2025_04_27 Sermon Notes & Discussion Questions
April 27, 2025

Acts (Part 9): Hypocrisy Threatens the Church

Acts 4:36-5:16


The Story of Ananias & Sapphira lying to the Holy Spirit: If Satan can’t prevent the spread of the gospel from the outside, he will try to prevent the spread of the gospel from within. (Acts 4:36-5:16)


Facts about Satan: 1) Satan is not equal to God. He is a created being. 2) Satan cannot create or sustain life. 3) He can’t force anyone to do anything. 4) Satan’s fate is that he will be cast down and condemned.


What Satan Does:
1. Satan tempts us. (2 Corinthians 11:3, James 1:14-15, Acts 5:3-4, Ephesians 6:10, Ephesians 4:26-27)
2. Satan blinds us so that we will deceive ourselves. (Jeremiah 17:9, Galatians 6:2-3)


Satan’s aim is Hypocrisy - tempting us to appear more devoted to Christ than we really are.

“Half of the misery in the world comes from trying to look, instead of trying to be, what one is not.”


The Jews were always being tempted to pretend devotion to God. (Isaiah 29:13, Matthew 23:25-28, John 12:42-43, Psalm 51:16-17)


Jesus contrasted devotion to God to hypocrisy in the way we pray. God isn’t looking for a great performance. He is looking for a humble, sincere, dependent heart. (Matthew 6:5-8)


The Good News is that our faith is dependent on faith in Christ, not ourselves, so that we no longer have to pretend. We can confess our sins and be forgiven, knowing God accepts us through Christ exactly as we are. (Romans 5:1-2, 1 John 1:9)


Small Group Discussion Questions

Icebreaker Question: What’s something you’ve done or tried recently that didn’t go as planned, but you can laugh about now?

GOSPEL
1. How does understanding that we are justified by faith in Christ free us from the need to pretend or perform in our spiritual lives? (Romans 5:1-2, Acts 5:3-4)
2. What role does confession play in experiencing the grace of the gospel, and why do you think some Christians struggle to be honest about their sin? (1 John 1:9, Jeremiah 17:9)
3. How can the story of Ananias and Sapphira challenge us to evaluate whether our faith is rooted in Christ’s finished work or in our own appearances? (Acts 5:1-10, Matthew 23:25-28)

COMMUNITY
4. In what ways can hypocrisy damage the integrity and trust within a church community? How have you seen this happen before? (Acts 5:11, Galatians 6:2-3)
5. How can we, as a community, help one another live with sincerity and humility rather than falling into the trap of comparison and self-righteousness? (Galatians 6:2-3, Matthew 6:5-6)
6. What practices can we adopt as a group to foster an environment where honesty about struggles is welcomed and encouraged? (Psalm 51:16-17, 1 John 1:9)

MISSION
7. Why do you think hypocrisy is such a powerful tool for Satan to damage the church’s witness to the world? How does this passage illustrate that? (Acts 5:11-16, Isaiah 29:13)
8. What does it look like to be on mission while being honest about our ongoing need for God’s grace? How can humility enhance our witness? (Romans 5:1-2, John 12:42-43)
9. How might God be calling you to guard against hypocrisy in your life so that your witness to others points clearly to Christ, not yourself? (Matthew 6:5-8, Ephesians 6:10-11)