Hold out or Sold out

announcements

No meeting until august

Intro

When you go to a big dinner, like thanksgiving or family Christmas where everyone brings food, there are generally two types of people. First we have the correct people who make sure that none of the food is touching. The ham is in one area, the stuffing is in its own compartment, the rolls are off on their own, and the mac and cheese has its own little section, and none of them should ever touch. Or you have the psychopaths who just throw all of their food on the plate, with mashed potatoes overflowing into the green beans, and the roll sitting on the mashed potatoes, and all of the food is all over each other.

Now obviously Im kidding about the psychopath thing, everybody is different in the way that they like their food. I just happen to land in the I love school lunch trays group because each item has its own pocket on the lunch tray. However we tend to treat Christianity very similarly to that if we are honest. When it comes to God we decide well lets keep God over here on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights, but on Friday nights thats my time, and I dont want God to touch or interfere with my time.

But heres the thing we have two different options with our lives, we can hold out parts of our life, or be sold out completely to God.

Acts 5:1–11 NIV

Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 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. 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? 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.” When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?” “Yes,” she said, “that is the price.” 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.” 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. Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

So you just saw what can happen when you hold out away from God, now lets look at characteristics of when you sell out for God.

Lives Humbly

First we live humbly. Who can tell me what the enemy of humility is? Pride Now this doesnt mean that we cant be proud of good work that we do, but what it does mean is that we need to make sure we keep things in the proper perspective. That we are not able to do anything without God’s help.

Pride then leads to being selfish, and selfishness eventually will lead to compromising what you believe. Because true Christianity and selfishness cannot coexist. We see this in the story of Ananias and Saphira, they were trying to be selfish to lie and keep some of the money for themselves, and in the end it cost them their lives.

Philippians 2:3–4 NIV

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

1 Peter 5:6 NIV

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

So God commands us to humble ourselves, not so that we will always be down in the dumps but so that we can give Him the glory for what we are able to accomplish through Him.

Live Sacrificially

Next if we are Sold out we will live sacrificially and give to those around us. We see the opposite of this in the story of Annanias and Sapphira, when they held back portions of the property sale to keep for themselves, instead of giving it all to the church. We are called to sacrifice throughout our lives for Christ. Our time, our money, our abilities and talents. We have to be willing to give them all up to God, and heres the thing, it doesnt mean that we give all of these things up and never use them, in fact in means the opposite. We give them to Christ and allow Him to multiply it, and use it for His purposes in ways we could never imagine.

Romans 12:1 NIV

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

Live Honestly

Not only do we live humbly, and sacrificially, but we are also called to live honestly.

Acts 5:3–4 NIV

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? 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.”

We are called to live honestly and not just about the big things but about little things as well.

Story about pillow fight on Awana trip

We have to continue to live honestly because our trust is so much more difficult to earn than it is to lose.

Here is the thing your ability may be able to get you into a position or job, however it is your character and honesty that will keep you there, and we see this time and time again, in sports, in music, in large corporations there are stories after stories of people who may have been good at their job, but their character ended up costing them the whole thing.

Live Fearfully

Lastly if you are sold out not only will you Live Humbly, sacrificially, and honestly but you will live fearfully.

Proverbs 1:7 NIV

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Now this doesnt mean that we are terrified of what God is going to do. God is not the almighty smiter that from Bruce almighty. But that we should honor, respect and love God more than anything in this world, and Ill be honest I dont always get this one right. There are a lot of fun things that we want to do. like drive go karts at 40 miles per hour. But what living fearfully really means is making sure that God is the primary thought we have when we make decisions.

We all live fearfully of someone or something, and to figure out who or what that thing is we have to ask ourselves, what is the biggest influence I have in my decision making. Why should I not punch someone in the face? Is it because I dont want my parents to find out? I dont want to go to jail? or because I know God has a better plan for me?