Don't Lie To God

APRIL 24, 2022 STUDY NOTES ACTS 5:1-11 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES DON’T LIE TO GOD INTRODUCTION In our day this passage is not a popular choice among preachers for a Sunday morning sermon There are several reasons why, one is, it does not parallel with the prosperity preaching of today It is one of the best explanations of 1 John 5:16-17 that we find in the NT Which we studied this past Wednesday night, the subject of the “Sin Unto Death” The willful, continuing to live in a known sin, failing to repent of sin can lead to the sin unto death Another subject that is not popular in our day, but needs to be preached in our day As Christians we are called to a life of holiness, 1Pe 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. God will not allow His children to continue to live in unconfessed sin (Hebrews 12:3-11) God will first discipline the Christian who does not repent of their sin, if they do not repent and confess There comes a time when God can no longer allow His children to live in sin and refuse to repent, 1Jn 5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. The sin unto death is a premature physical death, the removal of an ungodly testimony before others There are many examples in scripture, Acts 5:1-11, Ananias and Sapphira, is one of those examples Ananias and Sapphira had several spiritual failures, many Christians today fail spiritually before God Material possessions have always been a strong attraction for people, wealth is a priority of life today Even Christians often have a problem with putting God first, before money and personal possessions The early church was willing to give of their worldly goods to minister to those in need (Acts 2:45) They were willing to sell their land and houses and give their money to those in need (Acts 4:34-35) Barnabas was an example of those who sold land and gave the money to those in need (Acts 4:36-37) Acts 5 begins with a couple who sold land and gave money to the church, but what was their motive? Ananias and Sapphira attempted to imitate Barnabas, but they were seeking personal recognition There is a great contrast between their giving and the results of those identified in chapter 4, Act 4:33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Great grace did not fall upon Ananias and Sapphira, but a great judgment of the hand of God did Act 5:1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, “But” presents the contrast of the previous examples, the difference was within their motives There was a man by the name of Barnabas who sold land and gave the money to the church, Act 4:37 Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet. Barnabas is an example of a man being led by the Holy Spirit, Act 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. The evidence of their being filled with the Spirit is found in Acts 4:32-37 Now we are told of “a certain man named Ananias,” an example of a man being led by Satan The meaning of the name “Ananias” was “Jehovah is Gracious,” he did not live up to his name Page 1 of 5 “With Sapphira his wife,” her name came from the Hebrew word translated “sapphire” Her parents named her probably hoping that she would be beautiful in appearance and spirit This passage does not refer to her appearance, but it does speak of her character, it is not beautiful Together they “sold a possession,” they had land but evidently, they sold only a portion of their land They were more concerned about their own personal “wants” and “wishes” than the “needs” of others They had an ego problem, they were seeking personal recognition, they had an “I” problem Notice the position of “I” in prIde, and in sIn, “I” is the center of both, a great problem of our day They wanted the same kind of attention that was given to Barnabas and the early church But they did not have the same kind of heart as Barnabas and the early Christians, do we have it today? They were professed believers and members of the church at Jerusalem, they should represent God If you are united with a local congregation of Christians, you supposedly represent Christ in your life It was difficult for them to get “self” out of the way so that others could see Jesus in them Act 5:2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. God allows us the freedom to make our personal choices, they did not have to sell the land, why did they? They did not have to give all-of the money collected for the land to the church, they had a choice Why did they “keep back part of the price,” the original language indicates the truth of their decision In the original language “kept back” referred to keeping something which belongs to another It also had the meaning of to embezzle or to steal, their decision was against God’s will for them The original is very strong language identifying that they were holding out on God and they knew it Ananias and Sapphira had agreed upon their choice, they were equally guilty of their actions They did not have to give any of the money to the church, but they “brought a certain part” They wanted that “certain part” to identify them before the church, Jesus has a word about that, Mat 6:2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. Mat 6:3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: Mat 6:4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. (Ananias and Sapphira were rewarded openly, not the way God wanted or the way they wanted) Their sin is not fully explained until we get to the next verse Act 5:3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Peter knew what had been done, how did he know, no person had given Peter a report of their actions? The Spirit of God gave Peter the “spirit of discernment” (1 Corinthians 12:10) Which is the ability to distinguish, diagnose, understand, identify, and make a correct judgment It is not that difficult for Christians to distinguish between what Satan is doing and what God is doing Which is indicated by Peter’s question, “Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart” (easy to see) Jesus said that Satan is a liar, Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. Satan was the one who tempted Ananias and Sapphira, Jas 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Their decision and the result of their decision is fully explained in, Jas 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Page 2 of 5 They had listened to Satan, they obeyed Satan instead of God, James warns us, Jas 1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren. (Don’t fall for Satan’s lies) James speaks to the “brethren,” he is concerned about our daily Christian life He warns us, do not be deceived by the temptations of sin, don’t be led astray from the right path of life Christians must keep in mind our relationship with God and with one another Satan will fill your heart with selfishness, jealousy, envy, love of money, and unbelief toward God Ananias and Sapphira thought they could compromise with God’s Word, which is sin within itself Satan had filled their inner being with the lusts of the flesh, 1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. Our world today continually tempts us with all that is described in that verse, all of which is of Satan Christians must learn that we can resist Satan’s temptations, Jas 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (You must submit to God first, then you can resist the Devil) Christians can overcome and defeat the Devil, Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Don’t try to stand against Satan without the armor of God) When Barnabas gave his gift, he was filled with the “Fruit of the Spirit,” Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Ananias and Sapphira had God on their tongue and self in their heart, Satan had filled their heart Satan led them “to keep back part of the price of the land,” which was an act of “hypocrisy” “Keep back” is the same original word found in verse 2, they were “holding out” on God There are many in churches today given the title of a hypocrite, which may or may not be true The truth of hypocrisy is someone trying to appear more spiritual than they really are Which can be a person who is saved, but filled with a selfish desire, which is the case in Acts 5 A hypocrite can be a lost person attempting to live as though they were saved The classic passage on that subject is the words of Jesus in Mt. 23:13-29, hypocrite is found 7 times A Sunday School teacher of young boys asked, “Why do people call me a Christian?” One young boy answered, “Maybe it’s because they don’t know you” The problem with Ananias and Sapphira was they wanted to be noticed and praised by men In-order to accomplish that they reached a high point in sin, we find it in the next verse Act 5:4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. This verse strongly points out that their decision was according to their “own” choice Their real problem was not limited to their choice, but what they did because of their choice For their choice to be what they wanted it to be before men, they had to “lie unto men” That was a bad decision, but Peter tells them their big mistake was you “lied unto God” Amazing how easy it is for Satan to make people believe that they can do that You can lie to the preacher, sometimes, you can lie to the church, to your family and friends Don’t let Satan tell you that you can “lie to God” and get by with it, you can’t, it is impossible Act 5:5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. Pay close attention to the order of events, Peter told Ananias, you have lied unto God Ananias heard those words and “fell down,” why did he fall down, because he “gave up the ghost” He heard breath taking words, he breathed his last breath, he “gave up the ghost,” he died physically Page 3 of 5 Immediately he died physically, an example of the sin unto death (1 John 5:16) The sin unto death is not identified in scripture as one particular-sin, but it always the result of sin Peter did not call down death upon Ananias, it was an act of God, it was God’s hand of judgment We are not for sure how many witnessed the immediate death of Ananias, but the church heard about it “And great fear came on all them that heard these things,” Christians should react the same today This exact same judgment of God in the exact same way is not found again in the NT There are many events of God’s judgement in scripture that are revealed but once in an unusual way Those events serve as a warning and do not mean that God no longer deals with sin in our present life We are to learn from those one-time accounts of God’s warning against sin in the life of a Christian Thank God that He does not repeat His judgment upon lying to Him that we find in Acts 5 We know that He doesn’t, or we would be attending funerals daily, guess whose funeral might be next? That God does not immediately judge in this way does not mean that God is overlooking sin today Act 5:6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him. The immediate burial may be related to, Deu 21:22 And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: Deu 21:23 His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance. The immediate burial was a notice that the death was a judgment of God Act 5:7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. Sapphira did not come into the church to check on her husband, she “came in” to be recognized Peter recognized her, but it was not what she expected, it was not “Praise God” for what you have done Act 5:8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. Peter gave her a chance to admit and confess what she had done, she had the opportunity to repent Act 5:9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. Pay close attention to Peter’s question, we all need to consider the question Why did you “tempt the Spirit of the Lord?” we have all been there at one time or another Putting God to the test, going as far as you think you can go without getting caught, Mat 4:7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Any willful sin is putting God to the test, Christians will answer for unconfessed sin in this present life It probably will not be the same judgment Ananias and Sapphira faced, but we will face God’s judgment Act 5:10 Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. “Straightway” means at once, immediately, at that very moment, she died It was not of natural causes, it was the immediate judgement of God, an example of the sin unto death Which is not a loss of salvation, but the loss of the opportunity to serve God and be rewarded for it It was God’s choice that “the young men came in.” they need to learn from this account of God’s hand We do too! Page 4 of 5 Act 5:11 And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things. We have already been told once why Acts 5:1-11 is written, Act 5:5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. Verse 11 tells us again, how are we going to respond to the truth of this passage? Our prayer must be, Psa 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: Psa 139:24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Listen to the song and make your choice, will it be “God lead me in the way everlasting?” Page 5 of 5