Ananias and Sapphira were a bad example

From: January 23-29, 2007 Study: # 478

TOPIC: “Ananias and Sapphira were a bad example” Acts 5:1-11 When Christians are moved to do things their way and not God’s way, they don’t understand that what they do today will not work out well tomorrow. We plan our future according to the steps we take in the present. We must never forget what God has done for us. We must respond with gratitude and loyalty, not with lies or deceit. In Judges 8:34 we can see that the children of Israel forgot that God had delivered them from all of the enemies that surrounded them. Some forgot all that God had done for them. God has healed us, delivered us, broke the chains. God comes to our rescue every day. He has cared for us, given us many blessings, and took away our wickedness. He does well to the righteous, but it is easy to forget and it seems like a habit for many of those who God has chosen. As the years go by they get used to doing wrong; they don’t fast, or pray, or fear God. They hide to make decisions, take the wrong path and there is where big problems begin. It seems that there are many other things that fill them more than prayer. We must be careful because vanity is hidden and it separates us each day from God and we must escape from this. There is nothing worthy in this world, everything shall pass, and nothing is permanent. This is why we have to take care of our lives so that it will be permanent in the eternity. People always look for something to hold on to, except God. They hold on to the things of this world, but we must not forget that everything here shall pass. 1 John 2:16, 17 One of the judges of Israel named Gideon made an ephod (a piece of the priest garment) with the earrings from the plunder they took from the Midianites. Gideon knew that the Israelites always rouse in idolatry, so he shouldn’t have done it. Judges 8:27 When we take the wrong steps there are many adverse consequences and many tears. But it is easy for us to forget what God has given us. We can not obtain what we haven’t sought in prayer. Then, there are many things that will be lost. Gideon had fought for the Israelites. A good man can take a wrong step and make many fall. We must move carefully, because others who see us will imitate us. The people of Israel were ungrateful. Maybe, since everything went so well with Gideon, they rested and turned further away from God as each day went by. When a person becomes lukewarm, he or she turns away from God and does crazy things. It seemed that the people of Israel were always waiting for something that gave them an opportunity to turn away from God. God chose us so that we could be responsible with what He has given us. God chooses courageous men and women because what we must live each day is a great battle. As for Ananias and Sapphira, we can see that they were hypocrites, liars who were among the Christians trying to demonstrate that they were also disciples. All the apostles were there, the Church, and the loyal and honest men and women. That Church was full with power and miracles. Faith was something natural for them because they were dressed of faith. Doubt never crossed their minds because they encountered Jesus face to face. For them it was normal to perform a miracle, because they were with Jesus all the time practicing it. They were willing to give everything. For us, who have arrived at the church, we have come to join the disciples to exalt the Kingdom of God, and not to harm or break it, but to unite it with loyalty and not with hypocrisy. Ananias and Sapphira had seen the power of God every day in the church. They had seen common men who had believed in Jesus, for such a reason they knew that the guidance of the Holy Spirit was upon the Church. In Heaven there will be no traitors, there won't be a Judas or no one to confuse us. Sometimes we say we are disciples, but we hate our brother. When injustice is done God will also perform a fair trial. In this church we serve a single God. The people of Israel worshipped the

Efod. Sometimes we want to worship other gods, but here we only give cult to one powerful God who performs miracles and wants the best for us. Peter had to let the first Christians know how the church should be. When God governs we must fear. The people of Israel were never stable in recognizing that Jehovah was the one who governed them. A man can be joyful the day that he comes to Christ and this can last for a month, but when God is working in his life Satan is also looking for a way to corrupt and contend. It is necessary to take care of each step that we take because these are seen by God. Ananias and Sapphira were supposed to glorify and adore God. We cannot open the door to false spirits. We sometimes give cult to ourselves because we believe that we are the greatest and other times we give cult to what satisfies us, to our ambitions, to anger, to madness, but we must give cult to God. Ananias and Sapphira, willing to lie, apparently felt moved by the generosity of the rest of the disciples and came to an agreement to sell their estate, but acting with hypocrisy and lies they served their own greed and ambition. When greed impels it is very dangerous. There is no place for lies and deceit in God. Perhaps they thought that they could give, but when they saw all the money that they had acquired they thought and executed a plan. What we do wrong in secrecy is what makes God execute His trials. We must watch every step we take in secret, in public and wherever we are. Satan incited them with the idea and there sin occurred. They didn’t lie to the apostles but to the Holy Spirit. Nobody had forced them to sell their estate, but once they committed to do so they had to give everything, they could not keep anything. They were not devoted, there was only an appearance. They appeared to be compassionate, but they were not. Every lie that is told has the intention of deceiving the one that is listening, although it is like an excuse. They were lying to the Holy Spirit. Their sin was to pretend they were giving everything and that is a very dangerous thing to do because God sees everything we do. Deceit is the cause of spiritual death. Peter accused them of lying to the Holy Spirit. Ananias could not defend himself but fell and died. He didn't have time for anything, his time was over. Ananias had seen the power and the kindness of God; however, he forgot it as the people of Israel did. It was a great insult to the Holy Spirit and he was given a fair punishment. Great insults are paid expensively. We must take sacred things seriously. Let us rejoice with fear and tremor because the God that we serve is the same yesterday, today and forever. Let there be no deceit in us because this does not help the church, or us. The Holy Spirit is not pleased with deceit. Amen.