Finding Deliverance (Acts 3.1-11)
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One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon.
And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple.
When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms.
Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.”
And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.
But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.”
And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.
Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
All the people saw him walking and praising God,
and they recognized him as the one who used to sit and ask for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
While he clung to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s Portico, utterly astonished.
Intro:
On last week we spent a little time talking about how to find what we value...
(slight pause)
And one of the things that I mentioned that happens to be extemely important to what God produces in our lives showed up in last weeks scripture called.....
“Devotion”
.......and so this week I want to expound on what else Devotion leads us towards.
Because while we mentioned on last week how Devotion leads us to
Reminds us of where we come from...
Recognize the path we need to take......
Rewards us with more than we put in....
(pause)
I want to emphasize what Devotion leads us to in the example that Acts 3 unfolds in the healing of this crippled man in verse 1....
(pause)
Look at it now.......
One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon.
According to the text......
.......those Jews and Gentiles who were DEVOTED and believed in God would go to the temple three times of the day for prayer...
9am in the morning...
3pm in the afternoon...
and...
lastly in the evening at Sunset....
(pause)
And....
the text says here that Peter and John are found headed to the afternoon time for prayer.
(pause)
Now.....
.......the significance of their actions shows up in the following verses.
(pause)
But before we jump completely into the results of their Devotion.....
......I want to pause long enough in verse 1 to point out that,
Our Devotion establishes our Patterns......
I thought about this moment where Peter and John are headed to the temple
........and what I realized is that,
Whatever we are DEVOTED to........
.......has a strong tendency to control not only our movement but also determine our direction!
(pause)
And so.....
Before we can talk about HOW we move.....
.......lets talk about WHY we move!
(pause)
And so Freedom.....
.....sometimes we got to ask ourselves....
“Why we do.............what we do?”
(pause)
Or better yet......
“What are you DEVOTED to?”
......because we GIVE ourselves to our WHY!
(pause)
Peter and John in the text.....
......have discovered their WHY!
.......and so at 3 oclock we see their patterns lining up with their devotion.
(pause)
And even though our Patterns are vital and directly connected to our Devotion....
.....we find out something else about the devotion of Peter and John.
(pause)
Watch this.....
And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple.
The text explains how.....
......this crippled man is placed at the doorway of the temple.
....and then, how the purpose of him being placed there is so that his patterns would collide with the patterns of those who are devoted and believe in God.
(pause)
Freedom this prompted me to ask my next question....
Who are you bumping into?
(pause)
In other words.....
Whose purposely being placed where your devotion is leading you?
(pause)
And let me bless somebody.....
It might not just be an individual person....
(pause)
But....
It might be a type or group of people.....
For example....
We don’t know this man’s name to speak to a certain level of relationship between him and Peter and John....
(pause)
All we know is that his condition describes him by saying.......
......he is CRIPPLED from birth!
(pause)
And while we don’t know much about him......
......we are finding that his patterns show us he is devoted to being carried
......and he is devoted to being assisted by those who are believers in God
(pause)
Freedom......
.......what if I told you that there are some individuals that you are bumping into that you have little to no relationship with.....
......but because of your increasing devotion to God
.........the problems keep showing up!
(pause)
Because you got to ask yourself the question.....
Why is a PROBLEM postioned right here at the doorway of the temple?
(slight pause)
Because.....
We don’t like problems in the front...........
We like problems in the back......
.......out of the way.
(pause)
But how many of you know that whenever you have a problem.....
......the last place you want to be put is in the BACK
(pause)
No.......
PUT me RIGHT UP FRONT so I can have my problems dealt with!
(pause)
And in my spiritual imagination.......
I see this lame man saying to those assiting him.......
“Don’t put me in the back of the CHURCH.......
.....PUT me where they can SEE ME!”
(pause and expound)
Freedom.....
Who are we PASSING........
.........that we should be SEEING!
(pause)
Because watch this......
Peter and John are not the only ones here at 3 oclock!
(pause)
And so.......
Who showed up DEVOTED to PRAY........
........but walked right by this PROBLEM?
(pause)
The bible does not record them......
But in my spritual imagination I wonder if some of those devoted to pray responded to his begging by saying.....
I’m too busy going after my WHY to deal with you
I wish I could but I can’t help you today
I’m tired of you asking me for help
Move out of my way, you’re blocking the entrance
And then just maybe.....
......there were some who said,
Here, take this so you can leave me alone
(pause)
And listen Freedom.....
......because I’m not talking about DEVLISH folk.
......I’m talking about DEVOTED folk.
(pause)
Now...Let’s watch the text to see how Peter and John respond......
When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms.
Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.”
The text says.......
At the same time.....
Peter and John stared at him when he asked them this question...
(pause)
And while staring at them.......
Peter notices that while he is speaking to them......
......he is not looking at them
......and for some unknown reason Peter wants to make eye contact with him.
(pause)
Now let me be a little more specific so you can understand what’s happening.....
.....because when I studied this crippled man’s question
.....he is not asking without any emotion
.....and he is not using words that do not grab attention
(pause)
But instead with a STRONG voice he is saying to Peter and John....
“GIVE me SOMETHING!”
(pause)
And when I heard how he really asked them this question......
It changed everything for me........
(slight pause)
Because..........
now we got to ask ourselves the question.....
“Where have we heard this before?”
(pause)
Whose bumping in and around our lives saying.......
“GIVE me SOMETHING!”
(pause and expound - optional)
Now watch this.........
Because I want you to see how Peter and John responds a little more closely.
(pause)
The first thing Peter says in my spiritual imagination is.......
Lift up your head
Now this is BIG.........
Because even though this man was speaking strongly....
......he was still looking DOWN!
(pause)
Freedom.......
If we pay attention there are a lot of people who are speaking strongly....
........but at the end of the day they are still looking DOWN!
(pause)
And what they really need is for somebody who is DEVOTED
.....to come along and encourage them by starting a conversation that says very simply and in love.....
“Lift up your head, and look at me!”
(pause)
Watch this now......
Because the reason that I know they encouraged him is because the bible says.......
.......his expectation shifted!
(pause)
And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.
And so......
......Now not only is he looking at them
..........but he also has a raised expectation!
(pause)
Now watch this first part of the next verse though....
But Peter said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.”
Peter says......
“I don’t have what you’re looking for!”
or....
“I don’t have what you’re trying to find!”
(pause)
Now again........
The bible does not tell us how this man may have responded after hearing Peter start off his sentence by saying....
“I don’t have any silver or gold!”
(pause)
But because I know people.......
In my spiritual imagination.......
I see this man saying to himself.....
“Why did you tell me to look at you..........
.......if you didn’t have anything to give to me!?”
(pause)
But what I love about what Peter is saying right here to this man.....
.......helps us understand what Peter heard him ask for back in verse 3.
(slight pause)
Because in verse 3 when this man said......
“GIVE me SOMETHING!”
(pause)
But because Peter is DEVOTED.......
......and because Peter understands why he is devoted
(pause)
He didn’t hear this man ask him to.......
“Give him SOMETHING!”
(pause)
But in my spiritual imagination.....
He heard him say.....
“Give me EVERYTHING!”
(pause)
Pastor how do you know this.....
(slight pause)
The reason I know this is because........
.....of what Peter and John offered him.
(pause)
He asked them for “Something”
.....and his something was silver and gold
(pause)
But when they responded....
Peter said.....
I can’t give you “SOMETHING”
(pause)
But I can give you “EVERYTHING”
.....and what I do have is POWER!
“In the name of JESUS CHRIST of Nazareth......
stand up
and walk
(pause)
And Freedom.....
What I beleive God is looking for....
......is some believers in Jesus Christ who are willing to “SPEAK UP” and say....
“I can’t give you SOMETHING...........
........but I can give you EVERYTHING!”
(pause)
Freedom.......
I wonder if we got some Peters and Johns in here that are DEVOTED....
.......to MOTIVATING the CRIPPLED to STAND up and WALK!!
(pause)
Somebody who can show the world that..........
....the key to finding deliverance is directly connected to devotion!
Because.......
.....as we found out today,
“DEVOTION.........leads us straight to DELIVERANCE!”
If Peter and John don’t show up at 3 oclock.....No deliverance
If Peter and John misunderstand why they are devoted......No deliverance
But.........
Thank God for the Holy Spirit..........
.......that causes Peter and John to stop long enough so that they could hear him say.....
“This is WHO yall showed up for!”
(pause)
And Freedom I hear God saying.....
I need yall to SHOW the world.......
......HOW to stand up!
(pause)
And.....
.......when they ask you for SOMETHING
Give them.......
........EVERYTHING!….….
…………….Completion…………………