Christ Wesleyan Church
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Acts 5:39 NIV
A. Two confrontations with two different results...
Acts of the Apostles 4:36-37 NLT
Acts of the Apostles 5:1 NLT
1. Two different groups came before Peter and the church…Barnabas and Ananias and Sapphira.
2. Both sold property and both offered the proceeds to the church!
3. Peter and the apostles were brought before the Sanhedrin. (71 members, including 70 men and the high priest. They met in the Temple every day except Festivals and the Sabbath. This was the Supreme Court of Jerusalem.)
4. The apostles were threatened, imprisoned, and beaten!
Acts 5:27-28 NIV
B. A bold response...
1. The next day, Peter and John, were brought before rulers, elders, teachers, the high priest and his family.
2. They both sold property and both donated to the church. There was no law or expectation that anyone had to donate their property.
Acts of the Apostles 5:4 NLT
3. While Barnabas told the truth, Ananias and Sapphira both lied as to amount of their gift.
Acts of the Apostles 5:2 NLT
4. Profile of Barnabas:
He was known for his integrity, his honesty, his generosity, and his heart for God!
Acts of the Apostles 11:24 NLT
5. Profile of Ananias and Sapphira:
They were known for the lies, their deception and their fraud. They were phony in their profession of faith. They were hypocritical in their life. They wanted the praise of people more than the praise of God. They were trifling with sin and ultimately lied to God!
Acts of the Apostles 5:9 NLT
C. Peter and the Apostles before High Council…
1. The high priest and associated were jealous and imprisoned the apostles.
Acts of the Apostles 5:17-18 NLT
2. God released the apostles by an angel in the night.,
Acts of the Apostles 5:19-20 NLT
3. The apostles went back to teaching in the Temple courts.
Acts of the Apostles 5:21 NLT
4. The high priests summoned the apostles to be brought before them once again to be questioned. The guards brought them before the Sanhedrin.
Acts of the Apostles 5:26 NLT
5. Peter and the other apostles gave the same response as they had given earlier.
Acts of the Apostles 5:29 NLT
6. The Sanhedrin was furious and wanted to put them to death.
Acts of the Apostles 5:33 NLT
7. Gamaliel becomes the voice of reason.
Acts of the Apostles 5:38-39 NLT
8. The apostles were flogged and threatened once again not to speak in the Name of Jesus!
Acts of the Apostles 5:40 NLT
9. The apostles left rejoicing!
Acts of the Apostles 5:41 NLT
D. Points to ponder...
1. How sincere is your faith?
2. Is there hypocrisy in your life? Are you pretending to be something you are not? Is honesty a characteristic for which you are known?
3. Are you more concerned about what others think than what God thinks about you?
4. How has God tapped your heart toward generosity?
5. How will you be remembered?
6. Are you willing to obey God even if it cost you?
7. How do you handle opposition? Do you look deeper to see where it is coming from? Are you willing to continue in spite of the opposition?
8. Are your decisions made in the midst of emotion? Or is there a voice of reason? Are you willing to trust God as He leads? Are you willing to believe He can handle His plans?
Isaiah 46:9-10 NLT
Romans 8:37-39 NLT