Good morning. Let us look to the Word of God in ACTS again.
• Today’s passage is an important one. We are going to see, for the first time, the judgement of God in the community of faith. We have 2 deaths in a span of 3 hours.
• And for the first time in the book of Acts we are seeing threats against the church, not from without but within.
• Let us pray before we read the Scriptures and share the Word.
PRAYER
Sovereign Lord, we are grateful for Your care and provision, we thank You for being good to us. We are thankful for your presence with us each day.
We pray for the many places struggling to manage the pandemic and the many people who are badly affected by it, in one way or another. Grant them Your grace and help, so that they may find rest and hope in you, through the help and testimony of believers around them.
We pray for the racial unrest in the United States. Pray for good sense and wisdom for all involved, for hearts to be changed and for those with authority and power to exercise them wisely and make good decisions for change in their society.
Forgive us Lord for our sin and evil deeds. Help us return to you, our righteous and holy God. Speak to us again through Your Word, this we pray in Jesus’ Name, AMEN.
Turn with me to Acts 4:32-5:11. (May the Lord bless the reading of His Word.)
Luke (author) paints for us again, the beautiful life of the church. The believers were one in heart and mind, supporting one another.
• Acts 4:34-35 “There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.”
• From time to time when the need arises, the community comes together and provides for the needy, even to the extent of selling their lands or houses.
• It is out of love, voluntary and without compulsion. No one is forced to give.
• The believers love God and they love one another. The rich helping the poor, those who have supporting those who have not.
Barnabas is such a person. His name was Joseph and he was from Cyprus, an island blessed with natural resources; a rich land.
• He sold his field and gave the money to the church. The people were blessed.
• We are told that the apostles soon called this caring brother, Barnabas, meaning son of encouragement.
We have here a beautiful picture of the community of faith. And it would have remained so, in our mind, if Luke had not told us of another story.
• In the next verse, Luke went on to say (5:1) “NOW a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, ALSO sold a piece of property…” (NIV)
• KJV/ESV/NASV: “BUT a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property…”
• Clearly the conjunction connects the two, linking what he is about to share next with the preceding comment about Barnabas.
• A couple, Ananias and Sapphira, did the same. They too, like Barnabas, sold their property and brought the money to the apostles.
BUT something was not the same. Luke set the two contrasting incidents of givings next to each other on purpose.
• We do not know the time lapse between the two, but that is not important.
• Luke wants to show us that the second offering was not like the first.
THE COUPLE LIED. They kept part of the proceeds from the sale of their property and pretended that they gave it all.
• Ananias and Sapphira might have come to Peter at different times, but they were in it together. They agreed to deceive.
• 5:2 “With his wife’s full knowledge, he kept back part of the money…”
• 5:9 after Sapphira lied, Peter said to her, “How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord?” They planned the deceit together.
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Peter said to Ananias: 5:3-4 3 …"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 to men but to God."
• Ananias’ heart must have crushed at the moment. He was expecting praise for his gift, but ended up being exposed and rebuked instead.
• There was no compulsion for him to sell the property: “Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold?” (5:4a)
• There was no compulsion for him to give anything: “After it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal?” (4b). He was free to use it in whatever way he wants.
These words are important. Peter set the matter out clearly, led by the Spirit of God, so that observers would not misread this differently.
• God is not demanding Ananias to give up all his proceeds. There is no coercion or even expectation. He can keep everything, or keep a portion of the money and give the rest, and God will be pleased.
• 2 Cor 9:7 “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
• We don’t have to compare or compete with one another in giving to God.
• There was no compulsion to sell or to give, so why did he do it?
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5:7-8 7About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?"
• This is the grace of God. Sapphira was given the chance to tell the truth. But sadly her answer was: "Yes, that is the price."
• 5:9a Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord?"
• It was not just a lie to the apostles or the church, but to God. Peter said to Ananias, “you have lied to the Holy Spirit” (5:3); “You have lied to God” (5:4).
• The truth is, every lie is a lie to God. Every sin is a sin against God.
When King David committed adultery with Bathsheba and later confessed, he penned lament crying out to God for mercy in Psalm 51.
• David says, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight…” (Psalm 51:4) (Although he wronged Bathsheba and Uriah.)
• Every transgression is a sin against God.
The Spirit of God reveals the truth of the matter to Peter. Nothing is hidden from God.
• Jesus cautions His disciples in Luke 12:1-3 "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 3What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs."
• Whatever that is conceived in darkness or the privacy of your own room is plain to God. It’s foolish to cover up.
Reminds me of this story. A pastor is to preach on honesty the next Sunday and tells everyone to read Joshua 25.
The next Sunday he came and asked, "How many read it?" Quite a number of hands went up. He said, "Now you're the ones I need to talk to. Joshua has only 24 chapters, and I am now very concerned for you."
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So the big question is, why did they do it? Why did Ananias/Sapphira choose to lie?
• They are not forced to give, they do not have to, no one expects them to, God did not demand for it.
• The answer is quite obvious from the context. Something motivated them.
• Not for the love of God, not for the needs of the community, but for self-glory.
Luke’s pairing the two offering incidents together tells. The second was unlike the first.
• The couple wanted to make an impression, to be seen as generous donors just like Barnabas, and then get a good name.
• “If Barnabas got a good reputation and became well-loved by the people because of his sacrificial giving (so they think), then we want that too.”
Sadly they were moved by a different spirit, quite unlike that of Barnabas.
• They were driven by PRIDE. They were seeking the praise of men rather than the praise of God. They were doing it, not for God but for self.
• That’s the desires of the world. John writes in 1 John 2:16-17 “For everything in the world-the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does (the pride of life ESV) - comes not from the Father but from the world. 17The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”
• Theologian and pastor John Stott expresses it well: “They wanted the credit and the prestige for sacrificial generosity, without the inconvenience of it. So, in order to gain a reputation to which they had no right, they told a brazen lie. Their motive in giving was not to relieve the poor, but to fatten their own ego.”
Many questions come to my mind:
• Are we striving to make an impression?
• Who exactly are we trying to impress?
• Why are we doing what we are doing?
• Are we too focused on what others think of us that we lose sight of what God thinks?
Peter was angry, not because they did not give everything from the sale.
• They were reprimanded NOT for being misers but for being liars.
• It is not about the gift (being too small) but the givers (being sinful).
• It reminds us of what Jesus said: “Clean the inside of the cup and dish first, and then the outside will also be clean” (cf. Mt 23:26) to the hypocritical Pharisees.
The problem lies on the INSIDE. Ananias and Sapphira showed no fear of God in their heart. God will not be mocked.
• Their deaths became an object lesson for the church. The end result was: “Great fear seized the whole church…” (5:11)
• I believe they are frightened by what happened, but this fear is more than that.
• If this fear has to do with being afraid of God, then they will shun the church, they will not come back, they will stay away.
• But the next few verses tell us the apostles continue to work and 5:14 says, “Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.”
• There is a renewed respect and reverence for God. They were in awe of God. That’s the outcome of the judgement of God.
Now we know why Luke tells us this incident – to highlight God’s desire for purity in the life of the church.
• He could have omitted this shameful incident and dropped 5:1-11 altogether. The flow of the text can still continue well without it.
• Why tarnish the good image of the church we have so far? But that’s not the true picture and that’s not the will of God.
Why is God so ‘harsh’? The context explains it. He is protecting His infant church.
• As He protects the church against the oppositions from without (as we have seen and will continue to see in Acts), God is also protecting His church from the corruption within.
• He is protecting the purity of the church, especially so when she is young and growing.
• As Jesus said in Luke 12:1 we read earlier: "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” It can easily spread. He is not going to allow it.
• Satan will not be able to destroy the church, whether from without or from within.
Why are we still alive today, despite all our sin and failures? God’s grace.
• God is patient with us. Rom 2:4 says “Do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?”
• In His kindness and patience, God is giving us time and chance to repent, not for us to become bolder in our sin. We do not want to take His grace for granted.
• So we are still alive today, by God’s grace.
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Let me close with this takeaway from this passage.
The distinguishing mark of the people of God is our authenticity.
• We are genuine and truthful people, not fake and hypocritical.
• We are to be a reflection of the God we worshipped and the Christ we follow.
• Jesus is the truth, He stands for the truth, He speaks the truth and He lives the truth. He is a man of truth and there is no falsehood in Him (cf. John 7:18)
I remember my seminary lecturer once said:
o We are called, not only to proclaim the truth but live it,
not only to declare the truth but to demonstrate it,
not only to express it, but to exhibit it (display it).
• We are true to God and we live truthfully.
In reading the Gospel we see Jesus repeating a common phrase:
“Truly, truly I say to you…” (ESV); “I tell you the truth…” (NIV).
Those who are familiar with KJV: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee…”
• Jesus uses this phrase often to emphasize that whatever He says is true, listen well.
• All He says is true and He speaks ONLY what is true.
I still remember when I was growing up and hearing the Scripture Readings in KJV, “Verily, verily, I say unto you…” And I don’t understand, too young to know.
Who is this ‘verily’ that He is speaking to? I used to think ‘verily’ is a girl and Jesus says, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you…”
Be like Christ. Be authentic. Speak the truth. Live the truth.
• Hypocrisy and pretensions do not belong in the life of a Christian. It is very unlike Him.
• Eph 4:22-24 “22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
That’s who are in Christ. That’s who we can be in Christ!
• So let us walk in the light, because He is in the light.
• We live the truth, not out of the fear of the consequences, but out of love for God and because of our relationship with Him.
• Let us honour Him and glorify His Name.
PRAY:
Lord, You are the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and we bow down in worship.
We magnify Your Name and we want to honour you, with our lips and with our lives.
Search us, O God and know our hearts. See if there is any offensive way in us and lead us in the way everlasting.
Remove from us Lord any selfish desires and sinful thoughts that distort your image in us. Forgive us, for the times we treated you for granted and with irreverence.
Glorify yourself again Lord, through us, in the coming days. Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
May the grace of Jesus, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all, now and forevermore, AMEN.
