"Testing the Spirit of the Lord" (Acts 5:1-11)

Transcript:

This passage is not an easy one, and maybe it seems very distant and remote from us in some way. Probably none of us have seen exactly this kind of thing happening. But it actually raises an age old question that all of us deal with all the time. And that question is, can I get away with it? Can I get away with it?

This question is as old as the serpent's words to Eve in the garden, assuring her, you will not surely die. Yes, God had said that in the day that you eat of it, you will certainly die, but it's not necessarily the case. You might get away with it. In fact, you probably will get away with it. Don't worry about the consequences.

Think only what you might gain. Because God knows that in the day that you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good from evil. And so to this day, at some level, that calculation affects every sin that we wrestle with. The more likely it is that we will get caught and the more serious the consequences will be for getting caught. Well, as we're calculating all of those things out, the more likely those things are, the less likely we are actually to sin.

It's when we don't think we will get caught, or it's when we think the consequences of getting caught will not be very severe that we feel a little freedom to sort of do whatever it is that we want to do. The key issue in all of this, of course, is that we do not factor God into that calculus. We do not add God as a variable in the equation, because God cannot be mocked. He will not be deceived. Whenever even the smallest thoughts of your heart, God sees directly to all that passes through your mind on a regular basis.

Even if you can deceive everyone in this room, you cannot deceive God. But more than that, to sin against God is always a serious thing. Even after David had committed the most heinous sin of his adultery with Bathsheba, and his murder of Bathsheba's wife or husband, Uriah, to take her as his wife. Even then, in Psalm 51, he declared, against you and you only, Lord, have I sinned. And to sin against an infinite holy God, the one who is holy, holy, holy, is an infinitely heinous sin.

Well, in all of this, the Bible calls us then, throughout the entire Old Testament and New Testament, to a right factoring of God into that calculus of the way in which we will behave. And to do this, the Bible calls us to the remedy for this issue that we have. And the remedy is what The Bible calls the fear of the Lord. Now, the fear of the Lord is not that kind of craven and servile fear that really makes us bitter against God, that makes us shrink back from God and run away from God. The fear of the Lord actually, counterintuitively, is what draws us to the Lord in dependence upon Him.

Because the fear of the Lord is ultimately to take God seriously and to take both God and His Word with the seriousness that he deserves as the Almighty Creator and ruler and sustainer and Redeemer and Judge of all the earth. Again, this is not an easy story. It is a terrifying story, and that's good. God has given this story to us for our good, not to lead us into the craven, servile fear of slaves, but into a holy fear and reverence of the Lord as sons. The theme of this passage, then, is the fear of the Lord drives out hypocrisy.

The fear of the Lord drives out hypocrisy. So three sections to this text. Number one, fearless hypocrisy. Number two, deception and fear. And then number three, testing and fear.

So we'll start with the fearless hypocrisy of Ananias and Sapphira. Now, remember, in the previous passage, we saw that there was a general pattern in the church that we saw in chapter four, verse 36, where we read that everyone in the church was sort of sorry. In verses 34 and 35, where there was a general pattern that there was not a needy person among them because the whole church was selling the properties that they had and bringing the proceeds from those to the apostles so that the apostles could use those proceeds to meet the needs of people in the church. And in verses 36 and 37, we read not only a general pattern, but a concrete, specific example of a man named Barnabas who had done exactly this. And what we are seeing here is that what starts in the church as a practice that is done with sincerity and generosity.

Now, as we come into chapter five, we see examples where people are doing the same kinds of things, or at least mimicking the same kinds of things, to do them out of hypocrisy and greed. And so in verse one, we read a story that sounds just like what Barnabas had just done. In the previous two verses, we read that a man named Ananias with his wife Sapphira, there's always a connectedness between the two. Sold a piece of property. And again, so far, so good.

But then in verse two, we read, and with his wife's knowledge, again the connection of the two. The mutual knowledge of the two is brought to the forefront of this phrase, of this next part of what they did. With his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles feet. Now we'll come back later to Sapphira, but let's just consider what we are hearing here in this passage. The expression that he kept back some of these proceeds is a fairly rare word, but it's an important word because this is the same word that was used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament in Joshua chapter seven when we read that Achan, after the conquest that destroyed Jericho, Achan had kept back some of what had been devoted to destruction for himself.

Now what we are seeing there is there's a connection between the Old Testament and the New Testament. There are lots of Old Testament passages you think especially of Genesis chapter three. And one commentator points this out and brings up several passages. I have him quoted in the sermon notes. But where there are several passages where what starts off as a perfect or maybe just a near perfect experience in the life of the people of God is very suddenly twisted and marred and destroyed by some introduction of sin into the midst of the community.

And very quickly God has to bring very serious and severe judgment which brings great fear over the entire church. Now that wasn't just something that was left behind in the Old Testament. What this passage shows us is that God is still at work, that he is still the holy, holy, holy God and that he sees and that he judges hypocrisy in the midst of his people. The hypocrisy of Ananias and Sapphira had been calculated to have their cake and eat it too. They wanted to have the cake of the reputation and the favor that Barnabas had enjoyed.

Remember Barnabas was given a special nickname by the apostles which meant son of Encouragement. That name, that wasn't his real name. He really was Joseph. But he was so well known for his encouragement to the other believers including sacrificing of his own possessions to give to those in need. And they saw that and they wanted that.

But they also wanted to hold on to some of their possessions, to use it for their self, to have their cake and to eat it too. And so what they did was calculated for the effect that it would have on other people. But the calculus of what they had done did not factor in the Lord. So so far in these first two verses we know what they did, but we do not yet understand the full significance of their actions in God's sight. And what we are going to see is a picture of each of these where Peter, as an apostle of Jesus Christ, is going to lay out exactly what they have done.

And he's going to describe it in different terms. If you're like me, you may have a phone like this. And sorry for bringing this phone into the pulpit, but it's important. There are two lenses on my camera. If you have a face.

Fancy, fancy phone, you have three lenses on your camera. And one of the things that those two lenses can do is it captures slightly different versions of the image. And you can make these beautiful, epic portrait photos that looks at the background with a sort of a shimmering glaze, while the foreground brings out the person in the portrait. And this makes this just an epic picture of what you are seeing because you're able to use both of those lenses to create a composite picture. What we are having here is again, sort of two lenses shining different lights on the actions of Ananias and Sapphira to create that stunning picture not of beauty and joy, but of hypocrisy and God's judgment against it.

So the first lens brings out the theme of deception, deception and fear. That's the same second section of this passage in verses three through six. In verse three, after Ananias has done this, bringing his proceeds to the front, maybe like we often have the offerings brought up here, the people or Ananias was bringing his gifts to the front and everyone in the congregation saw him. And we're starting to form these thoughts, what a wonderful man. Here we have a man just like Barnabas in our midst.

But Peter directly rebukes him and says, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land. Now, again, the big idea or the theme of this passage today is that the fear of the Lord drives out hypocrisy. Hypocrisy has a root in Ananias heart. Because Satan, filling his heart, the enemy of God, having dwelled up and taken residence in Ananias heart, has left no room in his heart for Ananias to have any fear of the Lord. If he did, the Lord would have factored into his calculus as he contemplated this action.

And that leads him to boldly and brazenly lie to the Holy Spirit about what he has done. Now, the sad thing about this is that even though he has lied to the Holy Spirit, what the Scriptures are revealing to us is that Every time we try to call God a liar, it begins with the fact that we ourselves are deceived about the reality. God cannot be deceived. And God cannot be lied to. He cannot be mocked.

And what Peter points out is the very simple fact that this property, from beginning to end, belonged to Ananias. He did not need to lie by pretending to give the entirety of the sum if he needed to keep a portion back. He says in verse four, while it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Again, what we talked about last time is this property remained the personal property of each individual to whom it belonged.

What was remarkable is not that the church confiscated all of their property as the churches. It was these people were individually moved to give what they had to meet the needs of other members of the body of Christ. But here you have a man mimicking that action by pretending to give the entire proceeds of the land while keeping some back for himself. And so Peter says, why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man, but to God.

This idea of lying to God, particularly in thinking that we will not get caught, that we can get away with it, this is the wicked, the blinded, the hardened hearts that are reflected throughout Scripture. We so often read this exact attitude. In Psalm 10, verse 11. The wicked boast that God has forgotten. He has hidden his face, he will never see it.

And again in Psalm 73, verse 11, we read them boasting, how can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High? And about the wicked, the psalmist writes in Psalm 64, 5, they hold fast to their evil purpose, thinking, who can see them? Now, there's a sad irony in this story. Ananias name means the Lord is gracious, the Lord is gracious.

And yet far from trusting and entrusting himself unto the grace of the Lord, he was scheming. He was trying to weave away where he could have his cake and eat it too, thinking that he could deceive all. And in so doing, the Lord was here, not gracious, he was righteous and just against this sin of hypocrisy in the midst of the church. Now, why? Well, we read the effect of this.

First of all, Ananias dies suddenly, struck down before the Lord. But we read at the end of verse five, the fruit in the church, and great fear came upon all who heard of it. Now, this all probably actually means not only the church, but also all those in the surrounding community. Do you Hear what the God of that church has done, striking down a hypocrite from within their midst. But it certainly affected the church.

No one else would have dared try this after seeing this come to pass. You know, as parents, we've had several small children come up through our midst. And as every parent has to do, we have to have that talk. Don't touch the stove, don't touch the campfire, don't touch these things. They can burn you.

And children hear that. But words have a tendency of going in one ear and out the other until they get a little too close, until in some cases they've accidentally touched or brushed what is very, very hot. And after they get burned by the fire, we don't have to tell them anymore. Fear falls upon them, and they understand not to do that again. This is what happens in the church.

Either we can be the kind of people who must touch that stove for ourselves, or we won't believe it. Or we can learn from the example of sinners who have been struck down because they did not fear the Lord. Now, this story could have been done here, but John Polhill in his commentary, points out that Luke regularly, in both the Gospel of Luke and in the sequel to that, in the Book of Acts, he regularly gives equal time to both men and women. There's a large emphasis in the Gospel of Luke and in the Book of Acts on the women that they encounter along the way. And part of what we see here in bringing Sapphira's story to the forefront is that she is not a passive partner in this.

She is not a victim of her husband's scheming. She is a full fledged accomplice in this great deed. And so the Lord deals with her in the same way, but for different reasons. And so now we come to testing and fear. Whereas Ananias had lied to the Holy Spirit, Sapphira tests the Spirit of the Lord.

And so in verses seven and eight, Peter tests Sapphira. After a few hours have passed and Sapphira came in, not knowing what had happened to Ananias, Peter said to her, tell me whether you sold the land for so much? And she said, yes, for so much. That was the test. And with those words she failed the test and she doomed herself to the judgment.

And so Peter said in verse nine, how is it that you have agreed together again? This wasn't something that she was just a passive victim in. She agreed with her husband. She was fully responsible for what her husband had done in her name, because she had agreed together with him to Test the spirit of the Lord. And he says, behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door and they will carry you out.

And just like we read of her husband, immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And when the young men came in, they just buried Ananias. They came in and found her dead and they have to do the same thing all over again, carrying her out and burying her beside her husband. Now again we have these two lenses. The first lens is of the actions of the husband.

Bold, brash, open faced, lying to the congregation as an act of lying to the Lord. Look at what I am doing in this grand gift of giving all the proceeds that I earned from the sale of my property.

But we also have Sapphira, who is doing something slightly different. The other angle of this, the other camera is capturing that she is testing the spirit of the Lord. It's a, it's a quieter kind of action, just seeing if she could get away with it with him. And what this passage brings out is both of these are abominations in God's sight, so that God punishes both sins with death. And in verse 11 we read that great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

So not just the church, but again the broader community around the church. Calvin calls these two statements about the fear that fell upon all who heard of these things as a double fear. Fear the church. What we must learn from this is not a social club. This is not just a place to come and fill up your relational cup to overflowing or to get out of it some kind of prominence or reputation in the community or among the particular people who are healed.

The church is the dwelling place of God. The temple where the Holy Spirit dwells and our God, the Scriptures tell us, is an all consuming fire. Do not get burned. As Hebrews 10:31 says, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God. Our application then is this fear the Lord.

The fear of the Lord is held out in both the Old Testament and the New Testament as the way of God unto salvation. Psalm 111, verse 10 says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. All those who practice it have a good understanding. Why is this? Why is the fear of the Lord so important?

Well, part of it is because the fear of the Lord reminds us that Christianity is not about outward appearances. It is about the inward fear of the Lord. Now it must then flow into outward actions. The one heart and one soul that we share as a church. And one mind in the Gospel must flow into caring for the members of the body of Christ as one body together.

But when the outward appearance that we portray does not match the inward integrity of our hearts, when rather our hearts are characterized by hypocrisy, that is an abomination before the Lord. Now here the issue is giving and generosity. But this is true of all life, because all of life is lived before the face of the Lord. Our call to worship this morning was from Psalm 50, where God called his people before him, and when he did, he laid his charges before them. And one of the things he says to his people is he says, these things you have done after listing out all their sins.

These things you have done in Psalm 50:21, and I have been silent. You thought that I was one like yourself. That is, you thought that I could be deceived in the way that you deceive others who are watching your outward appearance. But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

You see, we are prone to misinterpret God's silence. If he doesn't strike me dead, I must be doing okay. But it's not a free pass. Because whether immediately, like Ananias and Sapphira, or whether on the last day of judgment, God will have the final say. And he sees all that we do, the things we do outwardly, the things we do in secret, and the things that take place in the privacy of our own hearts.

And on the last day of judgment, again, it will be a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. And on that day, the question is, what will you plead? Hopefully this story is bringing to mind areas that people may not know about, that you need to confess on that last day. What will you plead before the Lord on that day? Your good works can never be enough, because the Lord knows where.

Your good works have not matched what's happening in your heart. He knows your hypocrisy. It's not even enough to be better than the person next to you. Think about this story of Ananias. Ananias gave more than most.

If we were listing out the top givers, he may not have been at the very top, but he probably would have been top five. That was the reputation he was wanting, even though he was lying about the totality of what he was giving. The requirement is nothing less than perfection. As Jesus says in Matthew 5:48, you, therefore must be perfect as Your Heavenly Father is perfect. Now that's a terrifying thought.

We're going to be held liable for being perfect on the last day. Well, if that were the only thing that the scriptures told us, this would indeed drive us to fear, but not the fear of the Lord. It would instead drive us to the clearance servile fear of slaves that really drives us to shrink away from God. But instead, counterintuitively, the fear of the Lord drives us to the Lord. It drives us to take God seriously, not only as our Creator and ruler and judge, but as the Redeemer, the One who makes strong, bold promises, the one who calls us that rather than living by scheming, we should live by faith in the grace of God.

Warren Wiersbe has one of my favorite quotes about the life of faith. Faith is living without scheming. Here we see scheming, but Ananias own name called him to something that he did not follow through on. To depend upon the grace of the Lord. Because our God has set forth his own Son, Jesus Christ, in whom there was no deceit, in whom there was no guile, in whom there was not a spot found on him who went to the cross to suffer and bleed and die as the substitute sacrifice in your place and for your sin and your hypocrisy to pay the fullness of the debt that you owed.

Who then turns around and in his resurrected glory offers to you his own perfect spotless righteousness as a free gift to credit to you so that you might be counted righteous in him, even though you personally fall far short of righteousness. You might be counted righteous in him by faith in Jesus Christ alone, and not by any works that you do which could never be enough. What then are the sins that you are hiding this morning? Do not be deceived. God is not mocked.

Bring them into the light by confession and repentance. In the fear of the Lord. Do you then have a refuge to protect you on the day of the Lord? On the day of judgment, you cannot scheme your way to a refuge. The only hope you have is Proverbs 14:27 says, the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life.

That one may turn away from the snares of death. Turn then to Jesus Christ this morning as your refuge and stronghold on the day of trouble. Let's pray.