Acts 4:32- 5:11
Acts 4:32-37(NLT)- All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. 33 The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. 34 There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them 35 and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.
36 For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus. 37 He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles.
– United in heart and mind
– They understood that everything was/is of the Lord
– What they owned was not their own – they shared everything (state of mind – on bigger goal)
– This allowed them to testify powerfully – God’s great blessing was upon them
o Maybe this is an important part of unlocking God’s blessings
– They would sell what they have and bring it to the church – Not asking you to do that …however, where is your heart?
– Story of Barnabas – Son of encouragement (the action of giving someone support, confidence, or hope) I wonder what people call you? Here comes______ or there goes_________ That encouragement is a gift as well.
The writer then goes to the next chapter and doesn’t skip a beat to tell us that among this amazing people, there were some who choose different
BUT!!!! – to denote that …even among great working of the Lord, we have to have discernment
Acts 5:1-11 – But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. 2 He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest. 3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself.4 The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!”
As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified. 6 Then some young men got up, wrapped him in a sheet, and took him out and buried him. 7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Was this the price you and your husband received for your land?” “Yes,” she replied, “that was the price.” And Peter said, “How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this? The young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too.”
Instantly, she fell to the floor and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened.
– Why have you let Satan fill your heart – He had a part to play.
– He lied to the Holy Spirit- He didn’t lie to people – But to God ( He is all knowing)
– The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. – This is the saddest apart of the story.
o He could have chosen to not sell, or even to sell and not even give out – he would have been a jerk but he lied to the Holy Spirit
o Lord if you give me this Job- I will serve you, If you heal me Lord, if you …this and that Lord- I will a and b …. You don’t have to promise – but you do …and when we sell the land…we hold back
o He caused his wife’s death, granted she had a choice, however- He was the leader – Men, how are you leading your family?
We see a similar story in Joshua 7
Joshua 7:1-12 But Israel violated the instructions about the things set apart for the Lord.[a] A man named Achan had stolen some of these dedicated things, so the Lord was very angry with the Israelites. Achan was the son of Carmi, a descendant of Zimri[b] son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah.
2 Joshua sent some of his men from Jericho to spy out the town of Ai, east of Bethel, near Beth-aven. 3 When they returned, they told Joshua, “There’s no need for all of us to go up there; it won’t take more than two or three thousand men to attack Ai. Since there are so few of them, don’t make all our people struggle to go up there.”
4 So approximately 3,000 warriors were sent, but they were soundly defeated. The men of Ai chased the Israelites from the town gate as far as the quarries,[c] and they killed about thirty-six who were retreating down the slope. The Israelites were paralyzed with fear at this turn of events, and their courage melted away.
6 Joshua and the elders of Israel tore their clothing in dismay, threw dust on their heads, and bowed face down to the ground before the Ark of the Lord until evening. 7 Then Joshua cried out, “Oh, Sovereign Lord, why did you bring us across the Jordan River if you are going to let the Amorites kill us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side!8 Lord, what can I say now that Israel has fled from its enemies? 9 For when the Canaanites and all the other people living in the land hear about it, they will surround us and wipe our name off the face of the earth. And then what will happen to the honor of your great name?”
10 But the Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying on your face like this? 11 Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me. And they have not only stolen them but have lied about it and hidden the things among their own belongings
– Recap
– Land didn’t belong to them in the first place
– David reminds us in Psalms 24:1-2“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.
The world and all its people belong to him. 2 For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths.
– Nothing belongs to us – It’s all Gods
– Here again, we see someone lie to the God and cause people to die
– Get up! – Some of us need to get up and stop blaming everything to something else. You are ground zero for the plague that is in your life. Get Up!
Joshua 7:13 – 13 “Get up! Command the people to purify themselves in preparation for tomorrow. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Hidden among you, O Israel, are things set apart for the Lord. You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things from among you.
– Hidden among you – Why can I find victory – Hidden among you
– This time round, it was 36 dead soldier, their families lost a dad’s, brothers, husband – because of one-man’s disobedience
– P. Matt talked about association – Who are you affecting because of your lies in the church?
– Joshua called a meeting, thief before them, and burn stuff and stones to death – This is how we are supposed to deal with sin.
Intersting enough- When God lead the battle the next time – they were told to keep things for themselves
Joshua 8:1-2 (NLT) – Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take all your fighting men and attack Ai, for I have given you the king of Ai, his people, his town, and his land. 2 You will destroy them as you destroyed Jericho and its king. But this time you may keep the plunder and the livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the town.”
– Not only does God plans a battle for them- He also tells them to keep everything
– God is not in need of you stuff- He needs obedience!
You might say – I haven’t sold any land, I haven’t lied with my spouse, I haven’t taken anything of God- This is for someone else
When I look at these people we ask ourselves how dare they do that.
BUT!!! We easily fall in the same category.
Its not a coincident that both stories show two sides back to back- God knows that our hearts are like this. We have to allow a deep searching in our hearts to allow God to reveal those anxious thoughts in our minds.
Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
We have to have reverence for God-
That what He said He will do, he will do. (Provide, heal, save, move, restore) He WILL
Reverence (deep respect for someone or something.) If I have deep respect for someone, I trust them that their word is good.
That when God says, I have provided for you up to this point, I don’t change, am the same yesterday, today and tomorrow- We trust Him completely.
When doubt and fear that I might go hungry if I sell my land and give it all to God – He provided!!!
We start relying on our own strength and quickly – we forget what God has already done
We are so caught up with now – How do I get now fulfillment
We don’t want to push ahead of our strength – but it out there in the deep waters that we find God’s provisions
** Spartan race**
– It’s when we trust God to carry us beyond our own ability that we see the true work of God
– When we undertake something greater than our ability
– When we step out in to the ocean
– You cry out to God and He answers in the only way you know and know that its Him
– It’s when our bodies fail that we allow God to truly be glorified
– It’s when we are at our weakest that we can’t move any more that we see Christ and its only then we know its Him and Only Him that provides a packet of mustard in a dirty army crawl self-inflicting place.
– When you see hand of God, it will be like day and night- People will be passing by and not see it but the water will part and there you will know – It was Christ who parted the way.
Faith is activated when we push ourselves beyond our ability
Oceans by – Hillsong
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior
Isaiah 40:31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
We got to have Faith in God,
I saw God move in the most unlike places – yet just like Luke and Joshua – the heart is the same then and now.
One minute we are on a high…but very soon if we are not careful the enemy steals that joy
I can identify – even more so, I have the Holy Spirit…yet the Spirit of fear creeps in so quick and if I am not asking God to search my anxious thoughts – I will never be able to truly let go
– I get an infection and Doctor say’s I need to be elevate my leg up for 3-4 days
– But God what if I lose that client
– But God, what if I give up all that money for the land and a famine comes in and my family can no longer be able to afford to live
– But God what if this is my only opportunity to get some of these items from the enemy
– Lord you know I want to go to that bible study but I got to work so they don’t fire me…
We have to remember that “He who promised will always be faithful!
Hebrews 10:23 – Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise
We are not capable on our own- Holy Spirit has to be the one in control and there is no way you will have the fullness of the Holy Spirit unless you allow for deep searching
Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
** The healing process**
See I learnt literally what anxious thoughts do, they mask themselves among the true things of God.
The outside looks good, feels good and can mask as healed, however, when we allow the expert (He who created us) to analyze it we find some infected tissues-
It’s not a one-time thing. It’s a continuous process
We have to allow the one knows us best open up the wound – Cuts out dead tissues and let that heal and then we are pruned (verse) all over again
John 15:2 – He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.
We are not very different from these guys in the bible- We change minute by minute
He is constant and its only by leaning on to Him heavily that we can be constant as well
Last time I preached- I spoke about the wave is coming –and that being on the sidelines or the shore, you will be destroyed. Today I have good news for you. In the deep waters, He is there and He is there stronger than the waves.
The bible says : Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and everything else will he added to you
Mark 12:30 (amp) – AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL (life), AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND (thought, understanding), AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’
I don’t know where you are today- But this is a great time to come up and speak up to Him
He knows what’s in you heart. He knows!!
Allow him to take control of the scalpel and cut out those dead tissues.
