ALL YOU NEED IS JESUS
Acts 3:1-16
God does his work on this earth with ordinary people in our ordinary-everyday situations. And he can take an ordinary situation, with ordinary people, kick it up a notch and do some extraordinary things. You can go about your regular, everyday routine, and then like Emeril Lagasse would say ”BAM”, something extraordinary happens. Emeril Lagasse, for those who do not know who he is, is a New Orleans chef that has a TV show and he shares some of his recipes on that show. He will be showing how he puts the dish together, working his recipe, then all of a sudden he goes “BAM”, lets kick it up a notch. What he is doing is adding one of his key spicy ingredients that will change that dish from being ordinary to something special. He “kicks that dish up a notch”.
God is like that. All of a sudden, in your regular routine, God will look at you and in his infinite Wisdom and Sovereignty decides BAM – It’s time to kick him up a notch – He decides to take your condition of existence to the next level. Your whole life can change in the twinkling of an eye. Out of ordinary, everyday, routine situations, God can work a miracle in your life. Can I get just one witness this morning?
This is exactly what happens in our text for today. In verse 1 we are told that Peter and John were doing what they do regularly. They were going up to the Temple at the hour of prayer to pray when they encountered a crippled man, doing what he does regularly. He was sitting at the Temple Gate called beautiful asking alms – begging from the people entering the Temple to pray. Begging was his everyday routine.
I need to park right here for a minute to talk about this regular routine. As I began working on this message the first verse was not where I had my focus. As a matter of fact I went straight for the miracle trying to find the meaning. However, early Saturday morning the Lord led me back to the first verse and kept me there for a while. He put in my spirit the importance of corporate prayer and how it is so overlooked in the church today.
In the early church, which is the background for this text, devout Jews and Gentiles would observe corporate prayer 3 times a day. They had a prayer service-not worship-not fellowship-not Bible study- they got together three times a day just to pray. You know we don’t do that today. We will be hard pressed to find a church that has prayer service once a day - everyday. And to be real up in here today, you will be hard pressed to find churches that gather just for prayer once a week. We pray – in conjunction with other matters. I know many churches that do not even have prayer services any longer and that is because folk in the church do not come.
Then I thought about this on an individual basis and I just want to pose a question. I am not trying to put anybody down or pick on anybody but I do want us to ponder this thought. Do you have a regular routine of prayer in your life? Is there a place where you go, a special time of day, everyday, where you spend time with the Lord? If the church fathers saw the importance of corporate prayer, where they incorporated it into their regular routine, three times a day – everyday; how about us? Come on now. Do we even believe in the power of prayer anymore?
I remember a story about a small town that had been historically "dry," but then a local businessman decided to build a tavern. A group of Christians from a local church were concerned and planned an all-night prayer meeting to ask God to intervene. Now it just so happened that shortly thereafter lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground. The owner of the bar sued the church, claiming that the prayers of the congregation were responsible. But the church hired a lawyer to argue in court that they were not responsible. The presiding judge, after his initial review of the case, stated that "no matter how this case comes out, one thing is clear. The tavern owner believes in prayer and the Christians don’t."
If your life has no power, try putting prayer in your life on a routine basis.
But let me get back to our text. Luke tells us, "One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer--at three in the afternoon". He doesn’t write, "One day, Peter and John went out so they could do some miracles". He doesn’t even say, "When Peter and John woke up that morning, they knew that this day would be different from any other". From all evidence, we see that this is just an ordinary day. But today we are going to see how God can work in an extra-ordinary way on an ordinary day with ordinary people. And as we take this walk together, I want us to see a few things that I believe the Lord wants me to lift up. The first one is NEVER GIVE UP HOPE.
UB – You need to know that there is no situation that is beyond the scope of God’s Ability. No matter how long you have been in your situation, I want you to know that God can deliver you, bring you through, lift you up, He can save your soul regardless of what sins you have committed or how long you have doing it. And He can heal you from any sickness or disease regardless of how long you have been in that condition.
The text tells us that this man was lame-crippled from his mother’s womb. As long as he has been alive, he has been unable to take care of himself. To get from one place to another, somebody had to carry him. The text tells us that he was carried everyday to the temple gate called Beautiful just to beg from the people going into the Temple. He had been in that condition so long that he probably concluded that this was the way it was going to be forever. And not only the beggar – the friends and family that carried him to that gate everyday must have thought the same thing. That was also part of their regular routine.
My research revealed to me that this man was now about 40 years old. That is a long time. And nothing has happened during this long time that would give him any reason to believe that this day was going to be any different from any other day. I will go beg to get by another day and come back home. But God had other plans for this day. God was about to take this brother up a notch. This day God put him in the pathway of Peter & John. You know God has a way of putting you in the right place at the right time. This day was going to be different because God has decided to make a move in his life. He sees Peter & John and asked them for alms-money. Alms for the poor? Peter looks at him and says I don’t have any money. But what I have I’ll give it to you. In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, walk. BAM-God takes this brother’s life up a notch. God used two ordinary men in their regular routine to bring about an extraordinary change in this man’s life. One minute he is unable to walk and he is begging. The next, according to our text, this brother is walking, leaping and praising God.
Now wait a minute UB. This man does not know how to walk. He has never walked a day in his life. His muscles have no tone, his bones have no strength, and he has no eye foot coordination to know how to walk. So how in the world is he now up and, according to the Bible, not only walking but also LEAPING.
Let me tell you right now. When God does anything, He does not come half-stepping. He does it well. When he simply spoke this world into existence, he did a great job. Everything had everything it needed for existence. When he sent Jesus to save the world from sin, that was marvelous. Everything that needed to be done was done. When He made my wife, I want yawl to know today that he just showed out. God gives you what you need and how you need it. This man’s healing was complete. He not only got muscle tone and strong bones to stand up, he also got eye-foot coordination with the knowledge of how to put one foot in front of the other to walk. He also got running in his feet and the ability to leap and praise God. He was crippled for 40 years – YET – IN DUE SEASON, God healed him completely. I think we ought to give God some glory up in here.
I don’t know who it is but somebody in here today is in the right place at the right time. You need to hear what is going to be said today, you need to experience something that will happen today or you may need to meet somebody here today. I believe God wants me to tell you today that what He has done for others, He can do the same for you. God can heal you too. He can deliver you too. God can restore your finances too. He can heal your marriage; He can make your house a home. Just Don’t Give Up HOPE.
The next thing I want us to see is that GOD CAN BLESS YOU BEYOND YOUR WILDEST DREAMS. Sometimes we can miss our blessing looking for or at money. And we can miss our blessing looking to stay in a situation longer than you are supposed to stay there.
If you look at this text we see that this crippled man’s focus was on money. He wanted a handout just to get by. He was looking for something to maintain his present condition. The Bible shows us that God had something better in mind. God was about to give him something that was going to take him out of the status quo. God was going to kick his life up a notch. He was going to give him more that he had ever hoped for.
When Peter & John approached the gate called Beautiful, he said hey-got any money? He got their attention. Peter and John were going in to pray. They probably had become accustomed to people begging at the entrance to the Temple. They were not looking for anybody to bless right now. They were on their way to pray But today this beggar got their attention. Now while Peter & John were looking at him, Peter told him to “Look On Us”. In other words, what we are about to do requires that you pay close attention. And he obeyed. Why? Because he thought he was going to get some money. I believe he thought he was going to get a whole lot of money. Otherwise, why make a big deal about looking at you. Just drop the money in my hand and go on in the Temple like everybody else. Why look at you? Do you need me to see who it is that is giving me this gift? OK. You got my undivided attention. Now Peter says-I don’t have any money. Can you imagine the look on this brother’s face when he finds out that Peter has no money? But Peter goes on to say BUT what I have I give to you. IN THE NAME OF JESUS OF NAZARETH, GET UP AND WALK. Then Peter reaches out his hand, takes this brother by the right hand and helps him up.
Let me pull over here a minute. Sometimes you have to do more than just pray for somebody. Sometimes you got to physically get involved. You can pray that God feed the hungry but it is even better to let God use you to feed the hungry yourself. You can pray for the naked but it is better to give the naked some of those clothes you have in your closet that you will never be able to wear again. (I’ll hold on to this until I get back to a size 6. Some folk will never see six again until Jesus comes back.) I’m going to leave you alone now and get back to this text.
Peter helped this brother up. The brother that was looking for a handout got a hand up. He did not get any silver & gold but he received running in his feet. He was looking to just maintain his present level of existence But God was kicking him up a notch. He went from sitting to running and leaping. He went from begging to praising. He was made whole that day.
Look, I need to tell somebody in this place today that your blessings are not always going to be financial. Sometimes your blessing might be to have a peace in the midst of a storm. A peace that is beyond all understanding. Your blessing might be having strength in the time of weakness. It may be to have Joy in spite of your circumstances. Joy that the world didn’t give and the world can’t take away. It might be being able to sleep at night. No amount of money is worth not being able to sleep-worrying about this or that. Money is not everything. It is good but it is not all there is. If it was, why do we see so many unhappy rich people?
Peter & John did not have money. They had more. They had power. They had power to use the name of Jesus. They had the power to act In The Name Of Jesus.
I need to hang out right here a minute because I need to make something clear. The words - In The Name Of Jesus - are not some incantation of a magician. These words are not something to be said when you want to get God to do what you want Him to do. These words express a profound confidence in the presence and authority of Jesus. It is doing things that are consistent with the will of Jesus. It is doing things that Jesus would do if he were physically present. Peter did not just say get up and walk. He said IN THE NAME OF JESUS OF NAZARETH. Peter, by himself, had no power. His power came from Jesus. Peter and John have confidence in a risen Lord.
This brother got more that he was looking for. He did not get money. He got healed AND he was made whole. What do I mean? For 40 years he was considered an outcast, not allowed in the Temple simply because of his condition of existence. He was poor. He was lame. These conditions qualified you, in that day, to be an outcast. Because of their spiritual pride the Jews felt that he was blemished - not fit for the house of God. The good news here is that he may have been an outcast to those pious Jews but he was not an outcast to God. God is a friend to the poor, the lame, the blind, the sick. The Bible tells us that Jesus came to heal the sick and preach the good news to the poor. This brother could not go in the Temple to join in prayer, because he was a cripple. BUT NOW he is an insider. Before I can imagine him thinking it would be nice to go in and pray with the other folk. He not only could go in the Temple now; he went in there walking, leaping AND praising God. He made so much noise that he got the attention of everybody in the prayer meeting. This brother had something to shout about. He got healed and he was made whole.
I believe God has a blessing waiting for somebody in here today. Something that is beyond your wildest dreams. Somebody in here needs to be made whole. God is going to put somebody in your path today that is going to take your life to the next level. He is going to bless more than you finances. He can make your house a home again. He is going to open the doors that some folk thought they shut for good. You may be looking to get back where you were. You may be looking to hold on to what you got. God wants me to tell you to raise your sights. If you are going to serve a great big God, expect a great big blessing. The Bible tells us that eyes have not seen and ears have not heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love him. Do you love the Lord today?
Well you know what, with this man - that was crippled from birth - making so much noise, a crowd started gathering. They wanted to see what was going on. They wanted a close up look at this brother that had been crippled from birth that is now interrupting the prayer service to praise God. You know what happens when a preacher sees a crowd. HE PREACHED JESUS.
The way this text is written I get the idea that God used this miracle to prepare the soil for planting. People will listen to you when they see something happen that they thought was impossible. They had seen this beggar sitting at the gate for years. They knew that this was the man that was cripple from birth. How is it now that he is walking? They are willing to listen to Peter for an explanation.
Peter preached Jesus and when he preached, I saw this last thing that I want to leave with you. ALL YOU WILL EVER NEED IS JESUS. When Peter saw the crowd he started preaching. He said “People of Israel”-why are you so amazed? You know Jesus did this all the time when he walked with us. Let me tell you right now. We did not heal this man. The Jesus you rejected is the healer. The Jesus you killed is the same Jesus that this man’s healing came through. I want you to know that God is not mad at you. He knows you did it out of ignorance. God knew that Jesus was going to be rejected and crucified. This was prophesied long ago. But there is hope for you. Now what you have to do is to turn from your sin and turn to God.
You know-this applies today to anybody that has rejected Jesus and chose the world. I know the worldly way has not worked for you. There is a void that you can’t fill. You can’t seem to find what you are looking for. You have tried money, women, men, work, drugs, alcohol and accumulating a whole lot of stuff. Nothing works. No human being, no matter how great they are, can meet every need in our life. But there is somebody that can meet our every need. His name is Jesus Christ. Our Articles of faith says that Jesus is an all-sufficient Savior. He can meet our every need in life. In Him & with His help we can face up to life & all of its problems.
If he can heal this man that was crippled from birth he can handle your situation. Jesus took him from being a begging outcast to being a praising insider. Jesus is not some dead savior. We did not celebrate a risen Savior on Easter then have Him go back to the grave on Monday. No. He is alive and still doing what he does best. He still heals. He is still a way maker. He is still a heart fixer and a mind regulator.
When the doctors and nurses cannot help you, "Jesus is all that you need". You can have Him on your side when you need Him most. He said, "I will never leave us nor forsake us.
He will be with us even when we walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. He is the King AND Conqueror of Death.
As Christians we may not have a whole lot of stuff in this world, but we are rich in Hope. And that Hope is in Jesus. Jesus says, "Put your trust in me." He will forgive our past.
He will guide us through our present. AND He will give us Hope for the Future.
JESUS IS ALL THAT YOU NEED"
To the LOST, He is the WAY
To the DEAD, He is the LIFE
If you have BEEN LIED ON, He is the TRUTH
To the HUNGRY, He is the BREAD OF LIFE & the MANNA FROM HEAVEN
To the THIRSTY, He is the LIVING WATER
To the ASTRONOMER, He is the BRIGHT AND MORNING STAR
To the ANIMAL LOVER, He is the LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH
To the WIERY TRAVELER, He is the GOOD SAMARITAN
To the MACHINIST, He is the WHEEL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WHEEL
To the Burned Out-Wore-Out - HEAVY LADEN, He is the BURDEN-BEARER
To the BUILDER, He is the CHIEF CORNER STONE
To the WORLD LOST IN SIN, He is the SAVIOR
To the LONELY, He the FRIEND THAT STICKS CLOSER THAN A BROTHER
If you are in TROUBLE, HE’S A LAWYER IN A COURTROOM
To the one that is SICK, HE’S A DOCTOR IN A SICK ROOM
If you don’t know what you need, He is the Alpha-The Omega-The Beginning and The End and Everything in between that we need. He is what you need, when you need Him and how you need Him.
He is the KING’S KING, AND HE IS THE LORD OF LORD
Like my momma & daddy use to say; HE’S ALRIGHT
CAN I GET A WITNESS UP IN HERE TODAY? IS HE ALRIGHT? SHOUT YES!!! HE’S ALL RIGHT.
JESUS IS ALL YOU NEED
Jesus, the one they call wonderful, counselor, a mighty God
Jesus, My Friend, My Strength in a time of weakness
JESUS IS ALL YOU NEED
INVITATION
