Transformed to Witness
Acts 3:11-26
Most people think Christians are a group of people who share moral standards and meet at a specific building on Sundays.
They think Christians are formed by meeting with other like-minded people and sharing religious beliefs. But Christianity is something that happens to a person.
If you have received Christ, He has come to live within you by His Spirit and He wants to radically change you.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “Christianity is essentially something that has happened, something that is happening, and something that is going to happen.”
• "Something that has happened":
This not only refers to the events of Jesus' birth, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection but it also points to the time a person received Christ by faith.
• "Something that is happening":
This is the ongoing experience of Christians living out our faith through prayer, worship, community, and applying Christ’s teachings to our lives, as we persevere and mature in Christ.
• "Something that is going to happen":
This refers to the Second Coming of Jesus where He will return as judge, and He will bring about a new heaven and earth.
Something that is going to happen also refers to our continued faith until He takes us home.
Please open your Bibles to Acts 3 as we continue that study.
We have been going through the Book of Acts, and last time we witnessed Peter and John Heading to the Temple to worship.
We discovered the lame man’s ultimate need was not found within the world’s resources, but the Holy Spirit knew this man’s real need was freedom from sin and bondage.
In the same way, we must never forget what God has saved us from. Today, if you are a Christian, you have been changed.
Some of us have a more radical change because of our past, but if you are in Christ, you are a New Creation and as a result, our priorities and desires will begin to change as well.
So, today we will see how the radical transformation of this crippled beggar attracted the people there that day, which provided an opportunity for the proclamation of the Gospel.
I. Give God the Glory!
Read Acts 3:11-12
Solomon's Porch was a covered walkway on the eastern side of the Temple's Outer Court in Jerusalem, named after Solomon.
The people were gazing at this former lame man because something very strange had just happened.
As the crowd wondered what this man was doing walking around, Peter received boldness to proclaim God’s greatness.
Within Peter’s sermon, he asked two very telling questions
1. Why do you marvel at this?
Peter reminded the crowd that the LORD is more than able to perform this miracle, after all, there are thousands of testimonies in Israel’s history about the LORD’s miracles.
• Creation, Abraham, the birth of the nation of Israel.
• David and Goliath
• Parting of the Red Sea and the Exodus out of Egypt
• Manna from Heaven
• Elijah calling down fire and also withholding the rain
Peter was saying, “You know that the LORD is the same yesterday, today and forever. Why are you shocked that He healed this lame man, our God is a supernatural God!”
The LORD always keeps His promises because He is Faithful!
Now that the LORD has changed us, we must be faithful and tell others about these things as well.
2. Why do you look so intently at us?
Peter said he was just a man and shouldn’t be on a pedestal.
Peter redirected their admiration to Jesus, Who is the only One worthy to be praised.
Christian, it doesn’t matter what ministry you are in, the quickest way to lose favor with the LORD is to accept self-exaltation and steal His glory.
Pointing people to yourself and your accomplishments is blasphemy and idol worship! Don’t steal God’s glory!
II. You denied the Holy One.
Read Acts 3:13-16
Notice that Peter doesn’t give a feel-good, Jesus saves, message.
Peter was very bold and explained to them that their sin and rejection was responsible for what happened to Jesus, as Peter gave a three-point sermon.
1. You rejected the Holy One!
Peter directly connected Jesus as the Promised One from the Old Testament. The God of Abraham, the God of your forefathers, Promised and sent God the Son, Jesus!
But the people rejected Him, so Peter held nothing back.
a. The message of rejection is personal.
Peter told the crowd the part they played in crucifying Jesus.
• You handed Jesus over to the Gentiles.
• You refused to acknowledge Jesus as Lord.
• You killed the Prince of Life.
• You demanded a murderer to be set free, in place of Jesus.
Peter gave them an old-fashioned pulpit pounding message.
Peter wanted this crowd to understand what a big deal the crucifixion of Christ was, just as we also need to understand what a big deal rejecting Jesus is.
b. The magnitude of Christ’s death on the Cross.
Peter spoke to this crowd in a language they understood, as he referred to Jesus as the Prince of life and the Holy and Just One.
These are titles of the Promised Messiah, so these Jewish people there that day would know who Jesus was and these things would strike at their hearts.
Peter also reminded them of the mock trial they gave Jesus.
Matthew 27:15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished.
Matthew 27:16 And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.
Matthew 27:17 Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?"
Matthew 27:18 For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy. NKJV
Paul Tripp, “Creation (God made beautiful things), Fall (Sin messes them up) Redemption (God in grace restores) Creation, Fall, Redemption is the plot of the Bible and your life.”
“Our sin dilemma was so powerful and pervasive that ideas and techniques couldn't free us. Our dilemma necessitated a Redeemer!” Man’s dilemma is beyond man’s remedy!”
Peter wanted them to understand the gravity of the situation; they had rejected the Son of God. Then Peter went on to give them the second important fact…
2. Jesus is alive!
They may have rejected Jesus and sent Him to the Cross, but they were unsuccessful in their goal, because He rose again!
a. Death was unable to keep Jesus.
1 Corinthians 15:54-55 "Death is swallowed up in victory. "O Death where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?"
Just as these folks were not able to thwart the plans of God with death unable to hold Jesus, neither can our plans thwart the will of God.
The Cross was man’s last word of rejection, but the empty tomb was the LORD’s answer to their last word of rejection.
The healing of this lame man was one proof that Jesus was alive.
b. Jesus is still active in making people whole!
This lame man responded when the LORD prompted his heart, and the power of the risen Lord filled his body with strength.
This was a demonstration of God’s mighty power.
It is also proof that Jesus is alive and still making people whole.
3. Jesus gives us the faith to trust Him.
Acts 3:16b Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
Ephesians 2:9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. NKJV
Personally: I realize I am partially responsible for Jesus’ death on the Cross, but without the Cross I could not be made whole!
For this particular man, Jesus gave physical wholeness as well as, spiritual wholeness. Which points us to the third fact…
III. The LORD extends grace.
Read Acts 3:17-21
Peter also recognized that some of the rejection of Jesus was not a deliberate act. Even though the religious leaders had deliberately delivered Jesus up to die, some did it blindly.
1. The LORD offers grace for our ignorance.
Some of the people did not fully understand what they were doing, when they asked for Jesus to be crucified.
Even today, a lot of people fail to comprehend the ramifications of rejecting Jesus, but ignorance has its limitations, and it does not excuse you.
If you get pulled over doing 65 mph in a 50 mph zone and claim that you did not know the speed limit, the police officer will likely tell you ignorance is no excuse for breaking the law.
While Jesus walked this earth, He made it abundantly clear who He was, but the audiences that heard Him, especially the Jewish leaders, would not place their trust in Him for salvation.
Even though scriptures predicted their ignorance and rejection, they would not be exonerated without faith in Christ.
Romans 3:21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
Romans 3:22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, NKJV
But there is Good News as well…
2. We have a right relationship with God through Jesus.
Romans 3:24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
Romans 3:25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness,
…because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, NKJV
We are made right with the LORD when we trust in Jesus shed His blood, as He sacrificed His life for us.
Divine generosity is available when we realize our error, confess our sin, and turn to the LORD for forgiveness, then we are instantly made right before Him.
Notice Peter calls for them to repent. We learned before, “The Hebrew verb to repent is to turn and go in a different direction. In Greek, repent is to change one's mind.”
To repent means asking God to give us the power to stop the sin. We do not possess the power to stop sinning, but Jesus does and when we surrender to Him, He will grant us power over sin.
Jesus extends grace to us, but may we never forget the high-cost sin was to Him.
3. Once we have a right standing with the LORD, we are to share Christ.
Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." NKJV
It is easy to talk about sin and grace, but it can be terrifying to be honest and personalize it.
Some of us forget what we have been saved from, so we have a hard time personalizing grace.
Each one of us must recognize that we in effect are guilty of Christ’s death because of our sin.
IV. The history of grace.
Read Acts 3:22-26
As John Jackson has said, “Grace is a powerful concept that is woven into the fabric of the Bible, showcasing God’s boundless love and mercy towards mankind.
Throughout Scripture, we see numerous examples of grace that highlight God’s unmerited favor and His desire to extend forgiveness, redemption, and blessings to His people.
From the Old Testament to the New Testament, the stories of grace in the Bible is prevalent, revealing God’s unchanging character and His willingness to extend grace.”
Throughout history, the message of the LORD’s grace has been the same. The LORD wants to restore His people to a right relationship with Him through Faith.
• The grace message was first told right after Adam and Eve sinned and the LORD promised a redeemer in Genesis 3.
• The grace message was told through Noah, as a warning.
• The grace message was told through Moses, who told of a Prophet (Jesus) who would come and show Israel the way.
• The grace message came through Samuel who spoke of the future kingdom of the Messiah.
• The grace message came through the blessing of Abraham, through faith, and as a result of Abraham’s faith, all the families of the Earth would be blessed.
Each one of these messages of grace from the Old Testament, was actually foretelling of Jesus.
In Acts 3, Peter was telling them that they had rejected the One of whom the messages were told, and that their sin was great.
Ultimately, the Good News for them, is the same Good News for us. We cannot outrun the grace of God, and we need grace to make it, so Jesus died to offer you that grace.
We are actually no different than the lame man in Acts 3, without Christ, we cannot stand on our own. Apart from Christ, every one of us, suffers from brokenness and helplessness.
Apart from Christ we look for satisfaction from sinful things only to be left emptier than when we began.
Only Jesus can make you whole! As followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we must communicate that truth to lost people!
The solution is Christ…He cannot be contained…He is still on the throne…and He is coming again SOON!
Courageously speak about Jesus: He was rejected, suffered, and bore our sin…it’s worth talking about
Courageously speak about Jesus: He is alive, the Cross was not the end of the story, He defeated death…it’s worth talking about
Courageously speak about Jesus: He extends grace, so we can know freedom from sin and shame, and freedom from bondage to wholeness…it’s worth talking about
Jesus is a subject we should share and never forget. May we never forget how He saved us from coming destruction.
Don’t forget who you are apart from Christ and definitely don’t forget the new creation He declares you are now, in CHRIST!
Never forget The Magnitude of Christ’s Sacrifice.
V. Practical Application.
We began with the statement, “If you have received Christ, He has come to live within you by His Spirit and He wants to radically change you.”
Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “Christianity is essentially - something that happens, something that has happened, something that is happening, and something that is going to happen.”
• "Something that has happened":
This not only refers to the events of Jesus' birth, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection but it also points to the time a person received Christ by faith.
• "Something that is happening":
This is the ongoing experience of Christians living out our faith through prayer, worship, community, and applying Christ’s teachings to our lives, as we persevere and mature in Christ.
• "Something that is going to happen":
This refers to the Second Coming of Jesus where He will return as judge, and He will bring about a new heaven and earth.
But Something that is going to happen also refers to our continued faith until He takes us home.
For this crippled beggar, the people knew him to be a man so powerless that every day he had to be carried to the “Beautiful Gate”, to beg for a living.
But suddenly in an instant this man was transformed. And they had no natural explanation for what the people saw.
As we learned last week, the beggar couldn’t earn enough money to go to a special hospital with the greatest orthopedic surgeons, and because of the surgery and rehab, he was healed.
No, there was no such thing, no such thing as physical therapy.
But the people had seen him carried to the beautiful gate that morning and they could do nothing to help this man but give some money to him.
Suddenly - in an instant – this man was walking and leaping and praising God. The man went into the temple with Peter and John, who had stopped and spoken a few words with him.
They saw this man go from crippled and begging to walking, leaping and praising the LORD. This man went from a broken, needy person, to a child of God most High in a moment's notice.
Notice, Acts, 3:11b all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon's, greatly amazed. NKJV
The people reacted to what just happened, and they wanted to know what had happened to this man that so radically transformed him that morning.
Jesus loved this man, and Jesus healed this man.
But this miracle was not the end in and, of itself. Miracles are always intended to point beyond ourselves to Jesus.
This miracle preaches to us about the powerful testimony of a life touched and transformed by Jesus. The LORD did something to this man and for this man.
The people wanted what this healed man received.
The true Gospel is not spiritual advice, it’s the record and the announcement of what the LORD did for us by sending Jesus.
The Bible tells us that God so loved the world that He sent His Son to save us from sin and death by dying in our place for our sins and three days later conquering the grave.
Authentic Christianity is not a system of morality and ethics. It’s not an attitude. Christianity isn’t even a religion.
Christianity is what the LORD does in the life of a man or a woman.
First, He saves us and then He radically transforms us.
2 Corinthians 5:17, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. NKJV
Suddenly you are in a position of fellowship with the true and living God because the thing that separated you from God, your sin, is instantly removed by trusting in Christ.
Then once saved, we become broken hearted over other broken people, and we desire to see them healed and saved.
The salvation of a soul is a miracle that happens in a moment, but the making of a man or woman of God is a lifetime of growth, maturity, and sculpting by the power of the Holy Spirit.
And like the crowd in Acts 3 there’s an attraction when the LORD transforms broken things!
When there’s an attraction to what the LORD has done in your life, point them to Jesus.
Some of us have been more radically changed because of our past, but if you are in Christ, you are a New Creation and as a result our priorities and desires will begin to change as well.
The LORD saved and transformed us for eternal life and a relationship with Him, but He also saved and transformed us so we would become a witness for Christ.
You have been Transformed to Witness!
Live for Jesus so others will praise the LORD for what they see!
