They Had Been with Jesus - Part 1 of 2

Announcer: Today, Pastor Greg Laurie points out when we spend time with the Lord, people will notice. It'll show on the outside.
Greg Laurie: Can people tell you have been with Jesus? That's what our culture needs to see right now. Christians that walk and talk with Jesus. Christians that live such a godly life, they effectively earn the right to be heard. People that you can look at and you can just tell they've been with Jesus.
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Greg Laurie: You know, when we spend some serious time out in the sun, it's pretty obvious. People can see it all over our face. Oh, you got some sun, didn't you? Well, today, we'll see when we spend some time with the Son, S-O-N, it may be just as obvious. People will wonder what's different about us.
Announcer: Today, on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie continues our studies of the church of the first century in the book of Acts. It's a series called the Upside-Down Life.
Greg Laurie: Let's see how to show we've been with Jesus.
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Greg Laurie: A while ago, my wife and I were celebrating our 40th anniversary.
Greg Laurie: And so, um, I thought I have to go big or stay home. I have to get something good for her. So I went to a nice store, and I bought her a nice ring, and I put it in a nice box. So I was going to present it to her that night, and I made a stop at a toy store to get something for one of my grandkids, and they had those little cheap mood rings. Do you remember those?
Greg Laurie: And I looked at them, and I thought, you know, it's kind of cool the design. I wonder if I were to put that in the box with the nice ring if my wife would think it's a nice ring as well. So I put it in the box with the nice ring, and I presented it to her. Kathy, happy anniversary, and I love you so much. I got you two rings. But here's the problem: you can only have one.
Greg Laurie: Which one do you want? She actually deliberated over it for a long time, which is alarming to me. It's like, really? I mean, this is the nice ring, and you're actually thinking maybe the mood ring? She goes, oh, I don't know. Okay. And she picked the good ring.
Greg Laurie: And then I said, well, good news, you can keep the other one. I paid three bucks for it. It's a mood ring. But so here's the point I wanted to make: Packaging can make a difference.
Greg Laurie: You know, when something is presented in a certain way, you might think, oh, this is a quality product. This is something that is really valuable. And so I bring this up because now in the book of Acts, we're seeing genuine believers at work. We're seeing how the Holy Spirit of God worked in the lives of the most ordinary people.
Greg Laurie: If you were to sum up the book of Acts in a sentence, it would go as follows: it's the spirit of God working through the word of God in the hearts of the people of God.
Greg Laurie: And that's what our culture needs to see right now. Christians that walk and talk with Jesus. Christians that live such a godly life, they effectively earn the right to be heard. People who have been with Jesus. People that you can look at, and you can just tell they've been with Jesus.
Greg Laurie: You should be able after church, if you go out to a restaurant, to be different in every way to a server or someone at the next table and a person who has not been to church. They should look at you and go, oh, wow, they're they're they've been with Jesus. People should see it in us. Can people tell you have been with Jesus?
Greg Laurie: I bring this up because here in Acts chapter 4, verse 13, we read these words: The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men who had no special training, but they also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.
Greg Laurie: Being a Christian isn't trying to imitate Jesus. It's not about imitation, it's about impartation. There's a difference, isn't there?
Greg Laurie: Imitation is, I'm trying to follow the example of Christ and walk in his footsteps and and be a good Christian, as people sometimes frame it. I'm not trying to be a good Christian because I'm a bad person. I need more than imitation. I need Christ living in me and the Holy Spirit enabling me to live the life that God has called me to live. I can't do it otherwise.
Greg Laurie: And I love how Paul summed it up when he wrote over in Galatians 2:20, I'm crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me. And the life that I now live, I live by the faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. It's Christ living in us.
Greg Laurie: And this phrase, this expression, this term Christian was not adopted by the Christians initially, it was a name given to them. They were actually identified in the book of Acts as people of the way. Isn't that interesting?
Greg Laurie: They were called people of the way. Saul, later to become the Apostle Paul, talked about how he persecuted those who were of the way. Why do they call them people of the way? Well, it's pretty obvious. Jesus said in John 14:6, I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no man comes to the Father but by me. So, they said, these people are people of the way. The way of Jesus.
Greg Laurie: But then some non-believer said, you know what they are? They're Christians. And the word Christian was a derogatory term to describe them. They're like little Christs everywhere. They're they're like of the party of Christ. Ah, that's a compliment.
Greg Laurie: You know, you go into a restaurant, you ask for a table, and it's ready, you know, after you wait for a while usually, and then they say, Laurie, party of two, or if you're an angry personal by yourself, bitter, party of one, whatever.
Greg Laurie: So you take your seat at the table. I'm proud to be part of the party of Christ. I'm proud to be a little Christ, if you will. And by that, I mean a simple reflection of Jesus.
Greg Laurie: Well, these people were walking with Jesus, and the non-believers could see it, and they were observing them. And now we come to the first miracle of the early church. We don't read that the Lord said, go to the temple by the gate beautiful, the beautiful gate, it was a special gate there in Jerusalem, and there's gonna be a guy there who begs for money, I want you to raise that guy to his feet. We don't read that happened.
Greg Laurie: There was no pillar of fire, there was no angelic message. Peter and John were just doing what they did. They went to the temple and prayed. And I bring this up because a lot of times miracles happen when the extraordinary invades the ordinary without advance warning.
Greg Laurie: You're just going about doing what you do as a Christian. What were they doing? Praying, that's a good thing to do. Reading the Bible, just being open to the Lord, and this door opens. And as they're walking in, here's a guy who was a fixture at the temple. Everybody knew him. Most ignored him.
Greg Laurie: Peter looks down at him, and the Lord speaks to Peter. Loose paraphrase, he says, look, buddy, I don't have any money for you, but I have something much better. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk. He grabs the guy by the hand and pulls him up. Boy, you talk about putting it on the line.
Greg Laurie: You talk about betting the farm. That could have gone south very easily. He could have pulled him up, and then he came crashing to the ground. But Peter had an act of faith, but then he took the next step and pulled the man up. And of course, the man was walking and leaping and praising God.
Greg Laurie: Isn't it interesting that this miracle was not announced ahead of time? And I bring this up because sometimes churches will say, we're gonna have a miracle service this Sunday. Starts at 7, ends at 9. Wait, what? You're gonna have a miracle service? How do you know? We're gonna just have miracles. I don't know when God's gonna do a miracle.
Greg Laurie: Remember, the book of Acts was written over a 30-year period of time. They did not have miracles and healings every single day. But then periodically, something amazing, something out of the ordinary, something supernatural would happen. But most of the time, these guys, just like you, walked by faith with the Lord.
Greg Laurie: We don't know when God's gonna do a miracle. Having said that, we should pray for them, and we should expect God to work, but it's up to the Lord where and when he will do those miraculous things. And so Peter takes this great step of faith, and now here comes an opportunity. The focus of this story is not the miracle.
Greg Laurie: It was the door that the miracle opened. It was the opportunity that was now before Peter to preach the gospel. We read in Acts 3:12, Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the people of Israel. He saw his opportunity.
Announcer: Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment.
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Guest (Female): Hi, Pastor Greg. I want to thank you for your many messages that have helped me learn more about Jesus. Listening to your sermons has allowed me to understand God's word in a way that I never knew before. It really took me becoming a mom before my faith became serious to me, but your podcasts and devotions have helped me as I was able to explain the Bible to my four-year-old son. About a week ago, he told me he wanted to ask Jesus into his heart, and I thank Jesus for giving me the right words to help him. Thank you so much for helping me and my family grow closer to the Lord.
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Announcer: Well, Pastor Greg is leading our study in the book of Acts today called, "They Had Been with Jesus." Let's continue.
Greg Laurie: We need Christians today who are willing to take risks. You know, it's funny, when you're younger, you're more open to adventure, right? You're more open to try new things. If you're a young person at an amusement park, you look at the craziest, most gnarly ride, you say, I want to go on that.
Greg Laurie: And when you're older, you'd say, I do not want to go on that. I don't know when it happened to me. I don't know if I ever liked rollercoasters, frankly. How many of you love to go on rollercoasters? How many of you actually go on them, but you don't like them at all? Well, that's me. I I would get on rollercoasters, and I'm thinking, every once I'm up front, I'm thinking, I'm hating this.
Greg Laurie: I want this to be over with, especially when you get to the top of the track and you're getting ready for the drop. Oh, no. Why did I do this? And one day, I may have been in my 30s, not even when I was that old. By the way, if you're 30, you're not old.
Greg Laurie: I'll talk to someone who's young, they're, I'm 30, I'm so old. Trust me, you're not old. You're still young when you're 30. 40? Now we're getting there. 50? It's official. It's official. When you're my age, you're old. Okay, anyway. Somewhere in my 30s, I think I just said, I don't want to go on rollercoasters anymore.
Greg Laurie: But here's the thing, a young person, usually, not always, will take a risk, they'll try something new. When you're older, you're more cautious, you're more careful. Even going down the stairs, be careful, careful. Hold on the rail, careful, careful.
Greg Laurie: You go to the restaurant at the same time, you sit in the same table, you order the same thing. And then you say, life seems to be passing by so quickly. Life has not sped up, you've just slowed down. And you're doing the same thing, so it seems like your life is on loop.
Greg Laurie: But if you change it up a little bit, it might change you a little bit. I love how Peter and John took this risk, saw this opportunity. And now in his message, Peter unlocks a vital element in the gospel. A truth that is often overlooked.
Greg Laurie: I have to say that in many messages I hear people preach, this truth, this element, this key is not in the preaching. And I think because it's not in the preaching, it's not really a complete gospel presentation. Let's see if we can find it.
Greg Laurie: Acts 3:19. Peter turns to these people after giving a fantastic message about the death and resurrection of Jesus. He says, verse 19, Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, and times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.
Greg Laurie: Here's the missing key: repentance. Repentance. People are told to believe. People are told if you believe in Jesus, he'll come into your life. That's true. People are told if you'll ask Christ to forgive you of your sins, he will. That's true. But they're not told you need to repent of your sin.
Greg Laurie: What does it mean to repent? To repent means to change your direction. It's not just being sorry. I'm sorry. But if you go and do it again, are you really sorry? Well, I cried. Well, tears don't mean you're really sorry. You can cry chopping onions.
Greg Laurie: The Bible says godly sorrow produces repentance. In other words, if you're really sorry, you'll be sorry enough to stop. Repentance means a U-turn. Go in the opposite direction of where you were going before. And here's the problem. I think there's a lot of people out there that say, I'm a Christian, but they've never repented of their sin. They're still living in sin. And this is the problem.
Greg Laurie: What does it mean to repent? Means to turn from your sin. And what is the promise attached to repentance? God says, if we will repent, your sins will be blotted out, and times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord. I love that.
Greg Laurie: The Greek word here for blotted out means to wash off, to erase, to obliterate. It's like a whiteboard. You know, you get those little pens out and you write on the whiteboard, and then you're done, you bring out the little eraser, and it disappears. It's gone.
Greg Laurie: Or you're on your computer, and you type out some things, and you highlight it, and hit the delete key. Where does that text go? I don't know. It just disappears. And that's the same thing that God does for you when you repent. He blots out your sin. He's wiped away, he's washed off, he's forgiven, he's obliterated. He's erased your sin, and he's forgotten your sin.
Greg Laurie: Now, that doesn't mean that God literally has a lapse of memory, like, uh, what? No, he knows. He knows all things. But the word forget means he chooses to not remember or he chooses to not hold it against you, you see? It's a choice. So why do I choose to remember what God has chosen to forget?
Greg Laurie: Why do I keep dredging up my sins over and over again when God says, I've forgiven your sins, I've blotted out your sins, I've obliterated your sins, I've wiped away your sins, and I have forgotten your sin. So it means he will wipe them away. And what happens when he does that? We're refreshed, verse 19. Times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord.
Greg Laurie: The word refresh means rest, relief, respite, refreshment. He wipes our sins away, and he refreshes us. How many of you have experienced this personally? Raise your hand. You know what I'm talking about. Isn't that great? When you've sinned to just have the Lord wipe it away and refresh you. Well, this is a powerful message.
Greg Laurie: 5,000 people believed on this day as a result. But this did not play well in Peoria. I have no idea what that means, but it's an expression. In other words, the religious establishment didn't like this one bit. And the Sadducees, in particular, took great offense to it.
Greg Laurie: Now, the Sadducees were religious rulers along with the Pharisees. They're two separate groups. They hated each other, but the only thing they hated more than each other were the Christians and Jesus. That's the one thing they agreed on.
Greg Laurie: But the Sadducees were upset because the Sadducees don't believe in the resurrection from the dead. They don't believe there's life beyond the grave. Maybe that's where they got their name, Sadducee. If you don't believe there's life beyond the grave, you're sad. You see.
Greg Laurie: So they opposed this. And now Peter and John are brought before the Sanhedrin. That's sort of like the Supreme Court of the day. Right? They they had the final ruling. And we read in Acts chapter 4, verse 7, they brought on the two disciples and demanded, By what power and in whose name have you done this?
Greg Laurie: Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said, Leaders and elders of our nation, are we being questioned because we did a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? Let me clearly state to you and all the people of Israel, he was healed in the name and power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth, the man you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead.
Greg Laurie: For this is the one referenced in the scriptures where it says the stone the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. And there's salvation in no one else, for there's no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them.
Greg Laurie: Then the members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John. They could see that they were ordinary men who had no special training, and they recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. And since the man who had been healed was standing right there among them, the council had nothing to say.
Greg Laurie: All right, we'll stop there. So, let's identify what it means to be with Jesus. What it means to walk with Jesus. If you have been with Jesus, or if you're walking with Jesus, you will boldly share your faith. You'll boldly share your faith. Don't forget, this same Peter, only days earlier, effectively, had openly denied Christ, even taking an oath, saying he never knew the man.
Greg Laurie: Now he's preaching, and at the Day of Pentecost, 3,000 people have believed, and he's preached here, and 5,000 people have believed. Where did Peter get this confidence and this courage? He got it from the Holy Spirit. Remember, we read in Acts 1:8, You shall receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon you to be witnesses unto me.
Greg Laurie: That same power that was given to the believers in the first century is available for believers in the 21st century. That means us. Because the promise on the Day of Pentecost was, this promise is unto you, to your children, to your children's children, to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
Greg Laurie: So Peter had this boldness, and we should have this boldness as well. You know, for many, to share their faith is a duty, it's a drudgery, it shouldn't be. Be like Peter and see the opportunities.
Greg Laurie: Here's another point. If you've been with Jesus, you'll be a person that knows scripture. As it was pointed out, Peter had not been professionally trained. He was not a theologian. By the way, they didn't have Bibles in those days. They read scrolls, and they memorized them.
Greg Laurie: And you didn't have your own scrolls that you carried around with you everywhere. You would go and hear the reading of the scripture in the temple. That means that Peter committed large portions of scriptures to memory, and he was able to quote them. I think being inspired by the Holy Spirit. We don't read that he had a teleprompter or that he was reading off his iPad or, no, it just was in his heart because he knew the word of God.
Greg Laurie: And listen, if you want to get closer to Jesus, you'll discover him in the pages of the Bible. People will know you've been with Jesus when you love to read and study the Bible, because Jesus said, Lo, in the volume of the book I have come. He'll come to you in the volume of the book.
Announcer: Pastor Greg Laurie, pointing out the characteristics of believers who have been with Jesus. Good practical insight today on A New Beginning, and there's more to come. If it's obvious that we've been with Jesus, it may be just as obvious when we haven't. And if we've never come to Jesus and have never come to know him personally, that may be obvious as well. Pastor Greg, what would you say to the person who's not sure if they've ever come into a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ?
Greg Laurie: Yes, I think they need to make this commitment to Christ. Here's what the Bible says, whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. So you need to reach out to God. Not just think about it, not just say one of these days I would like to, just do it. In fact, you can do it right now.
Greg Laurie: You say, well, how do I call out to the name of the Lord? You do it through prayer. God is just a prayer away. He desires a relationship with you. He wants you to know him. He wants to reveal himself to you. So you just need to call out and say, Lord, save me and help me.
Greg Laurie: How about if I lead you in a prayer? And you could pray this prayer after me. You can pray it out loud if you like. You can pray it quietly in your heart, but direct this prayer toward God. And you could pray it after me right now. You ready? Pray this after me.
Greg Laurie: Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that you're the Savior, and I want a relationship with you. So as your word says, I'm calling on the name of the Lord. I'm asking you to save me from my sin, and I'm asking that we begin a new relationship today. Thank you for loving me and sending your Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sin and then raising him from the dead. I now put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ, and I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Announcer: Amen. And listen, if you have just prayed that prayer along with Pastor Greg, and if you've meant those words sincerely, let us be the first to welcome you into the family of God. And we want to help you get started off right in this new daily walk with the Lord. Pastor Greg would like to send you his new believers' Bible.
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Announcer: Well, next time, Pastor Greg brings us more insight on the characteristics that'll be evident in our lives when we're walking closely with Jesus. Good insight is coming. Join us here on A New Beginning with Pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie.
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