Intro: The Spirit of Truth is such a good Teacher of righteousness for God’s children. We are so blessed to have our Helper. It’s important that we listen to the Spirit because God has expectations for how we conduct our lives and the Spirit has been given to us as a Gift to guide us into living lives pleasing to the Lord. One thing we should never lose track of is God’s desire for His children to walk in integrity. Dishonesty has no place in the family of God; therefore, the Body/Church must adhere to the character of our Head—Christ—the Truth. Otherwise, we are not genuinely interested in living for Jesus in sincerity; because, when we are dishonest we have opened the door for the father of lies—Satan.
The early Church had its issues; dishonesty in the hearts of some believers was one of them. Telling the truth is a choice each day. We are never exempt from Satan’s attempts to deceive us or tempt us to do the things we know have no place in our lives. We will all be tempted to lie, because Satan wants us to serve him. God’s ninth commandment is clear; we must not bear false witness—lie (Ex 20:9). When we lie, we are only loving ourselves. Jesus summed it up: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Mat 22:37-39).
In our passage today from the Book of Acts, the believers find themselves surrounded by persecution; many people struggling to buy goods or make a living in the midst. So, through the work of the Holy Spirit, the believers volunteer to share their possessions in order to eliminate poverty in their spiritual family. Many people shared the belief that every aspect of their lives—including wealth—belonged to God first.
Ananias and Sapphira choose to sell some land and give the money to the Church who would then distribute it among those in need. No one forced them to sell or make this decision; no one told them to give all of the money from the sale of the property to the Church. It was not demanded or even expected of anyone. So, the fact that this couple lied about the true price for which they sold the property would lead us to believe they wanted to look more generous and be honored by others more than wanting to honor God in Truth.
Acts 5:1-11 NLT Ananias and Sapphira
1 But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. 2 He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest.
3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. 4 The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!”
5 As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified. 6 Then some young men got up, wrapped him in a sheet, and took him out and buried him.
7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Was this the price you and your husband received for your land?”
“Yes,” she replied, “that was the price.”
9 And Peter said, “How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this? The young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too.”
10 Instantly, she fell to the floor and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened.
Prayer: Lord, although there are many parts of this passage that may be difficult to understand, we know how you feel about walking in the Truth—because you are Truth. Help us to lean on the work of the Holy Spirit to groom us each day with integrity. May our garments remain unstained by dishonesty. In Jesus’ name. Amen.