Acts 5:1-11 | Look at ME

Two brothers were the most wicked scoundrels in this small rural village. Upon the death of one of the brothers, the surviving brother engaged a preacher. He wanted the preacher to say his brother was a saint. After much discussion, the preacher agreed and at the end of the funeral made this statement:

“This man, lying here, was a scoundrel, but compared to his brother he was a saint.”

10,000 Sermon Illustrations Outward Appearance

Anyone who has ever taught or attempted to lead others knows the tendency in all of us toward exaggerating our depth of character while treating leniently our flaws. The Bible calls this tendency hypocrisy. We consciously or subconsciously put forward a better image of ourselves than really exists. The outward appearance of our character and the inner reality (that only God, we, and perhaps our family members know) do not match.

C. S. Lewis explains the conflict in The Four Loves.

Lies and hypocrisies are a trap.

Until now, the testimony of the church has been spotless.

Right on the heels of observing a church of great grace giving, we see a demonstrative warning against impure motives, pride, deceit, and fear of man!

The church as been through external attacks, but now Satan’s attack is aimed from within.

A couple decades later, Paul warns the church of Ephesus regarding this.

Acts 20:28–31 KJV

28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. 29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

Satan has been trying to infiltrate God’s presence among His people since the Garden of Eden, Babel, Israel at Sinai with the golden calf, kings and priests of Israel, Judas with disciples, etc.

The church is the pillar and ground of the truth and God’s temple on earth, but Satan wants it to be a place of lies and his presence.

A couple sees others receiving some recognition for their giving, and they set out to attain glory for themselves.

Satan’s deceptions—you can fast track yourself to true honor.

Seeking reputation over character and purity.

Rooted in pride.

The story of the church goes from truth to lies, praise to blasphemy, grace to selfwill.

First recorded blot on the testimony of the church came from a couple desiring for others to “Look at me.”

This was the heart of the problem. God had just done miraculous works of Jesus resurrection and ascension, Pentecost, signs and wonders all to point people to Jesus, and yet Ananias and Sapphire were consumed with people looking at them!

Se will see how this is swiftly addressed by God and the church

Unrepentant, public sin of church members is a congregational matter and important to God!

FAKE GRACE GIVING

Before it was great great giving.

Satan filled their hearts to be the antithesis of the abundant work of the Holy Spirit in the church. (5:3-4)

Lie, conspire, and agree as one as an antithesis of the church in 4:32 (vs. 9)

Lie to and tempt/test the Holy Ghost . . . God as an antithesis of unified praise of God in 4:24

Lie to the church as antithesis to proclaiming the truth with the church 4:25-28

Lie for self-glory rather than living to give glory to Christ—which the Holy Spirit was doing.

why hath Satan filled (5:3)—it was their responsibility to guard against Satan filling their heart.

Paul later writes: give no place to the devil.

Ephesians 4:25–30 KJV

25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil. 28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. 30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Ananias and Sapphira gave place to the devil, but in this case when Jesus was advancing His church, He did not let the devil have place in the church!

Notice also the effects of our willful sin as a Christian—we sadden the Holy Spirit, Who seals our redemption.

why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? (5:4)—it was their responsibility to prevent sinful thought from conceiving into reality.

As it is ours . . . can’t say “the devil made me do it!”

was it not thine own? (5:4)—they were not pressured or forced to give.

they were not pressured or forced

the property and gain was theirs

conceived in their hearts

fear of man and not of God

Hypocrisy—falsely and deliberately presented themselves as more generous than they were and possibly to gain higher status in the church.

This was a common problem of the religious rulers of Jesus’ day.

John 5:44 KJV

How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?

Matthew 6:1 KJV

Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Five: Beware of the Serpent! (Acts 4:32–5:16)

George MacDonald wrote, “Half of the misery in the world comes from trying to look, instead of trying to be, what one is not.”

Members were giving by grace. These two just wanted glory rather than grace.

They sought after glory rather than grace. (4:32-33)

Acts 4:32–33 KJV

32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. 33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.

THE MIRACULOUS CORRECTION

A statement for the church

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Five: Beware of the Serpent! (Acts 4:32–5:16)

Ananias means “God is gracious,” but he learned that God is also holy; and Sapphira means “beautiful,” but her heart was ugly with sin. No

God’s demonstrative chastisement

Acts 5:5 KJV

And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.

Acts 5:10 KJV

Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.

This is consistent with other moments of “signs and wonders.”

Reference: Exodus 7-11; Leviticus 10; Joshua 7.

God strongly judged His people during transitional times of His people and when sharing His presence among His people. This is not a normal church occurence.

Pentecost and miracles Acts 2-5.

Egypt’s ten judgements in Exodus 7-11.

Nadab and Abihu offering “false fire” to the Lord in Leviticus 10.

Achan’s disobedience after entering the Promised Land in Joshua 7.

This sets a clear precedent for the church to respect Jesus and the Holy Spirit. (5:4, 9)

. . . thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. (5:4)

. . . agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? (5:9)

Notice the similar to the language used when Moses asked the people of Israel in the wilderness why they tempted the LORD.

Exodus 17:2 KJV

Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the Lord?

Notice tempting, or testing, the Spirit of the Lord is being equated with testing God.

The Holy Spirit came to testify of Jesus.

John 15:26 KJV

But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

Ananias and Sapphira were testifying of themselves!

Notice the fast burial! Hot climate, and Jews didn’t tamper with dead bodies. The emphasis is still that this was unusually quick!

Jesus was uniting and igniting His church, and He was protecting this work. A church full of hypocrisy and self-glorying does no good for the world around us.

I have read . . .

10,000 Sermon Illustrations Mark Twain

Mark Twain married a Christian lady. She at first didn’t want to marry, but later did. He at first went through the motions of religion with her, but later said he couldn’t keep up the hypocrisy. In time, she came to the place where she no longer believed in a personal God. During a time of deep grief, Twain said to his wife, “If your Christian faith will comfort you, go back to it.” She replied, “I have none.”

They still may not have had faith with good Christians around, but we never want to give people excuses to doubt the truth of Christ!

GREAT REVERENTIAL FEAR

Great Power—>Great Grace—>Great Fear—>Great Growth—>Great Glory

Great fear of God comes on the church. (5:5, 11)

Acts 5:5 KJV

And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.

Acts 5:11 KJV

And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.

Fear—be afraid; stand in awe

Young men of the church in service—sign up for that ministry!

The church fears God and His work

All who hear of this event fear the work God is doing.

Acts 5:38–39 KJV

38 And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: 39 But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.

God and HIs work is not to be take lightly

The church multiplies and fills Jerusalem. (5:17-28)

WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?

What's their tragedy have to do with me?

Let’s consider some questions and Scriptures to bring this down to our lives.

Consider: Matthew 23:14; Mark 7:5-8; 1 Corinthians 11:31; Matthew 4:7; Proverbs 4:23; Hebrews 12:28-29; James 4:5-10.

Am I always sincere with my public prayers, worship, giving, words, and service?

Matthew 23:14 KJV

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

Their prayers and visits to widows were just for show and full of ulterior motives.

Mark 7:5–8 KJV

5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? 6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

They laid aside the command to love God and your neighbor, and rather, focused on minute, rigid laws they could more easily create and follow to appear holy.

Intentional deceit and hypocrisy become a way of life that is very unfit for Christians and the church.

Leaders/Parents—One of the greatest things we can do for those we lead is be of integrity and without hypocrisy. Honesty can be humbling…good! How many children and followers do opposite of their leaders, running from hypocrisy?

Followers/youth—hypocrisy of leaders doesn’t give us rights to rebellion and recklessness. Trust God to judge!

Our unbelieving world naturally has a real problem with not trusting God to judge. The world is full of villains trying to make the world better according to their own terms! By attempting to right every perceived historical wrong, people usually become hypocrites themselves. Some things have to be left to God!

We expect the unbelieving world to put themselves in the place of God, but Christians must learn to trust God!

All—A pattern of deceit and hypocrisy often starts with seemingly innocent lies. Determine not to lie!

1001 More Humorous Illustrations for Public Speaking: Fresh, Timely, and Compelling Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers, and Speakers 518 TOPIC: Lies Necessary Actions

A little boy’s version of the Old Testament verse: “A lie is an abomination unto the Lord, and a very present help in trouble.”

Am I willing to judge myself so that God does not need to?

They both were given the opportunity to confess their deceit and repent.

1 Corinthians 11:31 KJV

For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

Christians must be sensitive and obedient to the Holy Spirit.

Rather, these two lied to the Holy Spirit. They fought with Him and worked against what He was doing in the church.

They also lied to the church, through whom the Holy Spirit was working.

Do I ever tempt God with sin toward Him?

Matthew 4:7 KJV

Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Do something I know is foolish, gambling on God’s grace.

Do something I know is wrong, gambling on God’s mercy.

Am I diligent in protecting my heart from the conception of sin?

Proverbs 4:23 KJV

Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life.

Disciplined speech and living help prevent much unintended deceits.

Hasty, impulsive actions lead to deceit, foolishness, and rebellion.

Do I have a healthy fear of God?

Hebrews 12:28–29 KJV

28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 29 For our God is a consuming fire.

Fear of God protects us from unhealthy fear of man and pride.

James 4:5–10 KJV

5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? 6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

The Christian should enjoy a beautiful, uplifting relationship with the Holy Spirit. When we pridefully fight Him, we are asking God to get in the boxing ring with us—not smart!

LOOK AT GOD

Glory-seeking was at the heart of this church tragedy.

Let’s seek to always give God the glory. It doesn’t belong to us, and we can’t handle it.

Note: We must also be careful getting caught up with the crowds as they glorify people in the world! Celebrities. Politicians. Speakers. Commentators.

Christians seeking glory and honor for self contradicts the very purpose of our salvation, church, giving, and ministry. Paul closes Romans with . . .

Romans 16:27

Romans 16:27 KJV

To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.

Enjoy the grace and unity God offers His people.

Avoid seeking self-glory.

Let’s experience great power, great grace, grace fear, and great growth as we give great glory to God!

If you are not a Christian. If you are not sure why glorious God would receive you into His presence, Jesus shares good news. You too can experience God’s grace and glorify God!

John 3:16–18 KJV

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Begins with hearing the Gospel

Humbly confess your sin.

Turn from sin to Jesus.

Have faith in Jesus to save and lead you.

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