Text: Acts 5:1-11
1. 15 years ago this month I hopped on a UAL flight bound for Lexington, KY via Chicago. I was flying to Asbury Theological Seminary for my 1st class in my doctoral studies program. I was excited & nervous.
I switched planes in Chicago & caught a 10:30pm flight to Lexington. We taxied out to the run way & stopped. The plane was experiencing mechanical difficulties and couldn’t go. I’d have to catch the 1st flight out in the morning.
UAL put me up in a hotel. I got to bed at 1:30am & set my alarm to catch the 6am shuttle to the airport. I didn’t sleep well. I got up on time. As I walked out the lobby I cleaned out my coat pocket & threw away some wrappers & papers.
I walked up to the gate. The UAL attendant asked for my ticket. I rifled through my pockets. Suddenly it occurred to me that I had thrown it away in the airport lobby…
…I told her that they didn’t give me a ticket last night. They said they had; I said they hadn’t.
“Mr Barton, I’m sorry we can’t let you on this flight without a ticket. You’ll have to step aside so we can continue boarding those who have tickets.”
“Like I said, you didn’t give me a ticket. This is my flight. Here’s my boarding pass from last night. You have my name in your records.”
I asked to see a supervisor. I told him the same story. After a few dirty looks they put me on the flight. Once I settled into my seat it hit me what I had just done – lied through my teeth to cover up my stupidity!
Today
1. I want to pick things up where we left them off last Sunday – the filling of the Holy Spirit & Heather’s sharing about the revival she experienced as a teenager. As she shared I was struck by the picture of people lining up to confess their sins to each other as the Holy Spirit worked in their lives.
2. it brought to mind an event we read about in Acts 5 – the story of Ananias & Sapphira. The church is rolling along & gaining a head of steam. Suddenly the church hits a bump in the road – lying & deceit.
3. to be salt & light in our world we must be filled with the Holy Spirit. And to be filled with the Holy Spirit we must take our sin seriously BECAUSE our sin quenches the Spirit.
The generosity of Barnabas (4:32-37)
1. the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the day of Pentecost. I’m struck by this fact – in those early days of the Spirit-filled church, giving was motivated by the needs of the poor. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need (34-35).
2. for example Barnabas – who was called Son of Encouragement by the apostles – sold a field and gave the money to the apostles.
3. the Spirit moved people to sell houses or land in order to love the poor. What is the Spirit of God saying to us about –
® supporting Habitat for Humanity so the working poor in our midst can afford a place to live?
® supporting The Canby Center so the love of Christ & his church can be tangibly expressed to the needy in our community?
® supporting our Food Pantry so those short of food can eat?
4. Earlier this week a mother & her high school son showed up at the church asking for food. She had to work on Saturday morning & missed the food pantry. I took them into the pantry & let them fill up 2 bags with food. They were like children in a candy store. What we take for granted – food in our cupboards – was not a given for them.
The deception of Ananias & Sapphira (5:1-11)
1. a husband & wife by the name of Ananias & Sapphira sold a piece of property. They gave the money to the church just like Barnabas did. Except.
2. they lied about the money. They told the apostles that they were giving away all of the money. In reality, they kept some of it back for themselves.
3. Peter made it clear that the land & money were theirs to do with what they wanted (4). The judgment of God fell upon them. Both died on the spot.
4. I have 5 comments that I want to make this morning:
1st there is no perfect church.
1. even within the ranks of the Spirit-filled church in the early days of its existence sin was found.
2. Ananias & Sapphira were members of this Spirit-filled community. They were part of the people devoted to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer (2:42).
3. but they lied & deceived the church. They wanted others to see them as radically generous, like Barnabas. They projected themselves before others to be something they were not.
4. all churches, this church, is full of sinners. We may be saved, most of us, but we’re saved sinners. We’ll never be perfect in this life.
5. we sin. We become masters at covering up our sin. The church should be the one place where we can be honest with God, with ourselves & with others about our sin.
2nd Satan works in the church.
1. Peter – Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit? Satan filled the heart of Ananias with the notion of keeping back some of the money and lying about it.
2. I believe Ananias & Sapphira were Christ-followers. I believe they were part of the Spirit-filled community. And I believe they stand as a warning to each one of us – we are everyone of us capable of being led astray by Satan.
3. I don’t believe they were demon possessed. I don’t believe followers of Christ can be demon possessed. But I do believe that Satan can deceive us. To become obsessed with an idea or a course of action. To the point that we get carried away & follow through. Even blinded to the consequences.
4. notice, Ananias was held accountable for his sin NOT Satan. We can’t blame Satan for our sin.
5. let’s remember – Satan is a limited being. He doesn’t know everything. He is not all-powerful. He cannot be everywhere at once. He is not the dark-side equivalent of God.
6. what do we do with Satan? James 4 – 1st submit ourselves to God; 2nd resist the devil and he will flee from you
We can only stand against Satan if we have first submitted ourselves to God. Then we stand in his strength.
7. one more thing, when we personally or we the church experience times of special blessing, Beware. Satan’s track record is that he shows up to disrupt what God is up to. Ours is to submit & resist!
3rd all sin is sin against God.
1. Peter accused Ananias of lying to the Holy Spirit (3). You have not lied to men but to God (4). Lying to the church was actually lying to God.
2. Psalm 51 teaches the same thing. David committed adultery with Bathsheba. But when he went to confess his sin he prayed against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight (4).
3. Peter said to Sapphira how could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Her sin was against God as well.
4th we must take sin seriously.
1. we live in a time where people do not want to take sin seriously. Even in the church. We rationalize it. We minimize it. We hide it. We blame it on others. On our childhood. On our genes.
2. a little kid once said to his mother, why is it that whenever I do something wrong it’s because I’m bad. But when you get upset it’s because of your nerves?
3. if we want to make a salt & light difference in our community. If we want to see God do a new work in our church. If we want to be filled with the Holy Spirit. It has to start right here.
4. confession. Repentance. Bringing into the light what is hidden in the darkness.
5th we must live in the fear of God.
1. We lack this today. The fear of God. The fear of God is a good thing. If God in all his transcendent glory & holiness was more real to us today, we would be a changed people.
2. this week I memorized I Timothy 6:15-16 –
God, the blessed and only Ruler
the King of Kings and Lord of Lords
who alone is immortal
and who lives in unapproachable light
whom no one has seen or can see
to him be honor and might forever
Amen
3. this verse fills me with a holy fear of God. He’s the God we must deal with.
4. close in prayer – take offering – sing – respond
Music i listened to while sermonizing – john rutter & the cambridge singers; hillsong united; u2; van morrison; willie nelson; american boys choir; gingerich family singers; chris tomlin; charlie hall; david crowder band;
Books i read & studied while sermonizing – acts by james montgomery boice; the intimate merton by thomas merton; the supremancy of Christ in a postmodern world edi by john piper & justin taylor; acts by ajith fernando; acts by john stott; sermons by john piper & ray steadman; the road by cormac mccarthy
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