Day After Day

 Acts 5:17-42

Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people the full message of this new life.”

At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.

When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were puzzled, wondering what would come of this.

Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.” At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.

Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”

Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men! The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead—whom you had killed by hanging Him on a tree. God exalted Him to His own right hand as Prince and Savior that He might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.” – Acts 5:17-32

This is partly a story of how the Holy Spirit helps Christians obey the Lord even in the face of a great challenge.  For the apostles, one of the challenges they faced was persecution in the form of ridicule, physical suffering, and even the possibility of death.  The high priest, his associates and the Sanhedrin faced a challenge of their own.  I’ll get to that in a minute.

Peter and the other apostles made a definitive statement that I think threw dirt in the eyes of the religious hypocrites.  They said, “We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”  (Acts 5:32)  Why would they say this?  The most religious-looking people of the day, the Pharisees and Sadducees, claimed to have a corner on the Holy Spirit market.  If anyone knew anything about the Holy Spirit it was them.  They were the experts.   I imagine that the Pharisees thought that if anyone was shown something by the Holy Spirit it would have been them.  If there was anything new to be revealed by God, then they would be the first to know it.  The Sadducees didn’t believe in a spirit realm, so I’m not sure what they thought their experience with the Spirit was like.  The apostles were saying that the Holy Spirit was a witness to the resurrection of Jesus.  The Spirit had witnessed something new unfolding.  The covenant had been ratified.  The payment for sin had been made.  Death had been conquered.  The perfect Lamb was sitting at the right hand of the Father.  The apostles’ claim was that what they witnessed was the same thing that the Spirit witnessed.  They both saw Jesus die, rise from the dead, and ascend to heaven.  Although the Spirit did witness more than they did.  But the Spirit of God was in agreement with them.  The God of the universe, the One the religious elite claimed to have intimate knowledge of, had revealed something to the apostles, and not to the Pharisees and Sadducees.  The apostles weren’t looking down on these guys.  They were making statements about historical facts.  This might have been one of the reasons why Luke said they were “filled with jealousy” (Acts 5:17). 

There was something else in verse 32 that was stinging as well.  They said, “the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”  What command are they talking about?  What command would someone need to obey in order to receive the Holy Spirit?  In Acts 2, Peter preached, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)  That command was directed to everyone, including the religious elite talked about in chapter 5.  They were to repent.  They needed to turn away from whatever they were trusting in for eternal life.  If they could not embrace Jesus as the Messiah, then they had not repented.  That meant that they were destined for God’s judgment.  Paul, by direct revelation from Jesus Christ said the gospel was something to be obeyed,

He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of His power. – 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9

Jesus preached about repentance.  He also told the apostles in Luke 24:47, “and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”  In Acts 2, we see the apostles obeying Jesus by preaching repentance and forgiveness of sins.  They did as he said, beginning in Jerusalem.  Repentance is step one.  Without repentance you cannot know God.  Other things will follow after that like devotion to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.  The things that the church is devoted to will make sense.  In Matthew 16, Jesus said that the confession that He is the Christ, the rock on which the church will be built.  People would enter through the church in that confession.  They wouldn’t enter through devotion to giving or fellowship or worship.  In Acts 2 we see the church being built.  Then we see the church carrying on the things that Jesus taught, demonstrated, and commanded. 

The moment of challenge that the Pharisees faced was that of repentance.  If they repented, then that would mean they would be embracing Jesus as the Messiah.  But this is what many of them had fought and taught against for so long.  It would take true humility to admit they were wrong.  They would have to admit that their intellect had led them astray.  They would have to face ridicule in the face of their colleagues.  In their moment of decision, they chose to deny Jesus.

The moment of challenge that the apostles faced was persecution.  They could speak of what they knew was historically true, or they could deny Him as well.  They knew what Jesus commanded.  Repentance and forgiveness of sins must be proclaimed, and it would start at Jerusalem.  This was only the starting point.  If they chose to keep their mouths closed, then the goal of spreading the gospel to all the world would not be accomplished.  They saw themselves as responsible for the task.  They didn’t pass the responsibility on to other Christians. 

Since the high priest, his associates, the Sadducees, the Pharisees, and the Sanhedrin hadn’t repented that meant that they had not received the Holy Spirit.  They had actually rejected Him.  No wonder they reacted the way they did in verse 33.

When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. Then he addressed them: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 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 Christ. – Acts 5:33-42

God had placed a reasonable man in their midst.  Gamaliel took a risk as well.  He had a moment of decision in the face of ridicule as well.  While he didn’t take a step to approve of Jesus, he did take a step for whatever motivation he had. 

When we read about the apostles’ response it can make us feel inadequate.  They exclaimed, “We must obey God rather than man!”  That’s so noble and bold.  It seems so “In your face!  Take that!”  I can tell you about numerous opportunities when I didn’t share Jesus when I had the opportunity.  Recently, I passed an opportunity to share with someone because I felt like there were too many people around.  Here I am sharing the gospel with students as hundreds of people walk by, and yet, I back out of an opportunity.  When we read what the apostles said it can make us think, “Well, I could never do that!”  Automatically, we begin to make excuses.  As we face these moments of decision, let’s take whatever step is before us.  As we act in faith, the Spirit empowers us.  Peter didn’t act in faith as he denied Jesus before His death.  He had to get back up and take the next step.  Saying hi to someone may be your act of faith this week.  Offering to pray for a neighbor may be another way to take a step of faith. Inviting over someone to eat pancakes could be another.  I would be glad to help you take that step of faith if you want to invite me over.  I would be willing to make the sacrifice.  Don’t see small steps as not worthy enough.  Faith pleases God, no matter what the moment of decision is. 

For the apostles, they did have what seems like us as a big step of faith.  Before evaluating what they did, we do need to remember what Jesus had brought them through already.  They followed their Lord, watching Him preach and have compassion on people.  They saw how He handled opposition.  They also went out to preach as well.  God was building experiences in their lives as they came to this moment of decision.  God might not take you from 0 to 60 mph in 2 seconds!  He might be building experiences in your life to enable you to make bigger steps.  That’s why it’s so imperative today for you and me to not see our small steps as not worthy enough.  As a young Christian, I was petrified of sharing the gospel.  I was the roommate of a guy that was sharing Christ with people.  All I did was hang out with him and another brother in the church as they were sharing the gospel.  Then I took a step to talk with people.  I made some silly blunders.  I used confusing religious words as I talked with suitemates and classmates.  Luckily, I had someone to bail me out.  But, you know what?  I took a step.  Then I took another step.  People that have been with me as I’ve shared the gospel have been amazed at people’s responses.  I share stories, Scripture and analogies.  Most of the time, people really listen to what I have to say.  I am where I am today mostly because of taking one small step at a time.  What step do you feel God is wanting you to take over the next week?

So, the Scripture says, “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 Christ.” (Acts 5:42)  They knew what was on God’s heart and they went after it.  They didn’t need God to bring a new word each day.  He already said what He wanted.  We too know what God desires.  We too have the decision to go after it.  We don’t need a new word from Him every day.  We have His words written down for us.  We can read those every day.  Just because over 2,000 years have passed doesn’t mean that God’s heart desires something different.  Do you see that his desire still is that repentance and forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed throughout the whole world?  His desire hasn’t changed.  What we read in Acts 5 is only the beginning. 

Purging and Healing

 Acts 5:1-16

Good morning, everyone.  We are beginning chapter 5 in our study of the book of Acts.  Today’s passage begins with a strong contrast to the events at the end of chapter 4.  So, let’s remind ourselves of what happened in those last few verses.

There was great unity among the believers.  “All the believers were one in heart and mind.” (v. 32) That unity extended to their possessions.  “No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.” (v. 32) The message of the gospel continued to go out.  “The apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power.” (v. 33)  The needs of the saints were evident to the body of believers, “and God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them.” (v. 33-34) How were the needs met?  Well, “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 need.” (v. 34-36)

We have a beautiful picture of the body of Christ seeing what was happening and then reacting to it accordingly.  As we will see in today’s passage, it wasn’t communism.  The leaders didn’t take anything from anyone.  Rather, the people themselves made decisions of what to do with their own possessions, and they decided to share them.  Furthermore, larger assets were sold from time to time to meet the needs of others.  Again, the individuals made their decisions and gave these gifts.  Chapter 4 then closes with a good example of this kind of larger gift.

Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means "son of encouragement"), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet. – Acts 4:36-37

The way that the sentence is written, I think Joseph already had the nickname Barnabas before he gave this gift, but I can imagine that there was also some recognition or esteem that would have accompanied such a gift.  So, that’s where we finished up last week, a good example of generous giving.  Let’s pray and then we will see a different kind of example.

Father God, show us how to be generous like Barnabas.  Help us to see when and how to give.  Teach us today from our passage we pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Before we go into Acts chapter 5, I want to take a little trip.  We’re not going to physically go anywhere, but we’re going to take trip in time and place from where we are in Acts chapter 5. 

On this next slide, we have a couple of maps and a timeline.  In Acts 5, we’re in Jerusalem, right?  And, it’s 33 AD.  We’re going to go back to Joshua chapter 7.  In place, it’s not far.  We’re going to talk about Israelites crossing the Jordan, camping at Gilgal, capturing Jericho and then what happened at Ai.  Timewise, it’s 40 years after the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt.  That’s 1486 BC.

You remember some of the story, but perhaps not all the details.  After the Israelites left Egypt, they went to Mount Sinai where Moses received the Law.  Then, they headed north toward the Promised Land, but then they were afraid and ten of the men who went to survey the land gave such a terrifying report that they turned back.  As a result, God had them wander in the desert for 40 years.  At the end of 40 years, they were finally ready to cross the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land.  But then, Moses dies right there on the edge of the Promised Land and doesn’t go over with them.  Joshua leads them, and they cross the Jordan very near the city of Jericho at a place called Gilgal. 

They cross the Jordan on dry land the same way that they crossed the Red Sea.  God causes the water to be held back so that they can cross.  After crossing the river, they camp at Gilgal.

Gilgal was the last place that the people of Israel ate manna.  Manna was the miraculous food that the Israelites ate during their long travels in the desert.  Manna literally means “what is it?”  It’s described as being like wafers that were somewhat sweet to the taste.  The Bible calls it bread of heaven or bread from heaven.  Do you remember what Jesus said about Himself in John chapter 6?  He said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” (John 6:41)

So, we have all these interesting parallels between the book of Acts and Joshua.  The people of God are entering into a new phase a new place.  Their long-time leader has departed.  The bread of heaven has returned to heaven.

There are parallels, but the stories are not one and the same.  The Israelites are capturing the land physically.  They are first sent to Jericho where the angel of the Lord tells them not to launch an assault or begin a siege but rather they are to walk around the city for seven days.  Let’s pick up the story in Joshua 6:15

On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city! The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the LORD and must go into his treasury.” – Joshua 6:15-19

When the trumpet sounds, the people shout, the wall falls down, and they charge straight in just like the angel of the Lord had told Joshua.  It says they devoted the whole city to the Lord, putting the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the LORD's house while burning everything else in it. (Joshua 6:24) At least, that’s what Joshua thought. Sadly, they didn’t give the devoted things to the Lord entirely. Here’s what it says in Joshua chapter 7, starting in verse 1.

But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the LORD's anger burned against Israel. – Joshua 7:1

So, Jericho has been taken.  It was the big city, so once it fell, it was a big deal.  We’re told that Joshua’s fame spread throughout the land.  That was on top of how the kings in the land felt after the Israelites had crossed the Jordan. The Lord had dried up the Jordan before them.  Even at that point, their hearts had melted, and they no longer had courage to face the Israelites.

The Israelites are feeling pretty good and ready to move on to their next objective which was the city of Ai.  Men are sent out to spy out Ai and the region around.  Things look pretty straightforward only a few people live there, and the men report back that only 2000 or 3000 soldiers are need to capture Ai.  Joshua sends out this detachment, and what happens?  They are defeated.  Not only defeated, it says they were routed.  The men of Ai chased them and continued to strike them down as they ran down from Ai.  The relative distance in altitude was as much as 3500 feet over the 15 miles between Ai and Jericho.  The people of Israel are devastated by this defeat.  Now, their hearts melt in fear and “become like water.”  The relative situation between Israel and her enemies, at least from Israel’s point of view, is completely reversed.

Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the LORD, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads. And Joshua said, "Alas, Sovereign LORD, why did You ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! Pardon Your servant, Lord. What can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will You do for Your own great name?"

The LORD said to Joshua, "Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated My covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.

"Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, 'Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.

" 'In the morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe the LORD chooses shall come forward clan by clan; the clan the LORD chooses shall come forward family by family; and the family the LORD chooses shall come forward man by man. Whoever is caught with the devoted things shall be destroyed by fire, along with all that belongs to him. He has violated the covenant of the LORD and has done an outrageous thing in Israel!' "

Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was chosen. The clans of Judah came forward, and the Zerahites were chosen. He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward by families, and Zimri was chosen. Joshua had his family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was chosen.

Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and honor Him. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me."

Achan replied, "It is true! I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath."

So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the LORD.

Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor.

Joshua said, "Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today." Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from His fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.

Whew!  That is intense.  The place name, Valley of Achor, obviously is a play on the name Achan.  Achor means trouble.  That is the same word in verse 25 there where Joshua says, “Why have you brought this trouble on us?”  You have to give Achan credit, he gave the reason.  After being caught in his deceit, he spoke up.  “It is true! I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I have done…  I saw the robe from Babylonia, the two hundred shekels of silver and the bar of gold, and I coveted them.”  His desire was for them, and he took them for himself.

He thought he could get away with it, but he couldn’t.  He didn’t.  What was the result of his sin?  It caused weakness within the entire army of Israel.  God’s power, His Spirit, was not active in all the Israelites in the way it had been before.  Achan’s sin had a big effect.  So much so that Joshua and the leaders of Israel despaired that they might be completely overrun.  Keep in mind that they were vastly outnumbered by their enemies.

Another parallel between Achan’s story and the beginning of Acts chapter 5 is they are both firsts in a bad way.  Achan’s sin is the first recorded sin in the Promised Land.  The sin of Ananias and Sapphira is the first recorded sin in the life of the church.  Like I said, both are bad firsts.  Galatians 6 gives us a clear warning …

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.  Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. – Galatians 6:7-8

Let’s move on into today’s passage from Acts.  Remember, Barnabas had sold a field and put the money at the apostles’ feet at the end of chapter 4.

Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet. Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” – Acts 5:1-4

As Peter tells us, Ananias and Sapphira had the right to decide what to do with the proceeds of the sale of their property.  It was their property.  The money from the sale was their money.  They had the right to keep a portion of the sale price if they wanted to.  The problem was they made it seem that they had given all when they hadn’t.  That was the sin.

The Greek word for “kept back” means “to misappropriate.”  In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, that same word was used of Achan’s theft (Joshua 7:1) where it says “the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things.”  They misappropriated the devoted things, specifically Achan took them for personal use or simply just to have. There is one other use of the word in the New Testament.  In Titus 2:10, it is translated “to steal.”

The story of Ananias and Sapphira is to the Book of Acts what the story of Achan is to the book of Joshua. In both books, an act of deceit interrupts the victorious progress of the people of God.  There is a jarring interruption by these sins that jumps out at us.

The account that we have is brief.  And yet, there are many facets of evil even in one sin.  Proverbs 20:5 tells us, “The purposes of a person's heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.”  John Calvin wrote of several “evils packed under” the sin of Ananias, beyond simply trying to deceive God and the church.  It may not be an exhaustive list, but I think these are valid.  These are the evils Calvin identified:  contempt of God, sacrilegious defrauding, perverse vanity and ambition, lack of faith, corrupting of good and holy order, and hypocrisy.  At its root, their sin was pride.  Pride, putting oneself above others and especially above God is the corrupting influence that leads to all the other sins.

One key difference between the account of Ananias and the account of Achan is that Peter knew that Ananias had done wrong whereas Joshua did not know what was wrong.  God apparently gave Peter supernatural knowledge of what Ananias had done. I Corinthians 12:8 names this as a spiritual gift, calling it a word of knowledge.

I know we’ve only gotten through 4 of 16 verses, but there are a couple more significant items we shouldn’t skip over.  First is to recognize both the external influence seeding sin and the personal accountability for letting it take root.  Peter asks Ananias, “How is it that Satan has so filled your heart” that you would do this great wrong?  Satan is a real being.  He entered Judas on the night Judas betrayed Jesus.  Peter writing in his own letter warns us that we need to be sober-minded and stay alert.  Satan is our enemy, and he “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (I Peter 5:8) We would do well to take note and pay attention to what sorts of messages and ideas we internalize.

And then just a moment later, Peter asks Ananias, “What made you think of doing such a thing?” … Why have you conceived such a thing in your heart? … Why have you placed this thing in your heart?  Those are very personal questions.  God has given us the ability to choose what we believe.  May we be careful of what we place in our hearts!

Last point before we move on.  Please notice that Peter says that Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit, and then later that he lied to God.  It is clear from this passage that the Holy Spirit is God.

Okay, what happened next?

When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?" "Yes," she said, "that is the price." Peter said to her, "How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also." At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. – Acts 5:5-10

Peter didn’t say anything to Ananias about judgment or death.  He may have been surprised at what happened to Ananias.  Vengeance is mine says the Lord. (Hebrews 10:30)

Peter’s question and Sapphira’s answer make it clear that she was a knowing and willing participant in the sin, and that she was part of the cover-up plan.  As a result, God’s judgment of her was the same as of Ananias.

As we saw in the account of Achan before, the sentence against Achan was carried out by the people in accordance with the Old Testament Law.  In the church, God carried out the punishment Himself.  Church discipline is different than God’s judgment.  It is appropriate for the church to take action in the case of unrepentant sins. Jesus’ instructions in Matthew 18:15-17 gives a start to finish response. 

If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be [put out of the fellowship]. – Matthew 18:15-17

The church does not have a mandate of jurisprudence and punishment under the law.

This act of God seems like a harsh penalty to us today when this sort of sin seems to be almost common, someone pretending to be someone they aren’t or someone trying to appear to do something greater than they actually did.  But, when we think God is being especially harsh in this case, we are not seeing God for who He is.  God is holy.  He is perfect.  It is by His great grace that He delays His righteous judgment in nearly all the other cases.

Ananias and Sapphira and Achan are not the only accounts of God’s sudden judgment breaking out.  Nadab and Abihu offered unauthorized fire before the Lord in Leviticus 10:2, and they were consumed by fire from the Lord.  Carl once pointed out the strong possibility that Nadab and Abihu were drunk when they made their unauthorized offering as immediately following the event, the Lord tells Aaron (not Moses, not the Lord telling Moses and Moses telling Aaron) the Lord tells Aaron, “You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink whenever you go into the tent of meeting, or you will die.” (Leviticus 10:8)

When David wanted to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, they placed the ark on an ox cart in violation of the Law.  When the oxen stumbled, Uzzah reached out and grabbed the Ark to steady it which probably seemed like a good thing to do at the time if the alternative was to let the one and only, gold-covered, Ark of the Covenant, which by that point was 500 years old, go crashing to the ground. It says in II Samuel 6:7 that the LORD's anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act, and he struck him down there beside the ark of God.

We talked about the sin of Uzziah in the 9:45 time several weeks ago.  II Chronicles 26:16 tells us when Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall.  Uzziah thought he could enter the temple of the LORD to burn incense, but this was something only the priests were allowed to do.  He goes in the temple, censer in his hand ready to burn incense.  The priests confront him, and he starts raging at the priests before the incense altar in the temple and leprosy breaks out on his forehead.  He has leprosy until his death. He lives in a separate house—banned from the temple of the LORD.  His son Jotham takes charge of the palace and governs in his father’s place.

All of these events demonstrate a lack of understanding of the holiness of God.  In the incident with Uzzah and the ark II Samuel 6:7 specifically says it was an irreverent act to touch the ark.  Peter told Ananias, “you have not just lied to human beings, but to God.”  I feel like there is a general lack of understanding about how much separation there is between God and humanity.  I often behave in an irreverent way toward God.  Even in the way I read God’s word most of the time.  I’m used to doing it.  It’s a normal part of my day.  I’m often pressing to read and move on to the next thing which is often something else I want to read.  How is that different than thinking than being drunk or tipsy in the temple is okay?

God forgive me for my arrogance.  Forgive us for not understanding who You are.  Through Your Son, You have made the way for us to come to you.  God, You are love.  Your grace and mercy overflow.  We can come before You as Your children at any time.  You forgive us for our sins, past, present and future.  But may we not continue in sin.  Purify and refine us Lord that we will walk in the light as You are in the light.

Here's something else to think about.  Ananias and Sapphira both died, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that they did not go to heaven.  It is impossible for us to say for certain, only God knows.  I John 5:16-17 does say that it is possible for a Christian to sin unto death.  In I Corinthians 11:27-32, Paul writes of Christians being judged by death in this life so that they would not be condemned.  James Montgomery Boice wrote that “True Christians do not lose their salvation by sinning. The punishment of Ananias and Sapphira, though extreme, was for this life only.”

If we keep going a little farther, if Ananias and Sapphira were believers, they would ultimately want what is best for the church and its growth.  It’s really hard to wrap your head around it, but if it was God’s will for them to die, then it was for their good and the good of His church.  So now step back and flip it on its head.  You’re still here.  What does that mean?

Why am I still here?  Well, if you’re still here, there must still be good works for you to do.  Isn’t that encouraging?  There is good for me and for you yet to do.  We should live in a sense of expectation.  Fred would say that we should look for divine appointments.  God has things for us to do.

I think I was only marginally successful this week, but a friend was bending my ear pretty hard, and I was praying all the while about what I was supposed to do or say in the circumstance.  I told him straight up that I wished I had a word to give him, but I didn’t.  He wasn’t concerned by my lack of counsel or even encouragement.  He said that wasn’t why he was talking to me.  Only a short while later, I saw someone else who needed to be a part of the remedy.  I wasn’t really in the mood to stop, and I wasn’t particularly sure of how it would come across, but the guy was sitting in what we call a collaboration room by himself.  Like most offices, ours is open, and private conversations aren’t possible.  So here’s this guy much closer to my office than his own, in a room that actually has a door.  I walked by the door about 50 feet or so, and I finally turned around and went back.  We had a good conversation.  I hope it will help the situation.  Seeds were planted, and hopefully I will get the chance to talk more with this new leader.  This week, I had a small and rather obvious opportunity to do good.

Let’s press on and get to the end of today’s passage.  What happened following this shocking event in the life of the early church?  Well, not surprisingly …

Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events. The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. – Acts 5:11-14

If you remember, the believers were praying after Peter and John were released after being held overnight by the Sanhedrin.  Specifically in Acts 4:30, they prayed that God would “stretch out His hand and perform miraculous signs and wonders in the name of the Lord Jesus.  And here we see that prayer answered.

The signs and wonders were done by the apostles.  The Bible does not give a picture of signs and wonders done by everyone.  It is true that these miracles did meet specific needs, “healings, deliverance from demonic powers, unusual provision or protection.”  In addition and perhaps, more importantly, they caused the church to grow.  And so, the apostles, the missionaries, the ones who were most active in proclaiming the gospel to unbelievers, it was by their hands that the miracles came.

We see the believers still gathering at Solomon’s Colonnade in the temple courts which is the same place where the people gathered after Peter healed the lame man at the gate of the temple.

Many translations including the KJV instead of saying the believers used to meet together, they say the believers were in one accord.  That’s what the Greek is getting at (homothymadon).  The people had one mind, one passion, one spirit together.  When I was in high school, I had a youth pastor who had graduated from Asbury Seminary.  He drove a Honda Accord, and he would tell this corny joke.  “Do you know why I drive a Honda Accord?”  If anyone said no, then he would continue.  “That way, if we ever have a disagreement, we can all get in my car and then we’ll be in one accord.”  It was a bad joke for sure, but it was a memorable picture that having a spirit of unity as believers is important.

Verse 13 and 14 have this weird kind of juxtaposition:  No one else dared join them … nevertheless, more and more men and women … were added to their number.  After the incident with Ananias and Sapphira not to mention Peter and John being called before the ruling authorities, it was abundantly clear that being a follower of Jesus was a serious thing.  The “no one else” I take to mean unbelievers or those who had only a casual commitment.  If you joined the believers, you were “all in.”  This emphasizes that the growth of the church is the work of God.  The people believed in the Lord and joined the believers.  They did not join an organization or club, not the church of Peter or First Church of Jerusalem.  God drew people and they became His children, a part of His family.

More and more people were added.  Increasingly, believers were added, both men and women.  We see that God’s judgment of Ananias and Sapphira did not damage the church but rather cleansed and strengthened it.

As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed. – Acts 5:15-16

It seems kind of crazy that Peter’s shadow would be a source of healing.  And yet, the edge of Jesus’ cloak healed a woman as told in Matthew 9:20.  Then, we’ll see handkerchiefs or aprons that Paul touched healed people in Acts 19:12.

Of course, there was no healing power in Peter’s shadow itself.  But, there was power when a person believed in Jesus to heal them.  And so, it seems the passing of Peter’s shadow must have helped some to believe.

It’s buried a bit in the Greek, but Luke planted another little gem here.  The word that gets translated as “might fall” is overshadow.  It literally says that Peter’s shadow would overshadow some of them.  That word overshadow is used in Matthew, Mark, and Luke to describe the cloud following Jesus’ Transfiguration.  Luke also uses it when talking of the angel’s words to Mary about how it could be that she would become pregnant.  As again, it’s God’s power enveloping the people, not Peter that brings healing.

Interestingly, with the exception of the travelers mentioned at Pentecost itself, verse 16 gives the first mention of the influence of the church beyond Jerusalem, and it’s kind of backward from Jesus words in Acts 1:8.  After Jerusalem, Jesus said you will be my witnesses in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.  These crowds instead came from towns nearby and gathered on the streets of Jerusalem.

That brings us to the end of our passage.  I hope there have been a few points that God has spoken to you.  I’ve been meditating a little on the observation that God blesses purity with power.  I would say it may not always be true, but there is a strength that comes from purity.

We’ve been reading The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom aloud in the evenings.  In that true account of life in a concentration camp, Corrie’s older sister Betsie repeatedly exhibits a deeper purity and confidence in God and His work.  I confess, I relate more to Corrie and her attitudes, but Betsie though physically weaker had a greater strength in withstanding the difficulties.

Earlier when we read the story of Achan, it said that the people had become liable to destruction as a result of the impurity among them.  Being liable to destruction is the same thing as weakness, isn’t it?  If we feel weak, and sometimes, I feel so very weak, shouldn’t we stop and consider if there is anything we are allowing that is causing us to be off the mark, to be less than pure.

How then shall we “be pure.”  I think Acts 2:42-47 gives us great instruction.

·         Devote ourselves to the apostles' teaching, God’s Word.

·         Devote ourselves to fellowship.

·         Devote ourselves to the breaking of bread.

·         Devote ourselves to prayer.

·         Be filled with awe at the work God is doing.

·         Be together with other believers.

·         Be generous to other believers, especially ones in need.

·         Continue to meet together.

·         Break bread in our homes and eat together with glad and sincere hearts

·         Praise God.

Probably like me, you see some items on that list that you would like to do more of.

Scripture is beautiful.  The forgiveness and mercy of the Lord are written throughout its pages.  Do you remember the place where Achan was punished?  It was called the Valley of Achor or the Valley of Trouble.  It turns out that Joshua 7 is not the last time that we hear about it.  Here are the two additional occurrences.

The Valley of Achor will become a resting place for herds, for My people who seek Me. – Isaiah 65:10

I [the LORD] will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she [Israel] will respond as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt. – Hosea 2:15

God is in the redemption business.  Jesus is our Redeemer.  If you’re still here, God’s not done with you, yet.  Seek Him, be devoted to Him, confess your sins, and draw near to Him.  Let’s pray.