When You Fake Your Faith
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
This morning we are picking back up in our study of the Book of Acts.
If you’re new to our church, it would be good for you to know that we practice a form of preaching called “Expository Preaching”. What that means is we believe the Bible is best taught be taking books of the Bible, and then studying them from beginning to end, chapter by chapter, verse by verse, in order to understand what it means in our lives today.
With that said, we are currently doing that through the NT book of Acts. A book that was written to tell us the story of how the church started and how Jesus intends for his church to accomplish the mission of reaching the world with the gospel.
So, if you haven’t been with us, I would encourage you to go online where you can listen to all of the messages leading up to today.
Last week, you may recall we finished up chapter 4 as Luke described the family dynamic of the First Century Church. Because as we learned last week, the church in many respects is meant to operate like a family.
First, to tell the story of the first church, and give us a history of how the church was started and the circumstances that surrounded it.
Second, to give us a spiritual template for how Jesus intended the church to take the message of the Gospel to the entire world through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
And as we’ve seen so far through our study, the early church started out with a bang!
It all started in as the disciples were filled with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. An empowerment that Jesus promised would come following His resurrection and ascension into heaven. Luke writes in :
4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
And just as Jesus promised, In , the promised Holy Spirit came, It happened on a Jewish holiday known as the day of Pentecost as 120 disciples were filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
And now filled with the Holy Spirit, the mission of the church begins as the disciples preach the first message of the Gospel to the holiday crowd. A preaching event that led to 3000 people putting their hope and faith in Jesus.
From there we moved into chapter 3 as the disciples began to function and minister in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Ministry that led to the healing of a crippled man and 2000 more people putting their faith in Jesus.
Ministry that caught negative attention from the Jewish religious leaders.
And ministry that led to the first instance of resistance and persecution for the early church. Luke tells us about it in :
1 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.
:1-
But despite the resistance and threats of the religious leaders, the disciples weren’t about to stop telling people about Jesus. So, after being threatened and told not to preach in the name of Jesus, the disciples gathered together once again, and asked God to equip and empower them. Luke records their prayer as follows:
29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
Acts 4:
So, there you have it. That’s how First Century Church started. It started with 120 people who had put their faith in Jesus. It then grew to 5000 within a few days as God empowered the disciples to preach and proclaim the Gospel boldly. I would say a rather successful church plant.
So, there you have it. That’s how First Century Church started.
It started with 120 people who had put their faith in Jesus.
It started with 5000 people putting their faith in Jesus.
And despite the resistance and persecution, it started with the disciples relying on the power of the Holy Spirit to help them continue to spread the good news of the gospel.
I would say a rather successful church plant.
So, a good question would be, “How does this all apply to us?” And as we’ve learned, it applies in much the same way:
First, it applies because the mission of taking the Gospel to the entire world hasn’t changed. Just like Jesus raised up First Century Church to share the Gospel, Jesus has raised MCF up to tell people the good news of the Gospel as well. In fact, that’s our primary mission.
Second, just like the early disciples needed the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we need the empowerment of the Holy Spirit as well. The truth is, without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit we will be powerless to do anything significant for Jesus. So, just like the early church, we need to continually seek and ask God to fill us with His Spirit.
Third, just like the early church faced resistance and persecution, we too can expect resistance and persecution as well. The fact is, the message of Jesus runs contrary to the world. It’s a message that isn’t culturally, religiously, politically, or Hollywood correct. That being the case, when we stand up for truth, we’re going to tick the world off. The world is going to push back against the message and take their frustration out on the messenger. Jesus puts it like this:
22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
All that to say, not much has changed since the first century.
The message hasn’t changed.
The need for empowerment hasn’t changed.
And the resistance to the message is still something Christians have to contend with.
But the good news is, we don’t have face the challenges alone. Because not only do we have the Holy Spirit by our side to help us, we also have each other. Because as we learned last week, the church in many respects is like a family.
A family that takes care of its own.
A family that takes care of its own. A family where Christians are fully committed to Jesus and one another. A family where the needs of fellow Christians are met. Listen to how Luke describes First Century Church:
A family where Christians are fully committed to Jesus and one another.
A family where the needs of fellow Christians are met.
But not only did the early church grow quickly, it also grew relationally. In fact, as we learned last week, being a member of First Century Church came with a lot of relational benefits.
Listen again to how Luke describes First Century Church:
A family that takes care of its own. A church where people are fully committed Christ followers. A Church not only did the early church grow quickly, it also grew relationally. In fact, as we learned last week, being a member of First Century Church came with a lot of relational benefits.
32 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.
He goes on to say:
Acts 4:32-
34 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 35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
First, if you
Acts 4:34-
Luke says First Century Church was a church where people were on the same page spiritually. Where people took care of one another and shared their resources with one another. In fact, according to Luke, some of the members at First Century Church went above and beyond as they sold property and homes in order to meet the needs of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
One such Christian was a man named Joseph. Listen to what Luke says this man did:
36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Acts 4:
Luke says Joseph sold a piece of property that he owned and gave 100% of the proceeds to the church. Why did he do it? Did somebody ask him to? Did somebody force him to? No. He did it because he wanted to. He did it because he saw a need. So, acting on the prompting of the Holy Spirit, Joseph sold the property and gave it to the church.
All that to say, the early church understood the most important focus in life wasn’t their possessions. The most important focus was telling people about Jesus and taking care of one another.
Frankly, it’s what God desires the church to be.
Now, does that mean we all need to go out and sell our possessions and give the money to the church? Of course not. But what it does mean is we need to be willing to if God asked us to. In other words, we need to learn to hold our possessions loosely. To remember three realities about our possessions:
Possessions are temporary
We can’t take them with us when we die.
And thy were never ours to begin with.
Having that kind of a mindset will allow us to be used by God to help and bless others. And in response to that, God will bless us. The prophet Malachi puts it like this:
10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.
God promises, if we will be faithful with the resources He’s given us and keep our possessions in the right perspective, He will return blessing upon us, until there is no more need. And God says, “You can take that to the bank.”
So, a good question might be, “What happens if we’re not willing to do that? What happens if we decide to live our our own version of Christianity? A version where we hold our possessions tightly. A version where we never consider the needs of others. A version where we pretend to be all about Jesus and His mission when we’re really not. What then?”
Well, that’s another story altogether.
In fact, that’s what I want to talk to you about today. Because as we move out of chapter 4 and into chapter 5 today, we come to a tragic and terrifying story of a couple who did just that. A couple who pretended to be “All In”, but they were really just faking it.
And to be honest with you, of all the messages I’ve preached at MCF, this message will probably one of the most direct and sobering you’ve heard me share. In fact, the content and gravity of this next passage is so heavy, it may even cause some of you to leave here this morning thinking, “I’m not sure I want to go back next week.”
But my hope is despite the gravity of today’s message, that your heart will be open to hear what the Lord wants to say. That instead of hardening your heart, you’ll allow the Lord to soften your heart and draw you closer to Him.
So, in order to set up where we are going this morning, I want to begin by giving us some framework for this couple. And to do that I want to ask you a question concerning your interaction with a certain type of person or personality.
Question - Have you ever been around someone who you would consider to be a “fake” or a “phony”? And when I say fake or phony, I’m talking about a person who portrays who they are, their beliefs, or their lifestyle as one thing, but in all reality it’s something else all together.
In other words, a person who portrays their beliefs or their lifestyle as one thing, but in all reality it’s something else all together.
Or maybe even somebody who even outright lies about something they did, when in fact they didn’t do it.
Have you ever been around a person like that?
Let me give you an example of what I’m talking about.
PRICE IS RIGHT EXAMPLE:
Eric Braeden - Victor Neman on the Soap Opera, “The Young and the Restless”.
And while it was a great trip, the only catch was, in order to get on the show, we had to get in line at midnight the night before. And so for about 10 hours we stood in line outside of the CBS studio hoping we’d get picked to go on the show.
And what was kind of fun about it was as the morning went on, we watched as different television stars pulled up and entered the studio. One particular star that showed up that morning was an actor named Eric Braeden, who plays the character Victor Neman on the Soap Opera, “The Young and the Restless”.
He treated the security guard like dirt when he didn’t think anybody was watching. But when he realized he had an audience, he changed his tune. What a phony!”
EMPTY ENVELOPE EXAMPLE:
And then after parking his car, he started walking towards the studio entrance. It was at that point everybody in line started yelling, “Victor, Victor!”. You could tell it took him by surprise, and he turned around with a big smile on his face and waved. And my thought was, “What a phony!”.
Another example is what I would call the “The Empty Envelope”. Probably on a weekly basis when our count team counts the offering from Sunday, there are 1-3 empty envelopes that are put in the offering bucket.
So, you might wonder, “Why are they empty?” Did the money fall out? Did they forget to put their check in?
I’d say probably not. Frankly, they’re empty because someone wanted to give the appearance that they put money in the bucket, when in fact they didn’t.
Now, some might say, “Well pastor, aren’t you jumping to a negative conclusion? Maybe they forgot their checkbook or their cash, so they didn’t want people to think bad of them.”
Well, that’s kind of my point. Because when you put an empty envelope into the bucket so you don’t look bad to others, that’s being what? That’s being fake. That’s being a phony. And not only that, it’s a pride problem.
And if we’re being honest with ourselves, we’ve all done it. We’ve all had instances in our lives where we were fake or phony:
Instances where we wanted people to think something about us that wasn’t true.
Instances where we didn’t want to look bad, so we put on a show.
Instances where we put on a facade to hide the reality of a situation.
Instances where we’ve even maybe lied to save face or keep somebody from finding out the truth about us.
The truth is, we’ve all done it.
Acts 5:
Now, you might be thinking, “Ok pastor, I get what you’re saying. I’m tracking with you. I know people like that, and if I’m honest, I’ve been guilty of it as well. So, what does this have to do with our passage today?”
Here’s where I’m going with this. As we begin chapter 5 today, Luke begins by introducing us to a couple that is guilty of being fake and phony. A couple that attended First Century Church.
A couple that had the appearance of being All In.
A couple that had the appearance of being All In.
A couple who wanted everybody to believe they were all about Jesus and the mission of the church.
But the truth is, they were really just faking it. They weren’t really All In. And unfortunately, their phoniness resulted in a tragic moment in their life.
And it resulted in a tragic incident in their lifeAnd the problem with faking your faith, is you may fool those around you, but you’re not fooling God. Because the truth is, God can see through your phoniness. God knows when you’re being fake. And God doesn’t take kindly to people who say they’re All in, when they’re really not.
You see, unfortuntely this couple learned a hard lesson of what happens when you fake your faith.
So, with that as our framework, I have two goals this morning.
First, we’re going to read through the passage so we can get an idea of what’s going on and what the situation is.
Second, we’re going to go back through the passage and discover why it’s dangerous to pretend you’re All In when you’re really not.
Finally, we’re going to discover how to avoid being fake or phony when it comes to our faith in Jesus.
So, to get us started, let’s being as Luke tells the story of a couple known as Ananias and Sapphira.
Beginning in chapter 5:1, Luke writes:
1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and 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. 3 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? 4 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.” 5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.
7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.
Wow, that’s quite a story, right? So, what’s going on here? And what does it mean for us?
Well, we’re going to get to that, but before we get too far, what I want to do first is establish some context for this story. And to do that, what we need to understand first, is that this story is a story of contrast.
You all know what a contrast is, right? To contrast something is to compare two objects in order to determine their differences.
For example, to contrast the difference between a man and a woman is to notice the differences between them.
So, a good question might be, “What is it that is being contrasted in this passage?”
Luke give us a clue by the way he starts chapter 5. Notice how he starts this story. He begins by saying, “But...”.
So, why is that important? It’s important because the word “But” is a conjunction that is used to connect two thoughts or ideas.
It’s important because the word “But” is a conjunction that is used to connect two thoughts or ideas.
In other words, Luke is using the word “But” to make a connection for us. He’s basically saying, “On the contrary” or “On the other hand”.
So, if that’s the case, what is Luke contrasting this story with?
Well, do you remember the guy we just read about? The guy named Joseph. The guy who sold the piece of property and gave all the money to the church. That’s who Luke is comparing this couple to.
We know this because the story of Ananias and Sapphira comes on the heals of Luke telling us about Joseph’s generous donation. So, just to make sure we all see it, let me read a portion of the two stories together so we can get the greater context.
36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Going back to the end of chapter 4, Luke writes:
36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Acts 4:
Now, picking up in chapter 5, Luke writes:
-1-2
1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and 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.
Do you see the contrast?
You might recall we read about Joseph last week. Joseph was the man who sold a field and gave the full proceeds of the sale to the church. Why did he do it? He did it because he wanted to help
The contrast is between the actions of Joseph and the actions of Ananias and Sapphira as Luke highlights the similarities in their actions. Both sold property, and both gave money to the church, but there’s a difference between the two.
Because Luke says instead of giving the full amount of the sale to the church, like Joseph did, Ananias and Sapphira kept a portion of the sale for themselves.
Now, you might be thinking, “Ok pastor, I get it. But what’s the big deal. So, what if Ananias and Sapphira didn’t give all the money to the church. Isn’t that their prerogative? Who said they had to give it all to the church?”
That’s true. In fact, Peter acknowledges that. In verse 4, Peter says to the couple, “While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal?” (ESV)
What Luke is trying to show us is that while both parties sold a piece of property, only one gave the full amount to the church.
What Peter is acknowledging is that Ananias and Sapphira had every right to do what they wanted with the property and with the money they obtained from the sale of the property.
So, what’s the problem? Why is Luke going to the trouble to contrast the difference between these two acts of generosity?
So, what’s going on here? Why is Luke contrasting these two acts of generosity?
“While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it as sold, was it not at your disposal?”
What Luke is trying to show us is that while both parties sold a piece of property, the real contrast here isn’t that one gave all and the other only gave a portion. The contrast is that apparently both parties had verbally committed to give the full sale to the church. And while Joseph came through on his promise, Ananias and Sapphira didn’t. Because Luke says once the sale was complete, Ananias and Sapphira only gave a portion of what they promised, and kept the rest for themselves.
You see, the real contrast here isn’t that one gave all and the other only gave a portion. The contrast is that apparently both parties had verbally committed to give the full sale to the church. And while Joseph came through on his promise, Ananias and Sapphira didn’t. Because Luke says once the sale was complete, Ananias and Sapphira only gave a portion of what they promised, and kept the rest for themselves.
In fact, here’s what they did. They made it look like the property sold for a certain amount, when in fact it sold for more. And then they pretended like they were given the full amount to the church.
Acts 5:
Illustration: It would be like if you told me you were going to sell your car and give the full amount of the sale to the church. So you sell your car for $3000. But instead of giving the church $3000, you come to me and say, “Pastor, the car didn’t go for what I hoped. It only sold for $2000, but like I promised, I’m giving the full amount to the church. Here you go, a check for $2000.” And then you pocket the remaining $1000 leaving me to believe that you gave the entire amount of the sale to the church.
Do you see the problem with that?
Now, you might say, “How do we know that’s what they did?”
We know because Luke tells us that’s what happened. Listen to the rest of what Peter has to say to this couple:
3 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? 4 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.”
We don’t know how, but somehow Peter knows that Ananias and Sapphira aren’t being deceptive. Whether somebody told Peter the real deal or the Holy Spirit revealed it to him, we don’t know. But Peter knows they are lying. Peter knows they are being phony. And so he calls Ananias on it. He says, “Ananias, why have you lied? Why are you pretending to be All In? Why are you trying to deceive people into thinking your something you’re not.”
You see, what Ananias and Sapphira wanted everybody to think is that they were just like Joseph, they were All In. But the truth is, they were just pretending.
So, what happened next? Something shocking that nobody saw coming. Luke writes, “When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last.” (ESV)
5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.
Acts 5:
Luke says as Peter confronts Ananias on his deception, no sooner had Peter finished talking, Ananias fell over dead. Wow!
Having lied
So, a great question would probably be, “What killed him?”
Was it the anxiety from being caught? Was it the stress of the shame? Did Ananias have a heart condition that nobody knew about?
Well, if we look at it in context, it would appear that Ananias’s death wasn’t stress or heart related, but more than likely a divine act. How do we know? We know by the response of those present. Listen to how those respond to this unexpected event. Luke writes:
“And great fear came upon all who heard of it. The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.” :b-6 (ESV)
:b-6 (ESV)
There are two clues in this passage that point to a divine act of judgment on Ananias.
First, Luke says great fear came upon all who heard about it. The idea here is that the people were afraid because they saw the hand of God in this. In other words, for those standing there, it was apparent to them that stress or a heart condition didn’t strike this guy down.
Second, Luke says the men rose, wrapped him up, and buried him. To be honest, this would have been unusual. Typically Jewish burials didn’t happen immediately. The only exception for quick burials was when somebody died by suicide, as a criminal, or from a judgment of God. And in this case, it appears to be a judgment from God.
All that to say, when Ananias lied. When Ananias pretended to be All In when He wasn’t, God struck him down.
Now, the truth is, when we read that, we might be tempted to say, “Wow, that almost seems a little harsh. Why would God do that? I thought God was a God of grace and love? Why would God do this?”
Here’s why God did this. God did this, because in the beginning days of the church, God wanted to send a clear message. And the message is simply this, “It’s dangerous to pretend you’re All In when you’re really not.” And so in an act of Divine judgment, God symbolically demonstrates for the church how He deals with people who fake their faith.
And again, you might be thinking, “But pastor, that just seems so harsh! Why such a devastating lesson?”
Based on the passage, what I’d like to suggest to you is there are two reasons God responded like this and why it is dangerous for you and I to fake our faith. Because like it or not, God hasn’t changed his view on this. The message in still applies today. So, why is it dangerous?
I hate to tell you this, but it applies in the exact same way.
Reason #1 - When you fake your faith, you are robbing God.
I want you to notice again what Luke says about Ananias’s act of deception. Going back to verse 3, listen to the question that Peter poses to Ananias concerning his deception. Luke writes:
3 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?
As Peter confronts Ananias, what I want you to notice is the phrase “keep back.” The phrase is translated from the Greek word “nosphizo”, and it means to pilfer or embezzle.
So what Peter is really asking Ananias is, “Ananias, why did you embezzle money from God? Ananias why did you try and rob God of what you promised to give Him?”
Ananias sold the property for one price, but pretended he sold it for a lesser price.
Interestingly enough, the same verb used here for “kept back” can be found in the Greek version of the story of Achan in .
If you’re not familiar with the story of Achan, it’s the story of Israels first victory in the Promised Land. A victory in which God had commanded the Israelites to take all the loot they had collected after destroying the city of Ai and devote it to the Lord.
But Achan disobeyed the command. Achan hid some of the loot in his tent. The result was Israel suffered a devastating defeat in the next battle.
So, just like God did in , in , God wanted to send a clear message to Israel on how he dealt with people who robbed from Him.
And so in an act of divine judgment, Achan and his entire family were stoned to death for embezzling resource that had been designated for God.
Now, again, you might be thinking, “Pastor, that just seems so harsh and cruel. Why would God do that!”
Well, let me ask you this. How would you feel if somebody stole from you?
Because, just like in , In , at the beginning of the Israelites journey into the Promised Land, God wants to send a message. And the message is, “I don’t look kindly on people who claim to give Me everything, and then embezzle some of it for themselves.”
And the reality is, Achan and Ananias aren’t all in. Because while they’ve promised to give God everything, they’ve embezzled a portion of it for themselves.
And guess what, God doesn’t look kindly on people who claim to give him everything, and then embezzle some of it for themselves.
What God wants us to understand is that kind of behavior brings death into our life.
And in the case of Achan and Ananias, it had to do with possessions, but the truth is, it applies to other things.
So, a good question would be, “How does this apply to us?”Here’s why. And in the case of Achan and Ananias, it had to do with possessions, but the truth is, it applies to other things.
So, a good question would be, “How does this apply to us?”
It applies in this sense. While it had to do with material possessions for Achan and Ananias, the truth is, it applies to other aspects of our life.
Because when we say we’re All In, we are essentially making a promise to God. We are promising to make Him Lord of everything? We’re saying “God everything I am and everything I have is yours. God I surrender it all to you.”
The question though is, “Do we really mean it?” Are we really surrendering it all to Him, or are we keeping something back? Are we embezzling what we promised to give God? That’s the question.
For example, and you may not like some of these examples, but:
We say, “God, I’m making you Lord of my finances.” And then instead of giving God the 10% He asks for, we keep it back.
Or we say, “God, I’m giving you my full devotion.” But then we keep some of ourselves back.
We keep back a portion of our time that should have spent with Him because we were too busy giving it to something we deemed more important.
We keep back opportunities to be used by God because we were too focused on our own desires.
We keep back from serving others because we’re preoccupied with our own needs.
You see we all say, “I’m All In God”, but then we hold back, we keep back, we don’t really give God our all. After giving it to him, we embezzle a portion of it back.
And the problem isn’t that you want to keep something back for yourself. Just like Ananias, you and I can spend our money however we like. We can spend our time however we like. We can use our talents however we like. That’s not the problem.
The problem is, when you signed up to follow Jesus, you promised to give Him everything. You said, “God all I have is yours.” But then you continued to keep some back.
And the truth is, all of us, including myself are guilty of this. All of us have embezzled from God at some point and in some way.
And the truth is, all of us, including myself are guilty of this. All of us have embezzled from God at some point and in some way.
Now, you might be thinking, “Ok pastor, if that’s true. If we’ve all embezzled from God, then why are we still breathing? Why aren’t we on the floor like Ananias?”
The truth is, when we embezzle from God, when we take back what we committed to Him, we do experience death.
For example:
We experience it in our finances. In , God puts it like this:
8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.
Notice what God says happens to the finances of the person who says their committed to trusting God with their finances, but then they don’t tithe. God says not only are you robbing Him at that point, but a curse comes upon your finances.
And to be honest, that’s why some Christians struggle financially. They say they’re All In, but their holding back on trusting God financially. And then they wonder why they always struggle financially.
I have to be honest with you, I’ve yet to run into somebody who tithes and has major financial issues. The fact is, people who tithe have a blessing on their finances.
The same is true of our time. We say we’re All IN, we promise to devote time to God devotionally. We promise to give him some time out of our day. But then instead of spending time in prayer and in the Word, we spend it browsing Facebook. We spend it watching Netflix. And then we wonder why there’s not a blessing on our day.
And please hear me, I’m not saying you can’t browse Facebook or watch Netflix. What I’m saying is, if you’re going to say you’re All In, if you’re going to promise God He’s Lord of your time, and then you don’t give Him any, then you’re robbing Him of what you said was His. And there’s no blessing in that.
The same is true of our skills and abilities. We say God, “My skills and abilities are yours. God use them for your glory.” But then we never serve in a church ministry. We never seek opportunities to help others. Instead we hold back and we use our skills and abilities only for ourselves. And then we wonder why were not as productive as we could be. We wonder why our work falls short.
Do you see what I’m saying. If you’re going to promise God that your life is His, but then you hold back, your essentially robbing God, and by doing so your brining death into your life. Because there is no blessing when you embezzle from God.
At the end of the day, Ananias wasn’t All In. He said he was. But the truth is, he wasn’t giving God everything he promised he would.
This leads to a second reason it’s dangerous to fake your faith:
Reason #2 - When you fake your faith, you are defaming the reputation of God.
Listen to what Peter goes on to say to Ananias. Picking up in verse 4, Luke writes:
“Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” (ESV)
In this statement, Peter makes a couple of observations we need to think about.
First, Peter basically says, “Ananias, who do you think your fooling. It’s not man you’ve lied to, it’s God. Ananias, don’t you know that God can see through your phoniness. Aren’t you aware that God knows you’re being fake?”
And that’s true right? The fact is, when a person fakes their faith, when they pretend to be serving God and they’re really not, they may fool their family, they may fool their friends, but they’re not fooling God. God knows the truth. Because God can see what nobody else can see. God can see your heart. God puts it like this in :
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
When Peter accused Ananias of lying to the Holy Spirit, it’s the idea that Ananias had falsified what the church stood for. In other words, Ananias was being a spiritual fake. He was saying he was All In, but outside of the church he was still living with a worldly mindset. And as a result, he was living like a hypocrite. A hypocrite that made the church look bad to the world.
Bottom line, you can’t hide your phoniness form God. He sees what you hide from everyone else.
He was saying he was All In, but outside of the church he was still living with a worldly mindset. And as a result, he was living like a hypocrite. A hypocrite that made the church look bad to the world.
Second, when Peter says Ananias lied to God, it’s not the idea that Ananias told God a lie, it’s the idea that Ananias falsified what God and His church stand for.
Ananias wasn’t All In. He wasn’t of one heart and soul. His heart was divided. He had on foot in the church and the other grasping for worldly security and possessions.
In other words, by pretending to be something he was not, Ananias was giving a false portrayal of the Christian faith. He was lying about what it mean to be a Christian.
In other words, he was saying he was All In, but outside of the church he was still living with a worldly mindset. And as a result, he was living a lie. Living like a hypocrite. A hypocrite that made Jesus and the church look bad to the world.
Let me give you some examples of what this could like like in our modern context. And again, some of you won’t like these examples:
Somebody who lies to God, says they’re All In, but then they go have sex with somebody who is not their spouse.
Somebody who lies to God, says they’re All In, but then they go get wasted with their non Christian friends on the weekends.
Somebody who lies to God, says they’re All In, but they continue to lie and gossip at the coffee shop.
Somebody who lies to God, says they’re All In, but they continue to look at porn.
A Christian says they’re All In, but they only give money to the church when they feel like it.
Somebody who lies to God, says they’re All In, but they divorce their spouse because they’re just not happy, and then pretend God told them to do it.
Somebody who lies to God, says they’re All In, but they continue to lie and cheat to get ahead.
You see where I’m going with this?
You see, Ananias said he was All In, but he wasn’t. He wasn’t of one heart and soul. His heart was divided. He had one foot in the church and the other grasping for worldly security and possessions. He was lying to himself and to God. And in the process was misrepresenting what it means to be a Christian.
And the same is true of many Christians today. We want our cake and eat it to. We want to associate with Jesus on Sunday but live like the world Monday - Saturday. And by doing so you’re lying to God, and your defaming His name. You’re living a lifestyle of Christianity that doesn’t line up with the Bible.
Ananias wasn’t All In. He wasn’t of one heart and soul. His heart was divided. He had on foot in the church and the other grasping for worldly security and possessions.
You’re doing exactly what the Christians in were guilty of. Christians who were pretending to serve Jesus, but were living contrary to His Word. To them Paul writes:
22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. 24 For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God 18 and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; 19 and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. 24 For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
In this passage Paul rebukes the Christians in Rome for their duplicity. And he says to them, “God’s name is being blasphemed to unbelievers because you’re pretending to be something your not.
And now, you’re a hypocrite. Now your’e the reason somebody might not come to true faith. Because you say you believe one way, but you live another. And that my friends is dangerous because by doing so you are defaming the name of God.
Do you see why this is so dangerous?
So, a good question might be, “How did this happen to Ananias?” Peter tells us. Peter says, “Ananias you’ve allowed Satan to fill your heart with a lie.”
In other words, Ananias had bought into the idea that he could say he was All In, and still hold on to portions of wordly passion and desire. He bought into the lie that nobody would know. But somebody did know. God knew.
The point of this story is to remind the church that while there is great blessing in being All In, but there is great judgment for a Christian or church that claims to be all in, but is not.
At the end of the day, God is going to sort out his church. He’s going to decipher who is All In and who is not.
Now, at this point you might be thinking, “Wow pastor, this is heavy. I wish I wouldn’t have come to church today. Pastor, you’re making feel awful. You’re making me feel like I don’t measure up. Pastor, you’re making making me question if I’m All In or not.”
Good. That’s what this message is supposed to do.
Let me put it like this. How many of you know what a warning label is? A warning label is a label attached to an item, or contained in an item's instruction manual, warning the user about risks associated with the use of the item.
That’s what this passage is meant to be. It’s a warning label for Christianity. And the warning is, “If yo make Jesus Lord, Don’t pretend you’re all in if you’re not. Abuse of Jesus’s name could result in death.”
Pretty heavy, right? Glad you came to church?
So, a great question might be, “How do we avoid this danger? How do we avoid being a fake or phony Christian?”
As we close this morning, I’d like to suggest there are two ways to avoid these dangers.
Avoidance #1 - Either be All IN, or be All OUT. Choose one or the other.
The fact is, when it comes to a relationship with Jesus, there is no in between. You are either All In or You’re All Out. And I’m going to tell you right now, it’s better for you to be All Out than to pretend you’re All In. Listen to what the writer of Hebrew says of the person who pretends:
26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
The writer of Hebrews says the punishment for the pretender is worse than the punishment for the one who never believed. Think about that. God says for the person who pretended to serve Jesus, they will suffer a worse fait than the one who outright rejected Jesus. The Apostle Peter puts it like this:
21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.
Peter says, it would have been better that that person never new about Jesus.
The bottom line is this, if you’re not going to be All In, then do yourself a favor and be All Out. Because in the end, God is going to deal more severely with pretenders than those who were just honest.
Avoidance #2 - If you’re going to say you’re All In, be willing to confess and repent when you’re not or haven’t been.
What’s interesting about the story of Ananias and Sapphira, is that their judgments took place separately. In other words, they weren’t judged as a couple, but individually.
Why is that important? It’s important because what it shows us is that God deals with us individually. In other words, He doesn’t punish us for the sins of others. Instead, He gives us the opportunity to personally do what is right. The prophet Ezekiel puts it like this:
20 The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
30 But everyone shall die for his own iniquity. Each man who eats sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.
So, what happened to Sapphira? Luke tells us:
7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.
Acts 5:
What I want you to notice, is while Sapphira suffered the same fate of her husband, she was given the opportunity to do what was right. She was given the opportunity to confess and repent. Because knowing the figure Ananias had given him, Peter asks Sapphira if this was the amount they sold the land for. And it’s at this point Sapphira has to make a decision. She could confess and repent, or she can continue to lie and pretend.
Unfortunately she chooses the latter. A decision that resulted in her death as well.
But what would have happened if she would have confessed. What would have happened if she would have told Peter the truth. What if she would have said, “Peter, I have to be honest with you. We actually sold it for more than that. Peter, I’m sorry. I don’t know what we were thinking. Please forgive me for trying to deceive you.”
Do you think there would have been a different outcome for Sapphira? I do. Want to know how I know that? Because we serve a God of grace and mercy. A God who forgives. The prophet Isaiah puts it like this:
7 let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
And the Psalmist adds this:
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
If we will repent, if we’ll turn from our sin, God will forgive us.
Because the truth is, even when we’re committed to being All In, there are going to be days we’re not. There are going to be moments we fall short. I know that’s true of me. Because the fact is, Nobody that is All IN is All PERFECT. And God knows that. He know’s were going to make mistakes. He knows our good intentions are going to fall short.
The real question though is, “How are you going to handle your mistakes and shortcomings?” Are you going to bury them, pretend they didn’t happen, and hope nobody else saw it?
At the end of the day, the choice is yours.
So, those are the options for avoiding the danger of pretending. Option 1, if you’re not going to be All In, be All Out. Or option 2, If you’re going to say you’re All In, be willing to confess and repent when you’re not.
Are you going to entertain it, indulge in it, and pretend you can hide it? Or are you going to acknowledge what you’ve done, confess, and repent.
In fact, that’s the Key to being All In. It starts with recognizing your sin. It starts with repentance. And it grows from there.
Because at the end of the day, being All IN isn’t about being All Perfect. It’s about recognizing that you’re not All perfect. It’s about recognizing your need for a savior. It’s about confessing your sins. It’s about repenting. It’s about giving Jesus everything and making Him Lord of your life.
And then you stay All In as you daily remain All dependent on Him. On His mercy. On His grace. On His forgiveness. As day by day we acknowledge our shortcoming, we turn from our sin, and we give back to Jesus what we’ve stolen or embezzled.
So, where do we go from here? Before I pray, I would challenge you to make one of two considerations this morning.
First, that when it comes to faith in Jesus, you either be All In or All Out. That you would quit faking your faith and either be All in for Jesus or All Out. Because like it or not, there is no in between. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. You’re either a fully committed follower of Jesus or you’re not.
And when I say that, I’m not talking to people who are still on the fence of their faith. I’m not talking to the person that hasn’t fully decided if they want to make Jesus Lord. I’m talking to the person who says they have, but their lifestyle says quite another. To you I’m saying choose one or the other. Either be All in for Jesus, or be All out for the world.
Second, for those who say they want to be All In, be willing to confess and repent when you’re not. Don’t allow the enemy to trick you into believing that you can pretend. That you can live a lie. Instead, be honest with yourself, be honest with God, confess your sin. Repent. And allow the Lord to heal you.
Because at the end of the day, being All IN isn’t about being All Perfect. It’s about recognizing that you’re not All perfect. It’s about recognizing your need for a savior. It’s about confessing your sins. It’s about repenting. It’s about giving Jesus everything and making Him Lord of your life.
Let’s Pray
And then you stay All In as you daily remain All dependent on Him. On His mercy. On His grace. On His forgiveness. As day by day we acknowledge our shortcoming, as we turn from our sin, and as we give back to Jesus what we’ve stolen or embezzled.
My prayer is that you will choose to be All In. My prayer is that none of us would suffer the fait of Ananias and Sapphira. That we would head the warning label.
Let’s Pray
Talk about a successful church plant. Because only within a few days, the early church grew from 120 disciples to 5000 people who had put their faith in Jesus.