Evidence That You Have Been With Jesus
Acts 4:13-21
When I was in the road construction industry, one of my vendors was a huge fan of Alabama football. Even though I made it abundantly clear that I could not care less, he would spout out useless facts and statistics every time he came into my office. Even in the off season, football was still his main topic of conversation. He could tell you all about the current recruiting class, the schedule for the following year, and many other topics surrounding the Crimson Tide.
It doesn’t take long when speaking with someone to find out what they are most passionate about. Within a few minutes of conversation you can tell how they spend their time and what their interests are. This is true in church life as well. When a group of believers have been a part of a special event there is often a renewed zeal that is apparent in their life.
For example, when certain Christians spend a few days at a spiritual retreat; after several days of worship, prayer and Bible study, there is often a revived interest in the things of God. Entire churches sometimes experience this kind of renewal after a week-long “revival” meeting. As a result of assembling together for several days, worshipping, praying, and listening to powerful and convicting sermons there is ample evidence that the congregants have spent time with Jesus. When these things happen, these individuals cannot help but talk about what God has done (and is doing) in their lives.
While this kind of renewed zeal and passion for the things of God is encouraging, it should not be something that is only once or twice a year. Having a personal and powerful encounter with Jesus Christ is something that Christians should experience on a daily basis. Furthermore, when we have these experiences it will be apparent to everyone we encounter that we have been with the Savior.
This was the case for the Lord’s Apostles in our selected text. Peter and John were bold witnesses of Jesus who had spent ample time with Him and it was obvious to everyone, even the enemies of Christ.
The Apostles had been with the Savior for over three years; during that time He taught them and prepared them for this specific time in their lives. They had been equipped by Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit. He called them to serve Him, they were obedient to His call and as a result of their obedience they were seized, arrested and persecuted. However, they were not discouraged by their circumstances; rather than becoming disillusioned or bitter, they seized this opportunity to preach Jesus to the members of the Sanhedrin.
- I would like to look at this encounter and preach on the subject “Evidence That You Have Been With Jesus”
Peter and John had been preaching at Solomon’s Portico and when word reached the “the priests, the captain of the temple police, and the Sadducees”, they seized them and took them into custody. Peter and John spent the night in jail but their faithfulness to the Gospel produced much fruit. Verse 4 says that “many of those who heard the message believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.”
The following morning the members of the Sanhedrin assembled and asked the Apostles “By what power or in what name have you done this?” Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter spoke up and proclaimed to the council and to all who were in attendance that “Jesus Christ of Nazareth”, (the very man that they were guilty of crucifying) had been raised from the dead and that He was the one who healed the lame man. He went on to say that “This Jesus is the stone rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone. There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”
This is certainly not what the people expected, nor was it something that they wanted to hear. But the events of the previous day had put the members of the Sanhedrin in a difficult predicament. (v13 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. 14 And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.)
Peter and John were uneducated and untrained fishermen from Galilee and the religious leaders could not deny the power and boldness that they possessed. Furthermore, they could not ignore the miracle in the life of the lame man. However, instead of believing the testimony of the Apostles, the Sanhedrin sought to suppress their message. They threatened them and tried to convince them to cease preaching in Jesus name. (v17 so that this does not spread any further among the people, let’s threaten them against speaking to anyone in this name again.” 18 So they called for them and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.)
In response to their demands “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 are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” The Apostles made it clear that their loyalty was to God and they would listen to Him over any mortal man.
These men were eyewitnesses of the resurrected Christ; they knew the things that they were preaching were true. Furthermore, they were indwelt by the power of the Holy Spirit and they had been tasked with the responsibility of reaching Jerusalem with the Gospel.
The Jewish religious rulers did not believe the testimony of the Apostles. They did not believe that Jesus healed the lame man, that He had risen from the dead, or that He was the promised Messiah. They did not repent of their rejection and they refused to believe the Gospel of Christ. However, they could not deny that Peter and John had been with Jesus.
Our responsibility is the same as the Lord’s Apostles. Those of us who are followers of Christ have been called and commissioned to proclaim the Gospel to the world around us. Our testimony will not be well received by the majority of people who hear it. When we are faithful to evangelize, this will provoke lost people and sometimes this will result in opposition and persecution. Though the lost world may not be converted by our efforts, though they may continue to rebel and reject the Gospel, at the very least it should be apparent to them that we have been with Jesus.
When we spend ample time with our Savior, there will be indisputable evidence that we have been in His presence. There are several characteristics that should be present in our lives that make it apparent that we have been with Jesus. First of all we will consider:
WHEN WE HAVE BEEN WITH JESUS, IT WILL BE EVIDENT BY OUR OBEDIENCE
The Apostles had been called, chosen, and commissioned to be witnesses of the Savior. When Jesus first called them, He assured them that they would eventually become “fishers of men”. After training them throughout His earthly ministry and shortly before His ascension, Jesus made it clear that it was their responsibility to preach the Gospel and make disciples of all nations.
(Matthew 28:19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”)
Jesus told the Apostles where to go; He told them what to do, and He assured them that He would be with them. Moments before He ascended, He instructed them to go to Jerusalem and wait for the promised arrival of the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit descended and indwelt the followers of Christ, they would be equipped to be His witnesses in “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8)
In the same way, we have been tasked with the responsibility and the privilege of being witnesses of Christ in this world. When we are faithful to this task, it will be evident that we have been with Jesus because we are being obedient to His command.
It is a natural response for those who have had a personal encounter with the Savior to tell others about Him. This leads us to the second piece of evidence that will be apparent when we have been with Jesus and that is:
WHEN WE HAVE BEEN WITH JESUS, IT WILL BE EVIDENT BY OUR EVANGELISM
The Apostles were obedient to Jesus, the promise was fulfilled, the Holy Spirit fell and God used them to reach multitudes of Jews with the Gospel. They went out and did exactly Jesus told them to do. Like those men, we have been indwelt, equipped, and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Though we are not witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea & Samaria, we are witnesses of Christ in Oxford, Anniston, and Munford; we are to be His witnesses in Talladega, Calhoun, and Cleburne counties, throughout Alabama, all across the USA and beyond.
When you tell others about Jesus, they may not believe you, but they will see a difference in you. They may not realize it, but they are witnessing clear evidence that you have been with Jesus.
To have this kind of obedience and to be actively involved in evangelism requires courage. This leads us to the fact that:
WHEN WE HAVE BEEN WITH JESUS, IT WILL BE EVIDENT BY OUR COURAGE
Don’t forget where the Apostles are; they are defending themselves before the very council that was instrumental in the crucifixion of Jesus. There was a time when the followers of Christ hid behind closed doors; they were hiding in fear from the very men that they are now indicting for the death of Jesus. Needless to say, that took some courage!
The transition from fear to courage in the lives of the Apostles came as a result of their personal encounter with the risen Savior. They had been blessed to spend forty days with Jesus between His resurrection and ascension. Furthermore, these men were also empowered by the Holy Spirit. As a result, they were not worried about the consequences of their obedience to Jesus. They didn’t care if they were arrested, they didn’t care if they were beaten, they didn’t even care if they were killed; nothing would cause them to compromise their message or to neglect the Great Commission.
When we regularly spend time with Jesus we will have the courage to be obedient to His command to be His witnesses. We will not be intimidated by the rejection of our peers. We will not be concerned with the potential consequences of our faithfulness to the Lord. We will be courageous, even in the fact of persecution. This shows us that:
WHEN WE HAVE BEEN WITH JESUS, IT WILL BE EVIDENT BY OUR BOLDNESS
We often look at courage and boldness as synonyms; but actually boldness is the fruit of courage. One cannot be bold unless he/she possesses courage. The Apostles were not concerned with the consequences of their obedience to Christ; hence their courage enabled them to boldly share the truth of the Gospel.
The same is true for us; when we reach a point where we trust that God is in control of our lives and we are not intimidated by the outcome of our service to Him, we can be bold in spite of the potential opposition that we may face. Again, this courage and boldness will only be possessed by those who spend their days walking with Jesus.
When the Apostles were threatened by these very powerful men, they responded by saying “Whether it’s right in the sight of God for us to listen to you rather than to God, you decide; for we are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
We may face threats and the opposition and persecution may intensify when we are bold witnesses of the Savior, but like the Apostles we must plant our feet and resolve to be obedient to God. Furthermore, we can say as Paul did in Romans 8:31 “If God is for us, who is against us?”
When we are obedient, when we evangelize, when we are bold & courageous, Christ will be able to use us to advance His Kingdom. Though we are merely unworthy vessels in the hand of the Master, when we walk with Jesus we will be able to experience His power. This leads us to the reality that:
WHEN WE HAVE BEEN WITH JESUS, IT WILL BE EVIDENT BY OUR POWER
Because the Apostles had been with Jesus they were used by Him to accomplish great things for Him. Verse 4 says that “many of those who heard the message believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.” Peter and John did not heal the lame man; they did not save a single one of those numerous souls who came to faith in Christ, but they were in a position to be used by Him to accomplish these (and many more) amazing things.
We cannot save a single soul, we cannot reclaim a backslidden brother or sister, we cannot touch someone and heal them of a physical infirmity, but when we walk with Jesus we can be used of Him in ways that we could never imagine. When we spend time with Him, we will experience His power.
When God uses us to accomplish things for His glory, there will be visible evidence that we have been with Jesus! In these times when we experience the mighty power of God, there will be a temptation to become prideful and think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. This is why it is important for us to be consistent in our walk with Jesus.
When we commune with Jesus like we should, we will be better equipped to possess the proper perspective. It is in these times that we will be humbled that He would choose to use us to accomplish anything in His name. This shows us that:
WHEN WE HAVE BEEN WITH JESUS, IT WILL BE EVIDENT BY OUR HUMILITY
God used Peter to heal a man that had been lame since birth. This was no small miracle, yet Peter did not become filled with pride. He refused to accept any of the glory, rather he used this as an opportunity to point others to Jesus. It was Peter’s desire to see the members of the Sanhedrin trust in Jesus just as so many other had done the day before.
We have the opportunity to be used of God to do amazing things in the name of Jesus Christ. When He chooses to use is for His glory, we must never forget that anything good that we accomplish, any power that we possess is only Christ working in and through us. We should be humbled by the reality that He would use us in such a way. We must never seek or accept any honor or glory for ourselves. Rather, we should seize these opportunities to point others to our blessed Savior!
- We must be humble and we must be compassionate. This leads us to the fact that:
WHEN WE HAVE BEEN WITH JESUS, IT WILL BE EVIDENT BY OUR COMPASSION
Like Peter, we will encounter people who desperately need a touch from Jesus. There are certainly many who need a physical touch, but there are multitudes more that need an eternal, spiritual touch from above. Millions upon millions of lost souls are bound for Hell and if they do not have an encounter with the Savior, they will face eternal condemnation.
When we walk with Jesus and spend time with Him on a daily basis, there will be evidence that we have been with Him and one of those evidences is compassion for lost souls. When we have this kind of compassion we will be obedient, we will be bold & courageous, we will possess power, humility and compassion and we will seize the opportunity to evangelize.
There is no guarantee that people will respond positively to our service to the Lord; we may even face intense persecution as a result of our faithfulness, but when we are obedient to God’s call on our life, we can possess joy in spite of our circumstances. This leads us to the final evidence that we will consider today. Notice:
WHEN WE HAVE BEEN WITH JESUS, IT WILL BE EVIDENT BY OUR JOY
In the last 24 hours Peter and John have been faithful to proclaim the life changing Gospel of Jesus Christ. A multitude of people have repented and believed in Jesus. The Jewish religious leaders have arrested them, tried them, and demanded that they cease speaking in Jesus’ name. Verses 23-24 tell us that “After they were released, they went to their own people and reported everything the chief priests and the elders had said to them. When they heard this, they raised their voices together to God…”
These men responded to persecution by returning to the other members of the church and joined with them for a time of prayer, praise and worship. This joyous response was possible because they had been with Jesus.
There will be much opposition and many tribulations as we serve the Lord, but if we will commune with Him daily we can endure these times of difficulty with great hope and joy. However, the key to this is ensuring that we spend ample time with our Savior.
When we have been with Jesus our lives will be marked by Obedience, Evangelism, Courage, Power, Boldness, Humility, Compassion and Joy. Are these attributes evident in your life? Can the people that you encounter on a daily basis see evidence that you have been with Jesus. If not, I encourage you to take the necessary steps to return to Him, spend time with Him and allow Him to use you for His glory today.
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