THE EVIDENCE OF BEING BORN AGAIN
Acts 4:13-22
We are living in a world that is very deceptive. In other words there are people that will want you to believe that they are something that they are not. We live in a world of false pretenses, and in the church false there is false worship and praise. I tell you we are a society of false pretenses. We have false eyelashes, and we can buy contact lenses that will change the color of our eyes, we have dyes to change the natural color of our hair, and extensions to change the length. Some have false finger nails and although these things make us look good, the real intent is to make us look younger. I tell you that we are in a world that is set out to deceive. I’m reminded as a teenager we used to go on excursions with the Recreation Department at the end of the summer work program. And on this trip we went to Coney Island in New York. Many of my friends were there because we worked for the same program just at different locations in the neighborhood. But also on this trip were some girls, and you do know that when you get teenage boys together, and there are teenage girls present, some showing off will occur. And this trip was not any different. Now to those of you that never heard of Coney Island it was an amusement park with plenty rides, and the feature ride in Coney Island was a roller coaster by the name of The Cyclone, then, it was the roller coaster of roller coasters. It was huge, with deep, long dips, it’s curves could send you flying if you were not strapped in, and it was wooden and ran on rails. I tell you the sight and sound of it would frighten you. So a bunch of us were together, both boys and girls and the day was going great until someone suggested to go on The Cyclone. Now I was not afraid of the bumper cars, or the Whip, but the Cyclone called for a different kind of courage. You see I was afraid of roller coasters, and the sound of them would terrify me. But being a teenage boy with a bunch of teenage boys and girl gave me some foolish courage. It was pier pressure at it finest. And before I knew it, I found myself on this thing, strapped in a ready to go. And when I came to myself, said within, What are you doing? Are you crazy? And away that roller coaster went with me and a girl I liked sitting beside me. Now I couldn’t let her know that I was scared. But I was so terrified that I probably left my hand print on the safety bar and I closed my eyes as if it was going to make the ride better, so when we got off, someone suggested to do it again, and I was afraid that someone would second that motion, so I just walked away beckoning them to come with me. That was a classic example of your pastor trying to be someone that he is not.
Last week we learned about The Power in His Name. The priest and scribes had apprehended Peter and John for questioning. They asked them in verse 7 “By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?” And Peter in verse 10 said “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,” and he reminded them that Jesus was the stone in which the builder cast aside, but now He has become the head of the corner. Then he let them know that there is no salvation in any other, because there is no other name under the heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
This week we will look at The Evidence of Being Born Again. The Sanhedrin after hearing Peter and John speaking with boldness knew that they had been with Jesus. They perceived or felt that they were unschooled men, but they knew that they had been with Jesus. This reminds me of a modern day man of God that many of us like to listen to. Pastor John Jenkins is a noted man of God. God’s Spirit is evident in his life and preaching. Now Pastor Jenkins would also tell you that he did not graduate from any seminary, or college and would not qualify on paper for any church including his own if he had to apply for it under today’s standards. Now although Pastor Jenkins does not have a seminary degree it is evident that he had been with the Lord.
So let us take a look at these Disciples and discover The Evidence of Being Born Again.
First of all...
1. OTHERS WERE CONVINCED (v.13)
“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.”
We should note that Peter and John did not attempt to prove anything to the Sanhedrin, they just spoke what they had hear and seen as found in verse 20. The text said that they saw the boldness of Peter and John. Now we should make clear the difference between Holy Boldness and worldly boldness. Holy Boldness is standing up for what the Word of God says. In today’s society they call that being politically incorrect or being a religious fanatic. In fact because Peter and John was not going along to get along, or saying what was pleasing to the Sanhedrin they were out of step with the society of the day much like Jesus was. Now worldly boldness is something different. In the world you can be both bold and wrong. For example at the beginning of the war in Iraq. The president defiant with the U.N. he did not want another investigation in Iraq to determine if Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or not. Our president was bold but he was also wrong because our army never found anything and we are now losing many young lives over there. So Peter and John were bold in what they knew about Christ, and this convinced others that they had been with Jesus.
Secondly...
2. THEY SHOWED CONVICTION (vv.19, 20)
“But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it is right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.
20. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”
I like how the Holman Christian Standard Bible presents verse 19 it said; “But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it’s right in the sight of God [for us] to listen to you rather than to God, you decide;” Peter and John in this text is exhibiting their conviction in the word of God. They knew that the consequence could have been severe, but they knew in whom they believed. The religious leaders had just told them not to teach or preach in the name of Jesus. But they did not deviate from their convictions. They were willing to suffer punishment rather than to stop teaching in the name of Jesus. They were convinced that they were on the winning side although they were not on the side of the majority. They had seen too many things that Jesus had done, they witnessed Him turning to water to wine, witnessed Him giving sight to the blind, witnessed the woman with the issue of blood being healed, witnessed the feeding of the five thousand, and I hadn’t mentioned all that He provided for them. So they showed a great conviction to God and His word, and in order to truly be born again you must be convicted by how great God is and His Word.
Finally...
3. THROUGH IT ALL THEY GAINED CONFIDENCE (v.21)
“So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people; for all men glorified God for that which was done.”
Another way to determine if you are born again is to be confident as you follow Christ. Peter and John were released not because of who they were, but because the name of Jesus made a difference in other men’s lives. You have to realize that the world can breathe it’s threats, but if you are a child of the Most High God there is nothing they can do to you. So Peter and John was not worried about what the religious leader would do to them because Jesus had done to much for them. The religious leader couldn’t do anything to them because of the people, and the people knew that what Peter and John was teaching and preaching gave them hope, and where the people found hope all they could do was to glorify God. So through all the Sanherin promised to do to Peter and John all in did was to give them confidence in the name of Jesus.
CONCLUSION
It’s just like a cartoon I used to watch. The duck’s name was Yacky Duck, and he had a friend that was a bulldog named Chopper. Then there way this cat that was always anxious to eat Yacky. And every time the cat would catch Yacky, it would be Chopper that would show up in the nick of time. And all Yacky Duck had to do because he had confidence in his friend, was to call on the name of Chopper and Chopper would be there.
