[Biblemat] S) "A GRAVEYARD TALE" (1)

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  Here is a study from my
ancient files.  Use to the glory of God.

"A GRAVEYARD TALE"  (1)

     Much has been said about some preachers relating "death
bed stories" and "graveyard tales" to stimulate the emotions
of their auditors.  It is manifestly true that some preachers are, indeed, 
quite adept at such practices.  Without ever ment-
ioning the gospel, such preachers are able to arouse the emo-
tions of people and cause them to believe tht something mira-
culous has happened to them, and thet the Lord has thus sav-
ed them.  This, of course, is tragic and pathetic.  Such preach-
ing is exceedingly satisfying to the devil and all the demons of hell.  But, 
there is one graveyard tale that all preachers of
the gospel should frequently tell.  Webster defines a tale as
follows:  "That which is told...actual, legendary, or fictitious."
This graveyard tale which preachers should tell is an account
of things that actually happened.  People are usually frighten-
ed by graveyard tales; this tale should frighten us too.  The
incidents related caused great fear to come upon all those
who beheld what happened.  "And great fear came upon all
the church;..." (Acts 5:11).  These incidents should cause us
to fear and tremble.

     A man and his wife, members of the church at Jerusalem,
were struck dead by the Lord for lying to the Holy Spirit and
thereby to God.  The man was first killed.  Young men of the
church arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried
him.  No one told his wife that her husband was dead.  No one ordered any 
flowers.  No undertaker was called.  No em-
balming was done.  No preacher was called to "preach the
funeral."  Preachers cannot "preach funerals" anyway.  We do not "pray 
funerals"; we pray at funerals.  We do not "sing
funerals"; we sing at funerals.  Neither do we "preach funer-
als"; we preach at funerals.  Remember, preachers are charg-ed before God to: 
 "Preach the Word; be instant in season and out of season;..."  This includes 
funeral occasions, even
if some think it is "out of season".  How different, then, the
burial of this hypocrite, Ananias, and the burial of many hypo-
crites in our own day!  And think of it, his wife was buried the
same way!  She was party to the same sin; she suffered the
same consequence.

     About three hours after the man was buried, his wife not
knowing about that which had befallen her husband, came in
and told the preacher the same lie tht her husband had told
him.  She also immediately dropped dead.  This one lie was
told by a man and his wife to a preacher of the gospel.  That
preacher asked the man, "Why hath Satan filled thine heart to
lie to the Holy Spirit?"  The thought is: why have you allowed
Satan to thus gain control of your heart?  The preacher also
asked him, "Why hast THOU conceived this thing in thine
heart?"  Then he said, "Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto
God," meaning, that he had not lied unto men ONLY, but unto
God ALSO.  Lying to a preacher is therefore defined as being
lying to the Holy Spirit and to God.  Jesus said to His discip-
les, "He that receiveth you, receiveth Me, and he that receiv-
eth Me, receiveth Him that sent Me" (Matt. 10:40).  We can 
well suppose that it is equally true that he that lieth to one 
sent by Christ, lieth to Christ and to God.  God stamped His
eternal disfavor upon lying and hypocrisy when He struck
Ananias and Sapphira dead.

     Those two had sold a possession and had kept back part
of the money, and had given the rest of it to the Lord's work.
There was nothing wrong in their keeping back a part of the
money, but it was wrong for them to say that what they gave
was all that they had received for their possession.  They
were acting as if they were doing something when actually
they were pretending.  God expressed His extreme hatred for
such lying and hypocrisy by striking them both dead.  One of
the things that God hates is a lying tongue (Prov. 6:17).  The
awful truth is, that though God does not still strike lying hypo-
crites dead, He nevertheless shall commit them into the un-
quenchable fire where they shall be tortured by the piercings
of the undying worm forever and forever.  If God can be just
by striking a man and his wife dead for telling one lie, what
shall be the end of them who are experts at lying?  (More will
be posted on this subject tomorrow, the Lord willing, JWS).   </HTML>
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