Integrity Before God

Introduction

Good Morning, how are we doing this morning?

I share a birthday with President Abraham Lincoln and for that and other reasons I have always been drawn to his story, his quotes and sayings. “Honest Abe” had a humor and wit about him, but he also took his integrity very seriously and he genuinely cared for our country that was in his day being torn about by a civil war. Not an easy position to be in. No matter what decision he made he knew that he would instantly gain fierce enemies and short lived friendships.

How do you handle a position like that? When you are pulled in opposite directions? One of Lincoln’s famous quotes from that era was when he said,

“I desire so to conduct the affairs of this administration that if at the end, when I come to lay down the reins of power, I have lost every other friend on earth. I shall at least have one friend left, and that friend shall be down inside of me.”

Whether Lincoln meant that he would have to live with himself or whether he was talking directly of his Christian faith we don’t really know, but either way the truth of the statement rings out plain. People of Integrity make their decisions not based on the response of others, but based on deep convictions in their soul.

And this was one of the things that Jesus was constantly condemning in the the religious leaders of His day. They were playing to the popular crowd, the powerful and the elite. Sure they were saying all the right things in public, but behind closed doors they were doing the same things that they condemned others for…and even worse. They may have been saying even doing what the law required for righteousness, but they were not being righteous.

Matthew 23:1-5a

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others.

Then Jesus goes on to described these religions leaders in many ways. Dirty cup, whitewashed tombs, brood of vipers, blind guides, blind fools - the Greek word here translated as “fool” is where we get our word “moron” - yeah, not exactly compliments - but more than any of these Jesus identified the religions leaders of His day as “Hypocrites”. As in Matthew 15 when He says:

Matthew 15:7–8 ESV

7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: 8 “ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;

And we have talked about this word “hypocrite” before, it comes from the Greek word ὑποκριτής (hippo-creet-ace) and it means “an actor, pretender or stage player.” It literally translates as “an interpreter from underneath” pointing to ancient Greek Theater where the actors always wore masks and they spoke from underneath that mask, pretending to be someone that they were not. Which is all find and good when you are acting on a stage in a theatre - but it is a very different thing to be a “hypocrite” in real life.

Tension

And this is something important to keep in mind as we continue in our series aimed at exploring the birth of the Christian Church. The EKKLESIA of Jesus was not to be like what Jesus found among the religious leaders of His day. Instead, Jesus’ Church would be marked by the presence of the Holy Spirit working in the lives of the believers who would gather together to point more and more people to the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Last week we saw how the Church, the Eklessia was marked by a supernatural generosity. That because of their new found hope in the resurection, because of their belief in the resurrection of Jesus, these early Christians were treating all their personal property as if it belonged to anyone among them who had need.

So we ended last week with the description found at the end of chapter 4 of the book of acts that said:

Acts 4:34–35 (ESV)

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.

What a wonderful statement of generosity among these early believers. But then Chapter 4 continues to mention the generosity of one man in particular.

Acts 4:36–37 (ESV)

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.

So Luke brings us from the general statement that “many” were doing this thing to a very specific example in this man who is best known through out Scripture as “Barnabas, the son of encouragement”.

And yes, this is the same Barnabas who was greatly influential in the life of the early Church. For one thing, he was the one who encouraged the Church to accept a zealous young man named Saul as a believer, even though he was once a sworn enemy of the Christian Church. Not an easy sell, so certainly he was a man who was well respected. He was then set apart by God to be a missionary along with this Saul guy, and is even called an “Apostle” together with the Apostle Paul. In other words, Barnabas’ story unfolds from this point forward to be a major player in the development of the early Church.

And while Chapter 4 ends here, I believe that Luke includes this introduction to Barnabas to present a start contrast between how Barnabas encouraged the early Christian Church with his act of generosity and how the couple in Chapter 5 so widely missed the mark.

So open your Bibles up with me to the grim story of Ananias and Saphira from Acts Chapter 5, page 913 in the Bibles in the Chairs. I will pray and we will look into their story together.

Truth

The first theme that we are faced with is that...

1. Believers are called to deal honestly with God and fellow believers (Acts 5:1–4).

This is what we see that Barnabas did...

Acts 5:1–2 (ESV)

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.

The phrase “keep back for himself” is actually only on word in Greek and it is the word νοσφίζω (nos-phee-zo) and it means to hold back, keep back, steal or embezzle. I think “Embezzlement” is a good modern word for it, because this couple presented the money as if it was all there, even though they had “kept back” some for themselves. In short…they lied.

The American Poet and Humorist Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote, “Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle which fits them all.”

And this is what is happening here, this couple has grabbed the handle of a lie, in order to present themselves to be as generous as Barnabas without having to actually be that generous. In other words, they tied to manipulate God’s people into praising them for something they did not really do.

But this is a time when God was working powerfully through the Apostles and Peter was made aware of what was happening.

Acts 5:3–4 (ESV)

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.”

The money was theirs to do with what they wanted. It they so desired to just give part of the proceeds to the Church then so be it. It still would have been a generous offering- but they took what could have been a good thing and turned it into an evil thing because they did it dishonestly.

The key word here in Peter’s rebuke is the repeated word “heart”. Jesus always brought things back to the heart, and He had taught His followers to do the same. So it was never just about what was done on the outside, but the heart out of which such a thing was done. So this is the kind of hypocrisy that Jesus was constantly condemning in the religious leaders and He was not going to have it in His EKKLESIA.

So this was no small miss step, as Peter opens his rebuke with the rhetorical question, “Why has Satan filled your heart?”. I wonder what it takes for “Satan” the enemy and opposer of all of God’s purposes and desires for our world to fill ones heart? Clearly this is serious business. But still, pointing to Satan’s role in this did not absolve Ananias of his sin. Peter continues to ask “Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.”

And I am beginning to wonder if this is not where Ananias’ sin was elevated. It is not that lying to men is insignificant, it is just that lying to God is much more significant. Because implicit in the act of lying is the assumption that we can get away with it. We would not tell a lie if we didn’t think it would work. And after all, people have lied to us and we believed them so we can probably get one over on someone else too. They are just a person like we are…and I wonder if that isn’t what is so offensive in this.

It is one thing when we violate God’s commands and lie to a person…but what does it say when we think we can lie to God. What does it say about him if we think that if we are really sneaky, then maybe we could even fool God. Doesn’t it show how little we think of him. Isn’t it a terrible affront to His glory and majesty to think for one second that the God who created us mind, body and soul and knows every one of our deepest thoughts and desires could somehow be misled or manipulated by us. Aren’t in fact declaring God to be less than God if we think we can lie... to Him?

To be clear, God doesn’t expect us to be perfect, we are all in the process of sanctification, but He does expect us to be honest with Him and not to think that we can fool Him like we have fooled others… or even ourselves. There is just no room for that kind of hypocrisy in the life of a believer.

Which leads us to our second theme:

2. Believers who attempt to deceive God will suffer serious consequences (Acts 5:5–10).

Peter makes his declaration and then...

Acts 5:5–6 (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.

Yeah, that is definitely what we would call a “serious” consequences, isn’t it? . But it gets worse...

Acts 5:7–10 (ESV)

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.

Wow. What are we to make of this? Right? Seems kind of harsh and pretty abrupt. What is going on here?

Well first of all I think it is important to recognize how this was not Peter’s doing. Peter did not judge Ananias and then order these executions, it was God who judged Ananias and Saphira and then they “breathed their last” breath. This is judgement language and sometimes men can error in their judgments, but we know that our God always judges rightly…but still…wow.

And as I reflected on this over the past week, especially in this context of the early Church, I couldn’t help but realize how willing I was to accept the presence of God bringing miracles like healings and speaking in tongues…but a “supernatural” act like this was a lot harder for me to accept. But am I really willing to only accept the grace of God’s presence but then think that I should judge Him when it comes to His judgement of sin?

And maybe that just points to my modern sensibilities more than anything else, because the truth is throughout the history of God’s people, His holy presence was often evidenced by judgement like this, especially when initiating a new era in redemptive history:

When the tabernacle was first completed so that God’s people could begin offering sacrifices according to God’s specific instructions, two priests Nadab and Abihu breathed their last when they offered “strange” or “unauthorized” fire to the Lord (Lev. 10).

When God’s people were finally entering into the promised land after conquering Jericho and one man decided to disobey God and take some of the plunder of that wicked land. Achan and all of his family then “breathed their last” in Joshua chapter 7).

Or when King David was finally restoring the Arc of the Covenant to it’s rightful place in Jerusalem, but instead of following God’s holy instructions they thew the Ark on a cart and when the cart hit a bump one of David’s close friends named Uzzah put his hand on the Ark to steady it and He breathed His last (2 Sam 6)

And God used these judgments as warnings for the rest of His people, but he is not responsible for the sins that caused them. Even we are to take note of the serious nature of God’s holiness and not take Him lightly. The Apostle Paul was writing to the Church when he said in 1 Cor 10...

1 Corinthians 10:11–12)

11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

So these types of judgments are warnings to us to be honest with God because otherwise there are serious consequences. But there is good news, for those of us in the Church. The text continues to give us the good news of God’s grace which says that...

1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV)

13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Satan may have filled Ananias’ heart, but God did offer him a way out. He just did not take it.

The big idea is that God wants us and warns us to take our relationship with Him seriously, to deal honestly with Him, acknowledging that His holiness should not be disrespected, yet since we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us to the way out of any of Satan’s schemes.

We can to “Put on the whole armor of God, that we may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Eph 6:11) and “Submit ourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from us. James 4.

1. Believers are called to deal honestly with God and fellow believers

2. Believers who attempt to deceive God (after rejecting the way out He offered you) will suffer serious consequences (Acts 5:5–10).

And lastly..

3. Believers’ lives should reflect their reverence or awe for God’s holiness (Acts 5:11).

Verse 11 gives us the response of everyone who heard about these events...

Acts 5:11 (ESV)

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

Now we should not be picturing here a “fear” like in some monster movie or disaster movie where the people are all running away screaming in fearful panic, because quite the opposite is happening here. This wasn’t the kind of fear that scared people away, it was the kind that drew them in closer. The people were running towards the Apostles, not away, because they recognized that the God of their Fathers, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob was working through these men and so they wanted to be a part of it.

This was the kind of “reverence” and “awe” that people used to have for the Temple, but the hypocrisy and corruption of the religious leaders has made that system a dead religion. But God is not moving among these fishermen in powerful ways and the could not help but recognize it.

Makes us wonder what is it that the wold sees in our lives? Do they see a faithfulness and the fruit of the Holy Spirit radiating from our lives individually and as a local Church. Are love, patience kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control marks of our gathering together or are we just as worked up as everyone else out there over everything else out there. Maybe we need to re-evaluate the degree to which we “Fear” God in awe and reverence. We can show it to others if we don’t have it ourselves.

Gospel Application

I began this morning by pointing to Jesus’ “Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees” found in Matthew 23 and right in the middle of this teaching we see Jesus switching gears from what the Pharisees were doing in order to instruct his disciples on how they were to be different. He first says of the Pharisees:

Matthew 23:5–7 (ESV)

5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, 6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues 7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.

These are the things that Jesus says are the marks of these hypocrites, but they he goes on to say that this will not be the way of His followers:

Matthew 23:8–12 (ESV)

8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

And I don’t think is as much about these specific labels as it is about the attitude of the religious leaders who were seeking them. The hypocrites spend their time fighting for rank and position, lusting for power and recognition - this was Ananias and Saphira’s sin - but this should not be the case with Jesus’ followers. Unlike every Rabbi before Him, Jesus never released his Disciples to become Rabbi’s who gained their own following. He released them to make Disciples of Himself. We don’t seek to make our names known, but to humbly life up the name above every name.

And Jesus has given us His example to follow in this:

Philippians 2:8–10 (ESV)

8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

Landing

In a few moments we will lift up his name and celebrate his sacrifice and gift through the ordinance of Communion. But before we do I wanted to point to this experience as one place where we can in a very practical way apply what we have learned here this morning.

You see we take our instructions for Communion from 1 Corinthians chapter 11, and what is significant to know about this passage is that Paul is giving these instructions because the Church in Corinth had made Communion into an insignificant, even divisive experience.

1 Corinthians 11:20–22 (ESV)

20 When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.

What a contrast from the early Church beginings when they were sharing everything in common. Then he gives us the detailed instructions we will follow in a minute but it follows up with this

1 Corinthians 11:27–31 (ESV)

27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.

In other words this time is not to be taken lightly and we need to “judge ourselves” first and be honest with God about where we are in relation to Him. If you are not living right with God right now, if you know that God is calling you to repentance in some area and you are unwilling to repent right now then please don’t take this meal with us. It won’t do you any good and it could bring you to harm.

But all of us, should stop now and remember the Holy nature of God and the beauty of the gift that He has given us in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and then we can eat of the bread and drink of the cup with hope and joy because we trust in the shed blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sin and their is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

So I invite you to spend some time praying into that today...