What are you “filled” with?
What are you focused on?
Focused and filled describe where our mind and our heart are.
Check your focus.
Act 5:1 (ESV) But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,
Act 5:2 (ESV) and with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himSELF some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet.
Root of man’s problem… SELF!
What is the sin here? What Godly desire have they twisted?
Greed and pride - affirmation from others
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Act 5:3 (ESV) But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your HEART to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land?
Sin originates at the heart level – the action is really fruit of the heart motivation.
Mat 12:33-35 (ESV)
34 “…out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
Mat 5:28 (ESV)
28 …has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
I found this concept of being spiritually filled 14 times in the Bible. Of those, 10 of them were in Luke and Acts – the books that Luke wrote. Paul uses the phrase in Ephesians:
Eph 5:18 (ESV)
18 …but be filled with the Spirit,
Filled is is to not have room for anything else. I think of times when I have had this type of focus…
When I am playing goal keeper in a football match and someone is dribbling the ball toward me to score, I am not thinking about anything else - my mind is “filled“ with that moment and those things.
We have all probably experienced this at some point… An immediate desire or emotion seems SO critical and overwhelming that we MUST yield to it! …we must have it!
All other things are eclipsed by that.
Reality is those things can be like holding your finger in front of you so that you can’t see a whole building or forest…
Yet in hindsight I have found that all I needed to do was say “no”. James tells us this and his admonition:
Jas 4:7 (ESV)
Good things can be this way just as well as sin.
I can be totally focused, “filled“ with speaking the truth about God or I can be totally focused or “filled“ on fulfilling my selfish desires.
Clear reference to the Holy Spirit as being equivalent to, yet distinct from God.
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Act 5:4 (ESV) While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.”
As we discussed yesterday, this was not communal living but selfless living. Ananias and Saphira owned the property with no obligation. When they sold the property there was no obligation – it was completely theirs to do with as they wished.
They have a desire for affirmation from both man and God. Peter points out that the root issue is their intent to deceive God. All sin is against God because all sin contradicts His character of truth and grace.
Psa 51:4 (ESV)
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned…
Act 5:5 (ESV) When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it.
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Act 5:6 (ESV) The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.
Typical Jewish custom was burial on the day of death, especially for those that were great sinners.
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Act 5:7 (ESV) After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.
Act 5:8 (ESV) And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.”
Act 5:9 (ESV) But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”
Act 5:10 (ESV) Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
Act 5:11 (ESV) And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.
ekklēsia
ek-klay-see'-ah
