Been with Jesus

Sermons Been with Jesus?

Jason Hopkins

Let me try to paint a picture of Acts 4
Acts 4 tells a story about two men that had been with Jesus. Peter and John. In this passage, Peter and John were speaking about Jesus’ resurrection in front of a crowd of people that had gathered at prayer time on the temple grounds, they came upon a crippled man and in Jesus name, the crippled man was healed.
The Sadducees did not believe that Jesus had been resurrected and did not like Christians saying that he was, so they had the temple guard arrested Peter and John in front of the 5000+ that they had been speaking to. There were around 5000 men, not counting women and children gathered near the Temple grounds. This number had grown from the 3000 at Pentecost. The temple guard put Peter and John in jail for the night. It was probably about 4:00 in the afternoon. Let us pick up the story there in

Acts 4:7-13
7They brought in the two disciples and demanded, "By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?" (Healed the crippled man)
8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Leaders and elders of our nation, 9are we being questioned because we've done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? 10Let me clearly state to you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed in the name and power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth, the man you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead. 11For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says,
`The stone that you builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.'[b]
12There is salvation in no one else! There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them." 13The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men who had had no special training. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. I don’t know about you but I want to be recognized as someone who has been with Jesus.

The next morning the council brought in the 2 men, Peter and John, who had been arrested the night before. Remember, the council or the Sanhedrin was made up of elders, rulers, teachers of Jewish law. These 3 groups are the same guys that had condemned Jesus to death. The same guys mentioned in Luke 22:66 that Jesus stood before in his final days. They were about 70 wealthy, powerful men of Jerusalem that made up Israel’s Supreme Court- and Peter and John stood their just as Jesus had. The rulers demanded-
“By what power or in whose name have you done this? (Healed the crippled man)
Look at how Peter responded:
Verse 8 says
Acts 4:8-9 (Filled with the Holy Spirit) 8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Leaders and elders of our nation, 9are we being questioned because we've done a good deed for a crippled man?

It is the same Holy Spirit that is with us and that we are filled with today, if we have made Jesus Lord of our life and accepted his amazing gift.

Jesus had told his disciples, which included Peter and John, prior to his death that the Holy Spirit would be with them

Matthew 10:19-20 19When you are arrested, don't worry about what to say in your defense, because you will be given the right words at the right time. 20For it won't be you doing the talking--it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
and
Luke 12:11-12 11"And when you are brought to trial in the synagogues and before rulers and authorities, don't worry about what to say in your defense, 12for the Holy Spirit will teach you what needs to be said even as you are standing there."

The Hoy Spirit can give us the words to say when we are in a tough situation, if we will listen and obey. We all have those defining moments when we can start a conversation about Jesus, church, or salvation where the Holy Spirit can give us the words. The Holy Spirit can help us recall scripture and say exactly the right things, just like with Peter.

Some people say, well things are different today. People are different now; they had to rely on the Holy Spirit more. Are they, are things different? The gospel is the same. The Lord has not changed. Is the Holy Spirit not the same today as he was then? In today’s culture, we need Jesus more than ever. We need the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us in all we do.

Hebrews 13:8 says 8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
He is never changing and has never changed. That means he was the same 2000 years ago on the temple grounds as he is on March 8, 2006 at Hope Fellowship.

Peter and John knew that they were not alone. Jesus tells the disciples they are not alone. He is speaking to us as well when He says in
Acts 1:8 8But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere--in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

We have God’s power to be a witness in our neighborhoods and the whole world. The Holy Spirit gives us boldness under pressure. The Holy Spirit can give us what to say just as he did Peter.

Let’s go back to the main text in Acts 4 verse 10
Acts 4:10In verse 10 Peter’s response continues. He says-
10Let me clearly state to you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed in the name and power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth, the man you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead.

Peter was bold. He has the Holy Spirit working for him and he states again that the crippled man was healed by the power in the name of Jesus Christ. He states again that Jesus was raised from the dead. The same reason he was arrested for the night before was for preaching to the crowd that Jesus had been raised from the dead.

The crippled man was healed in Jesus name as a result of Peter and John’s boldness.

Song about this crippled man - When I was a kid late 70’s early 80’s-
Silver and gold have I none but such as I have I giveth thee in the name of Jesus Christ arise and walk, and he went walking and leaping and praising God, walking and leaping and praising God.

We, because we are filled with the Holy Spirit have the same power and authority that Peter and John did to pray in Jesus name.
The same spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in me and dwells in you. We have power when we use the name of Jesus.

Story- 6’4” in Jesus name. Let me tell you, there is power in the name of Jesus.

Let’s look at what Peter says next
Verse 11 (We are rocks) 11For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says,
`The stone that you builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.'
12There is salvation in no one else! There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them."

Peter was quoting Psalms 118:22 or other scriptures that said;
22 The stone rejected by the builders
has now become the cornerstone.
The fulfillment of prophecy was an important element of the early Christian sermons as it should be today. Peter spoke of these prophesied words.

Peter and the disciples did not display any amazing insight into scripture in relation to the mission of Jesus before the day of Pentecost, but once filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter shows amazing insight as he quotes passages from Joel, Psalms, Deuteronomy or the other places you can find this scripture. Peter had revelation knowledge and so can we.

Quoting scripture can increase our boldness. Often when I don’t know what to say, but I can always rely upon the word of God.

12There is salvation in no one else! There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them."
There is no other name above the name of Jesus. There is salvation in no one else. No name in all of heaven for people to call upon to be saved.

John14:6 says 6Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
God used Peter and he wants to use us.

Peter was the rock in which Jesus would build His church. Christ is the rock of our salvation, the foundation, the cornerstone on which Peter would build the church.
Matthew 16:18 says 18Now I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.

We are the rocks that Christ is building His church with today. He remains our cornerstone our foundation, our salvation. Like Peter on John, as we make sure that at rock bottom, our foundation is Jesus than He will build his church through us. Peter and John knew and trusted the source of life; they had a relationship with him. Through their boldness, Christ kingdom advanced. Does his kingdom advance because of our boldness? Or does it go unnoticed?

Lets look back at Verse 13 13The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John,
The council, the elders, rulers saw the boldness of Peter and John. They had risked being arrested for witnessing. What do we risk? Rejection? Remember that nothing done for God is ever wasted.

Boldness does not mean that we are not afraid; boldness means that we face our fear and trust in Jesus. Courage is characterized by the assurance, authority, and forthrightness of the apostles, and shared by all believers, including us today.
We can have boldness because God has assured us everlasting life through his son. We can have authority because God has given authority to all who believe in Jesus name. We can have forthrightness, (we can be direct in an honest approach), because of the Holy Spirit in us.

Vs 13 continued- for they could see that they were ordinary men who had had no special training.
Peter and John had not been trained in rabbinic schools nor did they hold official positions in recognized religious circles.
In other words, we don’t have to be pastors, elders, and teachers or even in Full time ministry. We simple have to be called and we are all called.

Story – SAT - I remember the first time I knew that God wanted me on this earth. Car- Lynx station wagon with I Love Jesus bumper sticker. SAT, stomach growling. Instructor 50 cents. Steeler Hill. Fell asleep. Brown Sedan. Angel.
I was just an ordinary man, kid, that God saved to use to advance his kingdom.

John MacArthur in his book, “Twelve Ordinary Men” puts this scripture in perspective, He says:
Among these who stay with Christ were twelve, whom He had personally selected and appointed to represent Him. They were 12 perfectly ordinary unexceptional men. But Christ’s strategy for advancing His kingdom hinged on these 12 men rather than on the clamoring of multitudes. He chose to work through the instrumentality of those few fallible individuals rather than advance His agenda through mob forces, military might, personal popularity, or a public relations campaign.

Christ strategy for advancing His kingdom hinges on you and I today. Some of you are great scholars but I would venture to say that most of us consider ourselves just ordinary men and women with no special training. The difference is we have the Holy Spirit with us, which makes us not so ordinary. This makes us extraordinary.

The end of the verse states the most important point of this whole passage: Been with Jesus
Verse 13 continues …They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.

Wow. Wouldn’t it be awesome for people to look at us and say, “I can tell, ____ has been with Jesus.”

Story- (Like dad, Golf)- A few years ago, a lady that I would see on occasion told me that each time she saw me I was becoming more and more like my dad. I looked at her and said, “That is the best complement I have ever received. It was a great compliment to become more and more like my earthly father.

But this past summer I was playing golf in a tournament and was paired up with a lady that had never played before. The other 2 players were becoming frustrated with her taking so long and not using all the proper golf tournament processes. But I did not say anything to her except good try; I will help you find your ball, so on. After about five holes, she came over to my cart and said, “You are a Christian” and I said yes I am and she said, “I can tell”
I said that is the best compliment I have ever received. As great, as it was to be compared with my earthly father it was even greater to be associated with my heavenly father.

People know or should know when we have been with Jesus.

Let us go back to the crippled man. The only way he could provide for himself was by begging and where better to beg than at the temple where people came each day. Peter and John could have ignored him like most of the other people did everyday. But they had been with Jesus. They had seen the compassion; they had acknowledged the power in His name. They gave the crippled man much more than a few cents or a dollar, they gave him a miracle.

If you and I have been with Jesus, we will be compassionate. We will be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. We will put our compassion into action.

We can all be influences to others. We can all have the boldness that Peter and John had. We can all rely on the Holy Spirit to give us strength.

We all encounter people each day that we can have an effect on. It may not be a crippled man at the temple; it may be a co-worker or family member. But we all influence others either in a positive or negative way each day. If we have been with Jesus, it will be positive.

Story - I heard a story of a mother who was taking her son to school one day, usually the dad drove the boy to school, but on this day, the dad had to go to work early. Halfway to school the boy was looking around and asked his mom “where are all the idiots?” the mom surprised said, “What do you mean?” The boy replied, “Dad usually sees 3 or 4 idiots by now on the way to school.”

Whether it is our kids or friends, we have influence. This dad had influenced his son in a not so good way. The question is, what direction is your influence leading others? The question is can others see you have been with Jesus.

Matthew 5:13-16 says 13"You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it useful again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. 14You are the light of the world--like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. 15Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. 16In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

You and I are the salt of the earth. If seasoning has no flavor, it has no value. If we make no effort to affect others, we have lessoned our value to the kingdom of God.

Peter and John were the salt of the earth. They made effort; they were bold and added value to the kingdom of God.
But salt has no value, it does not good sitting on the table in the shaker. It has to get out of the shaker and onto the food to make it taste better. To make a difference.

In the same way, it is difficult to influence others from a distance. Peter and John were in close proximity of the crippled man. We have to get out of our own little worlds and into others to influence them.

We can do this through the boldness the Holy Spirit gives us.
It would have been easy for Peter and John to look for a way out, to go hide, and avoid the threats of the Sanhedrin. But they didn’t. They became influencers. They stood toe to toe with their accusers because of their boldness emerged from a source that cannot fail, Jesus Christ.

We don’t have to look far to find people in need of Jesus. If we want to be an influence to others, take Jesus to others, we don’t have to look far.

Story - I read a story about Billy Graham, years ago before one of his crusades, he wrote the leaders of the crusade in that community and ask them to send him a list of the people that were hurting and needed Jesus in their community so that he and his team could begin praying for these people. Billy Graham received the phone book back in the mail.
There are a lot of people that are hurting and in need of Jesus. They are in need of seeing someone that had been with Jesus.

People need us to be the salt of the earth. People need us to be like Peter and John. People need to see that we have been with Jesus. People should not come into our spheres of influence without an impact being made on their lives. Our efforts to influence others, our efforts in praying for the sick, the crippled, and our efforts in speaking boldly, can effect far beyond those standing in our little world, in our field of activity.
Like Peter and John, thousands saw the awesome power of Jesus name and were influenced. They were men of compassion and men of action.

If we have been with Jesus, we to will put your compassion into action.

Joyce Meyers says, “If you have not done something challenging today, than you may not have fully lived for Jesus today.”

Sometimes to be influential, to capitalize on the opportunities that present themselves, we have to make an effort. Peter and John had to go to the temple area. They had to make an effort. They had to be the light of the world.

What I know about influencing others is that you tell people what is right; they may or may not listen to you. However, if you get into their lives and show them what is right; they will hear you loud and clear. The people at the temple grounds heard Peter and John loud and clear on that day. They had been with Jesus.

Can others see that you have been with Jesus?

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