The Journey: Following Jesus through Acts (3)
Scott Bayles, pastor
Scripture: Acts 3
Blooming Grove Christian Church: 7/9/2017
If you were with us the last couple weeks, you know we began a ten-week journey through the book of Acts. The very first followers of Jesus weren’t what you might expect. None of them had any seminary training. They didn’t belong to the religious elite or sit at the tables of governors and kings. They were common folk. Most of them had blue collars and calloused hands, and there’s no evidence that Jesus choose them because they were smarter or nicer than the guy next door. The one thing they had going for them was the willingness to take a step when Jesus said, “Follow me.”
The book of Acts chronicles their stories as they continue to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Last Sunday, we zeroed in on a snapshot of the early church just a few days old. What we discovered there in Acts 2 was a pattern and model for us to follow today. The first church was all about gathering together, gospel teaching, goodwill toward those in need, and glorifying God through prayer and praise. This four-fold focus provided the early church with guideposts to help them stay on course throughout their spiritual journey. And it can do the same for us.
As we reach the third chapter of the book of Acts, it begins with the compelling story of events surrounding a seemingly insignificant beggar outside the temple gates. Because this story fills the whole chapter and spills into the next. I’d like to break into three segments. The first part of this story centers on the healing.
• THE HEALING
The story begins as Peter and John head for the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service. Luke writes:
“As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money” (Acts 3:2-3 NLT).
The gate was called Beautiful. The man sitting beside it probably wasn’t. He couldn’t walk. Instead he had to be carried to the Gate each morning. He passed his days coveting the coins of the worshippers entering Solomon’s court. The simple beggar saw the apostles, lifted his voice, and begged for money. They had none to give, but they still stopped. Luke says, “Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, ‘Look at us!’” (Acts 3:4 NLT).
Peter and John locked their eyes on him with such compassion. They issued no embarrassed glance, irritated shrug, or cynical dismissal but an honest look. The disabled man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” (Acts 3:6 NLT).
Then the thick, meaty hand of the fisherman reached for the frail, thin one of the beggar—a holy helping hand. Peter lifted him toward himself. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. Luke writes, “He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them” (Acts 3:7 NLT).
Can you picture it? An old man radiating joy, leaping into the air, and clicking his heals together. A beautiful moment at the Beautiful Gate. It makes me wonder though. What if Peter said, “Since I don’t have any silver or gold, I’ll just keep my mouth shut and avoid eye contact”? What if he thought, “This guy’s just a con-artist. He’s probably not even crippled”? Or what if Peter was just so caught up in getting where he was going that he didn’t even notice that guy?
Thankfully none of that happened. Rather, Peter extended an honest look and a helping hand—and it changed a man’s life. Couldn’t you and I do the same?
Sure you might not be able to heal broken bones or atrophied muscles, but neither could Peter. Peter didn’t heal the man. Jesus did. The question isn’t what can you do, but what can God do through you? There are harassed and helpless people all around us; it could be friend, a relative, a neighbor, even someone in the pew in front of you. I think more than anything God wants us to be a vessel for him to work through—to reach out to hurting people with a sincere heart and a strong hand. In so doing, God can work in their life through us.
And boy, did God work! Luke writes, “All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded!” (Acts 3:9-10 NLT). That brings us to the second part of this story—the homily or sermon.
• THE HOMILY
As bystanders crowded around the healed man in amazement, Peter recognized this as a teachable moment. So he seized the opportunity to address the attentive crowd and began preaching a mini-sermon, including three noteworthy points (if only he’d alliterated them).
Peter’s first point: Jesus deserves all the glory. He starts off saying, “People of Israel, what is so surprising about this? And why stare at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or godliness? For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of all our ancestors—who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this” (Acts 3:12-13 NLT).
Peter wanted to make it clear to this Jewish crowd that this miracle wasn’t the product of personal power or godliness. Rather, this miracle was the handiwork of the very God they claimed to follow—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The miracle also had a purpose: to glorify Jesus! All the credit, all the applause and accolades belong to Jesus. It’s all about Jesus.
After twenty-centuries of church-going we still need reminded of this. Pop culture and psychobabble tell us to make ourselves the center of the universe in order to be happy. Even some churches have communicated the false idea that God exists to give us all that we selfishly want. The truth is—it’s not about us; it’s all about Jesus. My struggles are about Him. My sorrows are about Him. My successes are about Him. My story is about Him. It is through this shift in thinking that we can truly live an unburdened, happy life. But that’s not all Peter has to say.
Peter’s second point: you are responsible for Jesus’ death. Peter suddenly changes his tone, saying, “This is the same Jesus whom you handed over and rejected before Pilate, despite Pilate’s decision to release him. You rejected this holy, righteous one and instead demanded the release of a murderer. You killed the author of life…” (Acts 3:13-15 NLT).
Jesus’ execution wasn’t an event of the distant past. It happened right there in Jerusalem only weeks before. Most of the people heard about it, some may have even participated in the trial or witnessed the crucifixion. While it would have been easy to blame the evil empire of Rome, Peter demanded personal accountability. He told them point-blank that they were responsible for Jesus’ death.
While we may not have been among the mob shouting crucify him, the same is true of us. Jesus died for your sins and mine. Thus, all of us have blood on our hands. Ultimately, the entire human race is culpable for Jesus’ death on the cross. Thankfully, Peter didn’t stop there.
Peter’s final point: faith in Jesus can change your life.
Peter transitions from guilt to grace in a single sentence. “You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead” (Acts 3:15 NLT). Then he tells us what to do about it: “Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes.” (Acts 3:16 NLT)
Faith in Jesus changes everything. Faith in Jesus’ name transformed this disabled man from helpless to happy. And it can do the same for you. And maybe in the back of your mind you’re thinking, “Not me. I’m too far gone. I’ve made so many mistakes. I’ve got so many doubts and fears and regrets. Jesus couldn’t possibly change my life.” This man had been crippled for forty years. For forty-years he couldn’t walk. Instead he dragged himself through the dirty on his knees. Now, he’s walking, leaping, and praising God.
Thanks to the beggar’s healing and Peter’s homily, Luke says, “the number of men who believed now totaled about 5,000” (Acts 4:4 NLT). How exciting it must have been to see that kind of growth. But there’s one more part to this story. Following the powerful healing and passionate homily, Peter and John experience the harassment.
• THE HARASSMENT
If you’ve ever agreed with the phrase “no good deed goes unpunished,” you can probably relate to Peter and John. While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they were confronted by the priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and some of the Sadducees. These religious leaders were very disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people about Jesus and the resurrection. So, they arrested them right on the spot and, since it was already evening, put them in jail until morning.
The next day the Jewish High Council met in Jerusalem. Luke mentions that Annas the high priest and Caiaphas were there—these were the two principle conspirators who orchestrated Jesus’ execution. They brought in the two disciples and demanded, “By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?” (Acts 4:7 NLT). Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them:
“Rulers and elders of our people, are we being questioned today because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead… There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:8-12 NLT)
Peter spoke faithfully and fearlessly even in a life-threatening situation. What if, when threatened by the Sanhedrin, the disciples had abruptly changed their story and backed down? How credible would the gospel have been after that? The fact that they stood strong in the face of severe persecution gave their message more credibility. Likewise, when we make the daily decision to do what is right, when we stand up boldly for Christ against a hostile culture, people take notice. They look closer at our lives and listen more carefully to our message.
Peter and John shared the gospel and ended up in jail. That’s not likely to happen to Western believers today. But still there are risks in trying to win others to Christ—being misunderstood, rejected, ridiculed, ostracized, stared at, whispered about. We might be willing to spend a night in jail if it would bring five thousand people to Christ, but shouldn’t we also be willing to suffer for the sake of one lost soul? Whatever the risks, remember that nothing done for God is ever wasted. And no matter how great the risk, the reward will certainly be greater.
While Acts is a record of powerful sermons, astounding miracles, and the rapid spread of the Christian church, it is also a reminder of the truth of spiritual warfare. Whenever believers are seeking to impact their culture, whenever the gospel is preached in power, wherever the church is growing and making inroads, the enemy stirs up fierce opposition. Persecution is the proof that the gates of hell are being stormed and that spiritual captives are being set free!
The Sanhedrin couldn’t deny the authenticity of the healing of the beggar. They all knew him and it was obvious to everyone that a miracle took place. So they release Peter and John with one stipulation: never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. Peter responded, “You decide what God would want. Should we obey you or God? We cannot keep quiet. We must speak about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 3:19-20 NCV).
We’ve been so blessed to live in a nation where we can speak freely about Jesus without fear of prison or penalty. But my prayer is that each of us would have the same courage and confidence that Peter and John displayed not matter what kind of harassment we might encounter.
Conclusion:
What amazes me about this story is how one seemingly insignificant moment—one seemingly insignificant person—could make such an impact. The healing led to the homily which led to the harassment. But it all hinged on Peter and John noticing a person in need. Hundreds of people walked passed that disabled beggar without even giving him a second glance, but not Peter and John. They noticed him and reach out to him. And because they did, thousands came to faith in Jesus, lives were changed and Jesus was glorified. If we will follow in the footsteps of these disciples, the same will happen again.
Next week, we’ll continue our journey through the book of Acts.
Invitation:
In the meantime, maybe like the beggar by the beautiful gate you’re just waiting for someone to notice you and reach out to you. If that’s the case, I’m glad you’re here and I’d like to help. You can talk to me after church, call me at home, or come forward now while we stand and sing.
