Acts 5:1-5:10 Sex, Lies and Videotape Part 2. Lies. What are lies? Is a lie an untruth, an omission of all the facts, is it a sin or unrightiouness, is it something that people use to cover-up lawlessness , or is a lie when you withhold all the facts? Yes, to all the above. A lie is a degration of ones own spirit, it gets into a persons attitude and lingers there like a leach, draining the lifes force out of them so that after a while, it becomes second nature not to tell the truth.
Sometimes people lie so much they begin not to be able to know the difference between the lie and the truth. Reality becomes second nature to them and they start living in their own little world, a dream world where everything is perfect. Lies are not a short time hurt but can become a destructive force in a persons life that affects them for years to come. A lie told 30 years ago can affect someone today. There are many descriptions of lies in scripture, it is also one of the original 10 Commandments.
Have you ever wondered why God placed a lie as a part of His commandments, as something not to do? " Thou shalt not bear false witness." Well it's because of its great impact upon the human being, short term and long term. Yes it it unrightiouness and a sin, but it reaches farther than that. It destroys a persons confidence in mankind and Satan uses them to destroy mankinds faith and belief in God. Let's look at lies and their consequences, from the scriptures point of view. One of the most reccognised lies in scripture are the ones from Acts 5:1-10.
Anania S and Sapphira were new converts to the church and not rooted and grounded in the word. They still had one foot in the world and one foot at the cross. Lies are generally a product of a persons imagination, trying to better themselves thru deception. As we know Ananias and his wife sold a possession, and as the scriptures state that what ever belongs to an individual, he has the right to do with it as he pleases. Now some people take this a little too far.
I've known men who use this scripture in their every day lives, as an excuse not to support their families, they say, "Well I worked for my money and I can do with it as I like." A little far fetched isn't it? But it's going on in this world today. I've generally found out that people who brag about what they know about the Bible, generally don't know much at all. "A man that thinks He knows something, Knows nothing. "
When Ananias sold the possession, the money obtained was still his. He had the Biblical right, to give the apostles what he thought was fair. He could have given 10% of the money and been in good shape. His heart as was his wives, was not right with God. They were still thinking in the carnal mind and not in the spiritual. This is where we as christians sometimes get ourselves into trouble.
The Bible states that, "A carnal mind is not subject to the law of God and neither can be." A carnal mind is what got these two people into the swift judgment of God. Ananias not only lied to Peter, he lied to the Holy Ghost. Peter rebuked him and told him exactly why he had lied. The result of this lie was death. There is always a cause and reason for a lie, and here as with all lies, it was the deceptive words of Satan. Satan can enter into your mind and your thoughts, if you allow him too.
And there's no big secret as to when Satan is speaking to you. Many people have asked me, " How can you tell if it is God or Satan that we are hearing?" And the best answer I can give them is, if you think its a sin, then it probably is. The Voice of God, in my case, is direct and having authority. He generally speaks to me when it is still and quiet. Satan on the other hand, trys to speak when there is a lot of noise and confusion, sometimes its quiet but the words are not as authoritative, in other-words, his words have no authority or power behind then. Its like when you are conversing with someone and somebody interrupts. Thats Satan, when you here him, rebuke him and resist and he does flee. He cant stand being around a Holy Ghost filled Christian, He hits and runs.
You can tell when a lie is about to be born, the Spirit of God will always warn you to think twice before saying something that will get you into trouble. " Quick to hear, slow to speak." Now lets take a look at Sapphira and her excuse or lack of one. Now Sapphira, not knowing that the initial lie was uncovered, chose to carry on with the plan of deception. People have to answer for themselves, not for someone else. If Sapphira had told the truth, she would have been spared and went about her life, without her husband.
The Bible states that the wages of sin is death, and in this case it came about suddenly. Lies got Isreal in trouble, not just because of the lies the spies told but because of the disobedience to God. { Jos 9:3- 27 }. Lies destroy the spirit, they can destroy a marriage, a relationship and even a church. Nations use lies to get an upper hand over another nation. Is there such a thing as a good lie? No. All lies lead to other sins of the flesh. Most people who lie have to continue to lie to cover-up the first one.
Most lie are addictive, like alcohol, one may not seem to hurt so you try another after another untill it becomes a habbit.The anti-christ will use lies to deceive the world. Most times when you look into a persons eyes you can tell weather they are lieing or not. For the eye is the window to the soul.
So in closing, in part 1 we found out that sex must be in accordance with the will of God and His perfect design, and in part 2 we find out that lies take many different forms and with the same outcome. In Part 3 of this series we will take a look at Videotape, and its affect upon the Christian and non-christian.
Temple of Spirit & Truth Ministries
A.R. Smith Sermons International
http://www.ourchurch.com/member/a/arsmithsermons/