Listen Well, Testify Honestly

THE GLORY OF CHRIST: GREATER FRUIT, GREATER WORKS THAN JESUS. Acts 2:37-38; Acts 5:1-16

(Chapter 2) 37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

FOCUS PASSAGE:

Acts Chapter 5 5 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 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. 3 But Peter said, “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? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 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.” 10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

12 Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. 13 None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem.

EXAMPLES OF THE Help!

14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16 The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

What the Helper did- examples of Acts 2

filled the need of language

filled the disciples with Truth

filled the disciples with Message

filled the listeners with conviction

filled the new believers with Presence. (their Helper)

In Romans 8:26-27, it says the Holy Spirit helps us in our weaknesses.

Empowered—Experience Living in the Power of the Spirit (Session Two: Who Is the Holy Spirit?)

Because the Holy Spirit is the active and interactive person of the Trinity and dwells within us, he is infinitely relevant to our lives. Yet because he is not about himself but rather about glorifying the Son and the Father, he does not seek glory himself. So when we pray, we pray to the Father, in Jesus’ name. When we walk in the Spirit we focus on being like Jesus. When we exercise the gifts of the Spirit we do so to honor Christ and his body. The Holy Spirit is the delivering agent of the Father and the Son, and we are thankful to him for that.

Acts 5:3 (ESV) 3 But Peter said, “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?

The Spirit of Truth— God cannot lie.

The Helper for the Church:

I am presenting some materials from a sermon by Michael Stark, New Beginnings Baptists Church, Dawson Creek, British Columbia.

The help for Peter

The help for the Church (truth, without falsehood)

To understand the motivation for their lie, it will be necessary to examine several previous verses.  Turn back to Acts 4:32-37 and read what was taking place in the church.  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.  And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.  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. 

The Character(istics) of Joseph (Barnabas)

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.

In fact, the text leads me to think that this was not the only act of compassion Joseph had performed, because the Apostles had given him the name Barnabas.  Barnabas is less a name than it is a title.  Barnabas, translated into English, means “Son of Encouragement.”

Notice that the generosity was not organised; it was spontaneous.  This was genuinely a movement produced by the Holy Spirit working in the hearts of His people.  He touched the hearts of men and women who had the ability to give, and they responded to His initiative.  There is no indication that either the congregation or the Apostles requested the funds.  There was a general recognition of need, but there were no resolutions, no appeals, no organisational efforts to relieve need.

This is important because it demonstrates that the most effective response to need is that prompted by God’s Spirit working in the lives of His people.

God’s Spirit is always at work among Christ’s people.  It is the role of the leaders to inform people of needs and then trust the people to respond as the Spirit directs them.  There can be no coercion if we will honour God.

The funds donated were delivered to the Apostles for distribution as they thought necessary.

Ananias and Sapphira witnessed these events as they happened in that church.  They noticed the respect Barnabas received when he donated his wealth to the work of the church.  The implication conveyed through our text is that this couple wished to receive the same respect Joseph had received.  Perhaps they were envious.  Perhaps they simply wanted to be noticed.  I suspect that they were motivated more by envy then any other motive, however, since Peter specifically states that Satan had filled Ananias’ heart.

Satan is not merely a liar, but he seeks to displace God as ruler of all creation.  According to Scripture, pride, the ever-present companion of envy, caused his downfall.  When Satan has filled the heart of an individual, that individual becomes proud, and the proud person cannot tolerate others failing to recognise their importance.  Ananias and Sapphira wanted recognition from the leadership of the congregation, just as they had given recognition to Joseph.  Perhaps they imagined that they would even be called “Father of Generosity” and “Mother of Generosity.”

It was all so simple.  All they needed to do was to sell their property and give a portion of the proceeds to the church, representing what they gave as consisting of all they had received.  They would gain the respect of their fellow worshippers, the gratitude of the Apostles, and a reputation as “real” Christians.  They only had to tell a little lie!  They would need only to deceive a few of the leaders and the rest would care for itself.

Truth & Dare: lies of “implication” and sins of Pride

Ananias and Sapphira were indeed Christians.  Certainly, they were recognised as members of the Body.  Despite the privilege of being called by the Name of the Son of God, they chose to attempt deceiving Him.  They thought, as we are prone to think, that their lie would be but a little sin.  You and I have each minimized our actions at one time or another.  “It doesn’t matter,” we consoled ourselves, “God will forgive me.”  In doing this, we commit sin that the Psalmist identified as presumptuous sin [see Psalm 19:13].  Such sin is also identified as highhanded sin in the Old Testament [see Numbers 15:30].  We seem to think that what we do is unimportant.  Ultimately, we make a choice, but we must always know that our choices have consequences.

Why Does God Judge this Sin so Harshly?  The sin of these two early church members was particularly wicked.  Perhaps you wonder how their sin can be considered so awful, and the answer lies in the knowledge that we consider their lie to be harmless.  This is, however, a sin within and against the fellowship.  There are perils from outside the congregation, but they will almost never destroy a church.  Sin from within the fellowship, however, is insidious and injurious, dangerous and destructive.

I remind you that theirs was not a sin of failure to contribute—they brought a part of their receipt.  Neither was it wrong that they brought but a portion—God has never required all that one has to be brought as an offering.  Neither was this a violation of church law—the action of the several members of the church was spontaneous.

The synergy sin: HYPOCRISY “the falsifying of the Holy Spirit”

The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was the sin of hypocrisy—attempting to make others believe that they were what they were not and of making others believe that they were doing what they had no intention of doing.  They were acting to deceive the people of God, pretending that they were motivated by the love of God.  They “falsified” the Holy Spirit.  They used the fellowship of believers to promote themselves.  Ananias and Sapphira pretended to be godly when they were anything but godly.  In effect, they lied about God and they lied to the Holy Spirit who indwells the church.

What changes would be made in our approach to God if we refused to sing, refused to say prayers, until we first dealt with our own spirit?  Better still, what changes would be witnessed in our worship if we first dealt with our spirit and then worshipped?  The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was attempting to make themselves appear to be something they were not.  This awful sin threatened the fellowship.

God hates hypocrisy, and there is no greater hypocrisy than hypocrisy that seeks to deceive God’s holy people.  Anything threatening the fellowship is an assault against Holy God. 

EXAMPLES FROM THE OT:

Achan sinned against the fellowship of Israel and against Israel’s God, when filled with greed he stole the items that God said were to be devoted to destruction [Joshua 7:10-26]. 

Korah led many of the congregation in rebellion, only to discover that God hates pretension [Numbers 16:16-35]. 

His sin was the same sin as that of Nadab and Abihu, who thought God could be treated in a cavalier manner [Leviticus 10:1-3].

If in the midst of pain I question God, as did Job, He will be patient and gentle with me, and He will lead me into the light.  If, on the other hand, I sing of acceptance of His permission for that sorrow smiting my life when I seethe inwardly, I invite His judgement.  God will not permit me to long deceive His holy people; neither will He be dethroned by my strong reaction when I am wounded.  God seeks reality in His people.

The deadly sin of Ananias and Sapphira was the exaltation of “self” instead of consideration for God’s holiness and the good of His people.  Love had motivated some members of that church to sell their belongings in order to provide for the need of others.  Love had moved some members of that church to designate their goods for relief.  However, this couple sought, not to help the needy, but to promote themselves instead.  They sought short-term gain at the expense of long-term benefit to the cause of Christ.  Selfishness, not love, moved them to act as they did.

Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (F. Ananias and Sapphira: A Case of Discipline (4:36–5:16))

The severity of the discipline may seem shocking to later generations of the church, mainly because there is a tendency to lose sight of the awfulness of any deceit which in reality means one has “lied to the Holy Spirit” (v. 3), which is, of course, to have lied to God. Such severity has not continued to be God’s practice, mainly because discipline is now strictly the responsibility of the congregation, but also because a statement about its seriousness needed to be made; similarly, the death penalty which was attached to the Ten Commandments often later was replaced by a lesser sentence (Exod. 21:28–30).

This is the sin of Ananias and Sapphira.  It is the sin Christians commit when we come into His house and sing, “Here I am to Worship,” though all the while we are consumed with our own interest.  It is when we sing, “Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God,” though we are seeking to fulfil our own desires.  We thus sin when we declare, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” when in fact we serve what delights us.  It is singing, “I Surrender All,” when in fact we surrender nothing.

Had God not judged this sin as harshly and as quickly as He did, it would have introduced deceit into the fellowship.  It would ultimately have destroyed the unity of the church.  It would have exalted darkness instead of encouraging walking in the light.  Sin left undisciplined destroys fellowship.  Tolerance of that which is false destroys unity.  Walking in darkness while professing to be in the light confuses the lost, damning their souls, even as it destroys respect for all that is holy.

There is an aspect of this divine judgement that merits further exploration.  The nature of our association as Christians is voluntary—the church is a voluntary entity.  Those who unite with the congregation do so willingly—not through coercion or under compulsion.  The gifts we bring to advance the cause of Christ are voluntary, and not offered out of obligation.  It is a principle of the Faith that though drawn by the Spirit of God, we willingly unite as Christians and freely provide our offerings for God’s work.

When we play the hypocrite, it is not the responsibility of the congregation, nor even the responsibility of the leadership, either to discover that deceit or to judge it.  When such deceit does become known, and it will become known, the church must act swiftly and deliberately to maintain purity.  However, because deceit tears at the fabric of spiritual unity, be aware that ultimately such deceit is always against God.  Therefore, be assured that God will judge all such hypocrisy.  Whether immediately or whether afterwards, know that God will not permit such perfidy threaten His holy Bride.

How Does One Lie to God? 

It is possible to lie to God and say but few words.  Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit through intimation, relying upon implication.  Ananias represented the money he brought as the total proceeds of the sale of his property.  The action was the lie and it cost him his life.  When Sapphira later came into Peter’s presence, she was perhaps thinking that she would be commended for her generosity.  We can only imagine her surprise when Peter questioned her instead.

Peter asked, Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?  She was given the opportunity to either expose her husband as a liar or to corroborate his account of the gift said to be designated for the work of the Faith.  Instead of speaking the truth, without hesitation she agreed with the lie her husband had told earlier.  Thus, the text states that she replied, Yes, for so much.  Her partnership with the lie was at the expense of her life.

The lie was their attempt to represent themselves as something they were not.  Their lie sought to deceive the church into thinking more highly of them then was merited by their character. 

As previously stated, the lie was a lie against the fellowship.  Paul wrote the Corinthian saints, warning them of the danger arising from precisely such dishonesty.  Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?  If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him.  For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple [1 Corinthians 3:16,17].  Dear people, I tremble at the thought that any of us should sin against the fellowship of the Body, for to do so is to lie to the Spirit of God.

This lie was a violation of the third commandment: You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain [Exodus 20:7].  The sin of lying to the Holy Spirit is a sin of Christians who play fast and loose with truth.  It is an awesome thought that there should be Christians, even members of this congregation, who have played the hypocrite.  They pretend to be what they are not.  Gossips and backbiters, shirking responsibility as saints, yet all the while presenting themselves as children of Light.  I fear for them.  I know that there is a sin that leads to death [1 John 5:16].  We who are Christians are cautioned not to pray for those who presume against God and act in such a highhanded manner [1 John 5:16b].

Examine your heart.  Have you falsified the Holy Spirit?  Does your life belie the Spirit of God who lives among His holy people?  Are you seeking to deceive the fellowship of believers, acting as though you are holy when you are unrighteous?  Ask yourself, is the fellowship stronger because of your presence, or has it been weakened through who you have really become?  Are you walking humbly before the Lord your God, rejoicing in the privilege of having sin forgiven, though knowing that you are a sinful being?  I am not asking people to wallow in their sin, but I am calling upon those who name the Name to Christ to confess their utter dependence upon Him.

Have you made a vow to God and have yet to fulfil that vow?  Have you privately called on God, asking for deliverance from some condition or freedom from some besetting sin, vowing that if He gave you freedom and His protection that you would honour Him in some particular manner?  How many people plead with God for safety, pledging loyalty to Him and to His cause, only to ignore the vow once the danger is past?  How many have pledged gifts to the work of the Faith, only to fail to fulfil the vow?  How often have we promised obedience, only to neglect Him when we are safe?

I remind you of the ancient warnings against failure to fulfil vows made to God.  If you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin [Deuteronomy 23:21].  This charge was iterated: If a man vows a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word.  He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth [Numbers 30:2].  When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools.  Pay what you vow [Ecclesiastes 5:4].  This, too, is lying to the Holy Spirit.

Who would not hold in awe a God who demands holiness?  Consider that Jesus promised that the forces of Hades would not overpower His church [Matthew 16:18 hcsb].  Look about and ask yourself whether the forces of Hades now overpower His church.

This message concludes with a simple call to the people of the Faith.  Have you belied the Spirit of Grace?  Are you lying to Him?  Do you fear Him?  Do you hold Him in holy awe?  Perhaps it is time that we, the people called by the Holy Name of Christ the Lord, were again a powerful presence in this darkened world.  I do not wish a closing hymn, but I do wish that those who are willing to cease playing church will kneel at an old-fashioned altar and there confess their sin before God.  I do call on those willing to confess that they will seek His holy presence to come, kneel before Him and ask that He again bless His people as He has in the past.

If you consider this call overly dramatic, it can only be because you have forgotten the character of our God.  Together with the Apostle Peter, I plead with God’s holy people to Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.  Be sober-minded; be watchful.  Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world [1 Peter 5:6-9].

The Witness to the populous

Boldness of heart and witness grew (faith of the Holy Spirit’s help)

Dealing with 5:13  None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem.

The positive effect of the Helper helping....

The negative effect of the Helper helping.... “none of the rest dared join them” Held them in high esteem. What can these statements mean?

Acts: An Introduction and Commentary (g. The Continuing Growth of the Church (5:12–16))

C. Burchard has shown that it means ‘to come near’, and hence the clause simply means that the unbelieving Jews kept away from the Christians and left them alone. They may have been frightened lest half-hearted allegiance would lead to judgment. But if fear kept them away, they nevertheless could not help praising them as they were impressed by what they did.

Faithlife Study Bible (Chapter 5) none of the rest dared Refers to people who were intrigued by the Christian message or respected the Christian community but were afraid to join—probably in light of the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira (vv. 1–11).

The effect of the discipline is good—“great fear seized all who heard what had happened” (v. 5). A healthy church is a church where reverent fear and purity of life exist. This may have had a limiting effect upon applications for membership—professions of faith and baptisms in this case—since fear not only “seized the whole church,” but also all “who heard about these events” (outsiders; v. 11).

The good effect of discipline is further seen in the vigor and success of the apostles’ ministry, so that those inclined not to believe the gospel—even though they respected the believers—dare not join them, while those drawn to the gospel believe in the Lord and “[are] added to their number” (v. 14).In fact, such remarkable blessing attaches to the apostles that extraordinary miracles of healing take place, not unlike that recorded in Mark 5:25–34 when Jesus was merely touched and healing took place. Even more remarkable is the healing due to Peter’s shadow (v. 15). Jesus had promised greater things to his disciples (John 14:12).

The Helper has ears, The Helper is Holy, The Helper helps Deeply for the glory of Christ. Our Helper lives within each believer and he will not be deceived, no permit his name to be used in sin.