Silver and Gold
Acts 3:1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.
The hour of prayer was after the afternoon temple sacrifice (Jesus was the final sacrifice for his believers).
Acts 3:2 And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;
The Jewish historian Josephus describes a gate made of fine Corinthian brass at the temple, seventy-five feet high with huge double doors, so beautiful that it "greatly excelled those that were only covered over with silver and gold."
Acts 3:3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.
He wanted money, Peter and John had something better.
Acts 3:4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
Acts 3:5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
Acts 3:6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
Many churches have silver and gold, but cannot say in the name of Jesus of Nazareth rise up and walk.
Acts 3:7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
He did it under the specific prompting of the Holy Spirit. God gave Peter the supernatural ability to trust Him for something completely out of the ordinary.
Acts 3:8 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.
First, he attached himself to the apostles (entered the temple with them).
The presence of God's Spirit gave him a hunger for Spiritual things, the word and worship
Another man posessed with devils was healed, he wanted to follow Jesus
Mark 5:18 And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him.
Mark 5:19 Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.
The end result of healings is to glorify God, and to serve him
Mat 15:30 And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them:
Mat 15:31 Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.
John 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
Secondly, he immediately started to use what God had given him (walking, leaping).
Acts 3:9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God:
Acts 3:10 And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.
If this man was more than 40 years old (Acts 4:22), and had been crippled since birth, and was a familiar sight at this temple gate (Acts 3:10), then Jesus must have passed him by many times without healing him. Why? Apparently God wished to show that his power was now in the Apostles, and he was glorified through them.
1 Th 1:5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.
Holy Ghost power for witnessing
Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
They had received the promise
Mark 16:18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
Luke 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Luke 24:48 And ye are witnesses of these things.
The beggar was walking and leaping....
Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
New life for serving the Lord. God's grace was upon this man, joy in the Spirit to overcome.
Luke 6:22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.
Luke 6:23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
Even the babe, John leaped in the womb at the presence of the Holy Ghost.
Luke 1:41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
And walking in the Spirit...
Mat 11:4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see:
Mat 11:5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
Mat 11:6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
2 Cor 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
Gal 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
Finally, he began to praise and worship God (praising God).
Jesus was greeted by praising angels at this birth as a man child
Luke 2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Luke 2:14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Luke 2:20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
Jesus ascended bringing praise
Luke 24:51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.
Luke 24:52 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:
Luke 24:53 And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God.
The blind receive site and praise
Luke 18:42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.
Luke 18:43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
Luke 17:12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
Luke 17:13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
Luke 17:14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
Luke 17:15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
Luke 17:16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
Luke 17:17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
Luke 17:18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
Luke 17:19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
Have you been touched by the Holy Ghost? Chances are that you have a desire for God's word and worship. There is a new skip to your walk, there is power and purpose to your life. We are to glorify our Lord and praise him. For great is his power and mercy towards us.
Acts 3:11 And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly wondering.
Sarah writes:
"I place self there in crowd and see much change in many to see miracle of the lame man. What I wonder did the man at this time think of the miracle? The lame man, all know for so long a time, cannot walk, now He walks because he is healed with only the name of Jesus... Not even is our Lord present, only the name of HIM is used. This is an awesome wonder to me forevermore, this great power in Jesus' name. The lame man cured, now leaps as a happy dancer praising God. I do not have to be present to see this at that time to know what the man is feeling. When the Lord did heal my arm , so filled of wonder and joy am I , only tears of joy and praise was in heart and mouth of me.... ever each morning when I wake and see arm is all good, I bow before our Father God to thank and praise Him to miracle arm of me.I think the lame man did need a little measure of faith for healing, but it is not only healing for the lame man, but healing for many in the crowd who see the miracle also. All did happen as our God did make it to be."
Peter's Second Sermon
Most of the sermons in the book of Acts contain four elements;
1. The Messiah has come
2. A review of the life and ministry of Jesus
3. A call to repentance
4. Old testiment proofs
Acts 3:11 And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly wondering.
Acts 3:12 And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?
The power is of God. Jesus healed when on earth and he continues to heal. No man has the power to heal of himself in a supernatural way. The power is of God.
Acts 3:13 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.
Not by the power of man or a god, but the God of Abraham , Isaac and Jacob. The God of Israel has glorified his Son Jesus.
Peter takes no credit for healing, he gives the glory to Jesus. Jesus must be lifted up, not our own deeds.
Peter boldly accuses the gathered Jews of the death of Jesus and he describes the events surrounding his death. First guilt for sins must be realized. If we think we have not sinned, then there is no need of repentance.
The Romans would not have crucified Jesus without the Jews, and the Jews could not have crucified Jesus without the Romans. God made certain that both Jew and Gentile shared in the guilt of Jesus’ death. In fact, all were guilty because of sins. Jesus came to die for our sins because we cannot remove them ourselves.
Messiah had come
Acts 3:14 But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;
Not only did they with malice deliver Jesus who was innocent, but they let loose Barabas a murderer and thief.
Acts 3:15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.
You killed the giver of life. Yet Jesus has risen from the grave as we have witnessed. Life continues having destroyed deaths power.
1 Cor 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
1 Cor 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
1 Cor 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts 3:16 And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
By the power of Jesus name and by faith in that name this man is made whole. Is anyone here needing a healing? Jesus is the power and by his name.
Acts 3:6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
Phil 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
Acts 3:17 And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.
Though done in ignorance, they still sinned. Yes, this was the will of God that Jesus pay for our sins, yet those who plotted his death had a greater sin.
Review of the life of Jesus
Acts 3:18 But those things, which God before had showed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.
It was a fulfillment of God's plan. There are always those seeking to destroy another, but woe to these.
Mat 18:7 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!
Mat 18:8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
James 3:5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
James 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
James 3:8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
It was with their tongues that they cried out "crucify him".
Repent
Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; As he did in his first sermon (Acts 2:38), Peter calls upon the crowd to repent. He is telling them to turn around in their thinking and actions.
And be converted: Conversion is a work God does in us. Being a Christian is not "turning over a new leaf," it is being a new creation in Christ Jesus.
2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
If nothing has changed, perhaps you are not yet converted.
Your sins may be blotted out has the idea of wiping ink off of a document. Ink in the ancient world had no acid content and didn’t "bite" into the paper. It could almost always be wiped off with a damp cloth. Peter is saying that God will wipe away our record of sin just like that!
What are the times of refreshing Peter spoke of? He is referring to the time when Jesus returns and rules the earth in righteousness.
Acts 3:20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
Acts 3:21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
Peter makes it clear that Jesus will remain in heaven until the times of restoration of all things, and since the repentance of Israel is one of the all things, there is some sense in which the return of Jesus in glory will not happen until Israel repents.
Old testiment proofs
Acts 3:22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
The Jews of Peter’s day were aware of this prophecy of Moses
Deu 18:15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;
Deu 18:19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.
Acts 3:23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.
The destruction promised in the prophecy would become the legacy of this generation of Jews. Many, but not all, of this generation rejected Jesus twice over.
Acts 3:24 Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.
Acts 3:25 Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
Acts 3:26 Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
Through Jesus shall all nations be blessed, beginning with those on Israel who receive him. We each must choose the Messiah, Jesus in order to receive the blessings of the Covenant with Abraham.
First we must be turned away from our iniquities. They were expecting the Messiah, but not the right kind of Messiah. They were looking for a political Messiah, not one to turn every one of you from your iniquities. Are you expecting the right things from God today? You must repent and be converted.
Acknowledge your sin, repent, confess to God and seek salvation.
Gary
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