DON'T. BE. CLYDE. - Convenient Clyde

Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 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. 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? 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.” When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?” “Yes,” she said, “that is the price.” 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.” 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. Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

The word of the Lord.

So… what do you do with that?!

Not exactly a story with a happy ending.

Doesn’t feel like the New Testament, does it?

I can’t get over how Peter breaks the news to Saphira that her husband died…

“The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door.”

Yikes! Way to break the news gently, Peter!

Not that she had long to grieve, but still…

What do we do with a story like this?

How do we begin to make sense of it?

$$$$$

We’re going to be careful this morning not to do something that scripture doesn’t do…

Scripture doesn’t try to explain this away or make excuses for it.

We’re not going to, either.

In fact, scripture doesn’t try to explain it at all…

We don’t know how or why Ananias and Saphira died.

There isn’t any mention of their cause of death.

It doesn’t say “Peter struck them down,”

And it doesn’t say “God struck them down,”

It doesn’t name a cause of death.

They just died. It is odd – and scripture doesn’t rationalize or apologize for its oddity.

What we do know, though, is that there’s a correlation between their death,

And their sin.

And to begin to make sense of the story, it will help to back up.

Because at the end of Acts 2, we find that something unique and special is happening in this community.

God has come to dwell with his people.

The Holy Spirit is powerfully present among this early Christian community.

This is how Acts 2 describes them:

Acts 2:42–47 NIV

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 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, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

So we have this powerful Christian community,

In which the Holy Spirit is a moving and active part of this Church,

And it compels the community to be generous with one another,

As a reflection of the ways God has been generous with them.

So they sell their possessions and leave the money at the feet of the apostles,

Saying, “use this to meet the needs of those in this community.”

This community, where God has come to dwell,

Is functioning as a new temple. God lives in temple-space.

And the community functions as holy temple-dwellers.

But the holiness of God,

And the holiness God calls his people to,

Is not something that is to be taken lightly.

It is dangerous. The holiness of God is dangerous.

In the book of Ezekiel, these instructions are given to the priest:

Ezekiel 44:19 NLT

When they return to the outer courtyard where the people are, they must take off the clothes they wear while ministering to me. They must leave them in the sacred rooms and put on other clothes so they do not endanger anyone by transmitting holiness to them through this clothing.

So when the priests exited the temple, they were to take off their priestly garments.

Why? Because the temple was consecrated, holy space.

The robes were consecrated, holy garments.

And if unconsecrated people came in contact with those consecrated robes,

They, too, would be consecrated and set apart as holy for God.

The robes were dangerously holy.

Think about Achan from last week…

Taking the holy, consecrated items for unholy, unconsecrated use…

It led to his death.

When Moses approached the burning bush in Ex. 3, he was warned not to come closer…

And to take off his shoes, because he was standing on holy ground…

The holy space was to be handled with care.

When Isaiah stands in God’s throne room in his vision in Is. 6,

He cries out, “Woe is me! For I am a man of unclean lips!”

His defiled lips were unfit for the presence of God’s magnificent, powerful holiness.

Ananias and Sapphira were living in a community in which God was powerfully present.

A community set apart as a holy people.

And they were acting in defiled ways…

Participation in this community did not require that they yield the proceeds of their land.

It required their honesty.

Peter says that to them: The land was yours, the money was yours, but you were dishonest!

God did not need their land. He did not need their money.

But as a set apart people, there was an expectation of holiness.

What is at stake here is whether this community will be fit for the presence of God!

And the deception that Ananias and Sapphira participated in was unfit for this set-apart community.

Again and again and again in scripture, God is referred to as an all-consuming fire.

If God is a consuming fire… we mustn’t mess around with the call placed upon us.

All of that can sound like a threat…

Ananias and Sapphira can be read as a threat…

Like, “this is the consequence of deception.”

But it is better, I think, to read it as a call…

We, who are followers of Christ,

Are called to be holy as God is holy.

To be set apart for the purposes of God.

To guard our words and actions and even our intentions,

So that they bring honor and glory to God.

We are called for a royal purpose:

We are earthly ambassadors of an eternal king!

Our actions are a reflection of who our King is!

And there is a lot at stake!

“What does an unbelieving world say about God,”

When they see his people acting in unconsecrated ways?

“…” when they hear our tongues speaking in unconsecrated ways?

God wants flourishing, full life for his people…

Do you know that’s what obedience leads to?

God is not an overbearing parent demanding perfection…

He is a loving, generous father,

Who knows there is only one path to abundant life…

And he wants his children to know it.

Obedience to God is not for the sake of following a set of frivolous rules…

Obedience to God is walking a path that leads to blessing,

Not only for us – but for the world.

Ananias and Sapphira were not walking down a path that leads to blessing…

They were walking a path of deception,

Pain, and brokenness.

Clyde happens to be walking that same path…

His deception isn’t as blatant…

But he sure is good at letting people think he has everything together.

He wears that “model Christian” badge around like he’s earned it…

But the truth is… Clyde is all about faith, as long as faith is convenient.

As long as it doesn’t demand much of him.

Clyde hasn’t figured out that abundant life is found down a narrow road…

And he thinks he can achieve it in other ways…

Think about Ananias and Sapphira…

They thought that by keeping some of the money for themselves,

They would be more satisfied. More fulfilled. More secure.

But lies and deceptions don’t lead to happiness…

They lead to misery. It breaks relationships.

It causes them to hide and guard their secrets,

And it causes others to learn not to trust them.

Ananias and Sapphira were on a path to isolation and loneliness…

They were on a path that leads to death.

And Clyde is, too.

Clyde has it in his mind that sometimes, satisfying himself is permissible.

It feels good to lob the last insult in an argument.

It feels good to throw the last punch. Or to be the first to draw blood.

It feels good to be a little deceptive sometimes…

Clyde doesn’t understand that feeling good is not the same as abundant life.

And sometimes, things that seem to feel good rob him of abundance.

There are consequences to those actions…

Being the last one to lob insults, or throw the last punch, or deceive…

That results in loneliness. It results in isolation.

It is a path that leads to death.

When we’ve talked about Clyde for the past few weeks,

We’ve called him “immature.”

That’s not an insult… we don’t say that to make him small,

And we don’t assume, when we say that, that we’re more mature than he is…

We recognize that Clyde’s faith is immature because so much of his life is reserved for himself,

And he doesn’t give God access to it…

He isn’t living a life consecrated to God.

Instead, he’s playing fast and loose with his faith…

Just like Ananias were fast and loose with their commitments…

And it isn’t a path that leads to abundant life…

Recognizing Clyde’s spiritual immaturity should stir in us a desire to see him grow,

And to ask ourselves how we can contribute to his growth…

The brokenness in his life should break our hearts for him…

He is only causing himself pain…

Pain that the tries to fill in other ways…

With relationships, with church attendance,

and by satisfying self-centered desires.

But it all leads back to more pain.

And watching that play out…

That’s heartbreaking.

And there’s a good chance Clyde doesn’t fully grasp it.

We know that we’re called to surrender our lives to Jesus…

Not in part, but the whole.

God says, “Be holy as I am holy.”

And the easy-to-miss truth of it is that we will only know joy,

And our lives will only find meaning and fullness,

When we live holy lives.

Holiness isn’t just an expectation God has for us…

It is a gift he offers us…

Because we are only made holy by the work of his Spirit,

As we yield to the transformation he brings to our lives.

Ananias and Sapphira missed out on a gift!

Clyde is missing out on a gift!

A faith that is convenient is not really faith at all…

it is emptiness where the fullness of Christ should dwell!

And we are offered so much more.

We’re going to say goodbye to Clyde today…

But not to the lessons his life has to offer us…

We’re going to send him away with gratitude for what he has taught us…

If you see something of Clyde in yourself…

Something unsurrendered…

Or a faith based on convenience rather than submission…

Today is an invitation to surrender it to Jesus.

To live a holy, Spirit-filled, purposeful life,

And to know the joy of a life lived in Christ.

If your heart breaks for Clyde…

Listen to that tug on your heart…

How does God want to use you to the real-life Clydes that you know?

To invite them to know a fullness of faith,

Which leads to a fullness of life…

The beautiful paradox of

The freedom in Christ which is found through surrender…

And the joy which is found in dying to ourselves…

So that we can be reborn in Christ…

We are invited to live holy lives,

By the Spirit of God, we are empowered to live holy lives…

And by the grace of God, we are able to repent of anything unholy in our lives,

And turn instead to him. <end – next>

Prayer: All-consuming fire, consume my life.

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