Sermon September 2, 2018

Overview

Three Characteristics of the Church from Acts 5

In Acts 5:12–21, Luke gives us a striking portrait of the early church gathered in Solomon's Portico. Signs and wonders abounded through the apostles—people even hoped Peter's shadow might fall on them as he passed by. Yet a curious detail interrupts the scene: "None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem." With miracles all around and the church held in great respect, why did outsiders hesitate to join? The answer lies just verses earlier, in the account of Ananias and Sapphira Acts 5:1–11. Their sin was not keeping back proceeds from their land—that was their right—but lying to God about it. When God Himself struck them down, "great fear seized the whole church and all who heard of these things." The first characteristic of the church emerges here: sin is never to be tolerated. This does not mean the church is composed of sinless people; it is composed of sinners who repent. Discipline normally comes through the church itself Matthew 18, but here God acts directly to establish the rule. There is a difference between a crowd and a congregation. A church that markets the acceptance of sin can gather a crowd, but it cannot be the church of Jesus Christ. Notice that the true believers were still added in great numbers Acts 5:14—those whose hearts the Spirit had touched unto repentance.

A note on the miracles themselves: these wonders validated the apostles' message at a moment when Scripture was still being written. As the New Testament emerged, the frequency of such signs decreased, because Scripture itself now validates the message proclaimed. God still heals, but the apostolic gift of miracles passed with the apostles. The early church was not a miracle-producing church; it had miracle-producing apostles. What grounds our preaching today is the written Word.

The second characteristic appears as the high priest and the Sadducees, "filled with jealousy," arrest the apostles and throw them into the public prison Acts 5:17–18. Their jealousy mirrors the fear voiced in John 11:47–48—that belief in Jesus would unsettle their power. The church must be unafraid of persecution. With holy humor, God sends an angel to open the prison doors—an angel, no less, to those Sadducees who denied that angels exist. The angel's command is striking: "Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life" Acts 5:20. This Life is the abundant and eternal life found in Christ alone (John 10:10; John 11:25; John 14:6). Persecution comes precisely where the church refuses to baptize the world's values as her own. A church that mirrors the world will not be persecuted by the world. A church that proclaims objective truth, calls sin sin, and summons sinners to repentance will be.

The third characteristic flows from the second: at daybreak the apostles "entered the temple and began to teach" Acts 5:21. The church is bold in proclamation. Persecution did not silence the apostles; it energized them, confirming they were on the right path.

For Reflection

I am the church. You are the church. Together we are the church. Examine your own life with these three characteristics in view:

• Have I grown tolerant of a sin in my life? Repent.
• Am I afraid of persecution—afraid to lose standing, comfort, or employment for the sake of Christ, so that I blend into the world to avoid suffering? Repent.
• Am I quiet about Jesus with neighbors and coworkers, fearful of awkwardness or what others may think? Does anyone around you know you belong to Christ? Repent.

And hear the gospel: through the blood of Jesus Christ, every sin—including our toleration of sin, our fear of persecution, and our silence—is forgiven. The risen and reigning Lord Jesus empowers His church to be the church this week and always.

Transcript

Would you open your Bible, please, with me to the fifth chapter of the book of Acts? 0s

As an old children song, the lyric is simply this. 6s

I am the church. You are the church. We are the church together. 10s

That's a wonderful song and it communicates truth on so many different levels. 17s

That individually, we are part of the church, individually we represent the church. 24s

I'm the church. You are the church and together we are the church. 31s

We return to our study on the book of Acts and for the next several months we're going to take a look at chapters five to nine. 39s

And my prayer is the same as when we study chapters one through four together. 48s

My prayer is this. Is that as the early church is lifted up in the book of Acts? 54s

By the grace of God, we might live out the positive characteristics of the book of Acts 60s

to the glory of God Almighty. 70s

And in today's text there are three characteristics of the church 75s

that are lifted up from God's Word. So let's study. We pick up chapter five verse 12. 83s

Now many signs and wonders were done among the people through the apostles. 92s

If you're a Bible writer, I would now put a parenthesis in front of and so in other words, eliminate the period. 101s

Put a parenthesis in front of the and and continue that parenthesis to the end of verse 14. 110s

You see ancient Greek did not have punctuation to it. So the punctuation that we have are the translators attempts 117s

to put it in where it makes sense. I think they messed up here. 126s

I think this should actually be a parenthesis here because as you read in verse 12 and then you come 133s

to where they put a period actually the thought continues in verse 15. 139s

So I would put a parenthesis where they've got a period. Parenthesis in the second part of verse 12 145s

to the end of verse 14. So it would read this way. Now many signs and wonders were done among the 150s

people through the apostles. So that they even carried out the sick into the streets and 157s

laid them on pots and mats in order that Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he came 165s

by. There were in the early church an incredible amount of miracles that were occurring. 175s

Now remember why were they having these miracles? Why were they occurring? The apostles a small group 189s

of people that the Lord brought together and the Lord gave the apostles the gift of healing. 196s

So in other words, these miracles accompanied them. The miracles that they were doing validated 204s

the message. You watch though in the book of Acts, you watch in the book of Acts and you note 216s

that every single miracle that occurs is within unbeliever. That's number one. And also you 225s

encart it in the book of Acts where you see the miracles start to decrease. Even when you still 232s

got a apostle Paul alive, you've got this decreasing event of the miracles in the book of Acts. 242s

The whole bunch of miracles in the beginning of the book of Acts and then they decrease. Why? What's 251s

happening? The scriptures are starting to emerge. What validated the message of the apostles 258s

would validate the message of the apostles were the miracles? What then validated the message later? 267s

The scriptures. That's why you see them decrease. Let me put it this way. 279s

I will not be performing a miracle today of healing in order to validate the discernment. 288s

It will not happen. I will guarantee it. Why? I don't have the gift of miracles. Who had the gift 296s

of miracles? The apostles. And when did the gift of miracles go out of business? When they died, 303s

right? And why did the miracles decrease? Because the scriptures were now the validating 311s

element. So what validates what I say to you today? What validates what I say to you is not some 319s

act that I'm going to do. But it's the scripture itself where you can see the scripture and you say, 325s

yep, it's right there. What is talking about? Does that mean that God doesn't heal anymore? Of course not. 332s

Does God heal certainly? But does God give certain individuals the gift of healing through 338s

which miracles come? No. That went out of business with the apostles. So here's the setting then. 344s

It's the early church. Miracles are abounding. Sometimes people will say that the early church was 353s

a miracle producing church. No. The early church had miracle producing apostles. The fundamental 359s

difference. So you've got the early church. You're all these miracles are being manifest through the 366s

through the gift here that God had given to the apostles. All of these miracles are being 372s

manifest. So that the people even wanted to get in the shadow of Peter as he walked by. There is 378s

no record, by the way, that anyone was ever healed by being in the shadow of Peter. But you can see 387s

how the people could see the manifestation of these miracles that were occurring. 395s

Do you know the early church? All of these miracles. That's why the next segment is so fascinating. 406s

Look at the place at the second part of verse 12. They were all together in Solomon's 413s

Portico. Solomon's Portico was on the east side of the temple. It was a very common place 421s

for the early believers to gather for worship. It was the place where Peter preached an 430s

Axis III chapter. It was the place where Jesus taught in John the 10th chapter. It's Solomon's 437s

Portico. And it says they were all together in Solomon's Portico. So here you have the church. 443s

Gathered. Solomon's Portico. And then notice what it says. 450s

None of the rest dared to join them. None of the rest dared to join them. 457s

Does that strike you as odd? 475s

Here you have all of these miracles that are occurring. People want to get into Peter's shadow. 479s

Miracles are all around them. And there you have the church gathered in Solomon's Portico. 487s

And they didn't want to become a part of the church. 497s

It was that there was any animosity because look at 13 again. None of the rest dared to join them. 503s

But the people held them in high esteem. The church was being held in high esteemed by those that 510s

didn't want to become part of them. So I didn't want to join. And they want to join. 518s

The answer is earlier in chapter 5. Look at verse 1, please. 529s

But a man named Ananas with the consent of his wife, Sophia, a soul to peace and property with his 537s

wife's knowledge, he kept back some of the proceeds and brought only a part and laid it at the 542s

Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land. 557s

While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, we're not the proceeds 563s

at your disposal. How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You did not lie to us, but to God. 570s

Now when Ananas heard these words, he fell down and died. What happens to his wife? Jumped 580s

down in the verse 9, then Peter said to her, how is it you've agreed together to put the 593s

spirit of the Lord to the test? Look the feet of those who have buried your husband or at the door 597s

and they will carry you out immediately. She fell down at his feet and died. What was a sin here? 602s

The sin was not that they kept some of the proceeds for themselves. That wasn't the sin. 615s

This oldest piece of property, but then what they communicated was that they gave all of the proceeds 623s

to the church, but they didn't. They kept some of the proceeds for themselves. 630s

Again, was there anything to matter with them keeping some of the proceeds for themselves? 640s

Absolutely not. What was the sin? The sin was that they lied unto God and what happens. 643s

But God strikes both Ananas and Sapphira dead. God exercises discipline upon his church. 653s

What we see is we see primarily discipline is executed in the church by the church. 670s

But sometimes you have God directly taking action. Here's one of those situations. 678s

Normally discipline comes through the church. It's Matthew 18. Jesus says, 685s

if your brother or sister sins against you, you go and you tell them the fall. If there's no repentance, 690s

then you take to witnesses with you. If there's still no repentance, then you tell it to the church. 695s

And if there's no repentance, then on the part of the people for the sin, you treat the person 701s

as outside of the church. You remove them from the body. That's the church exercising discipline. 707s

Here, God does it directly. Why? Because God is establishing the ground rule. 717s

That sin will not be tolerated in the church. What will be tolerated in the church? 729s

A characteristic then of the church is that sin is not to be tolerated. 742s

That doesn't mean that the church is only made up of perfect people because we know none of us are perfect, right? 755s

In fact, if only the sinless could come, then nobody would come. The church is comprised of sinners. 765s

What the issue is is repentance. Why didn't they want to become a part of the church? 777s

Is because they didn't want to give up their sin. They didn't want to repent of it. 790s

And they knew what happened to Ananias and Sophia. 801s

So if you don't want to repent of your sin, 808s

spite all these miracles going on and the church gathered there in the political of Solomon, 811s

they dared not join. Because they didn't want to repent of their sin. 818s

Look at me, please. Second part of verse 5. Right after Ananias was struck down by the Lord, 827s

it says, and great fear seized all who heard it. After Sophia was struck down by the Lord, 835s

verse 11, it says, and great fear seized the whole church and all who heard of these things. 843s

A characteristic of the church is that sin must never, ever tolerate it. 854s

Beloved, if you want to gather a crowd, 869s

don't make sin an issue. If you want to gather a congregation, 876s

don't make sin acceptable. Because there's a difference between a crowd 887s

and a congregation. We must never step on the holy ground of this place and want our sin 898s

to be validated. We must never market the acceptance of a sin so as to simply 912s

draw a crowd. Because there's a difference between a crowd and a congregation. 927s

Notice that those who came were the true believers weren't they? 941s

Because right at the beginning of verse 14, it says, 951s

yet more than ever believers were added to the Lord, great numbers of both men and women. 956s

That's in distinction with the verse 3, and what's the key word in verse 14, 962s

yet more than ever believers were added to the Lord. This is the people then that by the grace 970s

of God, their hearts have been touched. There is repentance. Faith has been born 979s

and the church then by the power of the Spirit grows. Verse 14 shows the true believers that were added. 986s

The characteristic then of the church. First sin must never be tolerated. Here's the second 1001s

characteristic. We must be a people unafraid of persecution, unafraid of persecution. 1020s

Look when he plays it verse 17. Then the high priest took action. He and all who were with him. 1032s

That is the sect of the sadgesies. Being filled with jealousy, arrested the apostles and put them 1040s

in the public prison. I remember Peter and John were arrested back in Acts 4 in association with 1049s

healing of the cripple. So what did he jealous about here? When he jealous, 1057s

his scripture says they were filled with jealousy. John 11 helps us. In John 11 it records this. 1066s

So the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the council and said, 1077s

what do we do? This man, that's Jesus, is performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, 1082s

everyone will believe in him. And the Romans will come into Stroy both our holy place and our 1092s

nation. That's what they're jealous about. They're jealous about the growing numbers here in association 1097s

with belief in Jesus Christ and they are worried that the relationship that they have with the government 1104s

favourable to them will cease. Remember, the apostles were forbidden to preach again in Acts 1112s

the 4th chapter. And they were thrown now into the public prison. In Acts 4 it's a different prison. 1120s

Now here in the 5th chapter they're put in the public prison. That's the way of turning up the heat 1129s

against the apostles. It's a way of communicating to them. Notice where you wound up now because 1135s

the public prison was a disgraceful place worse than the prison that Peter and John had wound up 1141s

in verse in chapter 4. What happens? Look at verse 19, please, of the text. 1149s

But during the night in Angel of the Lord opened the prison doors, brought them out and said, 1159s

go stand in the temple and tell the people the whole message about this life. Does God have a sense 1163s

of humor? Yes, he does. Here's a text that proves it. The sadgises who are part here of the arrest, 1172s

having them thrown into the public prison, sadgises did not believe in angels. They said they don't 1180s

exist. Isn't it wonderful? That who does God have open up the prison? But in Angel. But in Angel, 1186s

you don't think God was smiling when God did that. But during the night in Angel of the Lord opened 1195s

the prison doors, brought them out and said, go stand in the temple and tell the people the whole 1201s

message about this life. What is this life? Life abundant and life eternal. Jesus says in John the 10th 1205s

chapter, I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 11, Jesus said to her, I am the 1212s

resurrection and the life. John 14, Jesus said to him, I'm the way and the truth and the life. 1219s

The characteristics of the early church. First, they were intolerant with regard to sin. 1227s

And second, they were unaffraid of persecution. We'll appear to be in the prison. 1236s

The persecution of the Christian church increased until the Lord comes again absolutely. That's what 1249s

up of more and more people who have no belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. As we see a society 1265s

that stresses relativism while the church of Jesus Christ in her Orthodox form proclaims objective 1273s

truth. Will there then be persecution of the church? Of course there will. Why? 1282s

Because we are saying that which is antithetical to the world. So what has the church done in so many 1293s

quarters? They have made the message and I put church in parentheses. What has the church 1302s

done in so many quarters? They have taken the message of the world and made it their own. 1310s

So that the people of the world say, I am comfortable in this place. Why? Because it reminds me of home. 1316s

It reminds me of life. I see no difference in the beliefs of the world and the beliefs of the church. 1326s

And so I am drawn then to where I am comfortable. 1337s

Will there then be persecution of the Orthodox church? Absolutely. Why? 1347s

Because in the Orthodox church we don't accept sin. We confess it and we repent of it. 1358s

We don't affirm sin. We call unto repentance. 1365s

The characteristic of the church intolerance of sin. The characteristic of the church being unafraid 1376s

to be persecuted. And the third characteristic, verse 21. When they heard this, 1385s

they entered the temple at Daybreak and went on with their teaching. 1396s

Where they hear the call of the angel to say, get out and start preaching again. 1402s

Notice that they are thrown into the public prison here. This is yet another imprisonment. 1410s

This is more persecution and they didn't say to themselves, well we ought to knock this off. 1416s

No. They were energized by the fact that they were persecuted because they knew they were on the right path. 1422s

And that energized their proclamation all the more. Notice in the scripture that when the apostles are persecuted, 1433s

there is an energizing force that happens because they realize they're on the right path. 1442s

Why would Satan want to persecute a quote unquote church that is no different than the world? 1448s

Satan would say, now there's truth. Go there. Where does the persecution come? 1458s

Is not going to come to the church that puts on image of revelation, the garments of the world? 1465s

Persecution will come against the Orthodox Church that stands for objective truth. 1474s

That is intolerant of sin and that calls each of us daily to confess and to repent of our sin. 1480s

That communicates to the world not an acceptance of sin, but God's condemnation of sin. 1489s

Beloved, we should be as intolerant of the things that God is intolerant of. 1495s

We should mirror his intolerance of sin as we call one another unto repentance. 1504s

The characteristic then of the church intolerant of sin, the characteristic of the church on a 1518s

rate of persecution and the third characteristic of the church bold in her proclamation, bold in her proclamation. 1523s

In fact, even energized by the persecution because it's validation on the right track. 1535s

Beloved of God as we gather today and we look at these three characteristics. 1550s

Since I'm the church and you're the church and we're the church together. 1557s

Ask yourself this. 1564s

Have I grown tolerant of a sin in my life? 1568s

Have I grown tolerant of a sin in my life? 1575s

I know what it says in the Bible, but for me, have I grown in? Have I grown tolerant of a sin? 1581s

Repent. Repent. 1595s

Ask yourself this morning, am I afraid of persecution? Am I afraid of persecution? 1600s

Am I afraid of losing everything for Christ? 1609s

Do I go along with something at work that I know is absolutely wrong and immoral because I am 1618s

afraid to say something because I might lose my job? 1626s

Ask yourself am I afraid of persecution? 1634s

So that I blend in with the world because I don't want to suffer? 1642s

Ask yourself. 1653s

Is there any area of my life where I'm not bold in my proclamation? 1656s

I might quiet with my neighbor because I'm afraid of what my neighbor might think if I 1663s

share about the joy of Jesus Christ? Am I afraid that it might be 1669s

might just be awkward than with them? Am I afraid what they're going to think of me? 1678s

If I share about Jesus Christ, ask yourself am I quiet about Jesus? Ask yourself. Does anyone 1683s

around you at work know your a Christian? Has anyone asked about the hope in you? 1695s

Ask yourself am I quiet about my faith? Repent. Repent. 1713s

And hear the glorious word of absolute that in the name of Jesus Christ through his blood 1734s

all of our sin. All of our sin has been redeemed and we are forgiven through him. All of our sin 1741s

including the times when we become tolerant of our own sin, including the times that we're just 1750s

fearful of persecution for our faith, including the times of our just silence. 1756s

Forgiven through the blood of Jesus Christ and the resurrected and reigning Lord Jesus Christ 1763s

is here to empower His church to be the church. I'm a church. Here's a church. 1771s

And we're the church together and may the characteristics of the church be known this week. 1789s