A Cure for What Ails

Acts 3:1-10

Imagine the mystery and delight of not just hearing, but seeing the story of Jesus for the first time, almost as an eyewitness. That's what happened to a tribe in the jungles of East Asia when missionaries showed them the Jesus film. Not only had these people never heard of Jesus, they had never seen a motion picture. Then, on one unforgettable evening, they saw it all—the gospel in their own language, visible and real.

Imagine again how it felt to see this good man, Jesus, who healed the sick and was adored by children, held without trial and beaten by jeering soldiers. As they watched this, the people came unglued. They stood up and began to shout at the cruel men on the screen, demanding that this outrage stop. When nothing happened, they attacked the missionary running the projector. Perhaps he was responsible for this injustice! He was forced to stop the film and explain that the story wasn't over yet; there was more. So they settled back onto the ground, holding their emotions in tenuous check.

Then came the crucifixion. Again, the people could not hold back. They began to weep and wail with such loud grief that, once again, the film had to be stopped. The missionary again tried to calm them, explaining that the story still wasn't over; there was more. So they composed themselves and sat down to see what happened next. Then came the resurrection. Pandemonium broke out this time, but for a different reason. The gathering had spontaneously erupted into a party. The noise now was of jubilation, and it was deafening. The people were dancing and slapping each other on the back. Christ is risen, indeed! Again the missionary had to shut off the projector; this time he didn't tell them to calm down and wait for what was next. All that was supposed to happen—in the story and in their lives—was happening.

We love celebrations, don’t we? Celebrations are an important part of our lives. For example, we celebrate our birthdays, anniversaries, and other important days. We throw parties, take pictures, and give flowers and gifts. We eat special cake and break out the best china. These special days remind us of the past and bond us together for the future.

We not only have personal celebrations, we have national celebrations. We celebrate holidays like Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and New Year’s Eve. Again, these celebration days are marked by time away from work, leisure, laughter, and play. We picnic, parade, barbecue, and shoot off fireworks. We spend time with family and friends. Such celebrations lift us from the routine of our lives. They cause us to remember our collective past, be thankful for our present prosperity, and to have hope for a bright tomorrow.

But let’s be honest there seems very little to celebrate. We have seen more than our share of severe illness, job loss, and death within our church and community. It seems each new day brings bad economic news, another cancer diagnosis, and a prospect for a worse day ahead. Who wants to celebrate when it seems each day is darker, gloomier, and than the day before. But one man’s reason to celebrate and worship should be our example even in days such as these.

Every Sunday should be a celebration. Every Lord’s Day should be a holiday. Worship is like these other celebrations in that it reminds me of the past—what God has done. Worship centers on the present—what God is doing now. Worship also gives us hope for the future—what God will do soon. In this story we will examine one biblical example of celebration worship and then explore the reasons why every believer ought to celebrate the worship of Almighty God.

ACTS 3:1-10

VERSE 1

The tense of the phrase "were going" suggests that they went to the temple frequently. On this particular situation, it was "the time of prayer." On the Jewish clock, 6:00 a.m. was the first hour. Noon was the sixth hour. The "ninth hour" would be 3 p.m.

It was the "hour of prayer." Psalm 119:164 tells us, "Seven times a day I praise you, Because of your righteous judgments." Well the Jews had three special prayer hours at the temple. Psalm 55:17 says, "Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and he shall hear my voice." They prayed at nine, noon and three. This hour was called "evening prayer." Evidently, in this early stage of the church era, many Christians still prayed at the temple at these regular Jewish worship times.

VERSES 2&3

There at the temple was a man "lame from birth." He had not been crippled in an accident. He had not had a debilitating injury or illness. He simply had never walked. What’s more, Acts 4:22 tells us he was "over 40 years old." Further, there was no cure or hope for him. He had to be carried. He had never been capable of supporting his own weight. Evidently there were friends or family members who cared enough about him to move him about. With their help he was "laid daily at the gate of the temple."

The man in this passage lived long before wheelchairs and ramp-equipped vans. His practice was to "ask alms from those who entered the temple." Alms were gifts given to the poor. To the Jewish mind, giving of alms was seen as an opportunity to win favor with God. When they went to pray was an excellent time for a handicapped person to ask for a little assistance. After all, there were neither medical benefits nor social services to care for his needs. His only income came from begging and the charity of strangers.

VERSES 4-7

In verses 4–7, we see the lame man’s healing. Lying there at the gate, the lame man saw Peter and John and he called out to them and asked for alms. The Bible says Peter looked straight at him. It means Peter and John looked intently into the man’s face. It’s the same expression that described how the disciples "looked steadfastly toward heaven" at Jesus’ ascension in Acts 1:10.

Peter said, "Look at us." Sitting on the ground, the lame man probably didn’t look so much at the faces of those who gave to him, he looked at their knees. Peter wanted to see his eyes. The man "gave them his attention." He was "expecting to receive something." It was then that Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give to you: In the name"—the authority—"of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." Peter and John were the apostolic representatives of the Lord Jesus.

Verse 7 says he "took him by the right hand and lifted him up." Peter commanded the beggar to walk, but he didn’t wait on him to try to get up. He reached out. God’s power flowed through Peter immediately, or instantly. There was no waiting. Instantaneously his feet and ankle bones received strength.

VERSES 8-10

Verse 8 describes the healed man’s response to this miracle. As strength came in to his joints, "leaping up, he stood and walked."

Though he had never walked, he was on his feet. Though he had never taken a step, he received balance and coordination. What unmitigated joy! He expected a handout, not a healing! He expected some coins, not a cure! He expected money, not a miracle!

He entered the temple with them. All the way he was walking, leaping, and praising God. He couldn’t just walk. His joy at being healed would not allow that. No, he leaped and danced about all the while giving the praise to the Lord. Can’t you hear him: I can walk! I can run! I can jump! Praise God! Thank You, Yahweh!

TODAY’S KEY TRUTH

Regardless of our current circumstances we should celebrate all that God has, can, and will do.

Acts 3:1–10 recounts the story of the healing of a lame man out side the temple. Along with James, Peter and John were the inner circle of the disciples. They were with Jesus at the transfiguration. They went deeper into the garden to pray with the Lord. Now, after Pentecost, they were the inner core of the apostles. Acts shows us they often traveled and ministered together.

When my girls are excited about going somewhere, like an amusement park or some other fun place, they don’t walk. They skip, jump, run, and drag their parents to the gate. This man drug Peter and John into the temple worshipping & praising God!

There is a difference between worship and praise. Worship and Praise are like input and output. Worship is the inner recognition that we have received God’s blessings. In a worship service we are given input, we are reminded of the wonderful grace of Jesus. Praise is the output; it is the outward response to what we feel on the inside. It’s like breathing in and breathing out. If we try to hold it in, we will burst. Our problem is that we have been taught to receive the input but not give the output. I’m not talking about running around or shouting out of control. I talking about simply things like faces full of joy, amens, responses to altar calls , and truly worshipping God. We’ve been taught to breathe in the majesty of God but told to hold our breath.

Imagine this man who was healed. Imagine if Peter had said: Hey buddy, settle down. You are not acting very dignified. We are Christians. We’re not supposed to dance like that! Impossible. He could never hold it in! Verses 9 and 10 show us how this healing became a witness.

What happened when this man began his celebration of praise to God? Verse 9 says, "All the people saw him…." Let’s face it, we are concerned with what people see and hear. The healed man didn’t care what anyone thought. His experience with God’s grace was so fresh, he was consumed with worship, not worrying about the opinions of others. Well what did the people think when they saw him? Verse10 says they recognized him. They "knew it was he who sat begging alms at the Gate." How did they respond? "They were filled with wonder and amazement." Worship is directly related to witnessing.

Think of what life was like for him. He never walked. He never ran. He never played a pick-up game of basketball. He never rode a bicycle. He was confined to one place and absolutely dependant on others.

But we should realize that we were in a far more desperate condition before we encountered God’s grace. Though we may not have been physically handicapped, we were spiritually handicapped. What’s worse, we were spiritually dead.

We celebrate because of where we are today. Where we are today is not perfection. We have not made it. God is still working on the sin in our lives. Paul said in Philippians 3:12, "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me."

We are so blessed to be where are. We are part of God’s family, his body, his church. We have his Spirit within us. We have his Word before us. We have his people around us. No matter what happens, we are richly blessed. Let’s have a look at the blessed life in Psalm 1:1–6. The storm may blow, but our roots are deep. For this security we ought to praise the name of Jesus!

We celebrate because of where we will be tomorrow. Being a Christian is not just about the here and now. It is about the there and then—eternity. Jesus said in John 14:2–3 "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also." Regardless of our current circumstances we should celebrate all that God has, can, and will do.

LIFE APPLICATION

Focus on God.

Remember God is always the same.

Keep in mind, this is only temporary.