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
1. Job stated For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul? : Job 27:8
2. Jesus lambasted the Pharisees as hypocrites
3. And speaking of those who are not watching for His coming, Jesus said: And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 24:51
4. Peter wrote: Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, 1 Peter 2:1
5. Not a good scenario – (One pastor entitled his message on this passage “It’s not good to Lie to Father God.”
We also need to know that for those who are hypocrites God has
II. THE TREATMENT, Acts 5:3-10
A. In the Case of Ananias & Sapphira
1. In order to treat anything you must know the condition: in the case of hypocrisy it is a heart problem
a. “…why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie…”
b. I want to emphasize two things Peter says here:
1) One, Satan: this could mean that it was a direct involvement of the Devil or that it was of His influence
- Remember, concerning Satan, Jesus said 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. John 8:44
2) Two, “thine heart” – the heart is the seat of all real intention and motivation – what is in it will come out
- Jesus speaking to His disciples warned them, For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, [22] Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: [23] All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. Mark 7:21-23
2. And It pushed them to lie – and lying is a sin, in fact John wrote But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whore-mongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: Rev. 21:8
3. Which brought God’s Judgment, Acts 5:5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost:…Acts 5:10 Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost:
a. Both died that very day within three hours of each other
b. If they were true believers they did not lose their salvation – there is no indication of this, besides, it is not biblical
c. But God did judge their sin and it had the desired effect: great fear came upon all the church
1) We should not water this down by trying to validate God by claiming it was a “godly fear” of awe and reverence.
2) Folk’s it was a dread – a terror
d. They were scared: I wonder how many others were standing there in hypocrisy or had contemplated the same thing?
e. Not any more – I imagine (my thoughts only) many got things right with the Lord who may have been lacking!
B. But Lets Consider Our Case
1. Before you answer to quickly, remember the Lord is willing to forgive and restore, but we must first be willing to call sin – sin!
a. Hypocrisy is a sin of the heart and you and I can often quickly say “nope, not there” and move on to cover over our continuing sin!
- Jeremiah 17:9-10 states The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? [10] I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
b. Hypocrisy leads to many thing, but lying might be at the top: Lying to oneself, or others, or God, or all the above.
c. Before we can take the needed hypodermic we must know the problem
d. There is neither time nor energy to go through all the possibilities but consider a few of them
1) Lifting our hands or voices in praise yet knowing things are not as they should be
2) Pretending everything is okay in our families, or jobs, or relationships and leading others to believe it is okay.
3) Having no heart for a particular “religious” endeavor yet putting on the show that we want to do it – maybe for praise, honor or recognition
e. Each of us know if the Lord is speaking to us about some hypocritical situation in our lives
f. What a shame to ignore the Holy Spirits direction to repentance and forgiveness and to unwittingly chose divine judgment.
2. The Treatment:
a. Death: Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
b. Prayer, repentance & confession: Psalm 51:10-12 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. [11] Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. [12] Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit
c. Humility: 1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
d. Obey God: Matthew 7:5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
If we will remove the hypocrisy from our lives, thus from our church, what would be
III. THE PROGNOSIS – GOOD!
A. Note the happenings in this Church at Jerusalem
1. Acts 5:12 And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; things were happening – extrodinary things – God size things were happening in the body – God was being glorified
2. Acts 5:12 …(and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch….) There was unity in the body
3. Acts 5:13 And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them. There was purity in the body.
a. This is one of the most intriguing statements (in my opinion) found in Acts
b. John MacArthur writes: The swift judgment of Ananias and Sapphira kept the half-hearted and uncommitted from joining the Christians.
c. In other words – it was all the way or none of the way: sin was given up entirely or you stayed away for fear of judgment!
4. Acts 5:14 And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.)
a. What a thought: 3000 saved in one day; 5000 saved in one day; people being saved daily; and now “all the more were being saved!
b. That is what the Kingdom Harvest is all about!
B. It could happen here!
1. But we must be willing to give up our sin and hypocritical ways!
2. God will use a glorifying, unified, purified church to evangelize the lost!
3. To God be the glory great things He will do!
CONCLUSION: In closing
A. The hypodermic for hypocrisy is filled with the blood of Jesus Christ
1. One shot can cleanse all sin – are you ready?
2. But be careful.
3. Quite a few years ago a drug came out on the market to help drunkards give up drinking
a. The drugs name was Antabuse
b. Once the individual got sober he would begin taking the pill
c. If he drank alcohol he would get violently sick
4. And so it is with a Christian: the most miserable person in the world is a Christian who will not give up his sin and still try to play the “game” of Christianity.
a. Self-righteous hypocrisy will not allow grace to have its full course
b. Instead God’s chastising judgment will soon be upon you.
B. However, come to the Lord with a humble and repentant heart, confessing sin and asking forgiveness and He will cleanse the soul
1. This will open the door for the Lord to great things through you and ultimately the church.
2. God can do great things through us if we will get rid of hypocrisy and become a glorifying, united and purified church under His gracious care!
ARE YOU READY FOR YOUR SHOT?!
