May 17, 2026 - The Way - Acts 3:1-4:4

Listen to this week's message from Dan MacGillivray as we continue our series "The Way."

For further information about Fort St John Alliance Church, check out our website fsjalliance.ca

Our desire is to become a community of people who practice the Way of Jesus together, and through the empowering of the Holy Spirit, live on mission to meet the social and spiritual needs of the world around us. Each week, we gather as a community to worship, learn from God’s Word, and be encouraged in our walk with Christ.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to the Fort St. John Alliance Sermon Podcast. I'm Nate Perry, the youth pastor here at the church. We're so glad you've joined us today. Our desire as a church is to become a community of people who practice the way of Jesus together and, through the empowering of the Holy Spirit, live on mission to meet the social and spiritual needs of the world around us. Each week we gather as a community to worship, learn from God's Word, and to be encouraged in our walk with Christ. In this podcast, you'll hear the latest message from our Sunday service. Whether you're listening from right here in Fort St. John or from afar, our prayer is that God will speak to your heart and strengthen your faith. Let's lean in together as we hear today's sermon.

SPEAKER_00 0:43

Today's scripture reading is Acts chapter 3. Yep, all of it. And a little bit of four. So here we go. One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer, at three in the afternoon. Now a man who was lame for birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, and as did John. Then Peter said, Look at us. So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, Silver or gold I do not have. But what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk. Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. When Peter saw this, he said to them, Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we have made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the holy and righteous one and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses to this. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see. Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders, but this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah who has been appointed for you, even Jesus. Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. For Moses said, The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own peace of people. You must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people. Indeed, beginning with Samuel and all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days, and you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, Through your offspring, all peoples on earth will be blessed. When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless by turning each one of you from your wicked ways. The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and Jane and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. But many who heard the message believed, so the number of men who believed grew to be about five thousand. This is the word of the Lord.

SPEAKER_02 4:21

It's good to be with you today. And as well, I just hope you're, you know, it's such a nice weekend. I hope everyone's just gonna have a great day today and tomorrow. It's supposed to be just beautiful up. Let me ask you a question this morning, just as we get going. How many of you enjoy getting uh recognition from other people? It's okay if you have your hand up, because mine's up. So, like, right, this is a transparent moment, so don't feel like it's uh it's uh you can't admit to it. Um I like recognition. I'm gonna be totally transparent. I like recognition. Um I like it when others think uh decently well of me. I don't know anybody who doesn't want that, actually, right? Who would not have people think well of you, right? And again, this is just me being honest, but this is something that I actually really struggle with. I struggle with the fact that I like recognition, that I like people to tell me that I've done a good job. I like to get credit for the things I've done. I like to take credit for the things that go well. Not the things that don't go well, of course. That's nuts, no one likes that. Um, but right, but but I like that kind of thing. I remember way back in uh junior high school, I was on the school uh volleyball team. And um, you know, I wasn't the greatest player in the team. Like I'm a decent athlete, but I wasn't like the top guy in the team. Mainly because I'm not as tall as I ought to be for volleyball. That's probably a part of it. However, I had a great serve. Like I could serve really well. Okay, just a little bit of a brag. I had a good serve. Um not one of those, you know, kind of like just I mean it'll jump in the air, kind of hit, kind of serve. Like I could not do that, but I could do like an overhand serve really decently, like you know, quite well. Um, just to give an example, I remember there was one game we played where I served it 17 times in a row without them hitting it on the other side of it. Or so I was pretty good, right? And I remember that game because I was like, man, I'm on a roll. Like, I'm probably the best player now. Like, I'm really good, right? Like things are going really smooth that day, right? I remember actually after that was done, right? Because it got to like 0.18 and I missed it. I was like, oh, whatever. And I remember when I sat down on the bench and I remember thinking to myself, at the end of the game, my coach is gonna say, okay, who is the best player on our team? He's going to give some kind of a shout out to that player. And I sat on the bench and I'm like, isn't it obvious who the best player of the game is going to be? Like, it's just, it's clear. And as the game went on, it went down right to the wire, right? Like we were kind of really, really close to losing this thing. And one of the better players on the team, Matt, he's a big tall guy. He's standing at the net. And Matt does what Matt often does. He made a block that totally won the game, and it was incredible. I was like, yeah, Matt, good job, and all this stuff. But he didn't get 17 points in a row, just to be clear. Okay. Matt helped, he did, but he did not get 17 in a row. Now, when the game was over, we all gathered around in a huddle, and the coach always gave a shout out again to the player who was the best on the team that night. And so as he's doing his speech, I can feel my back straightened a little bit, you know, my my head's up, because I'm like, this is my moment. This is this is gonna be a thing. And I remember the coach says, Fellas, I think it's clear who the player of the game was tonight. Me too, actually. I also think it's clear, coach. I thought to myself. He says, Matt, great job tonight. Awesome block. What?

unknown 7:49

Right?

SPEAKER_02 7:49

Like, there was no way he just said that. Rather was he not watching the 17 points that I got in the run of the day. That if I had not actually done that, Matt would not have had an opportunity to actually block that shot. Right? So isn't this actually my win? This isn't Matt's win. I did this, is what I thought. I thought, man, the coach was wrong. I thought about this for days. I remember in the mirror at home looking at him, but man, I'm gonna tell the coach what I think when I see him. Right? Like I had that kind of mentality about it at only 14. I was so upset. I should have gotten the recognition. I should have been praised. I got us to that place to win. Have you ever had a moment like that where you felt that way? Where, man, that should have been my recognition. That should have been me, they're talking about. That should have been that. But you didn't get it. It didn't land on you. Or have you ever met somebody who just loves the spotlight, right? The kind of person who always has to let everybody know in the room what they've done. They're just always kind of talking about them, almost a me monster kind of a mentality, right? Look at what I've done, how much that they have given to others, how much they've done for others, how much they've done for themselves. If you can't think of anyone right now, it might be you, just so we're clear. I'm just kidding, it's probably not you. I'm just kidding, it's probably not you. Today we call this person the uh main uh uh main uh character, right? Uh though in our culture, right? This is a main character kind of person. Everything revolves around me, my story, my image, my recognition, my platform, everything revolves around me. And we see it everywhere, right? We see it all the time online in particular, if you're online, right? We don't just, I mean, a share about our life, but we're showing our life off now. Right? Every time we go for a coffee, it becomes an opportunity for a photo shoot that we can post on Instagram. Life becomes content. Social media trains us to ask, did people notice me? Did I get enough likes? Did people see what I did? It trains us that way. It forms us in those things. And honestly, the mindset spills into everything our relationships, work, leadership, even in the church. Did I get noticed for the things I was doing? Did people see? There's this pressure to stand out, to build a name, to try to prove yourself, to be recognized. The culture pushes this on us all the time to stand out and be different. And here's why this matters, not because this kind of behavior is exhausting for some of us who do it. It is at times challenging as well, but because it is so opposite to the way of Jesus, it's just so counter to how he lived and to how he teaches us to live. Because it says in the world to make much of yourself or to build your platform to be unforgettable. We're told that all the time. But the way of Jesus is so different than that. It's so different, it's humble, it's quiet, it's not super assuming, it's just being. And so just so you know, as I talk about this, this has landed on me big time this week. It's really been felt. I see all kinds of ways this shows up in my own heart. All kinds of ways this shows up in my life. And so we are all in the same boat this morning. If you're here this morning thinking, man, that's me, it's me too. I feel it. None of us have fully landed or arrived yet. And so, what I want to do this morning is dive into the word here and just see Jesus' invitation for what life in him looks like that doesn't self-promote, that doesn't look like it's all about you, it doesn't look like it's all about me. That you and I are not the main character in our story. Jesus is the main character in our story, that we might be formed in such a way that we would, that we could significantly care less about being in the spotlight, that it wouldn't matter near as much, to remember that we live in a world where everybody wants to be worshipped, noticed, and affirmed, but the way of Jesus is that we might learn to decrease as Christ would increase, just as we see John the Baptist say, to learn his way of humility, to walk gently and humbly. And so if you have your Bible, I want to encourage you to turn to Acts chapter 3. That's where we're gonna linger, just as we read here this morning. Just a recap of where we've been. There has been some exciting days in the church early on in the book of Acts. They were, uh it was not too long ago, they saw just you know, such a move of the Holy Spirit all of a sudden, you know, kind of land and fall on them. They saw all kinds of just, I mean, miracles and everything start to play out. They are a giving, kind church. They know how to lead well, they are in the word, they love to pray. This is a church that is really starting to pick up, right? Things are moving. And so as the church gets moving, though, we come to this next scene in the story. In chapter 3, verse 1, this is what it says. One day uh uh Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer, three in the afternoon. Now a man who was uh crippled from birth was being uh carried to the temple gate called uh uh uh beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those who were going into the temple courts. Just to give a little bit of just just having a context of this, Peter and John are doing what they would often do. They would go to pray three times a day to the temple. You go at nine, you go at noon, you go at three. They would do this all the time. They would watch this happen all their time with Jesus. Jesus would do this, they would pray three times a day. This was common stuff. Jesus would have just, I mean, I modeled this to them. It is important for them that they continue to keep up their just, I mean a spiritual just, I mean, of practice and disciplines. And so they are continuing to go for prayer. And like everyone else to get into the just into this the um um the main um um um sorry, to get into the main part of the temple courtyard there, they would have to go through this big main gate, this beautiful, beautiful gate. It was extravagant, this giant gate. It would take about 20 men to open and close it. It was so big and thick, made of all kinds of materials, just this, I mean, a beautiful gate, just as it's called. And so if you were lame or sick, this is where you would go if you could get there. This is where you would go and sit. This is where you would go and stay. Because they knew that this would be the place to go and get resources. This is where you would get money. This is where you might even get food, as those who are walking in might decide to give to you. All the people going in and out are most likely fully aware that they need to care for the poor. It says that in though it actually says that though too like an Old Testament law. It says they have to care for those in need, they have to care for those who are poor, those who are sick, those who are lame. And so they knew that it made sense to sit outside that gate. They knew that there would be people that would care for the poor, that would care for the marginalized. This is just, I mean, it's something as well, just just just I mean, for Jesus that he modeled all the time. He cared for the poor, he cared for the marginalized. So if you are in need, knowing that they have to help you because you have to obey the law, where else would you find yourself? You would sit outside of this gate. Everybody walk into the gate, it's an opportunity to obey the law, to do what it says. And in a time where to be holy and mature looked like what you did on the outside for a lot of people, you would want to give because it looks good going in. It looks holy, it looks spiritual. For this man, he was there every single day. Someone would take him there every day to wait for money, to rate for resources, whatever he needed. That's what it says in verse 3. It says, when he saw uh Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. He said, Look at us. So the man gave him his attention, expecting to get something from him, right? He is anticipating, because he gets this moment all the time. He looks at him, expecting to receive something. But remember, John and Peter are seeing the world incredibly differently now than how they probably used to see it. They see it through a different lens. These are guys who are totally empowered by the Holy Spirit. They are on the move, they're seeing things differently, looking to see where God is at work. How can we join him in the work that he's doing? Right? This is what's going on. Where others have walked past this guy hundreds of times, and even Peter and John have probably walked by him a couple times today already. Right? They have seen him. Many people notice him sitting there. But rather, Peter just looks at him, as does John, and they lock eyes with him. This guy is now expecting something, so he looks back at them. And I love what Peter says in verse 6 silver or gold I do not have. But what I do have, I'm gonna give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk. Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them to the temple courts, walking and jumping and praising God. Just imagine this moment in your mind's eye. Peter just looks at him and says, Silver and gold, all the things that you are used to getting, all the things that you think you need, all the things that you think will help you. I don't have any of that. We have none of that. But what I do have, I'm gonna give to you instead. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk. Wow. Right? The church is not wealthy. They are not rolling in it, right? But what they have is better than anything that this man is asking for. What they have is far better than anything he ever thinks he needs on this side of eternity. They say what we do have is so much better than what you're asking for. They have what he truly needs, the transforming power of Jesus, the work of the Holy Spirit. Let me just say something here. One of the greatest traps that the church you and I could ever fall into is starting to think that if we just had more resources, we could do more for the kingdom. This is one of the a huge trap that we can fall into. If we just had more money, if we just had more staff members, if we just had more ministries, if we just had a better sound system, if we just had a new building. Now, don't get me wrong. There is nothing inherently wrong with any of those things. God can use all of that, He does, He can, He will, He will continue to do that. But our heart towards them, how we think the church will grow, matters significantly, and this is why this passage matters for that. Here's a quote from a man by the name of uh John uh Corson. Throughout history, whenever the church has traded uh uh uh uh purity for uh prosperity, she has lost power. Resources can be helpful. But whenever we start to believe that resources are the primary way that the kingdom breaks out, we have lost the plot, friends. If we if if we actually think that that is all we need, even maybe not all we need, but most of what we need, we are missing out on the beautiful expression of what it is to be the church, that we have something far better than silver or gold. We have we actually have something far better than a building, we have something far better than a sound system, far better than anything could ever offer. We have Jesus that is all the church truly needs. And so Peter and John know this, right? That they have this gift, they have this power, they have what they can give, and they are stewarding what they have, they are seeing what's inside, they know what they have, and they are offering it. The same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in them, and they are giving that away freely. That's what they have to offer. They say, you can have what we have. Let me ask you this question. For those in the room who have maybe been in church for a long time, maybe you've been with Jesus for a long time, or a short time even, are you stewarding the gift that He's given you? Are you stewarding the deposits of the Holy Spirit? Last week we talked about what it means to be generous. Are you practicing generosity with the Holy Spirit? Are you offering that up where you go? Are you extending that to others or are you hoarding it? Because it is possible to hoard the Spirit. Did you know that? Right? That you might just say, you know what, this is all for me and not for anybody else. But rather, we are invited to give him away. It's this beautiful picture. To practice generosity with the Spirit, to bring his kindness, his mercy, his compassion, his patience, his power. Wherever you go. You see, all the fruit that you and I bear from the Holy Spirit is not just for you and I to enjoy privately. That's not the point. Others should be able to see it, others should be able to experience it. On you. Right now, let me be clear. Jesus still cares about the whole person. This is not what this text is saying, that he doesn't care about all the external factors going on with this man who's sick and lame. He's not saying that at all. We are to be generous with everything we have, especially the Holy Spirit. We are to be generous with the deposit we've we have. And so in this moment, though, Peter makes this bold ask of this guy. He says, In the name of Jesus, stand up. And what does Peter do? Peter reaches his handout to pull this guy up. Now think about this for a moment. How vulnerable is this for Peter? Right? Because now we're going to put this to the test. Because now I've said that, but man, now you've got to actually get up. That's a whole nother story, right? It's one thing to say it, right? I don't know about you, but every time I pray for someone for healing, I have that moment of anxiousness of like, oh, what if kind of idea, right? Pretty nervous moments. Because in our minds, we somehow think that we have to make this happen, right? That we have to try to draw this moment out. But Peter knows he has nothing to offer. He's got nothing. But instead, he has the presence of Jesus. He has the Holy Spirit. And he invites them into that moment through the Spirit. And this man whose feet and ankles to this point have been totally unusable. It says he walked. He leapt. He jumped. He walked into the temple courtyard. Everyone looking at him as he is just overjoyed in this moment. Some even thinking, didn't I just give that guy change about 10 minutes ago on the way in here? And yet here he is now, just overwhelmed, praising God with all that he is. And then in verse 11, while the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished. And they came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. This is a big long hallway that has this kind of almost kind of like a thing over top of it. It's just beautiful, beautiful picture within the temple. Now understand something. This is a crucial moment for the church and for Peter. This kind of hinges at this moment in the story. It could go a couple different ways here. Remember, the entire, just right when it comes to Peter's story, his entire arc is about him being seen as a man among men. He wants to be a leader. He has tried to push himself that way. He has always wanted others, especially Jesus, to think well of him. Peter loves recognition. Peter loves praise. We have seen it in him all throughout his time in the Gospels. This was something that not only Peter struggled with, but all the disciples struggled with this, their own insecurity, constantly fighting for position. Where do I sit next to Jesus in heaven? Where is that going to be? One of their mums shows up to try to dispute the argument. It's this, right? Like they care so much about where they sit and who's looking at them, what they're being looked at for, who's going to be the greatest in heaven, who gets to sit beside Jesus. And coming off the heels of this major moment in the church where 3,000 people come to Jesus after Peter preached, after the Holy Spirit fell. Understand that this moment now for Peter is not just this beautiful moment of healing for this man at the gate. It is a formational moment for Peter and for the church. Because he has an opportunity to do one of two things. He could either take all the fame for himself or he could point back to Jesus. Because just like today in our culture, Rome at the time loves to give praise to people of power and influence. They love people who get stuff done. They love people who can gravitate other people towards them. You can move up the chain of influence there in that culture and that society based on what you had to offer. And right now, Peter has a ton to offer. He has high currency. He is a man on the move, and he is doing things from the outside looking in. He has a lot to offer. I honestly think the most dangerous moment here for Peter wasn't before the miracle, it's actually right after it.

unknown 26:22

Right?

SPEAKER_02 26:23

That's the most dangerous moment. From the moment he grabbed this man by the hand and he pulled him up, and suddenly the man is walking, leaping, praising God. That had to be a huge temptation for Peter. A huge temptation because how easy would it have been for Peter to start believing that he is the main character of this story? Right? That this moment is about him. How easy would it have been for him just to be like, man, did you guys see what I just did? Right? You guys watching that? Man, oh man, God's really using me, isn't he? Isn't that incredible? We should probably get that on video next time, right? We should probably post that. Maybe it's time to launch Peter Ministries International today, right? Let's get going on this stuff. Or let's get moving. You can imagine just, I mean, yeah, you know, he he could go off on a tour for speaking, he could post things on social media, branding. There's so much that Peter could do in the moment. But what's amazing is that Peter does the exact opposite. Peter does the exact opposite. He immediately turns the attention away from him and on to Jesus. Says this in verse 12. It says, when Peter saw this, meaning when he watched this man stand up, when he watched him shout, when he watched him leap, he said to the men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness? Meaning, as if I had anything to do with it, that we made this man walk. At this critical moment for Peter for the church, where he could have started to believe his own height pointing to himself and come and totally lost the plot. What does he do? He turns the attention right back to Jesus. He says, Man, this had nothing to do with me. This had nothing to do with me. He says, Men of Israel, why are you surprised by this? Have you forgotten who God is? Right? This is the same God who he decided this to right? Sorry, this is the same God who just, I mean a part of the Red Sea, same God who provided just, I mean a manna in the wilderness, the same God who used the shepherd boy with a sling to slay a giant. That God did this. The same God. Here's his point. He says, this isn't about us. This is about what God does. This is about who God is. Our God has always been a God of power, mercy, and miracles. Time and time again. Instead of using the moment to elevate himself, Peter uses this moment to remind the people of the greatness of God. This is a formational moment for Peter, but not only for him, this is a formational moment for us today. It's a moment where we read this with fresh eyes and we start asking, what would I do if I were in Peter's shoes? Would I take advantage of the moment and start to pitch me? Would it be about what I have done? You know, just for a moment though, too, like think about this. You can walk into a room that is crowded with all kinds of people having all kinds of conversations around you, right? A busy, busy room. But the second someone says your name, what do you do? Your ears perk up, right? Everybody does. Everybody is listening for themselves. We are wired to notice ourselves. Did you know that? Right? We love it way too much. And we love it in our culture. That's why everything gets just, I mean, yeah, personalized so often. We live in a world that is obsessed with being noticed. We want to be seen, we want to be affirmed, we want to be applauded. It's all about us. But scripture cuts through all of that. Jesus cuts through all of that. We see this in Isaiah 42. It says, I am the Lord. That is my name. I will not give my glory to another. He does not share. He doesn't share that. And that's sobering to remember, isn't it? Right? That it's all his. But Peter shows us a different way, one of humility. When the crowd stared at him after the miracle, he immediately redire he immediately redirects their attention. He says, I am not the main character. Jesus is. But then Peter takes this moment to hit some things home a little bit further. He he just begins to preach again. He just begins to tell all the good news of what Jesus has done. In verse 13, it says, The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the son of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed. You disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the holy and righteous one and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And he says, We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see. He says, Jesus did this. Jesus healed him. The same Jesus that you've known about, the same Jesus that you disown, the same Jesus that you exchanged a murderer for, the same Jesus that you were willing to let go to the cross. He says, That Jesus is the one you missed out on. You missed out on him. And let me just say this quickly. It is fully possible to have been in the church your entire life and still miss Jesus. Did you know that? You could be in these seats day in, day out, every week, all the time, and you can still miss Jesus. You can still miss out on who he is, what he's done, what he's done for you. To miss the life that he's extending to you and I. To know about him but not actually know him. It is possible to like his way, but not actually practice his way. It's fully possible. You know, I was chatting with a friend this past week and he said to me, Dan, what the church, what the larger global church really needs is to just stop liking what Jesus says and to become like him instead. That we just stop liking everything he says and start becoming like him instead. Peter didn't just like what Jesus said, he was being formed and changed and transformed to become more and more like him. And that happens when the Spirit has even more room to work in us and through us. You know, Peter goes on to say, I know you acted in ignorance, but there is a way forward for you. He says to everyone listening to verse 19. Here's the way forward: repent of your sin and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord. He will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah, for he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through the holy prophets. Peter says this. He says, It is time to change your mind about Jesus. You have thought one way about him, now you need to think this way. You have to change your mind. You have to change your mind about Jesus, change your mind about you. It's time to turn from your sin, to admit that you're a mess. It's saying, I'm sick and I need healing. I am spiritually dead, I need to be made spiritually alive. Peter isn't saying get your life together and then come to Jesus. He's saying you've got to change your mind about who he is and about who you are. And in doing so, you are renewed, you're restored. And as he says in this language, you are refreshed. That's what that language means. This isn't just looking to the forward refreshment of when Jesus comes back, but this is a now refreshing. This is a restorative, redemptive, I am changing you from the inside out. You don't have to come change. He says, I'm going to do that. I'm going to change you in all the ways you need to be changed. You may have heard it said before that to actually follow Jesus is a crutch for those who are weak. I love this quote from uh John Quarson puts it this way. It is a crutch, he says, but it's also a wheelchair, a hospital bed, a uh uh uh surgical team, and an ambulance. It is everything that we need. It is everything that we need. And as Peter continues on this sermon, he weaves this mastercraft of scripture. He references back to the Old Testament 11 different times in this sermon just to point back to what they already know, just so we can point forwards towards Jesus. And then at the end, he says this. He says, God raised him up so that you might turn from your wicked ways. In other words, so that you might change your mind, so that you might change who you are, so that you might change the way you think, that you might think and see the world in a different way, that you might be redeemed, renewed, restored. All these things. It's so that you and I can turn and be formed into the person that Jesus wants us to be, to completely change who we are. Following Jesus is actually about changing everything about you. He is not just something that you add on to the side and think, well, that's good enough because now I go to church on Sundays and I know I'm going to heaven one day. It is so much more than that. He is inviting you into a life that looks completely different from the one that you used to live. It is changing everything about you. It is realigning everything in your life to line up with what Jesus does and says. It is a full shift and transformation. It is not just adding and thinking, well, that's good enough. It is subtraction. It is changing, it is letting go of who you were, who you are, and embracing who Jesus is. To be conformed to his image. And so what happens after Peter gives this big sermon, right? You would think that there's going to be this huge applause, everything's going to be great, it's going to be good. What does it say in verse 1? It says the priest and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming to Jesus the resurrection of the dead, which not all of them agreed with in that whole group of people. They seized Peter and John. And because it was evening, they didn't go to trial meeting. They put them in jail until the next day. After all that, they get to go to jail. After all of that. They embrace who Jesus is. They decide to follow him. And even though Peter and John suffer for it, they know something deeper that that entire moment, everything that happened from the moment they walked into the gate, from the moment that they're here to preach, from the moment they go to jail, none of it is about them. It's all about Jesus. It's all about him. You know, I um in my role, being able to speak clearly is important. I've learned this my whole life. I've watched this first in my uh grandfather, you know, who was a pastor for years, my dad who's a pastor, my brother's a pastor, cousins who are pastors. It's kind of a family thing. Not one I wanted, but it's a family thing. Um, but I'm surrounded by people that I know and love that can speak really well. That can speak really clearly. Not only them, but there's all kinds of people that I listen to that are fantastic, fantastic communicators of the gospel. They can share Jesus like no other. And I compare myself to them all the time. All the time. And if I'm honest, I am jealous about the recognition they get sometimes, about the things that they hear from other people, about how gifted they are, how much they speak, all these all these sorts of things. Because when I speak, I stutter. It does not always come out the way that I want it to, it does not come out perfectly. I have many days where I will only think about the times where I stuttered rather than all the words I said when I didn't. That happens constantly. Because something inside of me just wants to feel like I can get recognized. If I'm honest, this is just me being totally transparent, off script, actually. I want that sometimes. This is an area where the Lord is forming something in me deeply because I struggle with this, I struggle with not being like others, I struggle with all those sorts of things. But here's what I do know. Because I struggle with this, that if I were to speak clearly all the time, I would be so tempted to point to myself. I would be so quick to do it, I think. Every time that my speech doesn't come out right, I always remember in this gentle moment, every time I'm up here, I hear Jesus say it to me. He says, Dan, it's not about you. He says, it's about me. It's about me. I know that it's not about my name, it's about his name. His strength is perfected and it is seen in weakness, and I am grateful for that. It has taken a long time for me to come to that place where I feel like I'm okay, even though I still struggle, even though I still wrestle. It's about him and what he wants to do. And here's what I want you to hear this morning. I'm actually going to put the band up here at this time. God wants to use you. But he needs you to get out of the way. He needs you to move to the side. He cannot use somebody who thinks that it's about me. What he can do is he can use somebody who says, it has nothing to do with me. It has everything to do with Jesus. So, how do we respond? Right? What does the Lord maybe ask us to say? What is a practice? I love spiritual practices. One of the ways in which we all need to be formed deeply is in our ability to be humble, in our humility. And so I've got a few ideas here just to kind of maybe have you wrestle with this week, maybe even start this week, in order to practice more humility, because Jesus is looking for people who walk humbly, people who are willing to say, I don't have it all together and it's not about me. The first way is through uh confession, right? Confession is a great way to be humble. Not only with God when you're just when it's only him, just to share and confess your sin. That is a humbling moment where it's just you and him. It is even more humbling when you decide to confess to somebody else. When somebody knows the things about you that only God knows about you. That is a quick way to walk closer to Jesus in a humble way. Right? So, this is a practice I want to encourage you to do. Maybe it's something you can do at home even later today. Maybe just sit down on the couch with the Lord and you say, you know what? I it's actually been a while since we've chatted about all the things in my life that aren't right, and I just want to share them with you. Or maybe it's to actually sit down with maybe somebody else for a coffee and say, you know what, there's some things going on in my life that I just need to share with you. Because I need someone else to hear them.

unknown 41:59

Right?

SPEAKER_02 41:59

So that's one practice through confession. Here's another one, celebrate others. Learn how to celebrate others, point to other people instead of yourself. This is a great way to start to practice humility. That we might, instead of looking to what we have done, that you might be such a fan of other people. Here's even a challenge to be a fan of other people that you struggle to get along with. To really be like, man, they're doing a great job at work. Man, they're doing a great job in their home. Man, they're doing a great job with you know, whatever it might be, right? But you would start to celebrate other people, start to encourage them. And then lastly, is this one don't have the last word. Don't have the last word. There's a story that uh John Orperg tells when he went to go visit a friend, uh, Dallas Willard, he was actually teaching in a seminary, he went to his class, and it was right at the end of the day, and so he's at the very top of the room, this huge, massive classroom, all these kids in seminary learning there from Willard, all these things. And they're in the end of the class, which meant it was time for uh question and answer. And so this one kid gets up, asks a question. He didn't like the response he got back from the teacher, Dallas Willard. And so this kid goes on this rant for about four or five minutes and just starts to blast Dallas Willard for all the things he thinks he's doing wrong, all the things he's saying wrong. And Willard is just calm, he's cool, he's collective. And John Orfberg is up in the back and he's thinking, man, just wait till this kid is done because he's just gonna get obliterated. Right? Like he's really gonna hear it from Willard. And so this kid finally gets done to his big speech, and then he looks at Willard Willard, just stands there for about 10 seconds, takes a deep breath, and just says, I think that's good for today. And then just said, let's be done. And so for John's up in the front, he's thinking, man, what are you doing? Like, why wouldn't you do that? So he goes down to the front, he goes down there to see Dallas Willard. He says, Why didn't you lay into that kid? Because he was wrong. He's totally wrong. And Dallas Willard says, I am learning not to have the last word. So many of us need to learn not to have the last word, to even be wrong. It's okay, even when you're right. That we would start to train ourselves in such a way that we would point away from us. That's the whole point of that kind of a practice. It's that it would point you away from you and having to get the last word in and having to always be right. So those are a few practices. Here's what I know, church. I know that we are being invited into a beautiful expression of what it means to follow Jesus. And what it means is that it's not about you and me. That every opportunity we get is an opportunity and an invitation to point back to how great Jesus is, not how great we are. So I'm gonna pray for us. So Lord Jesus, thank you for this morning. Lord, thank you for your word. Thank you that it is sharp and active, that it is alive and well, and that it cuts to the very core of our souls and it reveals to us the things that don't line up with who you are. And Lord Jesus, I am the first in the room to share and confess this is an area of my life where I still need to continue to be formed. Lord, I want to be molded to look more and more like you. And Jesus, I am sure that I'm probably not the only one in this room that would say that's the case about themselves. So even just right now, in this just a moment of silence, just want to encourage you here, just with your eyes closed, your heads bowed, just to take some time, just to share and confess where your heart is maybe not in alignment with Jesus here. That maybe life has been all about you. Maybe you love recognition, maybe you love praise. I want to encourage you, just even now with Jesus, just take a moment and just to share and confess that with him and to change your mind. To repent of it. Lord Jesus, I pray that you might make us into people that look more and more like you, that we might be humble in the way that you are humble, that we might not look to ourselves and think it's all about us, but we would rather point continually back to you, that every good thing we have, every good gift we get comes from you. And anything that we might do comes in your strength and power. That we might be known as a church that looks so radically just, yeah, that does not look the way that the rest of the world looks. That we would seek to walk humbly, that we might decrease, so that you might increase. So, Lord Jesus, thank you today for your word. Thank you again today for the invitation to life in you. And we just ask these things in your name. Amen.