Hypocrisy...Not Needed
Lessons from the 1st Century Church | A Study through the Book of Acts • Sermon • Submitted
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· 3 viewsLet us not tempt God through the sins of hypocrisy and pride for in doing so, we ask for God's judgment to be fulfilled. God will not be mocked.
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Introduction
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.” The name that Jesus gave to this practice is “hypocrisy,” which simply means “wearing a mask, playing the actor.” We must not think that failure to reach our ideals is hypocrisy, because no believer lives up to all that he or she knows or has in the Lord. Hypocrisy is deliberate deception, trying to make people think we are more spiritual than we really are.
What we find before us within our text is a time when believers felt that they could pretend to be something they were not and in trying to deceive the church and in reality was lying to God. As we will find out, God knows. You cannot lie to God. God will judge and He is just in His judgment.
Focus Passage
1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, 2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. 5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. 6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him. 7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. 8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. 9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. 10 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. 11 And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.
Outline
As we come to our text, I wish to point out, that sin of Ananias and Sapphira, I would submit to you was not based on the amount given or even in the fact had they not given. Truly, them giving and what they gave was within their power to do so or not do so. We find record by Luke
4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
That which caused the judgment was sin and it was a sin of pride. All too often we find those within the church trying to pretend to be something they are now. As Warren Wiersbe writes in his commentary on the Book of Acts...
The Bible Exposition Commentary (Chapter Five: Beware of the Serpent! (Acts 4:32–5:16))
They build the front just like St. Mark’s,Or like Westminster Abbey;And then, as if to cheat the Lord,They make the back parts shabby.
Churches are not only guilty of this, people are too. This is what we find before us. A couple, found in agreement, to pretend they are that which they are not. As we look further into our text, let us once again glean a lesson from the 1st Century church.
Ananias’ and Sapphira’s sin was fueled by Satan (v.3)
3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
Satan will fuel your sin with lies - “…why hath Satan filled thine heart...”
Satan will fill the heart of the believer with a lie to get them to falter and fall as often as he can. Believers are his number one targets. He does not have target the lost, he already has them.
Satan will lie to you over and over again. He will get up in your head, get in your heart, and fill both with lies. He will lie to you in such a way that you want help but believe him. He is the best liar of all. He is the father of lies.
44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
He is a master of deception and manipulation. This is why it is so important for the child of God to suit up completely day-by-day in the armor of God. For in that armor of God we find that we able to stand against the trickery of the enemy.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Satan will destroy a church from within
The most subtle attacks from Satan to the church is not from without but from within. This is the reason why Paul warned the Ephesian elders for three years to be on guard.
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.
Within our text, we find the perfect example of this. This is not two unbelievers that he has put a lie into the heart of. This is a believing couple.
Satan will destroy you through lies
As believers, we must mark this truth. This couple had lie that was placed into their heart from Satan and rather than resisting that lie, embraced that lie and acted upon it. What was the end result? Death.
Death is the calling of the devil. He care nothing but to steal, kill, and destroy.
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Ananias’ and Sapphira’s sin was rooted in pride (vv.1-2)
1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,
2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
Pride birthed their hypocrisy
At the end of chapter 4, we find that Luke notates a genuine giver within the church, Barnabas. He gives from the heart and he gives sacrificially.
As he gives, especially at a pivotal time of need in the church, her beginning, no doubt the people were cheering and celebrating. Within this, we find Ananias and Sapphira decide to follow suit, but not from a genuine heart. Their giving or not giving was not in question. What was in question, was the heart behind the giving.
They weren’t giving to give, they gave to embrace the pride of man. This is evident in the fact that rather than giving all that they had to God, as others were evidently doing, they planned in their heart, fueled by Satan, to only give part. This in itself was not the problem. It was they led on as if they were giving it all when they were not. They were truly being hypocrites.
Pride is to be hated by the believer
One might say that ‘hate’ is a very strong word and we should not use that word. We find in the Scripture that God hates pride and based off that fact, we should too.
13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: Pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, And the froward mouth, do I hate.
Wiersbe writes...
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Five: Beware of the Serpent! (Acts 4:32–5:16)
Daniel Defoe called pride “the first peer and president of hell.” Indeed, it was pride that transformed Lucifer into Satan (Isa. 14:12–15), and it was pride (“Ye shall be as God!”) that caused our first parents to sin (Gen. 3). Pride opens the door to every other sin, for once we are more concerned with our reputation than our character, there is no end to the things we will do just to make ourselves “look good” before others.
Pride will lead to your destruction not your fall
18 Pride goeth before destruction, And an haughty spirit before a fall.
Ananias’ and Sapphira’s sin was directed toward the church
Ananias and Sapphira were believers
They lied to the Holy Spirit, Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit...” (v.3). They tempted the Holy Spirit of God, Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test (v.9). The only way for them to lie to the Spirit or test the Spirit would be for the Spirit to be in them.
Ananias and Sapphira were stealing from the church
Giving or not giving, as stated already, was the not problem. While they had the property, it was up to them to sell or keep it. Once they chose to sell the property, it was up to them whether they gave the proceeds from the sell and how much to give. However, they through hypocrisy, decided to steel from the church by not giving that which they said they were giving and they did this volitionally.
8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.
Do not pledge to give to God a certain amount and then not deliver. In truth, do not promise anything to God and then fail to keep that promise.
Too many in the church today, fail to realize the importance of God’s church, the Bride of Christ.
The church is Jesus’ bride. Jesus purchased the church, his bride, with his blood. The church is the pillar of truth. For us to attack the church or lie to the church is to lie to the pillar of truth. We are being hypocrites to the nth degree. We claim to be part of the pillar of truth and yet we ourselves are lying. The church is where God’s Spirit dwells and Satan wants to attack it from within. We are called to be soldiers of God, Satan wants to infiltrate the ranks and begin treason.
When they stole from the church, it was more than money that was being stolen. It was to steel from God’s glory.
Ananias and Sapphira brought judgment upon themselves
We find recorded by Luke...
5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
10 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.
You cannot lie to God. You can attempt it, but you cannot lie to God. When we begin to attempt to lie to God and lie to His church, we find ourselves in grave danger of God’s personal judgment. We must examine ourselves before it is too late.
17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
If we will examine ourselves before judgment comes, we will find grace, but if not, we will find ourselves in the hands of an angry God.
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Wiersbe once again writes...
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Five: Beware of the Serpent! (Acts 4:32–5:16)
It is easy for us to condemn Ananias and Sapphira for their dishonesty, but we need to examine our own lives to see if our profession is backed up by our practice. Do we really mean everything we pray about in public? Do we sing the hymns and Gospel songs sincerely or routinely? “These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me” (Matt. 15:8, NIV). If God killed “religious deceivers” today, how many church members would be left?
Their craving to be seen caused them to build the sin of pride in their heart and when that pride, that sin matured, it did as God says it would do, birthed death.
15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
God will receive glory and honor (v.11)
11 And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.
Conclusion
Many within the church today are being blinded by the enemy. We find that Sapphira was blinded by Satan up till her death...
7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.
I wonder how many of us being blinded in the here and now. We say we’re saved and yet we are not. We say that we have time to make changes and yet we do not. We say that I have time to make things right with God and yet we do not. How many of us are being blinded by the enemy?
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Do not Satan keep you blinded until its too late to accept Christ. Make the decision now to accept Christ as Lord and Savior. No longer reject His offer of forgiveness.
What about those of us who claim to know the Lord? How many of us have riled judgments upon Ananias and Sapphira? I close with a quote from Wiersbe once again...
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Five: Beware of the Serpent! (Acts 4:32–5:16)
It is easy for us to condemn Ananias and Sapphira for their dishonesty, but we need to examine our own lives to see if our profession is backed up by our practice. Do we really mean everything we pray about in public? Do we sing the hymns and Gospel songs sincerely or routinely? “These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me” (Matt. 15:8, NIV). If God killed “religious deceivers” today, how many church members would be left?