A Lame Beggar Is Healed

MARCH 2, 2022 STUDY NOTES ACTS 3:1-6 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES A LAME BEGGAR IS HEALED INTRODUCTION In this passage we see the helping hand of man and the healing hand of God We see the missionary work of Peter and John and a miracle wrought by God Even though the Holy Spirit is not mentioned, we know that Peter and John are filled with the Spirit No doubt they are under the control and influence of the Holy Spirit as they walk toward the temple In Acts 3, we have a witness of what was proclaimed in, Act 2:43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. This is the first of miracles performed by the Apostles since the Pentecostal miracle Peter and John had a daily prayer life, Act 3:1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. Peter and John were still in Jerusalem, they had not left since the coming of the Holy Spirit Peter and John were of two different personalities, outgoing Peter, and quiet natured John But they were now united-together as Christians in the ministry of the NT Church And in-order to do their best in fulfilling their ministry they knew they needed to pray They knew that what Jesus said was true, Luk 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; The word “faint” means to lose heart or to lose courage, failing to do what we know we should do We have all been there, and done that, knowing that we failed to be a witness for Christ This was not a Sabbath Day, their prayer time was not limited to once a week, like a Sunday practice Prayer was a part of the daily life of the early church, Act 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. Day by day they worshiped and prayed, day by day they lived for Christ and witnessed to the lost The Jewish prayer time was 9 AM, 3 PM, and sunset, the ninth hour would be the 3 PM prayer time Scripture shares some interesting points about the “Ninth hour,” when Jesus was on the cross, Mat 27:45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. Mat 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And concerning Cornelius, Act 10:3 He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. Which Cornelius explained to Peter, Act 10:30 And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, So, should we come to the church 3 times a day for prayer time? No, but we must obey the command of Paul, 1Th 5:17 Pray without ceasing. Paul is not saying that we must be on our knees before God all-of the time When I was younger, I preached that Christians should get on their knees and pray Today I just preach that Christians should pray, forget the down on your knees part It is impossible for us to be on our knees praying all-of the time It is impossible for me to be on my knees praying at any time But our heart can be tuned in to God at all-times, we can spiritually be down on our knees before God Our mind should be upon God at all-times, we must give God our full attention Paul is simply telling us to continually live with the awareness of God’s presence Know that in everything and in all things, God is present, and waiting for us to pray Page 1 of 7 Praying daily is a daily concentration upon Christ, making Christ the center of your life Paul is not telling us to fix a time-period for prayer, his emphasis is not time, but attitude Prayer is not so much “time” with the Lord as it is “presence” with the Lord, a spiritual awareness So, it is not a matter of 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or an hour of prayer Prayer time is not a clock watching time, it is not keeping a schedule If it is, after about 3 minutes, you are asking, “now what do I do?” But unless you pray daily, you will not “pray without ceasing” “Without ceasing” does not mean that Paul didn’t do anything but pray But that he was constantly conscious of the importance of prayer for self and for others Paul prayed daily on the behalf of others, that is known as intercessory prayer Our prayer time cannot be a selfish time, intercessory prayer should be a part of our daily prayer life How could Paul do that? How, could Paul spend so much time in prayer praying for others? Well, he didn’t have a T.V., a cellphone, internet, or face-book, he didn’t even go to Walmart But he did have priorities! Paul practiced what he preached, 1Th 5:17 Pray without ceasing. Paul prayed daily because he was totally dependent upon God and desired God’s will for his life Paul was prayed up and prepared to serve God at every opportunity, so was Peter and John They were already “prayed up” as they made their way to the temple to pray As Peter and John approached the temple, there was an opportunity to serve God before them Act 3:2 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 of them that entered into the temple As Christians we will face “divine appointments,” but how often do we fail to see them A “divine appointment” is God putting you in the right place at the right time before the right person The Holy Spirit is not mentioned but Peter and John were aware of His ministry within them They believed the promise of Jesus, we can be a witness, (Acts 1:8) they sensed their opportunity It is almost certain that Peter and John had seen the lame man on many other days The lame man was placed at the gate of the temple daily, day after day he was there as they entered So, what made this day a different opportunity? Why was it not just another day for the lame man? The difference was Peter and John, their life was now different, they had a new purpose in life They were the ones now called upon to do what Jesus would do, Jesus was now present in them They now saw a lame man like Jesus sees him, physically and spiritually lame (They saw him) A sinner spiritually lame from birth, without a spiritual nature which allows him to walk spiritually That is why Jesus went to the cross, Rom 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (The “ungodly” are the lost sinners who need to be saved, do we see them?) Evidently family or friends carried the lame man daily to the gate of the temple, why? Because the world has the right to expect those identifying themselves with God to help them? Christians are to attract the attention of the world and tell them we are here to help you Over the past generations of the church, has the church failed in its mission? Is there a reason why beggars choose a busy street corner more than the front door of the church? We are told that they laid the beggar at the “beautiful gate” It is interesting that the same word translated “beautiful” is found in, Rom 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! It was at the beautiful gate that the lame man heard the beautiful truth of the gospel that set him free The Greek word translated “beautiful” also has the meaning of that which happens at the right time It was the right time for the lame man, it was the right time for Peter and John, it was God’s timing Act 3:3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. This verse tells us why the lame man was brought to the temple gate, he was there to ask for money Page 2 of 7 I am sure that Peter and John were not the only ones he asked, but they were the right ones to ask The church of today has an obligation to help those in need, we are to give money to help them But we have a far greater mission, greater than the giving of money, it is the “Great Commission,” The miracle that we find in Acts 3 goes beyond the giving of money and fulfills the Great Commission As we obey the Great Commission, we must also minister through the giving of “alms” The giving of “alms” basically means money given out of mercy for the poor God told the Israelites that there would be poor in the land, and He gave them a command, Deu 15:11 For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land Those who obeyed the command would be blessed, Pro 14:21 He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he. (His happiness is his blessed relationship with God) And there was a promise given to those who would obey, Pro 19:17 He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again. The old saying, “you cannot out give the Lord” is true Jesus had much to say about “almsgiving,” first-of all giving us a warning, Mat 6:1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. (“Alms before men” is a strong motivation for charitable giving today) Jesus then instructed us, Mat 6:2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. Hypocrites toot their own horn, seeking to bring glory to self, Jesus said you can get glory that way But the glory of man will be all that you will get, and the glory of man is not what you really want So, “almsgiving” must be according to what Jesus said, Mat 6:3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: Christians are to be in the “secret service” when giving alms, Mat 6:4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. Do you desire man’s reward or God’s reward? Man won’t always come through, but God will John warns us to be on guard, to keep a close watch out for self, 2Jn 1:8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward John literally says, “Do not lose what you have accomplished” There is no thought of a believer losing their salvation The key to understanding this verse is the word “wrought” “Wrought” has the meaning of “to work” or “to labor” Christians did not work or labor for their salvation Our personal testimony of faith, love, and hope is what we have worked for Our church leaders and our church family have worked with us for our testimony There can be a loss of the spiritual testimony that has been worked for The spiritual maturity that you have worked for, and your church has worked for True faithful believers will receive a reward, John encourages us to “receive a full reward” The emphasis upon “a full reward” is not quantity, but the “quality” of service Salvation is by grace through faith and rewards are by grace through faithfulness Christians cannot lose their presence in Heaven, but they can lose rewards To enter-into Heaven is a reward, but Heaven can be more than just being there Jesus has promised His return and He has promised to reward us when He returns, Rev 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. Peter and John had an opportunity to earn a reward at the temple gate and they took advantage of it But reward is not what their eyes were upon, their eyes were upon the man who had a need Act 3:4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. Page 3 of 7 Peter and John were spiritually alert, they were ready to serve God and minister to others They knew that what Jesus had said was true, Joh 4:35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. (The church of today needs to obey Jesus, “lift up your eyes,” its harvest time) They did not say, “we are busy today, we don’t have time right now, maybe tomorrow” They saw their opportunity, they saw more than a physically lame man They saw a man with a spiritual need, and they said to the lame man, “look on us” Which is not what many Christians today would say, which too many Christians today cannot say Instead, they say, don’t look at me, look at Jesus, which is not scriptural Peter and John did exactly what God calls upon the Christian of today to do Peter and John got the attention of the lame man, “look on us,” what a testimony they had Our life must be a living invitation for others to receive Christ, a show and tell of the life of Christ Paul invited others to follow him, 1Co 4:16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me. Paul tells us why he was able to do that, 1Co 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Paul said to “mark” those who are the living examples of Christ, Php 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. “Mark” is a word which means “to pay attention to,” we are to pay attention to faithful Christians Paul tells us to look at them and behold them, to take note of them The church of today needs Christians that they can watch and follow We must have Christians in our church family that we can imitate and learn more about Christ Paul says to put into practice the things that you have seen in me, Php 4:9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. New converts and young Christians should have someone that they can watch and imitate They should be able to look at us and learn how to live the Christian life The Thessalonians needed someone to show them how to live the lifestyle of a Christian, 1Th 1:6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: When Paul said, “You became followers of us, and of the Lord,” his word order is correct Today it is common among Christians to reverse the order of what Paul said We think that Paul should have said that they became followers of the Lord and of us It seems that the Lord’s name should have been first, but Paul has the correct order God’s plan of election is for Christians to lead people to Jesus by the way they live their lives The Thessalonians were changed because they witnessed the lives of Paul and his co-workers They saw Paul before they saw Jesus, and then they saw Jesus in Paul They set their minds upon becoming like Paul, and Paul led them to become like Jesus The Thessalonians patterned their life after the example set by Paul, Silas, and Timothy They did more than just listen to their teaching, they watched their daily lifestyle What they saw in Paul and his co-workers became a part of their life, 2Th 3:7 For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; The lost world must see in us what the world saw in Peter and John, Act 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. The greatest witness that we can show others is that we have been with Jesus You come to be with Jesus when you read and study the Bible daily You come to be with Jesus when you pray without ceasing You come to be with Jesus when you gather with Christians to worship, study the Bible, and pray Act 3:5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Peter told the lame man to give them his attention and that is what he did Page 4 of 7 Peter’s words excited him and encouraged him, he was filled with expectation He expected money, he did not expect to receive more than he had asked for He had been lame from birth and did not expect to be healed and given new physical life He did not realize that God had for him an eternal life, all of which was more than he expected There is a lesson here for us, God has far more for us than what we might expect God has far more for us than what we daily realize, far more than what we look for daily When you woke up this morning what were you thinking? What was your mind set upon? What about tomorrow morning? Where will your attention be? The Bible gives us direction Peter uses the same word translated “expecting” again in 2 Peter to direct our expectations Peter uses the same word 3 times, once each in 3 consecutive verses Most of our daily thinking, planning, and activity is based upon our plans-for the future Whether it be just for tomorrow or later in life, our focus is on the future What we want in the future determines what we plan for today Which is exactly what Peter, tells us to do, 2Pe 3:12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? The context of these verses is the future time known as the “Day of the Lord,” the Day of God’s wrath Christians are not “looking for” a personal experience of the Day of the Lord We have been delivered from that day of wrath, 1Th 1:10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. Peter explains what we are to be “looking for” in, 2Pe 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. The return of Christ and the Day of the Lord will result in “new heavens and a new earth” Peter uses the same word again in, 2Pe 3:14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. If we are looking for the future day of righteousness, we are encouraged to live righteous today By the grace of God, we await the return of Christ, Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, By the grace of God, we learn how to live as we wait for Christ to return, Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Godliness reveals our attitude toward the return of Christ, Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; What we are “looking for” is the results of the return of Christ and the Day of the Lord If you are looking forward to living eternally in “a home of righteousness” on the new earth! Then why not be in practice, start living a righteous life today, be ready for Christ to return What you are “looking for” in life will influence the way you are living your life today If you are looking for worldly ways and worldly things your life will be worldly John tells us not to love the world, 1Jn 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Love that which is of God the Father, 1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. John agrees with Peter concerning the future of this world, 1Jn 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. Peter and John want us to know what it will be like for the Christian when Christ returns John wants us to know what it should be like in our daily life because we are a Christian, 1Jn 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Our expectation of the future will influence our decisions for today We will want to live pure, holy, and righteous today and we must put forth the effort to do so Page 5 of 7 When we do, we can expect God to do something meaningful in our life every day Peter and John were expecting God to do something in their life every day, they were not disappointed The lame man received far more than he expected when he turned his attention upon Peter and John Act 3:6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. In today’s-society, for one to say, “I have no money,” is considered as being of the lowest class Our society uses material wealth as a guide to determine the success and value of a person’s life But scripture reveals the heavenly riches of a Christian, we are rich through Christ, 2Co 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. (Enrichment of life itself) As a Christian we may be poor in worldly goods, but we are rich in faith, Jas 2:5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? The Christian can be “rich in faith” with or without worldly goods and material wealth The faith itself is not the wealth, faith is the realm in which we enjoy the riches We have a spiritual account with God, and He deposits the fulness of life into our account, Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: The world does not consider spiritual riches as wealth, but spiritual wealth is a rich and full life Spiritual wealth can be ours for life upon the earth and will be ours for the eternal future The lame man longed for the riches of this world, but he received heavenly riches Which he received “in the name of Jesus,” which represents the total Person and Work of Jesus “In the name of Jesus” represents all that Jesus has done, is doing, and will do It identifies with that which we receive in or through Jesus when we receive Jesus The lame man experienced the power and the life that is in the name of Jesus The day will come when the world will experience the power that is in the “name of Jesus,” Php 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: Php 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Their confession will not be unto salvation, but an agreement of the truth) The world that now profanes the name of Jesus will learn and acknowledge the truth of Jesus’ name Peter said, in the name of Jesus “rise up and walk,” what a wonderful spiritual truth he proclaimed Actually, it was a command, “rise up and walk,” and “keep on walking,” a physical command Jesus performed a physical miracle revealing that He had the power to perform a spiritual miracle, Col 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: (A new walk of life) Eph 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: Christians are to rise-up and walk spiritually, and keep on walking spiritually, Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Christians must walk a spiritual life in order to tell people about Jesus) The people who witnessed the lame man up and walking did not see a physical appearance of Jesus They saw Peter and John, who made sure that the people knew that Jesus was present Peter took the opportunity to preach another sermon that day (Acts 3:11-26) Peter explained to the crowd that gathered that the miracle they witnessed was performed by Jesus That it was the same Jesus they crucified, and the same Jesus God had raised Him from the dead CONCLUSION People don’t always hear what the preacher has told them, the authorities questioned Peter, Act 4:7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this? Page 6 of 7 Peter had preached two sermons on-the subject of the Person and Power of the Name of Jesus, Act 2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: It was Jesus who had performed the miracle through His Apostles, Act 3:16 And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. Today the “Name of Jesus” is often used by the devil through cursing or in blasphemy As Christians we must proclaim the truth of the “Name of Jesus,” Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. The message that must be preached, Luk 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. We must not allow it to end in Limestone County Page 7 of 7