Fathers Who've Been With Jesus: Boldness and Glory

Devotional

Day 1: Uneducated Men Radiating Heaven’s Classroom

The religious leaders marveled at fishermen who spoke like trained theologians. These disciples carried an authority that didn’t come from scrolls or seminaries but from walking dusty roads with the Messiah. Their words crackled with clarity, their courage defied social hierarchies, and their transformed lives became living syllabi. True wisdom isn’t measured by diplomas but by proximity to the Teacher who rewires hearts. [44:40]

“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.” (Acts 4:13, ESV)

Reflection: What habits or relationships currently shape your understanding of truth? How might sitting with Jesus daily recalibrate your confidence in Him?

Day 2: The Sword-Swallower Turned Sermon-Giver

Peter once hid from a servant girl’s questions; now he stared down murderous authorities. The man who denied Christ three times became the man who couldn’t stop speaking His name. This reversal wasn’t self-help grit—it was Pentecost fire hardening a redeemed coward into a gospel lion. When the Spirit fills cracks of past failure, shame becomes fuel for unstoppable witness. [43:20]

“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, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.’” (Acts 4:19-20, ESV)

Reflection: Where has fear silenced you before? What specific truth about Jesus compels you to speak despite that fear today?

Day 3: Nazareth’s Name Overthrowing Earthly Thrones

A healed beggar’s dancing feet testified louder than theological debates. The Sanhedrin tried to ban a name, but crippled muscles singing Psalms proved their edicts powerless. Every miracle is a signature—Christ’s authority scrawled across human impossibility. When we lean into His name, brokenness becomes His billboard. [48:57]

“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.” (Acts 4:12, ESV)

Reflection: What situation feels “untouchable” in your life or community? How does Jesus’ authority over all names shift your approach to it?

Day 4: Fish-Scented Hands Lifting Eternal Glory

The disciples didn’t seek applause for the miracle—they funneled attention toward the Miracle-Worker. A healed man’s joy became a megaphone for divine praise. True power serves others to spotlight the Source, not the servant. When our works point beyond themselves, even skeptics struggle to deny the Fingerprint. [56:06]

“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16, ESV)

Reflection: When others compliment your strengths, how can you redirect their gaze to Christ’s work in you?

Day 5: Obedience That Outshines Threats

The council demanded silence; Peter quoted Scripture. Persecution didn’t shape their message—it revealed it. Unshakable conviction grows in the soil of daily surrender, where “we must obey God” becomes non-negotiable. Compromise withers when allegiance is rooted in resurrection morning. [54:18]

“But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men.’” (Acts 5:29, ESV)

Reflection: What current cultural or relational pressure tempts you to mute your faith? How does eternal perspective strengthen your resolve to obey Christ?

Sermon Summary

Acts 4 picks up after Peter and John meet that lame man at the temple gate, a man laid there from his mother’s womb and now over forty years old. Peter had no silver and gold to offer him, but God gave that man something far better through the name of Jesus Christ. The man stood, walked, leaped, and praised God, and Peter used the whole thing to preach Jesus.

The Sadducees step forward because the resurrection got all over them. Their doctrine did not believe in miracles, and it did not believe in resurrection, so Peter preaching Christ crucified and raised from the dead stirred them up. They laid hands on Peter and John, not to bless them, but to arrest them and hold them until the next day. Still, the gospel was not stopped. Many that heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.

The council brings Peter and John into the midst and asks by what power and by what name this has been done. Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, answers straight. The lame man stands whole by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom the rulers crucified and whom God raised from the dead. Salvation is in no other name, and there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby sinners must be saved.

Acts 4 then gives the great line: they saw the boldness of Peter and John, perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, and “took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” That becomes the real need for dads, churches, communities, and homes. More than anything, dads need to be men that have spent time with Jesus. Time in the Word matters because the whole book, from Genesis to Revelation, is Jesus. Time in prayer and worship matters because a life cannot look like Christ while staying far from Christ.

Peter and John show what time with Jesus leaves behind. The boldness of Jesus shows up in them, the same courage seen when Christ went forth to meet those who came to arrest Him. The wisdom of Jesus shows up in men the council called unlearned, because they had been schooled by Christ Himself. The authority of Jesus shows up as Peter answers, not in his own name, but in Christ’s name. The purpose, works, obedience, and desire of Jesus show up too: salvation preached, good done, God obeyed rather than man, and the Father glorified. That is the testimony needed most: lives lived so that the world can see Jesus in them.

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Key Takeaways

1. Time with Jesus leaves evidence [35:43] The council did not merely hear Peter and John claim a connection to Christ. The council saw something in them that could not be explained by schooling, status, or religious polish. Time with Jesus marks a man in ways that show up under pressure, in speech, in courage, and in what his life makes visible to others. [35:43]
2. Boldness comes from being with Christ [39:48] Peter once denied that he even knew Jesus, but Acts 4 shows the same man standing before the rulers and naming Christ without backing down. That change was not personality improvement. Christ’s courage had been worked into him, and the Holy Ghost gave him strength to speak when silence would have been safer. [39:48]
3. Christ’s name carries all authority [48:57] The council asked for the power and name behind the miracle, and Peter did not point to himself. The healed man stood whole by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, crucified by men and raised by God. Christian witness does not rest on personal importance, but on the authority Christ gives to preach His gospel. [48:57]
4. Good works make denial difficult [51:48] The rulers could not deny the man standing there healed. Peter’s doctrine was opposed, but the work of God was standing in the room. Grace does not save by works, yet grace creates people unto good works, so that the life of Christ becomes visible in deeds that cannot easily be argued away. [51:48]
5. Obedience aims at God’s glory [56:06] Peter and John were commanded not to speak in Jesus’ name, but obedience to God stood higher than obedience to men. Christ lived to do the Father’s will, and that same mind showed up in His disciples. The end of such obedience is not that men be lifted up, but that God be glorified for what has been done.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[24:12] - Staying With Peter on Father’s Day
[25:27] - The Lame Man at the Gate
[27:12] - Why the Sadducees Were Grieved
[28:18] - Arrest Cannot Stop the Gospel
[30:32] - Peter and John Before the Council
[31:16] - Jesus Crucified and Raised
[35:43] - Dads Who Have Been With Jesus
[39:48] - The Boldness of Jesus
[44:12] - The Wisdom of Jesus
[47:39] - The Authority of Jesus
[50:17] - The Purpose of Jesus
[51:48] - The Works of Jesus
[53:22] - Obeying God Rather Than Men
[54:51] - The Desire to Glorify God

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Acts 4:13
“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.” [35:43]

Acts 4:12
“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.”

Acts 4:10
“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.”

Matthew 5:16
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Observation questions

In Acts 4, what are the specific things the council noticed about Peter and John, and what conclusion did they come to about them? [35:43]
According to Acts 4:10, what four truths does Peter say about Jesus in his answer to the council?
What had happened to the healed man, and why did his presence make it hard for the rulers to answer Peter and John? [51:48]
In Matthew 5:16, what are people supposed to see in believers, and where is the glory supposed to go? [56:06]

Interpretation questions

Acts 4:13 says the rulers recognized that Peter and John had been with Jesus. What kinds of evidence made that visible, and why is that different from simply claiming to follow Christ? [38:13]
Peter once denied Jesus, yet in Acts 4 he speaks with boldness before powerful men. What does that change suggest about what Christ can do in an ordinary, fearful person? [39:48]
Acts 4:12 says salvation is found in no one else. Why would that message have been so offensive to the rulers, and why is it still such a weighty claim today? [50:17]
The rulers could argue with the message, but they could not deny the healed man standing there. How do visible works of grace strengthen the witness of the gospel without replacing the gospel itself? [51:48]

Application questions

If other people watched closely this week, what evidence would they see that time has been spent with Jesus? Would they notice His boldness, His words, His priorities, or something else? [35:43]
Time with Jesus happens through the Word, prayer, and worship. Which of those has been most neglected lately, and what has that neglect done to the heart and daily walk? [37:14]
Christ’s name carries all authority, and salvation is in no other name. When opportunities come to speak about Jesus, is there a tendency to speak vaguely about faith, or to plainly speak His name? What makes that difficult? [48:57]
Good works do not save, but they do make the life of Christ visible. What are some concrete ways the group members can “go about doing good” in their homes, workplaces, or neighborhoods this week? [52:33]
Peter and John chose to obey God rather than men. Where is the pressure strongest right now to stay quiet, compromise, or make faith less visible? What might obedience look like in that situation? [53:22]
Jesus lived to glorify the Father. In the ordinary parts of life—family life, conversations, work, decisions—what would it look like to aim less at being impressive and more at bringing glory to God? [54:51]
Dads, moms, singles, and young people alike all need lives that point to Christ. Who is most directly shaped by the example being set right now, and what kind of picture of Jesus are they receiving? [57:12]

Sermon Clips

64s

“In other words, they could attack his doctor but they couldn't attack his his works. Think about Peter when he was at Cornelius' house and preaching about Christ. He said, Jesus who who went about doing good Listen, we have that say, when we spend time with Jesus, we have that same obligation. We we've been have, you know, having that power. Matter of fact, Peter's statement says, how god anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the holy ghost and with power went about doing good. Listen, we've been anointed with the holy ghost and with power. We need to go about doing good. We're not saved by works. We're saved by grace but we're created unto good works. In other words, we're saved in order to follow Christ's example.”

50s

“You see, Christ always was obedient to the heavenly father's will. And here on this occasion, they brought him before him and verse number 18, they called them and commanded not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 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 you. In other words, listen, you be the judge. You think we ought to listen to you or listen to god? We better listen to god. We better be obedient to him, not to man.”

45s

“Then Peter filled with the holy ghost said on unto them, you rulers of the people and elders good deed done to the impotent man by what means he has made whole, be it known unto y'all and to all the people of Israel. Now here Peter, he's gonna answer him. You wanna know the authority? That by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom god raised from the dead, even by him, does this man stand before you whole. In other words, you wanna know our authority? I'll tell you. Jesus.”

52s

“So, we spend time in the word of god. This and we certainly have seen these last couple of weeks. The message of this book is Jesus. I talked about last week in Peter's sermon. And it's not just in the New Testament, the gospel accounts of the life of Christ. It begins in Genesis and goes all the way through Revelation. The theme of this book, the message of this book is Jesus. So, if you wanna spend time with Jesus and you need to spend time in the word of god, you need to spend time in prayer. Bringing our needs to the heavenly father through the name of the authority of the lord Jesus Christ.”

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