Acts 4:32-5:11 Ananias and Sapphira May 20, 2007 The story of Ananias and Sapphira is a difficult one for many. It sounds like something out of the Old Testament! Especially after reading Ezekiel 11! But this is where we need to remember that the same God who struck down Pelatiah in Ezekiel's day, also struck down Ananias and Sapphira in Peter's day. God will not be mocked. Those who pretend to be devoted to the kingdom of God, but who are really devoted to their own kingdoms, will be destroyed. But in order to understand what this story says to us today, we need to understand what it is doing here in the book of Acts. The book of Acts shows how the apostles fulfilled the command of Jesus: "You will receive power from on high when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" We are presently in part 1 of the book of Acts focused on the apostolic witness in Jerusalem. Part 1 of Acts consists of Acts 2-7. If you look at Acts 8:1 it says that the church was scattered throughout Judea and Samaria which signals the beginning of Part 2. Acts 2-7 is all about how the church bears witness to Jesus in Jerusalem. Chapter 2 begins with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the church the foundation for the rest of the whole book! Chapters 3-4 tell the story of the first arrest of the apostles Chapter 5:17-42 tells the story of the second arrest of the apostles Then chapters 6-7 conclude part 1 with the stoning of Stephen. And right in the middle is Acts 4:32-5:11 -- the central story of part one, sandwiched between the two arrests. This means that the story of Ananias and Sapphira is not just some afterthought that Luke stuck in here. It is not just an interesting tidbit an amazing work of God's judgment. It is the central episode of Part One of the book of Acts. The book of Acts is all about the work of the Holy Spirit, as the Spirit equips the people of God to proclaim the good news of the kingdom. This passage contrasts the work of the Spirit with the self-centered work of hypocrites. Last time we looked at the prayer of the apostles in Acts 4:23-31. The apostles had been told not to preach "in the name" of Jesus. They had been threatened by the priests to speak no more "in the name of Jesus." And so they gathered together and prayed. And in their prayer they did not ask for their enemies to be destroyed nor did they ask to be protected from their enemies. What did they ask for? They asked that God would give them boldness to speak his Word. Their focus is not on themselves and their own well-being. Their focus is on the proclamation of the Word of God. They are seeking first the Kingdom of God. Ananias and Sapphira are only pretending to seek first the kingdom of God. They wish to be praised by men and so they are even willing to lie to the Spirit of God. The point of this text is simple: those who try to look good before men must remember that one day they will face God. Because God will not be mocked. 1. They Had Everything in Common (4:32 37) The first part of our passage shows us how well things were going. 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. We have already seen, in chapter 2, the likely reason for this: many of the converts on the day of Pentecost were from the dispersion Jews from all over the Roman world who had gathered for the feast of Pentecost. They had not planned on staying more than a few days, but now the early believers are having to share their goods in order to provide for each other. No one wants to go home after all, it is only in Jerusalem (at this time) that you can hear the apostles' teaching. It is only here in Jerusalem that the Spirit of God is at work. And so 4:32-37 explain to us the mechanics of how this first Christian community cared for one another. They were of one heart and soul they were united in their love for Christ and for each other. Verse 33 explains the power that motivated them: And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. (v33) The apostles' teaching the apostolic witness to the resurrection of Jesus is the heartbeat of the Christian faith. The resurrection of Jesus is a life-changing event. If Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead, then everything in life must change. Everything must be oriented around him. You cannot continue living a self-centered life, because the resurrection of Jesus draws our eyes away from our self-centered-ness and makes us realize that we've been focusing on the wrong things. And so verse 34 says, 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. This is the general practice. Those who had property sold it and brought the proceeds as an act of worship, laying it at the apostles' feet. In the OT firstfruits, tithes and offerings were brought to the priests as an act of worship. Now the believers are bringing the proceeds to the apostles as a way of bringing their gifts to God. Verses 36-37 will then give us the first specific example: 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. Think about this for a minute. Barnabas owns a piece of property. We don't know how wealthy he was. Did he own other property? We don't know. What we do know is that he was aware of needs in the church, and so he sold a piece of property and gave all the proceeds to the church. Today, we think we are pleasing to God if we give 10%. We forget that in the OT there was not only the tithe at the end of the harvest, but also the firstfruits that were be given at the beginning of the harvest, the gleanings that were to be left for the poor, the firstborn of every animal, along with burnt offerings, grain offerings, peace offerings, and freewill offerings at various times. The total religious and charitable obligations of the average Israelite landowner would have been considerably more than 10%! The economy has changed dramatically since the days of the average Israelite landowner! The apostles do not seem to be overly concerned by "percentages." The real question is whether you are using all that you have in the service of God. If the need presented itself, would you be willing to sell something valuable in order to help your brother in need? But the image of laying it at the apostles' feet reminds us that Barnabas did not do this as a matter of private alms, but rather as a matter of public worship. (This is one reason why we include offerings in our public worship services) 2. Lying to God: the Sin of Ananias and Sapphira (5:1-11) It is also an explanation of why the sin of Ananias and Sapphira is so grievous. 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. Ananias wants to look like Barnabas. So he pretends to be something he's not. So Peter replies, 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? We often gloss over the reference to Satan. But Satan is seeking to destroy the church of our Lord Jesus Christ. In this case he is not using a frontal assault. This isn't persecution. This is that most insidious of attacks: this is the "you can serve two masters" attack. Satan has persuaded Ananias that if he keeps back part of the proceeds, then Ananias will have the approval of the church, the approval of God, and still have a chunk of change left over for himself. But Peter says, While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? It was your land, Ananias, you could have done with what you wished. If you had come and said, "I'd like to give half" that would have been acceptable. Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God. (V4) Did Ananias really think that he could deceive God? We could have read Genesis 3 about how Adam and Eve tried to hide from God after they sinned against him. Or we could have read Joshua 7, about the sin of Achan, who also thought that he could hide from God's judgment. But instead we read Ezekiel 11, where Ezekiel is told to prophesy against Jaazaniah and Pelatiah, because they have acted according to the rules of the nations, rather than trusting in the Word of God. And Pelatiah fell dead while Ezekiel was prophesying. At the beginning of history, man thought he could deceive God and play by the rules of the devil. At the beginning of Israel's history, Achan thought he could deceive God and play by the rules of the flesh. At the end of Israel's history, Pelatiah thought that he could deceive God and play by the rules of the world. Now at the beginning of the history of the church, Ananias is following the same pattern. But you cannot deceive God! It would be nice to think that in the New Testament era this didn't happen anymore. But it does. You and I do this all the time! We want to look good to the church outwardly, but play by the rules of the world inwardly. But you cannot deceive God! You may be good at hiding your sin from others, but you cannot hide it from God. Your most secret sin was committed openly and blatantly before the eyes of God! When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. Why does God strike Ananias down for this? Certainly there are strong echoes of Achan in Joshua 7 and Pelatiah in Ezekiel 11. God is making it clear that while he is indeed doing something new in Jesus Christ, he has not changed. It is still the case that you cannot deceive God! And if you try, he will destroy you. The message comes across clearly, as revealed at the end of verse 5, And great fear came upon all who heard of it. Certainly those who heard of it would have thought of Peter as being like one of the prophets of old. And so, The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. But that is not the end of the story. 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 Peter asks her point blank, Did you sell the land for this amount? She utters a bald-faced lie and says "yes." Incidentally, this passage makes it clear that a wife is accountable for her own actions. She cannot say "I'm just submitting to my husband!" If your husband is sinning, you may not cover for him! Because if you do, you will share his fate. Ananias and Sapphira are a model couple in some ways! They share a common way of thinking and speaking and doing! Isn't that the goal of marriage? To be "one flesh" in how you live your lives together? Certainly it is important that you develop a common way of knowing and speaking and doing, but that common way is to be the way of Christ! You are both to be conformed to him, even as you grow in your life together. Sapphira shares a common way of knowing and speaking and doing with Ananias. She also shares a common grave: 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 of these things. Conclusion: Playing by the Rules of the Kingdom Ezekiel said to the house of Israel: You have not walked in my statutes nor obeyed my rules, but have acted according to the rules of the nations that are around you. Ananias and Sapphira were also playing by the rules of the nations. You do your "religious" thing look good to the "church people" but make sure that you are looking out for number one! It is so easy, in our day of opulence and wealth, to play by the rules of the nations. But Jesus calls us to play by the rules of the kingdom. Jesus says to those who are concerned for tomorrow, what they will eat and what they will wear: Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matt 6:33) How are you seeking first the kingdom? First, and in all situations, where is your heart set? Because the thing that drives you is what you are seeking! But how you use the gifts of God will reveal your heart: How do you use your time? How do you use your house in the service of the kingdom? You may be called to sell it and give the money to the poor! Or maybe not. But if you are not planning on selling it and giving the money to the poor, then I hope you have a plan for how you can use it effectively in the service of Christ. What about your car? your computer? Children, what about your toys? How can you use your toys in the service of the kingdom of God? If you have too many toys, perhaps you could sell some and give the proceeds to those in need. We are called to lay down our lives for one another not just to figure out if there is some convenient time that we can smile at each other and wave. No, to play by the rules of the kingdom is to adopt a manner of living that is costly, self-sacrificing, and focused on Christ. If you'd rather not, if all that sounds like more than you signed up for, then you can join Ananias and Sapphira. Because all they did was try to be halfway Christians. They wanted to be praised and honored as faithful believers, even as they secretly lived by the rules of the world. Be honest with God, with yourself, and with others. Don't pretend to be something you're not. And as you grow in grace, you will more and more become who you are in Christ.