Sent from the Church to the Streets

title="English

Sent from the church to the Streets

Acts 3

One day a lame man took up his usual place to panhandle in a city about the size of Pasadena when two people walked toward him. Instead of these two men turning their heads away and passing him by, they stopped to speak with him. The man was a professional beggar and, as was common in his world, knew he shouldn't look people in the eye. But, something was different about these men. They actually forced him to raise his head and look at them. In other words, they took notice of him as a fellow human being. So, as he always did, he asked them for something. What did he ask them for? Money. Not a healing. Not a job. Not a new way of life. He asked for money.

I'm not being negative about the man when I say that he only asked for money. I'm quite sure he could not have imagined asking for anything else. His greatest expectation probably was that these men might give him a little pocket change out of their togas. He had been carried to his usual begging spot at about 3 pm, the time of afternoon prayers at Jerusalem's most beautiful gate. Those religious enough to show up for prayers were known to be a bit more generous to the poor than others – just as churchgoers are today. It's hard to ask for more than you can imagine. So, he asked for money. But, Jesus had recently told these two men who approached him that, when they went into the world, they went as God's witnesses – witnesses to God's reality, witnesses to God's Son being the savior and Messiah, and witnesses to God's love (Acts 1:8).

Today, we will look at what happened that day – and what it means to us. Acts 3 gives us the report of the first miracle story in the early church and the sermon that it led to. Miracles did not happen every day – even in the early church. The Bible never teaches us that God is an impersonal powerful force we can tap into – and get miracles from -- if only we can find the right formula or speak the right incantation. God is personal and works according to his own wisdom and good judgment. In fact, in the chapters that follow Acts 3, we will see the church people often facing hardship. And in the midst of some of those hardships, they did not get miracles upon demand but had to learn to trust God. Instead, what almost always happens in Acts is that, when a miracle happens, it's followed by people explaining what the miracle means. And, I believe, we can learn a lot about something todfay that people often ask me about – namely, how we might expect to experience God's presence and work in the world. I'll tell you this: God can and will do whatever he wants. Still I think we learn a lot about this issue form Acts 3.

So, I want to focus today on what we believe about our miracle working God who does not always do miracles when we ask him to. This is Mothers' Day in our country and, I know, some people attend church on Mother's Day that are not always in church (and I'm glad you are here if that's true of you). I want to ask if you can relate in any way to this man at the gate who was begging for help. I know that some people go to church simply out of tradition or habit. And, others have shown up today just to fulfill the expectation of someone else (perhaps your Mother). But, I imagine most of us have come wanting to know more about how God is to be known and how he works in the world.

So, if you were this man and there were one thing that you would ask God to do today, what would it be? Like this man at the gate, is it money? Or, could you imagine asking for the first thing that Peter and John gave him, i.e., a physical healing? That would last longer than a few extra coins although a physical healing would also be only temporary. Or, could you imagine asking for a whole new way of life?

As you think about that, let me tell you what Christians believe about the miracles that God sometimes does in this world – such as the one we see at the beginning of Acts 3.

#1: Miracles look beyond themselves (to something much bigger and better)

This man asked for money. Peter and John told him they didn't have any. I'm guessing the lame man may have been skeptical about what they said. (Maybe you would be too.) Instead, they insisted they had something better to give him. And, what he received was a healing. And, that was better! A healed body would last longer than a few coins. But, one point will become clear when we see Peter explaining the meaning off this miracle beginning in v. 11. It's something we all know is true: Even a physical healing is only temporary. Our bodies continue to age and physical problems return. But, the eternal God we believe in had promised to do things that cannot be taken away. He had said over and over in the Old Testament prophecies that he would do something in our lives and in our world that would last forever. So, why does God sometimes do these temporary things in this world instead of simply zapping us up to heaven and giving us the lasting thing now?

It's because we cannot gain the eternal thing we most need without first being made right the eternal God. You and I need to know God. So the temporary miracles always point us toward the fact that God is real, that God is ready to make himself known. Jesus often called his miracles "signs". Jesus knew that the miracles he did were not the ultimate thing that God has to offer. Instead, they are temporary and visible signs that point to something much better and longer lasting than they are. They point us to who Jesus is, to the fact that he has power over all things, and that he is to be trusted even when he does not do what we demand.

Notice how Peter and John make that point over and over in this story. They heal specifically in the name of Jesus of Nazareth" in v. 6. Then, when everyone is astounded by the miracle, they say clearly in v. 12, "Why are you staring at us as if by our own power or godliness we wade this man walk?" Peter is saying that this miracle is a sign pointing to who Jesus is, i.e., the savior who can make us right with God. In fact, this healing is a lot like some of Jesus' own miracles. But the big difference is that Jesus never had to appeal to a higher authority such as the name of God when he did miracles. He did them in his own authority.

So, what happened in this first church miracle was a demonstration of who Jesus is. Peter and John knew it! They wanted no credit for doing the miracle. Their humble attitude is such a huge change from the many times the disciples had disputed about which of them would be the greatest. Yes, these are the same men who had always been seeking personal glory! When God begins to work in us, what sets in is a new humility. We live no longer for ourselves but we live for him. The miracle happens not because these men had learned to do miracles or had discovered a secret magic formula that guarantees miracles -- but because they had acknowledged Jesus as the only source of help and salvation.

Miracles in the Bible point to who Jesus is and to what he can do. Some say miracles point "upward" because they think that's where God is, i.e., up there somewhere. But, miracles tell us that the God we refer to as being up there is present and at work down here. And I declare to you – he still is today.

#2: Miracles look forward

This man was healed right there in Jerusalem at the Beautiful Gate. Note this: There were many lame people and many poor people in Jerusalem at the time. But, as far as we know, this was the only man healed in Jerusalem that day. But, even though it's the only one reported, this miracle happened! Many people witnessed it that day. So, what's going on here? How do we understand a world in which God sometimes does healings but not always? One point is this: The Bible constantly says that the specific acts of God in our world are pointing us to the fact that God is in the midst of doing something that is not yet complete – but will someday be.

Can you think of anything in this world in which you have a wonderful promise of something that is going to happen – and someone you love has promised you it will happen – but you have to wait. One example the Bible uses, especially in Ephesians 1, is an engagement ring. An engagement ring is a wonderful thing. It's a visible sign of a deep commitment. But, the ring points to something much better than the ring itself. So, when a person has an engagement ring, she has to wait until what it promises actually happens. The issue is whether the one who gave the ring is trustworthy -- and worth waiting for.

In Acts 3, Peter talks about this miracle beginning and says that this miracle done in the name of Jesus is a visible sign of something God had long promised would happen. Peter lets us know that God loves the world that he has made – but hates what has happened to much of his world. God has promised that what's wrong won't stay wrong. God promises that he will not leave things like poverty and sickness and death in his world. One of the most powerful passages teaching this is in Isaiah 35. When God is done, in Isaiah 35:4-6, we read this: Your God will come... He will come to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer.

The man, who had been lame from birth, "leaping" in Acts 1:8 is exactly the same word the prophet Isaiah 35 had used. The Bible's point is that this one healing is a sign pointing forward God to what will happen in its fullness when God has completed his work. God has promised there will be no more lameness and this miracle is a sign pointing forward to that day. Peter said this clearly in his sermon in v. 21 when he preached that Jesus is the one who started God's work. Peter said, "The time for the "restoration of all things that was prophesied by the prophets long ago" has started.

Our problem is that we don't want to wait. Like little children on a long trip, we keep asking, "Are we there yet?" We say, "Make it all right and do it now, God!" But God keeps saying, "It's not time yet. Trust me. We're on the way and we'll get there but we aren't there yet."

With that in mind, it makes sense that all the miracles in the New Testament happen to alleviate trouble – to address the painful affects of sin. They aren't just awe-inspiring feats of God's strength. Someday, all the things that are wrong in this world will be gone. They point forward to a day in which all things that now are wrong – like lameness and poverty and injustice – will be made right.

And, that has at least two meanings for us: 1) hope and 2) a call to action. The hope comes when we believe that God is trustworthy. We may not understand what God is doing but we believe God knows what he's doing. We always have hope in this world because we trust our Heavenly Father. And, sometimes, he breaks through into the world and gives us a visible sign – like an engagement ring- that points to his promise that a better day is ahead.

And, in addition to that, the fact that God has begun a work to make all things right in his world is also a call to action on our part. Why? Because God has chosen to do much of his work in this world through his people. In Acts 3, God sent Peter and John out from church worship service and into the streets of their neighborhood to confront those things that are wrong. They did not have money but they used what they had to confront one man's sickness through prayer and then to call all the people who witnessed the healing to know God through faith in Jesus. God has chosen to accomplish much of his promised work by sending out people to combat what is wrong. To pray against it. To bring God's healing. And, I believe, he calls us to go out and work against the wrongs in our world too.

Here I will do a brief interview with Randy Nelson, LAC minister to Thailand.

#3: Miracles look inward

And now, I need to talk to you personally. When we say that Jesus came to make wrong things right, will you admit that there are some things still wrong inside your own life that need to be changed? It's not just the world out there that needs to be restored. Our lives need to be made new. And Jesus came to change things deep down inside your own soul. He came to remake you to be what he created you to be.

I'm talking about a truth that is very real but that some want to ignore in the 21st C. We don't like to talk about personal sin in our day. But let me tell you – sin is real and we've all engaged in it. Every human being needs to be forgiven of sin and to be made right from the inside out. And, here's the good news: God wants to cleanse your soul and make your life new. Not only that, God wants to do it. And God is able to do it. This is why Jesus died on the cross. He was the sinless one who was willing to take our place and bear the penalty necessary because of our sin. And what God asks of you is what Peter preached to the people in Acts 3: You must confess your sin, turn from it, and follow Jesus. So, this new life from God starts when you admit there are still parts of your life that are wrong and that need to be forgiven. Will you admit that?

Peter used straight talk when he discussed this. He said that the reason Jesus died was because of people's sins. In vv. 13-14, Peter spoke to the people in Jerusalem and used the plural form of "you". He said, "You all" are responsible! You all need to turn to God." And the same is true of us in church today. We all need forgiveness. We all need things to be made right – both in our world and in our lives.

I declare to you that this is your greatest need. It was this lame man's man's greatest need – greater than his poverty and his lameness. He may have known that this was true deep inside. But, he could not imagine that these men could offer him something that day that would be on such a huge level. He could hardly have imagined that Jesus could change his life. But that is exactly what Jesus had died to make available to him. And this is the eternal thing that Jesus is ready to give you today.

I want to take Peter's beautiful sermon and highlight its good news for you. If you will take that step and become a Christian today what will happen? What happens when people repent and believe in Jesus?

1. God "wipes out" your sins (v. 19). That's exactly the word the Bible uses. Your sins are "wiped out" by God himself.

2. God plants into your soul times of refreshing that come from experiencing his presence (v.20). This is something hard to explain but all of us who follow Jesus know it is true. The Bible calls is a "peace that goes beyond human understanding." I'm not saying that we never have times of discouragement or doubt. I'm not saying that at all. But God makes himself known to us in ways like he did that day in Acts 3 and it's like water coming into our parched soul.

3. God gives you an assurance inside that he will keep his promises: Jesus will return to make all things right (vv. 20-21). As the hymn writer put it, "That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet."

So, at the end of my sermon, I want us all to take time with God in prayer. At the end of the sermon, if there is one thing that you would ask God to do today, what is it? Pull out the kneelers and let me guide you into three areas that are in keeping with Acts 3: Prayer for God's provision, personal confession of sin and personal commitment to be God's agent of change in this world...

 

To His glory,

Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor