Please take a seat, open your Bibles to we're in the book of
Acts, Acts chapter 5. We won't do all of chapter 5
tonight. You've probably heard a term if
any of you had any time through your Christian walk, some of you
won't have heard the term called slain in the Spirit.
Well, tonight you get actual biblical definition of slain in
the Spirit. It's another title we can give
tonight is is is that you can't lie to God, can't lie to God.
So before we get into chapter 5 or no notice chapter 5 says but
a certain man named Ananias with Sapphira his wife sold a
possession. Acts chapter 5 verse one starts
with the word, but a certain man.
It's interesting. It doesn't start off with and a
certain man, doesn't it? You know why it starts that way?
Because that's why we teach through the Bible, because the
context of what happened, what lay behind this is in the
previous chapter and that's from verse 36.
And Josie, who was also named Barnabas by the Apostles, which
is translated son of encouragement, a Levite of the
country of Cyprus. Now having land, he sold it.
What did he do? Brought the money later that the
apostles feat Wonderful. Now a couple try to do something
a little bit similar. Their name is Ananias.
Ananias means in the Greek God is gracious.
He would learn that God is holy. Sapphira in the Greek means
beautiful. Unfortunately, her heart was
ugly with sin at this moment in the in the early church's life,
it had been filled with the Spirit of God and it was it was
continuing since the day of Pentecost 2000.
Sorry, 3000 souls saved another 2000 the man healed at the gate,
beautiful gathering of more and so the Lord adding to the church
daily as those would be saved. The church was growing.
It was growing because God was bringing into the church.
Remember those who were safe. So you, they weren't coming to
check it out. There was no spectators in the
early church. No, just, well, I'm just, you
know, cruising, no God save people.
And they came into the church and as the church got together,
they worshipped together, they sang together, they prayed
together. We learnt that after Peter and
John had been arrested and threatened and they ate
together, not only communion, breaking of bread each Sunday,
but they had meals together, house to house.
And people, as we see with Barnabas, were giving
sacrificially. People were bringing what they
had, bringing it to the disciples and they were saying
here, here, you guys, we brought this, use it for what?
Whatever the church needs, the disciples led by the Holy Spirit
would then use those funds and people would bring this
sacrificially. I mean, this is not a wealthy
group of people, especially now that they're believers because
they, many of them lost their jobs, cut off from the guilds.
That is like the unions, people went buying or selling from them
our outcasts. And as I said, Barnabas does
this amazing thing and he sells some land and he brings the
money, lays it at the apostles feet.
We're told of the generosity and sacrificial giving of Barnabas
and what was the impact on the church was he was seen by the
churches. Now here what Barnabas did isn't
that awesome, helping out, you know, the widows can get some
funds now and we can get some bread.
We're going to deal with that later on.
We can buy more bread. Look after certain situations
struggling. And he was respected by what he
did. Was his task, his giving?
Was it the catalyst for what fills chapter 5?
I think it was verse 2. We'll start reverse one again,
but a certain man named Ananias with sapphire, his wife sold a
possession and he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also
being aware of it. So it's a partnership and
brought a certain part, laid it at the apostles fleet.
Well done, good on you. He's doing like Barnabas.
But Peter said thank you. No he didn't.
Peter said Ananias so he knows him.
Didn't say, hey you Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to
lie to the Holy Ghost and keep back part of the price of the
land for yourself while it remained?
Was it not your own? He said you, you can do whatever
you like with your money. And after it was sold, was it
not all yours to control? You didn't have to give it,
could have kept it all. But why have you conceived this
thing in your heart? It's another question because
you're being deceptive. You've given the appearance and
the display of Oh yeah, we sold our land.
Yeah, we had those acres, we sold them, sold it all, and
here's the mate. We've given it.
Just like Barnabas. You have not lied to men, Peter
said. But to God.
Wow, that's not something you usually get when you're going to
give an offering, is it? They only gave a portion whilst
implying they had sacrificially given all.
Yeah, yeah, We go over. Yeah, we had some really good,
you know, nice property and we sold.
We brought all the money in. Oh yeah.
Oh, wonder. Oh yeah.
We're just doing our just doing our bit, you know, just like
Barnabas. Wow.
The words kept back in the Greek.
I'm not going to try and pronounce it means to
misappropriate. You know, we always get that,
don't we? Some accountant somewhere and
some firm has been or manager of a sporting club or something or
a manager of an athlete has misappropriated funds.
It's the very same word kept back that was used back in
another story in the book of Joshua, a fella called Akin.
Remember Battle of Jericho, Joshua 721?
They were told in Joshua, go round Jericho.
Then on the last day, go round, round, round shout.
Walls fell down. But don't take anything because
it's the Lords. It's an offering to the Lord in
the next town you could, but not this one.
It's the Lords. But we know Aiken.
He got some gold and some cloth, buried it in his tent.
His family knew about it, remember.
And when all the to the tribe by tribe and you know, and then
group by group, then family by family and then Aiken's family
that it's just man, that would have been a difficult day,
wouldn't it pass by? And then when Aiken was chosen,
found out, he was asked why did you do what you did?
And Joshua 721 Well, when I saw the spoils, a beautiful
Babylonian garment, 200 shekels of silver, wedge of gold
weighing 50 shekels, I coveted them and took them.
And there they are, hidden in the earth, in the midst of my
tent with the silver under it. The words I coveted them and
took them means I stole them. It's the same word I kept back.
I took them Ananias. And Acts 5 is akin to the same
story of greed found in Joshua Aiken.
It's a parallel. Both are a story of deceit
interrupting. Remember celebration Jericho,
not a, not a, not an Israeli slain and a great victory and a
great booty to give unto the God unto the Lord, an offering that
everyone's celebrating and it's just victory and bang, the enemy
does something whenever you know, we go through something
and you know, you come home from church and it's been, you know,
God spoken to you. You went to Bible study.
You've just read something and then along comes someone or
something and it just blows it out of the water.
I know that's never happened to you.
It interrupted the victorious progress of God's people in both
cases. It's like the little foxes in
Proverbs. You know, it just doesn't go
smooth. This just just ruin Peter nails
Ananias. Why has Satan filled your heart
to lie? The Holy Spirit kept back.
You could have just kept all the money you didn't have to give no
one, no one forced you. But you've conceived this thing
in your heart. Notice premeditated wasn't just
a whim. They worked this out.
You have not lied to men, but to God.
Peter confronts Ananias. That's a pretty big deal.
Why has Satan filled your heart here?
Peter is given by the Holy Spirit at this moment.
He was given the gift of faith when he grabbed the man who was
begging for more than 40 years and never worked, got into his
feet, and now the Holy Spirit gives him another gift.
This one's not the gift of faith, but this one's the gift
of supernatural knowledge. 1 Corinthians 12, verse 8.
For one has given the Word of Wisdom through the Spirit to
another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit.
And Peter has given the knowledge about what's happened
to Ananias and Sapphire. He knows exactly what's gone
because God's revealed it to Peter.
Peter, notice with me in your text did not accuse Ananias of
lying to the disciples. He didn't say, why have you lied
to me and John? No, he says you've lied to the
Holy Spirit. This is different.
His crime was not withholding the money.
It's his money, but the crime was in the implication by
premeditated deception that he was giving all of it to the
Lord. It's funny how Jesus would watch
the silver trumpets by at the temple would watch how people
would give. He talks about that.
You know, he talks more about money than he does about heaven.
And anyway, all the Pharisees and the Sadducees would come,
and before they go, they go. Everybody listen up.
Check this out. Wow, you are.
How godly are you? Meanwhile, Jesus, still watching
the widow, sneaks up. No one sees it, but Jesus sees
it. She throws in all that she has,
all that she has. Jesus notes that and he talks
about giving. It's not the amount, it's the
heart. Giving demonstrates and reveals
the heart, your heart. The sin was greed, but the
greatest sin was pride. Pride.
What is pride in church? Pride is look at me, look what
I'm doing, look how good I am. Oh, so you don't, you haven't
learnt Greek. What Bible do you read?
Oh, yeah, that translation, you know, it's a paraphrase.
Oh, you have ATV in your house? Yeah.
We don't watch TV. Never had ATV.
And. And.
And it goes on. And I've heard all these things
come up, you know, you know, about people just elevating
themselves above, above others. And God cannot stand proud or
pride people, proud people. And they were wanting Ananias
and Sapphire were wanting people to think that they had given all
the proceeds from the sale of the land, all how godly they
were. Proverbs 15-8 You know when you
don't give right? You know Al Capone, he was the
gangster and he was in church every Sunday.
You know, he was the biggest giver in the church that he went
to. You know what God thought of
what he gave because he murdered people throughout the week.
Proverbs 15-8 says the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination
to the Lord, an abomination. Today this same greedy sin is
still prevalent. People wanting to be considered
spiritual whilst refusing to pay any price in their service to
God. And you know the sad thing?
As we read chapter 5, as Peter has said, and this is all
unnecessary. This didn't need to happen.
Satan filled the heart of Ananias.
Let me say this, he wasn't demon possessed.
This is not what this is saying Satan influenced because as a
believer you cannot be demon possessed.
Like darkness can't go together. You can read through the Bible,
it doesn't work. Satan worked on the heart of
Ananias. Satan can influence you even as
a Christian will read and get the scriptures to back that up,
but Satan cannot do your sinning for you, you do it.
Oh well Judas, he never had a choice.
He was the son of petition. No, Judas had a choice.
He chose to go and surf Satan. Ananias had to conceive this in
his heart. Verse 5.
Then Ananias, hearing his words, fell down, slain in the spirit,
actually really fully, and breathed his last man.
That was a church service you'd never forget.
So great fear came upon all those who heard these things.
That's the result. And the young men arose, wrapped
him up, carried him out, buried him.
Because you know, in that culture still exists today, you
got to be buried within 24 hours.
Wrap him up, put into a place ready for the burial.
Ananias drops dead on the spot. Peter didn't.
And no one caught him by the way, either.
There's no catching. Peter did not pronounce the
death sentence on Ananias. Peter confronted his sin only.
The church is not in the business of announcing the death
sentence on anyone. Ananias death.
What was it? This was an act of God's
judgement. I believe even Peter was shocked
at Ananias suddenly dropping dead.
I think Peter went, oh, yeah, when I tell him, and then he's
going to drop dead. And Ananias went next one
Peter's got, maybe take a step back, guys.
Come grab this guy. He's dead.
Why was this act treated so vehemently, so strongly?
It was more than an attempt to see God and his church.
It was treating the holy God with contempt.
God doesn't like that. It was disrespecting that which
is sacred. God is holy one.
Corinthians Chapter 11 talks about communion.
Paul wrote to the Church of Corinth because things were
going awry. They had all the gifts happening
but man it was it needed fixing. 1 Corinthians 11 it's read out
when we take communion. Therefore, whoever eats this
bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will
be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.
But let a man examine himself. So let him eat of the bread and
drink of the cup, for he who eats and drinks in an unworthy
manner eats and drinks judgement to himself, not discerning the
Lord's body. Verse 30 For this reason, many a
week and sick among you, and many sleep.
That means not that they died. They've abused.
And this is the believers. This is not, you know, some
bloke going off the street. This is believers not doing that
which is right, for if we would judge ourselves we would not be
judged. But when we are judged, we're
chastened by the Lord who does? Who does the Lord chasten those
whom he loves, that we may not be condemned with the world.
So Ananias action also offload with overflowed with vanity and
a lack of faith. Where was he keeping the money
back? Well, you know, because we'll
need it. No, because when you give, it's,
it's not about I give. But you know, I can only give so
much because I'm going to need this.
The widow didn't do that. She didn't go, oh, I've got 4
coins. I'll put one in because I need
the other three. No, no, no, it's not about.
You know, I know God says in his word that he'll look after us,
but, but no, no, no, I'll do this.
Lastly, it was a profound act of hypocrisy.
Just it just how everything's been growing and going well and
the Spirit's moving. People are getting saved.
They're praying with one another.
You know, it's just the Lord is building the church.
But Keith is still harsh in judgement, Don't you think?
Well, God was judging lies and who's the father of lies?
Say God will not tolerate deception in the church at this
time. Jesus made it clear that we must
be careful how we give. Pride seeks to take God's glory
from Him. We must use what He gives for
His glory alone. As God gives, we give.
The sin was directed against God's church.
The sin that was in Ananias and Sapphira was against God's
church. Satan wanted to use Ananias and
Sapphira in the church, and if they stayed, he would work
through them. What's that?
A little bit of 1111's a lump. Oh, you know, and so this couple
if they'd been allowed to stay infection.
No, the great wonder, you know, when we say, isn't this harsh in
in his judgement? No, the great wonder is actually
the very opposite. In fact, as I read my Bible that
God delays his righteous judgement on the world that he's
holding back. How many people would be
frightened to death before God if they were confronted with
their sins so openly as this? Ezekiel and Jeremiah, Jeremiah
in particular, young 14 to 17 year old, he's told, go down,
stand at the gates as the people are coming into the temple and
say you're a thief, you're robbing God, you, you're an
adulterer. This and, and other people
coming, you know, coming with the prayer and the bringing
their offerings. And that's that's Jeremiah's job
in this case, Peter has taken on that role and he's speaking to
people and an ice of fire. Imagine coming into church and
someone said, you, you've just done this.
Here we go. You'd feel like dropping dead,
wouldn't you? It was a crucial time in the
early church, but such impurity of sin, scandal and Satanic
influence because that's what's behind it, because Peter said
why is Satan remember, go back to the root cause.
Satanic influence would have would have come in and sat in
the front row of the church. Oh, and a nice to fight.
Yeah. That part of part of the board.
Yeah, all that been here, you know, years back they gave and
you see how it just, it can just ball along.
Ball along. They could have corrupted the
entire church at its earliest roots.
If allowed to remain and fester. Then why does not God judge like
this today? You go.
I don't want him. Oh, yeah.
Church service today. How'd you go?
We had 50, what, 50 in the church, No 50 drop dead. 45 a
week before you know the church has many branches now worldwide.
At this moment the church was in one location.
It was the the very beginning of it before it was dispersed
around the world. The church oversight today as
well is not what it was back then with the disciples over it,
because there would be bodies stacked high at the end of some
services today if God still did that today.
Seriously, as a result of God's judgement on Ananias in this
manner, then Ananias hearing these words, fell down, breathed
his last, and what happened? You see, Notice the result of
this great fear, great fear, right, of a holy God.
You see, that was, that was being, that was the damage, that
was that God's no longer holy. You know what I mean?
Just look. Look.
What can happen. Came upon all those who heard
these things. No one was lying.
I can tell you. It's Peter.
Yeah. No, Peter.
Yep. Yep.
What do you want to know? You know everything anyway.
You know about my life. Anyway, they'd be scared stiff.
Three hours later, she didn't knock on the door.
I just did that for effect. So fire.
His wife turns up. Verse seven.
Now it was about 3 hours later when his wife came in, not
knowing what had happened, Peter answered it.
Tell me, you tell me whether you sold the land for so much.
She's yeah, yeah, that's the amount that's right.
And Peter said to her, How is it that you have agreed together?
Premeditated sin, premeditated hypocrisy, premeditated pride.
You have agreed together to test who us and say the disciples,
our administration board. No, the spirit of the Lord.
Look, the feet of those who've buried your husband are at the
door. Young guys come back, they just
cut it off. The husband, they come in, bang,
there's another one and they will carry you out.
Then immediately she fell down at Peter's feet, breathed, alas,
and the young men came in and went, no, I'm not another one.
No, they didn't say that. Found her dead, carrying her
out, buried her by her husband. She was a willing sinful partner
in the satanic inspired deception.
You know, we, we look at this so glibly and we go, well, it
wasn't such a big deal. You see, that's where we we've
lost it so much now, you know, do you remember back when shut
up was a swear word, like a belted well, my mom constantly,
forever, not kind of I'd say it, but since I said that it was a
good whack that was a swear word.
Things have changed. She was a willing sinful partner
in the Satanic inspired deception as we read it and pull
it apart. Behind this is Satan who tried
to persecute him. Then he said we'll join them.
Now a question that comes up is were Ananias and Sapphire
believers, Well whether you know were they Christians or not
Christians? Good question.
Firstly, proof text is the Bible.
Firstly, they were included in the congregation of those who
believe. Remember they weren't hangers on
in the early church. They weren't nominal or part
time believers. Or I'm checking it out.
No, you're in the church because you were saved.
Acts 432. Secondly, they were involved
with the Holy Spirit. They were lying to the Holy
Spirit, thus indicating a relationship to Him.
Thirdly, if they were not Christians, what's the big deal?
What lessons about sin did this give to teach all the rest who
are true believers? They were just a couple of
yokels came in. So they gave money something.
What's what's it got to do with the Church?
Fourthly, Satan can become personally involved with
believers. Matthew 1622.
Peter, Jesus talking about anything.
I got to die. I got to go to Jerusalem.
Die. No, wait, wait.
Come. Come here.
I want to talk to you.
You've been talking about you going to Jerusalem.
You dying. This is not going to happen.
Peter took Jesus aside, began to rebuke him.
Wow, Yeah, we don't read, Peter rebuked Jesus saying, far be it
from you, Lord, that doesn't that doesn't work well, does it?
This shall not happen to you. But he, Jesus turned and said to
Peter, I'll stop it, Peter. No, what did he say?
Get behind me, son. You're influencing here.
You're an offence to me. For you are not mindful of the
things of God, but the things of men.
Ephesians 612 You and I, we know all that.
We often go there when we have spiritual battles, don't we?
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rules of the
darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in
the heavenly places. We're wrestling with Him all the
time. He's trying to influence us all
the time. One Peter, chapter 5, verse 8.
Be sober. Be vigilant.
Why? Because your adversary, the
devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he
may devour. These are words and verses
written to Christian, to believers, not unbelievers.
Unbelievers don't care. I didn't believe in the devil.
Resist him steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same
sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
It is possible for a Christian to sin unto death.
John tells us this one. John 516 If anyone sees his
brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask,
and he will give him life. For those who commit sin not
leading to death, there is sin leading to death.
I do not say that he should pray about that.
So we do have New Testament examples of saved people being
judged, brought home in death. We read that about communion.
Death can be divine chastening for a believer.
The horror of the sin of pride is that it is the sin which will
corrupt the church more quickly than anything else.
That's why God had to deal with it back in Joshua with Akin.
Remember God told Moses, OK, this is when you have a parade,
tribe group, families, individuals, you know, all this
way. And then at the end, who carried
out the execution? The people did.
They brought judgement, Ananias of fire in the book of Acts.
God took this judgement out of the hands of the church and he
brought it down personally. Why?
The church has no place in administering such punishment
itself or in having civil authorities to do it on their
behalf. A couple sold land just like
Barnabas is how it all started. Yet they lied and wanted to be
seen in the same light as him. The Holy Spirit filled Barnabas
to do what he did and the other believers as they gave, but it
was Satan in an Ananias sense of fire.
We learn from this that the Holy Spirit, and that's where we've
lost it a bit. I think today the Holy Spirit is
not soft on sin. You know people today well, you
know all you have to do. You can live together, sleep
together and just ask God to forgive you after get married
and just ask him to forgive you after.
That's no big deal. What?
Hang on a minute. That's that's not, that's not
what the Bible says, premeditated sin motivated by
pride. It's it's wicked sin and a
Christian is worse than sin and a believer unbeliever, you know,
we the church, ha, probably might sing this hymn from now
on. We sing, I surrender all, I
surrender all to him. I freely give, I surrender just
a bit, just three quarters. We sing, Oh, are we?
When we lie to believers, we're not lying to them, but to the
Lord. So wrap this up.
Am IA truthful person. Do I engage in in exaggeration?
Do I promote a spiritual deception about my walk?
How big's your? Oh, yeah, I've got a bigger one
than I've read. How many chapters you read
today? I read.
I read at least a book a day. How long do you pray for?
Oh, yeah. Well, I'll pray for you.
Do I promote a spiritual deception about my walk with God
to others when we gather, let us all come before God humbly,
Thanksgiving humbly before God and seek his forgiveness.
Verse 11 said so after this Sephirus carted out, it said it
again. So great fear came upon all the
church, and upon all who heard these things, Peter says, one
Peter 417 For the time has come for judgement to begin at the
House of God, and it begins with us first, what will be the end
of those who do not obey the gospel of God.