Acts 3 Now Peter and John were going up into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. 2And a certain man that was lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the door of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; 3who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked to receive an alms. 4And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him, with John, said, Look on us. 5And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something from them. 6But Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but what I have, that give I thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk. 7And he took him by the right hand, and raised him up: and immediately his feet and his ankle-bones received strength. 8And leaping up, he stood, and began to walk; and he entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. 9And all the people saw him walking and praising God: 10and they took knowledge of him, that it was he that 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.

Have you ever thought that it is possible that God is thrilled and excited when certain Christians get sick?

Because it could be testing them and refining them and equipping them to be what they otherwise could never be.

God didn’t choose to remove Paul’s infirmity did He?

The setting

The crossing of two life patterns, the patterns of Peter and John and the lame man.

Here they were together and as was there custom it says they went up and that’s an imperfect in the Greek. It means a continuous action. Apparently they did it all the time, in to the temple the temple courtyard, Since the Jewish day began at 6:00 in the morning the three hours would be 9 o’clock, 12 o’clock and 3 o’clock. This being the ninth hour was 3:00 in the afternoon. And this was the time of the evening sacrifice and the evening prayers and Peter and John, as was their continual custom, arrived at the temple.

In fact, they did it every day. At the end of Luke I think it’s the last verse in the whole book of Luke, it says, “And they were continually in the temple.” And then in Chapter 2 of Acts in verse 46 it says “they were continually daily with one accord in the temple.” So they went up all the time and the Jews had always had these three hours of prayer. Daniel 6:10 tells us that Daniel observed them. Psalm 55:17 indicates that these were three times observed by the Jews for prayer.

So they went to the temple for the time of prayer and you can imagine that it was crowded there when they would all arrive. So as was their custom, they came to the temple. They had not, as you see, yet understood the final break with Judaism.

Their church pattern crossed that of another man, not so fortunate a man. Because he needs to be carried there, he’s a beggar. Now there were certain customs in those days that beggars kind of operated on even the Roman beggars, as well as those in the east. They always chose one of three locations to beg. They sat, for example, at the rich man’s gate. Remember Lazarus in Luke 16. Or they sat on the highway leaving the city. Remember Mark 10 blind Bartimaeus on the highway or thirdly and the best spot in town they sat at the gate of the temple.

This was a terrific choice place because the crowds were there and not only that people on their way to worship God would be very likely to impress God with the validity of their worship.

“He daily was brought there.” “A certain man lame from his birth,” that’s Luke’s medical note to indicate to us that had he not been, maybe some doctors could have helped him perhaps, but his case was hopeless. Kind of let’s the doctors off the hook. “A certain man lame from his birth 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.” This was his territory.

He’s carried there and the verb again is the imperfect, which means he was habitually being carried there. He was 40 years old, it tells us later. Who knows how many of those years he had been carried there. Probably at least 20 or more..

An ossuary discovered near Jerusalem contains an inscription indicating that the doors of the Nicanor Gate were a gift from Nicanor of Alexandria: “The remains of the children of Nicanor of Alexandria who made the doors.” According to Josephus, the doors were made of Corinthian bronze and were more beautiful than and “far exceeded in value those plated with silver and set in gold” (Josephus, Jewish War 5.201; Keener, Acts, 2:1048–49). Josephus also records that the gates were so massive that 20 men were needed to close them (Josephus, Jewish War 6.293).

Josephus says that this one was bigger than all the rest. It was 75 feet high, if you can imagine that, and 60 feet wide and it was overlaid with the thickest plates of gold and Corinthian brass. It was made of Corinthian brass overlaid with gold. It took 20 men to close it. And that’s where he sat. Verse 3 gives us another little note for the scene. “Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.” Now he is asking for mercy in the form of cash basically, but he’s about to receive grace in the form of healing and salvation. That’s the scene.

The miracle itself.

6 But Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but what I have, that give I thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk

The miracle was unexpected. Isn’t that how God’s grace comes. It’s never what you think it’s going to be. Ephesians 3:20, “Now unto who is able to do,” what, “exceedingly, abundantly of all you could ask for,” what, “or think.”

How unexpected. “And Peter fastening,” and the word here is the same word as used in 1:10 where they stared at Jesus ascending. It means to fix their gaze. It’s a stare, they were locked in on this guy. They stared at him and said, “Look on us.” The two men riveted their attention on the unhappy cripple. God had a critical thing to do at a critical moment. This was His moment and this was His man. And the miracle was unexpected because the miracle was sovereign. It was sovereign, God was doing it.

“Look on us.” Verse 5, “And he gave heed unto them expecting to receive something from them.” He thought boy I’ve got a couple here, they’re going to really unload on me. He looked for money and what he got was an unexpected miracle. “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.”

What reason did that guy have to believe in Jesus that beggar? What did he know about Jesus Christ other than that he had been tried as a blasphemer and executer.

Somehow in some way God by sovereign salvation began to move in his heart. Jesus never promises anybody material gain. Peter and John are living proof of that. They had nothing. They had poverty and power.

He never dreamed this would happen. But you see that’s how the sovereignty of God is. A man can be going along in his own way thinking all he needs in life is money. All he needs in life is a little comfort and God reaches into his heart and redeems it and a miracle happens that he never dreamed possible.

Is that how it was with you when you met Christ? Something happened far beyond what you ever imagined. Life became fuller than ever you dreamed it could be and so many things replaced the mundane and the temper of it you thought were everything. So God began a sovereign work. The miracle was unexpected.

A Miracle in the Name of Jesus

In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. Just so you don’t make any mistake about who this Jesus is. John 15 when we studied how that Jesus said “If you ask anything in my name I’ll do it.” . They were acting in the behalf of Christ, speaking for Him. was instantaneous, verse 7. “He took him by the right hand and lifted him up.” Peter just reached down and lifted him up. And watch this, “

Not Witchcraft or Magic, but the Name of Jesus

Not in the name of Joel Osteen, Andy Stanley, Benny Hinn, even Billy Graham, but,

In the Name of Jesus

In verse 12 Peter denies every form of witchcraft, magic, sorcery, or mind-over-matter technique. He says, “Why do you stare at us as though by our power or piety we had made him walk?” In other words, the power that healed this man was NOT our power. Nor was our religiousness (piety) the agent of healing here. It is simply not a human act which you have seen.

12And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this man? or why fasten ye your eyes on us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him to walk? 13The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Servant Jesus; whom ye delivered

In verse 16 Peter, by faith in his name, has made this man strong whom you see and know; and the faith which is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.”

Faith to Heal Given by Jesus

The faith to heal (Peter’s faith, not the man’s; there is no reason in the text to think he was believing when Peter spoke) is “through Jesus”—that is Jesus gave it. It came through the working of Jesus (cf. 5:31).

Peter had passed this man many times before without healing him. But today, when he looked at him, something happened. The faith to heal him came THROUGH JESUS. The living Jesus did something in Peter, and Peter knew it was the day. When he said, “What I have I give to you,” he probably meant, “Today I have been given something special for you. Jesus has just given me the faith to speak healing to you and I now share this gift with you. Rise.”

That’s what the last part of verse 16 says, “The faith, which is through Jesus [not in Jesus!] has given this man perfect health.” Jesus gave the faith to heal, and Peter acted on it.

The faith Jesus gives to heal is effective because it is faith in the name of Jesus; and, in fact, the name of Jesus is bringing about healing. Because the name of Jesus stands for the reality of Jesus. His name stands for who he is. When Peter said (v. 6), “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk,” he meant: “I am speaking the words, but Jesus is now healing you. When I speak in his name, with the faith that he has now given me for your healing, he is acting not me.”

Christ’s miracles of healing are always instant and complete.

God’s miracles are always instant.

Jesus Healing is complete.

He never does a miracle that isn’t total. Verse 8, “He leaping up stood and walked.” Notice how fast he starts walking. Never walked in his life and he entered with him into the temple.

“He leaping up stood and walked and entered into the temple, walking and leaping and praising God and all the people saw him walking and praising God. This guy was full of joy.

They’re all in this very silent and somber and they’re all praying as the custom is to pray in Israel and they were all going through the evening sacrifice and it was all sort of pomp and circumstances and dignity and all of sudden this guy bursts in there and he’s jumping and yelling all over everywhere and you can imagine the shock of the people as they turned around and saw who was making the racket disturbing the evening sacrifice.

God deals in joy

That’s something God bestows upon us. Jesus gave it to us. “My joy I give unto you our fellowship demands it.” “These things write unto you,” John said, “that your joy may be full.” Paul commands it “rejoice always and again I say rejoice.”

Joy to the man, praise to God, and a testimony to the people.

“And they knew that it was he who sat for alms at the beautiful gate of they temple.” How do you handle that problem? Acts Chapter 4:16, “They say what shall we do to these men?” Peter and John, “For that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all those who dwell in Jerusalem and we cannot,” what, “deny it.” We can’t … look there’s the guy jumping around. What a shock. No deception here. Now this was more than a miracle, a sign.

The very behavior of this former cripple was a sign to those who had eyes to see, that the messianic age had come. You say why? For long ago, Isaiah said in 35:6 “then shall the lame man leap as a deer,” when, “in the day of Messiah.” And here was the classic proof. The lame man leaping all over the place. A Testimony complete that Messiah had come. That is the purpose of the miracle to produce wonder. verse 10, “if they’d have only known the Scripture truly they’d have seen Messiah’s signs. But at least they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.”

As the lame man who was healed held Peter and John all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon’s greatly wondering.” God had used this sign to gather the crowd in a state of shock over what had happened and then Peter began to preach. So Peter and John slid into Solomon’s porch with all the people massed and jammed in there beneath and watch this. Guess who’s up there on the platform with them? “As the lame man who was healed,” what’s the next word, “held Peter and John.” This man was a living verification of a miracle and he’s right locked between Peter and John, right in the middle of Solomon’s porch.

Do we ever live out the miracle that Jesus performed on us when He saved us?

Do we live any different, that would cause people to think that Jesus had changed us?