ACTS 3:1-10 Better Than Gold

Acts 3: Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 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 from those who entered the temple; 3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. 4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us." 5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.

Acts 3: Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them--walking, leaping, and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God. 10 Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Why This Miracle? Many Wonders and Signs  Acts 2:43 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.  Out of the many wonders and signs that were done through the Apostles of Christ by the power of the Lord, Luke chooses this one in the third chapter of Acts

Why This Miracle? Illustration of Lost Sinners  He was born lame - all are born sinners  He could not walk - no sinner can walk so as to please God  He was outside the temple - sinners are outside God’s church  He was begging - sinners are beggars, searching for something that they desperately need

Why This Miracle? The Story Typifies Healing  The Church has been blessed in reaching people for God through healing  The gospel has always been associated with healing and ministering to the sick  Medical missions are always blessed of God  Hospitals were started by the Church! Our finest hospitals will always be Christian hospitals Methodist Hospital, Baylor, St. Luke’s Episcopal, Mississippi Baptist Medical Center  The international symbol of healing is a red cross!

Why This Miracle? The Story Typifies Healing  Acts 28:9-11  Paul and Luke shipwrecked on Melita  Ministering to the people in Melita, Luke uses two words Paul iaomai = “heals” He, the doctor, therapeuo = “practices medicine” Paul, in the power of God, iaomai, heals miraculously Dr. Luke therapeuo, practices medicine  These 2 practices always have been close together A person who is sick needs encouragement in his soul and in his heart as much as he needs physical healing The chaplain praying, the pastor praying The physician practicing medicine, they go together Hospitals know this!

Proof of God’s Messengers The need for God’s messengers to have His Word proven by His works  John 10:25 - “the works that I do in My Father’s name, these bear witness of Me”  John 10: “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father”

Proof of God’s Messengers The need for God’s messengers to have His Word proven by His works  John 14:11 - He challenged Philip to “believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me; otherwise believe on account of the works themselves”  The works that He did proved the words that He said!  Nicodemus recognized that  John 3:2 - “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him”

Proof of God’s Messengers The Apostles - proven by miracles  2 Corinthians 12:12 “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles”  Hebrews 2:3-4 “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will”  Today we can determine who speaks for God by comparing their teaching with Scripture

Proof of God’s Messengers Scripture Passage John 5:1-6Acts 3:1-26Acts 14:8-20 HealerJesusPeterPaul Person healedMan at Bethesda PoolMan at Beautiful GateMan at Lystra Time of Infirmity 38 yearsFrom birth MethodJesus spokePeter spokePaul spoke Results:Immediate healing Multitude gathered Jesus preached and gave glory to God Peter preached and gave glory to God Paul preached and gave glory to God Jews sought even more to slay Jesus – John 5:16 Peter and John arrested – Acts 4 Paul stoned – Acts 14:19

Warnings for the Church From Jesus  The Bible warns repeatedly of the ever-present danger of heretical false teachers  Because they claim to represent God, yet misrepresent His truth, they do great harm  Jesus described these preachers  Matthew 7:15 “ravenous wolves”  Matthew 24:11 - warned that “many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many”  Matthew 24:24 - Some will be exceedingly dangerous, showing “great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect”

Warnings for the Church From Paul  Called false teachers  “savage wolves” (Acts 20:29)  “rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers” (Titus 1:10)  Warned the Corinthians to beware of them, calling them “false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:13) From Peter  2 Peter 2:1-21 – scathing rebuke!  The danger posed by false teachers makes it imperative that there be a way to distinguish them from those who speak truth from God.

Biblical Healing 4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us." 5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them--walking, leaping, and praising God.

Biblical Healing Four aspects of Biblical healing  It was unexpected  It was done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ  It was instantaneous  It was complete  A checklist to screen all alleged miraculous healings

Biblical Healing It Was Unexpected – vv. 4-6a  He was expecting to receive money  “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you,” was totally unexpected!  The beggar wondered what they could give him that would be more valuable than money  Like all of God’s works, this miracle was based on God’s sovereign will  There were hundreds of other beggars in Jerusalem, many of them undoubtedly crippled as well  But it was this man that God sovereignly chose to receive healing  Expecting only some money, the beggar instead received far more than he would have ever dreamed possible

Biblical Healing It Was Done in the Name of Jesus Christ – v. 6b  The beggar had little reason to believe in Jesus Christ  “In the name of” means by virtue of Christ’s character, authority, and power  To do something in the name of Jesus Christ is to act consistent with His will  To do what He would do if He were here, to act in His authority and with His delegated power

Biblical Healing It Was Instantaneous – v. 7  The genuine gift of healing results in immediate cures  Our Lord’s healings were instantaneous; there was no gradual process involved  The beggar did not even need to be taught how to walk  He received his coordination and balance instantly

Biblical Healing It Was Complete – v. 8a  Peter did not have to manhandle the beggar to get him on his feet  His symptoms were completely gone  Peter and John did not have to support him as he limped along  He entered the temple with them, walking and leaping  His joy and excitement knew no bounds  A healing that fits the true biblical pattern  Will stem from God’s sovereign choice  Will be done to glorify Jesus Christ  Will be instantaneous  Will be complete

God still heals today! The same Holy Spirit that empowered Peter and John to heal, is in us today  We have become so affected by our Western rationalistic thinking that we become practical agnostics  We need to pray more for healing! Jesus’ representatives  They healed in Jesus’ name  They were continuing Jesus’ work  The Gospel of Luke tells what Jesus began to do, the book of Acts is what He continues to do through His church!

God still heals today! Compare what the beggar expected and what he got  A heresy rampages through churches today  It identifies God’s blessing with money, possessions, and fame  It teaches that people should “expect” God’s blessing with money, possessions, and fame  Called the “prosperity gospel”  The Bible never says money or celebrity status is a sign of God’s blessing  Trouble or struggle in our lives does not evidence the lack of God’s blessing upon us or our families

God still heals today! Compare the physical miracle and the spiritual miracle  Both occurred in the same man at the same time - Which was greater?  To the immediate crowd, surely the jumping and walking  To the angels that day, the recognition that another person would spend eternity in heaven  Spiritual miracles are no less miraculous and certainly no less important than physical miracles

God still heals today! We need to be about the business of healing  Not just physical healing  Healing relationships that have been broken.  Healing lives that have been damaged by emotional or physical abuse  Ultimately, it means bringing spiritual healing, the forgiveness for sins

God still heals today! The apostles didn’t have silver and gold, but they had the power of God  We don’t need more possessions  We don’t need more programs  We need more power.  Power to touch people’s lives with the presence of the God  Power to really love them!  Power to bring His healing touch in the name of Jesus.  What we have to give to others is better than gold!