I want to encourage you to take your Bible and turn to Acts chapter 4. We’re walking through the book of Acts together, and if you’ve missed a message on one of the previous weeks, you can take advantage of our website and get caught up as we walk through the historical account of the book of Acts. The historical account builds on itself, so when you get to chapter 4 today, you may hear things and not know quite what they mean or what happened prior to this. You can read it in your own Bible, and you can also get caught up on our website watching the messages.

If you need a Bible, we’ll give you one today. Come to the prayer room after the gathering. If you need prayer, come to the prayer room. We’ve got Bibles in there at no cost to you. We want to make sure everyone has a copy of God’s Word.

Let me pray for us.

Father God, Lord, help us. Help us, God. Help us get to a place where we really want You. God, move in our lives to make us thirsty for You, to make us hungry for You. God, move in our lives to get us to a place where we would be desperate for You.

That’s what we need You to do, Lord. We need You to draw us to Yourself for Your glory and for Your honor. So Lord, as we spend time in Acts 4, would Your Word be the loudest voice in the room, and would Your Holy Spirit be at work? We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Acts 4:1 starts with the word “and.” Well, when a chapter in your Bible starts with the word “and,” that’s a pretty good indicator that something already happened.

What this chapter references is an event we looked at last week in Acts chapter 3. There was a man who was born unable to walk, and he was brought by others to the Beautiful Gate near the temple so that when people came to worship the Lord, he could ask for alms, support, and financial assistance.

The apostles came to worship at the temple, and the man asked them for help. They looked at him and told him, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” — NIV

They took the man by the hand, lifted him up, and he was made able to stand, walk, leap, and praise the Lord.

Where he had sat all those years watching other people walk by and go worship the Lord in the temple, now he was one of them, walking into the temple to worship the Lord.

When this miracle took place, it drew an incredible amount of attention and large crowds. As the crowds came, the apostles used the opportunity to tell people about Jesus—to proclaim Jesus.

Not the man who was healed.

Not themselves.

Jesus.

That is what happened to catch us up before the word “and.”

Acts 4 says that while they were speaking to the people, the priests, captain of the temple guard, and Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

The man gets healed.

The crowd is drawn.

They begin telling everybody, “This is about Jesus.”

They’re teaching about the life of Jesus.

They’re teaching about the death of Jesus.

They’re teaching about the resurrection of Jesus.

They’re teaching about the ascension of Jesus.

They’re helping people understand that in Jesus there is resurrection from the dead.

The Sadducees did not like that message at all. They did not like the message of resurrection from the dead.

So they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day.

In our cultural context, this doesn’t really relate to how we understand and operate in this type of situation, but this was part of their process. They needed to wait until the next day when the proper religious leaders had gathered in session.

But many who heard the Word believed, and the number of men came to about 5,000.

If you’re keeping track of the math in Acts, there were eleven apostles. There had been twelve, but Judas went away. The eleven appointed a twelfth, and it became twelve again. Then there were 120 believers gathered in an upper room. At Pentecost, thousands were added to the church, and now we get to this moment where the number of men comes to about 5,000.

This is a description of exponential growth happening in a matter of weeks because the Holy Spirit of God moves onto the lives of the followers of Jesus, and the gospel is spreading like wildfire.

The next day, their rulers, elders, scribes, Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and others from the high priestly family gather in Jerusalem.

When we read these names, they don’t have great significance to us. But to the person in this moment, these names would have been very significant.

They set the apostles in their midst and ask:

“By what power or what name did you do this?”

When we see the word “power,” think control.

When we see the word “name,” think authority.

The question they’re asking is, “Who is your controlling authority?”

Why are they asking that?

Because they thought they were.

Annas thought he was a controlling authority.

Caiaphas thought he was a controlling authority.

John thought he was a controlling authority.

Alexander thought he was a controlling authority.

This was high-level religious leadership. They had a lot of power and control, and they thought they were in charge.

Now they’re watching 5,000 people being impacted by the message of a person named Jesus whom the apostles claim has been resurrected from the grave.

And it’s connected to this man whom everybody can clearly see is now able to walk.

I think this helps us understand a question we should ask ourselves:

What should I do when people are annoyed with me, attacking me, or asking questions about me because I follow Jesus?

The passage says they were greatly annoyed.

The passage says they arrested them.

They attacked them.

The passage says they examined them.

They started asking questions.

What should I do when people are annoyed with me, attacking me, or asking questions about me because I follow Jesus?

These men were following Jesus, and these religious leaders were annoyed with them because they followed Jesus.

They were attacking them because they followed Jesus.

They were asking them questions because they followed Jesus.

I want you to think about a time when someone expressed that they were annoyed with you because you’re following Jesus.

Think about a time somebody attacked you because you’re following Jesus.

Maybe it wasn’t a physical attack.

Maybe it was verbal.

Maybe it was another type of attack.

But they came after you because you’re following Jesus.

Think about a time when your cover was blown and people found out you’re a follower of Jesus and started asking questions.

“Are you like what I saw on TV?”

“Are you like what I saw on the internet?”

“Is your church like that church in the news?”

“Is how you worship like how these people worship?”

“Is your religion like this religion?”

They start asking questions.

One of our great mistakes is fighting spiritual battles in the sinful flesh.

That is a great mistake every one of us can make.

When people find out we’re followers of Jesus and they get annoyed with us, they lower things down to this frustrating level and come after us.

If we’re in the sinful flesh, what do we do?

We dive right down to the same level and become annoying back.

Someone finds out we’re following Jesus and wants to attack us. They come after us to tear us down and get nasty.

If we’re operating in the sinful flesh instead of walking by the Spirit, we dive right back in.

We go down to their level and attack them back.

Or someone starts asking questions because we follow Jesus, but the tone is rude, belittling, or condescending. They dive low and ridicule us.

If we’re in the sinful flesh, we get down there too.

“I’ll belittle you back.”

“I’ll be rude back.”

“I’ll ask you condescending questions.”

Nobody can relate, right?

Nothing like that’s ever happened to you.

What should I do when people are annoyed with me, attacking me, or asking questions about me because I follow Jesus?

Verse 8 gives us the key:

“Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit…” — NIV

That is the key.

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit.

Wartime communication is prayer.

Every war needs good communication, and prayer is wartime communication for the follower of Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 6 talks about praying at all times in the Spirit, and then it talks about speaking.

But before speaking, it talks about praying at all times in the Spirit.

Then speak.

Here we see Peter filled with the Holy Spirit.

We’re going to look at five ways we can seek help from the Holy Spirit.

There are many more ways than what we’re going to talk about here. These are just five ways we’re going to highlight from this text.

All of us have an obstacle to overcome in this, and it is our pride.

Our pride does a great job preventing us from being humble enough to ask for help.

It is my hope that God will use His Word and the Holy Spirit will work today so that at the end of this message we might be moved to a place humble enough to ask:

“God, please, we need You to help us.”

If we rely on ourselves, our resources are very limited.

But if we rely on God, our resources are unlimited.

God never runs out of the supply to help us by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit of God is never going to run out on us.

God always has enough to give us far more than we need.

Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, speaks to the rulers and elders. He says that if they’re being examined concerning a good deed done to a man who couldn’t walk and by what means he was healed, then let it be known to all of them and to all the people of Israel that it was by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom they crucified and whom God raised from the dead.

By Him, this man is standing before them.

Let it be known.

We’re going to experience ungodly criticism.

It’s going to happen.

But ungodly criticism is not greater than godly transformation.

The godly transformation God wants to bring into your life will always be more powerful than the ungodly criticism that comes your way.

I do some driving, so I notice things like cars and stickers people put on their cars.

One sticker I’ve noticed that I really like simply says:

“He > I.”

That’s all the sticker says.

It’s almost code for people who follow Jesus.

What I love about that sticker is that it’s always true.

Jesus Christ is always greater than I am.

God is always greater than I am.

He is greater than I.

That’s never going to change.

He’s always greater than I am.

Number one: seek help to direct attention to Jesus Christ.

Peter does not direct attention to the man who was healed.

Peter does not direct attention to himself.

He says, “Let it be known,” and then directs attention to Jesus Christ.

This is a way we can ask God to help us.

“God, help me direct attention to Jesus Christ.”

One of my friends shared his testimony Tuesday morning at men’s ministry. I wasn’t present, but he sent me the video and I was really glad he did because I was able to watch it.

One of the things I thought was really great about his testimony is that he was very clear:

“I’m going to share part of my story, but this is not about me. I’m sharing part of my story because this is about Jesus. This is about what Jesus has done, and I want you to see Jesus as I share my story.”

I think that’s awesome because it’s a sign that the Holy Spirit of God is working in his life to direct attention toward Jesus Christ, just like Peter is doing.

Peter receives help from the Holy Spirit and says, “Let it be known.”

A question we need to ask is:

What do we need to let be known?

What is happening in our lives that God is doing?

We need to let it be known.

“God, would You help me let it be known so that I might direct attention to Jesus Christ because of the changes happening in me, because of the work happening in me?”

“God, give me an opportunity to let it be known that Jesus is the One who is at work in my life.”

Peter continues by saying that Jesus is the stone rejected by the builders that became the cornerstone.

Then he declares:

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” — NIV

He receives help from the Spirit to direct attention to Jesus Christ.

Now that people’s attention is on Jesus Christ, he receives help from the Spirit to declare salvation.

Salvation is in no one else.

Jesus said:

“I am the way and the truth and the life.” — NIV

Did you know Christians were not originally called Christians?

Christians were originally called “the Way.”

The reason they were called the Way is because Jesus said, “I am the way.”

As people began following Jesus along the way, they were called the Way.

There is salvation in no one else.

Number two: seek help to declare salvation in Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the only solution for salvation.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the only solution.

Our worldly culture rejects Jesus Christ all over.

The question we have to ask is:

Are we willing to acknowledge to somebody else that Jesus Christ is enough?

Jesus Christ is enough for salvation.

Not only is He enough, He’s the only solution.

He is completely sufficient, and He is the only solution.

We can ask God:

“Would You help me?”

“Would You help us declare that salvation is in Jesus Christ and in Him alone?”

Verse 13 says that when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and recognized that they had been with Jesus.

There’s a boldness coming out of their lives.

They’re asking, “How is it possible these guys who are fishermen are so bold?”

They didn’t receive formal training.

They’re not religious scholars.

They’re common guys who are really good at getting fish out of the water and into a boat.

That’s what they’re good at.

And they’re super bold.

So they come to the conclusion:

They have been with Jesus.

That’s what happened to these guys.

They’ve been with Jesus.

Jesus told them, “I will make you fishers of men.”

“You’re fishers of fish now. I’m going to change your life, and you’re going to become fishers of people.”

Jesus also told them:

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses.” — NIV

This is what’s happening.

In our culture we use the phrase, “It moved me.”

“I was so moved by that.”

When we say it that way, we’re often talking about emotion, some warm feeling we experienced.

What Acts is describing is nothing like that.

This is describing the power of God Almighty coming into people’s lives and radically transforming them to be different.

This boldness is real.

It’s powerful.

And it is from God.

It is not from themselves.

It is from God.

Number three: seek help to display boldness from Jesus Christ.

I had a great conversation with a group of guys this last week about the term “authentic.”

What’s it mean to be an authentic person?

What’s it mean to have authentic worship?

What’s it mean to be authentic with other people?

I can tell you this:

These guys were authentic.

This is the real deal.

The power of God came upon their lives, radically transformed them, and they became very bold because they had been with Jesus.

The question I need to ask is:

Am I spending time with Jesus daily?

Are we spending time with Jesus every day so that it can be true about our lives that we have been with Jesus?

That’s what they recognized about Peter and John.

They had been with Jesus.

Am I spending time with Jesus every day so that it might authentically be true about my life that I have been with Jesus?

Verse 14 says that seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, the leaders had nothing to say in opposition.

They couldn’t argue it.

They had seen this guy in front of the temple at the gate asking for help for years.

His whole life.

Now he’s right there.

He’s healed.

The leaders command Peter and John to leave the council while they confer with one another.

So now we’re going to have our secret religious guys meeting.

Those always go really well.

They say:

“What are we going to do with these men? Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it.”

“We’ve got a huge problem.”

The problem is too many people have seen this guy healed.

“We can’t cover it up.”

“We can’t deny it.”

But then they decide:

“In order that this may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.”

“We can’t deny this guy got healed because everyone can clearly see it. But you know what we can do? We can stop them from talking about it.”

So they call Peter and John back in and command them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

You’re no longer allowed to talk about Jesus.

You’re no longer allowed to teach about Jesus.

You’re no longer allowed to talk about how Jesus ministered, how Jesus died on the cross, how He was buried in a tomb, how He was resurrected to new life, how He ascended to the Father, how the Father sent the Holy Spirit, or how Jesus is the reason this man is now healed.

You’re not allowed to talk about Jesus anymore.

Peter and John answer:

“Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges!” — NIV

What they’re saying is:

“We’re trying to live and do what is right in the sight of God.”

“If you disagree, that’s on you to judge.”

“We’re going to live in the sight of God and do the right thing.”

Then they say:

“As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” — NIV

We cannot stop speaking about what we’ve seen and heard.

We saw Jesus Christ resurrected from the grave.

We heard Jesus Christ resurrected from the grave.

We cannot stop talking about Jesus because we saw Him resurrected.

We cannot stop talking about Jesus because we heard Him speak after He was resurrected.

“You judge if what we’re doing is right or wrong.”

“But we cannot stop speaking about Jesus because of what we’ve seen and heard.”

Six months and 27 days ago, I became a grandpa.

I tell people all the time that I’m now a grandpa.

No one wants to hear it.

I don’t care.

I meet people who say they don’t really like kids.

I’m like, “You’re going to like this one.”

People say, “I don’t really like looking at pictures.”

I’m like, “Here’s six more.”

I just talk about it.

I can’t help but talk about Laney Rose because I’ve seen her, I’ve heard her, and I’ve changed some diapers.

I can’t help but talk about Laney Rose.

Laney Rose is cool.

She’s not Jesus.

They’re talking about the resurrected Son of God.

“We saw Him.”

“We heard Him.”

“We cannot stop talking about Him.”

This is real.

It happened in our lives.

This is part of what is true, and we’re witnesses, and we can’t stop talking about it.

The resurrected Son of God is alive, and He’s the only solution for salvation.

Everyone needs Him.

We cannot stop talking about Him because everyone needs to hear that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is resurrected, alive, and the only solution.

Number four: seek help to develop conviction about Jesus Christ.

“God, I need You to help me become very convicted about Jesus.”

“God, I need You to help me become very convicted about Your Word.”

“God, I need You to help me become very convicted about the resurrection life that is available, the salvation that is available in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

“Lord, develop conviction in me.”

When I was a young adult, I heard Colossians 3:15 taught in a church service just like this:

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” — NIV

God used that piece of His Word to grip me as a young adult.

Radically grip me.

And He never let go.

I cannot deny that when I was a young adult, God used “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts” from His Word to grab my attention and get me.

I can’t deny it happened because it happened to me.

God’s Word convicted me.

God’s Word grabbed me.

It brought me to a place where now I’m telling you about it still, and it happened a very long time ago in my life.

“God, help me develop conviction about Jesus Christ.”

Jesus said:

“You believe in God; believe also in me.” — NIV

That we might become captured by the person of Jesus.

The leaders threaten them further and let them go because they can’t find a way to punish them without upsetting the people, because everyone is praising God for what happened.

The man who experienced this healing was more than 40 years old.

They’re giving us that detail because they’re saying, “He’s old enough to tell the truth. He’s old enough to be a reliable witness. Plus, look how many years everybody has seen him. We cannot deny this is true.”

When Peter and John are released, they go back to their friends and report everything the chief priests and elders said.

When the believers hear it, they lift their voices together to God.

They pray:

“Sovereign Lord… you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.” — NIV

Then they quote Psalm 2 and recognize that the rulers of the earth gathered against the Lord and against His Anointed One.

They apply that Psalm to Jesus.

They’re praying to God and saying:

“God, it was Your plan that Jesus would come and minister.”

“God, it was Your plan that Jesus would die on the cross.”

“God, it was Your plan that Jesus would be buried in a tomb.”

“God, it was Your plan that Jesus would be resurrected to new life.”

“God, it was Your plan that Jesus would appear resurrected.”

“God, it was Your plan that He would ascend to the Father.”

“God, it was Your plan to send the Holy Spirit.”

“God, it was Your plan that this man would be healed.”

“And God, it is Your plan that the persecution we’re facing right now is happening.”

“God, this is Your plan.”

Then they pray:

“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.” — NIV

They ask God to stretch out His hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of Jesus.

As pressure rises, so does prayer.

As pressure increases, so does prayer.

God raised Jesus.

We raise our voices to God.

God raised Jesus from the dead in resurrection power.

In the name of Jesus Christ, we raise our voices and seek the Father.

Number five: seek help to desperately pray in the name of Jesus Christ.

Seek help to desperately pray in the name of Jesus Christ.

My wife and I, for about the last two months, have observed what we believe to be a spiritual attack on our family.

On Monday night, we asked the elders of our church to lay hands on me as the leader of our home and pray over our family.

To pray over me.

To pray over my wife.

My children.

Our home.

Our ministry.

To protect us from what we understand to be a spiritual attack happening on our family.

In what I believe was an answer to the prayer the elders prayed, some things broke loose this week.

My wife and I found ourselves collapsing into Christ together in our kitchen, holding hands.

We began to desperately pray.

“God, we don’t even know what to pray. Will You teach us what to pray right now?”

“God, we don’t even know how to pray about this situation. Will You help us understand?”

We just prayed and prayed and prayed.

Asking God to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.

Asking God to move in our lives in a way we can’t make happen.

Asking God to show up and show His power in a place where we feel powerless.

We got to the end of ourselves and desperately prayed:

“God, what we need is You.”

“We need You to handle this situation.”

“God, You will do a much better job handling this situation than we will.”

“God, we need You.”

That’s one of the ways we can ask God for help—to desperately pray in the name of Jesus Christ.

Verse 31 says that after they prayed, the place where they were gathered was shaken.

They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the Word of God with boldness.

Just weeks before this, these were the same people who ran away from Jesus.

These were the same people who fled.

These were the same people Jesus told:

“You’re all going to fall away.”

Now they’re operating in the power of the Holy Spirit of God.

This change did not happen because of them.

This change happened because of God.

This is God’s power transforming people’s lives.

Have we become desperate enough to become humble and seek help?

Have we become desperate enough to humble ourselves and ask God?

We need help to desperately pray in the name of Jesus Christ, that God would help us.

If you are here and you are in a place where you understand your situation has become desperate, you have found yourself in a situation where you desperately need God to work in your life, and you want to stand with my wife and me as we seek the Lord, desperately praying in the name of Jesus Christ that He will show up and do things we cannot do for ourselves, I’m going to invite you to stand and I’m going to pray for you.

Maybe you’re sensing that you need help to direct attention to Jesus Christ.

Or to declare salvation in Jesus Christ.

Or to display boldness from Jesus Christ.

Or to develop conviction about Jesus Christ.

Or to desperately pray in the name of Jesus Christ.

I don’t know how you need help.

I don’t know what your desperate situation looks like, and I don’t need to know.

God knows.

God knows your situation.

He knows what’s going on.

He knows why you stood up.

He knows why you’re asking Him for help.

So let’s pray.

Father God, for my brothers and sisters who are standing right now, God, I ask—I stand with them. My wife and I stand with them.

God, we just say:

Lord, we need You to do things for us that we cannot do for ourselves.

God, help us get to the place where we see You are the solution and You are the only solution.

God, help us understand that whatever we’re facing, whatever we’re going through, the only answer is You.

Draw us in.

Draw us in.

Draw us in.

May the story of our lives change from:

“This is what was happening, but God did this.”

“This is what we were experiencing, but God showed up.”

Lord, would we become part of the story of lives transformed by the power of God because You showed up?

Lord, we come to You together.

We seek You.

We pour out our hearts to You in the name of Jesus Christ.

Amen.