A gospel message
Witness to the world: Book of Acts • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 36:13
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Mission works
Mission works
The mission of the local church is to carry the message, the gospel to those around us. The means of the church were spelled out in the scripture and hold true still today. Tonight we are looking at the continued mission of the local church born in Jerusalem.
Jesus had told them to wait, wait for the gift, wait for the gift that came with power and they did (Act1:8)
8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
The power came, was heard, was seen and was convicting and converting (Act2:1-4, 37, 38, 40-41, 46-47)
Pentecost came when they were all together and were all in one accord, the Spirit was poured out, they heard it then they saw it. For we know that the word of God always proceeds the works of God.
37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”
They heard the first gospel message and it was convicting and it lead to conversion after instruction
38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
then the conversion
40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” 41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
and the results from there, after the birth of the church
46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
So the gift, that came with power has come. The gift brought forth the birth of the local church that the body of believers were with one mind, a sincere heart and were praising God and had favor with all people.
They were Jews just a few hours ago, now they are Christians with a Jewish heritage, Jewish background. It was common practice for Jewish men to gather three times a day for prayer, 9am, 12pm and 3pm. If in Jerusalem it was optimum to come to the temple courts and pray and that is where our story begins today. We get more insight, a good display of the kind of men that Peter and John were from our passage today.
Men of consistency
Men of sensitivity
Men of flexibility
and Men of authority
This is also a display of humility which opened the door for the second recorded gospel message, a message with a charge which all gospel messages should have a call for response, a call for application.
Our passage before us has a flow from serving (vv.1-12), to the sermon (vv.12-16) to the summons (vv.17-26)
Display by serving
Display by serving
People often pay attention to what you do more than what you say at times. So may your actions display your heart, and your heart display the King of your heart, Jesus.
1 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer. 2 And a man who had been lame from his mother’s womb was being carried along, whom they used to set down every day at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, in order to beg alms of those who were entering the temple.
3 When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms. 4 But Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him and said, “Look at us!”
5 And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!”
7 And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened. 8 With a leap he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God; 10 and they were taking note of him as being the one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg alms, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
11 While he was clinging to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them at the so-called portico of Solomon, full of amazement. 12 But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk?
What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?
(Mighty Men of prayer picture inserted here)
Men of consistency (prayer, petition and thanksgiving) Act3:1; Mt11:28-30; 1Pt5:7)
the hour of prayer was broken down as 15 minutes of silent meditation; 30 minutes of petition and 15 minutes of adoration.
They were consistent in thier prayer, following the Jewish roots, Jewish heritage.
We can learn and apply. Learn to take time to reflect on the greatness and goodness of God and of His faithfulness. Because of His faithfulness we can come confidently to Him with our requests. We come to Him with our cares, our burdens because He cares for us (Mt11:28-30; 1Pt5:7). Our problems are not problems for our Lord, for His yoke is easy and His burdens are light. We should be filled with gratitude, with thanksgiving for we know that He hears our prayers and our hearts when we turn to him in adoration.
Men of sensitivity (heart of compassion) Act3:2-5; Lk7:13; Mt9:36
Following the example of Jesus who loved and had compassion for the person (Lk7:13) and for the people (Mt9:36); Peter and John are men of compassion too.
They are going to pray and they see the beggar. The same one they probably have seen every day, even when Jesus was alive, but today they were given eyes to see the man and to see the man’s real need and it was beyond what the man asked for.
His real need was healing not alms. These are don’t Spirit filled men, being led by the Spirit and the Spirit opened their eyes to see.
May we be people in-tuned with the Spirit so not to miss opportunities put before us.
Men of flexibility (Act3:4-5)
Men of flexibility don’t get to strapped into routine (I struggle on this). They were on the way to pray, something that they were custom and consistent about doing. Praying is a good thing, a godly thing, but God had another thing for them to do in this instance.
They needed to be flexible, this interruption was divine inspiration. May we not get so tied into our routines that we miss out on divine appointments in our lives. I’m not speaking of divine revelation, but inspiration. Some interruptions are God’s way to work in us and through us.
Even unbelievers believe in the work of the church, works of benevolence, that is why the lame man was outside the gate called beautiful was looking for help, looking for alms from people who are religious people.
Men of authority (God given authority) Act3:6-7
The man wanted alms, Peter and John knew what the man really needed was more and they had the God given authority to give it to him.
Real authority only comes in the name of Jesus (v.6)
The man thought he was going to get what he wanted when they called to him, but he must have been surprised by their response “silver and gold I have none”
May we remember we have no authority outside of Christ, all good things, all blessings come from through Him from the Father who is in heaven. He came to give life, and life full, not to make us rich, but to make us holy.
Men of humility (Trust, faith in action) Act3:8-11
The moment of truth was upon them. They called for the man to do get up. Keep in mind this man has never walked a day in his life.
So 2nd question for tonight - whose faith was displayed first? - the disciples they are going by faith calling for him to get up, believing that through the name of Jesus he would be able to get up and do something he has never done before.
What was the results of their faith? (v.8)- He stood up and lept, he walked, he entered the temple, leaping and praising God.
How did their faith become his faith and his faith impact others (vv.9-10)? - all the people saw him, and saw him praising God
What was the feelings of everyone impacted by this (vv.10-11)? - this is the guy who they all had seen many times and suddenly he is walking, leaping and praising God and they were all filled with wonder and amazement.
Do you know others can be amazed by your faith, by what you do with your faith.
So from serving the Lord in unexpected time, in unexpected way, but by the way of faith it ended in praising and opened the door to the preaching.
The Sermon
The Sermon
Like any good preacher, Peter did not miss an opportunity to proclaim Jesus. To preach the gospel. Not the healing ministry of Peter and John, but the power of Jesus, the power of obedient faith.
12 But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk? 13 “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him.
14 “But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses.
16 “And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.
What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?
Now I try not to do 5-point sermons, but Peter delivers one.
_________
Peter’s 5-point sermon
______________________
This was not our works, not our power that did this (vv.12)
It was the power of the God of your Fathers that did this (v.13)
This Jesus you delivered up, but was raised up (v.14-15)
This is him, this Jesus did it by faith in His name (v.16)
That will lead to the call, the summons (vv.17-26)
It was Peter and John’s faith in Jesus and the power of His name and the authority of His name that healed the man, they took no credit at all.
The man was not looking for a miracle, he was looking for alms. The real miracle was not the healing of his lameness but the saving of his soul by faith.
Miracles still happen today, every breath you take is a miracle that cannot be done without God. It’s a miracle that God is willing to forgive our sins through the blood of His Son. A living miracle is what you are, alive, not condemned, free from the bondage of sin and alive to live and to worship Him, which is exactly what this man did, walking, leaping and praising!
The Summons
The Summons
As mentioned before all good sermons call for a response, Peter gives the summons (v.19) but give the reason for the call throughout the passage so let’s look together at it.
17 “And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also. 18 “But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.
19 “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;
20 and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, 21 whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.
22 “Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren; to Him you shall give heed to everything He says to you. 23 ‘And it will be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’
24 “And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also announced these days. 25 “It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’
26 “For you first, God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”
So in brief, what did you see, what did you notice, what sticks out to you?
Reason for the summons (v.17)
What is the reason for the summons (v.17)? - ignorance
Prelude to the summons (v.18)
(v.18, really works hand in hand with the illustration (vv.20-26) but the summons is offered in (v.19)
The summons (v.19)
the summons called for them to repent
the results would be sins wiped away and a time of refreshing
History displayed as an Illustration of the fulfilling of the prophesies (vv.20-26)
Jesus was preached before (v.20)
Not only preached before but preached of His being take up and his return that which was preached by the prophets
Preached by Moses (vv.22-23)
Hey one is coming like me and you better pay attention to him lest you be destroyed.
Preached by the Prophets (vv.23-24)
the message was the same, it was clear by all the prophets.
Reminder of the covenant and the reason for Jesus (vv.25-26)
God’s promise, God’s covenant with Abraham was fulfilled in Jesus so that all families, all nations, all peoples shall be blessed
For the Jews first, turning them from their evil ways, wicked ways, to the truth, the way, the truth and the life that it is only in Jesus.
You may consider looking at the Moses passage in Deu18:15-19 or the Abraham covenant Gen12:3.
(transition to summary) - - - so the service was done to bring about the sermon, the sermon was given to lead to the summons and as for the results of the summons, well you will have to come back next week for that or read ahead into Act4.
(Encouragement slide - Don’t wait) - don’t wait until it is too late - invitation (encouragement slide -2) prayer (Exit slides)