Acts 4, 32.
Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul.
And no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own,
but they had everything in common.
And with great power, the apostles were giving their testimony
to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
And great grace was upon them all.
There was not a needy person among them,
for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them
and brought the proceeds of what was sold
and laid it all at the apostles' feet.
And it was distributed to each as any had need.
Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas,
which means son of encouragement, a Levite, a native of Cyprus,
sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money
and laid it at the apostles' feet.
But a man named Ananias with his wife Sapphira
sold a piece of property.
And with his wife's knowledge, he kept back for himself
some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it
and laid it at the apostles' feet.
But Peter said,
Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart
to lie to the Holy Spirit
and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land?
While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own?
And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal?
Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart?
You have not lied to men, but to God.
When Ananias heard these words,
he fell down and breathed his last.
And great fear came upon all who heard of it.
The young man rose and wrapped him up
and carried him out and buried him.
After an interval of about three hours,
his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.
And Peter said to her,
Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.
And she said,
Yes, for so much.
But Peter said to her,
How is it that you have agreed together
to test the Spirit of the Lord?
Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband
are at the door and they will carry you out.
Immediately she fell down at his feet
and breathed her last.
When the young men came in,
they found her dead.
And they carried her out
and buried her beside her husband.
And great fear came upon the whole church
and upon all who heard these things.
This is God's holy and authoritative word.
Troy Polamalu is a two-time Super Bowl champion
with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
He was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame last year.
And he is a vocal Christian
who has spoken often of how the humility and sacrifice
that the Christian life requires
has helped him in his football career.
And he says that football likewise requires
a selflessness in the name of greater good.
When he was voted the most valuable player
on his team one year,
he said, quote,
I've never been a fan of individual awards
because football is such a team sport.
There's so many things that goes into making plays.
It's about teammates trusting one another
and working together.
When an individual plays selfishly
in an attempt to keep the spotlight on himself,
the team inevitably suffers.
That's why there are players in various team sports
who are exceptionally talented
and have stellar individual stats,
and yet when you add them to a new team,
that team curiously gets worse, not better.
That's because these players lift themselves up
at the expense of others
rather than humbling themselves
and making personal sacrifices
in the service of the team.
In Acts 4, 32 to 5, 11,
we see a similar dynamic in play.
We are given a positive example of Barnabas
who makes personal sacrifices
for the sake of the church,
and we're also given a negative example
of Ananias and Sapphira
who seek to elevate their personal standing
within the church using deceit.
And the main point of this passage
is that the filling of the Holy Spirit
enables the church to bear witness to Jesus
with one heart and soul.
We're going to first look at the unity of the church
filled by the Spirit,
and then we're going to look at the duplicity
of those filled by Satan.
First, we see a wonderful picture
of the unity of the church filled by the Spirit.
It says in verse 32,
Now the full number of those who believe
were of one heart and soul.
The full number of believers
refers to the multitude.
It's the same word that's sometimes translated
congregation.
It's a reference to the gathered church.
And they were of one heart and one soul.
The many, the multitude, were one.
The heart, in Jewish understanding,
is the effective center of a person,
the seed of one's thoughts,
the seed of one's emotions, intentions.
Proverbs chapter 4, verse 23,
says that from the heart flows the springs of life.
The heart, in other words,
is the source of our words and actions,
all that we do.
Similarly, the soul, in Jewish understanding,
refers to the life and vitality of a person.
Together, the words heart and soul
refer to the totality of your inner self.
When you put your heart into something,
when you put your heart and soul into something,
it doesn't mean that you're just putting
a part of yourself into it.
It means you're putting all of yourself into it.
So likewise, the first Christians
were of one heart and soul.
They were united in their purposes and priorities.
They were of one mind.
And one tangible evidence of this unity
was that they shared what belonged to them,
their possessions.
It says in verse 32,
And no one said that any of the things
that belonged to him was his own,
but they had everything in common.
The full number was one,
and no one selfishly refused to share
what belonged to him or her.
What was one's own was held in common.
So we could call this common ownership.
But this is not a socialistic community
where private ownership is abolished.
People still own things,
and those things are at their disposal,
as we will see clearly in Peter's conversation with Ananias.
But nobody insists that his things are his own.
Meaning he doesn't keep those things to himself,
but freely shares them voluntarily.
So perhaps common use is a more accurate description
than common ownership of property.
I've personally seen many of you do this
for one person or another in our church,
whether it's sharing or giving away
an unused phone or headphones
or to someone who had need of it,
or whether it's sharing your drill,
your tent,
your car,
or even your house
with someone who has need.
So the early church likewise shared everything in common.
They also had a common message.
Verse 33 says,
And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony
to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,
and great grace was upon them all.
This is the common mission that God's people were driven by,
to give their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
Bearing witness to the fact that Jesus died for our sins
and was raised from the dead
and now reigns at the right hand of the Heavenly Father.
That's the church's mission.
We must never lose sight of that mission.
In the book entitled Mission Drift,
The Unspoken Crisis Facing Leaders, Charities, and Churches,
Peter Greer and Chris Horst
contrast originally Christian organizations
that drifted from their mission.
Like Harvard University,
Child Fund,
and YMCA.
To organizations that stayed true
to their explicitly Christian mission and values.
Like Taylor University,
and Compassion International.
And they argue that this mission drift
happens slowly and gradually,
almost imperceptibly.
They call it in one of their chapters,
Death by Minnows.
They write,
quote,
Too often the passions of the first generation
become the preferences of the second
and are irrelevant to the third generation.
The authors of that book originally set out,
according to their own testimony,
to write the book thinking that mission drift
was an organizational issue.
But in the course of their research and writing,
they changed their hypothesis
and concluded that the mission drift
is not an organizational problem,
but a human problem.
Quote,
Individuals foiled by pride and sin
and allured by success.
They're the ones who drive mission drift.
They continue,
quote,
Pride leads us to adopt
the wrong definition of success.
When we begin to see our priority
as a growing ministry
instead of a faithful one,
we sow the seeds of drift.
As we go through the book of Acts
and as we've seen already
in the first four chapters,
it's tempting to try to replicate
the explosive growth
and visible success
of the early church.
It's tempting to try to replicate
that using the various techniques
and strategies
and values of the modern world,
but instead of fixating
on what works
from our limited human perspective,
we need to focus on
what the Lord has commanded us.
The Lord has commanded us
to bear witness to His life
and death and resurrection,
to make disciples of all nations.
Our goal isn't a large,
successful church,
but a church that faithfully
bears witness to Jesus.
The church in Acts 4
did not lose sight of this mission,
and their ministry was attended,
it says,
with great power
and great grace,
according to verse 33.
The power is the power
of the Holy Spirit,
which has been mentioned
numerous times in Acts,
and it refers to the power
with which God performed
many miracles through the apostles
to corroborate the message
that they were proclaiming,
the gospel that they were proclaiming.
The grace similarly refers
to the grace of God.
In Acts chapter 11,
verse 21 to 23,
it says that,
So this is the grace of God
to see what was happening,
and it says that,
when he came and saw the grace of God,
he was glad,
and he exhorted them all
to remain faithful to the Lord
with steadfast purpose.
So this is the grace of God
that is in view
when it says here in Acts 4.33
that grace,
great grace was upon them all.
Grace is the favor of God.
It is his favorable disposition
and blessing toward his people,
which is evidenced in many people
turning to faith in the Lord.
Whenever the church experiences
great revival in history,
when the gospel is boldly proclaimed
and many people repent of their sins
and believe in Jesus
and God's power is displayed
in signs and wonders,
whenever such revivals break out in history,
it's always the result of great power
and great grace of God.
In other words,
the source of such revival
is the filling of the Holy Spirit.
Remember what we learned
from the preceding passage last week.
It said in Acts 4.31,
and when they had prayed,
the place in which they were gathered together
was shaken,
and they were all filled
with the Holy Spirit
and continued to speak
the Word of God with boldness.
The ongoing revival we see here
in verses 32 to 37
is a result of that filling
of the Holy Spirit
in response to the concerted prayers
of the church.
On a static, you know,
pond,
boats can go all kinds of directions, right?
Depending on which way people are rowing,
depending on which direction
the wind is blowing.
People are all doing their own thing
on such a pond.
But as soon as you put those boats down
on the rapids,
they all start going down
in the same direction
in the irresistible flow of the river.
In the same way,
people who are doing different things
and living for different reasons,
when they come under
the mighty torrent of the Holy Spirit,
they all start flowing
in the same direction.
The many become one.
And that's what's happened here.
And once again,
Luke tells us in verses 34 to 35,
one obvious evidence of this unity
is the way they generously
and sacrificially give to one another.
Luke returns to this theme
because he wants to give us
two examples of this,
specific examples of this.
We saw earlier that they share
the things that they owned,
but that's not all they did.
They also sold the things
that they owned
to give away the proceeds
to their Christian brothers and sisters
who needed them.
So he says in verses 34 and 35,
there was not a needy person among them,
for as many as were owners
of lands or houses
sold them and brought the proceeds
of what was sold
and laid it at the apostles' feet.
And it was distributed to each
as any had need.
There was no needy person.
Why?
For as many as were owners
of lands or houses
sold them and gave the proceeds
to distribute it to each
as any had need.
Any who had need
was satisfied
because the many who had
generously gave.
Whenever there was someone with need,
someone with means
rose to meet that need.
The landowners and homeowners
did not insist on keeping
their properties to themselves.
They could have said,
well, do you know how hard
I work to save up for this house?
Do you know how many years
of backbreaking labor
it took me to buy
this parcel of land?
They were entitled to that.
The land was deeded
to their name.
But instead of selfishly
insisting on their right,
they sacrificially surrendered
their right for the sake
of their fellow church members.
I said earlier
that this is not
a socialistic community
where private ownership
is abolished.
But it's also true
that this is not
a capitalistic community
where private ownership
is prized and guarded
and where the desire
to increase one's own capital
governs all commercial dealings.
It's like comparing
apples and oranges
because the early church
functioned
not as an economy
but as a family.
The clause,
there was not
a needy person among them
echoes an Old Testament
ideal within the family of God.
The word needy
occurs only once
in the entire New Testament
right here.
And it's the same word
that occurs
in the ancient Greek translation
of Deuteronomy chapter 15
verse 4
where it says,
but there will be
no needy person
among you.
Acts 4.34
is a fulfillment
of that word.
This command
in Deuteronomy
is given in the context
of directions
about the sabbatical year,
a year of rest.
Jewish lenders
were permitted
to exact
what was owed to them
from their borrowers
if those borrowers
were foreigners.
However,
they were forbidden
from exacting
what was owed to them
from their fellow Jews.
And when the sabbath year
came,
the seventh year
of rest came,
they were commanded
to forgive
any outstanding loan
of their Jewish brethren.
So it says
in Deuteronomy 15
verse 2,
every creditor
shall release
what he has lent
to his neighbor.
He shall not exact it
of his neighbor,
his brother,
because the Lord's release
has been proclaimed.
This is how family works.
I recently received
a check
for serving
on jury duty.
It's not much
and the tax
is already taken out.
But it's money
that I earned
with the work
that I did
and the check
had my name on it.
But it really
doesn't matter
in the end
because it all goes
into the family
bank account.
In fact,
I told Hannah
that I'm giving
my jury check
to her
to use as she desires
since she had to work
extra hard at home
to make sure
I can go to jury duty
and then do church work
at night
and weekends
because I wouldn't have
been able to serve
on that jury
if it weren't for her.
Some of the money
undoubtedly
will end up
going to our kids
who are net negative
on our account.
They don't contribute
to our family's earning
in any way.
In fact,
they're quite a drain.
But that's how
families work.
They take care
of each other's needs.
They share
what belongs
to them
with one another.
So it is
within the family
of God.
The church
is the family
of God.
Church is not
a worship service
that you attend
or a building
that you enter into.
it's a congregation
of believers
as it says
in chapter 4
verse 32.
The full number
or congregation
the multitude
of those who believed
were of one heart
and soul.
The church
is a gathering
of people
a community
of followers
of Jesus Christ
who meet together
for prayer
and teaching
and the breaking
of bread
who live
closely enough
to know
each other's needs
and who love
each other enough
to meet
those needs
as they arise.
And I want to commend
many of you
who have done this
within our church
as well.
Some of you
have used
your own money
to pay
for another member's
medical expense
or housing expense.
Note that
at this point
in the book of Acts
the church
did not have
its formal structure
with the elders
and the deacons
as specified
in 1 Timothy chapter 3.
At this point
there's still
only one church
in all the world
the church
in Jerusalem
and the apostles
functioned
as the elders
of that church.
This is why
people bring
the proceeds
of what was sold
and laid
at the apostles' feet.
The apostles
being leaders
of the church
had a fuller picture
of the various
needs within the church
and by having them
coordinate
the distribution
of funds
they made sure
that every need
was met
and that there
wasn't any
reduplication
of efforts
with several people
trying to meet
the same need
not knowing
that it was already met.
This is what
we do
as a local church
as well
when we take up
offerings
for a collective fund.
It's what we did
at our members meeting
last Sunday
when we established
the benevolence fund
for future deacons
to allocate
to those who are in need.
Having made his point
about the unity
of the church
and how they met
one another's needs
Luke now gives us
two specific examples
a positive one
and a negative one.
We see the positive example
in verses 36 to 37.
Thus Joseph
who was also called
by the apostles
Barnabas
which means
son of encouragement
a Levite
a native of Cyprus
sold a field
that belonged to him
and brought the money
and laid it
at the apostles feet.
This brother's name
was Joseph
but we know him
by his more famous nickname
which the apostles
called him by
Barnabas
which means
son of encouragement.
He's one of the most
prominent believers
in the book of Acts.
His name occurs
again and again
and we'll encounter him
many times
and it's not surprising
for that reason
that the apostles
had a special nickname
for him.
And what a great nickname
son of encouragement.
To refer to someone
as a son of something
is an idiomatic way
in Hebrew
to describe
the character
of a person
and because
the Greek New Testament
is influenced
written by Jews
it reflects that influence.
So a son of
Ephesians 5, 6
calls disobedient people
son of disobedience.
So then
a son of encouragement
is someone
who is often
given toward
encouraging others.
If encouragement
had a son
it would look like
Barnabas.
The word encouragement
means to exhort
and embolden
another person
in his or her belief
or course of action.
The same word
is used
later in chapter 9
verse 31
to refer to the comfort
of the Holy Spirit.
He's a son
who gives comfort
to others
brings encouragement
to others.
We see him
doing this often
throughout the book of Acts.
When Paul
returned to Jerusalem
after his conversion
the apostles
were wary of him
knowing his reputation
as a fierce
persecutor
of the church.
However,
it's Barnabas
who personally
takes Paul
by his hand
and introduces him
to the apostles
assuring them
that he has
genuinely converted
and that he's safe.
In Acts chapter 9
verse 27
When a new church
begins to take
shape in Antioch
the apostles
send who?
Barnabas.
They're to encourage
them and build them up.
Acts 11
22-26
And then
when those same
Christians in Antioch
hear a prophecy
that anticipates
a famine
throughout Judea
they send relief
by the hand
of Barnabas.
When Paul
insists on not
taking John Mark
along with him
on their missionary
journey
being unwilling
to give Mark
a second chance
because Mark
had deserted them
in one leg
of the journey
previously
it's Barnabas
who insists
on giving Mark
a second chance
is in Acts chapter 15
verse 37-40
Paul virtually admits
later in his life
that Barnabas was right
because in 2 Timothy 4-11
he asks Timothy
to get Mark
and bring him with you
for he's very useful
to me in my ministry.
So Joseph
was a godly man
who was often
encouraging other believers
and building up the church
so he was nicknamed
Barnabas
and fittingly
Barnabas
sold a field
that belonged to him
and brought the money
to and laid it
at the apostles' feet
so that it might be used
to meet the needs
of the saints.
While Levites
were not given
an inheritance
in the land of Israel
by this time
Israel was not
a theocracy
governed by
the Mosaic law
rather they were
a conquered nation
subjects of the Roman Empire
and so under
these changed circumstances
it appears
Levites also owned land.
So Barnabas
a Levite
sold his land
and donated
it to the church.
But lest you think
that this is
just an idealized
depiction
of the early church
Luke gives us
a negative example
as well.
The early church
was not perfect.
Wherever the spirit
of God
is powerfully at work
Satan always tries
to do his worst.
And we see this
beginning in chapter 5
says in verses 1-2
but a man named
Ananias
with his wife
Sapphira
sold a piece
of property
and with his wife's
knowledge
he kept back
for himself
some of the proceeds
and brought only
a part of it
and laid it
at the apostles' feet.
It's clear
that Ananias
and Sapphira
were part of
the Christian community
in Jerusalem.
They knew
who the apostles
were and they knew
that it was common
practice to sell
one's property
and bring the proceeds
to the apostles
to be distributed
to those who are in need.
But Jesus also taught us
in Matthew 13
24-30
that among God's people
there will always be
weeds mixed in
with the wheat
and that it will not
be possible
to separate them out
until the last day
the judgment day.
So it's possible
that Ananias
and Sapphira
were not genuine believers.
Considering
the divine judgment
that befalls them later
I think it's possible
that they were
not true Christians.
But Peter
prophetically sees
right through
Ananias and Sapphira's
deception
and he asks Ananias
a series of questions
in verses 3-4.
Ananias,
why has Satan
filled your heart
to lie to the Holy Spirit
and to keep back
for yourself
part of the proceeds
of the land?
While it remained
on sold
did it not
remain your own?
And after it was sold
was it not
at your disposal?
Why is it that
you have contrived
this deed in your heart?
You have not lied
to man
but to God.
Peter's questions
reveal exactly
what Ananias
and Sapphira
did wrong.
First,
they had no obligation
to sell their piece
of land.
Peter says,
while it remained
on sold
did it not
remain your own?
There was no
church policy
demanding that
everybody relinquish
their property
and bring it
to the apostles.
it was theirs
to do with it
whatever they pleased
and yet
he sold
they decided
to sell it.
Second,
after selling it
Ananias and Sapphira
did not have
the obligation
to donate
any or all
of the proceeds
to the church.
Peter says,
and after it was sold
was it not
at your disposal?
You could have
kept 100%
of the proceeds
for yourself
or you could have
kept 80%
of the proceeds
for yourself
and then donated
20% to the church.
Nobody would have
faulted you for it.
You could have
done whatever you
wanted with the
proceeds from the sale.
It was your money.
The problem
was not that
Ananias and Sapphira
withheld part
of the proceeds.
The problem
was that they
withheld the proceeds
while lying
that they were
donating all
of the proceeds.
The problem
was not
that they
were cheap.
Even donating
a part of the proceeds
would have been
very generous.
The problem
was not
that they
were withholding
what they
had already
dedicated to God.
The money
was theirs
to dispose of
as they wish.
The problem
was that
they lied
to God.
And why
would they
do something
like this?
Well,
because Joseph
had recently
donated all
of his proceeds
from the sale
of his land
and the apostles
and the rest
of the church
loved him.
They even
gave him
a nickname.
They called him
Barnabas,
son of encouragement.
Ananias' name
means the Lord
has shown favor,
but the favor
of God
shown in Jesus
wasn't enough
for him.
He wanted
man's favor.
He wanted
man's acclaim.
He wanted
to be
a beloved
of the apostles.
I want
to call
me
a son
of generosity.
Maybe
you can
be called
the daughter
of hospitality,
Sephira.
Oh,
but I really
want some
of that money
too.
Hey,
I've got
an idea.
Since we
got a great
deal on this
sale,
we can just
give a part
of the proceeds
and it will
still look
like we are
giving away
the entirety
of our profit.
This way
we can have
the best
of both worlds,
a sterling
reputation
in the church
and sparkling
riches at home.
How about
that idea?
But nothing
can be hidden
from the all-knowing
and all-seeing
God.
God is light
and in him
there is no
darkness at all.
If we say
we have fellowship
with him
and yet walk
in the darkness,
we lie
and do not
practice the truth.
every single
person in the
universe stands
completely exposed
before the
light of God.
So God
reveals Ananias
and Sapphira's
duplicity to
Peter and
Peter gets
right to the
heart of the
issue.
Twice he
repeats the
word heart.
He says in
verse 3,
Ananias,
why has
Satan filled
your heart
to lie to
the Holy
Spirit?
And again
in verse 4,
why is it
that you have
contrived this
deed in your
heart?
You have not
lied to man
but to God.
We see both
Satan and
Ananias' own
sinful flesh
at work here.
Satan has
filled his
heart and
Ananias has
contrived
the misdeed
in his own
heart.
And notice
the contrast
between this
description of
Ananias and
the description
of the
believers early
in chapter 4
verse 31,
where he said
that they were
all filled
with the
Holy Spirit.
When the
church is
filled by the
Holy Spirit,
there is unity.
unity.
But when
its members
like Ananias
are filled
instead by
Satan,
there is
duplicity and
disunity.
Earlier in
chapter 4,
verse 32,
it said the
believers were
of one heart,
but Ananias and
Sapphira were
not one of
them because
they let
Satan fill
their hearts.
So their
hearts were
divided,
double-minded.
Brothers and
sisters,
be watchful of
your heart.
When your
heart is full
of envy of
another church
member,
when your
heart is full
of rivalry,
when your
heart is full
of desire for
man's approval
or acclaim,
when your
heart is full
of pride that
thinks it can
hide things
from God,
that is not
the work of
the Holy Spirit
but the work
of Satan.
Such attitudes
are destructive
to the church,
it sows
discord.
When we see
one another
not as
teammates,
members of
the same
family of
God,
but as
competitors,
when we are
out to gain
glory for
ourselves rather
than for
God,
we begin to
act independently
instead of
interdependently
as we should.
Different parts
of the same
body vying
for prominence
instead of
each doing
its part
for the
benefit of
the whole.
It's not
the way
it's meant
to be.
Do you
struggle with
envy when
you see
another brother
or sister
in the church
enjoying the
favor of
other members
and or
the leaders
of the
church?
Do you
feel tempted
to do
good deeds,
to serve
diligently,
to speak
knowledgeably,
or to give
generously,
not primarily
out of your
love for
God and
for his
people,
but out
of your
desire for
recognition?
That's
what Ananias
was doing.
And God
would not
stand for
it.
It says in
verses 5 to
6,
when Ananias
heard these
words,
he fell
down and
breathed his
last.
And great
fear came
upon all
who heard
of it.
The young
man rose
and wrapped
him up and
carried him
out and
buried him.
Peter neither
condemns nor
curses Ananias,
yet God
himself brings
down this
spontaneous
judgment,
and Ananias
falls down
and breathes
his last.
Maybe he
died of a
heart attack
at the shock
and shame
of being
exposed in
public like
that.
We can't
know for
sure,
but what we
do know is
that this
was an
act of
divine
judgment.
The result
of that
judgment was
great fear
among all
those who
heard it.
Great power
and great
grace were
upon the
church in
verse 33,
and this
inspires
great fear
among all
those who
hear of
the mighty
acts of
God.
Verse 7
says,
After an
interval of
about three
hours,
Ananias'
wife came
in,
not knowing
what had
happened.
This is
ironic.
Early in
verse 2,
a slightly
different form
of the same
word to
know was
used to
tell us
that Ananias,
with his
wife's
knowledge,
kept back for
himself some of
the proceeds
and brought
only a part
of it and
laid it at
the apostles'
feet.
At that
time,
it was only
Sapphira who
was in the
know, so
to speak.
Only she
was aware of
her husband's
ploy, or so
she thought.
But now,
Sapphira is the
only person who
is not in the
know.
Peter knows,
the young
man who
carried out
Ananias'
corpse knows,
and of
course God
knows, but
Sapphira herself
does not
know what
has happened.
May this be a
warning to
those of us
who think
that we can
hide things
from God
and get
away with
sin.
We might
deceive man,
but we can
never deceive
the all-knowing
God.
If you think
you know
something that
God doesn't
know in
truth, you're
the one who
doesn't know
what God
knows.
Peter asks
Sapphira in
verse 8,
tell me whether
you sold the
land for so
much.
It's possible
that Peter was
at this point
unaware that
Sapphira was
Ananias'
partner in
crime, in
which case he's
trying to
determine
Sapphira's
knowledge and
role in the
matter.
If Peter
already knew
prophetically that
Sapphira was
part of the
ploy, then he
is here offering
her a second
chance to
repent and
tell the
truth.
Is the money
that your
husband dropped
off earlier
today really
the full
amount that
you received
for the
sale of
your land?
And Sapphira
responds,
yes, for
so much.
And Peter
says, how
is it that
you have
agreed together
to test the
spirit of
the Lord?
Behold, the
feet of those
who have buried
your husband are
at the door and
they will carry
you out.
Immediately she
fell down at
his feet and
breathed her
last.
When the
young men
came in,
they found
her dead and
they carried
her out and
buried her beside
her husband.
And once
again, the
result is
great fear
that came upon
the whole
church and
upon all
those who
heard of
these things.
Why does
God act with
such severe
immediate
judgment of
Ananias and
Sapphira?
Verse 3
says that
Ananias lied
to the Holy
Spirit.
Verse 4
says that
he lied
not to
man but
to God.
Similarly,
verse 9
says that
Ananias and
Sapphira agreed
to test the
spirit of the
Lord.
That's the
crux of
the matter.
Lying to
God, or to
put it another
way, testing
God is a
serious offense.
First, Ananias and
Sapphira were
lying to God.
They lied to
Peter and the
apostles, but
Peter says that
in doing so,
they have not
lied to man but
to God.
Peter's not
claiming to be
God.
He's rather
speaking like
Jesus does
later in Acts
chapter 9,
verse 4.
The risen Jesus
says to Saul who
was persecuting the
church, Saul, Saul,
why are you
persecuting me?
Because the
church is the
body of Christ and
Christ is the
head of the
church.
The church is the
temple of the
very spirit of
God.
To persecute the
church, then it's
to persecute Christ
himself.
And in trying to
deceive the church
and its
representatives,
Ananias sought to
deceive God
himself.
When children are
little, it's
patently obvious
that they are
lying.
That's the case
with some
adults too,
but especially
with very young
children.
So it's almost
cute when a
parent catches a
child doing
that.
But the case of
Ananias and
Sophia is far
worse than
that.
It's absurd
to think that
one can deceive
the omniscient
God.
In fact, to
lie to him is
to make a
mockery of him.
You don't
really see all
that I do,
do you?
You don't
really know
everything I
know, do
you?
You're not
really God,
are you?
Ananias and
Sapphira lied
to God, and in
doing so, they
were also
testing God.
When the
Israelites tested
God in the
wilderness, God
called it
rebellion in
Psalm 78.
to test God
in this
instance is to
know that
something is
wrong, but
to do it
anyway in
defiance of
God, to
test him, to
see whether
God is really
serious about
his prohibition
or not, to
test it to see
whether God
will really
react or
not.
Sorry for all
the parenting
analogies here,
but there comes a
moment in
parenting when
you realize that
your toddler is
not the innocent
angel that you
thought he or
she was, but a
willful, sinful
human being like
the rest of us.
We have a
plant in our
house whose
leaf is poisonous
to humans if
you consume it.
It's fittingly
called a snake
plant.
And of course,
our toddler likes
to crawl over to
this plant, rip
off the leaves,
and try to eat
it.
One time, she
was trying to do
exactly this as I
was watching her,
and I looked her
in the eyes and
told her,
no, you
can't eat that,
no.
And then she
looked at me very
intently with a
serious look on
her face, and I
knew she understood
exactly what I was
telling her.
And then after a
few seconds of
staring me down
and as if daring
me to do
something about it,
she began to
test me by
proceeding to
rip off the
leaf.
I got even
closer to her
and told her
again, no.
And this time,
she knew she
couldn't get away
with it.
So she looked at
me with the
saddest little
face and started
crying.
Thankfully, she
doesn't do that
anymore.
She hasn't tried
it since.
Doing the wrong
thing unknowingly
is one thing,
but to do it
knowingly,
willfully,
that's something
else.
That's hubris,
defiance,
rebellion,
and it must be
addressed.
And Ananias and
Sapphira agreed
together to test
the spirit of the
Lord.
And that's a
serious offense
because God is
not someone to be
trifled with.
He's not someone
you can treat
lightly.
I love this
illustration from
The Chronicles of
Narnia,
The Lion, the Witch,
and the Wardrobe.
When Mr. Beaver
is talking to
Susan, Mr. Beaver
says, Aslan is a
lion, the lion,
the great lion.
Oh, said Susan,
I thought he was
a man.
Is he quite safe?
I shall feel rather
nervous about meeting
a lion.
Safe?
said Mr. Beaver.
Who said anything
about safe?
Of course he isn't
safe.
But he's good.
He's the king,
I tell you.
God's the king.
He is holy.
He sits enthroned
far above the
heavens.
And yet we
sometimes think
that God is
someone who
will put up
with endless
indignities
at our own
sinful hands
and never
respond.
God is the king.
If this instance
of divine judgment
makes you uneasy,
you're not alone.
That's in fact
the appropriate
response.
That's why
twice we are told
that great fear
came upon all
those who
heard this
incident.
Later,
chapter 5,
verse 13,
it says,
none of the
rest there
joined them,
the church,
but the people
held them in
high esteem.
Unbelievers
who observed
the kinds of
things that
were happening
in the church
realized that
God is holy,
that his church
is sacred,
so they were
careful around
the gathering
of believers.
They did not
treat them
irreverently
or flippantly.
They treated
the church
with respect.
They didn't
saunter over
to a church
gathering
like a
cackling
spectator
at a
carnival.
They wouldn't
dare to do
that.
When we see
a terrifying
act of judgment
like the one
we see here
in this passage,
we need to
be reminded
that God
is a holy
God who
hates sin
and judges
sinners.
Even if you
don't receive
immediate judgment
like Ananias
and Sapphira,
every sinner
will receive
ultimate judgment,
on the final
judgment day
when Christ
returns.
God created
all of us
for His glory
to obey Him
and to represent
Him,
but we have
all defied
His authority,
rebelled against
Him,
and that's
what we call
sin.
And apart
from divine
intervention,
we are all
liable to the
same punishment
that befell
Ananias and
Sapphira,
death.
And physical
death is just
a symptom of
spiritual death,
our separation
from God.
And if we
don't repent
of our sins
and receive
forgiveness from
God for our
sins,
we will be
punished with
the second
death,
eternal
separation from
God.
But it's
precisely because
God's judgment
is so real
that God's
mercy is also
so real.
sin.
You don't
feel that
God's mercy,
the power of
it,
until you
have felt
viscerally
the impending
doom,
the threat
of God's
judgment.
it.
We can't
save ourselves
from Ananias
and Sapphira's
fate because
that's what we
all deserve.
But God in
mercy sent
His only
Son,
Jesus,
to die on
the cross
for our
sins.
We should
have been
exposed in
all our
nakedness of
sin and
shame.
But instead,
Jesus hung
naked on
the cross,
exposed in
shame,
bearing our
sin.
We should
have been
punished for
our willful
rebellion against
God, but
instead,
Jesus, the
perfectly
obedient Son,
bore the
punishment for
our treason and
endured the
just wrath of
God, His
Father.
And having
paid the
price, Jesus
rose in
victory from
the dead so
that all those
who put their
trust in Him
might be
forgiven and
reconciled to
God.
so that we
might no longer
be under
God's judgment,
but under
His mercy.
If you're not
yet a believer
in Jesus
Christ, if
you're not
yet a part
of the
church, the
congregation of
God's people,
then now is
your chance.
Because there
is no turning
back after
death.
Notice the
finality with
which Ananias
and Sapphira's
death is
described.
Ananias,
breathe his
last.
Sapphira,
breathe her
last.
Once we
draw our
last breath
and expire,
there can be
no turning
back to
God.
So turn to
Jesus today
and receive
His mercy
rather than
judgment.
For those of
us who are
already members
of the church
of God,
let's pray
continually
and seek
the filling
of the Holy
Spirit.
who enables
us to bear
witness to
Jesus with
one heart
and soul.
Let's
respond to
this message
by praying.
God.
Godcue the
God,