TROUBLE IN AND OUT OF THE CHURCH
1. In the first five chapters of Acts, we have a lot of insight about the first century church.
2. In Acts 1 we read about how Jesus further taught the apostles.
3. He then ascended into heaven, and another apostle was selected to take the place of Judas.
4. In Acts 2, there is information about the beginning of the church.
5. In spite of some opposition, Acts 2 says the kingdom promised by Christ was established.
6. At the end of Acts 2, there is a rather pleasant picture.
7. Thousands of interested people had been baptized.
8. Some of the people who were guilty of murdering Jesus had been forgiven.
9. The very people who had rejected the Son of God were given a second chance.
10. Some of the converts were poor, but fellow Christians cared for them.
11. Christians were sharing their possessions so everyone could have the necessities of life.
12. In Acts 2 we find that the church was gathering together day by day.
13. The picture in Acts 2 almost sounds like utopia.
14. In
Acts 3 we see what kind of reputation the church had in the city of
15. Peter and John healed a man who had never walked.
16. This
miracle made the non-Christians in
17. Religious rulers were among the people who saw what Christianity was accomplishing.
18. We have studied from Acts 4 how these leaders opposed to the preaching of the gospel.
19. Acts 4 shows that there was external pressure on the church.
20. There was persecution from without.
IN ACTS 5, WE ARE PRESENTED WITH YET A DIFFERENT
PICTURE OF LIFE IN THE
A. What Luke described is information that some do not preach.
B. This material has been called unpreachable.
C. It is not popular to say that God killed some of people who worshipped Him.
D. This information is disturbing, but it is in scripture and it needs to be studied.
E. Let’s get the details before us.
F. We will first look at the facts and then apply them.
G. The facts come from the first 10 verses of Acts 5 – READ.
H. In the previous chapter, we are told about liberal givers.
I.
Good-hearted people were selling lands and houses (
J. This chapter begins with the word but, a term of contrast.
K. Good givers are described in Acts 4, but this chapter tells us about lying givers.
L. In the previous chapter, we find that Satan attacked the church from the outside.
M. In Acts 5, we find that he tried to attack it from the inside.
N. The devil did a good job.
2. This story shows that Satan was very efficient.
3. Notice the steps that were involved in this couple’s sin.
4. They first schemed. A plan was devised to make them look good in the eyes of others.
5. They decided to sell some property and make a donation to the church.
6. The sale of the land was legitimate.
7. The scheme involved lying about the amount of their gift.
8. They planned to keep some money for themselves but claim they were giving it all.
9. This plot was one that they worked on together, or at least both agreed to it.
A. Notice the information in verse 9 (“agreed together”).
B. This is the same word that is used in Mt. 18:19.
C. We are surely familiar with this verse but I want to read it – READ.
D. The harmony and unity described in Mt. 18 is also found here.
E. The unity in Acts 5 is not noble, but it is definite agreement.
10. What other steps do we see in the plan that was carried out by this couple?
11. They sold their property (this may or may not have taken a long time).
12. Ananias brought the money to the apostles and lied about the amount that was being given.
13. Sapphira came about three hours later and affirmed this same lie.
14. This couple lied together until the bitter end and they did.
15. The sin that this couple engaged in is described with a peculiar word.
16. This word is in the first part of verse 2 (“kept back”).
17. This word is also found in Tit. 2:10.
18. In talking to slaves in Tit. 2, Paul said they were not to “purloin.”
19. That is, they were not to steal things from their masters.
20. Pilfering is wrong.
21. In Acts 5, the word is more in line with the idea of embezzlement.
A. Peter made it clear that this couple owned this land.
B. They had no obligation to sell it.
C. If they did sell it, they were not required to give any funds to the church.
D. If they did contribute, they needed to be honest about what they were giving.
E. God requires integrity when we deal with money.
F. This couple was not honest—they blatantly lied—and they were punished.
22. In looking at this punishment, it has been suggested that Ananias had a heart attack.
23. He was so surprised by the fact that Peter knew the truth, he fell over dead.
24. I have a commentary written by a well known author (Barclay, Acts, p. 42).
25. In commenting on this verse he said, “There is no need to make a miracle of it.”
26. This is not right.
27. If we are dealing with natural causes, why did the wife also die?
28. Are we to believe that there were two coincidences, back to back, in this same family?
29. The word translated “gave up the ghost” is used to describe people who faced God’s judgments.
30. This is the same word that is applied to Herod in Acts 12:23.
31. This ruler did a terrible thing and God struck him dead.
32. The same was true for this couple.
33. These Christians did not die of natural causes. God struck them dead.
34. THESE ARE THE BASIC FACTS IN THIS STORY. WE MAY NOW ASK WHY THIS ACCOUNT IS IN SCRIPTURE. WHY WOULD A STORY SUCH AS THIS BE RECORDED? WHAT LESSONS DOES IT TEACH TO THE PEOPLE OF OUR DAY AND TIME?
A. We find several points of application.
B. I am going to quickly list several practical points that come from this story.
C. The first one is based upon an objection that is often thrown in our faces.
D. How many times has someone spoken to us about “hypocrites in the church?”
E. Some claim that are not involved in the Lord’s work or attend because of hypocrites.
F. Are there hypocrites in the church?
G. From the inception of the faith (from the very beginning), hypocrisy has been a problem.
H. Judas became a hypocrite.
I. The example in Acts 5 describes a very serious case of hypocrisy.
J. This husband and wife did not sin on a whim.
35. They plotted, they schemed, and they expended a lot of effort to sin.
36. They went to the people that Jesus had personally selected and lied to them.
37. Ultimately they tried to lie to God.
38. From the account, it seems that they were after prestige and honor.
39. There are also hints of pride.
A. As long as the church stands there will be hypocrites.
B. There are hypocrites in the church who are gross violators of God’s will.
C. This chapter shows that God knows who these people are.
D. Acts 5 further affirm that hypocrites are not going to make it.
E. The idea that God will turn a blind eye to those who violate His will is false.
F. He will expose and punish—in this life or in eternity—those who are guilty of hypocrisy.
G. In spite of the hypocrisy, we find that the apostles did not throw in the towel.
H. Hypocrisy did not discourage them.
40. Another lesson is found in the seriousness of Christianity.
A. We find people who treat the faith as some type of club or social activity.
B. How many social clubs kill their members for not respecting the rules?
C. The deaths of these two members prove that our faith is a very serious thing.
D. We will be judged on the way that we live our life.
E. We therefore need for it to be as good and sincere as we can make it.
41. This chapter teaches us some things about Satan.
42. Satan “filled the hearts” of a Christian couple.
43. How did he do this?
44. Are we full of God one day, and full of Satan the next?
45. The process is gradual. It occurs over time.
46. The Hebrew writer in Heb. 2:1 described it as “drifting” (KJV = “slip”).
47. Satan comes in a life little by little and his power gradually grows.
48. Our best defense against the devil is a life that is dedicated to God.
A. We do not want to leave any room for Satan and his will.
B. This couple failed to do this and they paid a high price for their bad choice.
C. This point is related to another piece of information in this chapter.
49. Jesus once spoke about having a master.
50. He
said that we cannot serve two masters (Mt.
51. We remember the passage. If this is tried, we will hate one and love one.
52. We will hold to one and despise the other.
53. Mt.
54. Ananias and Sapphira, if they knew this lesson, did not apply it.
55. They tried to serve both. They had a divided loyalty.
56. This decision led to disaster.
57. Another point that we see may be described as black and white.
A. In life there are people who play games with words.
B. Instead of stealing, a person says they were “testing store security.”
C. A shopper walked out of a department store with an item because he forgot he had it.
D. Lies are not called lies. They are referred to as a different viewpoint.
58. Ananias and Sapphira may have thought that they could talk their way out of this situation.
59. This opportunity never arose.
60. They were told that they had lied. The issue was black and white; cut and dried.
61. They were guilty of sin and they were immediately punished.
62. At the end of time, we can expect to find a similar thing on the Day of Judgment.
63. When people appear before God, there will be no haggling.
64. The judgments from God will be black and white – saved/lost – faithful/unfaithful.
65. Each one will be righteous/unrighteous – in Christ/out of Christ -- a sheep/a goat.
66. This chapter makes several other points.
67. It teaches us that God pays attention to little things.
68. This couple had concentrated on the big things.
A. They paid attention to the poor. They sold some land to help the poor.
B. They brought money—perhaps a lot of money—to the apostles.
C. There was just the little detail of their saying they brought it all.
D. Was this such a big deal? God killed them for it.
E. Small things count with God, and we need to pay attention to them.
69. This chapter shows that punishment works. Great fear came upon all who heard about this.
70. This chapter also makes it plain that judgment is individual.
71. Ananias was not judged for Sapphira and Sapphira was not condemned for Ananias.
72. This will also be true at the end of time.
73. Notice from verses 3 and 11 that Satan and the church are mentioned in the same context.
74. The devil can work out in the world as well as within the body of Christ.
75. Finally, God has high expectations from those who are members of the church.
76. If we are a Christians, He has high expectations of us.
77. Are we trying to meet and even exceed them?