WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:16.800 Hi, my name is George Sinclair. I'm the lead pastor of Church of the Messiah. It is wonderful 00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:20.760 that you would like to check out some of the sermons done by Church of the Messiah, either 00:00:20.760 --> 00:00:24.920 by myself or some of the others. Listen, just a couple of things. First of all, would you pray 00:00:24.920 --> 00:00:31.520 for us that we will open God's Word well to His glory and for the good of people like yourself? 00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:37.939 The second thing is, if you aren't connected to a church and if you are a Christian, we really, 00:00:38.179 --> 00:00:42.579 I would really like to encourage you to find a good local church where they believe the Bible, 00:00:43.240 --> 00:00:48.760 they preach the gospel, and if you have some trouble finding that, send us an email. We will 00:00:48.760 --> 00:00:54.560 do what we can to help connect you with a good local church wherever you are. And if you're a 00:00:54.560 --> 00:00:59.340 non-Christian checking us out, we're really, really, really glad you're doing that. Don't 00:00:59.340 --> 00:01:04.219 hesitate to send us questions. It helps me, actually, to know, as I'm preaching, how to 00:01:04.219 --> 00:01:07.780 deal with the types of things that you're really struggling with. So God bless. 00:01:13.200 --> 00:01:22.579 Bow our heads in prayer as we stand. Father, sometimes your Word to us is very hard, and we 00:01:22.579 --> 00:01:28.640 ask, Father, that your Holy Spirit would do a gentle but deep work in our hearts. Father, 00:01:28.719 --> 00:01:34.379 help us to see this text for what it is. Help us, Father, to see it as both a mirror by which 00:01:34.379 --> 00:01:40.920 we can see and understand ourselves, and at the same time a window by which we might see 00:01:40.920 --> 00:01:47.420 your great beauty and grace, your justice and your mercy, your kindness and patience towards us. 00:01:47.420 --> 00:01:53.340 And we ask this in the name of Jesus, your Son and our Savior. Amen. Please be seated. 00:01:59.219 --> 00:02:09.280 So if you were to make a list of the top 10 Bible passages that people in Ottawa would have problems 00:02:09.280 --> 00:02:14.740 with, I think every one of those lists would include the text that we're going to look at today. 00:02:14.740 --> 00:02:21.040 Those of you who are maybe watching this sermon down line, you didn't see the earlier part of the 00:02:21.040 --> 00:02:29.900 service. Earlier we read the story of Ananias and Sapphira, and for what appears to be a trivial sin, 00:02:30.580 --> 00:02:38.760 God strikes Ananias dead and then strikes Sapphira dead. And it's a very shocking text. 00:02:38.759 --> 00:02:48.139 And we find it, many Canadians would find it objectionable. And in fact, the matter is, is that 00:02:48.139 --> 00:02:57.359 most Christians find it very problematic, at least most Christians in Canada today. And 00:02:57.359 --> 00:03:03.259 it's very interesting, because I'm going to look at the text, like we're preaching through the book of 00:03:03.259 --> 00:03:07.359 Acts, so we're going to look at the text just before this, and then the text just immediately after it. 00:03:07.360 --> 00:03:13.100 And if it wasn't for the Ananias and Sapphira text, the other text which leads into it would be seen as 00:03:13.100 --> 00:03:19.160 very controversial. But because of the Ananias and Sapphira text, it would be as if there's a big 00:03:19.160 --> 00:03:24.620 grizzly in the room, and I want to talk about everything other than the huge hungry grizzly in 00:03:24.620 --> 00:03:29.460 the room, and you'd all be upset. So we need to look at the grizzly. I'll just say a couple of tiny 00:03:29.460 --> 00:03:34.520 comments upon this other text, which is also actually quite challenging. So if you have your Bibles, 00:03:34.520 --> 00:03:43.379 I invite you to open up, and we'll begin with Acts chapter 4, verse 32. Acts chapter 4, verse 32. 00:03:44.680 --> 00:03:51.400 And the flow of the story, right, we're reading this ancient biography, eyewitness, not biography, 00:03:51.560 --> 00:03:57.600 ancient eyewitness history, eyewitness-based history of the early, basically the first 30 years of the 00:03:57.599 --> 00:04:03.960 Jesus movement. And what's just sort of happened is a couple of weeks or a month or so after 00:04:03.960 --> 00:04:13.299 Pentecost, Peter and John heal a man who was born lame, and he was in his 40s. He's a very well-known 00:04:13.299 --> 00:04:21.759 beggar. Peter and John pray, and Jesus heals the beggar. It attracts a very large crowd. Peter preaches 00:04:21.759 --> 00:04:26.699 a sermon. The result of the sermon is that Peter and John are arrested. They spend a night in jail. 00:04:26.699 --> 00:04:32.479 The next day, they're grilled by the religious and political authorities and warned not to do 00:04:32.479 --> 00:04:37.620 anything like this again, and they're let go. They go and meet the other Christians, some of the other 00:04:37.620 --> 00:04:40.839 Christians, and they end up having a prayer meeting, and that's what we talked about last week. 00:04:41.279 --> 00:04:48.439 And now the story continues like this. And the way the story ended last week was that they prayed that 00:04:48.439 --> 00:04:53.800 they would have boldness and clarity to declare about Jesus, and God showed that he was going to give 00:04:53.800 --> 00:05:00.420 that to them by shaking the room. And now the story continues. Verse 32. Now the full number of those 00:05:00.420 --> 00:05:07.379 who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him 00:05:07.379 --> 00:05:15.759 was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power, the apostles were giving testimony to 00:05:15.759 --> 00:05:22.420 the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person 00:05:22.420 --> 00:05:30.279 among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what 00:05:30.279 --> 00:05:38.459 was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Now just sort 00:05:38.459 --> 00:05:43.120 of pause there for a second. You can see how this would be a bit of a controversial text, 00:05:43.120 --> 00:05:48.600 and if it wasn't for the fact that it's going to lead into the Ananias and Sapphira text, we'd spend a 00:05:48.600 --> 00:05:54.420 bit of talking about it. It's been used throughout the years to say that the Bible requires some type 00:05:54.420 --> 00:06:00.660 of communist political system, or that Christians should practice that themselves. We'll see in a 00:06:00.660 --> 00:06:07.160 moment that that's not accurate. And so, you know, I could do a whole sermon on limits and all that 00:06:07.160 --> 00:06:12.860 stuff, but here's the main point that you get from it. It's even more clear in the original language. 00:06:13.120 --> 00:06:20.100 The question is that it wasn't that Peter and John and the apostles were teaching stewardship 00:06:20.100 --> 00:06:27.220 sermons. They weren't teaching tithing sermons. They weren't casting vision for the need and then 00:06:27.220 --> 00:06:31.800 going around and getting people to fill out pledge cards. They weren't doing anything like that. All they 00:06:31.800 --> 00:06:38.259 did was preach the gospel. They just preached about Jesus being resurrected from the dead and what his 00:06:38.259 --> 00:06:45.779 death and resurrection meant for people. And the response was sacrificial generosity, like quite 00:06:45.779 --> 00:06:55.459 amazing generosity. The fact of the matter is that the gospel generates generosity. That as the gospel 00:06:55.459 --> 00:07:02.000 becomes more real to your heart, being generous is one of the things which flows out of the gospel 00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:09.600 coming and becoming very real to your heart. It's like a natural consequence. And not only are you 00:07:09.600 --> 00:07:16.399 generous in general, but the gospel forms you to be generous especially to the church and its mission 00:07:16.399 --> 00:07:23.819 and to the poor. And that's what you see going on here in the text. And we can talk about it a little bit 00:07:23.819 --> 00:07:30.579 after church if you want, but the Ananias and Sapphira text has to be talked about. We need to look into it. 00:07:31.300 --> 00:07:37.540 Now this very next bit, if this was a, if they were to film all of the Book of Acts as a, like a Netflix 00:07:37.540 --> 00:07:43.219 special or, you know, some other, something like that, and then there came time for the, you know, award shows 00:07:43.219 --> 00:07:48.879 later, the next incident introduces somebody who would be nominated as best supporting actor. 00:07:48.879 --> 00:07:56.240 He ends up playing a significant supporting role in the rest of the Book of Acts and in the early church. 00:07:56.319 --> 00:08:03.339 And he's introduced in a particular way. Look, look how he's introduced. Verse 36. That's Joseph. So that 00:08:03.339 --> 00:08:08.500 this, the context is that people are selling some stuff and giving the money to the apostles so that 00:08:08.500 --> 00:08:14.500 people who are in great financial need can have their needs met and other needs of the community can 00:08:14.500 --> 00:08:21.819 be met. And verse 36, that's Joseph, who was also called by the apostle Barnabas, which means son of 00:08:21.819 --> 00:08:28.959 encouragement, a Levite, a native of Cyprus. He sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money 00:08:28.959 --> 00:08:34.899 and laid it at the apostles' feet. And for those of you who are a bit familiar with the Bible, you'll know 00:08:34.899 --> 00:08:39.960 that Barnabas shows up several times in the rest of the Book of Acts, and he's mentioned sometimes 00:08:39.960 --> 00:08:46.840 in the epistles, and he plays a very important but minor role in that early part of the Jesus movement. 00:08:49.280 --> 00:08:54.920 And you'll see that they had some type of, I guess, of a ritual or a liturgy of coming and bringing the 00:08:54.920 --> 00:08:59.440 offering and laying it at the apostles' feet. It might just be that they brought it to the church. 00:08:59.440 --> 00:09:04.820 We don't know exactly if it's meant literally or if it's just a sense of the apostles in the sense 00:09:04.820 --> 00:09:12.640 of God. And they're laying it at the feet of God, acknowledging that ultimately all that they 00:09:12.640 --> 00:09:17.440 have and all that they own ultimately belong to him. And it's in that context now that we see the 00:09:17.440 --> 00:09:29.100 story of Ananias and Sapphira. And it goes like this. But a man named Ananias, 00:09:29.100 --> 00:09:38.379 with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property. And with his wife's knowledge, he kept back for 00:09:38.379 --> 00:09:44.440 himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet. 00:09:45.120 --> 00:09:52.320 Now, just sort of pause here for a second. Kept back is a very, very good translation of the original 00:09:52.320 --> 00:09:56.840 language, but it's also translated another way. And it's the same meaning. It just has a bit of a 00:09:56.840 --> 00:10:04.320 different nuance. In other places, it would be translated as misappropriated the money. So those 00:10:04.320 --> 00:10:08.519 of you who have a bit of a business background, you know that's not good. But it's the same type 00:10:08.519 --> 00:10:14.920 of idea. It would be as if I had a business or I was employed by a business as a sales guy and I 00:10:14.920 --> 00:10:20.860 make some sales and I should really be giving the company the million dollars, but I keep back for 00:10:20.860 --> 00:10:26.800 myself $100,000. And then eventually I would be arrested for the misappropriation of funds. So 00:10:26.799 --> 00:10:32.759 that's actually, so I kept back some. It's the same idea, but it makes it starker if we understand 00:10:32.759 --> 00:10:36.659 that it's a misappropriation. Well, why is it a misappropriation? Well, we'll talk about that in a 00:10:36.659 --> 00:10:42.599 moment. But every time you see kept back, that's the idea. So they kept back for themselves some of 00:10:42.599 --> 00:10:47.719 the proceeds, verse 2, and only brought a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet, verse 3. 00:10:47.720 --> 00:10:57.399 But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back 00:10:57.399 --> 00:11:06.180 for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? Just a pause here. This is one of the texts that 00:11:06.180 --> 00:11:12.259 helps to show that the Holy Spirit is God. To lie to the Holy Spirit is to lie to God, if we were doing 00:11:12.259 --> 00:11:20.379 a sermon on the Trinity. Verse 4, while it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? 00:11:22.819 --> 00:11:28.919 And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? See, the text doesn't teach communism. 00:11:29.879 --> 00:11:35.240 And by the way, communism is the opposite of this text. Communism is where the state owns everything, 00:11:35.240 --> 00:11:45.840 not Christians. That's the complete opposite of this text. Communism is a massive theft and should 00:11:45.840 --> 00:11:52.340 always be rejected by people of good sense and especially by Christians. So just sort of read 00:11:52.340 --> 00:11:57.379 verse 4 again. While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, 00:11:57.820 --> 00:12:03.399 was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? 00:12:03.399 --> 00:12:13.379 You have not lied to man or woman, but to God. Now here's the shocking part. When Ananias heard 00:12:13.379 --> 00:12:18.759 these words, he fell down and breathed his last, and great fear came upon all who heard of it. 00:12:19.340 --> 00:12:26.360 And the young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. Now some Christians and 00:12:26.360 --> 00:12:32.980 others throughout the years have tried to say that God didn't actually kill Ananias. I'm using very 00:12:32.980 --> 00:12:43.340 stark language, but that the shock of public exposure caused some type of aneurysm or some type of 00:12:43.340 --> 00:12:50.180 stroke or heart attack, and he died of that. Well, the next part of the story shows that that's not 00:12:50.180 --> 00:12:55.680 the right, you can't possibly understand that as what's going on here. Because in other words, 00:12:55.679 --> 00:12:59.139 what I'm trying to say to you is I'm making the problem worse, not better. 00:13:01.779 --> 00:13:05.659 You know, because sometimes when you look at the original language, you'll see that some problems 00:13:05.659 --> 00:13:09.839 that you think are there aren't actually there, but sometimes actually that's not the case. It's 00:13:09.839 --> 00:13:19.719 quite clear. And so it is, from an Ottawa point of view, in 2023, a very problematic text. 00:13:19.720 --> 00:13:25.920 And the next part makes it even more clear, verse 7. After an interval, oh, and by the way, one of the 00:13:25.920 --> 00:13:31.820 other complaints that are often made is wondering why Peter, and hence God, didn't give Ananias a 00:13:31.820 --> 00:13:38.300 chance to repent. Well, I'm going to talk about that in a moment. But we'll see that in a sense, 00:13:38.580 --> 00:13:48.060 that offer of to repent is given to Sapphira. Verse 7. After an interval of about three hours, 00:13:48.059 --> 00:13:54.139 his wife came in, not knowing what had happened, and Peter said to her, tell me whether you sold 00:13:54.139 --> 00:14:03.759 the land for so much. And she said, yes, for so much. But Peter said to her, how is it that you 00:14:03.759 --> 00:14:11.339 have agreed together? And in other words, literally, they were, how did you, how have, how is it that you 00:14:11.340 --> 00:14:19.820 have come to be of one heart and mind with Ananias, to test the spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of 00:14:19.820 --> 00:14:27.259 those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out. Immediately, she fell 00:14:27.259 --> 00:14:33.379 down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in, they found her dead, and they 00:14:33.379 --> 00:14:40.660 carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear came upon the whole church, and upon all 00:14:40.659 --> 00:14:46.519 who heard of these things. In other words, the knowledge of this particular event caused great 00:14:46.519 --> 00:14:53.839 fear within the church and in the wider community outside of the church. And part of the reason that 00:14:53.839 --> 00:15:00.120 this text is such a shock, which I'll talk about in a moment, we just find it offensive and problematic, 00:15:00.779 --> 00:15:09.319 but it's also a shock because of the context. Like, the beginning context is very, very beautiful. 00:15:09.320 --> 00:15:20.140 beautiful. That people are so struck with what Jesus has done for them that they would willingly give 00:15:20.140 --> 00:15:28.820 away significant amounts of their income to help others. That's very beautiful. It's very beautiful. 00:15:29.680 --> 00:15:35.060 And it says something about the power of the gospel and the goodness that comes from the gospel. 00:15:35.059 --> 00:15:43.119 You know, you can, and it's good. Some of you have had roles in politics, and some of you still have, 00:15:43.159 --> 00:15:47.439 and some of you might have in the future, and some of you have roles in the civil service. And it's a 00:15:47.439 --> 00:15:52.939 very good thing to help the state, to help the government, to come up with just ways of taxation 00:15:52.939 --> 00:15:58.119 and just ways of spending the money. That's a very, very good endeavor. But we can never be completely and 00:15:58.119 --> 00:16:02.439 utterly dependent upon the state to do those things. That, in fact, most of the time, 00:16:02.440 --> 00:16:08.400 what makes life most living is the generosity of your neighbors and the kindness of those who are 00:16:08.400 --> 00:16:15.980 around you. And so there's something very beautiful about it, and it's accentuated in what happens 00:16:15.980 --> 00:16:20.960 immediately after the story of Ananias and Sapphira. Look what happens in verse 12. 00:16:21.820 --> 00:16:27.240 Now, many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles, 00:16:27.240 --> 00:16:33.139 and they were all together in Solomon's portico. None of them, none of the rest, that's the wider 00:16:33.139 --> 00:16:39.120 community, dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. In other words, basically, 00:16:39.240 --> 00:16:43.539 the community was of two minds. They don't want to join them, but they basically thought they were 00:16:43.539 --> 00:16:48.580 doing a good job. And at the same time, there's also another thing is that there's conversions 00:16:48.580 --> 00:16:54.000 happening. Look at verse 14. And more than ever, believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both 00:16:54.000 --> 00:17:00.279 men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, that's just the wider community, 00:17:00.620 --> 00:17:07.039 and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 00:17:07.859 --> 00:17:12.660 The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted 00:17:12.660 --> 00:17:19.259 with unclean spirits, and they were all healed. So we see here part of the shock that, 00:17:19.259 --> 00:17:27.879 and it's all just very beautiful, it's all very good, that God does miracles through these people, 00:17:28.039 --> 00:17:35.180 and the miracles are miracles of healing, people being restored to health. They're miracles of 00:17:35.180 --> 00:17:41.059 deliverance in terms of all of a sudden human beings who are oppressed by demonic forces, 00:17:41.740 --> 00:17:48.720 which lie and cause slander to be set against yourself, and to diminish you, and to make you hate 00:17:48.720 --> 00:17:53.880 yourself and hate others, that you're delivered from that, so that you can begin to know the truth, 00:17:54.000 --> 00:17:58.839 you can begin to be of a sound mind, you can begin to have the type of freedom and autonomy that God 00:17:58.839 --> 00:18:05.720 desired for you to have. And so there's this financial generosity, there's this healing, there's 00:18:05.720 --> 00:18:12.279 a type of inner healing as well, and it's all beautiful, it's all very good, and it all happens 00:18:12.279 --> 00:18:18.059 surrounding this particular text of Ananias and Sapphira being struck dead by God, and it makes 00:18:18.059 --> 00:18:27.559 it even more shocking. So what's going on? Well, I think first of all, it's a natural human response 00:18:27.559 --> 00:18:34.980 to not like this text. It's a natural human response to have this text be a bit problematic, 00:18:34.980 --> 00:18:44.039 and I'll explain why that is in a moment. One of the ways that Christians try to deal with this text, 00:18:44.140 --> 00:18:51.960 I think, is well-meaning, well-intended, but wrong. So they'll try to make it look like this was actually 00:18:51.960 --> 00:18:56.319 a really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, 00:18:56.319 --> 00:19:00.700 really, really bad sin. And then, of course, if you do a really, really, really, really, really, 00:19:00.700 --> 00:19:04.580 really, really, really, really, really bad sin, that it's not that bad that God would actually 00:19:04.580 --> 00:19:09.640 strike you down. But the fact of the matter is, is that this is a garden variety sin. 00:19:11.340 --> 00:19:17.200 If I was to ask for a show of hands of who has ever tried to pretend that they prayed more than 00:19:17.200 --> 00:19:22.880 they actually did, or gave more than they actually did, or forgave more than they actually did, if any 00:19:22.880 --> 00:19:27.680 of you have been guilty of that, could you raise your hands? I'm not going to ask it. Most of us would 00:19:27.680 --> 00:19:32.900 raise our hands. And for those who didn't raise your hands, none of the rest of us would believe 00:19:32.900 --> 00:19:42.980 you. Not one of us would believe you. We'd say, those liars. Of course they do all of those things. 00:19:42.980 --> 00:19:48.539 They pray less than they say they do, give less than they say they do, read the Bible less, not as 00:19:48.539 --> 00:19:56.900 kind, not as loving. That type of self-serving hypocrisy is a garden variety sin. And that's 00:19:56.900 --> 00:20:06.259 what they're guilty of. The text makes very clear that if Ananias and Sapphira, let's just, you know, 00:20:06.259 --> 00:20:10.900 put it in Canadian terms, if they said, listen, we have a cottage, and we really see the great 00:20:10.900 --> 00:20:15.800 financial need of, you know, Church of the Messiah, and we have a cottage, it's valued at about, you know, 00:20:15.800 --> 00:20:21.500 $800,000. You know, we got it a long time ago when cottages, you could buy them for, you know, for 00:20:21.500 --> 00:20:26.380 pennies almost, and, but we'd sell that, and, you know, we'll sell that, and the money will go to 00:20:26.380 --> 00:20:31.740 meet the needs of the Church. And they don't tell you that it's worth $800,000. They sell it for $800,000, 00:20:32.059 --> 00:20:38.180 and then they only give you $400,000 or $500,000 keeping the rest. Well, if they had begun by saying, 00:20:38.640 --> 00:20:44.619 you know, listen, I need to keep a couple hundred thousand dollars for my retirement fund, but the 00:20:44.619 --> 00:20:48.940 rest will all go to the Church. See, Ananias and Sapphira would have been fine if they'd said something 00:20:48.940 --> 00:20:54.200 like that. The problem is they implied that they were giving the whole proceeds of the cottage, 00:20:54.640 --> 00:20:59.580 but then kept back a big chunk, and they sort of, they were pretending that they were far more 00:20:59.580 --> 00:21:08.000 generous than they actually were, and God strikes them dead. So it's a very, very garden variety, 00:21:08.500 --> 00:21:15.920 garden variety sin. I'll also say one other thing before we get a little bit more into it, 00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:18.840 because some of you might be wondering, George, where on earth are you going? Like, this is just 00:21:18.840 --> 00:21:24.580 getting worse and worse. It's more depressing every moment you speak. It does show, by the way, 00:21:24.660 --> 00:21:32.620 the profound historical integrity of Luke that he would include this text. Like, you could well 00:21:32.620 --> 00:21:37.600 imagine if he'd written a text about the early Jesus movement, the first 30 years of the Jesus 00:21:37.600 --> 00:21:42.539 movement, and people who were familiar with that time period read it and said, oh, yeah, just look at 00:21:42.539 --> 00:21:50.819 those Christians trying to dodge the Ananias and Sapphira story. No, he put it in. He put it in, 00:21:51.059 --> 00:21:56.859 even though it would have been a very shocking and problematic text. So what's going on? I'm going 00:21:56.859 --> 00:22:03.719 to make it even worse before I, well, actually, you know what? The whole thing is very sobering. 00:22:05.439 --> 00:22:12.759 To the Bible, all human death is God's judgment on your sin. 00:22:12.759 --> 00:22:28.779 My death is God's judgment on my sin, and on you, and on you, and on you, and on you, and on you. 00:22:30.960 --> 00:22:38.400 All death, every human death, not all death, all human death is God's judgment on your sin. That's 00:22:38.400 --> 00:22:49.100 a significant part of what death is. If you go back and you read Genesis 2 and Genesis 3, Genesis 1, 00:22:49.180 --> 00:22:59.900 2, and 3, but especially Genesis 3, you'll see how sin entered God's good creation. And part of that, 00:22:59.900 --> 00:23:09.240 if you, those of you who remember the story, the Satan, in the form of the serpent, asks, you know, 00:23:09.320 --> 00:23:13.480 Eve about what God actually said about eating this particular, a fruit of this particular tree. 00:23:14.040 --> 00:23:19.460 And she misquotes God, et cetera, et cetera, saying that somehow or another she'll die if she eats it. And 00:23:19.460 --> 00:23:28.600 what is Satan's famous line? Ah, you will not die. You will not die. Satan lies. They do eat of the fruit, 00:23:28.599 --> 00:23:36.379 sin, and sin, and rebellion enters into our, into the God's good creation. And part of God's 00:23:36.379 --> 00:23:49.359 merciful judgment is death. Like all of God's judgment, it is both a judgment, but it's also mercy. 00:23:49.359 --> 00:23:58.279 I'm going to bury, burrow in a little bit more about why it is that we have troubles with this 00:23:58.279 --> 00:24:03.000 text. But I, I, first of all, I want to, you know, like it's very helpful. I, I don't know if I did a 00:24:03.000 --> 00:24:06.959 good job last week when I was talking about, or a couple of weeks ago when I was talking about 00:24:06.959 --> 00:24:11.979 predestination and people have problems with the idea, but they don't actually stop for a moment and 00:24:11.979 --> 00:24:17.459 think, well, okay, well, if I reject the Christian faith, what am I stepping into? Like, is what I'm 00:24:17.460 --> 00:24:24.440 stepping into wiser and more insightful and, and cover the facts better? And, and so we have a 00:24:24.440 --> 00:24:30.259 problem with this idea that God created all things to be good. We human beings rebelled against God, 00:24:30.360 --> 00:24:36.240 desired to be God's ourselves, separate ourselves from God, and God, part of God's judgment on us, 00:24:36.279 --> 00:24:41.420 which was also a merciful judgment, was to bring in death. But doesn't this fit? 00:24:41.420 --> 00:24:52.400 If you step out of this text and just ask yourself for a second about death, doesn't this fit a little 00:24:52.400 --> 00:25:00.580 bit with how we intuitively understand death? When you watch movies like, oh, I should have written 00:25:00.580 --> 00:25:09.100 it down in my notes, Mad Max, and there seems to be a death cult at the very center of the movie, 00:25:09.099 --> 00:25:16.379 of people loving death and willingly dying. We all say there is something profoundly sick and wrong 00:25:16.379 --> 00:25:25.399 about that. I am going to be political. There is something profoundly sick about the death cult of Hamas. 00:25:27.939 --> 00:25:35.179 And unless prejudice or other things have educated that out of you, we recognize intuitively there is 00:25:35.180 --> 00:25:43.180 something sick and evil about making a cult around the glorification of death. 00:25:44.299 --> 00:25:51.120 And what else do we think about death? We think, no matter what evolutionists tell us, it isn't natural. 00:25:52.620 --> 00:26:00.779 It doesn't seem to fit. It seems to go against the beauty of human beings, the glory of human beings, 00:26:00.779 --> 00:26:07.220 the potential of human beings, the good that human beings can do. We see it when we see somebody that 00:26:07.220 --> 00:26:14.460 we love die far too young. We're at the height of their powers. And we think of it as being some type of 00:26:14.460 --> 00:26:23.980 a tragedy. And we have a natural type of fear of death. And if you press it, it almost does feel as if 00:26:23.980 --> 00:26:31.180 it is somehow a judgment on us. And what other thing comes if we actually say that it seems to go 00:26:31.180 --> 00:26:36.880 against the goodness of creation and it seems to be a bit of a judgment on us? The very next thing in our 00:26:36.880 --> 00:26:48.880 thought is, how dare God? How dare God? How dare God judge? How dare he judge? 00:26:48.880 --> 00:27:00.880 Why is death a mercy? It's a judgment and a mercy. It's a judgment, it's a mercy because it provides us 00:27:00.880 --> 00:27:06.660 time to realize that there is something wrong and that there is a judgment that we will die 00:27:06.660 --> 00:27:17.840 and to call out to God to have mercy upon us. It is a proximate or closer judgment before that final 00:27:17.839 --> 00:27:23.119 judgment that makes us aware of that final judgment and our need to repent. 00:27:26.480 --> 00:27:34.879 This story is both a mirror for us to see ourselves and a window to see and understand the grace of God. 00:27:35.599 --> 00:27:41.720 Why is it a mirror? Well, think of our reactions to the text. 00:27:41.720 --> 00:27:50.440 God should have given Ananias a chance to realize what was about to happen so he should repent. 00:27:52.279 --> 00:27:56.220 Why is it that God chooses that sin? It's just a garden variety sin. 00:27:56.920 --> 00:27:59.799 Well, what's implicit in all of these comments is this. 00:28:01.480 --> 00:28:06.759 God has to meet my exalted moral standards. 00:28:06.759 --> 00:28:12.119 God has to measure up to my standards. 00:28:12.119 --> 00:28:17.799 He has to measure up to our standards as enlightened Canadians. 00:28:21.640 --> 00:28:23.000 I'm going to be political again. 00:28:24.839 --> 00:28:27.240 It's quite astounding that in our culture, 00:28:28.440 --> 00:28:30.759 we think of our exalted moral standards 00:28:30.759 --> 00:28:36.599 when our culture has not only rushed headlong into medically assisted death, 00:28:37.559 --> 00:28:43.319 but continues to want to lower the bars so that even if you are but poor or have mental distress, 00:28:44.599 --> 00:28:49.559 that we would urge people that the wise course of action is to allow a doctor to kill them. 00:28:51.079 --> 00:28:53.480 And then we want to stand in judgment on God 00:28:53.480 --> 00:28:59.480 without any type of embarrassment 00:28:59.480 --> 00:29:03.920 or shame. 00:29:07.799 --> 00:29:09.759 I resent that God would do this. 00:29:10.120 --> 00:29:14.519 I demand that he give a sufficient time for every human being 00:29:14.519 --> 00:29:17.579 to realize and to repent. 00:29:17.740 --> 00:29:19.559 And I get to set the sins of... 00:29:19.559 --> 00:29:20.380 What are really sins? 00:29:20.539 --> 00:29:21.579 By the way, God, listen here. 00:29:21.579 --> 00:29:23.779 I'm going to set before you the sins. 00:29:23.939 --> 00:29:24.779 And, you know, by the way, you know, 00:29:25.259 --> 00:29:27.419 well, maybe hypocrisy if you're right wing, 00:29:27.500 --> 00:29:29.399 that's a good thing or something that, you know, 00:29:29.419 --> 00:29:32.859 we can see that that's a, you know, a great problematic type of thing. 00:29:32.919 --> 00:29:34.199 But, you know, you need to have these... 00:29:34.199 --> 00:29:35.379 These are the lists of sins, 00:29:35.539 --> 00:29:36.480 and these are the ones... 00:29:36.480 --> 00:29:38.039 This is our hierarchy. 00:29:38.439 --> 00:29:40.819 And by the way, if we were to give that list of a hierarchy, 00:29:41.079 --> 00:29:42.960 I mean, this is what's going on in our culture right now. 00:29:43.460 --> 00:29:47.319 Our people in Canada 100 years ago had a different hierarchy, 00:29:47.399 --> 00:29:48.599 and now we want to dethrone them. 00:29:48.599 --> 00:29:51.019 We want to take away their statues. 00:29:51.019 --> 00:29:52.839 We want to rename our streets, 00:29:52.940 --> 00:29:57.139 because we now think that those earlier human beings before us in Canada, 00:29:57.240 --> 00:29:59.139 that they didn't have our exalted standards, 00:29:59.420 --> 00:30:02.720 and if Canada continues to exist in 50 years, 00:30:02.799 --> 00:30:04.420 they'll be dethroning us. 00:30:06.339 --> 00:30:10.379 Because our moral standards shift, 00:30:11.039 --> 00:30:12.299 and they aren't exalted. 00:30:12.980 --> 00:30:14.859 I mean, obviously, some of our moral standards are good. 00:30:14.940 --> 00:30:16.700 It's not that all of our moral standards are wrong. 00:30:16.700 --> 00:30:18.819 But we resent God. 00:30:21.819 --> 00:30:23.059 It's also a window. 00:30:23.860 --> 00:30:26.580 And it's a window into the grace and the goodness of God. 00:30:28.420 --> 00:30:31.860 I can do unbelievable good for the rest of my life. 00:30:31.859 --> 00:30:35.439 I could take all the best therapy in the world 00:30:35.439 --> 00:30:37.159 and all of the best spiritual practices 00:30:37.159 --> 00:30:38.939 and all of the best spiritual directors, 00:30:39.479 --> 00:30:44.839 and I could live a life of unfailing selflessness and goodness, 00:30:45.179 --> 00:30:46.879 and it would not stop me dying. 00:30:46.880 --> 00:30:58.460 And because all human death is God's judgment on sin, 00:30:59.460 --> 00:31:03.540 unless the Savior died, 00:31:04.380 --> 00:31:08.720 we could not believe that he was one who met 00:31:08.720 --> 00:31:12.120 the just demands of our sin. 00:31:14.000 --> 00:31:15.740 And that's the message of the Gospel. 00:31:17.339 --> 00:31:20.420 That when I put my faith and my trust in my hands in Jesus, 00:31:21.140 --> 00:31:23.079 the death that he died, he died for me. 00:31:24.019 --> 00:31:28.000 The resurrection that he experienced is my resurrection. 00:31:28.000 --> 00:31:32.880 It shows that God has accepted his death in my place. 00:31:32.880 --> 00:31:37.640 You see, we have a correct intuition 00:31:37.640 --> 00:31:40.680 that if there is a God who does exist, 00:31:40.820 --> 00:31:42.220 that he really is really real, 00:31:42.340 --> 00:31:44.280 he should be beautiful, he should be good, 00:31:44.400 --> 00:31:46.160 he should be true, he should be just, 00:31:46.240 --> 00:31:47.200 he should be merciful. 00:31:48.280 --> 00:31:50.800 And if he's really good and really true and really just, 00:31:50.860 --> 00:31:54.560 it means he cannot allow lies and injustice 00:31:54.560 --> 00:31:57.240 and selfishness and hatred and envy 00:31:57.240 --> 00:31:59.840 and pride and self-centeredness 00:31:59.840 --> 00:32:01.340 and looking down our nose at others 00:32:01.339 --> 00:32:02.359 and all of those things, 00:32:02.500 --> 00:32:04.799 that obviously we cannot stand in his presence 00:32:04.799 --> 00:32:06.759 and we cannot rid ourselves of these things. 00:32:06.819 --> 00:32:09.019 Even if we were able to rid ourselves of these things 00:32:09.019 --> 00:32:12.119 from now on, every human being is a little bit like a tree 00:32:12.119 --> 00:32:14.519 where you can tell by the rings in the circle 00:32:14.519 --> 00:32:15.839 of the depth of the tree 00:32:15.839 --> 00:32:17.500 that those earlier lives of the tree 00:32:17.500 --> 00:32:18.519 are all still in there. 00:32:18.839 --> 00:32:20.899 And even if we could fix the outer spot, 00:32:20.899 --> 00:32:22.259 all of those things are all started 00:32:22.259 --> 00:32:23.439 what it means to be a human being. 00:32:23.539 --> 00:32:24.639 And only in the Gospel 00:32:24.639 --> 00:32:28.559 do we see this beautiful sacrifice of God himself 00:32:28.559 --> 00:32:29.919 in the person of his Son. 00:32:31.339 --> 00:32:33.879 that the judgment that all death is 00:32:33.879 --> 00:32:35.240 is laid upon him, 00:32:35.359 --> 00:32:37.019 and it's laid upon him, 00:32:38.319 --> 00:32:39.539 the second Adam, 00:32:41.199 --> 00:32:43.740 that I might be made right with God 00:32:43.740 --> 00:32:48.579 purely as a gift. 00:32:48.579 --> 00:32:57.059 God in his goodness and truth 00:32:57.059 --> 00:32:58.339 and justice and beauty 00:32:58.339 --> 00:33:00.299 offers us Jesus. 00:33:03.119 --> 00:33:04.299 Now why is it 00:33:04.299 --> 00:33:07.579 that as the Gospel becomes more real to our heart 00:33:07.579 --> 00:33:10.599 that we would be more generous? 00:33:11.139 --> 00:33:12.899 Well, it's the same in all of these things. 00:33:12.900 --> 00:33:18.780 As God's mercy becomes in Christ on his cross, 00:33:19.280 --> 00:33:20.840 becomes more real to our heart, 00:33:20.940 --> 00:33:23.120 we begin to be shaped to be merciful. 00:33:23.920 --> 00:33:27.580 When we understand that Christ's death on the cross for us 00:33:27.580 --> 00:33:29.880 was a profound act of forgiveness by God, 00:33:29.980 --> 00:33:31.740 then for us forgiving others, 00:33:32.259 --> 00:33:33.259 we are shaped for that. 00:33:33.320 --> 00:33:34.480 It becomes more reasonable. 00:33:34.940 --> 00:33:37.560 When we see that Jesus' death upon the cross 00:33:37.560 --> 00:33:38.900 is an act of profound generosity, 00:33:38.900 --> 00:33:42.680 beautiful generosity on the part of God towards us, 00:33:42.759 --> 00:33:43.980 then our being generous 00:33:43.980 --> 00:33:46.360 starts to be a natural type of thing 00:33:46.360 --> 00:33:47.540 that flows from it. 00:33:47.960 --> 00:33:49.980 When we see that God takes the truth 00:33:49.980 --> 00:33:51.120 of our human condition 00:33:51.120 --> 00:33:53.620 and still does something true in history 00:33:53.620 --> 00:33:55.280 by having his Son die upon the cross, 00:33:55.380 --> 00:33:58.480 then truth becomes something that matters to us. 00:33:59.040 --> 00:34:00.519 And we could go on and on and on. 00:34:00.660 --> 00:34:01.820 It all flows 00:34:01.820 --> 00:34:05.680 in a sense as the Gospel becomes more real to us. 00:34:05.680 --> 00:34:08.619 These things, we are shaped as we accept the Gospel, 00:34:08.740 --> 00:34:10.220 as it becomes more real to our heart, 00:34:10.480 --> 00:34:12.300 we are shaped by these things 00:34:12.300 --> 00:34:14.039 to live a particular way of life. 00:34:16.420 --> 00:34:18.980 And it's not just that the story shapes us, 00:34:19.780 --> 00:34:22.159 but because the God of the Bible is real 00:34:22.159 --> 00:34:24.039 and Jesus really did rise from the dead, 00:34:24.099 --> 00:34:24.900 we have a Father. 00:34:25.180 --> 00:34:27.159 We are in the presence of our Father in heaven 00:34:27.159 --> 00:34:28.320 this morning, folks. 00:34:29.900 --> 00:34:32.119 We are before his throne 00:34:32.119 --> 00:34:35.519 and his desire is to give you and me grace. 00:34:36.799 --> 00:34:38.219 And Jesus is present. 00:34:39.699 --> 00:34:40.779 He is with us. 00:34:41.880 --> 00:34:43.299 He is for us. 00:34:45.460 --> 00:34:47.779 He puts his arms around you and me 00:34:47.779 --> 00:34:48.980 even as we gather. 00:34:50.319 --> 00:34:52.420 And the Holy Spirit is here, 00:34:52.679 --> 00:34:53.619 brothers and sisters. 00:34:53.619 --> 00:34:57.539 And he knows the worries 00:34:57.539 --> 00:34:59.059 and the cares of your heart 00:34:59.059 --> 00:35:00.460 and the Holy Spirit is here 00:35:00.460 --> 00:35:01.440 to minister to you 00:35:01.440 --> 00:35:03.059 in the very depth of who you are. 00:35:04.460 --> 00:35:06.119 It's not just a story. 00:35:07.779 --> 00:35:08.259 God 00:35:08.259 --> 00:35:10.239 is real. 00:35:13.299 --> 00:35:15.480 And he looks upon each one of us 00:35:15.480 --> 00:35:16.359 in Christ 00:35:16.359 --> 00:35:18.359 and he loves you. 00:35:19.639 --> 00:35:20.940 He is for you. 00:35:20.940 --> 00:35:24.380 Please stand. 00:35:29.099 --> 00:35:30.320 Bow our heads in prayer. 00:35:37.400 --> 00:35:37.840 Father, 00:35:38.139 --> 00:35:40.519 you know that we can't follow you perfectly 00:35:40.519 --> 00:35:42.500 and still you love us. 00:35:42.599 --> 00:35:45.220 But you do know that we can follow you. 00:35:45.780 --> 00:35:48.000 And when you see us following you, 00:35:48.780 --> 00:35:50.780 even if it's very imperfect, 00:35:50.940 --> 00:35:51.960 you see the goodness 00:35:51.960 --> 00:35:53.559 in our attempt to follow you. 00:35:54.300 --> 00:35:55.139 You see the goodness 00:35:55.139 --> 00:35:56.880 of our attempts at generosity 00:35:56.880 --> 00:35:57.880 and being generous 00:35:57.880 --> 00:35:59.139 and speaking the truth 00:35:59.139 --> 00:36:01.400 and speaking out against injustice 00:36:01.400 --> 00:36:02.960 and standing for life 00:36:02.960 --> 00:36:04.159 and praying for healing. 00:36:04.920 --> 00:36:05.200 And Father, 00:36:05.260 --> 00:36:06.500 we know that we're not perfect 00:36:06.500 --> 00:36:08.139 and we give you thanks and praise 00:36:08.139 --> 00:36:09.519 that we have a Savior 00:36:09.519 --> 00:36:11.820 who made the perfect sacrifice for us. 00:36:13.099 --> 00:36:14.119 And we know, Father, 00:36:14.220 --> 00:36:15.340 that you have not called us 00:36:15.340 --> 00:36:15.960 to live a life 00:36:15.960 --> 00:36:17.380 that's impossible to lead. 00:36:17.380 --> 00:36:19.360 You have called us 00:36:19.360 --> 00:36:20.039 to live a life 00:36:20.039 --> 00:36:21.800 where real goodness 00:36:21.800 --> 00:36:22.800 can grow in us 00:36:22.800 --> 00:36:23.760 and real generosity 00:36:23.760 --> 00:36:24.700 can grow in us 00:36:24.700 --> 00:36:25.920 and real truth-telling 00:36:25.920 --> 00:36:26.740 can grow in us. 00:36:26.740 --> 00:36:27.680 And Father, 00:36:27.780 --> 00:36:28.840 we know that your Scripture 00:36:28.840 --> 00:36:30.820 shows that there's higher up 00:36:30.820 --> 00:36:31.599 and deeper in 00:36:31.599 --> 00:36:32.440 and farther in 00:36:32.440 --> 00:36:33.180 that we can go, 00:36:33.300 --> 00:36:34.640 but that our acts of obedience, 00:36:34.820 --> 00:36:35.360 even today, 00:36:35.420 --> 00:36:36.840 are things that make you smile. 00:36:37.440 --> 00:36:38.519 And we ask, Father, 00:36:38.599 --> 00:36:39.579 that the Holy Spirit 00:36:39.579 --> 00:36:41.619 would bring the reality of Jesus 00:36:41.619 --> 00:36:42.599 and what he has done 00:36:42.599 --> 00:36:43.539 for us on the cross, 00:36:43.619 --> 00:36:44.260 that that would come 00:36:44.260 --> 00:36:45.520 deep into our hearts, 00:36:46.120 --> 00:36:47.280 that that would be 00:36:47.280 --> 00:36:49.040 ever more precious to us 00:36:49.040 --> 00:36:49.580 and that, Father, 00:36:49.640 --> 00:36:50.280 we might know 00:36:50.280 --> 00:36:51.260 we are in your presence 00:36:51.260 --> 00:36:52.440 so we are not just praying 00:36:52.440 --> 00:36:53.120 to nothing 00:36:53.120 --> 00:36:54.560 that you hear us, 00:36:54.940 --> 00:36:56.120 that Jesus is present, 00:36:56.260 --> 00:36:57.560 that the Holy Spirit is here. 00:36:57.660 --> 00:36:58.060 And Father, 00:36:58.180 --> 00:36:59.600 help us to be open, 00:36:59.760 --> 00:37:00.180 to know, 00:37:00.320 --> 00:37:01.780 to live out of your grace 00:37:01.780 --> 00:37:02.300 and goodness 00:37:02.300 --> 00:37:03.120 that comes to us 00:37:03.120 --> 00:37:03.800 through the cross 00:37:03.800 --> 00:37:05.540 and your ongoing grace 00:37:05.540 --> 00:37:06.880 and goodness towards us 00:37:06.880 --> 00:37:07.860 as you delight 00:37:07.860 --> 00:37:09.120 in even our tiniest 00:37:09.120 --> 00:37:09.980 acts of obedience. 00:37:11.180 --> 00:37:11.780 So, Father, 00:37:11.920 --> 00:37:13.280 help us to live 00:37:13.280 --> 00:37:14.540 as free men and women 00:37:14.540 --> 00:37:16.260 saved by Jesus, 00:37:16.740 --> 00:37:17.920 learning to be generous, 00:37:18.700 --> 00:37:19.960 learning to speak the truth, 00:37:20.620 --> 00:37:21.580 learning to be just, 00:37:22.320 --> 00:37:24.180 learning to speak the gospel 00:37:24.180 --> 00:37:25.100 and share the gospel 00:37:25.100 --> 00:37:25.640 with others. 00:37:25.740 --> 00:37:26.860 And we ask all these things 00:37:26.860 --> 00:37:27.760 in the name of Jesus, 00:37:27.880 --> 00:37:28.900 your Son and our Savior. 00:37:29.620 --> 00:37:29.980 Amen. 00:37:43.280 --> 00:37:46.180 Amen. 00:37:46.760 --> 00:37:48.080 Amen. 00:37:48.680 --> 00:37:48.740 Amen. 00:37:48.760 --> 00:37:49.680 Amen. 00:37:52.300 --> 00:37:52.840 Amen. 00:37:52.900 --> 00:37:54.180 Amen. 00:37:54.240 --> 00:37:54.840 Amen. 00:37:54.840 --> 00:37:55.400 Amen. 00:38:00.700 --> 00:38:01.800 Amen. 00:38:02.460 --> 00:38:02.760 Amen. 00:38:02.760 --> 00:38:04.000 Amen. 00:38:04.680 --> 00:38:04.860 Amen. 00:38:04.860 --> 00:38:06.420 Amen. 00:38:06.540 --> 00:38:06.980 Amen. 00:38:07.160 --> 00:38:09.800 ionen-nya