Jesus & The Lame Beggar Series

JESUS & THE LAME BEGGAR

(Part 1)

Acts 3:1-10

(Antioch Baptist Church: Wednesday, June 18th, 2025)

Have you ever been absolutely astonished by an answer to prayer? The truth is, we should stand in awe every time we observe the Lord moving in our lives. But there are times when God’s response greatly exceeds what we requested or expected. The Psalmist proclaimed in Psalm 147:5, “Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.” Paul echoed this sentiment in Ephesians 3:20, there he said that our God is “able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us”

God’s capacity to give far exceeds our ability to ask or even imagine. There are times when we ask the Lord for things that seem extravagant and sometimes even impossible. However, our God is sovereign and omnipotent and there are times when He chooses to give us more that we asked for, more than we expect, and sometimes far greater than we ever imagined. Our selected text tells of such an occasion. Though the lame man’s story did not technically begin with prayer, it ended with evidence of God’s awesome power.

Verses 1-10 tell the story of a man who was hoping to receive a small contribution of charity from Peter & John. They were not able to give him what he wanted, but they were able to provide him with something far greater than he could have ever imagined. This man was a lame beggar; he was impoverished and suffered from a debilitating physical infirmity. All he wanted was some money to buy some food, but the Apostles introduced him to someone who would work a miracle in his life. There outside the beautiful gate of the Temple, Jesus healed this lame man and gave him the ability to walk. He not only began to walk, he went on to leap, and to praise God for this miracle.

Many people are more like this lame man than they realize. However, their condition is not a physical one, it is spiritual. The great news is that Jesus can do the same thing for them that He did for this lame man; He can touch them and make them whole.

I would like to walk through these verses and examine “The Healing Of The Lame Beggar.” (This is actually a two-part message. This week we will consider What Jesus Did For The Lame Man, and next week we will examine “What Jesus Did Through The Lame Man.) So let’s begin with:

WHAT JESUS DID FOR THE LAME MAN

As we examine the change that Jesus wrought in this man’s life, we who are saved should be reminded of all our Savior has done for us. Moreover, it is my prayer that those who have yet to be born again will see that He can do the same for them. In verse one we see:

A HEARTBREAKING SITUATION

Luke tells us of a man who had faced many difficulties throughout his life. He had a physical condition that had rendered him helpless in many ways. Because of his disability there were many things that he was unable to do, and as a result he spent his days begging for help from others. Though his situation seemed hopeless, God was about to do a great work in his life. This man had a divine appointment with grace! Two of God’s servants were about to come into his life and introduce him to the one who would completely transform him.

Verse 1 says that “Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. Peter and John went to the Temple at the “hour of prayer.” The Jews prayed three times a day: 9 a.m. (third hour),12 noon (sixth hour) and 3 p.m. (ninth hour). At these times devout Jews and Gentiles who believed in God would go to the temple for a time of prayer. Two of these prayer services accompanied the daily sacrifices performed in the morning and in the afternoon.

There was something of a transition period in the days of the early church. The Jews who made up the first generation of Christians continued to attend the temple services for some time after the formation of the Church; in fact, this went on until the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D 70. Throughout Acts you will see the Apostles and other believers present (and often sharing the Gospel) in the local synagogues.

Knowing the importance of prayer and worship, Peter and John headed to the Temple for the afternoon hour of prayer. When they arrived, they encountered this man who was in desperate need of a miracle.

v2 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;