SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: Well, hey, good morning.
SPEAKER_00: For those of you who don't know me, my name is Justin.
SPEAKER_00: I'm one of the pastors here at Sacred Mission.
SPEAKER_00: It's my joy and privilege to be able to bring God's word to you as we are continuing in the book of Acts.
SPEAKER_00: And so we're going through all of chapter three today.
SPEAKER_00: So if you have a Bible or your app, go ahead and open it up.
SPEAKER_00: Acts chapter three.
SPEAKER_00: We're going to be working through the wonder and the word that we see here in the text.
SPEAKER_00: Now, listen, something that the book of Acts establishes early on is the relationship between the wonder of the manifestation of the Spirit in His gifts and the word of the gospel proclaimed in boldness by his people.
SPEAKER_00: We explored this together in chapter two, and now we're able to observe it once again here in chapter three.
SPEAKER_00: Here we see this miraculous healing of a beggar who had been lame from birth.
SPEAKER_00: And through the faith-filled obedience of Peter, as he and John were going up to the temple together for a time of prayer, as we examine more clearly the relationship between the wonder and the word, I also want to try and bring some clarity about the manifestation of the Spirit that caused the healing and how it affects us as people who both believe in the continuation of these gifts and desire to see them expressed through us today.
SPEAKER_00: Now, many of us, we may have a significant sense of caution or concern when it comes to the gifts of the Spirit functioning and being exercised within the church.
SPEAKER_00: But as we study Acts together, our hope and aim is to provide clarity that builds confidence, not caution that breeds concern.
SPEAKER_00: So that we can flourish as this spirit-filled people that God intends for us to be.
SPEAKER_00: We want to be really intentional about just pausing and giving attention to the Spirit's work so that our understanding can mature, we can faithfully pursue all that the Lord has for us as his people.
SPEAKER_00: And so here today, this chapter gives us both: a vivid demonstration of God's power and an opportunity to deepen our understanding of how the Spirit operates even today.
SPEAKER_00: So we're going to dive into this account of a lame man who was restored, refreshed, and found leaping for joy through the Spirit's presence in Jesus' powerful name.
SPEAKER_00: Acts 2, verse, or Acts 3, verse 1.
SPEAKER_00: Ready?
SPEAKER_00: Says this.
SPEAKER_00: Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour, and a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the beautiful gate, to ask alms of those entering the temple.
SPEAKER_00: Now, last week, right, Acts chapter 2, 42 through 47, we talked about the spirit-filled church.
SPEAKER_00: We read there in the text that it was a very daily rhythm for the newly formed spirit-filled community to go to the temple daily.
SPEAKER_00: The first part of chapter 2, verse 46 actually reads, and day by day attending the temple together.
SPEAKER_00: So this is what Peter and John were doing right here at the beginning of chapter 3.
SPEAKER_00: Now, as we try to understand the context and scene of this passage, we need to pause and reflect on the familiarity that both Peter and John would have had with this lame beggar.
SPEAKER_00: The text says that he was lame from birth and that he was carried every day to the temple gate called beautiful, so that he could ask alms of those entering the temple.
SPEAKER_00: Now, I have this image of the temple that I want us to try to get into our minds so that we can hopefully understand the familiarity that Peter and John may have had with this crippled man.
SPEAKER_00: So here is a replica of the temple.
SPEAKER_00: This gate called beautiful, we have confidence is either, let me get over here, okay?
SPEAKER_00: It's either this gate here, for those of you on that side, sorry, uh, or it's this gate here.
SPEAKER_00: We have confidence that it's one of these two gates.
SPEAKER_00: What do you notice first?
SPEAKER_00: That's good, yeah.
SPEAKER_00: That wasn't what I was going for, but yes, it is, it is.
SPEAKER_00: It was called beautiful for a reason.
SPEAKER_00: It's the prominent front entrance to the temple complex, right?
SPEAKER_00: This gate called beautiful was the prominent front entrance and was known for its ornate beauty, believed to be covered in bronze and gold and silver.
SPEAKER_00: And so this lame man from birth is carried and sat down at this gate, and Peter and John have this daily rhythm of going to the temple.
SPEAKER_00: They would have walked through this gate and passed this very man many times throughout their overlapping years in Jerusalem.
SPEAKER_00: I would submit to you, there would have been a high level of familiarity with this crippled man.
SPEAKER_00: But not only would the two apostles have had regular encounters with this particular beggar, but Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus undoubtedly would have passed by this man throughout his life and ministry.
SPEAKER_00: So as we approach the passage this morning, here's what I want us to ask.
SPEAKER_00: I think it's necessary for us.
SPEAKER_00: Why this day for this particular beggar to experience the wonder of this healing?
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Now, before we try to wrestle with that question, let's look at the whole story together.
SPEAKER_00: The passage says that both Peter and John, as they were going to the temple to pray around 3 p.m.
SPEAKER_00: in the afternoon, they enter through the front gate and they hear this man asking for alms from them.
SPEAKER_00: And it says that both the apostles directed their gaze at this beggar and said, Look at me, look at us.
SPEAKER_00: For some reason, on this day, in this moment, the apostles sense a need to intentionally engage with this man rather than just walk by dismissing his request.
SPEAKER_00: From their demand for his attention, the man actually is expecting to receive some sort of handout, some sort of alms from the apostles.
SPEAKER_00: But instead, Peter said, I have no silver and gold, but what I do have, I give you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
SPEAKER_00: Rise up and walk.
SPEAKER_00: Notice that Peter has nothing material to offer this man.
SPEAKER_00: But what he does have, the faith of Jesus and the power of his name, he extends to the man that he might experience the in-breaking of the kingdom of God, that this beggar might realize God's kingdom come in his body as it is in heaven.
SPEAKER_00: And so Peter proclaims to the man, Rise up and walk.
SPEAKER_00: That's important for us.
SPEAKER_00: Peter's proclamation to the beggar, rise up and walk.
SPEAKER_00: They then help this man to his feet.
SPEAKER_00: He was instantly able to begin walking and leaping.
SPEAKER_00: And he enters into the temple with Peter and John.
SPEAKER_00: And the people inside the temple, they they hear this man praising God in a loud voice, and they they start to recognize that this is actually the very man who every day sat lame at the gate entrance begging.
SPEAKER_00: And what was their reaction to this?
SPEAKER_00: Right?
SPEAKER_00: Verse 10 says, if you're reading with us, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
SPEAKER_00: It then says that the crowd actually rushes over to the three men, astonished and demanding answers of what they're seeing and beholding.
SPEAKER_00: And verse 12 says this, and when Peter saw it, the crowd coming to him, he addressed the people.
SPEAKER_00: Peter wants to establish something right at the beginning.
SPEAKER_00: Hear me say this.
SPEAKER_00: There was nothing intrinsically within himself to cause this healing.
SPEAKER_00: He wants to establish that right at the beginning.
SPEAKER_00: There was nothing in me, there was nothing about me that caused this healing.
SPEAKER_00: Why are you looking at us?
SPEAKER_00: There was no internally residing power, there was no incantation of words or a manifestation of his own holiness.
SPEAKER_00: Right?
SPEAKER_00: Peter actually points to two things that the crowd might actually assume was the cause of the wonder, power and piety.
SPEAKER_00: The word power, it can communicate ability, authority, or force.
SPEAKER_00: And the word piety speaks to a sense of strong devotion, holiness, and godliness.
SPEAKER_00: And so what's Peter saying?
SPEAKER_00: It isn't by some authority he has, nor how devoted he has been.
SPEAKER_00: Instead, he points to the one whose name carries inherent authority and whose perfect devotion led to his exaltation and power, Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Now Peter then begins to bind the conscience of the crowd by conveying how they had delivered up and killed the holy and righteous one, the author of life himself, Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: But the God of their fathers raised him from the dead and glorified him into this very truth.
SPEAKER_00: They've all been witnesses.
SPEAKER_00: None is held innocent from observing the power of God in Christ.
SPEAKER_00: And now Peter's gonna bear witness to the power of the very name of Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Look at verse 16 with me.
SPEAKER_00: And his name, Jesus, by faith in his name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.
SPEAKER_00: We're gonna rest here for a minute at verse 16 because Peter's theology here is crucial for us.
SPEAKER_00: Now the structure of this verse is it's a bit clumsy and it's hard to communicate in English.
SPEAKER_00: And so what we want to do is start by focusing on the actually latter section of the verse that says, the faith that is through Jesus, the faith that is through Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Notice carefully, Peter doesn't say faith in Jesus healed this man.
SPEAKER_00: As if Peter somehow conjured up enough inherent faith from his personal devotion to somehow activate Jesus' power.
SPEAKER_00: No, he says the faith came through Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: The gift of faith that is given to Peter through Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: So it isn't faith in Jesus, but faith given through Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Because it is Jesus sovereignly giving the faith to Peter.
SPEAKER_00: That faith, that faith given by Jesus is what gave the man the perfect health at the end of the verse.
SPEAKER_00: Now, the first part of the verse, let's go back to the beginning of 16.
SPEAKER_00: It says, and his name.
SPEAKER_00: And what this is doing is it's establishing Jesus' name as the subject of the verse.
SPEAKER_00: And though it's establishing as the subject, it is not establishing it as the source of the power.
SPEAKER_00: That's important for us.
SPEAKER_00: We need to connect the two elements of the verse, the name and the faith.
SPEAKER_00: And the verse actually does this for us.
SPEAKER_00: By faith in his name.
SPEAKER_00: So in his name, by faith in his name.
SPEAKER_00: So the verse actually reads this way: By faith in his name has made this man strong, and it says, the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health.
SPEAKER_00: So how does the name become energized with power when faith in the name is given through Jesus?
SPEAKER_00: When faith in the name is given through Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: So in Peter proclaiming in the name of Jesus, Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.
SPEAKER_00: Peter's not generating power.
SPEAKER_00: He was acting on the faith that Jesus had given to him in that moment.
SPEAKER_00: The gift of faith.
SPEAKER_00: That in this moment and in this way, Jesus is healing you.
SPEAKER_00: You see, the faith.
SPEAKER_00: Suddenly, for this moment, this time, this man came to Peter through Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus gave the faith to heal.
SPEAKER_00: Peter acted faithfully on it, and the man was healed.
SPEAKER_00: Remember, Peter had passed by this lame beggar time and time again, not healing him.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus, more than likely, passed by this man, not healing him.
SPEAKER_00: So why now?
SPEAKER_00: Why at this moment?
SPEAKER_00: Let's look at Acts chapter 4 briefly for some help here.
SPEAKER_00: Acts chapter 4, verses 29 through 30.
SPEAKER_00: What we see in this passage is the apostles had just experienced this trial.
SPEAKER_00: And now they're gathering together with God's people to petition that the Lord continues to strengthen them and embolden them that they might continue to preach the word.
SPEAKER_00: And here's what it says And now, Lord, look upon their threats, the Sanhedrin, and grant to your servants, the apostles, to continue to speak your word with all boldness.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 30.
SPEAKER_00: While you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Notice their petition.
SPEAKER_00: While you stretch out your hand to heal, who are they petitioning?
SPEAKER_00: The Father.
SPEAKER_00: They're petitioning the Father to stretch out his hand and to perform these mighty acts through the name of Jesus, his holy servant.
SPEAKER_00: Now, we have to take into consideration the oneness of the Father and the Son.
SPEAKER_00: The oneness of the Father and the Son.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus only did what he saw the Father do.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus actually says this in John 5, 19.
SPEAKER_00: He is speaking to his followers.
SPEAKER_00: Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing.
SPEAKER_00: For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.
SPEAKER_00: So why did Jesus heal?
SPEAKER_00: But a better question: why did Jesus not heal?
SPEAKER_00: The answer is mysteriously and simply, he did what he saw his father do.
SPEAKER_00: So here's what happened at the beautiful gate.
SPEAKER_00: This is Justin's paraphrase and interpretation.
SPEAKER_00: The father, in his sovereign timing, said to the son, now is the moment for this healing.
SPEAKER_00: And Jesus responded in perfect obedience, Your will is my joy.
SPEAKER_00: And Jesus gave Peter the faith to act.
SPEAKER_00: The progressive breakthrough of God's kingdom that we see throughout all of Scripture is that the Father wills it, the Son accomplishes it, and the Spirit applies it.
SPEAKER_00: And so here's where we come in, right?
SPEAKER_00: Peter, filled with the Spirit, was living in attunement, in this expectant, spirit-filled sensitivity to Jesus' voice.
SPEAKER_00: I believe that day at 3 p.m.
SPEAKER_00: as he was walking to the gate, he heard the whisper.
SPEAKER_00: He sensed the prompting.
SPEAKER_00: He had confidence that Jesus wanted to do something miraculous through him for the good of another, and so this was the day for this man.
SPEAKER_00: Not because Peter finally prayed hard enough or believed strongly enough, but because the Father willed it, the Son gave faith for it, the Spirit empowered it, and Peter was attuned to hear and obey.
SPEAKER_00: Now, here's something critical we cannot miss.
SPEAKER_00: Healing doesn't prove Jesus, it points to Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: This is the connection I want to try to make through this text.
SPEAKER_00: Healing doesn't prove Jesus, it points to Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: The miracle itself, the miracle isn't the message.
SPEAKER_00: Because it's always the wonder that serves the word.
SPEAKER_00: You see, the crowd didn't need proof that Jesus exists or that he's powerful.
SPEAKER_00: They needed their hearts turned toward him in repentance and faith.
SPEAKER_00: The healing was never the destination, it was the signpost that pointed to the exalted Christ.
SPEAKER_00: And so watch what Peter does.
SPEAKER_00: He leverages the miracle to preach Christ crucified and risen.
SPEAKER_00: The healed man leaping and praising God created the platform, but Peter uses the platform to proclaim the gospel.
SPEAKER_00: This is the pattern we see again and again in Acts.
SPEAKER_00: God works wonders, not to put on a show, but to open hearts for the word.
SPEAKER_00: And the healing, grab their attention in this moment.
SPEAKER_00: And now Peter will direct that attention exactly where it belongs to the risen Lord Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: And let's see how Peter does this as we investigate the word.
SPEAKER_00: Now, here's what I want to say.
SPEAKER_00: There are two essential elements for a great sermon: the exaltation of Christ and the conviction of the conscience.
SPEAKER_00: The exaltation of Christ and the conviction of the conscience.
SPEAKER_00: You saw this in Peter's sermon at Pentecost.
SPEAKER_00: You see it here.
SPEAKER_00: Both are present in Peter's response to their wonder and amazement at what had happened.
SPEAKER_00: And where do we begin to see the exaltation of Christ?
SPEAKER_00: It's in the way that Peter roots Jesus into Israel's own story.
SPEAKER_00: He says this: he says, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob glorified his servant Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: You see, he's establishing Jesus isn't just another prophet that you stoned and killed.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus isn't just a good teacher or some random miracle worker.
SPEAKER_00: No, he is in himself the fulfillment of God's covenant promises.
SPEAKER_00: Peter's saying, Your God, the God of your fathers, has acted decisively in redemptive history in Jesus, his son.
SPEAKER_00: And then Peter just begins to heap up these Christological names for Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: He says, His servant, pointing to the suffering servant of Isaiah, the holy and righteous one, establishing his divine moral perfection, author of life, the almighty creator and source of all living things.
SPEAKER_00: Now, the last one, the author of life, that would really grab their attention because he told them, You killed the very one who authors life itself.
SPEAKER_00: This is the ultimate irony that magnifies both human sin and responsibility and Christ's supremacy.
SPEAKER_00: And then Peter begins to build these contrasts throughout his preaching that exalts Jesus in spite of our best human efforts to destroy him.
SPEAKER_00: You denied him, God glorified him.
SPEAKER_00: You chose a murderer in Barabbas, God gave you the author of life.
SPEAKER_00: You killed him, God raised him.
SPEAKER_00: You see, the contrast doesn't just condemn the crowd.
SPEAKER_00: What it does is it highlights God's vindication in Jesus Himself.
SPEAKER_00: You wanted to destroy him, but God glorified him.
SPEAKER_00: The resurrection becomes the Father's ultimate endorsement in Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: You rejected him, I exalted him.
SPEAKER_00: You see, this here, this model is how continuationist theology remains Christ-centered.
SPEAKER_00: Miracles never make much of the miracle worker.
SPEAKER_00: They make much of Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Peter doesn't just exalt Christ, though he does that faithfully and well.
SPEAKER_00: Peter also convicts the conscience through these direct, gritty confrontational statements.
SPEAKER_00: Peter actually uses the direct charge you six times in the opening of his sermon.
SPEAKER_00: He wants them to know without any doubt that they are standing condemned and guilty before him.
SPEAKER_00: You delivered over and denied.
SPEAKER_00: You denied the holy and righteous one.
SPEAKER_00: You asked for a murderer.
SPEAKER_00: You killed the author of life.
SPEAKER_00: This is a direct indictment.
SPEAKER_00: Peter refuses to let them hide in the crowd.
SPEAKER_00: And so he makes it personal.
SPEAKER_00: And he sets up these devastating either or choices that have exposed their guilt.
SPEAKER_00: Pilate, the pagan Roman governor, he wanted to release Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: But no, you, God's covenant people, you demanded his death.
SPEAKER_00: A murderer, Barabbas.
SPEAKER_00: That was your choice.
SPEAKER_00: And the holy and righteous one was rejected by you.
SPEAKER_00: The author of life, you killed him.
SPEAKER_00: The irony here in these statements is absolutely crushing.
SPEAKER_00: The people should have recognized their Messiah, but instead they became his executioners.
SPEAKER_00: You see, I love what Peter's doing, this is powerful law before gospel preaching.
SPEAKER_00: We need the bad news before we get the good news.
SPEAKER_00: We have to understand why Jesus is our hope.
SPEAKER_00: Peter doesn't rush to comfort.
SPEAKER_00: He doesn't try to be kind and gentle.
SPEAKER_00: Peter lets the weight of sin do its crushing work so that the repentance will be genuine and the grace that they receive be treasured.
SPEAKER_00: Because true conviction always precedes true conversion.
SPEAKER_00: True conviction always precedes true conversion.
SPEAKER_00: Here's what Peter's sermon essentially says.
SPEAKER_00: And God raised him to prove you wrong.
SPEAKER_00: Now what are you going to do?
SPEAKER_00: That's how you convict a conscience.
SPEAKER_00: And Peter's final call, it's the same as his sermon at Pentecost.
SPEAKER_00: Repent therefore and turn back that your sins may be blotted out.
SPEAKER_00: You see, the only right response to the gospel of Jesus is repentance.
SPEAKER_00: Turning from our ongoing rebellion against God by turning toward the deliverer that He has sent to rescue us.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: No, what I want to present to us as a church is that we pursue this.
SPEAKER_00: And what I mean by that is this theology, Peter's crucial theology, it has a function within the church today.
SPEAKER_00: You see, it's not just about parsing out the original language.
SPEAKER_00: Well, if you if you look how the text, but it's not about proving your position in a dispute.
SPEAKER_00: No, what this is, is a pattern for the New Testament church to pursue and to participate in.
SPEAKER_00: To be so attuned to Jesus.
unknown: Right?
SPEAKER_00: When we did our discipleship series, we talked about abiding in Christ, making Jesus the resting place for your heart and mind.
SPEAKER_00: What does it mean to be so attuned to him, so richly abiding in him, so deeply that we become sensitive to his voice, his promptings, his leading in specific moments for specific people?
SPEAKER_00: What if we heard him say, I'm healing that person?
SPEAKER_00: I'm speaking to that person, I'm delivering that person.
SPEAKER_00: You see, we long for the gift of faith, the word of knowledge, the gift of healing to be these active realities in our church family.
SPEAKER_00: And it's only by being attuned to him and abiding in him that we can confidently and boldly proclaim to this person in this moment, in this way, Jesus is doing something in your life.
SPEAKER_00: You see, we desire to be continuationists here at Sacred Mission.
SPEAKER_00: But it's not just in our theology, it's not just giving mental assent to some structured doctrine.
SPEAKER_00: But it's to have it be functioning in our very life.
SPEAKER_00: Not for our glory, but to exalt Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Not to impress people, but to point them to the risen Lord.
SPEAKER_00: Not as an end in themselves, but as the wonder that opens hearts for the word.
SPEAKER_00: He is risen and has been exalted.
SPEAKER_00: And here's the truth that we cannot escape.
SPEAKER_00: He still speaks, he still heals, he still moves.
SPEAKER_00: And the radical thing about that is that the God of this universe, the author of life, invites us, you and me, into partnership with him through the Spirit's power.
SPEAKER_00: So the question is this are we attuned?
SPEAKER_00: Are we listening?
SPEAKER_00: Are we ready to act when he gives faith?
SPEAKER_00: I think there's something very critical for us to understand.
SPEAKER_00: While we may see within sight of charismatic churches an abuse of the gifts, we still see the gifts.
SPEAKER_00: In cessationist churches, you don't see the gifts.
SPEAKER_00: I think there's something beautiful about a messy pursuit in the context of a grace-filled community that just so happens to believe Jesus is still speaking.
SPEAKER_00: That just so happens to believe that Jesus still wants to do something in and through his people for the good of others.
SPEAKER_00: And so do we live life expectant?
SPEAKER_00: Or is tomorrow just going to be another Monday where you wake up and you don't have any thought or belief or expectancy or listening ear that Jesus wants to do something with you, through you, for the good of another?
SPEAKER_00: Let's be a people marked not by caution, but by spirit-filled confidence.
SPEAKER_00: Because what do we want to do?
SPEAKER_00: At the end of the day, we want to pursue all that God has for us as his sent on mission church for the glory of his name and for the good of all of those he calls mine.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.