Unnecessary Trouble:
Acts 4:32; Acts 4:36-37; 5:1-11
The growing early church
faced threats from outside and from within. One of the internal threats was sin
in its camp. As in the days of Balaam the only way God’s people can be cursed is
if they harbor sin. God wants a church that is hot for him not one where many
are cold and a few are frozen. Drawing near to God with a true heart is the
first condition for true worship. Acts 5 begins with a BUT. Thousands were
being saved with marvelous demonstration of God’s love and great revival BUT
Ananias and Sapphira lied about the portion from sale of their land they had
brought to the Lord. Their sin was not
keeping back part of the proceeds but pretence/lies/hypocrisy. They acted good
outside but awful inside. This hypocrisy resulted in their death. We learn
important lessons from this case of divine instant justice:
The senselessness of sin
Sin is an offense against
God. It is missing the mark of obedience. It can showas sinful nature or acts of not
doing what God commanded (sin of omission) or violating what God commanded (sin
of commission). Jesus was gracious with tax collectors and adulterers but very
harsh with hypocrites (Matthew 15:7-8). Sin is always grossly over valued. It
is disguised poison. If not dealt with by repentance (1 John 1:9) it costs
life. For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23; Jeremiah 2:13). Ananias and
Sapphira invited unnecessary trouble for themselves because:
i)
The power to choose
was in their hands. It was their choice and the land was theirs. They did not
have to lie. We are no longer slaves to sin (Romans 6:6,7; Titus 2:11-12(NIV). They allowed
self interest to prevail. Their giving was insincere with wrong motive. Is
it possible they sought the praise of man or not to be outdone by the Barnabases
(Acts 4:36)?
ii)
Sapphira got a
chance to confess her wrongdoing and missed it (v.8). She got a chance but did
not realize it was the last. I wish we
always knew what number the chance before us is (Psalms 32).
iii)
‘You can not hide
it from God’ (Number 32:23). They tried the impossible.
The source of sin
The text does not show Satan
at the point of decisions but pins him down as the source. v. 3 ‘How has Satan
filled your heart.’ Satan is real. The battle field is the mind (James 1:14, 15)
where he sows evil desires. The problem leading to sin is a heart that does not
resist the enemy (James 4:7). A sinful environment is not an excuse. Barnabas
in the same environment did not sin (1 Corinthians 10:13). You do not have to
do what everyone else is doing. The fact is, not everyone is doing it anyway.
Living fish swim upstream. Dead fish flow with the current. We are alive in
Christ (Ephesians 2:4, 5).
The seriousness of sin
1)
Sin is an offense
against God (v. 3,4). That alone makes it serious. v3. Lying to a judge is
called perjury which attracts a serious penalty.
2)
The consequences
of sin are serious. How many would we still have today if God applied instant justice all the time? God’s
word is like a covering - stay under it. When you step out you are on your own.
You are unreachable by divine signal. God cannot hear you (Psalm 66:18). Think
about the consequences and ask yourself – at what price? The risks/ stakes are far too high. Fear God
(v. 11) – He is the loving lion of Judah
The sacrifice of sin
Sin within the new church would have cost them the
great manifestations of God’s power and the deliverance of many people (Acts
5:12-16). Someone said, “The world has
yet to see what God can do through a man wholly surrendered to Him.” We have a race to win. Let us lay aside every
sin and weight (Heb 12:1). Purity brings power and keeps power (Isaiah 59:1, 2).
Message by
Dr. Kurai Chitima.
Faith Ministries – Johannesburg Faith Life Center
Ground and First Floors
Sunset Bay
Building
204B Bram Fischer
drive,
Randburg, Johannesburg , South Africa
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