The HOLY Spirit

This past week I was meeting with some pastors and reflecting on a challenging 21 very personal questions.

Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?

Do I confidentially pass onto another what was told me in confidence?

Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?

Did the Bible live in me this week? Did I give it time to speak to me everyday?

The one that stood out for me at the beginning of our discussion was the very first one , “Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?” How would you answer that? Often a big challenge for me.

Wiersbe says, “Hypocrisy is deliberate deception, trying to make people think we are more spiritual than we really are.”

I want to from Acts 5, but before we read it I want to give context.

It comes after Acts 4.

Great growth - They are growing in number – by now they literally a first generation mega-church.

Great unity - One heart and one mind

Great community - Held everything in common

Great diversity - rich and poor

Great power as the apostles gave testimony to the resurrection

Great grace on all of them

Great generosity - not a needy person was among them.

Without question, we see God was at work.

But then in Acts 5:1-11 we are faced with this shocking and unexpected story that raises so many questions. Let’s read it.

A few things were obvious in this story.

They were part of the church and wanted in on the action. They property that they had, they were prepared to sell to help others. No one demeanded it of them!

They deceived the church - saw the money from the property and couldn’t let go. But they wanted people to believe that they were as generous as Barnabas.

Their sin was revealed to the church - deceit was exposed and they were killed.

Great fear gripped the church and all who heard about these things

The Holy Spirit was working in the church

The Big theme - The HOLY Spirit

We talk about God’s empowering presence in our lives and we must understand that it is a HOLY presence. We can learn some important lessons.

1. The Spirit is HOLY

This isn’t the first time someone was killed because they sinned. There is the story of Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10:1-2. They were priests, the sons of Aaron, who offered improper fire on the altar. This was an act of defiance of God and so the Bible says that fire came out and consumed them. They knew it was a holy place.

Then there was Uzzah who was killed because he touched the Ark of the Covenant to stop it from falling. You can read his story in 1 Chronicles 13. We don’t have time to go into this in detail, but Uzzah knew that he was forbidden to touch the Ark or even look at it but he presumed that he could be the Saviour.

Then there is Ananias and Sapphira who die because they don’t give all that they have. It sounds a little unfair but it’s not. So how do we understand this? It must be against the backdrop of the holiness of God.

God is holy. Even the angels, who have never experienced sin, exalt God for His holiness (Isaiah 6:3). Heaven, a perfect place has the pulsating chorus, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” At the same time there is the Spirit of God in us who is Holy and then God calls us to be holy because He is (1 Peter 1:16).

When you think of the Holy Spirit’s work in the church is, it’s to make you into what you are in Christ. 1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

God’s holiness is the defining characteristic of God. Holy is what God is. It is so easy for us to try and qualify God’s holiness and yet we can’t do that because that is what God is! Legalism is an attempt to set God’s standard of holiness with a human measure.

The holiness of God is a difficult concept to grasp some times but there are 2 key ideas that come from it.

Purity

Separation – what is sinful cannot be in his presence.

Story of Rory at Buckingham palace with chamber maid who had pollen on her dress. Mandela insisted on calling her out.

Both of these become clearer as you grow closer to God and are transformed into the likeness of Christ.

Both of these highlight our need for Christ’s redeeming work at the cross

Both of these bring some understanding of why we can’t be flippent about our sin.

2. The Holy Spirit sees

Now, I remember as a kid, listening to Sunday school stories and ending with the strong warning, “Be sure your sins will find you out!” That wasn’t a particularly redemptive warning for me, it just made me more cunning. I would manoeuvrer in my sin in a more stealth kind of way. But there was a side that this proved true, and has many times proved true since. And I thank God for that. I thank God for the times that He has opened my heart and shown me what’s inside so that I can repent of my sin and seek His forgiveness.

2.1. Nothing is hidden

God sees and knows all things. God’s not surprised when we confess our sins! He doesn’t say, “I can’t believe you did that…”

We forget this!

We feel the greatest shame is before man, but the reason we feel dirty after sin is because God is with us. The cherishing of sin seems ludicrous when we think that this is the God who is in us. He knows us and sees us.

Because of our fear of man, and our hypocrisy, we lie.

Hebrews 4:13 “No creature is hidden from him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.”

2.2. All will be revealed – sooner or later

It’s now or it’s later. An example was me in my earlier days of being a thief. I started with small things and was good at what I did. But soon, it wasn’t enough. My career as a thief ended when I went into a toy store to help myself

How will this be exposed?

Through our words– Luke 6:45, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”

Through the Holy Spirit. When He shows you the condition of your heart, it’s advisable to deal with it then. It’s God’s kindness. The law has been written on our hearts and it’s there to lead us to Christ.

Through the Word. Hebrews 4:12 - God’s Spirit teams up with God’s Word and cuts through your heart.

Through others– like Peter here, God gives others insight into our sin.

Through reaching the end – this is often where our pride has blinded us so that the only way up is down. Church discipline involves this with unrepentance – Paul said there were times you hand someone over to Satan.

God showed the heart of Ananias and Sapphira to Peter. This was a lesson for the whole church. They were made aware that there was nothing hidden from God’s sight.

3. Satan is active

In this case, Annanias and Sapphira had allowed Satan to fill their hearts. Jealousy, greed, pride opened the door to Satan’s influence. So can coveting, lust, anger and unforgiveness. The question I started with that challenged me last week is so real because it is so deep. I have to ask, “Whose approval do I crave? Why do I want to be a hypocrite when God sees?”

1 Peter 5:8 (CSB) “Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.”

We are responsible for our actions, we don’t get to blame the devil foir our actions.

3. A godly response

3.1. We need...

Fear of God - Great fear. It is just that. This is where people look at themselves in the light of a Holy God. Self-evaluation. Repentance and faith.

Mercy from God. We need mercy – we don’t want justice.

The Son of God - Jesus – fear was not enough for the world. In Christ we discover perfect love which drives out fear.

3.2. We fight

For our Joy

Godly passion

On our knees - a weak people with a strong God

Don’t give the devil an opportunity - Eph 4:27

Resist the devil and He will flee - James 4:7