Verses Used:

• Acts 5:1-11
• Psalm 111:10
• Proverbs 1:7
• Proverbs 19:23
• Proverbs 14:26-27
• 2 Timothy 1:7
• 1 John 4:18
• Isaiah 41:10
• Matthew 10:31
• Psalm 56:11
• 1 John 4:8 & 10
• Romans 8:15
• Isaiah 43:1
• Psalm 145:8-9
• Psalm 16:11
• Zephaniah 3:17

Takeaways:

Sin and Consequences

• They wanted to appear generous without actually being generous (hypocrisy).
• It was not required that they sell their land and donate the full price to the church - the problem was their lying about it.
• Sin has consequences but they don’t always get us dropped dead.
• If this willful, conscious rebellion against the character of God goes unchecked and is allowed to take root, the whole mission of God’s people veers off-course.

Dealing with Fear

• Fear is commanded and fear is also forbidden in scripture.
• The fear of the Lord is a total acknowledgement of all that God is, which comes through knowing Him and His attributes.
• God has also encouraged us against fear throughout the Bible saying “Fear not.”
• Often we fear the future and what will become of us.
• Bad fear is fear away from God.

God’s Love

• God is love and always does everything he does out of his love for us.
• Do you see God’s love? He knows you. He made you. He loves you. He sings over you.

Sin has consequences. It is foolish to lie to God - He knows. God will deal with sin, sometimes immediately, sometimes after a long time.

Our fear is to bring us closer to God, not further from him. God does not act like sinful humans. He has no need to intimidate, prove anything (he is totally secure, and gives us free will to choose how we live. He is not into manipulation either).

God’s love for us is more than we can possibly comprehend. Everything he does is undergirded with love because God is love. He cannot act in an unloving way. Period.

Discussion Questions:

• Why do you think Ananias and Sapphira lied about the amount of money they sold the land for? What were they hoping to accomplish?
• Why is it not good to be afraid of God instead of fearing God the way he commands?
• What wrong ideas can we get from our experiences about God’s nature?

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