Been With Jesus Lately?
Acts 4:13-22
Sanhedrin/the supreme court of Jews in those days…but they were unspeakably corrupt…had passed on their offices thru the family regardless of qualifications…were money-hungry/power-hungry.
These also are the ones who had Jesus crucified…and now the apostles are preaching that He’s alive!
The Sanhedrin are threatened, and declare war on Christianity. Here is the 1st persecution of the apostles, as they are jailed…later they will suffer many beatings and executions…
Here in the middle of this story, a statement is made that we cannot pass up:
v. 13 last phrase is profound!
They HAD been w/ Him, walking and talking and learning from Him for 3 years!
Saw him heal blind/deaf/lame…Lazarus!/heard sermon on mt. live! Took His rebukes and learned/felt His comfort when scared/…they saw the crucifixion from a distance…and in a deep way, they too, died on that day/…and these 2 in v. 13 had a footrace to the tomb when they heard He was alive!
And having been w/ Jesus, they would never be the same! It should be the same for us! Could v. 13 be said of you? Do others take knowledge and marvel and know that you must have been w/ Jesus?
Ill.—they say we become like those we are around: man/dog—man/wife [careful!]
II Cor. 3:18
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Every day the child of God looks into the Word of God, has intimate fellowship w/ the Son of God, and is changed by the Spirit of God into the glory of God in the likeness of Jesus Christ!
Can people tell that you’ve been w/ Him?
Being w/ Jesus will change…
1. Your Love
Having been w/ Jesus: you will love the people of God/Word of God/things of God
What’s imp’t to Him is now imp’t to you…you love what He loves! [for His church/for His people/for His Word!]
2. Your Loyalty
v. 13b-20 Their loyalty is put to the test, and they ace this test! And you and I are tested every day, every hour, whether we’ll be loyal to our God, do what’s right…a faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted
Back to beginning of v. 13—unlearned and ignorant: doesn’t mean they were stupid, rather that in the eyes of the Sanhedrin, they hadn’t been educated in the accredited schools of that day.
Unlearned=unlettered [no phd!]
Heard about a guy named Tweedle, didn’t want a degree, said it’s bad enough to be Tweedle, w/out being Tweedle D.D.!
Notice in v. 15—conferred among themselves [put them out of the room!]
God has put a lot of special wheels into motion in the last 2 years that it’s clear He’s got big plans to bring back the glory right here, that the best is still to come, and drawing close…and I’ve got to believe that the devil is having some special called meetings. [Satan’s special-called business meeting: “What to do about Grace Baptist!”]
v. 17a Their concern is that it not spread any further!
The devil doesn’t mind what goes on in here, as long as we don’t take it out there! He won’t oppose us kindling a fire in here as long as he can succeeding at “dousing it at the door!”
We’re the salt of the earth, and as long as we keep the salt in the shaker we’re no real threat to him!
So, the Sanhedrin decide to threaten/intimidate Peter and John. “Let’s just scare them…frighten them into keeping their mouth’s shut!” So, they outlawed soulwinning.
v. 17-18 Question: would that bother you if it happened here in Decatur? Would it affect you? Ask yourself this question: When did I break the law this week?
Some here would say they love Jesus, they’re loyal to Jesus…but you never talk about Him! That should bother us: for it’s human nature to want to talk about people that are important to us.
Before you leave, just ask one of these g’parents about their g’kids…if you have an extra hour, that is!
[easy to overestimate interest! “have I shown you a pic of my g’kids?” “No, and I really appreciate it!”]
joke—had a friend once who moved away/fell in love/told me about her/over and over/built her up/wanted me to meet her so badly/I could tell he was head over heels, gaga in love!/finally got to meet her…I’ve seen 2 truly ugly women in my lifetime…and she was both of them! She could make a freight train take a dirt road!…but he genuinely loved her for who she was [he must’ve!]…point is: since he really loved her, she was all he talked about!
We sing how we love Jesus, but if we REALLY love Him, we’ll talk about Him!
[There’s no greater thrill than leading another to Christ…and there’s no way to do that unless we speak!]
v. 18-20 This is the same man who denied he knew the Lord to the young maiden prior to the cross, but now he’s standing eye to eye w/ these officials/not backing down a bit! “I can’t help but tell people about Jesus!”
Being w/ Jesus will change your love/loyalty…you’ll think about Him, want to learn about Him, you’ll talk about Him!
3. Your Life
The idea that you can meet Jesus and it not affect your very lifestyle is completely foreign to what the Bible teaches!
Scripture makes 2 things clear:
1. You don’t have to change your life in order to get saved.
2. If you truly get saved…you’ll have to change your life! [you’ll want to!]
If you’re sick…You don’t try to get better so you can go see the dr…you go see the dr. so you can get better!
Ill.—Henry Holmes in NM, dad worked w/ in the mines, played w/ his kids, I noticed for some time he always smelled kinda funny…not bad, but different, not quite what you’d expect from a miner, it was like perfume…women’s! Like roses or something…honestly, he smelled good enough to take to the movies! Anyway, one day I asked him about it, and he said, well I should, since I started in the greenhouse business! OHHHH!!!!
Then I started working for him at his nursery and then I smelled like flowers!
Now, that’s a perfect example of what I’m talking about…if we spend time w/ Jesus…you can’t spend time w/ Him and it not leave an aroma [not physical aroma, tho’ some people sometimes leave their mark on a room]
Joke—I was on an elevator once and a lady said, someone’s deodorant is failing…I said, it’s not me, I’m not wearing any!
You spend time w/ Jesus and it will affect your spiritual aroma!
II Cor. 5:17
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
II Cor. 2: 14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. 15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: 16 To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life.
Ec 10:1 -
Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.
If we’ve truly been w/ Jesus we won’t have to wear a sign to tell people/take out an ad in the paper…the change in our life is the neon sign that will make people take knowledge that we’ve been w/ Jesus!
H.A. Ironside pastored the moody church in Chicago. He had to deal w/ a well-known atheist one day, trying to contradict the Bible. The atheist challenged him to a public debate.
“I’ll agree to the debate if you’ll follow one condition: I’ll bring 300 people who claim their life is better because of Jesus and you bring 300 who say theirs is worse!
The man said, I can’t do that/ok, 200/nope/100/huh-uh/50/sorry!/10!!!…needless to say, the debate never took place! [people are better for spending time w/ Him!]
Joh 10:10 -
I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
How do you smell? Have you been w/ Jesus? In prayer/daily Bible reading?/meditation?/In church?
