Years ago, I learned this cute little camp song. If you know it, sing along with me.
“Peter and John went to pray – they met a lame man on the way
He held out his palm and asked for an alm – and this is what Peter did say
'Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk'
He went walking and leaping and praising God
Walking and leaping and praising God
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.”
(The song is almost word for word from the KJV of Acts 3)
“Such as I have - give I thee”.
What we’re going to talk about today is what Peter had…
But first, let’s review the story – the church had just kicked off a couple days earlier on Pentecost, and these had been exciting times. There had been the sound of a rushing wind, tongues of fire settling on the Apostles, and then the Apostles began speaking languages they’d never learned. As a result – that day about 3000 people repented of their sins and were baptized into Christ.
Now, it’s just a couple days later. Peter and John are on their way to the Temple to pray... just minding their own business. And then … this happens. This lame man begs for alms from Peter and John and Peter (of course) heals this man. This lame man hadn’t asked to be healed. In fact - he hadn’t even asked about Jesus. All he wanted was a few coins to help him pay for a meal or two.
BUT Peter heals him! Why would he do that? Why heal a man who hadn't even asked to be healed? Well 1st – this man was LAME. He had an obvious need. Peter said to him “Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have – give I thee.”
Now that would be cool wouldn’t it! Just to reach out and touch the sick and the disabled and make them well! That would be great!!!! I’ve often said – if I’d lived back in that day… the gift I’d loved to have had would have been to heal people. But what is interesting here - is that this is one of the rare times in Scripture where Jesus or His disciples healed anyone who has not ASKED to be healed. Now, Jesus did do that once or twice in His ministry, but this is the only time I remember an Apostle doing it.
Usually you had to WANT to be healed for this to happen. But not this time. This guy’s not looking to be healed. He’s not even looking for Jesus. He’s just looking for a little pocket change.
So… why does Peter even offer to heal the man? I’m convinced this wasn’t Peter’s idea. I’m convinced the Spirit prompted him to do it (just like at Pentecost). And I believe that the Spirit did what He did to draw THIS crowd - just like the He drew the crowd at Pentecost.
Did you realize you have the SAME SPIRIT inside you that Peter had inside of him? In fact Romans 8:11 says “…the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you…” Now granted we can’t do all the cool stuff Peter could do (he was an apostle) BUT that same Spirit can prompt you and I to do things, just like He prompted Peter.
ILLUS: Years ago when I was young and foolish I would pick up hitch-hikers on a long trip from Bible College to my internship in Sault St. Marie, Michigan. Every time they got in the car I’d be praying for an opportunity to discuss Jesus. But I was a little on the shy side and asked God to start that part of the conversation. Without exception – had long discussion my passengers.
NOW I want you to pay close attention to what Peter said to this lame man: "I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you." Acts 3:6
Peter is saying I DON’T have any money… but I DO have something!
There are people in churches that say - if I could only do something like Peter or Paul, or one of those other great men/women of Scripture then I could REALLY serve God. If I could only just heal somebody like Peter did, or if I only could speak write like Paul did, or if I only had a few million dollars that I could give to missions - THEN I could do something for God!!!
But that’s not what Jesus said. Jesus said: “Let YOUR light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
Jesus was saying shine YOUR light. Shine with what you have, not with what you don’t have.
Peter could have told the lame man… I don’t have any money so I can’t help you. But that’s not what he said was it? He said "I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you."
The question I want to ask you this morning is this: What do YOU HAVE? You may not be able to sing or teach or give 1000s to missions - but God isn’t looking at what you can’t do or what you don’t have. All God wants to know is… what do you have that you’ll use for me? Someone once observed: "God does not ask your ability or your inability. He asks only your availability." (Mary Kay Ashe)
One of the beauties of this church is that there are so many people doing so many things for God that I kind of feel like I’m preaching to the choir by preaching this. Preaching to the choir is telling the choir that it needs to sing, when that’s what choirs do! And to preach that you ought to do things for Jesus… well, many of you DO give of yourselves to Jesus. Many of you are available to be used by God.
But I suspect there are a few in here that don’t do much for Jesus because they don’t think they have much to offer. So here’s a little quiz to help you evaluate your abilities:
• Can you cook? Take some food to a shut-in. It is a well-known joke here that when we have carry-in dinners I can be counted on to make some Mac & Cheese. Do you know why I always bring Mac & Cheese? It’s because it’s the only stuff I know how to cook! I do what I can to contribute to the carry-ins.
• Can you drive? Volunteer to take people to Church or Wednesday night JAM, or Sunday Night, or to Bible Studies. I don’t care if you pick up perfect strangers on the street and bring them – just bring someone to a place where they can hear about Jesus.
• Can you write words on a paper? Then write notes of encouragement. Or you could write what I call MFC letters (Missing From Church). You could write letters to people who’ve missed church for a few weeks asking if everything is alright and if you can pray for them.
ILLUS: In the first church I served, I remember visiting one particular woman in the nursing home. She had had a stroke and the right side of her face and body were paralyzed. One day I came to visit with her and found her sitting at a little desk writing notes. I asked her what she was doing and she replied that she was writing notes of encouragement to her friends back at church. She was doing what she could.
NOW… don’t miss this: Peter did what he did for Jesus. Peter said “In THE NAME OF JESUS Christ of Nazareth – rise up and walk!” Peter deliberately gave credit to Jesus. He wasn’t doing this glorify himself or to feel good about himself. He did what he did for Jesus.
Did you realize that when you and I do what we do for Jesus that we have a promise. It’s found in 1 Corinthians 15:58 “… be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord YOUR LABOR IS NOT IN VAIN.”
ILLUS: Have you ever heard of John Wooden? He was perhaps the greatest basketball coaches of all time. He coached the UCLA Bruins to more college basketball championships than any other NCAA coach in history. One of his secrets to success was that he encouraged his players to acknowledge assists. If one player received a pass that allowed him to score, Wooden wanted him to give the other man a wink or point to him as they moved down to the opposite end of the court.
That’s what happens in heaven when you acknowledge Jesus in your good deeds. In Luke 12:8 Jesus said “I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God”
Isn’t that cool? Every time you do something nice for others and ACKNOWLEDGE Jesus, Jesus is winking at you. He’s pointing at you. Jesus is mentioning your name in front of all the angels. I don’t care what you may do of any worth on this earth – you can’t beat the glory of Jesus mentioning you in the courts of heaven!
Again, Peter didn’t just do what he did FOR Jesus… he did what he did to BRING people TO Jesus. The lame man that they healed was so excited that a crowd gathered and then Peter said:
“Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant JESUS, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know.”
“Don’t look at us (Peter was saying)… look at Jesus. Anything I may do, I’m doing it for Jesus so you’ll LOOK AT HIM!” But why? Why did Peter want the crowd to look at Jesus? Because Jesus could offer something that Peter could never give. Jesus could give people forgiveness for their sins and a time of refreshment from Heaven. That’s one of the greatest gifts man could ever receive – and Peter intended for his audience to be able to receive that gift.
ILLUS: Too often churches don’t seem to realize that. It’s almost as if they think they exist for the sole purpose of being a club. I once knew a Preacher who said he’d applied to a church that offered a healthy salary. But when he met with them in the interview process, they had a stipulation: they didn’t care about having NEW people come to church. They were paying him to take care of THEIR needs (hospital visits, etc.) He told me he didn’t pursue being their preacher after that.
Peter had a congregation of 3000 members… and yet he tells these folks: “… I know that you (crucified Jesus) in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. REPENT therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…” Acts 3:17-19
Why did he say that? Why did he try to convince them to turn to Jesus? Didn’t he have a big enough congregation already? Well, no. Peter was never going to be satisfied with the size of his congregation as long as there were people still lost in sin. Peter said what he said because he understood that his primary mission was to bring people Jesus. And (in the same way) the church’s primary mission is to bring people to Jesus. Any church that doesn’t understand that doesn’t deserve to exist.
At the beginning of this sermon I asked this question: WHAT DO YOU HAVE? Peter had said: “Such as I have give I thee.” He gave what he had. So - what do we have? Well, we have the same Spirit Peter had, we have unique abilities that God can use, and we have the same message Peter had.
It’s important for us to understand that, if all we end up having to show for ALL our activity here is a pretty building and paved parking lot, we haven’t got much to offer. Now we do have a pretty building and a paved parking lot … a handsome preacher (I struck a pose) but all that is unimpressive next to the one of the greatest messages of all time. THE MESSAGE? That Jesus offers us a chance to undo our past through the sacrifice of Jesus.
Someone once wrote this short poem: “Though you cannot go back and make a brand new start, my friend. Anyone can start from now and make a brand new end.”
Notice that Peter tells us this offer of a new life does have a catch: Peter said “REPENT that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” We have to admit that we’ve failed. That we’ve sinned. That we’ve fallen short. That we’ve messed up. And then we’ve got to make the conscious decision to turn our lives around for God. Because if we don’t… we won’t have a brand new start. Repentance is a major key to salvation. Without repentance we cannot be saved. But when we are willing to make that choice, there IS a place to start again… that place is with Jesus.
ILLUS: I’m on Facebook and on one of the preacher forums I recently read this interesting question:
“Suppose there’s someone who wants to be a part of your fellowship. A non-believer. This person says they are looking for community and they love yours. They’re committing to be at 90% of worship services; they’ll join prayer meetings and will pray. They’ll commit to clean living, volunteerism, and daily devotional times. They look like the ideal member, with one snag—“I want the community and am willing to jump in whole heartedly. But I don’t believe in God. I want to, but I’ve read too much Carl Sagan and spent too much time watching science shows on TV. I can’t make myself believe, but I want to be a part of this community. I’ve read the Geisler books you gave me, and he seems intelligent, but I still can’t bring myself to believe.”
The post ended with this question: “How would you counsel such a person? How would your church treat him?”
Ok. Let’s start with a couple of questions: Could this atheist become a member here at this church? Of course he couldn’t – he’s an atheist. You’ve got to be a Christian to become a member here. But, if he walked through that door, how would you treat him? Would you welcome him? (yes) Would you pray with him? (yes) Would you take him out to eat or make sure he has food at the carry-ins? (of course we would)
I was a little shocked by one of the preachers who responded to the post by saying this:
“I would say that he or she should go join a club.”
Seriously? He doesn’t want this guy in his church? How sad is that?
The problem for that preacher is that he doesn’t realize the power of the last thing I’m going to tell you about this morning. The last thing I’m going to mention that YOU HAVE! We’ve noted that we have the same Spirit as Peter had, we have unique abilities that God can use, and we have the same powerful message Peter preached. But we have one more thing that gives us an advantage. Do you know what that “one more thing” is?
(I held up a Bible) This is that one more thing. This is more than just a Bible. It’s the Word of God. Hebrews 4:12 tells us “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
There’s POWER in this book. Power to change lives and convict souls. Apparently that preacher doesn’t believe in the power of God’s word to change people. But we do. I’ve seen people like that atheist come to our congregation, and over a period of time – because we hammer away at the Bible in the pulpit in the classroom – that folks either are convicted of their need for Christ and become Christians… or they walk away because they can’t stand to listen to it any longer.
But you see… this Book is what you and I have. It’s a book that holds the very power of God’s word to transform lives. And because we believe in that so strongly here – I’m not worried about an atheist coming through that door. I’m not concerned if a prostitute comes and sits beside you. I’m not upset if an adulterer, or a homosexual, or a…well, you name it. It doesn’t make any difference because the power of God’s Spirit and the power of His written word make all the difference.
INVITATION
