Good morning! We are in a sermon series through the book of Acts that we’ve called “Living without fear!”   Whether we admit it or not, there are lots of scary things in this world. The best way to deal with them is to bring them out into the open and talk about them.

 

Accidents, health concerns, disasters, safety of friends and family, the economy, death, the list is ominous and that’s just the stuff outside of us. What about our own potential for self-destruction?  I Cor 10:12 says, “If you think you are standing firm, be carful that you don’t fall.”   Proverbs 16:18 says “Pride goes before a fall.”  Anybody other than me have any experience with this stuff?

Great civilizations are never destroyed from without, they rot from within. This happens to individuals as well. In fact, it’s often when things are the best on the outside that we are most likely to self-destruct. If you haven’t noticed that you haven’t been paying attention.

 

So we have 2 sources for the fears we face. One is the things that threaten us from the outside and the other is the sinful nature within us. I have good news for you this morning. The Bible tells us that the battle belongs to the Lord. Whether you are aware of it or not, if the Lord were not fighting for you, you would have been toast long ago.

 

Evil is real, both outside us and within us. It is a formidable enemy. We cannot fight it in your own strength. The valley of the shadow of death is a real place. We walk through it everyday.  But it’s not a box canyon and you are not alone. The Lord is with you and if you are willing to follow him, he will lead you out the other end.  

 

The Apostle Paul wrote in Rom 8 “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present  nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus  our Lord.” Rom 8:37-39

 

With that in mind, open your Bibles to Acts 4:32.  Here’s the story. The infant church has grown to over 5,000 in Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit has bound them together in a fellowship, a koinonia that is like a foretaste of heaven. It is marked by joy, humility and an openness to learn and grow as the disciples share what Jesus has taught them.

 

It is also marked by a spirit of generosity. Rather than being bound to a spirit of scarcity, the people have been set free to operate out of a spirit of abundance and caring. As needs come up, they overflow with the Holy Spirit to fearlessly share as God has blessed them. Not only does everyone have enough, everyone has something to share.

 

A man named Joseph is recognized in the fellowship as having such a special spiritual gift that they give him a nickname. They called him Barnabas - Son of Encouragement!   But a problem develops. There’s a couple in the church named Ananias and his wife Sapphira. When they see the attention given to Barnabas, they want some attention, too. Only something’s off in their motivation. Maybe they think they can profit from this. They sell some property and bring the proceeds to Peter to use for those in need. Good thing, but there’s a problem. They make it appear they are giving the entire proceeds from the sale to the Lord, when in reality they are keeping back part of it for themselves. The issue isn’t greed - it’s hypocrisy and deception.

Here’s what Peter says, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God!” Acts 5:3-4

Now if God and religion are simply the inventions of men, Ananias’ sin wouldn’t be a big deal. His sin would have been against Peter and the community and maybe that’s what Ananias thought. How is it that Ananias and Sapphira were able to make these plans and pull them off if the Holy Spirit was really dwelling in their hearts and guiding their steps? Maybe they claimed membership in the faith community but were not really converted?  Hard question!

 

What’s clear is their actions presented more of a threat to the faith community than anybody realized. Ananias and Sapphira’s actions show that they believe God to be either non-existent or powerless to confront their deceit. So the gauntlet is been thrown down.

 

Can God be mocked?  Can the Holy Spirit be deceived? Will evil prosper? Is God impotent against evil and unwilling to act?  If that’s the case, then we are lost! Our salvation depends not only on God’s mercy, but on his power to battle and defeat evil on our behalf.

 

2^nd Point: There is only One who is worthy to be feared.  Only One who is absolutely just, absolutely righteous, absolutely powerful. Jesus said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell!” Mt 10:28

 

Then he went on to say, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the hairs of your head are numbered. So don’t be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows” Mt 10:29-30

This event made a huge impact on the early church. The reason we know that is the detail Luke includes in the story. Luke’s source was Peter himself.  Luke wrote this down 25-30 years after the event took place.  Yet you can almost hear Peter tell the story…

 

Liberal scholars through the centuries have struggled to explain away what happened here. They say Ananias and Sapphira were so frightened that their conspiracy had been found out that they had heart attacks and died. Or they say - they were so ashamed that they left the church and were shunned and treated as if they were dead. These scholars mistakenly believe God is too nice to punish sin. Or they believe God is simply a metaphor for goodness and therefore does not strike people dead. They chose to believe sin is not that serious. They want to dismiss God’s demand for absolute righteousness. They snub the clear meaning of the text.

 

In doing so, they reject the incredible battle that took place on the cross. They reject the sacrifice of Jesus. They blaspheme the Holy Spirit. They are like permissive parents who think love means never saying “no” or evil isn’t real. Peter would be appalled at this interpretation!

 

For Peter and the apostolic church this was evidence that Jesus was in their midst and that his power was greater than any evil, any deception, any corruption that might threaten them, either from without or from within! “You alone, O Lord, are to be feared.”  Psalm 76:7 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” Psalm 11:10  “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrew 10:31

 

The wrath of God against sin is real and is to be feared above all else. There is no one who can stand against him. 3^rd Point: God’s power to confront and destroy sin is the truth that empowered the disciples to stand fearlessly in the face of persecution and even death.

 

Luther wrote “We are to fear, love, and trust God above anything else”. He is sovereign over all. Before him every mouth will be stopped and we will all stand to give an account of how we have lived and what we have done with the gifts he has given us. On that day, no deception will be possible. Every hypocrisy, every corrupt thought and deed will be brought into the open. So how can we be saved from the same judgment that befell Ananias and Sapphira?

 

What was it that Peter said in Acts 4:12?  “It was your sin that crucified Jesus, but God raised him from the dead. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. Repent then, and turn to God, that your sins may be wiped away.” Acts 4:12

 

None of us knows when we will meet the Lord.  Isaiah tells us that our own righteousness, the best we do on our very best day is like filthy rags before the Lord. If that is true, what will we do about the stuff we want to keep secret? The Bible says a cleansing has to take place.

 

We must be washed in the blood of Jesus. We must lay hold of him by faith. We must repent of the corrupt ways we, like Ananias and Sapphira, have used to try and save ourselves.  We must turn to Jesus, open our hearts to him and invite his Holy Spirit to take up residence within us. We must ask him to teach us to live no longer for ourselves but for him. If you’ve never done that, I beg you to do so before it’s too late. Don’t harden your heart anymore. This is truer than you can know. The Holy Spirit has been calling you, don’t resist him!

 

Satan will try and convince you that God is trying to steal your life.  In reality, God is the only one who can give you life.  Strange as it may sound, put God first, learn what it means to fear, love, and trust him above all else and you will never again fear anything in this world. Let’s pray…