LORD – LIFT US UP
Text: Acts 3:1 thru 8
We were told in Acts 2:43 that many signs and wonders were done by the apostles. Many of which were not written in the Bible. Some of those “signs and wonders” involved Peter and John.
Here, we have record of one of them.
Peter and John’s personalities were (I’m sure) quite different. Peter was often loud and overbearing, whereas, John was more patient and caring. I find these two interesting to be working together.
Sometimes that kind of match up occurs within the ministry of the Lord. You never know who you might be placed with to do the work of the Lord…
But perhaps John, known for his love and mercy, was more compassionate to Peter. In that, Peter failed Jesus with his denial of knowing Him.
Perhaps John wanted to help restore Peter in the spirit of meekness.
At any rate Peter and John went up together to the Temple. It is always a good thing to go up to the temple:
I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.
Consider this: Some people make it a habit to go to the mall with a close friend. Two friends will enjoy going somewhere or anywhere together for the day.
Then let me ask –
Why shouldn’t good friends want to go to the house of the Lord together?
Why wouldn’t someone want to bring their friend to church? I would only hope that it would be even more enjoyable than going shopping together.
Peter and John had probably been doing a lot of things together and walking together. But this walk to the House of God would be different.
As they enter the Temple through the gate known as “Beautiful”, they see something that is not very beautiful.
Peter and John see a poor lame beggar laying at the gate. He has been placed here everyday of his life to beg for alms.
This would be a pathetic situation for anyone of us. I can only imagine what it must be like to never have been able to walk. Growing up helpless and never to have been able to play games with the other kids. Always being dependent on everyone else.
The Bible tells us that he was “lame”.
The Greek word used here is actually “Cripple”, and is also used in the NIV.
Not a very nice word for our day and time is it? Whether or not the Bible is politically correct with the society of our day and time is not important.
Maybe God isn’t too concerned about being “politically correct”.
But then I see something much more troublesome with this story than a poor choice of words.
What I see that is important is the spiritual implication of this story. What I mean is - without the mercy and salvation of Jesus Christ, anyone and everyone would be no different than the lame man.
We all come into this world completely helpless and spiritually crippled from the moment we take our first breath of life.
Every boy and girl brought into this world is born spiritually lame. And they will continue to live this way everyday of their life until someone comes along and presents the Gospel of Jesus to them,
This story portrays for us that our sin nature has caused us to be spiritually:
· Without strength,
· Lame from our birth,
· Unable to work or walk for God.
As with many of the stories from the bible, we do not know all there is to know about this man who was lame.
But it was not many weeks before that the blind and the lame came to Christ in the temple, and were healed there.
1. Why wasn’t this lame man healed?
2. Why did he only ask for alms from Peter and John?
3. Why didn’t he ask for a miraculous healing from the disciples of Christ?
Regardless, Peter and John probably knew something about this lame man that we don’t.
They knew what this man needed.
Instantly, Peter and John responded with what needed to be done. HEALING!
They said, “Look on us.”
This is very important for those who need their healing or their salvation today. Our eye must be looking towards the Lord.
We must come to God both to listen to His Holy Words of healing and salvation, and, as well, to look up to heaven and expect to receive your miracle.
Responsive Reading - Psalm 121:1-2
1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills-- from whence comes my help?
2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
Peter and John did not have money to give, only the miracle to –
1. Heal this man of his disease
2. Deliver him from the bondage of being a beggar.
Consider this: What happened to the lame man was something I’m sure he would have gladly paid any amount of “silver and gold” for. Amen?
Listen church. The healing (for your body) and the deliverance (from your poverty) that God has for you is something you cannot buy.
And you cannot afford to miss out on!
God’s healing is priceless and it is always supernatural. Your healing is very expensive for God to give you. God gave to us His only begotten Son so that you and I could have our healing.
You cannot buy it, nor can you afford to miss it!
Unfortunately, there are some who simply do not understand how much healing is worth. What do I mean by this?
There are some who will come for prayer and the anointing of oil and will pray and believe God for their healing.
At the altar they seem to be full of faith and convinced of what God has done. Everything is fine. They lay their sickness right at the foot of the cross.
But as soon as they walk out the door of their church, they begin to doubt the healing they just received.
They will make statements like, “I just don’t know what I am going to do if I don’t start feeling better…”
· They begin to talk about how they hope the prayer worked for them.
· They pick back up their sickness they just had everyone pray for.
Suddenly, the expensive healing that God just gave them has been discounted and has little or no value to them.
Is it any wonder why we find our selves praying over and over and over for the same healing?
The fact is many of us are spiritually lame in our healing and deliverance.
This is one more of the many reasons why we need God and we need each other so much. This is why the lame man needed God and the care and compassion of Peter and John.
In our story, I see the weakness of mankind.
But I also see the care and compassion of the saints of God for one another!
Look again at verses 6 and 7.
Right here, I have to ask myself in amazement.
“Who are these guys? The Peter and John I see here in Acts three is not the same mediocre disciples I saw in the Gospels of Matt, Mark, Luke and John. Something has radically changed them. What has become of Peter and John?”
Here is my answer -
On the Day of Pentecost, power came down from heaven (Acts 2).
The power of God turned despairing doubters into dynamic disciples.
They had received the promise of the Holy Spirit and were filled with power from on high.
But power for what?
1. Did they receive the power of God simply so they could feel good about themselves?
2. Did they receive the power of God to just keep it to themselves?
No! They received the power of God to –
1. Energize them to be witnesses for Jesus Christ in a lost and dieing world.
2. Enable them to reach out and touch human need and share the liberating truth of the Gospel of Christ.
It’s all about personal caring for people. We must never be content to sing "Standing On The Promises" while all we are doing is sitting on the premises.
Pentecost is to enable us to reach out and touch others, and to bring them their healing!
And that is what Peter and John had begun to do.
Peter spoke to the lame man and told him - “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.”
And then Peter extended his right hand to the lame man, and helped him.
There are two things that took place here.
1. God’s Word commands us to rise up, and walk in the way of his commandments.
2. But (our response is) to make the effort for our healing.
If we are to experience our healings, we must exercise our faith with God’s Holy Word of commandment.
We must do what we can, in spite of our ailment.
When we do what we can, God has promised us His grace to enable us to do what we cannot.
When we closely examine the man who was lame, we can see that it was his feet and ankles that were healed.
His legs may have been ready and just waiting for this healing to take place.
There obviously was an effort made by the lame man with the use of his knees and legs.
Remember that God always uses something from us to accomplish His miracles.
1. The bread was multiplied in the breaking of the bread.
2. The water turned into wine in the pouring out of the water.
God will often require an effort on our part for our healings.
Our story tells us one more thing that was important.
Read verse 8.
The lame man was now a healed man of joy and strength. He didn’t hang on to his illness for another moment.
This healed man did not need any –
· Assistance from anyone anymore.
· Alms for his living.
· Sympathy or recognition from anyone.
· Went right on into the Temple to worship and praise God.
His healing was entirely for the glory of the Lord. And that, my friend, is exactly what God wants of us.
The man who could not walk could now leap!
The lame man received much more than a healing. For the first time in his life –
· He could walk.
· He had real everlasting joy.
· He had a real reason to worship God for.
If you know that God has healed you from being “spiritually lame” and delivered you from being a beggar, then you too must stand up straight and tall. Do this with the dignity and praise that is due the Lord for what He has done.
We must leap for joy for what the Lord has done for us.
This is a statement of our faith in what he has done.
And this is our first act of worship after our healing and deliverance.
