Acts 5 Part 1 - Hypocrisy

A Sunday School teacher was struggling to open a combination lock on the supply cabinet. She had been told the combination, but couldn’t quite remember it.

 Exasperated, she went to the preacher’s study and asked for help.

The preacher came into the room and began to turn the dial.

 After the first two numbers he paused and stared blankly for a moment.

Finally, he looked serenely heavenward and his lips moved silently. Then he looked back at the lock, and quickly turned to the final number, and opened the lock.

The teacher was amazed. "I’m in awe at your faith, preacher," she said.

"It’s really nothing," he answered. "The number is on a piece of tape on the ceiling."

Sometimes things aren’t as they seem. 

That is also true of Christians – one of the touchiest subjects to talk about to folks is hypocrisy.

That is often the most overused excuse to not go to church in the world and that is hypocrisy.

How many times have you heard someone say that they will not go to Church because it is filled with hypocrites.

I always tell those people that that is like going to the hospital and finding sick people and being shocked because of that.

Christians will deal with sin too just like the world.

But I would be remiss if I didn’t stop today and talk about hypocrisy – because our text tackles this question today.

The lesson that we come to in the Book of Acts deals with the problem of hypocrisy.

To have some background to this we must remember that the way this word Hypocrite was used in the New Testament times is the word Actor.

Hypocrisy comes from the Greek word HOOPOKREESES

HOOPOKREESES literally meant a stage actor.

Folks that are Hypocrites are acting like something they   aren’t.

Now lets look at Acts chapter 5, I want to go back and actually read the last few verses of Acts 4 which take us right into chapter 5

32 And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul ; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. 34 For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales35 and lay them at the apostles' feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need. 36 Now Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement ), 37 and who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.

1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife's full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles' feet. 3 But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land ? 4 "While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control ? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart ? You have not lied to men but to God." 5 And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last ; and great fear came over all who heard of it. 6 The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him. 7Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter responded to her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price ?" And she said, "Yes, that was the price." 9Then Peter said to her, "Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test ? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well." 10 And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things.

“BUT” -starts chapter 5. The “buts” in the Bible are hinges on which great doors swing.

They always mark a decisive change in the story. The incident of chapter 5 begins in chapter 4.

 The story of Ananias and Sapphira is a story that shows great contrast between the selflessness of Barnabas (chapter 4) and the selfishness of this man and his wife (chapter 5).

 Barnabas had some property, and he sold it and gave the money to the apostles for them to distribute as they saw fit.

 No doubt Ananias and Sapphira wanted to bask in some of the glow that surrounded Barnabas.

Their deaths are the first recorded deaths within the church.

 We are going to behold the Deadly Sin of Hypocrisy.

 A 12-year-old boy was waiting for his first orthodontist appointment and was a bit nervous.

Apparently he wanted to impress the dentist. On the patient questionnaire, in the space marked “Hobbies,” he had written, “Swimming and flossing.”

 That’s a humorous example of how we’re all prone to hypocrisy.

 However, spiritual hypocrisy is not humorous; it’s a dangerous and deadly sin.

The hypocrisy of professing Christians has served as an excuse for many to disregard the claims of Christ, saying, “The church is full of hypocrites.”

The story of Ananias and Sapphira warns us of the danger of the sin of hypocrisy.

It was literally deadly for this couple. Someone has said that if God dealt with all hypocrites in the churches as He dealt with this couple, our churches would become morgues!

 Half of the misery in the world comes from trying to look, instead of trying to be, what one is not.

I will say that again – we live in a time when people are trying so hard to look like something they are not,  It has become all about image and not about substance

Like I said earlier, "Hypocrite" comes from a word which means "to act a part as on a stage." The hypocrite is a playactor.

 Hypocrisy is deliberate deception, trying to make people think we are more spiritual than we really are.

“A hypocrite is a person who is not himself on Sunday.”

Hypocrisy is the hiding of the things you do, not  because you were not supposed to do them, but because you would be ashamed to have them known where you are known.

Now the doing of them is foul, but the hiding of them, in order to appear better than you are, is fouler still.

The sin of Ananias and Sapphira, putting on a lovely "front" in order to conceal the sin in their lives; sin that ultimately cost them their lives.

 We are all prone to the deadly sin of hypocrisy.

 We need to be clear on the exact nature of the sin of Ananias and Sapphira.

Their sin was not that they had sold their property and had given only a part to the church.

In fact, Peter makes plain (5:4) that it would not have been a sin for them to have sold their property and not given anything to the church.

Their sin was that was that they conspired together to deceive the apostles and the church into thinking that they were giving the entire amount, when in fact they kept back a portion for themselves.

In other words, they were trying to impress everyone with a higher level of spirituality and commitment than they really had.

 Have you ever done that?

We’ve all been guilty of trying to impress others with our commitment and devotion to Christ, even though we know in our heart that we are exaggerating.

 A preacher had been preaching on the importance of daily Bible reading.

 He and his wife were invited over to a member’s  home for dinner. His wife saw a note on the kitchen calendar: “Minister and Mrs. for dinner—Dust all Bibles.”

Hypocrisy- let us examine it.

I. The seriousness of hypocrisy

 Ananias is not given a chance to repent, even though his sin seems not all that serious.

His wife is not even told of her husband’s death and of what will happen to her if she lies.

 The instant that she agrees with her husband’s lie, she is struck dead.

In this age of tolerance, we might think, “What’s the big deal?”

We need to view this sin from God’s holy perspective, not from our world’s view.

 Jesus always hit hypocrisy hard.

 In Matthew 23, He pronounced many woes on the scribes and Pharisees, whom He repeatedly called hypocrites. He warned His disciples,

“Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy” (Luke 12:1).

Like leaven, hypocrisy starts small and unnoticed.

 It doesn’t seem to be a big deal. But if it is not quickly checked, it spreads.

 It deceives the person into thinking that things are right between him and God, when in reality, things are very wrong.

 THE HYPOCRITE GIVE HIS TONGUE TO VIRTUE, BUT HIS HEART IS GIVEN TO VICE.

Why did God dealt with Ananias and Sapphira so severely when He does not do so with the hypocrites in the church today?

 Probably, it was because the church was in its infancy, and He needed to set before us a sober lesson of the seriousness of this sin among God’s people.

 He wanted us to know that the church should live in the holy fear of God and especially should be on guard against this serious sin, hypocrisy.

 It was one of those occasions when God makes an example out of a case in order to fully reveal what He thinks of a matter.

It was thus when he struck done Sodom and Gomorrah for their sins.

HOWEVER, FROM TIME TO TIME HE MAKES A SUMMARY EXAMPLE TO REMIND US THAT HE IS HOLY.

Today one of the most common complaints against the church is that we are full of hypocrites.

The single most cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips but walk out of the church doors and deny Him with their life.

 One skeptic, who’d apparently seen hypocritical Christian behavior wrote,

 “A Christian is a man who feels sorry on a Sunday for what he did on Saturday and is going to do on Monday.”

II. The subjects of hypocrisy

 This couple that fell into this sin were professing Christians, “members” of the church in Jerusalem.

This means that we’re all in danger of falling into this subtle sin.

We don’t want other Christians or those outside the church to think that we have problems. That wouldn’t be a good testimony, would it?

So we put on our spiritual mask when we’re around others, even though we know, and our family knows that we do not live as we profess to live.

When a prominent Christian is shown to be a hypocrite, the world heaves a sigh of relief, thinking,

“Christians are really no different than anyone else. If they’re phonies, then Christianity must not be true.”

 Notice that this sin affects both men and women.

 Some sins may be more prevalent in men, while other sins are more prevalent with women. But both sexes are vulnerable to hypocrisy.

 Ananias and Sapphira had agreed together to this act of deception (5:9).

 Whether you are male or female, you need to guard yourself against hypocrisy.

 Someone has written, “I met the strangest man and woman the other day. They said they believe the Bible but never read it.

They said they think well of the church of which they are a member, but they never attend it. They said a man should be honest with God in money matters, but they never give money in the offering.

They said the younger generation needs the Lord, but they never show up for visitation.

 They said the church needs dedicated Christians, but they were not one.

They ever said the church should do more ministering to people, but they never lift a hand to help.

They are critical of how the church is run, but they never participate.

 They said that prayer will change things, but they never come to prayer meeting. They were a strange man and woman indeed!”

IV. The substructure of hypocrisy

 What does hypocrisy rest on?

A. It’s arises from pride.

 No doubt the church was praising God for the generous love offering that Barnabas has brought, and Satan whispered to them,

 “You can have some of the glory as well. You can make the others think your are as spiritual as Barnabas.”

Pride opens the door to every other sin for once we are more concerned with our reputation than we are with our character, there is no end to things we will do to make ourselves look good before others.

Hypocrisy is all about us.

 Motive is everything in the sin of hypocrisy.

 If Ananias and Sapphira had sold their land and had told the apostles, "We feel led to give half to the church," it would not have been a problem.

Their sin was the evil intent of their hearts, to make others think that they were more spiritual than they really were.

They were motivated by pride not a love of God and others. God, who always knows the motives of our hearts, judged them on the spot.

 Hypocrisy is always motivated by pride.

 We want to impress others, to make them think that we are something that we know in our hearts we are not.

 Kids, by the way, have a built-in antenna to detect hypocrisy in their parents.

 Nothing turns kids away from the faith as quickly as hypocritical parents.

If they hear you put on your spiritual voice around church people, but you verbally abuse them at home, they can see right through you.

They will not be drawn to follow the God you profess to follow.

That’s why it is crucial for parents to acknowledge their wrongs and ask forgiveness of their children when they sin against them.

B. It advances with lies.

 I read a story about an answer a little boy gave to his mother when she asked, "What is a lie, honey?"

He said, "Mother, a lie is an abomination to the Lord, but a very present help in time of need."

 Lies are what hypocrisy is built upon.

 Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle which fits them all.

 Sin thrives in the soil of deceit and lies, but godliness only grows in the soil of the truth. Wherever you find sin, you will find lies and deceit.

 Wherever you find salvation, you will find the truth. There is no place in Christianity for deception.

IV. The short-sightedness of hypocrisy

 Hypocrisy is short-sighted in two ways:

 A. Hypocrisy focuses on what people think, rather than what God knows.

 Ananias and Sapphira wanted to look good in front of the apostles and the rest of the church.

Barnabas had just given the total amount of a sale of some property. Everyone thought highly of Barnabas.

Ananias and Sapphira wanted everyone to think highly of them.

But, sadly, they didn’t stop to consider what the living God knew about them.

 The minute you start trying to look good to others, without being concerned about what God KNOWS, you are headed into hypocrisy.

 Peter also fell into this sin The church in Antioch had both Jews and Gentiles together in one fellowship.

When Peter first visited there, he ate together with the Gentiles, contrary to Jewish customs.

But when the Jewish circumcision party showed up, Peter withdrew and only ate with the Jews, out of fear for what they would think. Paul confronted him publicly, and to his credit, Peter accepted the rebuke (Gal. 2:11-14).

If such a godly man as Peter could be carried away by this sin, then certainly we all need to be on guard!

 B. Hypocrisy focuses on this life, not on eternity.

 If Ananias and Sapphira had been thinking about the shortness of life and the certainty of judgment and eternity, they would not have done what they did.

 But whether we get struck down instantly for our sin or have to stand before God at the judgment, in a few short years we all will face God.

Scripture reminds us, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”

Twice our text mentions that great fear came on all those who heard of what happened to Ananias and Sapphira (5:5, 11).

Great fear of God should come on us as well! We’re all a heartbeat away from standing before God and giving an account. Keeping eternity in view will help protect one from the sin of hypocrisy.

Conclusion

 Hypocrisy is foolish and futile. See Luke 12:1,2.

Luke 12: 1-2

Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, " Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. . 2"But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

 Secret sin on earth is open scandal in heaven.

 A farmer once cut down a huge tree that was on his land. It looked good from the outside, but he discovered that the heart of the tree was rotten.

He looked closely at it and found a huge old nail. Apparently years ago someone had driven it in the tree and it had caused the heart of the tree to rot.

This is how it is with the life of the hypocritical person. Your life becomes a hollow shell as your spiritual life withers and dies.

That was the problem of the Pharisees- they looked great on the outside but they were rotten to the core. 

Jesus said they were like a white washed tomb full of dead men’s bones.

The story is told of an eastern ascetic holy man who covered himself with ashes as a sign of humility and regularly sat on a prominent street corner of his city.

 When tourists asked permission to take his picture, the mystic would rearrange his ashes to give the best image of destitution and humility.

This is like many of our lives, we rearrange the ashes to look more holy than we really are.

What is needed today more than anything else is authenticity.

We need to be authentic Christians – people need to see what God’s people really look like.

The lost and dying need to see what it means to be a Disciple of Jesus Christ.

Now you know from my sermons that I believe wholeheartedly in sound doctrine.

I think right teaching is critically important.

But do you know what Jesus said would be the mark of His TRUE disciples?

John 13: 34-35

34"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.35"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

The world will know us by our authentic love for each other.

Are we real?  Are we truly who we profess to be? 

Are we showing the love of Christ to the world today by being truly authentic with nothing to hide?