Monday, June 26, 2023

          There are two relatively obscure characters in the Bible, a husband and wife, who are forever associated with trickery and deception.  We know them as Ananias and Sapphira. They had a terrible moment where they thought they could get away with something that they should have never tried to do.  Acts 5 tells us that this husband and wife sold a piece of property but kept back a portion of their profits for themselves.  There is certainly nothing wrong with making money on a transaction or business deal. But the problem with what these two did concerned the appearance that they tried to create.  Acts tells us what happened in this way, “Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 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” (Acts 5:1-2).  Based on the story, it would appear that this couple led the church to believe they had given everything to the cause of the gospel and kept nothing for themselves.  Perhaps this image was created to gain them praise, attention or some special standing.   
            This arrangement gave the appearance that Ananias and Sapphira were generous and even sacrificial in what they gave to the apostles and the work of the early church.  Most anyone who witnessed their gift might have concluded that they gave everything they made from the sale of this land.  But not Peter.  In his own words, Peter confronted these two about what they had done.  The Bible says, “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? 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 just to human beings but to God.’  When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.  About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her, ‘Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?’ ‘Yes,’ she said, ‘that is the price.’  Peter said to her, ‘How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.’  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” (Acts 5:3-10).  Peter’s words carry some important lessons for us to remember even today.
            First, deception and trickery are the result of evil intentions and motives.  We usually engage in this behavior because we have some agenda or gain that we hope to realize.  Deception often means we are trying to make ourselves look better than we really are.  We shade the truth or conceal it in hopes of making a better impression or impact for others to see.  God calls His people to be honest in words, motives, actions and decisions.  There are no degrees of deception or truth.  There is truth and everything else.  There is right and there is wrong.
            Second, greed never really wins.  Ananias and Sapphira wanted the best of both worlds—the attention and acclaim of the apostles for the gift they gave and the gains from the money they held back in reserve.  We are sort of reminded of Jesus’ words about giving when the widow silently and anonymously gave all she had while others made a big demonstration out of their generosity and the size of their gift (see Luke 21:1-4 and Mark 12:41-44).  When presented with a chance to give or keep, these two folks decided to keep as much as possible.  In fact, Acts 5:2 makes a statement about their “holding back” some of the money before even mentioning that the rest was given to the apostles and placed at their feet.  It would seem, based on the ordering of the text, that these two first figured out what they wanted to keep rather than leading with a gift to the work of the gospel and offering to the Lord.
            Third, sin carries consequences.  Both Ananias and Sapphira passed away not long after what they did came to light.  Was this divine judgment?  Was this death by shame?  Possibly so.  The lesson is that sin always comes with consequences. It does not happen in a vacuum or isolation.  And there are real-world results and fallout from disobedient behavior—in this case the behavior was greed.  God is never tricked or fooled by what we do.  Our behavior is plain before Him.  We cannot hide ourselves from His vision or discovery like Adam and Eve tried to do in the world’s first sin.
            Fourth, Peter confronted deception with truth.  He asked two questions—one to Ananias and one to Sapphira.  He asked Ananias just what he was thinking by allowing Satan to deceive him.  He asked Sapphira if the money they gave was the price of the land.  The apostle Peter did not engage in a debate or argument or conflict.  He did not confront the, with anger and temper.  He simply stated what he knew to be true and let these two convict themselves by their answers.  Neither Ananias nor Sapphira had an honest answer or explanation for what Peter was asking.  The lesson for us is to hold on to the truth.  Keep truth in your life and mind.  Do not seek to deceive God or bargain with God or make promises to God that you fail to keep.
            By Acts 5, Peter had come a long way in his growth as a disciple and follower of Christ.  The very man who deceptively denied Jesus three times would soon be dealing primarily in truth and integrity.  He had learned some valuable lessons from his own failures the night when Jesus was arrested.  His dealings with Ananias and Sapphira teach us to honor God with our promises and plans, our resources and blessings and our choices and ways.  Practice what is true.  Do what is right.  And then we can trust God with the results and outcomes.  Have a great Monday!  Remember you can worship with us any time at youtube.com/FirstBaptistKannapolis.