Modeling Integrity (Acts 4:32-5:11)
Big Idea: True integrity is living by our beliefs and values consistently, regardless of who's watching, knowing that God sees all actions and holds us accountable.
Let me ask you a personal question: what are you like when nobody is looking?
A young man, a well-known Christian author, decided that he would no longer play poker. At that time, most Christians believed poker was unsuitable for them. On a slow train trip, some friends invited him to join a game. He hesitated only a moment before saying, "Deal me in." He knew he shouldn't be playing. His conscience was bothering him the entire time. But then nobody was going to recognize him, so why not keep playing?
During the game, he noticed a young man who stood to watch him play for a while and then moved on. After the game, he came and asked, "Are you so-and-so, who writes that column in the Christian Digest?" "Yes, I am," he replied. "Why? Have we met?" "No, we haven't met, but I read that column all the time." The Christian poker player felt a strong wave of embarrassment, saying it was more intense than the thrill of having four aces. The man said, "Well, I want you to know that I've lost all respect for you." Then he turned and walked away.
Let me ask you again: who are you when no one is looking?
A youth pastor was waiting for a flight at an airport far from where he lived. As he waited, he browsed a magazine rack, where he spotted a Playboy magazine. He turned away, but then began to rationalize why he should look at the magazine. "It's not as bad as other magazines," he thought, "and as a youth pastor I should know what my kids are reading." As he reached for the magazine, someone called his name, and he turned to see a familiar face.
Who are you when nobody is looking?
One evening a man stopped by the home of a business colleague to drop off some papers. Next to his phone was a notepad with the company logo on it. The company policy manual stated that no office supplies were to be consumed for personal use. From that point on, the visitor never quite felt he could trust that man as he had before.
Who are you when nobody is looking?
In the last six weeks, I've learned of three Fellowship Baptist Christian workers, including two pastors, who were involved in affairs. They weren't who they appeared to be. There is a crisis in Christianity. Many Christians are play-actors, claiming to be free of the faults they practice covertly. I know professing Christians who have led double lives, even maintaining two addresses and a woman in each. I know choir members who have been arrested for bank robbery, Christian business leaders involved in questionable practices, and employees who lie on expense reports. In a word, we have an integrity problem.
Acts 4:32-5:11 describes the first integrity problem to ever confront a church. A disciple named Barnabus sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet. Ananias and Sapphira sold a field and gave the money to the apostles. The couple went through exactly the same motions, but there was a difference on the inside. They lied; they were dishonest.
The ancient Greeks called an actor who spoke through a mask, "The Hypocrite." The term refers to someone pretending to be something they're not, especially a person who falsely appears pious. Ananias and Sapphira were hypocrites. Their sin was not withholding some of the money from the field for themselves; that was their right. Their sin was that they pretended to give the full sale price of their property. That was a lie. They pretended to be one thing on the outside while secretly acting differently inside.
Lessons on Integrity and Compromise
What I want to do this morning is to turn the spotlight on you and me. I want to examine our inner life to find out if we really are the people we claim to be. I want to find out who you and I are when nobody is looking. I will explore four principles from this passage to help us evaluate our personal integrity.
Temptations to compromise our integrity are commonplace.
You don't need to look very hard for opportunities to cut corners or maintain a secret agenda. The opportunities are everywhere, and often they present themselves to us. I imagine Ananias and Sapphira started out on the right track. Their desire to sell the field and donate the money to the church was, for all we know, sincere. It could have been that, one night, they began to talk. "You know, we got a good price on that field we sold." "I know, and our credit card bill is huge this month." "You know, nobody would even know if we withheld just a little bit. Things are so tight this month."
Temptations to compromise our integrity are commonplace. If they don't present themselves to us, our minds will often manufacture them. Hypocrisy often brings to mind serious wrongdoings like cheating on taxes, stealing, lying to customers, or being unfaithful in marriage. But temptations to compromise are much more commonplace, and while the consequences may be different, the verdict is the same. Many people tend to cut corners in small ways, like running yellow lights, speeding, taking office supplies home, and promising faster delivery than they can actually provide. The truth is that we are all tempted to compromise our integrity in small ways every day.
Temptations to compromise our integrity are commonplace. Here's a second principle we see.
It's easy to compromise our integrity.
It's easy to buy items at some stores, have you noticed? "Buy now, pay later." Our integrity is like that — the up-front cost is very low. A man on an airplane ordered a drink — a bourbon and Coke. The flight attendant said she would come back for his money, which he left lying on his tray. She passed by him a number of times. It became obvious that she had forgotten his money. After she had made a half-dozen trips past the man, he reached over, picked up his money, and slipped it back in his pocket.
Integrity: what's the price? A beverage sold for just a few dollars. It's in the small things that we decide the value of our integrity. "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much" (Luke 16:10). It's something we could call NBD – no big deal.
When Ananias and Sapphira embarked on their plan, I'll bet they convinced themselves that it's no big deal. When a man begins to entertain lustful thoughts in his mind, he convinces himself that it's no big deal. When a cab driver gives us a blank receipt to fill in any amount for our expenses, we often think it's not a big deal. When we pay under the table to avoid paying taxes, we tell ourselves it's no big deal. And when we make copies of copyrighted CDs or computer software, we tell ourselves it's no big deal. At what price are you selling your integrity?
Temptations to compromise our integrity are commonplace, and it's easy to compromise our integrity. Here's a third principle we learn:
When we lack integrity, we sin against God.
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? (Acts 5:3)
Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also." (Acts 5:9)
Whenever we lie to someone else, we're sinning not only against that person, but also against God. Whenever we violate our integrity for even the smallest matter, we've offended God.
Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. (Psalms 51:4)
Although we're sinning against another person, ultimately we're offending God, because sin in any form is rebellion against God. It's humbling to realize that the Lord is watching your life.
Temptations to compromise our integrity are commonplace. It's easy to compromise our integrity. When we lack integrity, we sin against God. Here's a fourth principle we learn:
Hypocrisy has a high price tag.
When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. (Acts 5:5)
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. (Acts 5:10)
Ananias would have gotten away with his deceit if it had just been up to people. But the Holy Spirit told Peter what was going on. The price tag for Ananias and Sapphira was death. "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death" (Proverbs 14:12). Sin always carries a high price tag. Ultimately, the price could be death—physical or spiritual. And in the meantime, it could be the withholding of God's blessing and the misery that follows.
Verse 11 tells us something we all need to understand: God takes sin seriously in the church. If God had overlooked such sin in the church at this point, dishonesty, greed, and covetousness would have become commonplace. But the consequences of Ananias and Sapphira's lie made people realize how seriously God regards sin in the church. Someone once said that Satan is fine with a person confessing to Christianity, as long as they don’t live by it. God desires people of integrity; God desires churches of integrity.
Let me ask you the question I asked you before: who are you when no one is looking? What do you do when you think you can get away with it? What "garbage" are you allowing to pile up in your life, and thus pollute the church? What hidden sins are fouling up your life? God desires to cleanse you this morning.
I'm tired of hearing of pastors who have affairs. I don't want a church where we all harbor secret sins. Our challenge this morning is to get rid of personal garbage that pollutes God's church. In 1995, students at Wheaton College waited in line from early evening until 6:00 the next morning to confess their sins and renounce false gods. This continued for a week. They filled garbage cans with inappropriate videos, materialism, distracting sports equipment, immodest clothing, alcohol, and other items the Lord encouraged them to discard.
No matter how serious our integrity issues or personal struggles may be, there is always hope. The story of Ananias and Sapphira highlights the seriousness of sin while also showing us the solution. Jesus Christ came to deal with the very sin that pollutes our hearts and lives. He lived the life of perfect integrity that we could never live. He never compromised, never sinned, and never failed. And yet, he willingly went to the cross to bear the punishment for our hypocrisy, deceit, and rebellion. He took the high price of sin upon himself so that we could be forgiven and made new.
Through his death and resurrection, Jesus offers us more than just a clean slate—he offers us a new heart. Trusting in him forgives our sins and gives us the Holy Spirit, enabling us to live with integrity. We don’t have to rely on our own strength to change; God Himself is at work in us, transforming us from the inside out. This is the good news: we are not defined by our failures or our compromises. In Christ, we are forgiven, cleansed, and given the power to live in a way that honors him.
So, as we reflect on the call to integrity, let’s not leave here thinking it’s all up to us. Let’s turn to Jesus, the One who cleanses us, empowers us, and walks with us. Bring your garbage to him—your hidden sins, your compromises, your failures—and let him take it. He is faithful and just to forgive and purify. He will help you become the person you were meant to be, reflecting his truth, grace, and love to the world. That’s the gospel, and it’s the only hope we have for true and lasting change.
It's garbage day, folks. It's time to get rid of the garbage that is polluting your life and this church. It's time to repent. God desires a clean heart. If you have garbage you need to get rid of, this morning is the morning.
