“THEY RECOGNIZED THAT THEY HAD BEEN WITH JESUS!”

 

Acts 4:5-14                  (ESV)

“[5] On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, [6] with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. [7] And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” [8] Then Peter, filled with the HOLY SPIRIT, said to them, “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.”

[13] Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And “THEY RECOGNIZED THAT THEY HAD BEEN WITH JESUS”. [14] But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.”

Briefly this morning, the first THEY listed in verse 13 were “The rulers and elders” of The Jews. Basically they were the rulers who had JESUS put to death on the cross at Calvary.  The second THEY listed in the same verse were Peter and John, disciples who were fixing to use words given to them by the HOLY SPIRIT (v.8) to pummel “the rulers and elders”!  When GOD orchestrates a happening, it usually baffles humanity!

In Mark 4:35-41 JESUS had instructed HIS disciples to “LET US GO ACROSS TO THE OTHER SIDE”!  JESUS proceeded to take a nap.  A windstorm blew up and the disciples were fearful that they were going to die!  They awoke JESUS and HE simply said, “PEACE, BE STILL” ….. and the stormy sea was CALMED.  

In the early morning hours of July 25, 2007, the nurses monitoring my comatose condition called my doctor at home because my blood pressure had tanked?  This was after the administration of an IMMENSE amount of medication over the past two weeks just to keep me alive!  It was as if GOD was telling me almost 19 years later that HE had everything under HIS CONTROL, but HE wanted to RECEIVE THE GLORY from the healing!!!

My physician RECOGNIZED that JESUS had intervened in my medical situation in July of 2007!  He wrote in my medical records on September 25, 2007 “However, he (me) has had a remarkable recovery that could only be defined as a MIRACLE FROM GOD!”  He later told me that he had no issues giving credit where credit was due!  

But do I make it known by my actions that I HAVE BEEN WITH JESUS???  Or do I just assume that people will know what HE had done for me??  The rulers and elders and scribes, “THEY RECOGNIZED THAT THEY HAD BEEN WITH JESUS”, and they were befuddled by Peter and John’s words!  When the HOLY SPIRIT is yielded to OL, humanity has to take its place!!!