Faith in Action, Part 1 (Part 6)
Acts 3:1-10
- When it comes to our faith, the most difficult thing often is putting it into action
- What the Lord calls us to do is to act; to respond; to move – no matter the cause
- Perhaps the most difficult is to respond to His calling; to move when directed
- This morning and this evening, we will see how our faith can be put into action
- It takes a brave action to find what Jesus has said to us and then act on it
- We need to seek opportunities to share what Jesus has said/done - TODAY
- Stand and read Acts 3:1-10 / Pray
Point 1 - Going to Church to Worship (1)
- It’s the middle of the afternoon; not early in the morning …
- The disciples are going to worship at the “time of prayer”
- Note the time they are going: 3 in the afternoon (also the time Jesus died)
- John 19:14, “And it was the preparation of the Passover and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!”
- The sixth hour would be 6am (the day begins at 12AM in this time also)
- The most accurate account of the timeline is recorded in the book of Mark
-- Mark 15:34-37, “And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias. And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.”
- The sixth hour would be 6am (the day begins at 12AM in this time also)
- Jesus died approx. 9 hours later, at 3pm
- Does this mean we should be in church at 3pm? No.
- APP: The Word teaches us that rituals are less important than what is inside
- However, what we see is these men following what they know
- It is in this simple obedience that you and I have a demonstration of faith
- The disciples knew that they should gather together, and here we see this
- The gathering together is their faith in action – it is their faith moving
- By simply going to temple was their way of acknowledging Christ
- But, there is more than just their own attendance here to focus on
- When they went to church, they had a chance to put their faith in action
Point 2 - Following the Crowd (2-5)
- Beautiful gate is the gate facing to the East at Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem
- It led to the inner courts and was where they gathered for worship
- This gate would have been the perfect place to beg since it had highest traffic
- Getting the attention of Peter and John might have been difficult
-- Heavy crowds, lots of commotion, lots of traffic going to church
- And here this man sees two men who seemed to have something he needed
-- Perhaps his flesh thought it was money; but his spirit cried out for more
- This event happens after Pentecost, and after the Holy Spirit came to disciples
- Acts 2 reveals to us what happened (tongues of fire, power, leadership)
- This acquiring of God’s authority would have been more than casual
- It would have led others to see something in them that they didn’t have
-- Not a pride issue; but a matter of seeing what God has done to them
-- It would be part of their testimony, and this this man sees it in them
- And in their casual passing of this man, Peter gets his attention
- Why? Did the man have a sad story? Was he holding a cardboard sign?
- Was he saying all the right things? Did he have a compelling reason?
- All of these may be true statements … but more than that, Peter saw Jesus
- How can I say this? How can I say that in this man Peter saw Jesus?
- Matt 25:45, “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
- What Peter saw was an opportunity to do as Jesus had taught him
- Nothing more, nothing less – just to “practice what he learned from Jesus”
Point 3 - Obeying what you’ve been taught (6-10)
- Faith in action sometimes takes more than just saying some words
- Notice that Peter not only said it, but then he grabbed the man’s hand
- It is in this tremendous act of faith that we see ourselves; where we stand today
- Would you have the courage to pick a man up who was crippled?
- Could it happen that he’d fall back down? Of course …
- But, would this deter how you responded to Jesus’s calling (expound)
- It was as if Peter never even blinked at the chance to share Jesus
- It had nothing to do with his own desire, power, or even abilities
- What Peter saw was the chance to glorify Jesus and give Him to another
- I don’t have money. I don’t have prestige. I don’t have power.
- But what I do have – I freely give it to you – it is the GLORY of Jesus Christ
- And the reaction to receiving this free gift? JOY!
- v8 – The man “jumped to his feet … walking, jumping, praising”
- The greatest reaction to this scene (pause), is what we will discuss tonight
Conclusion
- Men and women of CLBC let me ask, “Where is your faith this morning?”
- Is it in the same place as Peter and John? Or maybe it’s with the beggar?
- Peter and John knew who they belonged to; and they simply obeyed Him
- The beggar knew that he needed something, and to it he was drawn
-- John 6:44, “"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
- Are you being drawn to Him this morning? (I believe many are being drawn.)
- The question is … How will you respond?
- Pray
