Living a Life of Grace
Acts 4:32-37 32All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. 36Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.
Intro: V.33 says, “…much grace was upon them all.” What is grace? It has been called favor that we don’t really deserve. This favor can be with God and/or man. Acts 2:47 tells us that these early believers were “praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.” God was pleased with their lives, and people saw how they lived and loved, and they were drawn to them. When we live a life of grace, we take some of that undeserved favor that God has shown to us, and we pass it on to others who do not deserve it either. If we deserved God’s love and forgiveness, then it wouldn’t be grace. If people around us deserved to be loved, blessed, and treated well, then it wouldn’t be grace. When we owe something to someone, we are not being noble by paying it. We are just doing what we are obligated to do. However, when we live in such a way that God’s kindness and favor spills all over everyone around us – that is what it means to live a life of grace. Here is the main truth of the sermon today:
Prop: God’s grace finds expression in the way we treat both people and possessions.
Interrogative: How does God’s grace in our lives affect our relationships?
TS: Let’s talk about that as we look at three main thoughts from the text.
I. Grace Gives Us the Proper Attitude Towards Other Believers (32)
32”All the believers were one in heart and mind.”
- In Psalm 133:1, the Message Bible says, “How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along!” I’ve noticed something about people, whether they are Christians or not. People normally do not just happen to get along. Part of the reason for that is because we all come from different backgrounds with different life experiences. We all view things somewhat differently based on how we were raised and what values have been placed in us. What is important to one of us may not be an issue with someone else. So, based on what we know, we are pretty sure our way is right. Otherwise, we would probably change the way we do things.
-So, in light of this, how is it possible for people to become like the believers we just read about in v.32? 32”All the believers were one in heart and mind.”
-Sociologists, as well as psychologists, would probably tell you that people tend to form close knit groups based on commonalities. So, even though we all have different experiences and ideas, there are many things that we have in common. Let’s look at a few of them.
1. We all have sinned. We’ve all made mistakes, but more than that, we’ve sinned against God.
2. Forgiveness is offered to us all by the death and resurrection of Jesus.
3. When we ask God to forgive us and lead us, the same HS comes and makes His home inside of us. Again, The Message says in 1 Cor. 12, that “By means of his one Spirit, we all said goodbye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which he has the final say in everything.” So, the same HS lives in each of us, drawing us closer to God, and closer to one another.
4. By ourselves we are incomplete. We are complete in Christ, but not independently so. Without one another, the body of Christ (the Church) is incomplete. So, it’s not all about me or all about you, it is about the Lord and US! Together, we can grow in the Lord and accomplish what He has called us to do.
-How, then, do we foster an environment that results in what we read in v.32? ”All the believers were one in heart and mind.” Think about it! The Jerusalem church was made up of about 5000 men. How do you get so many people to come into agreement and unity? Well, it was not without its challenges. We read about disagreements and debates, but together they pursued and found the common ground of God’s will for their lives. How can we do that? Without spending a lot of time talking about it, let me just say that they shared the same HS, the same word of God, they were willing to humble themselves like Jesus did, and they were willing to share their possessions to make sure everybody’s needs were being met. There was a lot of God’s grace on them!
-TS: That leads us to the 2nd point
II. Grace Gives Us Perspective about Ownership (32b, 34-37)
32b”No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.”
-The Bible does not teach against personal ownership. However, it does teach against stinginess and lack of compassion/action towards those in need.
-Part of the outflow of the grace that was on them and the unity they shared was their willingness to share the material possessions and wealth God had blessed them with. It is important to note that we do not find any emotional appeals or demands from the apostles for people to sell their possessions. The key was that they listened to the HS, and responded when they saw people in need.
-Another sect that lived near the Dead Sea in this general time period was called the Qumran community. The people of this community were called Essenes. They were required to renounce all right to private property, and equal shares were distributed to all members to meet their needs. However, the believers in Jerusalem were not like this. Nobody required them to give up ownership. They lived by the principle of voluntarily sharing possessions to strengthen the unity and harmony among the believers. The Essenes gave because they had to. They were following manmade rules. The followers of Jesus gave because it was in keeping with God’s command to love. So, ownership was not done away with. Rather, good stewardship, giving, and sharing were practiced.
-When it comes down to private ownership, there is something that we have to realize, however. All that we own belongs to the Lord. If we have been gifted to make lots of money, or if we inherited a large amount, or however we have received what we have – it all comes from the Lord! Therefore, we are under obligation to use it wisely the way God leads us to.
-Think of all the stories Jesus told about money. Notice that He always spoke of someone being put in charge of something. It wasn’t theirs to do with as they liked. They were to use it to bring a good return to the Master who really owned it.
-That is the perspective we should have of the resources God has given us. What kind of return are we bringing to God’s kingdom with the use of the resources God sends our way? If we don’t know where it all goes, that is not good stewardship. If it all goes toward our own pursuits for comfort, pleasure, and security then we are not being good stewards/managers of what God puts us in charge of. Clearly, we are supposed to use a portion of it to feed, clothe, and house ourselves and our families. But if we are not careful, we can become like the Dead Sea- where water flows in, but does not flow out. I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard that the Dead Sea is not a pleasant place to be. No fish or marine life can survive in its water. It is rich in mineral content, but it cannot sustain life. I think that is an apt comparison to what our lives can become if we do not share both the material and spiritual riches God has blessed us with. We need to make sure that the grace that is upon us has an outlet and is blessing others around us.
-We read more about money in vv.34-37: 34”There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. 36Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.”
-Luke is giving a positive example of how one of the believers showed generosity and good stewardship with what God had given Him. As we will see in ch.5, another couple wanted the recognition that sometimes comes with generosity, but they lied in order to get it. They were willing to share, but they had selfish motives and were dishonest about it. God doesn’t want your money – He wants your heart! However, when He has your heart, then you will use your resources in a way that pleases Him and blesses others.
-TS: Well, in our final point, let’s see how God’s grace affects how we treat those who have not yet believed on Jesus.
III. Grace Promotes a Biblical Lifestyle of Evangelism (sharing the good news) (33)
33”With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.”
-Back in vv. 24-31, the apostles had prayed for boldness to speak God’s word and they had asked for God to continue to heal people and work miracles. V.33 shows that their prayer is still being answered. ”With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.”
-One of the greatest ways for people to know that Jesus is alive is through your life! It is one thing for us to go around and tell people that Jesus is alive, but why should they believe it? Just because we say so? No! They need some evidence. Your life provides that evidence.
-What was your life like before you asked God to forgive you and lead you? Anyone who knew you then should be able to tell that there is something different about you now! And even for those who did not know you B.C., you can tell them where you were and what the Lord has done in your life since you believed and received His forgiveness. You can tell them that Jesus is alive because His life can be seen in you.
-In addition to using words to share the gospel, we must not ignore 3 little words found in v.33: “WITH GREAT POWER.” The apostles used words to tell about Jesus, but they also prayed for sick people to be healed. They believed God to work miracles of provision in and through their lives. They found needs and asked God to come through and meet those needs supernaturally so that people would know that Jesus was alive!
-You don’t have to be a super spiritual person to see God work miracles through your life. You don’t even need to have super-faith! Jesus said in Matthew 17:20, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ’Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
-We do not need to apologize for the gospel or for our faith in Jesus! He is alive and wants to heal and do miracles among us today. However, as I’ve said the last couple of weeks, more miracles will be seen when we are about God’s business of reaching out to people who don’t know Jesus. I truly believe that God wants us to operate in the supernatural. However, unlike surgery, a sterile environment is not ideal for the miraculous. God may call us into some pretty messy situations, and ask us to pray the prayer of faith. Do you believe that God has the power to heal a drug baby? Maybe he will lead you to pray for one. Do you believe God has the power to deliver a person from meth addiction or some other chemical addiction? Maybe God will call on you to pray for that deliverance. Let’s not put God in our little Sunday box, but let’s take Him with us throughout the week, expecting Him to do something awesome through our everyday lives. This is what His grace is all about! It is favor that nobody deserves, yet it is available to all. God wants us to make His grace readily available to those who need it!
Conclusion: As we close today, we have been called to live a life of grace- the kind of grace that spills out and gets all over everybody! This kind of grace helps us have the right attitude towards one another, and results in unity or togetherness. This kind of grace affects how we view our possessions and wealth, prompting us to share with those in need, along with giving God what belongs to Him. This kind of grace also gives us a love for those who don’t know Jesus yet. It will not let us ignore the need to share the gospel in the way we live, in what we say, and with God’s miraculous power.
-Today, I hope we are not satisfied with where we are in these areas. We need more unity, more generosity, and more witnessing to those who don’t know the Lord! If we are satisfied with where we are, we may never see the need to grow and increase in these areas. God wants us to be much more effective than we’ve ever been, and by His grace we can be! By His grace we can love and get along with one another, being generous with our wealth, and reaching people with the good news about Jesus.
-If you’ve not been living a life of grace, just ask the Lord to change your heart so that His grace will flow through you. First, it needs to flow to you, but it can’t just lie dormant. It must flow through you to others.
-Maybe you wouldn’t call yourself a Christian today, because you’re not exactly sure what that means anyway. However, if you want God’s grace in your life, you can call on Jesus anytime and He will hear you. Next time you’re alone, why don’t you just try talking to Jesus. Be honest with Him and tell Him what you are dealing with. Tell Him where you are at in your spiritual journey. You may think that nobody is listening to a prayer like that, but I assure you, Jesus is! If you need to talk to somebody about it, I’d love to sit down and listen. Let’s close in prayer, asking God to help us live in His grace.
