FEAR GOD
Acts 5:1-42
Key verse 5:41-42
In the previous passage, Peter and John were tried before
the Sanhedrin. However, the believers were not discouraged. Rather, they prayed
that God might enable them to speak his word with great boldness and display
his power to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through Jesus’ name.
In today’s passage, God displays his power as they prayed. However, at the same
time the believers face tests within and without. Satan gets into some
believers; the persecution of the religious leaders gets more intensified. How
do the believers overcome these obstacles? This passage we can learn how to
overcome sin and persecution.
I. Great fear seizes
the church (1-11)
After the first persecution, the believers were filled with
the Holy Spirit. They were one in heart and mind. Some people sold their
properties and brought the money to the apostles, and it was distributed to
anyone who was in need. Among them was Joseph. The apostles called him Barnabas,
which means Son of Encouragement. His serving must have been a great
encouragement to all the believers.
Look at verse 1. Now there was a man named Ananias. He also
sold a piece of property and kept back part of the money for himself, and then brought
the rest to the apostles. “Here is my money for brothers and sisters.” Probably,
he expected to be praised by the apostles. But Peter rebuked him harshly. Why?
3 Then 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? 4 Didn’t
it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at
your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not
lied just to human beings but to God.”
The land belonged to Ananias. And even after it was sold,
the money was at his disposal. He was not obligated to sell his property or
give all the money. So keeping some of the money for himself was not a problem.
But the problem was that he lied that he gave all the money. (5:2,8)
Why did he lie? Let’s compare him with Barnabas. Barnabas sold his
field and offered the money with a genuine and sincere heart. So, his offering encouraged
the people and the people praised him. Probably, Ananias wanted to be
recognized also by selling his property for the church. However, his motive was
not genuine. His motive was not to serve people but to serve himself by showing
off his generosity like how sponsors donate money to advertise their names. He
pretended to give all the money. By the way, the word “keep back” is to set
apart for oneself, purloin, embezzle, or steal. The author implied that Ananias
actually stole
some of God’s money.
So, Peter said to Ananias, “you have lied to the Holy Spirit...You
have not lied just to human beings but to God.” (3,4)
Ananias thought that no one would know his lie so he could
escape detection. He supposed that he could deceive the apostles and would be
OK. But he did not realize that the Holy Spirit was present and at work in the
apostles. Actually he was standing before the Holy Spirit and thus lying to him.
Ananias’ lie was intentional and malicious against the Holy Spirit. That way, he lied to
God and mocked him. In other words, he had no fear of God. Because he did not
fear God, Satan seized his mind and prompted him to lie to God.
What does it mean to fear God then? To fear God means to know that
God is holy and righteous and so he will surely judge you for your sins. To
fear God is actually a great blessing because it helps us to have the right
relationship with God. When we fear God, we can truly know him as God and
appreciate his grace.
But no fear of God is the root cause of all kinds of sins. Adam
failed to obey God because he lacked fear of God. Since the fall of Adam, humankind
have rebelled against God and ignored him. And they have committed all kinds of
sins – sexual immorality, homosexuality, violence, greed, wickedness,
depravity, envy, deceit, malice, gossips, slander, arrogance, and murder. Although
they know that those who do such things deserve death, they not only
continue to do these things but also approve of those who practice them.
(Rom 1:29-32) Why have we humankind continued such things? Again it is because
there is no fear of God in us. (Rom 3:18) In a sense, the work of God is to
restore the fear of God in humankind. We learned this from Abraham. The
ultimate blessing God wanted to give to Abraham was the fear of God, which was
revealed well when he had Abraham offer his son Isaac. The Bible consistently teach
us why we should fear God.
Ecc 12:13-14 - 13 Now all has been heard; here
is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for
this is the duty of all mankind. 14 For God will bring
every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good
or evil.
Rev 14:7 – He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him
glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who
made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
No fear of God eventually leads us to God’s judgment. If you do
not fear God, you will be engrossed in your sins and you cannot avoid God’s
judgments. If you have no fear of God and continue to sin, you are already dead!
When Peter said that Ananias lied to God, it meant, “Ananias, how
dare you lie to God? You have no fear of God. You are dead!” When Ananias heard
this, he was struck by the fear of God and immediately died. You can
deceive people but you cannot deceive God. If you have no fear of God, you are
doomed.
Saul had been a humble man before he became a king. But
afterward, he became proud and sought his glory. God warned him to repent but
he did not. He even lied to God. Eventually he was possessed by evil spirits
and died in misery. What was his fundamental problem? He had no fear of God.
Even King David committed adultery and killed his royal servant
Uriah to cover up his sins when he lost the fear of God. So he was punished and
he suffered a lot at the end of his life.
Therefore, fear God! He knows every sin you have committed. Fear
God! He will judge you.
7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had
happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the
price you and Ananias got for the land?” “Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”
9 Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of
the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the
door, and they will carry you out also.”
Sapphira conspired to test the Holy Spirit. She
intentionally lied to God. Like Ananias, she had no fear of God. Immediately
she died on the spot. How did these events affect the church?
11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about
these events.
Great fear seized them twice. The people saw Ananias and Sapphira falling
down when they lied to God. How dreadful these events must have been to
the people? The fear of God fell upon them. They felt God’s holiness and
righteousness among them as the Israelites did when they saw the glory of God
at Mt. Sinai. They trembled at God’s judgment on Ananias and Sapphira. No one can stand before God
without fear.
Interestingly, the word “church” appears here for the first
time in the book of Acts. And the church was described as full of the fear of
God. The
church is the place where God is feared. The church is the assembly of people
who are afraid of sinning and live as God’s holy people.
These days, many churches would like to say, “God is love.”
But not many church say, “Fear God.” They are afraid of losing people instead. But the consequences are
very serious and obvious; there is no power of God and no life in the churches!
We have to say, “Fear God!”
The fear of God is the foundation of our personal faith and of the
church. It leads us to life.
Recently I heard the messages of Pastor David Wilkerson, who
ministered Times Square Church in New York City for many years and died two
years ago. He was well known for his biblical messages and his successful
ministry in New York. One time he warned those who said they loved God but sinned
continually, “You cannot love God without having the fear of God in you…If you
don’t fear God and continue to sin, you are dead!” That word struck me and led
me to repentance. I prayed to God and asked him to forgive my hidden sins and
fear him. And then God gave me holy desire. Power comes from the fear of God.
Joy comes from the fear of God. I pray that our ministry is filled with the
fear of God so that we may hate evil, fight against sin, and truly love God and
honor him. Amen!
II. The apostles
never stop proclaiming the good news amid persecution (12-42)
What happened when the great fear of God seized the church
and the people?
12 The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the
people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s
Colonnade.
The Holy Spirit continued to work powerfully through the apostles
and among the believers. As a result, the believers were highly regarded by the
people, and more and more men and women believed in Jesus. The people around
Jerusalem heard this and brought many sick people to the apostles.
15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid
them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of
them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from
the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure
spirits, and all of them were healed.
As we can see, the power of God was displayed in an unprecedented way. Even
Peter’s shadow healed the sick, which we have never heard about in any books in
the Bible. It was so obvious that this was the work of God. There was only one choice
to the people then – believing Jesus. So many more people accepted the work of
God and came to believe in Jesus. However, sadly there were some people who
still rejected Jesus. Who were they?
17 Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of
the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.
Out of jealousy the high priests and the Sadducees arrested
the apostles and put them in the public jail. They were disturbed and upset by
the work of God through the apostles. They could not stand their teaching
especially in the temple courts, which was their territory. They tried to stop
their preaching. But what happened?
That night an angel of God appeared to the apostles and brought
them out of the jail. The angel did not say that the apostles should
flee or hide themselves. Rather, they should go to the temple courts again and
tell the people all about this new life.
19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of
the jail and brought them out. 20 “Go, stand
in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.”
The new life here is the life given by the Holy Spirit through the
forgiveness of sins in Jesus. God wanted to save all the Israelites, including
the religious leaders who rejected him continually. It was hard to preach to
those who rejected and persecuted them. Nevertheless, God wanted them to tell
all about the new life so that they might receive the new life in Jesus.
At daybreak the apostles entered the temple courts and began
to teach the people as they had been told. In the meantime, the high priest and
the Sadducees
called for the full assembly in the Sanhedrin and sent to the jail for the
apostles. What did they find out?
22 But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them
there. So they went back and reported, 23 “We
found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when
we opened them, we found no one inside.”
At the report, they were at a loss, “They were in the jail
and the guards stood at the doors. Where are they? Did they evaporate?” They
wondered what would come about. To their surprise, they found out that the
apostles were preaching in the temple. “How come they are in the temple?” They
should have seen that all these things were the work of God. But they were
still stubborn. They brought the apostles back but without force this time because
they feared the people. The apostles stood before the Sanhedrin to be
questioned by the high priest. What question did he ask?
28 “We gave you strict orders not to
teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your
teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”
Previously, they had warned the apostles not to teach in the
name of Jesus. (4:18) But the apostles continued to preach. They were annoyed and
upset so much because the apostles defied their authority and also pointed out
their sin, the killing of Jesus. How did the apostles reply?
29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather
than human beings!
The apostles did not shrink back or compromise to save their lives.
And they boldly preached to them.
o God raised Jesus
from the dead and exalted Jesus to his own right hand as Prince and Savior for
the repentance and forgiveness of Israel.
o The Holy Spirit and
the apostles were witnesses of this.
It was God the Supreme Authority who commanded them to preach
Jesus. As such, the apostles did not fear the high priest and the Sanhedrin,
but they feared God so they must obey God rather than human beings.
By contrast, the religious leaders feared people but had no
fear of God. Though
they saw the ample evidence of the work of God through the apostles and heard
about the testimony about Jesus many times, they did not repent. Rather, they
became furious and wanted to put them to death. It was because they feared
losing their authority and power. They thought that the spread of Jesus’
teaching would take away their vested rights and benefits. To keep these, they
rejected the gospel and thus fought against God. Basically they had no fear of
God. As we can see, no fear of God blinds them from truth and leads them to
evil. Now they were about to put the apostles to death.
34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who
was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the
men be put outside for a little while.
Gamaliel was a Pharisee and a teacher of the law, who was honored
by all the people. He reminded the Sanhedrin members of two men, who had claimed
to be somebody and led people falsely. When these two men were killed, however,
their followers were all dispersed. Based on these two events, Gamaliel gave them
advice.
38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men
alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it
will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not
be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
If it is from human beings, it will fail. If it is from God, no
one can stop it. Actually, stopping the work of God is fighting against God. Unlike
the other Sanhedrin members, Gamaliel seemed to acknowledge the work of God that
was powerfully displayed through the apostles. And he was afraid of God and the
consequences of their deeds. His speech persuaded the Sanhedrin so they
flogged the apostles instead of putting them to death. They ordered the
apostles not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then let them go. How were the
apostles?
41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had
been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42 Day
after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped
teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.
Probably they were flagged 39 times each. This was their
first physical persecution. It was discouraging and very hurting. Yet, they
rejoiced in their suffering because they were counted worthy of suffering for
the name of Jesus. Persecution is unpleasant and painful but it is not
avoidable if we live before God. Rather, persecution is the evidence that we
are true Christians.
2 Tim 3:12 - In fact, everyone who
wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
One day when I was in the military service, one of my
seniors called me out and had me stand still. And he ran to me and then threw a
jump kick to my chest. It was because he did not like Christians though he said
he was a Christian too. Anyway, his jump kick knocked me down. But strangely I
had joy because I was counted worthy of suffering for Jesus. One time my
company commander stopped all religious activities but I sneaked out and went
to the church on Sunday. So I was branded as “Crazy Christian” and my company
commander feared me. Later I was appointed as a religious solider, who served
and counseled other soldiers.
Until 10 years ago, I thought there were no Christians. But
recent reports show that there are underground Christians and they have
suffered in unbelievably inhumane ways. “North Korean Christians aren't simply
killed for their faith in Christ. They are pulverized with steamrollers, used
to test biological weapons, shipped off to death camps or shot in front of
children, while newborn babies have their brains pithed with forceps in front
of their mothers.” (http://northkoreanchristians.com/)
What amazes me is that despite their horrible persecution they do not give up
their faith. They have continually spread the word of God and baptize people in
the name of Jesus. They even pray for Christians in South Korea to repent of
their corruption. They never fear the dictators of North Korea. Instead, they
fear God and preach the gospel, risking their lives everyday.
If you fear people, you will have no persecution. But if you
preach or do not compromise on Sunday Worship or Bible study, you will surely
have persecution or troubles with some people. God is encouraging you to be
persecuted and counted worthy of His name. Do not fear people but fear God. Your
persecution is the evidence that you are a true Christian and God will give you
victory and joy you have never experienced. Stand firm as Christians at work,
in your family, in your school, and among your friends, and tell them about all
the new life of Jesus.
Regardless of their threats, the apostles never stopped
teaching and preaching the good news of Jesus. God is not pleased with those
who shrink back. He wants to spread the good news of Jesus through our
suffering. No matter how powerful and dreadful the world is, God wants us not to
stop preaching the gospel. It is because God is in control and he will prevail.
Conclusion
Ananias lied to God because he had no fear of God. The
religious leaders persecuted the apostles to keep their authority because they
did not fear God. However, the church was filled with the fear of God. As a
result, the apostles and the believers became more powerful and more people
came to believe. They even boldly testified about Jesus before the Sanhedrin
members, who killed Jesus. They rejoiced in their persecution and never stopped
preaching.
No fear of God leads us to death. But the fear of God leads us to
life. Do you fear God or fear people?
By David Yun
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