WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:05.679 So we're back making our way through the book of Acts here going into 2018. 00:00:05.839 --> 00:00:12.880 We were with some family this past week, and my brother-in-law asked me what he asked me every year this time of year. 00:00:13.119 --> 00:00:15.519 He asked me what are your goals for the next year? 00:00:15.759 --> 00:00:18.000 And he asked me this because he's a goal person. 00:00:18.160 --> 00:00:19.280 That's who he is. 00:00:19.359 --> 00:00:31.600 And some of you are that, you're directed, you're motivated, you love that, you love to define in some goals to reach, and then others of you are like me, and all of that gives you a lot of anxiety. 00:00:31.679 --> 00:00:38.320 Even the conversation about it creates a lot of anxiety within me that just kind of feel restrictive in some way. 00:00:38.560 --> 00:00:58.000 So I told my brother-in-law, you know, well, I guess I have some things I I want to do this year, and I kind of engage the conversation and list off a few things, and then I asked him what his goals were for the year, and he was ready because he's a goal-oriented guy, and he had them defined for his body and his soul and his spirit, which is great. 00:00:58.159 --> 00:00:59.840 Some of you probably have that going on for you. 00:01:00.079 --> 00:01:04.799 This overwhelm me, made me feel like I needed to get my act together a little bit more with my whole goal setting thing. 00:01:04.959 --> 00:01:10.879 But I kept thinking about this because we're all just so incredibly different, aren't we? 00:01:11.280 --> 00:01:14.159 Some of you, some of you are like, yeah, you should set goals. 00:01:14.239 --> 00:01:16.959 You shouldn't have anxiety about it, you should set goals, you should be motivate. 00:01:17.120 --> 00:01:19.040 And others are going like, no, no, no, no, let's not do goals. 00:01:19.120 --> 00:01:20.719 That stresses me out. 00:01:20.799 --> 00:01:22.000 I don't want to do goals. 00:01:22.159 --> 00:01:23.519 It's we're all so different. 00:01:23.599 --> 00:01:31.200 Some of us like these defined goals, some of us kind of like these broad ideas, like, yeah, I might kind of move in that direction in 2018. 00:01:31.439 --> 00:01:38.959 But wherever you are on the goal resolution thing, there's something great about New Year's. 00:01:39.280 --> 00:01:48.560 And I think, I think at least what we love about it is it's the closest thing our culture gives to us for newness. 00:01:50.079 --> 00:01:50.400 Right? 00:01:50.480 --> 00:01:51.599 The slate is clean. 00:01:52.560 --> 00:02:03.840 The old is gone, the thing you failed at, the thing you weren't good at, all of that, that practice, that deed, that way of life, that habit, the slate is clean. 00:02:04.079 --> 00:02:06.799 January 1st, the slate is clean. 00:02:07.040 --> 00:02:08.000 That is over. 00:02:08.639 --> 00:02:15.520 That thought, the thought that you never get that thing in your life better, or you would never get better. 00:02:15.599 --> 00:02:18.000 Like our culture says, hey, we're gonna give you a break. 00:02:18.159 --> 00:02:20.240 January 1st, the slate is clean. 00:02:20.319 --> 00:02:22.240 You can start over. 00:02:23.680 --> 00:02:28.800 You were lame, but now suddenly on January 1st, you can walk again. 00:02:29.039 --> 00:02:32.080 And this brings us into this story in Acts chapter 3. 00:02:32.240 --> 00:02:35.039 Peter and John, they're headed to the temple to pray. 00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:41.599 A man who's been lame his entire life, never walking a day in his life. 00:02:41.840 --> 00:02:57.360 He's being carried to a gate called the beautiful gate, where he will lay on the ground and he will beg, like he has begged every day before, for a little bit of money to make it to the next day, just to feed himself for the next day. 00:02:57.520 --> 00:03:08.560 This man sees Peter and John walking into the temple to pray, asks for some money, thinks he's gonna get some money because Peter looks at him, and then Peter gives him something else. 00:03:08.800 --> 00:03:11.039 And that's what we read in Acts 3. 00:03:11.199 --> 00:03:15.439 I'll reread what Sam read for us, just verses 6 through 10. 00:03:15.680 --> 00:03:21.439 Peter said to this man, Peter said, I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. 00:03:21.599 --> 00:03:25.439 In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. 00:03:25.919 --> 00:03:36.639 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and his ankles were made strong, and leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 00:03:36.800 --> 00:03:47.840 And all the people saw him walking and praising God and recognized him as the one who sat at the beautiful gate of the temple, asking for alms, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. 00:03:48.319 --> 00:03:54.400 So I think it's fair to say that pretty much all of us will never see something like this happen. 00:03:54.560 --> 00:03:56.560 That's a safe thing to say. 00:03:58.159 --> 00:04:01.599 So, of course, these people were filled with awe and amazement, right? 00:04:01.759 --> 00:04:03.680 I mean, this is something you don't see. 00:04:03.840 --> 00:04:06.319 This is the wrong direction, right? 00:04:06.479 --> 00:04:07.840 This isn't natural. 00:04:08.080 --> 00:04:09.759 This is the wrong direction of life. 00:04:09.919 --> 00:04:13.919 The direction of everything is to break down over time. 00:04:14.080 --> 00:04:18.959 You don't turn 40 and all of a sudden everything in your body starts feeling better. 00:04:19.120 --> 00:04:29.199 You turn 40 and you start shopping at Whole Foods more, buying anti-inflammatory herbs from the Brazilian jungle, and you're talking to your friends more about your joints. 00:04:29.439 --> 00:04:30.639 That's what happens. 00:04:30.800 --> 00:04:32.800 That's what happens in life. 00:04:33.360 --> 00:04:35.279 Unless there's an interruption. 00:04:36.720 --> 00:04:41.199 Unless there's an interruption, everything moves towards breaking down. 00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:44.639 And this lame man walking, this is a reversal. 00:04:44.800 --> 00:04:46.959 This is what we call a redemption. 00:04:47.519 --> 00:04:54.720 It's an act of the risen Christ raising one to walk again to give legitimacy to the beginning of the church. 00:04:54.959 --> 00:04:57.360 And it did not come by this guy's great faith. 00:04:57.519 --> 00:05:00.480 That might be my favorite thing about this story. 00:05:00.720 --> 00:05:08.000 It did not come because this guy laying on the ground recognizes Peter and John and goes, Oh, you guys can heal me. 00:05:08.160 --> 00:05:10.639 Y'all can give me everything I've ever really wanted. 00:05:10.720 --> 00:05:11.199 No, no, no. 00:05:11.279 --> 00:05:16.720 He's not going to be ground, he said, Hey, will you give me some more money just so I can make it through the next day? 00:05:19.360 --> 00:05:25.519 He was asking for one thing, thinking he knew what was best for his life until something else arrived. 00:05:25.680 --> 00:05:27.759 Does anybody know what I'm talking about there? 00:05:28.079 --> 00:05:33.839 You think what's best for your life, and that's what you're asking for until something else arrives. 00:05:34.079 --> 00:05:56.399 We went to a New Year's Eve party in Atlanta this last Sunday night, and some people were walking around, it's kind of fancy parties, and people walking around with appetizers on the platters, and there was an open bar at the back of the house, and the dining room table was full of this huge spread and had salmon and this shrimp and grits, and it's all like in these silver platters and salad and asparagus. 00:05:56.560 --> 00:06:05.920 Now imagine if all of my friends we sit down in one of the rooms there in the house, and we sit down and they all have their yummy drinks and they have their plate full of food. 00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:12.399 And imagine I come in and I sit down with my Diet Coke and two corn dogs from Quick Trip, which you know I love, right? 00:06:12.480 --> 00:06:13.920 You know I love the corn dogs. 00:06:14.079 --> 00:06:16.079 Now imagine, what would they say? 00:06:17.759 --> 00:06:18.879 What are you doing? 00:06:19.120 --> 00:06:20.319 Where did you even get it? 00:06:20.480 --> 00:06:22.480 Where did you even get the corn dogs from? 00:06:22.560 --> 00:06:23.920 Like, where'd they come from? 00:06:24.160 --> 00:06:26.879 Why would you why would you eat that? 00:06:27.439 --> 00:06:31.920 There's something richer and better that's not normal, right? 00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:39.680 It's not every day you're just getting some free salmon and shrimp and grits and like this thick, juicy asparagus just every day. 00:06:39.839 --> 00:06:40.480 No, no, no. 00:06:40.639 --> 00:06:42.240 Like, it's there for you. 00:06:42.480 --> 00:06:42.800 See. 00:06:45.279 --> 00:06:49.439 This guy, he's just asking for a little bit of money. 00:06:49.600 --> 00:06:52.079 He didn't even know what's good for him. 00:06:54.000 --> 00:06:55.680 He's no man of faith. 00:06:56.639 --> 00:06:58.639 He's wanting the wrong thing. 00:06:59.759 --> 00:07:06.480 And Peter speaks the gospel to people like him and people like me and people like you. 00:07:08.079 --> 00:07:08.480 Right? 00:07:08.639 --> 00:07:12.399 Because in the story here, we're not Peter and John, we're the lame man. 00:07:13.439 --> 00:07:20.240 And Peter says, I have no silver and gold, but what I do have, I give to you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. 00:07:20.399 --> 00:07:23.040 Rise up and walk. 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:24.879 So a few points. 00:07:25.040 --> 00:07:32.639 Point number one: silver and gold represent what is accumulated or achieved, but never able to heal. 00:07:33.040 --> 00:07:33.360 Right? 00:07:33.439 --> 00:07:34.720 This is what he's been doing his whole life. 00:07:34.879 --> 00:07:37.120 Silver and gold, never been healed. 00:07:37.439 --> 00:07:42.639 Silver and gold represent what is accumulated or achieved, but never able to heal. 00:07:42.800 --> 00:07:48.079 It can never make you whole or awaken you to the belovedness you have in Christ. 00:07:48.240 --> 00:07:52.000 The thing that heals is the name of Jesus. 00:07:52.160 --> 00:07:54.079 Rise up and walk. 00:07:54.399 --> 00:08:00.319 Because our sin is cast upon him and his righteousness is put upon us in the grace of God. 00:08:01.680 --> 00:08:10.720 And the love meets us in our mess, outside the temple, while we're begging for something entirely, entirely else. 00:08:11.040 --> 00:08:12.879 Can you imagine the shame of this guy? 00:08:13.439 --> 00:08:28.319 He's lying there day in and day out, and he's watching people walk in and out of the temple, the people who have their acts together in society, and the amount of comparison he would be living in, the shame he would be carrying as other people carry him because he can't even walk. 00:08:29.040 --> 00:08:30.000 He's asking these questions. 00:08:30.160 --> 00:08:33.679 What if I really am as lame as I feel like I am? 00:08:35.200 --> 00:08:37.279 What if I'm a failure at everything? 00:08:38.000 --> 00:08:40.399 What if I fail at work and relationships and children? 00:08:40.559 --> 00:08:41.440 What if I never walk? 00:08:41.840 --> 00:08:46.080 What if I never look like them or never look like her, or never look like him, or never look like that family? 00:08:46.240 --> 00:08:49.679 What if I'm never what I thought I should be? 00:08:51.440 --> 00:08:58.879 And that's when we so easily resort to little silver and gold, just that little hit to make us through the next day. 00:08:59.120 --> 00:09:02.159 But never the thing that can really help us walk. 00:09:02.480 --> 00:09:05.919 And that's our belovedness that we already have. 00:09:06.159 --> 00:09:08.399 You already have it in Jesus. 00:09:08.639 --> 00:09:10.000 So a few points in a row here. 00:09:10.159 --> 00:09:12.799 Point number two, you cannot earn that which is freely given. 00:09:12.960 --> 00:09:13.679 Pretty basic. 00:09:13.840 --> 00:09:15.919 You cannot earn that which is freely given. 00:09:16.159 --> 00:09:16.799 Just can't do it. 00:09:16.879 --> 00:09:17.600 It's freely given. 00:09:17.840 --> 00:09:18.399 Can't earn it. 00:09:18.559 --> 00:09:19.919 Which gives us point number three. 00:09:20.080 --> 00:09:23.440 That which is freely given is that which heals. 00:09:23.679 --> 00:09:25.120 That's why it heals. 00:09:25.279 --> 00:09:28.399 The reason it heals is because it's freely given. 00:09:28.559 --> 00:09:31.360 It frees you from having to earn it. 00:09:31.600 --> 00:09:32.879 Gives us point number four. 00:09:33.120 --> 00:09:44.159 The gift and the healing only comes by the name of Jesus because the name of Jesus is the message of the power of God which heals and saves. 00:09:45.360 --> 00:09:46.639 See, this is the gospel. 00:09:46.799 --> 00:09:47.919 This is the good news. 00:09:48.159 --> 00:09:52.000 What God has done for you, and it creates not a yearly renewal. 00:09:52.159 --> 00:09:53.519 Hey, it's January 1st. 00:09:53.759 --> 00:09:55.519 The slate's clean. 00:09:55.919 --> 00:09:58.080 Like, great, great, set some goals. 00:09:58.159 --> 00:09:59.840 I want you to set some goals. 00:10:00.159 --> 00:10:14.480 But the gospel gives to us an existence of a clean slate where shame and condemnation no longer name and define you, but become a healed wound inside of you. 00:10:14.639 --> 00:10:16.000 And it may haunt you. 00:10:17.840 --> 00:10:19.600 But it no longer owns you. 00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:38.240 One of the stories we keep revisiting in our church a pretty good bit, because it's one of my favorite stories to talk about, is where these religious folks set up this lady in John chapter 8, catch her in adultery, drag her in front of Jesus, in front of a crowd in front of Jesus. 00:10:38.559 --> 00:10:42.080 And the lady's probably pretty ragged and she's certainly afraid. 00:10:42.159 --> 00:10:45.519 And the law would say, hey, we need to stone this lady. 00:10:45.759 --> 00:10:47.679 We need to stone her to death. 00:10:47.919 --> 00:10:49.679 And they're trying to catch Jesus here. 00:10:49.759 --> 00:10:52.639 You know, is he going to go on the side of grace over law? 00:10:52.720 --> 00:10:54.720 But the law says to stone over, what's he going to do? 00:10:54.799 --> 00:10:56.639 He's being so gracious to people like this. 00:10:56.799 --> 00:10:58.159 What is he going to do? 00:10:58.399 --> 00:11:00.720 They have no compassion, these people. 00:11:01.759 --> 00:11:06.639 No connection with the depth of anything going on inside of themselves of sin, right? 00:11:08.240 --> 00:11:09.279 And then you have this lady. 00:11:09.440 --> 00:11:11.600 Can you imagine the shame of this lady? 00:11:12.240 --> 00:11:15.519 Talk about lame, wondering if she'll ever walk again. 00:11:16.960 --> 00:11:18.559 We'd love to know her backstory. 00:11:18.720 --> 00:11:19.840 We don't get it. 00:11:20.399 --> 00:11:22.240 Why was she running into adultery? 00:11:22.320 --> 00:11:23.279 What is she running from? 00:11:23.360 --> 00:11:25.039 Why take this risk? 00:11:25.840 --> 00:11:28.559 What happened in her life to get her to this point? 00:11:28.799 --> 00:11:29.919 What broke in her? 00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:31.039 When and how? 00:11:32.720 --> 00:11:34.399 None of that's told to us. 00:11:35.519 --> 00:11:43.600 Just these guys without any compassion, dragging her in front of Jesus, in front of a crowd, embarrassing her, shaming her. 00:11:44.879 --> 00:11:46.399 Hey, the law says to stone her. 00:11:46.559 --> 00:11:47.440 What are you gonna do, Jesus? 00:11:47.519 --> 00:11:48.559 What are you gonna do? 00:11:48.960 --> 00:11:54.399 And in John chapter 8, verses 7 and 8, we get the compassionate nature of God. 00:11:56.960 --> 00:11:58.159 He had bent down low. 00:11:58.639 --> 00:12:00.639 I think to just get the attention off of her. 00:12:00.720 --> 00:12:01.840 It was an odd thing to do. 00:12:02.000 --> 00:12:03.840 They had asked him a question, he didn't respond. 00:12:04.159 --> 00:12:07.360 He just bends down low, drawn in the sand. 00:12:07.600 --> 00:12:10.000 Probably all the attention goes to him. 00:12:10.559 --> 00:12:18.960 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her. 00:12:19.440 --> 00:12:22.559 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 00:12:22.799 --> 00:12:31.519 So all that focus, right, from her exposure and shame, goes over to him who made himself low. 00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:33.519 You see it? 00:12:34.480 --> 00:12:40.879 Our sin is cast upon him who knew no sin, that we might become the righteousness of God. 00:12:42.399 --> 00:12:50.559 And in those moments, the light of the truth was flooding into the hearts of the people in that crowd, because deep down they knew what we all know. 00:12:51.440 --> 00:12:54.799 And that's where the lame man on the sidewalk begging for alms. 00:12:54.960 --> 00:12:56.320 We are this lady. 00:12:56.559 --> 00:12:58.480 None of us are perfect. 00:12:58.960 --> 00:13:01.440 So one by one they dropped their stones and they left. 00:13:01.519 --> 00:13:06.080 And then it's just this lady and it's Jesus, and she's still uncertain, still afraid. 00:13:06.240 --> 00:13:08.159 She has no idea what's going to happen. 00:13:08.399 --> 00:13:11.919 She's just a lame lady needing to walk again. 00:13:12.559 --> 00:13:16.080 And in verse 10, Jesus straightened up and asked her, Woman, where are they? 00:13:16.399 --> 00:13:17.919 Has no one condemned you? 00:13:18.879 --> 00:13:20.000 No one, sir. 00:13:20.720 --> 00:13:23.200 And then he says, Then neither do I condemn you. 00:13:23.360 --> 00:13:25.440 Go now and leave your life of sin. 00:13:26.000 --> 00:13:29.600 See, there's the power of the name of Jesus. 00:13:30.960 --> 00:13:47.840 And everything in us wants to go to some other source to justify our existence, our beings, our value, to redeem ourselves, to absolve ourselves of sin, to try to feel not as shameful as we do, not as inadequate as we feel. 00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:53.120 Just a little silver, just a little gold to make it through the next day. 00:13:53.519 --> 00:13:57.360 But merit in this world and even religious merit, it won't do. 00:13:57.440 --> 00:13:59.200 It's just silver and gold. 00:13:59.519 --> 00:14:01.120 It has no power. 00:14:01.759 --> 00:14:03.519 It keeps you working. 00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:11.360 The fight is not to fight for those New Year's goals or a new identity via those New Year goals. 00:14:11.600 --> 00:14:18.879 See, the fight of faith is to forget more and more your former self as the one who is needing silver and gold. 00:14:19.200 --> 00:14:28.080 And to live by the new self, the spirit, which is healed and defined and abiding in God's grace to you in Christ. 00:14:29.519 --> 00:14:46.879 This past Wednesday night our elders met the first time in 2018, and we meet together and we pray for our church and we plan for our church, and we were praying together, and one elder prayed, God, we don't need to be a big church, but may we always be a church with a big gospel. 00:14:48.399 --> 00:14:53.759 And I thought about that the rest of the week, and I thought about that with this text because this is our big gospel. 00:14:54.399 --> 00:14:58.480 You may lack the faith to march into the temple. 00:14:59.600 --> 00:15:04.960 And maybe you feel like that lame man on the sidewalk, you don't even know what to ask for most of the time. 00:15:05.120 --> 00:15:08.799 Or maybe you're just asking for the wrong things most of the time. 00:15:09.279 --> 00:15:17.840 And the gospel is the good news that even there, in that place, God's love finds you. 00:15:18.159 --> 00:15:26.559 The redemption earned for you by Jesus finds you there, and you are fully accepted, loved, and met. 00:15:26.799 --> 00:15:30.320 My brothers and sisters, we have no silver and gold for you. 00:15:31.039 --> 00:15:34.240 But by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. 00:15:34.399 --> 00:15:35.679 Let's pray together. 00:15:36.159 --> 00:15:42.559 God, thank you for the big gospel that meets us where we are at in our imperfection and brokenness and sin. 00:15:42.799 --> 00:15:52.879 Some of us fear, oh, there would be nothing greater than to be flooded with belief that the slate is clean. 00:15:56.000 --> 00:16:12.159 To trust more in our newness that we have in Jesus and the love you have for us, and that we are free from having to try to earn love, to earn our identity, but rather to rest in the one that has always been there in Jesus for us. 00:16:12.399 --> 00:16:17.600 That we are your beloved by the righteousness of Jesus for us. 00:16:19.279 --> 00:16:24.480 Forgive us for our sin as we try to find this in silver and gold. 00:16:25.919 --> 00:16:35.120 And would you help us to trust greater in the great name of Jesus for our absolution, redemption, and identity. 00:16:35.440 --> 00:16:36.720 In Jesus' name we pray. 00:16:36.879 --> 00:16:37.519 Amen.