Acts 5:1-11

But a certain man named Ananias with his wife Sapphira sold a piece of property.  And with his wife’s knowledge and connivance he kept back and wrongfully appropriated some of the proceeds, bringing only a part and putting it at the feet of the apostles.   But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart that you should lie to and attempt to deceive the Holy Spirit, and should (in violation of your promise) withdraw secretly and appropriate to your own use part of the price from the sale of the land?  As long as it remained unsold, was it not still your own?  And (even) after it was sold, was not (the money) at your disposal and under your control?  Why then, is it that you have proposed and purposed in your heart to do this thing?  (How could you have the heart to do such a deed?)  You have not (simply) lied to men (playing false and showing yourself utterly deceitful) but to God.  Upon hearing these words, Ananias fell down and died.  And great dread and terror took possession of all who heard of it.   And the young men arose and wrapped up (the body) and carried it out and buried it.  Now after an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not having learned of what had happened.  And Peter said to her, Tell me, did you sell the land for so much?  Yes, she said, for so much.  Then Peter said to her, How could you two have agreed and conspired together to try to deceive the Spirit of the Lord?  Listen!  The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out (also).  And instantly she fell down at his feet and died; and the young men entering found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.  And the whole church and all others who heard of these things were appalled (great awe and strange terror and dread seized them).   The Amplified Bible

• Questions to Answer

• Is holding back from God sinful? 

• In this passage of scripture, the subject matter is about money held back from the sale of property.   In what areas of life would holding back be wrong? 

• Is partial commitment, halfhearted devotion, holding back?

• Is deceiving and not telling the whole truth misleading and also sinful?

• Lying in God’s Presence

• Old Testament – The first sin in the Old Testament…the one that got us all in trouble was based on a lie.  See Genesis 3:4.  In this particular instance, it was Satan that lied.  The sin of Eve was that she believed him and also her husband, then they disobeyed by eating of the forbidden fruit.  As a result all mankind has had to suffer for their disobedience.   Disobedience caused by a lie.  Mankind has greatly feared death, the ultimate judgment because of this sin.

• New Testament – In this situation several sins were committed.  Conspiring together to deceive, greed, selfishness, coveting, and lying.  The early church was alarmed and feared greatly as a result of this sin.   

• Old Testament – Achan of Joshua 7 was another instance of deceiving and holding back because of greed and selfishness.  No outright lie was verbally told, but all had been told not to take anything of the spoils of war, and Achan coveted what his eyes saw and hid his sin.  By hiding it from all to see, he was living a lie giving the impression that he had been obedient.  No one knew except the eyes of God.  Achan held back on obedience.   All Israel feared greatly God’s judgment of sin.

• New Testament – In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus was tempted by Satan as he tried to use Scripture to mislead Him.  Satan was deliberately misquoting and twisting the Scriptures in order to justify what he was doing.  Again, a lie is a sin. 

• It does not matter how we try to justify our actions, it does not matter how we mince or parse words. 

Matthew 22:37 – Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” 

• Keeping Back is Severely Judged 

• Withholding from God what is His is severely judged.  It does not matter if it is God’s tithes and our offerings.  It does not matter if it is our devotion or our worship.  It does not matter what part of our life, our commitment.  If we hold back from God, it is sin.

• We may justify our holding back in the following ways:

• I need part of God’s tithes and the offerings to take care of this or that.  I know God will understand.  What He understands – you sinned!                       

• I don’t feel like going to church, but I can go or do just about anything else I want to do.  He understands – you sinned!

• I’m too shy to be an effective witness, yet I claim to have the Holy Spirit who gives boldness within me.   He understands, you sinned.  You held back from doing what He has called you to do – that’s disobedience.

• I justify my mouth saying all kinds of crude words when I get upset, when things go wrong, when I’m under pressure because I hold back on my obedience to God’s word. 

• I try to justify my actions when I’m around people of influence or position, because I want to impress them or flatter them or someone else so I embellish the truth.  NO – I LIED! 

• When I know the truth and don’t follow it, I am holding back and that is sin.  I may justify it.  I may convince myself that what I am doing is fine.  But, if God’s Word says it is sin and we keep on doing what we know is sin, we are holding back…it does not matter what area of life or what situation it may be, if it is contrary to God’s Word, then it is sin.

• Withholding From God Those Things That Are His

• HOLDING BACK IS PARTIAL COMMITMENT.       
• HOLDING BACK IS DECEPTION.
• HOLDING BACK IS ALLOWING SATAN TO FILL OUR LIFE INSTEAD OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 
• HOLDING BACK IS LYING TO THE HOLY SPIRIT.
• HOLDING BACK IS ACTING AGAINST AND LYING TO GOD HIMSELF. 

• God’s Judgments are Always Facing Us

• The sin of Ananias seems to have been close to blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (that is, saying the work of the Holy Spirit is of the devil).  The sin of Ananias, of holding back was saying…

• The work of the Holy Spirit allows sin.

• The work of the Holy Spirit in a life still allows a person to withhold from God a portion of his/her own life for himself.

• The movement of the Holy Spirit in a life still allows the devil to fill a heart with some sin.

• A person can be both righteous and worldly at the same time.

• The Holy Spirit is less important in life than doing my own thing.