Atos 5
Charles Spurgeon · Citado em PreceptAustin
Atos 5
Spurgeon reminds us that "Behold is a word of wonder; it is intended to excite admiration. Wherever you see it hung out in Scripture, it is like an ancient sign-board, signifying that there are rich wares within, or like the hands which solid readers have observed in the margin of the older Puritanic books, drawing attention to something particularly worthy of observation." I would add, behold is like a divine highlighter, a divine underlining of an especially striking or important text. It says in effect "Listen up, all ye who would be wise in the ways of Jehovah!" The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well - Peter did not say that he knew what was going to happen to Ananias prior to his death. But this time Peter knew what would happen to Sapphira and his words must have chilled her to the bone! This is the first time she realized that her husband was dead.
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Spurgeon - A Prince tells of — (1) Honor as the reward of His sufferings on earth. While He was here He was treated as a felon. What presents the Prince of Wales brought home from his travels! But the Prince of Glory took home with Him His wounds only. But the shame and the rejection are now ended, and in glory Jesus is manifestly a Prince, reverenced, obeyed, and honored.(2) Power. His is no nominal princedom — He has both glory and strength. Unto Him is given the mediatorial kingdom, which includes all power in heaven and in earth, so that He is well styled "the blessed and only Potentate." There is no bound to this power:(3) Dominion. If Christ is to be yours you must let Him rule over you. "He must reign." He claims to be Master and Lord to those who ask salvation at His hands; and is not the claim a just one? Whom should we serve but the Lord who became a servant for our sakes? It must be so, or salvation is impossible. You must accept Jesus to be a leader and a commander to you, or you cannot win the battle of life. You must yield Him loving obedience, or He will not be married to your souls. His dominion is sweetly tempered by love; so that, as the prophet writes, "Thou shalt call Me no more Baali," that is, "My Lord," with a hardness of rulership, but Ishi, "My Lord," because Thou art my Husband. (Reference) Savior (4990)(soter from sozo = rescue from peril > from saos = safe; delivered) refers to the agent of salvation or deliverance, the one who rescues, delivers, saves and preserves. Anyone who saves or delivers can be called a deliverer or rescuer (a soter). Thayer writes that the name soter "was given by the ancients to deities, especially tutelary deities, to princes, kings, and in general to men who had conferred signal benefits upon their country, and in the more degenerate days by way of flattery to personages of influence." Roman emperors were often referred to as "soter" for inscriptions have been found in the eastern part of the Empire which called Pompey “Soter and Founder,” Caesar “Soter of the World,” and Augustus “Soter of Humankind” and Hadrian "Soter of the Kosmos!" Only Jesus is "Soter of the Kosmos (World)," the Source of salvation, the Deliverer, Preserver, Protector, Healer, and the One Who rescues man from mortal danger and eternal peril and unto a state of spiritual prosperity and eternal bliss. Luke has three uses of Soter all referring to Jesus = Lk. 1:47; Lk. 2:11; Acts 5:31; Acts 13:23. Bob
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Spurgeon - MARK HIS GIFTS. Repentance. This does not mean to give space for repentance, nor to make repentance acceptable, but to give repentance itself. What is repentance? (1) It is a change of mind. (a) He can give thee to change thy mind about all the past, so that the things which pleased thee shall grieve thee, that which charmed thee shall disgust thee. (b) He can also change thy mind as to the present and the future, so that instead of looking for present pleasure thou wilt find thy delight in future glory realised by faith. (2) It includes a most needful sense of sin, and the Saviour can give thee this by His Spirit. (3) He can work in thee desires after holiness and hatred of every false way; He can take the guile out of thy soul as well as the guilt out of thy life. (Reference) Repentance (3341)(metanoia from meta = after + noéo = to understand) literally means "afterthought" or "to think after" and implies a change of mind. From the NT uses, it is clear that metanoia means however much more than merely a change of one's mind but also includes a complete change of heart, attitude, interest, and direction. Metanoia is a conversion in every sense of the word. Jesus' teaching would support this conclusion for our Lord declared… I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents (metanoeo), than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance (metanoia). (Luke 15:7+) In Luke 24:46-47 Jesus declared “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance (metanoia) for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. Several times in Acts Luke described repentance as a necessary aspect of salvation... (Acts 11:18) When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.” Comment - Note that Acts 5:31 is God granting repentance to the Jews and in this verse granting repentance to the Gentiles (Greeks). (Acts 20:21+) solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Bishop Ryle offers this descriptive definition of repentance… Repentance is a thorough change of man's natural heart, upon the subject of sin. We are all born in sin. We naturally love sin. We take to sin, as soon as we can act and think—just as the bird takes to flying, and the fish takes to swimming. There never was a child that required schooling or education in order to learn deceitfulness, selfishness, passion, self-will, gluttony, pride, and foolishness. These things are not picked up from bad companions, or gradually learned by a long course of tedious instruction. They spring up of themselves, even when boys and girls are brought up alone. The seeds of them are evidently the natural product of the heart. The aptitude of all children to these evil things is an unanswerable proof of the corruption and fall of man. Now when this heart of ours is changed by the Holy Spirit, when this natural love of sin is cast out, then takes place that change which the Word of God calls "repentance." The man in whom the change is wrought is said to "repent." (Repentance) One of the best illustrations of genuine repentance is found in Paul's description of the saints at Thessalonica… For they themselves (other believers in Macedonia and Achaia) report about us (Paul, Silvanus and Timothy) what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come. (1 Th 1:9+; 1 Th 1:10+) C H Spurgeon in a sermon entitled The Plumbline (Amos 7:7, 8) wrote that… Side by side with that faith, God puts true repentance. When a man attempts to convert his fellow-man, he gives him a sham repentance, or perhaps he tells him that there is no need of any repentance at all. Certain preachers have been telling us, lately, that it is a very easy matter to obtain salvation, and that there is no need of repentance; or if repentance is needed, it is merely a change of mind. That is not the doctrine that our fathers used to preach, nor the doctrine that we have believed. That faith, which is not accompanied by repentance, will have to be repented of; so, whenever God builds, he builds repentance fair and square with faith. These two things go together; the man just as much regrets and grieves over the past as he sees that past obliterated by the precious blood of Jesus. He just as much hates all his sin as he believes that his sin has been all put away. (Amos 7:7-8 The Plumbline) Related Resources: Great articles on repentance primarily from Puritan writers Word study on the verb "Repent" - metanoeo What is repentance and is it necessary for salvation? And forgiveness of sins - As with repentance, forgiveness of sins is also a gift from God. Human beings cannot in their own strength repent nor bring about forgiveness. This is a work of God. What an incredible gift from God - sins past, present and future, completely forgiven because they were all borne by our Substitute Christ Jesus (cf Jn 19:30+). Spurgeon on gift of Forgiveness. (1) He can pass an act of amnesty and oblivion for all thy sin. "I have blotted out thy sins like a cloud, and as a thick cloud thy transgressions."(2) When full forgiveness comes it brings with it the eternal removal of the penalty. The forgiven man cannot be punished. (3) With pardon there shall come a restoration of every privilege. Forgiveness (859)(aphesis from aphiemi = action which causes separation and is in turn derived from apo = from + hiemi = put in motion, send) literally means to send away or to put apart, a letting go, a leaving behind, a removal. Aphesis refers to a remission as when one remits (pardons, cancels) a debt, or releases then from an obligation. To release from captivity as figuratively used by Jesus in His opening synagogue sermon in Lk 4:18+. Aphesis is used four more times in Acts all in context of salvation in the Name of Jesus... Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.(Acts 2:38) “Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.” (Acts 10:43) “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,(Acts 13:38) to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’ (Acts 26:18) C H Spurgeon - Jesus, our Lord, once crucified, dead and buried, now sits upon the throne of glory. The highest place that heaven affords is his by undisputed right. It is sweet to remember that the exaltation of Christ in heaven is a representative exaltation. He is exalted at the Father's right hand, and though as Jehovah he had eminent glories, in which finite creatures cannot share, yet as the Mediator, the honours which Jesus wears in heaven are the heritage of all the saints. It is delightful to reflect how close is Christ's union with his people. We are actually one with him; we are members of his body; and his exaltation is our exaltation. He will give us to sit upon his throne, even as he has overcome, and is set down with his Father on his throne; he has a crown, and he gives us crowns too; he has a throne, but he is not content with having a throne to himself, on his right hand there must be his queen, arrayed in "gold of Ophir." He cannot be glorified without his bride. Look up, believer, to Jesus now; let the eye of your faith behold him with many crowns upon his head; and remember that you will one day be like him, when you shall see him as he is; you shall not be so great as he is, you shall not be so divine, but still you shall, in a measure, share the same honours, and enjoy the same happiness and the same dignity which he possesses. Be content to live unknown for a little while, and to walk your weary way through the fields of poverty, or up the hills of affliction; for by-and-by you shall reign with Christ, for he has "made us kings and priests unto God, and we shall reign for ever and ever." Oh!, wonderful thought for the children of God! We have Christ for our glorious representative in heaven's courts now, and soon he will come and receive us to himself, to be with him there, to behold his glory, and to share his joy. Message For All Seasons Read: Acts 5:31-42 Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! —John 4:35 I’m a novice at growing flowers. But I’ve learned to appreciate the difference between annuals and perennials. Every spring I usually buy trays of annual bedding plants. Once in the ground, they immediately take root. Their brief life always ends with the autumn frosts, and the soil lies barren until my next annual spring planting. I prefer to plant perennial flowers. They go on living from year to year, and regularly bloom, flower, and reproduce. Writer Eugene Harrison describes the evangelistic efforts of New Testament believers as “perennial” in nature. They didn’t pour all their energies into once-a-year evangelistic efforts. Instead, according to Harrison, sharing the good news of Christ was “the supreme concern of every believer, every day in the year, in every place.” In Acts 5:42 and 8:4, the scope of their witness is clear: They shared Christ and the gospel in the temple, in their homes, and in the marketplace, using the Spirit-given methods of preaching, teaching, and personal testimony. Jesus taught that the season for spiritual harvest is always today (John 4:35). And the apostle Paul said that “now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). Be assured, there’s never a time when the harvest is out of season. The fields are white today. Help us, Lord, to be a lifeline To a dying world today, Bringing hope to hopeless people As we share salvation's way. —Sper Witnessing for Christ is never out of season. Acts 5:32 "And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him." KJV Acts 5:32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. And we are witnesses of these things Acts 5:29; 1:8; 2:32; 10:39-41; 13:31; Luke 24:47,48; John 15:27; 2 Cor 13:1; Heb 2:3 And so is the Holy Spirit John 15:26; 16:7-14; Heb 2:4; 1 Peter 1:12 Whom God has given to those who obey Him Acts 2:4,38,39; 10:44; John 7:39 Acts 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE WITNESS OF THE APOSTLES AND THE HOLY SPIRIT And we are witnesses of these things - More literally this reads "we are His witnesses of these sayings" for the Greek word for "things" is rhema (used in Acts 5:20) and usually refers to the words which one speaks. As an aside, the oft used saying "Go to the world and preach the Gospel. If necessary use words" (probably falsely attributed to Francis of Assisi) is NOT Biblical. How will they hear without someone preaching? (Read Ro 10:13-15, 17+) And so empowered by the Spirit, Who gave the apostles boldness to speak, they unashamedly proclaimed the Gospel. Believers are not spectators but witnesses! Are you in the grandstands or on the playing field (so to speak)? William