Text: For what does it profit, if we gain the whole world but lose or forfeit our soul? - Luke 9:25

INTRODUCTION

Going all the way back to the fifth century, during the Middle Ages, the patriarchs (probably encouraged by the matriarchs) of the church began to develop a list which has historically been called “The Seven Deadly Sins.” The seven that were chosen are not the only sins endemic to humanity, and the order of the list, which has differed according to certain theologians, does not imply any sense of priority as to the most or least harmful.

But church leaders and members down through the ages have agreed on one thing: sloth, lust, anger, pride, greed, gluttony and envy are all deadly because they have the capacity to destroy our lives, to ruin our relationships with others and to separate us from God, which is the ultimate definition of sin: separation from the Holy One who created us to be connected and related to Him.

Today we’re going to explore the fifth deadly sin known as “greed,” or the old-fashioned word “avarice,” which means “the desire to acquire more than one needs or deserves” (Webster’s II New Riverside Dictionary). And greed is the opposite, the antithesis of the theme for our Annual Giving Campaign: instead of “open hearts,” greed closes our hearts and turns them cold, shut off from the biblical virtues of love, compassion, concern and care for others. And instead of “open hands,” greed tightens our hands into clenched fists, resistant to the Christian attitude of gratitude, generosity and a desire to share with those in need.

You may remember the old Jack Benny Show on television, where that famous comedian was confronted by a masked thief who demanded “Your money or your life.” Jack Benny would pause for a moment, look at the robber and then the audience, before he replied, “I’m thinking. I’m thinking!” And legend says that when J. P. Morgan was asked the question, “How much is enough?” he often replied, “Just a little bit more, just a little bit more.”

Now I have never met a person who has ever confessed that they were guilty of the fifth deadly sin called greed. But the Bible warns us that this particular sin is subtle and deceptive, and before we know it, greed can grab hold of us and drag us down like the serpent in the Garden of Eden.

The 28th chapter of the book of Proverbs declares that warning in no uncertain terms: A miserly man hastens after wealth, and does not know that want will come upon him (verse 22); A greedy man stirs up strife, but he who trusts in the Lord will be enriched (verse 25); He who gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse (verse 27).

Jesus knew that was so, and He went on record long ago, according to our text from the 9th chapter of Luke, saying, For what does it profit, if we gain the whole world and lose or forfeit our souls? (Luke 9:25)

In fact, that was a constant and compelling theme in our Lord’s ministry, as He told His disciples and anyone else who would listen to Beware of all covetousness, for life does not consist in the abundance of possessions (Luke 12:15)…and To those whom much is given, said Jesus, of them will much be required (Luke 12:48).

After His death and resurrection, when the church began to emerge in the first century A.D., those early Christians took Jesus’ words to heart as they lived together and shared with one another in the community of faith.

Luke, who also wrote the book of Acts, gives us an eyewitness account of what that looked like: Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which they possessed were their own…instead, they had everything in common…there was not a needy person among them, for as many who had land or houses sold them and laid the proceeds at the apostles’ feet; and distribution was made to each as any had need (Acts 4:32-35).

It was almost too good to be true - all of those Christians caring about and sharing with each other, just as Jesus had told them to do. And then it happened - the fifth deadly sin reared its ugly head in that community, and a couple named Ananias and Sapphira made a fatal mistake.

They sold some of their property, but kept part of the money for themselves. When Ananias brought the proceeds to the apostles, Peter, who somehow found out, confronted him with the truth: How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to us, but to God. And the Bible says that when Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died (Acts 5:1-5).

Several hours later, his wife Sapphira, unaware of her husband’s demise, came into the room and Peter gave her the opportunity to set things right. But she didn’t. Sapphira lied about the money, and when she learned about the fate of Ananias, Sapphira also fell down and died. (Acts 5:7-10).

And Luke concludes that sad and disturbing story, saying that Great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of those things (Acts 5:11).

Now, to be honest with you, I have never preached a sermon on this story from the fifth chapter of Acts before, and there are two reasons why. First, I think it’s a bit heavy handed to imply that if you don’t give generously to the Annual Giving Campaign, you’re going to die.

I found a cartoon in a magazine years ago which shows the front sign on a church lawn that reads: “TITHE OR PERISH,” and standing nearby is a man saying to the preacher, “You have a real gift for sermon titles.” Well, that cartoon is amusing, but I don’t like the message it implies. Because trying to scare people into giving is repulsive to me. Instead, we Christians ought to give with an attitude of gratitude for all of God’s blessings which we have received, and not out of fear of the bad things that will happen to us if we don’t.

And the second reason I have never preached about Ananias and Sapphira before is that it would appear, in this story, God was so angry with what they had done that He struck them down dead. Speaking theologically, I think that is contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ, who came into this world to show us how to love and how to live and to forgive us for all of our sins.

Ananias and Sapphira, in that traumatic moment of confrontation before the apostles and the entire community, more than likely died from a heart attack or a stroke brought on by their anxiety, guilt and fear. It wasn’t God who did them in - it was rather the lethal result of their greed and deception. We call it “The Fifth Deadly Sin.”

So why have I chosen to preach about this troublesome story from the book of Acts today?

Well, anyone and everyone who has read a newspaper or magazine, listened to the radio or watched TV, already knows that this nation has been shaken by corporate scandals recently. Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, testifying before Congress in July, said the root of the problem is “infectious greed” (From the “Faith and Values” section of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, July 20, 2002). And Greenspan’s predecessor, Paul Volcker, was quoted in a special report of BusinessWeek: “We went from ‘greed is good’ being said as a joke, to people thinking that ‘greed is good’ was a fundamental fact” (BusinessWeek, June 24, 2002, page 34).

Well, the fact is that it’s no joking matter to the thousands of Americans who have lost their jobs and pensions and some of them, their life savings with the implosion of Enron, Worldcom, Tycho International, Global Crossing, Quest Communications, Imclone Systems, Adelphia and Arthur Andersen. Even Martha Stewart is in trouble now. And as economic security and stability have been hit hard and knocked around across this country, it will take a lot more than hauling Mr. Rigas and his cronies off in handcuffs to regain, restore and rebuild our sense of trust.

Now I actually believe that the vast majority of our leaders and hard working people in business and industry are men and women of integrity. But as Christians, let us remember and never forget that our ultimate source of trust does not depend on corporations or the economy.

Our ultimate trust is found in God who has given us the power through Jesus Christ to resist all forms of deception, to overcome the temptation of greed and to share with open hearts and open hands the abundant blessings we have received.

John Claypool, the well-known Episcopal priest and author, who has preached from our pulpit before and will speak to us again this coming Wednesday night, offers this closing insight for the “antidote to greed,” which is an open heart of gratitude and the open hands of generosity. Listen:

   “This virtue is illustrated beautifully in a Jewish parable about a father and two sons. The father was an ideal mentor. He took his boys to the fields as soon as they were big enough to walk and taught them all he knew about farming. When he died, instead of dividing their inheritance, they continued to work together in partnership, each contributing his best gifts and dividing every harvest down the middle. One of the brothers married and had eight children; the other remained a bachelor.
    One night, during a particularly bountiful harvest, the bachelor brother thought to himself, ‘My brother has ten mouths to feed and I have only one. He really needs more of this harvest than I do. However, I know him. He is much too fair to renegotiate our agreement. I know what I will do. I’ll take some of my harvest and slip it over into his barn at night so he can have more for his family.’
    At the very same time, the married brother was thinking to himself, ‘God has blessed me with this fine family. My children will take care of us when I am old. My brother is not as fortunate. He really needs more of this harvest to provide for his old age, but I know him. He is far too fair to renegotiate our agreement. I know what I will do. I’ll take some of my harvest and slip it into his barn to build up a nest egg for the future.’
    As you might have anticipated, one night when the moon was full these brothers came face-to-face, each on a mission of generosity. And although there was not a cloud in the sky, a gentle rain began to fall. Do you know what it was? It was God weeping for joy because two of his children had gotten the point. The real secret of human joy is in sharing what we have with others rather than hoarding everything for ourselves.”
(“Stories Jesus Still Tells: The Parables,” by John Claypool, Cowley Publications, Boston, Massachusetts, pages 34-35)

CONCLUSION

Ananias and Sapphira missed out on that opportunity as they fell prey to the fifth deadly sin. But that is not going to happen in this congregation, for we know, because the Bible tells us so, what God wants us to do:

Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which they possessed were their own…there was not a needy person among them…and distribution was made to each of them, as any had need. And that, my friends, is the way God wants it to be.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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