Snapshots of a New Creation (Part 3)

We are studying the book of Acts on Sunday mornings and there is an outline of the sermon to follow along if you like.

If you didn't get one, ushers would be happy to hand you one, if you just let them know.

A man was on a river and went water skiing with his friend, and when the boat made a really sharp turn he fell into the river.

And as the boat circled around to pick him up, the man in the water noticed that there was a man in a duck boat hunting ducks along the side of the river, and so he saw him and, while he's in the water, put up his hand and said hey, please don't shoot.

And the hunter said well then, don't quack.

Let me tell that again.

Maybe something.

Okay, you know the saying if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it's probably a good guess that it's a duck.

It's pretty easy to identify a duck by the way he looks and walks and talks.

In a similar way, you can tell when someone's life has been changed by Christ by how they live and how they talk.

That's what we've been looking at in Acts, chapter 4 and 5.

Acts 4 · chapter mention

When the church was born, in the early chapters of Acts, we see that those who believed in Jesus began to speak and act as people who have been radically changed.

They're not the same.

Their changed lives become kind of a pattern for believers who've come to Christ ever since.

In fact, the Bible tells us I've mentioned this before when we believe in Jesus and receive the Holy Spirit, we become, as far as God's concerned, a new creation.

He's starting over.

We're born again.

It all starts over with him.

And in Acts, chapter 4, we can see four distinctive marks of what a new creation looks like in these first believers in Jesus who were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Acts 4 · chapter mention

And it's the same Jesus and the same Holy Spirit who works in the lives of believers to this day.

So far, we've looked at the first two marks of a new creation, what it looks like in these believers in Christ in Acts, chapter 4.

Acts 4 · chapter mention

First, we saw that, in spite of their suffering, they didn't quit.

They continued in strength to keep serving God, even though it was hard.

Last time we looked at the second mark, which was when they experienced suffering.

They didn't move away from God.

They drew closer to God, praying God's own words back to them.

Sovereign Lord, they said you made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them.

You spoke by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of your servant, our father David, who said why do the nations rage and the people's plot in vain?

The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and his anointed one.

Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.

They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.

And now, lord, take note of their threats and grant that your bondservants may speak your word with all confidence, while you extend your hand to heal and signs and wonders take place through the name of your holy servant Jesus.

And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

God answered their prayer to give them the third mark of a Christ-changed life, which is the courage to speak God's word boldly.

When they had prayed, the place of the God was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

Even though the people started to persecute them, god's Spirit gave them a courage and a boldness to speak God's word to others.

Notice that the courage to speak God's word boldly came after they prayed and were filled with the Spirit.

It's a mark of the Holy Spirit, because the scriptures were written and inspired by the Holy Spirit.

They're his words, as the Apostle Peter tells us in 2 Peter 1, 20 and 21.

Peter says know this first of all, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

So again, we will not be able to pray biblically unless we know what the Bible says, and we won't be able to speak the word boldly unless we know what the Bible actually says.

Application get to know God more and more through regular, consistent times in his word, so you'll be able to speak from his word to others, not your words, his word, that's what they're doing.

Word to others, not your words.

His word, that's what they're doing.

Their boldness came from knowing and experiencing the power of God's word in their own lives, like it does for every believer ever since.

Paul commends the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 2.13,.

He says For this reason, we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God, when you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but what it really is the word of God which performs its work in you who believe in you, who believe.

Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit works his life into our lives through the word of God that he spoke.

Listen, john 6, 63.

Jesus said it's the spirit who gives life.

The flesh profits nothing, and the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

Now listen, when God's spirit makes God's word alive to you, you cannot help but speak it to others.

That's what's happening to them.

It's the reason I'm here on Sunday mornings.

I can't help it.

I've got to tell somebody.

One of the funniest and oddest times that happened to me on this point is not long.

I mean I was a Christian.

Maybe three or four days I was living in my dorm at Michigan State University and I was just consuming the Word for the first time.

My eyes were open, I was consuming it, I was reading a passage and I don't even remember where, but I know it was the Gospel of Matthew and I was so struck by what I was reading.

I saw a guy pass by my door and I went out and grabbed him, pulled him into my room.

I said listen to this.

And I shared with him.

I was excited.

Look at this, I said.

I kept saying.

He just looked at me, shook his head and left.

That was me early days.

Now some of you do the same thing.

Wait a minute, okay.

From Acts, chapter 4, we've seen that the marks of a Christ-changed life, filled with the Holy Spirit, are serving God consistently, praying to God biblically, speaking God's word boldly.

Acts 4 · chapter mention

Now we come to the fourth and last mark we see in this chapter of a Christ-changed life which is reflecting God generously.

Notice in Acts 4, right after they prayed, were filled with the Holy Spirit.

They started giving their money away like crazy to meet the needs of the church.

Listen Acts 4.32.

All the believers this is right after they prayed, speaking the word boldly.

All the believers were one heart and mind.

No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had With great power.

The apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all that were.

There were no needy persons among them.

From time to time, those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet and it was distributed to anyone who had a need.

Now Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth who was also called Barnabas by the apostles, which translated means son of encouragement, and who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.

Mark being filled with the Spirit, a Christ-changed life is amazing generosity.

I think one of the reasons you and I are not more generous is not only because of materialism and greed, it's because of fear.

Fear.

We're scared of losing our security.

It's not stinginess so much as fearfulness.

But guess what a mark of the Holy Spirit is?

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 1-7.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love and discipline our sound mind.

When you're filled with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit makes God so real to you in your heart.

You don't look to your savings and investments for your security.

It can't give you that.

Only God can make you secure.

And so when God isn't real to us, our money will be more real to us.

It will, but when God and the presence of the Holy Spirit is real to your heart, you can't help it.

Just like speaking the word, you cannot help it.

You will become more generous.

It's a mark, and as you grow in your relationship with God, you become more and more generous.

Why?

Because God is extravagantly generous and if we're in Christ and growing in Christ and the Spirit, we become like him.

That's the point.

That's what God's doing.

We're conformed to his likeness.

When we're filled by the Spirit, we will begin to reflect his generosity, as well as other attributes and character traits and virtues.

We will.

We can't help it If the Spirit is alive and well in us through the ministry of the Word of God.

It's life.

He's bringing life to us.

Generosity is a symptom.

Notice in the example of Barnabas that generosity and encouragement go together.

I don't know if you've seen this, but the most generous givers are the most encouraging believers.

They are Jesus, called the Holy Spirit, the comforter.

You know what the Holy Spirit does.

He gives gifts to those who believe in Jesus.

Extravagant blessings and gifts.

Look, it makes perfect sense to see those marks in a life where the Holy Spirit dwells and is filled a heart.

It really does.

But Luke, who was writing the book of Acts for us?

He's actually writing for his friend Theophilus, who's investigating Christianity.

He's actually writing for his friend Theophilus who's investigating Christianity.

He's putting down, he's got all the facts done, his research about Christianity, about Christ's changed lives, about the power of Jesus and believing in him, and he's recording it.

He's writing it down.

But Luke has us.

Look at another example that's the exact opposite of Barnabas Ananias and Sapphira.

I initially one reason I didn't want to preach Acts is because I've got to run into these difficult problem passages People lying against the Holy Spirit and are killed Wow.

But Luke wants us to know this.

You see, the account of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts, chapter 5, shows us the first example of how sin can greatly disrupt the spirit's life in a church, can greatly disrupt the Spirit's life in a church.

Acts 5 · chapter mention

I mean just devastated.

First, you need to know that in the original Greek text there were no chapter divisions like we have.

The scrolls is just all in a straight line Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

The chapter and verse.

Additions were put much later, put in much later to make it easier for us to read.

They weren't originally there.

So now, what I want you to do is listen to how it was originally heard, beginning in Acts 4.36, going through Acts 5.2.

Now Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who is also called Barnabas by the apostles, which translated means son of encouragement, and who owned a tract of land, sold it, brought the money, laid it at the apostles' feet.

But a man named Ananias, with his wife Savira, sold a piece of property, kept back some of the price for with his wife's virus.

Sold a piece of property, kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife's full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles' feet.

It's a contrast Filled with the Spirit, not filled with the Spirit.

Filled with something else.

You see, both start out appearing to be generous, mark of the Holy Spirit's filling.

Both sold property, dedicated the proceeds to the church.

Barnabas brought the proceeds in to the apostles, but Ananias and Sapphira held back some for themselves.

The word held back is used only one other time in the New Testament, in Titus 2.10, and it means to steal pilfer.

According to the text.

Ananias and Sapphira are stealing from God and his church.

Now I should add this too we can have a certain confidence that Luke is telling us the truth about this account, in fact, all of it.

Here's why.

First, luke names names.

These are specific, individual people.

He names them.

They're not some ambiguous man, no, no, no.

Barnabas, ananias, sapphira.

Second, he puts the sin and failure of Ananias into the record that he's sending to his friend Theophilus to help him understand the church, to understand Christianity.

Now, if he's just making this up, why would he include a scandal like that?

He's not.

He's telling the truth.

This is what actually happened.

What comes next, of course, is God's rebuke, severe rebuke of Ananias and Sapphira, who hypocritically made their actions look like they were filled with the Spirit, but in actuality not the case.

He wanted the church to know that God sees what's going on.

Ananias and Sapphira are influenced more by greed in their hearts than the Holy Spirit and, in fact, in Acts 5-4, peter even tells Ananias look, there was nothing wrong with you keeping the money until you promised to give it to the Lord, the money until you promise to give it to the Lord.

And they ended up lying to God and to the Holy Spirit.

It was not the Holy Spirit's mark.

Peter says that.

We see, in Ananias it was the mark of something unholy that Peter identifies as Satan.

Now it can be debated.

If Ananias and Sapphira were true believers in Jesus, that may be Luke's point.

We can question the same about Judas when we're told Satan entered his heart to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.

If they weren't believers but are trying to pretend to be, this should cause all of us to step back and test our own faith in the Lord.

Is it genuine?

Is the Holy Spirit in me?

Is his life being manifest in me?

Is it?

Have I truly believed?

It's interesting that in both Judas and Ananias, satan is able to influence them because of their greed and love for money.

The love of money, keeping their money, was more important to them than loving Jesus with their money, their money Look, this is huge.

It's in the scriptures to give us a warning.

Love of money is a huge thing to watch out for.

We're warned against it several times, even from Jesus.

If that's our weakness, you see, we love it.

We want to have more of it.

If that's our weakness, if that's the place we really have not fully surrendered to the Lord, the Holy Spirit will be quenched, because he's not about that.

He's a giver, he's generous, and this indicates that it's something Satan will take advantage of.

He will do it.

It looks for our weakness when it comes to our relationship with the Lord.

You don't need to be a rocket scientist to know this, if you follow the scripture.

Satan played a role at the beginning and end of Jesus' ministry to stop him, to destroy him before he could complete it.

Of course, at the cross, jesus defeated him.

There.

He didn't destroy the Messiah, but Revelation 12 tells us that now Satan's target are those who believed in Jesus.

Stop them.

Revelation 12, 17,.

So the dragon was enraged with the woman and went off to make war with the rest of her children who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

Now, if you've been following us in the book of Acts, the book of Acts shows us that Satan's first strategy are seen in his efforts to crush the church from the outside.

Suffering persecution, run away, it's going to be hard, but as the church father Tertullian wrote in the third century, you know what the blood of the martyrs is?

Just the seed of the church.

Oh, when persecution didn't stop the church.

Satan tried to destroy it from the inside.

There you go, through the moral corruption of believers, through unsurrendered believers who are going to have their own way in life.

Please, please, please.

So he starts from outside.

That doesn't work.

He's going in.

Look, listen to me.

Satan has not changed his mission, his strategy, his weapons or his tactics.

He has not, because they work.

He will use outside intimidation, suffering, troubles and persecution to stop us from being fruitful for Jesus.

He will, if he can.

He will also use internal moral corruption within the church to put a stop to any gospel influence in this community.

He will.

And third, he will also use our own personal struggles to thwart our service for Jesus, through our own personal struggles to thwart our service for Jesus through our own fears and through incomplete surrender to Jesus.

He will use it, leverage it.

Why?

To protect our own interests.

There's a passage in 1 Chronicles, 21 1, that says then Satan stood up against Israel, and to be against Israel, all he had to do was move David to do something that was sinful, move him which was to number Israel.

Now that's a whole discussion in itself, but I think at the core of it, david was looking to his own human resources for his security.

How many guys do we have?

Are we going to be okay if we're invaded?

Going to be okay if we're invaded?

Just as Satan stood up against Israel by getting David to sin, satan stands against the church by moving believers to sin against the Lord, not trusting him being unsurrendered.

Whatever area and Satan knows this you have kept back for yourself he is going to exploit it.

Don't miss Ananias and Sapphira.

This means we must be aware of his tactics and give him no room to discourage, defeat or destroy God's work in us, personally or corporately, as a church, as the Apostle Paul counseled the Corinthian church, 2 Corinthians 2, 10 and 11, the one whom you forgive anything, I also forgive For, indeed, what I have forgiven.

If I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes, in the presence of Christ, so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we're not ignorant of his schemes.

Guess what?

Holding on to people's faults and hurts and bitterness, whoa, that's his scheme, his tactic Burn your heart out with relational separation.

He'll use our fractured relationships to thwart the fullness and fruit of the Spirit in our lives and in our church.

He will.

He will Now when Peter talks to Sapphira.

There's a whole lot of stuff here.

I'm sorry, there's just too much.

I almost should have made this three messages.

I almost should have made this three messages.

When Peter talks to Sapphira, he points out the great mistake they made.

He says, acts 5.9,.

Why is it that you agree together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test?

Oh man, you know we see this come up in the children of Israel in the Old Testament the same sin.

What does it mean to test the Lord?

I'll tell you basically, what it means is that we're entertaining the false notion that God doesn't see what we're doing and he won't respond to anything we're doing.

It's behaving with no thought or awareness of God's presence or relevance in our lives.

I say that because of verses like Exodus 17.7.

Children of Israel came to the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, because they tested the Lord saying is the Lord among us or not?

Is he really here?

We can get away with that.

Nobody sees it.

He doesn't see it.

Or Numbers 14.22.

Surely all the men who have seen my glory and my signs which I performed in Egypt and the wilderness, yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not listened to my voice.

It's the notion.

I don't see God around.

He's probably missing all of this.

He doesn't see this.

There aren't any consequences.

Numbers 32, 23 disagrees Be sure, your sin will find you out.

Okay, ananias and Sapphira may have thought that their activities in the church, they were just dealing with human beings who won't notice their secret sin.

But what this account tells us, that they soon discovered, is that in the church, it is God that they and we are dealing with.

From Acts, chapter 4, we learn here are the marks of a Christ-changed life, filled with the Holy Spirit serving God consistently, no complaint.

Acts 4 · chapter mention

No stopping because it gets hard or just doesn't mean as much to me.

No, serving God consistently.

Second, praying to God.

Biblically, we're taking God's own words, talking with him in prayer, using them, speaking God's word boldly and reflecting God generously.

Now in Acts, chapter 5, we learn that the contrast of being filled with the Spirit is being influenced by Satan and filled with our own self-interest, which he takes advantage of.

Acts 5 · chapter mention

So we must be aware of his schemes and committed, fully, surrendered to the Lord, jesus Christ.

Back in Acts 4, when the presence of God comes down on these Christians.

They're filled with the Spirit and, if you remember, the place was shaken, sign of God's powerful presence with them, remember the context they're being threatened, they're being jailed, they're being beaten, but in prayer they recall God's greatness and sovereignty and as they pray God shakes the place.

So they would know the place is shaken, but they are not.

That is the message God wants us to know.

When we believe in Jesus, receive God's spirit.

He is with us to accomplish his good purpose in our lives, no matter what is happening.

And to receive God's spirit, the gift of eternal life is probably the most important step of faith anybody could make.

Life changing step was for me.

You've heard my story over and over again.

I invite you to believe in Jesus for the gift of eternal life today, gift of eternal salvation, assurance of it, certainty of it.

It's a gift.

All you have to do open your heart, welcome Jesus in as your Savior.

Let's pray Father, thank you that you sent your Son Jesus to die for our sins and raise him from the dead and seated him at your right hand of glory and power.

Thank you that Jesus sent his Holy Spirit to be with us as our counselor, comforter, as we wait for you to return.

Now, father, would you help us to be aware of your presence with us?

Would you help us to be aware of our enemy's tactics and strategies, especially when it comes to life in the body, relationships with one another, what he can do to destroy the very good thing that you want to do?

So we humbly ask you, father, for the power and grace of your Holy Spirit to help us serve you consistently.

Help us to draw to you prayerfully from your word.

Help us to speak your word boldly to others and give, like you, generously.

We can't do it in our own power.

We ask for the Holy Spirit, for your power to do these things as testimony to your greatness in our lives.

In Jesus' name, I pray.

Amen.