Acts 03

Introduction

Last week we were studying the little summary which Luke gives us at the end of chapter 2 of what the early church was like. He gave us a kind of snapshot of what they did and how they treated one another in those early days of the church.

Those, of course, were special days. For instance, the apostles were still alive and they were able to perform signs and wonders. But the apostolic era with all its sign and wonders is now over And in those days the believers were able to meet together every day. But most of us have daily responsibilities and duties which mean we’re not able to meet together every day as they did. So, those were special days and we can’t do everything they did. However, there are some essential things they did which believers need to do in every generation. And we thought about those things last week. The members of the early church devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching; and to the fellowship; and to the breaking of bread; and to prayer.

The apostles’ teaching was all about the Lord Jesus Christ and how he is the fulfilment of God’s promises in the Old Testament to send into the world his Spirit-Anointed and Conquering King who would suffer and die for his people before rising from the dead to save us from our sin and misery in this world and to give us everlasting life in the new and better world to come. The apostles took the Old Testament Scriptures and showed the people how they were fulfilled in Christ and how everyone needs to repent and believe in him. The apostles taught these things and the members of the early church paid persistent attention to these things.

They also devoted themselves to the fellowship, which means they cared for one another in practical ways and they shared what they had with one another. From time to time, those who could sold something they owned and gave the proceeds to those who were in need. They helped one another.

And they also devoted themselves to the breaking of bread — or to the Lord’s Supper — and to prayer. When they met together, they celebrated the Lord’s Supper to remember and give thanks to God for Christ whose body was broken and whose blood was shed for us and for our salvation. And they prayed to God, making known their needs to him and giving thanks to him for his good gifts.

The members of the early church devoted themselves to these four activities. And we should pray that the Lord will give his people around the world in every generation the same kind of devotion to these four essential things.

Today we come to chapter 3 which in some ways parallels the first part of chapter 2. In the first part of chapter 2, Luke records for us what happened on the Day of Pentecost. And in chapter 3 he records for us what happened when Peter and John went up to the temple one day. S, in both chapters, Luke tells us about some marvellous event which happened: in chapter 2 it was the coming of the Spirit; and in chapter 3 it was the healing of this lame man. In both chapters, when Peter began to explain the significance of what had happened, Peter begins with a denial: in chapter 2 he denied that the believers were drunk; and in chapter 3 he denied that he and John healed the man by their own power. And then in both chapters Peter went on to speak about the Lord Jesus. In chapter 2 he explained that the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost means that the Lord Jesus is now seated in heaven as king over all. And as king over all he has poured out the Spirit on his people. And in chapter 3 Peter explains that the lame man had been healed in the name of, or by the authority of, Christ the King. We tend to associate the Day of Pentecost with the Holy Spirit. But according to Peter, the Day of Pentecost was about Christ. And we tend to associate miracles with the Holy Spirit. But according to Peter, miracles are the acts of the Risen Lord Jesus.

And according to Peter what they were witnessing was the fulfilment of God’s promises in the Old Testament. And so, his speech on the Day of Pentecost was peppered with quotations from the Old Testament. And his speech in the temple also contains references to and quotations from the Old Testament Scriptures.

And the last thing to mention here is that in both chapters there’s a call to repent: the people must turn from their sins in repentance and they must turn to God for mercy.

And so, there are these parallels between chapter 2 and chapter 3. Chapter 2 is about Christ the King sending his Spirit on his church. Chapter 3 is about Christ the King healing a lame man.

So, let’s turn to chapter 3 to study it together and it begins in verses 1 to 10 with the miracle itself.

Verses 1 to 10

At the end of chapter 2 Luke said that the early believers not only met in homes, but they also met together in the temple. And so, in verse 1 of today’s chapter, he tells us how one day Peter and John, two of the apostles, went up to the temple at the time of prayer. The Jews gathered in the temple three times each day for prayer. And Peter and John were going up for the second time of prayer which began at 3pm.

And Luke then tells us about this lame man who also went up to the temple. And everything Luke tells us about the man highlights for us his helplessness. We’re told he had been crippled from birth; that he was being carried; that he was put down at the gate; and that he was put there to beg. He had to reply on other people to carry him around; and wherever they put him, that’s where he stayed.

And since he was at the temple gate to beg, he asked Peter and John for some money, just as he probably asked everyone who passed that way for money. And when Peter and John looked at the man and when the man looked at them, Peter announced to him that he and John have no money to give him. They have no silver or gold in their pockets. But he had something even better to give to the man, because Peter was able to heal the man in the name of, or by the authority of, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

And so, Peter commanded the man to walk. And at the same time, Peter took him by the hand and helped him up and instantly — instantly — the man’s feet and ankles were made strong. And Luke uses seven verbs to describe the effect of this miracle, although the NIV combines the first two. So, he leapt up. Then he stood. Then he began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple, where he walked and leapt and praised God. And as someone who has just spent eight weeks recovering from a broken ankle — and I’m still not right — it’s amazing to read how this man, who had never ever walked in his whole life was able to leap to his feet and walk around. No wonder he praised God because of God’s kindness to him in sending these men who were able to heal him and make him walk. No longer would he rely on other people to carry him. No one would people put him somewhere. No longer would he have to beg. Now he could go where he wanted and he could work for a living. And now he’d be able to stand with God’s people in the presence of the Lord and praise him for his goodness to him.

Luke tells us that the people in the temple recognised him as the man who used to sit and beg. He used to sit and beg, but now he’s standing and leaping and praising God. And so, they were filled with wonder and amazement because of what had happened to him. And no doubt they were wondering and asking one another how this man who was once lame could now walk. And that’s when Peter began to speak.

Verses 11 to 26

And first comes the denial. He denies that this man was able to walk by their own power or godliness. So, in case any of them were thinking that Peter and John had the power to heal, they are mistaken. Peter and John are only men. They are not gods and they don’t have magical powers. However, the God of their fathers — the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob — has glorified his servant Jesus. And from this point on in his speech, Peter tells them about the Lord Jesus.

He says about him that the people in Jerusalem handed him over to be killed. When they had the opportunity to ask for his release, they disowned him before Pilate and they asked for a murderer to be released instead. Peter, of course, is referring to how the crowd in Jerusalem asked for Barabbas to be released instead of Jesus. So, they preferred a murderer to Jesus Christ who is the Holy and Righteous One. And they killed the Author of Life. Isn’t that a wonderful title for the Lord Jesus? He’s the Author of Life. In John 5, the Lord Jesus said, ‘[As] the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself.’ As the Eternal Son of God, he has life in himself — because he and the Father are the same as one another — and he gives life to all things, because all things where created through him. He is the one who gives life to all things in heaven and on earth. And so, in that sense, he’s the Author of Life. He’s also the Author of Life, because everyone who is united to him through faith receives from him the free gift of everlasting life so that though we die, yet we shall live when Christ comes again to raise the dead. And so, he’s the Author of Life because he gives life to all things and he gives everlasting life to all who believe.

He’s the Author of Life — and yet they killed him. And they were able to kill him even though he’s the Eternal Son of God, because the Eternal Son of God came into the world as one of us. As God, he is unable to die. But as man, he was able to die. And so, they killed him. But God the Father raised him from the dead. And look at verse 16: ‘We are witnesses of this.’ The apostles were witnesses, because all of them had seen the Risen Lord Jesus.

And perhaps people in the crowd were beginning to wonder why Peter was telling them about the Lord Jesus. They want to know how this lame man can walk and Peter is telling them about the Lord Jesus. What’s the connection? And so, Peter tells them in verse 16, where he says that it is by faith in the name of Jesus that this man was made strong. And he says that it is Jesus’s name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing. In other words, the lame man was healed because of the Lord Jesus. When Peter mentions Jesus’s name, he’s referring to Christ’s power and authority. The Lord Jesus has the power and authority to heal. The apostles have no power or authority of their own. They are only men. But the Lord Jesus Christ — who died and who was raised and who has been glorified at God’s right hand — he has the power and authority to heal.

And this lame man was healed by faith in the Lord Jesus. And, of course, this matches with what we read in the gospels, because in the gospels we see again and again the Lord’s power and authority to heal the sick and the lame and to drive out demons. But we also see in the gospels that the people he healed had faith in him. Think of the woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. But she believed the Lord could heal her and so she went up to him and touched him. And immediately her bleeding stopped. And do you remember? The Lord turned to her and said to her that her faith had healed her. She was healed because she believed. And here’s Peter making the same point: this lame man was healed by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who has the power and authority to heal.

But where did this man get his faith? Take a look at verse 16 again, where Peter says that ‘it is Jesus’s name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing.’ Do you see what he’s saying? He said that faith in Christ comes through Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ enabled the man to believe. From his throne in heaven, the Lord Jesus sent his Spirit to this lame man to enable him to believe in Christ. And having believing in Christ, he was healed.

So, the Lord Jesus Christ enabled this man to believe. Normally, the Lord Jesus Christ produces faith in our hearts through the reading and preaching of his word so that, as we hear the good news, he sends his Spirit to enable us to believe the message and to trust in Christ. But on this occasion the Lord Jesus only had to use Peter’s command to walk to produce faith in the lame man’s heart.

And so, Peter explained to the people that the lame man was healed by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who has the power and authority to heal. And from verse 17, he begins to call on the people to turn from their sins in repentance and to turn to God for mercy. He tells them in verse 17 that they and their leaders acted in ignorance when they killed the Author of Life. But by putting him to death, they were in fact fulfilling what God has foretold through the Old Testament prophets, who spoke in various ways about how the Saviour of the world would suffer and die for his people. Think of how a number of the psalms speak about the suffering of the Saviour. Or think of the Suffering Servant songs in the book of Isaiah and how the Lord Jesus, when he comes, would be a man of sorrows who was familiar with suffering. And Isaiah says about him that he will take up our infirmities and carry our sorrows and he will be pierced for our transgressions and he will be crushed for our iniquities. Throughout the Old Testament, God announced the coming of the Saviour who would suffer for God’s people.

The people in Jerusalem acted in ignorance. They did not realise that God was fulfilling his plan when they handed the Lord Jesus over to Pilate to be crucified. But God was working out his plan for our salvation so that all who repent and believe in the Saviour will be saved from God’s wrath and curse which we deserve for a lifetime of sin and disobedience.

And since that’s the case, Peter called on the people in Jerusalem to repent. Repent and turn to God so that your sins will be wiped out. He means the record of all our sins and disobedience will be blotted out. It will be erased. It will be destroyed. Turn from your sins in repentance and turn to God for mercy, trusting in Christ for forgiveness, and all your sins and shortcomings will be wiped away by the blood of Christ so that God will remember them no more and he will never ever hold them against you ever again.

And Peter also tells them to repent and turn to God so that times of refreshing will come from the Lord. He’s probably referring here to the Holy Spirit. Whoever repents and turns to God for mercy, trusting in Christ’s death for forgiveness, receives the Holy Spirit who is able to refresh our tired and weary souls by reassuring us of God’s goodness and mercy and kindness and love. And he reassures us that our sins are forgiven and that we have peace with God for ever because of Christ. And so, we are refreshed because the Spirit reassures us continually that the burden of our sin and guilt has been removed from us for ever.

So, the people must repent and turn to God so that their sins are wiped out and the Spirit may come to refresh them. And then God will one day send Jesus Christ. Do you see that in verse 20? Christ the King is now in heaven, where he’s seated at God’s right hand. But he will not remain there for ever, because the day is coming when God will send him again in glory and with power to do what? According to Peter in verse 21 he will come again to restore everything. He’s coming again to restore all things.

When he was on the earth, the Lord Jesus restored the lives of some people, whose lives were broken by illness or by being lame or blind or by being demon-possessed. He healed them. And now — through his apostles — he has healed this one lame man, who sat begging outside the temple. But the world is full of lame men and women and men and women who are sick and who are suffering in other ways. In fact, all of us suffer in one shape or form, because the world which God created to be very good was spoiled and ruined whenever Adam disobeyed God in the beginning. And so, we now live in a fallen world and we are fallen people who are not the way we’re supposed to be; and each one of us is born a sinner and we sin against God and we sin against one another and we hurt one another. And our life in this world is a troubled life full of sorrow and sadness and disease and death and misery. From the time of our birth to the time of our death, we know what it is to weep and to be sorrowful. And when life is hard and disappointing and a struggle, we yearn for something better. We long for a better life in a better world. We yearn for it. And Paul in Romans 8 tells us that the creation itself is yearning for it. The whole of creation is groaning and it’s waiting to be liberated from its decay.

And the good news is that when Christ comes again he will restore everything. He will restore all things. He will renew the heavens and the earth and he’ll renew his people — all who believe in his name. He will renew us completely in body and soul and we’ll live with God and with Jesus Christ his Son in a new and better world, a renewed and restored heavens and earth, where there will be no more sorrow or sadness or disease or death. No one will be lame, but everyone will stand and leap and praise God for ever and for ever.

By healing this man at the temple gate, Christ the King was showing us what he will do for all his people when he comes again. When he comes again, he will deliver all of his people from all our sin and misery for ever. And we’ll go into the true temple: the heavenly temple, and not a merely earthly copy. And we’ll join together with all of God’s restored and renewed people and we’ll praise him for ever.

Peter went on to say in verse 22 that God announced through Moses that he would one day send into the world a new prophet. Moses was referring to the Lord Jesus Christ, who is not only our Great King, but he’s also our Great Prophet. And we must listen to him. We must listen to him as he comes to us Sunday by Sunday in the reading and preaching of his word and when he tells us to turn from our sin and unbelief and to believe in his name for the forgiveness of our sins and for the hope of everlasting life in that new and better world to come. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people. Do you see that in verse 23? They will be cut off from his people and will be shut out of everlasting life in the new heavens and earth. But whoever believes in his name is blessed. We are blessed because he turns us from our wicked ways and he puts us on the right path and he enables us in his life to do what is good and right and pleasing in his sight. And the right path leads eventually to everlasting life in the presence of God where we will be happy for ever.

Conclusion

The Lord Jesus Christ comes to us week by week in the reading and preaching of his word. And he summons us to give up our sinful ways and to come to him for forgiveness and for the help of the Spirit and for the hope of everlasting life in the new heavens and earth, where we will stand and leap and praise God with all of his people for ever and for ever.