Guard your Heart

Pray

Dallas Willard writes about a 2-and-a-half-year-old girl in her backyard who one day discovered the secret to making mud (which she called "warm chocolate"). Her grandmother had been reading and was facing away from the action, but after cleaning up what was to her a mess, she told little Larissa not to make any more chocolate and turned her chair around so as to be facing her granddaughter.

The little girl soon resumed her "warm chocolate" routine, with one request posed as sweetly as a 2-and-a-half-year-old can make it: "Don't look at me, Nana. Okay?" Nana (being a little co-dependent) of course agreed.

Larissa continued to manufacture warm chocolate. Three times she said, as she continued her work, "Don't look at me, Nana. Okay?"

Then Willard writes: "Thus the tender soul of a little child shows us how necessary it is to us that we be unobserved in our wrong."

Any time we choose to do wrong or to withhold doing right, we choose hiddenness as well. It may be that out of all the prayers that are ever spoken, the most common one—the quietest one; the one that we least acknowledge making—is simply this: Don't look at me, God.

It was the very first prayer spoken after the Fall. God came to walk in the garden, to be with the man and the woman, and called, "Where are you?"

"I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid," Adam answered, "so I hid." Don't look at me, God.

We hear this story this morning, and there’s a part of us that struggles hearing these words. We don’t like to be found dirty. We don’t like to be found in our sin. And yet, like this little girl playing in the mud. There comes a point where it’s necessary to identify the mess we’re in. It’s necessary, to be honest, and to, in the midst of the mud. Go to Jesus and ask him to wash us clean.

And some of us this morning, if we were honest, have allowed ourselves in the mud. Others of us, maybe in our heart, there are issues, there are things taking place within us, in which we’re perhaps holding back from the Lord. He expects all of us, yet perhaps, if we were honest… we’ve been holding back on giving him our all… we’ve been giving him some, or maybe even most… but the truth is, maybe over time, we’ve allowed the flesh to get in the way, and we’ve held back giving him our all.

This morning, God calls us to come alive in our faith. To turn completely to him and surrender our all.

If you have your bibles, turn with me to Acts 4:32

Just 2 points this morning. 1. Guard Your heart against Partiality (worship) 2. Guard your heart against deception Truth. – God, others, self.

1. Guard Your heart against Partiality (worship)

Acts 4:32-37 32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. 36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.

As we consider this scripture, we see the early church at work. We know that a short while before acts 4, the Holy Spirit has come on the day of Pentecost. There is excitement as the people are speaking in tongues, there’s a sense of unity at hand, we also see the Holy Spirit empower his disciples with miraculous worksof healing and other empowerments.

And acts 2:42-46

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

So, on one hand, we see excitement. We see the Lord blessing their efforts, as many are being added to their number on a daily basis. And The early church is looking out for one another. They’re in fellowship, they’re praying together, miracles are being done, worship is taking place… and God is absolutely blessing everything at hand.

By the way, this is how church should look. When we talk about God’s vision for the church, Kenton Alliance Church, and all churches across the globe. An Acts 2 kind of church should be what we’re striving for.

But in the midst of the excitement, in the midst of the miracles, in the midst of the work of the Holy Spirit. There is one major problem. The flesh gets in the way.The heart complicates matters. and it’s not with everyone, it’s not with some of the believers. No, out of thousands of people… 2 people, a husband and wife are singled out. And the issue we see is deception and partiality.

Acts 5 1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.

3 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? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”

As we consider the scripture, we find a man by the name of Ananias and his wife Sapphira named. And there are little details about this man and wife, aside from their names. But the problem at hand is listed in verse 1. They sold a piece of property, both of them… and with his wife’s full willingness, and knowledge… Ananias holds back part of the money for himself.

Now just so we’re clear, the issue here was not that they kept part of the money. Withholding part of the money for their own use was not a sin… and Peter would make that clear in verse 4: 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? In other words, no one was forcing you to sell your property Ananias… It was your property. You could have held onto your property. You could have rented it out. You could have done anything you wanted with the land.

The issue then is they saw an opportunity to make a double profit. On one hand they would gain spiritual prestige and look good outwardly… while at the same time… they could pocket some profit.

So they lie about what they did. But also there’s a sense of partiality here. They wanted to give enough to look good to everyone else, or to, perhaps… make themselves look good. But they were holding back a part of themselves, a part of their heart in their gift.

I’m reminded of Proverbs 23:7 6 Do not eat the food of a begrudging host, do not crave his delicacies; 7 for he is the kind of person who is always thinking about the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

Friends, this early church. God is blessing them. There is a sense of total commitment at hand. There is unity, and dedication, and selflessness. And the issue here, is the gift, but really, it’s the heart. There’s partiality.

You see when I think about partiality the idea of weekly date night comes to mind. Which, as of late, we’ve tried to make weekly date night a priority, but sometimes it’s more like once or twice a month.

But imagine with me for a moment if Kim and I are out to eat. 2 weeks back we went to BJ’s Brewhouse down in Plain City, and they have the best avocado egg rolls.But suppose that we’ve gotten ready, and we’ve been talking about date night throughout the day… and on the way to the restaurant, we’re looking at the menu and thinking of what we might order. (that happened by the way)… we were hungry. (most people look at the menu’s once they’re at the restaurant… we’re a little different.)

But suppose we get to the restaurant, and half of my attention is divided. Half of the time, I’m with Kim, but the other half of the time I’m with my phone. How prioritized do you think Kim would feel in those moments? Would she feel special? Would she feel like I valued being there with her? What would I be communicating to her by looking at my phone half of the time, instead of her?

You see, this principle is true in marriage… but it’s also the case with the Lord.

You see I’m reminded of Cain Abel. Genesis 4:3-7 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

Church, it’s not that Cain didn’t bring anything… But Cain brought some of the fruits…just maybe what was convenient, just maybe, the least amount he could, just the bear minimum. And yet, with able, we see a willing heart, we see the fat portions, the firstborns, the best… and so, God looks on able with favor?

Church, I don’t know about you… but I want God to look on me with favor. I’m not interested in bringing the Lord my leftovers, or what’s second… I want to bring him my best. I want his favor on my life.

Luke 10:27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with All your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[c]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 4 Times we see that word All… friend house that Going this morning. IN your worship, in your walk, each day… Friend what are you bringing Jesus?

2. Guard your heart against deception Truth. – God, others, self.

As we turn back to the scripture, we ese in Acts 5:3-6 3 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? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.

So, we notice here that Peter doesn’t sugarcoat what’s taken place. He doesn’t hide the truth; he exposes Ananias and his deception. But if we go back to verse 3 for a brief moment, there’s a key concept.

We’re told: 3 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?

See in studying, this passage, one commentator explained some have questioned whether or not Ananias and Sapphira were true believers. I mean, after all, how could they do something so heinous, right? Yet as you look at this scripture, this commentator points out acts 4:32 32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. It doesn’t point out ALL the believers, well, that is except for Ananias and Saphira. He also references verse 3 in which they lie to the Holy Spirit, thus indicating a relationship at hand. And so, in all likelihood, this husband and wife are born again believers.

How then… is it possible that they sinned? Well, the bible makes it clear that Satan filled their hearts. And to what extent we’re not told. Certainly, if nothing else, there is temptation at hand… Certainly their flesh has gotten the best of them, certainly, they take their eyes of Christ and put on materialistic things… and in a moment, these same believers who were at one point worshipping in spirit and in truth, are now living out filth and disgust. Satan has tempted them.

Like Jesus with Peter in Matthew 16:23. One moment, Peter is declaring that Jesus is the Messiah, the next Peter is rebuking Jesus for saying he would be crucified. And what does Jesus say? “Get behind me, Satan!”

Friends, you can be walking a straight line… We talked about walking by faith last week… but if you’re not guarding your heart, if you’re not taking your steps into exam… if you’re not careful, the next thing you know, you can be falling on your face.

You see church, not only does Ananias act in sin by withholding from the Lord… He then goes on to lie about it.

I came across an article this week, which explains: A study by a couple of researchers at the University of Toronto and at James Madison University in Virginia proved something that we may already know. The study, provocatively called "Cognitive Sophistication Does Not Attenuate the Bias Blind Spot," concluded that we cut ourselves more slack than we give to others. No surprise there, right. But writing about this study in the New Yorker, Jonah Lehrer explains why we do this. He claims that we all have "bias blind spots" because there's a mismatch between how we evaluate others and how we evaluate ourselves. Lehrer writes:

When considering the irrational choices of a stranger, for instance, we are forced to rely on [how they behave]; we see their biases from the outside, which allows us to glimpse their [errors]. However, when assessing our own bad choices, we tend to engage in elaborate introspection. We [study] our motivations and search for relevant reasons; we lament our mistakes to therapists and ruminate on the beliefs that led us astray.

As an example, if we drive crazy through traffic it's because we have an important meeting or we don't do it that often, and so forth. But if someone else cuts us off in traffic there's one simple, observable explanation: he's a jerk. Lehrer concludes "[our bias blind spots] are largely unconscious, which means they remain invisible to self-analysis and [resistant] to intelligence." In other words, being smarter won't help you see your own junk. As a matter of fact, more intelligence may add to the problem.

Church, we hear this story, and the truth is… if we don’t examine our course, we can fall into the same trap. Doing what’s wrong… but then… Justifying, why we’re doing it…

Sinning… but then… explaining why we sinned… as if we’re okay… and this morning, God is calling us to holiness. Like can we just live out our faith. Can we walk in holiness this morning???

Numbers 32:23 But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out. Be sure… your sin will find you out.

Friend, for a season, you can live in sin… you can try to cover it up… and hide…

Luke 8:17 For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.

Friends, we have to do what’s right. Proverbs 4:23 tells us: Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

How are we doing with that this morning church? are we guarding our hearts. Are we being honest with God, are we being honest with others, are we being honest with ourselves?

As we continues the scripture this morning Acts 5:7-11

7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”

“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”

9 Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”

10 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. 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

Church, as we read this. I can’t help but think of Adam and eve. Who not only sinned, but who then tried to cover their sin. Who tried to lie to God. And they weren’t fooling anyone.

I’m going to call Lisa forward at this time. And as she comes forward….

I’m reminded of Proverbs 14:12 which explains: There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.

Friends, for Ananias and Saphira they thought they were doing what made sense in their own minds. They were following a course that they thought was best… or right… but ultimately, they turned their backs on the Lord and it led to their death.

Church, this morning. Christ calls us to life. He calls us great things. But he also calls us holiness.

And for some of us this morning, if we were honest…. There’s an area of sin that we need to address. Maybe it’s a habit, maybe it’s what you’re watching on a tv, computer or phone, maybe it’s overspending, over eating, gossiping… there’s a host of things it could be… are you being hones with the Lord this morning?

You see the beginning of Change really starts when you realize you can’t do it on your own… it’s not about trying harder… or being better… it’s a crisis of faith (as the alliance calls it) when you realize, you can’t do it… but he can do it through you. (sanctification)

So, we’ll close in prayer… ask the Lord what he’s saying to you in light of today’s truth.

1. Sin to address this morning?

2. Honest with God? Honest with others? Maybe even honest with yourself.

Pray