Title: There is Hope for the Future
Date: February 20, 2007
Text: 2 Chronicles 33:1-20
Introduction
- when we enter the mission, we first of all go through an introductory phase where we are taught the basics of the Christian walk
- however, just as we were often told by our parents, you are never going to amount to anything, we often think that we can never become anything good spiritually either
- we think, my sins have been too bad, how could God want me for his purposes
- we remember the people we have stolen from, the people we sold drugs to
- we think about the people we have killed, either wilfully or by accident
- we think about the broken promises and vows, the children who are suffering or whom we cannot see, because of our neglect and abuse
- and because our sin weighs heavily upon us, we think that God could never forgive me, he has a plan for others but our unworthiness causes us to give up before we start
- today we are going to look at two examples of people whom God used, despite their past life
1. Manasseh - King of Judah
- 2 Chronicles 33:1-20
- Manasseh was a preacher's kid - his dad Hezekiah had led the Kingdom of Judah in a revival, and was enormously used by God
- but so often preacher's kids rebel against their parents ways, and do their own thing - they often seem to go way to the other extreme in making a mess of their lives
- Manasseh was like that
- Manasseh got involved in magic and witchcraft, he went to fortune tellers and astrologers, he had a guiding spirit, a demon - v.6
- he thumbed his nose at God and even placed a pagan idol in the temple, the house of God - v.7
- he turned the clock back, to do even worse than the heathen who had been in the land before Israel arrived - v.2, 9
- God sent prophets to Manasseh to warn him and the Israelites, but they would not listen - v.10
- so God sends the armies of the Assyrian empire to capture Manasseh, put him in chains and keep him in prison in Babylon - v. 11
- in chains, in prison with hard labor, Manasseh has a chance to think about the error pof his ways
- he humbled himself, he prayed to God, and received forgiveness
- Jesus had not yet come to die for our sins, but Manasseh received forgiveness looking forwarfd to that sacrifice
- God released Manasseh from prison and reinstated him as king in Judah! Manasseh discovered that God was real!
- in repentance, Manasseh then took away all the idols he had brought into the land and led people to worship the Lord instead
- though this man started bad, very bad, God was able to redeem his life and make him a force for good
2. George Mueller - a man of faith
- 2,600 years later, another reprobate came on the scene
- George Müller was born in Kroppenstaedt, a Prussian village, on the 27th September 1805.
- despite kindness and generosity continually shown by his father, George Müller was an habitual thief, an inveterate liar
- he regularly stole money from his father, invariably when collecting debts on his father's behalf by handing over much less than he had collected. His father often had to make up missing money and on one occasion a successfully laid trap caused George Müller to be punished, but he was unrepentant.
- he was a cheat, devising cunning and devious methods to fulfil his evil desires
- besides his immoral ways it was George Müller's need for alcoholic drink that caused many of his problems. Even when his mother lay dying he was found roaming the streets in a drunken state.
- His stealing became more compulsive and on one occasion he had the audacity to steal most of his confirmation fees which his father had given him for confirmation classes, when he became a confirmed Lutheran
- he went from one hotel to another, often in the company of a woman, living a 'playboy' life, but with no money
- the law caught up with him and he ended up in prison. Even in prison George Müller told the most unbelievable lies to impress a fellow prisoner.
- The last sinful escapade came when he was at Halle University studying theology. With three fellow students they forged papers and documents so that they could go on a vacation of worldly pleasure in Switzerland. George Müller even then managed to cheat his friends by having charge of the money and, through devious means, only paid two thirds of that paid by the others.
- he later said there was almost no sin into which he had not fallen
- George Müller's conversion in November 1825 was dramatic and his whole direction, purpose and way of life changed immediately.
- "He was introduced to the prayer meeting by his friend Beta and upon arrival was greeted with 'Come as often as you please; house and heart are open to you.' This welcome touched George Müller very much. The singing of hymns, study of the Bible and reading of a printed sermon made a deep impression and he felt this night he would find 'something' for which he had been searching all his life. The genuine love, great joy and deep humility in the hearts of the members of that group had a profound effect on George Müller but perhaps the turning point was when they all knelt to pray. He had never seen this before, let alone knelt to pray himself, and the whole meeting breathed such a spiritual atmosphere that he entered upon an entirely new experience! He was born again! No longer an idle and lazy character, but a disciple of the Living God. "
- this was the the turning point for a remarkable man of faith
- his life became dedicated to following the Lord's will
- he finished his seminary education, and moved to Teignmouth in Devon, to preach the gospel
- a fellow preacher asked him to join him in Bristol, England, where he started as the pastor of 6 people - the church grew as God blessed his service and faith
- he set up a foundation called the Scriptural Knowledge Institute
- then a cholera epidemic caused a lot of children to lose their parents, and he and his wife took thirty of these kids into their own home.
- they added another home, and another, till there were 5 homes taking care of 2,000 children
- they never once advertised a need for money or property or food - they consistently prayed to God for him to supply what was needed
- later, they sold the homes and took care of the children in group homes of 10 to 12 children per home, with a married couple as house parents
- when he was 70, he commenced evangelizing and preaching all over the world, covering 200,000 miles in 17 years
- the work he started continues to this day through the Scriptural Knowledge Institute and Dr Barnardo's Homes
- George Mueller passed away at the age of 92, in 1898
3. There is hope for the future
- wherever we have come from, whatever we have done, all is not lost
- Manasseh led his people to put away their witchcraft and idolatry, and was instrumental in turning a nation in relapse, back to God
- George Mueller left a wicked and utterly sinful life, to become a man of faith, through whose testimony many thousands have come to the Lord
- there is hope for the future
- we can come to the foot of the cross and leave our burden of guilt and shame there
- no sin is so bad that it cannot be forgiven
- we may feel like a Manasseh or a George Mueller in their early days
- but God was able to redeem their past and use them for his own purposes
- and he can do the same for you
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Sunday, February 18, 2007
A Key To Answered Prayer - Luke 11:5-10
Title: A Key to Answered Prayer
Date: February 18, 2007
Text: Luke 11:5-10
Introduction
- sometimes, and maybe often, we feel that God does not hear our prayers
- we are in trouble, physically, emotionally, and maybe spiritually
- we expect that God should respond, and when he does not seem to do so, we become discouraged
- we know however, that God does answer prayer
- George Mueller faith homes - orphanages built totally upon prayer
- we have seen healings here at the mission, cancer has gone, heart and circulatory problems have been made well
- people have prayed for help at court in impossible situations and God has granted them favor
- but this has not happened everytime
- today we are going to look at a key to receiving answers to our prayers
- Luke 11:5-10
1. Pray with persistence
- context is of when Jesus tells the disciples about how to pray, in what we know as the Lord's prayer
- Jesus is saying, persist in your requests, till you receive an answer
- this week I received an answer to a question I have been asking God about for many months
- sometimes God does not give an immediate answer
- this means that we need to be careful of what we ask of God
- ask him for anything, by all means, but do so with deliberation, consciously, not just flapping out a request for God to bless so and so
- do so deliberately, and then persist till he responds
- when we ask according to God's will, in Jesus' name, with faith, and with persistence, he will respond
2. Why does God want us to be persistent?
- verse 8 - Amplified Bible - "his shameless persistence and insistence"
- NIV -"the man's boldness"
- there is a boldness, a persistence that will not give up, that God wants us to exercise when we pray to him
- like when Jacob wrestled with God all night, to receive a blessing
- God does not want wimps who give up immediately when things don't go their way
- God wants us to be persistent, knowing what is needed, and making those needs known to him
- sometimes he waits for us to change his mind, to show him we really care
- for example, when we pray for a friend or a relative to come to the Lord - sometimes we have to pray for years for that to happen
- my wife and I prayed for many years for her niece's husband to come to the Lord - there never seemed to be an appropriate opportunity to talk to him about it
- my wife eventually passed away, and then one night I dreamed that Joke, Arend and their daughter would come to Jesus
- I visited them one evening after Arend had fallen from the roof and had a twisted ankle - he was in pain and we prayed that Jesus would remove the pain - immediately afterwards he accepted Jesus - suddenly it was so easy - it was God's moment to open the way for him - but we had to persist in prayer
- a major reason why God does not always respond immediately is that he is developing faith in us - persisting in prayer when the answer is not obvious, requires faith
- but God is faithful and he will respond
3. Express your thankfulness
- so often we forget to thank God for the prayers he has already answered
- how would you feel if your child did not seem to appreciate what you have done for him?
- God has feelings too, though he is motivated by a love so pure that we cannot imagine it
- we need to thank him for his intervention in situations, people's lives etc.
- when we thank him we acknowledge that the blessing or answered prayer was not a chance thing, but his personal intervention
- it makes God pleased to see that we recognize that all good things come from him
- Jesus said without God he could do nothing - he recognized his dependence on the Father
- we too need to express our dependence on God, and our thanks for his involvement in our life
Summary
- so don't be ashamed of coming to God persistently
- he is developing faith in us, and that is one reason why we sometimes do not receive an immediate answer
- we live in an instant society, God has a different perspective
- and when God does respond, thank him for his answer - appreciate him
Date: February 18, 2007
Text: Luke 11:5-10
Introduction
- sometimes, and maybe often, we feel that God does not hear our prayers
- we are in trouble, physically, emotionally, and maybe spiritually
- we expect that God should respond, and when he does not seem to do so, we become discouraged
- we know however, that God does answer prayer
- George Mueller faith homes - orphanages built totally upon prayer
- we have seen healings here at the mission, cancer has gone, heart and circulatory problems have been made well
- people have prayed for help at court in impossible situations and God has granted them favor
- but this has not happened everytime
- today we are going to look at a key to receiving answers to our prayers
- Luke 11:5-10
1. Pray with persistence
- context is of when Jesus tells the disciples about how to pray, in what we know as the Lord's prayer
- Jesus is saying, persist in your requests, till you receive an answer
- this week I received an answer to a question I have been asking God about for many months
- sometimes God does not give an immediate answer
- this means that we need to be careful of what we ask of God
- ask him for anything, by all means, but do so with deliberation, consciously, not just flapping out a request for God to bless so and so
- do so deliberately, and then persist till he responds
- when we ask according to God's will, in Jesus' name, with faith, and with persistence, he will respond
2. Why does God want us to be persistent?
- verse 8 - Amplified Bible - "his shameless persistence and insistence"
- NIV -"the man's boldness"
- there is a boldness, a persistence that will not give up, that God wants us to exercise when we pray to him
- like when Jacob wrestled with God all night, to receive a blessing
- God does not want wimps who give up immediately when things don't go their way
- God wants us to be persistent, knowing what is needed, and making those needs known to him
- sometimes he waits for us to change his mind, to show him we really care
- for example, when we pray for a friend or a relative to come to the Lord - sometimes we have to pray for years for that to happen
- my wife and I prayed for many years for her niece's husband to come to the Lord - there never seemed to be an appropriate opportunity to talk to him about it
- my wife eventually passed away, and then one night I dreamed that Joke, Arend and their daughter would come to Jesus
- I visited them one evening after Arend had fallen from the roof and had a twisted ankle - he was in pain and we prayed that Jesus would remove the pain - immediately afterwards he accepted Jesus - suddenly it was so easy - it was God's moment to open the way for him - but we had to persist in prayer
- a major reason why God does not always respond immediately is that he is developing faith in us - persisting in prayer when the answer is not obvious, requires faith
- but God is faithful and he will respond
3. Express your thankfulness
- so often we forget to thank God for the prayers he has already answered
- how would you feel if your child did not seem to appreciate what you have done for him?
- God has feelings too, though he is motivated by a love so pure that we cannot imagine it
- we need to thank him for his intervention in situations, people's lives etc.
- when we thank him we acknowledge that the blessing or answered prayer was not a chance thing, but his personal intervention
- it makes God pleased to see that we recognize that all good things come from him
- Jesus said without God he could do nothing - he recognized his dependence on the Father
- we too need to express our dependence on God, and our thanks for his involvement in our life
Summary
- so don't be ashamed of coming to God persistently
- he is developing faith in us, and that is one reason why we sometimes do not receive an immediate answer
- we live in an instant society, God has a different perspective
- and when God does respond, thank him for his answer - appreciate him
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Unwrapping Our Presents- Romans 12:3-8
Title: Unwrapping Our Presents
Date: February 13, 2007
Text: Romans 12:3-8
Introduction
- Here are some gifts you should not buy your wife (from Readers Digest):
1. Don't buy anything that plugs in. Anything that requires electricity is seen as utilitarian.
2. Don't buy clothing that involves sizes. The chances are one in seven thousand that you will get her size right, and your wife will be offended the other 6999 times. "Do I look like a size 16?" she'll say. Too small a size doesn't cut it either: "I haven't worn a size 8 in 20 years!"
3. Avoid all things useful. The new silver polish advertised to save hundreds of hours is not going to win you any brownie points.
4. Don't buy anything that involves weight loss or self-improvement. She'll perceive a six-month membership to a diet center as a suggestion that's she's overweight.
5. Don't buy jewelry. The jewelry your wife wants, you can't afford. And the jewelry you can afford, she doesn't want.
7. Finally, don't spend too much. "How do you think we're going to afford that?" she'll ask. But don't spend too little. She won't say anything, but she'll think, "Is that all I'm worth?"
- giving gifts is a dangerous business :-)
- but there is One who gives us gifts, whom we can trust implicitly
- these gifts will not blow up in our face, or hurt us or lead us down the garden path
1. Why does God give gifts?
- God is generous, not a taker
- John 10:10 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly"
- his purpose is to give people an abundant life
- he wants us to share in that purpose so he gives us gifts
- Ephesians 4:7-13 "But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift . . . for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ"
- purpose of gifts is not to feel good or have power or for selfish pursuits
- purpose is to build each other up
- so that each person may become all that God intended them to be
2. What kinds of gifts does God give?
- there are many examples of gifts God gives - read Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4
- but there are many more
- For example, God gifted Bezalel and Aholiab
- Exodus 35:30-34 "He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom and understanding, in knowledge and all manner of . . . artistic workmanship. And He has put in his heart the ability to teach, in him and Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.
- notice that this gifting was for a purpose, for building the tabernacle
- it was not for a feel-good purpose
- what gifts has God given us personally?
- are we skilled at selling? are we teachers? are we compassionate? are we encouragers?
- Romans 12 lists the following gifts: prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, leadership, mercy - do any of these relate to you?
- each of these gifts is given for a reason, it has been particularly selected for you - it has your name on it!
- it will determine how you deal in situations
- for example, say I were to trip in the warehouse and fall flat on my face, and drop all the books I was carrying
- there are 7 of you standing around, exemplifying the 7 gifts in Romans 12
- the person with the gift of mercy will come around and say "Are you ok Gerry? Did you hurt yourself? It's not your fault you tripped, that sofa was sitting in the wrong place" - he is trying to help me not feel so stupid
- the leader person gets up and says "Okay Val, you go and get a box to put all those books in, Ward, you move that sofa out of the way" - he is just trying to get things done efficiently and smoothly
- the person with the gift of giving comes up and says "I see you tore your jeans, I think I have a pair your size, let me get them for you"
- someone with the gift of exhortation sees the same thing happen and says "Please be careful. Guys if you see a problem like this point it out in advance because we will do something about it."
- the teacher will get up and say "there are two reasons why this happened. First, the sofa was in the wrong place. Second, Gerry was not watching where he was going. If we watch this in future we will have a less painful experience in the warehouse"
- someone with the gift of service collects all the books, puts them in a box for me, and brings me the first aid kit
- the person with the gift of prophecy says "all these things happen for a reason, we can learn a lesson from this. Sin can trip us and when it does, all kinds of things mess up in our lives. But if we change our ways, God will make it all work out for good".
- each person approached the incident in a different manner, depending on the gifts they had been given
- different gifts work together in particular ways - personality determines how we use these abilities
- there is no one exactly like you
- Romans 12:3-5 "many members in one body" - we are all needed
3. We need to use the gifts
- first, discover what gifts God has given to you - do a test, ask others what they think of you, see how you react in situations
- a gift is no use up on the shelf - a present needs to be unwrapped and then used
- second, learn to develop those gifts - learn about them, find others with the same gifts and see how they deal with them - keep your eye open for oportunities to learn about the gift
- third, find ways in which to use that gift, which are appropriate to your situation
- in all of this, involve the Holy Spirit - he is the one who gives the gifts to us, and he knows God's purpose in giving them to you
- remember, there is a responsibility attached to receiving these gifts
- to whom much is given of him will much be required
- Luke 12:48 ". . . For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more"
- but God also promises blessing for those who use the gifts he gives to them, faithfully
Summary
- we have all received gifts, each of us is unique
- these gifts are for the benefit of the people around us
- we need to identify, develop and use these gifts
- this will benefit not only ourselves but more importantly, it will help us all to work together like Jesus intended
Date: February 13, 2007
Text: Romans 12:3-8
Introduction
- Here are some gifts you should not buy your wife (from Readers Digest):
1. Don't buy anything that plugs in. Anything that requires electricity is seen as utilitarian.
2. Don't buy clothing that involves sizes. The chances are one in seven thousand that you will get her size right, and your wife will be offended the other 6999 times. "Do I look like a size 16?" she'll say. Too small a size doesn't cut it either: "I haven't worn a size 8 in 20 years!"
3. Avoid all things useful. The new silver polish advertised to save hundreds of hours is not going to win you any brownie points.
4. Don't buy anything that involves weight loss or self-improvement. She'll perceive a six-month membership to a diet center as a suggestion that's she's overweight.
5. Don't buy jewelry. The jewelry your wife wants, you can't afford. And the jewelry you can afford, she doesn't want.
7. Finally, don't spend too much. "How do you think we're going to afford that?" she'll ask. But don't spend too little. She won't say anything, but she'll think, "Is that all I'm worth?"
- giving gifts is a dangerous business :-)
- but there is One who gives us gifts, whom we can trust implicitly
- these gifts will not blow up in our face, or hurt us or lead us down the garden path
1. Why does God give gifts?
- God is generous, not a taker
- John 10:10 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly"
- his purpose is to give people an abundant life
- he wants us to share in that purpose so he gives us gifts
- Ephesians 4:7-13 "But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift . . . for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ"
- purpose of gifts is not to feel good or have power or for selfish pursuits
- purpose is to build each other up
- so that each person may become all that God intended them to be
2. What kinds of gifts does God give?
- there are many examples of gifts God gives - read Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4
- but there are many more
- For example, God gifted Bezalel and Aholiab
- Exodus 35:30-34 "He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom and understanding, in knowledge and all manner of . . . artistic workmanship. And He has put in his heart the ability to teach, in him and Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.
- notice that this gifting was for a purpose, for building the tabernacle
- it was not for a feel-good purpose
- what gifts has God given us personally?
- are we skilled at selling? are we teachers? are we compassionate? are we encouragers?
- Romans 12 lists the following gifts: prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, leadership, mercy - do any of these relate to you?
- each of these gifts is given for a reason, it has been particularly selected for you - it has your name on it!
- it will determine how you deal in situations
- for example, say I were to trip in the warehouse and fall flat on my face, and drop all the books I was carrying
- there are 7 of you standing around, exemplifying the 7 gifts in Romans 12
- the person with the gift of mercy will come around and say "Are you ok Gerry? Did you hurt yourself? It's not your fault you tripped, that sofa was sitting in the wrong place" - he is trying to help me not feel so stupid
- the leader person gets up and says "Okay Val, you go and get a box to put all those books in, Ward, you move that sofa out of the way" - he is just trying to get things done efficiently and smoothly
- the person with the gift of giving comes up and says "I see you tore your jeans, I think I have a pair your size, let me get them for you"
- someone with the gift of exhortation sees the same thing happen and says "Please be careful. Guys if you see a problem like this point it out in advance because we will do something about it."
- the teacher will get up and say "there are two reasons why this happened. First, the sofa was in the wrong place. Second, Gerry was not watching where he was going. If we watch this in future we will have a less painful experience in the warehouse"
- someone with the gift of service collects all the books, puts them in a box for me, and brings me the first aid kit
- the person with the gift of prophecy says "all these things happen for a reason, we can learn a lesson from this. Sin can trip us and when it does, all kinds of things mess up in our lives. But if we change our ways, God will make it all work out for good".
- each person approached the incident in a different manner, depending on the gifts they had been given
- different gifts work together in particular ways - personality determines how we use these abilities
- there is no one exactly like you
- Romans 12:3-5 "many members in one body" - we are all needed
3. We need to use the gifts
- first, discover what gifts God has given to you - do a test, ask others what they think of you, see how you react in situations
- a gift is no use up on the shelf - a present needs to be unwrapped and then used
- second, learn to develop those gifts - learn about them, find others with the same gifts and see how they deal with them - keep your eye open for oportunities to learn about the gift
- third, find ways in which to use that gift, which are appropriate to your situation
- in all of this, involve the Holy Spirit - he is the one who gives the gifts to us, and he knows God's purpose in giving them to you
- remember, there is a responsibility attached to receiving these gifts
- to whom much is given of him will much be required
- Luke 12:48 ". . . For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more"
- but God also promises blessing for those who use the gifts he gives to them, faithfully
Summary
- we have all received gifts, each of us is unique
- these gifts are for the benefit of the people around us
- we need to identify, develop and use these gifts
- this will benefit not only ourselves but more importantly, it will help us all to work together like Jesus intended
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Ananias and Sapphira - Acts 5:1-11
Title: Ananias and Sapphira
Date: February 4, 2007
Text: Acts 5:1-11
Introduction
- early church - rapid growth
- a lame man had been healed by Peter and John, trusting in Jesus' name
- persecution by authorities
- the disciples pray for boldness to witness in spite of threatened jail sentences
- the Holy Spirit came and filled them all with boldness
- the church was united in its purpose, and members shared their possessions
- the apostles witnessed powerfully about the resurrected Jesus
- people sold their personal property, to provide a fund from which the needy could be supported
- Barnabas gives a solid example of this generosity, in a united church
- this is the context in which the story of Ananias and Sapphira unfolds
- Acts 5:1-11
- let's examine what went wrong with Ananias and his wife
1. The Sin
- in the previous chapter, we read of Barnabus who sold some land and brought it to the church for distribution to those in need
- that Barnabus had taken this action was known by the church, it was recorded here for us
- there is a contrast here between Barnabas and Ananias - the word "but" in verse 1
- Barnabas willingly and voluntarily came and brought his offering, in the spirit of unity that we read about when this church period is described
- his offering was sincere, his motives were pure, he was known by the apostles for his encouraging attitude
- "but" - when Ananias brought his offering, he wanted to make it appear as though he were just as generous as Barnabas
- in actuality, he sold a piece of land for $5,000 but only brought $2,500 to the church
- the money was his, he could give as much or as little as he wanted
- the problem was in the deceit and in the hypocrisy
- Ananias presented himself as a fine, upstanding, generous church member who wanted to help the needy
- in fact, Ananias was selfish, a hypocrite, who wanted only to build his own ego at the cost of truth.
2. The Penalty
- we read that God took a dim view of this hypocrisy
- The Holy Spirit makes Peter aware of what has happened, and Peter tackles Ananias about it
- he says that it was not about the money, but about the lying and deceptive attitude with which Ananias made his offering
- God is always more concerned about the integity of our heart than about the numbers of dollars and cents
- he wants us to be pure before him, not compromising our integrity for the sake of looking good
- if we are deceptive in one part of our life, we cannot be trusted
- how can we then be supportive and unified with the rest of the body
- the church at this time was "of one heart and one soul, neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common"
- Ananias chose not to subscribe to this attitude of love and self-lessness
- he allowed a spirit of greed and selfishness to take hold, and this then led him to lie to the church and to God
- the result of this was that God allowed him to die - he probably had a heart attack about what he had done and that he had been found out
- his wife Sapphira was in on the deal too, and she suffered the same fate
3. Grace
- why does God seem to be so harsh here in punishing Ananias and Sapphira
- after all, haven't we all lied or misrepresented ourselves at times?
- we were not immediately hit by a lightning bolt
- we have all tried to make ourselves look good while our inside did not match our external appearance
- but God has not suddenly zapped us
- so why did he punish Ananias and his wife so severely?
- part of the reason is stated as being because they had lied to God
- God was making an example of them, for our benefit
- it says that great fear came upon the church as a result of this event
- it would have had the effect of encouraging people to be honest in their dealings with God
- God does not want hypocrites, Jesus describes them in Matthew 23, read it some time
- God wants us to be real with him
- notice though, that Sapphira had an opportunity to repent
- Peter asked her for how much the land had been sold
- she could at that moment have repented and told the truth - then she would have received grace
- she had a chance to change her ways, but she did not take the opportunity
- the result was that she suffered the same fate as her husband
- this does not necessarily mean that they went to hell, assuming they had truly accepted Jesus
- but a penalty had to be paid
4. All we like sheep have gone astray
- we have all sinned, we have all misrepresented ourselves, we have all lied and cheated
- but God is aware of that, he knows our hearts and the thoughts we are thinking
- God gives each of us an opportunity to repent
- Paul says to the Corinthians, "now is the day of salvation"
- we don't know how many opportunities to repent will be given to us
- let's make use of the day we have been given, and turn to God and ask him to forgive our sins
- 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness"
- grace is available for the asking, we have only to repent and set our heart to do things right in the future, and ask Jesus into our heart
Date: February 4, 2007
Text: Acts 5:1-11
Introduction
- early church - rapid growth
- a lame man had been healed by Peter and John, trusting in Jesus' name
- persecution by authorities
- the disciples pray for boldness to witness in spite of threatened jail sentences
- the Holy Spirit came and filled them all with boldness
- the church was united in its purpose, and members shared their possessions
- the apostles witnessed powerfully about the resurrected Jesus
- people sold their personal property, to provide a fund from which the needy could be supported
- Barnabas gives a solid example of this generosity, in a united church
- this is the context in which the story of Ananias and Sapphira unfolds
- Acts 5:1-11
- let's examine what went wrong with Ananias and his wife
1. The Sin
- in the previous chapter, we read of Barnabus who sold some land and brought it to the church for distribution to those in need
- that Barnabus had taken this action was known by the church, it was recorded here for us
- there is a contrast here between Barnabas and Ananias - the word "but" in verse 1
- Barnabas willingly and voluntarily came and brought his offering, in the spirit of unity that we read about when this church period is described
- his offering was sincere, his motives were pure, he was known by the apostles for his encouraging attitude
- "but" - when Ananias brought his offering, he wanted to make it appear as though he were just as generous as Barnabas
- in actuality, he sold a piece of land for $5,000 but only brought $2,500 to the church
- the money was his, he could give as much or as little as he wanted
- the problem was in the deceit and in the hypocrisy
- Ananias presented himself as a fine, upstanding, generous church member who wanted to help the needy
- in fact, Ananias was selfish, a hypocrite, who wanted only to build his own ego at the cost of truth.
2. The Penalty
- we read that God took a dim view of this hypocrisy
- The Holy Spirit makes Peter aware of what has happened, and Peter tackles Ananias about it
- he says that it was not about the money, but about the lying and deceptive attitude with which Ananias made his offering
- God is always more concerned about the integity of our heart than about the numbers of dollars and cents
- he wants us to be pure before him, not compromising our integrity for the sake of looking good
- if we are deceptive in one part of our life, we cannot be trusted
- how can we then be supportive and unified with the rest of the body
- the church at this time was "of one heart and one soul, neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common"
- Ananias chose not to subscribe to this attitude of love and self-lessness
- he allowed a spirit of greed and selfishness to take hold, and this then led him to lie to the church and to God
- the result of this was that God allowed him to die - he probably had a heart attack about what he had done and that he had been found out
- his wife Sapphira was in on the deal too, and she suffered the same fate
3. Grace
- why does God seem to be so harsh here in punishing Ananias and Sapphira
- after all, haven't we all lied or misrepresented ourselves at times?
- we were not immediately hit by a lightning bolt
- we have all tried to make ourselves look good while our inside did not match our external appearance
- but God has not suddenly zapped us
- so why did he punish Ananias and his wife so severely?
- part of the reason is stated as being because they had lied to God
- God was making an example of them, for our benefit
- it says that great fear came upon the church as a result of this event
- it would have had the effect of encouraging people to be honest in their dealings with God
- God does not want hypocrites, Jesus describes them in Matthew 23, read it some time
- God wants us to be real with him
- notice though, that Sapphira had an opportunity to repent
- Peter asked her for how much the land had been sold
- she could at that moment have repented and told the truth - then she would have received grace
- she had a chance to change her ways, but she did not take the opportunity
- the result was that she suffered the same fate as her husband
- this does not necessarily mean that they went to hell, assuming they had truly accepted Jesus
- but a penalty had to be paid
4. All we like sheep have gone astray
- we have all sinned, we have all misrepresented ourselves, we have all lied and cheated
- but God is aware of that, he knows our hearts and the thoughts we are thinking
- God gives each of us an opportunity to repent
- Paul says to the Corinthians, "now is the day of salvation"
- we don't know how many opportunities to repent will be given to us
- let's make use of the day we have been given, and turn to God and ask him to forgive our sins
- 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness"
- grace is available for the asking, we have only to repent and set our heart to do things right in the future, and ask Jesus into our heart
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