Acts Chapter 3
Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.
- This is around three o'clock in the afternoon
- They went "up" because Herod's Temple is on Mt Moriah.
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 "Beautiful Gate" was facing east, also perhaps called "the gate of Nicanor", fifteen cubits high
- It was made of "Corinthian Brass" or "Corinthian Bronze", even thought to be copper mixed with gold or silver
- "from his mother's womb is not an accident, not due to an accident either"
- Answers the old complaint of ours, "Why ME, LORD?"
- This here is his purpose, but there is always one, even if we never discover it
- He had friends who carried him here, meaning he also asked alms elsewhere the rest of the day, every day
Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.
- Probably heard of them both, but maybe not
- Either way, he has to ask
And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
- "I need your attention here, this is important"
- There is a difference between looking at someone and "fastening" ones eyes on them
And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
- This is because whenever anyone interacted, he probably got something
- Most others would probably have walked by, ignoring him. Same as today
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.
- Congratulations, it's your day today!
- For all of eternity, he will be alive, walking, with Jesus
- Gold, silver-things to steal, things that you can't take with you, things that will burn one day
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
Acts 3:7
And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ancle bones received strength.
- Again, they had the gift of healing
- A touch is personal, a lift is icing on the cake
- Today, we pray and lay hands..........it is not a guarantee of healing, but it is a guarantee of God hearing and answering-YES, NO, WAIT FOR LATER
And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.
- Walking and leaping, not limping and walking slowly
- He was a good as new!
- He wanted to now stay with Peter and John, as well as let anyone and everyone in that temple know what just happened
- Peter and John with him means validation and an explanation to skeptics
And all the people saw him walking and praising God:
- Further testimony, and it was not even why he was doing it!
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.
- This was the reason for being lame..............so he could be healed
- Not everyone is healed; not everyone finds out why they are born the way they are.
- It is all part of the curse, lifted at the Cross, removed when we die, or earlier...........up to God
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.
- They are seeking "the sign guys", not just the healed man.
- They seek sings, and a wondering......."signs and wonders"
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?
- They are about to find out the source of the miracle.............a surprise!
- Again, this is a sign for "ye men of ISRAEL"!!
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.
- To emphasize that this is for Israel, the mention of the three original fathers here.
- Declaration of Deity, "God of our fathers"...."his Son Jesus"
But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;
- In the end, our sin crucified Jesus, but in the earthly realm, the chief priests delivered Him over to be crucified.
- Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, John 18
But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
John 9:29
We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is.
And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.
- Death, Resurrection, Witnessing
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.
- It is not by any man's gift, any man's special powers, nor by the filling of the Holy Ghost.
- It is by the Name above all names. Jesus Christ
And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.
- Spiritually dead people are often unaware of their own sin, as are all of us at times
- Because they did not know that this was their Messiah, they had Him crucified in ignorance
- The suggestion may be that, had they known...........
Luke 23:34
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.
- This was in their own Scriptures in Genesis 3, Genesis 22, Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, Daniel 9:26, Zechariah 12:10, etc.
- As Gentiles are without excuse for believing in evolutionism (Romans 1), so too the Jews are without excuse for not recognizing the Messiah
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;
- The "times of refreshing" is disputed, but most surely the most obvious would be the return of Christ to reign on the earth
- The next verse seems to clinch it
And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
- The Return, the Millennial Kingdom reign
- Again, the fore-knowledge is what told them to seek the for-giving
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.
- "Must receive" is part of the overall plan, the Sovereign plan of God
- No prophet of the Old Testament failed to reference the Messiah in some manner
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.
- "Like unto me"..............like unto God, made in the image of mankind
- The Jews today, as then, thought that the Messiah was to be a man, not the God-Man
But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Deuteronomy 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;
And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.
- This rejection of the true Messiah will lead them very soon, sadly, to accept the anti-Christ
- That will be a fulfillment, ironically of a prophecy given, none other, by the MESSIAH HIMSELF!!
John 5:43
I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.
Deuteronomy 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.
Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.
- "These are your prophets, O Israel, in a continuing succession, an unbroken line"
- "As many as have spoken, when speaking spoke of these days"
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.
- These who spoke were your own forefathers
- The blessing in your seed was Jesus, not what you thought it was
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.
- Everything was to the Jew first, then the Gentile (Romans 1:16, 2:9, 2:10)
- The way to be truly blesses is to repent from their iniquities
The Lesson From The Text
- We are all born helpless
- His mother and ours are alike (Job 25:4, Genesis 3)
- We are outside the temple of God
- We are all spiritual beggars
- We expect something from Christians
- We do not know our REAL need
- Salvation and Jesus Christ are more precious than silver and gold
- We can pass this salvation on to others via our words
- Salvation is instantaneous
- New believers stand, then walk, then can stand FOR-in that order
- We can worship publicly
- Our testimony can lead others to Jesus Christ
