A Holy Church

July 5, 2026|A Holy Church|Acts 5:1-16

JD Cutler

click here for sermon audio

Good morning church family. Let me invite you to open your Bibles to Acts chapter 5 as we continue our sermon series Sent:Learning disciple-making from Acts.

So far, we have looked at disciple-making from acts under the headings ‘spirit-empowered witness’, ‘formed in covenant community’, and ‘faithful witness under pressure’.

In Acts 1 we saw Christ empowering his church, in Acts 2 we saw Christ forming his church, in Acts 3 and 4 we saw Christ strengthening his church.

Today we see Christ purifying His church.

Last week we talked about opposition. The idea that the more faithfully we identify with Christ and proclaim his unadulterated gospel, the more we should expect opposition from a world that rejects him. As we become more and more of the disciple making church God has called us to be, we can and should expect opposition from without the church.

But what about inside the church?

Not from opposition outside but compromise from within.

The church ought to be corporately and continually growing in holiness. That’s sanctification.

But what happens when our desire to appear holy is greater than our desire to be holy?

This isn’t just a first century problem. For those of us living in the in between of justification and glorification, there will always be this tension to project a spirituality that outpaces our actual maturity.

But what happens when this temptation takes root?

When looking and sounding spiritual becomes more important than actually pursuing Christ...

When the appearance of humility matters more than humility itself...

When the appearance of generosity matters more than genuine generosity...What then?

Acts chapter 5 brings this question to the forefront.

After 4 chapters of unity, love, and standing firm in the gospel, we find the church facing its first internal struggle.

There are a couple of set ups that we need so that we can understand Acts chapter 5.

They are very brief and easy to find. Let’s read them together.

Acts 2:44–45 “44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.”

Acts 4:32–35 “32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.”

Finally, Acts 4:36–37 “36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.”

Luke, the writer of Acts is making sure that we understand the kind of community God is establishing and building in the church.

Luke tells us that great grace was upon them all. Their generosity wasn't manufactured by pressure; it overflowed from hearts transformed by grace There is a spirit of radical generosity and concern for one another.

So much so, that Luke is able to say, there was not a needy person among them (reminder the church has probably grown to over 5-8 thousand men, plus woman and believing children. additionally, many who were converted while on pilgrimage to Jerusalem for Pentecost probably stayed, relying on the kindness and hospitality of those who had the means to care for them)

As an example of this kind of concern, Luke holds up a particular man, one by the way Luke probably chose because of how involved he becomes in the overall story of Acts, and says thus Joseph sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

All of this now sets the stage for our story this morning. Acts chapter 5 at verse 1.

Acts 5:1–16 ESV

1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. 7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things. 12Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. 13 None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. 14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

The contrast is immediate.

Barnabas's generosity flowed from a transformed heart. Ananias and Sapphira wanted the appearance of Barnabas without the heart of Barnabas.

The story intense.

Two members of the early church dead in a span of three hours or so. Two somber burials, two sobering reminders that God is still holy.

If we look at Acts 5 and simply conclude that it condemns hypocrisy; we may miss the more important lesson of exposing the danger of confusing the appearance of discipleship with the reality of discipleship.

In a church focused on being a disciple-making church, that is an important lesson.

This morning I want us to look at three simple observations from this account of the early church.

The first is…

I. GOD SEES THROUGH FALSE HOLINESS

Let’s examine the actions of Ananias and Sapphira. They sold a piece of property and brought a part of the proceeds and laid it at the apostles feet. To take care of those who had needs. Sounds not only good, but generous.

So what gives?

What causes Peter to immediately identify that his heart has been filled by Satan and he is lying to the Holy Spirit?

I think it is this small detail. They laid it at the apostles’ feet.

There is something here. This was not just an offering, this wasn’t putting some extra in the plate out of generosity. This was a public declaration that we are to understand in light of Barnabas’ actions. To bring the money and lay it at the apostles’ feet was a very specific declaration.

We are not told whether Ananias said anything or not, but the context certainly seems to imply if he didn’t say anything at all, then the action itself was declarative of a total and absolute sacrifice of personal possession for the good of the church.

Perhaps he declared that it was all of the proceeds and perhaps he didn’t. I think the reason that detail is left out is because there is a more important truth for us to observe.

Sin is a matter of the heart, expressed through the hands.

What Peter says next is the greatest explanation of why this is about more than generosity.

While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal?

Coming to Christ does not mean that we surrender our rights to property or wealth. Before it was sold, it was rightfully Ananias’. After it was sold, the proceeds were rightfully Ananias’ to use how he saw fit. The word disposal here is the idea of having the power of choice, the liberty of doing as one pleases.

The church had no claim on Ananias’ property or its proceeds. If Ananias wanted to give SOME of the proceeds, he could have done that without issue.

But maybe he saw the respect and admiration that Joseph had received. A man that the apostles had begun calling Barnabas, which Luke tells us means son of encouragement.

(Biblically to be the son of something is the idea that you are an exemplary example of whatever is being named for good or bad. Early in his earthly minstry Jesus called James and John the sons of thunder after they wanted to call down fire on a city who denied Jesus access. Their aggressive, forceful nature earned them this title. In this case, Luke says the Apostles called Joseph, Barnabas, son of encouragement. The word encouragement is the idea of comfort, consolation, refreshing, or encouraging. Barnabas embodied this attribute, reflecting Jesus, the Messiah who is often referred to as the consoler or comforter is Rabbinical writing.)

Luke seems to indicate that this offering was just another action in a long line of actions that had caused the apostles to see something Christ like in this man.

Perhaps, Ananias wanted that kind of recognition.

So, having watched Barnabas sell a field and bring the proceeds to lay at the apostle’s feet, he devises a plan. Sell a piece of property, keep back for himself a portion of the proceeds, and lay the rest at the apostle’s feet.

All the notoriety, not all of the sacrifice.

Ananias and Sapphira didn't simply want to look generous, they wanted the reputation that genuine holiness produces.

Here’s what Peter’s rebuke reminds us of.

This radical generosity is not a requirement, and that even in a culture where some people are selling what they have and giving it away, that is not what holiness looks like.

Holiness is a matter of the heart not a matter of perception.

The second part of his rebuke takes us deeper. "You have not lied to man but to God.”

This feigned holiness before the church was not a lie to men, not in the way cheating on your taxes would be, or misrepresenting the value of something you are selling, wrong as those are, because this is in the church, because this is an act inspired by genuine generosity and sacrifice, this show that he put on wasn’t primarily a lie to man but to God.

God has chosen to dwell with his people in the New Covenant personally and intimately. Through Christ the church is built into the dwelling place of God. To falsely represent yourself there is to falsely present yourself before God.

And God isn’t fooled by feigned holiness.

So why are we so tempted to engage in it?

Why is it that we want to appear prayerful before we become prayerful?

Why is it that we want to appear knowledgeable before we've actually submitted ourselves to God's Word?

To appear generous before we've learned contentment. To appear mature before we've been humbled.

Friends, hear me this morning.

God knows exactly where you are in your journey of sanctification.

It is much better to live honestly, flaws and all, before your church family than pretending to be holier than you are.

God sees through false holiness even when his people might not, which brings us to our next observation.

II. GOD PRESERVES THE HOLINESS OF HIS CHURCH

When Ananias heard these words, the rebuke of Peter, he fell down and breathed his last.

After an interval of about three hours his wife cam in, not knowing what had happened. Luke wants us to understand that she had an opportunity to stick to the lie conceived by her and her husband or to, now in the presence of the church and the apostles come clean.

Peter gives her a chance. “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.”

Notice Peter doesn't ask about the amount. He asks whether this was the selling price.

Luke wants us to see again that the issue isn't generosity, it is honesty before God. It’s not about the amount they gave or the amount the kept. It is about the lie of presenting what they gave as the selling price of the land.

And she said, “Yes, for so much.”

She goes ahead and takes part in the lie that Ananias had already been caught in.

Peter’s rebuke is similar here but also a little different. How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord?

Peter’s word recall the Old Testament idea of testing the Lord. Conducting yourself in such a way as to challenge God.

Throughout the Old Testament, testing the Lord meant acting as though God either could not see or would not act. Ananias and Sapphira do exactly the same thing In the case of Ananias and Sapphira, if they had gotten away with this ruse, it would have seemed as though God was not concerned with honest, that God himself was not concerned with holiness. What would happen if Ananias let it slip down the road that he had gotten away with this? Would that not embolden others or give the idea that God is not that serious about honesty or integrity?

The reality is of course that God takes holiness seriously. Seriously enough that Ananias and Sapphira experience physical death immediately after being exposed.

Here is the truth, if our first reaction is that God's judgment seems severe, perhaps the better question is whether our view of God's holiness has become too small.

The New Testament church is experiencing something completely new.

God no longer dwells in the tabernacle, in the temple, he dwells in his church, his people.

Some might think that this new expression of God dwelling among his people would indicate that something had changed with God.

The God that of Mount Sinai, the God who set limits for no one to go up into the mountain or even tough the edge of it or they should die, the God whose presence was a thick cloud of thunder and lightning, fire and smoke, that God is now approachable.

Perhaps he is less severe less a consuming fire than he was.

Maybe the God of the New Testament is different than the God of the Old Testament.

You hear that kind of nonsense from the world sometimes. They look at the Old Testament revelations of God and the New Testament picture of Christ eating with sinners and they conclude something is different about God. Sometimes people speak as though the God revealed in the Old Testament is somehow different from the God revealed in the New.

We know better.

Yes we can approach God through Jesus Christ, but he is no less holy or exalted than he has ever been and he is still concerned with holiness from his people.

We can trace the parallels directly from the Old Testament to this story of Ananias and Sapphira.

When God established the priesthood...Nadab and Abihu. Aaron’s sons who brought unauthorized fire before the Lord and were consumed by divine fire and died immediately.

When Israel entered the Promised Land...Achan. Who after the destruction of Jericho disobeyed God by plundering the city and hiding it in his tent, leading directly to his death.

When the ark was brought to Jerusalem...Uzzah. David disobeyed God’s precribed manner of moving the ark and when the oxen stumbled, Uzzah reached out to steady the ark, igniting God’s anger and he struck him down immediately.

Each moment begins with the same reminder:God is holy.

And now, as Christ establishes His New Covenant church...God is saying exactly the same thing.

Each occurs at a pivotal moment in redemptive history. Each establishes: God is holy.

Now Acts 5. The New Covenant church is being established. God again demonstrates: I have not become less holy.

Ananias and Sapphira tested the Spirit of the Lord and found that God will preserve the holiness of his church.

Here is an important thing for you to understand and one that many fail to draw from this story. In this particular context the apostles are especially gifted by the Holy Spirit to lay the foundation of the early church. The judgment seemingly comes from Peter alone. As the church is established and it spreads, the task of preserving the holiness of the church is given to the church. Christ has entrusted His church with the responsibility of pursuing and protecting holiness within the body. If no other passage in the New Testament addressed church discipline, this passage should be enough for us to understand that the church should desire to purge all that is not holy from among itself.

The extraordinary judgment in Acts 5 isn't repeated as the ordinary pattern. Instead, Christ entrusts His church with the responsibility of lovingly confronting sin and, when necessary, exercising church discipline to preserve the holiness of His people.

Church, if Christ loves His church enough to preserve her holiness, shouldn't we love her enough to pursue it? This brings us to our last observation this morning.

III. GOD USES A HOLY CHURCH TO ADVANCE HIS MISSION

Twice Luke tells us great fear came upon all who heard it, and then upon the whole church. In chapter 4 we are told great grace was upon the church, in chapter 5 we are told that great fear was upon the church.

These two are not opposites, but rather companions. God’s great grace upon his church leads it to deeper and deeper holiness which brings a righteous reverence to God’s people.

Notice something else with me. Acts 5:12 “12 Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico.”

I think Luke wants us to understand that this divine judgment of God through Peter on Ananias and Sapphira was part of the signs and wonders being done by the hands of the apostles. This encounter is a part of what God was doing through the apostles as he was establishing his church in Jerusalem. God’s people understood now more than ever that God valued holiness, but also that God used even the judgment of unrighteousness to advance his church. Listen to the summaries Luke immediately adds.

Acts 5:13–14 “13 None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. 14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,”

There are two ways we can understand verse 12 and 13. If we understand the they in verse 12 and the them in verse 13 as the church, then Luke is saying the church was all together in Solomon’s portico and none of the other Jews dared join them. Verse 14 then shows us despite the great fear and the hesitancy of the general public to engage with these believers, God continued saving multitudes of men and women.

The other way is to understand verses 12 and 13 as referring to the apostles, indicating that no one else casually approaching them as Ananias had done.

I tend to think of it as the first option.

That is the people who were outside of the church looking in, held them in high esteem because of the radical nature of their generosity and love for one another, but also understood the demand for holiness as not something to be entered into lightly. This reminds me of Jesus’ warning to count the cost before following him. They admired them but they did not join them.

However, others saw this miraculous work and believed. God used the purity of the church to attract men and women in salvation.

Here is the reality we see.

The more pure and more holy a church becomes, it simultaneously becomes both more and less attractive.

Less attractive to hypocrites. Less attractive to those who want the reputation of holiness but not the requirement for it. Less attractive to those who want the benefit of the community without actually reflecting the one who makes us a community.

More attractive to those God is saving. More attractive to those whom God has created anew and given new desires to. More attractive to those who understand they need others to spur them on to holiness and good works.

This is counter intuitive to a lot of thinking about the attractiveness of the church over my life time.

In my life we have seen the rise of what is often called the seeker-sensitive movement. The movement that says, the church needs to look more like the world so that we can attract those in the world.

That we need to do everything we can to lower the bar so that we can get men and women into our buildings.

And while on the surface that may sound like a good strategy, in reality it directly works against the pattern we see here in the New Testament, both in the life of Jesus and in the life of his church.

What drew people to the early church was that it was different than the world. Listen to verses 15 and 16 again. 15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16 The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

They came seeking healing and freedom. What set the early church apart from the culture around it was the presence and power of God.

If this story tells us anything it is that those things are most present when the church is concerned with holiness not attractiveness. The same holiness that caused some to fear the church caused others to believe in Christ.

Church family, where do we go from here?

What do we do with this story that Luke drops in our lap here in Acts 5?

I know there are a couple of temptations when we encounter something like this.. …to dismiss it as something irrelevant to us because of the uniqueness of the context. To admire it but keep it at a distance. Or …to focus on the hypocrisy of Ananias and Sapphira. To judge them but miss the point.

Both of those would be a detriment to us individually and corporately.

Luke includes this story not to simply tell us a story of hypocrisy in the early church, but to show us the seriousness of holiness in the church before God. He is showing us a progression in Acts.

Christ empowers his church, the church experience internal health and unity, it faces external opposition and Christ strengthens his church, they face internal corruption and Christ purifies his church. Christ is at work in the life and work of his church. He is at work in this church.

It is a reminder that we must fight the temptation to project a spirituality that outpaces our actual maturity.

The church is not a place to perform or pretend, but a place to authentically belong and grow together.

A desire for holiness is from God, the desire to appear more holy than you are is from Satan.

Perhaps the greatest impact this scripture could have on our church as a disciple making institution is to encourage us to be honest about where we are in our spiritual journey.

To desire God’s glory more than personal recognition.

Acts chapter 5 confronts us with the question.

Do we care more about possessing holiness or professing holiness?

Let us pray.