UNDER THE INFLUENCE

Introduction

Welcome

English Standard Version Chapter 4

5 On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 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. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 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.”

13 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.

Pray

Illustration

What do Tom Brady, Kylie Jenner, the Rock, Steven Furtick, Jake Paul, Christine Caine, Donald Trump, Bill Nye, Lamborghini, and Fornite all have in common? That highly coveted blue instagram checkmark!

Do you know about these? If you use instagram you probably know but for those of you who don’t use instagram, well, the world is passing you by. No, Im just kidding, but here is what the blue checkmark means. It is a sign that someones account is verified by instagram to be the real person.

Now not everyone can get the blue checkmark because there are certain requirements that go along with it. And it would be safe to say that anyone who is doing some sort of vocation where they regularly interact with the public or want to increase their platform, well, they really want that check mark…at least most do. In fact if you go on instagram right now you will see that Myself and Nick Carey, because we are pastors, have made ourselves public figures on instagram. That is just ONE thing that can lead to getting that highly sought after blue checkmark. I know I want it!

• sidenote, if you dont follow me on instagram go ahead right now and follow brandonjstiffler (pause) and if you follow me and not Nick, keep it that way…he has 200 more followers than me and I want to close the gap. Im gunning for you man haha Im just kidding! Lighten up, im too humble for that…I got 99 problems but instagram checkmarks arent one...

But seriously, why does a stupid little blue checkmark on a social media platform matter anyway? Well here is one reason, if you have that checkmark it means that, more than likely, you are an influencer in some way shape or form.

What are Instagram influencers?

Instagram Influencer. noun. Influencers are Instagram users who have an established credibility and audience; who can persuade others by virtue of their trustworthiness and authenticity. Your brand's influencers are users that employ your brand hashtag who have the largest number of followers.

All the people and brands that I mentioned to you are definitely considered influencers and if you follow any of them I bet they have influenced you in some way shape of form. Whether its the words they speak, the things they believe in, the ideals they champion, the jokes they tell, or the brand’s they represent or wear they have influenced millions of people and, more than likely, some of you in this room. I know for a fact that some mentioned on that list have influenced me!

shout out to my girl Kylie! ummm, haha, just kidding

(covering the mic “Lamborghini if you are listening I am open to endorsement deals”)

On a real note though, we are all pretty easily influenced aren’t we? Its just in our human nature to be I think. From instagram, facebook, twitter, family, the news, youtube, fake news, politicians, friends, enemies, that last meme you just shared with your friend before I started to talk up here and yes pastors like Nick and I. We have influences coming at us from all angles! The question is, how is that effecting you and who or what are you letting drive your life? What influences are forming you and shaping you to be who you are and, if I polled the people around you, who or what would they say influences you?

That is what I want to talk about today and so, if you are taking notes, you can write this down. The title of my sermon today is.

UNDER THE INFLUENCE

Main Body

Backround on the book of Acts

This passage we started our reading today is found in the book of Acts. Acts was written by Luke - Luke was a physician, historian, and fellow worker with the apostle Paul.

Acts is meant to show all that was going on in the early history of the church and Luke should probably be considered the first Christian historian.

This book was probably written in tandem with what we know as the gospel of Luke, perhaps in 1 single volume.

Luke addresses it to Theophilus, who was probably Luke’s Patron, and at the very beginning in Acts 1:1 acknowledging that this was a continuation of his first book, the gospel of Luke.

This is the only book in the entire New Testament, besides letters that were written by Paul, that is dedicated to a single person.

Acts was probably written in the early 60’s AD because if it were written afterward Luke would have more than likely not ommitted such major historical events as the great fire of Rome in 64 AD and the subsequent persecution of Christians in Rome by Nero and Acts ends with Paul still alive so he also did not include Paul’s execution which is thought to be around 66 - 68 AD.

Setting the scene

So let me set the background of the scene for you. This is in Acts 4, in Acts 1 Luke records Jesus going back into heaven after the resurrection, In Acts 2 we find Pentecost which is when the Holy Spirit came down on all the disciples and they preached Jesus to crowds of people from all over that had descended on Jerusalem for the festival of Pentecost. On that day the church grew by thousands. In Acts 3-4 we have one story, Peter and John healing a crippled man in the name of Jesus followed by them being thrown in prison for preaching the name of Jesus, and being brought before the Sanhedrin which is where we picked up in the passage. We don’t know how long after the resurrection, the ascension of Jesus back into heaven, and Pentecost this is. It could be days, weeks, months, but it seems to be relatively soon after - my guess is probably days or weeks Z.

So Peter and John are now before the Sanhedrin, the Sanhedrin was basically the governing council of the Jews in Jerusalem. It consisted of 71 members and it had authority over religious matters but not over law because Israel was occupied by Rome and had a Roman ruler over it to deal with the enforcement of the laws of Rome. This is the same group of people that took Jesus in front of Pontius Pilate to be crucified because they themselves could not enforce the death penalty on him only the ruling Roman authority could.

The Sanhedrin was set in a semi-circle so Peter and John would have been in the middle so that all the members could see them. The chief priest would have more than likely had a prominent seat in the middle of the Sanhedrin and would have been presiding over the trial and interrogation of anyone brought before the council.

The main scripture

Peter and John were arrested the day before what we read took place so they were housed somewhere in the temple complex overnight and brought before the council in the morning which is when they began to question them about healing the lame man. How did you do this? In Whose name did you do this? I picture them as pretty furious because a notable miracle has taken place at the hands of Peter and John. And then it say that the Holy Spirit filled Peter and he began to testify to all who would hear him that Jesus, the one whom they had crucified by te way, had been raised from the dead and that it was through his name not only that the miracle was done but also through whom salvation itself is found! And now I want to read Acts 4:13 for you again.

English Standard Version Chapter 4

13 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.

The council was taken aback, how could these men so BOLDLY speak up to the Sanhedrin like this? How could they ever dare to do what they did and declare what they declared? I mean who did they think they were? They were nothing, uneducated, common, nobodies. That word translated common is actually the greek word ἰδιώτης (idiōtēs) which of course is where we get our word idiot. It can mean unskilled, a “non-expert” and an outsider.

You see Peter and John were Galileans, nobodies in the jewish world, outsiders to the religious elite. They were mere fishermen. In fact, when Jesus was on trial and Peter snuck in to see what was happening, he was detected as an outsider and a disciple of Jesus because of his Galilean accent. They were essentially the hillbillies of Israel. Far removed from the elite and educated and certainly of no caliber of man to stand up to the Sanhedrin! Not only did they stand up to them but they quoted their own scriptures to them to prove that Jesus was the messiah and asserted they were the ones that crucified him!

English Standard Version Psalm 118

22  The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone.

Now not only is the Sanhedrin stunned but it just does not make sense for what was going on at the time. Their leader was just arrested and crucified as an enemy of the state of Rome and they could very well have been next. In fact, just before Jesus rose from the dead, they were a leaderless bunch of rabble whose dreams of the messiah had been shattered before their very eyes at the crucifixion of Jesus and were huddled together, scared, alone, lost and depressed in an upper room somewhere wondering what to do next. But now? Now they were bold, now they were courageous, now they were healing the lame and defying the very authorities that had their leader delivered up to the Romans. Why? Well, the only reason the council could find was that THEY HAD BEEN WITH JESUS. That was the only explanation as to why any of this was happening, they had been influenced and changed by Jesus, and things would never be the same.

How does this apply to our lives

I wonder, when people look at our lives, would they recognize that we have been with Jesus? Would they recognize the tangible influence and effect that Jesus has on our lives? I don’t know about you but I want to be a person and a church that people look at and say “the only explanation I have is that they have been with Jesus”

But yet, all too often, we look nothing like Jesus is the influencer in our lives do we? I know I don’t. More often than not we look far too much like the people in our instagram feeds have the most effect on our lives and not the Jesus of scripture. We walk around acknowledging Jesus on our lips.....sometimes.... and look alot more like our favorite friend, tv show, politicians, news outlet or celebrity. We buy into the hype of everything other than Jesus and wonder why the world around us isn’t changing. I recently read a satire article titled “Church That Believes Exactly What The World Believes Not Sure Why No One Bothers Coming To Church Anymore” Now that is satire but all too often it can be true.

But why is all of this? We come here on a Sunday morning seeking something we know the world can’t give us yet we run to the world to try and fulfill every need we have. I am not here to condemn anyone for liking things in the world, God made it for our pleasure, you can like music, movies, tv shows, fashion and other things but what is effecting us and influencing us in our deepest parts? In our souls? Shouldn’t we be spending more time with Jesus and in the word so that we can truly be transformed? I mean John 1:1-4 says

English Standard Version Chapter 1

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The word made flesh

Jesus is the word made flesh, the logos, the all encompassing. The light that shines in the darkness. So spending more time in prayer and in the word, whom Jesus is the very personification of, will we not also be transformed from the inside out to be a light in the darkness? Paul talks about the word of God being living and active, sharper than any two edges sword and it is able to divide even soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart. The word is living and active, the word is scripture, but the word personified is Jesus Christ John 1:1 and he is living and active as well. So I believe that the way to get to know him is through the word of God for he is the logos, the word, personified.

We are afraid

But sometimes I think we are afraid. We are afraid to get to know Jesus too intimately even thought we say we want to because to get to know Jesus intimately can mean be scary. We are afraid of what the world might think if we look too much different than they do, afraid of what our friends and family will say, afraid of what we might be challenged to give up and the ideologies and thoughts we might have to change. We are afraid of becoming the idiota of our different circles. We are afraid what me light lose, the relationships we might strain and we are afraid that we might not be able to live up to the “standard” of God. But the gospel should go, and Jesus wants it to go, far beyond just a get out of hell free card. It should transform us, it should changes us, it should make us stand out in a dead and dieing world.

I am not talking about moral perfection because moral perfection is unachievable and it is not the Gospel. Moral perfection is in fact the antithesis of the gospel. Christ died because we could never achieve the standard of holiness of God, and when we try to, we fall to enemy of condemnation. We can never achieve perfection so Jesus achieved for us through his life, death, burial and ressurection, paying for my sins and your sins forever. What I am talking about is inward change, heart change, soul change, real change which in turn works its way to the outside to effect our thoughts and actions so that we don’t just do what the world does but we truly look different and there is no denying that we have been with Jesus.

Outward change comes from heart change and heart change comes from spending time with Jesus and allowing him to become our main influence. Its not about striving for perfection its about investing in a relationship with the lover of our souls, Jesus.

Abide in Christ

Jesus says this to his disciples

English Standard Version Chapter 15

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Those who believe in Christ are the branches, part of the true vine, but f the branch does not stay in contact with the vine it cannot bear any fruit. So it is with us, we must stay connected to the vine, stay connected to Jesus to see fruit. It is not us producing this fruit, it is not our striving, our working harder, our ability to overcome the sins in our lives or to change our hearts to fit what scripture says, it is Jesus working in and through us to produce fruit. Jesus is the one who will bear the fruit within our souls that leads to outward change and world change. But abiding is not passive either . It is active, it takes investing in our relationship with Jesus, it takes intentionality. Hear me out, you cannot ever sever your relationship with Jesus, you cannot separate yourself from him, once you are his you are his and he is just as close in your weakest moments as your strongest moments but we can slip away from him in our hearts and minds through the lack of intentionality to foster than relationship.

What does this look like

So the honest question really is what does this look like? Paul writes to the church in Colossi these words

English Standard Version Chapter 3

3 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Man, that is so good but it sounds so tough. Thats a long list of things that Paul believes we should be purging from our lives and it sounds like we need to be working hard to do so right? Put it to death? Just stop doing it! Cut it off! Whats wrong with you? Why can’t you just be better? But thats not what he is saying. Paul is telling us that we are to set our minds, set our thoughts, on things that are above. We are to set them on Jesus, in Hebrews called that author and perfecter of our faith, through which our lives will be changed. And notice Paul doesn't go on to tell us a list of actions that we are to do. This passage is not a list of do’s and don’ts. We are told that we are to set our minds on the things above and in setting our minds on the things above this will lead to true heart and soul change manifesting itself in compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness and most of all love. Love through which all the others spring from! These things are not rules that you check off of a list but rather virtues that are truly soul transforming and then in-turn lead to us putting to death the sin’s and struggles in our lives. And honestly, progressing towards these virtues will happen at different times for different people.

The Gospel

So don’t go misunderstanding what I am saying to you. The gospel is not just a self help seminar. The gospel is not just something to try and make you better. The gospel of Jesus is not good news if it is just a message of get yourself together and then God will accept you. No Paul makes it very clear in Romans 5:6-11 that this is not the case.

English Standard Version Chapter 5

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Present the gospel and talk about how we want to make 2020 the year where people recognize that we have been with Jesus