Acts 4:34-5:11 Not Our Property But Our Hearts
Good morning! Turn with me to Acts chapter four and verse 34, page 912 in the pew Bibles.
We’re going to jump backwards in our text a little bit from last week and get a running start into chapter five. This is another place where the chapter division is really in the wrong place separating into two what should be dealt with all at once.
I have to admit that as I got into studying this passage this week and the situation that it deals with I honestly asked myself, “What possible purpose could this account serve in the unfolding narrative of the early church?”
As it turns out there is a great deal more to learn than just what is on the surface if we will allow ourselves to ruminate on it just a little longer and see what the Holy Spirit might have to say.
There is certainly a lesson right on the surface for us, but there are layers deeper than that as well.
So, let’s pray, and ask the Lord to peel back the layers for us and show us His Word.
34 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 35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
1 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.
Our account here begins with the generosity of the believers in selling houses or lands and giving it to the Apostles to distribute as any had need.
One notable character stepped up and sold a field and laid the proceeds at the Apostles’ feet, a man named Barnabas. Actually his name was Joseph but the Apostles called him Barnabas, the son of encouragement.
We’ll read a lot more about Barnabas and how he really did earn that nickname later on in the book of Acts. He was a great encouragement to Paul, and to John Mark, and to the church at Antioch, and he was called an apostle and a prophet.
But this story really isn’t about him, this was just his introduction by Luke.
What he did do was sell a field and generously give the proceeds of the sale to the Apostles to give to anyone who was in need.
This was a great thing, but this wasn’t the only time that happened, verse 34 said that it happened a bunch of times.
Now all of this generosity and the reputation it gave got the attention of a man named Annanias and his wife Sapphira.
This husband and wife had some property that they decided to sell and lay at the Apostles feet. Was that wrong? No.
They decided together to keep a percentage of the proceeds of the sale for themselves. Was that wrong? No.
What was wrong was that they lied about it. They sold their land for a certain amount, kept some for themselves, but they told the Apostles that they had sold it for less than they actually did hoping that nobody would find out, but God sees the heart.
Fool the Apostles, fool the church, fool the pastor, good for you. What do you really get? You can’t fool God.
1 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.
What was it that motivated their lie? I see two things, the love of money, and the love of reputation.
One of the most often misquoted verses of Scripture is 1 Timothy 6:9-10,
9 …those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
…the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. Money is not the root of all evil, money is just a tool.
Pasquier Quesnel wrote, “God desires not our property but our hearts!”
2 Corinthians 9:7 says, Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Not reluctant, not forced, cheerful, that’s an act of a heart that’s devoted to Jesus.
The second motivation for Ananias and Sapphira’s terrible decision was the love of reputation. What they cared about truly was what people thought of them. They were hypocrites that hid behind a mask of generosity and did their good deeds in order to be seen doing them by other people rather than doing their good deeds in secret as Jesus instructed, not even letting the right hand know what the left hand is doing.
Their main concern was that people saw them as generous and that might exalt them to higher status in the church. They were like white washed tombs, beautiful on the outside but on the inside full of dead men’s bones.
Integrity and truth are the church’s brightest ornaments and these two cast them aside for the filthy rags of greed and pride.
Peter said to Ananias, “You haven’t lied to men but to God.” And he dropped dead on the spot and the young men wound him up and took him out and buried him.
Three hours later it happened again. Sapphira had three extra hours to change her mind but she stuck to their plan not knowing that her husband had already died as a result of it.
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.
We’ve just come from great unity and great power and great grace and great love, now we are faced with great fear. Great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.
What could possibly be the lesson here? Don’t be a jerk, is that it?
These two disobeyed Deuteronomy 6:16 as quoted by Jesus in Matthew 4:7, and they put the Lord to the test. They tested the limits of His grace and dared Him to act in divine judgment. As if to say, “Just how far can we go before God steps in?” Well, they certainly found out.
To be clear, Peter did not kill these two, this was not the Peter’s will but God’s, it was not the shock of public exposure of their sin that killed them, though the shame of it certainly added to its severity. Their immediate deaths were a direct and divine judgment from God.
Jesus serves as the ultimate example of humility and selflessness, the exact opposite of the fake humility and selflessness of these two.
Paul wrote in Philippians 2, and I can’t help but think that he may have had this event in mind,
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Selfish ambition and conceit, also known as pride, that’s what motivated these two in their little plan.
Warren Wiersbe said, “Pride opens the door to every other sin, for once we are more concerned with our reputation than our character, there is no end to the things we will do just to make ourselves ‘look good’ before others.”
So what’s the lesson?
Ephesians 4:30, Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God.
Galatians 6:7, Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that he will also reap.
Deuteronomy 4:24, For Yahweh your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
Hebrews 4:12-13, 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
That’s certainly the lesson on the surface, and that’s more than enough!
But this passage also contains Luke’s first reference to the gathered body of believers as “the church.”
Previously he called it, the brothers, the company of persons, all who believed were together, the full number of those who believed. This is Luke’s first use of the word, “ekklesia,” the called out ones, the church!
This passage also teaches us a great deal about Satan, that he is real and not allegorical, not just a symbol of evil. Here we can see that his purpose is to derail and destroy the church, which is exactly what would have happened if Ananias and Sapphira had succeeded in their deception and hypocrisy. They had permitted Satan to fill their hearts, to be deceived by him, and act according to his will, though the responsibility for the act was still theirs.
But we know that Satan is not all powerful and his power is not irresistible.
1 Peter 5:8-9, 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.
James 4:6-8, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
Satan can be resisted and by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ he has been defeated.
This passage doesn’t just make some things clear about Satan but it makes some things clear about the Holy Spirit, things that have been needlessly debated for thousands of years.
It’s one thing really, and maybe we’ve taken it for granted but: the Holy Spirit is God, just as the Father is God, and Jesus Christ is God.
Verses 3, 4, and 9, make it clear that the Holy Spirit is real, and personal, and God. He was lied to, and He was tested by Ananias and Sapphira, He is not merely the power of God at work or the way in which the Father moves the heart of men and women, He is God, co-equal with the Father and the Son. If anybody ever tells you that the Bible doesn’t say that the Holy Spirit is God you can show them this passage.
I think that just about does it.
…let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.
Amen.
