Acts 3 & 4
I guess the guy who led seeing a lot of time would refer to me as our short preacher. He said he was talking about the link the sermon, but I'd not really sure that was why it's really dry to do and say, is it, look around around fall break? I don't know whose fall break is when and where, but I know the Edmond schools are out Thursday and Friday. And then again tomorrow, so it made for a really nice long weekend with the grandkids Friday afternoon and I thought pizza. So that's what we did really good time.
Making changes in our lives, is one of the biggest challenges that we have to deal with the other doctor or the doctor nine times out of ten to do health and exercise. And you go, yeah, that's a good idea. And how to get really change. There's research that shows people with serious illnesses, the prescription literally change, and people know that, and not good at making Lifestyle Changes, good at changes, at all. One of the powerful things about the book of Acts we will see backs last week, I'm going to look there again today, is it seen people change? These are people who are different folks, and it's there as an inspiration to us. Is there is an example of us that there is the reality of change. Even in this physical life, we're going to look at access at 3 and 4 this morning. And it's all one story and it's way too long a story to put in one sermon. So I thought and thought and thought of work to work to work, I was going to do for next week and the second half. I mean, the first part today in the second half next week and I mention that hour and a half because it probably will take that long to do.
But we will start in Acts chapter 3 verse 1 and go through verse 44. I'm not going to read all of the verses to highlight some of the Just one day, Peter and John. We're going up to the temple at the time of prayer, at 3 in the afternoon. Now, man, he was blame from work, was being carried to the Temple, Gate called Beautiful where he was with everyday to beg from those going into the Temple. Of course, LS3 sacrifice is a daily occurrence and so, just as people of our own time who want to make sure they're in the right place, The Observer Hap's, get some help to time it. So that that would work out and if there's going to be the biggest he's being physician and assisted so that he's there would, most people are coming to the to the temple. We saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looks traded a message on. Then Peter said look at us.
Because of the vision thing I'd actually making eye contact, it doesn't really sound like that because you already had the vision that I contact dealt with it may well be that we look like we have any money. I mean you can go out on the street and and and you know the people that you run to maybe approach or say something to when you're in it a Taurus location. A lot of the hotels, have those armbands so that you can you know how back says to all the activities with the local shopkeepers? I figure out which ones are more expensive ones, they're the people who are going to get hit up more because of there's an assumption there and I didn't see any money.
The man needed, some help and Peter and John understand that because we all need help. Are times their moments when we just need somebody to give us a hand. Give us a. He'll give us the ability to to keep moving on. We don't like to ask it one of his book on his early books, Max Lucado tells a story getting on the airplane, with a child who was sitting by him, who was a special needs child and the special needs, boy reminded the stewardess to look after me every time she came up and down the aisle, you know, be sure to take care of me, don't forget about me. He knew he needed help and he wasn't embarrassed to ask some of us know, we need help. But how do I ask, how do I say it? How do I put it in words or more importantly? What if I'm ignored one of them rejected? And so we get to where we very easily and quite honestly, hold back because we are afraid to ask the man. The man says I need help and Peter and John in the same theme say in verse 6. Silver or gold, I do not have. I think of the guy's face. You know, this is a turn down as soon as Peter says the guy, but what I do have I give to you, my boy, here we go. Get out of good advice, or get a job or whatever. I sometimes folks who were trying to say something meaningful to get involved in in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
Out of the Clear Blue Sky. Peter says I don't have any but I can put you on your feet not because of who I am because I share with you and I bring to you the power of Jesus of Nazareth and taking him by the right-hand wrong hand. He helped him up and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Just for a minute, just for men. Try to get in that guy's head. I mean, this is the day of all days. This is a moment of all Mama's. This is the thing that probably, he's long. Given up on ever happening and suddenly he's on his feet.
You didn't know what to ask for, he would have never dreamed. I don't think to ask for this because it would have been too outlandish. It would have been too extreme, it wouldn't have been possible. But he's walking. Sometimes we do the same thing with God, we say why I couldn't do that or you wouldn't do that. And so we just curious where he talks to people about what they need and they're afraid to really explain to him what they actually do need because they're afraid, it's going to sound like too much. No, this guy wants to hand out at Peter, gives him Peter and John, give him so much better. Again, back into the context of the situation where were these men, just maybe a few months or at the outside a couple of years. We were Peter and John Peter was outside the group of Apostles. You deny Jesus. He gone to the home of the high priest rejected, Jesus, even cursed. He went out and wept bitterly. Does this look like a guy who's doing what appears to be his first miracle without Jesus. Set this up. He's not feeling his way along go. Well at this goes. Okay, then maybe I can move to this. That I don't have any money but here's what I'm going to give you. And he's able to he was God not what the guy expected.
I often want to point out in and I will begin this morning that these Miracles are so different than what we would expect you do. If you have an accident or you have an illness or you have a stroke, you going to go to the physical physical therapy, and I'm grateful for people who do physical therapy amount of help to me in person. How do you retrain your shrink will? You have an expert there? Who helps you do that? Look at this guy.
It says. The last part of chapter and verse paid. Then he went with them into the temple Court, walking and jumping and praising God. Could have been quiet if he wanted to. He's just, he's not using a cane, he's not doing his exercises. He's not helping that going through a process here, just a couple of minutes ago, he couldn't walk and now he could run and jump and leave and praise and it's getting the whole lot of attention. Obviously, from all the people around his, with all the people, saw him, walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the Temple, Gate called beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what happened to Hannah. I know this guy but the guy who just asked me for a dollar, what's he doing? Running around in here, like an athlete, it doesn't make any sense. What is change? What's going on? And they're very much interested in finding out. What's going on, really? Makes a scene.
Sometimes when we want God to do something in our lives, we pray that this will happen or that will happen or whatever action that we won't have happening. And sometimes it does many times what it does it when God's answer was? No. And I think that means I have a better plan. I have a different idea and you need to be patient and wait for my plan to come into play and see how it's really going to go. As I get older, I figured out that Here, I used to think I knew what to pray for in the older. I get the more. I understand that I don't it's really about God. Help me to accept your will and go through forward in this situation. But if you ask this guy what he wanted, He might have not been quite. This is focused on what he wanted, he might not have thought even of this being a possibility. But then why is this individual healed? Is because he's better than everybody else. Is it because of the fact that he's heard about Jesus?
Doesn't appear to be any of those things, the reason that he experiences this healing is to create face. Hughes being healed is an opportunity for people to stop and go what happened here and that's literally what happens, what happened here, and Peter steps up his ass will. Let me tell you and he preaches the gospel sermon explain to them exactly what happened and why it happened in process. Because he's challenging some of the lease if they've had He really wants them to hear this message that God has given to him. When I first moved to Guthrie back in the 80s, there was a guy who was a Street Preacher. walk up and down the sidewalk in front of the shops, virtually, every afternoon and On and on and on and he never had a crowd. There was everybody really listening to what he was saying. Sometimes you hear other people who try to share God's message. There's nothing wrong with that. but Peter had God movement to draw the crowd. And you said, well, that's a Time Gone by long past and on that level and that score. You're right. But aren't there times in our lives? When people we know, see God move in their life. Are they don't really understand what just happened. And sometimes they say that to us and we go get, that's wonderful.
It's an Open Door, that's an open opportunity. When somebody says, how did this happen in my life, they want to hear about what God can do. They want to hear about what God is doing? And Peter wasn't afraid to share that with him and I certainly don't believe that we should be framed to do that as well as an interpreter crab and he's going to go ahead and preach a sermon. He's the manifestation of the power that God has given him. He doesn't have a Cardinals pocket that says he's an ordained minister. He has this manifestation of power that give him this teachable moment. And that's what we have as well. These people Experience and witness the tremendous power of God. Now. Don't you Jeffery? Really too fast. But let's jump up in the chapter 4. Beginning a one. The priests and the capital of Temple, guards and the Sadducees, hang up to Peter John while they were speaking to the people. They were great disturb. The apostles were teaching, the people proclaiming in Jesus. The resurrection of the Dead. What? The temples for You come to a pimple but to sacrifice to come to the temple, for any kind of religious spiritual event. But this is like out of bounds. These guys are about Jesus Christ,
They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teasing, the people for claiming in Jesus, the resurrection of the Dead. Stacy's Peter and John and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. But Benny, you heard the message believed. So the number of men who believe grow through through about 5,000. Now, I don't think it's just coincidence here. That we see an increase in phase at this moment. Notice its men process. These guys haven't been released yet. They're just in trouble for what they did and what they said. And yet I think we can look chronologically and get the message here that Luke wants us to have at that point in time. Faith is increasing.
And yet, that's an increase in space. Not a manifestation of fear. First five. The next day, the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. The high priest was there. And so we're Caiaphas John, Alexander and others of the high priest family. Now, you just a little bit ago. Peter has denied Jesus where The Courtyard at the home of the high priest. We know from scripture that Anna's and Caiaphas are there. A Peter backs away out of fear.
They had Peter and John brought before them and they began to question them by what power or what name did you do this? Can drop back into the same personality that he experienced earlier mean. He's up all night to sit in jail and think about what these guys to do to it. These guys are the local governmental authorities, they are what I would call the pseudo power of the time in the day. They think they control everything. And yet we Peters presented an opportunity to speak to them. He doesn't revert to his previous personality. He's changed. He's a different man at this, hearing that he was previously.
Peter's going to speak. He's going to provide a defense for himself but didn't do that. He just reaches the gospel tournament. Like Paul call is given opportunity to defend themselves and in none of those situations does he do that. Instead, he takes the opportunity Brazilian gospel, sermon, this is the guy who in the shadow of the high for East house and I didn't curse and look at it now. What are they do? You know? Since I called them in and commanded them, not to speak or teach at all, in the name of Jesus. Listen, guys, we got a problem here and let me know you're really excited about how about this this Mission and in this effort effort and what we need for you to do is just hush. Take it down. If you guys want to sit out by yourself and talk about it, that's fine. But keep it out of the temple, keep it off the street from agitating the whole public, just take it easy. And you get the feeling here in, this may be too much of a feeling on my part where they're kind of sand then they don't let it get to Wild out there. You get in the water temple.
But Peter and John replied, wonderful reply. Which is right in God's eyes. To listen to you.
You be the judge has some for yourself. As for us we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard He says wait a minute, what would you do? If a man told you to do something and it was in opposition to what God has told you to do, They don't really say no. They don't really say why we don't care what you say. I just say what? Look at it for yourselves, what would you do? In my place. They've been empowered by the Holy Spirit. They found their courage, they found their strength, they found their unity, and they're not being scattered like sheet when they're threatened instead, they're standing firm in their Standing Tall and they're really changing who they are. They're going to continue to do that.
On the release Peter and John is his Acts chapter 4. 42324, like go in and then you can't tell this story without telling this last part and that's the reason I thought I'd done the whole thing in one Sunday because I want to finish with this last, On the release Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and Elders. Had said to them, when they heard this, the congregation they raised their voices in prayer for your voices together and pray to God, I go back to the meeting place and since this happened and that happen, and people are saying we have to pray about this. And then, looking for 31. After they prayed the place where they were meeting was shaken. After they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke the word god boldly. What did he say something to have a 4-year in the walls? Just shake? God said, amen. They're sitting there and the walls, shake the building shakes and there's absolutely no misunderstanding about God's confirmation of what they done. There's no misunderstanding about the power that God has I know probably when you read that, you think I like the walls, Shake just once. You so much. I would build me up so much. I would just give me so much strength of this one time at the end of the Prairie. But remember what they don't have that we do. Name. Leah Bible. They don't have both this.
Communication facilities and equipment and opportunity to do that. We have they don't have years of history that we have. It's easy for us to look as a basic tool. God says I'll give you the tools and across time. He has blessed us with Incredible tools weigh more than they had at that moment when we get the opportunity and the challenge. Do you use them? These folks were change people. And I think they liked it. I think they like being who they were. I just thought of this and I tried
We ain't what we used to be.
No, I'll mess it up. I'm coming over.
At one of the Houston churches where we serve in the nursery there was on the wall. A sign that said we will not all sleep but we will all be changed. That's a direct quote from 1st Corinthians 15:51. We don't like to change. We don't like to be changed. We don't like to be forced to make changes and my God keep saying to us, is you got to change to be with me. You've got to make changes in this life, and then I'm going to remake you. Into that new being. It can live and enjoy an experience while I have for you. God can change us. if we let, Would you play with me?
Dear God, we thank you for your power. We thank you for your son. We thank you for the examples from men that look so uncharitable throughout the gospels who finally find the power that you have in mind for them at a store for them. If father help us to recognize that those resources are available to us as well. Give us not only the power to change but the willingness to change. We ask that you bless us and guide us and help us as we try every day to be more like the people that you want us to be and pray this for your precious son. Amen.
Extend the invitation of Jesus Christ. You need to respond to that. We about to do, it will be sentencing together.
