I have spent a good portion of my adult working life, working in retail. And with each job they trained the managers on how to spot counterfeit money. To the untrained eye the counterfeit money looks exactly like the real money. They are the same length, they feel the same, the information on front seems to be the same. It looks like a real bill. But they are not. So to fight this they have created this special pen that has ink that changes colors once you mark them on a bill. If the bill is real it makes a clear or brown mark. If it is counterfeit, it will make a black mark. But there are times when you find yourself without that special pen, so they showed us other ways to recognize fake money.
And though they have since came out with new 5s, 10s, and 20s, one of the ways you could spot a fake bill on some of the old money was to hold up the bill to the lights and to the side of president on the bill, you can see the image of that same president. But it wasn’t visible to the naked eye. Unless you held it up to the light. If you could see the image of the president then the bill was real and not fake.
You see there are a lot of people who come to church Sunday after Sunday. To the untrained eye they look like believers. They sing like believers, they pray like believers. They dress up like believers every week. They sit in the pews and say amen like believers. To the untrained eye the look like believers.
But only way to tell if they are real is the same way you can tell if money is real. If you hold them up to the light which is Jesus Christ, you should see the image in God in them.
Unfortunately, some of us haven’t truly given our life completely to Jesus and we are walking around as counterfeit believers. We have done it for so long we have even fooled ourselves. We have went through all the rituals and traditions of the church. We have convinced ourselves and others that we are the real deal. We are born again, washed in the blood, filled with the holy ghost, saved by grace, redeemed from sin, bible believing Christians. But when you are held to the light of Jesus Christ. You don’t see the image of God in you.
The problem is that we believe the ritual or tradition has saving power. We have sat on the mourning bench. We have walked to front when the doors of the church were opened. We have been dipped in the baptismal pool or even in a muddy lake. And as we came up we told ourselves that “Now I am saved.” But we never truly did the one thing that truly saves us, and that’s giving our entire life over to Christ. We have been satisfied with giving him just on part of our life. We have been satisfied allocating portions of our life to Jesus. But tonight God as sent me to tell all those who sit here with one foot in Christ and one foot in the world. GOD WANTS IT ALL OR NOTHING AT ALL.
He is no longer satisfied with your partial devotion. He is no longer satified with your partial praise. He is no longer accepting your partial commitment. GOD WANTS IT ALL OR NOTHING AT ALL.
He is no longer pleased with partial service. He no longer wants partial obedience. He will no longer tolerate partial worship. GOD WANTS IT ALL OR NOTHING AT ALL.
The bible says he is a jealous God. The bible says you can’t serve him and mammon. The bible says he is Lord over all. GOD WANTS IT ALL OR NOTHING AT ALL.
As we join our text in Acts the end of the 4th chapter. The bible is showing us the birth of the Christian church. The believers had been filled with the holy spirit. They had performed miracles and preached the gospel of Jesus Christ. The bible says that the believers were of one heart and mind. They were so spirit filled that they began selling their possesions and shared everything with one another. They would sell anything they had and lay the money at the feet of the apostles so that it may be used to help anyone in need.
As a matter of fact, Barnabas, who was a prominent disciple, sold a field that he owned and brought all the money to the apostles.
What a display of faith! God did not make them do this, but because they were fully dedicated to the well being of the church brothers and sisters were doing this out sincerity and love of the brethren. Truly these brothers and sister gave God their all.
But there was one married couple by the name and Ananias and Sapphira. They too had a piece of property. They began to see the noteriaty that the other Christians were getting. They saw how they praised Barnabas when he sold his land. They wanted that praise. They heard Barnabas name mentioned at the last church meeting. They wanted their name mentioned. They may have dedicated a pew the Barnabas family. They wanted a pew dedicated to their family.
You know how it is when people do good things for the wrong reason. You want to help with the program not because you want make sure the service is spirit filled, but you just want your named mention during the Words of Thanks. Doing good things for the wrong reason. You want to lead a song in the choir not because you want to praise the Lord, you just want somebody to say how good you sang. Doing good things for the wrong reason. You want to preach in pulpit not because God has called you, but you want to pad your resume. You want to a good thing for the wrong reason.
Ananais and Sapphira wanted to do a good thing for the wrong reason. But where Ananais messed up was they lied about what they were giving. Let’s read verse 2
READ VERSE 2
The problem was not them keeping any of the money, but they wanted the church to believe they gave it all. They told the church they gave everything they got for the land to the church. They said they gave it all.
Oh, church this reminds me of what goes on here at New Rock Hill. We come to church and say a few amens and clap our hands and we tell God, “I gave you ALL my praise.” We sing along to a few songs, we stand when the deacons say stand and sit when they say sit, and we tell God, “I gave you ALL my worship.” We throw a little change in the offering and raise our hand during benediction and we tell God, “I gave you ALL my service.” And the fact of the matter we have lied. We have attempted to fool everyone around us as if we are a true believer because we have done everything that everyone else has done. But you are counterfeits. But you have not lied to your brother’s and sister’s. You have not fooled the pastor. Your deceit is much more serious. According to Peter at the end of verse 4, you have lied to God.
Our relationship with God is a serious thing. This is not pretend. And church it is time to wake up.
I want you to understand the serious nature of this. Many of us walked up to the mourning bench during revival or another time. We sat there. Or we walked up the front and sat in the chair when we opened the doors of the church. Some of us have had the mothers pray and pray over us. And we stood up and said, “I want to dedicated my life to Christ.” “I want Christ to come into my heart.” “I want to give my all to Jesus.” Many of us cried. Some of us shouted. The church clapped and your mother smiled. You came and held the hand of the preacher as he led you into the water. You closed you eyes and the fully dipped you down and brought you up again. And even after all of that some us still have not kept our promise to God. We have dedicate our life to Christ. We have not invited Christ into our hearts. We have not given all to Jesus. We have stood up in church and lied to God.
Ananais and Sapphira didn’t have to sell the land. And even once they sold they didn’t have to give the money. It was theirs. They could do what ever they wanted with it. But they chose to try to fool God. And when you lie to God there is only one outcome. Let’s read the first part of verse 5.
God is going to hold you accountable for your actions. We can not pretend to be believers. We can’t go on giving God only part of our life.
Some of us don’t mind God in our spiritual matters
But we don’t want him in our marriage.
Some of us don’t mind God helping out at work
But we don’t want him messing with our finances.
The time has come for us to stop short changing God. There are no part-time positions available in the body of Christ. You can’t be a part-time worshipper of a full time God.
And God is now demanding of you, everything you’ve promised to him.
All that you have dedicated to him.
All that you have devoted to him.
God is not accepting partial payment.
GOD WANTS IT ALL OR NOTHING AT ALL
The bible says, that you should offer your body as a living sacrifice.
That we must offer a sacrifice of praise.
And we should offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving.
But if you are going to sacrifice, GOD WANTS IT ALL OR NOTHING AT ALL.
The bible says we must worship in spirit and truth.
We should worship the Lord with Gladness
And we should worship the only true God
But if you are going to worship, GOD WANTS IT ALL OR NOTHING AT ALL.
The bible says, let everything that have breath praise ye the Lord
And praise should continually be in my mouth
And you should enter his courts with praise
But if you are going to praise God, you better GIVE HIM ALL OR NOTHING AT ALL.
HE WANTS IT ALL OR NOTHING AT ALL because he deserves it.
HE WANTS IT ALL OR NOTHING AT ALL because he has earned it because he gave us his all.
He came through 42 generations
Stopped off in the little town of Bethelem
Born to a virgin mother
When John saw him he say, “behold the lamb of which taketh away the sins of the world.”
When Andrew saw him he told his brother Peter, “We have found the Messiah.”
You can call him a lamb. You can call him the messiah. But I just call him Jesus
Jesus the lily of the valley.
Jesus the bright and morning star
Jesus the root of Jessie
Jesus the lion of Judah
Jesus the great I AM
Jesus the way maker
Jesus the burden bearer
Jesus the light of the word
Jesus the Great Shepherd
JESUS
He went around feed the hungry and heal the sick
They put him on trial.
They marched him from judgment hall to judgment hall
They marched him up Calvary
They nailed him on the cross
He died for your sins and my sins
They buried in Joseph of Ariminthia’s tomb
He stayed there three days and three nights
But early Sunday morning he rose with all power in his hand.
And because he died for you
And because he was buried for you
And because he rose for you
He deserves it ALL NOT NOTHING AT ALL
