The Deadly Danger of Superficial Spirituality
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The early church had an uncommon love for one another. They used their possessions to meet the needs of others. It was spontaneous, driven by the Holy Spirit, not forced or required.
Barnabas, son of Encouragement, led by the Lord to give and go.
Hypocrisy is rooted in Pride
Hypocrisy is rooted in Pride
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Five: Beware of the Serpent! (Acts 4:32–5:16)
George MacDonald wrote, “Half of the misery in the world comes from trying to look, instead of trying to be, what one is not.”
Ananias and Sapphira pledged a piece of property and then withheld part of the profit.
Pride Blinds You to Your True Sin
Pride Blinds You to Your True Sin
Ananias and Sapphira were pretending to be bigger givers than they truly were. They were seeking the approval of men through their worship, rather than the praise of the Lord.
Their true offense was lying, not to Peter, but to the Holy Spirit. God know the condition of our heart, we cannot hide our sin from Him.
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Five: Beware of the Serpent! (Acts 4:32–5:16)
Pride opens the door to every other sin, for once we are more concerned with our reputation than our character, there is no end to the things we will do just to make ourselves “look good” before others.
Proverbs 29:25 “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.”
Sin Leads to Judgment
Sin Leads to Judgment
Three judgments mentioned in the Bible:
The Judgement of Sinners for Eternity - the Great White Throne Judgement. Revelation 20:11-15 says that anyone whose name is not found in the Book of Life will suffer the Second Death. Jesus has paid the penalty for our sin at the Cross. The Lord has laid on Him our iniquity.
The Judgement for Rewards - The Judgment Seat of Christ 2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”
See also 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 “Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”
The Judgement of Sons - God deals with us in this life as Sons and will discipline us to cause us to grow in Christ. Hebrews 12
This sin of Ananias and Sapphira was a discipline for the sin of lying to the Holy Spirit. It was a severe penalty
The Fear of God Leads to Life
The Fear of God Leads to Life
It is only when we see God as He IS in His Holiness that we will understand our need for His mercy and grace.
When the early church saw the judgment of God upon sin, the response was to walk honestly before the Lord and one another. New believers were added daily. Why? Because it was an authentic faith, witness to the
James 5:16 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
When we confess our faults it produces humility and we receive the grace of the Lord Jesus. James 4:6 “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.””
There is coming a day where everything will be exposed. It is far better to confess your sin and receive the mercy of the Lord now! Christian, it is far better to confess and walk in the light than to receive the discipline of the Lord or the loss of reward.