Insights from the New Testament

********** Start Timer **********

-It might be helpful for you to go ahead and...

…turn in your Bibles to the book of Acts...

…and find and hold your place in Chapters 5 and 18.

-We’re continuing our study of Marriage, Family, and Sexuality this evening...

And, in following the basic outline of our book (show slide)...

We’ve come now to another summary section...

(Much like we did in our OT portion of this study)

…which provides us with collective insights...

…from the examples of particular marriages...

…that are recorded in the pages of the NT.

-However, the number of those marriages...

…is CONSIDERABLY less than we had in the OT...

…with most of them merely being merely spoken of...

…but not really described in any detail.

(In fact, the material is so limited...

…that I almost skipped this section because of it)

However, as I began to read the book...

…and the pertinent scripture references...

I realized that there was a lot for us to glean...

…from the examples that are there.

-So, let’s pray and ask for the Lord’s help...

And we’ll jump on in.

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Pray

-I hope I don’t disappoint you...

…by not dealing with the marriage...

...of Joseph and Mary.

But, the fact is, that, if you think about it...

…there isn’t a lot that is actually said...

About their Marriage in particular.

Most of what we see about them...

…speaks more to their individual faithfulness and obedience...

…than it does to how they functioned as “one flesh.”

(And such is the case with most marriages...

…that are mentioned in the NT)

-However, there are two couples...

…that are introduced to us in the book of Acts...

…that are notable exceptions to this rule.

One couple is presented positively

The other, very negatively.

They are...

Priscilla and Aquila

Ananias and Sapphira

We’re going to look at the latter first.

Their story begins in:

Acts 4:32–33 (ESV)

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.

Do you see the scene that’s being described? (elaborate)

The Spirit of God was moving mightily...

…amongst the people of God:

Unity

Power

Charity

This should convict us all:

Acts 4:34–35 (ESV)

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...

What’s more important to a Jew than land in Israel?

35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

This isn’t communism

The Apostle’s aren’t demanding this of them

They’re doing it voluntarily

This is the Spirit of God giving them new desires!

This is the Power of God upon his church!

-But… this side of Glory...

…there will always be goats among the sheep.

Goats who pass themselves off as sheep, for a time.

Acts 5:1 (ESV)

1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,

So far, so good...

Acts 5:2 (ESV)

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.

Notice two things:

They wanted to APPEAR, to have the same heart as everyone else.

Even though he was the head of the family, his wife was complicit, and thus culpable.

This teaches us an important lesson:

The fear of Man will destroy you!

It will drag you into perilous waters!

Our marriage unions must be characterized...

By the Fear of the Lord...

NOT the Fear of Man.

The ultimate goal in our marriages...

…must be to please God!

Not men!

Not ultimately, anyway

-Now, what’s the problem...

…with them wanting to appear to have...

…the same heart and desire as everyone else?

They didn’t!

Their hearts weren’t filled by the Holy Spirit

They were being directed by another master!

Look at Verse 3:

Acts 5:3 (ESV)

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?

Notice:

Satan’s mastery of your heart (i.e., “filling”) produces...

selfishness

self-centeredness

self-seeking

self-promotion.

(Has that changed today?)

They (with agreement) cared more about their “best lives now” . . .

…than they did alleviating the suffering of their spiritual kin!

They valued:

money/mammon over ministry

Their own creature comforts...

…over the promulgation of the gospel...

…and growth of the church!

(Are these applicable warnings...

…to married couples living in our society today?)

-This was a marriage union...

…with WOEFULLY misplaced priorities.

They wanted to be “good old boys, etc.” (cultural Christians)...

...and have the esteem and approval of men...

But it was all just a religious facade!

They were like the Pharisees...

…of whom, Jesus said:

Matthew 23:27 (ESV)

27 “Woe to you . . . For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.

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They didn’t have a Christian Marriage at all...

…because they weren’t really Christians!

Nowhere is that seen as clearly...

…as it is in their affections.

You can’t hide that in the end

You WILL pursue what you desire most

Their chief and most foundational desire...

…wasn’t for the advancement of the Kingdom of Christ.

They didn’t see the glory of Christ...

…as the ultimate goal of their marriage.

Is that a sobering lesson?

-Now, notice this, also, in Verses 3-4:

Acts 5:3–4 (ESV)

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.”

Satan’s influence in your life...

...will INEVITABLY cause you to...

Doubt God’s Word.

Put his power and authority to the test.

This happened to Achan and his family as well:

At the conquest of Jericho, they were told this:

Joshua 6:17–18 (ESV)

17 ...the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction...

18 But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it.

Joshua 7:1 (ESV)

1 But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi . . . took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel.

And they cast lots

And the lot eventually fell upon Achan

(He couldn’t hide from God)

Joshua 7:25 (ESV)

25 And Joshua said, “Why did you bring trouble on us? The Lord brings trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones.

And then watch what they did, and consider why:

Joshua 7:26 (ESV)

26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day...

Why?

To be a warning to others.

-Ananias’ fate served the same purpose:

Acts 5:5 (ESV)

5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it.

What’s the warning for our marriages?

Luke 12:15 (ESV)

15 . . . “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Matthew 6:24 (ESV)

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Matthew 23:26 (ESV)

26 ...First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

-Now, watch what happens next:

Acts 5:6–7 (ESV)

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.

So, now it’s time for her to be tested.

Her husband isn’t around (He’s buried in the ground)

She has an opportunity to do the right thing.

And, instead she follows her husband down into Sheol:

Acts 5:8–9 (ESV)

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.”

Like Achan and Ananias...

…the Lord calls her bluff.

Acts 5:10 (ESV)

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.

Kostenberger says this:

God, Marriage, and Family: Rebuilding the Biblical Foundation (Ananias and Sapphira)

The lesson from this is that even if one marriage partner chooses to sin, the other ought to make his or her own decision and do what is right, regardless of the consequences.

God does not expect one marriage partner to follow the other into sin.

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Sapphira was held accountable for her own actions

Ananias’s authority over her wasn’t absolute.

No husband’s authority is absolute.

Only Christ’s authority is absolute.

We must do His will (as revealed in His Word)...

…above everything else.

-Finally, look at Verse 11:

Acts 5:11 (ESV)

11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

You know what that tells me?

That this is a warning for me

That this is a warning for us all.

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-Now, in glorious contrast to this couple...

We have Aquila and Priscilla!

Turn to Chapter 18.

And, I want you to consider how different...

…these two couples are.

-Ananias and Sapphira served as an example of what to avoid...

Aquila and Priscilla serve as something deserving of imitation!

They are introduced for the first time in Verses 1-3:

Acts 18:1–3 (ESV)

1 After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.

2 And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome....

See the hand of divine providence in this:

They were exiled (temporarily) from their home.

In their place of refuge, they meet the Apostle Paul!

This ought to encourage us as we face hardships in our marriages and families.

God is always doing something in his people’s lives!

And he went to see them, 3 and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade.

Acts 18:4 (ESV)

4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.

Again, How Providential!!!

Some Vocation

Same “Sect” of Judaism

-Now, watch where the differences in the two couples…

…start to show up:

They are brought up again in...

Acts 18:18–19 (ESV)

18 After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila...

19 And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there...

What has just happened?

They’ve been displaced AGAIN!

They’ve now left a second home...

(Probably at their own expense)

…to head out in the service of Christ...

…under the immediate authority and direction...

...of one of His apostles!

Metaphorically speaking, they too, had...

Acts 4:37 (ESV)

37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

(they might have done that literally, too)

-And, God made their sacrifices count for something!

A few verses later, Luke tells us that this happened:

Acts 18:24–26 (ESV)

24 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures.

25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.

26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

What do you think it looked like...

…for them to “take him aside?”

(elaborate on hospitality, etc.)

-Notice something else, here:

Notice that they were driven more by the fear of the Lord...

…than they were by the fear of man.

They didn’t...

Cower to his superior intellect and rhetorical abilities

Correct him publicly to draw attention to themselves.

They appeared to have two concerns...

Neither of which, was self-aggrandizement:

1.) The truth of the gospel

2.) The Spiritual Health of Apollos.

And think of the fruit that that produced!!!

As far as we know, neither of them were:

Apostles

Prophets

Pastors...

Just two Christians, united in holy matrimony...

…living as “one flesh” (they’re always mentioned together)...

…and serving the purposes of Christ and His Kingdom.

That’s what they wanted...

...out of life

...to accomplish in their marriage.

-How can I be so sure of that?

Because Paul went on to show us that...

…throughout his writings...

…right up until the end:

1 Corinthians 16:19 (ESV)

19 The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord.

They were the hosts of the corporate gathering!

They used their home to facilitate...

The worship of Christ...

The upbuilding of His people.

Do you think this was easy?

(Try hosting a small group)

Do you think this was cheap?

Do you think this was dangerous for them?

But it was worth it all to them...

…because Jesus was the “telos” of their marriage!

-Look also, at...

Romans 16:3–6 (ESV)

3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus,

4 who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well.

5 Greet also the church in their house....

The Spirit’s power in your marriage...

…produces self-less-ness.

They put it all on the line...

…for the cause of Christ.

The chief end of their union...

…was to...

Glorify God

Enjoy HIM forever!

-The final reference to the couple...

…is found at the end of Paul’s final recorded letter from prison.

He simply tells Timothy to...

2 Timothy 4:19–22 (ESV)

19 Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus.

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This doesn’t tell us much by way of detail...

…but it does tell us one very important thing:

That, at least at the end of Paul’s life...

…they’re marriage was still...

…being lived out for the glory of God!

No fame

No fanfare

Just quiet and consistent fidelity!

-Brethren, I hope you can see the contrast between...

These two couples

The fruit of these two marriages

Aquila and Priscilla...

Valued Ministry over Mammon

Valued the needs of others over their own comforts

Valued the advancement of God’s Kingdom...

…over and above their best life now.

They weren’t cultural Christians.

They weren’t whitewashed tombs.

They had real spiritual life...

…and they united their efforts to...

…serve and glorify God in their life together.

-And, don’t think that it would have been glamorous.

It would have been hard work and sacrifice.

It was probably quite inglorious by the world’s standards.

But it was good.

And it had meaning and purpose.

That’s the kind of marriage...

…we should all aspire to:

One that spends, and is spent...

...for the purposes of Christ and His Kingdom.

Amen?

Do we need the power of the Holy Spirit to be upon us...

To even want to do that...

Far-less, to actually do it???

Well, let’s ask for that grace to be given to us.

Pray