Pastor Jack Graham | Take Off Your Mask | Prestonwood Baptist Church

Main message: The sermon on Acts 5 warns against hypocrisy and “wearing a mask” in the church. Using the story of Ananias and Sapphira, it calls believers to honesty before God, generous living, and a reverent fear of the Lord.

Key points:

• The early church was united, generous, and marked by “great grace” as believers shared with one another.
• Ananias and Sapphira lied about their gift, not to people but to God, and their judgment showed the seriousness of hidden sin.
• The sermon contrasts voluntary Christian generosity with socialism/communism, arguing that the Bible teaches sacrificial giving, not forced redistribution.
• Satan’s biggest threat to the church is often infiltration from within, not just persecution from outside.
• Believers should confess sin quickly, stop pretending, and live with integrity before God.
• “Great fear” of the Lord is healthy reverence that leads to holiness, obedience, and a pure, powerful church.

Scriptures mentioned: Acts 4:32-33, Acts 5:1-11, Acts 5:13, Deuteronomy 10:12-13, Hebrews 12 (reference), Psalm (unnamed verse about “unite my heart to fear your name”)