Acts 5A. In chapter 4 last week, the Sanhedrin council has set a legal precedent

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1 Acts 5A In chapter 4 last week, the Sanhedrin cuncil has set a legal precedent They declared that it was n lnger acceptable fr men t teach in the name f Jesus Peter and Jhn answered and said they culdn t agree t thse terms But nevertheless, the ruling cuncil f Israel has made a determinatin that had the frce f law in that sciety It will becme the basis fr further actin against believers in the city and Judea Acts 4:21 When they had threatened them further, they let them g (finding n basis n which t punish them) n accunt f the peple, because they were all glrifying Gd fr what had happened; Acts 4:22 fr the man was mre than frty years ld n whm this miracle f healing had been perfrmed. Luke implies that the leaders had a desire t take strng actin but simply culdn t First, the apstles hadn t vilated any clear rule r prhibitin On the ther hand they had healed a man, which was praise wrthy Secndly, the result f their miracle was a public utcry in praise f Gd This was an utcme that the Sanhedrin shuld have fund wrthy f cmmendatin, nt cndemnatin Plus, if they had decided t take actin against Peter and Jhn, they risked an uprising amng the 5,000+ wh were praising Gd fr the wrk f these men S, they admnished the men and then let them g Naturally, Peter and Jhn return t the ther Apstles, wh have prbably been wrrying fr them 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

2 Acts 5A! 2 Acts 4:23 When they had been released, they went t their wn cmpanins and reprted all that the chief priests and the elders had said t them. Acts 4:24 And when they heard this, they lifted their vices t Gd with ne accrd and said, O Lrd, it is Yu wh MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM, Acts 4:25 wh by the Hly Spirit, thrugh the muth f ur father David Yur servant, said, WHY DID THE GENTILES RAGE, AND THE PEOPLES DEVISE FUTILE THINGS? Acts 4:26 THE KINGS OF THE EARTH TOOK THEIR STAND, AND THE RULERS WERE GATHERED TOGETHER AGAINST THE LORD AND AGAINST HIS CHRIST. Acts 4:27 Fr truly in this city there were gathered tgether against Yur hly servant Jesus, whm Yu aninted, bth Herd and Pntius Pilate, alng with the Gentiles and the peples f Israel, Acts 4:28 t d whatever Yur hand and Yur purpse predestined t ccur. Acts 4:29 And nw, Lrd, take nte f their threats, and grant that Yur bndservants may speak Yur wrd with all cnfidence, Acts 4:30 while Yu extend Yur hand t heal, and signs and wnders take place thrugh the name f Yur hly servant Jesus. Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered tgether was shaken, and they were all filled with the Hly Spirit and began t speak the wrd f Gd with bldness. The respnse f the believers in the city t the apstles release is t take their relief t the Lrd in praise They praise Him fr His grace in releasing these tw imprtant leaders f the early church And their prayer centers arund Psalm 2 Reading the entire Psalm gives us a better sense f hw this Psalm became such an imprtant these Christians were s happy at this utcme Psa. 2:1 Why are the natins in an uprar And the peples devising a vain thing? Psa. 2:2 The kings f the earth take their stand And the rulers take cunsel tgether Against the LORD and against His Aninted, saying, Psa. 2:3 Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their crds frm us! Psa. 2:4 He wh sits in the heavens laughs, The Lrd scffs at them Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

3 Acts 5A! 3 Psa. 2:5 Then He will speak t them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, Psa. 2:6 But as fr Me, I have installed My King Upn Zin, My hly muntain. Psa. 2:7 I will surely tell f the decree f the LORD: He said t Me, Yu are My Sn, Tday I have begtten Yu. Psa. 2:8 Ask f Me, and I will surely give the natins as Yur inheritance, And the very ends f the earth as Yur pssessin. Psa. 2:9 Yu shall break them with a rd f irn, Yu shall shatter them like earthenware. Psa. 2:10 Nw therefre, O kings, shw discernment; Take warning, O judges f the earth. Psa. 2:11 Wrship the LORD with reverence And rejice with trembling. Psa. 2:12 D hmage t the Sn, that He nt becme angry, and yu perish in the way, Fr His wrath may sn be kindled. Hw blessed are all wh take refuge in Him! This psalm describes hw the wrld will ppse the Messiah but He will triumph nnetheless The Secnd Psalm is a descriptin f the resistance that the Messiah will experience in the final days f Tribulatin as He returns And the psalm als makes clear that the Father is behind the scenes directing the whle affair He will give the Sn the natins fr an inheritance By applicatin, these early believers crrectly recgnized that the Lrd was at wrk in their circumstances fulfilling His wrd Thugh Jewish leaders were dismissing and challenging the claims f Messiah just as they did t Jesus The Lrd will have the last laugh And this situatin was under Gd s cntrl As they hear the apstles reprt, it s clear that the believers put this tgether They cme t understand that this trial was a part f Gd s plan fr the church 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

4 Acts 5A! 4 Keep in mind that the persecutin f Peter and Jhn was a crssrads fr the early church It prbably shcked the cnscience The prspect f persecutin was almst unthinkable And the news that the apstles were under inquiry was prbably a great wrry Then as the apstles were released, the Spirit cnnected the dts fr the church and brught them t Psalm 2 The persecutin that started with the Sanhedrin was a reflectin f the hatred that Christ Himself experienced in His first cming And the Church qutes this Psalm t emphasize that they understand that the wrld will resist the message f the Gspel But the Father is in cntrl In vs , the church states plainly that the events that led t Christ s death were predestined by Gd t ccur Specifically, the church declares that the cnspiracy relied n Gentiles (Rmans) and the peple f Israel Bth Jews and Gentiles were culpable in the death f Christ But in v.28 they say that Gd was ultimately the One bringing abut these circumstances And in v.29 they appeal t Gd t ntice that the persecutin David spke f had cme hme t rest upn them Specifically, they ask that the Lrd take nte which means t lk upn The implicatin is that the Lrd will take revenge Secndly, they grant bldness t cntinue speaking Gd s wrd I find it fascinating that the prayer isn t fr a remval f the persecutin Rather, it s merely fr the curage t keep speaking in the face f ppsitin 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

5 Acts 5A! 5 Perhaps Jhn has tld them f Jesus wrds cncerning persecutin Jhn 15:20 Remember the wrd that I said t yu, A slave is nt greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will als persecute yu; if they kept My wrd, they will keep yurs als. Finally, they ask fr wnders and pwers t accmpany the prclamatin f the name f Jesus They are seeking t see Gd manifest His pwer t cnfirm their testimny Plus, pwerful signs will help vercme the fear that persecutin will prduce The result f the prayer was an answer in the affirmative frm Gd Gd gave manifestatins t the grup, filling them with the Hly Spirit And they spke in bldness S thrugh the first fur chapters f Acts, Luke has planted the seeds fr the rest f the bk He has shwn a new institutin established amng Jews Accmpanied by signs and wnders t prpel the Gspel frward in the face f ppsitin Led by men f remarkable pwers But rejected by the Jewish leaders Called t preach Gd s wrd in the face f ppsitin Expecting the Lrd s return at any time Acts 4:32 And the cngregatin f thse wh believed were f ne heart and sul; and nt ne f them claimed that anything belnging t him was his wn, but all things were cmmn prperty t them. Acts 4:33 And with great pwer the apstles were giving testimny t the resurrectin f the Lrd Jesus, and abundant grace was upn them all. Acts 4:34 Fr there was nt a needy persn amng them, fr all wh were wners f land r huses wuld sell them and bring the prceeds f the sales 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

6 Acts 5A! 6 Acts 4:35 and lay them at the apstles feet, and they wuld be distributed t each as any had need. Acts 4:36 Nw Jseph, a Levite f Cyprian birth, wh was als called Barnabas by the apstles (which translated means Sn f Encuragement), Acts 4:37 and wh wned a tract f land, sld it and brught the mney and laid it at the apstles feet. At the end f chapter 4 cmes this interesting stry f hw the early church was cmbining prperty Luke sets the scene here in chapter 4, but the real impact is recrded in chapter 5 There are a fair number f things ging n here we must examine First, in Jerusalem there was a cngregatin f believers They apparently wrshipped tgether and shared in their prperty t help supprt ne anther Remember that the church in Jerusalem was relatively pr but numerus Over 8,000 believers at this pint Within such a large grup this kind f sharing wuld have been very helpful t maintaining a cmmn standard f living amng the believers Histrical recrds tell us that this time was difficult ecnmically fr the city The ranks f the needy were grwing But Luke says there wasn t a needy persn amng the church because f their sharing What prmpted the shared lve and self-sacrifice? They were f ne heart and ne sul These were the early inncent times The early blush f faith was still the driving frce in the bdy and the pwer f the Spirit was hlding the bdy tgether 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

7 Acts 5A! 7 Amngst all this unity, the Apstles are giving great witness t the resurrectin f Jesus thrugh their wn miraculus pwers Here again is prf that the Apstles were the nly nes t shws these miraculus pwers Luke cnnects these tw pints in v.35 The peple immediately recgnized that the apstles were appinted as leaders by Jesus And the pwers these men held were prf that Gd had vested them with His authrity They culd declare things in the name f Jesus They held the keys t the kingdm Matt. 16:19 I will give yu the keys f the kingdm f heaven; and whatever yu bind n earth shall have been bund in heaven, and whatever yu lse n earth shall have been lsed in heaven. The Apstles were uniquely aninted by the Hly Spirit t make determinatins n Earth cncerning spiritual matters as Christ s representative These men were necessary t the survival and grwth f the early church And they held authrity and pwer t accmplish a difficult task And they will be expected t serve as examples in everything they d, including in the ways they died S as smene in the cngregatin had a need, thers wuld respnd by selling prperty and bringing the prceeds t the Apstles feet In Greek, the phrase suggests that nt all the prceeds were necessarily brught t the Apstles, but nly what was required t cver the need And the acts f bringing it t the feet f the Apstles reflects their view that the Apstles were Christ s representatives n Earth Anther way t see it was these were gifts given t Gd as represented by the Apstles 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

8 Acts 5A! 8 The chapter ends with an example f ne man wh fllws this practice The man identified at the end is Jseph f Cyprus, whm the Apstles called Barnabas Barnabas becmes an example f ne wh fllws this practice faithfully We didn t really need Barnabas example since the general practice had already been described But Luke chses t highlight Barnabas bedience because he will becme a central character in the bk Barnabas is the cusin f Mark authr f the Gspel He was ne f the 500 wh were said t have met with the resurrected Jesus And as a result he has the gift f Apstleship as well (Acts 14) He will becme a traveling cmpanin t Paul fr a time He is instrumental in establishing the early church with Paul But he is als ne wh was carried away by hypcrisy in practicing legalism accrding Gal 2 Here we see Barnabas early in Jerusalem leading by example, respnding t the needs f the bdy and submitting t the Lrd thrugh the leadership f the apstles Acts 5:1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sld a piece f prperty, Acts 5:2 and kept back sme f the price fr himself, with his wife s full knwledge, and bringing a prtin f it, he laid it at the apstles feet. Acts 5:3 But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled yur heart t lie t the Hly Spirit and t keep back sme f the price f the land? Acts 5:4 While it remained unsld, did it nt remain yur wn? And after it was sld, was it nt under yur cntrl? Why is it that yu have cnceived this deed in yur heart? Yu have nt lied t men but t Gd. Acts 5:5 And as he heard these wrds, Ananias fell dwn and breathed his last; and great fear came ver all wh heard f it. Acts 5:6 The yung men gt up and cvered him up, and after carrying him ut, they buried him Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

9 Acts 5A! 9 Luke s accunt f Ananias and Sapphira represents the first serius sin in the early church There are tw cntrasts between chapters 4 and 5 First there is the cntrast between the hnest Barnabas and they dishnest Ananias an Sapphira Secndly, there is a cntrast between the external threats t the church frm the authrities And the internal threats t the church frm the sin f the cngregatin And the Lrd will prtect His Church frm bth threats At first the stry prceeds in keeping with Barnabas They sell a prperty But then a cnspiracy ensues They cnspire t hld back sme f the prceeds f the sale They place nly sme f the mney befre the Apstles but they claim t have brught it all The language in v.2 is reminiscent f the stry f Achan in Jshua As the natin f Israel entered the land and began t push back the enemies in the land, Achan held back sme f the spils f Jerich which Jshua declared belnged t the Lrd s temple Like Achan, Ananias has held back smething that shuld have been designated fr the Lrd s use Jshua was Achan s apstle in his day, and he suffered death fr his deceit When Ananias chse t lie t the Apstle, Peter says he was lying t Gd He was prfessing lve fr the Bdy f Christ when in fact he had little regard fr anything ther than his wn reputatin and image S his intent was t say he gave all when he nly gave sme 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

10 Acts 5A! 10 The issue was hypcrisy, s that their image befre the brethren was enhanced withut the need fr real sacrifice Peter instantly discerned the deceptin, anther spiritual cmpnent f apstlic pwer First, he says Satan has instigated this desire t lie t the Hly Spirit But Ananias is the ne wh chse t act in sin Here we see the enemy s pwer t undermine the Church, and his bvius interest in ding s He seeks weak members f the bdy and entices them t act against the unity and lve f the saints Satan des nt need t d anything t create unbelievers...he just uses them And he has n pwer ver believers except thrugh external means like temptatin, fear, deceptin, etc. A believer s defense t the schemes f the enemy are prayer and firm knwledge f Gd s wrd Paul says in 2Cr 2Cr. 2:11 s that n advantage wuld be taken f us by Satan, fr we are nt ignrant f his schemes. Later he says: Eph. 6:11 Put n the full armr f Gd, s that yu will be able t stand firm against the schemes f the devil. Eph. 6:12 Fr ur struggle is nt against flesh and bld, but against the rulers, against the pwers, against the wrld frces f this darkness, against the spiritual frces f wickedness in the heavenly places. Eph. 6:13 Therefre, take up the full armr f Gd, s that yu will be able t resist in the evil day, and having dne everything, t stand firm. Cnsidering what Peter tells Ananias, it seems he wuld have been safe had he simply decided t keep sme mney and make clear his chice The sin was hlding back the mney but lying 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

11 Acts 5A! 11 Still, t hld back the mney wuld have reflected a selfishness Ananias understands this, but rather than address his selfishness, he lks fr a way t cver it up S as Peter was speaking, Ananias falls dead Did Peter act t take Ananias life? There is nthing in the text t clearly cnnect Peter t the death Perhaps Peter was surprised t But Peter ends by saying yu lied t Gd Which sunds like a judge declaring a verdict And then came the penalty Based n the next accunt f Sapphira, it seems that Peter had a hand in the prcess If s, then Gd was allwing Peter this latitude as a part f the authrity given t the Apstles Why was this sin wrthy f such an extreme respnse? First, all sin is wrthy f death (Rm 6:23) And many times ur sins d result in death, whether immediate r delayed Secndly this was likely the first majr issue f sin in the yung church As such, many wuld naturally watch t see what the effect f such behavir wuld be Wuld the Apstles have authrity ver such things? D they take yu t the curts r t the Pharisees? Unlikely, since they weren t allies If this sin were left unchecked in the early church, imagine hw lng befre all respect fr authrity was gne 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

12 Acts 5A! 12 The strng respnse t Ananias sin was necessary t make clear the seriusness and legitimacy f the Apstle s authrity Acts 5:7 Nw there elapsed an interval f abut three hurs, and his wife came in, nt knwing what had happened. Acts 5:8 And Peter respnded t her, Tell me whether yu sld the land fr such and such a price? And she said, Yes, that was the price. Acts 5:9 Then Peter said t her, Why is it that yu have agreed tgether t put the Spirit f the Lrd t the test? Behld, the feet f thse wh have buried yur husband are at the dr, and they will carry yu ut as well. Acts 5:10 And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the yung men came in and fund her dead, and they carried her ut and buried her beside her husband. Acts 5:11 And great fear came ver the whle church, and ver all wh heard f these things. An hur later, his wife arrives withut knwledge f her husband s predicament By this pint we can imagine many things have transpired Wrd abut Ananias must have spread quickly in the church cmmunity Smehw Sapphira didn t hear, prbably because everyne was t afraid t speak t her abut it And perhaps because they didn t knw what t tell her Als, there s prbably n reasn t warn her, because n ne wuld have assumed that she had anything t d with Ananias deceptin Men ran the finances and wmen had little t say abut them In this case, she had knwn f her husband s decisin Ntice the text desn t say she agreed t it r even cndned it She just knew abut it S nw she cmes t Peter and he asks her hw much mney they sld the land fr She says that was all they received, which was a lie 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

13 Acts 5A! 13 She decided t give her lyalty t her husband rather than t Gd Remember, she didn t knw her husband was dead When Peter named the price, she must have knwn that her husband had already tld Peter that lie Rather than admit her husband had lied, she agreed with the statement, prbably t prtect her husband Hnring yur husband cmes after hnring the Lrd Peter s respnse suggests he had made n predeterminatin cncerning her guilt He wasn t sure if she had been invlved in the decisin When she answered, she incriminated herself Based n her answer, she was cnvicted as was her husband Ananias shwed lyalty t mney ver Gd and Sapphira shwed lyalty t her husband ver the Lrd Bth sins resulted in death This situatin achieved the desired result: great fear amng the peple The rest f the chapter shws hw that great fear plays ut in the culture and effectiveness f the church 2010 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.