Running To Win

Guest (Male): Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. Many people worry about how they're perceived. They'll smile on the outside while crying on the inside. Their lives are an act for the benefit of others. Good news: we can lose the game face because, in the final analysis, God is in charge of our reputations. To learn more, stay with us.

Dave McAllister: From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer, we’re in Acts chapter five. Some say we need to look out for number one. When we see ourselves as all-important, it's easy to see why we get so sensitive about how others see us.

Dr. Erwin Lutzer: The story of Ananias and Sapphira is so fascinating from the standpoint of the way in which we react to circumstances. There are so many people—and I’m sure that we are all guilty to some extent—who are not concerned about whether or not they are good, but they want to appear good.

This story is powerful in its implications. Even as we think about the book of Acts, we’re always reminded of how the church is growing in those days, and the church continues to grow in our days as well. We here at the ministry of Running to Win are deeply committed to help people run the Christian life and to do so successfully.

That's why we have a very special resource that we think will be a great blessing to you. It's actually Dr. Sweeting's book entitled "How to Begin the Christian Life." Many of you will remember that Dr. Sweeting at one time was the pastor of Moody Church and following that also the president of Moody Bible Institute. I'm going to be giving you that contact info at the end of this message. For now, I just want you to listen.

Many years ago, I went into a county fair and walked into a house of mirrors. I don't know if you've ever done that, but when I was there, you walked into one room and you looked at the mirror, and you were very tall and exceedingly skinny. Then you went into another room where there was a mirror that made you very, very short and exceedingly rotund. All the other mirrors did something in between. Every one of them distorted who you were.

When you stop to think of it, we actually live in a house of mirrors. The whole world is a house of mirrors. What most of us want to do is to find a mirror that makes us look good. What we want to do is to look good to others. We want others to see us the way we want them to see us, nothing more, nothing less. So, who we are inside and who we are on the outside oftentimes is two different people.

It's interesting that in the book of Acts, when revival was breaking out in the early chapters, Satan tried to stifle the work by making sure that the church received pressure from without; they were persecuted. When you get to chapter five, you discover that he begins to change his tactics. Now it is not outside influence; it is inside. What he wants to do is to use a couple in the church—a married couple—to destroy the church.

The text is the fifth chapter of Acts, though we shall begin just a verse or two before in chapter four. Chapter four, verse thirty-six is really a part of the story. Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas, which means son of encouragement, sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet. Now, a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property.

With his wife's full knowledge, he kept back part of the money for himself but brought the rest and put it at the feet of the apostles. They didn't lie verbally. They gave the impression that they were giving all of the money when, in point of fact, they were giving only part of it. Here was Barnabas who sold this land, and he brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet.

One day, Ananias and Sapphira were having a discussion, and they said to one another, "It'd be good if we'd do that too, because who knows? Ananias, if people see you do that, you might become a deacon in the church. Sapphira, you might be put in charge of women's ministries. So, let's pretend that we're as spiritual as Barnabas."

As we think about this story, a couple of words by way of introduction. First, it is a sin that was instigated by Satan. I'm sure you know the rest of the story. Verse three says Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal?"

In other words, you didn't have to give anything if you didn't want to give. This is totally voluntary. What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God. Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit? I'm going to say something now that could be life-transforming in your walk with God. What Satan does is he puts ideas in our minds that we think are our own, so we're not afraid of those ideas.

The thought of sinning and the decision to sin is not fearful to us because we think it's our decision. Could you imagine what would have happened if Satan would have appeared at their breakfast table in all of his fury and all of his horror and said, "I have an idea for you: lie about your giving pattern." They'd have been terrified.

But because he's invisible and because he puts the ideas in our minds that go along with our pride, we think that it is okay, and so we choose to sin. We think, "I'm sinning because I want to sin." That's part of the story. The other part is it was instigated by Satan, who puts ideas in our minds to sin. How did Satan want to use this couple? Imagine if they had been exalted in the church.

Furthermore, word would have gotten out that this is what happened and they went on to leadership within the church. People would have begun to think to themselves, "It's okay to be a hypocrite." They may have even thought, "It is okay to sin because, after all, isn't this an era of grace? Isn't this the era in which Jesus bore God's wrath? So, we don't have to have any fear of sinning."

That, like leaven, would have permeated the whole church and, if not checked, could have destroyed it. It was a sin instigated by Satan. Could I say also that it was motivated by pride? Because they wanted to be thought of better than they really were. They wanted to keep this hidden agreement within their own hearts, and they wanted to project this aura of spirituality and commitment. They wanted to make sure that everyone not only saw what they gave but that they were honored for it. They lied to pull it off.

I'd like to use their story to introduce us to three more laws of stewardship. If you were with us last time, you know I gave you five laws of biblical stewardship. I encourage you to find that message because this is an extension of it, and you really do need that first part to understand this part. The early church in the last part of the book of Acts gives us an example of the five laws of stewardship in a positive example.

Ananias and Sapphira introduce us to three other laws of stewardship through their bad example. We can learn from the good, and we can learn from the bad. What are the next three laws? The first one is the law of single-minded motivation. Ananias and Sapphira introduce us to this question: who do we give to, and why do we give?

Do we give to be seen? Do we give to be well-thought-of, or do we really genuinely give because we love to give and because we love God? That's the core issue at stake here—a very important issue. I have to take a moment and tell you about our policy here at Moody Church. At Moody Church, our giving is secret. We don't publish a list of who gives what.

When I was growing up on the farm, we went to this little church where there were maybe thirty people; if you had forty, you had a crowd. At the end of the year, they used to put up on the bulletin board of the church the giving of all of the people. I remember, even as a boy, hearing about some farmer who owned four or five sections of land; he gave three00 dollars that year. Oh, what a sacrifice! Three hundred dollars, and God gave him a bumper crop. If we did that here at the Moody Church, I think giving would increase. Publish it on the internet.

I want you to know today that sometimes we do know what people give when they tell us, and that's perfectly fine. There are people who sometimes want to discuss their gift. Maybe they want to know where it's going to be designated. Maybe they want to know how it's going to be given. Maybe they want us to know. At times, people have come to me and said, "I'm praying about what to give."

For all of those reasons, we may know what someone gives, but it is always initiated by the giver, and that's perfectly fine. As a policy, there are two reasons why we have giving here as a secret. First, for your benefit. We want to minimize the possibility that we have people like Ananias and Sapphira who give to be recognized, who give to be noticed, who give because they secretly hope it will lead to a higher office in the church.

What we do is we say thank you for your gift, but we do not know that gift. What you give is known to one or two people responsible for the accounting and to God. There's a second reason why we do it. Not only for your benefit but for our benefit as a staff, because we don't want to treat you differently based on your giving pattern. That's the church policy, and it is held to.

The downside is people who don't give anything absolutely love that policy. They love it. As I mentioned last week, it may come as a bit of a shock and most assuredly a disappointment to know that there are hundreds of people who attend Moody Church every Sunday—members, not dozens, but hundreds—who give nothing at all, year by year.

These people, bless them, when we hear about what God is doing over at Kids Club, they clap just as loudly as the people sitting next to them. We don't know who they are, but I'm sure that they clap just as loudly, even though they've not given a dime to the ministry. They've not given to missions; they've not given to the opportunities that God has given us here. Yet they are pretending that they're on board, and they're rejoicing with everyone else.

The problem with that is it is not just because we need the money, though it'd be good to have more and we think of what we could do. But that's not really the issue. They are cutting out the possibility of God rewarding them openly. You remember Jesus said, "Let your giving be in secret, and your Father will reward you openly." Give God that privilege.

I love to tell the story about my wife and I being at Ravinia. It's lovely music. You buy a ticket, and you get into the grounds. If you buy a more expensive ticket, you actually get into the bandshell there, and they have an orchestra where you can hear Strauss and Mozart and all of those other wonderful composers. My wife and I, we don't get into the bandshell, but we, with hundreds of other people, sometimes have taken a picnic lunch back there in the evening, and then you just sit out on the grass, and you can hear the concert.

I remember doing that one year. Next to us, there was a man who was lying down during the concert, and he fell asleep, and he began to snore. He snored so loudly. I had a mind to move, but then I thought, "No, I'll put up with this, even though he's interfering with Schubert." Then when it was all over and we all stood up, even on the grass, to give a standing ovation, he stood up and he clapped just as hard as the rest of us.

There are believers like that. Yes, we're clapping. We clap just as hard. But we're asleep for God, and we're asleep at the switch. Ananias and Sapphira answer the question of what do we give and to whom do we give it. There was a minister who was taking an offering for missions and said, "I want you to give this offering tonight, and I want you to visualize that you are actually placing it into the nail-pierced hand of Jesus."

A woman who was there took out her five-dollar bill, which she was going to give, and then put it back. She pulled out a fifty instead and said, "If I'm giving it to the nail-pierced hand of Jesus, how can I let the offering plate go by giving so little?" The first lesson that Ananias and Sapphira teach is the lesson of motivation. Proper single-minded motivation. We give to God, and we do give to the nail-pierced hand of Jesus.

There's a second lesson, and that is the law of mutual influence or corporate influence. Why did God take this sin so seriously? It is because this was going to be something like leaven within the lump. The Bible says that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. I already spoke about how their witness and their ministry would have on it this deceit. As a result of that, as people found out about it, people would begin to think it would be safe to sin.

God says, "What I want to do is to show you that you have sinned before God, but you've also sinned against the body." We are all connected. Your spiritual life and my spiritual life, we're all connected with one another. When you're hot for God, it makes me a little hotter for God. When you're cold for God, it makes me a little colder. We are members of one another. Some of you have been attending Moody Church for a long time, and you've never become a member.

Sometimes I hear people say, "I belong to the invisible church." I do believe that there is a church of the elect that are in various churches and congregations who truly do belong to God. But I need to inform you of the fact that so far, the invisible church has not sent a missionary team to Ossiri in Southern Africa. The invisible church has never sent tutors to Cabrini Green. The invisible church never visited anyone in the hospital. This invisible church doesn't do much. Everything that we have done here is a part of the very visible local congregation.

Dave McAllister: We’re also living in a day and age when many people think that they are attending church because they stay home and watch their computer. They have a cup of coffee, and oftentimes they are very disconnected, even though they say they are watching online.

We’re so thankful for the fact that we can watch online, particularly if we are ill or if we’re going through a circumstance where we cannot attend a visible church. But there's no substitute for the people of God being together, connecting, worshipping, and learning as a group. That is what the Bible calls us to. It says that we should not forsake the assembling of ourselves together.

We here at the ministry of Running to Win are deeply committed to the local church. We also want to be giving you resources that will help you on your spiritual journey. That's why we’re making available to you a book written by Dr. Sweeting entitled "How to Begin the Christian Life." I know exactly what some of you are thinking. You’re saying to yourself, "I’ve been walking with God for a long time." Wonderful.

But you and I have to relearn some basic lessons. This book deals with how to grow in the Christian life; it speaks about the Holy Spirit, you and the Bible, how to pray, and also how to be sure of your salvation, your relationship to the world, the church, money, and so forth. I think it's going to be a great blessing. For a gift of any amount, it can be yours. Go to rtwoffer.com. That's rtwoffer.com or pick up the phone and call us at 1-888-218-9337. Once again, go to rtwoffer.com or pick up the phone and call us at 1-888-218-9337.

It's time again for you to ask Pastor Lutzer a question you may have about the Bible or the Christian life. Today's question comes from Wayne, and Wayne lives in Virginia. "Recently on a radio show, you said that Ananias and Sapphira are in heaven. It seems to me that your adherence to the 'once saved, always saved, all your sins past, present, and future are forgiven' doctrine puts you in a position of contradicting the Lord himself. Revelation 21:27 and 22:15 clearly tell us that whosoever maketh a lie and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie are excluded from heaven. The inescapable conclusion from scripture is that Ananias and Sapphira are not in heaven. 1 John 1:9 says, 'If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' If it's true that our future sins are already forgiven, why is it necessary for God to forgive them?"

Dr. Erwin Lutzer: Wayne, first of all, I want to tell you that I'm so glad that you asked your question. A couple of comments about future sins. I believe that when we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior, our sins are forgiven past, present, and future legally. If you're asking for a passage of scripture, look at Colossians chapter two, verse fourteen and so forth, and also we find the very same teaching in Hebrews chapter ten, that Jesus Christ took away all our sins. If that wasn't true, then whenever you and I sinned, we'd be in jeopardy of losing our salvation. Can you imagine that would not be a great hope? Salvation would produce fear rather than hope.

What about 1 John 1:9, the reference that you gave? What we need to do is to realize that this kind of forgiveness in 1 John 1:9 maintains our fellowship with God. We need to confess so that we are in agreement with God. Maybe this illustration helps. Let us suppose that my child disobeys. They have to come and they have to ask forgiveness because we have to get back into agreement. But that does not mean that they lose their status as one of my children. That's what I believe the Bible teaches about future sin and the recognition that we always need to also confess our sins.

A comment about Ananias and Sapphira. It is true that the book of Revelation says that liars are excluded from the heavenly city. Fact is, however, that there are many Christians who die with sin on their consciences. When we are cleansed by Christ and his righteousness, we are declared righteous by God, and that gives us our admittance into the heavenly city. But those whose lives have been characterized by deceit and lies, clearly that reference in Revelation refers to those who are not Christians; they most assuredly will be excluded from the heavenly city.

I hope this helps. Always keep in mind that those of us who believe that once we are saved, we can count on that salvation all the way to heaven, does not mean that we are soft on sin. It only means that God keeps his promises, and we know that he is going to keep us until the day of redemption.

Dave McAllister: Thank you, Dr. Lutzer. If you'd like to hear your question answered, go to our website at rtwoffer.com and click on "Ask Pastor Lutzer" or call us at 1-888-218-9337. That's 1-888-218-9337. You can write to us at Running to Win, 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, 60614. Running to Win is all about helping you find God's roadmap for your race of life.

Elevating ourselves in the eyes of others is futile since God owns our reputations. Next time on Running to Win, Pastor Lutzer gives us the bottom line on how serious God is about our honesty and transparency. Thanks for listening. For Pastor Erwin Lutzer, this is Dave McAllister. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.