They Had Been with Jesus - Part 2 of 2

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie points out how the early church faced opposition, significant opposition. But they persevered.
Greg Laurie: The authorities told the apostles to stop what they were doing, never to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. This was first century cancel culture. They were trying to cancel out the message of the Gospel, but the Gospel will never be canceled. Ever, ever. [Music]
Greg Laurie: Jesus warned us that we may face persecution for our faith. It doesn't mean we're doing something wrong. In fact, it may be an indication that we're right with the Lord. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie points to that characteristic and several others that show us how we're doing. If we're walking closely with the Lord, these traits will be obvious. It's good insight and a good opportunity to take some notes. Pastor Greg is in the book of Acts today, reading from the New Living Translation. [Music]
Greg Laurie: Let's grab our Bibles and turn to Acts chapter 3, and the title of my message is, "They had been with Jesus." 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 going to be a guy there who begs for money. I want you to raise that guy to his feet." We don't read that happened. 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. As they're walking in, here's a guy who was a fixture at the temple, everybody knew him. Most ignored him. 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." We 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. You talk about putting it on the line. 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. And now here comes an opportunity. The focus of the story is not the miracle. 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. 5,000 people believed on this day as a result. And now Peter and John are brought before the Sanhedrin. That's sort of like the Supreme Court of the day, right? They had the final ruling. We read in Acts chapter 4, verse 7, "They brought them the two disciples and demanded, 'By what power and in whose name have you done this?'" 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. "For this is the one referenced to 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.'" 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. 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're taking notes, here's note number one, or point number one, I should say. 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, Saint Peter only days earlier, effectively, had openly denied Christ, even taking an oath saying he never knew the man. Now he's preaching on the Day of Pentecost and 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." 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 far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." 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. Number two. If you've been with Jesus, you'll be a person that knows scripture. People will know you have 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. Here's another point about being with Jesus or walking with Jesus, you may not like, but it's true. A person who has been with Jesus will be persecuted. You'll be persecuted. The authorities told the apostles to stop what they were doing. No reason was given, they said, "Just stop. Don't do it anymore." Acts 4:17, "But to keep them from spreading their message any further, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus' name again." So they called the apostles back in and commanded them, "Never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus." You know what this was? This was first century cancel culture. Right? They were trying to cancel out the message of the Gospel, but the Gospel will never be canceled, ever, ever. [Applause]
Greg Laurie: That's the hill I will die on. There's other hills you can stand on and they're important causes, but the hill I will die on is the hill of the Gospel. No one will stop me from preaching it. [Applause]
Greg Laurie: They'll try, but they'll always fail. Notice that the issue was the name of Jesus. Stop speaking in the name of Jesus. I've been asked, you know, to pray at different events. I get asked to do these sort of civic events, and a couple of times I've been told, "Please don't pray in the name of Jesus." [Crowd murmur]
Greg Laurie: I'm going to pray in the name of Jesus, all right? I'm not going to be told I can't do that. [Applause]
Greg Laurie: And if they don't want me to do that, they shouldn't ask me to come and pray, because that's how I roll. But that's how we pray, we go to the Father in the name of Jesus. I don't think it's a small thing. We need to pray in the name of Jesus. We need to preach in the name of Jesus. We need to live in the name of Jesus, because there's power in that name. That's why, right? [Applause]
Greg Laurie: That's right. So weird to me when non-believers invoke the name of Jesus when they say they're atheists. If you're an atheist, it seems the last name you would want to speak is the name of Jesus Christ. Remember, he didn't even exist. God isn't even real. And yet you say, "Jesus Christ." Why do you say that? Because in your own way, you're acknowledging he exists and there's power in that name, right? We know that, even non-believers know that. And so persecution will come. That's one of the hardest things about being a Christian, let's be honest. I mean, if you want to be loved by everyone, this is a problem. Because Jesus said, "Beware when all men speak well of you." I mean, if everyone thinks you're great and nobody has any issues with you and no one's ever upset with anything you say, I have to wonder, are you living in the name of Jesus? Now, I'm not saying be unnecessarily offensive. As much as possible, we should be the most loving person, the most caring person, the most compassionate person, the best neighbor, the best co-worker, the best at whatever we do, but we're looking for the opportunities to get the Gospel in at the same time. And if you do that, you will be persecuted. So what should I do when I'm persecuted? Go into the corner and sulk? No, the opposite. Here's what Jesus says in Matthew 5, "God blesses you when people mock you, when persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers." So Jesus says, "Be happy about it. Be very glad about it, for a great reward awaits you in heaven." So, how can people tell that we've been with Jesus? Number one, you'll be bold in your witness. Number two, you'll be a student of scripture. Number three, you'll be persecuted. Here's my last point. A person who has been with Jesus will be a person of prayer. You'll be a person of prayer. So, after being persecuted, Peter and John were dismissed. What do they do? They went and got together with the Christians. Look at Acts 4:29. They're praying now together. And now, oh Lord, they pray, "Hear their threats, and give your servants great boldness in their preaching. Send your healing power, may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant, Jesus." Apparently God affirmed this prayer. After this prayer, the building where they were meeting shook and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they preached God's message with boldness. [Music]
Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. [Music]
Greg Laurie: You know, I've heard people describe a trip to Israel as seeing the Bible actually come to life. Hey everybody, Greg Laurie, and I've been to Israel many times and I've led a lot of tours and I have to say that's absolutely true. Listen, when you're walking on the same stones that Jesus himself walked on, well, that's something that's enriching to your faith. It's not just a travel experience, it actually energizes and enhances your study of the Bible. Think of it this way, it's a vacation with a purpose. And we're going to be taking a tour of Israel, April 6th to 15th, 2027. You can find out more at Israel.harvest.org.
Guest (Male): Step right into biblical history, join Pastor Greg for a tour of the Holy Land, April 6th through 15th, 2027. Get details at israel.harvest.org.
Guest (Male): We're learning some of the characteristics that confirm we're walking closely with the Lord. Pastor Greg's message is called, "They had been with Jesus."
Greg Laurie: Here's some important little truths about prayer found in these verses. Number one, they prayed together. So they're threatened by the Sanhedrin, they're told to no longer preach in the name of Jesus. What's the first thing they do? They said, "Let's get together with our fellow Christians and let's pray about it." Why? Because there's power in united prayer. Colossians 6:2 says, "Share each other's burdens and in this way you will obey the law of Christ." Jesus said, "I tell you if any two of you will agree together on earth concerning anything you ask of your Father in heaven, he will do it." Pray together. Maybe you've come to church today with a burden. Maybe there's a concern to you, you have a loved one that is very sick or you yourself are very sick. Or you're facing a catastrophe, a crisis, a challenge, or you're just feeling down. It's such a great thing to say to a couple Christian friends, "Can we just pray together?" Haven't you noticed how things can just change when you just lift it up to the Lord? Instead of bearing that all by yourself, you share it with others and they help you sort of lift it up. It's like when you try to lift the couch all by yourself and how hard it is and then you get three other people to help, everyone takes a corner and you pick it up and and it makes all the difference in the world. They prayed together. And then as they prayed together, verse 23 says, "As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the elders had said, and they all lifted their voices together." And now, number two, verse 24, I love this part of their prayer. It says they prayed, "Oh, sovereign Lord." Verse 24, "Oh, sovereign Lord, creator of heaven and earth and the sea and everything in them." So, the Sanhedrin said, "You can't preach anymore." So they went to a higher authority. Later they said, "We must obey God and not men." We live under civil government. The Bible tells us that civil government is put in that position of power by God. But sometimes government leaders, presidents, governors, congressmen, senators, mayors and others may tell you to do something that is against scripture. If that happens, that's a "we must obey God and not men" moment, right? [Applause]
Greg Laurie: This is one of those moments, and the moment was specifically, "You can no longer preach the Gospel." "Uh, yeah, no way. We're going to keep preaching the Gospel." But they call out to God and call him the sovereign God. When we call God sovereign, it simply means that I'm acknowledging his greatness. So it's really a good thing to remember your God is all powerful. He's all powerful. That's why Jesus in what we call the Lord's Prayer, taught us to pray as follows, "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Then it says, "Give us this day our daily bread." So Jesus is giving us a template for prayer and he is in effect saying, "If you have the luxury of time, when you pray, take time to contemplate the awesomeness and greatness and power of God and it will put your problem in its proper perspective." Oh, sovereign God. Oh, sovereign God. It was Spurgeon who pointed out that God's power is great, and it is then that we can trust it and we should call upon him. Chuck Swindoll said, "God is able to do what he pleases with whomever he chooses, whenever he wishes." And they prayed for God's will. Look at verse 29, "Oh Lord, consider their threats and give us your servants great boldness in preaching your word." So they were told not to preach, so they said, "Okay, we're going to keep preaching, but now we pray that we'll be even bolder, even bolder than they were before." They did not pray they would have a break from persecution, but that they might have boldness in persecution. It's sort of like praying, "Lord, I don't pray for a lighter load, I pray for a stronger back." I want to be stronger and bolder. I think we all should pray that prayer, and once again they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Let me remind you what it means to be filled with the Spirit. It means to be controlled by the Spirit. As I've told you before, we should pray for the filling of the Spirit every single day, because Ephesians 5 says, "Be being filled with the Holy Spirit," speaking to yourself in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. And so the idea is ask for the filling of the Spirit again and again and again, and God filled them and this prayer was pleasing to God because verse 31 says, "The place shook and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit." And I want to pray for that as we close our service. But before we do that, I want to just offer this final thought. Have you been with Jesus? Let me put it another way, do you know Jesus? Do you have a relationship with Jesus Christ? I love how these folks were described initially as people of the way. People that are walking with the Lord, talking with the Lord, hearing from the Lord. Do you have that kind of relationship with God, or does he seem distant and disinterested? You just perceive him as some kind of a force out there in the universe. Oh no, God is personal. It's a relationship with him that we all can have. Because Christ died on the cross and rose again from the dead and now wants to come and live in us. Remember I told you, being a Christian is not about imitation, it's about impartation, meaning Christ living in you. Does Jesus live inside of you right now? You say, "I don't really know." Then he probably doesn't. If someone moved into your house in the middle of the night, do you think you'd know? They're cooking fish at 4:00 in the morning. I'm not comparing Jesus to someone cooking fish in your house. I'm just simply saying that you would know if someone moved in your house. And don't you think if the creator of the universe, the sovereign Almighty God took residence in your heart, you would know? And if you don't know, that would say to me, he doesn't live there. Well, that can change right now. Because the Bible says, for as many as received him, he gave them the power to become sons and daughters of God. Have you asked Christ to come into your life? Has he forgiven you of your sins? Have your sins been blotted out, wiped away, washed? Have you been refreshed? Or have you come here today with a burden and load of guilt weighing you down? Guilt isn't always a bad thing. Sometimes God uses guilt to just show us how much we need his help. The objective is not to get rid of guilt, the objective is to get rid of what causes the guilt. And what causes the guilt is your sin, you see. But if your sin is forgiven and if your sin is removed, then the guilt goes with it. So let's not just deal with the symptom, let's deal with the cause. Go to the Lord and say, "I know I've sinned. I'm sorry, I need Jesus in my life. Forgive me, Lord, and if you do that, you'll leave here a different person than when you came in." So we're going to close with a prayer, and if you want Christ to come into your life, if you want him to forgive you of your sin, you can pray this prayer with me. Let's all pray. If you want Jesus to come into your life, if you want to be forgiven of your sin. If you want to go to heaven when you die, pray this prayer with me. Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner, but I know you're the Savior who died on the cross for me and rose again from the dead. Now, come into my life and be my Savior and Lord. I repent of my sin. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. [Music]
Guest (Male): An important prayer from Pastor Greg Laurie today on A New Beginning. And if you've just prayed that prayer and asked Jesus to forgive your sin, we want to first say congratulations and welcome to the family of God, and we also want to help you as you begin walking with the Lord. We'd like to send you Pastor Greg's new believers' Bible. It's free of charge and will help you get started on the road of faith. It has scores of special helps for those who are new to the faith. So just ask for the new believers' Bible when you call us at 1-800-821-3300. Call anytime around the clock, 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to harvest.org and click, "No God." And stay with us, Pastor Greg comes back in a moment to pray with us all. And then let us say a word of thanks to those who support us financially, those who make it possible for us to bring you these studies each day. We are definitely a listener supported ministry. It's the generosity of listeners that help us be here with these programs. So, if you've partnered with us, thank you. And if you have yet to partner with us, I hope you'll get in touch today and let us know that you're standing with us. Even a small investment would help. It's actually an investment in changing lives. Thank you for partnering with us. You can donate securely online at harvest.org or call us at 1-800-821-3300. Again, that's 1-800-821-3300. Well, next time, Pastor Greg takes us to the sin of Ananias and Sapphira and shows us the peril of living anything less than an honest life before God. But before we go, Pastor Greg closes this way.
Greg Laurie: We're going to pray now for the Lord to fill us with the Holy Spirit. Again, because we need that power, don't we? Don't you need it? Man, I need it. [Applause]
Greg Laurie: I need it. I need that boldness, I need that courage, I need that strength, and we all need it each and every day. So, if you want him to fill you right now, just pray these words. Lord Jesus, I am weak, but you are strong. I need courage, I need boldness. So fill me with your Holy Spirit. Right here, right now. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. [Music]