Acts 4:13: “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognised that they had been with Jesus.”
Date: 10/03/19
Sermon Title: Been with Jesus: Do People Recognise that About You?
Text: Acts 4:13
Pastor Dan’s Thoughts:
As we gathered this past Sunday, Pastor Jon brought the Word from the Book of Acts. He gave us a helpful and concise re-telling of the early chapters of the Book of Acts to set the scene for the particular portion of Scripture that would take our focus: Acts 4:13.
I won’t recount all of the nuts and bolts, but rather encourage you to listen to the audio online HERE.
What stood out to me the most from this particular message, as I reflected upon the specific text within the wider scope of the message as a whole, was the work of God through His Spirit in the life of the Apostle Peter. In the particular context of Acts 4, the apostles Peter and John are brought before the council of Jewish leaders after having been arrested and taken into custody a day earlier “because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead” (Acts 4:2).
At this particular moment in Luke’s historical account of the acts of the early church, Peter and John are set in the midst of a group of the most authoritative figures in the land of Israel, in the very city of Jerusalem. The high priest was present along with many other officials and all those who were of the high priestly family (4:6). There were also other rulers, elders, and scribes (4:5). To be set in the midst of such a great company would surely have been quite daunting. Perhaps equivalent to being brought before all of the leaders of New Zealand in the Beehive in our context, and having the spotlight put on you for your actions, which they’re by no means impressed with.
And so here they are, Peter and John before this great company, being put to task for their actions. The question put forth to them in verse 7 is: “By what power or by what name did you do this?” You may be thinking, “do what?” Oh yes, I forgot to mention the miracle performed through the Apostle Peter in Acts 3 which led to all of the people gathering to even hear them preach about the resurrection of Jesus in the first place. So yes, the question again: “By what power or by what name did you do this?”
In verse 8, as a brief interlude to the forthright answer that’s about to flow from Peter’s lips, Luke tells us: “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them.”
Why is it significant to mention this?
Well, the filling of the Holy Spirit made a difference in the life and actions of the Apostle Peter. This Peter who in the Gospels, after boldly declaring to Jesus that he would never deny Him even if it meant his death (Matthew 26:35; Mark 14:29, 31; Luke 22:33; John 13:37) indeed denied Him three times as the Lord Himself said He would (Matthew 26:34, 69-75; Mark 14:30, 66-72; Luke 22:34, 54-62; John 13:38; 18:15-18, 25-27), and this before the questioning of servant girls and bystanders.
It seems Peter was concerned about what would happen to him on account of being associated with Jesus.
But it seems that something significant has changed in the life of this Peter, and it’s not all too surprising that this was in relation to him having been with Jesus, while also a result of Him being indwelt by the Holy Spirit, as per Jesus’ words to him and the other disciples (John 14:15-31; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8).
Indeed power would be received (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8) and it was when, as Pastor Jon so aptly put it: “All heaven broke loose” in Acts 2:1-13.
Immediately after this coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Jesus in power – this birth of the church – we immediately see the Apostle Peter boldly proclaiming Jesus as Messiah and Lord (Acts 2:14-41) and around three thousand believe his word and are baptised that day (Acts 2:41)! In Acts 3, we see the same boldness, with the enacting of a miracle in the “name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth” (Acts 3:6) and more bold proclamation of Jesus the Messiah or Christ (Acts 3:11-26).
Thus we get to Acts 4, and what do we see here but more boldness on the part of Peter as he declares his answer to the question from the throng of Jewish leaders:
“Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
He doesn’t seem too concerned about the potential consequences for his association with Jesus Christ of Nazareth at this point. Why? Was Peter suddenly “the man”? Nope! He was “filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 4:8). The Holy Spirit worked an inside-out reality empowering him to speak forth the truth of Jesus boldly, as His ministry is to embolden and enable the Christian for God’s service and for the purpose of making much of Jesus (John 15:26; 16:5-15)!
And so those in the council were “astonished“, they “perceived that they were uneducated, common men…And they recognized that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). And this is the key in our lives too, if we are Christians, if we follow Jesus, then we have been filled or indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9, 11; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; 2 Timothy 1:14; 1 John 4:13) – in fact the Bible says that we are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16) – therefore, our lives ought to look different! Not because we are “the man” or “the woman”, in fact probably quite the opposite (1 Corinthians 1:18-20), rather because the Holy Spirit of God lives within us! We too ought to be different because we have been with Jesus! Do we?
In reflection upon this Word, the question stands to us: “Do people recognise that about you?”
The same Holy Spirit who anointed Jesus (Acts 10:38) and who indwelt the disciples in the early church lives within you and I who believe – when people look at us do they say: “they have been with Jesus!?”
Can they?
By God’s grace, may it be true in each of our lives!
Amen!