|
|
|
- Preaching the Living WORD through
the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 - |
|
|
DECEPTION AND
HYPOCRISY IN THE CHURCH (Ac 5:1-11) 9/15/13 Grace Bible Church,
Gillette, Wyoming Pastor Daryl Hilbert I. DECEPTION OF ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA (1-2) A. Ananias 1. Within the context of the unparalleled
benevolence of the early church, which includes Barnabas’ example (Ac
4:32-37), we have a poignant and fearful contrast in Ac 5:1-11. 2. [1] Luke records the events surrounding a
man named Ananias (Ananias - Heb, Hananiah -
Jehovah has dealt graciously or God is gracious) and his wife Sapphira (name
only used in Ac 5, Sapphira - a sapphire jewel or beautiful). 3. There are three Ananias’ in the
Scriptures: (1) the husband of Sapphira (2) The disciple that was called to
heal Saul after his conversion (Ac 9:10-17; 22:12), and (3) the High Priest
who commanded that Paul be struck in the face (Ac 23:2; 24:1). The High
Priest Ananias (AD 47-58) is not to be confused with Annas the High Priest
(AD 6-15) who preceded Caiaphas (AD 18-36) (cf. Lk 3:2; Jn 18:13, 24) and who
we have observed in Ac 4:6. B. Their Deception 1. [2] During a time when Christians were
selling their property to give the proceeds to the church, Ananias sold a
piece of property (Ac 4:34-35). We are not told how
much property they owned or where it was located. 2. The sin of which Ananias was guilty was
the sin of deception (Ac 5:4). His sin was not in holding back a portion of
the proceeds from the property. Nor would he have sinned if he had not sold
his property. For there was no divine mandate that Christians had to sell
their property or that they had to donate all of it. His sin was in secretly
holding back some of the proceeds and making it look like he had given it
all. The fact that he did it secretly means that Ananias did not want anyone
to know about it. Therefore, Ananias was guilty of deception (Col 3:9; Ep
4:25; Re 22:15). 3. In vs. 2, we read that Ananias “kept back some of the price for himself.” The word for “kept back” is nosphizō
and has the idea of secretly putting aside for oneself (Fri.). It has the
connotation of misappropriation, stealing, or embezzlement (Ro 2:21; Ep
4:28). 4. We are informed
that Ananias only brought a “portion” (meros
- part) of the proceeds, secretly keeping the rest for himself. 5. When Ananias laid it at the apostles’
feet (cf. Ac 4:35), it was for outward appearance only (hypocrisy - Mt 6:1–6, 16–18; 15:7; 23:13–36). He wanted the credit for looking like he gave it all,
but he did not want to give it all up. 6. Sapphira was also guilty of deception
since she had “full knowledge” (sunoida -
share in the knowledge) of it and was in agreement with her husband’s
sin. II. RESPONSE BY PETER TO ANANIAS (3-6) A. Discernment of Peter 1. [3] We may wonder how Peter knew about
Ananias’ deception. It was the Holy Spirit who
revealed Ananias’ sin to Peter. 2. This would have been another sign to
affirm Peter’s apostolic office and authority. B. Rebuke of Ananias 1. Peter rebuked Ananias telling him that
Satan has filled his heart to lie. Ananias and Sapphira were tempted to sin
by “Satan” (Satanas - adversary). Yet
they themselves were additionally responsible for their sin because they
“conceived” (Ac 5:4) and “agreed together” (Ac 5:9) to keep back a portion
for themselves. 2. Satan, the “adversary” wages war against
God by hindering (1Th 2:18), tormenting (2Co 12:7), deceiving (2Co 11:14; Re
20:7-8), and tempting God’s people to sin (1Co 7:5). Ananias and Sapphira
were part of “the congregation of those
who believed” (Ac 4:32). This suggests that they were believers. For
believers are able to sin (including lying, Col 3:9) and can
be influenced by Satan (Mt 16:21–23; Ep 6:12; 1Pe 5:8–9). 3. However, Peter clarifies that it was not
just deception by lying, but lying to the Holy Spirit. Though Ananias and
Sapphira may have thought they were merely deceiving man, they were in
reality lying to God (cf. Ac 5:4). 4. [Deity of the Holy Spirit] Ac 5:3-4 give
us the logical deduction to conclude the deity of the Holy Spirit. In vs. 3,
they “lied to the Holy Spirit.” In vs. 4, they “lied to God.” Did Ananias and
Sapphira lie to the Holy Spirit or to God? The answer is that since the Holy
Spirit is a member of the Godhead with all of the attributes that constitute
God, in lying to the Holy Spirit, they lied to God the Holy Spirit (deity of
the Holy Spirit). 5. [4] Reasoning with Ananias, Peter
maintained that while Ananias owned (menō
-remained) his property, he could do with it whatever he desired. This
would have included not selling it. It was not mandatory that the early
Christians sell their property and possessions to give to the needy. It was entirely voluntary (2Co 9:7). 6. Furthermore, when Ananias sold his
property, all the proceeds were under his “control” (exousia
- authority). He could have held back a portion without penalty. However,
he chose to lie about giving all his proceeds. C. Judgment of God 1. [5] As Peter was
speaking these words, Ananias “fell down” (piptō)
and died on the spot (ekpsuchō
- “breathed his last,” or expired, cf. Jdg 4:21). His death was the
result of the judgment of God. We do not read that Peter pronounced a
judgment upon Ananias. Even if Peter did pronounce a judgment (not recorded),
Ananias’ death was the result of God’s judgment. By God’s grace, He does not
normally chastise sin with instantaneous death. However, being a holy God, He
has the righteous grounds to do so. Scripture does teach that sin can result
in the physical death of a believer (1Co 11:30-33; 1Jn 5:16). 2. [6] The sobering conclusion was that the
younger men “covered up” (sustellō -
enshroud or wrap up) Ananias and carried him to his grave. Burial on the
same day was especially prescribed for someone who died because of divine
judgment (Dt 21:22-23). III. RESPONSE BY PETER TO SAPPHIRA (7-10) A. Rebuke of Sapphira 1. [7] Sapphira was not with her husband at
the time of his death. But after an “interval” (diastēma - here separate by a space of
time) of three hours, Sapphira returned. For some reason, she did not
know about her husband’s death. 2. [8] Peter did not come out and tell her
about her husband. Instead, he tested her to see if she participated in her
husband’s sin. He asked her if the “amount”(tosoutos - such an amount) they gave was
the amount which they “sold” (apodidōmi
- here,were paid) the land. She affirmed (“yes”
nai) that the amount was the same. 3. [9] Knowing that she partook in her
husband’s sin, Peter rebuked her that she had “agreed together” (sumphōneō - verbal agreement, cf. Mt
18:19) with the deceptive plan. He described their deception as “putting
the Spirit of the Lord to the test.” Sapphira “tested” (peirazō
- bad sense - tempt, good sense - test or examine)
the Holy Spirit in that she blatantly presumed and judged that God was not
serious about His chastisement of sin. In other words, she put a test (or
challenge) to the Holy Spirit to see whether or not
He would deal with sin. This was a fatal presumption. 4. In the case of Sapphira, Peter did
pronounce God’s judgment upon her. In a bit of verbal irony, the “feet” (pous) of those who buried Ananias were at the door
to carry her dead body. B. Judgment of God 1. [10] “Immediately” (parachrēma
- intsantly) Sapphira fell and died (same
words) in the same way and under the same divine judgment as Ananias. In
the same way, and true to Peter’s pronouncement, she was
carried out and buried beside her husband. IV. REACTION OF THE CHURCH (11) A. Great Fear 1. [11] It is evident
that God wanted to send a message to the church just as He did with Israel
concerning Achan (Jos 7:24-26). The result of this judgment produced “great fear” (phobos - reverence or respect mixed with fear)
and reverence for God’s holiness among the early church. 2. This reverence for God and for holiness
within His church was not limited to those who witnessed these events. The
reverence and fear came upon the “whole church” and word spread among all
believers. V. OBSERVATIONS AND APPLICATIONS A. Reverence for God’s holiness - We must
understand that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (He 13:8). This
especially applies to God’s holy reaction to sin. The Lord still maintains
His fierce anger against sin in the NT even as He did in the OT. Thinking
that God is indifferent to sin is to misunderstand the attributes of God. B. Reverence for God’s holiness in the church
- It is true that the believer is forgiven of all
sin and will receive no eternal condemnation. However, because God shows no
partiality when it comes to sin (Ro 2:11), the believer can be chastised for
sin in this life. For the believer, it is a chastisement against his sin to
make him holy (He 12:10). But God’s inherent
reaction to sin is always the same, and it is possible for God to chastise a
believer unto death (1Jn 5:16). C. The epitaph for Ananias and Sapphira may
read something, 1. “Ananias - His name meant
“God is gracious”, but he now knows God is holy.” 2. “Sapphira - She was a beautiful jewel
but the sparkle went out of her testimony.” |
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
