PETER AND THE TWO LIARS

Text: Acts 5
 Introduction: Throughout the Bible, one truth we
find repeated is that whenever a new work
(ministry) is begun by God and someone attempts
to abuse it for the first time, the punishment is
fairly severe. The tabernacle had no sooner been
constructed before Dathan and Abiram offered
strange fire before God and were slain. The
leadership of Moses being challenged by Korah and
his sons resulted in their all being swallowed alive
into the pit. Here in Acts 5, the church has just “got
off the ground,” and two individuals decide for
selfish and popularity reasons to “show off.” Again,
the punishment is severe.
Thank God He does not always chasten His
children this severely, else I doubt if the
church would be as full of His people as it
is! We want to take a look at this story in
the light of these people, their offense, and
other reasons why the discipline that
followed was so severe.
I. The names of the offenders (what their
names mean is rather interesting!)
A. Ananias: Jehovah has favored
B. Sapphira: Beautiful
 Here are two people--beautiful and favored by
God--who chose to plot against Him through
what
seemed an innocent act!
II. The nature of the offense
A. They were not obligated to sell land or even
give any of its proceeds; thus, they probably did it
to
acclaim fame or special treatments.
B. They schemed together to lie about the price
and gift.
C. They lied to the Holy Spirit
Notice here, “lied to the Holy Spirit” and “lied to
God”--this shows the Holy Spirit is God!
D. Their deed was revealed to Peter by
God (not some gossiper or well-
meaning church member)
III. The need for severe discipline
A. To show God’s authority in the
church
B. To show that giving to Him is not to
be flippant or taken lightly
C. To bring fear to others who may have
considered other ways to deceive the
church
 Conclusion: We should never gamble on
how God will discipline us for our sins or
shortcomings, nor should we take
advantage of His mercy in withholding,
perhaps, the discipline we deserved in lieu
of a “lighter” punishment. These two
individuals, had they been given an
opportunity from God to change their
minds, may or may not have decided
differently--only God knows--and perhaps
this is another reason for the severity of
their discipline.