"THE BOOK OF ACTS"

Ananias And Sapphira (5:1-11)

INTRODUCTION
  1. Previously, we examined the remarkable liberality in the Jerusalem church...
    1. As people sold lands and possessions to aid their brethren - Ac 2:44-45; 4:32-35
    2. As exemplified by Joses, named Barnabas by the apostles - Ac 4:36-37
  2. In vivid contrast, we are then told of the example of Ananias and Sapphira...
    1. A husband and wife who sold a possession, giving part of the proceeds to the apostles
    2. Who were both struck dead!

[Why did this happen? What can we learn from this remarkable incident in the history of the early church? Let's take a closer look at the case of Ananias and Sapphira, beginning with...]

  1. THEIR PLOT TO DECEIVE
    1. FROM THE TEXT...
      1. Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold a possession - Ac 5:1
      2. Ananias kept back part of the proceeds, his wife knowing - Ac 5:2
      3. He brought a part of the proceeds to the apostles - Ac 5:2
    2. OBSERVATIONS...
      1. From the context we know that they intended to deceive the apostles
      2. To give the impression they gave the full amount of the proceeds
      3. Evidently to appear magnanimous in their giving

      [What happens next may at first seem shockingly extreme...]

  2. THE DEATH OF ANANAIAS
    1. FROM THE TEXT...
      1. Peter challenges Ananias - Ac 5:3-4
        1. Why has he allowed Satan to enter his heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?
          1. The land was his to use
          2. The money was his to control
        2. He has not lied to men, but to God!
      2. Ananias drops dead - Ac 5:5-6
        1. Upon hearing the words of Peter
        2. Creating great fear on those who heard
        3. Carried out by young men and buried
    2. OBSERVATIONS...
      1. Noted in our lesson on "Communal Christianity"
        1. The selling of homes, lands, possessions, et all, was free-will offerings
        2. They did not have to sell their possessions, nor give 100% of the proceeds
      2. The relationship of the apostles to the Holy Spirit
        1. Lying to the apostles was lying to the Holy Spirit
        2. Because the apostles were inspired by the Holy Spirit - cf. Jn 16:13
      3. The relationship of the Holy Spirit to God
        1. Peter identifies the Holy Spirit as God - Ac 5:3-4
        2. One of many passages that illustrates the deity of the Holy Spirit

        [Not long after the death of her husband, just as shocking is...]

  3. THE DEATH OF SAPPHIRA
    1. FROM THE TEXT...
      1. Peter confronts Sapphira - Ac 5:7-9
        1. She enters three hours later, unaware of her husband's death
        2. Did she sell the land for a certain amount? Yes, she answers
        3. Why did she agree with her husband to the test the Spirit?
        4. Those who buried her husband were ready to carry her out
      2. Sapphira falls dead - Ac 5:10-11
        1. Immediately at the feet of Peter
        2. Carried out by young men and buried by her husband
        3. Creating great fear upon all the church and all who heard
    2. OBSERVATIONS...
      1. The accountability of Sapphira
        1. Her complicity in the sin of lying was exposed
        2. She could not use submission to her husband as an excuse
      2. The punishment of death for lying to the apostles
        1. Reminiscent of the deaths of Nadab & Abihu - Lev 10:1-3
        2. Both incidents occur at the beginning of their respective dispensations
          1. Nadab and Abihu struck down just as the Law of Moses begins
          2. Ananias and Sapphira struck down just as the Church begins
        3. Both make the point: God's Word and His spokesmen must be taken seriously
      3. The first case of "church discipline"?
        1. Jesus and His apostles taught church discipline - Mt 18:15-17; 1Co 5:1-13; 2Th 3:6-15
        2. One effect of such discipline is to preserve the purity of the church - 1Co 5:6-8
        3. Of course, church discipline today calls for withdrawal from the one who refuses to repent, not death - cf. Mt 18:17; 1Co 5:13; 2Th 3:6,14
        4. But even the extreme case of Ananias and Sapphira reveals the positive effect "church discipline" can have in the eyes of the community (i.e., respect) - cf. Ac 5:11,13-14
CONCLUSION
  1. From the case of Ananias and Sapphira, we learn that apostles were to be taken seriously...
    1. Lying to the apostles was lying to the Holy Spirit (i.e., God!)
    2. Just as heeding their words is heeding the words of God - cf. Jn 13:20
  2. Do we take the apostles of Christ seriously today...?
    1. We may not lie to them as did Ananias and Sapphira
    2. But do we respect their teaching as did the early church? - cf. Ac 2:42; 1Th 2:13