Fully Devoted

The Best is Yet to Come Week #6

Fully Devoted
Acts 2:42-45

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.43  A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44  And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45  They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need.   Acts 2:42-45   

We are called to be fully devoted to Jesus.   

A 99% commitment to Jesus is 1% too short. 

Can you say today that you are you are fully devoted to Jesus or is there a secret section of your life that nobody knows about? 

Secrecy will eventually lead to destruction

But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. 2  He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest.3  Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. 4  The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!”5  As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified. 6  Then some young men got up, wrapped him in a sheet, and took him out and buried him.7  About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8  Peter asked her, “Was this the price you and your husband received for your land?”“Yes,” she replied, “that was the price.”9  And Peter said, “How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this? The young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too.”10  Instantly, she fell to the floor and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11  Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened.   Acts 5:1-11

Ananias and Sapphira tried to justify their secret lives by doing 3 things:

1. They tried to justify it through involvement

2. They tried to justify it by comparing themselves to others 

3. They deceived themselves. 

Some of us do these same things! And, when we do, there are 3 things we tell ourselves:  

1. It’s my life 

2. It’s my sin and it affects me and no one else 

3. God is a holy, loving and merciful God who will just get over it. 

Enemies disguise themselves with their lips, but in their hearts they harbor deceit. 25  Though their speech is charming,  do not believe them,  for seven abominations fill their hearts. 26  Their malice may be concealed by deception,  but their wickedness will be exposed in the assembly. Proverbs 26:24-26 

7  Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8  Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Galatians 6:7-8 

How do we turn from the secret life and be truly devoted? 

1. Confession 

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins  and purify us from all unrighteousness   1 John 1:9 

Confession is agreeing with God that we’re wrong and that we don’t want to live this way anymore. 

2. Repentance 

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14  You are my friends if you do what I command. 15  I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:13-15  

Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together.3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. 5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”“No,” they answered. John 21:1-5