Acts of the Apostles

Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; 3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. 4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.” 5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God. 10 Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Preaching in Solomon’s Portico

11 Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed. 12 So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. 14 But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. 16 And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

17 “Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. 22 For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ 24 Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. 25 You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ 26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”

The first thing we can learn from this event is that we need to pay attention to the people around us. How often do we pass by someone without a second thought? Maybe it’s because we’ve been duped before. Some of the young men I worked with in the inner city shared how they would throw on jerseys and stand at street corners in the suburbs to ask for money to “travel to a tournament” when they wanted money to go to the movies. There was one lady that would show up at the same corner from time to time with a leg brace that she wore in a different spot on her leg every time she was seeking people’s change. Maybe we were in a hurry, like the priest and Levite from the parable of the Good Samaritan, we simply didn’t feel we had the time to stop and help. Maybe we just weren’t paying attention. The need isn’t always obvious- people put on a brave face, but are hurting inside. Sometimes asking “how you’re doing?” needs to be followed up with taking the time to listen to the answer. When Peter and John approached the Beautiful Gate, it would have been easy for them to ignore the crippled man, they probably passed him by several times on their way to the temple. But today was different, they paused to take notice.

The second thing we should understand as we explore this scene is that people will often present their symptoms, we’ve got to dig deeper to meet their true need. This lame man had sat at this gate every day for 40 years. What need did he request be met? Alms for the poor. This wouldn’t fix anything, he’d have to return the next day, it’s like putting a band-aid on a gaping wound. What did Peter do for the man instead? He restored his ability to stand up and walk. Usually when we resolve to find the true need, we’re choosing to invest some time in a person, it rarely is a quick fix and may even be inconvenient for us. Our church is part of a food pantry that provides food in the community. What need is being presented? Hunger. What need is actually bringing them there? It may be the need for a job, maybe a medical condition has brought on hardship, it may be something else that has brought them to seek help in providing for their table. How do we as a church meet those needs and point them to Jesus? It begins with a conversation. Asking the questions to better know them and their needs, then committing to partner with them to get back on their feet.

The third thing we see here is that when results come, praise is given to God. Sometimes, like with the man at the Beautiful Gate, the results occur immediately. Other times those results will be delayed- we may not be present to see the transformation take place. Watch what happens when the man is healed. He gets right up and not only is he walking, but he’s leaping as he’s praising God. Notice who gets the credit- it wasn’t Peter, it was God, and rightly so. The celebration quickly spreads- people are filled with wonder and amazement and a crowd comes running to see what’s happening. Peter once again sees his opportunity and begins to preach the gospel. (read )

What was the gospel message that Peter proclaimed and we still declare today? That Jesus was glorified by God, yet crucified by the people. Despite what they’d done, it was through Jesus that healing takes place- both physical like this man and spiritual for all who turn to Christ. Anyone who repents of their sin will be forgiven, can live a life receiving God’s blessings, and have hope for the time of Christ’s return. Peter points out that these events are the beginning of the fulfillment of prophecy. The good news has come- first to the Jews, or, as we saw in looking at the Great Commission, first in Jerusalem.

Some of us here may find ourselves just as stuck as the crippled man. Stuck in a pattern because we’ve known nothing else. Maybe you haven’t chosen Jesus as Lord and Savior, maybe you came to Christ but haven’t been living like He’s your Lord and Savior. Today is your chance to rise up and walk in the name of Jesus.

Invitation

THE ATTITUDE—

They always had a prayerful attitude

A. They obeyed God—

(They prayed until—no short cuts for this power)

B. Some results of this power

1. They turned the world upside down

2. They ceased not to preach—though thrown in jail, they continued to preach the gospel

3. They were added daily to the church

Satan would try to rob you of this hunger! Keep this hunger in your heart and life daily

“And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.”

Look on us and see that:

1. Our Faith Exceeds Our Finance

2. Our Trust Exceeds Our Trials

3. Our Prudence Exceeds Our Poverty