The Pain of Pride

Last week, we left off with the summary statements of verses 32-35.

One of the hallmarks of the early church was their incredible generosity. They were sacrificially selling what they had so they could meet the needs of people in the church who were in trouble.

When we pick back up here in Acts 4:36, we find Luke giving us an example.

Read verses 36-37…

Luke’s purpose in this is two-fold. He is introducing a man called Barnabas to us. He will come back into the story a little later, but Luke includes him to put his name out there so we know a little bit about his character when we finally get back to him in chapter 9.

He also uses Barnabas’ sacrifice as a picture of what people were doing, setting up what we read in chapter 5.

Barnabas sells his property and brings the whole selling price to the apostles, for them to use as they saw fit.

That brings us to two of the main characters we look at this week: a man named Ananias and his wife, Sapphira.

Here’s how they handled their property…look at 5:1-2…

We have to guess at their motives, but it seems they had seen how everyone looked up to guys like Barnabas, and how much respect they got for their generosity, so Ananias came up with a plan: “Let’s sell our land, give part of it to the church, and act like we gave it all.”

God saw what was going on, though, and he wouldn’t let it go unchecked.

Read with me verses 3-10…

The Holy Spirit helped Peter know that something wasn’t right.

Peter confronts their lie, and both Ananias and Sapphira die on the spot.

It’s a crazy story, isn’t it? Two people drop dead in church because they kept part of their money?!

Let me ask you: what was their sin, primarily?

You see, when some look at the story of Ananias and Sapphira, they immediately jump to the wrong conclusion.

They think that Ananias and Sapphira’s death was a result of not giving everything they had.

I don’t believe that was their primary issue. That was how it showed itself, but the primary issue was something much deeper: their primary sin was pride.

When we talk about pride in the Biblical sense, we aren’t talking about having a healthy self-image, being confident in God that he has created you to be who you are with the gifts, talents, and abilities he has given you.

The pride we are talking about is that insatiable desire to be seen, recognized, patted on the back.

It is the hypocrisy that causes you to do good deeds for selfish motives.

It’s the belief, at your core, that you deserve everything that someone else has, and you’ll do whatever it takes to get it.

It’s living life like you don’t need God and that you are strong enough on your own without his help.

In fact, there’s an easy way to think about pride. We have said this before, but look at the word itself:

PRIDE

In English, this word has 5 letters. What is the middle letter? I

So, then, pride is putting “I” in the middle.

Scripture says this about pride:

James 4:6 CSB

But he gives greater grace. Therefore he says: God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

Perhaps nowhere is this expressed clearer than this story.

God didn’t kill Ananias and Sapphira because of their stinginess; he ended their life on earth because of their pride.

Why? Because nothing will destroy the work of God quicker in a church than when her members start acting in pride.

This is the first time we see a conflict in the early church, and it had the potential to disrupt everything God was doing.

If pride goes unchecked in a church, it will destroy the work of God in individuals, families, and an entire church.

We want to examine three truths about pride this morning from the story of Ananias and Sapphira.

The first truth is this:

1) Pride desires.

(4:36-5:2)

As the story begins, you see the righteous example of Barnabas, who apparently gave a sincere gift in the sight of the Lord.

Because of how the offerings were done then, his gift was given publically.

Others took note of the sacrifice, and undoubtedly, that helped Barnabas be more respected in the eyes of the church members.

Ananias and Sapphira decided they wanted to get in on that. Instead of seeking the Lord and asking him to grow them, Ananias decides to take a shortcut.

Their motivation was not to help the poor or even to give extravagantly to the God who had given them new life; their motivation was to be seen by other people.

They wanted the applause of people. They wanted the looks that people gave Barnabas. They wanted people to say all those good things about them too.

But you know what they forgot?

They forgot what God would say about it.

In desiring for everyone else to notice them, Ananias and Sapphira forgot that the God who sees and knows the heart is not impressed by our hypocrisy.

In fact, John MacArthur said it this way:

“None are so ugly in God’s sight as those who flaunt a spiritual beauty they do not possess. Ananias and Sapphira were nothing more than sinning saints feigning spirituality.” (John MacArthur)

(MacArthur, John Jr. Acts 1-12. Chicago: Moody Press, 1994. 153).

Ananias and Sapphira’s ugly hearts were completely clear to the God who created them.

Notice that, just like all sin, this starts as a heart attitude.

Before they ever uttered a lie or held back any of the money, Ananias and Sapphira’s hearts were proud.

That started as a desire in their hearts that led to sinful actions.

James 1:14–15 CSB

But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.

So, here’s the question for you this morning: What does your heart want more than anything else this morning?

Is it notoriety like Ananias and Sapphira wanted?

Is it for someone to like you or respect you?

Is it an excessive desire for comfort or status or stuff?

Is it something that lines up with what God says in his Word, or are you putting what you want above what God says is best?

If so, then that desire is coming out of an ungodly pride that is in your heart.

Before you answer, you may need to realize this second truth about pride that we see in this story:

2) Pride deceives.

(5:3-4)

Because they wanted notoriety so badly, they were willing to blatantly lie to others.

Remember that lying is a direct offense against the character and nature of God.

John 14:6 CSB

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

God is by very nature truth.

Yet, the desire of Ananias and Sapphira’s hearts led them to the point that they would both take part in a bold-faced lie.

Isn’t it interesting to notice that the Bible doesn’t record Ananias ever actually lying with his words?

We don’t know if he said anything or not, because we don’t know exactly how this worked.

However, we see that the pride that started in his heart worked its way out into his actions and came to light.

Your sin will always come to light in one way or another!

If you noticed, God made the truth clear to Peter, and he addressed it head on.

Look at verse 3-4…

Let’s make sure we are clear here: Peter wasn’t upset at them for not giving the whole sale price of the land.

We have spent more time on this in previous messages, but this was a voluntary gift.

They could have kept the property, or they could have only given as much as they felt God was leading, and everything would have been fine.

However, when that desire for recognition reared its ugly head, it became sinful.

In fact, I believe that their gift would still have been sinful, even if they had given the whole thing.

Jesus said,

Matthew 6:1–2 CSB

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward with your Father in heaven. So whenever you give to the poor, don’t sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward.

When we give selfishly, we forfeit any spiritual benefit.

There is a part of me that wonders what they were thinking.

Maybe they had even convinced themselves that this was okay—they could have their cake and eat it too.

Sure, they weren’t being truthful about the whole thing, but at least they were giving, right?

Doesn’t that count for something?

Their own hearts may have deceived them into thinking that they were okay.

God is much more concerned about the heart than he is the gift. He displayed that over and over again when he would rebuke the Israelites for their empty sacrifices.

One time, a king named Saul disobeyed God and tried to play it off like he did it so he could give God an offering.

The prophet Samuel rebuked him, saying;

1 Samuel 15:22 CSB

Then Samuel said: Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.

God wasn’t deceived into thinking that everything was okay; he knew their hearts and motives better than they themselves knew them.

This is why you need to make sure you allow God to examine your heart to show you where pride may be hiding.

Your heart and your motives are just as open before God as theirs.

In fact, he knows your heart better than you do:

Jeremiah 17:9–10 CSB

The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it? I, the Lord, examine the mind, I test the heart to give to each according to his way, according to what his actions deserve.

Your heart lies to you all the time, and unless you are allowing God to work in and through you, you will miss it.

When is the last time you genuinely evaluated why you do what you do in serving the Lord or in life at all?

Have you prayed something like David recently:

Psalm 139:23–24 CSB

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.

Maybe you need to stop and rethink the question we asked earlier: What does your heart really want? Are you allowing God to answer that, or are you deceiving yourself.

The answer to that question is incredibly important, because as you see with Ananias and Sapphira…

3) Pride destroys.

(5:5-10)

That is perhaps the most jarring thing about this whole story, isn’t it?

Look at verse 5-6, 10…

Ultimately, Ananias and Sapphira’s desire and deception result in their immediate death.

Why? Because God’s word is clear:

Proverbs 16:18 CSB

Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall.

Wouldn’t it be crazy if God did this today? Every time you came here and taught your class or called someone in the church or served as a greeter or sang on the praise team, and your motive was to gain recognition for yourself, you just dropped dead?

What if, right after I said, “Turn in your Bibles,” I just dropped dead?

Some people have a hard time with this, because doesn’t this sound “Old Testament”? All the judging and the dying?

Aren’t we under grace now?

We absolutely are, but never think that God’s grace relaxed the standard of his holiness.

For us to understand what is going on here, we have to make a decision on whether or not Ananias and Sapphira were believers.

I believe, they likley were for reasons like those that John MacArthur articulated in his commentary on this passage.

They were included in the “congregation of those who believed”

They were involved with the Holy Spirit

What lesson would this teach the church if they were unbelievers?

Satan can be personally involved with believers. (MacArthur, John Jr. Acts 1-12. Chicago: Moody Press, 1994. 153)

So then, if they were believers, then why did God deal so strongly with Ananias and Sapphira? I’d suggest two reasons:

To protect the church (and ultimately his glory) –

Keep in mind that the church is in its infancy, still small and fragile in some senses.

As we have mentioned, this was the first internal attack to the church.

Perhaps God knew that the selfishness, deception, and arrogance that came through their pride would destroy the church if it was left unchecked, so He dealt with it quickly, severely, and publically.

If you noticed, the church got the hint…look at verse 11.

It woke the church up to the severity of what was taking place.

By the way, this isn’t the only time this happened. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11 that people had died because their motives were wrong in taking the Lord’s Supper.

God sometimes seems to take a believer home before he can do any more damage to the church, God’s glory, or even himself.

Although it is a debated passage, there is additional support for this in 1 John 5:16 where we read about believers committing “a sin that leads to death.”

If that’s the case, then part of what God did in taking Ananias and Sapphira home like he did was this:

To protect Ananias and Sapphira –

“I’m sorry, what?!”

Have you ever thought that this might have actually been a way to protect Ananias and Sapphira from further harm?

What happens to Christians after they die? They go to heaven!

As a part of that, 1 Corinthians 13 says we will stand before God and give an account for everything we have done, both good and bad.

Paul said that those things we have done selfishly or apart from Christ will be destroyed:

1 Corinthians 3:15 CSB

If anyone’s work is burned up, he will experience loss, but he himself will be saved—but only as through fire.

If Ananias and Sapphira were genuinely saved, then it is possible that God knew that they would only continue down the path they were headed.

They would have been responsible for causing trouble for the early church, and then they would have had to stand before God and give an account of what they had done.

So, by taking them home when he did, God was actually graciously protecting them from themselves!

We don’t think usually think of grace in those terms, but isn’t that what it is?

Think about it from this perspective this morning. Imagine a rebellious teenager who is sneaking off and going to parties.

His loving parents know that if he keeps doing this, it will damage the family and it will damage the son. He could end up in jail or possibly worse if he gets in too deep.

If that dad gets a call and finds out where his son is, the most loving thing he can do is come get him, for him to walk in and get his son and say, “Get in the truck. We are going home. I am not going to let you do this to yourself or our family any more.”

Isn’t God a better dad than any of us?

As odd as this sounds, doesn’t he have the right to do what he knows is best, even if it’s death?

So, this morning, heed the warning from Ananias and Sapphira: pride can destroy a church, and it will always destroy a person.

For you, God may not work as quickly or publicly, but I can tell you this: he doesn’t tolerate pride in his people.

He will cause you to stumble, he will allow you to fall.

Why? Because He loves you! Just like with Ananias and Sapphira, your pride keeps God from using you like he could if you would just let him!

Instead, let him put you where he wants you! Let him give you what he sees fit, and let him work through you as he desires.

Surrender to His plan and timing, not your own:

1 Peter 5:6–7 CSB

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.

Don’t try to grab for what others have. Don’t desire for their fame and their recognition or position.

Why? Because the pride of your heart will constantly strive for more and more and more. Your own heart will deceive you about your motives and will lead you to deceive others.

As you do, you are ultimately trying to get recognition that doesn’t rightly belong to you.

Barnabas didn’t give so others would think he was important. He gave because he knew the one who had already given everything for him.

Jesus didn’t hold anything back as he gave his own life for us on the cross.

He calls us to surrender everything we are and everything we have to him because he alone is worthy of the recognition and honor.

God will not allow you to take that honor because it will hurt you and others who need to know Christ.

Ultimately, God will do what it takes to humble you. You will find yourself on the wrong side of the God who loved you enough to die for you.

Don’t let pride destroy what God is doing in and through you.