Title: Rise and Walk
Theme: God has the power to restore us.
Text: Acts 3:1-10
Scriptures:
Acts 3:1 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. 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. 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.
Introduction
Peter and John on this day was doing what they normally did. They were going to the temple to pray. The church was new and just being formed. There were no church buildings per say. They still went to the temple. Sometimes they would have church in the temple. It was not uncommon.
Yet they were not the same people. Could you imagine what it must have been like now to go to the temple? Could you imagine how things looked different? Could you imagine? I remember when I became a Christian. I had been in the church all my life but boy when I committed myself to the Lord and turned it all over to him things looked different.
Maybe I am reading too much into this but I believe that Peter and John went to the temple to pray as they may have done daily or at least a few times a week. I don’t believe this was the first time this man had been here. Many people had passed him by. Many times he had called out. Maybe even these disciples. But something was different. This was his day. Healing was about to happen. Maybe that is what we need to do. Don’t stop praying but continue until our day.
It was on this that he would be here and on this day the Lord would heal him and he would walk again.
Notice the word says that Peter fixed his eyes on him. He not only saw him but he knew that God was about to do something for him. He said, “Silver and gold have I none.” This man thought that what he needed was money. He thought that this money would solve all his problems. Too many people think that their help comes from the next raise. Or if they just got that break. You don’t need a break you need a breakthrough. You don’t need a raise you need to listen to the Lord and let God come though for you.
Maybe he got tired of this man asking him every time he came by. Maybe he got fed up with his spiritual conditional and started praying.
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.
Set Free to Walk
Purpose in life. His dignity. I am not putting down anyone today who can’t walk but let me tell you it was a lot different than now.
God can restore you dignity. He can restore you reason to live.
Notice this passage says, 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. 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.
Set Free to Work
Provision for life
This was his only way of making a living.
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;
Set Free to Witness
Not only did he restore his dignity but he restored his testimony. I mean what did he have to tell before.
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.
“For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task”. 2 Corinthians 2:15-16
Set Free to Worship
He could not worship in the temple because he was broken. Not just physically but spiritually. Oh the shame he must have felt when he watched them go into the temple.
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.
Conclusion
For some of you today your feel as if you walk, your purpose has been taken away. You see no purpose or reason to be. I want to tell you God can restore that joy in your life. God can take what is lost and renew it.
For some it is your work. You are wrapped so tight in doing the things of this world. You are just working from pay check to pay check. You are coming to church trying to live for God yet overwhelmed by the pressures of this world
Freedom in Christ
Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty (freedom) to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty (free) those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD." 20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
2Co 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
His purpose is to bring freedom. His purpose is to proclaim freedom. His purpose is to “set at liberty them that are bruised” “to preach deliverance to the captives”.
We don’t have to live in bondage. We don’t have to live under the curse of sin or the law. We don’t have to live as if there is no way out. Jesus said again in
John 8:32 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
verse 36 as if to clarify his freedom he said
36 "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
Freedom has been proclaimed and the price has been paid? Was the price worth it? Yes for our freedom
That is what Paul is saying in 2 Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
Paul is telling those in Corinth that when the spirit of the Lord comes he brings liberty. The word liberty here also means “freedom”.
God’s spirit brings freedom.
I heard another minister who was talking about this verse the other day. She said another definition of this word is “relaxation”. When we have peace in our lives we can relax. Some Christians are just too uptight. And if they are not uptight they are looking at something to be uptight about.
We sometimes need to learn to relax in Christ and trust him.
That is what that word Shalom means. It means peace but it means the peace of God. It means that may God peace engulf you as you walk through the day.
We need to believe those famous verses of freedom that we hear so much about.
“Greater his he that is in me than he that is in the world”
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”.
“With God we can have the victory”.
“What is impossible with man is possible with God”
“All things work together for them who love the Lord”
We don’t just need to just mark them in our Bible, or write them down or even quote them every day we need to get them in our heart and believe them.
Liberty means peace. To have peace in the time of trouble.
Christ has come to set us free. He has come to give us life and give it more abundantly.
Christ died to Set us free from Sin
Paul tells us that we don’t have to be a slave to sin.
Christ died to Set us free from Bondage
Bitterness, Unforgiveness,
Christ died to Set us free from Fear
Christ has come to set us free from fear. This is what Paul was telling Timothy.
2 Timothy 2:7 For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Then again in Romans 8:15 “For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear”.
