1. Acts of the Apostles chapters 4 & 5 The Stone that the Builder’s Rejected… …the Holy vs. the Hypocrite
Bible 10 ~SRCS
mr.e ~ fall ’08

2. Acts of the Apostles: ch 4/5
The Stone ~ jars of clay
The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire edifice.
Jars of Clay- The Stone (Lyrics)
The Stone that the Builder’s Rejected…

3. Acts of the Apostles: ch 4/5
The Holy: Unified & Generous
All things were common property
The apostles were giving testimony... and abundant grace was upon them all
There was not a needy person... they would be distributed to each as any had need
Did Luke need some filler material to separate verse 32 from verse 34?
Is this just a one-verse commercial and then back to our regular programming? No, this is here for a reason.
I want to suggest that the power of the witness of the apostles stemmed from the fact that their doctrinal belief produced a corresponding reality in their lives.
James would have put it this way - you could see their faith by looking at their works.
Verse 33 seems to be sandwiched in between verses 32 and 34.
The verse before is talking about the finances of the early church. The verse following will also talk about meeting the needs within the early church.
The Holy vs. the Hypocrite

4. Acts of the Apostles: ch 4/5
The Holy
He encouraged the new church at Antioch. He encouraged Paul as a brand new believer. He encouraged his cousin John Mark after his failure in the First Missionary Journey.
If your friends or family were to give you a nickname, what would it be? Would it be a nickname for which you would be proud? For what do people know you?
36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.(Acts 4:36-37)

5. Acts of the Apostles: ch 4/5
the Hypocrite
Why did Luke have to go and spoil the fun by telling us this morbid story?
Why is this passage so important as to be included in the Word of God?
Because it’s true.
Provides a contrast to Barnabas
Consistent Nature of God:
Covenant obedience vs. disobedience (Achan in Joshua 7)
Severity of God’s Holiness
Protecting the infant Church
But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 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 (Acts 5:1-2).
Batman The Dark Knight- Blackmailing Batman - YouTube
Abe Lincoln Geico commercial.mp4

6. Acts of the Apostles: ch 4/5
Why would a ‘loving’, ‘peaceful’ God do this?
Christians needed to see that the Holy Spirit was God and to take God as seriously in the NT as OT. God is unchanging. He is not to be trifled with. He is not just a genie that we can put into a bottle and keep over the mantle of the fireplace. He won’t fit into our nice, comfortable boxes that we make for Him. He is very big and He is very dangerous.
When first hearing of Aslan, Lucy asks a question,
"That you will, dearie, and no mistake," said Mrs Beaver; "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking they're either braver than most or else just silly." "Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy.

7. "Safe. " said Mr Beaver; "don't you hear what Mrs Beaver tells you
"Safe?" said Mr Beaver; "don't you hear what Mrs Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe?
'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you." Chapter 8, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Chronicles of Narnia

8. Acts of the Apostles: ch 4/5
The Holy vs the Hypocrite
Owned a piece of property.
Sold it and gave all of the proceeds to the church.
His act showed a desire to serve the Lord and His church.
His sacrifice brought glory and honor to the Lord.
His was an act of worship.
He became a leader in the church and a companion of the Apostle Paul.
Owned a piece of property.
Sold it and pretended to give all of the proceeds to the church.
Their act showed their desire for people to think highly of them.
Their hypocrisy was designed to bring honor to themselves.
Theirs was a lie to the Holy Spirit.
They were struck dead

9. - The Death of Ananias by Raphael

10. Acts of the Apostles: ch 4/5
Do even those who reject Christ’s message have wisdom…?
33 When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. 34 But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. 35 And he said to them,
Have you ever wondered whether you should listen to/obey someone who does not embrace the Lordship of Christ?
…let’s consider the words of Gamaliel….
Read 5:33-42

11. Acts of the Apostles: ch 4/5
Even those who reject Christ’s message have wisdom…
Is this wise?
What did the Sanhedrin do?
How did the apostles react?
38 So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!”

12. Acts of the Apostles: ch 4/5
Even those who reject Christ’s message have wisdom…
It is a matter of Authority:
obedience can sometimes be a mere function of office (parent/boss…etc.)
but if you recognize that we are all sinners, it is righteous to even obey unbelieving authority…
(unless, of course, they are demanding you to sin against God!)
THE PARENT RAP
Obey Your Parents
Tim Hawkins Parenting songs