Message 9 - The Church - Surprised?

Acts 3:11-23

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Given us to thank you, gathers your people, is your church to sing out your praises. To remind our hearts of who you are in the midst of times of trouble and triumph. That you're the same God. You are great. You are stronger than our fears and our anxieties and our depressions. You are stronger than death. So, Father, help us to lean into that. Help us to trust you. Give us the grace to trust you even more than that. Father, we give you this time. We place our attention and our hearts. At your feet, that you would work through our lives, that you'd work through this message. We sang those reminders that you're working in us. We thank you for your work. We thank you for your spirit. We thank you for your son. He's provided away. So now we give you our our our minds and our attention. Knowing you move, we brought us in your sweet name. Amen.

SPEAKER_02 2:13

And again, we have a couple young people that are going to be baptized if uh you've been kind of weighing it over and uh you just you're trying to think it through. Uh your follower of Christ, uh, it's something that I would encourage you to to at least talk to me about. So give me a call this week or let me know after church. We can whatever, we can sit down and and uh uh but uh that should be a really great and family time that always is a good time. Bring kids, bring your swimming suits, and you can after the baptism, and uh you can spend some time playing in the water and just we'll have a good time together. Uh looking forward to that. Okay, we're we're back, and we're in Acts chapter three, we're back to where we left off last Sunday. We last Sunday I uh preached a message called Low Expectations, and uh uh just uh things that uh I think that so often we just don't understand what God's offering us, and so we have low expectations. Perhaps the other side of the coin are things that when it comes to God surprise us. Uh that I I'm not we shouldn't be surprised by, but but we are. Uh and so uh just we're gonna I think uh see that today uh in as we look at the scripture. Uh so Acts chapter 3, uh look down to here's where we were. We came down to verse 12, and this is where we left off. When Peter saw this, he said to them, Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Uh and I think it's a good question for us. Uh, and we're gonna, I think, walk through that and talk through that this morning. Uh you all didn't get the opportunity to ever meet my mother-in-law, uh uh sweet, sweet lady. There are a couple of things about Mary, though, that slightly annoyed me. I suspect, I suspect her list for me was longer, but uh just there are just a couple of things. Uh one was she had some superstitions that that I'm not a superstition person, and and so they drove me crazy. For instance, uh uh, if you one of her superstitions was if you spilled salt. Now, back in the day, oh, this is back, I wasn't eating real healthy at that particular time. Salt and me were best friends. Uh, I'm one of those guys that uh it didn't matter, you hand me a plate, I didn't taste it. I knew it needed salt, and I put salt on it, and I've gone away from that in and these days, but back then I ate it all the time. And so just the law of averages if you're using salt that buttons, you're gonna knock the salt shaker over once in a while. And so I would. And first time I did it in front of Mary, she grabbed the salt shaker and she sent salt over her shoulder. And I said, What was that all about, Mary? And she says, Well, you know, when you spill salt, it it is bad luck unless you take the salt and throw it over your shoulder, and then it takes away the bad luck. And I was immediately irritated, and uh, and so from that point on, every time I'd spell salt, I knew what she was thinking, and I'd grab the shaker and I'd hold on to it. I know when I walked out of the room she grabbed it and threw salt because she's gonna take care of her son-in-law, but uh so it's one of those things that irritated me. There was something else that was a mild, mild irritation, and then that was uh some of the things that uh she would uh uh would thank me for. Things that uh they they weren't unusual. And like, for instance, you know, if I'm walking to the trash carrying stuff and I would drop something by accident before I got there, and and I would pick it up, and obviously, and I'd walk over and put it in the trash. And and then Mary would do this. Oh, Paul, thank you so much for doing that. And I'd go, mmm, sigh, because like there's not what's unusual about that. That's just that's what a person is supposed to do. And uh, but for some reason she just wanted to make sure that she was grateful that that I did it, and uh, and that just and that was just a mild irritation to me that that she was surprised that I would pick up my own trash after myself. Well, I think uh if it that there are some things maybe that God He doesn't get irritated with us, but I think things that He's he would say to us, you're surprised that I that I can do that uh and that I've done that. Uh and I think one of those, and we see it in is this what we just looked at last week, where where God through Peter uh took this man who had been crippled since spirit birth, he was born crippled, and and he heals them. And and Peter watches the people, and he and we see this response uh down in verse 12. What why why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we made this man walk? Why is this a big deal to you that God can do that? And I think Peter actually, there there are two initial concerns that he has here, and and and I think we need to address the this morning. Uh, one is just the idea that they were surprised that God could do this. Uh, and and he says, you know, I you shouldn't be surprised. Uh based on the things that you have just seen God do in the in recent months and through the past three and a half years with Jesus' ministry, the fact that this can happen through the power of God should not be a surprise to you. Uh and and I would think the same for for us. There's so many things that happen, and I think we're we're so surprised, and these God says, Why are you surprised at that? I the way I love you, the way I care about you, uh uh shouldn't be a big deal. I I had something happen this just this week. A while back, I had the opportunity to talk to man about the about his relationship with the Lord, and it was a really good conversation, and I and I felt that he really really got it and and responded to it, and I gave him a Bible and got him, told him where, you know, to start reading it in the book of John. And then I've watched and things have just kind of gone backwards. I mean, it uh just in his life, and and so a couple weeks ago we had a message conversation and it didn't go well, and so and I haven't haven't talked to him since. But I pray for him every day. I pray for him. And it's interesting in one of my prayers, God brought in as I'm praying for him, God dropped that, remember the passage in, I think it's in John actually, where uh Jesus is talking, he says that that people in response to Jesus are often like uh seed that has fallen on these different kinds of soils. And so he talked, and and and there's this one soil, he says, it's kind of like seeds that have fallen among these rocks. And the troubles and distractions of life uh move in, and before the seed can actually take root, uh they they they distract them, and so that so they never take root like they should. And God, as I'm praying for this guy, God brings that passage to my mind. So yesterday, I turn on, I you know, I get look at my phone first thing in the morning, and there's a message from this guy, and here's what he says Paul, been reading the Bible, which I didn't know you've been doing that. Been reading the Bible. Do you think I might be the seed, my faith might be the seed that fell in the rocks? I'm going, wow, Jaminy. And I think God would say, Why are you surprised about that? You know, I'm I'm working, I it's not up to you to make this guy convince this guy of what's going on in his life. You know, it's up to me, and and he's doing it. So that's the first thing is Peter, don't be surprised uh at what God's doing. Second thing is is I think is a concern that he has the concern, and and it comes up is that he's afraid then that the fact that that of what as the people have watched God use him to do this miracle, he's concerned that the audience might in some way think that he and John had something to do with the miracle, and and start giving them credit for what God has done. Uh and I think this is something to take note of, uh, both in in our observations, maybe uh as Christians, uh, and leaders that we follow and things like that, and even in our own life. Uh when God come when it comes to God's amazing power being displayed. Remember a couple weeks ago I shared with you, maybe it was last week, I can't remember, that you know, when I was asked to speak at the church growth conference, and and for a couple of days, as I'm I'm thinking that the growth that we'd seen in our church had something to do with me, and then God all of a sudden reminded me it had nothing to do with me at all. I was I was totally off base to think I had something to say about that. And but I think it happens a a lot, uh, and and it's a concern, it's a danger. Uh, I you know, there are a lot of the a lot of the very popular pastors, and not all, honestly, we have some really, really godly sharp public pastors on TV and radio, and and and just I'm so grateful for them for what they do in my life. But there's a few out there that, you know, they've been very popular, and and uh and I see them kind of sucking up the popular, you know, the yeah, I kind of, you know, yeah, it's pretty cool what I did, isn't it? Yeah, this is it's pretty, and I think it's a that's a real danger. It's a danger for pastors. I can not I can tell you it's it's it's a and then I think it's a danger for us individually to that we forget sometimes the grace of God. Uh honestly, that that uh you know whatever we have going for us is is because of the grace of God. Uh it is a gift. Uh uh we we take we just take it for granted. The roof over our head, the bills that are paid, our health. Uh, you know, I you know, I've I and this is uh I've been has been a regular conversation with individuals, and you know, get talking about this, and I'll say, God, so God is so gracious, and and I and I'll get a comeback of, well, yeah, but I mean I work hard. You know, the the reason I have a house and pay the bills is because I get my butt out of bed every morning and I go to work. And and be that kind of, and I'm and it's like I'm it's kind of like, oh, that's so far off track. Don't you understand that the fact that you can get out of bed in the morning, that you have health to even do that, is is the grace of God. And when we lose track of that, we are we're in a very dangerous people place. And even when, you know, it's uh sometimes we can on that side, and then on the other side, is sometimes we go through these really, really troubling times, and then it's it's easy to forget. Even those troubling times, those hard times are again the grace of God. Uh, you know, some of you can look back and you and you can give testimony that though those those hard times where they they drove you to your knees. And you look back now and you say, God, I'm so grateful for that time because you reminded me of how so desperately I needed you. So they're all for our benefit. When God allows something to come into our life, it's always for our benefit. It's it's always out of his grace. And and we need to keep track of it. And so Peter, as he's talking to these people, says, Don't look at me. First of all, don't be surprised that God can do this. Uh uh, and secondly, don't look at me. It has nothing to do with me. I uh in fact, I'm I'm I suspect kind of what we talked about last week. Peter's thinking, man, remember me two months ago? I was denying that I even knew Jesus. Uh I was cursing the fact that people were trying to connect me with him. And so don't look at me as if if these are things that I are happening because of me. No, that they are, you shouldn't be surprised, but this is God. God is doing this, and that's we need to recognize that that is where this is coming from. But you know, here's what struck me this week as I was studying the passage, and and especially as where we where Peter goes next. I don't think the miracle is the big deal. I don't think it is the significance of this passage. I could see myself, you know, I walk, I'm walking up to church, and there's a guy out here and he's crippled, and and uh, you know, and for some reason I have dare to have the faith in God to say, you know what, I don't have anything to give you. But here, stand up and walk, and then to see God do that. And I can see myself saying, Okay, well, that's a good day's done job done. I'm going home. I'm gonna end on a high note here. I'm gonna, you know, and and uh uh and I think it's maybe easy to look at this and think, wow, that is such a huge thing, what God has done. And it is, it is, no doubt about it. But I think what happens next is the bigger deal and something else that we really need to grab onto. Because let's go to verse 13 and just follow along as I read, starting in verse 13. Uh so Peter says, Why are you surprised? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we've made this man walk? Now, notice what happens. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, he reminds them uh Jewish audience, and he reminds us them that we're we're talking about something that has been prophesized. Uh we knew it was coming, and this Jesus, this Messiah, we've been looking for it. This is this is just this is not new stuff to you. Uh so of our fathers has glorified his servant Jesus. This is what God has done, and he told us it was gonna happen. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate. Okay, that gave that opportunity. Pilate brought it and brought Jesus out and said, I don't see anything wrong with this guy. He's done nothing, certainly nothing that deserves the death penalty. And and so I'm giving you an opportunity. We got we could the custom is we can I'll release someone. So let me release Jesus because there's nothing he doesn't deserve. And they said, no, we don't, we want him to be crucified. Release Barabbas, Barabbas had caused some all kinds of problems, we won't go into because of his rebellion and things he had done in in uh uh in through the Roman government, and a lot of Jews had been published, punished because of his action, but they said, No, let go of Barabbas, crucified Jesus. So uh you handed over, you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided, though he had decided to let him go, you disowned the holy and righteous one. He was holy, he had done nothing wrong. He was righteous, and you disowned him and asked for that murderer to be released to you. You killed the author of life. You killed the Son of God, who the scripture has declared is the one, the creator, the author of life. You killed him. It was under your words that he was killed. You killed the author of life. But God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this by faith, by faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It's Jesus that this happened in Jesus' name, and the faith that comes through him that this has given that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see. So he says, This happened through the same power that you saw demonstrated in Jesus' life, the innocent, righteous Jesus, who uh because of your words you condemned to die and asked to be crucified. Uh it's because of what his power that this is that you've just seen take place has happened. Okay, but here's what I want us to grab on to. And I and I say that miracle is as as big a deal as it was, it was not the big thing. The big thing is this that Peter understands that the miracle was simply the setup, the the way to grab the attention of the people to share the most important message, and that is they need Jesus. They need Jesus. And and you and I need Jesus. Uh in fact, just read on a couple more verses, verse 17. Now, brothers, I know that you acted in an ignorance. I didn't understand all you were doing as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled that he had what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent then and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out and the times of refreshing may come from the Lord. The miracle was the opp the setup to the real opportunity. This is what the people really needed to hear. The miracle caught their attention and reminded them who God was, especially what gave Peter an opportunity to remind them of who Jesus was. But the bigger deal here is now Peter can share with the people in the crowd that have gathered, and it's because of what has happened, and remind them that they needed Jesus. And why I bring that up, you know, uh I think about the guy that's just been healed. Uh he he after all these lies, I don't know exactly how old he was, but since birth he's been crippled, and now he's been healed. He's gone to the temple, he's celebrated. We talked about that last week. He could have walked out of the temple and got hit by a camel and killed. He had a few hours, but I mean that it's a big deal. But what is really going on here is God is setting the stage for Peter to share the good news. And you'll see that with Peter and the apostles from this point on. They're there they're always watching for opportunities to share about Jesus. Uh when Jesus in those final hours, uh, you know, he spent, he'd been gone to the cross, been crucified, rose to the dead, he spent 40 days with his followers, and then they're right at the end. They're in the Mount of Olives together, and Jesus is getting ready. In a few moments, he's gonna be going back up to the Father. And right at that moment, at the very end of his time with them, he pauses and and Matthew recorded it. He right he says this to this people, he's looking out of this audience, about 120 people, because uh we know they go back to Jerusalem then, and and then which led into the the day of Pentecost, which led into this study. But so they're gonna he says his final words, he looks at these people and he says, Okay, I want you to go and make disciples. And making disciples means I want you to tell people about Jesus. And when they respond to the good news, help them to grow in their faith, know how to how to continue on their faith, which is what exactly what the apostles did. And then when they responded by trusting in Christ, baptize them, which is what we're gonna do next Sunday. Uh for those who are followed that want to be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit, we're gonna do it that way. Okay, teaching them to obey. That's that's part of that's how we grow. Uh everything I've commanded you, and surely I'll be with you always to the end of the age. Uh so. The point here, and I think it's very important, is that we have a responsibility, and Peter recognized this. He recognized that as big of a deal as that the crippled man is, what it really is done is it's set up an opportunity for him to tell people about Jesus. And I and I'm I'm mentioning that because then Jesus said to his followers that day, which applies to us, he says, here's your job, here's your responsibility. Look for opportunities to share Jesus. Uh in the mornings when I get up and I've shared with us before uh I first I go down and get my cup of coffee. In fact, I really made a mistake because we have one of those coffee pots that you know you put the whole beans in, and then so it grinds the coffee and makes and then goes right, the water pull rolls over the newly ground beans into that pot. And I learned a long time ago that uh I don't let the pot fill up. I'm there ready with my cup, and when it gets about a third, which is about a cup full, that's the cup I poured into mine, and it is the best taking coffee you'll ever taste in in your life. The mistake was I'm always up earlier than Mary Lou. That's you know, almost always. But a couple weeks ago, she was gonna be doing something with grandkids, so she was gonna be up earlier than me, so she was gonna be the one that pushed the button to grind the coffee, and I said, Let me tell you something. I've never told you before, but if you will get ready, and I told the whole process, and when that's about a third full, you're gonna taste the best coffee you ever tasted. I don't know why I shared that information with her. But anyway, so but back, so I get my coffee and I and I go down to my chair. I have my chair and my Bible beside it, and I I spend drinking my coffee and and and I and this is my prayer every morning. It starts off like this Father, today I want to be godly. I want to be godly, and don't let me miss an opportunity to share with you with someone. I think, I suspect, that if we end the day, and this is just Paul, I'm not I'm not pointing to scripture, uh, but if we end the day and we can't think back to any opportunities we had to point someone towards our God, we missed something. That's just my suspicion. And it's not always words, sometimes this, it's sometimes it's just our life by responding to a given situation, whatever it might be, in a way we know that would honor God, and and and and not everybody would want to would do that because they don't wouldn't worry about honoring God, but we do, and so it might be, but but I think there are a lot of opportunities that I suspect that God gives us to actually talk to somebody about our Lord, and and and we just miss it because we aren't watching for it and we haven't prayed about it, and and and that and I think that's what we're gonna see. And in fact, throughout the rest of the old New Testament, we're gonna see that the apostles, the followers of Jesus, they understood that responsibility to be watching for those opportunities to share Christ. And and sometimes God will do things, you know, where you have somebody and you can tell they're having a rough day, and and you just have this inclination in your heart, you need to, you know, ask them about it. You having a bad day? Uh yeah, I am. Could I pray for you? Yeah, I'd you know, you'd be surprised. And and then you walk away and you realize, oh God, you set that up. That was an appointment. Divine appointment you had set for me. And I think I think based on the Great Commission and based on what we see happening here, this is Peter recognized that the miracle, the healing of the man, that's a big deal. But the really big deal is that now God has set the stage for me to tell these people about Jesus. And I think it's a major point of what we're seeing here. And then one other thing, just as we we draw to a close, is I I have a concern at times, and I'm not always as direct about mentioning that concern, but you know, it's really easy for people and to have to draw a conclusion that every that I'm okay with God because I'm a good person. Uh and and uh and I and I think one of the the bigger biggest dangers is is uh uh and I hope that's not the case of anyone here, but of churchgoers, you know. We they come to church and say, well, you know, how are you and oh I I'm good. I'm God and I are good because I go to church every Sunday and you know, uh take my Bible with me, and or you know, whatever. I heard a uh young pastor that I live listened to his podcast, and he was talking about an older pastor that I also listened to his preaching, and he said, and he mentioned, he said a while back, he says, I heard this pastor uh recently uh say say something that I felt was one of the coolest things he'd ever heard the young pastor saying about the older pastor. And he said, I heard this pastor uh he he said, he's preaching to his church, and he said to his church family, he said, if someone were to ask you when you die, how do you know you're going to heaven? How do you know that you're gonna spend eternity with God? He said, if you answer if your answer is anything like this, well, I you've missed it already. I did this, I did that, I prayed a prayer. I no, it's not it the the only right answer is he I'm going to heaven because he, Jesus, went to the cross and paid for my sins. And that's all I got to offer. So we sit in church, and if there's any chance that anyone here is fooled into thinking I'm a good person, I go to church, I you know, I I serve, I and and that would be that's in your perspective, that's what's gonna get you there. Uh no, it's not. It's not. It it is not any of those things. Those are wonderful things to do, and especially if you're a follower of Jesus, to do because you love him, but but what's going to what has gotten you or will get you in right relationship with God is accepting the fact that he paid the penalty for your sins, and you've ex and you've asked him to apply that death to your sins. In in Jesus' time, there was a a uh thinking that went around that Jesus addressed, and that was they had a perspective that that rich people uh uh that had kind of the easy life, that was a sign of the fact that God had blessed them and that they were good with God. And if you're poor and struggling, it was a sign that you were not good with God, you'd done something wrong, and that and uh uh and then Jesus came in, he turned it on the head and said, No, you know what? The truth of the matter is this rich men have the hardest time of them all connecting to God because they're convinced, just like you are, the people are that I'm already good with God. Uh can't you see? And he says, That's not that's not what it is. It's about what they have done with Jesus, and that's with us too. So, two things that I want us to take away this morning. Number one, as you move into every day, look for all those opportunities. Uh look for what God's doing around you. Things that you that open a door for you or I to share Jesus. Because that's that's our mission. That's our commission, that's what he's asked us to do. And secondly, make sure, make sure that you aren't coming to True North Church every Sunday sitting here and thinking, you know, I'm I'm a good church, I'm a good person, I'm a good dad, I'm a good mom, I'm a good whatever. So I'm good with God. That's not what it is. I'll never do it. Have you invited Jesus to apply his death on the cross to your sins? That's the only thing that matters. The only thing. That's right. Thanks, Father. Maybe a wake-up call? Just as we look at this passage and and and Peter's response, why are you surprised to these people? He shouldn't be surprised that God can do this kind of stuff. He does it all the time. He's shown it through his son. And now we dig in and the apostles, and we shouldn't be surprised when God does things in front of us and around us that demonstrate his power, but we also should be ready when he does those things to point the people to who did it. Thanks for the opportunities you're gonna give this church family, the folks sitting in this room, in the week ahead. We're gonna have opportunities to to through either our lives and the way we respond to things, or more importantly, through our words, talking to them about you, you're gonna give us those chances because that's why we're here. That's why you left us. Uh, you're providing for us, you're taking care of us because we're on a mission and and you supply our needs so that we can fulfill the mission to share the good news. And I just pray that we take that responsibility very seriously. And I'm Lord, if there is someone here this morning who needed once again to hear, they just they have not yet responded to that offer of forgiveness that you're putting out there because of what your son did on the cross. I pray that this is the day they respond. This is the day they say to you, they acknowledge to you, Lord, I am a sinner and I do need a savior. Please forgive me for my sins based on what Jesus did on the cross. And the Bible says when we do that, you adopt us and your family, you give us eternal life, and we have that as our future. Thanks for that wonderful, wonderful news. Pray these things now, Lord, in your son's name. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 32:56

Church, let's close last chorus here.