Is God Greedy? (Acts 4:32-5:11)

Is God Greedy? (Acts 4:32-5:11)

Introduction If there's one passage that makes American Christians squirm a little, it's this one. "Held everything in common"? "No needy person among them?” Sell the house, sell the land, drop it at the apostles' feet? Our first instinct is to wonder if private property itself is the problem. It certainly appears to be the case, considering that Ananias and Sapphira drop dead after deceiving the apostles about their land sale. Why is it such a big deal that they did not give the whole amount to the apostles? Sharing Burdens The apostles had just prayed for boldness, and Luke shows us that prayer answered as they give the testimony of Christ’s resurrection. This leads the community to also seek to share one another’s burdens. The Jerusalem church was poor. Scripture tells us that the church was poor. The widows live on the church (Acts 6),Paul explicitly calls attention to the poverty of the Jerusalem church (Romans 15). Paul lays out the procedure and defense of the offering for the Jerusalem church (1 Corinthians 16). So when Luke says there was "no needy person among them," he is summarizing how well the church joins together to bear one another’s burdens. Acts tells us how they did this: Christians sold land and houses and laid the proceeds at the apostles' feet. This is a demonstration of submission. The Apostles would distribute the funds as needed by individuals. Barnabas, literally meaning “son of a prophet”, but Luke names him "son of encouragement.” This tells us that the word of God is encouragement. Barnabas is a Levite who technically should not own land under the old case laws, and yet he does, and he's never rebuked for it. This is puzzling: is it okay for a priest to own land if he gives it to the church? Does this mean that the call for Christians is not to have private property? Being a Burden Ananias (grace of the Lord) and Sapphira (beautiful) enter the scene. Unfortunately, they do not live up to their names. They sell land, keep back part of the proceeds, and present their offering as if it were the whole. Peter's word for what they did is "pilfered.” This is a word that Luke borrows from Joshua 7 with the Achan story. Achan stole from the Lord, and so Luke is drawing the correlation to this couple in the context of the church. It is important to understand that this is not something they did as an absent-minded oversight. Acts 5:2 makes it very clear that they conspired together as a couple. We might think that the problem is that they wanted private property. However, Peter is explicit in verse 4: the land was theirs; they were never obligated to sell it, and even after selling it, the money was still theirs to keep or give as they chose. This tells us that the gifts were still voluntary, but people gave generously to share one another’s burdens. So, the sin was not withholding money. It was staging a performance to gain a better place in the community. They are pretending to give everything for the praise of the church. They want to have a prestigious place in the community rather than seeking to serve their fellow Christians. Peter calls attention to the heinousness of this sin, “Why has Satan filled your heart?” We might think that Peter is a hypocrite in asking this question. Christ himself says to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan!” However, Peter knows that one cannot blame satan. He knows that Ananias could have and should have stood up to Satan. However, his desire to be significant in the community without Christ is his downfall. The devil did not make him do it, but he did it himself. So, Peter is not condemning them for having land. He's exposing a heart that wanted to look sacrificial without actually being sacrificial. They lie to the Holy Spirit as they deceive the church. They use the church to prop themselves up rather than being used by the church. Conclusion Is it wrong to own private property? Is that why this couple dies? No! Scripture elsewhere defends both generosity and private land ownership, and this passage does too, if we read it honestly. We are reminded that Christians may have to radically share one another’s burdens. Some might ask if Ananias and Saphira are in heaven? This is the wrong question, isn’t it? This is a question that distracts us from the real issue: where do we find our significance? We are called to find it in Christ. This narrative reminds us that God is not pleased when people come into his community and use his community for their self-promotion and advancement. God does not praise those who exploit others for their own advancement. God cares about the poor, the widow, and those who are unjustly treated in this age. The severity of God's judgment here isn't really about money at all. No, it's a warning not to play games with the Lord, not to use the church's generosity as a stage for our own significance. This whole account only makes sense in light of Philippians 2. How does Christ care for the sinful and exploited? He does more than just share their burdens, but he emptied himself of significance so that the sinful and broken can have life in him. This church is emulating Christ’s model as they voluntarily share one another’s burdens for the glory of Christ. No, God is not greedy! In fact, he is abundantly generous. May his generosity impact our desire to share one another’s burdens.

Christ’s Necessary Glory (Romans 4:23-25; LD 17)

Introduction The Heidelberg Catechism spends some time reminding us that Christ really did suffer.  His suffering is not some sort of unnecessary drama. It testifies to our sin, and it atones for our sin.  His suffering makes satisfaction for our sin. But suffering and death alone aren't the whole story. If Christ were merely dead and "bounced back" the way a sacrificial animal might return to the herd, the sacrifice would prove insufficient. On the other side of this discussion is that Christ cannot remain in the grave.  If Christ is dead, then we might as well go home and conclude life is absurd. Romans 4:25 reminds us that Christ “… was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.  So the question presses in: why must Christ be raised from the dead? Christ Was Delivered for Our Sins We have to understand the deeper meaning of death.  Death is not merely the cessation of breath or heartbeat.  Death is separation from communion and fellowship with God. A person can be fully alive by every biological measure and still be dead in a very real way. So when Christ is "delivered up for our sins" and overcomes death, he is overcoming that broken fellowship that was lost in the fall. His resurrection guarantees that our union with him by the Spirit and faith establishes us in communion with our Lord. Christ's Resurrection Vindicates Him Romans 4 gives us rich assurance of our standing before God and Christ’s resurrection. Paul builds his argument on Abraham: justified by faith apart from works (vv. 1–8), a promise extending to Jew and Gentile alike (vv. 9–17), and the "absurdity" of Abraham's faith.  Abraham is trusting God to bring life out of two bodies as good as dead (vv. 18–22). Then Paul pulls the camera back: this was written not for Abraham's sake alone, but for ours (vv. 23–25). Christ's resurrection is heaven's declaration that his work is complete.  Abraham cannot add anything; Isaac, child of the promise, cannot add anything, and we cannot add anything to Christ’s work. It's the fulfillment of the same pattern of "life from death" that Abraham himself experienced in type. Paul says this in other places. 1 Corinthians 15 insists that if Christ is not raised from the dead, then we are still in our sins and ought to be pitied.  Paul says in Romans 1:3–4 that the resurrection declares him Son of God.  Paul states in Romans 6:4 and 1 Timothy 3:16 that resurrection to vindication by the Spirit. Christ’s resurrection is not only the basis of us legally being restored to God, but the resurrection is also the power that conforms us to God. The bodily, physical nature of that resurrection matters too.  Christ's ascension into heaven means that glorified human flesh is there.  It means that not only are we declared righteous, but we are conforming in the Spirit’s power as we walk by faith, and we will be glorified. Christ’s resurrection guarantees our glorification, and it proves it.  Christ’s glorified human flesh is in heaven right now, guaranteeing our glorified flesh will be there too. Christ's Resurrection Vindicates Us This is the legal, courtroom weight of "raised for our justification." Justification is a one-time declaration of righteousness before the heavenly court.  This is a higher court than even our Supreme Court in the USA. This blessing is distinct from sanctification.  Justification is a one-time declaration of righteousness in the heavenly courtroom, while sanctification is our progressive conforming to the Lord’s holiness. We also say that sanctification and justification are inseparable.  These blessings are both given to us by the Spirit, our union with Christ, and our consciousness of this relationship when we have faith in Christ. It is by the Spirit through Faith that we take hold of Christ and all his distinct blessings. We are united to the risen and victorious Christ.  It is because Christ was raised that our sins are objectively taken away, our standing before the Father is secure, and Christ's ongoing intercession in the heavenly temple guarantees that our relationship with our God is not impersonal.  Our justification is a one-time transaction.  However, as we are united to our savior, this is where we have the privilege and joy of growing in conformity to our heavenly call as we walk in the Spirit by faith out of gratitude. Conclusion The reality is: Christ's resurrection is true whether or not I believe it. It's not my faith, or the church's faith, that makes it so.  It is not even the Apostle Paul who makes it so.  Christ’s resurrection is an objective, historical event that God accomplished. I could deny it, and it would still be true.  That's actually the comfort. My assurance doesn't rest on the strength or the quality of my faith.  My redemption, our redemption, rests on what God has already done in raising Christ from the dead. His resurrection testifies that my sins are taken away, my standing before God is secure, and I will be raised bodily to dwell in his presence in full glory. Let us not root our hope in ourselves.  Let us hope in the God who accomplishes his promise.  He does not overstate, and he does not overpromise.  He fulfills His word. May we live in the certainty of Christ’s resurrection as we take hold of our redeemer by Faith.  Let us be a people who walk in the Spirit, tasting the goodness of our redemption as we live as living sacrifices unto him out of gratitude.

Why Gospel Preaching?

INTRODUCTION If you want a story to die, you drop it out of the news cycle, then you work to silence the story. You make sure that the story is not front and center for everyone to discuss. This is the mindset of the leaders as they tell the apostles to be silent. “Just don’t talk about Christ-story, and it goes away!” The thought is that the story is only as big as the messenger. So, if you silence the messenger, then the story is done. This is the dynamic that shapes the story in Acts 4. Peter and John are released from custody but warned to stop speaking of "this Christ guy.” Peter and John return to their friends and give their report to Jewish converts. The Jewish leaders have admonished them to remain silent. This raises a question that casts a dark cloud over this narrative: when the world demands your silence, what will the church do? Will the message get softened, made more digestible, stripped of resurrection and lordship to keep the peace? Or will something else happen? The text gives us three things to consider: the triggering event, the Old Testament application within the prayer itself, and the prayer's substance regarding what it teaches us. THE TRIGGERING EVENT The setting is the healing of the crippled man at the temple gate. Ironically, this is a sign that became a scandal the moment the apostles attached a name to it: Jesus of Nazareth. The Apostles make sure that the leaders know the specific Jesus of Nazareth by identifying him as the one the religious leaders sent to death. Remember that the leaders released Peter and John because they were afraid of the people. This healing and resurrection is a very inconvenient truth. The Lord gave Moses signs to establish his credibility before Pharaoh. The apostles' signs function the same way. The signs validate or confirm the message of the resurrection. That's precisely the danger: if the people believe the apostles carry this kind of divine authority, the leaders' entire system collapses. Christ’s resurrection is the defining moment. Believing that Christ is raised from the dead is the new division in humanity rather than bloodline. It is not about Jew and Gentile anymore. It is about who believes that Christ has been raised and who does not believe it. This means that as the Gospel goes out, the issue is: who bows to Christ as Messiah, and who doesn't. THE OLD TESTAMENT APPLICATION IN THE PRAYER When the believers gather, they pray in one accord. The point is that they are unified in heart and conviction. And notice how they address God: not primarily as Father, but as Sovereign Master, the absolute Ruler of all things. This is the posture of servants before a king of immense authority. They call to mind in their prayer David’s inspired words in Psalm 2. They apply the Psalm to their current situation: the kings of the earth gather against the Lord and his Anointed. The gentile kings are not necessarily the only problem. It is also the leaders of Israel. This means that Jewish people see Christ as the Lord’s messiah. This also means that Jewish people take the role of conspirators against the Lord. This underscores what we said: it is not about genealogy, but about how one views Christ. He is either Lord and Savior or an unnecessary inconvenience at best. The men conspire, but the prayer professes something about God’s rule. They affirm that this is done by the Lord’s predestined plan (v. 28). Reformed theology holds both truths without flinching. The men who handed Christ over to death acted according to their desire. It is also true that God predestined this to happen, as the early Christians affirmed in their prayer. God does not coerce sin; he ordains the outcome while men act out their own desires. The cross stands as the supreme proof that God's purposes are never derailed by human rebellion. We affirm human responsibility, they sinned, and God’s sovereignty, he ordained Christ to go to the cross. WHAT DO WE MAKE OF THIS PRAYER? Given everything they've just declared about God's sovereignty, what do they actually ask for? Not safety. Not vindication. Not the removal of opposition. They ask for boldness to keep preaching the word. This is an affirmation that they are weak, but their strength will come in Christ. They are tempted to water down the Gospel, but the One Triune God must be proclaimed in all his glory. The ground shakes in response, not because every generation should expect earthquakes as confirmation, but because in that unique apostolic moment. In this open canon situation God affirms that he has not abandoned his church. In our age, with the canon complete (1 Cor 13:8), our confirmation comes through meditating on the settled promises of Scripture itself, not extraordinary signs. We can fall into a mindset of an “us” versus “them.” Peter, a man who seems rather bold and impulsive, prays for boldness. The reality is that the church will face persecution in various ways. I wanted to know: what would be the best way to undermine the work of Christ? Clearly, when the church is persecuted, it grows and prays for conviction. We have it pretty easy in America. So, what can come against the church today? I asked Chat GPT [https://chatgpt.com] and Grok [https://grok.com] to answer: “If you were the devil, how would you destroy the work of Christ?” I got a long list from both. So I took both their lists and put them into Venice.ai [https://venice.ai]. I asked Venice to compile the top five from the list I just inserted. The result is below: 1. Dilute the gospel — Replace the scandal of the cross with a palatable counterfeit. Turn Jesus into a life coach or affirmation buddy. Promote prosperity, self-esteem, and therapeutic religion while removing demands for repentance, sacrifice, and lordship. Keep the Christian brand but empty it of power, making it a weak vaccine that inoculates people against real conversion. 2. Weaponize distraction — Flood lives with comfort, endless scrolling, status anxiety, and material abundance. Keep believers busy with good things so communion with Christ becomes secondary. Make the soul too numb or preoccupied to consider eternity. When life is comfortable enough, who needs resurrection? 3. Subvert truth — Elevate "my truth" and personal authenticity over revealed truth. Promote scientism and deconstruction—endless questioning without answers. Frame biblical ethics as the real sin while making skepticism of Christianity the only "critical thinking" allowed. Turn doctrine into a buffet where nothing is mandatory. 4. Sow division and despair — Turn disagreements into factions and church splits over secondary issues while papering over real heresy. Encourage bitterness and unforgiveness to poison relationships. Highlight every failure of Christians (real and exaggerated) to make the visible Church look either boring or actively evil. Convince believers that "I like Jesus but not the Church" is a virtue. 5. Replace mission with comfort — Make the church content with safety, prosperity, and self-preservation rather than costly discipleship. Normalize nominal Christianity as a vague cultural or political identity. Let believers seek recognition and influence rather than humility and service—doing much of the adversary's work themselves while feeling righteous. The application is significant: we are tempted to major in the minors. We can elevate small disagreements to be the Gospel. We can also water down the Gospel so the message has no resurrection or redemptive message. Ultimately, we can be tempted to lose sight of what glorifies Christ. CONCLUSION The church does not control the cultural narrative. The church has never controlled the narrative. Outsiders will embrace the gospel, come under the yoke of Christ, or they will not. It is God who opens and closes the kingdom through the Gospel message. The church’s mission is to preach that Gospel message clearly, proclaiming the whole counsel of God. Our call is to know the gospel and live it out with boldness. The apostles' prayer is not a relic of an extraordinary age we can no longer access; it's a pattern for every age. We are reminded that we are sinful, frail people asking the sovereign God for courage to preach Christ boldly. If Peter, of all people, needed to pray for boldness, so do we. Let us find our contentment not in comfort or cultural approval, but in the sufficiency of being in communion with the one triune God because of Christ’s work, the Father’s will, and the Spirit’s continuing power. We are redeemed people of the living God. We are called to live out the Gospel for his honor and glory. Let us see the dignity and majesty of our Christian calling, no matter our station in life. Amen. Why Gospel Preaching? (Acts 4:23-31) Pastor Paul Lindemulder Download [https://static1.squarespace.com/static/53dd2688e4b0219ea2c81007/t/6a43fa9058b0bf46731be888/1782840029814/09+Why+Gospel+Preaching_+%28Acts+4_23-31%29.m4a]

“Why Such Suffering?” (2) (Hebrews 2:9-18 (LD 16)

Why do Christians suffer, and where is God in our pain? Hebrews 2:9-18 teaches that Jesus Christ entered our suffering as our merciful High Priest. Through His death and resurrection, He defeated death, satisfied God's justice, and secured redemption for His people. Discover how Christ's suffering brings comfort, hope, and assurance in every trial.

Why Preach Christ? (Acts 4:1-22)

Introduction: The Great Reversal The book of Acts shows us that God has a sense of humor.  There are parts when you laugh, and then you weep at the same time. Here we find Peter and John.  These are blue-collar fishermen with no formal rabbinic training.  They are not trained in rhetoric or any fancy talk.  They are called to stand before the rulers, or Israel’s ruling council. These are men who know how to mend nets, not argue fine points of Torah. And yet the God who chose a stuttering shepherd to confront Pharaoh now places these ordinary men before the extraordinary powers of Jerusalem. The religious elite thought they had solved their Jesus problem by crucifying him. "Sacrifice the one, save the nation," Caiaphas had calculated. But now that "one" has risen, and his followers are standing in Solomon's Portico proclaiming Christ and healing people, they have to see that their plan failed.  Luke reports that five thousand converts were saved that day.  The Sanhedrin had a plan, but their plan did not rule the universe. The Arrest (When the Gospel Offends Everyone) The gospel is an equal opportunity offender. The Sadducees we could label as the religious liberals who denied the supernatural.  They are offended because Peter proclaims resurrection. The Pharisees, whom we could classify as the religious conservatives obsessed with purity, are offended because this crucified criminal is being declared the Messiah. The gospel cuts across our categories. It challenges the conservative tendency to control God's work ("He must operate within our parameters") and the liberal tendency to domesticate God's work ("Surely he doesn't actually intervene in history"). But notice the apostles' posture. Their goal is not to offend both sides. They're simply asking: "How do we glorify Christ?" When your gaze is fixed on Jesus, you become simultaneously more courageous and more humble. You speak clearly without being condescending, boldly without being arrogant. The preaching of the Gospel is a key that truly opens and closes the kingdom of God by God’s power. The Defense (The Spirit's Apologetic) Peter opens his mouth, and something unexpected happens. This is the same Peter who choked in a servant girl's presence, and who denied Christ three times. In fact, Peter opened his mouth once, and Christ said, “Get behind me, Satan.”  Peter is the last man you want holding the microphone when you are under pressure. But now, "filled with the Holy Spirit," he delivers a masterful defense that shocks the Jewish council. He doesn't hide behind theological nuances. He names "Jesus of Nazareth” as the messiah.  Yes, the town of Nazareth is a humble town.  The leaders do not see this as symbolizing Christ’s humility, but as a way to discredit Christ’s messianic credentials. After all, nothing good comes from Nazareth. (John 1:46) Peter identifies Jesus of Nazareth, but also accuses the leaders when he exclaims, "You crucified him." But he doesn't stop there. He proclaims the great reversal: God raised him. The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.  The new Christian temple is built around and in Christ. This is the heart of Christian apologetics. It's about Spirit-empowered testimony to the person of Christ, "Apart from him, there is no salvation.”  Jesus alone has defeated death. He alone can make the broken whole.  He alone is the great healer. The Dilemma (When Evidence Isn't Enough) The Sanhedrin's response is almost tragically comical. They can't deny the miracle that has transpired.  The crippled man is standing right there, "holding fast to Peter and John." Five thousand new believers aren't exactly subtle. So what do they do? They try to suppress the message. "Stop speaking in this name." Notice the logic: they assume the gospel's power depends on its messengers. Silence the apostles, and the movement dies. They fail to see that the message itself has power.  Christ works through his message.  They fail to see that what they sought to destroy God raised.  We might think that Christ has abandoned his people.  However, this is the living Christ, reigning from heaven, building his church through his Spirit.  Clearly, Christ’s promise in Luke 21:15 is confirmed, “I will give you a mouth and wisdom.” Peter's response is both respectful and unmovable: "We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard." The apostles will not and cannot deny who sent them.  The gospel spreads not through political maneuvering but through ordinary people who have encountered the extraordinary grace of Jesus.  The leaders should take on the yoke of Christ. Conclusion: Who Do You Say That He Is? The narrative leaves us with the same question Jesus once asked his disciples: "Who do you say that I am?" The crippled beggar wasn't merely healed, but he was "saved.” He was made whole, completed in Christ. This is the offer: not just a better life, but a new life. The religious leaders saw Jesus as a problem to be managed. The apostles saw him as the Savior to be proclaimed and embraced. We are called to clearly see Christ and take his yoke upon us.  Do you see him as your Lord? The same power that made the lame man walk is the same power to give us true life and communion with God. Take hold of Christ. Find your wholeness in him.