Disappointment: It’s a life sapper. It turns our expectations upside down and let’s sorrow leak into our expectations of life. It sniffs of injustice meted out unfairly in our direction. It beaks our heart.
Solomon had a thing or two to say of disappointment. He said
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” – Proverbs 13:12
In finance, disappointment means a shrinking portfolio. Or a shrinking checking balance. What to do, what to do? The wise investor diversifies. A loss in one investment does not spill over to others.
How about spiritually? Not so much. To Moses and the chillun’ of Israel God said:
“Thou Shalt not have other gods before Me.” Exodus 20:3
And He means it. Ananias & Sapphira were caught up in the heady displays they saw, and the acclaim that no doubt came to them of the generosity of people of the primitive church in Jerusalem. But instead of the whole hearted devotion to God displayed by Barnabas, Ananias and Sapphira wanted it both ways; to put on a show of benevolence, and hedge their personal futures.
This is another example God set when He a began new thing:
- First Nadab & Abihu’s strange fire (Lev 10:1-2)
- Aachen’s theft in Joshua, when God said to devote to him the spoil of Jericho, and Uzzah when he touched the Ark of the Covenant (2 Samuel 6:3-8)
- Ananias & Sapphira (Acts 4:36-5:5)
See also Donald Grey Barnhouse, Men Whom God Struck Dead.
| Acts 5:1 | Ananias – God is gracious & Sapphira – A sapphire . Beautiful names.Hypocrisy kills:
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| Acts 5:3 | This is a proof text of the personality of the HS.James Mc Donald has said misery is caused by people trying to look rather than trying to be.Note how Peter picked up on the scam. |
| Acts 5:5 | The principle of precedence says in essence, that God makes a strong point the first time so that it doesn’t need to be emphasized later. Jos 7. God wants us to know the seriousness of sin, and the dread evil and harmfulness of it. Now the point is made, sin is bad.So now we are in a new entity, the church. This lie is being exposed in the same way Aachen was achin’. |
| Acts 5:7 | How could she not know her own husband was killed, caught in a lie. The whole town knew! (v5)Satan is that last one to tell us about our own sin. So as we learn this, we need to listen to others, as they may correct us. |
| Acts 5:10 | Why is it the young men found them? |
| Acts 5:13 | Would YOU join this church, in light of what just happened? |
| Acts 5:14 | The Church was no longer just for the curious. And although uncomfortable, the faith of the church was magnified. There is great fear and awe in the people of the church. |
| Acts 5:16 | Power is happening, healing is flowing. Understand there is no power in Peter’s shadow, but in the faith of the people healed in God. It was a trigger, a point of release. |
| Acts 5:20 | words of this life – refers not just to the afterlife, have life and that more abundantly Joh 10:10 |
| Acts 5:21 | Early in the morning – Get going on our spiritual life. Early in the day. Just as in the secular realm, the spiritually wealthy get what they want. Pro 10:5, 18:9 |
| Acts 5:24 | KJV= where unto this would grow. |
| Acts 5:28 | “Don’t teach in the name of Jesus” say these threatened men. And oh, that we would be accused of this! Mat 27:25 |
| Acts 5:29 | The authority over us are ministers appointed by God (Rom 13). If they act contrary to God, we are to submit not to them, but to God. This is true of all non Godly authority. Exo 1:17-20, Jos 2:1-6, Dan 1:8-16There are two qualifications here:
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| Acts 5:34 | One of the few men to be called, Rabbin, called the beauty of the Law. He walked in great integrity in order to keep it. He was also a teacher of Paul (Saul). In his notes, was a criticism of Paul saying it was impossible to find enough reading material for him. Paul’s sentence structure and intellectual prowess were awesome. |
| Acts 5:36 | Both Theudas and Judas claimed to be Messiah. Theudas to spiritual illumination, Judas, a political Messiah. How to spot a FP:1) One who claims to be supernatural or special in some way.2) Watch for those who draw people away to themselves instead of Jesus. |
| Acts 5:39 | Wise words. |
| Acts 5:42 | Yeah! Churchill said a fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject. |