WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.520 --> 00:00:02.720 Well, today we're gonna find out how sin can kill 2 00:00:02.759 --> 00:00:03.919 you dead. Wow. 3 00:00:04.240 --> 00:00:06.799 So I'm sure you're glad you're tuned in on a 4 00:00:06.799 --> 00:00:09.759 Monday to hear about that. I'm Jeff, He's Chris, and 5 00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:10.839 we're the Daily Bible guys. 6 00:00:13.880 --> 00:00:25.839 Mm. So today we're gonna just try to make each 7 00:00:25.839 --> 00:00:26.519 other laugh real. 8 00:00:26.480 --> 00:00:27.359 Quick, that's what we're gonna do. 9 00:00:27.719 --> 00:00:30.039 Yeah. Well, I mean we have like a personal segment 10 00:00:30.039 --> 00:00:31.519 that we just kind of you know, goof around a 11 00:00:31.519 --> 00:00:34.560 little bit. That's good and uh so I'm just gonna attend. 12 00:00:34.280 --> 00:00:36.600 Pretty easy mark on these kinds of things. Right. Well, 13 00:00:36.600 --> 00:00:39.520 we've just proven that kind of a giggler yeah and fall. 14 00:00:39.399 --> 00:00:43.679 Kickoff, we figured that out. But so so yeah, So 15 00:00:43.679 --> 00:00:45.399 here's what I'm gonna do. I want you to turn 16 00:00:45.439 --> 00:00:48.359 away for three seconds and then turn turn back around. 17 00:00:48.359 --> 00:00:49.600 Hang on and get you hang on. 18 00:00:49.640 --> 00:00:51.159 Now, you know you have a lot of listeners too, 19 00:00:51.399 --> 00:00:53.039 Well that's okay, so you have to describe for them 20 00:00:53.039 --> 00:00:56.039 what you're doing. All right, Look, am I supposed to 21 00:00:56.039 --> 00:00:56.359 turn around? 22 00:00:56.399 --> 00:01:02.479 Yeah? I made a face, ladies and jentlemen made face 23 00:01:03.439 --> 00:01:06.120 was hideous? Okay, okay, make me laugh. 24 00:01:06.200 --> 00:01:09.239 So Polar Bear walks into a diner and he says, 25 00:01:10.159 --> 00:01:16.000 give me a hamburger and fries, and the service says, 26 00:01:16.159 --> 00:01:18.159 why the big pause. He goes, Oh no, I was 27 00:01:18.200 --> 00:01:23.920 born with him. You know that's funny. 28 00:01:24.239 --> 00:01:26.640 Come, it is funny. But I didn't laugh. 29 00:01:26.719 --> 00:01:28.040 You worked really hard at that one. 30 00:01:28.200 --> 00:01:33.200 I did. I worked really hard. Okay. I'm more sixth 31 00:01:33.200 --> 00:01:34.439 grade trying to make you laugh. 32 00:01:36.040 --> 00:01:39.040 Okay, Nope, not gonna laugh at that one. Never laugh 33 00:01:39.120 --> 00:01:42.120 at those. That's not even sixth grade. That's my my 34 00:01:42.200 --> 00:01:44.480 three year old grandson. He was doing that for this morning. 35 00:01:44.519 --> 00:01:46.840 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, come on in junior high, 36 00:01:47.319 --> 00:01:50.159 sixth grade. Knock, knock, Yes, who's there? 37 00:01:50.280 --> 00:01:50.920 Control freak? 38 00:01:51.599 --> 00:01:52.280 Control for now? 39 00:01:52.319 --> 00:01:55.640 You taken control freak? Who gotcha? 40 00:01:58.239 --> 00:02:00.519 Okay, that was pretty good. That was pretty good. 41 00:02:00.560 --> 00:02:01.599 Yeah, I win. I'm the winner. 42 00:02:01.760 --> 00:02:02.959 Yeah, you're the winner. Okay. 43 00:02:03.879 --> 00:02:04.079 Hey. 44 00:02:04.120 --> 00:02:06.599 By the way, for those who don't attend our church, 45 00:02:07.599 --> 00:02:12.639 we're pastors both at Heritage Church and last week last Sunday, Yeah, 46 00:02:12.680 --> 00:02:15.400 we did a tortilla challenge on stage. That's right, and 47 00:02:15.479 --> 00:02:18.280 the goal is to make one another laugh by slapping 48 00:02:18.280 --> 00:02:21.240 them with tortillas with a mouthful of water. So we 49 00:02:21.280 --> 00:02:22.319 had three services, and. 50 00:02:22.240 --> 00:02:23.879 I'm sure if you're allowed to do that in church 51 00:02:23.919 --> 00:02:25.400 or not, but we did. 52 00:02:25.479 --> 00:02:29.039 Yeah, and uh, anyway, I lost two of the three services. 53 00:02:29.039 --> 00:02:32.120 So Jeff has a belt, an actual victory. 54 00:02:31.879 --> 00:02:33.759 The UFC belt, a championship belt. 55 00:02:33.800 --> 00:02:34.879 Yeah, what's in your office? 56 00:02:34.879 --> 00:02:35.479 It's incredible. 57 00:02:35.599 --> 00:02:36.759 Yeah, it's really great. 58 00:02:37.280 --> 00:02:40.680 So yeah, whatever, So before we jump into the study 59 00:02:40.680 --> 00:02:42.879 of the day, I'm sure you're glad that we just 60 00:02:42.879 --> 00:02:44.879 spent that two and a half minutes there horsing around. 61 00:02:44.919 --> 00:02:48.560 But would you do this for us? Would you go 62 00:02:48.759 --> 00:02:52.120 on YouTube if you're watching on YouTube and subscribe. If 63 00:02:52.120 --> 00:02:55.599 you subscribe on YouTube, that helps us all their algorithms, 64 00:02:55.639 --> 00:02:57.560 all those kinds of things. Make sure you like the 65 00:02:57.599 --> 00:02:59.639 podcast if you do. Even if you don't, we just 66 00:02:59.639 --> 00:03:02.479 really shade hit, just hit the like, give it the 67 00:03:02.479 --> 00:03:05.120 thumbs up, and then maybe leave a comment of some sort. 68 00:03:05.479 --> 00:03:09.639 So all the interaction that you have on YouTube helps 69 00:03:09.680 --> 00:03:12.000 the algorithms that makes YouTube pay attention to the fact 70 00:03:12.039 --> 00:03:15.439 that people like this podcast. So that'll help us, and 71 00:03:15.759 --> 00:03:17.919 it'll help you be able to share more of these 72 00:03:17.960 --> 00:03:20.199 things with your friends and family. So just if you're 73 00:03:20.199 --> 00:03:22.560 doing that on YouTube, that'd be great. If you're listening 74 00:03:22.560 --> 00:03:24.719 on one of the other podcast platforms, do the same 75 00:03:24.800 --> 00:03:27.120 kind of thing. On those platforms, but especially on YouTube today. 76 00:03:27.159 --> 00:03:29.080 Yeah, and there's and all the links are available at 77 00:03:29.159 --> 00:03:30.319 the bibleguys dot com. 78 00:03:30.400 --> 00:03:34.400 Yep, that's right. Okay. So we are continuing along in 79 00:03:34.599 --> 00:03:36.960 the Book of Acts, and we're just looking at how 80 00:03:37.439 --> 00:03:41.000 God began to send this message of Jesus, this good 81 00:03:41.039 --> 00:03:44.639 news all around the world. And it's really extraordinary because 82 00:03:44.639 --> 00:03:48.000 he's using everyday ordinary people to do this work. And 83 00:03:48.039 --> 00:03:51.479 so we're reading in Acts, chapter five, verse one. 84 00:03:51.560 --> 00:03:52.159 So this is. 85 00:03:52.919 --> 00:03:56.840 Months maybe after the Holy Spirit came. This is months 86 00:03:56.879 --> 00:03:58.919 after Jesus has sent it back to heaven. The Holy 87 00:03:58.960 --> 00:04:01.919 Spirit came like a my rushing wind. And then they 88 00:04:01.960 --> 00:04:04.360 begin to preach and share the good news of the Gospel. 89 00:04:04.719 --> 00:04:07.840 And at this point now to give some context this passage, 90 00:04:07.960 --> 00:04:11.520 there were so many Christians that had traveled from all 91 00:04:11.520 --> 00:04:15.240 around the world to come for Passover in Pentecost, and 92 00:04:15.280 --> 00:04:17.000 now they're kind of stuck here. They don't have a 93 00:04:17.040 --> 00:04:18.519 lot of money, they don't have a lot of resources, 94 00:04:18.519 --> 00:04:21.959 they're running out of things, and there's beginning to be 95 00:04:22.120 --> 00:04:24.319 just a little bit of social pressure, and so the 96 00:04:24.399 --> 00:04:27.319 Christians begin to sell what they have to share with 97 00:04:27.399 --> 00:04:29.839 the other Christians who maybe were stuck in Druce lom 98 00:04:29.920 --> 00:04:33.120 Er didn't have anything. So that's what we're picking up 99 00:04:33.160 --> 00:04:36.199 with here. In Acts chapter five, verse one, and it says, 100 00:04:36.240 --> 00:04:38.399 but there was a certain man named Annonius who, with 101 00:04:38.519 --> 00:04:42.040 his wife Sephirah, sold some property. He brought part of 102 00:04:42.040 --> 00:04:44.240 the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full 103 00:04:44.279 --> 00:04:47.439 amount with his wife's consent. He kept the rest. Then 104 00:04:47.439 --> 00:04:50.079 Peter said, Anonius, why have you let Satan fill your heart? 105 00:04:50.360 --> 00:04:52.560 You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some 106 00:04:52.639 --> 00:04:55.399 of the money for yourself. The property was yours to 107 00:04:55.439 --> 00:04:58.560 sell or not sell, as you wished, and after selling it, 108 00:04:58.600 --> 00:05:00.680 the money was also yours to give away. 109 00:05:01.279 --> 00:05:01.839 How could you. 110 00:05:01.800 --> 00:05:04.120 Do a thing like this. You weren't lying to us, 111 00:05:04.319 --> 00:05:06.480 but to God. And as soon as Anna and i 112 00:05:06.519 --> 00:05:08.839 As heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. 113 00:05:09.399 --> 00:05:12.160 Everyone who heard about it was terrified. Then some young 114 00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:13.720 men got up and wrapped him in a sheet and 115 00:05:13.759 --> 00:05:16.279 took him out and buried him. About three hours later, 116 00:05:16.279 --> 00:05:18.199 his wife came in, not knowing what had happened, and 117 00:05:18.199 --> 00:05:22.680 Peter asked her, what is the I'm sorry, Peter asked her. 118 00:05:22.879 --> 00:05:24.920 Was this the price you and your husband received for 119 00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:28.560 your land? Yes? She replied, that's the price, and Peter said, 120 00:05:28.600 --> 00:05:30.879 how could the two of you even think of conspiring 121 00:05:30.920 --> 00:05:33.160 to test the spirit of the Lord like this? The 122 00:05:33.240 --> 00:05:36.199 young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, 123 00:05:36.279 --> 00:05:39.079 and they'll carry you out too. Instantly, she fell to 124 00:05:39.120 --> 00:05:41.560 the floor and died. When the young men came in 125 00:05:41.639 --> 00:05:43.879 and saw that she was dead, they carried her out 126 00:05:44.040 --> 00:05:47.759 and buried her outside beside her husband. Great fear gripped 127 00:05:47.800 --> 00:05:53.160 the entire church and everyone else who'd heard what had happened. Yeah, 128 00:05:53.360 --> 00:05:54.759 this is a kind of a crazy story. 129 00:05:54.839 --> 00:05:56.639 Yeah, now are we continue on to verse sixteen? 130 00:05:56.720 --> 00:05:59.279 No? Oh, yeah, yeah, we'll keep going. The apostles were 131 00:05:59.279 --> 00:06:01.920 performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people, and 132 00:06:01.959 --> 00:06:04.040 all the believers were meeting regularly at the temple in 133 00:06:04.079 --> 00:06:06.879 the area known as Solomon's Colony, but no one else 134 00:06:06.959 --> 00:06:09.000 dared to join them, even though all the people had 135 00:06:09.079 --> 00:06:12.240 high regard for them. Yet more and more people believed 136 00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:14.560 and were brought to the Lord, crowds of both men 137 00:06:14.600 --> 00:06:17.000 and women as a result of the apostles work. Sick 138 00:06:17.040 --> 00:06:19.120 people were brought out into the streets on beds and 139 00:06:19.160 --> 00:06:21.959 mats so that Peter's shadow might fall across some of 140 00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:25.000 them as he went by. Crowds came from the villages 141 00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:28.079 around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil spirits, 142 00:06:28.319 --> 00:06:29.480 and they were all healed. 143 00:06:30.120 --> 00:06:33.240 Okay, So yeah, sort of two parts there, which is 144 00:06:33.920 --> 00:06:34.920 the apostles. 145 00:06:34.519 --> 00:06:36.399 Are healing many he left punch man. 146 00:06:37.800 --> 00:06:40.439 Yeah, the right ones and last and the left punches 147 00:06:40.680 --> 00:06:44.600 as the farrs. You know, it's a fair question. It's 148 00:06:44.639 --> 00:06:46.680 a fair question to say, why would God do this? 149 00:06:47.720 --> 00:06:50.399 It's a fair thing to think like that doesn't sound 150 00:06:50.519 --> 00:06:52.680 like that sounds more like the God of the Old 151 00:06:52.680 --> 00:06:55.199 Testament versus the God the New Testament. People would say, sure, 152 00:06:56.120 --> 00:06:59.240 you know, and why would God kill somebody? Because I mean, 153 00:06:59.240 --> 00:07:02.000 you know, lying he's a big deal. But but why 154 00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:04.199 would he do this? And by the way, is this 155 00:07:04.240 --> 00:07:07.120 the I think this is the only place right in 156 00:07:07.160 --> 00:07:11.120 the New Testament where God strikes somebody down. He did 157 00:07:11.160 --> 00:07:13.120 in the Old Testament for disobeying sure, like when they 158 00:07:13.199 --> 00:07:14.879 touched the ark of the Covenant and whoop, they just 159 00:07:14.920 --> 00:07:16.480 died disobeyed God. 160 00:07:16.800 --> 00:07:18.480 Yeah, I think that there are a few others he 161 00:07:18.519 --> 00:07:21.879 struck down Herod and a couple others, but I think 162 00:07:21.879 --> 00:07:25.160 this is the only one where we were seeing Christians, Yes, 163 00:07:25.199 --> 00:07:27.319 that are struck down within the church. 164 00:07:27.439 --> 00:07:30.519 Yes, So do you want to you want to try 165 00:07:30.519 --> 00:07:32.199 to comment on that, like why would why would. 166 00:07:31.959 --> 00:07:34.560 I, well, loving God do that? Yeah. Yeah, So the 167 00:07:34.560 --> 00:07:37.160 way you framed the question, you're asking why you know 168 00:07:38.480 --> 00:07:40.040 this sounds more like the God of the Old Testament 169 00:07:40.040 --> 00:07:42.160 than the God of the New Testament. Yeah. Well, for 170 00:07:42.240 --> 00:07:45.439 one thing, it's the same God, right, So there's that, right, 171 00:07:45.480 --> 00:07:47.839 and and I know you know that, but it is 172 00:07:47.920 --> 00:07:50.519 kind of surprising people feel like, oh, no, God's wrath 173 00:07:50.600 --> 00:07:52.959 and judgment is only in the Old Testament and now 174 00:07:52.959 --> 00:07:56.040 it's all grace and mercy. So thank God for God's grace. 175 00:07:56.120 --> 00:07:59.399 Thank God for mercy. You know. Book of Romans is 176 00:07:59.439 --> 00:08:02.160 all about God's mercy and God's grace and it's so 177 00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:06.079 incredibly important. And in the Church, God's message is not 178 00:08:06.160 --> 00:08:08.600 a message of judgment. Well, God is trying to say 179 00:08:08.600 --> 00:08:13.519 to the people, those that are non believers, especially that yes, 180 00:08:13.639 --> 00:08:16.600 judgment will come at the end, we'll all stand before 181 00:08:16.680 --> 00:08:20.920 Christ and give an account, but mercy is available now. 182 00:08:20.959 --> 00:08:23.120 God doesn't want you to be running in fear all 183 00:08:23.160 --> 00:08:25.959 the time. God wants you to respond to his mercy 184 00:08:25.959 --> 00:08:31.079 and grace so that with regard to salvation is always available. 185 00:08:31.079 --> 00:08:34.080 But sometimes I think we can tangle up all. God 186 00:08:34.200 --> 00:08:36.159 just is kind of winking at my sin, whereas before 187 00:08:36.159 --> 00:08:39.840 I used to be mad about it. And God has 188 00:08:39.879 --> 00:08:43.279 not changed his opinion. So in this situation what they've done, 189 00:08:43.399 --> 00:08:46.039 they're not in trouble for lying. They're in trouble for 190 00:08:46.360 --> 00:08:49.879 lying to the Holy Spirit. They're lying to God, and 191 00:08:49.919 --> 00:08:53.159 they're lying to all the other Christians for the sake 192 00:08:53.240 --> 00:08:56.360 of their own personal pride. And that's the confrontation that 193 00:08:56.399 --> 00:08:58.919 you have from Peters. All this stuff was yours. You 194 00:08:58.960 --> 00:09:00.879 didn't have to give any of it. You could have 195 00:09:00.960 --> 00:09:03.879 chosen any portion of it, but you held. 196 00:09:03.799 --> 00:09:04.879 You didn't have to sell the land. 197 00:09:04.960 --> 00:09:07.440 Yeah, you didn't have to do anything right right, but 198 00:09:07.519 --> 00:09:11.480 you chose to lie. And that's the issue. You're lying 199 00:09:11.519 --> 00:09:14.120 to God and you're lying to God's people, And God said, 200 00:09:14.240 --> 00:09:15.840 I'm going to draw a line here. I think all 201 00:09:15.879 --> 00:09:20.120 of the Christians needs understand. How you behave, particularly with 202 00:09:20.360 --> 00:09:23.759 the the attitude of your heart, the pride in your life, 203 00:09:23.879 --> 00:09:25.480 there is a consequence to those things. 204 00:09:25.720 --> 00:09:27.879 You know. What it reminds me of is in the 205 00:09:27.879 --> 00:09:31.639 Old Testament. Remember Haffnei in Phineas. Yeah enough, sure, if 206 00:09:31.639 --> 00:09:34.919 that's how you Haffnai or haff Yeah. So they were 207 00:09:34.960 --> 00:09:37.600 elis sons and they were the ones that were blaspheming 208 00:09:37.679 --> 00:09:41.559 in the temple. And you know in that story, Eli 209 00:09:41.799 --> 00:09:44.320 would have been the high priest and those were his sons. 210 00:09:44.320 --> 00:09:48.240 And Eli was demonstrated himself as somebody who used to 211 00:09:48.279 --> 00:09:50.639 be close to God and hearing his voice but was 212 00:09:50.679 --> 00:09:53.240 so far removed, you know, just sort of going through 213 00:09:53.240 --> 00:09:56.039 the motions so that you know, we can find ourselves 214 00:09:56.120 --> 00:10:00.120 spiritually that way sometimes related to Eli, but it's a 215 00:10:00.120 --> 00:10:03.759 whole different category for Hoffney and Phineas because they were 216 00:10:03.759 --> 00:10:07.279 doing things, you know, running the church basically, and it 217 00:10:07.279 --> 00:10:09.600 says they were sleeping with women at the temple. They 218 00:10:09.600 --> 00:10:13.879 were manipulating their position to sleep with women as they 219 00:10:13.919 --> 00:10:16.399 were coming, as women were coming to give their sacrifices. 220 00:10:17.039 --> 00:10:21.399 And then the sacrifices were you know, like oftentimes like 221 00:10:21.440 --> 00:10:25.559 bulls and cows, and they were actually eating the meat 222 00:10:25.600 --> 00:10:28.200 that was supposed to be sacrificed. So think about that. 223 00:10:28.559 --> 00:10:31.879 You know, they bring an offering to God for their sin, 224 00:10:32.440 --> 00:10:34.320 and instead of seeing it like an offering to pay 225 00:10:34.360 --> 00:10:36.759 for sin in the Old Testament. They thought, hey, that 226 00:10:36.759 --> 00:10:40.399 looks like a good steak, and they ate it. So 227 00:10:40.879 --> 00:10:43.759 all that to say that I believe that this to 228 00:10:43.879 --> 00:10:48.440 me smells like you know. Peter's response says, listen, either 229 00:10:48.519 --> 00:10:51.320 make the commitment to God himself or don't make the commitment. 230 00:10:51.360 --> 00:10:53.600 That's up to you. That's the grace part, right. God 231 00:10:53.639 --> 00:10:56.080 wasn't going to judge it because of it. There was 232 00:10:56.200 --> 00:10:58.519 any requirement at all, There was no pressure. There was 233 00:10:58.519 --> 00:11:01.240 no you have to thou shout thus shah not. None 234 00:11:01.279 --> 00:11:03.759 of that was there, right, But what you chose to 235 00:11:03.799 --> 00:11:06.240 do is you chose to look in the face of God. 236 00:11:06.279 --> 00:11:09.360 In this case, it was actually a very specific thing 237 00:11:09.399 --> 00:11:12.399 that was happening amongst the early Church. And you said, 238 00:11:12.440 --> 00:11:15.879 in front of God and everybody, we're so holy, we 239 00:11:16.320 --> 00:11:18.960 sold this amount, We're sacrificing everything to this whole thing. 240 00:11:19.240 --> 00:11:21.480 And God said, nope, I'm not going to have it. Yeah, 241 00:11:21.519 --> 00:11:26.360 And God God punished them for the category of blaspheming, right, 242 00:11:26.399 --> 00:11:28.440 because that's what Peter says. You've not lied to us, 243 00:11:28.480 --> 00:11:31.200 You've lied to God. You've told the Holy Spirit this 244 00:11:31.799 --> 00:11:34.720 and it's a blaspheming kind of a thing. And you 245 00:11:34.720 --> 00:11:37.759 know what it's a reminder to all of us, especially 246 00:11:37.799 --> 00:11:40.559 those who are pastors. And you don't have to be 247 00:11:40.600 --> 00:11:44.000 a pastor for this, but especially if you're a vocational 248 00:11:44.200 --> 00:11:47.399 minister or you or you spend the majority of your 249 00:11:47.440 --> 00:11:50.679 time in a leadership role, that when you cross over 250 00:11:50.679 --> 00:11:54.519 into the line of blaspheming, that's a really dangerous place 251 00:11:54.559 --> 00:11:54.759 to be. 252 00:11:54.919 --> 00:11:57.320 Yeah, and I think the threshold for blasphemy is lower 253 00:11:57.440 --> 00:11:58.759 maybe than many of us would think. 254 00:11:58.879 --> 00:11:59.799 Right, Yeah, it's. 255 00:11:59.720 --> 00:12:03.399 So so this is you know, Anonius was just a 256 00:12:03.399 --> 00:12:05.240 certain man and it doesn't say that he was one 257 00:12:05.279 --> 00:12:08.240 of the leaders, right, He's just a certain man. His 258 00:12:08.279 --> 00:12:12.840 wife just they're just normal business people, probably in the community, 259 00:12:13.279 --> 00:12:15.440 something along those lines. They had a little bit of extra. 260 00:12:15.960 --> 00:12:18.120 But this reminds me of you remember in a book 261 00:12:18.120 --> 00:12:20.159 of Proverbs, it talks about that there's six things that 262 00:12:20.200 --> 00:12:22.600 God hates. It says in the King James, six things 263 00:12:22.639 --> 00:12:25.879 does God hate? YEA seven are an abomination, right, right, 264 00:12:25.960 --> 00:12:27.559 And it talks about one of them would be a 265 00:12:27.639 --> 00:12:30.159 lying tongue, that's one of them. But the other, the 266 00:12:30.200 --> 00:12:35.639 last one says, a prideful look is one of those. 267 00:12:35.720 --> 00:12:35.879 Right. 268 00:12:35.960 --> 00:12:40.720 This pride issue, this pride that puffs us up is 269 00:12:40.759 --> 00:12:45.279 one of the things that God is particularly despises. It's 270 00:12:45.279 --> 00:12:47.600 literally it's an abomination. The word abomination in the Bible 271 00:12:47.639 --> 00:12:50.360 means it makes God want to throw up. And so 272 00:12:51.399 --> 00:12:54.240 I think we need to be very careful about minimizing 273 00:12:54.919 --> 00:12:57.480 the consequences of our sin or the offense that our 274 00:12:57.519 --> 00:13:00.320 sin causes to God. Just because He's willing to give 275 00:13:00.360 --> 00:13:02.279 me of my sin does not mean that there's not 276 00:13:02.320 --> 00:13:04.639 going to be some kind of consequence if I'm flippantly 277 00:13:04.720 --> 00:13:07.720 running around doing you know, all kinds of sins against God. 278 00:13:08.200 --> 00:13:11.799 So his opinion of it, of my sin has not changed. 279 00:13:12.159 --> 00:13:16.480 His opinion of my behavior, and my attitudes have not changed. 280 00:13:16.480 --> 00:13:18.679 And so as Christians. Even though now I do not 281 00:13:18.720 --> 00:13:21.759 believe that antonisis fire went to Hell. I just think 282 00:13:21.759 --> 00:13:24.360 he cut their mission on Earth short because he couldn't 283 00:13:24.360 --> 00:13:26.720 trust them anymore. Well, if that's where you're gonna live, 284 00:13:26.759 --> 00:13:27.519 it's not a bad. 285 00:13:27.399 --> 00:13:28.679 Day for analysis to fire. 286 00:13:28.799 --> 00:13:29.360 They go to heaven. 287 00:13:29.440 --> 00:13:31.840 Oh no, I go to heaven. I go to heaven early, right, right. 288 00:13:31.720 --> 00:13:34.200 But it is a shock to everybody else, going, oh wow. 289 00:13:34.440 --> 00:13:36.840 I need to mind my p's and q's. I need 290 00:13:36.840 --> 00:13:39.240 to pay attention to my attitudes I need to be 291 00:13:39.480 --> 00:13:44.320 paying attention to my pay attention to my intentions, and 292 00:13:44.639 --> 00:13:47.559 I think that's incredibly important. So what we're seeing here 293 00:13:47.799 --> 00:13:51.200 is a couple of things are happening in this season 294 00:13:51.600 --> 00:13:55.600 Acts four, five, six, seven, eight. One is there's a 295 00:13:55.600 --> 00:13:59.600 lot of external pressure. Persecution is beginning to bubble up 296 00:13:59.600 --> 00:14:01.759 in a skin and it gets hotter and hotter and 297 00:14:01.759 --> 00:14:04.639 hotter over the next couple chapters. So persecution on the 298 00:14:04.679 --> 00:14:08.679 outside is happening, but on the inside we see in 299 00:14:08.720 --> 00:14:13.759 this situation there's dishonesty and there's greed. In just a moment, 300 00:14:13.840 --> 00:14:15.840 we're going to read about the difficulties that they're having. 301 00:14:15.840 --> 00:14:19.519 From an administrative standpoint, leadership is struggling. There's a lot 302 00:14:19.559 --> 00:14:23.200 of disappointments I think among the Christians in the way 303 00:14:23.200 --> 00:14:25.320 that the other Christians in leadership are behaving. 304 00:14:25.879 --> 00:14:27.480 And I think it sounds familiar. 305 00:14:27.559 --> 00:14:29.960 Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think both of us have dealt 306 00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:32.000 a lot with that. So how do you deal with 307 00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:37.159 Christian leaders or other high profile Christians who have failures 308 00:14:37.240 --> 00:14:39.879 or who you know don't always live up to the 309 00:14:40.000 --> 00:14:42.559 ideal that Jesus has called us to Because right now 310 00:14:42.600 --> 00:14:45.080 we live in a cancel culture, right, So our culture 311 00:14:45.080 --> 00:14:47.919 believes if you make any mistakes at all, particularly if 312 00:14:47.960 --> 00:14:50.480 you break a couple of rules that we've all established 313 00:14:50.480 --> 00:14:53.679 as being unbreakable, then you're canceled. And so it doesn't 314 00:14:53.720 --> 00:14:55.879 matter all the good you've done. You make this one mistake, 315 00:14:55.919 --> 00:14:58.200 we're gonna you know, we're going to cancel you. So 316 00:14:58.440 --> 00:15:01.399 how have you dealt with or manage through without saying 317 00:15:01.399 --> 00:15:06.799 any specific names the failures that are inevitable because we're 318 00:15:06.799 --> 00:15:09.440 all still sinners here in Nis and Sapphira, who are 319 00:15:09.519 --> 00:15:13.440 Christians just prove to us Christians still give in to temptation. 320 00:15:13.840 --> 00:15:18.720 Yeah, so, you know, I've never had a problem with 321 00:15:20.519 --> 00:15:24.080 separating the imperfect people who run the church and the 322 00:15:24.080 --> 00:15:27.440 perfect God that I love and serve. Now, there's a 323 00:15:27.519 --> 00:15:30.159 lot of people that cannot separate those two. And so 324 00:15:30.200 --> 00:15:32.440 if they go and they have a bad church experience 325 00:15:32.519 --> 00:15:34.559 and all of a sudden, the pastor is a jerk 326 00:15:35.200 --> 00:15:37.159 or you know, or you know, some sort of a 327 00:15:37.240 --> 00:15:40.360 leader volunteer leaders a jerk, or you know, or somebody 328 00:15:40.440 --> 00:15:45.559 does something dishonest or even sinful, right, you know, even malicious. 329 00:15:46.320 --> 00:15:48.360 There are people who what will happen is is it 330 00:15:48.360 --> 00:15:51.879 will destroy their you know, faith and by the way, 331 00:15:52.240 --> 00:15:54.600 it's gonna you're gonna get beat up. If you're a 332 00:15:54.600 --> 00:15:56.639 part of a church and you believe in that those 333 00:15:56.679 --> 00:15:58.879 people and all of a sudden something like that happens, 334 00:15:58.879 --> 00:16:01.159 You're going to get beat up. But in the end 335 00:16:01.279 --> 00:16:03.639 you have to wrestle through it and say, Okay, you 336 00:16:03.679 --> 00:16:06.240 know who offended me? Was it God himself or was 337 00:16:06.240 --> 00:16:10.000 it his people and his people? It's just disappointing. It's 338 00:16:10.440 --> 00:16:12.799 it's you know, it's that whole like, you're my friend, 339 00:16:12.840 --> 00:16:15.960 you're my family, you've offended me. I'm super hurt. And 340 00:16:15.960 --> 00:16:18.720 then that's a person to person forgiveness. But there are 341 00:16:18.720 --> 00:16:21.879 people who they just say, I give up on you know, God, 342 00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:26.360 I give up on church experiences. And so I don't 343 00:16:26.440 --> 00:16:29.000 know why, but I've just been able to, probably because 344 00:16:29.039 --> 00:16:31.320 God's wired me that way. So my number one spiritual 345 00:16:31.360 --> 00:16:34.480 gift is faith above anything else, and so I think 346 00:16:34.559 --> 00:16:36.960 that that's what makes it easy for me to say, Okay, 347 00:16:37.600 --> 00:16:40.840 I can separate these two. But let me just say 348 00:16:40.840 --> 00:16:45.000 this too. There are also people who you know, they're 349 00:16:45.120 --> 00:16:48.919 ninety nine percent, they're betting nine hundred right. There are 350 00:16:48.960 --> 00:16:51.960 people who just are faithful for years and years and years, 351 00:16:52.440 --> 00:16:55.080 and then that person maybe is going through a really 352 00:16:55.240 --> 00:16:59.960 bad season. I've known pastors who were faithful for twenty 353 00:17:00.159 --> 00:17:02.799 years and they were just amazing, and you can just 354 00:17:02.840 --> 00:17:06.079 tell they're worn out, they're discouraged. Maybe they go through 355 00:17:06.119 --> 00:17:09.599 a really hard time financially or medically or whatever it is, 356 00:17:10.000 --> 00:17:12.000 and just like all of us do right, and what 357 00:17:12.079 --> 00:17:14.400 ends up happening is that they start running on fumes 358 00:17:14.960 --> 00:17:17.359 and then you know, it's not necessarily driven by the 359 00:17:17.359 --> 00:17:19.839 power of the Holy Spirit, it's driven by their own reservoir, 360 00:17:20.279 --> 00:17:24.160 and it just ends up being not good. And you 361 00:17:24.240 --> 00:17:26.079 have to look past that and give them grace too, 362 00:17:26.799 --> 00:17:28.720 because it's like, you know, we're supposed to give each 363 00:17:28.720 --> 00:17:31.839 other grace, but it's really hurtful though. For a lot of. 364 00:17:31.799 --> 00:17:36.000 People, we tend to expect more from the other people 365 00:17:36.039 --> 00:17:39.240 around us than we want them to expect from us. 366 00:17:39.960 --> 00:17:43.160 We want them to extend more mercy and grace to 367 00:17:43.319 --> 00:17:46.119 us than we desire to extend back to them. Most 368 00:17:46.119 --> 00:17:47.880 of the time, especially the people we look up to, 369 00:17:48.680 --> 00:17:52.759 and we have this false idea that the leaders that 370 00:17:52.799 --> 00:17:58.039 are in our life are holier and better, somehow supernaturally 371 00:17:59.039 --> 00:18:03.240 more moral than we are, supernaturally protected from temptation and 372 00:18:03.279 --> 00:18:06.240 all these kinds of things, and that they are then 373 00:18:06.279 --> 00:18:08.160 to be put on a pedestal. And that's the mistake 374 00:18:08.279 --> 00:18:09.440 I think that we make a lot of times as 375 00:18:09.480 --> 00:18:12.319 we put people on a pedestal. And even Paul in 376 00:18:12.400 --> 00:18:14.559 his writings, and we'll get to this eventually, I'm sure, 377 00:18:15.160 --> 00:18:20.200 but Paul tells the Corinthians follow me as I follow Christ. 378 00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:23.839 He's giving them permission to not follow him when he's 379 00:18:23.880 --> 00:18:27.200 not clearly following Jesus, right, So what he's really trying 380 00:18:27.200 --> 00:18:29.599 to say is follow Jesus. And of course, you know, 381 00:18:29.640 --> 00:18:32.039 you can't see Jesus right now. We can read his words, 382 00:18:32.599 --> 00:18:34.119 but you can't see him. And so a lot of 383 00:18:34.160 --> 00:18:36.359 times God will give a leader, but there is no 384 00:18:36.440 --> 00:18:39.440 perfect leader apart from Christ, there's no perfect leader. Moses 385 00:18:39.480 --> 00:18:41.759 was a great leader, but he wasn't perfect. David was 386 00:18:41.759 --> 00:18:44.119 a great leader, but he certainly wasn't perfect. You can 387 00:18:44.200 --> 00:18:46.000 just go on down the line name all the leaders 388 00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:49.000 in the Bible. There's some really great heroes of the 389 00:18:49.000 --> 00:18:52.119 faith that had moments that we should all aspire to 390 00:18:52.440 --> 00:18:54.559 when they did do the best thing, but they all 391 00:18:55.319 --> 00:18:58.279 had moments when they also had failures. And God still 392 00:18:58.359 --> 00:19:01.279 chose to use them knowing what the their circumstances be like. 393 00:19:01.599 --> 00:19:04.680 And so I think we can celebrate the good and 394 00:19:06.079 --> 00:19:09.119 overlook would be the wrong word, but give grace in 395 00:19:09.240 --> 00:19:11.079 the bad. And I mean, how many times you've been 396 00:19:11.119 --> 00:19:13.480 a pastor for a long time. It's always interesting to 397 00:19:13.519 --> 00:19:16.359 me somebody who's been attending for you know, the church 398 00:19:16.440 --> 00:19:19.319 for you know, several months or several years, and they 399 00:19:19.400 --> 00:19:21.799 come and say, this Sunday was a travesty. I'm never 400 00:19:21.839 --> 00:19:23.119 coming back, right. 401 00:19:23.240 --> 00:19:25.079