We are continuing with our VBS Theme for the month in preparation for VBS, tomorrow, “Twists & Turns,
where following Jesus changes the game of life.” Life is not all fun and games – even after becoming a follower of
Jesus; it’s full of twists and turns that can leave us feeling like we’ve taken one step forward and two steps back.
We are looking at 4 encounters Jesus had with His friend Peter this month. Peter messed up,
stumbled, and wasn’t perfect. But even when he messed up, it wasn’t ‘Game Over.’ God still worked through
Peter to help others learn about Jesus.
So far we’ve seen Peter’s Aha! Moment where and when He first recognized Jesus for who He really is!
We’ve seen Peter’s first steps of faith in Jesus when he first trusted Jesus enough to risk stepping out in faith!
Last week we saw how, after seeing Jesus do the stuff for 3 years, he still denied even knowing Him when the
heat was on, but how Jesus is forgiving even when we sin!
Jesus defied all logic and reasoning when He died on the cross and rose from the grave so that we
could have forgiveness of our sins and live eternally with God. Hopefully, every one of us is seeing for
ourselves that Jesus is worth following even when it gets tough.
A simple definition of the word “worthy“ is “having worth, value, or merit”. Today is about discovering
how and why Jesus is worth following. When we trust Him as our Savior and Lord, we are acknowledging to
Him that He is the most important person in our lives, like our most prized possession.
You will tend to think about yourself what you think the most important person in your life thinks about
you. And God has a lot of thoughts about us!
Psalm 139:17-18 NLT – 17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!
18 I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!
I heard a missionary once say that you’ll really never see that Jesus is all you need until you see that He’s
all you’ve got! Like the Hymn says, “On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. All other
ground is sinking sand.” Peter knew Jesus came to save him just as much as He did for everyone else.
Everyone has a soul who will spend eternity somewhere.
It’s easier to walk in compassion and love when you know what’s at stake! And your peace and
confidence you carry in friendship with God will trigger everyone around you! And because Peter understood
and received these realities, he was literally willing to risk his life to make Jesus known – wherever he was, to
whoever he met.
His life was changed forever, and God would use him to change the lives of everyone around him. The Holy Sprit
would prompt Peter to say to a huge crowd in Acts 4:12 – “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no
other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Q: If you have trusted Jesus, do you see and treat Him as your most prized person in your life?
Salvation is only possible through one person – Jesus. He is worthy of all our praise, of us following Him, and
of us acquainting others with Him!
After Peter experienced Jesus’ forgiveness and was restored – the crux of last week’s message, he got
to do some really tough and even cool things for Jesus – things we are still talking about today! Here’s one of
those:
Acts 3:1-5 – 1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer – at three in the
afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where
he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to
enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him [gave him his complete attention], as did
John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from
them.
Acts 3:6-10 – “ Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of
Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s
feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the
temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising
God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and
they were filled with wonder [curious awe] and amazement at what had happened to him.”
Peter and John took time for this divine appointment. They could have chosen to walk on by the man
they’d probably walked by many times like so many others had done. If Peter and John had not stopped, what
difference would it have made for all involved?
So here’s the challenge: Stay alert for opportunities Jesus may have for you to be witnesses for Him. If
you don’t go, then who? What’s the alternative – what’s the worst that can happen? (Literally nothing.) If
you don’t pray, nothing changes.
In v11 Peter addresses the onlookers: “ 11 While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were
astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade [They attracted a very large
and amazed crowd]. 12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites [not trying to separate himself
from them any more than necessary, cause he’s about to separate himself from them necessarily], why does
this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?
13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed
him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. 14 You
disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the author
of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 16 By faith in the name of Jesus [by faith in
who He says He is, in how He defines reality, and in what He promises to do], this man whom you see and
know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed
him, as you can all see.”
Paul would say something similar in 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 – “ 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise
and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on
human wisdom, but on God’s power.”
Peter continues pointing the people to Jesus: “ 17 “Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as
did your leaders.” [This is why Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” as He
was being crucified in Luke 23.]
18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would
suffer.”
Last week we saw how Peter had just gone through something similar. He had claimed he was willing to go
through whatever to follow Jesus, then he quickly didn’t. But God was able to use even that to teach, restore,
and empower Peter to rise beyond it all. And here he is being used beyond anything he’d imagined!
God was now giving Israel one more opportunity to receive their Messiah.
Acts 3:19-4:4 – “ 19 Repent, then [change your stubborn minds about all this], and turn to God, so that your
sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Messiah,
who has been appointed for you – even Jesus [just like how Jesus came to Peter to restore him].
21 Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago
through his holy prophets. 22 For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from
among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to him will
be completely cut off from their people.’
24 “Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days. 25 And you [of
all people] are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham,
‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ 26 When God raised up his servant, he sent him
first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”
4:1 The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they
were speaking to the people. 2 They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people,
proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead [and particularly in how in trusting Jesus, He makes you
alive! Sadducees didn’t believe in any kind of resurrections – they just added here their cancel-culture
prejudices to the fire]. 3 They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the
next day. 4 But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five
thousand.”
RECAP: Peter addressed the crowd and explained that it was through faith in Jesus that the man had been
healed. He also used this opportunity to clearly preach the Gospel to the people. The religious leaders were
not happy with what was happening and arrested and put Peter and John in jail for the night.
Because Peter and John stepped up to the occasion and boldly shared about Jesus to the large crowd
who were watching them because of the lame man who was healed, Acts 4:4 says, “…many who heard the
message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.”
” 5 The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem [this is the
Sanhedrin, a group of Jewish leaders that acted as a legal council]. 6 Annas the high priest was there, and so
were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family. 7 They had Peter and John brought
before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”
This is the same group of leaders who tried Jesus and helped have Him killed.
” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit…
“filled with the Holy Spirit” – “Filled” here is the same word in the original language that is used in other
literature or the time to describe how the sails of boats were filled, yielding to and harnessing the power of
the wind to be carried along by power they did not have in themselves. But they did have to orient
themselves to the direction of the wind, else they could be blown over or just go nowhere.
Peter is acting on the Holy Spirit’s leading here, trusting God and His prompting, come what may, because he’s
seen so much come from following Jesus.
” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called
to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was
healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom
you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 Jesus is “‘the
stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone [the foundation, the most important stone].
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we
must be saved.”
Peter was basically saying, “Israel – you rejected Jesus, but Jesus is still inviting you to trust in Him and be
saved!”
“ 13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled [you know, not
schooled like they were, hadn’t gone to their ”seminaries” or Bible schools, yet these guys knew so much
more about the Scriptures than they did], ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these
men had been with Jesus.”
Jesus made no one angrier than religious people, because He undermined their illegitimate, self-righteous
authority.
14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they
could say [and that’s how you win an argument – trust Jesus to do what He says He will do when we’re
faithful to do what He’s told us to do]. * 15 So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then
conferred together. 16 “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem
knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. 17 But to stop this thing from spreading
any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.”
18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But
Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes [the eyes that mattered most to them]: To listen to you,
or to him? You be the judges [which they actually were – “You do you”]!
20 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
And you gotta’ be honest with yourself here – if you haven’t experienced Jesus for yourself, you don’t really
have anything to talk about. And Jesus has so much to tell you and to show you!
If you’ll actually start taking time to read the Bible (and I highly recommend reading through the new
testament first), you will like it. But if you’ll start living what you learn from it as you learn it, you’ll love it!
You’ll begin seeing and hearing things beyond what you could ever come up with on your own! And you
won’t be able to keep it to yourself, either!
“ 21 After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people
were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years
old.”
All that history of being lame was undone in an instant!
“ 23 On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and
the elders had said to them. 24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God.
“Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.”
Their testimony of what God did, because they were willing to show up in Jesus’ name to meet a need
they came across, caused the believers to grow in unity and dependence on God!
And all these things happened because Jesus is worth following! Neither Peter nor John stopped
when times got tough.
Jesus is worthy!
When you know and accept that Jesus is always worth following, you can begin to plug into real
power! The Holy Spirit gives us strength to step up to opportunities that present themselves to us all the time.
He also gives us power to resist peer pressure, and to stand up under persecution.
Here are six take-aways from Peter and John’s encounter:
- The Holy Spirit helps us notice needs He cares about with the strength to step up to meet them.
Because of Jesus in them – the Holy Spirit – and the changes He was growing in them, Peter and John saw the
need of the lame beggar who had been there every day in a new way, and that changed everything.
Jesus will change us as we submit to His leading in our life. So don’t try harder; surrender more. You don’t get
more of Him; He gets more of you!
Jesus will help us. We can feel confident knowing Jesus is always with us so that we might act on what He is
telling us to do. - The Holy Spirit is always here to help when we’re in trouble.
We all tend to feel alone sometimes. But God’s Holy Spirit helps us by being there when we face difficult
situations. God gave us the comforter, knowing we would need comforting. The Holy Spirit is also called the
counselor, and if we’ll humble ourselves enough to listen, He will helps us know what to say and how to
respond when we face negative pressure, even peer pressure situations!
By the way, Peer pressure is persecution for a follower of Jesus. - The Holy Spirit gives us courage. Peter and John were facing more pressure than people today typically
face. And they were facing the same men who Jesus faced, the ones who crucified Him. The courage Peter
and John had to stand up to this intense pressure came directly from the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Courage is not the absence of fear; it’s the ability to face our fears. Lots of circumstances can evoke fear. At
those times when we’re afraid, we can ask the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom and to give us the courage we
need to stand up to, and through, whatever He directs us to step up to– and to count on Him to provide it. - The Holy Spirit gives us words. Sometimes it’s hard to know what to say when people are pressuring us.
We can feel dumb when we try to resist negative pressure. Jesus warned Peter and John that they would face
situations like this!
Matthew 10:17-20 – “ 17 Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the
synagogues. 18 On My account [because you follow Me] you will be brought before governors and kings as
witnesses to them and to the Gentiles [to share Jesus and His hope with them]. 19 But when they arrest you,
do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be
you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”
God wants to do the same with us. He says, “You go first, and I’ll show up.” If we’re constantly growing in
our friendship with Him and letting the Holy Spirit have His way in us, God will be faithfully renewing our
hearts and minds with His ways and words. As we represent/re-present God to others, God will give us the
words, like He did for Jesus, Peter, and John, when we face pressure situations…and we will! - We must choose to listen for the voice of the Holy spirit. The Holy Spirit speaks in many ways. Most
people don’t hear an audible voice, but some do. Often we get an impression, a nudge from the Holy Spirit
about what to do – an urging that just seems to be the right thing to do. Of course then we gotta’ fight
rationalizing it away! Sometimes He speaks to us as we read His word (the clearest and most prominent way
He speaks), or through a friend, or a relative, or a pastor. And as we get to know both God and how He
works from His word, as Peter had been doing for 3 years, we can walk in trust and friendship with Him more
confidently! And our main scripture for this week of VBS is a very significant prayer in the right direction:
Psalm 25:4 – Make your ways known to me, Lord [so I’ll recognize and know the difference between
what’s from You and what’s not]; teach me your paths [so I’ll know how to live them out and bring others
into your ways more confidently]. - The Holy Spirit will never lead anyone to do anything that is against what the Bible teaches. Being in line
with Scripture is the clearest way to know. It’s literally an open-book test! Peter reminded the people here 5
times how this was in line with the prophets and the Scriptures.
Q: If I don’t feel the Holy Spirit in me, does it mean He isn’t there? God has promised that the Holy Spirit
comes inside a believer – He’ll make us one of His new dwelling places the moment we believe and receive
Him. We don’t have to feel Him, because we know Him!
But here are at least 3 reasons why we sometimes don’t have the feels or awareness of His presence that I
believe the Holy Spirit is wanting you to be aware of: - Because of un-confessed sin. Isaiah 59:1-2 tells us, “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor
his ear too dull to hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face
from you, so that he will not hear.”
Have a 1 John 1:9 check – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify
us from all unrighteousness.” [All means all, and that’s all that all means.] - Not spending time with God in His Word in order to be able to know and recognize His ways.
- Being too busy or pre-occupied to listen. Eugene Peterson, pastor and author of The Message Bible
Paraphrase said, “Busy-ness is laziness.” If you’re too busy for God, you’re just too busy, and you are allowing
things in your life to control you more than you are being self-controlled, a fruit of the Holy Sprit!
When an apple is squeezed, what come out? When an orange is squeezed, what comes out? When a
Christian, a follower of Jesus, is squeezed under pressure situations, even peer pressure situations, Jesus
should be what comes out, if He’s really in there in the first place – because believing in Jesus and following
Jesus are 2 very different things!
Both 1 Corinthians 13 and 1 John 4 say clearly that God is love. If God in Christ is in you, and He’s bigger than
you, then we should be able to see Him popping out of you and pointing people to Jesus!
“God help every one of us discovering how and why Jesus is worth following. Give us wisdom to see
what barriers have crept in between our relationship between us and you, either by our upbringing, deceptions
we’ve believed, or by our own selfish wants and desires apart from You. And give us courage to come to you
personally and individually for forgiveness, restoration, and healing, as well as to listening for Your urging and
walking in obedience with You.”
