Untitled Sermon

Introduction

Peter and John had healed a beggar at the Temple gate called beautiful.

The man had been lame from birth. The man was over 40 years old

After he was healed he entered the temple with them walking leaping and praising God.

The people were astonished and amazed.

They were in Solomon’s Portico - Where the rabbis met to teach their disciples. Tradition said it was a relic of Solomon’s Temple that was destroyed by the Babylonians.

Solomon's Portico is where the Jews picked up stones to stone him because he was claiming equality with God. (I am the Father are one” (vs 30). Is there some significance here? Jesus was challenged about who he was, and nearly stoned for his answer. Now his diciple, Peter, declares that this man has been healed by God through faith in the name of Jesus.

Solomon’s Portico became the centre where the early Jerusalem based Christians met,( )

The sight of this man who had been born lame and who had begged at the temple for many years, drew a large crowd. They knew who this man was vs 16

They knew who this man was vs 16

A Field Ready to Harvest

This crowd was made up of people who almost certainly knew about Jesus. Many would have heard him teaching and seen him healing the sick and performing miracles. From what Peter says in verses 13- 14, they were there when Jesus was tried and called for Barabbas to be released instead. Peter did need to explain to them who Jesus was and what had happened to Him. That is, in the sense of who he was as a man.

Peter was not proclaiming the gospel on virgin ground.

a) They Needed To Know more

Although they knew about the man Jesus, they needed to have explained to them that he was more than a man.

i) Holy and Righteous One

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ii) The Author of Life

There seems to be a real shift in how the disciples saw Jesus after his reserrection, the 40 days when he explained to them how the scripture talked about him and the coming of the Spirit.

Many know about Jesus - but they need to know more.

Not By Our Own Power or Godliness vs 12

The healing of this man had nothing to do with the power or godilness of Peter and John.

i) God’s gifts are grace gifts.

ii) We shouldn’t put people who God uses on a pedestal and think that the gifting and power that God works through them is because they are holy.

iii) Avoid pride

iv) God can even use us - Not dependant on our godliness - Although we should always strive to live as godly lives as possible.

The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob

This echoes what God told Moses to tell the people of Israel out of the burning bush.

Not a new god, not some strange mystical power possessed by the disciples, but this man was healed by the God of their fathers.

Peter isn’t trying to convert these people to a new religion, his message is that Jesus us the fulfilment of the religion of their forefathers.

The Focus of Peter’s Preaching is Jesus, NOT the healing

The healing of the lame man lead to an opportunity to preach Jesus. The healing needed to be explained.

It showed that God had glorified Jesus.

Confronted by their guilt

They had handed Jesus over to be killed.

they had disowned him before Pilate

even when Pilate had decided to let him go.

They asked for a murderer to be released in his place.

Jesus Raised From the Dead Vs15

The power of Jesus - Faith in his name. vs16

The lame man would have known about Jesus.

Name = the person, not a magical formula.

Repent and turn back vs 19

Repent - Change your mind

Turn back - change your direction.

Why? That your sins may be blotted out.

God will send Jesus again vs 20

This time he had come as the suffering servant. The next time he wil come as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Justin and Trypho.

Jesus was the one fortold by Moses vs 22-23

The results

i) Sadducees, who didn’t believe in the resurrection, had them arrested because they were proclaiming that Jesus had risen from the dead

ii) About 5,000 of those there believed the good news.

Sadducees, who didn’t believe in the resurrection, had them arrested because they were proclaiming that Jesus had risen from the dead

This crowd was made up of people who almost certainly knew about Jesus. Many would have heard him teaching and seen him healing the sick and performing miracles. From what Peter says in verses 13- 14, they were there when Jesus was tried and called for Barabbas to be released instead.