WHAT I HAVE IN COMMON WITH A LAME BEGGAR ACTS SERIES, PART 5_EXTENDED OUTLINE

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Norman Jenkins
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1 Text: Acts Chapter 3 WHAT I HAVE IN COMMON WITH A LAME BEGGAR ACTS SERIES, PART 5_EXTENDED OUTLINE Peter Heals a Lame Beggar 1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, Look at us! 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6 Then Peter said, Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk. 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. Peter Speaks to the Onlookers 11 While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon s Colonnade. 12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. 14You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see. 17 Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you even Jesus. 21 Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22 For Moses said, The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people. 24 Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days. 25 And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed. 26 When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.

2 Page 2 1. THE PROBLEM: OUR NEED FOR A SAVIOR! In Acts Chapter Three we see how devoted the disciples still were to their Jewish roots even as they worshiped Jesus. We tend to think of Judaism and Christianity as two completely and separate religious streams. But it wasn t always so. In the early church all Christians were Jews, even though not all Jews were Christians. Jesus was viewed as a sort of famous Jewish Rabbi who had a following of Jewish men and women as did many Rabbis in that day. And so in this passage Peter and John are heading into the Temple to pray, as was their custom as good Jews. As they are about to pass through one of the Temple gates, known as the Beautiful Gate, they are solicited by a lame man who is asking for money. The King James version of the bible says he was begging for alms. The word alms ultimately comes from a Greek word meaning pity, or mercy. Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. Proverbs 14:31 (NIV) Who is the beggar? In first century Jerusalem a beggar would have represented one of the lowest, least valued, and cast aside people in society. However, as much as people looked down on the needy like this, they also recognized some responsibility and virtue in helping them. And so, while the lame were not allowed to enter the Temple, they were permitted to beg for alms at the Temple gates. These first few verses in Acts 3 present a physical picture of a spiritual reality. The physical picture is a man who is lame from birth, unable to enter the house of God, unable to enjoy the presence of God, held utterly captive to his own weakness. The spiritual equivalent is a world of people born spiritually lame and blind, and crippled by sin who are unable to enter the true house of God (Heaven), unable to enjoy the full presence of God, and held utterly captive to their own sin. God was about to use this lame man as an object lesson for thousands of eye witnesses.

3 Page 3 So the lame man begging at the Temple gate is a picture of how we appear to God, apart from Christ. Without the saving grace that Christ brings us we are no better (spiritually speaking) than a lame man begging at God s door. Apart from Christ we cannot enter God s Heaven (His Eternal Dwelling Place). Apart from Christ we cannot have our sins forgiven. Apart from Christ we cannot be free from the bondage of sin, their eternal consequences, or the guilt that comes with them. Who is the beggar? I am the beggar. You are the beggar. We are all the beggar. But in Christ we find the answer to our sin to our separation from God to the lameness that is caused by sinfulness. Jesus is the answer. 2. THE ANSWER SALVATION COMES THROUGH JESUS ONLY! 7 We have escaped like a bird from the fowler s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped. 8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 124: 7-8 (NIV) A few moments ago I told you that the word alms carries the meaning of mercy from the Greek. In Hebrew it carries a slightly different meaning. In Hebrew, my understanding is, that the word we would translate as alms is the word Tzedakah. And it carries the meaning of righteousness and/or justice. A medieval Jewish rabbi taught that there were basically two forms of Tzedakah or alms, and one was much more significant than the other. The lesser form of alms was giving charity or showing mercy giving something to help someone in need for a time. You give a few coins to a poor person, or a piece of bread to someone who is hungry. It helps them, a bit it is a form of mercy or charity, but it doesn t change the persons circumstances. They are still poor. They are still hungry. They are still a beggar, just a little less so for a brief time.

4 Page 4 But the second form of Tzedakah is the highest form of alms. It means to give a gift that will result in the recipient supporting himself from then on, instead of having to live off the charity of others. This is the kind of alms that Peter was about to give this lame man. This is a picture of the kind of charity or mercy, or lovingkindness that God wants to give all men. We call it salvation. When we place our faith in Jesus Christ His sacrifice satisfies the cry for justice over our sins, and God the Father credits us with the righteousness of Jesus Himself so that we come justified before God and have eternal life. Tzedakah alms of righteousness and justice that change our station forever! Then Peter said, Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. Acts 3:6 (NIV) 18 The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord s favor. Luke 4:18-19 (NIV) 3. THE MESSAGE GOD SENT JESUS TO BLESS YOU! God brought Jesus onto the scene of history to bless people. When the lame man is healed he does not stay outside the Temple. He enters the Temple. Almost immediately he enters the house of God rejoicing and praising God as he goes. There is another lesson here beyond our need for a Savior and Jesus being that Savior. It is the reality that, like the lame man, after we are spiritual healed (saved) we are called to walk with God in newness of life. And it is in this new way of life that we can continue to receive and know greater and greater favor or blessing form God himself. 25 You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities. Acts 3: (NIV)

5 Page 5 So God's desire and intention to bless people is spoken of twice here. And the second time it s mentioned Peter explicitly tells us that God sent Jesus to his people to bless them! First to Israel and second to the Gentiles which covers all of us! So how does he bless us? 1. He blesses us by showing us our need for a savior. 2. He blesses us by making salvation accessible through something as simple as faith. We don t have to earn it. 3. He blesses us by inviting us into His house. If we are walking with God every day we are in God s presence. And if we are in God s presence we can truly expect God s blessing. For in him we live and move and have our being We are his offspring. Acts 17:28 (NIV) The LORD replied, My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. Exodus 33:14 (NIV) You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11 (NKJV) You see the connection between walking with God (moving with God, going with God, the path of life ) and God s blessing? Walk with God and be blessed.

Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to

Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, Look at us! 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Acts 3 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer--at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate