John Piper, in a sermon “Be Like Barnabas, Not Like Ananias!”
Ananias and Sapphira stand for the exact opposite, namely, people who have not really been changed on the inside by being satisfied with all that God is for them in Christ, but who still want some place in the visible church. The reason they drop dead is not because this happens to all hypocrites. For example, it doesn’t happen to Simon the Magician inActs 8:20–24. The reason they drop dead is to give a stunning warning to the whole church that phony Christians will all end up this way, sooner or later.
God means for his people to fear hypocrisy. He means for us to be afraid of treating the Holy Spirit with contempt. Notice at the end of verse 5, after Ananias had died: “And great fear came upon all who heard of it.” Then again in verse 11 after Sapphira died, “And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.” This is the lesson Luke wants us to get: faking faith in the presence of God is a fearful thing.
Read or listen to the sermon by John Piper
Knowing God through His Word ... Day by Day 
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