Genuine Faith Works, So Does Lingering Sin

Acts 4:32-5:11

When God works, Satan works too. We saw this last week. When the gospel was preached, the Jewish rulers opposed it. Sometimes Satan works to destroy the church from outside. When he cannot, he’ll do it from inside. Satan tried to destroy Adam and Eve; but God spared their lives. So Satan worked in their family. Cain killed Abel. Satan tried to use others to kill Jesus - like Herod and his neighbors in Nazareth. But they failed. So Satan entered Judas - Jesus’ disciple - to betray him. These were all false believers. But true believers can fall prey and hurt the church.

We see this all the time. The Corinthians were gifted, but carnal. They used spiritual gifts to gain prominence. There were factions and toleration of scandalous sin. Children, we’re Christians not because we’re perfect. We’re Christians because Christ saved us from sin. But we must grow in faith and holiness. If Christ loved and saved us, let’s live for him! Yes, we do give into temptations. If we don’t fight sin, it will linger on. When this happens, we hurt ourselves and Christ’s church. In this passage, we’ll consider the work of faith on the church and the work of lingering sin in 4 truths. Firstly, when faith works, the church will grow in unity. Secondly, some have extraordinary faith and do extraordinary works. Thirdly, unaddressed lingering sin will be used by Satan to hurt the church. Fourthly, God will sometimes act drastically to purify the church.

Firstly, when faith works, the church will grow in unity. The church had grown to over 10,000 by this stage. The believers were bold in the face of persecution. And as a result, there was internal growth. Verse 32 says, “And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul.” Dearly beloved, when we have a common faith and fight, there is unity. Believers prefer one another better than themselves. We see they were of one heart and soul. But weren’t they all different? Men, women, and children; singles, young working adults, middle aged, elderly. People of different color, language, and countries. But it says they believed. They had faith in Jesus. He saved them from their sins. And if they believed, they’d be united. 1 John 1:7 says, “if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another.” Sometimes we worship doctrine and we fight - mine’s more accurate than yours. Sometimes we worship worship and we fight - mine’s purer than yours. Sometimes we worship zeal and we fight - zeal without knowledge always fights. But when we’re faithful to Christ, we prefer one another.

And they showed this unity by preferring each other. Verse 32 - “And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.”“Neither said any of them” - none of the 10,000 said that their possessions were exclusively theirs. They had all things common - koinos in Greek, meaning they shared. And the tense is continuous. They kept on saying their stuff wasn’t theirs alone; they kept sharing. All 10,000 were like this

Why did they behaved like this? Their faith led to this conviction and compassion. They believed - the gospel changed them. It turned them from selfish killers into selfless givers. Their faith worked. Their faith was also founded on fact. In verse 24, after Peter and John were released, the disciples praised God - “and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is.” Since God created all things, he owns all things. Their possessions were God’s. And they were filled with the Holy Spirit, verse 31. Faith, fact, and filling caused them to feel. They were of one heart. Their affections were touched. They’d seen God’s power! 10,000 came to faith. This can only stir the feelings. Faith, fact, filling, feeling caused them to bear fruit - they freely gave their finances.

And dearly beloved, this tells us one thing. Living our Christian life is not just a function of duty. We live by faith, being filled, having godly affections and spiritual feelings. But when we forget what Christ did, quench the Spirit by sinning, then we don’t feel. Rather, we feel joyless and spiritually uneasy. So we fill our lives with other things that don’t satisfy. But when we pursue the mission of the church to live the gospel, when we see change, witness others change, we get excited. Our faith must produce life and fruit. Verse 33 - “And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.” Why were they generous? Because of great grace.

But secondly, while all Christians ought to have that working faith, some have extraordinary faith to do extraordinary works. We see the result of that faith and grace working in them. There was the elimination of destitution. Verse 34-35 - “Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.” Because they worked out their faith by giving, none lacked. None of the 10,000 were needy. There may have been poor people, but needs were met. And this was astounding as many people then were destitute - the lame man who begged for 40 years, the woman with the issue of blood 12 years, the paralytic man at the pool of Bethesda, and the 10 lepers. And the ratio was significant. Jerusalem had only 40,000 people in that time in history. But during feasts, it would swell to 250,000. That’s a 500% growth. This group were made up of residents of Jerusalem and pilgrims. So if we extrapolate; of the 10,000, 1,600 were residents and 8,400 were pilgrims needing food and lodging. Their money would’ve run out - no traveler’s cheques or ATMs - but the residents took care of them.

But the main supply was from the rich. These were rich in substance and faith. “Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them.” Christians that owned land or houses - the very rich - sold them according to the need. They didn’t give as they saw fit, but gave to the ones who knew better - the apostles. The purpose was to address the need and they gave in proportion to how God blessed them. Riches are given to us so that we may give.

We see one extraordinary example - a man of great faith, feeling, finance, and philanthropy. Verses 36-37 - “And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.” Joseph was a rich Christian. Likely, he was a pilgrim saved at Pentecost. He stayed on. And he’s the reason people were not destitute. Together with other rich people, he sold land and gave the purchase price to the central fund. Verse 34 tells us this - but the fact that Joseph was mentioned showed that his was more extraordinary. In fact, he was even given the nickname Barnabas - son of encouragement. Some people are called “shorty” and “fatty” for obvious reasons. Others are called “hamsun” or “sayang.” But Joseph was Barnabas. Later, only he supported Paul when no one did and endorsed Mark when Paul didn’t. His ministry was so encouraging that encouragement became his name. Faith and filling produced feelings, they gave finances freely to the needy. There was extraordinary faith that produced extraordinary works. Faith works.

But so does lingering sin. And instead of building the church, it will work to hurt the church. That’s the third point - unaddressed lingering sin will be used by Satan to hurt the church. Verse 1 says, “But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession.” The first word is “but.” This shows a contrast to chapter 4. Barnabas and others sold what they had to bless the church. They were heroes of the faith. But in chapter 5, we see anti-heroes Ananias and Sapphira. In these two brethren, we learn that Christians can still have ugly sins. They sold property to give to the church, but kept some and passed the rest as if it was the whole purchase price. Satan couldn’t strike the church from outside so he struck it from inside to hurt it. And he did it through lingering sin. So while the church was of one heart and soul, it didn’t last. Not all was well in the early church. The New Testament church, while a model of faith, filling, feeling and philanthropy, still had failure. The best churches have blemishes. And Luke didn’t hide it. We want to hide failure, but Luke didn’t.

The ugly sin was a love of honor. On the outside, they did what Barnabas did. They sold land and brought the money to the apostles. But the inward motivation was different. Verse 2 - he “kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.” The Greek for “kept back” means embezzled. Now, to be clear, it was his right not to sell or give. It was his money. 2 Corinthians 9 says - whatever a man purposes to give in his heart, let him give. Even Peter said in verse 4, it was his to sell or not and the money was his to give or not. The problem was he gave a false impression. Peter said in verse 4 - “why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.” There was no compulsion to give all. But not to give all, and to let all think you gave all - that was the problem. He wanted honor. He wanted the nickname without working out his faith. He was not greedy for money but reputation. And this sin was shared by his wife who knew what he was doing. They conspired. In verse 9, Peter accused Sapphira - “How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord?” Their theft and concealment to look good was premeditated. Dearly beloved, a love of honor is a love of being first. Ananias wanted immediate honor without the service. He didn’t want to work for it. On the other hand, Barnabas didn’t care for status, he just wanted to honor others and worked to serve them. The first shall be last, and the last first. Barnabas was honored openly.

But where did this ugly desire come from? Satan, and he continues this work among God’s people. Verse 3 - “But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?” Hypocrisy is Satan’s work. When Mary poured perfume on Jesus, Judas said the bottle should’ve been sold for 300 pence and given to the poor. But he didn’t care for the poor - rather, he was greedy. Ananias wasn’t greedy for money, but for reputation. Folks, this is the reality. Satan will always be working. He does it in different ways. We can be easily outraged if others don’t see things our way. If we’re not appreciated, we can show our discouragement. We can even spread our disappointment with gossip and complaints. Satan’s always working. Peter said that Satan had filled the heart of Ananias to lie to the Holy Spirit. Now, Ananias was not possessed - believers can’t be possessed. But he was tempted. Satan gets us so obsessed with a sin we lose sight of other things. We’re even blinded to consequences. By our zeal and strong words, even for God’s kingdom, we are Satan’s instrument to destroy it, even though we may be trying to save it. While Satan influences, the sin is ours. Ananias was responsible. Peter asked in verse 4 - “why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart?” And for what purpose? The land was his, the money was his - he didn’t have to sell anything. But his heart loved honor - like Satan loved honor. Isaiah 14 - “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” This is like the people of Babel - they wanted a name. God cast Satan down; he dispersed the people. We see this next.

God will sometimes act drastically to purify the church - that’s the fourth point. After Peter rebuked Ananias, verse 5 says he fell down, gave up the ghost, and great fear came on all who heard. Judgment starts in the household of God. Christ judged him. Christ who gives life also takes it away. The lame man’s feet and ankle bones strengthened. Ananias’ bones weakened and he dropped dead. We may think - Ananias just wanted honor; surely, it’s not that serious. But God is concerned with the purity in his church. Some in Corinth were chastised for taking the Lord’s Supper wrongly. They came divisively not thinking of Christ’s body. As a result, many were weak and sickly, and died. For not loving the church, many died. Ananias didn’t consider the church. He though of himself. The money was not used to care for others but it was a price to purchase him honor. And God struck him down because he does not share his honor.

When that happened, great fear came on the people and some young men removed him and buried him. Is this extreme? Dearly beloved, when Simeon was a described in Luke 2 as awaiting the Consolation of Israel - Christ himself. And he was filled with the Spirit. Barnabas was a devout man, filled with the Spirit. And so his work of consolation only pointed to Christ, whose Spirit filled him. On the other hand, Ananias was not filled with the Spirit but Satan had filled his heart to lie - because he was the Father of lies - the one who wanted to destroy the church. Is it any surprise why God had to, in mercy, dispatched Ananias to heaven before he could do more harm? Ananias broke God’s commandments. He coveted honor, wanted to be honored like God; he stole God’s honor, served the idol of pride, lied to the Holy Spirit, prostituted himself for fame, dishonored his apostle, blasphemed God’s church, was willing to forfeit the eternal sabbath, and hated his soul. If we think this extreme, then we really have no knowledge of sin. We see it again, when Sapphira comes. 3 hours later, she came, verse 7. Peter asked her in verse 8 - was the land sold for so much? She could’ve told the truth and repented. This grace to her wasn’t even offered to her husband. But she wouldn’t repent. Perhaps Peter said it to spare her the penalty. But she wouldn't take it. She was struck dead and the young men took her away, verse 9. In fact, they were already waiting at the door, almost like they knew it was coming.

But why does God’s judgment start in God’s house? Verses 5 and 11 both say - “and great fear came on all the church that heard these things.” The result of this was fear. Peter himself witnessed this and he said years later in 1 Peter 4:17, “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” Beloved, God is concerned for our holiness. In the Old Testament, Uzzah, Nadab, Abihu, and even Uzziah the king were judged for their contempt of God’s house. Today, God’s household is not a building but a people. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 - “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” As God’s temple, God takes our holiness seriously. God’s chastisement is good for us. It results in reverence. Great fear came upon the people. Fear is good because it makes us know the danger of sin and the holiness of God. And in one sense, this chastisement on husband and wife spared them from sinning further and hurting the church.

Dearly beloved, how can we apply the Word here? Firstly, how are we bearing fruit of faith? I could tell you to give - and that would be a right and direct application. Our brethren in Ukraine are and will be in difficulty. Our faith must work because we love God’s needy people. But in what other ways are we loving God’s people? Most here are not destitute of money, but of friendship, comfort, instruction, the gospel. So how does our faith, filling, and feelings lead us to bear fruit? Are our feelings deficient? Are we focusing on God’s kingdom?

Secondly, in what way might Satan be working in you to destroy God’s body? Some of us are living in sin - secret scandalous sin - and it will harm God’s body. Maybe we have lingering character sins that challenge unity. Perhaps you grumble and complain, you’re selfish with your time and effort. You may view others as inferior. If we’re not careful to walk in holiness for the sake of the church, we may be instrumental in hurting the church. Satan is very smart. Your good doctrinal conviction and practice, pushed wrongly, can hurt the church. Satan uses this.

Thirdly, let us fear and love God. Perhaps in our zeal, we see Ananias’ fate as needful for some - and we may demand for swifter and harder response to sin in the church. You don’t know what you’re asking. We’ve all tested God more times than we can recall. We’ve defied him. If we call down judgment on others, why shouldn’t it come to us? Many of us are hard - we don’t show grace like Peter. We are quick to hentam. But plead with the Lord for grace to see yourselves in Ananias and Sapphira. And love God’s people. Let’s be thankful to God that he does purify us in mercy. And that’s the gospel. When Isaiah saw the holiness of God, he said he was unclean. God didn’t destroy him, but an angel took coal from the altar to cleanse his lips. Sin was forgiven. Isaiah was made fit to serve. Why? Because Christ has borne the bitterest judgment of God for us. There he hung on the cross bearing in his flesh and soul the deepest wrath of God so that we might be redeemed and purified. The consolation of Israel received no consolation at that time. The giver of life gave his life for ours. The one who was rich, became poor that we might have a home prepared for us? As pilgrims today, shall we not continue to let him work in us, to fit us to work out our faith and to put to death lingering sin?