Introduction:
A. Today’s lesson completes the series we have been in called “Avoiding Life’s Biggest Mistakes.”
1. I hope and pray that the series has been a blessing to you!
2. The last topic in our series is “Avoiding the Mistake of Lying.”
B. You’ve probably heard the old story of the two high school friends who got spring fever and skipped their morning classes and had a big time.
1. When they went into school that afternoon they said to the teacher, “Sorry we’re so late. We had a flat tire on the way to school.”
2. The teacher, who was sure they were lying, smiled and said, “That’s fine. No problem. All you missed this morning was a test, and I’ll let you make it up right now. Just take separate seats and get out a piece of paper.”
3. Once they were seated, the teacher smiled again and continued, “All right, question number one: Which tire went flat?”
C. Most of us know and believe that honesty is the best policy and that sooner or later, lies always cost us.
1. But if we are honest, we will admit that telling the truth isn’t easy and that from time to time we are tempted to lie.
2. One of the challenges of this subject is coming to grips with what is really involved in dishonesty.
3. Satan is so crafty and we are so sinful that we even find ourselves being dishonest about dishonesty.
4. Whether it is little “white lies,” stretching the truth, exaggeration, cheating in school, at work or on our taxes, all of these things are easily justified by dishonest people.
5. Someone has said, “those who believe it is alright to tell little white lies soon grow color blind.” (Austin O’Malley)
D. Sad to say, but more and more people are justifying all kinds of dishonesty.
1. In the book, The Day America Told the Truth, the researchers revealed the following statistics:
2. 91% of those surveyed say that they lie routinely about matters they consider trivial.
3. 75% said they lie to their best friends regularly.
4. 86% of teenagers said they lie to their parents.
5. 32% said they wouldn’t report $2000 in cash earnings to the IRS.
6. 58% said they have called in sick to get a day off from work.
E. Another survey of 12,000 students revealed that 74% of high school students said they had cheated on an exam at least once in the past year.
1. That’s up from 61% of students surveyed in 1992. (just 15 years)
2. Here’s something really scary – I read that a noted physician recently appeared on a network news show and proclaimed, “Lying is an important part of social life, and children who are unable to do it are children who may have developmental problems.”
F. After doing 3.8 million background checks Automatic Data Processing Incorporated announced that 52% of job applicants had lied on their resumes. (that’s over half!)
G. I share these statistics for the purpose of opening our eyes to the extent of the problem.
1. Dishonesty is a big problem in our world.
2. And usually if it is a big problem for people in our world, then it is also a problem for some people in our church.
H. (Turn to Proverbs 6) If we don’t already know it, then I hope we will realize today that if a person has a problem with lying, then they have a problem with God.
1. God is clear about His disfavor on lying and liars.
2. Proverbs 6:16-19 lists 7 things the Lord hates and two of them have to do with dishonesty. “There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness that pours out lies, and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.”
3. Proverbs 12:22 says, “The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful.”
4. You’ve probably heard the little tune about lying, “Revelation, Revelation 21:8, 21:8, liars go to hell, liars go to hell.” “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
5. So, we see that God has been pretty clear about this subject.
6. Those who tell the truth are blessed, those who do not are not!
I. Their Story
A. There is a well known story in the Bible about someone who lied and paid a terrible consequence for their lie.
1. Rather than a person, we are talking about a couple. Their names are Ananias and Saphira, and their story is found in Acts 5.
2. But the story really begins back in Acts chapter 4, and verse 32.
3. The Bible says, “All the believers were on in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.
4. The early church was an exciting and generous place.
5. People were giving and sharing in wonderful ways.
6. Barnabas sold a field and brought all the proceeds to the apostles to be given to people in need.
7. And because of this, the Christian family loved and appreciated Barnabas.
8. Ananias and Sapphira saw the adulation that Barnabas was receiving and decided they wanted a little of that for themselves.
B. So Ananias and Sapphira also sold a piece of property, but rather than give the entire amount, Ananias kept part of the money for himself, and brought the rest of it to the apostles.
1. So far nothing wrong or sinful has been done.
2. Did Ananias have to sell the field? NO.
3. Did he have to give the entire proceeds of the sale to the church? NO.
4. Was it okay for him to keep some of the money for himself? Yes, of course.
C. But the problem came when Ananias lied to Peter and therefore to God about the matter.
1. The text doesn’t record Ananias’ exact words, but they must have been something like: “My wife and I have sold a piece of property and like Barnabas, we are giving the entire amount to the Lord.”
2. The Bible says in Acts 5:3, “Then Peter said, ‘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.’ ”
3. The Bible says, “When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.” (Acts 5:5-6)
4. The story continues, “About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.
5. Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?" "Yes," she said, "that is the price."
6. Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also."
7. At that moment she fell down at his feet and died.
8. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
9. Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.
D. The mistake of lying can be very costly indeed.
1. This couple told a bold-faced lie to God’s representative, Peter, and therefore to God himself.
2. They tried to make themselves appear to be more generous in their giving than they really were.
3. Did they really think that they could give something to God that would make him so happy that he would not see the truth?
4. Did they really think that they could get away with robbing God?
5. Did they really think that God does not know the truth about every thing about us?
E. Ananias and Sapphira were judged for their hypocrisy and for lying to God – not for their decision to retain some of the proceeds of their real estate deal.
1. But some people are bothered by the severity of the punishment of this seemingly small offense.
2. Especially when we remember that God is a God of grace and mercy who gives so many of us, chance after chance.
3. I think it is helpful to realize that it was necessary for God to establish apostolic authority in the early church, in order to safeguard the purity of the church.
4. Obviously, this was a special case, because thankfully, God does not strike us dead every time we are guilty of comparable offenses.
5. If he did, there wouldn’t be many of us left would there?
F. This judgment against Ananias and Sapphira sent shock waves through out all the church and to everyone who heard about it.
1. I think the lesson to be learned by all is just how seriously a holy God views deliberate sin.
2. This incident is intended to be an example, for all time, of God’s displeasure with the sins of lying and religious hypocrisy.
3. So let’s be sure we learn from the mistake of Ananias and Sapphira.
II. Our Lessons
A. Let me end this sermon by sharing three good reason to speak and live honestly.
B. First, Because God is a God of truth.
1. 1 Samuel 15:29 records Samuel saying these words to King Saul, “He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie…”
2. Hebrews 6:18 says it is “impossible for God to lie.”
3. If we are not going to deal honestly with God, then we cannot have a relationship with God.
C. Second, We should be honest because our relationships with others is based on honesty.
1. In Ephesians 4:25, Paul writes, “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.”
2. Lying destroys the body of Christ. It destroys relationships.
3. If you catch me lying to you, then how will you know if I am ever telling you the truth again?
4. Rebuilding trust can take a long time.
D. Third, We should be honest because dishonesty was part of our old life not our new one.
1. Colossians 3:9-10 says, “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”
2. As Christians, we have the Spirit in us making us a new creation; transforming us.
E. What is the difference between a river and a canal?
1. Rivers are formed by taking the path of least resistance – people who are dishonest are a lot like rivers.
2. Canals are formed deliberately and are as straight as possible – people who tell the truth are a lot like canals.
3. Let’s be people who know the truth, speak the truth, and live by the truth.
4. If we will then we will have a strong relationship with God and with others and will be blessed now and forevermore.
5. But if we do not live and speak the truth then we will suffer the consequences, if not now, then for evermore.
F. Lying to anyone is never a good idea, and especially not to God.
1. Just ask Ananias and Sapphira, they will tell you it was their biggest mistake of their lives.
