The Lord Defeats Satan At The Church's Door

I invite you to turn with me this morning to Acts chapter 5. Acts 5, our text being the first 11 verses of Acts 5, we'll begin reading at chapter 4, verse 32. The text is that familiar portion of Scripture that we know all about it as we simply hear Ananias and Sapphira. We read beginning at Acts 4, verse 32 through verse 11 of chapter 5 as we give our attention to the reading of God's Holy Word. All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power, the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and much grace was upon them all. 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. Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas, which means son of encouragement, sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet. 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. 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 to men, but to God. When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then the 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 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. 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. Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events. Oh, beloved in Christ the Lord, God hates sin. I trust that's clear from this picture we have with Ananias and Sapphira. God hates sin. He takes it seriously because it's dangerous. It's deadly. And as we see from the situation here, sin is like a deadly cancer that infests and infects the body from inside out. You see, this sin took place inside the church walls and severely threatened the early Christian church. And therefore, from the start, God demonstrated to these early Christians, to this New Testament church as he had on occasion to the Old Testament church, Israel, he demonstrated his attitude towards sin as the Lord defeats Satan at the church's door. I'm not saying before sin could get in because I've just said it took place inside the church. What I mean is the Lord defeated Satan from the start. From the start of sin in the New Testament church. But this begs the question for us today, do we take sin seriously? Do we see sin as God sees it? Or do we tend to categorize it? Some sin is serious. Some is not so serious. Or do we even at times try to decide for God what ought to offend Him and what ought not to offend Him? Or maybe we even try to decide what really ought to be considered sin or what should not be considered sin? That's dangerous. Especially as he shows us here how offensive sin is to himself. And he does so first of all by exposing the sin of Ananias and Sapphira. Now, of course, we know that those early Christians, those New Testament believers, those first ones were not sinless. They too were sinners. We know that. But this is the first recorded occasion of sin in the New Testament church, in the body of believers. And we are shown here very clearly that God did not water it down. He did not turn His head and ignore it. He did not treat it lightly. But to understand this, it's good for us to look a little bit at the background of this sin. The church enjoyed spiritual unity Ever since Pentecost, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we read of the blessings in these early chapters of Acts which the church experienced. They experienced tremendous physical growth at the end of chapter 2. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. And we know that on one occasion, 3,000 were added at one time in one day to the church. And also we're told a little bit about the character of these New Testament believers. The first verse we read, chapter 4, verse 32, all the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. But that first part, all the believers were one in heart and mind. In other words, they believed and they thought as one. They enjoyed true spiritual unity. And they had the desire to uphold and to build each other up in that most holy faith and to go out and win the world for the Lord Jesus Christ. But the church also, we know, enjoyed physical unity. They shared their possessions. Now, we need to understand something correctly here and that is that what we read here is not telling us that they all quit their jobs and that they sold their houses and they sold anything of value that they had and they took all the money and they put it in one pot, in one big pot, and they moved in together in a commune, and they dropped out of society. That's not at all what they did. We read in chapter 2, verses 44 and 45, all the believers were together and had everything in common, selling their possessions and goods they gave to anyone as he had need. And chapter 4, verse 34 helps us to understand even a little more clearly how we are to understand this. 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. From time to time. That's a good understanding, a good way to help us understand how this worked in that early New Testament church. The Christians still owned their own houses. They still owned their own property. but once in a while someone would sell a piece of property or something and share the proceeds voluntarily as they saw the needs of others in other words it was a continuous process from time to time and you know what that process continues today doesn't it we here have a benevolent fund we do the same thing maybe not to the degree that they did it back then but it was a continuous process from time to time. The Christians with resources willingly shared with believers who did not have the resources they needed. Peter makes it clear here also to Ananias that he was under absolutely no obligation whatsoever to even sell his possession. The church enjoyed spiritual unity. She enjoyed physical unity but she also was nourished by preaching. Verse 33, still in chapter 4. With great power, the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. You know, we know that this was a great time of persecution. Great in the sense of awful time of persecution. It wasn't something that they looked forward to, no doubt. But it was bad. We know that. Yet this new church didn't cave in under the world's pressure. but the apostles kept preaching the very truth that got them into the most trouble the resurrection of Jesus Christ the crown of His work we know that apart from the resurrection the rest of His work means nothing those who put our Lord to death figured that when He was out of the picture that when He was gone that His teaching and His apostles would also kind of fade into the background but that's not what happened with all the more power and conviction They preached the resurrection, and this very preaching put Peter and John in prison because they did not preach what the Sadducees and the priests wanted to hear. Instead, they preached what offended them the most. And what happened? The church grew by leaps and bounds. Satan's attack from outside did not work. That's the background you see here. and therefore Satan had another plan and that was to strike the church from inside the church's walls. As someone has said, corruption from inside is more dangerous than opposition from without and that makes sense to us, doesn't it? Because we know that when there is a body and they are of one mind and one heart and one conviction that they stick together. And no matter what opposition comes from the outside, they stick together. Nothing can penetrate it seems. But when one on the inside has a change of heart and a change of mind and a change of direction and begins to influence others, that weakens the whole body. So therefore, then we notice the act of sin. Now, the physical arena in which this act was carried out was some sort of a form of public worship. Some sort of public assembly. This took place in some sort of public arena where the believers were bringing their offerings which they had pledged to the Lord. But of course, we know that the spiritual arena was the heart. There was envy. Some say that Ananias saw what Barnabas had done. Verses 36 and 37, Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas, and this is the well-known Barnabas that traveled with Paul for a time, sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet. He was an example of what had just been said. He was an example of the unity in the church of a selfless and a giving spirit. And then to be contrasted with Ananias. And some believe that Ananias noticed what Barnabas had done and maybe noticed whatever attention he might have received and that looked good to Ananias and Sapphira. They wanted the attention and therefore there was greed. They desired the praise and whatever attention that Barnabas might have received, but they did not want to pay the cost. But yet, they couldn't be shown up. And therefore, all of this gave birth to deceit in their hearts as boys and girls. They said, they said and they gave the impression that they were giving everything. But the truth is, we know, they kept some back for themselves and they wanted to keep that secret. And therefore, Peter engages in a time of interrogation which leads to condemnation. Again, no doubt Ananias expected some sort of praise. He expected words of acceptance and commendation from Peter and John. Well done, brother. Thank you for your offering. How wonderful it is. And he expected his fellow Christians to see him as another Barnabas and again to praise him with words and thoughts of praise. Maybe to have his name inscribed on a little name plaque and mounted on the furniture that they bought for the church with his money. Or maybe he gave enough to build a building and they named the building after him. No doubt, Sapphira too. She comes in three hours later and we're not told that she was looking for Ananias. Notice that. were not told that she was looking for her husband. It's very possible that together they too had planned that she would come in later, make a grand entrance, a grand showing, as well to receive praise. John Calvin says, So it is that he that is Ananias honoreth the apostles' feet more than God's eyes. He honored the praise of men and he didn't care at all about what God sees. And therefore, the hypocrisy is uncovered. Again, what a surprise for Ananias, expecting possibly praise, but instead to have his heart completely uncovered, his sin exposed, his motives made clear. Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, demonstrates complete knowledge of this sin. And there's no chance for Ananias to deny anything. What excuse could he give? What could he say? It was all right there, perfectly made clear. He could say nothing. And again, Peter makes it clear that Ananias and Sapphira did not have to sell their property. And when they did, they didn't have to give all the money. They didn't even have to give any of the money to the church. Boys and girls, their sin was not that they kept some of the money, but that they said that they were giving all of it. But they were keeping some back. They were lying. They were literally embezzling. Pilfering is a good word. The same word used of Achan back when he took some of the spoils of Jericho. Embezzling. Taking a part of what was already consecrated to God. You say, well, he didn't give it yet. But you see, beloved, by giving the impression and saying that he was giving it all, he had promised all of it to God. And the understanding from the Greek too teaches us here that this was a premeditated sin. From the very beginning, this was their plan. They did not start with pure motives and then with that cash burning in their hands, then they changed their mind all of a sudden. It was their full intention to deceive. They even practiced the same lines. We have to have our story straight, you see, just in case we get caught. And neither of them restrained the other one, so both were equally guilty. And Peter makes it clear to them, to Ananias, that this sin was against the Holy Spirit. It was against God Himself. They weren't just dealing with people here. They were dealing with God Himself. We know, of course, that all sin, even when we sin against each other, is a sin against God. Sadly today, many would overlook the motive of Ananias and Sapphira. Okay, you know, their motives are not exactly pure, but you know, we're in a financial crunch. We could really use the money for our church addition or for our school. We're really in a financial crunch. So we won't embarrass them by turning them down. And today we don't ask where the money comes from or how it was gotten. We don't dare to offend anybody in that way. We're more willing to put off God's honor, you see, instead of offend our fellow brothers and sisters or mankind. After all, it's between them and God. The money itself is neutral. But in that case, as Jesus says, they have their reward in full. Now think about that for a moment. They have their reward in full. That's a sad statement. They receive the glory of man which they desire. That's the fullness of their reward. But how temporary is that? The very next day, most people forget. But they don't have the lasting glory of God. Now Peter does not blame Satan here. Notice that he does not blame Satan. He blames Ananias. His heart that was supposed to be filled with the Holy Spirit was filled with and was completely taken over by Satan. You lied to the Holy Spirit. You lied to God. And to Sapphira, he says in verse 9, how could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? And the idea there with that word test is that it was an intentional test with a full purpose to see if the Holy Spirit, if God was really omniscient, if He really knows everything, if He is really all-powerful. Maybe you've heard the saying that you can fool some of the people some of the time. But you can never fool all the people all the time. And the truth is, beloved, you can't fool God any of the time. But it seems like we often try, don't we? Even we here in the church, we often try to fool God. We try to deceive Him, even as we try to deceive each other, even in subtle ways. Even out in the world, in business, we try to get things our way by little deceptions, little subtleties. But even among God's people, we sometimes march into church on Sunday, all pious, acting as if we want to be here. But the truth is, we'd rather be at the beach. We'd rather be watching the big game. We'd rather be sleeping in. Or we come to church on Sunday out of custom or superstition. What will so-and-so say if I don't come? What will happen to me if I skip? But you see, beloved, God knows the intentions of our hearts, every last little one. And unless you or I then think, it's better not to come because that's the lesser of two evils. That's no better. We are called instead to humble ourselves before God and ask God to renew a right spirit within us. We also try to deceive God and each other in our giving. How many give of the leftovers? I first take care of all my needs and then if there's any left, well, then I'll see what I can help out God's kingdom with instead of giving of the firstfruits, giving first and trusting God to provide for our needs. But even then, when we give of the leftovers, we want the recipients of the gifts that we give to think that we sacrificed so much that it really kind of hurt us when the truth is we really sacrificed nothing. Or how about in helping? Helping our brothers and sisters in Christ. There are times when we really don't want to. but we find ourselves in circumstances where we can't escape we can't avoid the situation we have to help but we really didn't want to and then we act as if it really was truly our pleasure to help but all along we didn't want to and that's only among us here in the church at times, beloved but even in the workplace we compromise we stand on our Christian principles on the one hand But then we turn around and we compromise a little bit over here. What does that say to the world? What does that say to our unbelieving co-workers? God hates hypocrisy, you see? And all sin in some way is hypocrisy. And God hates it as we see here as He demonstrates His anger against this sin. In Galatians 6, verse 7, we read, Paul says, Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Now notice God's judgment on Ananias and Sapphira. In verse 5, When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. Verse 10, At that moment, she fell down at his feet and died. God's judgment was immediate. It seems like it came out of nowhere. It was severe. It cost them their lives. And it was final. They had no second chances. Of course, we know that this is not the norm. This is not what we would call normal. God doesn't do this if He did. We'd have an empty building here this morning. This world would be empty. But you know, throughout the history of Revelation, there were others that God struck down at a moment's notice. Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, they offered profane fire to the Lord, and fire came down from heaven and consumed them. Korah in the rebellion, the ground opened up and swallowed him and his family. Achan, we know, it's said that Ananias is the New Testament counterpart of Achan. As the people entered the promised land, Achan sins. He sins in this way to cast shame upon the church of Jesus Christ, the Old Testament church, and Ananias is the same. Uzzah, remember Uzzah? Reaching out to hold the Ark of the Covenant firm as it was tipping. Herod in Acts 12, he was speaking, the people praised him. Oh, the voice of a God! And he soaked it all in. And God struck him down. These, like Ananias and Sapphira, were judged immediately and they paid with their lives. But praise God, this is not the norm. Because again, the truth is, God could judge every single sin like that. Yours and mine alike. But because it's not the norm, because He doesn't arbitrarily strike with lightning in our day, we must not deceive ourselves to think that, again, some sins are not as bad as other sins, or that God has lowered His standard or changed His mind in some way. We need to understand the gravity, the serious nature of sin. It robs God of His sovereignty and the obedience that is due to Him. That's the picture we have here, beloved. has God dealt severely with this sin? Not taking it lightly. He was truly offended. Proverbs 15, verse 8 says, the Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked. Ananias let people think, in fact, he led the people to think that his offering was from a Holy Spirit-filled heart when it was actually from a Satan-filled heart. And in that way, he stole from the reputation and the glory of God. And that's, it was a threat at that time to the reputation of the church of Jesus Christ. And we know the same thing in our day, beloved, when religious leaders, and we see them throughout history, throughout the last number of years, the public religious leaders, when they fall from grace, as it were, when they commit some scandalous sin, even those who aren't so popular, maybe even some within our own federation. They commit some scandalous sin, you see. And what does the world, how does the world react? Yeah, right. The church. God's people. Well, they're no different than we are. Which in many respects is true, isn't it? Now, one question that is asked, and there's no agreement on, is were Ananias and Sapphira saved or not? Were they saved or not? There's no agreement on this, not even among Reformed thinkers. Some say yes, they were a part of the church. They were a part of, in those early chapters of Acts, those whom the Holy Spirit filled and added to the number of the church. Yes, they gave into sin here, yet it was not the unforgivable sin, they say. And God's judgment upon them was for this life only, as they suffered the wages of physical death. But since they were filled with the Holy Spirit, They must have been. And we know that we cannot lose our salvation and therefore they must be saved. I don't know. I don't know if they were saved or not. I don't know if they truly were filled with the Holy Spirit to begin with. They might have been. They might not have been. Sapphira, we know, was given an opportunity to repent. But she doesn't. Both of them went in with their eyes wide open. They were in full agreement as to what they were going to do. Yet on the other hand, we know that God does discipline His people in this life, even physically. In 1 Corinthians 11, there were many in the church, we read, that were disrupting. They were defiling the Lord's table. And Paul says, that is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. We think of Uzzah back in the Old Testament. I believe that his motives were pure. He disobeyed God. God struck him down to show the serious nature. but I believe that he was saved. I don't know if Ananias and Sapphira were, which tells me that that's not the point of this text, right? We do see here how serious God takes sin. And these punishments that we find in Scripture, these severe punishments that we've talked about, are to be a lesson for us, a reminder for us of God's anger against and His dealing with sin. And we are not to become complacent and comfortable in our sin because this doesn't seem to happen today. Instead, beloved, we are to find our comfort in the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone because this episode points, on the one hand, to the everlasting punishment that He took from us. That severe, that final punishment for sin that He took for you and for me. But at the very same time, there's a warning here for those who reject Him, that at His return, their hearts will be laid wide open. They will have no excuse to give. And God's judgment upon them will be immediate. It will be severe. It will be final. And there will be no escape. God here was purifying this new church. This demonstration of God's anger against sin is proof that God will not let Satan have Christ's church. The church that he paid for by suffering and enduring God's eternal punishment. This sin, beloved, as all of our sin, is an attack against the work of Jesus Christ and the application, the Holy Spirit's application of that work. God desires purity in His church among His people. We're not perfect. We're not perfect. And God knows that. He knows that. But He desires purity in His church. He holds His church and He holds professing believers to the highest possible standard. Why? Because we know better. Because God has revealed Himself to us. He has given to us His Word. He has taught us what we are to do and what we are to keep from doing. He has taught us how to live. And we are to strive to live according to righteousness. That righteousness, beloved, that identifies us as those who are saved by Christ. And that's what the world must see when they see the church and believers. They're not to see us compromise. At work, in school, students, when you're taking a test. In chapel, you sing your heart out. You sing for the Lord, but then you take a test. and one of your fellow students sees you cheating. They're not to see us compromised when it comes to the Lord's Day. There are so many things, beloved, that we want to participate in, and the world puts it on the Lord's Day so that it seems like we have to. But very simply, we must say no. We must say no. Peter in 1 Peter 4 says, For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God. And if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? Indeed, God disciplines His people in this life. And He does so, even physically, He does so to turn us back to Him if we have drifted away for a time. You see, God expects even more from those who confess His saving grace than from those who are ignorant. He expects us to uphold His truth. He expects us to represent Him through our words, through our word. The truth of our Word and through our actions. What does this mean for the church? Well, of course, it's a call for careful examination. Careful examination. Not just our outward deeds, but also our thoughts and our motives and our attitudes. And the purity that God requires includes taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Every thought. Indeed, when we are tempted, take those thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ. but even all of our decisions in life, take them captive to the obedience of Christ. And as we sing, we will in a moment, having each thought and each motive beneath His control. This also means for the church, there's a call for church discipline, mutual discipline, believers holding other believers accountable. We don't do that very well today, do we? You know why? Because we're afraid to offend somebody. We're afraid to make a friend into an enemy. So we don't do that very well. But we must, beloved, because it's for our good, each one of us. Official church discipline, which is essential for the purity of the body and for the glory of God. And it is meant to drive out the offending sinner, the cancer, in the midst. And that official church discipline serves to keep sin from spreading among God's people. and in that way, to protect the body from God's judgment in this life. But also, it's meant to uphold the reputation of God. Think about it, beloved, when we sin, when the church lets sin go unchecked, that sends a powerful message to the world, and the message is this, that the God that we claim to serve is not really worth obeying. That we don't really take him seriously. But oh, how we are to take him seriously. Here, finally, the Lord defeated Satan at the church's door also by humbling the hearts of those who witnessed. Notice the result of this judgment. The result was both inside the church and outside of the church. In verse 11, great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events. And verse 13, no one else dared join them even though they were highly regarded by the people. Inside the church, there was a reverential fear. Outside the church, there was a terrified fear. In other words, the people outside the church said, we don't want to live according to those standards. That's too much to ask of us. Forget it. We don't want it. Fear results here not for Peter, but for the Holy Spirit who lays open the secrets of the hearts and is able to strike down the sinner in a moment's notice. Beloved, our God is a consuming fire. Some say, I don't want to hear that. I just want to hear He's a loving God. Yeah, He is a God of love. But He's also a consuming fire against sin. And it is to humble us as we recognize His consuming fire that has been poured out on our Lord Jesus Christ for all who believe on Him. And therefore, our fear is to find comfort in this God alone, beloved, who is strong to save. God expects His church to call sin, sin. He will not be mocked. Even though people aren't getting struck by lightning today and they continue to live in sin, they will reap what they sow. God will not be mocked, but He will be merciful to any and all who turn to Him in repentance and faith. And from them too, then, He desires truth in the inner parts. Those who fear Him are called to exercise the keys of the kingdom. We've already considered the necessity of church discipline, but just a word about preaching. Preaching the gospel truth. We are called to preach that gospel truth without accommodating it, without watering it down, without changing it in any way. The elders have an important task, don't they? God hates sin. He must punish it. He will punish it with everlasting punishment. He has in His Son. Is that message offensive? Absolutely. Absolutely. But if we remove that offense, beloved, then we remove the very need to repent and believe. Well, some say, well, that's no way to get people in the door. You're going to drive them away. Like that's what happened here in Acts 5. That's no way to get people in. You've got to be nice to them. You've got to stroke them a little bit. You've got to minister to their felt needs, their loneliness, their fear of failure, their poor self-image, their depression, or any other inwardly focused inadequacies that they think they might have. Indeed, beloved, we are to minister to those. But that's not how you get them in. Well, it might be for some. But what is the reason, you see, to be in Christ's church? Because one knows their sin. because one understands God's anger against their sin, and because that one is humbled because of the work of Jesus Christ on their behalf, and by faith they trust in that work alone. It's been said that ministry should meet people's real needs, which is true, and not salve their selfishness. The truth is, people of God, it's not about us and our wants and desires and our comforts, but it's first of all about God and that which glorifies Him. And to not preach the deadliness of sin and that there is a Savior from it is nothing short of opening the door to hell and holding it open as many cross through. As we consider the Lord's table in this coming week through self-examination, we are called to realize, beloved, that to those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ, The Lord's table points to God's wrath and reminds of the eternal punishment for sin that came upon Christ and is still to come upon those who reject Him. But the table is to remind us that our sin has been exposed. That God's anger against sin has been demonstrated on the cross and that He has not taken it or treated it lightly. And the table is to remind us that for those who humble themselves in repentance and faith, this very same table is a most blessed picture. A most blessed picture of God's mercy and grace in Jesus Christ and that He has forever removed the eternal danger and the deadliness of sin from you and me as believers. And it's a most blessed picture of His promise to all who come in faith of our eternal blessedness to come. Amen. Let's pray. Father, we must confess that Your Word strikes at the very core of our being in this morning hour. And it makes us, or at least should make, each and every one of us terribly uncomfortable as we too must come face to face with a hypocrisy that continues to rear its ugly head even in our own hearts and lives. from time to time. Father, give us strength. Give us the power of the Holy Spirit to take every thought captive to obedience to Christ and desire to be obedient to You in all things. Help us too, Lord, to take sin, all sin, seriously. To think clearly before we speak and act. And Father, through all this, may You, O Lord, be glorified and praised we praise you for the righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ his righteousness in thought in word and deed his righteousness that is freely given to us that we might be able to come before you with the confidence that you will hear our prayers for Jesus sake in his name we pray Amen