Introduction

We are currently studying the book of Acts line by line. Last week we examined 4:23-31. In our time together we looked at how members of the church gathered together to pray for boldness to keep sharing the gospel after the Sanhedrin threatened them not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. Their prayer was immediately answered by God and the sign of His approval was that He shook their meeting place. Up to this point in the narrative, Luke’s portrayal of the church has been totally positive. We have seen the church in all its pristine beauty, freshness, and vitality. From its birth on the Day of Pentecost in chapter 2 up to now, we’ve literally marveled at its fellowship, unity, and devotion to teaching and prayer. Even Satan’s attempt to stop the church through the external pressure applied by the Sanhedrin to its leaders was a failure.

We must remember, however, that no church is perfect because they are made up of sinners and that the early church was no exception. This section of Acts chronicles a negative milestone in the church’s history: the first recorded instance of sin. As a rule of thumb we must remember that Satan’s purpose is to oppose the work of God. This is why the Bible calls him, “adversary”. Where God is at work, he will be active. His first attack on the church, the persecution of the apostles by the Sanhedrin, backfired. Not only did it fail to silence the apostles and the church but it caused them to seek the Lord for power and opportunities to continue to speak the name of Jesus boldly. Acts 4:31 says that the church became filled with the Holy Spirit and prevailed by continuing to speak the gospel with all boldness. Satan’s first attempt was crushed. Faced with defeat, the adversary changed his tactics. Realizing that external pressure and persecution only fanned the flames of gospel passion, he decided to get at the base of the fire. To do so, he infiltrated the church to attack it with corruption from within.

In the first part of our study section this morning, 4:32-37, we will, once again, be presented with a positive picture of the church where there is obedience, unity and generosity.

In the second part, 5:1-11, we will see how Satan infiltrated the church and brought about the first recorded example of sin and how God dealt with the disobedient members. Let’s read our main passage, pray, and then examine it together.

Verse

32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.

Commentary

Here we see that the church had grown beyond a recordable amount. Luke wrote in chapter 2 that the church had 3000 members and then in the early part of chapter 4 it grew by 2000 making the total 5000. In verse 32 he shifts from a specific number to the phrase, “the full number”. He did this because he was no longer certain as to how many members the church had because of its rapid growth. So many people were being saved that the apostles couldn’t count them all. This was primarily due to how the church spoke the gospel in all boldness as recorded in verse 31.

Luke reminds us of the unity of the early church. “Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul”. This large body of believers were unified in heart and soul. This was brought about by the gospel. The gospel delivers people from the corrupt system of this world where there is individualism, performance, selfishness, strife, disharmony, and disunity. And it brings them into the family of God where there is true love, love for one another, grace, peace, satisfaction, purpose, security, hope, and unity. The unity of the early church is a direct result of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

When areas of our lives, like in giving or the treatment of others, are plagued by disobedience, this is a sign that the gospel is not present in those areas. We all have areas that are unaffected or minimally affected by the gospel. And yet, Christ commands that we yield all areas of our lives to Him. Is this impossible? I’d say that it certainly seems impossible at times! It was extremely difficult for the Apostle Paul who told the Corinthian believers that he “beat or buffeted the loose areas of his life into submission to Christ”. If we consciously choose to yield and obey Christ in these difficult areas each day, the Lord will bless and mature us. Your faith will grow and your actions will be used by God to further His kingdom and to bless others. And the reward is joy. Look at the second half of 32. “And no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.”

Here we see that the church was really big on common sharing. This too was a direct result of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel transformed the way that these people viewed their homes and possessions. No longer did they see themselves as individuals or as individual families but as a gospel community that needed to care and provide for one another.

Having “everything is common” means that they met one anothers basic needs like food, clothing, and shelter. No one was left out. If a person had a need, the church pooled its resources to meet the need. Look at verse 33:

Verse

33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.

Commentary

Verse 33 is another testimony to the boldness that God gave the church. After the Sanhedrin’s threats, the apostles continued to boldly speak about the resurrection of Jesus Christ with great power. And then it says that “great grace was upon them all”. Great grace is meant to denote the high level of favor that the early church experienced. The common people had not yet turned against the believers. They were impressed by the church’s kindness, love, unity, and generosity. They liked the apostles because they were helpful, performing miracles and healing their sick. It all changed a little later when King Herod Agrippa rose up against the church and beheaded the Apostle James. The Sanhedrin did its part by arresting the apostles over and over. At some point the public’s view of the church changed.

Great grace is meant to denote the favor of God as well. God loves His church because it is the bride of His Son. God blessed the church with solid teaching from the apostles, with wonders, with gospel unity, and love, and provision. God’s favor was upon them all. Everyone was a partaker of the divine favor that God poured out. Look at 34-35:

Verse

34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

Commentary

The verse says that there was not a needy person among them. As I said before, the church pooled its resources to meet the needs of its members. Some members even sold their homes and properties and then brought the proceeds to the apostles who distributed the money. When I first read this I thought that these people may have been acting a little carelessly. If they sold their homes and properties where would they live? Did they put themselves and their families on the streets so that others could have what they needed? It could be that they sold their secondary homes and properties. Maybe they realized that the needs of others were more important than their vacation homes and extras?

Or maybe they downsized going from larger properties to smaller properties? The Scriptures don’t say exactly how this all went down but they do indicate that some members were incredibly generous. I have to say it again but this is result of the gospel. These folks had become secured in Christ to the point that they were willing to release some of their possessions and properties. Their hope and identity had become grounded in Christ which caused them to joyfully release their things for the betterment of God’s people and for the advancement of His church.

In our world a person is measured by what they have or by what they possess. A person’s value is determined by what they own and by how they look. The kingdom of God is radically different. In it we are not judged according to what we own and our value is not determined by how we look. No, in eternity past, God chose to love, accept, and value us, and to bring us into His family through the gospel at His appointed time. The blood soaked cross illustrates the depth of this love, acceptance, and value. These early Christian’s understood this and were therefore freed from the world’s system of image building, performance, and security. You might say, “The truth had set them free.” Here is my question to you: Has the truth set you free? Have you been freed from worldly indulgences, and image building, and the pursuit of wealth, treasure, and status? Take a look at your checking account or bank card records to see where your security is. What do you spend your money on? How much of it do you spend on yourself? How much of it do you give away? How much do you give to your church so that it can continue to meet the needs of others?

The gospel calls for us to leverage and use what we have for the cause of Christ. Are you doing that? If not, could it be because these particular areas of your life have yet to be submitted to Jesus? Could it be that you are still finding your value and identity in what you own rather than in who Christ is and in what He has done? I’m here to tell you friends that God desires to transform these areas of our lives. God desires for us to be secured in His Son. He desires for RHC to be a radically generous church. He desires for us to meet one anothers needs and He desires for us to leverage and use what we have for His purposes and for His glory. That’s what the early church did. Let’s continue, look at verse 36.

Verse

36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.

Commentary

Here we are introduced to Barnabas.

This is the gentlemen that went with the Apostle Paul on a church planting expedition a little later on in the narrative. His name was actually Joseph but the apostles called him Barnabas because of his gift of exhortation. Barnabas was a kind generous man who loved to encourage others. He was a glass half-full type of guy. These kinds of guys are a real joy to be around because they build you up regardless of your foolishness and mistakes. I recently graduated from a 15 week counseling course and one of the things that I learned is that a Christian counselor must have the gift of exhortation. He or she must be able to empathize with others and to encourage them accordingly. Barnabas was actually mentioned in the class several times because of his extortive/encouraging style.

Barnabas was a Levite which means that he was descended from the tribe of Levi which was the priestly tribe. Barnabas was the brother of Mary who was the mother of the gospel writer John Mark and the owner of the large house with the upper room where the church met and where the Lord celebrated the Last Supper. Barnabas was from Cyprus, a tiny Island in the Mediterranean that is populated by both Greeks and Turks. Barnabas may have been a wealthy man because he owned a field and because his sister Mary was wealthy. After selling his field he took the proceeds and placed them at the apostle’s feet. Laying the money at their feet signifies how well trusted the apostles were. They had a proven track record of using the money wisely.

I wish the same could be said about church leaders and pastors today. Not all of them spend frivolously but many do. One of the things that gets me going is the amount of money that is spent on technology and beautification. The rationale behind the spending is always, “We’re investing in the kingdom.” No, you’re investing in your empire. I know of a church that recently spent in upwards of a hundred thousand dollars on concert lighting for their stage (not Big Valley). That same church is now being forced to restructure because giving dropped. Do you know how many churches we could plant with a hundred thousand dollars? At least 5. Five churches could’ve been planted with that money. Five churches in 5 neighborhoods reaching 500+ more people.

The thinking behind this stuff is that fancy stage lights will attract new people. But the church isn’t a marketing agency or a retail establishment peddling its brand of ‘doing church’ and the ‘gospel’. But many have turned it into that. And they feel that they’ve had no choice in the matter because of our culture. It is the culture that dictates how we’re to do church. We must keep up with the culture. Baloney. The Bible is what dictates how we spend money and do church and disciple people and carry the gospel forward. Not our “hot-mess” culture.

The leadership of the early church, the apostles, understood the centrality of God’s word and how it was the guide. And that is why the church’s needs were being met and they were well trusted. Barnabas placed a fairly large sum of money at their feet so that they would distribute it to the needy folks in the church. The story now shifts from the positive to the negative. We are about to study one of the most tragic events in the Scriptures. Look at chapter 5:1-2:

Verse

1But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet.

Commentary

Luke interrupts the narrative with the word “But”. This was his way of introducing a sharp contrast between the actions of Barnabas and two individuals, Ananias and Sapphira. Ananias and Sapphira were a married couple who, like Barnabas, owned a piece of property and then sold it and then brought the proceeds to the apostles. The problem was that they devised a plan to keep some of the money and lie about how much they sold it for and then give the apostles the shorted amount. Let’s say that they sold it for 25 shekels of gold which is worth about $50K. When they came to the apostles they told them that they sold the property for $40K and then placed the money at their feet, keeping $10K for themselves. Look at verses 2-4:

Verse

3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.”

Commentary

Peter somehow knew what Ananias was up to. He knew that he was lying and swindling. How? It could be that somebody else knew about his plot and then told Peter. It could be that the person who bought the land was actually present and then whispered to Peter, “He’s lying, he paid $50K, not $40K.” I doubt it was either of these. It would appear that it was the Holy Spirit that revealed this to Peter right at that very moment. Peter then asked Ananias, “Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart?” John MacArthur has great commentary that explains the apparent motive behind his actions.

“Ananias and Sapphira saw an opportunity to make a double profit: They would gain spiritual prestige and still make money on the side.

Withholding part of the money for their own use was not a sin, as Peter clearly states in verse 4. Nowhere were the believers commanded to give everything. Their giving, like all NT giving, was voluntary. The overt sin was lying, by publically pretending to have given all the proceeds of the sale of their property. That sin was but the outward manifestation, however. The deeper, more devastating sin was hypocrisy based on a desire for spiritual status. They desired the approval of men for their sacrificial act and to be thought of as members of those most spiritually noble.”

Jesus warned his disciples against these things during His ministry. Kevin read this passage earlier.

Matthew 6:1

Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

Look at Peter’s last statement to Ananias. He said, “You have not lied to man but to God.”

Look at what happened next in verses 5-6:

Verse

5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.

Commentary

God struck Ananias down. And the purpose for striking him down is seen in the second part of verse 5, “And great fear came upon all who heard of it.” God struck down Ananias for his devilish deed and used it as an example for the rest of the church. God commands that His church be holy as He is holy. Ananias brought un-holiness, sin, and deception into the church. The church is to mirror the holiness, righteousness, and the love and grace of God to the world. Sin in the church obscures and mars the image of the one who paid for her with His own blood, Jesus Christ. And God will not stand for that. I’ve heard preachers say that God no longer responds to His children’s sins this way and that this was a special instance because He wanted to set an example at the beginning of the church. How foolish!

That kind of thinking and teaching is nothing more than an invitation to unholy living in the church. The devil would love for us to believe that this was a first century thing only and that God isn’t concerned about the holiness of His church. That God let’s things go and will never again resort to that level of chastisement. What promises are we given in the Scriptures that insure against these things?

Read the OT to see how God dealt with the un-holiness of His people. Read the apostolic warnings in the epistles about such things. Sin, whether in the church or out, is an affront to God. And God is just.

May we never see or treat grace as a license for sin. If we do so we have become worse than an unregenerate person who despises Jesus and the gospel. Never think to yourself, “Oh well, I’ve sinned, thanks to the grace of God I’m covered.” The Bible says that our sin “Should break our spirit and cause mourning” (Matthew 5:3-4). James commanded in James 2:9 that we should respond to our sin by “Mourning and weeping. And that our laughter be turned to crying and our joy to gloom.” In 1 Corinthians 5:1 Paul rebuked the Corinthian leaders for taking sin too lightly and then he instructed them to kick a man out of the church!

As a new church we’d better be very serious about sin. We must meet it head-on in love with a desire to see people restored to God and to our fellowship. If we do not deal with sin the right way, if we let it go, we will be acting in an unloving way towards our brothers and sisters in Christ. We become a willful party to their death. If we mistreat our family members when they slip up, we will offend God and fall under His judgment. None of us want that. Back to the text. The Holy Spirit isn’t done yet, He’s about to issue another warning against sin in the church in verses 7-10:

Verse

7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether yousold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

Commentary

I wonder if the young men thought to themselves, “I had no idea joining the church would mean that we’d have to carry dead bodies all over the place. What kind of weird church is this?” Peter gave Sapphira something that Ananias didn’t get, an opportunity to tell the truth. Ananias came with a lie, had it pointed out, and then received swift punishment for it. Sapphira was actually given the opportunity to be truthful. Peter asked her, “How much did you sell your land for, was it for this much?” Right there she could have said no and came clean. Why did Peter give her an opportunity to come clean and not Ananias?

Peter obviously knew that Ananias was crooked right from the start and that’s why he wasn’t given an opportunity to come clean but he may not have known if his wife was part of the deception too and that’s why he asked her for an answer. Her answer would have told him if she was in it or not. Or, maybe Peter knew that she was a coconspirator and his question was an act of mercy and grace, providing her with a last-moment way out of her sin and its penalty. The church, according to verse 5, had already become fearful by the sin and the sudden death of Ananias. Peter may have felt that the point had been made and that there was no further need for another death so he gave her a way out.

In verse 8 she showed that she was a coconspirator. She lied just like her husband did. It is doubtful that she would have lied if she’d known what happened to her husband. But God wasn’t interested in an ‘after the fact’ response by her so the information was withheld. God’s expectation for her and every other Christian is much higher than that. God has not called for us to feel remorse over our sins only when we get caught. No, all sin, no matter how big or small, no matter whether or not we get caught, should bring some level of remorse and brokenness on the inside.

There is a house by my workplace that keeps getting raided for drug dealing. 6 months ago it was hit by police. Several members were arrested and taken away. Two weeks ago the house got hit again. This time the CPA took the children way. The father, while sitting in the back of a squad car began to cry out, “Don’t take my babies, don’t take my kids.” It was really sad. One of the police officers opened the car door and told him, “I can’t help you, you should’ve learned your lesson the first time, now be quiet.”

There are many-many people in the church and out of the church that feel nothing when they sin or break the law. And yet, when they get caught, they feel terrible. And many times they feel terrible about the punishment they’re about to get rather than over their actions and behavior. I’m here to tell you today friends, if you are a true Christian, God has placed His Holy Spirit within you. And He put Him in you to teach you and to lead you and to warn you against temptation and to convict you when you sin.

If you feel remorse over your sin ‘only’ when you get caught, something is wrong. It could be that you’ve allowed so much sin into your life that the Holy Spirit has been almost totally quenched and the only time He can get your attention is when you get in trouble for sinning. I can’t tell you how many “Christians” I’ve known who act this way. If you feel ‘nothing’ when you sin, something is wrong. If this is you, the Scriptures indicate that you don’t know Christ. You cannot know Christ and at the same time be oblivious to your sin, it is impossible.

1 John 1:8

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

When Peter asked Sapphira how much she sold it for, conviction should’ve came. She should have sensed within herself that she was about to lie and she should have obeyed the Spirit and told the truth. If she had she probably would’ve attended her husband’s funeral. Apparently her lust for spiritual prestige was louder than the whispering convictions of the Holy Spirit. When I wrote this I was reminded of how loud my own sins are at times and how often they drown out the gentle voice of the Spirit. It’s far more often than I’d like to admit. And how about you? How often do your sins drown out the still small voice of God? Ananias and Sapphira were not given the opportunity for counseling or for some other form of disciplinary action. They were caught up in sin and then struck down by God and then used as an example to the rest of the church that un-holiness would not be tolerated. The death of Sapphira produced the same result as that of her husband.

Verse

11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

Commentary

As I’ve quoted before in previous sermons, Jesus said, “I shall build my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it”. This promise was made against any and all who stand against Christ’s church. The Sanhedrin, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, Nero, the Herodian Monarchy, Hitler, Stalin, and much of the world’s population, and so on and so on. Even Christian’s who become persuaded by the devil and hades to ruin the church from within will not prevail against it. God deals with all of them all in His timing. Nothing will stop the church from becoming all that Christ is making it to be, nothing.

With that being said, I believe God is graciously giving us an invitation to be restored to Him today, at this moment. If you are a Christian and you’ve down-played sin not taking it serious and have engaged in un-holy activities. Come to the mercy seat of Christ. Tell Jesus what you’ve done. Receive His grace and mercy now. Ask Him to strengthen and fortify you. Tell Him to fill you with the Holy Spirit and power. Be restored to Him at this very moment. And make things right with the people that you’ve have hurt or offended or whatever. If you do not yet know Christ and you would like to know Him. The Bible says that you must repent of your sins, turn from them, and place your faith and trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Believe that He was nailed to a cross for your sins, and that He was buried in a tomb, and that He rose again conquering the devil, death, and the penalty of sin once and for all.

If you do this, the bible says you will pass from spiritual death to spiritual life and be brought into the family of God where you will experience the salvation of God, peace, joy, purpose, and true love.