Our scripture reading this evening is taken from the book of Acts. We read in chapter 4. Acts chapter 4. We'll read the first 31 verses of this chapter. Our text is found in verse 13. The previous context of the third chapter takes place soon after the outpouring of the Spirit, Pentecost, Peter and John have gone up to the temple at the hour of prayer, and we have the miracle of the healing of the lame beggar, and the opportunity that provides for the Apostle Peter to boldly proclaim the gospel of Christ. We hear the word of God in Acts chapter 4. As they spake unto the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them. being grieved that they taught the people and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them and put them in hold until the next day, for it was now eventide. Albeit many of them which heard the word believed, and the number of the men was about 5,000. And it came to pass on the morrow that their rulers and elders and scribes And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, by what power or by what name have ye done this? Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, if we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole, be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him Doth this man stand here before you whole? This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which has become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled, and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, saying, What shall we do to these men? For that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But that it spread no further among the people, let us straightly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. And they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them because of the people. For all men glorified God for that which was done. For the man was above 40 years old on whom this miracle of healing was showed. And being let go, they went to their own company and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them. And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord and said, Lord, thou art God, which has made heaven and earth and the sea and all that in them is, who by the mouth of thy servant David has said, why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ. from a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed. Both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. And now, Lord, Behold their threatenings, and grant unto thy servants that with all boldness they may speak thy word, by stretching forth thine hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost. and they spake the word of God with boldness. Thus far we read from God's holy word. As I said, our text this evening is taken from this passage in Acts chapter four, verse 13, verse 13, where we read, now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled. They took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. Beloved congregation, in our Lord Jesus Christ, Satan always does his utmost to thwart the work of God. He did that, for example, when the children of Israel returned from Their captivity in Babylon began the work of the construction of the Holy Temple. Satan did his utmost through various means to disrupt the work of building. But God said to the prophet Haggai that the promise of his spirit remains. His spirit will abide among them. His spirit will give them strength. His spirit will give them courage. Today too, Satan tries to hinder the people of God and the work of the church. He seeks to do that by stopping the spread of the gospel where possible. He does that by trying to interfere with the witness of the child of God. Beloved, the Spirit also remains among us to encourage and strengthen. The Spirit is among you. Be not discouraged. Do not be afraid. We see such a beautiful demonstration of this not long after the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost, which we celebrated just a few weeks ago. What a change had been produced by Pentecost, the outpouring of the Spirit of Christ. The resurrection of Christ had perplexed the apostles. During the dark hours of the Jewish Sabbath, as the body of Jesus yet lay in the grave, the disciples had gathered together in the upper room It was as if a dark cloud hovered above them. Even during the early days following the resurrection, the doors remained locked for fear of the Jews. The perplexed disciples struggled to understand what this was all about. Gradually that cloud evaporated as the living risen Christ explained to them the necessity of his suffering and death as the way to his exaltation. During those 40 days, Christ expounded to them the importance of his finished work and how this related to his kingdom, which is heavenly. When Christ ascended up into heaven, the disciples understood that something more was still to happen. Something would happen which would sharpen their spiritual vision and give them understanding. Their ascended Lord would surely send the comforter, even as he had promised, to teach them all things and bring all things to their remembrance. They were commanded to wait in Jerusalem for the Spirit. Ten days later, the Spirit came to them. The exalted Christ had not forgotten his people. As our great intercessor, he prayed the Father for the comforter whom he would send to his beloved church. Yet upon the earth, the Father answered this prayer and crowned the work of Christ His obedient servant with the gift of the Spirit. When the day of Pentecost was fully come and the 120 disciples were gathered together, suddenly the Spirit was poured out and a marked change came upon the disciples, a change that went far beyond the profound signs that took place, the sound as of a mighty rushing wind, the cloven tongues like as of fire that appeared above their heads, the speaking in other languages, Now the perplexed and confused and frightened minds were released from those bonds of doubt and fear. They understood things as they never had before. It was like as if all the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place, so to speak. The fear that had held them in subjection dissipated and the locked doors were thrown open. so that thousands could hear, listen to them preach the gospel of Christ. But the moment the church glories in victory, Satan and the enemies of the truth plot destruction. The fire of evil passion was kindled anew in the hearts of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish council. They were determined that those doors of the apostles would be locked once again. They were confident that imprisonment and threats would silence the mouths of the disciples. And to be sure, presently Peter and John are in the midst of the Sanhedrin. surrounded by the esteemed council members, the very group that had condemned the Lord Jesus to death. And they are, what are they doing? Are the apostles stammering apologies as their enemies anticipated? Are they cowering down in fear as their enemies expected? Oh no! Though in the midst of their enemies, they are not afraid. Undaunted, they speak concerning the greatness of God in raising up Jesus from the dead with irrepressible zeal. They boil over with the good news of the gospel of salvation. Even threats cannot dampen their joy. Beloved, there's only one thing that can possibly account for this. They were filled with the Spirit of Christ. The Comforter had come. The abiding presence of the Holy Spirit is evident in their lives, so much so that their enemies marvel as we have it in our text. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled. They took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus. Utterly amazing, you say? Indeed. But what about your life, beloved? No less should the evidence of the Holy Spirit be manifest in our lives. It's in this light that we consider our text under the theme, Evidence of the Holy Spirit. We notice, first of all, great boldness, secondly, beautiful response, and finally, current significance. What is it that leads up to the remarkable statement of our text? From the context, we see that Peter and John were taken from prison to be tried. As I pointed out already, on the previous day, they had gone to the temple at the hour of prayer there at the gate called Beautiful. They had encountered a man that had been lame from birth. Evidently, daily, his friends brought him to this place in order that he might beg alms from the worshipers Peter had fixed his eyes upon this man, and by forceful words, silver and gold have I none, but such as I have, give I thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. The lame man was healed. The gathering of a large multitude, which was filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to the lame man, provides the occasion for the Apostle Peter to preach. And so he does, warning the people that this was accomplished not by his own power, but by that of the living Lord Christ. In the course of his sermon, we see the boldness of Peter in chapter 3. Beginning in verse 14, Peter proclaims, but ye denied the holy one and the just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you, and killed the prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead, whereof we are witnesses. And his name, through faith in his name, hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know, yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. Verse 19, repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out and the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. All this This preaching was too much for the Sanhedrin. They were not about to let this go unchallenged. Evidently, while Peter and John were still speaking, the enemy came upon them, hauled them off. The priests and the captains of the temple and the Sadducees had them seized and thrown into prison. Though in the case of the Lord Jesus, they had flagrantly violated the law that prohibited trials at night, at this time, they undoubtedly think that a night behind bars might stifle these disciples. The next day, Annas and Caiaphas and the members of the council assembled together. They placed Peter and John Right in the middle of the room, immediately they ask, by what power or by what name have ye done this? Understand, this was a loaded question. This question was a virtual noose around the necks of the apostles. The council inquired not about what they had done, but the way that they had done what they had done, the means by which they had done it are attacked. Undoubtedly, the council had decided ahead of time that their purpose could best be served by asking the question in just this way. If the disciples would dare to identify their work with that of Jesus, they would, by that very fact, expose themselves to the same condemnation that Jesus had received. On the other hand, if they would deny that it was in Jesus' name, well, that would take care of the problem. But their foolishness is immediately evident. when Peter turns the tables on them and acts as their judge? The answer of the apostle is the classic retort of the church through the ages. Peter testifies of the good deed they had done through Jesus, whom they had crucified. Jesus was the stone they had cast away on the cross, who is now the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Wow. The Sanhedrin was struck by the boldness of the Apostles. They realized that these two men standing before them were unlearned, ignorant men, literally unlettered, uneducated, mere laymen. Peter and John had merely the ordinary schooling of their day. John was the son of Zebedee, who was a fisherman. Peter's father was in partnership with Zebedee. Peter and John initially had followed in their father's footsteps. They were themselves had been ordinary fishermen from the region of Galilee. They had little formal education, especially compared to the council members who were scholars. doctors of theology, men of letters. In addition, Peter and John didn't rank in the higher echelons of society in Jerusalem. They were common folk, mere laymen, ordinary fellows who had been followers of Jesus of Nazareth. They were men of little importance from the viewpoint of the world. They had no public office of any kind. They apparently had nothing but their own insignificant personal affairs to which to attend. In a word, they were nobodies, at least in the eyes of the Sanhedrin. So the council marveled when they saw the boldness of these men. They'd probably been expecting to see fear, trembling. They'd expected to hear stammering out of an inferiority complex when the disciples realized that they were called to speak before such learned and distinguished men. After all, Peter and John were on the spot. They were on the hot seat, so to speak. If ever there was a time of crisis, it was now. This was the first time they were facing the enemy without Jesus being bodily with them. Was it not the time to portray humility, tact, to exercise every form of diplomacy? Was it the time to seek compromise, to use political correctness? Should not these disciples concede that perhaps they had been a bit too radical, a bit too negative, a bit offensive? Should they not agree to tone down their preaching not to be so sharp, so distinctive? Oh no. It was not the time to shrink away in cowardice. It was not the time to apologize in fear. It was the time for boldness and without fear or hesitation Peter preaches in clear and concise language the deep mysteries of the faith. He speaks with the tongue of the learned. It comes in the authority of Jesus Christ. Peter and John emphasize that they will not, they cannot keep silence. We cannot bespeak the things which we have seen and heard. What boldness! amazing boldness, and the council marveled. When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled. There was only one explanation, and even the enemies of Jesus understood this. For we read, and they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus. This was their response. A beautiful testimony, even though it came from wicked lips. They took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus. Peter and John were not acting and speaking in foolish pride. They were not just putting on a bold front before the council. But understand the explanation for such knowledge and boldness did not rest in the mere fact that Peter and John had followed Jesus of Nazareth over the course of his rather brief earthly ministry. Many people had done that and had forsaken Jesus. Judas Iscariot, one of the 12, had done this also, and Judas betrayed the Christ. This shows us that Jesus was not simply a great leader, a personality with charisma, a good example, a powerful influence. The power of his disciples did not rest in their following of the good example of some great prophet. Then we could scarcely expect Peter and John to be different than Judas. so many others who turned their backs upon Jesus and followed him no more. No, the being with Jesus consisted in knowing what Jesus taught and believing it and confessing it and manifesting it Again, it was not a mere intellectual head knowledge. It was the spiritual knowledge of a true and living faith, the knowledge of the heart, the knowledge given the disciples through the Holy Spirit. The presence of the Spirit in the church can be the only possible explanation of such boldness and such knowledge, understanding displayed by Peter and John before the Jewish council. And notice verse 8 here in the context specifically mentions this. Verse 8, Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Peter filled with the Holy Ghost. We have here the evidence of Pentecost, beloved. The evidence of the powerful working of the Spirit of Christ. It's an evidence that even the wicked and unbelieving cannot deny. They marvel at it. They are compelled to give a beautiful response to it in spite of themselves. Again, we see that The world is without excuse. The glory of the church is not in man. It is in Christ Jesus, her Lord. And Pentecost was his crowning work upon his precious bride, the church. The spirit of the exalted Christ speaks. As on the day of Pentecost, they speak as the spirit gave them utterance. Jesus had spoken of this to his disciples. The Comforter would teach them all things and bring all things to their remembrance. We have it also in John 15, in the closing verses of the chapter, 26 and 27, but when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me. And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me, with me from the beginning. Or as the Apostle Paul states in 1 Corinthians 12, no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. We have here in our text clear and unmistakable evidence of the working of the Holy Spirit and the Apostles, even The Jewish Council must marvel at their boldness. Even the Jewish Council must take knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus. Beloved, there is considerable confusion today about the evidence of the Holy Spirit Many say that the evidence of the spirit of his work is that we might still today go about speaking in tongues, not in other distinct languages, but in babbling, gibberish, or that we might go about performing miracles of healing, or showing various special gifts and powers, the so-called charismatic gifts To this present day, the Pentecostal and Neo-Pentecostal churches are among the most rapidly growing denominations in the world. The charismatic movement continues to make inroads and is increasingly felt in almost every major denomination. Admittedly, there were these wonderful signs to confirm the gospel before the scriptures were completed in the apostolic times, but it is not the special temporary gifts of the Spirit that are the evidence of the Holy Spirit in our text. There are many others today who maintain that the evidence of the working of the Spirit is to be seen in concerned for fellow man. They contend that the work of the Spirit is seen in the church's labors in society, in the movement for peace, the efforts to fight poverty, the fight for equal rights, or I guess today the word is equity, justice for all, efforts, also bringing everyone together, church union. These and a host of other social concerns show the spirit at work, it is claimed. Be not deceived, these things are not the evidence. of the Holy Spirit, certainly not the evidence set forth in our text either. Rather, the evidence of the Spirit is the boldness of the apostles to proclaim the truth of the gospel. Very simply, Peter boldly preaches. And what is the prayer of the saints? After the disciples were released, look at verse 29. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings, and grant unto thy servants, notice, that with all boldness they may speak thy word. What was the answer? To their prayer, we see in verse 31, and when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost. And notice, they spake the word of God with boldness. The evidence of the Spirit is the speaking of the word of God. with boldness. Be not deceived, beloved, by a superficial zeal or enthusiasm or emotionalism. At the same time, we do well to examine ourselves. The mark of the Spirit-filled church is that she has been with Jesus boldly proclaims his word. That's the evidence of the Spirit. It must be clearly seen in the church through her ministry as that gospel of Christ is proclaimed with boldness, the whole counsel of God. Then as disciples of Christ we do not sit meekly at the feet of learned philosophers or purported scientists or so-called theologians and swallow their lies. The Holy Spirit does not dwell in the sphere of a lie. He is the spirit of truth. And so we must be faithful in proclaiming that truth and speaking the Word of God with boldness. Is that your prayer for the church? for your congregation, for your pastor? Is that your prayer for the ministry of the word in our churches? For the faithful witness, preaching throughout the world? That truth of the word of God, we must teach our children by word and by example. And in the good Christian schools, of that truth of the word, we must be faithful witnesses from day to day, young and old alike. Remember too, the very nature of the Spirit is holiness. It's the Holy Spirit. The sign of the cloven tongues, like as a fire, on the day of Pentecost conveyed that truth. Fire purifies. It burns away that which is of sin and a lie. Holiness means that through the work of the Spirit, we are consecrated unto God through Jesus Christ. And this consecration is expressed in two ways. Not only do we believe what God says to be true, but by his grace, we must do what God says must be done. We must be doers as well as hearers of the word. What about you, beloved? speak the truth with boldness as you have opportunity to speak with others, to witness to that truth? Or do we often hang back, keep still for fear of appearing different or foolish? Even as young people, do we dare to stand up for what we believe? What do those around us say about us? That we say one thing but do something else? That we don't practice what we preach? God forbid. that we should give occasion for others to cast shame upon the name of Christ. Can others see in your life that you have been with Jesus? That you know and love the truth? That with all your being you strive by the grace of God to live according to that truth? Can that be heard in Your speech, can that be seen even in the way you dress, in where you go and what you do? Is that the testimony of your co-workers, your neighbors, your friends, your classmates, those who cross your pathway? To the extent that it's not, the word of God to us is repent. Oh God, be merciful. As the psalmist pleaded, take not thy Holy Spirit from me. And understand too, beloved, that the more faithful we are in this calling, the more we may expect the councils of this world to call us to give account. As we faithfully defend the truth, And as we boldly reject all errors and militate against that truth, and every manner of wickedness and corruption, we will increasingly be despised, even by much of what calls itself church. In a word, this means for us and our children, persecution. It did at that time. It took only a little while and these Jews of the council unleashed the whip upon the disciples. Pretty soon Stephen was stoned, the Apostle James beheaded. Threatenings and slaughter were breathed out in the church. So too today. Even though the enemy is compelled to admit that we have been with Jesus, yet this Jesus, the apostatizing and false church and the unbelieving world will have nothing of. Also today, the enemy wants to still the voice guilty conscience by removing the testimony of the faithful church. They constantly design to silence the faithful witnesses and leave their bodies lying dead in Jerusalem. Shall we fear? Shall we shrink back? Shall we tremble? Shall we apologize for distinctively proclaiming the truth of the scriptures, the reformed faith, the distinctively Protestant Reformed faith that we hold dear? Shall we resort to compromise? Shall we soften the gospel? God forbid. For our strength is not that of men. It is given to us of Jesus Christ through His Spirit. We can see with increasing clarity, the forces marshalling against us, can we not? A wicked world and a false church where, amazingly, tolerance is the watchword, supposed tolerance, tolerance for a Jesus who's only a great prophet, a good example, a Jesus who loves all, a Jesus who desires the brotherhood of all men, the most vile sins, the immorality will be tolerated, even condoned, abortion, homosexuality, on and on and on. We begin to see more and more how anything and everything is tolerated but the truth. More and more the faithful church shall be cast as the villain, the rebel, the extremist. Yet even as Peter and John stood before the Jewish council and condemn them without fear or compromise. So we too must speak the truth of God's word, must condemn this evil design of the unbelieving and ungodly of our day. May it by the grace of God ever be said of us as was said of the apostles in the closing verses of The next chapter, chapter 5, after they had been beaten and commanded again not to speak in the name of Jesus, we read, and they departed from the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple and in every house they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. remaining with Jesus, sitting as it were at his feet, hearkening to his voice, Lord's day after Lord's day, through the preaching, the faithful preaching of the gospel. We need not doubt. He will continue to bless us by his truth and give us the courage we need to be faithful unto it in both doctrine and life. We have an encouraging promise of the Lord Jesus in the gospel according to Matthew chapter 10 verses 19 and 20. Jesus says, but when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak. For it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the spirit of your father which speaketh in you. Notice that. It's the spirit of your father which speaketh in you. Spirit of Christ. Take courage in the Holy Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ. Confess, even with Peter and John, we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. Amen. Most merciful and gracious Heavenly Father, We fervently pray for the working of the spirit, even the spirit of truth, spirit of our exalted Lord Christ. Fill us, we pray, more and more. Give us the boldness which so beautifully was demonstrated by Peter and John so long ago. Grant that others may see that we have been. Yea, that we abide with Jesus. Forgive us our many sins. We know that in this too we fall far short. Be merciful. For Jesus' sake we ask it. Amen.