The Tragic Results of Unthankfulness

Well, once again, happy Sabbath, brethren! I hope you had a wonderful and enjoyable Thanksgiving. I know my family did. We're having our second Thanksgiving later today with the other part of our family. So Thanksgiving is always a very special time. As we know, those of us who are history buffs, is that it was originally set apart as a day to thank our gracious God for His bountiful blessings on His people, the nation of the United States and His people. And indeed, we are truly blessed. Just to remind us of how blessed we are, I thought I would give you some facts from UNICEF. UNICEF is an agency of the United Nations, and I think particularly as Americans, we can tend to become very selfish, have an attitude of entitlement, and I think it's good for us. Just be reminded of what the rest of the world is like. Here are some facts from UNICEF. Nearly one half of the world's population, more than 3 billion people, live on less than $2.50 a day. Now, among them is what they call severe or extreme poverty by their definition. 1.3 billion people live in extreme poverty. They live on less than $1.25 a day. According to their statistics, 1 billion children worldwide are living in poverty. That's billion with a B. According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to the effects of poverty, including hunger and the disease that usually is a result of malnutrition. I want you to think about that. I checked. That is exactly the entire population of Avon, Ohio. So I'd like you to think the population of Avon, Ohio, dying every day, day after day after day, that's how many children die due to the lingering effects of hunger and disease in this world.

They say that 805 million people worldwide do not have enough food to eat. In 2011, 165 million children under the age of five were permanently stunted due to chronic malnutrition, so they'll never achieve the height that they could have achieved. More than 750 million people lack adequate access to clean drinking water. Diarrhea alone, I know it's not pleasant to think about, but just as a disease alone is caused by inadequate drinking water, sanitation and hand hygiene, it kills an estimated 842,000 people every year, or approximately 2,300 people a day, from something that's preventable. If you just have good hygiene, it's absolutely positively preventable. 2,300 children day after day after day. Another statistic, more than one-third of Africa lacks clean water, and hence, life nets and our very aggressive activities in building boreholes, creating boreholes in villages that help everyone who lives in those villages and those parts of Africa. One quarter of all humans live without electricity. Boy, wasn't it nice that we got up this morning and, you know, maybe you were a little chilled and you hit that thermostat and electricity had went through those wires and kicked on your furnace. You walked to the refrigerator and you opened the door and the light came on. That's electricity. And the food was chilled. That's electricity. Think of all the things that we take for granted just by having electricity in our homes. It says about 2.8 billion people still rely on wood, crop waste, dung and other biomass to cook and heat their homes. 2.8 billion. So the next time we walk to the kitchen and we turn that little dial on a stove and if it's gas, it, oh, these little flames just come jumping out of the burner. Ooh! There are 2.8 billion people who don't have that luxury. They're burning biomass in order to create heat or in order to cook their food. Another interesting statistic, Americans spend more on Halloween than the entire world spends in preventing malaria for a year. We spend more during the Halloween season. Well, brethren, the truth is, in spite of our American proclivities to wine and complain, most Americans live better than their parents did with a higher standard of living. And most of us live far, far better than our grandparents lived. I don't know of very many Americans, and I have church brethren, I have people that I work with in the secular world, I have people that I interact with in community programs like Community Action, which helps people become self-sustaining, helps them to get out of poverty. I know very few people, no matter what their station in life, who do not live better than their parents did. And virtually all of them live far, far higher qualities of life than their grandparents did. So today I would like to highlight a very perverse and dark side of human nature.

And here's the perverse dark side of human nature. It is that we tend to quickly forget what we have. We tend to quickly forget all that we've been given. And when it's easy to acquire an attitude of selfish entitlements or to begin making demands. And God knew this, he said in Deuteronomy chapter 8 and verse 11, we won't turn there, he said, But when you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the land that he has given you. Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments, his judgments and his statutes, which I command you this day. So he knew the proclivity of human nature to say, yeah, I've got all these things, but I want more. Yeah, God, I really recognize all you've done for me, but what have you done for me lately? A lot of people, sadly, are like that. So today what I like to do is take a look at three examples in scriptures. Normally, my sermons tend to be like how-to and tend to be very positive oriented. These are bad examples, but they're bad examples for a reason because we don't want to be like the examples of the people that we're going to see in the scriptures today. We're going to look at what a lack of thankfulness for material blessings produces in life. When you're given a lot and you don't appreciate it, what it turns one into. We're going to take a look at an example. Then we're going to see what a lack of thankfulness for God's mercy produces in individuals. And then our third example, we're going to see what a lack of thankfulness for being part of God's church can do to people. So let's begin by going to 1 Samuel, chapter 25. If you'll turn there with me, we will look at the first example. 1 Samuel, chapter 25.

It says here, beginning in chapter 25, verse 1, that Samuel died, and the Israelites gathered together and lamented for him, and buried him at his home, and David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Peran. Now, by this time, David and Saul, our enemies, Saul despises David. When Samuel was alive, he was a good mediator. He could keep a civil relationship between the two, but now that Samuel has died, David knows he needs to literally flee for his life. So that's what he does. And he goes south of Judah and meets a number of individuals who gather with him, and he lives in the wilderness of Peran.

Verse 2. Now, there was a man in Moan whose business was in Carmel. Now, both of these are south of the Dead Sea. These are almost sister cities. If you look on a map, they're very close to one another. Again, they are in southern Judah as it borders on the wilderness with a number of pagan peoples and south of the Dead Sea. Okay, so there was a man in Meon whose business was in Carmel, and the man was very rich, and he had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats.

He was shearing his sheep in Carmel. The name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife was Abigail. And she was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance. But the man was harsh and evil in his doings, and he was of the house of Caleb. Again, this reminds us that everyone's a free moral agent, even though Caleb was a righteous man, was one of the two spies who came back with a good report, and was blessed with a lot of land and was a leader in that community.

It just shows a few generations later, I don't know if he would have been the great-great grandson or what his connection would have been to Caleb, but this man is nothing like his ancestor Caleb, as we'll see. Nabal means fool. Maybe he was such a nasty guy because he had that name. I don't know. It means fool or rude or ill-bred. And frankly, and sadly, he was, as we'll see, very selfish. He was greedy. He was arrogant. And this event was happening at the time of sheep-sharing, which in ancient Israelite custom was a time for great rejoicing with all kinds of food and drink because wool was such an important part of their economy.

Wool meant wealth. So everyone had a big festival, drank a lot, ate a lot, had a good time when it was time to shear the sheep. David was not yet king, and he and his band, by now he had gathered about 600 men who also were outcast for one reason or another, decided to bond with him and to serve him and be part of his group. They had all been outlawed by King Saul. They were living in the wilderness of Puran, and they were providing voluntary protection to the shepherds who lived in the area from poachers and raiders.

As I said earlier, this was the part of southern Judah where there were a lot of non-Israelite peoples. A lot of raiders, a lot of gangs who would come and poach sheep who would steal animals, who would kill animals. And David and his men were protecting the flocks of Nabal from those types of people. Verse 4, when David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep, David sent ten young men, and David said to the young men, he said, all right, I want you to go to Carmel, to go to Nabal, and greet him in my name, and I want you to say to this man who lives in prosperity, this is a man who has a lot to spare, and I just want you to say these words to him, peace be to you, peace to your house, and peace to all that you have.

Now I have heard that you have shearers, your shepherds were with us, and we did not hurt them, nor was there anything missing from them while they were in Carmel. And that's obviously because David's group protected them from raiders, from gangs, from those who would steal or kill their sheep. Verse 8, ask your young men, and they will tell you, therefore, let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day.

Look, everyone's having a good time. You're rejoicing. The wine is flowing like water. There is plenty of food. It's been a great year. You haven't lost any animals. Your profits are magnificent. So we're coming to ask you to do a favor for us, to help us. And he continues here. Verse 8, ask your young men, and they will tell you, therefore, let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever comes to your hand to your servants and to your son, David. So he says, you know what? I'm leaving this up to you. Now, David doesn't make a demand. He doesn't say, all right, I want 100 sheep, 50 goats, 87,000 barrels of wine. He doesn't say any of that. He says, hey, whatever you want to give, look into your heart, and whatever you want to give, give it to these young men as just a way of showing appreciation for the fact that because they diligently protected your flock, that you have such a great harvest this year. You have lots of sheep and lots of wool. So that's basically what they say. And so the words here that David carefully used were a reminder to Nabal that his prophet would not have been as large if his shepherds had not been protected by David's men. And using these words, which are very diplomatic, David extends a great deal of honor to Nabal, acknowledging him as a nobleman of importance. Nabal, who certainly knew who David was, responded, as we'll see here in the next few verses, he responds by questioning David's lineage. He pretends he doesn't know who David is. Everybody knows who Saul and David are. And he offends David's lineage, which is not a healthy thing to do, I might add. And David gets very angry. So let's read about it, verse 9.

Jesse, I've never heard of them! Well, of course, that's ridiculous. He says, there are many servants nowadays who break away each one from his master. So he's implying that David is an outlaw, that he somehow did something wrong, and that he's broken away from Saul, and he's down here as an outlaw. Just, again, not a healthy thing to imply to a man who was known historically as David. Verse 11, shall I then take, and I want you to notice these words very carefully, because these express his attitude about life, and they express his attitude about other people. Let's read this. Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my meat, that I have killed for my shearers? Do you see a pattern there? Do you see it's all about me and my and I? Do you see a slight little ego distortion here on behalf of this very arrogant man? So he says, and give it to men whom I do not know where they come from. So again, I want to highlight the my's and the I's in his reply. Also notice that there is no recognition by Nabal of God's blessing or providence. He doesn't say, God has given me this, or the great God of heaven has blessed me with these. No, he leaves God totally out of the discussion, because he's not a believer. He doesn't believe in the God of Israel. So again, he doesn't mention God's blessing or providence in his life. God does not thank or praise God at all for all that he has. He is very unthankful. He thinks he's owed this prosperity. He thinks he's entitled to this prosperity. It has turned him into a greedy, selfish, arrogant fool, which is what Nabal means. Verse 12, so David's young men turned on their heels and went back. They didn't linger. They didn't try to talk him out of it. They just turned on their heels. It means they spun around, had a nice day, got back in their donkeys, and they took off. They left.

And they came and they told him all these words. David said to his men, this is not a good sign, by the way, every man gird on his sword. So every man girded on his sword, and David also girded on his sword. And about 400 men went with David, and 200 stayed with the supplies. It just shows you what a dangerous neighborhood it was, that he needed to leave one-third of his army or 200 men back to protect their possessions. Because if you didn't, the Amalekites or some other raiding party would come and steal everything that you had. So again, this exemplifies the importance of having protection, which Nabal should have appreciated. So David is angry, and frankly here, he's overreacting. He's intent, as we'll see in wiping out the males of Nabal's family, because Nabal had mocked David and his father's lineage. He said, these people are nobodies.

I don't even know this, David. Who is this son of Jesse? Jesse who? This was very offensive in Hebrew society, and David snapped. He is very angry. Verse 14, let's pick it up here. Now one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, and he reviled them.

But the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, nor did we miss anything as long as we accompanied them when we were in the fields. They were a wall to us both by night and day, all the time we were with them keeping the sheep. Now therefore, know and consider what you will do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his household, for he is such a scoundrel that one cannot speak to him. I'm going to read that again. For he is such a scoundrel that one cannot speak to him. So they go to Abigail, who is warned in advance. They tell her what's going to happen. The young man went to her because her husband was such a stubborn know-it-all that you couldn't even have a conversation with him. You couldn't reason with him. So she decides to intervene, to spare the life of the males in the family. Verse 18, The Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep already dressed, five siyas of roasted grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys. And she said to her servants, Go on before me, I am coming after you. But she did not tell her husband, Nabal. So it was, as she rode on the donkey, that she went down under the cover of a hill, and there were David and his men coming down towards her, and she met them. Now David had said, this is the way he had said to his men, Surely in vain I have protected all that this fellow has in the wilderness so that nothing was missed. And all that belongs to him. And he has repaid me evil for good. May God do so, and more also to the enemies of David, if I leave one male of all who belong to him by morning light. So David's saying, I'm going to wipe out every male of that clan, of that family, of that group, by morning.

Now obviously David is very angry, and he's ready to do something that would not have been good. It would have harmed his reputation in Israel. You see, he was viewed in Israel not as an aggressor. He was viewed in Israel sympathetically. He was seen as an innocent victim of Saul's madness. People liked David. People thought highly of David. But frankly, at this point in time, he's thinking like Saul. He's acting like something Saul would have done. Yet, what intervenes and what stops David from this very foolish act is the dignity, the class, and humility of a woman named Abigail who is about to save him from a big mistake. Let's pick it up in verse 23.

So she fell at his feet and said, On me, O Lord, on me, let this iniquity be. So the first thing she does is she accepts blame for something that you could say is not really her blame. But humbly, in order to spare innocent people from being killed, she accepts the blame. She says, put it on me. It's my fault. Continuing. And please let your maidservant speak in your ears and hear the words of your maidservant. So she says, hear me out, David. Let me tell you what really happened. Verse 25, please, let not my Lord regard this scoundrel, Nabal, for as his name is, so he is. So she acknowledges the fact that Nabal is a fool. She says, Nabal is his name and folly is with him.

She says, but I, your maidservant, did not see the young man of my Lord whom you sent. Now therefore, my Lord, the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, since the Lord has held you back from coming to bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek harm for my Lord be as Nabal.

She says, it's actually God through my intervention here that is holding you back from doing something to destroy your reputation, for doing something that's impetuous, for doing something that you would be sorry about doing. I'm going to read verse 26 in the New Century version. The Lord has kept you from killing and punishing anyone as surely as the Lord lives, and as surely as you live, may your enemies become like Nabal.

So she's saying, I pray that all of your enemies throughout your lifetime act like fools. Continuing on, verse 27. And now this present, remember all that she put together, the bread and wine and everything on the donkeys, and now this present, which your maidservant has brought to my Lord, let it be given to the young men who follow my Lord. Please forgive the trespass of your maidservant. She accepts the blame. She says, I'm the transgressor. It was my mistake, and I want to make it right right now.

For the Lord will certainly make for my Lord an enduring house, she begins to prophesy, because my Lord fights the battles of the Lord, the eternal Yahweh. And evil is not found in you throughout your days. Yet a man has risen to pursue you and seek your life, but the life of my Lord shall be bound in a bundle, meaning not scattered or lost, her life would be bundled together, protected, kept together, of the living with the Lord your God and the lives of your enemies.

He shall sling out as from the pocket of a sling. So she's saying, yes, we know that Saul is trying to kill you, but I'm here to tell you that God is going to hold it all together. He's going to bundle your life together and protect you. And any enemy that you have, he's going to be like a stone in a slingshot. He's just going to be slung out somewhere. So God is going to protect you, David.

I'm telling you this right now is what she's saying. Verse 30, and it shall come to pass, When the Lord has done for my Lord, according to all that he has spoken concerning you, and he has appointed you ruler over Israel, that this will be no grief to you, nor offensive heart to my Lord, either that you have shed blood without cause, or that my Lord has avenged himself.

She says there's going to come a time when you're going to be king of Israel, and you're going to look at this day and you're going to say, you know what, I am glad that I didn't kill innocent people. I'm glad I don't have that in my memory.

I'm glad I don't have the stink in my reputation of having been a hothead and lost my cool due to my ego being offended and went in and slaughtered these people. She says there's going to come a time when you're going to recognize that, but when the Lord has dealt with my Lord, then remember your maidservant. In other words, she says remember that I'm the one that told you this. I'm the one that gave you this prophecy.

Why look back in shame to an event that you would regret, meaning killing all of these innocent people? I want you to notice how she encourages David about his future and about his destiny. Abigail utters a prophecy about David's future. She takes the blame herself and asks for forgiveness. She tells him that he will indeed be a successful king someday, who will not have to live with the deep regret that at this time he lost his temper, lost his cool, and killed innocent people in the household of Nabal. Verse 32, then David said to Abigail, Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me.

And blessed is your advice, and blessed are you, because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand. Not because God would have directed it, but I would have done it all by myself, because I lost my cool. Verse 34, for indeed, as the Lord God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from hurting you, unless you had hastened and come to meet me, surely by morning light no males would have been left to Nabal.

He says, you, young lady, are the one who stopped this. You get all of the credit. If it hadn't been for you stopping here right now, it was a done deal. Verse 35, so David received from her hand what she had brought him, and said to her, go up in peace to your house. See, I have heeded your voice and respected your person. Now Abigail went to Nabal, and there he was, holding a feast in his house like the feast of a king. In other words, wine was flowing like tap water.

Food was everywhere. Everybody was having a riotous, good time. And Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk. Therefore, she told him nothing. He wouldn't remember it anyway. She told him nothing, little or much, until morning light. So it was in the morning when the wine had gone from Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became like a stone. This is probably, most likely, a stroke associated, perhaps, that resulted in a heart attack. When she tells him, he becomes so irate and so enraged, he literally has a stroke.

And then it came about, after about ten days, that the Lord struck Nabal, and he died. So, you know, he has a stroke, he's paralyzed, his heart died within him, wasn't beating properly. Again, he may have had a blood clot that went to the heart, he lingers on for about ten days. Remember, they didn't have intravenous medications or liquids or anything in those days, and he died. So Nabal had a stroke when he found out what Abigail had done. In the end, because of his selfishness, because he was not thankful for the things he had been given, he lost his wealth, he lost his life, and he even lost his wife.

To guess who? He lost his wife, the David, who married her after Nabal had died.

So, let me ask this question. What did Nabal lack? We ponder this story. Well, he lacked a thankfulness towards God and towards others. He was too materialistic, he was too controlling, he was too self-absorbed to show gratitude towards others, to be generous. He didn't acknowledge God for all that he had, and it was all due. God is the giver of prosperity. Everything that we have in this earth, including physical life itself, from the moment we took our first breath, is a gift from God. God gives it all. He was unwilling to show thankfulness by sharing what he had.

Very powerful story. So, brethren, when others look at us and our personal examples, what do they see? Do they see people who truly live by the fruit of the Spirit, or do they see people who resemble a Nabal? Proud, selfish, greedy, arrogant, not thankful for what they have, entitled, thinking they're old, everything. What do people see when they see us? Tell me, brethren, have you ever heard of Amiel? Have you ever heard of Sather?

Have you ever heard of Nabhi? Have you ever heard of Agruel? You probably haven't. You don't know who these names are, because these names most likely mean nothing to you. It's because these names are the names of some of the spies who returned from the Promised Land in Numbers 13 and told Moses, We can't conquer it. We can't go there. They're too big for us. You see, they weren't thankful for all of God's miracles and promises. They weren't grateful for the privilege to be the very first Israelites to enter the Promised Land. They didn't appreciate the fact that for 40 years they never missed Amiel. They weren't thankful that for all that time that their clothes and their sandals never wore out. Those names, those individuals, and remember all the spies were leaders of their tribes. That's what the Scriptures say. All of the names of the individuals that I mentioned are lost in the dustpan of history, mentioned once, and easily forgotten because they were not thankful for what God had done for them. Now, have you ever heard of the names of Joshua and Caleb? Well, of course you have because they were thankful for all that God did for them. When they returned, they came back because of that sense of thankfulness. They came back with a positive can-do attitude. Not whining, not complaining like the others, not always seeing the glass in every situation is half empty, but they saw the potential. Why? Because they were thankful for everything that God had done for them in their lives.

Now, let's take a look at a shorter example, another example. In the New Testament, if you'll turn to Luke 17 and verse 12. Luke 17 and verse 12. An event, a miracle, from Jesus Christ himself. Interesting story. Luke 17 and verse 12. Then, as he, speaking of Christ, entered a certain village, there met him, and there were ten men who were lepers who stood afar off. Now, why are they standing afar off? I'll let the believers, or I'm sorry, Holman's Bible dictionary tell us what they faced.

This is quote, For the Hebrews it was a dreaded malady which rendered its victims ceremonially unclean. That is unfit to worship God. Leviticus chapter 13 and verse 3, continuing, Anyone who came in contact with a leper was also considered unclean. Therefore, lepers were isolated from the rest of the community, so that the members of the community could maintain their status as worshippers. It says, Even houses and garments could have leprosy, and thus be unclean. And they refer to Leviticus chapter 14 and verse 33.

When Jesus enters this village, that's why these ten lepers are standing afar off. In his ministry, Jesus touched lepers to heal them. He did that in Mark chapter 1 and verse 40. He touched a leper to heal them, and he even commanded his disciples to cleanse lepers in Matthew chapter 10 and verse 8. But all of that is a sermon for another time.

Let's drop down to verse 13 here and stay on context. And they lifted up their voices and said, Jesus, master, have mercy on us. So when he saw them, he said to them, Go, show yourselves to the priest. And so it was, as they went, they were cleansed. So as they left him and walked to the priest, if you'll remember the teachings of the book Leviticus, a priest had to examine them for any marks of leprosy, and the priest could say, I've examined you, you are now clean, you no longer have the disease, welcome back to the community.

And it says, on their way to see a priest, they instantaneously, miraculously were healed of this leprosy. Verse 15, And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks. This man was given his life back, just like you and I were. We once were living a different lifestyle.

We were under condemnation. We had no hope for a future, and Jesus Christ gave us our lives back. How thankful are we to Jesus Christ? Are we as thankful as this man was, who was just merely physically healed? So he fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks, and he was a Sadducee? A very religious people, a Pharisee? A Levite? Oh no, my friends. He was a Samaritan. He was the most despised member of the Hebrew culture. So Jesus answered and said, were there not ten cleansed? But where are the other nine?

Were they not any found who refused to give glory to God except this foreigner of all people? This foreigner? And he said to him, arise, go your way, your faith has made you well. So I want to ask today, is this a story about any of us, brethren? What did Jesus do for these ten sinners? As I mentioned, he literally gave them their lives back. Not only were they healed of this terrible disease, they were now free to return to their families and be hugged and be touched by people who loved them.

They were now free to rejoin the communities that had ostracized them. Christ came and gave them a brand new life, just like he has done for us. So do we have a thankful attitude for our calling?

Do we often give God thanks for all that we have? Are we grateful for God's mercy upon us and the opportunity to be a new creation in Christ, a phrase that Paul uses in Galatians 6 and verse 15? Or are we like the nine lepers in this story who just take our calling for granted? Yeah, that was good. Baptism was really a powerful thing in my life. But now I'm just taking it for granted. Now I'm just coasting. I'm not getting the study in that I need to.

I'm not praying anymore. I know I show up to church half the time, and half the time I'm there, my mind is drifting. Do we have... have we acquired an attitude of spiritual entitlement? Or do we have a deep, abiding gratitude and thanksgiving to God for all that He has done for us? Well, let's take a look at the third example now. What can happen when one is literally a member of the Church of God and develops an attitude of ungratefulness, of unthankfulness, an attitude that warps their mind and causes them to do something that literally could cost us our eternal life?

We'll go to Acts 4 and verse 33. Acts 4 and verse 33. And I have to sadly say that I have known people in the Church in my lifetime who did something very similar to this. It may not have been about money, but it truly was about manipulating people, trying to pump themselves up in the eyes of the Church, trying to be preeminent, trying to buy a Church office, trying to be influential.

I've seen, sadly, a lot of that in my lifetime. So let's take a look at Acts 4 and verse 33. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. What a beautiful Scripture. Great grace was upon them all. Verse 34. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked, for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold and laid them at the apostles' feet, and they distributed to each as anyone had need.

And Joseph, who was also named Barnabas by the apostle, which is translated son of encouragement, a Levite of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet. Now, I have to give a little background here. I have to give the context, lest anyone jump out of their seat and say, this is what we should be doing from now on, Mr. Thomas. In context, the Church was basically confined to Jerusalem, and they mistakenly believed that Jesus Christ would return any day.

And I can say, mistakenly, quite with authority, because it's 2,000 years later and he hasn't arrived yet. But that's what they truly believed. Some members, as Jesus had prophesied, lost their families when they accepted Jesus as a Messiah. Jewish culture had ostracized them. Their family would no longer talk to them. Many lost their livelihoods. They couldn't make a living anymore because they were a believer, they were a heretic in the eyes of the Jews, and a believer in Jesus, they lost their clients.

They lost their ability to even have a living. That's what this is all about. So they pooled together their resources to wait it out, because they truly believed that Jesus Christ would come in their lifetimes any day. Barnabas was so thankful to the Church that he sold his land and he gave it all to the Church to help the needy. And this was not a command from the apostles. You didn't have to do this. But pretty soon after it had been done a couple of times, it became in the minds of many the right thing to do.

So people began selling their lands and giving the proceeds of their lands to the apostles, who would make sure that there was no one hungry or no one with a particular need. They would supply those needs. They simply did it because they had an attitude of gratitude. However, sadly, two individuals were not grateful for their calling.

They didn't take it seriously. And they saw an opportunity to look good in the eyes of others. To do that, however, they would have to lie. Instead of being appreciative for the salvation they had been given, they saw this as an opportunity to achieve political influence in the Church. And here's what happened, chapter 5, verse 1. But a certain man named Ananias and Sapphira, his wife, sold a possession, and he kept back part of the proceeds. Now, he was claiming, as Barnabas had done, that he was giving it all. That here's everything I got from the sale of this land.

But he kept some of it back for himself. And his wife, also aware of it, and they brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles' feet. Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to the light of the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? Look, you owned the land. You didn't even have to sell it, he said. No one commanded anyone to do this. It was your land. You didn't even have to sell it. Furthermore, and after it was sold, was it not in your own control?

You could have come here and said, I'm giving half the proceeds. You know what? You could have said, I've sold my land. I'm not giving you anything. That at least would have been truthful. He said it was in your control even at that time. Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? To sell it? To imply and tell the church you're giving all the proceeds of the land and holding back on some of it.

Just to make yourself look good. Just so that you impress people. And again, and after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God. And the reason he says that he had lied to God is God is the giver of the Holy Spirit.

He's not saying that the Holy Spirit is God. He's saying you have lied to God, the great God, who gave you that gift. God is the one who was offended with this sin. So what does this event tell us? Well, it tells us, first of all, there was 11, even in the early New Testament church, even while the original apostles lived. Because God has a great sense of humor and he decided to have his church composed of flawed human beings.

People who are weak, people who are struggling with issues of their own, God's church has never been perfect. It still is not perfect. Sadly, Ananias was politicking to be preeminent, to attain a church office, because they truly weren't thankful for what God had given them. It wasn't enough. They wanted to be praised. They wanted to be recognized. They wanted preeminence. They wanted to look important in the eyes of other people. So what they had was just not good enough for them.

They weren't thankful to God that, of all the people in this world, they were called out and given the gift of the Holy Spirit and given the precious privilege to become a new creature in Jesus Christ. They were willing to deceive others to appear better or more righteous than they really were. And the consequences were terrible. Let's read about that in verse 5. Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. And the young men arose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.

And the beautiful thing about Peter is Peter doesn't accuse her. He gives her a chance to redeem or condemn herself. He gives her a chance to say, oh, you know, I've been thinking about this and we weren't quite telling you everything. Actually, we sold the land for this much and were only given this much.

He gives her a chance. Peter answered her, tell me whether you sold the land for so much. She gives her a chance to repent. She gives her a chance to redeem herself. And she said yes for so much. Then Peter said to her, how is it that you have agreed together to test the spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door and they will carry you out.

Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. Then a young man came in and probably said, oh, no, not again, right? Came in and found her dead and carrying her out, buried her by her husband. So great fear came upon all the church, upon all who heard these things.

Horrible! But again, it's a warning to us of how we can morph from Thanksgiving into an attitude of entitlement. If we're not careful, because it's a dark, hideous part of our human nature. We go from gratefulness and Thanksgiving to slowly becoming accepting of it, to slowly becoming to the point where we think we earn it, we deserve it, to slowly getting to the point where we think we're entitled to it. And that's dangerous. Spiritually dangerous. It's physically dangerous.

This was a one-time event intended to be a warning for all generations of what will spiritually happen to those who lie and manipulate in the church for their own personal gain. Now, these people were fortunate. They only lost their physical lives, as far as we know. But there's a spiritual warning here for those who would try to politic and manipulate the church of God for their own personal gain. Again, when Thanksgiving morphs into an attitude of entitlement, these are the kinds of things that happen. So, in contrast to that, those three examples—and they were not very pleasant examples, I might add—what is the attitude that we should have? Just a couple of scriptures as we conclude this sermon today. Psalm 26 and verse 6. If you'll turn there with me. Psalm 26 and verse 6. Very beautiful psalm that should be in the forefront of our minds. Because of all people who live in the earth, we should be most appreciative for the good things that God has given us.

Psalm 26 and verse 6. I will wash my hands in innocence. And you know who gives us innocence? You know who made us innocent in the eyes of God in spite of our flaws and weaknesses? The shed blood, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, has made us innocent and righteous in the eyes of God. I wash my hands in innocence, so I go about your altar, O Lord, that I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving and tell of all your wondrous works, all of the great things you have done in my life, all of the great promises that you have for your people and your children, with the voice of thanksgiving and tell all of your wondrous works, Lord, I have loved the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells. I love your church. I love my brothers and sisters in Christ. I love all of the spiritual blessings that you have showered upon me as the hymn says, Blessings unmeasured, morning by morning, new mercies, I see. The shed blood of Jesus Christ makes us innocent and sinless in God's sight. We, of all people, should proclaim a voice of thanksgiving each and every day, no matter what we're going through, no matter what trials we're facing, because we know that everything that happens to us is for a purpose. God has it in His plan. Let's go to Colossians now, chapter 2 and verse 5. We'll go to the New Testament and see what Paul writes. Colossians chapter 2 and verse 5.

Paul said to that faithful congregation, He wasn't with them at that time, he was just writing them a letter. Yet I'm with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him. Let us follow the example of Jesus Christ. Let us have that mindset. Let us have His attitude. Let us have His perspective about our purpose and our destiny.

Verse 7.

So again, we should be rooted in Jesus Christ. Our roots should go deep in that foundation, that rich soil of Jesus Christ. We should be built up in Him. So not only that foundation, we should have a structure of growth and change, becoming a new creature on top of those roots. A plant should be growing, a building, an edifice should be rising that's beautiful and wonderful, and it should all be tethered together with an attitude of thanksgiving for all the good things that God has given us. Let us be thankful for the gift of physical life, for our physical blessings, for our physical family, and thankful to live in a nation that provides relative security and stability in a chaotic world. That's the physical side, but even more so. Indeed, let us be thankful for God's calling and for His promise of eternal life, thankful for our spiritual blessings, our spiritual family, and thankful for citizenship in a soon-coming kingdom that's going to bring an end to poverty and suffering of those statistics that I read about when the sermon started. He's going to bring an end to all of that, and we are citizens of that kingdom for which we should be very thankful. One final scripture to conclude the sermon today, Ephesians 5 and verse 17. Paul reminds us what we should be thankful for and how often we should be thankful. Again, what we should be thankful for and how often we should be thankful. And I will just conclude the sermon today by reading this final scripture. Ephesians 5 and verse 17. He says, Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is, and do not be drunk with wine, which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit. If you want to be filled with something rather than being filled with wine, be filled with God's Holy Spirit. Something beautiful, something positive, something life-changing. Verse 19, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. And here's the key, verse 20, and I'll end the sermon on this. Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.