We are continuing the sermon series “Celebrating the Life that Christ Makes Possible”
Scripture Reading: Acts 3:1–18 NIV One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade. When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see. “Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer.
Text:
Acts 3:6, 16 NIV Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.
Introduction
There are a lot of inscriptions written on tombstones throughout the world. Some inscriptions talk about how great a person was for example here is the inscription on Lenin’s crystal casket as his embalmed remains lie in a tomb in Red Square in Moscow. “He was the greatest leader of all peoples, of all countries, of all times. He was the lord of the new humanity. He was the savior of the world.” What you notice about this and all the others is
all those inscriptions are past tense, but we have the true Savior of the world, and He is alive He is the living Christ.
For the folk in Jerusalem, the healing of the lame man signified the power of the living Christ and that he was present among them.
But how about us? How do we know that Jesus Christ is living in power?
Do we see lives being changed miraculously?
Are things happening among us that amaze us and fill us with wonder?
The book of Acts emphasizes the reality of the living Christ.
Today let’s consider three lessons from Acts 3.
The lesson of a crippled society and what can be done about it.
The lesson of divine authority and how to appropriate it.
The lesson of a living message and its relevance for our times today.
I. First the lesson of a crippled society and what can be done about it.
Peter and John had an encounter with a lame man who had been crippled from birth. Each day someone carried him to the gate Beautiful. He begged from the crowds of worshipers who passed this prominent place. This is where the man’s healing took place.
The lame man saw Peter and John approaching the gate, so he quite obviously begged them for money. That’s what he did every day. He was a beggar.
Acts 3:3 NIV When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money.
Why Peter and John? Only God can answer that. But we do know that Peter’s words changed this man’s life:
Acts 3:6 NIV Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”
Peter took the man by the hand and helped him up. The man was healed instantly.
Acts 3:7-8 NIV Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.
This crippled man had been made whole.
The truth is that all of us are crippled, and all of us need healing because of us have sinned.
Romans 3:22-24 NIV This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Like the lame man at the gate, we are helpless and powerless, spiritually crippled without Christ. Our only hope is salvation
Not only are we crippled, but our society is also crippled too, with its crippled morals, marriages, and relationships. Our society is crippled by perversion. Abortion continues to claim innocent lives. Pornography continues to destroy homes. People are crippled by alcohol and drug abuse. People are crippled with negative attitudes, anger, hate, resentment, bitterness, and unforgiveness.
Only Jesus Christ can bring us the healing we need.
II. The first lesson we learn from Acts is that a cripple people and cripple society need the presence and power of a living Jesus. The next lesson we learn is the lesson of divine authority and how to utilize it.
Acts 3:6 says that Peter healed “in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.”
Acts 3:6 NIV Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”
Jesus made this promise to His disciples
John 14:12-14 NIV Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
Jesus is not promising to be a personal vending machine; rather, He is encouraging confidence and faithfulness in prayer. When Jesus says to pray “in my name,” He means that we can pray in His authority. He has provided the access we need to heaven. When our requests, made in the name of His Son, further God’s purposes and kingdom, God will act on our behalf, and in the end the Father will be “glorified in the Son”
When He said He would give “whatever you ask in my name,” Jesus was not delivering a magical formula for getting whatever we want. He was giving us a guiding principle to align one’s desires with God’s. When we pray “in Jesus’ name,” we pray according to the will of God; we pray for what will honor and glorify Jesus. God will provide the means necessary to accomplish His objectives, and He equips us as His servants. Ultimately, God receives all the glory and praise for what is done.
That’s what happened when Peter spoke in the name of Jesus Christ.
There is power and authority in Jesus’ name! The answer to our crippled generation is the name of Jesus Christ, not silver or gold or self-help or positive thinking. That’s great power. Jesus said that he had been given all authority in heaven and earth.
Matthew 28:18-20 NIV Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Jesus shared his power with the apostles, and according to Ephesians 1:19–23, all believers share the privilege of this authority.
Ephesians 1:18-21 NIV I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
This spiritual authority is not to be taken lightly however; it is to be exercised by believers who are filled with the Holy Spirit, and walking by faith. There is power in the church when believers use this authority.
III. From the book of Acts we have the lesson that a cripple people and cripple society need the presence and power of a living Jesus, we learn the lesson of divine authority and how to utilize it. The final lesson is the lesson of a living gospel message and its relevance for today.
Peter explains that the miraculous healing of the crippled man was God’s work. It was the living Christ at work. What makes this first-century message relevant to us today?
A. It is relevant because of who is responsible for Christ’s death.
Acts 3:12-15 NIV When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.
While there was the immediate blame with the Jewish religious rulers and Pontius Pilate the real blame should be placed where it deserves to be placed - all of us.
Ultimately, it was the entire human race that is responsible for Jesus' death on the cross. The penalty for the sins of all of us was placed upon Jesus.
Paul wrote in
Romans 3:23 NIV for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Isaiah 53:6 NIV says We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
And in 1 Peter 3:18 NIV says For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.
The death of Jesus was a horrible crime. Blame can rightly be placed upon the Jewish religious leaders as well as Pontius Pilate. However, the blame must be ultimately placed on the entire human race. It was for our sins that Jesus went to his death on Calvary's cross. Therefore, all of us were responsible for his death.
B. This living gospel message It is relevant today because of the resurrection of Christ from the dead
Acts 3:15 NIV You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.
Without the resurrection there is no hope, no salvation, no church, and no living Christ.
C. It is relevant today because of the power of the living Christ’s presence
Acts 3:16 NIV By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.
The presence of Christ through the Holy Spirit is the secret of the Christian life and the source of power in the church.
Ephesians 5:15-20 NIV Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
D. A living gospel message is relevant today because of repentance and new life.
Acts 3:19 NIV Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,
Repentance is a forgotten message today, but there is no new life without it. The word repentance in the Bible literally means “the act of changing one’s mind.” True biblical repentance goes beyond remorse, regret, or feeling bad about one’s sin. It involves more than merely turning away from sin. Here’s definition of repentance: “In its fullest sense it is a term for a complete change of orientation involving a judgment upon the past and a deliberate redirection for the future.”
E. A living gospel message is relevant today relevant because of the second coming of the Lord.
Acts 3:21 NIV Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.
The message of the early church was the second coming of Jesus Christ. His coming was always in the consciousness of the first believers.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NIV Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
G. And finally a living gospel message is relevant today because of the response to God’s message
Acts 3:22-26 NIV For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’ “Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days. And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”
It is a simple message: hear and be blessed as it says in
Acts 3:22 NIV For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you.
Or refuse to hear and be destroyed.
Acts 3:23 NIV Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’
Responding to Christ brings untold joy; rejecting him brings spiritual ruin.
Conclusion
Whenever the message of salvation is preached, something happens. The book of Acts is living proof of the living Christ in the church. The living Christ means hope for a crippled society, authority for the people of God, and a message for all times. Apply his power and authority to your life by faith, and let his Word be living and active in you.
Prayer
Lord, we thank you today that you are all-powerful, all-knowing and always perfectly good. Thank you for your daily mercies to us as we struggle through such challenging times. Father, we confess that we do not seek your presence as we ought. We confess that we have settled for lesser things, when we know you desire us to have a personal, close relationship with you. Lord, revive our love for you. Draw close, let us know your presence in our lives. And help us to in turn share your love with our neighbors. Lord, we put our hope in your unfailing love. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
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