They Had Been With Jesus
I. Introduction.
a. Acts 3 and 4.
i. In Acts 3, Peter and John had healed a lame man.
ii. In Acts 4, they are arrested.
1. And then brought before the rulers of the Jews.
2. They didn't back down from their faith, but boldly preached Jesus.
iii. Notice the reaction of the Jewish leaders in Acts 4:13.
1. "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”
2. Let’s put the emphasis on that last sentence.
a. “And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”
b. “They had been with Jesus.”
i. First, consider the speakers.
1. These are unbelievers.
2. These are the ones who were directly responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus.
ii. Yet they recognized a connection between Peter and John and Jesus.
iii. They knew from the actions of Peter and John that "they had been with Jesus."
c. This morning’s lesson.
i. What was it about Peter and John that caused these unbelievers to make this statement?
1. We’ll take a look at Acts 3 and 4 to answer this question.
ii. Then, we’ll ask ourselves a sobering question.
1. Can others tell that “we’ve been with Jesus?”
2. That we know Him and have a relationship with Him.
II. #1: They took advantage of their opportunity.
a. Read Acts 3:1-10.
i. Peter and John were confronted with the lame man at the gate of the temple.
ii. Instead of passing by and ignoring him, they took action.
1. Blessed with the gift of healing.
2. Peter tells him in verse 6, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you; In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."
iii. Peter and John could have:
1. Ignored the lame man.
2. Could have told him that they didn’t have anything to give.
3. Yet they took the opportunity to give the man something far more valuable than the alms he was asking for.
iv. However, it didn’t stop there.
1. Because of this opportunity, look what happens next.
b. Read Acts 3:11-16.
i. They didn’t just heal one man of a physical disease.
ii. The healing created a more important opportunity.
1. To be able to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.
iii. And look at the results.
1. Peter and John are arrested in Acts 4:1-3.
2. But look at verse 4, “However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.”
c. Who does this sound like?
i. Healed someone of a physical disease.
ii. And used that opportunity to teach about service to God.
iii. Jesus never missed an opportunity to preach the Gospel.
1. Remember the woman at the well.
a. John 4:7
b. Opportunity came from simple statement, "Give Me a drink."
2. Or the time when his mother and brothers came to him.
a. Matthew 12:48
b. And he responded "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” and then taught lesson about spiritual family.
iv. They Had Been With Jesus.
III. #2: They gave glory and honor to God.
a. After the miracle.
i. What was the reaction of the people to the miracle?
1. Vs. 10, “Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.”
2. Vs. 11 also describes them as “greatly amazed.
ii. But notice Peter and John’s reaction.
1. Vs. 12, “So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: ‘Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?”
a. They knew that the miracle really had nothing to do with them.
b. They are quick to give credit and point out that God is the one who should be honored.
2. Vs. 16, “And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.”
a. Talking about Jesus.
b. This is another similarity to Jesus.
i. Jesus was not interested in personal credit.
1. And neither were Peter and John.
ii. John 8:49-50, “Jesus answered, ‘I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.”
1. It wasn’t about Him.
2. It was about His Father.
iii. As Jesus’ physical life was coming to a close, He could honestly say, "I have glorified You on the earth."
1. John 17:4
iv. How many times did Jesus teach His disciples about bring glory to the Father through their actions?
1. That’s exactly what Peter and John are doing here.
v. They Had Been With Jesus.
IV. #3: They preached the same gospel.
a. Quick and to the point.
i. Overall, the gospel is very simple.
1. Man has sinned against God.
2. Man can receive mercy but must change.
ii. Notice the content of Peter and John’s message.
1. Peter and John told the Jews exactly what they had done.
a. Acts 3:14-15, “But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.”
2. But the message didn’t stop there. They told the people what they needed to do.
a. Acts 3:19, “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”
iii. Peter and John were very direct in their message.
1. They didn’t dance around the subject.
2. Here’s what you’ve done.
3. Here’s what you can do about it.
b. Not surprisingly, that was the exact message of Jesus.
i. His message was how to be saved from your sins.
1. Matthew 1:21, “He will save His people from their sins.”
a. In the prophecy of His birth.
2. Luke 19:10, “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
ii. Two necessary components.
1. You must realize that you are guilty of sin and are in danger of being lost.
2. You have to change your life.
iii. That’s precisely the message Jesus preached.
1. Luke 13:3, “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
c. You cannot preach the gospel without:
i. Convicting men of their sins.
ii. Teaching the necessity of change.
iii. Jesus taught this message, and His disciples taught similarly.
1. They Had Been With Jesus.
2. And learned from Him.
V. #5: They were bold and refused to be quieted.
a. Peter and John are arrested.
i. Acts 4:3
ii. The next day, they forced to appear before the rulers of the Jews. 4:5 iii. Acts 14:13 has been our main text.
1. “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.
2. Two descriptions that specifically caused them to related them with Jesus.
a. Uneducated and untrained.
i. They were Galilean fishermen.
b. But notice also it was the boldness of Peter and John.
iv. The Jewish leaders couldn’t deny that a “notable miracle” had occurred, so they decide to threaten Peter and John.
1. Acts 4:18, “So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.”
v. But notice their reaction.
1. Acts 4:19-20, “But Peter and John answered and said to them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.’”
vi. They were not going to let anyone stop them from preaching the gospel.
vii. Look also at verses 29-30 after they’ve been threatened.
1. “Now, Lord look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that will all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”
b. Does that not also remind you of Jesus?
i. He came to this earth with a mission: to seek and save the lost.
ii. He met a lot of resistance.
1. From the Jews, particularly the leaders of the Jews.
iii. Yet, Jesus did not back down.
iv. We remember Matthew chapter 23.
1. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees.”
v. Jesus said what needed to be said.
vi. In this way, Peter and John are similar to Jesus.
VI. Conclusion: Have You Been With Jesus?
a. Can “They Had Been With Jesus” be said regarding us?
i. Can people look at our lives and draw the same conclusion?
ii. Can people see that strong of a connection between our lives and the life of Jesus?
iii. What a great thing it would be if people could describe us in that way.
b. A test: Have you been with Jesus?
i. Do you take advantage of your opportunities?
1. Like Jesus.
2. Like Peter and John.
ii. Do you give glory and honor to God?
1. Like Jesus.
2. Like Peter and John.
iii. Do you preach the same gospel: convicting men of sin and urging them to repent?
1. Like Jesus.
2. Like Peter and John.
iv. Are you bold, and do you refuse to be quieted?
1. Like Jesus.
2. Like Peter and John.
c. Are you spending enough time with Jesus so that His example rubs off on you?
i. If we spend the time with Him now, we can be assured that we’ll be able to spend an eternity with Him as well.
ii. We will have been with Jesus so that we can be with Jesus.