A Hypodermic For Hypocrisy Series

A HYPODERMIC FOR HYPOCRISY

Acts 5:1-16

INTRODUCTION:

A. Open with a short skit at a bus stop

- Good morning, how are you?

- Fine, how about you?

- I’m doing well thank you.

- While were just standing here waiting for the bus, would you mind if I asked you a question?

- No, go ahead.

- Well, I’m a member of First Baptist Church of Mascoutah and I was wondering if you go to church anywhere?

- No, I don’t.

- Well I would like to invite you to join us on Sunday mornings at 10:45.

- Thanks but no thanks.

- Any reason why you would not come?

- I’m already a hypocrite.

- Excuse me I don’t think I heard you right.

- I’m already a hypocrite.

- Sorry we can’t continue this talk but here is my bus, later.

B. Caught you off guard, didn’t it: but the word hypocrisy often comes up in a conversation concerning church or salvation.

1. Why? Because people hear Christians saying one thing and doing another.

2. Now, I know that some of it is just lack of spiritual light on the part of unbelievers and self-righteousness on the part of some backslidden believers.

3. However, with such a large group saying this it might do us good to examine ourselves and see if we are adding to the Hypocrite Epidemic.

C. It is for this reason and many others, I believe, God had Dr. Luke put this portion of Scripture here for us. To draw us to some introspection, confession, and sanctification.

1. Here we will see

a. The Sin

b. The Treatment

c. The Prognosis

2. May God give us light to see our hypocritical ways and a desire to see them put away from us that we might not be a stumbling block to those who meet and know us.

PRAY

Let us begin by understanding

I. THE SIN, Acts 5:1-2 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.

A. Here is the Setting

1. Some of you have Bibles that denote the beginning of paragraphs.

a. If you do not, you need to know that these two verses are part of a paragraph that started in Acts 4:36-37

b. It states: And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, [37] Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

2. This man named Barnabas had sold some land and brought the money to the apostles to be distributed as the need arose. This is all we are told.

3. I can imagine that the gift was great amount and many were probably showing him (though this was not his intent) some attention, recognition and even praise.

B. BUT – Oh how that often brings in grief! …a certain man…

1. Having seen this a man by the name of Ananias probably decided that he wanted some of that attention

2. He talked with his wife and they decided to sell a piece of land that they had and bring the money to Peter, as well

3. Only they did not want to give it all, so they decided to bring a part of it to Him and tell him that they had sold the land for that amount.

4. Their thinking: (My story) No body knows how much we got for it so lets say this much and we will get the attention, recognition and praise that Barnabas got and still have some of the profit.

C. Now please do not miss the point.

1. This is not a message concerning how much they gave or how little.

2. It is not about the land, the money or the giving.

3. It is about their attitude and their desire to be seen as something they were not!

4. It is about hypocrisy!

5. Let me clarify something concerning hypocrisy

a. Hypocrisy is not doing the right thing when you don’t want to

b. Hypocrisy is doing the right thing when you don’t want to and telling everyone you want to or that you like it

c. Hypocrisy is telling some one to do something because it is right and then doing the opposite yourself.

d. Hypocrisy is pretending to do something when in fact you did not to make a name for yourself. This was the sin of Ananias and Sapphira – they wanted people to believe they were sacrificial – all giving -people when they were not.

D. And the word is not easy on hypocrites