Acts 3:1-26

Introduction

There is no more thrilling book than the book of Acts. So far, it has not disappointed at all. I tend to agree with him. It is thrilling.

We are challenged to continue on what the apostles did as they continued on what Jesus had done. All that Jesus began to go and teach…he began to do this. He hasn’t finished. But I think he has gone! Yes, but he continues through the early church. We belong to a church planting network called Acts 29. Why, because we believe that it is our great privilege to continue doing what Jesus began to do.

There is Joy to be Found in this Text

The end of chapter 2 we see signs and wonders. What signs? What wonders? When you read this passage, it’s quite funny. There is much joy in this text. As you see this man leaping and seeing him praise. This one event, the healing of this man actually consumes a few chapters of the Bible. So it has great significance to us.

What is chapter 3 all about? It can be summed up in 2 words: A wonder and a word. A miracle and a message.

Take a look at the vastness of the Temple. And where the Beautiful Gate actually is. This is where this story is taking place. This a large space. 5 x 3 football fields worth of space. Footprint of the temple. The place is a broad and vast. 75 feet 2 double doors. Peter and John are here as they headed to worship.

It’s the 9th hour, 3pm. Some think this might have been their 3rd time already today (9am and 12pm). Doubtful that this is the first time they’ve encountered this individual. Middle of the day.

They arrive at the Beautiful Gate. What is ahead of them is magnificent. A huge door standing 75 feet tall with a great detailed work. But what has beautiful infront of them there is ugliness around them. Confinment dependencet socailly outcast, dependent of friends for help. Those carried him there could have wanted kickbacks. This lame man is OUTSIDE the gates. Contrst by Luke all those entering going into. They have freedom. They were welcomed. But not this man. Jewish laws would prohibits the lame to be a priest in the Temple, lumped in with social outcasts. Discip;les in John 9, Jesus this man was born blind, is it his falt or his parents?

**Side note. This is also is the rhytem found in the gosple of Luke. Where we see Luke always honor the outccast and say YOU have a place in the kingdom.

A handicap man is set down at the steps. We know the man is lame for most of his life. He is stationed there to ask for money. Religious worshippers would give money as they head to church. This man and other people were asking for money.

Leaping with Joy

3x a day they went to pray at the temple. It’s about 9am. Lame since birth. He is over 40 years old. 40 years being unable to walk. Everyday he is laid at the gate and begging. He recieved alms, people gave him coins in the hat. He realized that the generocity is given out by the church.

He’s smart, he goes where religious people are. He also goes to a main thoroughfare, The Beautiful Gate. He is broken both financially and physically.

vs. 4 Peter says, I have no money. But what I give you I give you in the name of Jesus. Here is what I do have. Peter speaks and commands and offers a hand to help him out. His feet and ankles are made strong. Keep in mind that with all the medical miracles. Because of some of the circularory issues, Most orthopedics would be pleased if by some way he would become weightbearing. Or possibly walk with some type of device. But that is not what we see here. We something far more than medicine. He stands, walks, and leaps.

The language mimicks the miracle. There is joy and a cadance that is beautiful. After years and years of suffering, he is healed. Muscles now work, bloodflow restored. He walked then ran! But where did he run? DId he run home to show his mother? Did he run through the streets of Jerusalme? The Bible tells us what he did next. He entered the Tembple. Walking and praising God. A place shunned he is now shouting his praising. Outsider now an insider. The lame is leaping. He is brought near!

Read Isaiah 35. Behold, he will come will and save you! Luke understands this. Prophesied and waited on, now Luke pens as historical FACT! Eyewitness accounts. Luke understands that Jesus Christ started someting a brand new era.

The joy and gladness. He goes into the Temple praising God.

Get Greg and Lindsey to weigh in.

His response is joyful worship!

Let me ask you; what do you do with this passage? Only 2 options either happened or not. It doesn’t make sence, scientific, pragmatic, its outside natural law. Who is wriring this book? A doctor. Histrocial credibility. The beloved physician. Luke doesn’t take this for granted, he looks into this.

In Acts there are only 28 chapters, and this guy gets about 2 chapters worth of commentary. Luke has done his research. Luke is on a quest to give an orderly and historical accounts of Jesus and the Church. Consider the amount of eyewitnessess. All the people saw him walking and praising God and recognized him as the guy who always sits and begs. (Luke has done his research). Eyewitness were filled with the same awe. Confirm or Throw out. Just a group of people could be found, it would have been thrown out.

How did this happen? Is God behind this? Becasue if it is real, Christianity is more than a set of belief statments.

vs. 7 a miracle occurs. His feet are sure and he begans to leap and he praises God. This guy dancing with the stars walking and leaping and dancing. Not sure what line dance he prefers, but this guy is happy.

40 years no walking, and in a moment he is leaping for Joy.

What is a miracle?

A miracle is a direct act of God in the natural world in which the God works beyond the common course of events to reveal himself, authenticate his servants. We know that miracles authenticate the ministry of the Gospel, that is why they occur.

What do we believe about miracles?

What should we reject?

(1) Take your eyes off of us vs. 12. Why do you stare at us? If anyone is performing so as to draw attention to themselves, they are in question of legitimacy. Why are you looking at me? By our own power we can not do this.

The miracle is not the point, God is the point. God’s power display and willingness to heal and to save is the point.

Peter takes their attention off of the miracle and back on to Jesus.

The Servant

Holy One

The rightous One

The author of LIfe

God Raised and Rule

We must reject that any power comes from us! Peter says a miracle is not magic or mind over matter techniques. Some are looking at Peter as a wizard. This power isn’t in Power, the power comes from Christ.

(2) It is not because you have lived a moral life. It is not because of Peter’s piety. He didn’t get up becasue of his goodness. This miracle didn’t occur becasue of the lame man’s piety either. If you look at this text clearly, he didn’t even ask for a miracle. It’s not being overly religious.

I have prayed that God would heal me, and he hasn’t. So the natural assumptions would be I guess I am not good enough or godly enough or my prayers are not strong enough to make this happen. So you trace it back to YOUR faith, only. Reject this.

Instead, Jesus Christ in his reigning and ruling will occasionally interviene in the natural course of the natural laws of the universe and bring a miracle. That is his perogative. It is not out our piety. Let’s tease this out. Let’s say there IS a miracle in your life. Who then do you praise? The Lord’s perogative or your piety? Peter and John are apostles; they could claim piety. They walked with Jesus, filled with the Spirit, and Preached a sermon that saw 3,000 conversions. But they didn’t claim that piety was the reason.

What did they accept? What should we believe about miracles.

(1) Jesus is the one who is doing the healing. No reason to praise a person other than Jesus. He did the miracle in this story. Look at where Peter puts the priority of his words in this story. Is it about the event? Not much. But what is abundantly clear, is that he shares much about the NAME of Jesus. Peter uses the miracle as an illustration to share the message. He uses this to share about the real ailment of humanity; that our old dry lame hearts need to dance. We need the power of Jesus.

(2) It sees like Peter and John have the spiritual giftedness of either discernment and healing. But most definitely faith in this moment. Does he do this all the time with Peter and John? No they likely walked by other lame men that day at the city gates. But in this passage particularly, by faith in Jesus’ name, is mentioned as the root cause of this miracle. Not the faith of the lame man. But the faith in that moment (vs. 4-5) in the moment, God granted us a particular vision (faith, miracles, and healing are listed together). God on occasions desire to heal. This is particular to the prayer ministry of a local church.

3.) Pointers of the things to come. When we do see a miracle; especially healing, it reminds us that there will be a time when there will be NO lame, there will be NO lepers; there will be no more tears or pain, no sin. Reverse everything. A preview to come. Proof that God keeps his Isaiah 35:5-6 a sign that the Messiah has come. Lame shall leap like a deer. You will see these things. When JTB asks, are you the messiah, he quotes Isaiah 35:5-6 and says, do you see the lame walk and the blind to see?

We pray for these things. Sometimes we see miracles; sometimes we won’t. But boy do we .

TRANSITION: Lacking gold and silver and nothing to offer this man; what does he offer him? He could have given him all the riches in the world., but he would still laid there and still be on the outside of the gate.

Peter’s Example of Witness

Peter is setting a sort of pattern we will see throughout Acts, where miracels are accomplanied with Gospel proclaimation. Miracle is a staging for the message. What we see Peter do here (and exactly what he did in his first sermon) is to make much of Jesus.

This miracle drew a crowd. He is clinging to Peter and John. They are now in a place called Peter’s Portoco. This is a giant gatering place, and could have drawn quite the crowd. Peter’s sermon:

God’s Past (vs. 13-18) . God is mentioned 13,15,18,21,26, God’s action. God’s purosoe and his plan. When religion is accused as man made religion and humanily crafteed. The Bible confronts this. This is not your idea. Your idea is to hand him over. But God is reminding that His plan is His plan.

OT characters that are mentioned. The message summons all these witness to testify to the same thing. That God raised up and glorifies Jesus. Moses and Deuteronomy. Abraham and his offspring will be a blessing.

God’s Present (vs. 13 & 16)

God’s Future (19-21)

Why do you stare at us? The audience is accused, WHOM YOU! 2nd person plural. And YOU KILLED the author of life. Corporate Israel has rejected Jesus, overlooked Jesus. You are astounded that a lame man is walking around, but you’ve shunned the fact that a dead man was raised. One miralce does not equal the other. The Jewish crowd gets a lecture.

Jesus is the Servant of the Lord. Loaded with OT imagery. Especially 45-53 suffering servant. Jesus is the servant of the Lord. I have not come to be served but to serve and give my life as a ransom. The suffering servant served us all the way to the cross. Before we serve the Lord with gladness, we must see how much the Lord has served us.

All he does is point to Jesus as the author of life. Peter is witness, referring to who Jesus is. In him is the life, the alpha and omega, all things are held together in him. Spiritaully we are dead without. Physiucally we are dying. Eternally. WIthout Jesus we will be separated for all eternight. Meaning, at all points in your life must be attached to some sort of life source. You need to be charged, without the battery, you need an outlet. The phone will die if it is not attached to a life source. And so we will. Peter says, he is life. If you have him, you have life. If you don’t have him, you are spirutally, physicall, and eternally dying.

As we witness (and that is what we should be doing Acts 1:8). Peter simply directs their attention to the object of their faith. You are not saved by sincerity of your faith. No, it’s the object of your faith is all that matters. What happens in your dementia? It is your object. The one savior. When to coast gurard jumps in the water, you just hold on to him. Embarse him. If you embrace Jesus.

This is how Peter witnesses. (Both in Acts 2 & 3) Is to point to Jesus.

Invitation to Believe (19-21)

Rubber band illustration. Of leaping. Your hearts should leap and your legs should leap. It is so much more!

We were in a former state of renouncment definance and rebellion against God. When the gosple is presented it demands a response. It’s never a shrugg. But either acceptance or rejection.

This is the same invitation that we have today! In this moment, but religious and irriligius people becasue all could have been eyewitnesses to this and heard this speech/sermon.

Repent and Turn Back. That is the invitation is one of repentance. Here is what is promised.

That your sins will be blotted out. Personal forgiveness.

That times of refreshing will come. Spiritual refreshing. Taking a good drink of water, soothing of one’s spirit. Respite. Divine Blessing. Universal restoration. It’s not just a persoanl salvation. It’s also real spiritual refreshing in all of life. It is divine favor and blessing. It’s not just one time that you leave. It’s all of life clinging to.

The healing of the lame man is just a picture of what God will do to the entire world, perfect health will come to us. The entire world. We must realize that part of the gospel creation will be put back into order.

We can repaint the exterior of your house but the inside still in shambles. He is not exterior paint but interanl demo and restoration. Gutted. Rehabed. Down to the studs. Turn back to Christ not to get your exterior but internal as well.

That he might Send the Christ.

That is extended to all of you. Repent and Believe. There are some of you here who stand outside of faith. What we are inviting you to, is the same thing. This is not just a set of beliefs that need to believed. But instead look at the power to be forgiven (expeienced) and a power to be refreshed! We all want that.