Beautiful Life
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Service Notes
Service Notes
Thank you for your help with the FL project.
November 3rd will be a special night.
Start 2 John in 2 weeks.
Mark (Missionary to Asia) will be giving a report tonight.
Ask him to share a few words.
Pastoral Prayer
Opportunity to demonstrate the love of God to those hurting in NC and FL
Gospel conversations we had this week.
Sermon Introduction
Peter and John went to pray
They met a lame man on the way
He asked for alms and held out his palms and this is what Peter did say
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!
He went walking and leaping and praising God
Walking and leaping and praising God
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk!
Review
Review
Acts of the Apostles is only partly accurate
Moving out of chapter one we saw that the book of Acts was Jesus working through disciples.
Story comes immediately after Pentecost.
Sets the stage for Peter’s 2nd sermon
Acts 2:42–43 “42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.”
Tell us more about this?
Acts 3:1–16 (KJV)
1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. (around 3 pm)
Peter and John - What an interesting combination!
Someone said the only time he opened his mouth was to change feet.
John was contemplative, reflective, tender, the one Jesus loved and who leaned on Jesus' breast at the Last Supper.
Example given of maintaining spiritual disciplines during days of great success and excitement.
The 9th hour (around 3 pm) is when Jesus cried out from the cross it is finished.
2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they (those who felt pity) laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;
Why was it called beautiful?
Not the official name, but the name it was referred to because of how it would shine in the sun. / Bronze
75 ft high with double doors
3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.
Levitical law said that a deformed man could not enter past that gate.
He is on the wrong side of a beautiful gate
4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
We do not normally make eye contact with those we do not want to help.
Peter demonstrates a confidence all of us believers should have that allows us to not turn aside to the needs of the world.
5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
He will receive something from him. Something far better.
One word for “expectancy to receive.”; HOPE!
I pray you came that way today.
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.
Couldn’t give what he didn’t have.
“What I do have, I give to you”
Monk visited Rome and had an audience with the Pope. He was amazed by the opulence of the Vatican in that day. The Pope was proud of the riches of the church, and he said to him, “No longer do we say, ‘Silver and gold have we none.’” The monk looked at Pope and said, “Maybe that’s why we can no longer say, ‘Rise up and walk.’”
7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
Luke using a bigger vocabulary.
Medically verified.
Maybe he interviews this man.
8 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.
9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God:
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.
Very probable that Jesus passed through this gate during his earthly ministry.
In God’s timing this man was healed, God is glorified.
God’s time is part of his beautiful will.
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.
Crowd needed more than a testimony.
They needed a clear telling of the good news.
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?
Not of our power or our holiness - next verse tells you the Hero!
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.
14 But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;
Reference to the story of Barabbas
A prisoner in the New Testament who was chosen by the crowd to be released by Pontius Pilate instead of Jesus Christ.
15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.
Miracle of boldness
It was the Jewish people who sent Jesus to the cross, but not alone. Jew and Gentiles responsibility.
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.
1. Understanding God's healing in your life helps you face the world's brokenness without turning away.
1. Understanding God's healing in your life helps you face the world's brokenness without turning away.
Acts 3:4 “4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.”
We cannot know all of Peter’s thoughts but we do know what Peter saw; opportunity.
We cannot know all of Peter’s thoughts but we do know what Peter saw; opportunity.
Why would a man be on the outside of this gate now that it is time to pray?
Should invite the man to join us?
What does he need and do I have it?
G. Campbell Morgan says about this story.
“There at the gate, with all the mountains’ far-flung splendors encircling the city; there, where the steps went up to the Temple, he lay-but outside. That is humanity’s position, in the midst of beauty, but not of it; in the realm of things lovely and of good report, but excluded. That is the position of humanity everywhere; it sighs and sobs and is in agony at the Beautiful Gate, but it cannot get in. There is the Church’s opportunity”
Peter had nothing to give him that will help him maintain his crippled life.
This man knew more about ankles than anyone else around, but didn’t know how to walk.
Christianity does not come to teach a man philosophy. It comes to give him life
Let’s learn this poem by John Bunyan together.
Run, John, run, the law commands
But gives us neither feet nor hands,
Far better news the gospel brings:
It bids us fly and gives us wings
We may not think we have all that we think we need, we have more.
We may not think we have all that we think we need, we have more.
Acts 3:6 “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.”
Christians should never say “I ain’t got nothing for you,” Not because it isn’t grammatically correct, but because it isn’t theologically correct
Peter and John had no earthly resources to offer.
They were like that preacher when he went to cash his check, and the banker said, “I hate to give you these old dirty bills.” And the preacher said, “That’s all right: no germs could live on my salary.”
Do not think that what you have to offer is less than what is needed!
The good news we share is not a “be ye warmed and filled message.” James 2:16
The good news we share is not a “be ye warmed and filled message.” James 2:16
Isn’t the salvation of the soul (and the promise of full restoration) greater than a temporary miracle?
The beggar did not ask for too much, but he was asking for too little!
It was as if he was asking for shoes when he needed feet!
The gospel is real and life changing, not a fairy tale or a dream.
The gospel is real and life changing, not a fairy tale or a dream.
Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive (C. A Miracle that Could Not Be Lightly Dismissed)
I heard of a little girl who was standing on the edge of a crowd while her daddy was giving a testimony. It was a street meeting—an old-fashioned Salvation Army street meeting. This man was standing up, testifying how Jesus Christ had saved him and delivered him from his alcoholism, his craving of drink, and the old life that he had, and he was giving Jesus the glory.
And there was a cynic on the edge of that crowd who said, “Oh, why don’t you just shut up and sit down? You’re just dreaming!”
That cynic felt that little girl pull at the tug of his coat. And that little girl was a beautiful little girl, quite mature for her age; she and said,
“Sir, that’s my daddy that you’re talking about. You say my daddy is dreaming. Let me tell you about my daddy. My daddy used to be a drunkard. He used to come home drunk. He used to hit my mother, and she would cry most of the day.” And she said, “We didn’t have good clothes to wear, because my daddy spent all of his money on whiskey.”
She said, “Sometimes I didn’t even have shoes to wear to school.” “Look,” she said, “Look at those shoes. Look at this dress. My daddy has a good job. Over there is my mother. She is happy now. She doesn’t cry around the house now; she sings around the house, even when she’s ironing. My mother is happy now. And Jesus changed my daddy, and Jesus has changed our home. And if my daddy is dreaming, then please don’t wake him up.”
The good news we share is more than sufficient to bring hope into anyones story.
The good news we share is more than sufficient to bring hope into anyones story.
“At that great Marriage Supper of the Lamb, the first thing I think I’ll do on resurrected legs is fall to my glorified knees and praise the God of Resurrection and healing, and then I’ll stand and dance before him with all my might.” Joni Eareckson Tada: The Girl Who Learned to Follow God in a Wheelchair (An Inspirational Children’s Christian Biography About Trusting God and Loving Others)
Joni’s legs may not work properly, but her heart is just fine.
How is your heart today? Are you eager to bend you knee before God.
My offer to you today, “such as I have give I thee.”
My offer to you today, “such as I have give I thee.”
I cannot give physical healing but I will speak to our God who can and I will introduce you to Him through His son Jesus.
I cannot address all your financial needs but I can show you how to receive an eternal inheritance.
I cannot restore all our broken relationships but I can show you how you can be reconciled to God.
Ephesians 3:20 “20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,”
2. Sharing the hope God has given you fosters beautiful friendships.
2. Sharing the hope God has given you fosters beautiful friendships.
Acts 3:11 “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.”
We miss out on so much because in managing our wealth we are too poor to pay attention to others.
This story ends with hearing of 20,000 coming to Christ. Acts 4:4.
The story starts with Acts 3:4 “4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.”
“I cannot quite understand why a man should wish to know more people than he can make real friends of.” CS Lewis (1955)
Seeing the need of others can become costly.
Seeing the need of others can become costly.
A little bit bad news from Acts: Helping others in Acts always gets the believers in trouble!
Jesus poured out his life so we could be saved.
Substitution. One voluntarily suffers so that another lives!
Substitution. One voluntarily suffers so that another lives!
Follow example of Jesus. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead: “From that point on they determined to kill him.”
As one commentator said “By taking Lazarus out of the grave, he put himself in.”
When Jesus healed the woman with the issue of blood who came up behind him and grabbed his garment, the power “went out” from him.
This guy got to walk; Peter and John get to go prison because of it.
Despite all odds the beggar stayed hopeful.
Despite all odds the beggar stayed hopeful.
Acts 3:5 “5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.”
One word for “expectancy to receive.”; HOPE!
Peter fastening his eyes upon this beggar gave the beggar another chance to hope.
Pastor in NC explaining how the church has been “typecast”. For many people, the role we play in society is as an antagonist to progress. We’re morally regressive; against the progress of science and the development of culture.
We should be able to say to our community:
● Need counseling? We see you. We’ll help.
● Need a bag of groceries? We see you. We’ll help.
● Need a safe place? We see you. We’ll help.
● Need parenting insights? We see you. We’ll help.
● Need community and friendship? We see you. We’ll help.
● Have questions and doubts about faith? We see you. We’ll help.
● Have an addiction? We see you. We’ll help.
● Have a desire for a fresh start? We see you. We’ll help.
We must set our eyes on the person in their current state, to help save their souls.
We must set our eyes on the person in their current state, to help save their souls.
Amy Carmichael when confronted with the fact she cared to much about every aspect of the orphans lives responded, "...One cannot save and then pitchfork souls into heaven....Souls are more or less securely fastened to bodies...and as you cannot get the souls out and deal with them separately, you have to take them both together."
3. We reach down, lifting others while guiding their eyes upward to the beauty of our Savior.
3. We reach down, lifting others while guiding their eyes upward to the beauty of our Savior.
Acts 3:12 “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?”
Humility doesn’t cause you to undervalue what God did, but to recognize that it was He that did the work.
Humility doesn’t cause you to undervalue what God did, but to recognize that it was He that did the work.
You have probably been told not to stare at strangers. There is a whole lot of “earnestly looking upon” in this story.
The men of Israel looked “earnestly” upon them.
With this audience look at what Peter does
The content is the same. Acts 3:13 “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.”
If we are truly serving others for God’s glory and not our own, than His fame will be our priority!
It is an act of mercy to help people understand their spiritual condition.
It is an act of mercy to help people understand their spiritual condition.
Acts 3:14–15“14 But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; 15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.”
The lame man laid there day after day aware of his need.
These people walk through the gate often but never saw that they were in far greater need.
Peter told the beggar to stand up, he tell these people, they may need to sit down.
The joy of our salvation is our greatest platform for proclaiming the gospel to others.
The joy of our salvation is our greatest platform for proclaiming the gospel to others.
Acts 3:8 “8 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.”
At Pentecost we have a large crowd that has gathered and God allows them to hear the message in their own language.
Here we see the power of a changed life. Acts 3:10 “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.”
Miracles are a sign. That means they are gift to not only the one receiving it, but those who hear about it.
This is a sign the Messiah has come. Isaiah 35:6 “6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.”
As Matthew Henry says Peter "sowed the gospel seed in the ground which was thus broken up, and prepared to receive it."
I have look at different drawings or plans for pulpits. It is fun for me. I really like replications of Spurgeons pulpit. Here we see that through our obedience to God in showing compassion upon others a platform for the gospel is made that could not be replicated.
Jesus is the healer of all broken things.
Jesus is the healer of all broken things.
Acts 3:16 “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.”
Looks like there is something here we are not to miss.
Peter, John, nor the beggar is the hero of the story.
It is the name of Jesus.
Jesus. Jesus. Jesus.
There is something about that name.
Master. Savior. Jesus.
Like the Fragrance after the rain.
Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. Let all heaven and earth proclaim.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Psalm 63:3 “3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.”
We have been given a beautiful life.
What God has done inside of us, is greater than anything this world has to offer or can do to harm us.
We have been given beautiful friendships. Seen in John and Peter going to pray together, to the new friend that join them along the way.
We have the most beautiful message to share with this world.
God will move in our lives and care for others, as he does it creates a beautiful opportunity to share His name.
