Give what you have!

Read Act 3:1-10

Everyday, for many years, this man had been asking for a show of compassion in the form of money. Like most people in our days, not knowing that there was something better, he was happy with a coin!

The problem was that such happiness, the happiness of the coin lasted only a moment. It was not even enough for a meal!

Let’s pay attention to Peter’s words to this man:

“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!”

This man may represent this world. The world is a beggar! The world is begging for hope, for solutions to their problems, for answers to their questions. By experience, I can tell you that the answer is not money. The answer is Jesus Christ!

Do you have Jesus? Give what you have!

We announce or give them Jesus when we preach the gospel to them.

Give them Jesus because...

Only Jesus raises the lame.

First of all, we must understand that that man represents us because we are in a similar situation, we all are lame.

We all are lame.

The word “χωλός” translated as “lame” also means “limping”, but it is used metaphorically to describe “the maimed, the imperfect, the defective”.

We have been morally maimed or amputated by sin. Sin made us imperfect or defective. It affected our body, our soul, and our heart (Physically, spiritually, and emotionally).

We needed to be restored or perfected by Jesus, the perfect. Jesus came to do that; He died a the cross to make us perfect:

Hebrews 10:14 NASB95

For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.

Raising the lame was distinctive of His ministry.

Hundreds of years before, Isaiah, the prophet, had announced that at the coming of the Messiah, the defective ones will rejoice and praise Him:

Isaiah 35:4–6 NASB95

Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.” Then the eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness And streams in the Arabah.

Large crowds came to Jesus, bringing those were lame, crippled, blind, mute, an many others, and they laid them down at His feet and He healed them. The people marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the lame walking, and the blind seeing.

John the Baptist, wanting to be sure that his cousin Jesus was the Messiah, sent some disciples to ask Him, “Are you the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” Jesus’ answer was:

Matthew 11:4–5 NASB95

Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

People need to hear the gospel.

Religion does not satisfy the soul.

Since his birth, the lame had belonged to a religion: Judaism. Ironically, his own religion did not allow him to enter the temple to worship. The gate of the temple was the farthest he could get!

The Law of Moses was very clear:

Leviticus 21:17–23 NASB95

“Speak to Aaron, saying, ‘No man of your offspring throughout their generations who has a defect shall approach to offer the food of his God. ‘For no one who has a defect shall approach: a blind man, or a lame man, or he who has a disfigured face, or any deformed limb, or a man who has a broken foot or broken hand, or a hunchback or a dwarf, or one who has a defect in his eye or eczema or scabs or crushed testicles. ‘No man among the descendants of Aaron the priest who has a defect is to come near to offer the Lord’s offerings by fire; since he has a defect, he shall not come near to offer the food of his God. ‘He may eat the food of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy, only he shall not go in to the veil or come near the altar because he has a defect, so that he will not profane My sanctuaries. For I am the Lord who sanctifies them.’ ”

No human invent, as religion is, can bring true joy to the soul.

No matter what religion practices (Catholicism, Islam, JW, Buddhism, etc), such religions cannot bring him to the presence of God.

Observe the first thing the former lame did as soon as he was healed: “he entered the temple…walking and leaping and praising God.”

That what religion could not do for him, the name of Jesus did!

The gospel is Jesus.

The center of Peter’s message pointed to Jesus:

“In the name of Jesus the Nazarene, get up and walk!” 6

“The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob…has glorified His servant Jesus.” 13

“Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed” 16

The gospel or the good news (evangellion) is that Jesus came to this world to give his life for the sinners to reconcile them with God and make possible that they come and live before God’s presence.

The message is simple so anyone who has believed it may preach it! The message is Jesus, the Savior of sinners.

We must take advantage of the opportunities.

“Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd.” 12 NLT

“Crisis” is a moment of decision or judgment.

Crisis prepare man’s heart to listen to possible solutions to his problem.

The lame man was ready to listen and believe in Jesus and Peter took advantage of it.

The crowds were amazed and wondering, “what is this?”, “what should we do?”

Right away, Peter saw their amazement as another opportunity to preach the name of Jesus to them.

At this moment, the world is in crisis! The pandemic is a great crisis! People are afraid of dying, many have lost their jobs, have lost relatives, spouses, parents, children, etc.

This pandemic is the perfect storm to preach the gospel; it is fishing time! We must take advantage of it; otherwise, the storm will pass and the fish will be more reluctant to bite the hook.

Illust. Learning from the unbelievers! Letter from JW’s.

Those who preach a lie are taking advantage of the crisis! But how of those who have the truth? What are you doing?

Sent letters, make phone calls, publish or post a gospel presentation. The time is ripe!

Call them to repentance and to turn to God!

See the urgency of proclaiming the gospel.

Peter did not wait for the next day. He preached it right away!

What was the result of his timely preaching?

Acts 4:4 NASB95

But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.

The disciples were arrested and brought to the Priests Court. As soon as they were allowed to answer, Peter preached the gospel to them too. He told them that Jesus had healed the man, that they, the priests had rejected Jesus, and salvation was in Him:

Acts 4:12 NASB95

“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

When the persecution started, led by Saul, the disciples fled to other towns but, as soon as they got there, they started preaching the gospel:

Acts 8:4–5 NASB95

Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them.

Even the persecutor, when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus and believed, as soon as he was healed from the blindness, he started preaching the gospel:

Acts 9:19–20 NASB95

and he took food and was strengthened. Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”

The disciples understood the urgency of proclaiming the gospel! Do you understand it? Do you have Jesus? Give what you have! But give it now! Take advantage of the crisis!