Acts 5:1

But a certain man named Ananias with Sapphira his wife sold a possession and kept back part of it... and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit... While it remained with you, was it not your own?... You have not lied to men, but unto God. And Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and gave up the ghost. And great fear came upon all them that heard these things. (Acts 5:1–5)

God squares His books not by the size of the gift, but by the motive of the heart that gives it.

Responsibility, Accountability, and Transparency

If you've paid attention to the news recently, you know those are the words of the week. With the $787 billion reinvestment act signed this last Tuesday, our government is promoting unprecedented responsibility in the allocation and spending of taxpayer funds. They recognize the necessity of being responsible with other people's money. We're all hopeful they continue to be accountable in this manner.

I find it interesting how well those three words correlate with our passage this morning. At the end of Acts 4, we saw how the early church lived with great community and unity. Whoever had things shared with those who didn't. They had all things in common, and no one said that what he possessed was his own. They recognized that the earth is the Lord's and everything in it, and that we who are bought with a price belong wholly to Him.

We Will Give an Account

Because everything we have and are is God's, we are also responsible and accountable. We will be held to account one day for all that has been committed to us. Just as our government seeks to be transparent and responsible, we too will be transparent before the Lord when we give our account. Hebrews 4:13 says:

Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

Another translation puts it, "Nothing in all creation can hide from him... This is the God to whom we must explain all that we have done." For most of us, this is not a problematic passage. We know there is coming a day when we will give a reckoning before God for how we used our energy, intellect, assets, and time. But Acts 5 gives us interesting insight into how God deals with these things.

Barnabas and Ananias

At the end of Acts 4, we met Barnabas, whose name means son of encouragement. He sold a portion of land and brought all the money, laying it at the apostles' feet for distribution among those in need. There is no doubt his gift brought a level of respect from the body of Christ. People looked at Barnabas and said, "That is a phenomenal gift."

It appears that Ananias and Sapphira took careful note of that respect. So they too sold a possession and brought a part of the price, laying it at the apostles' feet exactly as Barnabas had done. There is no doubt in my mind that they expected commendation from the Lord, the church, and Peter. But instead Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?" His heart must have sunk with a huge thud.

There Was No Sin in Keeping Back

Notice—there was no sin in keeping back a portion and giving only part to the church. In the Old Testament, God only required a portion be given. In Deuteronomy 26, the children of Israel were to take of the first fruits of the land, place them in a basket, and bring them to the priest, recounting how God brought them out of Egypt and into the land flowing with milk and honey.

Two things stand out in that passage. First, the giving of first fruits was a recognition of God's redemption and His ownership of all. It was God who saved them out of bondage, brought them into the land, and gave them everything in it. Second, this giving was counted as worship unto the Lord.

In Leviticus 27:30 we read another principle—the tithe. "And all the tithe of the land... it is the Lord's, it is holy unto the Lord." A tithe means a tenth part. God required His people to bring in the first fruits and a tenth part, dedicated and consecrated to Him, given as worship and as recognition that they were His possession.

Giving Raises Children, Not Money

God's requirement was not because He is poor. Such giving requires and reveals our faith in Him. It causes us to look to Him instead of our things, our wealth, or our ability. When we lay these before the Lord, we recognize He is God, that we have nothing apart from Him, and that we don't look to our goods but to our God.

Giving is not God's way of raising money—it's His way of raising children. Our Father is the greatest giver there ever was. He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness, every spiritual blessing in heavenly places, and even more, He spared not His only begotten Son. God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He doesn't regard silver and gold, though He knows we do—which is why there are over 2,100 verses in the Bible dealing with money, wealth, and giving.

Barnabas gave from his abundance to the fullest, not for notoriety, but because the Spirit stirred him. The church never required this. Giving should never be by compulsion. If you ever feel you've been made to give to this church, please come talk with me or the other pastors—we'd love to give it back to you. The Lord loves a cheerful giver.

God Looks at the Heart

Ananias did much the same act as Barnabas, but in a different way. Peter said, "While it remained, was it not your own?" The land was his; when sold, the money was his too. God is not upset if you have great possessions this morning. But He looks at the heart. Jeremiah 17:9 says the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked—who can know it? But the very next verse says God searches the heart. He knows exactly what is going through us and why we do what we do.

Barnabas gave from a heart of love. Ananias gave from a greedy and proud heart, for the purpose of being seen, to receive notoriety and respect, to be considered among the spiritual elite. "You have not lied to men, but unto God."

The Gift of Discernment

One of the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12 is the word of knowledge; another is the discerning of spirits. Here Peter exercises one or both together. He receives from the Lord that this was not done in a right manner, and he calls Ananias out on the carpet. Peter himself had once been called out—in Matthew 16, when he withstood Jesus and was told, "Get thee behind me, Satan." So Peter had been on the receiving end before.

This was the same giving Jesus described in Matthew 6, where the Pharisees gave their alms to be seen by men, and Jesus said, "They have their reward." Their reward was earthly only. Ananias gave for what he could get—the respect of others—and it was proud and filled with greed.

He Stole from God

The word "keep back" means to misappropriate. It's the same word used in the Greek Old Testament for Achan in Joshua 7, who kept back a portion of the spoil of Jericho that belonged to God as first fruits. Achan essentially robbed God, and judgment fell on him and his household. In the New Testament this word appears in Titus 2 in the context of stealing. So Ananias stole from God by misusing what was given to him. The land was ultimately God's possession.

Was Ananias wrong to keep some back? No—but they should have made it known. Instead they made it look like they gave everything, and they lied to God. Proverbs 15:8 says, "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord." Many today try to give sacrifices in the form of good works or large sums to earn something with God, yet have never turned to Christ. Isaiah 64:6 says all our righteous works are as filthy rags before God. Good works from a wicked heart are an abomination.

Exposed and Fallen

Verse 5 says Ananias heard these words, fell down dead, and gave up the ghost. Physically, he very likely had a heart attack—there was no AED machine in the back to revive him. Notice that the church and Peter did not render a death sentence; they only exposed his sin. The Bible does not say God killed him. He died as his sin was exposed. And great fear came upon all who heard—the understatement of the New Testament.

Greed and hypocrisy bring death and invite God's judgment. God is far more interested in the heart than the gift. Samuel told Saul, "To obey is better than sacrifice." David learned in Psalm 51, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit." In Isaiah 1, God told Israel their multiplied sacrifices were a trouble to Him, their incense an abomination—because their hands were full of blood. When our heart is wicked, our gift is wicked.

For many Christians in compromise, their greatest fear is not sinning—it's being found out. Ananias was found out as his sin was exposed.

Sapphira and the Effect on a Family

About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked whether they sold the land for so much. She said, "Yes." Peter said, "How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord?" Then she fell down at his feet and yielded up the ghost, and was carried out and buried beside her husband. That's church discipline.

We might say, "Thank God He doesn't do this today." But greed and hypocrisy still bring death—a spiritual death in the believer and in the body of Christ. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. Sin you think is secret affects others on a spiritual level. Notice that Ananias's sin affected his wife, just as Achan's affected his whole family. Proverbs 15:27 says, "He that is greedy of gain troubles his own house."

Were Ananias and Sapphira saved? The Bible doesn't say. There is a sin in 1 John 5 that leads unto death, and it appears this was such a sin. God desired that His church be pure and holy, consecrated to Him, not defiled by the hypocrisy of the world—even though it was filled with hypocrites. The world says the church is full of hypocrites; they're absolutely right. Every one of us is a sinner saved by grace. But having saved us, God calls us to live differently. He calls us to give, not because He is poor, but because He is training us for righteousness.

When Greed Was Corrected, Growth Continued

The world is focused on what it can get. With this stimulus package, a whole lot of people have their hand out. Our mindset as Americans is centered on what I can get. But in Christ the mindset is, "How can I give what the Lord has given me?" "Freely you have received, freely give." This is contrary to my flesh—and that's the point. God has called us to die daily.

Verse 11 gives another understatement: great fear came upon all the church. And by the hands of the apostles, great signs and wonders were wrought. When the greed in the body of Christ was corrected, the growth continued and God's work went forward. Even those outside the church heard what happened, and a reverence came upon unbelievers based on the holiness they saw. Holiness is always an action of God—He makes things holy. Though no one dared join themselves lightly, believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes of men and women—added to the Lord, not merely the church.

In one sense, this was blessed subtraction. When I regard iniquity in my heart, a level of spiritual death takes place—death being separation, a lack of fellowship with God and His body. So God desires to rid us of the sins that so easily ensnare us. Hebrews 12 says we should lay aside every weight and sin that does so easily ensnare us, that we may run with endurance the race set before us.

Running for an Incorruptible Crown

There's a great cyclist race going on in Escondido today—98.6 miles, ending right at Grand and Broadway this afternoon. Lance Armstrong wouldn't strap on a 15-pound weight belt and a backpack before he rides. He'll strip down to the bare essentials to go as fast as possible—for a temporal prize: some money, more notoriety, maybe a goofy trophy. We run not for a temporal crown but for the crown of righteousness which the Lord shall give to those who run with endurance. Yet we are so often tripped up by the things of this world. When we lay them aside, we find a life and vitality in Christ we've never experienced.

Verse 15 says they brought the sick into the streets that even Peter's shadow might overshadow some, and multitudes came from cities around Jerusalem and were healed everyone. That holiness, brought forth by God, produced an effectiveness in ministry the church had not yet seen. We want to be an effective church—not just here, but the body of Christ throughout Escondido and Southern California.

Search Me, O Lord

Paul exhorts us to examine ourselves to see whether we be in the faith, to judge ourselves lest we be judged. David prayed in Psalm 139, "Search me, O Lord, and see if there be any wicked way in me." It's important to come before God and ask, "Is there anything in my life hindering You from working in a powerful way today?" He will never say, "If you don't know, I'm not going to tell you." He desires fellowship, and if something hinders it, He will make it clear.

But here's the kicker—when He does, we must take care of it. Jesus said if you bring your gift to the altar and remember your brother has something against you, leave your gift and go make it right. Maybe I need to apologize to my wife or children, restore something I've taken, or confess my hypocrisy not only to the Lord but to the individual I sinned against.

Confess Your Faults One to Another

James 5 speaks to this. "Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders... and the prayer of faith shall save the sick... and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." Then verse 16: "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed." Sometimes in praying for the sick, it's revealed in the heart that there is sin—and if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord does not hear my prayer. His forgiveness comes first, but He still calls us to make it right.

God gave Ananias an opportunity to confess to Peter and the body of Christ, but because of his hardness of heart he refused, and judgment came. There is great healing and blessing when we confess our sins to the Lord and our faults to one another, and a judgment of spiritual death when we don't.

God Judges the Heart, Not the Eyes

God is not a respecter of persons; He has no favorites. Thank God He doesn't. Isaiah 11 says our God does not judge by the seeing of the eyes or the hearing of the ears, but by righteousness. Our justice system sometimes lacks justice—we judge by evidence and testimony, and sometimes make wrong judgments. There are people in prison wrongly, and people on the streets who should be in prison—maybe some in this room. But God examines the heart and judges with righteous judgment, looking not just at what is given, but at the motive in giving.

Many will say in Matthew 7, "Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name," and He'll say, "Depart from me, I never knew you, you practice lawlessness." There were external works, but God judges the heart. Abraham asked in Genesis 18, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" He is fair and equitable—but He will judge.

The Far-Reaching Effects of Sin

Throughout Scripture, people were judged for how they used what was given—Cain and Abel, Nadab and Abihu, Achan, Saul, Elisha's servant, and Ananias and Sapphira. Sadly, often the sin affected the family too. Cain's family received a curse; Achan's was killed; Saul's was rejected from the kingship; Elisha's servant's was judged with leprosy; David's wrongful census brought judgment on the whole nation. The effects of our sin are far more far-reaching than just us. You may think it's secret and silent, but God knows, and it affects the body of Christ.

So God says today is the day of salvation. Do not harden your heart as in the day of provocation, when Israel fell in the wilderness through unbelief. Confess your sins one to another, pray for one another, and the prayer of faith shall heal the sick.

Closing Prayer

Father, I know this passage is convicting, but Your word is sharper than any two-edged sword, able to divide asunder soul and spirit, a discerner of the thoughts and intents of our heart. Perhaps this morning You've convicted some in this room, because our motives have not been toward You but toward ourselves. I pray that You would, by Your Spirit, convict hearts to the point of confession and repentance. We know the promise that if we confess our sins, You are faithful and just to forgive. We thank You that though we were formerly hypocrites and losers, You've made us holy and righteous by the work of the cross, not by our works of righteousness, for they were as filthy rags. Father, if there is in any heart this morning anger or malice toward a brother or sister, give us the strength by Your Spirit to make it right, that we would experience the abundance of life You've promised—not just hereafter, but here and now. We pray in the mighty and precious name of Jesus. Amen.