"You didn't lie to people. You lied to God!"

When God is working in power, Satan is on hand to counterfeit, corrupt, and contend. But where there is real spiritual power, deceit and hypocrisy will be readily exposed. Ananias and Sapphira were apparently moved by the generosity of Barnabas and others. Perhaps they desired to receive the praise of men for some similar act of kindness.

Ananias and his wife Sapphira also sold a piece of property. But they agreed to cheat and keep some of the money for themselves.
No one had asked them to sell the property. After it was sold, they were not obligated to give all. But they pretended a total dedication, while actually they held some back.

   So when Ananias took the rest of the money to the apostles, Peter said, "Why has Satan made you keep back some of the money from the sale of the property? Why have you lied to the Holy Spirit? The property was yours before you sold it, and even after you sold it, the money was still yours. What made you do such a thing? You didn't lie to people. You lied to God!"

Peter charged Ananias with lying to the Holy Spirit and not just to men. In lying to the Holy Spirit, he lied to God. As soon as Ananias heard this, he dropped dead, and everyone who heard about it was frightened. Some young men came in and wrapped up his body. Then they took it out and buried it.

Three hours later Sapphira came in, but she did not know what had happened to her husband. Peter asked her, "Tell me, did you sell the property for this amount?"

 "Yes," she answered, "that's the amount."

Then Peter said, "Why did the two of you agree to test the Lord's Spirit? The men who buried Ananias are by the door, and they will carry you out!" At once she fell at Peter's feet and died.

When the young men came back in, they found Sapphira lying there dead. So they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. The church members were afraid, and so was everyone else who heard what had happened.

"Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?"

 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?  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.”  When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.  Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.    [Acts 5:3-6]

 Ananias fell down and died

   

"  Would you be free from the burden of sin?
There’s power in the blood, power in the blood;
Would you o’er evil a victory win?
There’s wonderful power in the blood." 

"JESUS CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS"

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“My friends, I want you to remember the message that I preached and that you believed and trusted. You will be saved by this message, if you hold firmly to it. But if you don't, your faith was all for nothing. I told you the most important part of the message exactly as it was told to me. That part is:  Christ died for our sins,   as the Scriptures say.  He was buried, and three days later    he was raised to life,    as the Scriptures say.  Christ appeared to Peter,  then to the twelve. After this, he appeared  to more than five hundred other followers.
   Most of them are still alive,  but some have died. He also appeared to James, and then to all of the apostles. Finally, he appeared to me, even though I am like someone who was born at the wrong time. I am the least important of all the apostles. In fact, I caused so much trouble for God's church that I don't even deserve to be called an apostle...”  [1 Corinthians 15: 1-8]

"Jesus Christ died for our sins"

Paul reminds them of the good news which he had preached. This was not a new doctrine for the Corinthians, but it was necessary that they should be reminded of it at this critical time. It was this gospel by which the Corinthians had been saved. You will be saved by this message, if you hold firmly to it. But if you don’t, your faith was all for nothing.

To Paul, the resurrection was fundamental. Without it there was not Christianity.  Paul had delivered to the Corinthians the message which he had also received by divine revelation.

The first cardinal doctrine of that message was that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. He died for our sins. He died to pay the penalty that our sins deserved.

Dear friend, do you believe with all your heart that Christ Jesus died on the cross for your sins and rose again on the third day?  Confess your sins to Him and accept Him as your personal Savior and you will be saved. 

"Why do you seek the living among the dead?"

 Very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, carrying the spices that they had prepared. When they found the stone rolled away from the entrance, they went in. But they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus, and they did not know what to think. Suddenly two men in shining white clothes stood beside them. The women were afraid and bowed to the ground. But the men said, "Why are you looking in the place of the dead for someone who is alive? Jesus isn't here! He has been raised from death....But Peter ran to the tomb. And when he stooped down and looked in, he saw only the burial clothes.   [Luke 24:1-12]

  

"  Low in the grave he lay, Jesus my Savior,
    waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!

    Up from the grave he arose;
    with a mighty triumph o'er his foes;
    he arose a victor from the dark domain,
    and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.
    He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!"