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Marks of True Christian Character
I debated whether or not I wanted to tell this story, but I thought it would be a good way to connect the story today. So, despite it being a little embarrassing… here we go.
Three or four years ago, I was in Costa Rica with Operation Christmas Child. Somehow, the NLT there had gotten an audience with the Vice President of the country and I was there with members of our Canadian office to present the project to him. Our consignee there graciously put us up in a cabin they use to host guests of their organization, so me and two Canadian SP Staff where there together. It was in a beautiful place surrounded by lush greenery, outside the main city. The bottom floor was community living space and the upstairs was three rooms filled with bunkbeds. Thankfully, since it was only the three of us, each person had a room to themselves.
On the first night, we were wakened in the middle of the night by a rumbling that grew louder and stronger. To me, it sounded like a handful of people were sprinting up the stairs, which of course freaked me out, because we were in the middle of nowhere. I honestly thought a group of people had broken into the cabin and were coming to take us captive. So what did I do? I instinctively leapt into the closet, which was just beyond the entrance into the room so that I could grab the last person that barged into my room. If I was going down, they were going to have to work for it. So, I waited while the rumbling continued, but no one came. Eventually, the noise died down and still no one burst into my room. So, after I was convinced that there actually wasn’t anyone coming for us, I went out into the hallway, where my other two colleagues were talking about what just happened and they quickly asked where I had been.
As it turns out, it was an earthquake that had shaken the house! I rather sheepishly told them what I thought and they were gracious enough to not physically fall to the floor and roll in laughter. As embarrassing as that was at the time, I learned something about myself that day. That night revealed part of my character. In a fight-or-flight situation, I was ready to fight.
And as we will see in our story today, the initial persecution from the Sanhedrin drew out markers of true christian character that we need to be aware of so that we can act accordingly today.
Passage & Outline
I – The 3 Character Qualities the Jewish Leadership Recognized
II – How the Jewish Leadership Reacted
III – How Peter and John displayed godly defiance
IV – The Jewish Leadership’s Inability to Act
Acts 4:13–22 ESV
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. 15 But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, 16 saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” 18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” 21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.
I – The 3 Character Qualities the Jewish Leadership Recognized
There were three significant things that the Jewish leadership recognized about these two men, which in turn, show us the three character traits we are to have:
They saw boldness
In the past few weeks, we have seen Peter’s boldness over and over again, but this is the first time that the leadership has seen it. Though they held significant authority and they knew the deals they had made with Roman officials, it was hard for them to accept the fact that these men were standing up against them. They wanted to manufacture an intimidating circumstance so that through that intimidation, they could silence the Apostles, but despite being thrown into prison and being summoned to an impromptu trial, these intimidating circumstances didn’t hinder the bold words from being spoken.
But that didn’t deter these men. Actually, we see this boldness as a trademark and a consistent prayer throughout the New Testament:
Acts 4:29 ESV
29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness,
Acts 9:27 ESV
27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.
Acts 18:26 ESV
26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
Ephesians 6:19–20 ESV
19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
1 Thessalonians 2:2 ESV
2 But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict.
So, we see that the first mark of true christian character is to have a bold stance on the proclamation of the gospel. We cannot shy away from the very thing that God uses to raise others to spiritual life. I know it can be awkward to talk to friends and family about this. They say that the two biggest subjects to avoid during the holidays are politics and religion because they so quickly divide the room. But, if we truly love them, how could we not tell them how to be reconciled back to God?
Being bold doesn’t mean that with a tall stance and chest out, you brazenly and bluntly call them out. What it simply means, and as it’s demonstrated in the text, is a willingness to speak, no matter the consequence. That could mean that you speak very compassionately. It could be a meek approach to simply offer up a consideration your unbelieving friend had not thought about before. But the mark of a true christian isn’t one to shy away. Jesus modeled it during every interaction he had with the Jewish community and the Pharisees as well as when He was on trail. Peter and John are modeling it as they address the various crowds and as they stand trial. Therefore, we need to model it as we live out our daily lives now with ease as well as during the times that we are under our own trials.
They Saw Wisdom despite a lack of education & training
It’s not that the disciples were completely ignorant of the Torah. In fact, we’ve seen how Peter drew from the well of his own scriptural knowledge to point to Jesus being the Messiah.
But they did recognize them to be common laborers like fishermen and not the academic elite as advanced students of the Torah. If you remember, the crowd that gathered at Pentecost scoffed, saying that these people were just Galileans. They were common folk. Their unique accents likely gave them away.
It was clear that these two men had not sat under the tutelage of a Rabbi. Do you want to know who else never sat under the guidance of a prestigious Jewish Rabbi? Jesus.
John 7:14–18
14 About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” 16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.
Jesus – being who He was – didn’t need an earthly teacher. It is in Him that are hidden ALL the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3). Since He is the source, he would be getting inferior information if he went to a Rabbi like Gamaliel, for example. It would be sub-par knowledge. Any information coming from an earthly teacher would be second-hand knowledge for Jesus.
So, it would make sense then, for Peter and John to have remarkable insight and wisdom since they learned from the primary source of all knowledge for over three years. They didn’t need to graduate from Temple University. To the academic elite, they would have appeared to be ignorant blue-collar workers. However, we can look back and clearly see the benefits of having the ultimate teacher who dispensed his knowledge 24/7! Their superior knowledge and insight were baffling to the members of the Sanhedrin, but it is a reminder to us that we are supposed to learn from God Himself.
That’s the second mark of Christian Character – that we are actively learning from God.
We spend time in His Word. We spend time praying, which is a conversation (speaking and listening). The 3rd member of the Triune Godhead – The Holy Spirit – lives inside you to guide you into all truth. Since the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son and He always reveals the truth of who Jesus is, you and I have the same benefits as Peter and John! Sure, they had Jesus physically present with them for a time, but we have the Spirit with us every second of every day without fail. We have 24-hour access to the greatest teacher, comforter, and counselor of all time!
You don’t need a seminary degree to witness to your friends and family. Is christian education helpful? Absolutely. I would not have stepped foot in this pulpit to guide others in spiritual truths without having gone to seminary. Personally, I think our leaders need to have official training and education, but that is for me as your Pastor, not necessarily for you as a friend, father, mother, son, daughter, co-worker, caregiver, employer, or anything else. We all have equal access to the same Knowledge-giver.
So the question I want to ask you right now is: If someone spend more than ten minutes with you, would they walk away wondering what is different about you? Would they listen to your words and know that you have a meaningful relationship with Jesus? Not just a head knowledge OF HIM, but a strong relationship WITH HIM?
They recognized these men had been with Jesus
Shouldn’t that be the penultimate goal for us all?
It’s possible that because some of the Sanhedrin leadership were so astounded at their wisdom that they didn’t realize that these men were Jesus’ disciples. At least at first. But, as they spent more time interrogating them and the more the two men spoke and reacted, it was abundantly evident that they were products of their Teacher.
Have you ever been around a fisherman, just after they got off work? Can you immediately tell what his profession is and what he has been around? Okay, so maybe that’s a poor example. What about walking through the perfume section of the mall. As you walk past people, do you think they will realize where you have been?
Then, maybe we can make the connection that the more we spend time in prayer with Jesus and in the Word of God, the more it will be evident where we have been and who we have been with. Instead of reaking of fish or cheap perfume, we will be, as Paul puts it, the fragrance of life (2 Cor. 2:16) to those around us.
Don’t you want to be that way? Don’t you want it to be almost immediately evident to others that you have a strong relationship with Jesus, so much so, that it is evident that you have been around him by the words you speak, the way you act, and the way you carry yourself… that you have an air of Christ about you? I know I do. That is the 3rd mark of true Christian character that we observe from the initial interaction between the Jewish Leadership and the Apostles.
I suppose we could say that this third point is a summary of the first two. Perhaps. But, it serves us well to see the distinctions. Dedicated followers of Christ have:
- have a bold stance on the proclamation of the gospel.
- are actively learning from God.
- an air of Christ about them.
And, as a result, they had no way to object. Why? Because they knew the crippled beggar and they knew this was a supernatural event. What else could they do? They couldn’t just flat out deny the obvious truth, so they have to hit the pause button and discuss what to do about this, because God forbid, they simply see the truth, repent, and believe!
II – How the Jewish Leadership Reacted
So, they sent Peter & John away so they could chat in seclusion, and here is what they said to each other:
- what should we do with these men?
- we can’t deny the miracle.
- we must stop the spread with threats!
Do you see what I said last week about these men operating out of fear and jealousy? They could not deny the miracle. It was a miracle! Why aren’t these men praising God for this? Because they were fearful. They didn’t want to lose their power or prominence. Never-mind giving God the praise that is due to such an act of grace… what about me?!
It’s so childish, isn’t it?!
‘Poor me and my elite status! What-ever am I going to do about an uneducated fisherman who is threatening my power?’
It’s sad, really. Sad to think that the religious leaders would be so concerned with themselves as to actively suppress the offering of praise to God after a display of his grace.
It’s unthinkable… or is it? Do we not see that in the church today? Have we not witnessed prominent leaders in our lifetimes who trade in exaltation to God for the exaltation of their own wants and desires? Has there ever been a time in your own life where your own self interests are stacked on top of God’s glory?
As in most cases, the failings of Jesus’ opponents (or even the nation of Israel from the Old Testament) serve as warning signs for you and I, because its shines a light on the fallen condition of the human heart. We don’t like it, but we need to hear it.
Now, turning back to the story, we see the Leadership concerned about this getting out of hand. During the early days of COVID, all we heard about was the strategy to ‘flatten the curve’ so we can ‘stop the spread.’ I imagine it was similar (minus all the data models). They wanted to stop the spread of preaching in the name of Jesus, so they played the only card they have left in their hand. Empty threats and intimidation.
III – How Peter and John displayed godly defiance
Once they had finished their secret discussion, Peter and John were brought back and ordered not to speak in Jesus’ name… or else! (Of course, there was no ‘else’, but I’m sure they were hoping that the words would be enough without having to actually back them up with anything of substance).
And, in reaction, Peter and John give a great example of what godly defiance looks like. Last week, I said that scripture is clear about how we are to submit to and pray for those in authority. That is still true, and I encourage you to do that now, but as I also said, there is a condition on it, and these two men live out that condition in the story today.
When given the command not to preach in that name, Peter replies:
19 …“Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
What we need to glean from this is an understanding that:
1. God has ultimate authority
2. Man has delegated authority
It is God who establishes rulers and places people in seats of earthly authority. That is exactly what Jesus was trying to explain to Pilate. When Pilate was questioning Jesus, he reminded him that he had the power to have him executed. And what was Jesus’ reply? Yes, that is true, but you only have that authority because my Father gave it to you. If he had not given it, you would not have it.
And as we see over and over again in scripture, people in authority abuse their God-given, delegated authority and when we are faced with the decision to obey a human ruler who is commanding us to do something that is overtly contradictory to God’s command, then we are to choose godly defiance. This is a fourth mark of christian character: to display godly defiance when necessary.
And by doing so, we are honoring God by keeping Him as the higher authority, while also reminding the civil authority that they have overextended their delegated authority. We don’t do it with pitchforks and torches, nor do we openly rebel in the streets with violence and molotov cocktails. That’s not befitting of a Kingdom Ambassador. Rather, we do so respectfully but in a confident bold stand on scriptural truth. In those moments, they must be reminded that their authority comes from God and that they are in error.
And that is what Peter did. He still acknowledged that they had the authority to judge, but they must weigh whether or not their instruction is to be followed rather than God’s command, which by the very nature of the statement, shows that they are contradictory. This statement clearly points out that the Leaders are in opposition to the God they claim to represent, and to that, Peter says very pointedly that he will not… and cannot stop speaking in Jesus’ name.
IV – The Jewish Leadership’s Inability to Act
Now what? The Sanhedrin had played the only hand they had left and Peter called their bluff. What’s left to do? Absolutely nothing.
They were in a Catch-22, almost exactly like the time where the Pharisees demanded to know where Jesus’ authority came from. In response, Jesus asked them to answer his question before he would reply to theirs. He asked if the baptism of John was from heaven or man. If they confessed it was from heaven then they would be guilty of unbelief. If they confessed human origin, the people would turn on them because they held John as a prophet. So, in the end, they wouldn’t answer.
and like King Solomon once wrote… there is nothing new under the sun. Like before, they couldn’t acknowledge that the miracle was from God, or else they had to admit that Jesus was who he claimed to be. They also couldn’t deny the miracle, because everyone knew the lame beggar, so if they punished Peter and John, there would be open rebellion.
Their empty threats had failed. Their hands were tied because people were giving glory to God because of the beggar’s healing, so in the end, they had to simply let the men go.
Praise won the day by disarming the schemes of those opposed to the truth! That could be a whole different sermon in and of itself.
Conclusion
The marks of true christian character from the story today are:
- have a bold stance on the proclamation of the gospel.
- are actively learning from God.
- an air of Christ about them.
- display godly defiance when necessary.
- Bonus tip – praise to God disarms ungodly schemes.
Peter and John were called in front of a governing body to give an account for their teaching.
Likewise, we will all stand before God’s throne to give an account of the time He entrusted to us and the character we modeled in. When that happens, will God reprove you for the things you should have done or said, or will He simply say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”