One Breath Away

Should we fear God? As Christians who have been saved by His grace and are chosen through Jesus Christ, should we have a fear of God?

Intro

Ananias and Sapphira

The Context:

Unity and Giving in the early church

Acts 4:32 ESV

Now the 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.

Acts

Acts 4:34 ESV

There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold

Joseph (Barnabas) followed suite and did the same.

But, Satan found a way in to the church through these two

Peter, gives Satan credit for manipulating Ananias’ Heart

Acts 5:3 ESV

But Peter said, “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?

Acts 5:

Satan tempted Ananias, much like he did Eve in the Garden

Satan to Eve:

“Did God actually say, “You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?”

“We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden”, but God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden neither shall you touch it, lest you die.”

Just in this small encounter Satan twists God’s words and Eve follows suite.

Satan - the Father of Lies - Jesus in

Ananias sells a piece of property and holds some back.

Luke tells us Sapphira knew about it.

Ananias before Peter for interrogation:

Acts 5:

Acts 5:3–4 ESV

But Peter said, “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? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.”

The depth of the lie when He does not give as he should.

Peter accuses him of lying to the HS and to God. Serious offense.

The result for lying to God was immediate death.

Sapphira comes in and has a chance to redeem herself.

She holds fast to the lie and is struck down also.

What is the meaning of this story? Is that one who lies to God is dead and can never be redeemed? Is God so reactionary that He would almost carelessly just cause one to stop breathing for such a lie?

Didn’t Adam and Eve do worse and yet God let them live? What is the point of this passage?

Why did God strike them down immediately?

Doctrine

What this teaches us about God!

Reminds us of God’s sovereignty

While God’s Sovereignty brings us comfort on the one hand, it should also cause us to respond with fear

Look at the response it evoked from the early church

Verse 5: “And great fear came upon all who heard of it.”

Verse 11: “And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.”

God’s purpose in this story is to remind the church that it is important to hold a healthy sense of fear

If we truly search the Scriptures and our hearts for a good understanding of God’s Sovereignty we should have a sense of fear

WE ARE ALL ONE BREATH AWAY FROM DEATH like Ananias and Sapphira

We should remember that Luke tells us nothing of their eternal fate.

We should be silent when Scripture is silent

We have no idea what happened to them other than they died a physical death

God was done with them in this context

What it does teach us is that God uses any whom he chooses for his purposes, but especially those who are obedient.

Because of their disobedience God removed them from the early church, beyond that we only speculate

Reminds us of God’s Love

We see his love as he used these two as an example to warn others who saw it then

It is a warning for us as well

God expects obedience

Not for Salvation, as that comes from Jesus’ obedience and is imputed to us through faith

But obedience to be a successful member of His church

We see his love as he did not destroy everyone else because of their lies

We see his love as he purified the church from those who had fallen to the temptation of Satan

He was protecting the early church from sin and disobedience

He loves the church so much that he often removes those who love sin more than him

We see his love in his work in removing sin in our lives

There are things we no longer like to do that we once did

Reminds us of God’s grace

First, we are reminded of God’s wrath

He struck them down, which is what we all deserve due to the original sin and actual sins

They deserve death for lying to God

I deserved death for being an enemy of God, yet in his grace he showed me mercy and salvation

I remember coming home from Afghanistan and having to work through not hating the Afghan people. I may still be working through not hating ISIS and the Taliban. When I think of how I felt toward many of our enemies because of what I witnessed I think of how this hatred is what I had for God when I was lost.

Now, why would he change my heart and work faith in me to work this change? It was only because of His grace.

We cannot witness God’s wrath without also seeing his grace

We have not received what we deserve which is exactly what Ananias and Sapphira received at this very exchange.

They took their last breath.

Doxology

Praise God that he has shown us these things so that we may believe and hold a sense of fear that is actually healthy for us.

Now, that we know this truth about God we can live this life in obedience:

We can live life with a balance of fear and grace

Barbara Bush stated shortly before she died that she was not afraid of death. I know what she meant and she probably died a good death. Yet, we should never forget that death is unnatural. It goes against the reason we were created. It is what C.S. Lewis called “ the final battle.”

I would contend that a lack of fear can actually get you killed.

Col. Grossman in his book: “On Killing” - Psychology of soldiers who fight on the front line in combat.

While, we have our hope in the future and hold fast to the fact that we will conquer, we still fear the physical death.

In the chapter on fear during combat he tells of an Israeli military psychologist - Ben Shalit

It helps us see that we are in a spiritual war and battle

We were created to live. God expects us to live, even the short time we are here, to the fullest and as a body of believers!

Ben asked Israeli soldiers “immediately after combat what most frightened them.”

What do you thin it would be?

Grossman says: “The answer that he expected was ‘loss of life’ or ‘injury and abandonment on the field.’ He was therefore surprised to discover the low emphasis on fear of bodily harm and death, and the great emphasis on “letting others down.”

We can live a life seeking to be obedient Christians

Not for our salvation, but for our life

We can live life knowing he is removing the sin in my life

We can live life knowing Christ is repelling Satan

We can live life knowing the HS is refreshing my soul

Applying faith and repentance as I fail to be obedient

App:

Col. Grossman in his book: “On Killing” - Psychology of soldiers who fight on the front line in combat.

In the chapter on fear during combat he tells of an Israeli military psychologist - Ben Shalit

Ben asked Israeli soldiers “immediately after combat what most frightened them.”

What do you thin it would be?

Grossman says: “The answer that he expected was ‘loss of life’ or ‘injury and abandonment on the field.’ He was therefore surprised to discover the low emphasis on fear of bodily harm and death, and the great emphasis on “letting others down.”

I think what God is showing us in this passage is simply this: That God out of his very nature, Sovereignty, Love and Grace expects us to live obedient lives or he will remove us.

God is in the business of reconciling the lost and saving them. He chooses common ordinary men and women and saves them and has them live a life of unity and commonality.

Then he says to go and tell others so I can use you to rescue other lost souls.

Col. Grossman in his book: “On Killing” - Psychology of soldiers who fight on the front line in combat.

In the chapter on fear during combat he tells of an Israeli military psychologist - Ben Shalit

Ben asked Israeli soldiers “immediately after combat what most frightened them.”

What do you thin it would be?

Grossman says: “The answer that he expected was ‘loss of life’ or ‘injury and abandonment on the field.’ He was therefore surprised to discover the low emphasis on fear of bodily harm and death, and the great emphasis on “letting others down.”

Brothers and sisters: When we withhold from God anything (You fill in the blank: money, time, talent, etc . . .) when he expects everything people die.

People die every day. Yet, there are those who God will redeem and save. Will you be obedient to the things of his church so that God can use you to bring people to himself?

Will you? If not, expect to take your last breath. He will remove you and find one who will do his work in obedience.

Brothers and sisters, we are all just one breath way from being removed from the work of the church and God’s Kingdom.