LET THE TRUTH REST IN
YOUR HEART
Acts 4:34-5:10
BE GENEROUS
V:34-35. " There were no needy persons among them. For
from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money
from the sales and put it at the
apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need."
A. The early church grew at a rapid rate.
1. The
effectiveness of the Apostle's preaching of the Gospel was evidence by the
growing
numbers.
2. People who
believed in Jesus were from all financial levels.
a. There were
some rich and some poor.
b. There were
families, single men and women and widowers.
c. There were
some who had more than they needed and some who had
less than
they needed to survive.
B. Members of the
growing Church of Jesus Christ had the
spirit of generosity.
1. They took it
upon themselves to provide for their own.
2. They
considered themselves, one big family.
3. Some sold land and houses to provide for the needy among
them.
4. Their love for
one another was shown in their generosity.
C. They put their
resources in a common pot and allowed the apostles to
take
responsibility for the distribution.
1. They trusted
the leaders of the Church to do the right thing.
V:36-37. "
Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus ,
whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a
field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet."
A. The generosity of
some individuals stood out more than others.
1. Not only did
Barnabas have a generous spirit, but he was a devoted missionary for
Christ.
2. Barnabas teamed
up with the Apostle Paul in the spread of the Gospel to the
Gentiles.
3. According to
the Easton Bible Dictionary, Paul and Barnabas were companions in
the school
of Gamaliel
B. There are
probably good reasons why the Apostles
changed his name from Joseph to
Barnabas.
1. As per the
meaning of his name, Barnabas encouraged others in the spread of
the Gospel.
2. Barnabas used
what God blessed him with to serve others.
YOU CANNOT LIE TO GOD
Chapter 5
V:1-2. " Now a man named Ananias, together with his
wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife's full knowledge
he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at
the apostles' feet."
A. Nothing good comes from lies and deceptions.
1. The wages of
sin is death.
2. For some, death
comes sooner than others.
B. There was no command for members of the Church to sell
what they had.
1. The selling of
possessions to support the Church was voluntary.
2. The Church was
under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
3. Any desire to
deceive the leaders of the Church was a sin against the Holy Spirit.
4. Each believer
is given the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
C. Ananias and His wife Sapphira sold property, but lied
about the amount they received.
1. The property
was theirs to give or to keep.
2. They were free
to give all or a portion of the selling price to the Church.
3. They gave a
portion of the amount they received to the Church but lied that
it was the total amount received.
D. The Church needs good role models, but is hurt by lies
and deceptions.
1. The Church is
empowered by the Holy Spirit to spread the truth.
2. We are not
given the Holy Spirit to lie or to deceive others to promote
the Gospel.
3. Lies and
deceptions are Satanic acts.
SATAN IS THE FATHER OF LIES
V:3. " Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that
Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have
kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?"
A. Any Act of sin comes from the influence of Satan.
1. Money is dear
to the heart of most people.
2. To give up
money for the unselfish reasons to help others in need is an act
of love.
B. Ananias was not
totally devoted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
1. He wanted the
appearance of Holiness by deception.
2. We may be able
to deceive man, but we can never deceive God.
3. What is done in
the dark, God can bring to the light for all to see.
4. It was God who
revealed Ananias' deception to Peter.
V:4. " Didn't it
belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at
your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to
men but to God."
A. There was no
command to sell the property.
1. There was no
command to give the proceeds to God.
2. Giving to the
Church is certainly commendable.
3. It was the lie
about the amount of the gift that made it a curse to Ananias.
4. It was the evil
in Ananias heart that caused him to lie
to God.
B. Perhaps it was a
desire to look good before others that caused him to lie.
1. One's pride can
lead to lies and deceptions.
2. God hates the
proud.
3. Pride can
easily be our down fall.
THE COSEQUENCES OF LIES AND DECEPTION
V:5. " When
Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard
what had happened."
A. Public knowledge
of Ananias sin was so heavy upon him that he died.
1. God does not
tell us whether Ananias had a heart attack or whether He
struck him
dead.
2. The fact is
that his deception caused the anger of God which led to his death.
3. We can be here
today and gone same day.
4. We must
remember that there is no guarantee that we will lives past the next
moment.
5. Life and death
is always in the hands of God.
B. When the evil that we do influence other believers to do evil, we can expect
the vengeances
of the Lord.
1. This was a
critical stage in the growth of the Church.
2. The Church did
not need evil role models.
V: 6. " Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his
body, and carried him out and buried him."
A. This is a warning from God that intentional evil will not be tolerated in the Church
for any long
period of time.
1. They carried the
body out of the congregation.
2. The dead should
not be found in the congregation of the living.
3. Christ came that
we might have life.
B. Dead influences have no place in the Church.
1. We need to
always be truthful to our Lord and Savior.
2. Jesus came to
separate us from the evil in our lives.
This is one of those cases where I don't understand the
actions of God.
My ignorance says the punish was harsh. What do you think?
God's ways are not my ways and God's thoughts are not my
thoughts.
God can do what He wants to do and it will work out for our
good.
C. Notice the effect on the congregation. There was fear among them.
1. Perhaps God was
serving us notice to be careful how we treat His Word.
2. I suspect
others were careful not to lie to the Apostles
THE EVIL YOU CRAVE CAN AFFECT OTHERS
V:7-8 "About
three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter
asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the
land?" "Yes," she said, "that is the price."
A. Ananias being the head of the household affected the
faith of his wife.
1. His wife
agreed to the deception and the lie.
2. It is the job of the husband to lead his wife into the
righteousness of the Lord.
B. As heads of the household, men can lead their families
down a path of destruction.
1. God's first
human institution was marriage.
2. God gave Adam
His first command and put him in charge of His creation.
3. Even though Eve
was deceived by Satan first, God did not
curse the first marriage
until Adam
disobeyed His command.
C. We are all held
accountable for our own sins.
1. Sapphire, the wife was given a chance to tell the
truth about the sales price
of the land.
2. It was her
decision to claim the lie as the truth.
YOU ARE RESPOSIBLE FOR YOUR SINS
V:9-10. " Peter said to her, "How could you agree
to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your
husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also." 10 At that
moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and,
finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. "
A. Peter holding the key to the kingdom
of God
against Sapphire.
1. She was given
the chance to confess her sin and to ask for forgiveness.
2. She chose the
lie over the truth.
B. Everything in Bible is given as an example for us to live
by.
1. When we reject
the truth, we reject God.
2. When we reject
the truth, we chose hell.
LET THE WORD OF TRUTH BE YOUR GUIDE
Rev. M. Mitchell
Asst Pastor of Greater Macedonia
Baptist Church
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