WEBVTT 00:00:00.479 --> 00:00:04.639 Today's text is from the Book of Acts, chapter three. 00:00:05.759 --> 00:00:19.359 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. 00:00:19.679 --> 00:00:31.839 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms, and Peter directed his gaze at him, as does John, and said, Look at us, and he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:36.960 But Peter said, I have no silver silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. 00:00:37.119 --> 00:00:40.320 In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. 00:00:40.560 --> 00:00:45.600 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 00:00:45.840 --> 00:00:51.439 And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 00:00:51.679 --> 00:01:01.200 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 happened to him. 00:01:02.079 --> 00:01:08.719 While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon's. 00:01:08.879 --> 00:01:11.200 And when Peter saw it, he addressed the people. 00:01:17.840 --> 00:01:28.560 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. 00:01:28.719 --> 00:01:36.400 But you denied the holy and righteous one and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the author of life, whom God raised from the dead. 00:01:36.640 --> 00:01:48.719 To this we are witnesses, and by his name, 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. 00:01:49.760 --> 00:01:59.120 And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers, but what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. 00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:15.360 Repent, therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive, until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. 00:02:15.599 --> 00:02:20.000 Moses said, The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. 00:02:20.159 --> 00:02:27.039 You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you, and it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people. 00:02:27.599 --> 00:02:33.520 And all the prophets have s who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. 00:02:33.759 --> 00:02:41.840 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 00:02:42.080 --> 00:02:48.240 God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness. 00:02:48.400 --> 00:02:49.599 This is the word of the Lord. 00:02:56.479 --> 00:02:57.840 Thanks for joining us this morning. 00:02:57.919 --> 00:02:59.120 My name is James Rathman. 00:02:59.280 --> 00:03:01.120 I'm the pastor here at Redemption Church Denver. 00:03:01.199 --> 00:03:03.120 It's great to gather together with you all. 00:03:03.360 --> 00:03:06.960 Let's pray, and then we will move into our text for the day. 00:03:09.039 --> 00:03:16.479 Holy Father, we praise you that we, as we gather to worship this morning, Lord, that you inhabit our praises. 00:03:16.960 --> 00:03:24.479 Lord, that we are gathered together with multitudes in heaven, Lord, that with the heavenly choir we sing along together. 00:03:24.800 --> 00:03:29.199 Lord, we pray that you would be blessed in our worship of you this morning. 00:03:29.840 --> 00:03:34.719 Lord, we pray that you would give us soft hearts that are open to hear and receive your word. 00:03:35.360 --> 00:03:43.840 Lord, that you would take out our heart of stone and that you would give us a heart of flesh, that you would write your word upon our hearts. 00:03:44.080 --> 00:03:46.319 Lord, who can reach down into our hearts? 00:03:46.560 --> 00:03:47.360 Only you. 00:03:47.919 --> 00:03:50.960 Who can know the depths of our personal pains? 00:03:51.120 --> 00:03:56.800 Who can know the depths of our sin, Lord, that we hold privately and closely, Lord, only you. 00:03:57.039 --> 00:04:00.400 And who can work in those places that we might be transformed, Lord? 00:04:00.639 --> 00:04:02.479 You're the only one that we can go to. 00:04:02.719 --> 00:04:10.960 But Lord, we praise you that you have promised to transform our hearts, that you have promised to bring us times of refreshing. 00:04:12.159 --> 00:04:14.560 Lord, we pray that you would accomplish that this morning. 00:04:14.800 --> 00:04:16.319 Lift this up in Jesus' name. 00:04:16.560 --> 00:04:17.199 Amen. 00:04:18.959 --> 00:04:22.319 So we're continuing our time through the book of Acts. 00:04:22.480 --> 00:04:27.759 And during the book of Acts so far, we have seen the Holy Spirit come. 00:04:27.920 --> 00:04:29.839 We have seen apostles selected. 00:04:30.079 --> 00:04:38.079 We have seen that with the coming of the Holy Spirit comes the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ by the apostles. 00:04:38.240 --> 00:04:49.040 That in their receiving of the Holy Spirit, they have been equipped in this unique way to share authoritatively, to bear authoritative witness to who Jesus is. 00:04:49.199 --> 00:05:00.319 And they are proclaiming that Jesus Christ, the one that the people that they are speaking to had seen crucified, that this Jesus has been made both Lord and Christ. 00:05:00.800 --> 00:05:03.199 That is what they are bearing witness to. 00:05:03.600 --> 00:05:08.800 Now, today we see that the apostles they start acting like Jesus. 00:05:08.879 --> 00:05:16.959 And they start acting like Jesus because they are performing a ministry just like his, where they are healing and then they are proclaiming who Jesus is. 00:05:17.120 --> 00:05:20.959 They are healing people and they're proclaiming the forgiveness of sins. 00:05:21.199 --> 00:05:27.600 So in order to understand today's story, we have to understand it with the backdrop of Jesus' ministry. 00:05:27.839 --> 00:05:35.839 If we don't see this as the continuation of Jesus' ministry, then we'll misunderstand what's really being proclaimed in the story that we're looking at today. 00:05:36.079 --> 00:05:42.639 And early on in Jesus' ministry, one story that's just like the one that we saw today happened. 00:05:42.879 --> 00:05:51.120 Early in Jesus' ministry, he was proclaiming the kingdom of God, and he was performing miracles of healing and signs and wonders. 00:05:51.199 --> 00:05:56.879 And so it began to happen that wherever Jesus went, he started to draw a crowd. 00:05:57.279 --> 00:06:02.480 Crowd such that he would speak in a home and they wouldn't, you wouldn't even be able to fit through the door. 00:06:02.560 --> 00:06:05.600 It was standing room only to see Jesus. 00:06:05.759 --> 00:06:15.279 And what would happen is the whole towns would gather and they would bring their sick because he was the one who was able to heal them on command. 00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:25.600 Jesus was the type of man who could lay his hands upon someone, look someone in the eye, speak something over them, and whatever ailments they faced would be taken away. 00:06:25.839 --> 00:06:28.160 So as you can imagine, that began to draw a crowd. 00:06:28.319 --> 00:06:36.319 And one time in particular, he was preaching and teaching in someone's house, and there were many that had gathered together from Jerusalem. 00:06:36.399 --> 00:06:46.079 There were scribes and Pharisees that had gathered together as they had heard news of this miracle worker who was traveling around proclaiming the coming of the kingdom of God. 00:06:46.399 --> 00:06:52.560 And one of a group of people that heard about this was uh friends of a paralyzed man. 00:06:52.879 --> 00:07:05.519 And the friends of this paralyzed man, they took the paralyzed man, they get they carried him on a gurney, and they carried him to the house so that he that he might be brought to the presence of Jesus and he would be healed. 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:16.079 But of course, when they approached the house, the crowd was too big and they weren't able to force through the door to get into the presence of Jesus, but it didn't stop these men. 00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:18.879 They must have been great friends of this paralyzed man. 00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:26.879 And so what they did is they carried him to the rooftop of the house, and they began digging through the roof of the house. 00:07:27.040 --> 00:07:41.680 These houses would have had clay roofs, and they would have started, they just started digging through the roof of the house right over where Jesus was preaching and teaching, so that suddenly in the midst of the sermon, the ceiling just starts to fall down. 00:07:42.240 --> 00:07:53.120 And they must have had that thought right before they started digging of like, or even one of them, whoever the friend was, you know when you have a friend that you like, but he also makes you a little nervous? 00:07:53.839 --> 00:08:00.079 Well, that friend was certainly in this group because he's the one who said, forget this, let's go to the roof and dig in. 00:08:00.399 --> 00:08:03.519 And then the others were like, okay. 00:08:04.480 --> 00:08:06.560 So they they go to the roof and they start digging. 00:08:06.639 --> 00:08:07.759 We'll patch it up later. 00:08:07.839 --> 00:08:08.800 Don't worry. 00:08:09.040 --> 00:08:10.639 But it's now or never. 00:08:10.879 --> 00:08:12.319 This is our shot. 00:08:12.720 --> 00:08:16.720 Because that one friend was like, well, what if our friend could walk after this? 00:08:16.879 --> 00:08:25.199 What if he what if we what if we walked in and there were there, you know, our friend couldn't walk, and then we walked out. 00:08:25.360 --> 00:08:28.000 And what if our friend walked out with us? 00:08:28.319 --> 00:08:29.920 We're gonna dig the hole. 00:08:30.079 --> 00:08:40.559 So they dig a hole through the roof, and the man comes as lowered down before Jesus as the crowd is watching and saying, What do we do in this sort of situation? 00:08:42.320 --> 00:08:52.799 And the man's lowered down before Jesus, and Jesus sees the man, he sees the faith of the man who is lowered down before him, helplessly lowered down by the benefit of his friends. 00:08:53.039 --> 00:09:00.559 And Jesus says to the man, after seeing his faith, man, your sins are forgiven you. 00:09:01.600 --> 00:09:08.000 And everyone probably looks around, especially the man, is probably thinking, Cool. 00:09:09.600 --> 00:09:12.159 But that's not really why we came. 00:09:12.799 --> 00:09:19.360 I was hoping for something more in the being able to walk sort of thing. 00:09:19.440 --> 00:09:23.200 But what Jesus had done is he had provoked the crowd. 00:09:23.360 --> 00:09:33.759 He had especially provoked the scribes and the Pharisees who had gathered from Jerusalem to see what type of teaching this man was promoting. 00:09:34.000 --> 00:09:37.600 And he uh uh he says, Man, your sins are forgiven. 00:09:37.679 --> 00:09:41.120 And so there's these murmurs throughout the crowd. 00:09:41.440 --> 00:09:42.879 It's not they're not even audible. 00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:47.840 It says that Jesus just knew that this is what they were saying in their hearts. 00:09:49.039 --> 00:09:53.200 What they're saying is, who speaks these blasphemies? 00:09:54.080 --> 00:09:57.600 Who can forgive sins but God alone? 00:09:59.919 --> 00:10:02.480 You cannot just forgive sins. 00:10:03.519 --> 00:10:09.679 You can't walk up to a friend and say, your sins are forgiven, and it be effective. 00:10:09.919 --> 00:10:13.519 If they sinned against you, you could forgive them. 00:10:14.480 --> 00:10:18.000 You could forgive them of those sins that they had committed against you. 00:10:18.159 --> 00:10:26.399 But but a blanket pardon, you do not have the authority to give a blanket pardon. 00:10:26.639 --> 00:10:29.679 The only one who has that authority is God. 00:10:30.879 --> 00:10:35.600 He has that authority because he is the one who is ultimately sinned against. 00:10:35.759 --> 00:10:41.279 All of our sins roll up to sins against our creator. 00:10:41.919 --> 00:10:44.639 It's because you here's the type of thing you are. 00:10:44.879 --> 00:10:46.720 You're a made thing. 00:10:47.919 --> 00:10:50.320 You're a created thing. 00:10:51.279 --> 00:10:58.559 And that means that your original position of existence is not a position of autonomy. 00:11:00.480 --> 00:11:10.320 You are not the type of thing that exists in a space where you get to decide whether or not you opt into relationship. 00:11:11.360 --> 00:11:15.840 But if you decide not to opt into any relationships, well, that would be okay. 00:11:16.159 --> 00:11:18.080 You're not that type of thing. 00:11:18.480 --> 00:11:25.039 You're the type of thing that is born into a relationship with your creator. 00:11:25.840 --> 00:11:32.559 That means you have duties and responsibilities to your creator right out of the gate. 00:11:32.799 --> 00:11:34.879 That's the type of thing that you are. 00:11:36.159 --> 00:11:41.279 You can tell this anyway, you know, that you can tell this in just an ordinary way. 00:11:42.000 --> 00:11:44.240 You are born of parents. 00:11:46.559 --> 00:11:50.960 You know, other people played a part in you existing. 00:11:51.919 --> 00:12:05.919 And that means that right out of the gate, immediately, you are born in a relational connection where you have responsibilities and duties towards your parents right away, right out of the gate. 00:12:06.240 --> 00:12:23.919 So think how much more, if we already know that, we take that for granted, how much more do you have duties and responsibilities immediately upon your creation to the one who knit you together in your mother's womb, to the one who truly created you, to God Himself. 00:12:24.639 --> 00:12:29.600 And so that means that all of our sins are finally sins against Him. 00:12:30.879 --> 00:12:35.440 We are duty-bound to Him, to obedience to our Creator. 00:12:35.679 --> 00:12:38.799 You are a made and created thing. 00:12:39.039 --> 00:12:52.240 In order to get rid of sin, one of the first myths that you would have to develop and then accept is the myth that you are not created, that nobody is responsible for your existence. 00:12:52.480 --> 00:13:00.399 This is why it is so important to our culture to tell a story that makes your existence arbitrary. 00:13:01.039 --> 00:13:10.639 That you are merely time plus chance plus matter, and we can concoct some stories of why that system would lead up to a thing like you. 00:13:11.600 --> 00:13:17.759 And then we can do, we can create disciplines like uh evolutionary psychology. 00:13:18.559 --> 00:13:22.000 Man, that that is like my favorite idea for a job. 00:13:22.159 --> 00:13:24.159 If I, if this ever, you know. 00:13:27.440 --> 00:13:32.559 Evolutionary psychology to me just sounds like the best improv game. 00:13:34.960 --> 00:13:46.559 But the we would have to come up with disciplines like this, but the point is to render your life arbitrary, and then you have no duties to anyone, no responsibilities to anyone. 00:13:47.200 --> 00:13:52.000 But we know we are created, created by God. 00:13:52.480 --> 00:13:54.639 Your life is not arbitrary. 00:13:55.440 --> 00:13:59.600 You have duties and responsibilities that are owed to your creator. 00:13:59.919 --> 00:14:03.039 We've sinned against that creator. 00:14:03.200 --> 00:14:05.120 What does sin mean? 00:14:06.799 --> 00:14:11.279 It means we have not obeyed the commandments of God. 00:14:12.080 --> 00:14:18.240 We have not done what he has required of us, and we don't belong to ourselves. 00:14:18.480 --> 00:14:23.200 We did not make ourselves, we belong to him. 00:14:23.759 --> 00:14:26.720 He is owed our obedience. 00:14:26.960 --> 00:14:30.000 So then who can forgive sins? 00:14:30.559 --> 00:14:44.159 If that is the nature of sin, the very nature of sin is rebellion against God, our creator, then you cannot walk up to someone and say, Your sins are forgiven. 00:14:44.320 --> 00:14:57.679 I I want us to grasp the the you know the scribes and Pharisees hear Jesus say, Man, your sins are forgiven you. 00:14:59.840 --> 00:15:06.559 And I don't think they have an appropriate understanding of what sin is, of what it means to say something like that. 00:15:06.720 --> 00:15:14.399 So what they hear, man, your sins are forgiven you, and what they hear is Jesus, just this guy, what type of teaching is he doing? 00:15:14.639 --> 00:15:16.879 He's acting like he's God. 00:15:18.799 --> 00:15:22.240 He's saying things that only God can say, and so what do they say? 00:15:22.480 --> 00:15:24.879 Who speaks these blasphemies? 00:15:26.399 --> 00:15:29.600 Who can forgive sins but God alone? 00:15:31.759 --> 00:15:38.480 Now that we understand the nature of sin, we see, of course, who can forgive sins but God alone? 00:15:38.639 --> 00:15:45.279 But then Jesus poses this wonderful question to them because he's provoked them on purpose. 00:15:46.159 --> 00:15:58.720 So he says to them and to the crowd, which is easier to say, your sins are forgiven you, or to say rise and walk? 00:15:59.519 --> 00:16:02.399 He asks the scribes and Pharisees, which is easier to say? 00:16:02.879 --> 00:16:06.399 Your sins are forgiven you, or to say rise and walk? 00:16:06.559 --> 00:16:08.799 I know you all expected me to say rise and walk. 00:16:08.960 --> 00:16:10.879 You've seen me heal before. 00:16:11.120 --> 00:16:12.559 That was the expectation. 00:16:12.799 --> 00:16:14.480 Look at the man, say rise and walk. 00:16:14.639 --> 00:16:15.679 He rises and walks. 00:16:15.840 --> 00:16:18.480 We all clap, go home. 00:16:19.120 --> 00:16:20.320 He did it again. 00:16:20.639 --> 00:16:21.519 It was great this time. 00:16:21.600 --> 00:16:22.799 Where's he gonna be at next time? 00:16:22.879 --> 00:16:24.080 We've got to follow him around. 00:16:25.600 --> 00:16:26.639 But what's easier? 00:16:26.879 --> 00:16:30.480 To say your sins are forgiven or to say rise and walk? 00:16:32.399 --> 00:16:45.759 Well, as a matter of fact, as a matter of fact, if it's going to be a true statement or an effective command, it's easier to say rise and walk. 00:16:47.600 --> 00:16:54.720 Because the cost of forgiveness of sins, Jesus knows, will be his own death on the cross. 00:16:57.360 --> 00:17:03.840 But we also know that there's you can't see somebody's sins be forgiven. 00:17:05.039 --> 00:17:08.079 You can't look at it and know that it's happening. 00:17:08.240 --> 00:17:12.640 There's you you can't, we we don't get to see each other's hearts. 00:17:12.880 --> 00:17:14.799 You don't even get to see your own. 00:17:16.480 --> 00:17:20.000 These are invisible qualities that take place. 00:17:20.240 --> 00:17:25.839 So here's what Jesus says in Luke 5, verse 24. 00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:42.000 He says, But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, he said to the man who was paralyzed, I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home. 00:17:43.599 --> 00:17:48.000 Why did he and then the man rose, picked up his bed and went home? 00:17:49.039 --> 00:17:51.920 Why did Jesus heal the man? 00:17:52.400 --> 00:17:57.039 Why did Jesus say to the man, Rise, pick up your bed and go home? 00:17:57.200 --> 00:17:59.039 Why did he perform that miracle? 00:17:59.200 --> 00:18:00.400 He tells us right there. 00:18:00.559 --> 00:18:03.279 Why did Jesus perform all of these healings? 00:18:03.519 --> 00:18:11.920 It is so that you can know he has the authority on earth to forgive sins. 00:18:12.319 --> 00:18:17.519 This is why that the miracles of Jesus throughout his time on earth are referred to as signs. 00:18:18.079 --> 00:18:20.000 Do you know what signs do? 00:18:20.640 --> 00:18:23.039 They signify things. 00:18:24.720 --> 00:18:29.920 They point towards another reality beyond themselves. 00:18:31.119 --> 00:18:32.400 And so, what is the healing? 00:18:32.559 --> 00:18:34.319 Is it just a one-a wonderful thing? 00:18:34.480 --> 00:18:42.720 No, it's a it's a it's a wonderful thing that points towards a deeper reality, a deeper truth that you can now look at and see. 00:18:43.200 --> 00:18:45.440 Here's the deeper reality and the deeper truth. 00:18:45.519 --> 00:18:48.480 Did you see the man pick up his mat and walk? 00:18:48.640 --> 00:18:50.400 What did that mean? 00:18:51.119 --> 00:18:52.880 Here's what it meant. 00:18:53.359 --> 00:18:58.400 Jesus has the authority to forgive sins. 00:18:59.519 --> 00:19:00.799 That's what it means. 00:19:01.039 --> 00:19:05.680 How do you, how do you know he has the authority to forgive sins? 00:19:06.000 --> 00:19:11.359 Well, because I saw him say to a paralyzed man, pick up your mat and walk. 00:19:11.519 --> 00:19:15.200 And then the man picked up his mat and he walked. 00:19:16.880 --> 00:19:19.200 You would say, well, is that does that really follow? 00:19:19.359 --> 00:19:21.200 Is that a like a one-to-one thing? 00:19:21.279 --> 00:19:31.759 Like, does that, do the, do the like uh premise one, if a man says to a man, pick up your mat and walk, uh, and he does it, then he can forgive sins. 00:19:32.079 --> 00:19:39.920 Premise two, Jesus says to a man, he picked up his mat and walked, and he forgave He said to a man pick up his mat and walk. 00:19:40.079 --> 00:19:42.559 Conclusion, Jesus can forgive sins. 00:19:42.720 --> 00:19:43.839 You know, is that really an argument? 00:19:43.920 --> 00:19:44.720 Does it really work? 00:19:44.960 --> 00:19:50.559 And then here's the way that you handle uh critique like that, or if you want to make it make it so plain like that. 00:19:51.200 --> 00:19:53.759 The way is, well, I don't know, what do you think? 00:19:54.799 --> 00:19:57.200 That's the way the argument should go. 00:19:58.240 --> 00:20:00.160 He's a paralyzed man. 00:20:01.279 --> 00:20:05.200 He he spoke to him and he was immediately healed. 00:20:06.079 --> 00:20:10.799 And he said that that testified to his authority to forgive our sins. 00:20:11.920 --> 00:20:14.000 So I don't know, man, what do you think? 00:20:15.359 --> 00:20:17.680 I think he can forgive our sins. 00:20:21.200 --> 00:20:33.279 So now we enter our story, and you'll see that the ministry that the apostles are doing is the same ministry. 00:20:34.640 --> 00:20:49.359 And what happens here is they heal a man who is paralyzed, and they heal a man who is paralyzed, and a crowd gathers, and they don't begin preaching freedom from paralysis. 00:20:51.920 --> 00:20:56.480 They begin preaching forgiveness of sins. 00:20:59.279 --> 00:21:06.799 We understand the connection now because it is the same ministry as the ministry of Jesus that is taking place by the apostles. 00:21:06.960 --> 00:21:13.440 In Acts 3, 1 through 2, Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 00:21:13.519 --> 00:21:14.559 It's about 3 p.m. 00:21:15.200 --> 00:21:30.960 And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they, we don't know who they are, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the beautiful gate, to ask alms of those entering the temple. 00:21:31.519 --> 00:21:34.160 We have a man who is lame from birth. 00:21:34.400 --> 00:21:38.640 He cannot move, he is carried by some friends. 00:21:38.880 --> 00:21:47.200 It doesn't say that they are his friends, but some context clues are they daily carry him to the gate so that he may beg of alms. 00:21:48.240 --> 00:21:50.640 That's a that seems like a friend. 00:21:51.759 --> 00:21:59.599 And daily he's carried to the gate of the temple so that he may sit there, and as people go in, and as the crowds pass. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:08.720 By, they might see him, and then he can collect alms by which he might pay for food, pay for people to help him, so that he might be able to live and survive. 00:22:08.880 --> 00:22:16.880 He lives completely at the mercy of the generosity of his friends who will carry him and of the people who would pass by and give to him. 00:22:18.960 --> 00:22:31.839 And so one day, Peter and John are going up to the temple, and it's the ninth, it's the ninth hour, 3 p.m., and they walk in, and the scripture gives us this picture of them noticing each other. 00:22:33.359 --> 00:22:36.880 So the first man to notice is the lame man. 00:22:37.200 --> 00:22:43.519 And it says, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive to receive alms. 00:22:43.680 --> 00:22:47.599 So he spots them on the way in, and then he asks them, Would you give to me? 00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:50.240 Yeah, he's begging. 00:22:50.559 --> 00:22:53.359 Begging that he might be provided something from them. 00:22:54.640 --> 00:23:01.279 And then the text gives us this description, this almost like intricate description of how it is that they made eye contact. 00:23:01.599 --> 00:23:08.880 He sees them, and then Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, instead, look at us. 00:23:09.279 --> 00:23:11.200 So that means, here's what that means. 00:23:11.359 --> 00:23:16.240 It means that the man kind of glances up and he sees them, but when he asks, he doesn't look. 00:23:16.640 --> 00:23:19.359 Now, ours is a very extroverted culture. 00:23:19.920 --> 00:23:31.680 And in order to beg in our culture, you need cart you need signs, you know, cardboard, and you need to write something, and it helps, it helps, helps me give if it's a little clever. 00:23:33.119 --> 00:23:34.079 That helps. 00:23:34.240 --> 00:23:37.200 This is not typical around the world. 00:23:37.440 --> 00:23:46.720 If you've traveled around the world, if you've been to other cultures where there's where there's beggars, I know uh I've gotten to travel around the world a little bit. 00:23:46.799 --> 00:23:49.200 I lead a very cosmopolitan lifestyle. 00:23:50.319 --> 00:23:51.519 I don't. 00:23:53.279 --> 00:23:55.839 I basically live on this street. 00:23:56.240 --> 00:23:58.640 I never leave this street. 00:23:58.960 --> 00:24:04.240 And uh, but you'll notice that people beg with their faces down and their arms up. 00:24:05.200 --> 00:24:09.440 I've seen that in Malaysia, begging faces down and their arms up. 00:24:09.599 --> 00:24:13.839 I've seen that in Italy, people begging with their faces down and their arms up. 00:24:14.079 --> 00:24:15.200 It's different from here. 00:24:15.359 --> 00:24:16.400 That's more typical. 00:24:16.559 --> 00:24:18.000 That's what you should picture. 00:24:18.240 --> 00:24:24.240 So they glanced and they spot them, but then he receives, he resumes his beggar position. 00:24:24.559 --> 00:24:30.880 And Peter and John direct their gaze at the man, and they say, look at us. 00:24:31.920 --> 00:24:38.480 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 00:24:38.720 --> 00:24:39.759 You know what they have now? 00:24:39.920 --> 00:24:41.839 They have eye contact. 00:24:42.559 --> 00:24:44.880 Peter and John see the man. 00:24:45.519 --> 00:24:48.240 The man sees Peter and John. 00:24:48.480 --> 00:24:49.279 Isn't it interesting? 00:24:49.359 --> 00:24:50.880 This is just a side note for free. 00:24:51.039 --> 00:24:53.599 We call it eye contact. 00:24:54.079 --> 00:24:55.519 Isn't that interesting? 00:24:57.039 --> 00:24:57.839 Contact. 00:24:58.000 --> 00:24:59.599 You can do that with your eyes. 00:25:00.319 --> 00:25:03.279 Typically, in order to contact something, you must touch it. 00:25:03.920 --> 00:25:06.720 But if you use your eyes, you can contact things. 00:25:07.200 --> 00:25:11.680 You pay attention, you you sacrifice your attention towards it. 00:25:11.920 --> 00:25:13.119 Towards someone. 00:25:14.720 --> 00:25:17.039 They make eye contact. 00:25:19.599 --> 00:25:28.799 And having done so, having looked at him, they look at the man asking alms, and he is it he has asked for money from them. 00:25:28.880 --> 00:25:31.519 And here is what Peter said in Acts 3, 6. 00:25:31.759 --> 00:25:38.799 Peter said, I have no silver and gold, but what I do have, I give to you. 00:25:38.960 --> 00:25:43.920 In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. 00:25:44.400 --> 00:25:52.240 And the man took up his and the man stood up and he began walking and leaping and praising God. 00:25:52.799 --> 00:26:02.960 If you could never, if you'd never walked in your life, don't you think you'd want to try jumping right away? 00:26:03.200 --> 00:26:06.000 You know, you've seen all you've seen people walking. 00:26:06.079 --> 00:26:07.759 All day you see people walking. 00:26:08.000 --> 00:26:09.039 You think that'd be nice. 00:26:09.359 --> 00:26:12.559 And you think it's like you ever see a bird walking around? 00:26:12.960 --> 00:26:15.839 And you and you and you're personally offended by it. 00:26:17.440 --> 00:26:19.839 Because it's like you guys can fly. 00:26:20.559 --> 00:26:23.920 You're gonna walk around in front of us just to rub it in. 00:26:24.720 --> 00:26:27.039 It's personally offensive whenever birds walk. 00:26:28.000 --> 00:26:30.799 This man sits at the beautiful gate every day. 00:26:30.960 --> 00:26:34.400 He sits at the beautiful gate and he sees people walking in. 00:26:34.559 --> 00:26:41.759 He sees them walking in and he thinks to himself, he thinks to himself, as he sees them walking in, you're not jumping? 00:26:43.279 --> 00:26:50.319 You're not leaping with joy and wonder at the walking that you can do? 00:26:50.559 --> 00:26:52.240 He can walk now. 00:26:52.960 --> 00:26:54.079 And so what does he do? 00:26:54.240 --> 00:26:58.240 He walks and he leaps and he praises God. 00:26:58.480 --> 00:27:04.480 Is it because suddenly he became ten times stronger than you who walked in here today? 00:27:07.039 --> 00:27:08.960 No, that's not why. 00:27:09.519 --> 00:27:14.319 It's because he could do exactly what you could do when he walked in here today. 00:27:15.599 --> 00:27:20.480 It makes you wonder, perhaps we're participating in glories that are beyond our imagination. 00:27:21.519 --> 00:27:24.400 Every day, the shine's worn off a little bit. 00:27:24.640 --> 00:27:28.319 But if we think about it, if we remember, oh man, there's a glory here, isn't there? 00:27:28.480 --> 00:27:30.079 It's been right in front of my face the whole time. 00:27:30.160 --> 00:27:33.680 It's hidden in the ordinariness of it, but it's not hidden to the man. 00:27:33.920 --> 00:27:35.200 He doesn't receive gold. 00:27:35.359 --> 00:27:38.640 Peter and John do the best bait and switch in sales history. 00:27:38.880 --> 00:27:42.079 They say, I don't have gold for you. 00:27:42.720 --> 00:27:44.799 They act like almsgivers, those guys. 00:27:44.880 --> 00:27:46.400 They act like normal almsgivers. 00:27:46.720 --> 00:27:51.839 And instead, they reach down to the depths of his real problem. 00:27:53.599 --> 00:28:00.799 They might as well have walked up and said, I don't have any money for you, but I do have this money printing machine. 00:28:01.839 --> 00:28:04.240 So I hope you don't mind if I give you that. 00:28:04.400 --> 00:28:13.200 I don't have a couple of coins that would have bought you one meal, but the reason you can't buy meals for yourself is because you can't even move yourself. 00:28:14.160 --> 00:28:18.799 Now be restored to the fullness of health. 00:28:19.839 --> 00:28:25.279 That's what they immediately give to him on command. 00:28:25.519 --> 00:28:28.000 And the man is full of joy. 00:28:29.359 --> 00:28:34.559 And then the crowd, it's like a re it's like the inverse of a car wreck. 00:28:34.799 --> 00:28:36.640 You know, this is the opposite of a car wreck. 00:28:36.799 --> 00:28:46.160 A car wreck happens, and you hear the, you hear the slam, and then you pour out of your house, or the crowds gather around to see what happened. 00:28:46.480 --> 00:28:48.400 This is like the opposite of that. 00:28:49.119 --> 00:28:50.319 There's something so good. 00:28:50.400 --> 00:28:51.920 There was a healing that took place. 00:28:52.000 --> 00:28:53.200 They all knew the man. 00:28:53.440 --> 00:28:55.279 They all knew that he couldn't walk. 00:28:55.440 --> 00:29:01.680 And then he walks past them, walking and jumping and leaping and praising God. 00:29:01.920 --> 00:29:10.640 There's a man who walks up and down our street and he talks to himself and he often yells at himself and yells at people that uh pass by. 00:29:12.079 --> 00:29:20.319 And I've had several interactions with him, and everybody knows, you many of you, if you walk around here, you know exactly who I'm talking about. 00:29:20.559 --> 00:29:26.079 Because if he passes by you, you say, okay, I'm gonna hold my breath a little bit, and now I'm gonna start breathing again. 00:29:26.319 --> 00:29:28.400 Because he smells so terribly. 00:29:28.880 --> 00:29:40.000 Now, if that, if one day you were to be walking down the street and that man walked up to you and he reached out his hand and he said, Hey, we've passed each other so many times before, but we I know we both live in the area. 00:29:40.079 --> 00:29:40.640 What's your name? 00:29:40.799 --> 00:29:42.880 I haven't introduced myself before. 00:29:43.200 --> 00:29:44.880 You'd say, What? 00:29:47.279 --> 00:29:48.799 You you're here. 00:29:49.599 --> 00:29:50.400 You're with us. 00:29:50.480 --> 00:29:52.160 You know, they know the man. 00:29:52.559 --> 00:29:53.279 They know the man. 00:29:53.359 --> 00:30:01.599 And they said, that guy that was walking and leaping and praising God on his way into the temple, you know who that looked like? 00:30:01.759 --> 00:30:03.359 Yeah, it is him. 00:30:04.960 --> 00:30:06.240 It is him. 00:30:07.200 --> 00:30:10.319 He's healed, and so a crowd gathers around. 00:30:10.480 --> 00:30:18.960 And the the crowds that that gather, you'll notice throughout the book of Acts, whenever a crowd gathers, the apostles, they never they they don't miss the opportunity. 00:30:19.200 --> 00:30:23.200 They see a crowd and they say, Great. 00:30:23.759 --> 00:30:27.519 It's time to start telling them about Jesus. 00:30:28.160 --> 00:30:32.400 You know those friends that you have that are exciting but they make you nervous in the things that they do? 00:30:33.200 --> 00:30:34.799 That's Peter and John. 00:30:35.599 --> 00:30:37.039 The crowd's here. 00:30:38.079 --> 00:30:39.279 What's it a crowd of? 00:30:39.519 --> 00:30:41.359 The people that killed Jesus. 00:30:42.079 --> 00:30:43.680 Well, let's tell them about him. 00:30:44.240 --> 00:30:45.279 That's what they do. 00:30:45.440 --> 00:30:48.480 When Peter saw it, he addressed the people. 00:30:49.599 --> 00:30:52.480 Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this? 00:30:52.720 --> 00:30:57.519 Or why do you stare at us as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? 00:30:57.759 --> 00:30:59.680 Immediately they switch the topic. 00:30:59.839 --> 00:31:02.640 They say, they say, you're wondering at us. 00:31:02.960 --> 00:31:15.680 You're wondering at us, Peter and John, as though it was our power that has made this man walk, or that it's our piety, that there is some goodness within us, some strength of character within us that has made this man walk. 00:31:15.839 --> 00:31:18.000 But you must understand that's absurd. 00:31:19.200 --> 00:31:20.799 That's a ridiculous thing to think. 00:31:20.880 --> 00:31:27.519 We don't have the power or piety that can that can say on command, make this man walk. 00:31:28.720 --> 00:31:37.039 Instead, what they explain is that this man was healed by faith in the name of Jesus Christ. 00:31:38.559 --> 00:31:44.480 That it is the power of the Holy Spirit in them which has allowed this man to be healed. 00:31:44.720 --> 00:31:47.599 So they are they are immediately redirecting this. 00:31:47.759 --> 00:31:54.079 Now, there's something that must be said about this there because the apostles have this particular ability and calling. 00:31:54.240 --> 00:31:56.319 The apostles have a unique authority. 00:31:56.640 --> 00:31:57.519 We're Christians. 00:31:57.680 --> 00:32:00.319 I'm a Christian, just like the apostles were Christians. 00:32:00.559 --> 00:32:05.039 I cannot walk up to somebody who is sick and say, be healed. 00:32:05.359 --> 00:32:08.079 And on command, them be healed. 00:32:08.559 --> 00:32:15.440 Now there are many other Christians, contemporary Christians, who say, the reason I can't do that is because of my lack of faith. 00:32:16.000 --> 00:32:22.160 And the reason that the person who isn't healed is because of their lack of faith. 00:32:22.319 --> 00:32:23.759 But that's wrong. 00:32:24.000 --> 00:32:25.599 That's not true. 00:32:27.039 --> 00:32:39.519 The apostolic authority to, by command, perform these signs and wonders was unique to the apostles and unique to the apostolic age. 00:32:41.680 --> 00:32:53.440 Why is it that the apostles were given this unique authority to perform these signs and wonders that do not continue on throughout the history of the church? 00:32:53.680 --> 00:32:56.319 Why is it that they were given those signs? 00:32:56.640 --> 00:33:03.279 Well, why did Jesus perform the signs and miracles that he performed? 00:33:04.079 --> 00:33:06.400 What did they testify to? 00:33:06.799 --> 00:33:08.319 What were they signs of? 00:33:08.480 --> 00:33:10.240 What did they bear witness to? 00:33:10.480 --> 00:33:14.960 They bear witness to his authority to forgive sins. 00:33:15.599 --> 00:33:21.759 They bore witness that he was able to speak the authoritative word of God. 00:33:25.920 --> 00:33:37.680 The apostles are given this same authority by Jesus Christ because they have the authority to speak and proclaim the word of God. 00:33:37.920 --> 00:33:41.200 They even have the authority to write it down. 00:33:42.559 --> 00:33:47.039 You know, I haven't written many letters, but I've written a lot of emails. 00:33:47.440 --> 00:33:56.400 And when I write an email, even when I cite scripture and I explain scripture well and I say things like I say like I have a wonderful insight. 00:33:57.039 --> 00:33:59.839 That would be very helpful for all Christians in all ages. 00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:03.200 It's never like, you know, we should add that into the Bible. 00:34:04.319 --> 00:34:06.880 Let's slow we should slide that into the back. 00:34:07.039 --> 00:34:09.199 And it'll be James 2. 00:34:11.599 --> 00:34:15.039 It would actually be James Jr., because I'm a junior. 00:34:15.360 --> 00:34:19.280 You don't get the three until you're three, but until you're the third. 00:34:19.440 --> 00:34:21.599 Congratulations, Jamestown, JT3. 00:34:22.079 --> 00:34:22.960 You did it? 00:34:23.760 --> 00:34:26.800 But there's a that why does that not happen? 00:34:27.199 --> 00:34:28.079 Why are we not content? 00:34:28.320 --> 00:34:34.400 Why is this book throughout the 2,000 years of church history, why isn't it like growing and growing and growing and growing with all these new insights? 00:34:34.559 --> 00:34:43.840 It's because the apostles were the ones who were given the authority to write the word of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. 00:34:44.159 --> 00:34:49.599 And so we received their writing as the authoritative word of God. 00:34:49.760 --> 00:34:52.480 Well, how do we know it was the authoritative word of God? 00:34:52.639 --> 00:34:57.599 Well, the same way we knew that Jesus was authoritative. 00:34:58.000 --> 00:35:02.079 They were given signs that testified to their authority. 00:35:03.840 --> 00:35:13.440 This perspective, this recognition that the canon of the scriptures are closed at the end of the apostolic age. 00:35:14.800 --> 00:35:20.079 The recognition of this is called cessationism, which is a very negative term, you know? 00:35:20.719 --> 00:35:26.079 Because what it means is that the sign gifts that the apostles had have ceased. 00:35:26.320 --> 00:35:29.039 Those sign gifts are not ours anymore. 00:35:29.599 --> 00:35:33.199 We cannot, at command, heal people. 00:35:34.320 --> 00:35:45.280