A Tale of Two Types of Givers
Sermon Notes
Acts 4:36 – 5:11
Questions the Ananias and Sapphira Story Raises:
Layers of Understanding
1. ____________________ and _____________________
2. ___________________ _________________________
3. ___________________ of _______________________
Positive Layer
4. ____________________________________________________________________
C.G.H. – 10/20/19 – A Tale of Two Types of Givers
1. The text from this morning: Acts 4:36 – 5:11
2. Does anything bother or disturb you about this story? What stands out to you?
Greed and Attention
3. Read Matt. 6:1-4
4. Why does Jesus think that giving should be done in secret? (hint: is your motive so that others will recognize how generous you are, or because you act out of your love for God?)
5. What was motivating Ananias and Sapphira?
6. How can we, as disciples of Jesus, check our own motives? How can we keep ourselves honest in our intentions?
Spiritual Warfare
7. Read Luke 4:13 compared to Acts 5:3 – Why was this an opportune time in the early church for Satan to try and destroy it from within?
8. How can we guard against the enemy in our personal lives and the life of the church?
Credibility of Witness
9. Read Eph. 4:25 and Col. 3:9-10
10. What are the types of things that we, as human beings, lie about?
11. What are the effects of lying/being deceitful?
12. When you tell lies, do you think people eventually stop trusting you?
13. How could these small lies have hurt the credibility of the church and its message had it not been dealt with?
Take-Away
14. Challenge: Try doing an act of kindness for someone this week in secret (only between you and God)
15. Challenge: Try to be the same person no matter what room you step in. If you notice your tendencies to lie or bend the truth, write it down in confession. Reflect and pray about how you can become a more honest person.
Prayer
16. End in Prayer together
Acts 4:36 – 5:11
36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.
Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.
3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”
5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”
“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”
9 Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”
10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.