Viola Solid Rock Assembly
What We Take Seriously
We're going to be in Acts chapter five, we're going to continue in our Acts series and you know I thought about what Acts chapter five opens up with a story that's just pretty bizarre honestly when you first read it it's just out there and so I thought about it and what you know I thought what we take seriously is is a good point of this message how many of you know that we all have things in our lives that we take seriously right maybe it's your family maybe it's your career maybe it's your favorite sports team or a particular athlete we have things that are that are positive and we have that we take seriously and some things that are negative that we take seriously you know I take there are certain things that I take pretty seriously I take pretty seriously if someone is when someone is honest or lies you can ask my kids that's pretty serious issue in my house anyone anyone else with me on that I hate when people lie and sometimes when people lie just to lie it just makes it infuriates me but you know what are things I want you to think about this what are some things that you take very seriously what are some things that your family take very seriously you know as growing up there were things that my family took very seriously that I didn't really see why we took it so seriously and now there are things that I take very seriously that I'm sure my kids are like why do we take that so seriously but in the you know in our Christian walk there are some things that God really takes very seriously by default we are we as a church church should take very seriously as well today's text is in Acts chapter 5 it deals with a few things that God is really serious about and the early church was passionate about and I believe it should be part of our culture and our normal realities and you know this passage though is difficult it has so many layers to the text and I've literally heard this passage reference to to scare people into giving more money and that's not what the text is about at all but in Acts chapter 5 beginning in verse 1 it says but there is a certain man named Ananias who was with his wife Sifyrus sold some property he brought bought part of the brought part of the money to the apostles claiming it was the full amount with his wife's consent he kept the rest then Peter said Ananias why have you let Satan feel your heart you lied to the Holy Spirit and you kept some of the money for yourself the property was yours to sell or not to 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 you weren't lying to us but to God and as soon as Ananias heard these words he fell to the floor and died everyone who heard about it was terrified then some of the young men got up wrapped him in a sheet and took him out and buried him about three hours later his wife came in not knowing what had happened and Peter asked her what was this the price that you and your husband received for the land yes she replied that was the full price and Peter said how could you to 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 to and 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 great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard about what had happened that's pretty tough the book of Acts is a historical narrative so we're seeing the beginning of the early church it's a biography of what happened with them and we are seeing the hand of God in this biography learning the practice and devotions of the early church and the commitment to the community of faith is powerful in order to make sense of it we've got to go back and touch on the last part of chapter 4 it says in verse 32 now a full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own but they had everything in common and with great power the apostles were given their testimony to the resurrection of Lord Jesus and great grace was upon them all they were not a needy people among them for as many as as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles feet and it was distributed to each as any had need it's amazing that the context of an anisins to fire a story was right on the heels of 5,000 in number and they're all of one heart and one soul and made sure everyone was taken care of this was amazing the community of faith was so centered on Jesus and on each other they loved God and they loved each other it sounds like a lot like what Jesus said in Mark chapter 12 when he said and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and with all your mind and with all your strength and the second this is you shall love your neighbor as yourself there's no greater command than these we should thrive and strive for this type of community right that we're so committed to Jesus and each other that we would we would be like this can you imagine being part of a church like that that you would always there would always be a solution for others and you and you know that you can count on each other and look at the blessings that followed and the miracles that followed during this time people were being healed and delivered and lives are being changed in verse 36 to 37 of chapter 4 that says thus Joseph who was called by the apostles Barnabas which means son of encouragement to Levi native to Cyprus sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles feet this is the first introduction of Barnabas who you know we see a lot in the ministry of Paul he was a Levi though and the Levitical clan was the only tribe of the Hebrew people who were not given land in the Old Testament because they were to be the priesthood and they would be provided for by the temple but somehow Barnabas had land and we don't know how but he was so committed to God and others that he sold the land and donated a hundred percent of the proceeds to the church that someone had need and that's it's amazing and it's because of the giving of the new test it became a standard for forgiving in the New Testament church and why because the community of faith matters and it's very important they were of one heart one soul and looked out for each other but deception is always destructive and denies the Sephira as we first at first read is really tough I mean as a couple they sold the land held back money lied about how much they'd made to give to give and then when Peter called them out on it they died instantly and it's probably one of the toughest passages in the book of Acts in fact commentators have acknowledged that it is the tough text in the whole book of Acts because it seems so harsh and so punitive and so final it didn't seem doesn't seem gracious or kind or and it leaves out lots of questions and the story did not end this way because of money they're giving or how much they gave although I said earlier I've heard people use this text to scare people into giving and if you've ever heard that I'm sorry because that's not why they died. Verse 1 and 1 through 3 says but there was a certain man named Adam and I's who with his wife Sephira sold some property brought part of the money to the apostles claiming it was the full amount he lied he claimed that it was the full amount with his wife's consent though he kept the rest and Peter said and I said why have you let Satan feel your heart you lied to the Holy Spirit and you kept some of the money for yourself here's the deal remember that the precedent was set by Barnumus and we saw that and that we saw this in Acts chapter 2 as well where they were giving a hundred percent of returns on things like this and they were all in with contributions what happened was ananias lied about this basically he brought in whatever amount the money as a contribution and lied saying that it was the full amount so he sold the piece of property for let's say a hundred thousand dollars and he kept back forty and brought sixty and then said he sold it for sixty here's a hundred percent of the profit like Barnumus it's a hundred percent just like him he lied about it it was his land they didn't make him sell it the apostles didn't go and say and I actually got to sell this land and give the money to the church it was his land to do what he wanted to with it but then Sephira comes in and does the same thing about three hours later his wife comes in not knowing what had happened and Peter asked her was this the price your husband received for the land yes you're glad that was the price that was it and Peter said how could how could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the spirit you're going to be buried right next to your husband they lied about their sale to make their contributions seem inflated maybe it was pride maybe it was greed maybe insecurity maybe it was jealousy of Barnumus gifts who knows but they conspired together to lie about the sale price and they kept some back and both of them agreed as a couple to lie to the church but ultimately to lie to God what I mean why why did they do that and I thought I've read this passage and I thought why would they even why I'm like Peter why did you even try to do this it costs them instantly I don't understand all the details of this story but I do know that God takes this seriously some of the commentators I read say this was a rare moment of God's immediate judgment I do know that God was very active in the early church with miracles were so normal and people were getting saved all the time and God was not going to allow anyone to mess with his church right I find it interesting if you compare Adam and Eve and the first sin and human race rooted in deception it was rooted in deception married couples cost was death and an isence of virus first obvious sin of the New Testament church rooted in deception of a married couple cost was death it's an interesting parallel God hates sin though right we have grown soft on sin but God has not and listen God is always holy he is always just and he never accepts sin as okay and we shouldn't either their deception was honestly unnecessary they didn't have to lie the whole church group had the same heart and soul and this couple took advantage of that this was their dishonesty hurts it not only hurts us to tell a lie even a little bit because we know that we are lying but it hurts others that we say we love and have one heart and soul with but ultimately our lying is against the Lord by the way he always knows the truth it's almost absurd to think that God won't know the truth ask one of my children a question this last week I already knew the answer to the question that I was asking but I asked anyways and they confirmed that I knew what I was asking because they said am I going to get in trouble if I did that that doesn't matter right now I need you to answer the question I already know the answer but you're going to answer me just to suffice God already knows there's no point in lying deception is always destructive no matter how you excuse it or sugarcoat it lying is always bad and the Bible has a lot to say about lying is the native language of the devil Jesus said that Satan is the father of lies the devil lies deceived Adam and Eve to fall into sin which caused death and the Bible has a lot to say about lying actually it's something God takes very seriously is the right commandment of the 10 commandments is do not lie do draw me 2516 says the Lord to test anyone who deals dishonestly Proverbs 616 says there are six things the Lord hates seven that are abomination to him haughty eyes a lying tongue and hands that shed innocent blood a heart that defies as equal evil plans feet that make haste to run evil a false witness who breathes out lies and one who sows discord among brothers Proverbs 19 22 says better to be poor man than a liar Psalms 101 and seven says no one who practices deceit will dwell in my house no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence Jesus regularly called out the sin of lying and called out liars especially the religious people who lied even his own disciples be why because lying is always destructive it literally cost them their lives it still cost us it cost you the death of relationships the death of trust the loss of jobs your family may fall apart from the deception that comes with lying lying will always cost you in the end and God will not be mocked he hates it God hates all sin and we should take that seriously the reality is they could have done whatever they wanted to there was no rule to sell all and give all that's what Barnabas did but they didn't have to Peter's reaction in verse four was while it remained unsold did it not not remain yours and after it was sold was it not at your disposal in other words Peter is saying it was always yours to do whatever you wanted we never made you do this we don't have a rule about a hundred percent contributions this was God led God led Barnabas to do but that's not what God is forcing anyone to do aren't you thankful that it isn't for you to do everything that someone else does listen you're not required to live someone else's Christianity just because God directs one person to give a certain way let God also direct you don't feel pressured to copy God's leading and others but lying about what God is telling you to do and lying to others that we are supposed to be in shared faith and community that destroys the one's heart and one's soul the reality is in the church community right we need a healthy fear of God though if you go back to the reaction of the church this was the whole thing happened honestly it's a crazy story and I feel like it leaves a lot of unanswered questions but what did they have why did they have to die and couldn't they just repent and be forgiven did God kill them did Peter kill them did some dude with a blow dart up in the top killed him no but the reaction of the church was amazing and I think it should be our reaction too in verse 5 it says when N and I's heard these words he fell down and breathed this last breath and great fear came upon all who heard of it in verse 11 it says and great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things let's be clear we have lost a fear of God we have lost a fear of God in our culture you know there used to be there was a time in our country and it's not been that long ago that people wouldn't mess with the church they had a fear of God they wouldn't vandalize the church they wouldn't rob a church or steal a church they certainly wouldn't go into church with guns all the things that have happened in the last couple years people have lost a fear of God though now we hear of churches being vandalized we hear of churches being broken into and robbed we hear about gunmen coming in and shooting people in the church we've lost a fear of God and I don't you know I'm not talking about a fear that you know when I was a kid I don't know that when I was a kid I got saved because I love God I got saved because I was scared of hell and I don't think that's right either but you know I I grew up under preachers that preached you know everybody was going to hell you couldn't make there was no way to make it to heaven there were two men in the field and they both got left behind I mean that's the kind of stuff that I heard and I was just scared I remember a youth service where the youth pastor at the church that I was at that was laying in a coffin preaching talk and I didn't get saved because I love God I got saved because I scared of hell but somewhere along the way we lost the fear of God and the fear of hell in our culture the fear of God does not mean be afraid of God like he's going to get you and you need to be scared a healthy fear of God means we need to have a healthy awe and reverence and and worship worship full heart and deep sense of love and true devotion to God the reaction of the church to the deaths of Ananias and Sephira was to draw closer to God it's not because they were scared of him they witnessed God's deep passion for holiness and how sin offended God so deeply and we have lost that sense of awe and reverence for God in our culture and I believe that we lost it in our culture because we lost it in the church sometimes I think we're more afraid of offending people than we are worried about offending God no I say it and I say it in Jess but I'm I say I'm not kidding either when I say things and we're when I say things like I didn't come to make friends that's I say that in Jess but I also mean it I don't really care if you get mad about what I say in the pulpit because 90% of the time when I get home I don't remember what I said in the pulpit but we have to fear God have a deep and abiding reverence for God the God of our Bible you know look at it we need to love Jesus with all of our life and our heart our soul and our mind and our strength we need to revere him as holy and powerful and perfect and revere him as deep lover of of our eternal soul we need to repent of our sin God loves you but he hates your sin he is never okay with your public sin nor your private sins he still detests lying and sexual immorality and gossip and murderous thoughts and jealousy and unforgiveness he loves you but he cannot stand it when we sin why because he knows it will destroy us and because he died for us to overcome our sin this isn't about God being a buzzkill or a bummer for your life God is so good he only wants good for you and never want sin in your life be humble before God look for him with great reverence and fear and awe and worship him regularly submit to him daily all the time during the love of him with all your heart the reaction of the early church was not to be offended at God I can't believe he did that I'm just going to leave the church and never come back they didn't get mad they didn't say we're going to go down to the church down the road because they don't care if we lie and steal they said they reverents God they loved him they feared God with a holy fear he loves us so much that he loves and he loves the church so much he wants his presence to be with us so much that he instantly judged the sin and they loved him more because of it and that's how I want us to react to this as well to draw closer to God because of his passion for holiness and his passion for us God hates sin he hates sin God punishes sin the Bible is clear about this but God loves you he loves you so much that he took your punishment when his son Jesus died on the cross for you to forgive your sin and to clean you of your sin and to make you his son and his daughter we have to fear God repent from our sin and turn to God and love and revere him even more today the story of Ananias and Sephira is such an odd story because there looks like there's no chance to repent but it's also so so much on point that God hates liar it was theirs to do what they wanted to with it and they just lied about it why? why are we going to try to lie to God? God already knows we could come up here and say God I'll never do it again and you know you're lying or you can come up here and say God with your help I'm never going to do it again it's up to you it's up to you where are you at tonight? what are you going through tonight? Lord I just thank you for tonight I'm going to ask everyone what to stand your feet Lord I thank you for tonight Lord I thank you for a story like this even though there's so many questions that are left unanswered God I thank you for showing us your true heart and your passion and that you do to test lying God Lord I pray that you help us that you help us tonight make commitments to you that we won't keep God but to make commitments to you that we'll keep to make commitments to you that we'll stand by help us Lord Lord if there are people in this room that have that little pet sin that they keep around God I pray that you begin to convict them even now to lay it down and not pick it up again to not be caught in a moment like Ananias and Sephira but to find your grace in your love maybe you're hearing there's something in your life that you know you need you need God to cleanse maybe it's a little something small something little but it's there and you need to get rid of it and you need God to help you I want to invite you to come maybe it's an addiction maybe it's maybe it's a pet sin so to speak and you need God to help you this morning this evening I just I want to invite you to come maybe you're that person that's made commitments to God that you just haven't for whatever reason fulfilled and you've been making that commitment and God's saying remember the commitment you made and you say God I need help to be able to fulfill what I've said I would do I want to invite you to come I want to pray with you I want to believe with you you won't be the first Lord I just thank you right now I thank you right now and I just pray that you help us today God that you help us today that you help us to walk in impurity God that you help us to walk in in reverence to you that you help us to to walk in a holy fear God holy fear of what you're doing Lord I just pray that you just move in this house God in a mighty way today God that you move that you touch and that you heal and you deliver Lord we just thank you we thank you for what you're doing in this house if you feel like I'm gonna pray around this altar feel free to do so you you you you you you you you you you you you you [ Silence ]