“Helping those who far from God become committed followers of Jesus Christ, from the Scenic City to the nations.” Life Group Leader Guide Sermon Text: 2 Cor. 8:16-24| Complementary Text: Acts 5:1-11 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Opening/Community: Ideas for beginning your Life Group ​ ​ ● Icebreaker: Come up with a fun and fitting question to help people get to know one another. ​ ● Sing Together: BX Spotify Playlist ​ ​ ● Highs & Lows: What were the best and the most challenging parts of your week? ​ ● Follow up: How did you apply what you learned from last week’s discussion in your life this week. ​ ● God at work: How have you seen God at work this week? ​ ● Prayer: Thank God for his character and the ways you've seen his faithfulness this week. ​ Sermon Review: Review and discuss the sermon together ​ ​ ● Main Point: ● Sermon Outline: ● What challenged you in the sermon to deepen your commitment as a follower of Christ? 1 Complementary Text: Additional material to help deepen your Life Group’s understanding of Scripture ​ ​ and become more committed followers of Christ. Text: Acts 5:1-11 Author & Date: Luke/c. A.D. 63 Audience: Theophilus, a Gentile believer who was supposedly a Roman government official Theme of the Book: History of the early church Immediate Context: The Holy Spirit judged those who did not obey the teaching of the apostles. Main Point: Harsh judgment on those who lied to the Spirit What does this passage teach us about God? The Holy Spirit knows our hearts regarding obedience to God’s call to be generous. -- vv. 1-2. When we commit our hearts to give to the church, nothing should stand in our way. We should pray and seek the Lord about our gift, and when we decide upon it, we should stick to our commitment. God chose to strike Ananias and Sapphira dead, and that probably won’t happen today, but the point is that we should obey God when He prompts us to do something through His Spirit. The Holy Spirit knows our hearts. The Bible tells us in Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (ESV). The Spirit knows we are sinners, but He expects us to resist temptation and be victorious over sin by being obedient to His promptings. Ananias and Sapphira decided to ignore the Holy Spirit and satisfy their own desires. They wanted to “look good” in front of the church and still have for themselves. They were not giving to the church to please God, only to please themselves. Kenneth Gangel writes: This couple wanted acclaim without sacrifice and comfort without commitment. They caused the first demonstration of defeat within the ranks since the betrayal of Judas and denial by Peter. The outward act seemed so appropriate. Notice the identical wording in 4:37 and 5:2: Put it at ​ the apostles' feet. What appeared to be public generosity was actually family conspiracy, but God ​ was looking. The Holy Spirit requires obedience to Him regarding our commitments to the church -- vv. 3-4. The Holy Spirit gave Peter the discernment to know that Ananias and Sapphira had done. They had sinned against the church, but more importantly, they had sinned against God. Kenneth Gangel writes: Peter tells Ananias that he lied to the Holy Spirit and follows by saying, You have not lied to men ​ but to God. Notice the emphasis on the voluntary nature of participation in communal property. ​ 2 Some see Communism at the end of chapter 4, but Peter makes it clear that Ananias was under no obligation to participate. Once he did, however, he betrayed the unity and community of the congregation. Tom Constable writes, Lying to the Holy Spirit is a sin that Christians commit frequently today. When Christians act hypocritically by pretending a devotion that is not there or a surrender of life that they have not really made, they lie to the Holy Spirit. If God worked today as he did in the early Jerusalem church, undertakers would have much work (Constable, 39). (Holman New Testament ​ ​ Commentary) God will judge our sin however he sees fit. -- vv. 5-11. The Bible teaches us that death is the ultimate result of sin, but in this instance, death occurred instantly. Physical death is not usually the cause of one’s sin, but it is the ultimate result. Kenneth Gangel reminds us that suffering is not always because of sin, but it is always to bring glory to God: In this case the death resulted from sin, but the Bible reminds us that immediate death does not always occur. In the early verses of John 9, the disciples concluded that the blind man must be suffering because of his sin or that of his parents. Jesus reminds them that neither is the case, "But this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life" (John 9:3). God sees what happens in our hearts; and when hidden sin threatens to thwart the church's ministry, he may choose to deal with it severely. The young attendants had buried Ananias and returned in three hours, quite possibly a record for first-century Jewish funerals. Amazingly, Sapphira came in with the same story, and it was deja vu all over again. Sapphira's narrative offers nothing new. In neither case did Peter pronounce a curse of any kind. Peter explained the sin, but God took care of the judgment. We are stunned in this passage by the suddenness of God's judgment and the seeming lack of pity or remorse on the part of Peter and the others. Furthermore, there seems to be no opportunity for repentance apart from Peter's question to Sapphira in verse 8. Stories like this were quite common in the Old Testament, such as Nadab and Abihu consumed by the illegitimate fire they used (Lev. 10). Repeatedly in Deuteronomy, God told his people to root out evil from among them (Deut. 13:5; 17:7,12; 19:19). Let's not confuse lying to the Holy Spirit with blaspheming the Spirit (Mark 3:29). There seems to be no parallel here between death as physical punishment and what has often been called the unpardonable sin. Nowhere in Luke's record does he condemn Ananias and Sapphira to eternal punishment. Most scholars take the opinion that these believers retained their salvation and will experience eternal life. Surely, we must learn here the necessity for purity and unity in the body of Christ. (Holman New ​ Testament Commentary) What does this passage teach us about mankind? Giving is not a show for applause; it is an expression of adoration for Christ. -- vv. 1-2. Ananias and Sapphira wanted to look good in front of the others. They forgot that they should only be concerned with being right before God. Kenneth Gangel writes, 3 Like Paul, Luke is ever the master of contrast. Immediately following the brief testimony of Barnabas, he tells us about two other Christians who sold property so they could participate in the church's communal care program. The name Ananias means "God is gracious," and Sapphira means "beautiful." This was a joint effort even if the cultural patterns of the time put Ananias first. Luke tells us he kept back part of the money, using the verb nospizo which means "to put ​ ​ aside for oneself." Already this narrative reminds us of Achan in Joshua 7:1-26. (Holman New ​ Testament Commentary) The death of Ananias and Sapphira was a lesson in obedience for the early church. -- vv. 5-11. God struck Ananias and Sapphira dead to teach a lesson to those who survived them. Lying to the Holy Spirit is a serious offense. It may not happen today, but the early church needed to learn an important lesson, and Christians today should take heed as well. Wilkins, Evans, et. al. note as follows: This instant judgment befell Ananias and Sapphira not because they kept some of the proceeds from their sale of land, but because they lied to God and the church, claiming that they had given all the proceeds to the church. There was no requirement that the couple donate all the proceeds, as Peter makes clear with his statements in verses 3–4. Had they said from the start that they were donating only a portion of the profits, there would have been no cause to judge them. (The Holman Apologetics Commentary on the Gospels and Acts) ​ How does this text point to Christ and the gospel? The validation of the Gospel was essential to the early church. Christ had called the apostles to establish the church, and their message needed constant validation. The death of Ananias and Sapphira was God’s means of affirming their message. Wilkins, Evans, et. al. note as follows: Readers may ask why the judgment was so swift. The sudden and divinely executed judgment was an exceptional case, and might be attributed to the unique circumstances of the foundational era of the church. God was working miracles through the apostles, verifying their teachings and bringing many to faith. To disrespect apostolic authority was to disrespect God’s commissioning of the apostles. Their deaths also served as a stark reminder that God knows everything we do at all times and that sin has consequences. (The Holman Apologetics Commentary on the Gospels and Acts) ​ How does the sermon text complement this text? Pastor Bob Deffinbaugh gives us the connection to the sermon text: I have been thinking about Ananias and Sapphira, the couple whose death we read about in Acts 5.