Have You Been With Jesus?

Introduction

Spending time with Jesus makes us more like Jesus. The effectiveness of your prayer life should not be measured by how many wishes God grants you. It should be measured by how much you look like the God you’ve been praying to once you get done praying. The effectiveness of your daily Bible reading should not be measured only by the amount of scriptures you are able to quote once you get done reading. It should be measured by how much you look like the man who inspired the scriptures after you are done reading. I don’t want to lead you to think that if you pray or ready your bible you will magically become a perfect Christian. Perfect Christians only exist in Heaven. Secondly, it’s not that God can’t, it’s just that God doesn’t always transform us in an instant. But the more you pray, the more you will look like Jesus. The more you read your Bible, the more you will look like Jesus. The more you spend time with the Lord, the more you will begin to take on his appearance. This transformation is a gradual transition from what we are to what we will be. The only way to get to where the Lord would have us to be, is to spend time with the Lord.

In the 4th chapter of Acts at verse 13 Luke records the response of the court after they had witnessed the bold witness of Christ from Peter and John. Luke shows us how much the high officials had been moved by the testimony given about a man named Jesus by these two ordinary men. In the Bible tells us that Peter and John were on their way to the temple to spend some time with Jesus when they were stopped by a lame beggar. As they were preparing to enter into the gate of the temple the lame man stopped them and asked to receive alms, which was what we call begging for money. Peter told the man,

Acts 3:6 ESV

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!”

Acts 3:6

The man was healed and as the three of them entered the temple the crowd recognized the lame man who sat at the gate everyday asking for donations and couldn’t figure out what had happened to his legs. Once the crowd gathered around them Peter, being the preacher he was, took the opportunity to preach a sermon to the crowd. Once the high officials, and Sadducees heard about this, they brought them into the court and sat them down and asked them:

Acts 4:7 ESV

7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”

If you recall, right before Jesus was crucified, Peter’s loyalty and faithfulness to Jesus was tested, and Peter failed the test. Peter who had spent many hours with the master before his crucifixion had not yet reached a level of faith that would not prohibit him from denying Christ. After Jesus ascension, Peter had the chance to spend some more time with the Master, and here before the high priests and officials he was being tested again. You sometimes won’t see the difference that spending time with Jesus has made until you are faced with a test. Peter, this time being questioned about how this lame man had been healed began to boldly proclaim that there is power in the name of Jesus.

Luke records the reaction of these men after hearing the testimony of Peter, and they were amazed by his speech. Notice a couple things about their reaction. First, I want to point out to you that they perceived one thing, but they recognized something completely different. Perception isn’t always reality and what they perceived these men to be, was not who these men turned out to be. Perceptions are made based off superficial qualities and characteristics that cannot be seen beyond the skin. On the surface they looked like uneducated, common men. But then they recognized, that these men were much more than that. At first glance they looked like simple, ordinary, unlearned, untrained, unskilled men. But after listening to their words, and taking in what they had just said, they realized that below the surface there was something different about these two men. While the men’s mouths were closed they could only be judged by their exterior. But when they opened their mouths, it was what came from their mouths that allowed the court to see their hearts. If you spend enough time with Jesus, he will change your heart in such a way that even people who don’t believe in him will notice the difference that he can make.

What does it mean to “be with Jesus”? After the crowd had witnessed the bold confession of Peter and John they come to the conclusion that these men could only speak this way if they had been with Jesus. This expression is what the New Testament would categorize in other places as a disciple of Jesus. It wasn’t just that they spent time in close proximity with Jesus. It was that they followed his teachings and became imitators of his ways. Peter and John had the privilege of being present when Jesus fed the 5,000. Their proximity to Christ allowed them to watch as he peacefully surrendered to his accusers in the Garden of Gethsemane. Peter had experienced the power of Jesus first hand when he walked out on the water, and there is no doubt that being with Jesus through all of the storms and test had changed the disciples. Although, we can’t be with Jesus quite the same way those disciples were with Jesus, as disciples of Jesus as long as we follow him he can still have the same affect on us. What’s so great about being a disciple of Jesus post-resurrection is that I can be with Jesus anytime. I don’t have to make a mecca to Jerusalem to be with Jesus, nor do I have to visit his tomb to be with him. As long as he lives in me all I have to do is submit to the Jesus that’s in me, and cultivate the Christ that is in me through prayer, and scripture reading, and corporate worship. Those are the things that will make modern disciples more like the ancient Christ. I want to show you just three ways spending time with Jesus affected Peter and John, and will affect you if you spend time with him.

I. Strengthens Your Witness About Him

First, I want you to notice that time with Jesus strengthens your witness of Jesus. It was their testimony or witness about Jesus that unveiled to the Sadducees that Peter and John had been with Jesus. One of the distinguishing characteristics of someone who has been with Jesus is the way that they talk about Jesus. Spending time with Jesus helps to solve the problem of evangelism. Effective witnessing comes from real experience. I want you to notice how much of an impact the witness of these men had on the people who heard them. After hearing the testimony of Peter and John the court went into deliberation about what they had heard. They concluded that although these men didn’t seem to have formal training, nor were they the most eloquent speakers, their was clearly something about them that moved the court. The court had denied that Jesus was the son of God and was raised from the dead, but the court did acknowledge that the things the disciples had said about Jesus were spoken with such conviction because they had been with the man. Many of us have people in our lives, who we say we wish we could convince to give their lives to the Lord. The problem is not that we haven’t given them good advice, it’s that they can tell that we haven’t taken it ourselves. You’ve got spend time with Jesus before you can talk about Jesus. It’s not just that the disciples talked about Jesus. It was the way that they talked about Jesus. Once you’ve been with him, it will change the way you talk about him. Moved by the way these two plain men talked about Jesus, they concluded that these boys had to have spent some time with the man that they were talking about.

Let me help you understand why it’s important that we have some strong witnesses in the fellowship of faith. There are people among us who are hurting, hurting themselves, hurting other people, and those people are looking for relief from their pain. There are people among us who are lost, physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally and those people are looking for direction. There are people who we see everyday who are caught up in situations that are destroying them, and those people are looking for a way out. All of these people, most of which we text everyday, talk to everyday, see everyday, don’t just need someone to tell them about Jesus. They need someone who’s been with the Lord to tell them about the Lord. If you were looking to buy a Mercedes Benz you wouldn’t ask someone who hasn’t sat in one and took it around some curves, over some hills, and down through some valley’s how it handled. If you were wise you would ask somebody who’s spent plenty of time in the seat what the ride was like. If I’m looking for a savior, I need to hear from somebody who’s walked with him through the valley of the shadow of death. I need to hear from somebody that has climbed up the rough side of the mountain with him. I need to hear from somebody who laid down with him last night, and got up with him this morning to tell me about the King of Glory. When you’ve been with the Lord, it will change the way you talk about the Lord.

II. Strengthens Your Confidence In Him

How can I find the confidence and the courage to overcome the trials of life? Christians draw their confidence and courage from the time they spend with Jesus. Spending time with Jesus strengthens your confidence in him and gives you courage in the face of affliction. The text says that they saw the boldness of Peter and John. What that word boldness implies to us is that even in the midst of some unfavorable circumstances these two men were like a tree planted by the rivers of the water that can’t be moved. Their circumstances did not affect their faith in the Lord. You’ve got to understand that they knew they were facing some serious punishment for preaching Christ and him crucified. The odds of them coming out of this situation with their lives was slim, and the odds of them not being stoned or flogged were even slimmer. Even in a situation where it would have been very easy for them to change their message to save their lives, they stood and preached the message because they had such confidence in the Christ. That’s what boldness does, it allows you to ignore circumstances and focus on Christ. Circumstances have a way of changing the way we see Jesus. Circumstances have a way of changing the way we see ourselves. Spending time with Jesus causes our eyes to stay fixed in the same direction no matter what trouble life may bring.

Confidence during the test came because of the time they had spent with Jesus before the test. Peter and John didn’t start praying right before they entered the court room, they had spent time with Jesus before they were put to the test. The Lord can fill you with courage while in a storm, but it’s better to have it before you get there.

For proof that Jesus can give a man boldness just look at Peter. Peter, who previously found himself in a similar situation, had denied Christ. What else would have made Peter respond differently

III. Changes Your Character

Lastly, we notice that having been with Jesus, changed the character of the two disciples. There is something about a man spending time with Jesus that changes the inside of the man. Notice that the council understood Peter and John to be uneducated and untrained men. The King James Version describes them as being unlearned and ignorant. Whatever description you decide to go with, understand that the men did not have formal training in the matters they spoke about nor had they had the same opportunity to attend the same academic institutions that members of the Sanhedrin and Sadducees had. It was painfully obvious that these were just two ordinary fellas. But the thing that made them different was that they knew the Lord, and they had spent time with him. They were right about the two disciples. They were untrained, and they didn’t have formal education. They hadn’t been to the fine institutions of the day. But these men were proof that the Lord can take something ordinary and do something extraordinary.

The good news about spending time with Jesus if you haven’t already is that the Lord can take your ordinary self and put something extraordinary in you. When you spend time with the Lord he bypasses your skin to work on your soul. The Lord will put something in you to help you handle everything that’s going on around you. That’s why John says:

1 John 4:4 ESV

4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Time with Jesus changes your character. Simply put, it may not change the way people treat you, but it will change the way you respond to the people who mistreat you. Time with Jesus may not ease your troubles but it will change the way you deal with you troubles. We often say, “ I don’t look like what I’ve been through”. But I believe if you go through enough, it will eventually change the way you look. Sickness will leave it’s mark on your body. Depression will show itself through your demeanor. If you fight long enough, eventually you will have some battle scars. But if you spend time with the Lord, your skin may look different, your brows may become furrowed, your eyes may be full of tears, but if you spend time with the Lord down in your soul you’ll still have joy.

There was story told of a young man who’s life seemed to be in shambles. He was very sick, and doctors didn’t know how to treat his illness. Because of his sickness, he was unable to work and he had hit rock bottom financially. Because of his financial situation, his wife left him. Because of his wife leaving him he became depressed. Because of his depression, his friends didn’t want to have anything to do with him. He had hit the bottom and didn’t know where to turn so he decided to setup a meeting with an older pastor in the area. The young man walked into the Pastor’s office with his head hanging down and his eyes full of tears. It was obvious that the young man wasn’t doing very well because he had lost a ton of weight and he didn’t look like he was doing very well. They sat down together, and he began telling the Pastor about all of his troubles. After the young man paused the Pastor asked the young man to follow him into the sanctuary. So they go into the sanctuary and he tells the young man to kneel before the altar and tell HIM everything you just told me. As the Pastor was walking away, the young man asked him where he was going he thought he was going to help him. The Pastor replied, “Son you need to spend some time with somebody who can help you”. A little while later the young man storms back into the Pastor’s office, this time with a big smile on his face and his head held high. The Pastor asked the young man, “is everything okay?” The young man said, “Yes everything is going to be alright”. The Pastor asked, “did he heal your sickness?” The young man said, “no sir I’m still sick as I was when I got here”. The Pastor asked, “did he give you some money?” The young man said, “no sir I’m still as broke as I was when I got here”. The Pastor asked, “did he send your wife back or did some of your friends show up to support you?” The young man said, “no sir I’m still as lonely as I was when I got here”. So the Pastor asked, “what changed?” The young man then told him, “I spent time at the cross, and the burdens of my heart rolled away. The longer I stayed there, the lighter my problems felt. He lifted the heavy load off of my soul, and suddenly my face felt light and I begin to smile. My hands got light and I began to clap. My feet got light and that’s when I ran in here. My situation hasn’t changed, but after spending time with the Lord my heart has been changed”. When you spend time with the Lord he may not change your circumstances but he will change you. After spending time with Jesus Peter and John were still unlearned and untrained, they still didn’t have a degree. From a natural perspective they were still just two ordinary men, but there was something supernatural in them.

Conclusion

Over the course of they tenure following the teachings of Jesus and observing the way of Jesus, a change had occured within the two disciples that made it clear something was different about them. The more time you spend with him, the more you will begin to take on his image. Today everybody is looking to make a transformation, and they are willing to pay good money to do it. There is an endless amount of superficial products that can change your outer appearance. You can buy a better grade of hair, you can buy pills that will shrink your waist, you can buy creme that will change your complexion. All of those might change your looks but they don’t change who you are. Because if you weren’t any good before you got all that hair, you still ain’t no good with it in your head. All of us have some things in us that need changing. Some of us need to be better students, better sons or daughters, better parents, better husbands, better wives, better friends, better ushers, better deacons, better musicians, better preachers. You can’t buy that kind of transformation. They only way you can make that type of change is to spend time with the Christ. The more time you spend with him, the more your heart will change. The more your heart changes, the more your life will change. He might not change the way you talk, but he’ll change what you talk about. He might not change your circumstances but he will change your confidence in the midst of your circumstances. He might not change your credentials, but he will change your character. The good news is that if we spend enough time with him while he’s in Heaven, when he shows up he will really change the game.