Acts 4:32-5:11
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MAIN IDEA: In contrast to the true church, those who attempt to deceive God will die.
INTRODUCTION
Have you ever tried to pretend to be something or someone you are not?
In our world we could think of a lot of examples of people trying to be something they are not, but when we stop and think about it, we ALL really have done this at one point in our lives.
As a kid I would pretend to be Michal Jordan or Kobe Bryant or Clyde Drexler hitting the game winning shot.
Or Sean Alexander getting the game winning touchdown.
I would watch the movie Rocky or the movie Rudy and fast forward to the “work out” scenes and pretend to be them getting ready and pumped up.
Other times in life I look back and recognize that I was a bit of a chameleon when it came to all the different friend groups that I had. I would change and act different depending on who I was with.
I would do this because I wanted to fit in.
I wanted them to like me.
I wanted the benefits of this group AND that group.
We all do this or have done this at some point.
And we have all seen this in the church world too.
I can’t tell you how many times I have been talking to someone in the community, having a great, genuine conversation.
But as soon as they learn I am a pastor, things change very quickly.
Their language cleans up and they start holding back a little bit in other ways.
I have even had people all of a sudden switch to speaking in “Thee’s” and “Thou’s”. I am not sure why, maybe they thought that’s what Christians did?
People, inside and outside the church have a different set of masks that they wear that they put on at school work, family reunions, Sunday mornings, and with their friends.
The reasons for this may vary.
And some are pretty good at it.
There are people in churches allover the world and maybe even in this room who are wearing a mask right now pretending to be someone they are not.
Our passage this morning deals with two people who put on a mask.
They try to deceive the people around them, but they are also trying to deceive God.
And as the text makes very apparent...
No one can deceive God.
You may fool others, but you cannot fool God.
You may say and do all the right things on the outside, but on the inside you may be holding back from God what he really wants.
YOU.
Let’s pray and look at the text.
Read 32
The unity and generosity of the church born out of the Gospel and Grace of God in Jesus Christ. (32-37)
This verse comes right after the religious leaders had threatened the believers, specifically Peter and John . They threatened them, most likely with death threats or worse, demanding that they STOP speaking the name of Jesus.
And what was the believers response to these threats?
They came together and prayed.
Remembering together that the God they serve is sovereign, large and in charge of everything, the creator of everything.
And that he has a sovereign plan. A plan that no threat from people, even the rulers of the world, can stop or thwart.
And so, they pray for boldness to speak, trusting that their God will continue to do might, mighty things around them.
And after they pray this, we see them doing just that.
Speaking boldly.
But not just that, we Luke also gives us another glimpse into the communal life of this first church.
And verse 32 reveals that this bold, prayerful church, was also UNITED and very GENEROUS.
The unity and generosity of the church. (32)
He says
“All the believers were one in heart and mind.”
When Luke writes that they were one in heart and mind (καρδια και ψυχη), could be translated as ‘one in heart and soul’ or heat and “mind”), he implies both friendship and unity of purpose[1]
καρδια is where we get the word “cardiac” and that’s the word for heart.
And ψυχη is where get the word Phsyche. The word phsyhologoy, the study of the mind and behavior, comes from this.
But the idea here is that these people were connected, not just in name, but they were unified truly as friends. Connected in HEART and MIND.
And then it says
“they felt that what they owned was not their own…”
Something so dramatic had happened to these people that they no longer looked at their things as truly THEIR things.
These people had a new perspective on “stuff”
And because of this, it says,
“They shared everything they had.”
The giving and sharing of “stuff” came not out of compulsion or command, it came out of their growing new perspective ON their stuff.
Remember this comes right after the believers prayer of recognizing that it is GOD who created everything.
These believers firm BELIEF is that God is the rightful owner of everything.
Including “my” things.
Is this your perspective on your “stuff”?
Most Christians understand or at least will say they understand the concept of everything we have really belongs to God, but do our lives reflect this sort understanding.
TRANSITION: What led to this new perspective for these believers? What led to this living out this kind of generosity?
The preaching of the Gospel and God’s Grace (33)
“The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus…”
David Peterson in the The Pillar Commentary says,
“The remarkable point about this verse is the implication that it was the powerful preaching of the gospel that motivated the earliest Christians to such generosity, not specifically preaching about money or impassioned exhortations from leaders to share possessions! The gospel message about God’s grace in Christ inspired a culture of self-giving in love (cf. 2 Corinthians 8–9).[3]
Why does the Gospel do this?
Because the Gospel is more than a one-time message of salvation. It is a constant reminder of the grace we have been given… again and again.
It reminds us of how we were dead in our sins, but because of God’s great love for us he sent Jesus to take our place in death.
We deserved death but we were given the free gift of life - the grace of Jesus Christ.
And now we have risen to NEW spiritual life.
A life not living for this world, but awaiting the NEW world that will come when Jesus returns and we will receive new bodies to live forevermore.
The Gospel reminds us that nothing in THIS life will last.
Instead, we are called to live a life of love, sacrificing and serving PEOPLE - not stuff - just like our savior showed us.
The Gospel does just save us from death, it calls us to a whole new perspective, it calls us to a whole new way of living.
And as they would hear this truth, again and again, it says that,
“great grace was upon them all.”
and that,
“No needy person among them...” (34)
What an amazing picture of how the Gospel of Jesus transforms a community.
Let’s remember though, this is a DESCRIPTION of what was happening. It was meant to fill us with awe at the generosity of these new believers who were being moved in such amazing ways.
This is NOT, however, meant to be a PRESCRIPTION for each and every church.
We should not feel - or make others feel - that this sort of living is a REQUIREMENT of everyone in the church.
Luke is DESCRIBING what is happening here, not PRESCRIBING it.
For many of these people, the Gospel of Jesus was filling their hearts so much that it led to radical and amazing action being taken.
But the second we put specifics like this as REQUIREMENTS we lose the power of the Gospel, the power of God’s grace alone to move in people’s hearts WITHOUT compulsion.
See what’s going on here and then let it lead you to the Gospel of Jesus and what that means for you. Are you letting the truth of the Gospel sink into your heart and mind? Is it what connects us together?
Let the Gospel be what unites us and binds us together and then through that we will see God to mighty things in and through us.
TRANSITION: Now, after many of them sold their property, what did they do with the money?
They brought it and set it at the Apostles feet.”
READ Acts 4:35
and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.
Goods given at the apostles’ feet (35)
Let me just do a brief pause here.
Even at the very beginning, there was structure within the church. There was a leadership. There was trust given to these apostles whom God has chosen to lead the church.
Now, was the money literally placed at their feet? Maybe. But the idea is that it was given to the apostles for them to use at their discretion to give to those who needed it.
Later in chapter 6 we will see that the needs of the church grow beyond the apostles ability to manage themselves. So as the church grows, the structures and leadership in place also needs to grow.
I won’t say anymore right now, but I just want to point out that there was already a system being formed in the church AND that system eventually changes and adapts to the size and needs of the church.
TRANSITION: Okay, let’s keep going for now.
Verses 36 and 37 introduce us to Joseph, also known as Barnabas.
READ Acts 4:36-37
Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.
Joseph was seen and acknowledged as one in particular who was generous and encouraging – acknowledged for this by the apostles themselves.
Several first-century Levites are known to have been outstanding in wealth and education. Since he came from Cyprus, he may have been one of those Levites who never served at the temple in Jerusalem.
But as a prominent Jew from the Dispersion, he was uniquely placed to become a mediator between Jewish and Gentile Christians and an encourager of the Gentile mission (e.g., 11:22–4; 14:22). One reason why the apostles named him Barnabas may have been to distinguish him from Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus, 1:23). But there can be little doubt that the interpretation ‘son of encouragement’ identifies him as one generally known for his kindness and support of others[5]
When he humbly places the proceeds at the apostles’ feet, he forgoes the usual social benefit of praise and public honour. In effect, his donation is a private contribution to the common purse[6]
The money is not given with a “note” of how it MUST be used. It is simply given.
TRANSITION:
Now, this short description of the church and the example of Barnabas is given to reveal how the Gospel of Jesus and the grace of God changes the heart and leads to a new way of living.
But the next section reveals a striking contrast that is meant to be a warning and a sign.
let’s read verses 1-10 of chapter 5
READ Acts 5:1-10
Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.
Then Peter said, “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? 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 just to human beings but to God.”
When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”
“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”
Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”
At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
Okay, so what has happened here?
Summary:
Just like Barnabas, Ananias and Sapphira sold some property.
But they decided to keep some of the money for themselves.
Now, this is NOT where they went wrong.
Where they went wrong was trying to keep that a secret and lie about how much money they REALLY got for the property.
Why would they do this?
As I said earlier, the picture that Luke is painting is not one of a requirement that had been put on the church. The Apostles were not commanding or even asking that people do this.
There may have been offerings taken for the poor, but there is certainly no evidence to suggest that a requirement to sell your property had been given.
The people were doing this in response to the Gospel of grace.
It was not out of compulsion, nor was it done for the praise of people.
Why did Ananias and Sapphira give?
Did Ananias and Sapphira give out of a changed heart?
Did they do it out of love for others and love for God?
To be sure, we are not given the exact reason as to WHY Ananias and Sapphira did this.
Peter himself is like, “What were you thinking? This was your property, no one made you sell it. And after selling it, no one made you give the money away. No one would have been upset or judged you for holding on to some of it. It was your stuff - no one forced you to sell it, so what drove you to lie about it?
Why did they do it?
I think with the context of Joseph and the others giving in these ways, the conclusions to be drawn are not too difficult.
It seems that Ananias and Sapphira were looking around at what was going on in the church.
People seemingly giving left and right.
And this man Joseph had just given this amazing amount of money. He was being praised for doing do wonderfully generous and even being given a new name by the apostles themselves.
It’s possible that Ananias and Sapphira desired this praise too. They wanted the same glory.
So...
They sold the land.
But when they got the money and they laid it on the table...
It was a lot of money.
“Wow”, says Ananias, “it sure would be nice to use this for [fill in the blank reason].”
Now, what’s crazy here is that there is nothing wrong with that line of thinking. And remember, Peter even said, this was yours to do with whatever you wanted!
Rick disagreeing with his wife on how to spend their money.
But their hearts had not been motivated by the grace given to them in Jesus, it was motivated by jealousy, or some sort of desire for the praise of men.
And so, when the money is set before them, they think that unless they give it all, they probably won’t get the same recognition and praise that Barnabas received.
Or perhaps they fear the others will judge them for holding on to some of it.
And as they discuss this they decide together to get the best of both worlds.
Keep some of it, and give the rest.
BUT
Just tell everyone that they are giving it all away.
Now they could be seen as incredibly generous, just like Barnabas, maybe even get a new name like him.
Avoid the judgement from others.
AND be able to use the money for whatever they had in mind.
The problem in all this, however, is that they are not just lying to people about this, they are lying to God about this.
READ Acts 5:3-4
Then Peter said, “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? 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 just to human beings but to God.”
Often this story is used as evidence for the deity of the Holy Spirit.
Which I do think is a helpful text in doing so.
Peter clearly equates the Holy Spirit as God.
If you lie to the Holy Spirit you ARE lying to God.
The Holy Spirit IS God.
But there it more here than purely a proof text for the deity of the Holy Spirit.
Ananias and Sapphira have a done a good deed. They gave money to the church, for the church to do anything they want with it.
But what is clearly evident here is that what God desires from his people most is NOT our outward good deeds.
It doesn’t matter if we give away ALL of our stuff. Sell everything we have and give it to the poor...
It is meaningless if it is not derived from what God wants before anyof that.
God desires our hearts.
God wasn’t looking for an amount from Ananias and Sapphira, he was looking for their heart.
But instead of giving their heart to God, they had given their heart to Satan. They had given their heart to the evil one.
The religious leaders in Jesus time missed this as well.
The religious leaders did a lot of GOOD things in the community.
But Jesus knew what was going on in their hearts.
With their outward deeds they could fool all the people around them.
But they could not fool God.
God saw their deeds, but knew their hearts were far from him.
By looking just at the church of that day, one might say that it was their good deeds that set them apart from the world.
Someone might see the amazing generosity of the church and conclude that these people were doing this so that they could be saved.
And perhaps that was the conclusion that many people were drawing.
But one thing is certain:
This story of Ananias and Sapphira makes clear that God is not looking for a people who simply laid their stuff down at his feet, he is looking for people who have first humbly laid themselves down at the feet of the King.
And this is not something that you can fake before a mighty God.
Ananias and Sapphira thought they could play the part of those who have surrendered their heart to Jesus.
And there will be a lot of people around us in this world who also are trying to play this part AND may even be very convincing in their role to us.
But Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
You can be the nicest person in the world but if you have not surrendered your heart to Jesus, eternal judgment and death awaits you.
This, I believe is the big idea of this strange passage here in Acts.
THE SIGN OF ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA
Just as the immediate healing of the cripple was to point to everlasting healing found in Jesus, the immediate deaths of Ananias and Sapphira was a sign to point to everlasting death to those apart from Jesus.
A sign and a warning that being within the “church” and doing “good things” is NOT what saves you from death.
It is a surrendered heart to Jesus that leads to everlasting life.
There are people today, maybe even in this room or listening to this message online who are knowingly living a life of deception before a Holy God. You talk the talk and to many of those around you, you seem to walk the walk.
But God knows your heart.
And in his patience he has not struck you down.
Just like God doesn’t choose to heal everyone immediately right now, he also chooses to wait on many who are trying to deceive him as well.
Jesus said in Matthew 15:8
“ ‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
There will be a day, and it is drawing near, when the reality of Ananias and Sapphira will come upon many in the church today. Those who put on a good face, say the right things, but whose hearts were far from Him.
This was the warning to the church that was forming then. Don’t put your hope in the deeds of yourself or others. Don’t trust in the generosity humans.
Put your trust first and foremost in the one who raised Jesus from the dead and the grace that comes from Him.
And this warning is for us too.
THE FEET
One thing I noticed in this passage this time around was how often Luke mentions “FEET”.
Five times in Acts 4:32-5:11 Luke mentions someone’s feet.
The people bring the money to the apostles feet, Ananais and Sapphira FALL at the Apostles feet, and the feet of the young men carry them out.
Now this may be insignificant.
But, I think there is something here.
That Ananias and Sapphira had a choice to make with what they brought to God.
They could bring their stuff or they could bring themselves.
Through the Gospel of Jesus we see that Jesus gave his whole life to us on the cross. And in return, he calls us to surrender our whole lives to him, by laying our lives down at the FOOT of the cross.
The call to follow Jesus truly is a call to come and DIE.
Die to our old selves and rise to live a new life.
And Philippians 2:10-11
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
We have the choice to either willing give up our lives now and fall are the FEET of Jesus today.
OR
Have our life TAKEN from us one the last day -when EVERY knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.
Ananias and Sapphira brought stuff to God, but they didn’t bring THEMSELVES.
Jesus said in Matthew 16:25-26
For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
What do you want?
This world or the world to come?
The way you live will certainly reveal some of where your heart is.
But the reality is, you might fool a lot of people with your answers to that question.
But you cannot fool God.
TRANSITION:
In attempting to deceive God with their good deed, Ananias and Sapphira found death.
And in hearing this, the church was gripped with fear.
READ Acts 5:11
Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.
Wake Up Church! (11)
This story is not meant to call into question the goodness of God, it is meant to call into question the state of our hearts.
The church in Acts could have been tempted to simply be a really great organization that does really great things for the community.
And that is how a lot of people, inside and outside of the church, see the church today.
It is just one of many different organizations like the YMCA and the Salvation Army and Goodwill or whatever organization you might think of...
But that is not what the church is.
The church will do incredible things that serve and help people in many practical ways.
But it doesn’t START there.
It starts with a group of people who have surrendered their hearts to Jesus and whom have received from God his grace, FIRST.
If this has not been your starting point, if you have not turned your life over to Jesus and you are simply trying to keep a good image, keep you foot in two worlds, or see the church as only a help to the practical needs in the community - my prayer is that the fear that gripped the church here grips you as well.
Not a fear that leads to running and hiding.
A fear that leads to GIVING UP and LETTING GO.
A fear that recognizes that your good deeds will NOT save you when judgment day comes and all fall at the feet of Jesus.
Christians, remember, we are not calling people to simple behavior modification.
We are calling them to Jesus.
And this must also impact HOW we do church.
You may have noticed that in my time here I have not started up a whole bunch of new programs.
The primary reason for this is based in the idea of a passage like this.
Before I start calling people to serve the poor and do amazing good works and deeds, I want the foundation of everything we are and do to be Jesus Christ, the cornerstone.
I would rather have a church that all we have structured is our Sunday morning gathering.
And then, out of the overflow of the preaching of the Gospel and the grace of God, the people of God choose to live generously.
Not out of direction from the pastor.
Not out of compulsion or for the praise of others.
We will in the coming years pray about and work toward having ministries and programs that help serve the people here and the people in the community better.
But if it is not based first in the Gospel of Jesus, then we risk leading others down a path that leads to death, not life.
In calling people to good works before calling them to Jesus, we may unintentionally lead them to believe that they can fool God with what they do while maintaining a rebellious heart.
Where are you at in this this week?
Are you needing to repent and turn your life over to Jesus for real for the first time?
Are you needing to correct course and remember that foundation of your faith?
Are you needing to change how you tell others about Jesus and your faith?
The personal applications can be many in this.
But remember overall, we may fool others, but we can’t fool God.
And a life lived in a church pew giving money each and every week does not equal a life headed for life eternally.
Choosing to lie to and test God will ultimately lead to death.
Let’s be a church, let’s be a people, who are leading people to life, found only in the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord.
[1]David G. Peterson, The Acts of the Apostles, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009), 204.
[2]David G. Peterson, The Acts of the Apostles, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009), 204–205.
[3]David G. Peterson, The Acts of the Apostles, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009), 205.
[4]David G. Peterson, The Acts of the Apostles, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009), 205.
[5]David G. Peterson, The Acts of the Apostles, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009), 206.
[6]David G. Peterson, The Acts of the Apostles, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009), 207.