Acts 3
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Introduction
Introduction
Apostles had extraordinary power that has not been seen since their office ceased.
Acts 2:43
And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
Authentication - Their position and ministry as coming from divine headquarters.
True
Serious
Valid
Authoritative - Acts 1:1-2
The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
The Gospel
Church Polity
Practical
Fear - Acts 2:43
And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
Reverential - saved
Condemning and Judgement - Lost.
Signs and wonders were a means to an end - The Gospel and unity were the ends.
Setting - Acts 3:1-10
Setting - Acts 3:1-10
Acts 3 is an example of how the Lord added to the church daily.
What an interesting combination! Only God would have put these two together for their personalities were almost polar opposites. Peter was outgoing, gregarious, loquacious, impetuous, opinionated. Someone said the only time he opened his mouth was to change feet. John was serene, contemplative, reflective, tender, self-effacing, the one Jesus loved and who leaned on Jesus' breast at the Last Supper - Yet, they were one in God. Acts 3:4
And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
Peter and John! That was different. It used to be Peter and Andrew, James and John. Now it is Peter and John. Calvary had brought these men into closer fellowship with each other. By nature and temperament they were different. Peter was a doer, John was a dreamer; Peter was a motivator, John was a mystic; Peter had his feet on the rock, John had his head in the clouds. Peter would point to John and demand of the Lord, "And what shall this man do?" (John 21:21). John would quietly whisper to Peter in a moment of doubt, "It is the Lord" (Jn 21:7); John would outrun Peter to the tomb; Peter would push past John and rush right in; Peter would dash on out again, his mind in a whirl; John would walk away thinking deeply over the significance of those strangely ordered grave clothes. Peter and John were opposites. By nature they would get on each other's nerves, but now they walked together.
“With” - Union.
Beautiful gate - A place where the disabled asked for money.
He was born with what appeared to be a congenital problem
In the imperfect tense - Meaning this was done constantly
The people would have known this person.
Peter and John went to the Temple to pray
This was not on the Sabbath Day or they would have been accused of healing on the sabbath day.
Humbleness
Neediness
There were many disables but Peter sand John chose just one.
"To the Jew almsgiving was the most sacred of all religious duties. How sacred it was may be seen from the fact that the Jews used the same word—tzedakah—both for righteousness and alms giving! To give alms and to be righteous were one and the same thing. To give alms was to gain merit in the sight of God, and was even to win atonement and forgiveness for past sins.
One was just as important as the thousands
Though they did not have any money, which would have been crushing to the lame man, they did have spiritual power.
“But” is a game changer.
Matthew 1:19-20
Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
In Acts 3:6 - does end with not having silver and gold but with having the Spirit of God working through them,.
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.
The significance of the name of Jesus Christ.
The title asserts that Jesus was more than a person
The title asserts that Jesus was more than Gad - He was a person
Contrast
Heaven
Nazareth
Nazareth - The Jews viewed in terms of scorning, Peter lifts the city up in terms as humbling.
He is the true Solution - He is the true Jehovah saves.
Weight and authoritative - It was not their power but His.
The name of Jesus lifted up multiple times during the Book of Acts. Yet, the name is used as a byword or curse word today.
According to Barna’s recent data, the most post-Christian city in America is Portland-Auburn, Maine (57%). In fact, New England and the Northeast—considered the foundation and home-base of religion in America—figure prominently: Eight of the top 10 most post-Christian cities are in this region. The next six cities on the list are Boston, MA-Manchester, NH (56%), Providence, RI-New Bedford, MA (53%), Burlington, VT-Plattsburgh, NY (53%), Hartford-New Haven, CT (52%), and New York, NY (51%). Next up are two big West Coast hubs: San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA (50%), and Seattle-Tacoma (50%).
The name is worth using.
His name is above all other names Philippians 2:9-11
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Sermon
Sermon
Notice the providential hand of God working behind the scenes He is behind:
timing the miracle at just the right time when there would have been a large crowd for the afternoon time of prayer
leading Peter to fix his gaze on a beggar he had doubtless passed many times before
bringing about a visual and audible miracle that would have been obvious to all (they all had seen this lame man Sabbath after Sabbath, prayer time after prayer time, but today they see him leaping and hear him praising God),
then drawing the crowd around Peter and John and the healed man who was clinging to them (if he had been off in some other part of the huge Temple grounds [several football fields in size] the crowd would have been drawn to him and not to Peter and John). And so in orchestrating these events, God had created the "perfect storm."
Finally, Peter controlled by the Spirit, sensed the time was now ripe to preach Jesus to the crowd.
“answer” in verse 12 does not necessarily mean the people had a question but this is a reply that begins a speech.
The sermon starts with a question - Acts 3:12
And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?
They were dumbfounded
A noticeable miracle had occurred
Just like during the earthly ministry of Jesus
The conflict would have been Jesus could not be responsible for this miracle - it had to be their righteous standing with God!
Peter deflects the attention from them to Jesus
Who healed this man?
Identifying who God is
The Father of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - The God of the Old Testament.
He Glorified His Son Jesus
Contrast
God of Isreal
Father to Jesus
Glorified - To Esteem and magnify. He is in a better position than Abraham, Isaac and Jacob or the fathers of Israel.
What did the Jews do to Jesus
They delivered up - Surrendered - To be destroyed
They denied - Shows up twice v.13-14
Disavowed
They preferred a murderer over the Holy One and Just
40 times in Old Testament references Jehovah
Just - Innocent.
They killed the Prince of Life
Prince - Originator and source
Contrast - preferred someone who took life over someone who gave life.
The impact of their actions is of being a rebel against God.
What did God do? - Acts 3:15
And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.
God thwarts the work and plans of man
One pastor alliterated Jesus description in these few verses:
Servant Dignified
Jesus Delivered
Holy One Denied
Just (Righteous)
Desired Not
Prince of Life Destroyed
Christ Declared
The one responsible for healing the man was Jesus - Acts 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.
Note Peter's repetition of Name and Jesus for emphasis. It's not Peter. It's not John. It is Jesus. He is the Healer, the Great Physician, Jehovah Rapha.
Whose faith? Peter and John
Jesus is the object and source of faith.
What is the answer
How could this atrocity be done? - Acts 3:17
And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.
Ignorance is not to know.
Ignorance is not Innocent
Ephesians 4:18
Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
How could the Prince of Life be killed? Acts 3:18-19
But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
The plan of God from the beginning
The suffering Messiah was the only way people could repent.
Biblical repentance may be described thus: the sinner has been trusting in himself for salvation, his back turned upon Christ, who is despised and rejected. Repent! About face! The sinner now despises and rejects himself, and places all confidence and trust in Christ. Sorrow for sin comes later, as the Christian grows in appreciation of the holiness of God, and the sinfulness of sin.
The effects of repentance
Be converted - Revert back
Sins blotted out
When - in order that they will be refreshed when Jesus comes
Two events will happen when Jesus comes
There will be a destruction
There will be a refreshing