What We Have to Offer (Acts 3:1-10) P6

Sunday, April 2, 2023

Introductory information

So far in the book of Acts...

Jesus gave his followers instruction to spread the Gospel throughout the world

His followers wait for and then receive power from the Holy Spirit to do this

3000+ people receive the message and form the first church

We are told that the Apostles of Jesus were performing amazing miracles

Now in Acts 3:1-10 Luke is giving an account of one of those miracles

Jewish prophecy said the Messiah would bring healing

So from the beginning, physical healing and deliverance were understood to be...

the evidence for the truth of the Gospel

the manifestation of the Gospel

Luke 4:18 / Luke 7:20-23 / Isaiah 53:4 / Matthew 8:16-17 /

READ

Question to consider as we read:

What do we have to offer?

Acts 3:1–10 CSB

1 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple for the time of prayer at three in the afternoon. 2 A man who was lame from birth was being carried there. He was placed each day at the temple gate called Beautiful, so that he could beg from those entering the temple. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter the temple, he asked for money. 4 Peter, along with John, looked straight at him and said, “Look at us.” 5 So he turned to them, expecting to get something from them. 6 But Peter said, “I don’t have silver or gold, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” 7 Then, taking him by the right hand he raised him up, and at once his feet and ankles became strong. 8 So he jumped up and started to walk, and he entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. 9 All the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and they recognized that he was the one who used to sit and beg at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. So they were filled with awe and astonishment at what had happened to him.

EXAMINE

What are some key points in this passage?

Acts 3:2 CSB

2 A man who was lame from birth was being carried there. He was placed each day at the temple gate called Beautiful, so that he could beg from those entering the temple.

The lame man spent his days at the Temple looking for financial support in his condition

Compassion for the poor was thought to bring right-standing with God

Being at this location increased his chance of receiving the money he needed

Acts 3:3–4 CSB

3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter the temple, he asked for money. 4 Peter, along with John, looked straight at him and said, “Look at us.”

Peter and John slowed down to respond to the man’s plea for compassion

They could have ignored him in the crowd, but they didn’t

Acts 3:5–6 CSB

5 So he turned to them, expecting to get something from them. 6 But Peter said, “I don’t have silver or gold, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!”

Peter didn’t have what the man was asking for: a way to sustain him in his disability

The man needed money because his disability made him unable to work

But Peter did have what the man needed: a way to remove the disability

The power of Jesus wasn’t limited to working within the boundaries of the man’s circumstance - it could change his circumstance

Can you imagine? Day after day this man’s only hope was to be able to live and cope with his condition - Peter was offering him something better in Jesus

Acts 3:7–8 CSB

7 Then, taking him by the right hand he raised him up, and at once his feet and ankles became strong. 8 So he jumped up and started to walk, and he entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God.

The man praised God, not Peter

Humans are limited to working within the bounds of a circumstance, but God is not

Luke 18:27 “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

The man not only received healing, but freedom also

His infirmity was a bondage that limited his freedom to work and live

Now he was not just walking, but running and jumping!

Luke 4:18-19 [Jesus Speaking] “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

APPLY

[Pose the following questions for group discussion, offering the suggested answers below only if the group has nothing to say or drifts too far off topic]

What are the “big ideas” you see in this passage?

Suggested “big ideas”

When helping people, we must be focused on what Jesus can do, not just what we can do

We have more to offer the world than a way to survive in their present circumstance - Jesus can change their circumstance

How do these ideas apply in your life? or what may be your next step?

Suggested applications and next steps

I must not restrict myself to offering only what people are asking for - but see the real need that Jesus can meet

I need to make a conscious effort to notice people who need to be seen

REFLECT

Prayer Point

Ask the Lord to use you to bring healing and liberty to someone this week

Devotional Question

What needs has God been training you to identify in other people?