Well, after a few weeks, we return to our study in the book of Acts, so I invite you to turn to the book of Acts, the end of chapter 4, verses 32 through 5, we will read through verse 16, there's some overlap there, so Acts chapter 4, and I believe that's found on 1161 in your pew Bible, if you're still with me. This is the word of the Lord, beginning, we'll read today at verse 32. Let us hear the word of the Lord. of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as anyone had need. Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas, which means son of encouragement, a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet. But a man named Ananias with his wife Sapphira sold a piece of property, 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 but Peter said Ananias why is Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land 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've not lied to man but to god when ananias heard these words he fell down and breathed his last and great fear came upon all who heard of it the young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him after an interval of about three hours his wife came in not knowing what had happened and peter said to her tell me whether you sold the land for so much and she said yes for so much. 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've buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out. 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. And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things. Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles and they were together in solomon's portico not none of the rest dared join them but the people held them in high esteem and more than ever believers were added to the lord multitudes of both men and women so that they were carried even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats that as peter came by at least a shadow might fall on some of them the people also gathered from the towns around jerusalem bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits and they were all healed there is the reading this morning of god's word one of the things that we are constantly concerned about uh in the escondido united reform church and our church home here is um is perception and growth we are always worried about how we are perceived there's so many different practices so many different things happening in christianity we we're a little bit worried about perception how are people going to look at us that people will look at us as the people who are taking this way too seriously right way too seriously uh that we are people who are looked at as a little too rigid and a little too strict. So we constantly face this temptation to tone down convictions and to not stand by the things that we believe. We're on this quest of downgrading. It's a downgrade. There's been a downgrade controversy for years. Well, I think this morning that we have a very important section of Acts that is teaching us that one of the greatest dangers that lurks within us as a church is here set before us is something that we for too too long have not taken that seriously it's the greatest harm to our witness because we've not taken this that seriously remember we've looked at in the scriptures everything's backward to the conventional wisdom of the day and even often church culture god is teaching us things and turning things on their heads and showing us his wisdom at work in areas you would never expect it and in things you never think would work. Acts has been interesting for me to study. We've been studying all these external threats to the church so far, haven't we? The apostles were put on trial last week. They had their big prayer for boldness. The church was already facing from the beginning persecution from without. But now it's as if Acts stops and gives us a surprising moment meant to halt us all as a church that right after their prayer for boldness from opposition from the outside now we're looking at one of the greatest threats on the inside and it's something we have not given a lot of attention to as we should what do you think would be our greatest threat on the inside if i were to ask you this morning what do you think is the greatest threat on the inside of the church there are many of them this is definitely capturing one of those big threat it's opposition from within but in what way i'm not going to answer that up front i want you to think about that as we're going through it and hopefully by the end it'll click and you'll see it because i believe this passage is meant to be used as a giant example was always to be used in the church as a giant example of a certain problem that we have to be aware of that we need to think a lot about it's a painful exposure it's a hard exposure but it's one of the most needful exposures for the church today and i desire to show you that today with the goal that the church here in escondido and whoever hears this beyond these walls wherever they are in the church that it would be built strong in what matters the most that's the goal as you open up acts chapter 4 and 5 you'll see here that there's a section the chapter break is not really that helpful is it there's a section here that is meant to be taken together so that what we have up front is an example of what the church is to be and then in stark contrast to that it's followed up by an example of what the church is tempted to become all of which then is followed by why we should care a lot about it and think about the remedy for it we're led this morning into the event of ananias and sapphira first by something that the holy spirit desired to show us about a healthy church you cannot miss this in connection with the event of ananias and sapphira in fact it would be great injustice to this text to miss what comes before to show the contrast as the Lord is capturing for us the way that the church is supposed to function and what the church is supposed to be like. After their great prayer for boldness, after the apostles were threatened, the ground shook, remember? And we get this beautiful description of the church at work, of the church at work, what they look like, how the church was functioning. Something very beautiful that's captured here. I think you're going to really appreciate. It is really beautiful what's set before us. Beautiful. Look at verse 32. Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common you can't miss there the first sentence because all of you are focused in thinking about your goods right now and do i need to give them all away we're going to talk about that don't miss the first thing that's said there he's describing the full number of real believers it's kind of a shocking way of discussing the church the full number of those who believe don't miss that that's a big point he is looking at genuine believers right now i suppose that's the word i want to highlight for a minute we live in a day where millennials have reacted the younger generations have reacted to hypocrisy so that what we constantly hear is we want authentic christianity real and authentic christianity so let's work with that for a minute i think you have it here they're right authentic listen to this the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul careful what you ask for when you want authentic one one they loved each other always the greatest sign that things are are right in your life is your love for the brethren signs that things are not right in your life is the disconnect from the brethren always a telltale sign notice that love for one another they were one the apostles in verse 33 were given great power so that through their preaching they were given powerful testimony to the resurrection of jesus they're preaching the gospel and the people are hearing it it's a beautiful section it was having a huge effect on them the ministry of the word apostles are preaching people are responding and here's the response what's beginning to happen in the life of the church is as there is response there is an intense love for one another that's being cultivated it's really beautiful i keep saying that but i want you to see that they were knit together in the soul gospel fellowship drove them the church had been growing together think of the marvel of this the church had been growing together with people different from one another their status their class their race the poor and the rich the free and the slave men and women they were one it's just so so wonderful to say that especially in our culture that's ripped apart in every way isn't it by all these divisions it was a refreshing time remember that earlier the Lord had said seek the Lord repent believe so that a time of refreshing in the presence of the Lord might come here's what it looks like the gospel had had broken down barriers that had once separated them they would have never been together in any other group they're pictured as as loving one another fervently with a pure heart now the Lord is giving us exceptional pictures and examples here this was an exceptional time it was a beautiful time as the church was be was beginning and the gospel was going out to the ends of the earth and it's a remarkable moment because in this unity there also came in their love for one another and intense interest in the well-being of one another there were a lot of poor people among them that the lord was bringing into the kingdom and the text is saying something and setting it in bold about these early Christians for us that they really cared for one another. Notice the language here. No one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 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 and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each one as anyone had need. Now maybe this has troubled you a little bit because you've wondered if this is what God expects of you, if this is what God is asking you to do. Does he want us selling our possessions to do this? And the answer really is not hard. It's really not. There were a lot of poor people among them. The church was growing by leaps and bounds. You're probably up to 20,000 people already by the time we've hit Acts 5. Nowhere was this commanded. Do you hear me? because nowhere was this commanded god did not say i want you all selling your property and doing this that's why i keep saying beautiful don't miss what this is showing us i want to keep emphasizing sincere authentic it was because this wasn't commanded that we are seeing here the ultimate expression of thankfulness and gratitude for the power of the gospel that was making its way among them remember when we were going through exodus chapter 36 i trust you all remember those exodus sermons and in exodus chapter 36 there was a beautiful moment that anticipated new covenant ministry what we're in the spirit was mentioned and then this happened as they were building the people brought more than enough and they received from moses all the contribution that the people of israel had brought for doing the work of the sanctuary they still kept bringing him free will offerings until morning free will can be used in a good way sometimes can it so that all the craftsmen said to Moses, the people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do. So Moses gave the command, let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from giving. There was a spirit there, wasn't there? This was a moment. Hearts overflowing with such gratitude for being saved that they sold their stuff to help their brothers and sisters in need it wasn't building barns and barns and barns and then dying tomorrow that's that's not that's not life it is if i see my brother in need i i care for them and that's no burden for me god's given me so much this is why the new testament always says god loves a cheerful giver doesn't he you know there's no tithe commanded in the new testament i haven't found it because this is the spirit he wants he wants you giving as you purpose in your hearts hearts that's authentic that's what god's after remember um the promise of the new covenant is god had promised that he would circumcise their hearts to love the lord their god with all their hearts and to love their neighbor and that that would be sincere and that would be real the lord had written his law where on the heart the promise of the new covenant and what you're seeing is it in action you need to put it on stone many wealthy people did this but for the purpose of contrast one figure comes to the surface here a man by the name of joseph who was rich a levite you'll notice a native of cyprus having land he sold it sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles feet this had us so encouraged the apostles about this particular man who we know as barnabas the apostles and everyone gave him the son of encouragement Barnabas what an encourager this guy was he embodied the message he embodied the message that he believed my savior left a land for me Jesus left a palace for me he became a slave with no place to lay his head then having everything from the Lord out of no compulsion out of no force out of no command the love of christ constrained him he gave it and and thousands of these poor christians were cared for authentic real did you catch the most important statement there and great grace was upon them all wow that's what it looks like when great grace is upon y'all that way them all this is what the church is to be it's not communism socialism i don't know why we always have to have that conversation when it comes to this passage that stuff's forced this is not forced this was free will offerings from the heart of people who fervently loved one another and would give the shirt off their backs for one another. Now all that's set up, isn't it? What do you think the church easily becomes? What happens in our hearts? Now we have this account, I'm sure for many of you has been over the course of your years, a troubling account. Account that you immediately say that seems really harsh. It's meant to be a troubling account. It's meant to make us all pause and stop and consider. In total and stark purposeful contrast to the son of encouragement, now comes some sons of discouragement. Ananias and his wife, Sapphira. But a man, chapter 5, verse 1, named Ananias with his wife, Sapphira, sold a piece of property. 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. what happened? It's not hard to see it. The contrast is meant to make us consider authentic, sincere, from the heart Christianity with something that isn't. Barnabas left this gift to the church to help people. No doubt he was highly esteemed for such generosity. If you had asked Barnabas to talk to Barnabas about his gift, he would have said, listen, I don't want to talk about that. I don't want my name involved in that. I don't want my name on the back of the pew. I don't want credit for that. I don't want a name and a stone given for me. This is my reasonable service, reasonable worship, Romans 12. Ananias and Sapphira, another wealthy couple in the church, were obviously impressed with Barnabas' gift and this spirit that had overcome in the life of the congregation and maybe feeling pressure. I don't know exactly what was in their minds, but I know what they did. They said, we're going to do the same thing. Everyone knew that Ananias and Sapphira's land was up for sale. Must have been prime real estate in the Jerusalem area. Corner property. We're going to sell our land and we're going to give the proceeds like Barnabas did to the needy. Sounds great, doesn't it? So it sells. They come and they make donation time. They make the call for good and to present the check. No one, of course, knew how much they made. The amount was between them and the Holy Spirit. But we read this little ominous phrase that they kept back part of it. It's interesting, I believe it's one of the only times it's used in the Septuagint, which is the Greek Old Testament, which is what a lot of the writers were working with. It's the very language used of Achan, the sin of Achan. Now, don't miss what this was. God never commanded Ananias and Sapphira to do this. They would not have been in trouble if they decided not to sell their land. But they made a public display of it. They said, we're going to do this thing like everyone else. The issue then is not that they were forced to sell their stuff. It is that they sold their stuff and in the process lied, saying that they were doing it to give it to the poor. So that then in response, they would receive all the same treatment and respect and honor as a rich person does when they give without really loving in single or oneness of spirit their brothers and sisters. What do you call that? What do you call that? Hypocrisy. It's hypocrisy. This is such an important moment for the early church and for us to study. I want you to listen to this and consider this with me for a minute i mean there's no doubt countless hypocrisies have happened in the life of the church uh it's a terror you know it hurts witness and people it's become so common that this is the main and probably biggest reason that people use sometimes just as a mere cop-out to not want to even be a part of the church but the thing they constantly say is the church is full of hypocrites right here our lord purposely drags the hypocrisy into the open interesting isn't it we learn some very important things here through this don't we i want you to notice now how the apostles who were given by the spirit wisdom and knowledge of this, which means that the Spirit knows everything you do. Notice what they say in verse 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? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own it was yours and after it was sold was it not at your disposal you made this decision why is it you've contrived you you set up a plan this deed in your heart you've not lied to man but to god i should say up front this is not blasphemy of the holy spirit this is not necessarily saying that when people receive these judgments in the bible in the context of the community that they were immediately consigned to hell. There were temporary judgments that happened for a reason to teach the church something. Did you hear Peter's perspective? Satan filled your heart, tempting you. What was happening here? What's the heart of this in the early church? What's going on here? This thing has been hugely successful. The church. How many people have come in? Thousands and thousands of people. And it's getting noticed by the secular authorities, by everyone and the people. Do you know how unhappy Satan is when the church is doing well? Do you know how unhappy Satan is when the gospel ministry is genuine and there are genuine believers happening? That is the greatest threat to him. Think of the previous verses again. Think of what you saw, the simplicity, the love, the fervent love, the no longer caring about themselves. Think of all that now. So you start to think, when things are going well, watch out. I was thinking about this this week. The Lord has really blessed the Escondido URC. We've got a building project. We see growth. Our brother stood up and professed his faith this morning. Ryan joined us this morning. The Lord's adding. I've seen among the members of this church real big encouragement in response to the message. They say it takes five years for a ministry to be received and trusted and those sort of things. And I can say that it seems to me, and I'm not anything we know could happen, but it seems to me that there is an openness in your hearts to the word that I see happening right now. You know how that goes on? Darcy and I both commented on it. It seems like the Lord's really doing something. Do you think Satan's happy about that? If you can say anything good is happening here, do you think Satan's happy about that? If the church is doing its job and there's blessing there from the Lord, there's also real spiritual warfare going on. Real. You know he tempts? How? How? We've been looking at assaults from the outside. We've been discussing assaults from the outside. This is internal. Here's how. You lied to the Holy Spirit. You had land, Ananias, and Sapphira. Yes, you were under no compulsion to sell it, but you said you were going to give it, and when you sold it, you kept it back for what reason? So that you would be seen as a great giver. But on the inside, you are playing the hypocrite. Listen, you're just giving a mere appearance of conformity. You are pretending. You see what Satan's trying to do? Church is growing. He's got a powerful strategy. Internally tempt the church with as much hypocrisy as he can. And we all have our share, by the way. And tempt the church with hypocrisy, apathy, disinterest, disengagement, to only create a mere superficial outward conformity that looks right, that nobody would ever be able to say anything's wrong with it. It's interesting, isn't it? Why'd you come here today? Don't you think it's quite possible that people really don't want to be here? What would happen if the church was filled with people like that? Here for the reason, for any reason, 20, 30 reasons, of reasons that they just have to be here. That someone will be bothered if they're not. There's mom and dad over there. They're going to see. Were you off doing that again and not at church? Offering passes by. I got to put in the buck so that everyone sees I put in something. Was it really to help the poor? Didn't Jesus give the great indictment that people come to worship Him, going through formalities, but their hearts are hearts, hearts, hearts are far from Him? Those are His words. Heart keeps coming up here, doesn't it? Why did you purpose in your heart? They were of oneness of heart. Satan doesn't want the church to be successful, but in this way. So if it's going to grow, let me add to that growth. Listen to this. This is so important. Let me add to that growth with a bunch of people who are only going to go through the motions. That's how I'm going to add to the church. With a bunch of people who are just doing it to be seen as Christians. but there's no heart in this they're not believing so they can seem like they're complying maybe to keep others happy to keep somebody off the back to do enough to be considered spiritual but to keep back the heart how much hypocrisy has killed the church we just um studied in this first part of end of chapter four authentic christianity involved there was involvement they were there there was love it great grace was upon them and it spilled over in their their love and their concern for well-being and their involvement in the body that their care for the body all motivated by the resurrection message of jesus gospel and then right after that is this problem the greatest insult internally on the church you see this is why the new testament is giving you all kinds of commands like this and it's saying this having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love love one another earnestly from a pure heart romans 12 as i as i read in the law let love be without hypocrisy and in the first century they knew just what that was hypocritos it meant without masks it was the hypocrite it was the actor who wore a mask i don't want you to love like that here's their problem the sin of ananias and sapphira if we're all honest this morning is pretty common in all of us isn't it in fact it's our greatest problem in the church as time goes on apathy combined with mere outward compliance was israel's problem And I say this morning, I'm guilty in every way of this. You're guilty. We have most certainly held back in many ways. So what did the Holy Spirit do here? He exercised church discipline. He exercised church discipline. The thing that nobody wants to do, everyone says is mean. And if you want to say that, you've got to talk to the Spirit because he took them out for this. Why? This is the New Testament. You can't use that little statement, oh, that's the Old Testament. This is not the Old Testament. This is the New Testament. He wants you to know that he discerns the intents and thoughts of the heart. The Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword. It's piercing, it's cutting, it's discerning the intents and thoughts of your heart right now. When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. After an interval of about three hours, his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter said to her, tell me whether you sold the land for so much. And she said, yes, for so much. But Peter said to her, how is it 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. 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. In every major beginning, the Lord did something like this. Think of Nadab and Abihu. In fact, the same language is used of what they did when they carried out Nadab and Abihu who were struck. That was Aaron's sons in the priesthood. The same language is used right here. It's the same kind of moment. They were just ordained. There was joy and excitement with Nadab and Abihu and they offered a profane fire before the Lord and they didn't regard his holiness and he set an example in the community. Why is that important for us? You see what Satan would love to do. He would love to fill this place with people who appreciate nothing. So that when you have this temptation, what he loves to do is take away a sense in the church of whose feet you are coming under. He wants you to forget the reverence of the Lord. He wants you to forget His holiness and begin to say, this is the New Testament. God doesn't mind. We come and go as we please. He doesn't take sins of the heart that seriously. here's the issue you see what's just happened right now this is the issue this morning this is the issue you see what's just happened what the threat is internally to the church you've emptied the reason for the lord and the ministry if this becomes the church you see great grace was needed but to keep people desiring that grace it always has to be accompanied with great fear did you catch that twice it said you have great grace and then great fear grace grace is cheap right if there's no sense of why you're here and why you need it you can make it that twice verse 5 so great fear came upon those who heard these things verse 11 so great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things how so What's the effect? Everyone notice verse 13. We're going to close in a minute. Look at verse 13. Yet, none of the rest dared to join them. But the people esteemed them highly. How's that for a church growth strategy? Everyone thought very carefully of whether they should join the church. Everyone thought we better be really careful about what we're getting involved with. this is no game to be involved in the church of jesus see what it did it checked motivations why would you want to be a part of this why are you here exercise church discipline right at the start so that everyone would think carefully whether they want to be a part of the church that people would then come for the right reasons right and that'll never happen if fear is gone you see fear is gone we approach the church as anything else we do we complain about sermon length we we treat worship as cumbersome we don't like our lives open uh we're always worried about how we're viewed and and then we we say no discipline because that just makes us look bad we open the doors to everyone with little consideration of who we're letting in dangerous we're not listening because we've cheated the church this way we filled it today with people who have no idea of what they need anymore so so you understand that the holy spirit established the first incidence of of discipline to make clear god wanted this as a warning this was not just a club god gave his church so that you can be joined to the body of jesus because of this problem in our hearts to receive from him every time you come the forgiveness of your sins to receive from him love to receive from him grace to receive from him what you need as a sinner because he loves you. But he's not going to let his church become this. He's not going to let it become a hypocritical mess of people who have just made it a game. That would kill the witness. You might have a lot of number, but very few saved. He wants you in, listen to this, this is the, I said wisdom, he wants you in joy to love coming here. For the right reasons. To know that he is really going to, when you believe in sincerity of heart and confess your sins, he's going to forgive you. But do you see what can happen if we make it a church full of hypocrisy with the coat and tie on? You need grace. I need grace. And that grace will be desired when we come with reverence and godly fear. We've made it a show. And we're playing a game and we're here merely for friends and family or an appearance of compliance. You're mocking God. Satan loves Pharisees. And he was trying to create them in the church. You are those, said Jesus, who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. So God sent a strong message as the church began. You see what he's after. He's done with hypocritical external facade contrary to phony hypocrisy he wants you being here committed genuine followers of jesus and you see the result that's what happened look at verse 13 again no one dared to join them but here it is believers were added and it didn't just say that in verse 13. It said, and more than ever believers were added to the Lord. Multitudes of men and women. You see what happened? They considered it. They consider what it was and says, we want to be a part of that believing. That's what he's after. And then it spilled over in this love that we see here because they're truly born again. They're people who love their family. They're people who want to be involved in their family wherever the lord is building wherever the lord is doing a great work there will always be satan assaulting to tear down authentic christianity this way so there will always be a need for here here this there will always always always because of this problem be a need for reverence and worship there will always be a need to keep ourselves controlled in worship remembering who we're coming before may we remember that it's the greatest privilege to be a member of the body of christ greatest privilege as we come every week to worship let us think about who we belong to and what we belong to and ensure that our love because we've been loved is without hypocrisy that is without masks father we're all guilty of this pastor and all and we know that in many ways we sin and we humble ourselves this morning and remember what we are a part of is we've received great grace. May there also be great reverence and godly fear for you are indeed a consuming fire. And we always have to be reminded of why we're here and what we need. And this example of Ananias and Sapphira should cause us to be thankful for your grace to us and consider why we need to be in your presence. Help us, wash us and cleanse us and give us in response, not a dread of you, but in that reverence, a joy that we saw in the early part of Acts here of caring for one another, of loving one another, of caring for the well-being of one another with sincere love and authentic Christianity. Thank you for hearing us this morning. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.