Read Acts 4:36,37; 5:1-10
A. This is a strange story, yes?
B. Why did the two of them die?
1. They tried to deceive men
2. Peter pointed out that they really didn’t lie
to men, but to God
3. Psalm 101:7 (NIV) No one who practices
deceit will dwell in my house; no one who
speaks falsely will stand in my presence.
C. Does this kind of thing happen anymore? (Tell the
story Shawn Bowman told me: drunk man in bar
said, “If I’m lying, then may God strike me dead.”
God struck him dead.)
D. God also did this to king Herod: Acts 12:23 (NIV)
Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to
God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he
was eaten by worms and died.
There are a few things I want to pull out of this passage
I. Ananias and Sapphira probably thought they had a
good marriage.
A. They were obviously able to agree on the
important issues. (In this case, their finances)
B. Husbands and wives, just because we’re in
agreement on something, doesn’t mean that we
have the mind of God
1. Don’t mistake the peace you can arrive at
when you can agree with each other for the
peace of God.
a. We can make the mistake of
agreeing not to go to church
anymore
b. We can agree to eat a gallon of ice
cream every night - that doesn’t
make it the right thing to do
2. Eccl 4:12 (NIV) Though one may be
overpowered, two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly
broken.
a. In a Christian marriage, there are 3
personalities: man, wife, and Jesus.
b. Press in until all three have peace,
not just the man and wife
II. I can’t help but touch on giving
A. There is much debate on whether a NT believer is
required to tithe
B. I ran across an Internet sight that offered a reward
for anyone that could show him a NT scripture that
demanded a tithe and/or a person in the NT that
payed a tithe
1. Didn’t bother with the little quiz, because I
know that there is no examples of that
2. Acts shows us that they gave all!
a. We sit and figure out whether to pay
tithe on our net income or our gross
income, while the NT believers gave
all that they had
b. So appreciate our pastor, who not
only encourages us to give
generously, but does so himself
3. Besides, why would the NT have to repeat
the OT - if it did, it would by the OT!
III. The verse I want to focus on is V.9, “Look! The feet of
the men who buried your husband are at the door, and
they will carry you out also.”
A. Picture that . . . the men standing at the door . . .
let the feet represent sin . . .
1. Translate metaphorically:
2. The sins that have buried other people you
know are at your door, and those same
sins will carry you out, too.
3. God is no respecter of persons; neither is
sin
B. Ever wonder why things continue to work time and
time again?
1. Why does a fish work still work?
2. Why does a mouse trap with a glob of
peanut butter still work
3. Why doesn’t the mouse or the fish figure it
out: peanut butter and hooks are no-no’s!
C. Fish and mice aren’t much worse than us (Think
about the vice of . . .)
1. Gambling still hooks many,
a. “Did you know that Americans
gamble more money each year than
they spend on groceries? Or that
more than $600 billion is wagered
legally in the United States
annually” James Dobson, January
1999.
b. This is more than the recording,
video game, movie, cruise ship,
spectator sport, and theme park
business revenues combined.
Revolution, Dr. Mike Brown, p. 138
2. Pornography still hooks, “Americans spend
more than $9 billion every year on
pornography. The number of hard-core
pornagraphy video rentals increased from
75 milion in 1985, to 490 million in 1992, to
686 million in 1998" Revolution, p.137
3. Drugs/alcohol still seem to hook people,
kids are killed in alcohol related accidents
every year
4. Jealousy, anger, unforgiveness still hook
and trap people
5. Materialism, idolatry, fleshly indulgence
(america consumes 90% of the worlds
resources, yet doesn’t even make up 10%
of the world’s population)
D. There are traps set for the man and the woman of
God that we must beware of!
1. Paul said, “. . . I have forgiven in the
sight of Christ for your sake, in order
that Satan might not outwit us. For we
are not unaware of his schemes” (II Cor.
2:11) (Paul said NO to the peanut butter
and the hook)
2. I would submit this to you: there are more
opportunities to be drug away and enticed
than Paul could ever dream about.
3. We’re 2000 years closer to the coming of
Jesus than he was. (We’re 2000 years into
what he already considered the last days!)
4. Jesus warned us that things would get
worse
IV. (Side track a bit and talk about the last days) I believe
we’re living in the last days, let me show you that (follow
me, there’s a reason for this . . .):
A. Matthew 24 tells us what those last days will look
like, (read v.9-14):
1. Gospel will cover the globe
a. As long as you can log onto the
internet, or receive a TV or radio
signal, you can hear the gospel
anywhere on this planet.
b. You can receive the Gospel
anywhere.
2. “Then you will be handed over to be
persecuted and put to death . . .” Voice of
the Martyr’s magazine states
a. that much of the Christian world
believes that they are currently in
the tribulation
b. More martyrs in the 20th century
than in the previous 19
B. Other passages declare
1. Daniel 12:4, that there would be an
increase in travel and knowledge.
a. In 1914, the average speed of cars
was 15-20 miles an hour. Rockets
and satellites now average 24,000
mph
b. Backed up 80+ sermons on one CD
(a CD is an example of incredible
technology)
2. Daniel 2&7 speak of an end-time world
government that would consist of 10 kings.
In 1921, an organization called the “club of
Rome” was established. One of their
suggestions was to divide the world into 10
regions, with representation at the UN.
Therefore, the world would then be
governed by what a major US newspaper
called “10 wise men.” Are We Living in the
End Times? By Tim Lahaye and Jerry
Jenkins, p.169
C. Matthew also stated that the “Love of most will
grow cold . . . many will turn away from the faith
and will betray and hate each other . . . many false
prophets will appear and deceive many people”
1. We’re seeing this and will unfortunately be
seeing more of this
2. Episcopal Bishop, John Shelby Spong,
wrote Why Christianity must change or Die.
a. Ressurection didn’t happen, a
legend
b. No empty tomb, no angels,
c. The virgin birth, bethlehem, and
manger, “will have to go.”
d. Church should celebrate
homosexual behavior, as well as
heterosexual liaisons outside of
marriage.
3. Assembly church that lost two youth
sponsors because of a false “prophet”
4. This is really the heart beat of this message
today. As we approach the end times, the
deceiver is working over time to trip people
up and destroy their faith
V. God always give us a warning (That’s what I’m doing this
morning: warning you that the feet that carried others off
are at your door)
A. The word tells us that this is the way it will be in the
last days.
B. Cain
1. Most of us don’t know the story real well,
other than Cain killed abel
2. Anyone remember more of the story
3. Remember the dialogue between God and
Cain?
a. Genesis 4:6-8, “sin is crouching at
your door”
b. Warned, but didn’t heed
C. Peter
a. Luke 22:31 "Simon, Simon, Satan
has asked to sift you as wheat. 32
But I have prayed for you, Simon,
that your faith may not fail. And
when you have turned back,
strengthen your brothers." 33 But
he replied, "Lord, I am ready to go
with you to prison and to death." 34
Jesus answered, "I tell you, Peter,
before the rooster crows today, you
will deny three times that you know
me.
b. Peter denied it, too
D. Ananias and Saphira were even warned
a. As Ananias was being warned, he
could’ve repented, but didn’t
b. Saphira had even more reason to
repent, but did not
E. Jesus warns us, as he warned Cain, Peter, and
Ananias and Saphira
F. I Peter 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your
enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him,
standing firm in the faith, because you know that
your brothers throughout the world are undergoing
the same kind of sufferings.
VI. Did Satan have to come up with anything to new to kill
Saphira, after Ananias had died? (New lie, New
temptation?)
A. NO. They both lied to the HS and to man, and
they both held back
B. Does he have to get that inventive to trick us? NO.
C. there’s no sin or temptation that is unique to
your situation (peanut butter and a mouse traps
still catch mice, a hook and a worm still catches a
fish)
1. We like to think that its unique to us, makes
us feel justified in giving in to it
2. “No temptation has seized you except what
is common to man . . .” I Cor. 10:13
3. Jesus makes an interesting statement in
the passage in Matthew that we were
reading: “Wherever there is a carcas, there
the vultures will gather” (Mt 24:28)
a. When you see a large crowd of
vultures, they’re probably huddled
around what . . . . a dead body!
b. When you see a large group of
people flocking around something,
or some idea, or some trend -
chances are that it is dead
(1) We humans like sin. We
flock to it
(2) If everybody’s doing it, its
probably death.
(3) Christ said that living a
Christian life was like walking
a narrow road - there are few
that will walk it.
VII. I close with this thought: two things are at your door
A. Sin
1. As God said to Cain, “sin is crouching at
your door, but you must master it . . .”
2. As Peter said to Saphira, “The feet of the
men who buried your husband are at the
door, and they will carry you out also.”
3. You see,
a. Christians are being deceived
b. God has warned you, however
c. Its nothing you can’t overcome
without his help (it’s not unique to
you)
B. Jesus
1. Rev. 3:20 “Here I am! I stand at the door
and knock. If anyone hears my voice and
opens the door, I will come in and eat with
him, and he with me.”
VIII. Who will you respond to?
A. Sin has been crouched at my door
1. Hasn’t been drugs or gambling, etc
2. Sin of unforgiveness has been knocking at
my door (from the past, a family thing)
3. I’ve chosen to dead bolt that door and
instead let Jesus in
4. It seems desirable (like yummy peanut
butter or the glitter of a new hook . . .) But I
know it would cost me
B. What’s at your door this morning? Are you willing
to lock the door that sins knocking on and let
Jesus in to give you strength?
