Sin Has Consequences

A man was hired to paint a church, but to save money, he thinned the paint with water. After finishing the job, a big storm came and washed all the paint away.

The man, feeling guilty, knelt down and prayed, “Lord, forgive me! What should I do?”

A voice from heaven boomed, “Repaint! And thin no more!”

Sin often has unintended consequences.

Historical/Cultural Context -

Luke was a physician and a travel companion of the apostle Paul. He wrote the book of Acts. The earliest possible date of Acts is immediately after the events that Luke recorded in, which would have been c. A.D. 62. Acts is addressed to “Theophilus,” about whom nothing more is known. Luke’s broader audience consisted primarily of Gentile Christians like Theophilus who had already “been taught” about Jesus.

Biblical Text -

Acts 5:1–11 NKJV

But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him. Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter answered her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?” She said, “Yes, for so much.” Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband. So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things.

-[Prayer]-

Life Principle - We Don’t Sin In A Vacuum. Sin Has Consequences For Us & Those Around Us

Life Point- Sin Can Have Deadly Consequences

Exegetical -

Acts 5:1–6 NLT

But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest. Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!” As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified. Then some young men got up, wrapped him in a sheet, and took him out and buried him.

Homiletical -

Let me give you the backdrop here. People are selling property and goods and giving to the poor. So that no one was in need of anything for life. Then comes Ananias and Sapphira.

Believe it or not I would call this a miracle. A miracle with a simple message for us today, but a miracle nonetheless.

You see Ananias and his wife had some land and they sold some of it and brought part of the money to the apostles. The sin was not in selling the property, the sin was claiming it was the full amount. That is called a lie. His wife was also in on it.

Notice what Peter says about the whole thing. He says why have you let Satan fill your heart. You see Ananias succumbed to temptation and in so doing lied to the Holy Spirit.

James 1:12–15 NLT

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

1 Corinthians 10:12–13 NLT

If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

You can endure, under the power of the Holy Spirit and trusting God for the way of escape an temptation that comes to you.

Therefore Ananias is without excuse and because he did not mortify this sinful temptation when first arrived in his heart but went through with it. He paid a price for it.

I would say they literally followed the order of temptation found in James.

1) Temptation came from his desire to be praised for giving everything (though he didn’t want to give everything so he lied)

2) That desire gave birth to Ananias and Sapphira’s sinful actions.

3) Sin was allowed to grow in their hearts and lives and it brought forth not just a death in their communion with God until they repented; but it brought forth literal death to both of them.

Ever wonder why people sin?

Because in the short term you get something out of it. It can even be fun. But there are many places that address the consequences of sin. Here is one:

Galatians 6:7–10 NLT

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.

You have probably heard it said and it stands repeating. Sin is fun, for a season; but in it’s end it brings only death and destruction.

You have a choice oh Christian. You can either sow to your sinful desires or you can live to please the Spirit. You can either mortify sin and live for Christ or you can reap the destruction that will eventually catch up to you from your sin.

Here are some steps to put to death sin in your life:

1) Call it what it is.

It’s not an affair, it’s adultery and it’s sin. It’s not a white lie, it’s a lie and it is sin. It’s not just sharing things, it’s Gossip and it is sin

2) See sin how God sees it.

It is not a small thing, it’s not OK for believers to live in sin. Might I also say that the believer who has no qualms about living in sin is not a true believer because the Holy Spirit won’t let you alone unless you take care of that sin.

I know of a woman and man that lived together for 10 years unmarried and eventually split up. They called themselves Christians and even liked to refer to themselves as ministers. Let me tell you, I seriously question their salvation. Why? Because they were living in blatant unrepentant sin and were alright with it. Let me tell you, God is not alright with it.

3) Recognize that sin is inconsistent with who we are in Christ.

We are new creatures, given a new nature and to live by the old nature is inconsistent with our standing in Christ. If I am a new man then I should very well act like it.

4) Put to death your sin

It sounds easy, but it hearts. Because you are killing something that has been apart of you since your birth. It isn’t easy by any means. That is why you can’t do it alone. You must be saved so that you can get the help of the Holy Spirit to put to death your sin.

Illustration -

An early church scholar, John Owen once wrote:

“Sin aims always at the utmost; every time it rises up to tempt or entice, might it have its own course, it would go out to the utmost sin in that kind. Every unclean thought or glance would be adultery if it could; every covetous desire would be oppression, every thought of unbelief would be atheism, might it grow to its head. Men may come to that, that sin may not be heard speaking a scandalous word in their hearts - that is, provoking to any great sin with scandal in its mouth; but yet every rise of lust, might it have its course, would come to the height of villainy: it is like the grave that is never satisfied.”

Life Point - Your Sin Can Bring Others Down Too

Exegetical -

Acts 5:7–11 NKJV

Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter answered her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?” She said, “Yes, for so much.” Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband. So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things.

Homiletical -

There were no cell phones in those days so Sapphira couldn’t just call her husband and find out where he was. So she went looking for him, she hadn’t heard what had happened to him yet.

So Peter repeats the lie to her and she says, yes that is the case. So she covered for her husband knowing full well she was a liar. Then just like her husband she fell over dead.

Your sin affects not only you but also those around you. No matter how much you tell yourself that your pet sin doesn’t affect others, it does. At the very least it affects your relationship with God, and thereby affects your attitude. Your attitude toward others is affected, which affects them and then maybe they get a bad attitude which affects people they touch; and it all started because you believe your sin affects no one but you.

Sin can have an effect on your, and others emotional, financial and even physical states.

The worst part of sin, at least for unbeliever, is it sends people to hell. Why would a believer want to be apart of something that could send people to hell?

Romans 3:23 NLT

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

Romans 6:23 NLT

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5:8 NLT

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

Romans 5:10 NLT

For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.

Romans 10:13 NLT

For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Acts 3:19 NLT

Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.

Illustration -

Imagine a clear, flowing river that provides fresh water for an entire village. The people rely on it for drinking, cooking, washing, and watering their crops. One day, a factory upstream starts dumping toxic waste into the river. At first, the pollution isn’t noticeable—just a few chemicals here and there, diluted by the water. But over time, the toxins build up. The water becomes murky, the fish begin to die, and the people start to get sick. What was once a life-giving source is now harmful, and the effects are felt by everyone in the village, even those who had no part in polluting the water.

Sin is like that pollution. When we sin, it doesn’t just affect us; it spreads, impacting the people around us. Whether it’s dishonesty, anger, greed, or selfishness, our actions have consequences that reach beyond ourselves. The Bible reminds us of this in Romans 5:12, where it says, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people.”

When Adam sinned, his disobedience didn’t just affect him—it brought brokenness into the whole world. In the same way, our sin can poison relationships, corrupt communities, and even damage future generations. Like the polluted river, the effects of sin spread and harm others, often in ways we don’t immediately see.

However, just as a polluted river can be cleaned and restored, Jesus offers a way to cleanse the damage of sin. Through repentance and His grace, He purifies not only us but can also begin to heal the relationships and communities that were damaged by our sin.

Life Principle– We Don’t Sin In A Vacuum. Sin Has Consequences For Us & Those Around Us

Call to Action – altar call….