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I’m going to invite you to acts. Chapter five is where we’re at together today, acts chapter five in the Bible. And you know this, this particular chapter, we’re only going to look at the first 11 verses of chapter five. We’ll, we’ll dive into the second half next week. But as we get ready to engage this story, I want you to recognize this particular story is somewhat of an uncomfortable story, especially if you don’t understand it in its context. Well, you’ll see why in a minute. But but the timing of the story is poised exceptionally well in the book of acts. It’s almost like, I don’t know, it’s divinely inspired or something, right? And so when you you look at acts chapter five when you start to understand the heart of why it’s placed in the story of acts where it is, it’s I believe it’s following in a chronological sense in this particular way. But but also, as we understand, Luke wrote the book of acts. It’s important to remember, like, Luke isn’t writing every detail that he can recall. Right. Luke is sharing particular stories that are important to the purpose of what God has called his church to, to accomplish in this world. And that’s one of the beautiful things about the book of acts. If you haven’t got sick of hearing me say this yet, if you remember the the theme of this book is how the Spirit of God works in the people of God to accomplish the will of God.
And here you are looking at the church in the first 30 years after the death, burial and resurrection and ascension of Jesus. And you’re seeing how they take the the gospel from Jerusalem to really throughout the known world, from Jerusalem to Rome, really. The the story ends with the gospel going to Rome. But but it’s sharing with us how the Spirit of God empowered God’s people to share the gospel throughout the world. And and then we realize, man, that’s the same mission God’s called us on. And and he’s given us the means to accomplish it through the power of his spirit and the method to produce it, which is the church. That’s the purpose of the church. It exists for a reason greater than itself. We exist to give ourselves away for the glory of God to the benefit of others. That that the redemption story that’s told within us is intended to work through us to see other people’s lives transformed in Jesus too. And so you see the beauty of this story taking place in these first four chapters, thousands of people coming to know the Lord. And and it’s moving forward in a powerful way. But when you get to chapter four, all of a sudden you see conflict arise and the people of God persecuted, and yet they’re still faithfully following after the Lord. And if we’re not careful, if we just kind of end the story there, we could we could stop right there and be like, oh yeah, okay, that’s it, I get it.
But God’s given us a mission’s the means of the spirit, the method, which is the church. But, but but here it is. That’s the problem. It’s it’s those guys. It’s those guys out there that are the problem. So it’s really the us versus them and this, this battle to the end of who’s going to win. And and then all of a sudden when you get to chapter five, it kind of turns that on its head. And it helps us begin to realize that the real battle isn’t us versus them. In fact, when you recognize what God has called you to in this world, if you walk with that sort of mentality, you’re never going to reach who God has called you to reach, because all of us at some point are enemies to the cross of Christ. And it’s only because of the grace of God. And while we are still enemies of God, that that the love of God has compelled us to embrace Jesus. In Romans five eight tells you that while God demonstrated while we’re yet sinners, God demonstrates his love towards us. And so he’s recognizing that we while we’re still in rebellion against him, Jesus doesn’t give up on us. And it’s that grace of God made known, poured out on us that invites us into the goodness of who he is. And so we’re called.
It shouldn’t be a surprise to us when a world that doesn’t know Jesus get this acts like it doesn’t know Jesus, but rather what acts chapter five helps us begin to realize is that the true enemy isn’t beyond us. The actual enemy rests within us. Now, I don’t mean that in this sense that when you gather in a church where to all or gather as a church, were to all see each other as as the enemy, right? Like you’re going to have conflict and you’re not going to get along. And that’s true just when in terms of relationship, no matter where you are, you’re going to have a conflict with people just in general, in church, out of church. We’re we’re just we’re sinful human beings. And that’s just the nature of of what happens in, in, in a sinful heart is that there’s, there’s tension and conflict and relationship. But but that’s not what I mean. Get this. The greatest enemy to your faithfulness in Jesus is you. In acts chapter five of one of those chapters that really helps us recognize where the battle is so that rather than war against others who were called to reach. We walk humbly before them, knowing just the grace that it took for me in my rebellious heart to embrace the Lord. And even in knowing him, how I continue to war against him. And the most surprising thing isn’t that a world that that doesn’t know Jesus acts like they don’t know Jesus.
It’s when those who claim that they do live like they don’t. And acts. Chapter five is is one of those stories that reminds us of that and one of the most peculiar ways, and in a peculiar way is or describing as peculiar is probably a lighter way of saying what acts chapter five is talking about. Because if you if you know anything about this, this chapter, this is the Ananias and Sapphira story where you learn the the great idea that God is not mocked. Right? In Galatians chapter six verse seven, it tells you that God is not mocked. And some of us, when we hear a thought like that, God will not be mocked. Right. There’s there’s some of us that we are sensitive in our hearts, and we don’t like contention. And we’re like, okay, you know, I give up, you know, I’m not doing that. And then and you’re just kind of bow to to whatever because you don’t want to fight. And then there’s others. It doesn’t matter who it is. You hear something like, oh, somebody not mocked, you know, this is you think this is a challenge and you’re ready to throw down like it. Just some of you, you’re just oppositional, defiant no matter what. Others are compliant no matter what. And and I think it’s important for for all of us, no matter where we might feel like we fall in that spectrum. And some of us, you might be like, well, in the morning, I start off this way, but in the end of the day I start off the other way.
It just depends on how you catch me, right? But for for all of us, it’s important to to recognize especially rebellious people. God is in control, and you’re not. God is in control and you’re not. And and sometimes we have within us. We just want to fight that. First we want to test. Oh, yeah. Show me, prove me right. Like let’s let’s see who’s in control. And we just have that, that, that nature within us. But but here’s what, here’s what you need. You you need a sovereign God. Because without it, you you don’t have an ultimate hope. There is no real control over your destiny because you don’t have ultimate authority. So the sovereignty of God is critical for us, even even in a rebellious spirit, to recognize this. And at the same time, for those that might find ourselves, you know, easily compliant, when someone that seems to be an authority steps into a room and declares that position, well, it’s important to surrender to the Lord. But you also need to know he’s good and that you can trust him. And all those aspects are critical. Sovereignty of God. He’s good. We can trust him. It really you can. You can help each other. The the people that just like to comply and the people that are rebels, you’re you’re good for each other in that sense.
Right? Just learning to what it means that God is sovereign and at the same time he is good. And to trust him in acts chapter five helps us work through all of that. So let me just I’m going to do something a little different today. I’m going to read the whole story. It’s just 11 verses, and I want to dialog for us on what it represents. And the reason I want to read it is because it’s it’s really this one little narrative story that that fits well from beginning to end. And it’s intended, I think, to be told in a way that that kind of shocks you, sobers you and and the abruptness of what takes place here. If you’re unfamiliar with this, this story, but it starts like this. 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, and brought only a part of it, and laid it at the apostles feet. 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. And while it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man, but to God.
When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last, and great fear came upon all who heard it. The young men arose and wrapped him up, and carried him out and buried him. After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter said to her, tell me whether you sold the land for so much. And she said yes for so much. But Peter said to her, how is it that you have agreed together to test the spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out. Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in, they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. This is a new ministry. We’re going to start here at ABC, I think, and a great fear and a great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things. Amen. If this is your first Sunday, welcome to Alpine Bible Church. This is a this is a this is a doozy, isn’t it? Like, what do you do with a passage like this? I can tell you. Here’s how I want to start. I want to start by establishing the first rule ever at Alpine Bible Church, which goes like this. You’re going to die somewhere.
You’re it’s not going to be here. Okay. That is not happening in this space today. So or ever. Let’s just find a different spot. That’s that’s not what this verse is teaching, just so you know. But here’s here’s what we need to ask. Why then is Luke sharing the story. Right. What’s what’s the point of Luke telling us? Because during the first century the paper was expensive and so was ink. So the fact that Luke even took time to write this story. Maybe if I were with him in the first century, I’d be like, Luke, I’ve been with you for a bit here. I’ve seen lots of things happen. Why is this one? Like, why do you want to include this story? Let’s substitute it with something else. Why? Why is this one so necessary? I think what Luke is doing here is particularly significant for all of us to understand. You know who Jesus is. But. But I want you to know that this is a narrative story, which means for us, it’s not prescriptive. So for those of you that just immediately get worried when you read stories like this I think there is a place of reverence that is important. That is true. But, but but I also I also want you to recognize that it’s the uniqueness of the story as to the reason why it’s being told. Meaning, when you go throughout the scriptures, you’re not going to find that this is the story repeated over and over again.
This this type of story. But there’s some uniqueness to the story. And I would say probably a comparable story to this in the Old Testament comes in the book of Joshua, chapter seven. So this is this is not a regular occurrence in the Bible, but a couple of unique stories that are happening here. And in both of these unique instances, Joshua chapter seven, acts, chapter five, I think the Lord is is trying to he’s teaching us something that we’re often stubborn to receive. And what’s taking place in this moment is reminding us it’s not about the the horror of the sin, but but about the holiness of the setting. That’s why here in this moment, the the steps of the Lord seem so extreme. Because when you go back and you look at Joshua chapter seven, for example, and the book of Joshua, this is right when Israel enters into the Promised land for the first time, a very sacred moment for the people. And when they go to the Battle of Jericho, God gives them one rule. Don’t take anything. But in that moment, Achan saw himself as an exception. He kind of looks at God’s law. God, what God says. And you think you know, that’s that’s pretty much good for everybody all the time. Except for me in this particular moment, because, well, my moment’s a little bit unique. So I think that God would want me to do this right.
He kind of he justifies the reason he does what he does, and he chooses to take something even though God says he shouldn’t. And the result of that is it leads to death. And here in acts chapter five, you’re seeing this with Ananias and Sapphira at the very beginning of the birth of the church and seeing the beauty of who God is just being made known throughout the the community. But but the the abrupt response of the Lord to Ananias and Sapphira, it reminds us of this idea that when when the church loses her sense of sacredness. The world sees no difference between you and them. Guys. Can we just say for us, like understanding who you are in Jesus is paramount to everything you’re called to do in him. Being a being a Christian isn’t just, you know, I need to get a little bit of spirituality of my life following after Jesus is saying, I’m reorienting all that I am in light of who Christ is. The precedent of of knowing Jesus means he. He becomes preeminent in everything that governs what I do in this life, because my life is made for him. He’s not just a part of what I do in this world. He’s central to the decisions that that govern how I walk in, in light of who he is, because it’s helping me discover who I am. And so acts chapter five is teaching us that idea in a very sobering context, so that we see the sacredness of who this is.
I mean, could you imagine for for the early church, the early church, in this, this particular moment, it’s like they’re getting in the rhythm of of serving the Lord. And all of a sudden God just kind of hits this, this refresh of don’t lose sight of this. Don’t, don’t, don’t consider myself as mundane or, or just equal to other things, but rather the preeminence of who I am in all things. And then the the way that this story has, has moved throughout the church in history. It’s you come to this moment and it’s shocking, but to be honest, our souls can get lulled to sleep and the the sacredness of the gift of what you have in Jesus, where he just becomes an idea of among many. But that’s not what biblical Christianity is about. It’s the the precedent of Jesus made known in me through all things that I, I walk through in life. And so the the power of this story is to waken our eyes to that and say, why? Why is Luke sharing this story? Let me give you the first point under that question is this to encourage a healthy reverence for God, to encourage a healthy reverence for God. In fact, you think about the theme of what acts is the Spirit of God empowering the people of God to do the will of God? That’s that is critical.
And when you look at verse three and four, it reminds us of this thought where Ananias, he’s he’s told by the apostle Peter, really the identity of who the spirit is. When you think about the Holy Spirit, sometimes people have questions about this, like if your favorite translation of the Bible is the King James, that’s that’s totally good. I you know, I don’t really like listening to Shakespeare in Experience. English. English. That’s not how I speak in, in in my in my common vernacular. So for me, that’s not my, my, my favorite translation, but some people enjoy that. And but if you were to read this particular section of Scripture in, in acts chapter five, verse three, it says, rather than the Holy Spirit in verse three, it refers to him as the Holy Ghost. And it’s interesting when you read the King James Version of the New Testament that sometimes it refers to this figure called the Holy Ghost. Other times it refers to the Holy Spirit. And some people might ask, well is there a difference? Is there a difference between Holy Ghost and the Holy Spirit? Let me just tell you the answer is is no. The truth is, is when the the translators of the of the King James Version of the Bible were translating, they didn’t take time to discuss how they were going to translate the word pneuma. It can translate as ghost or spirit. I remember as a kid, if I reading the Bible, I grew up a poor kid in West Virginia and and some other states as well.
Lived in it for a little bit. But I remember there was a few times a Halloween where money was tight, and so I’m like, I’m going, I need some candy. So so I just grabbed a bed sheet and cut some holes in it. And, you know, I walked around as the Holy Ghost. And so when you think about when you think about the idea of a ghost, is that is that what Scripture is talking about? Well, if you think in terms of the idea of systematic theology, if you ever read a systematic theology book on Christianity and you get to the Pneumatology section, which is the Holy Spirit acts, chapter five is one of those verses that it quickly gravitates to in the doctrine of the Holy Spirit to teach you who the Holy Spirit is. In verse three it says, why has Satan filled your heart, Ananias, to lie to the Holy Spirit? And at the end of verse four, it tells you who the Holy Spirit is. You have not lied to man, but to who, God. You guys will wake out there today, says God, you’ve lied unto God. The idea of the Holy Spirit is not just this force. He’s a part of the Triune Godhead. He is God. The story in the gospel, the in the in the book of acts written by Luke is intended to help us see this, this reverence for who God is.
But but at the same time to remind us that our identity must be rooted in Christ. Our identity must be rooted in Christ. When you when you get to verse 11, I mean, you really are seeing at the end of the story what what the purpose is in all of this. Why are they sharing this? Well, it’s to say this. And he repeats this idea twice at the death of Ananias and then at the death of Sapphira. But it says, and great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things. And the idea of this great fear is not. We’re just afraid of God. The point of the story is not to push you away from the Lord, but actually call you to run further to him, to run to the cross. So this idea of great fear is learning that of out of everything that you might Revere or bow down to in your life, the greatest thing for which you were created for is only discovered in him, and your life surrendered to him is where you discover the purpose for which you were made. And so this idea of great fear is this deep reverence for who the Lord is and how we live our lives. And so your identity in him becomes the the pillar for for everything that you do in the Lord. When we fail to recognize who is Lord of our life, who is true Lord of our life.
One we we diminish the glory of God in our hearts. You know the idea of diminishing God’s glory. You can’t truly do that, but you can. His glory will reign forever, regardless if you embrace it or not. But you can diminish the glory of God in your hearts. And when you diminish the glory of God in your heart, get this it gives you a distorted view of yourself. You. You can never be anything but less than who God has created you to be. When you diminish his glory, it leads to a distorted view of of who you are. And when you have a distorted view of who you are, you start to look for other lords in your life because you’re made as a worship being. And Timothy Keller’s book called The Counterfeit God, he he writes really eloquently about this from page about 166 to 168. And just some of the ideas he shares. It’s this if you if you diminish the glory of God and you find this distorted view of yourself, you start creating other lords. And if and if success becomes your Lord, you’ll live anxious and exalted. Or excuse me, Excuse me. Exhausted. If comfort is your lord, you’ll live cautious and shallow. If people’s approval becomes your lord, you’ll live enslaved to their opinions. But if God is your Lord, you can rest hopeful and secure, regardless of all else, because you know who you are in him.
But if we have this this diminished view of his glory in our hearts, and we have this distorted view then of ourselves, it leads to this place of spiritual compromise in the Old Testament, uses the people of Israel to to demonstrate what that road looks like over and over again. You know, it’s interesting when you when you when you read about Israel in the Old Testament, they never really, truly stop worshiping Yahweh. Right? They’re always worship Yahweh. But but you see at moments in their history that they don’t only worship Yahweh, they also bring other gods and begin to worship. For example, sometimes they they they bow down to Baal. And in so doing, when they begin to embrace these, these other gods, they they might argue, well, they’re coming up with this spiritual balance, as if everything is equal. But but in reality, it led to this spiritual syncretization within their society and ultimately that that syncretization didn’t improve who they are, what it what it did was bring a spiritual collapse and a moral demise. The sacredness of God. Church. The gift of knowing who he is. The privilege to gather before his holy name. The gift that he would pursue you with his life. That you could be saved, liberated, and and know him And now live for a purpose greater than yourselves. And in his divine rescue of who you are, through a story of redemption that gives you a security, both now and forever.
It’s a gift to not be treated as common as as if it carries equal weight in comparison to other things. But to understand it reorients all that I am in light of who he is, not only not only does diminishing his glory in our hearts give me a distorted view of myself, leading me to a place of compromise, it also may also from from the other side. It drains me of the joy and power for through which I possess in Christ. So it’s only I, you know. I lose in the sense that I’m compromised in this way, but also I’m not walking in light of what I’ve been created for. And recreated through Christ. So why? Why then and just Discussing this. Why would Ananias and Sapphira make that kind of choice? Why? Why do they do what they did? Well, verse four, three and four really talk about it with us. But let me go back here. Verse verse four says it like this. While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold. Talking about the land, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your hearts? You have not lied to man, but to God. And here’s what’s interesting with Ananias and Sapphira. No one made them do this. They were in control of whether or not they gave anything.
They didn’t have to give a penny. And then when they gave, they they weren’t expected to give everything they got from the land. They could have just given some of it if they wanted. But but rather than do that, they, they chose to give some but pretend like they gave all. Why would they do that? Well, the next point under the next question or notes. Next point is this. They cared more about looking holy than walking humbly. They cared more about looking holy than walking humbly. It’s interesting when you look at the Gospels, this is exactly what Jesus criticized the Pharisees for doing. It says in Matthew chapter 23, verse five that they did good deeds for the appearance of looking good to others. And I mean, they’re they’re teaching us they they desired the appearance of generosity with without the cost. They they valued human approval more than the divine, and they drastically underestimated the holiness of God. Now, people don’t like that, especially when it’s brought to the light. I think in one sense, people love that. Like people really don’t care what’s right or wrong. People more care about how you perceive them to be right or wrong. And the idea is like this people care more about their reputation and less about their character. And if you know the difference between the two. Reputation is what people think you are. Characters who you truly are. It’s like you may be one way at work, but your your family at home really knows what you’re made of.
And there’s your reputation, the front you put on. But then there’s your true heart, your character, and what you’re learning in acts chapter five is you may be able to put on a facade for people, but you can’t. Before the Lord God sees the heart. And Ananias and Sapphira are becoming that example of demonstrating this to us. It’s kind of reminds me of the story of, of recently of Volkswagen. If you know, if you’ve read anything recently on Volkswagen, Volkswagen, where they had Their systems to test emissions in cars. Only they weren’t really testing it. They were just giving the appearance of it, testing it. They acted like they cared about what their cars were emitting into the environment, but they really didn’t. So they took they took the opportunity to create a system that pretended to test but didn’t really, really. And then it got found out. And then when that happens, there’s there’s a lack of trust, right? It’s this appearance, but it denies the power thereof. It’s the same thing with the with the church. Like, I’m sorry if you didn’t know that about Volkswagen. And you drove one in this morning and and now I made you feel bad. But I got to be honest. Your car was created by Hitler already, so it’s not like. It’s not like your reputation was great to begin with. Just. Just someone. I said that this morning and someone said, hey, dude, don’t you know Adidas was invented by Nazis as well? And I’m like, shoot, I’m going to have to take my shoes off.
I didn’t I did not know that. So that’s not good. That’s not good. But but to but to save face for Volkswagen people. So you don’t feel all bad. It collapsed. And then a German or a British company bought it later. So. So you’re off the hook. But. But you know, when we find out something claims to be something that it isn’t. You have this this lack of trust moving forward. Because I think even as a church, how sacred it is that we carry the gift of Christ. Not not by pretending to be something we’re not, not to impress people with who we are, but to see their lives impressed with who Christ is. And this is the difference between Ananias and Sapphira and and really what it is to walk humbly with the Lord. And Aeneas and Sapphira cared more about what people thought about them than necessarily what people thought about Christ. And this is why they’re putting on the facade they gave. Let me give you the next point. Then they gave into the temptation of pride. What drove Ananias and Sapphira is what we call idolatry or unbelief. And this is really where we all wrestle. It’s it’s the it’s a similar thought, idolatry and unbelief. But it’s it’s two thoughts on the same coin, just different sides.
And the idea of unbelief is not trusting that God is sufficient and idolatry is believing something else is. And if you don’t trust God is sufficient, you will look for something to fill that void. And the only logical step is idolatry. So? So for us, the challenge becomes, how can I really lean into believing Jesus is enough for me? Because our tendency sometimes is to see ourselves as the exception. It reminds me of the story of a of a man in the 1700s who was traveling across the United States, and he was going from the East Coast to the West Coast, and he got to the to the gateway of the West. He’s in Missouri, and he’s as he’s getting ready to cross into Missouri. He’s he’s got to go across the Mississippi, and he’s choosing to do this in the middle of winter at the, at the, at the darkness of night. And when he gets to the river, he realizes it’s frozen, but he doesn’t know how frozen. And so, in fear, he decides to sprawl out on the river and do an army crawl all the way across. And he doesn’t recognize, because it’s in the darkness of night, that this particular journey is over a mile wide. And the position that he’s going across this river. And he gets about halfway across this river, still crawling, still fearful of what could happen if that ice begins to crack. And all of a sudden the ground begins to tremble and he gets nervous and starts to panic.
He’s thinking, oh, this is it. And then as the ground trembles, he starts to hear a noise and it sparks his attention. And so he he starts to turn around. And when he looks back, he sees a man riding a wagon fully loaded with deep, with several horses and just whistling along as he drives across the ice. And for us, it becomes a difference and comparison of faith. One individual was completely confident in what that river, the ice on that river, could do. And another one had never truly tested it. And it’s the same for us in our faith journey. It’s one thing to say I trust Jesus. But oftentimes we struggle. And when we when we think about what does it look like for me to struggle? Well, it could be in this sense that I have a fear of people’s opinions, what people think rather than than what the Lord thinks, or our struggle in the realm of forgiveness. Well, will Jesus be enough to carry me through if I truly forgive or or we we might struggle with selective obedience. I think God is enough sometimes. But is he enough all the time? Or we might struggle in hopelessness and suffering like God. This is difficult, but will you sustain me? We we have those battles that that war within us and and and this is what Ananias and Sapphira are guilty of is, is that temptation of pride, trusting in self rather than what the Lord has called them to in him.
So here’s the last question. How can we apply this story for a healthy purpose? We’re all susceptible. We all have this tendency. Alright, let me let me just give you an example how like if you don’t think you battle with with pride and you’re here this morning and you don’t know Jesus, let me just ask, what keeps you from knowing Jesus? Is it really truth? Because I can tell you. You can clear that up in about five minutes, right? If you if you’re if you’re completely ignorant to the historical reliability of Jesus takes, takes just a couple of minutes to see that, is it really truth Or is it? Can we be honest? Maybe a battle within me. Is it this rebellion in my own heart? Or maybe when you came to know Christ, how long did you resist before you finally surrendered? And even in walking with Jesus, how often? How often do you trust in other things rather than him? And we all battle. Even when you go back to the beginning of the Garden of Eden. Let me give you next blink in your notes. Someone read a verse from there. But we we need to recognize our our own vulnerability. That’s the blink. Our own vulnerability. And in Genesis chapter three, it shows us that internal battle. It says he talking about the serpent, said to the woman, Eve, Did God actually say, you shall not eat of the the tree in the garden? But the serpent then said to the woman, you will not surely die.
I mean, God didn’t say that, right? For for God knows that when you eat of it, you will, you will. Your eyes will be open and you’ll be like God, knowing good and evil. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes and the tree was to be desired to make one wise she took the fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband. You know, there is this tendency within us, all of us, to think I know better than God or gods actually withholding from me what is best. And maybe he’s doing it intentionally. Maybe he’s doing it ignorantly. But I know better than God. And so in this moment, I need to take that position. And this is what Satan is tempting him to. Don’t you know better from God? Isn’t God withholding his best from you? Wouldn’t you be better off to make this choice independent for him, for your own glory rather than his? And shouldn’t you then take that throne from him and assume that? And when he’s saying you’ll know right from wrong, he’s saying you will sit on that throne and rule as if you are God, declaring what is right and wrong.
Now listen. For some people that might believe you can become like God in the sense that you will become God if you take your advice from Satan. You need to get a new leader. I mean, what he’s saying to us in this story is this is the battle for all of us. We have this tendency of believing we know better than God that God’s intentions for us aren’t good or that he’s not able. And in so doing, it distorts not only the view of God, of who God is. It distorts who I am, and it leads to a path of destruction. So let me give you these last couple points so we can be done here. Here’s what we need to do. Anchor your life in divine purpose. Anchor your life in divine purpose. And the last one is this. Always receive grace. Anchor your life in divine purpose. Let Jesus reorient all of who you are in him. I mean, you may say, God, I am. I’m crawling across that Mississippi. I’m not ready to ride the wagon. But Jesus wants you to learn in that he’s more than enough. He’s more than enough. And in fact, that’s what the last verse is. Encouraging us in the church moved powerfully. How did the church move powerfully in the first century? Because this thought they never got over. It was this gift that they chose to walk in in their day. And you think about how how can the church make a difference in this, in this valley, in the Lord? It’s it’s this gift, the sacredness of gathering before the beauty of the Lord and saying, God, my life is yours.
Have your way. Just as Paul said in Galatians 220, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, it’s not I who live, but Christ who lives in me, and the life that I live by the flesh through the Son of God, who who gave his life for me, that determines everything that I am and therefore impacts everything that I do for his glory, that others may be blessed in him. As my life is transformed before his presence, so that I can go from crawling to to riding in the glory of God. So, so let me give you this conclusion. I’ll share with this last story here. When we treat the sacred as common, when we treat the sacred as common, faith becomes hollow. When when we try to look spiritual instead of being surrendered, it hypocrisy replaces holiness. But when we live with reverent surrender, the spirit fills our ordinary with his glory. And that’s what God desires to do in the ordinary of your life. Surrender to him the glory of who he has made known. I’ll end with this. There was a man by the name of Edward Kimball, of which no one is. He’s not remarkable in history. Most of us really wouldn’t know him, except for one thing.
One thing happened in his life. So I wouldn’t be surprised if no one here has ever heard of his name. But Edward Kimball was a teacher at his church. He taught Sunday school, and in one particular Sunday, a young man joined his class, and Edward Kimball didn’t know whether or not this individual was a believer. And so he he decided to go visit this young man one day. But interesting with for Edward Kimball became that wrestling in his heart of am I going to trust God in this moment or not? Did the Lord is the Lord leading me to talk to this young man or not? And he said when he left his his place of work to go visit this young man the entire way he tried to talk himself out of it. He would say things like, well, what if I encounter this young man and he’s with his friends and I try to talk to him about Jesus, But rather than listen to me, it just embarrasses him in front of his friends. Or what if he doesn’t want to hear what I have to say? What if all those things he starts playing that in his mind. And all of a sudden, Edward Kimball, he finds himself arriving where the young man is, which the young man, at 17 years old, worked at a shoe shop. He sold shoes, and Edward Kimball walked inside. And he starts to talk to this individual about the Lord.
And to his surprise, in that moment that young man gave his life to Christ. And that young man was D.L. Moody. D.l. Moody, if you’re familiar with it, went on to see thousands of people come to know Jesus within his lifetime. He started a Bible college, which has produced thousands of missionaries around the world and pastors here within our country and other countries, too. They asked Edward Kimball about this moment. What was it like to share the gospel with D.L. Moody? And he said it like this I made what felt like a very weak plea for Christ. I don’t remember just what I said. It something about Christ and His love. It was nothing very striking, yet it was the turning point in that boy’s life. God’s not looking for you to impress people with who you are. His desire is for you to be faithful. Because what God has called us to is to represent him in this world, so that others can be impressed with who he is. It’s not about people looking to how great I am, but about how great Christ is. The sacredness of this moment, the gift that it is to know the Lord. He’s not one of many things. He’s preeminent in all things. And when our heart is surrendered to him, the power of Christ is made known in us.