Acts 4:32-5:42

If you've got a Bible, turn to Acts chapter 4.

Acts 4 · chapter mention

And it would really help you to have a Bible in front of you.

And so do run and grab one from the door.

Or look at it on your phone, if you're able to not be distracted.

And the end of Acts chapter 4, I'm going to go right the way through from the end of Acts 4 to the whole of chapter 5.

Acts 4 · chapter mention

A little while ago, I came across a website that gave kids funny answers to school tests or exams.

There was one geography test that said, can you name six animals which live specifically in the Arctic?

One kid answered, two polar bears and four seals.

There was a history exam that ended, what ended in 1896?

And one wise guy responded, 1895.

Another history question, where was the American Declaration of Independence?

And it's signed.

One kid answered at the bottom.

And so I'm not sure what this subject was.

But here's the question, it went something like this.

Some atoms share electrons and become more stable.

Can you describe a situation where people can share something and everyone benefits?

And the answer came back, communism.

Communism is an ideology.

Some of you here will have experienced it.

Some of you might even be drawn to it.

Others of you detest it.

And interestingly, sometimes people go to Acts 4 and it's been described as a kind of Christian communism.

People are sharing their possessions with one another.

People are making sure all the needy are looked after.

And I can understand why people might think that about Acts chapter 4.

Acts 4 · chapter mention

But personally, I think there's some big problems with that.

Luke's explanation of what's going on is that the church are under the influence of a great power and great grace.

And it starts, doesn't it, with that wonderful expression in chapter 4 and verse 32.

Where it says, now the full number of those who believed were 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.

It's a wonderful description.

In that church, there was such unity amongst the Christians in those churches.

That they could possess one mind and one heart.

A common heart and a common mind.

Their desires and their thoughts in the church were this remarkable unity.

And their unity, we're told, is fed and shaped by the teaching of the apostles.

And that's the first of two things that is described as great in verse 33.

Now this sermon is really clear in my mind.

But there's about three different structures going on.

So you can take your pick.

Hopefully it'll be clear in your mind by the end too.

If it's not, you can complain.

Two things Luke describes.

Look at verse 3.

Two things that are great.

He says that with great power, the apostles were giving testimony to the Lord Jesus.

The resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

And so point one really is, there's a church here that's filled with great grace and great power.

The apostles are teaching that the new believers, and they're teaching them and they're continuing to preach this message to anyone else in the world who will listen.

And the focus of the New Testament church was the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

That was where the early church found their great power.

But there's a second thing, isn't there?

There's great power.

But Luke describes in that verse, there's great grace was upon them all.

Great undeserved kindness was upon them all.

Great grace accompanying great power.

And that grace, that grace, that great undeserved generosity meant that there was no needy person among them.

God's grace provoked them into a radical generosity.

Unlike communism, the early church still believed in private ownership.

That's clear from chapter 5 and verse 4.

But nevertheless, they adopted a really sacrificial attitude.

Verse 32, no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.

Verse 34, there was not a needy person among them.

For as many were owners of lands or houses, sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold,

and laid it at the apostles' feet.

And it was distributed to each as any had need.

That echoes what we've seen already in chapter 2 of Acts.

And it really is an incredible commitment to each other that is being described here.

And if that unsettles you a little bit, let me tell you, I think that's a good thing.

Here's what one writer said about these verses.

He said,

Here's a surprise.

That was written 550 years ago by a man called John Calvin.

And if that was true then, how much more is that true today?

This radical generosity is counter-cultural.

These early Christians saw their possessions to be genuinely at the disposal of others,

according to their needs.

So much so that they were willing to sell what was theirs in order to provide for others.

Now, when was the last time any of us did that?

It seems that most of us, who are trusting the Lord Jesus Christ,

are willing to be generous with our liquid assets.

That's the money in our bank or what's in our wallet.

But I suspect that it rarely occurs to us to liquidate some of the things that we own

in order to be generous to others in need.

And I suspect we should be very provoked and challenged by what we read.

Luke follows this up by pointing to the example of one particular man,

a man named Barnabas, that was his nickname.

One writer I read called Barnabas the poster boy of a Jewish convert.

He may have been one of the people that was converted on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2.

And here he is just a short little while selling a field he owned

and bringing the money to the feet of the apostles.

And I think the symbolism there is he's bringing it to the church and saying,

use this where the needs are greatest.

And his action becomes a kind of benchmark to which other believers will aspire.

People like a married couple called Ananias and Sapphira.

Now just before we move into chapter 5,

I want us to pause and to take a mental picture of this church.

The church that Luke describes here is a church living under a powerful influence.

There is powerful preaching and there is divine favour.

Luke calls it great power and great grace.

And who wouldn't want to be part of a church like this?

A church where people come together and they hear God's word powerfully preached

and a church where people care for one another deeply

and people are generous towards one another and dependent on God's word.

It's a church full of grace and full of power.

Who would not want to join a church like that?

But then things come and stuck.

And it seems to me there's a bit of a parallel here.

You've got a parallel of the idyllic situation at the start of the Bible.

The idyllic experience of Adam and Eve in a beautiful garden of Eden.

And it's spoiled by the sin of a married couple.

And so you come to Acts chapter 5

Acts 5 · chapter mention

and the idyllic experience of the early church is spoiled

by the sin of a married couple.

And so as we move from chapter 5,

we move from a church that is filled with grace and power

to a church that's filled with fear.

And in place of those united hearts, do you remember that?

We see divided hearts.

We find that hearts have been corrupted.

So look at chapter 5 verse 3.

Do you remember?

4.32, one heart.

5 verse 3, Peter says,

Ananias, why has the devil, Satan, filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?

If you've been here through the series in Acts,

we are learning that there are threats to the Christian church.

And the threats do not just come from outside,

from persecution and pressure,

but they come from inside, from the sin of church members.

And as the one-heartedness of chapter 4

is undermined by the corruption of hearts in chapter 5,

so too is the one-mindedness undermined.

And the sin of Ananias and Sapphira

shatters a really wonderful unity.

Their sin is not primarily greed.

Okay?

It's deceit.

It's hypocrisy.

And it seems to me that Ananias and Sapphira,

they wanted the reputation of the poster boy Barnabas.

And they saw Barnabas and his generosity

and how people were so thankful for what he'd done and who he was,

and they wanted his reputation without the sacrifice.

They were consumed by envy.

They wanted to be thought of as more generous than they actually were.

The issue wasn't that they wanted to keep some money for themselves.

No, that was fine.

That's not the issue.

But the issue is that they pretended that they were giving it all.

Peter says there in verse 4,

while it remained unsold,

didn't it remain your own?

And after it was sold,

wasn't it at your disposal?

Why is it that you've contrived this deed in your heart?

You've not lied to man,

but to God.

They wanted to be seen,

to be like Barnabas.

But in the end,

they proved to be very,

very different.

And this really is,

isn't it,

a provocative challenge to us and our money,

and to me and my money.

Because the sin of Ananias and Sapphira

leaves us asking a pretty uncomfortable question of ourselves.

Is it possible that we would like the kudos

that comes with generosity

without the inconvenience of it?

Do we want to be seen to be generous

without really making any sacrifices?

And that is very close to home, isn't it?

And I wonder if we,

if I,

am ever guilty of a similar hypocrisy.

Well, we know what happens next.

In the previous paragraph,

we saw the power

of the apostles influencing the church.

And here we see the church

captured by the power of God.

And the judgment

that Ananias and Sapphira fell under

is swift and complete

and utterly unforgettable.

Did you notice,

at the start of the story,

they brought their money

to lay at the feet of the apostles?

That's verse 2.

They bring their money

and they lay it at the feet of the apostles,

but in chapter 10,

but in verse 10,

they are stone cold dead

at the feet of the apostles.

And again,

it reminds us of another story,

doesn't it,

in the Old Testament,

the story of Achan,

which is told in Joshua chapter 7.

Joshua 7 · chapter mention

Because Achan too,

he sinned, didn't he?

And he sinned against the people of God,

the community to which he belonged,

and he tried to hide it

and he was struck down dead.

And it seems significant

that the founding moments

of the Old Testament community

of God's people,

you have the sin of Achan,

and then the founding moment

of the New Testament community

of God's people,

you have Ananias and Sapphira.

And it's as if God is acting

to show that sin,

our rebellion,

and our deceit

has no place

in his church.

God acts devastatingly

and nothing if not memorably.

There can be no mistake

that here,

this act is the power of God

rather than the power of the apostles.

Some people see this chapter

as a kind of pattern

for church discipline.

I think that misreads it.

It's not the church leaders

exercising discipline,

it is God exercising discipline.

Peter makes it really clear,

doesn't he?

He says,

you two,

you've sinned against God.

Notice the way he speaks

about the Holy Spirit

and God interchangeably.

Where do you see that God,

where do you see

that the Holy Spirit is God?

Verse three says,

you've lied to the Holy Spirit.

Verse four says,

you've lied to God.

Verse nine says,

you've conspired to test the Lord.

And just as God is the one

who has been sinned against,

so he is the one that responds.

It's not the church leaders

that decide that Ananias

and Sapphira should die.

It's not the church leaders

or members

who carry out this discipline.

God does.

And that's why the people

respond by fearing God.

And God

let's be clear about that.

This wasn't a kind of posture

that people adopted

after they carefully

reviewed the evidence

and they came to

a considered point of view.

No, they see Ananias

and Sapphira drop dead

and they are gripped with fear.

Great fear.

They're scared.

They recognize who God is

in all his terrifying holiness

and power

and they're afraid.

Chapter 4 tells us

the church knew great power

and great grace.

But here you see something else

that the church experiences

that Luke calls great.

Verse 5.

When Ananias heard these words

he fell down and breathed his last

and great fear

came upon all who heard it.

Verse 11.

Great fear

came upon the whole church

and all who heard of these things.

This is the first time

that the word church

appears in Luke's writings.

He wrote a gospel

and he wrote Acts

and this is the first time

the word church

appears in his writing.

Luke says,

this is church everyone.

This is the place

where sin is taken

very, very seriously.

This is more than just

a service

with some singing.

More than

warm hearted fellowship

and a cup of tea.

Life and death

is at stake here.

He is saying

that the church

is a place

where God is.

And God sees

even the secrets

of your heart

and mine.

And the God

who sees everything

is the God

who is determined

not to let us stay

as we are.

But who will break us

and remake us

until we're like his son.

And if that doesn't

terrify us

we're not listening.

Welcome to church.

Welcome to church.

Luke says.

What happened

at your church

last Sunday

where actually

two people died?

Welcome to church.

and again

the question now is

who would want

to be part

of a church

like this?

Do you remember

Through the Keyhole

with Lloyd Grossman?

It's kind of

over 45s

isn't it?

And he'd go around

different celebrities' houses

and he would ask

who lives in a house

like this?

I can't do his accent.

The question would be

who would want

to live in a house

like this?

Who would want

to be part

of a church

like this?

It's not safe

is it?

To be part

of a church

like this.

Much will be

expected of you.

You will need

to change

like I do.

There's no secrets

from God.

Who would want

to be part

of a church

like this?

It's certainly

uncomfortable

isn't it?

Even dangerous.

Thankfully

God doesn't seem

to be in the business

of disciplining

people so drastically

these days

that God's holiness

is no less exacting

than it was

then

and yet God

has given us

eyes to see

isn't it?

That there's

no better place

for us to be.

This part

of Acts 5

reminds you

and I

if we're part

of this church

very soberly

of what we've

signed up for.

chapter 5

verse 12

the focus

shifts from

the church

to the wider

mission of

Jesus

that the believers

are involved in.

The second half

will be briefer.

The focus

shifts from

what's being

laid at the

apostles feet

to what is

in the apostles

hands.

Verse 12

talks about

what was being

done by the

hands of

the apostles

and once again

the focus

there is on

these signs

and wonders

they're performing

there are some

incredible things

that they're doing

and when you've

realised

when you

have read them

you notice how

powerful the

apostles seem

to people

that people are

even leaving

their sick

friends and

relatives on

the side of

the street

where the

shadow of

the apostle

Peter might

fall on them

it was attractive

many sick

people many

demon possessed

people were

brought to them

and Luke says

they were healed

it's this

unique stage

of redemptive

history

and as we

saw in

Luke chapter

Luke 2 · chapter mention

2

Acts chapter

Acts 2 · chapter mention

2

this is the

power of

Jesus now

being channeled

through his

apostles

there are no

apostles around

today

no one

who's seen

the life

and ministry

and resurrection

of the Lord

Jesus

but what we're

drawn to is

the ministry

of these

apostles

in their

teaching

and their

acts

mixes with

very

well

there are

very mixed

reactions to

it

some really

don't want to

associate with

them

so verse 12

and now many

signs and wonders

were regularly

done among the

people by the

hands of the

apostles

and they were

all together

in Solomon's

portico

and then it

says none

of the rest

joined them

but the people

held them in

high esteem

but by contrast

there are others

who are hearing

the message

about Jesus

and surrendering

their lives

in verse 14

more than ever

believers were

added to the

Lord and

multitudes of

both men

and women

it seems

that there's

people in

Jerusalem

that are

publicly

terrified

to join

the church

meetings

happening

in the

colonnade

of Solomon's

portico

but they're

willing to

receive the

ministry of

the apostles

when they

travel about

and as they

did many

of them

were saved

but of

course

some

people

are not

remotely

interested

in being

saved

and chief

among

those who

are not

queuing up

for the

apostles

ministry

are the

Jewish

leaders

and verse

17

describes the

ongoing

conflict

and in the

first place

Luke tells

us that their

jealousy leads

to hostility

Luke actually

names what's

in their

hearts

verse 17

the high

priest rose

up and all

who were with

him

that's the

party of

Sadducees

filled with

jealousy

envy

and they

arrested the

apostles and

put them in

public prison

and now we're

not talking about

any longer how

the mission of

Jesus proceeds

when it's in

the apostles

hands

but how the

mission proceeds

when the

Jewish leaders

are trying to

direct its

course

and they do

so don't

they by

laying their

hands on

God's

messengers

and Luke

tells us that

that power

leads to

humiliation

I love this

section

because they

try to

prevent

don't they

the mission

of Jesus

proceeding

that was

their goal

but their

power to

throw people

in jail

is utterly

outstripped

by the

power of

Jesus

whose mission

it is

so Luke

describes

doesn't he

that an

angel of the

Lord comes

and opens

the door

of the

jail

during the

night

and he

tells the

disciples

go back

to the

temple

from where

you've

been

arrested

and start

preaching

again

and that's

what they

do the

next morning

the Jewish

Sanhedrin

assembles

for the

next day

they call

for the

apostles

to be

brought

from

jail

one of

the

guards

has to

sheepishly

go and

tell the

leaders

listen the

jail cell

is empty

we don't

know where

they are

and no

sooner have

they delivered

that message

than another

messenger comes

and says

those guys

who arrested

yesterday

they're

actually

back in

the temple

and they're

preaching

it's a

comical

scene

God

gives

these guys

just a

tiny glimpse

of his

authority

and strength

and the

leaders are

utterly

humiliated

once more

the apostles

are brought

from their

preaching

to the

authorities

they don't

use force

this time

verse 26

because they're

afraid of the

people

and just

notice

when you

put the

fear of

people

and the

fear of

God

alongside

each other

it shines

doesn't it

a light

on the

weakness

of these

Jewish

leaders

the fear

of people

leads to

an ineffective

command

because Luke

tells us

next just

how ineffective

their instruction

the day

before had

been

despite what

had happened

overnight

they continued

to act

as if

they were

in complete

control of

what was

going on

so look at

verse 28

the Jewish

leaders say

we strictly

charged you

not to

teach in

his name

we told

you

notice

they can't

even begin

to bring

themselves

to name

the name

of Jesus

and then

there's this

beautiful

captivating

turn of

phrase

it says

this

this

is

what

these

apostles

have

done

is

filled

Jerusalem

with

this

teaching

over the

day

when that

would be

said

of

Ealing

and of

London

that it

was filled

with the

teaching

of the

gospel

Peter and

the others

respond

verse 29

and they

say we

must obey

God

rather than

human

beings

it's

exactly the

same thing

they said

a couple

of weeks

ago

in chapter

419

do you

remember

what Peter

and John

replied

they said

whether it's

right

in the

sight of

God

to listen

to you

rather than

God

well you

must judge

for we

cannot

but speak

of what

we've

seen

and heard

for the

apostles

the choices

are no

brainer

obey

God

or obey

the

Jewish

leaders

but they

don't

stop

that

having

said

that

they

launch

into

this

explanation

of the

good

news

that we'll

see

again

and

again

the

apostles

never

miss

a beat

to

proclaim

what

God

has

done

they

say

verse

30

the

God

of our

it's

astonishing

they

continue

to offer

the

crucifiers

of Jesus

the

possibility

of

complete

forgiveness

but they

are also

very clear

in calling

on them

to listen

to God

to listen

to their

testimony

and to

the

testimony

of the

Holy

Spirit

and the

apostles

insist

on calling

the Jewish

leaders

to repent

is more

than most

of them

can bear

they hear

the message

you got it

wrong

about

Jesus

massively

wrong

about

Jesus

and they

respond

verse 33

can you

see it

when they

hear this

they are

enraged

and want

to kill

them

the chapter

ends by

telling us

about this

wise old

Pharisee

called

Gamaliel

who

urges

a more

cautious

approach

and his

wisdom

leads to

restraint

he sagely

reminds them

that religious

leaders

religious

movements

come and

go

they flare

up all

the time

and then

they burn

out as

quickly as

they got

going

and this

could be

one of

them

so verse

39

and this

is a

very

poignant

moment

verse 39

he says

this

he says

if it

is of

God

you will

not be

able

to stop

them

and you

might even

be found

opposing

God

I think

that is

the message

of Acts

in one

sentence

if it

is of

God

you will

not be

able to

stop

them

so

instead

of

killing

them

the

Sanhedrin

has

them

flogged

and tells

them once

again

stop

talking

about

Jesus

an

instruction

that the

apostles

are not

about to

heed

and their

determination

to keep

on doing

exactly

what they've

been told

not to

do

is the

note

that

Acts

5

strikes

again

so verse

41

then they

left

the

presence

of

the

council

rejoicing

that they

were counted

worthy to

suffer

dishonour

for the

name

and every

day

in the

temple

and from

house

to house

they did

not

stop

teaching

and preaching

that the

Christ is

Jesus

and that's

really

the place

to end

for the

chapter

because

that's

what the

chapter

is all

about

it's

about

the

importance

of

obedience

and so

this

chapter

bounces

around

our minds

this

morning

and it

provokes

us

to

freshly

see

why

we

must

as a

church

obey

God

too

the whole

chapter

drives us

in that

direction

Ananias and

Sapphira

remind us

shockingly

we have to

say of

why

obedience

matters

and the

church of

Jesus Christ

is no

place for

disobedience

and the

second half

of the

chapter

the

apostle

set us

an

example

of the

opposite

obedience

verse

29

they say

we must

obey

God

verse

32

they say

God

has

given

his

Holy

Spirit

do you

notice

to who

to

those

who

obey

him

and

verse

42

in

direct

opposition

to the

command

of the

Jewish

leaders

the

apostles

do

what

Jesus

has

asked

them

to

do

they

continue

to

proclaim

the

gospel

and as

the

apostles

obeyed

so

must

!

and so

they

stick

with

the

mission

of

Jesus

opposition

not

withstanding

for two

key reasons

and let me

finish here

first of all

because we

belong

to his

church

and we

should obey

him because

he is the

lord of our

church

it is not

ours

it is

his

it operates

on his

power

it is formed

and nurtured

by his

truth

and when

we sin

against

the

church

we sin

against

him

and when

we need

it to be

corrected

or disciplined

or transformed

it is he

who ultimately

changes us

and Acts 5

reminds us

that the

early churches

of Acts

are just like

churches today

just like our

little church

they are

churches of

Jesus Christ

and we

should obey

him

because we

belong to

his

church

the church

that belongs

to him

and secondly

Acts 5

reminds us

that it's

not just

his church

it's his

mission

and the

mission wasn't

ultimately in the

hands of the

apostles

and it certainly

wasn't in the

hands of the

Jewish elders

and it's not

ultimately in

our hands

either

it's in

Jesus'

hands

the work

of God

in the

world

is the

work that

he directs

and he

progresses

and he

completes

so we

obey him

because we

serve his

mission

we do

what he

would have

us to

do

because our

life's work

is nothing

more and

nothing less

than his

work

and you

and I

live in a

world

don't we

where people

are regularly

telling the

church of

Jesus Christ

stop

talking

about

Jesus

and we

do well

don't we

to heed

the

apostles

persistent

example

of obedience

to God

and disobedience

to the

world

this is a

chapter that

reminds you

and I

that Jesus

is Lord

Jesus is

Lord of

the church

and he is

Lord of

the mission

and he

is the

one we

serve

and he

is the

one we

obey

and Peter

and the

other apostles

replied we

must obey

God

rather than

human beings

so day

after day

in the

temple courts

and from

house to

house they

never stopped

teaching

and proclaiming

the good

news

that Jesus

is the

Lord

do

not

stop

let's

pray