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SUNDAY - APRIL 6, 2025 “Submit To God” Acts 5:1-11 · Desoto Hills Baptist Church

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Welcome to DeSoto Hills Baptist Church.
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Our Sunday morning services are weekly at 9 and 10 30 am.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: You're listening to an audio recast of this past week's service.
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: We hope you enjoy.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: God bless.
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: If you have your Bibles.
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: This morning we're going to be in the book of Acts, chapter 5.
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: Acts, chapter 5.
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: As you turn there, let me ask you if you have kids, if you don't have kids, if you've taught kids, if you've been around kids, have you ever heard a child say, well, my daddy says, or my mama says, and when they say that, you perk up because you want to know what they say, perk up because you want to know what they say?
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: You know it was.
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: I remember when my kids were in the nursery and we would go pick them up and how my anxiety rose when the teacher said you'll never believe what.
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: So, whichever one of them was, you'll never believe what they said.
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: Today in class.
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: It's like, oh no, what did they say?
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: You know, sometimes they, the children, they just have a way to just put all your business out there.
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: Here it is.
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: You know, as we look at our passage today, as we look in Acts, chapter 5, there are times in Scripture if I'm being honest with you, if I were the one writing, there are some stories that I might have left out.
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: You know, and sometimes it's those stories though, that for me and for a lot of people.
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: It shows the authenticity of Scripture and God's Word, because it doesn't leave a lot of those stories out, it just lays it out there.
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: Here it is.
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: Today is one of those passages.
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: As we look in Acts chapter 5 today, a guy named Ananias and his wife Sapphira both die because they lie to God.
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: They're going to lie to God and they're both going to die, and it's a solemn passage.
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: It is a passage that, though that, because it is God's word and because it is in God's word, it is a passage that we need to deal with.
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: But how do we deal with that?
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: Because what do we do with it?
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: If you remember, we're just coming out of Acts, chapter 4.
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: If you remember, we're just coming out of Acts chapter 4.
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: At the end of Acts, chapter 4, when we talked about how the church was devoted to each other and we talked even last week how the church was devoted to one another and how they were devoted to God's Word and they were devoted to obeying and following God.
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: And then we come to the very next chapter and we see this story of oh my stars, what is happening and and what are we supposed to do with this?
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: And and I think we, we, we talked about that.
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: We've talked about how acts is is about advancing the kingdom of god, and we talked about how the church we are to advance the kingdom of god through our devotion to God's word and devotion to the fellowship to one another.
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: And now we hear this story.
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: And so for us, I think what we can see from this story is when our devotion to the kingdom is challenged, when our devotion to the kingdom of God is challenged through temptation, through sin, through other things, temptation through sin through other things when that is challenged, what we need to do is we need to be more concerned with listening and obeying and repenting to God than we need to lying to God.
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: And if we're honest with ourselves, sometimes we get there.
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: Have you ever been in the place?
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: I know I have.
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: Maybe I shouldn't tell you this, but have you ever been in the place where you've done something where you were so ashamed that, instead of turning and running to God, what he wants us to do?
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: So often what we do is try to cover it and hide it and turn away from God.
• 3:55
  Speaker 2: And what we need to do?
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: I think what this passage is going to teach us, is that, instead of running.
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: Instead of being ashamed.
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: What we need to do is we need to turn.
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: Turn back to god and repent and live under his grace.
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: In essence, what the challenge for us today, then, is going to be this that we must submit to god.
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: When things are going, the fellowship is doing well, our lives are going well, submit to God.
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: In those moments where temptation overtakes us and sin grabs a hold, we need to submit to God.
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: So the question that we want to answer today, as we come to this passage, is this how did they lie?
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: We've already talked about how they are going to die because of the lie.
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: Well, how did they lie?
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: And let me tell you, we're not asking this question so we don't lie.
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: The same way, we're asking this question how did they lie?
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: So we can see the attitudes behind the sin that they committed.
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: So, hopefully, we can learn and we can avoid some of these same attitudes that got Ananias and Sapphira to the place that they were in.
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: So it's a solemn passage, but it's God's word, so let's look at it together.
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: If you're able, this morning, I invite you to stand with me as we read Acts, chapter 5, and we're going to read the first 11 verses of this passage.
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property and, with his wife's knowledge, he kept back for himself some of the proceeds proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet.
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: But Peter said Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land?
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own?
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal?
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your own?
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal?
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart?
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: You have not lied to man, but to God.
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last, and great fear came upon all who heard of it.
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: The young men arose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: After an interval of about three hours, his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: Peter said to her Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: And she said yes, for so much.
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: So Peter said to her how is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord.
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door and they will carry you out Immediately.
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: She fell down at his feet and breathed her last.
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: When the young men came in, they found her dead and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband, and great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: Let's pray together, god.
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: We thank you for today.
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: God, we thank you for this very solemn passage.
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: God, we pray that now, as we engage with your word, that you will change us because of your word.
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: Jesus, it's in your name.
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: We pray.
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: Amen.
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: You may be seated.
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: So again, the question that we are seeking to answer this morning is how did they lie to God, how did they lie to the Holy Spirit, how did they lie to the apostles and the church?
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: Well, the first thing that we see in this passage is they contrived in their heart.
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: If you look down at verse four, it says and while it remained unsold, talking about the land, did it not remain your own?
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal?
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: And then peter asked ask ananias this question why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart?
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: Why have you come up with this lie?
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: Why have you decided to do this?
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: Why have you, why have you done this together with your wife?
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: Why have you made this plan?
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: And and we don't know, we we can assume, we can assume some things, we could assume that that they wanted to be like Barnabas.
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: At the end of chapter four, remember, at the end of chapter four, it tells us almost the same story.
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: This thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas, which means son of encouragement, a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: And Barnabas is given to us as a good example of hey, this is something that we talked about last week, how the congregation, they shared what they had with one another because they understood that what was given to them was a gift from God, and so they were willing to share it.
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: And Barnabas sold this piece of land and he came and brought, brought the proceeds.
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: Maybe Ananias and Sapphira liked the way that Barnabas received.
• 9:10
  Speaker 2: Maybe they they wanted the adulation that Barnabas had gotten, so so they came and came up with this plan?
• 9:16
  Speaker 2: Maybe, maybe they were.
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: They were in financial need and they said if we sell this land, we can benefit from it and the church can benefit from it.
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: It's not that they sold the land and did this.
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: Here's the problem.
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: And we don't know their motivation.
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: We do know this.
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: We do know this, that they lied to the Spirit and why.
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: All that Scripture tells us it doesn't give any motivation, other than he says why have you allowed Satan to fill your heart?
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: He says in verse 3, but Peter said, ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of this land?
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: You know, I remember as a kid one of the first devotional books that my brother and I got.
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: There were two books.
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: He got a book and I got a book and I remember us getting those I think we got them from Christmas and unwrapping and mine.
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: It made a huge impact because I don't remember the name of it or anything that it said, but my brothers, my brothers, I still to this day remember the title of it.
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: The title of the devotion he got was this If the devil made you do it, you blew it and I don't know why that has stuck with me for all these years.
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: Maybe it's just a catchy title, maybe there is so much truth in the simplicity of it.
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: Don't know why that has stuck with me for all these years.
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: Maybe it's just a catchy title, maybe there there is so much truth in the simplicity of it.
• 10:48
  Speaker 2: But, but, but there is.
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: There was something about if the devil made you do it, you blew it.
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: And so as we come to this passage here and he talks about how, how satan has filled your heart, what, what ananias and what peter's saying is, why did you let the devil make you do it?
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: Satan has filled your heart, and so we need to unpack that.
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: What does that mean?
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: When he says Satan has filled your heart, does it mean that Ananias and Sapphira were unbelievers and a demon or Satan possessed them?
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: I don't know.
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: Scripture doesn't tell us if they were believers or unbelievers.
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: Honestly, I have no reason to believe they were unbelievers.
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: They were members of the first century church.
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: They had seen the miracles, they had seen all that had happened.
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: They were here in the beginning and they were.
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: I have no reason to think that they were unbelievers.
• 11:42
  Speaker 2: So what does it mean that Satan filled their heart.
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: Does it mean that he came and possessed them?
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: I don't know that.
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: That, necessarily, is what it means.
• 11:53
  Speaker 2: Here's what I think he's telling us that we are in a battle with forces that are unseen.
• 12:02
  Speaker 2: Paul tells us in Ephesians, chapter 6, verse 10, he says Finally, be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might, put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
• 12:18
  Speaker 2: Here, verse 12.
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places.
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: Listen, paul is telling us in Ephesians that we are in spiritual warfare, that we are in a battle with forces that we do not see.
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: Listen, if you think that the war that is going on is between people, you are mistaken.
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: The war is a spiritual battle that's going on Now.
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: Listen, I'm not saying that we need to look for a demon and we need to look for Satan behind every tree and under every rock.
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: I think when we do that, we're not doing justice to God and His power and His sovereignty, but I do think we need to understand the reality that we are in a battle.
• 13:18
  Speaker 2: We are in a battle with spiritual forces and if we are going to be able to stand, as Paul says in Ephesians, we have to understand the nature of this.
• 13:30
  Speaker 2: Battle is a spiritual battle and we need to depend on the one who can give us the strength to overcome.
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: Who can give us the strength to stand?
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: Hear me, we need to be devoted to God's Word.
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: This is how we stand against Satan and against the spiritual forces that we are at war.
• 13:53
  Speaker 2: We need to know God's Word.
• 13:56
  Speaker 2: Listen, we need to be devoted to one another.
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: We need to be devoted to the fellowship.
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: We need to be devoted to holding each other accountable.
• 14:06
  Speaker 2: We need to be devoted to encouraging each other.
• 14:09
  Speaker 2: We need to be devoted to lifting one another up in prayer.
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: And as we do these things, as we devote ourselves to Scripture, as we devote ourselves to God's Word, as we devote ourselves to one another, as we devote ourselves to the kingdom of God, god gives us exactly what we need to stand against the forces in whom we battle.
• 14:32
  Speaker 2: And all we have to do is stand because, hear me, he has already overcome.
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: We don't have to overcome, he's done that.
• 14:44
  Speaker 2: We must stand.
• 14:48
  Speaker 2: So we see that they contrived in their heart because they allowed Satan to fill their heart.
• 14:54
  Speaker 2: They allowed Satan to tempt them and they didn't have the tools that they needed to fight against this temptation.
• 15:01
  Speaker 2: But the second thing we see here is not only did they allow Satan to fill their heart, they lied about something which they didn't have to lie about, he tells us in verse 4.
• 15:14
  Speaker 2: He says while the land remained unsold, was it not yours?
• 15:19
  Speaker 2: And after you sold it, was it not at your disposal?
• 15:23
  Speaker 2: It was yours.
• 15:25
  Speaker 2: You could have kept the land.
• 15:26
  Speaker 2: You didn't have to sell it.
• 15:26
  Speaker 2: When you sold it, was it not at your disposal?
• 15:27
  Speaker 2: It was yours.
• 15:27
  Speaker 2: You could have kept the land.
• 15:27
  Speaker 2: You didn't have to sell it.
• 15:28
  Speaker 2: When you sold it, you didn't have to bring the proceeds to the apostles' feet.
• 15:33
  Speaker 2: I mean, there's also this insinuation.
• 15:36
  Speaker 2: He says you didn't lie against man, you lied against God.
• 15:39
  Speaker 2: I would say they didn't even have to bring the whole amount if they would have just said hey, listen, we needed a little bit of this to help us.
• 15:49
  Speaker 2: But here's the rest of it.
• 15:50
  Speaker 2: We're giving you this.
• 15:51
  Speaker 2: The problem is they have lied against God.
• 15:56
  Speaker 2: The word here, that that we see in verse 2 when he says and he and with his wife's knowledge, he, kept back for himself some of the proceeds, that word for kept back that new testament word, the proceeds, that word for kept back that New Testament word.
• 16:07
  Speaker 2: There it's a word that we get this English word from embezzle.
• 16:13
  Speaker 2: It's a pretty rare word.
• 16:17
  Speaker 2: There's one other time that we see this word in Greek, but it's not in the New Testament, in the Old Testament translation from Hebrew into Greek, but it's not in the New Testament.
• 16:25
  Speaker 2: In the Old Testament translation from Hebrew into Greek, we find this word in Joshua, chapter 7.
• 16:31
  Speaker 2: Here's what's happening In Joshua chapter 6, we see the Israelites, joshua and the Israelites, march around Jericho once a day for seven days and on the seventh day they march around around seven times.
• 16:44
  Speaker 2: They blow their trumpets and shout and guess what happens?
• 16:47
  Speaker 2: The walls come tumbling down and they defeated Jericho.
• 16:54
  Speaker 2: But there's a key that we need to understand in this.
• 16:57
  Speaker 2: In the in in Joshua chapter 6, god told Joshua and the people of Israel that Jericho had been devoted to destruction.
• 17:06
  Speaker 2: Here's what he meant by that they weren't to keep anything from the city.
• 17:12
  Speaker 2: There were no spoils of war that were supposed to come out of Jericho.
• 17:18
  Speaker 2: Everything was to be destroyed.
• 17:20
  Speaker 2: It was devoted to God for destruction.
• 17:26
  Speaker 2: But in Joshua, chapter 7, an interesting thing happens in verse 1.
• 17:31
  Speaker 2: It says this but the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things.
• 17:38
  Speaker 2: For Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zareph of the tribe of Judah, carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zareph of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things, and the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel.
• 17:50
  Speaker 2: So Achan took, he held back, he embezzled some of the things that had been devoted for destruction.
• 18:00
  Speaker 2: The anger of the Lord burned against Israel and here's what happens they go to the next city, which is not nearly as big or as fortified as Jericho.
• 18:10
  Speaker 2: They go to this city, ai, and what happens?
• 18:13
  Speaker 2: They get defeated.
• 18:14
  Speaker 2: They come back to the camp and Joshua cries out to God and he says God, why have you done this to us?
• 18:20
  Speaker 2: What is happening?
• 18:21
  Speaker 2: God says listen, joshua, it's not my fault.
• 18:23
  Speaker 2: There's sin in the camp.
• 18:25
  Speaker 2: Buddy, somebody has taken some of the devoted things.
• 18:30
  Speaker 2: They're lying.
• 18:31
  Speaker 2: So, joshua and Israel, they go through this method of singling out the person and they finally single out Achan, and here's what happens to him they take him outside of the camp and stone him Because he has lied, because he has embezzled against God.
• 18:54
  Speaker 2: And you may say, grant, that's Old Testament, not New Testament.
• 18:57
  Speaker 2: Yeah, but Ananias and Sapphira are New Testament.
• 19:02
  Speaker 2: They're New Testament.
• 19:05
  Speaker 2: So what does that mean?
• 19:08
  Speaker 2: Don't we live under grace now?
• 19:11
  Speaker 2: Yes, we live under grace, but hear me, god is still very serious about our sins.
• 19:17
  Speaker 2: If you read the Sermon on the Mount, he may be even more serious in the New Testament, while we're living under grace, than he was in the Old Testament.
• 19:25
  Speaker 2: You remember the Sermon on the mount.
• 19:25
  Speaker 2: He may be even more serious in the new testament, while we're living under grace, than he was in the old testament.
• 19:27
  Speaker 2: You remember the sermon on the mount?
• 19:29
  Speaker 2: You have heard it said you should, you should not murder your brother.
• 19:33
  Speaker 2: But I say if you hate your brother, you've committed murder in your heart already.
• 19:38
  Speaker 2: You've heard it said you should not commit adultery.
• 19:41
  Speaker 2: But I say if you look at a woman with less than your heart, you committed adultery already.
• 19:45
  Speaker 2: Listen, god, our sins and our infractions against God are a serious thing and we take them so lightly.
• 19:55
  Speaker 2: This is a reminder to us that we cannot do that.
• 20:03
  Speaker 2: May we understand the nature of this battle that we fight, that this war with temptation that we fight is not a war against other people.
• 20:17
  Speaker 2: It is a war against spiritual forces.
• 20:20
  Speaker 2: May we also understand our proclivity to sin, that we lean into sin whenever we're capable, and may we, instead of hiding and running and lying and contriving, may we turn to the grace of God and repent and live in obedience.
• 20:49
  Speaker 2: The first thing that we see them doing is contriving in their heart.
• 20:52
  Speaker 2: The second thing that we see them doing is testing the Holy Spirit.
• 20:58
  Speaker 2: If you go, ananias is before Peter and he dies and they carry him out and Sapphira comes in a few hours later, three hours later, can you imagine, just as a side note, having church all day long, so you just come and go?
• 21:15
  Speaker 2: That's what it sounds like, what they were doing.
• 21:18
  Speaker 2: Three hours later, sapphira comes in.
• 21:22
  Speaker 2: Peter says did you sell the land for this much?
• 21:26
  Speaker 2: Yeah, we sold it for this much.
• 21:27
  Speaker 2: And hear what Peter says.
• 21:29
  Speaker 2: But Peter said to her how is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord, to test the Spirit of the Lord?
• 21:40
  Speaker 2: What does he mean here that they are testing the Holy Spirit?
• 21:44
  Speaker 2: Listen, he's not talking about questioning the Holy Spirit here he's talking about testing the Holy Spirit.
• 21:50
  Speaker 2: They are working to see how far the grace of God reaches.
• 21:54
  Speaker 2: Listen, here's what they did.
• 21:58
  Speaker 2: And how do we know that they're testing God, that they're testing the Holy Spirit?
• 22:02
  Speaker 2: Well, the first is, if you go back to that word, hold back, embezzle.
• 22:05
  Speaker 2: Listen and I know this, I checked with a lawyer this week you can't embezzle your own money.
• 22:10
  Speaker 2: Embezzlement happens when you take somebody else's.
• 22:15
  Speaker 2: So what has happened is they are embezzling from God, who owns everything.
• 22:22
  Speaker 2: They are lying to God, who owns everything.
• 22:25
  Speaker 2: They are holding back from God, who owns everything.
• 22:29
  Speaker 2: So we see that the sin initially is against God.
• 22:35
  Speaker 2: It's not against the church, it's against God.
• 22:38
  Speaker 2: We also see it in the fact that they came and they laid their gifts at the apostles' feet.
• 22:43
  Speaker 2: We saw that back last week in verse 34 of chapter 4.
• 22:48
  Speaker 2: It says there was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of the land or houses, sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and here verse 35,.
• 22:57
  Speaker 2: And laid it at the apostles' feet and it was distributed to each as any had need.
• 23:03
  Speaker 2: Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas, which means son of encouragement, a Levi, a native of Cyprus, sold the field that had belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.
• 23:16
  Speaker 2: We see Ananias and Sapphira doing the same thing in verse 2.
• 23:20
  Speaker 2: And with his wife's knowledge, he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only part of it and laid it at the apostles feet.
• 23:32
  Speaker 2: Listen, they're bringing their proceeds, they're bringing what they've sold and they're laying at the apostles feet as an act of submission.
• 23:37
  Speaker 2: But now it's not submission to the apostles, it's submission to the ones whom the apostles are serving.
• 23:44
  Speaker 2: They're bringing these deeds and they're bringing this forth in submission to Jesus.
• 23:52
  Speaker 2: Their gifts were not gifts to the church, their gifts were not gifts to the apostles, their gifts were gifts to Jesus.
• 23:58
  Speaker 2: Listen, we've got to understand as we bring our gifts, as we share among us, we're not sharing with the church, we're sharing, we're giving back to God.
• 24:07
  Speaker 2: It's his anyway.
• 24:12
  Speaker 2: And so they came and they brought it as acts of submission to God.
• 24:17
  Speaker 2: So here they are, bringing their gift, about which they are lying and laying it at the feet of Jesus, gift about which they are lying and laying it at the feet of Jesus.
• 24:25
  Speaker 2: And we see Peter even call her out, call them out even more pointedly in verse 4, when he says directly you have not lied to man, but to God.
• 24:41
  Speaker 2: Oh, may we.
• 24:45
  Speaker 2: May we understand this.
• 24:50
  Speaker 2: May we understand, and may we not live in a place where we would test the lengths of God's grace.
• 25:00
  Speaker 2: Listen, you say Grant, I would never do that.
• 25:03
  Speaker 2: I've heard it said, said God will forgive me anyway, it'll be okay, it'll be okay.
• 25:15
  Speaker 2: We live by grace now it's fine.
• 25:20
  Speaker 2: Please, let's not test the Holy Spirit.
• 25:30
  Speaker 2: So we come finally today, not really answering the question of how they lied, but seeing the consequences of it.
• 25:40
  Speaker 2: Put it very simply as this they died.
• 25:45
  Speaker 2: Now, look, I'm no judgment here, because I'm including myself in this.
• 25:56
  Speaker 2: I'm in a room of sinful people, okay, and I would say that there's probably not been a time in your life.
• 26:07
  Speaker 2: I know there's been times in my life where I have lied to God and we know that punishment.
• 26:14
  Speaker 2: So we know that punishment for all of us lying to God is not always death immediately, because we're sitting here.
• 26:20
  Speaker 2: So what do we do with this?
• 26:23
  Speaker 2: How do we unpack this?
• 26:26
  Speaker 2: Well, I think we need to understand why death happened immediately here in Acts.
• 26:32
  Speaker 2: Remember what's going on.
• 26:35
  Speaker 2: It is a tremendous work and a tremendous move of the Holy Spirit.
• 26:39
  Speaker 2: He is moving and he is doing things through the apostles in the name of Jesus, things that cannot be described by anyone else, and people are living in this great awe of what's going on and they're seeing this great movement.
• 26:54
  Speaker 2: But now, now this couple has come and they have lied to the Holy Spirit and see what happens both times when they die.
• 27:06
  Speaker 2: It says for Ananias in verse 5, when Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last and hear this and great fear came upon all who heard it.
• 27:17
  Speaker 2: Then, when it talks about Sapphira in verse 10, listen, church.
• 27:33
  Speaker 2: Great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.
• 27:37
  Speaker 2: Listen, church.
• 27:45
  Speaker 2: There needs to be a healthy fear of God among us.
• 27:50
  Speaker 2: He is the God of the universe and, as CS Lewis describes Aslan in the Chronicles of Narnia by saying, he is no tame lion.
• 28:00
  Speaker 2: Hear me, god is no tame lion.
• 28:05
  Speaker 2: Our sins are serious offenses against God.
• 28:09
  Speaker 2: There needs to be a healthy fear of who he is.
• 28:16
  Speaker 2: There needs to be a healthy fear of who he is.
• 28:20
  Speaker 2: There needs to be such a fear that we dare not test the lengths of his grace, that we dare not contrive in our hearts and try to fool him.
• 28:37
  Speaker 2: We need to understand this.
• 28:38
  Speaker 2: There needs to be a healthy fear and we also need to understand that punishment comes for our sins.
• 28:45
  Speaker 2: It may not be an immediate death like we see here, but punishment comes.
• 28:54
  Speaker 2: Listen, paul tells us in Galatians 6, verse 7, for God is not mocked.
• 29:01
  Speaker 2: What one man sows, so shall he reap.
• 29:05
  Speaker 2: Listen, when we sin against God, god punishes that sin and he can do it in any way that he chooses, because he is no tame lion.
• 29:16
  Speaker 2: We must recognize that and hear me today, if you have never trusted Christ as your Savior, I can tell you how that punishment is coming.
• 29:32
  Speaker 2: It is death Now.
• 29:36
  Speaker 2: You may not die immediately.
• 29:38
  Speaker 2: I've seen websites where people blaspheme against God and they deny God, the Father, god, the Son, god, the Holy Spirit, and they're not struck down dead.
• 29:46
  Speaker 2: They say see, god must not be alive.
• 29:48
  Speaker 2: I'm telling you, hear me, he's no tame lion, he doesn't have to do it that way.
• 29:53
  Speaker 2: We're not talking about an immediate physical death, but if you've never trusted God as your Savior, you are dead and you are going to live an eternal death.
• 30:02
  Speaker 2: I know that sounds crazy when I say live an eternal death.
• 30:08
  Speaker 2: But you need to hear.
• 30:09
  Speaker 2: You are going to be in an eternal death.
• 30:12
  Speaker 2: But if you are, if you are a believer, punishment for our sins is still coming.
• 30:24
  Speaker 2: It is a real thing and I don't know how God so chooses to do that, but he is going to punish our sin.
• 30:34
  Speaker 2: And what we need to do, instead of running away, or instead of like an Ananias and Sapphira, lying about a God who sees everything and knows everything and saying God, I didn't do that.
• 30:46
  Speaker 2: And instead of doing that, what we need to come to, a place to is God.
• 30:51
  Speaker 2: Yes, I did that, I'm sorry.
• 30:53
  Speaker 2: We need to come to a place of repentance, which is where we are walking away from God in our sins and we repent and turn towards God in our faith, and we walk towards God now, and it is in that place that we find grace.
• 31:11
  Speaker 2: It is in that place that we live in the grace of God, in that place that we live In the grace of God.
• 31:24
  Speaker 2: I don't know where you are today If you've never trusted Christ as your savior.
• 31:30
  Speaker 2: I pray that today will be the day of salvation for you.
• 31:33
  Speaker 2: Instead of facing an eternal death, which you deserve, you can live an eternal life by surrendering and submitting to the one who died in your place and took the punishment that you deserve and took the death that you deserve so that you can find life.
• 31:53
  Speaker 2: If you've never trusted him as your savior, I pray that today will be the day of salvation, but if you have, and there is a sin in your life that you need to repent of, listen, I challenge you today to stop lying and submit to God.
• 32:12
  Speaker 2: We talked about it last week that you may need to come and you need to kneel at these steps and repent.
• 32:19
  Speaker 2: Or you may listen.
• 32:21
  Speaker 2: We talked about being devoted to the kingdom of God through the word of God and through the fellowship.
• 32:27
  Speaker 2: Listen, if there is someone here today and there is something wrong with your fellowship.
• 32:32
  Speaker 2: You need reconciliation.
• 32:34
  Speaker 2: Listen, and the sins in your heart may not be that you're lying about how much money that you bring, but you're lying about relationships that you have in the church that need reconciliation.
• 32:45
  Speaker 2: And maybe today is the day of reconciliation to you.
• 32:48
  Speaker 2: You go and you find those people and you reconcile that relationship.
• 32:53
  Speaker 2: Maybe the relationship that needs to be reconciled is yours, as Jesus's, and you need to come, kneel at these steps.
• 33:00
  Speaker 2: We're going to enter into a time of invitation.
• 33:02
  Speaker 2: I'm going to pray for us and we're going to sing this final song and as we sing, if you've never trusted Christ as your Savior, we'll be here to receive you.
• 33:12
  Speaker 2: We would love to pray with you.
• 33:13
  Speaker 2: There are counselors who will take you out and share with you how you can trust Christ.
• 33:17
  Speaker 2: Or, if you have and there's there's there's business that you need to deal with with sin, you need to confess and repent.
• 33:26
  Speaker 2: We will pray with you there.
• 33:27
  Speaker 2: These steps are here.
• 33:28
  Speaker 2: If you need to reconcile, go and do that.
• 33:33
  Speaker 2: However, the spirit is leading you, listen.
• 33:37
  Speaker 2: I pray that today you stop lying and you submit to Him.
• 33:43
  Speaker 2: Let's pray, god.
• 33:46
  Speaker 2: I thank you for today.
• 33:47
  Speaker 2: God.
• 33:54
  Speaker 2: This passage is a hard passage.
• 33:56
  Speaker 2: God, I love to preach passages that are fun and easy, but God, your word brought us this one today.
• 34:10
  Speaker 2: So, as you are here among us, god, I pray that you will convict us where we need convicting, that you will draw us close to you.
• 34:24
  Speaker 2: Where we need to be drawn close to you For those who need salvation, I pray that you will draw them to you.
• 34:30
  Speaker 2: God, work and move as only you can.
• 34:34
  Speaker 2: We love you, jesus.
• 34:39
  Speaker 2: In your name, we pray, amen.
• 34:44
  Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to this week's sermon.
• 34:46
  Speaker 1: If you have any questions for our pastor, feel free to reach out at desotohillscom.
• 34:51
  Speaker 1: You.