Victory in Jesus
Meeting the Holy Spirit Through Acts • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple.
Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms.
And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.”
And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.
But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”
And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.
And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
And all the people saw him walking and praising God,
and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
How is Peter able to do this? Can we still do this today? What’s the point?
So what we want to press into - and perhaps for some of us capture or re-capture - is that Spirit-filled life that stands in word and action as a witness. My hope and prayer as we study how the early Christians experienced living life in the Spirit is that each one of us will have a “wow” moment with the Spirit of God; one among many in our lifetime.
Wonders and signs show us that Jesus is victorious!
Signs and wonders - or miracles - are gifts that God has given through the Holy Spirit to the church. Today we’re going to break this down into two factors, and explore the person and work of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts, and in our lives today. Again, we are working to draw closer to our God, through His Holy Word. Let the Word of God change you, mold you, and shape you. Allow God’s Spirit to speak to you about how - as we explore His moving in the early church - He might want to move through you.
Then: Pointing to Jesus
Then: Pointing to Jesus
In Acts 2 43 we read:
Acts 2:43 (ESV)
And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
I wrongly explained last week that this meant awe coming upon the church. While that could be the case in part, in further study I realized that this is talking about those who are, for the most part, not even saved yet. Yet through wonders and signs, awe is coming upon every soul. They are awed by these “signs and wonders.”
What is a wonder or sign?
Wonders are miracles. Divine moments of power that often deviate from the natural course. They are clearly a manifestation of the power and intervention of God.
Signs are miracles as well. They point past themselves. They communicate a message. So the question is, what message are they communicating? The good news, the news about Jesus Christ who came and died and rose again to save us from sin and death. (LXGNTLEX)
So by their nature, signs and wonders show Jesus Christ as the Victor. Why is He the Victor?
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus endured the cross. He took our punishment and satisfied the debt of humanity to God. We have sinned, as Romans tells us, and have fallen short. We are slaves to sin - disobeying God’s law and headed on a path to eternal death. Jesus Christ paid the price and has made a way for right relationship again with God! He defeated sin on the cross, and defeated death by being raised to life again. Our God reigns. The coming of the Holy Spirit and the triumphant intervention of God through signs and wonders demonstrate the reality that Jesus Christ is the Victor over the effects of sin - suffering and pain and disease that plague our world. But they do more than that. It’s not just about the sign, but what it points to. In Acts, these signs and wonders point to Jesus and say “here He is, you need to believe in Him!” This is demonstrated clearly as we read about people like the lame beggar in Acts 3.
Peter tells the man, “I don’t have silver or gold.” This is somewhat unusual, because it would have been customary to give something to this man as they came into the temple. But then he says
But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”
What? What kind of a statement could this possibly be?? Right, in the name of some dude this man who has been lame since birth is just going to get up and walk. That defies our body’s ability to heal itself. It defied medicine, and it certainly went outside the natural way things operate. But then we read.
And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.
And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
How can this be? This is an example of a sign or wonder that is done that points beyond itself. People notice, and they want to know more. It gives the perfect opportunity for Peter to stand up and talk about Jesus.
While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s.
And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?
The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.
But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,
and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.
And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.
Peter continues to show that Jesus is the Saviour, using Scripture. That wonder that was done by the Spirit through Peter got people’s attention, and allowed a perfect spot for Peter to say “hey, let me tell you about this guy…”
Wonders and signs show people that God is doing something. A sign - by nature - points to something beyond itself. Signs and wonders in Acts always point to Jesus Christ. They become part of a powerful witness. We are of course saved by grace through faith. Not believing signs alone, but by placing our faith in the One whom the sign points to. Signs and wonders show Jesus as the victor over sin and death, who we must place our faith and trust in.
So here’s the question: How was Peter able to do this?
Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.
By my Spirit … does that sound familiar? What did Jesus say to the disciples in Acts 1 8?
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Imagine a really nice car - we’re talking Cadillac or Lincoln or BMW or something of that nature. It has all the bells and whistles you could ask for. Heated seats, surround sound, leather seats, Apple CarPlay, all the amenities. Beautiful car. But the manufacturer did something a little bit disappointing. Instead of a powerful, great sounding engine under the hood, they placed a set of pedals. You would have to power the car with your own feet! Good luck getting it going, but if you do, don’t expect to go anywhere quick! (Horton)
This would be the church if not for the miraculous power of God! Oh, it’s beautiful, but there’s no engine, there’s no power to drive it forward. The Spirit gives the power, the Spirit drives the church forward on mission, and the Spirit is the one who gives power for signs and wonders that are done by God, through His willing servants.
It is not through us, in our own power that miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit are manifest. If that was the case they wouldn’t serve the purpose to point to Christ as the Victor. Instead, it is through the Spirit’s power that Peter raised the lame man, Paul raised a dead boy to life, and others did other amazing things. And so that the testimony about Jesus Christ could go forth not just in word, but also powerfully in deed.
It is for this reason - and I love this quote - that Stanley Horton writes:
“Both the gifts of healing and miraculous powers demonstrate to us and to the world around that Jesus is indeed Victor.” - Stanley M. Horton
This is of course fully realized when Christ returns again and ushers in the New Heaven and the New Earth. For now we live in an “already, not yet.” Already we get tastes, already we see God doing amazing things and intervening in the midst of a dark world. Not yet - but soon - Christ will come back and do away with evil and sin and suffer forever. Its power is broken, and Jesus is the Victor. (2005, p. 276).
Now: Empowered & Encouraged
Now: Empowered & Encouraged
So here’s the question: How does this carry over for today? Can what happened in Acts still happen today?
Right off the batt, we must understand: Jesus is still as much the Victor today as He was 2000+ years ago. The sacrifice of Christ was once for all, and it has not lost its potency. The Spirit of God still moves today - and in fact continues to gift the church in amazing ways until Jesus comes back again. It is in understanding this point that we need to turn over to 1 Corinthians 12 in our Bibles. Here, Paul gives teaching on some of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Because particularly in 1 Corinthians we see a lot of correlation back to Acts.
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;
and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord;
and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
Notice here that any of these gifts is from God the Father, given through the Holy Spirit only to those who place their faith in Jesus Christ. And there are varieties. Paul list a total of 9 gifts in subsequent verses. In 1 Cor 12 8-11 Paul explains the gifts.
For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit,
to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
Now, there are other lists of gifts in the New Testament that have overlap with this one. I want to focus specifically on this list because of the similarities we see between it and Acts. We find in Acts utterance of wisdom and knowledge. Healings, miracles, distinguishing between spirits, and even tongues are very much a part of Acts. (Though, tongues here is heavenly languages, while in Acts 2 it would be other human languages. Regardless, the gift of tongues is quite convincingly part of the church.)
Why bring up 1 Corinthians when studying Acts? Because it helps us understand the nature of Spirit-empowerment for the church.
This is what leads to our second point. Jesus is the Victor, both then and now, and the Spirit is powerfully working, then and now. Signs and wonders in Acts demonstrated the reality of Jesus’ Victory over sin and death. They pointed past themselves and exposed the Saviour to the World. The Spirit used this testimony to help draw people to faith in Jesus. Today, the same thing can and does happen.
Here in our midst we have seen God heal people. There are stories across our world and church history pointing to the powerful moving of the Holy Spirit. The Pentecostal movement - of which our church is a part - is itself a testament to the outpouring of the Spirit and a sign that was given in an extraordinary way. Men and women equally, as they sought the Spirit received an outpouring that had not been seen since the New Testament. Revival broke out in a mighty way. As people were baptized, they received the sign of tongues. This is a sign that the Holy Spirit was moving in a mighty way. It’s not about the sign itself; We see the gift of tongues for what it is: a sign and gift that points to Jesus Christ. It shows the amazing power of the Holy Spirit to empower people’s speech, even as we see in Acts 2.
But that’s not all. Jesus’ victory demonstrated in these gifts also holds an important function for the body of Christ:
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
The gifts of the Spirit are encouraging to us as a body of Christ. When we see someone healed, when miracles happen, or when we see signs like the gift of tongues manifested in our midst, it should be encouraging to us. Why? Because it points tangibly to God’s moving and working through the Spirit. Truly our Lord loves us and is with us. He pours out blessing and empowerment on His church.
An example of this is healing. Jesus has power over sickness and death. God can and does intervene in our lives in many ways, one of which is through healing.
This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”
Because of the sacrifice of Christ, we can experience healing now! And every time someone experiences physical healing God is shown again as the victor. Healing is assured in Jesus’ atonement, in the understanding that we will either experience healing certainly in heaven, but also sometimes here on earth too.
Healing doesn’t happen all the time. Many people have prayed for healing, and it hasn’t come on this earth, in this life. God sometimes chooses to allow suffering and pain to continue for a time. When this happens, the appropriate response is to pray and trust Him. We can express our faith, but should be careful not to chalk lack of healing immediately up to a lack of faith. Peter was miraculously set free from prison in Acts 4. Yet later on, church tradition reminds us that he was crucified upside down for his beliefs. Did Peter simply not have enough faith to set him free? Just not claim his freedom enough? Certainly not! Instead, God’s will was to allow Peter to go through the same death that Jesus went through. But, when God chooses to give a sign or do a miracle through one of us, it always shows Jesus as the victor.
So, do gifts of healing, or miracles or things such as this - signs and wonders - still happen in the church today? Yes! Do they have a place? Yes! Demonstrating to us and the world the victory of Jesus Christ!
I think the challenge for us is to understand that even when we don’t see things happen right away; when healing isn’t instantaneous like with Peter and the lame man; when we don’t see a huge, out front miracle, we cannot forget the victory of Jesus and the powerful moving of the Spirit. Sometimes, in our desire to look for the sign, we forget what it is pointing to. Yet we are not healer-istians, or miracle-preforming wizards. We are Christians, Jesus-followers. Sinners saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Our primary mission is not to perform crazy miracles - not that we could on our own. It’s not necessarily to heal every person that we meet who needs healing, though this can definitely happen. Rather, our primary mission is to proclaim salvation in Jesus Christ. Signs and wonders are part of this, powerfully pointing to Jesus. The reality is that God gives them to us - working through us amazing things - so that our testimony is backed up and tangibly demonstrated. Wonders and signs also to encourage the body of Christ and lift it up. Because already we are experiencing the positive effects of salvation and liberation from sin and death. But we will still have times of suffering. We will still have times of trial. More often than not perhaps, the power of witness won’t be with a big miracle, but found through the way in which you live out what you talk about.
Is Jesus the Victor now? Yes! As much as He was 2000+ years ago. And our mission, empowered and fuelled by the Holy Spirit, is to witness to every nation under heaven about Jesus Christ. Therefore, if we are to accomplish such a great mission, we must keep at the forefront Zechariah 4 6.
Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Wonders and signs show us that Jesus is victorious!
Jesus: Victorious Then. Jesus Christ is the victor over sin and death. He has freed us, and although we do not experience all the benefits of this freedom yet, we know it’s coming. Sign and wonders are miracles that point past themselves to the power of God and the truth of the gospel. God gave them to the early church as part of their witness about Jesus Christ, demonstrating the power of the Holy Spirit, and the victory Jesus Christ wrought over this dark world.
Jesus: Victorious Now. Now as well, the Holy Spirit is continuing to gift the church with gifts of healing, tongues, miracles, prophecy, and many other gifts. Today still these gifts showcase the power of God and the victory of Jesus Christ. They are also an encouragement to the church. But the reality is, we are not signs-oriented people, but Jesus-oriented people. So even when there isn’t a miraculous sign or wonder, we trust God. Even when our testimony is simply sharing quietly the story of Jesus, the Spirit is moving. If we remember this, we can be free to seek the moving of the Spirit deeply, and be overjoyed as we see Him move in our body, and advance the kingdom of God.
As the people of God, we are not built to do life apart from the Spirit of God. The early church saw the moving and working of the Spirit in powerful ways. He moved in their lives, transforming them. He moved through them, convincing others of their testimony and empowering signs and wonders that solidified the truth of what they said. Today, we are equally supposed to live Spirit-filled lives. We’re not here to overemphasize miraculous signs and wonders. But we recognize that there is a place for them today, and we need to rejoice when we see God do something amazing!
Today, we’re going to end with communion, and as we do, rather than focusing on the wonders or signs themselves, we’re going to focus on the one whom they point to: Jesus Christ.
Salvation call.
Jesus Christ has won the victory for us and our lives are transformed because of Him! He has poured out the Spirit upon us, who we do not want to resist or refuse. So, as we participate together in communion, we’re going to focus in on Christ’s sacrifice.
Communion
Communion
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,
and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
