“Don’t mock God.” Let me tell you about a great and scary thing that happened at church last Sunday (from Acts 4 and 5).
Brother Barnabas is a great guy to be around. He is a son of encouragement and full of the Holy Spirit and faith. He’s well off, but not “braggy” or well-to-do about it; he sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money to church and laid it at Pastor Peter’s feet. What a blessing! This can be distributed to each as any had need. Think of the widows and orphans and those who could be helped by this act of generosity and selflessness. Thank you, Brother Barnabas, what a great blessing!
But then something scary happened. Brother Ananias also sold a piece of property he owned, but unlike Brother Barnabas, he kept back some of the profit for himself. He brought what he had and laid it at Pastor Peter’s feet. Pastor Peter saw right through him and would have none of it. He said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit? Why have you kept back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? Why is it that you have done this in your heart? You have not lied to man, but to God.” When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died! And great fear came upon everyone in the church.
To make matters worse, his wife Sapphira came in three hours later, not knowing what had happened. Pastor Peter asked her, “Did you sell the land for that much?” She answered, “Yes.” Peter challenged her, “How is it that you agreed with your husband to test the Spirit of the Lord? You will face the same fate as he,” and immediately she fell down and breathed her last. Once again, great fear came upon the whole church and everyone else who wasn’t there that day.
God takes lying and hypocrisy in the church seriously, and everyone will give an account to Him for their actions and all their careless words. Thankfully, many people don’t receive immediate judgment today, like Ananias and Sapphira, and although it’s true God is patient, we can be sure our sin will be dealt with. We deserve punishment and death, the consequence of our sin apart from Christ is death, and the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23). We should be afraid because our sin against our holy God is so great, but His love and forgiveness for His people are greater. We can rest in His mercy and grace, but you’d better be afraid of Him if there is reason to be. Our God is an awesome God, and will not be mocked.