This was sparked from another sermon I read. Same title but not the same sermon.
“THEY HAD BEEN WITH JESUS!”
LWC, May 17, 2009 AM
INTRODUCTION:
I’ve heard it said that “BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER!” It’s true. You won’t see an Eagle hanging out with a Buzzard! You won’t see a Cardinal buddying up with a Hawk! It just doesn’t happen!
I’ve also been told that “YOU’RE ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE YOU HANG AROUND WITH!” I believe that as well! I’ve hung out with some people in my days that were a little unsavory to say the least and I began to be associated with them! “Hey! You’re the one that hangs out with that ...Guy!” There are some people I want to be associated with and there are some I do not!
Peter learned about “ASSOCIATION” the day of Jesus’ Crucifixion! Somebody saw him who had seen him with that man, JESUS! They insisted he was one of those who traveled with Him so he must be “ONE” of them, he denied it ever happened but we know it did! But Peter, eventually got it together and never again was he ashamed of who he hung out with or was associated with.
We need to be careful who we hang out with and are associated with, but that’s not the topic of my sermon this morning! Well, it is but not in that direction!
Of all the people we need to be associated with one might think church people, but no! You hang with Church people that might be good or that might be bad!
One might think conservatives, but no! You hang out with conservative thinkers then you start thinking conservative! Good! At least in my book!
One might think the wealthy so maybe some of that wealth might rub off on us, but no! You hang out with the wealthy you might learn something about money! That’s not a bad thing!
Now, understand these are not necessarily bad or the wrong people, but there is one who takes preeminence over all of them! JESUS!
Let’s look at what happened to two of the disciples that hung with Jesus!
Peter and John found themselves in JAIL! Other times they both were beaten and jailed but this time they found themselves in JAIL! That’s not where Christians should be! But that’s where they were over night!
Finally, they were brought before the Religious Leaders of the day, these were the same that crucified Jesus! They were questioned repeatedly on what they preached, spoke about and taught to the people. The problem the Religious Leaders had was that many people, about 5,000, believed what they heard!
How is that the people believed what they heard? THEY BELIEVED BECAUSE OF THE PASSION OF THE MEN & THEIR TESTIMONY OR EXPERIENCE & THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WITHIN THEM!
FOLK, NEVER COUNT OUT THE POWER OF THE
HOLY SPIRIT WHEN YOU ARE DOING GOD’S WORK!
You see the educated Religious Leaders of the day knew these guys were un-educated! They knew they were just lowly fishermen but there was something unique, something different, something amazing about them.
They questioned them and asked them, “BY WHAT POWER OR BY WHAT NAME HAVE YOU DONE THIS!” I BELIEVE THE HOLY SPIRIT PUT THOSE WORDS IN THE MOUTHS OF THOSE EDUCATED IDIOTS, THOSE RELIGIOUS WORKERS OF INIQUITY! BECAUSE THE HOLY SPIRIT DETERMINED THAT IT BE SPELLED OUT BY “POWER & NAME!”
PETER, THAT SAME ONE WITH THE IDENTITY CRISIS JUST A FEW DAYS EARLIER, SPOKE WITH A “POWER” NOT OF HIS OWN BUT A POWER COMMANDED BY HIM & HIS SPIRIT AS HE IS GIVEN THE WORDS TO SAY BY THE “HOLY SPIRIT!”
HE SAID, “LET IT BE KNOWN TO YOU ALL....!” OH, FOLK! THIS MAN HAD SOMETHING THEY NOTICED! THIS MAN HAD SOMETHING THEY COULD NOT UNDERSTAND!
HE SPOKE A “BOLDNESS” THAT NOT ONLY IMPRESSED THEM BUT MADE THEM A LITTLE UNEASY IF NOT A LOT UNEASY! HE SPOKE A “BOLDNESS” THEY DIDN’T EXPECT FROM SOMEONE UNLEARNED!
HE SPOKE A “BOLDNESS” BECAUSE HE HAD SOMETHING “UNIQUE” AND NOT OF THIS WORLD!
HIS WORDS WERE BOLD, POWERFUL, CONVICTING & OVERWHELMINGLY TRUE! HE SAID...
“Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the
name of JESUS CHRIST of Nazereth, whom YOU crucified, whom
GOD raised from the dead, by Him this man stand here before you
whole, (speaking of a man whom God had healed through them). This
is the same stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become
the Chief Cornerstone. Nor is there salvation in any other for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:9-12
Those they stood before were amazed and marveled. Scripture says...
“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. AND THEY REALIZED THEY HAD BEEN WITH JESUS!”
Acts 4:13
OH, FOLK SOMETHING HAPPENS WHEN YOU’RE WITH JESUS! SOMETHING “MIRACULOUS & MARVELOUS” HAPPENS WHEN YOU’RE WITH JESUS!
WHAT WAS IT THAT HAPPENED TO THESE TWO MEN? WAS IT THAT THEY GOT SAVED? YES, BUT THAT’S NOT ALL! WAS IT THAT THEY WERE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT? YES, BUT THAT’S NOT ALL!
IT WAS THAT THEY HAD BEEN WITH JESUS!
THE FACT THAT THEY HAD BEEN WITH JESUS WAS EVERYTHING! IT CHANGED THEY DYNAMICS OF THEIR LIVES, IT CHANGED THE WAY THEY THOUGHT, IT WAS BECAUSE OF THAT THEY GOT FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT! FOLK, THE “HOLY SPIRIT” IS ALL ABOUT JESUS!
PEOPLE WILL KNOW WHEN YOU’VE SPENT TIME WITH JESUS! IT’S EVIDENT IN THE LIVES OF EVERY CHILD OF GOD WHO DOES! IT CHANGES EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM! IT IS THE PREEMINENT FACTOR OF “VICTORIOUS CHRISTIAN LIVING & CHRISTIAN LIFE!”
HOW MANY TIMES DO PEOPLE GET SAVED BUT NOT SPEND TIME WITH JESUS & LOSE OUT? HOW MANY GET FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT BUT NOT SPEND TIME WITH JESUS & LOSE OUT? OH, FOLK, MORE THAN I CARE TO COUNT! IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME!
YOU HAVE GOT TO SPEND TIME WITH JESUS
MORE THAN JUST AT CHURCH!
SOME THINK THAT BEING WITH JESUS IS BEING AT CHURCH! YES, THERE IS SOME TRUTH TO THAT! BUT THINK ABOUT THE PEOPLE YOU GO TO CHURCH WITH! IF THAT IS THE “ONLY TIME” YOU’RE THEM IS IN CHURCH THEN YOU DON’T “REALLY KNOW” THEM VERY WELL! YOU LOSE “INTIMACY” WITH THEM!
THE SAME THING HAPPENS WITH JESUS! IF THEY “ONLY TIME” YOU’RE WITH HIM, OR HANGING OUT WITH HIM, OR COMMUNICATING WITH HIM, OR LISTENING TO HIM, OR PRAISING HIM, OR JUST LOVING HIM IS AT CHURCH...THEN YOU’RE MISSING MUCH, IF NOT MOST OF, THE WHOLE PICTURE!
YOU LOSE “INTIMACY” WITH JESUS!
IF THESE MEN HAD ONLY HUNG OUT WITH JESUS LIKE JUST DESCRIBED THEN THEY WOULDN’T HAVE HAD THE “POWER & IMPACT” THEY HAD THAT DAY! THAT MAN WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN HEALED!
THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS WOULDN’T HAVE NOTICED ANYTHING DIFFERENT ABOUT THESE “UNEDUCATED UNLEARNED MEN!” BUT BECAUSE “THEY HAD BEEN WITH JESUS” IT MADE THE DIFFERENCE!
FOLK, YOU’RE LIFE’S BLOOD IN YOUR WALK IS NOT IN CHURCH ATTENDANCE ONLY, IT’S NOT LISTENING TO CHRISTIAN MUSIC, IT’S NOT IN READING GOOD CHRISTIAN AUTHORS BUT YOUR LIFE’S BLOOD IN YOUR CHRISTIAN WALK IS IN “YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS!”
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU’RE WITH JESUS?
I. YOU’RE EMPOWERED & EMBOLDENED!
“But as many received Him to them He gave POWER...”
John 1:12
“...He gave them POWER and authority over devils and to cure diseases”
Luke 9:1
“Behold, I give you POWER to tread on serpents & scorpions...”
Luke 10:19
How many times have you been given something that made you feel powerful? Made you feel like you were somebody of importance? I have! I’ve had that feeling. I’ve gotten up to speak without a sermon or note one. Not that I didn’t study but nothing came, nothing was given! I’ve walked up to many a pulpit with my mouth dry, my knees shaking, my resolve weak and then all of a sudden something powerful hit me and I became EMBOLDENED! BECAUSE I HAD BEEN WITH JESUS!
POWER FROM HIM WILL GIVE YOU A “BOLDNESS” THIS WORLD CANNOT CONTEND WITH OR OVER POWER!
II. YOU’RE EDUCATED!
“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived
they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled.
AND THEY REALIZED THEY HAD BEEN WITH JESUS!”
I like to golf with people who better then I am. It seems when I hang out with better golfers than I am I seem to play better! I can’t explain it but it happens! And just the opposite happens when I play with guys who are worse than I am. I hope the better golfers don’t think I drag them down!
III. YOU’RE ENCOURAGED!
Remember: Peter was the one who denied Jesus! Peter was one of the disciples who ran to the tomb, most likely in guilt and even fear. But later Jesus walked over to him and encouraged him! He said to him three times in John 21 “Peter, do you love Me?” He restore Peter by making him to realize “he did” love Jesus and Jesus loved him!
Close!
