They Had Been With Jesus | Acts 4:1-22

Background: (Acts 3) Peter healed a Lame man and then proclaimed boldly that Jesus had healed him. Acts 3:6 “But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”” to the man

Acts 3:15–16 “and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.”

As a result, of this we come to chapter 4.

Acts 4:1–22 ESV

And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand. On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.

Wow, what a response. Peter and John are preaching the gospel, and as a result they are imprisoned and threatened.

But I want to draw your eyes to one verse, because this verse is the center of my message today:

Acts 4:8–12 ESV

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

They spoke with by the Power of the Holy Spirit

I've heard a lot of preaching in my life. Over my 49 years, there have been 2,590 Sundays, and I've probably missed less than 400 of them. Now that's not to brag, I was drug to a lot of those as a child, but my point is: I've heard a lot of preaching.

But of that, I can only remember a handfull. I remember Wheat and Tares by Dr. James Merrit, the Ever Loving Truth by Voddie Bauchum. I remember the message about the man Jesus healed with Leprosy where the speaker shared with such passion Jesus' compassion for the man I heard at Mississippi Baptist Youth Night.

I can name others, but the point is, of those 2600 sermons, only a very few have found fertile ground in my mind.

And its not just sermons. I remember conversations, times peoples spoke into my life.

These weren't just moments, they were Spirit filled moments.

It's those sermons, those bible studies, those conversations I had with Jeff Jones, Brenda Thrash, Modine Cross, and others that were filled with the Spirit of God that made an impact on me.

The point is this: if we're going to make a difference in the lives of others then we have to be filled with the Spirit. So what can we see about their preaching that can help shape us into Spirit-Filled Proclaimers?

And I'll tell you what I believe. I believe before this service ends, the Spirit of God is going to deal with somebody in this room. For some of you, He's going to deal with your silence. For at least one of you, He's going to deal with your soul. I prayed for it this morning and I believe it. So as we walk through this text, you listen for His voice, not mine.

Spirit-Filled Proclamation Demands Proximity (vv. 8- 13)

This wasn't simply men speaking, this was a group of men who had the power of the Spirit upon them.

They were prayerful, and powerful.

But you need to see something today. These disciples of Jesus weren’t trained pastors.

Peter and John were both fishermen. They were blue collar, working class men who worked each day to bring home the bacon…

well I guess in their case to bring home the Sardines to their family so they could survive.

Acts 4:13 ESV

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

What was the difference? THEY HAD BEEN WITH JESUS.

If we want our church to be a place of power, it must proceed from a people who spend much time with Jesus (v. 13).

Christian, today, if you were honest, how is your personal time with God?

We will never proclaim Christ with power apart from the power of the Holy Spirit moving and using us.

If you’re not daily in proximity with Christ through prayer and the presence of His word, you will never share Christ with power.

I don’t have trouble talking about my second favorite subject in the world, the love of my life Kristy, or my third favorite subject, the pride of my life, Noah, Ethan and Aiden, because of the proximity I have too them.

If you don’t spend time with Jesus, you cannot share Jesus by the power of the Spirit.

That’s Peter! He loved and knew Jesus

Do you today?

If not, you will have an opportunity to do that.

Spirit-Filled Proclamation Declares a Person (vv. 10-14)

In our text, we find Peter and John preaching about a subject, and not just any subject, the are preaching about a person: Acts 4:10–12

Acts 4:10–12 ESV

let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

We talk about what captures our minds.

If you love fixing up old cars, you can't help yourself. Nobody has to command you to talk about it. You'll tell a total stranger at the gas station about your Holley 750, or about how you chased a numbers-matching block across three states. You'll pull out your phone and show pictures. Why? Because that car captured you. If you love to fish, nobody has to command you to talk about it. You'll tell a total stranger in the boat aisle at the Bass Pro about the seven-pounder you pulled off a brush pile, or about how when they quit hitting the crankbait you slowed down and dragged a Texas rig to snag him. And you'll pull out your phone and show him picture after picture of bass you snagged.

Or if you're into college sports, some of you will argue with a straight face that whoever's taking snaps in Oxford right now is better than the greatest athlete to ever play college sports in this state, the great Dak Prescott. You'll spout those incorrect facts to your friends all week, boldly, publicly. Nobody makes you do that. You can't help it. Why do we do this? Because what captures your heart controls your mouth.

Why do we do this? Because what captures your heart controls your mouth. And notice, none of you talk in generalities. It's your car. That fish. Your team. And that's exactly what Peter does before the council. He doesn't offer them religion in general or a higher power. He names the Name: Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Whom you crucified. Whom God raised. There is salvation in no one else. If your heart has been captured by Jesus, you cannot help but proclaim him, and you won't proclaim a subject. You'll proclaim a Person. If your heart is captured by Jesus the you cannot help but proclaim him!

And how do you proclaim him?

Well one of the most powerful ways you can do that is the same way Peter did

Look at the text again. Acts 4:11–14

Acts 4:11–14 ESV

This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.

Notice this, Peter didn’t just share Jesus, he shared the power of Jesus in the presence of a changed life.

If you’re a Christian today, you have a story, and that story is what Jesus has done for you.

Your testimony is the most powerful thing you have that no one can argue with.

The Pharisees were ready to argue theology that day.

They were unprepared to argue the man lame man who was standing before them.

Here's what silenced the council that day. It wasn't Peter's argument. It was the man standing next to it. Seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say.

The most unanswerable thing you can put in front of a lost neighbor is a changed life that opens its mouth.

Spirit-Filled Proclamation Defies Pressure (vv. 18-20)

We don’t have a speaking problem in America. We talk about weather, marriage problems, strange bodily functions, sports, fishing, hunting, shopping, tv, our kids, school, work, we talk about everything. But the one thing that matters most: Jesus.

For some reason we’ve been coyed in America when it comes to talking about Him. Oh, don’t get me wrong, we spout little slogans and platitudes. We may put “Too Blessed to be Stressed” on Facebook. But we’ve been brow-beaten with this idea that the only thing that is off limits in Polite American conversation is Jesus.

And yet these men, when told to shut up about Jesus said,

Acts 4:18–20

Acts 4:18–20 ESV

So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

You are going to talk. It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of what.

We’ve been convinced we can’t talk about Jesus, but I tell you we MUST talk about him.

Polling in Mississippi, the most religious state in America, show that 18% of Mississippi adults are now religiously unaffiliated, that 1 in 5 Mississippians: 4% atheist, 2% agnostic, 13% "nothing in particular." In Pew's 2014 study, Mississippi's unaffiliated were 14%, and in the same study in 2007 showed the figure was in the single digits, so the nones have roughly doubled here in one generation. I want you to think about that for a moment.

Nearly one in five. That's not a number, that's a name. That's somebody at your deer camp, somebody in your carpool line, somebody at your Thanksgiving table.

Those people are people you love. People you care about.

And like the Pharisees, they have their arguments, but you have Jesus and a changed life.d

Will you share it?

I told you when we started that the Spirit of God was going to deal with somebody today. I believe we're at that moment now.

I told you the Spirit would deal with somebody today. Some of you are already negotiating with Him. 'Lord, I'll get serious later.' Listen to that sentence. Notice who's lord in it. You're telling Jesus when and where you'll meet Him, and that has never once worked.

Today God is calling you to respond. Today is the day of salvation.

Invitation

Closing: You know what Peter and John did after the threats? They went back to their people and prayed, and the place where they gathered together was shaken. I started this morning telling you about the handful of Spirit-filled moments I can remember out of 2,500 Sundays. Church, I'm asking God for one more. Let's pray like they did.