MPC, 27th May 2001.Acts 4:32-5:14 - "No Fooling with God"
Phil Campbell MPC, 27th May 2001.
An old friend of mine loves watching the re-runs of Keeping Up Appearances on TV. Because he reckons Hyacinth is the spitting image of his sister-in-law. If you’ve never seen it, Keeping Up Appearances is all about Hyacinth Bucket. Which she prefers to pronounce BOUQUET. And everything about her has got to do with KEEPING UP APPEARANCES. Looking GOOD.
Hyacinth turns up to her church working bee. In her best clothes. But she's not there to HELP. She's there to BE NOTICED. And so she’s only interested in the BEST, MOST PROMINENT job. She ends up having to clean the toilets.
In fact, my friend who has to remain nameless unless he's identified and gets into trouble, he reckons Hyacinth is so much like his sister-in-law he doesn’t even use the right name for the show. He doesn’t say, I’m going to watch Keeping up Appearances. He says, I’m going to watch Beryl. (Which isn’t her real name. I’ve changed it as well in case anyone knows her.)
Trouble is, one day he said it in front of Beryl’s husband. Which could have been a bit embarrassing. Except Beryl's husband absolutely agreed. The poor bloke thinks of HIS WIFE every time he sees Hyacinth on TV.
I guess the point is, the show’s so popular because we all think we know someone the same. Then again, maybe we’re all like it ourselves. A bucket that wants to look like a bouquet.
But keeping up appearances can be a dangerous business. Because at the lowest level, it's all about DECEPTION, isn't it. Pretending to be something that you're not. Especially dangerous when it involves LYING TO GOD. Which is what you see in the passage we’re looking at today. An incredibly scary story, of two people who learned the hard way. Two people who stand as an example for all time. That HYPOCRISY is a stench in God’s nostrils.
You know, surveys say that one of the single biggest reasons people won’t come to church is that CHRISTIANS ARE HYPOCRITES. That Christians are people who say one thing, and do another. That Christians are people who are more interested in the APPEARANCE. Than the reality. And the fact that people think that means we haven't properly learned our lesson… from Ananias. And Sapphira.
We’re looking at a passage with a contrast. How things should be. How things SHOULDN’T BE. A passage with a GOOD EXAMPLE. And a bad example. A picture of generosity. Set against a picture of hypocrisy.
But before we look at it, let me just take a minute for some revision. To take you back over where we’ve been the last couple of weeks in the book of Acts.
Acts is the story of the BIRTH OF THE CHURCH; it’s the story that picks up where the gospels leave off, and tells us what happens next. Jesus has been raised, and taken into heaven to RULE. He's spent 40 days with his disciples; training them; getting them ready for their task. Which is to be WITNESSES OF HIS RESURRECTION. To all the world.
They’ve got to break out of their old mindset that said the Kingdom of God was only for the Jews. And take the message out from Jerusalem. To EVERYWHERE. And Jesus says the HOLY SPIRIT is going to strengthen them. And help them do it.
And in Chapter 2, in a very dramatic way, the Spirit comes. And the work begins. And crowds of people hear the message, and they respond to it. By REPENTING. Turning to Jesus.
In chapter 1 there are 120 believers. By the end of chapter 2 there are 2000. Chapter 4, we’re told there are 5000. This brand new phenomenon called the CHURCH is growing every day. As the Apostles preach about Jesus and his resurrection as King of the World. And as they preach, we saw last week they run into opposition. They’re arrested. They’re ordered to stop talking about Jesus. But they keep at it. Because they’d rather obey God. Than men.
So that brings us here. To the story of Ananias and Sapphira. It’s a story that starts on a high note. A description of a church that’s being a church. Verse 32 in chapter 4; all the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed any of his possessions was his own, but they SHARED EVERYTHING THEY HAD.
Out of their UNITY; out of the fact they were ONE IN HEART AND MIND; came a very practical concern for each other. And instead of the usual attitude of WHAT’S MINE IS MINE, there's the opposite. What’s MINE is YOURS.
You’ll notice in verse 33, it’s a SIDE EFFECT of the fact that they’re Christians. It’s not that the apostles are preaching that they’ve got to SHARE EVERYTHING. Because the apostles are just going about the business of TESTIFYING TO THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS. And his LORDSHIP. But as a side effect of that, there’s this bunch of followers of Jesus who are absolutely united in heart and mind; and who shared. This is a church that's working like a FAMILY.
Bringing people to Jesus brings a change of heart. That comes from the HOLY SPIRIT.
A change of heart not just in small ways. But in radical ways. Verse 34; there’s not a needy person left among them. Because every now and then, it says in verse 34 someone who owns a block of land or a house, they’ll sell it; and they bring the money and they lay it at the feet of the apostles. And they say, I didn't really need this. Share it with someone who does.
Verse 36 and 37, here’s a concrete example. Here’s the way it works; Joseph is a guy from Cyprus, Jewish background. And now he’s a Christian. The apostles have a nickname for him; they call him SON OF ENCOURAGEMENT. Barnabas. And you’ll see why they call him that when you look what he does. Barnabas sells a paddock he owns, and he brings the money and puts it at the apostles feet.
Now if you’re wondering what the financial equivalent of that would be these days, let's work it out. I guess it's like selling your spare five acre block somewhere on the edge of the city. And so I guess the proceeds were something like fifty thousand, sixty thousand dollars, a hundred thousand dollars..
And Barnabas just says, DON'T NEED IT. There are people in the family WHO DO. And so he sells it. And brings in the money. And puts it at the apostles feet.
Now let me tell you, this is just the first of three things we’re told ends up at the disciples feet; and if you keep watching you’ll see the next two.
But for now, just keep in mind Joseph. Sells his field. Gives the money to help his Christian brothers and sisters in need. And so it’s no wonder they call him SON OF ENCOURAGEMENT.
Now you have to look carefully at what happens next. Because at first glance, it looks almost exactly the same. Ananias and Sapphira are a married couple. And they’re part of the church. And chapter 5 verse 1 tells us that THEY SELL A PIECE OF PROPERTY TOO. Just like Barnabas.
But notice the difference. Verse 2 says, with Sapphira’s full knowledge, Ananias keeps back some of the money for himself; and then brings the REST. And puts it at the apostles feet.
So here’s the second of the three things at the apostles' feet. PART OF THE PROCEEDS. From a block of land. We’re not told how much. I mean, it might have been a better block than the one Barnabas sold. Might have been right in the CBD with development potential. Might be that the partial proceeds were even more than the full proceeds that Barnabas put in. And it’s only Ananias and Sapphira who know the full price they got. And it’s only Ananias and Sapphira who know how much they’ve held back.
Or at least, that’s the plan.
Except somehow Peter sees through it. So here’s Ananias putting down this huge cheque for fifty three thousand dollars to be shared among the needy. And Peter confronts him. He says Ananias, HOW IS IT THAT SATAN HAS SO FILLED YOUR HEART that you’ve lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?
Here were are in the first weeks of THE CHURCH, and there’s HYPOCRISY GOING ON.
Ananias and Sapphira, they’ve looked at what Barnabas did, they’ve said, LOOK HOW PEOPLE ADMIRE HIM. They call him SON OF ENCOURAGEMENT. Wouldn’t it be nice if PEOPLE SAID THAT ABOUT US. They’re trying to BUY ADMIRATION.
But Peter says to Ananias, IT’S THE DEVIL AT WORK. The end of verse 4, he says to him, you haven’t lied to MEN. You’ve lied to GOD.
And verse 5, when Ananias hears this, he literally drops dead. On the spot.
And a bunch of young guys come forward and they take him away and bury him; and everyone is filled with awe.
Verse 7, Sapphira comes in three hours later, she hasn’t heard what happened; I guess she’s been out shopping for a new hat or something; and Peter asks her a question. Testing. Seeing how deep the deceit’s going to run. A chance to have a change of heart.
Verse 8, he asks her, he says, “Sapphira, tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?” And she says, “Yes, that’s it. That’s the price.” Not true. But she’s keeping up appearances.
And Peter says almost the same words as before. How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? He says, look, here come the guys who buried your husband. And they’ll carry you out too.
And in verse 10, here’s the third thing we’re told ends up at the apostles feet. Barnabas put his offering there. The full price of his land. Ananias and Sapphira put THEIR OFFERING there; part price. And now verse 10. At that moment, SHE FELL DOWN AT HIS FEET. And died. And the young men come and feel for a pulse. And take her out. And bury her beside her husband.
And we’re told in verse 11, great fear seized the whole church; a sense of awe; and not only the church, but everyone who heard about it as well.
Now let me put it to you, it sounds UNFAIR doesn’t it? I mean, here are a couple, they’ve sold their block of land, they give MOST OF IT TO HELP THE POOR. And the end up DEAD.
Here’s a couple who in dollar terms have probably given MORE THAN YOU’D GIVE IN A YEAR. And yet they’re struck down on the spot.
There’s a simple lesson. And this is it. As Christians, we’re called to be GENEROUS. And as Christian’s we’re also called to be GENUINE. And one without the other isn’t enough. In fact, if you want to make a list of which one's most important, put GENUINE right at the top.
Take a look at the words Peter says in verse 4 of chapter 5. We skipped over them before. But look at them now. He highlights the problem. He says to Ananias, YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO DO IT. He says to him, you didn’t have to sell your land. It was yours in the first place. He says “Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold?” You could DO WHAT YOU LIKED WITH IT. You didn’t HAVE TO GIVE IT. And he says, AFTER IT WAS SOLD, wasn’t the money at your disposal. You could DO WHAT YOU LIKED WITH IT. You could give half. You could give a QUARTER. You didn’t have to give ANY OF IT! What you DID HAVE TO DO… was BE HONEST ABOUT IT. And not use it as an excuse to BIG NOTE YOURSELF. And act as if you’re something that you’re not.
So what was the problem? Simple, isn’t it. It wasn’t so much what they gave or didn’t give. IT WAS THEIR MOTIVE.
I heard about a guy who used to go to the Presbyterian church in Lismore, back in the days before decimal currency. A long time ago. But people still remember. And I’m told when the plate came round, often he’d put in a TWENTY POUND NOTE. Which in those days was a lot of money. Except that when he did, before he dropped it in the plate, he’d hold it up. And he’d wave it around with a flourish; to make sure almost everyone would notice. Before he dropped it in the plate.
It’s KEEPING UP APPEARANCES, isn’t it? It’s doing what you’re doing for the sake of what PEOPLE WILL THINK OF YOU.
And that was Ananias and Sapphira through and through.
What does God think of hypocrisy like that in the church? Ask Ananias and Sapphira.
Mind you, it’s still around, isn’t it. And maybe there are some of us who should breathe a sigh of relief that God doesn’t hand out the same sort of judgement too often.
The point is, Ananias and Sapphira are meant to stand as an example for all time. And at least back then, it had the desired effect, didn’t it. It was very, very clear that the CHURCH wasn’t the place for POSTURING. It was the place for GENUINE CARING. Giving because you see a need. Instead of giving to make yourself LOOK GOOD.
So can I ask you, what are we like today? Let’s think about GENEROSITY for a minute.
And I guess I’d want to say to you that sometimes I’m hugely encouraged by the things I see happening. It isn’t very public. And it shouldn’t be, should it. But every now and then I see people who SEE A NEED. And step in to meet it. Every now and then I see people who share their homes. And their money. And their possessions. As if they weren’t theirs at all. Which is exactly how it was back then. And exactly how it should be. And sometimes, we really are the family we should be.
But we tend to baulk at it, don’t we. When we read about people selling their blocks of land. Or houses. And using the money to help one another. Let me ask you, HOW MUCH DO YOU CARE? How much do you care for the other people who are part of your church family? See, they were so united, they were so like minded, that if one of them was suffering, they all suffered. If one of them was in trouble, the rest of them shared the burden. To the point where guys like Barnabas thought nothing of cashing in his investments to help other Christians in need. He said WHY SHOULD I HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH – when I’ve got brothers and sisters with nothing.
We couldn’t do that. Could we? I mean, investments, they’re so hard to get at. And there’s all the legal fees when you sell. And anyway, there’s always social security to help out anyone who’s really doing it tough. Hey, we explain it all away, don’t we. To the point where we DON’T HAVE TO CARE ANYMORE.
This morning, between us, I guess we’ve got a million dollars worth of cars parked outside. But we’ll say we can’t afford to help each other. And I reckon between us we’d own 20 million dollars worth
Of houses. Between us, we’ve got I guess $5000 worth of watches on our wrists. Between us we've read $700 worth of newspapers through the last week.
And yet you might be sitting next to someone who’s doing it very tough. And they'd never dream of asking for help; and you'd never dream of GIVING IT.
Don't get me wrong. Peter says to Ananias, you DIDN'T HAVE TO GIVE ANYTHING. It's meant to be a reflection of what's in your heart. But what's in YOURS? These believers were one in heart and mind; and they were FULL OF GRACE. They said WHAT’S MINE IS YOURS. And they meant it. Except for the ones like Ananias and Sapphira. Who said WHAT'S MINE CAN MAKE ME LOOK GOOD.
We need to be careful, don’t we. We need to make sure we’re GENEROUS. And we need to make sure we’re GENUINE.
It’s interesting, isn’t it; the lesson from Ananias and Sapphira was that GOD MEANS BUSINESS. That he HATES HYPOCRISY. And the church stood in awe of that. In a way that we should as well.
Verse 12 and 13, the apostles are performing signs and wonders, doing the sort of things Jesus had done; healing the sick, driving out demons. And all the believers used to meet together in the verandah area to the side of the temple. And you’ve got this strange contradiction if you have a look at verse 13 and 14; word had got around. These weren’t people to be messed with. The CHURCH MEANT BUSINESS.
And we’re told that when they met, no-one else dared join them, even though they're highly regarded. They're held in awe. Except that MORE AND MORE men and women believed in the Lord. And were added to their number. Not as casual onlookers. But as serious CONVERTS.
When the church means business, that’s what happens. I mean, hypocrisy hasn’t stopped, has it? People talk about it all the time. They say it. Christians are hypocrites. But it doesn’t have to be that way. And IT CAN STOP WITH YOU. It can stop with OUR CHURCH. As we get serious about PREACHING JESUS. As we get serious about THE WAY WE CARE. As we get serious about the way we SHARE. Not just because we’re KEEPING UP APPEARANCES. But because we really are ONE IN HEART AND MIND. As followers of Jesus.