It destroys our relationship with
.
“None are so ugly in God’s sight than are those who flaunt a spiritual beauty that they do not possess.” —Anonymous
“God only gives where He finds empty hands.” —St. Augustine
“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men, robbers, evildoers, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.” But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even lookup to Heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God have mercy on me, a sinner.’” —Luke 18:10-13
Prayer and Benediction: Rev. Mark Adams