Book of Acts - Ch. 3, Vs. 1-19 (01/12/2003)

We're in Acts 3, the beginning of it, so I want you to turn to Colossians 1 .16,

and David, read that 16th verse.

Colossians 1 .16. That's right. For by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible.

All things were created by him. All right.

It plainly says that he created everything.

Who is the he, David? Jesus Christ. That's right. Now read verse 17.

And he is before all things. Now tell us, what does it mean, he's before all things?

That means before anything was created, he was already created.

That's right. He was not created. Read the 20th verse.

And as he made peace through the blood of his cross, by him were reconciled all things, as it were.

I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven. Period.

I almost didn't stop there, did I? All right.

And having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile nearly everything.

All things. Now, Burge, what does all things include?

Everything. Everything he created. And that was what?

Yeah. The stars, the planets? Everything. The space?

Yes. The cockroach? Yes. All right.

His blood redeemed all of them. Now how, what do we mean that he redeemed everything?

Who is this over here? Me. Dennis, okay. You're out of place.

Yeah. What does he mean that all things are redeemed by his blood?

Made peace through his blood. All right.

God, no. All right. Peace is a, well, it's, what state is it,

David? What state? What state is peace? The state of everything right and right is

God. All right. Now come to 2, the chapter 2 of Colossians and the third verse.

I want you to see something that I just saw last week. And maybe you all know it, maybe you don't.

But it was new for me as soon as these people get settled.

Colossians 2, 3. In whom we have all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Burge, he says that he reconciled everything.

Made everything at peace with God. Talking about Jesus the

Christ. And he says, in this Christ are hid the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

What does it mean? Brother, I'm not sure they're talking about,

I know that the more we study, the more knowledge and the treasures are uncovered to us.

I'm not sure that's what he's talking about. The knowledge is of our salvation and stuff that we've talked about here.

Yes. But it's from a different viewpoint. Joy. In whom are hid all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

How do they get to us? We receive him.

Alright. We receive him. This knowledge, this wisdom is in him.

Now the only way that we can get to it, Greg, is how?

No, he doesn't. And the reason

I say no is that's what I always thought. He presented me with the wisdom.

He didn't give his wisdom away. It is in him.

And it stays in him. It's not outside of him, it's in him.

Now if we are in him, then we have access to it. We can look through the eyes of Christ at the world.

I wanted to share this with you. I want you to think about it. But he didn't give his wisdom away.

Because it is in him. Now come to Acts 3.

Where? What? Where? Acts 3.

Brother Otis? Yes. You called me this week.

That last verse. Yes. I noticed interesting things about how the

Pharisees and the Sadducees and the educated people today. And I'm not getting educated at all.

But I'm saying there are evolutionists and highly educated people today who look at Christ from the outside.

Looking at him. Like you pointed out and called me the other day. And looking at Christ, whether you study his life or you study his works.

When you study the Bible, you're looking from the outside at him. You don't get it.

You pointed out that only if you're in Christ, looking out through his eyes, do you have that wisdom and knowledge of missionary philosophy.

That's absolutely right. So it kind of explains why so many people, even in higher education, in seminaries and colleges and universities like Saber, when they sit around and study the

Bible, they don't have a clue about being in him or being out.

That's the key. You cannot study enough to get in him.

You cannot be born to the right family to get in him.

You cannot do anything to get in him. He placed you in him.

And it's time that we look through his eyes instead of looking at his eyes. We'll touch on this as we go.

Now today, Peter and John go to the temple. Great, why did they go to the temple?

Anybody know? They all went to the temple. What? They all went to the temple.

Well, they did not go because they had to. It's something that you have done all of your life.

It's hard to break the habit. They're not wanting to break the habit, but they do not go to be saved.

Now, Peter and John went up to the temple at the hour of prayer, being the third hour.

The ninth hour. No. Which hour?

Nine. They had three hours that they go.

Three o 'clock in the afternoon, time of the evening sacrifice.

Peter and John, like Paul later, kept up the

Jewish worship, but not as a means of sacramental redemption.

Please note that. There were, as I said, three hours of prayer each day.

Nine, twelve, and three. And a certain man.

Now, when this phrase is given to us as it is here, when a certain man, it means that this is not something made up.

It's not an illustration. It's not anything. It is real. There was a name to this man, and it could have been given, but it wasn't necessary.

So there's a man that comes. He was brought every day and laid at the gate.

He was a man lame from his mother's womb. That'd be nearly all his life, wouldn't it?

He 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.

Now, the first thing that jumped out at me, Greg, was why ask of them as they go?

Why not both go and come, or why not when they come out? He had determined over the years that this was the best time more people give when they're going to church than when they come from church.

Too many think they have escaped, and they pay no attention to anyone. In that day and time, people were going for the wrong reason.

I'm glad we never go for the wrong reason. That's very likely.

Oh, they never did, did they? Yes. Back to the gate.

It was 75 feet by 60 feet. Verge, that's a rather enormous gate.

It was made of Corinthian bronze and overlaid with plates of gold.

Very, very heavy. Now, as this man was, so are we.

We come lame from birth as a servant of Satan. As he was carried to the place of alms, so are we carried by the

Holy Spirit to the place of hearing the word. As he was healed by Jesus the

Christ, by the words of Peter, so also we come to the knowledge of God by the words of his teachers.

And just as he, after his cure, walked and praised God, we too with joy walk the rest of our lives here on earth praising

God. It's a picture of you and I. But this really existed.

Now, Peter is approaching him, coming up the steps to the temple.

So, who's seen Peter and John about to go into the temple and ask an alms?

Nothing unusual there, is there? You've been doing this for years. How old is this man,

David? Well, he's above 40 years of age, we know.

So for 40 years he's been practicing this, minus a few at the beginning.

He began to ask, not once, but he began to ask as they approached.

It was his chance. Dennis, what does alms mean?

Alright. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, look on us.

Now, Diane, what do we know by the term fastening? When the man fastened his eyes on Jesus, or on Peter.

Alright, he's not looking at anything but Peter and John.

That's right. And Peter tells him to look on us.

Whenever you speak to a person, look them straight in the eye, especially if you're telling them about Jesus.

Listen. Learn to command the attention of those to whom you are speaking.

Five. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.

Clarence, he gave heed. What did he do? Yes. He held his eyes right on Peter and John with great eagerness, expecting to receive something.

Which is not unusual. That was the way he lived.

He took Peter's invitation as a promise of a larger gift.

Then Peter said, silver and gold have I none, but such as I have,

I give thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.

Begin to walk. Then go on walking. But Virg, the beggar, knew he couldn't.

Don't you suppose he had tried before, several times? He knows that he cannot walk.

And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up and immediately his feet and ankles, bones received strength.

Peter jerked him. It is with a forcible effect that he took him, such as his thundering voice, and I imagine

Peter could really thunder out a word. He calls out the name of Jesus here in the temple.

Peter took him like an officer would apprehend a man in order to imprison him.

Peter was very firm in making him get up. Peter didn't tell him to get up if he wanted to.

You can walk if you want to. And go on his way. Peter had told him to get up and he was going to see that he did.

There was nothing in his voice that left the man thinking just to get up if he wanted to.

He, who has always faltered in words, is unworthy to speak the holy words of God.

Don't ever, ever try to apologize when you speak the words of God.

Now, let's look at Peter a little bit. Why did he make such a statement? Was it because he had pity on the beggar?

Joy? Was it because he wanted to do this thing?

Joy? Was it because he had no money?

Clarence? Was it that he did it so the man would be healed?

Because if you're in Christ, drop away from him. And he was in the will of the

Father, and the Father has promised. Or was it because God had him say it and do it?

So God would get the praise and honor? Yes. Unto this very day, that's why he did it.

To praise God. It had nothing to do with the man. The man was an implement being used.

It's good that he was healed, but the fact he was healed brought praise to God. Eighth, and he leaped, leaping up, stood and walked and entered with them into the temple, walking and leaping and praising

God. Eighth, notice that that's changing.

You know anything about medicine? The person is paralyzed, and all of a sudden they have nerves come back to their bodies, or they have an accident, or a stroke.

It would take you years even though you had that feeling where your muscles would be able to build back up and be able to jump and leap.

You just spent half of your whole life in a walk and jump and leap?

This is a point. He was free for the first time in his life.

I can just see him as he runs back and forth jumping up and down in the air. So I guess there was a spiritual cure for him.

There was a spiritual cure for the body. These stiff -necked

Jews, I wonder what they were thinking. They've known this man for 40 years and he hasn't stood.

This man was over 40 years of age. He had never walked. We now find him leaping and walking.

Don't you find it strange that he didn't have to learn to balance himself? Or that the muscles immediately, as Clarence pointed out, was this not also a miracle?

I don't know if you think those people around this guy, they had known about this man for 40 years.

They had to recognize a miracle for the right thing. They can't deny what was said when they told the man to get up and walk.

That's true of those that heard it. People across town doubted it.

And all the people saw him walking and praising God. And they knew that it was he which set for alms at the beautiful gate of the temple.

They were filled with wonder and amazement that which had happened unto him.

Russell? Is Russell in here? Yeah. Russell, why was it better to give him this than to give him money?

That's right. To give him money was temporary, but by giving him health, a body, he could make his own living.

He was a daily witness, though. Every day he adored by God, and money came to him at that moment.

That's right. And every day that he moved, and every day people saw him. The provost,

Peter, and John didn't go to the temple to procure alms. No.

The reason they went to the temple was to worship, but also to deliver a message.

And the message they were to deliver was a few minutes. And what this was, was a validation of the fact that just like it was true that they were able, through God, through Jesus Christ, to heal this guy who was lame.

And that was without the language of death. They also did not dispute the message that they were given.

That's all that came from the Holy Spirit. It wasn't just the message that they were to deliver.

Later, the words were delivered by the Holy Spirit, but everything was possible. That's right.

First, by giving him health, they also gave him the ability to earn silver and gold.

So likewise, the gospel does not aim directly at improving our means or circumstances.

It aims at improving the men themselves. The gospel converts the man.

The man converts his surroundings. When they delivered that message of Jesus Christ, they gave him alms of peace death.

Silver and gold have

I none. As the church's power increased by worldly possessions.

Two or three years ago, I read in the paper where a Baptist church in Fort Worth, in order to be better equipped for God's work, voted to spend two and a half million for a new organ.

Oh, be unto these churches that spend the money on themselves. Verse 11.

And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the temple, in the porch, that is called

Solomon's. Greatly wondering the next time when

Harvey comes and he plays the piano or the trumpet or both of them at the same time, when he's finished, let's rush to the piano or the trumpet and stroke it and pat it and tell it what a good job it did.

That's what Peter and John did. They should receive no praise.

You should receive no praise. It is the praise for God. This is what these people were doing toward Peter and John, yet they and we are nothing but instruments to be used of God.

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?

You see the great temptation that comes with man's praise of man, such as clapping.

Why don't they clap after a prayer? The God of Abraham and of Isaac and 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, but ye denied the

Holy One and the just and desired a murderer to be gained unto you.

Why is it we see it in the news that a representative of the people,

I'm thinking one especially, that even though he's committed a crime or crimes, they vote him back in if he'll run.

Why is that? Dennis? They're not looking through the eyes of Christ, are they?

But they'll do it. Now, kind of as a side note here, if you were in that crowd and you heard

Peter sundering out this, was he bashful?

No. Was he speaking the name of Jesus and telling them that they crucified him?

Where is he when he's saying this? Very important. And killed the prince of life whom

God hath raised from the dead, whereof we are witnesses. We saw it.

You did it and we saw it. In his name, Jesus. Through faith in his name,

Jesus, hath made this man strong, whom you see and know, yea, the faith which is by Jesus.

Him hath given him faith, this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

And now, brethren, I want that through ignorance you did it, as did also your rulers.

Is all sin done in ignorance, David? Is it in unbelief?

Is it possible to commit a sin in ignorance? Well, write some scripture next week to prove your answer.

But those things which God before had showed by the mouth of his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.

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. This word, repent, madame elo, elohi, madame elohi, it is a care to ones afterwards, care that you've been caught.

Then Judas, which had betrayed him when he saw that he was commanded, repented himself and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders.

That kind of repenting is just sorry that you got caught. The distinction often given between this refers to an emotional change.

This was Judas after he saw that what he had done signifies nothing but regret, even amounting to remorse.

But the word, madame elo, elo, is a fuller and more nobler term, expressive of moral action and issues.

It's indicated by the greater frequency of its use, by the fact it's often used in the imperative tense.

What is imperative, Greg? That's right.

It's alright for Peter to tell them to repent, because only those ordained to eternal life will do that.

But I want you to know that lost man cannot repent, for he knows nothing of the eternal life, therefore he does not know he needs to repent.

He's lost. By the time you know and understand you're saved, it is only the saved that recognize when they have sinned.

Our time's nearly up. The word repented, as used here, means to be sorry, to move to pity, having compassion, to be comforted, be consoled.

In no way does it mean that God changed his mind, as it says in the scripture.

We'll start with verse 20 next week. Is there anything that you'd like to question?

In verse 15, there's someone who's reading that and asking a question.

Was he still in Christ Jesus, or through Christ Jesus? And was he saved?

So was he in Christ Jesus? So then

I can clearly explain. And so he wasn't in Jesus.

He was not there for any other reason but in healing. So in the healing process, was he still in Jesus?

He wasn't there in the place of Jesus. But the question is, was he there in the place of Jesus?

Not in Jesus. Not in Jesus. But in the presence of Jesus Christ.

In the presence of Jesus Christ. So in that case, it's perfect. That's what

I'm reading. Oh, okay. What does it say? The name of the place which is by him, the first name of the place which is by him, has given him this perfect salvation.

There's a way out of that. There's a way out of that. But that's all just a theory.

But that's all just a theory. But that's all just a theory. Well, I don't have my Bible on me. I'm looking for something.

Well, I don't have my Bible on me. But he was given Jesus. But he was given

Jesus. He didn't know him. But he was there. But he was there.

It's a perfect picture of Jesus. It's a perfect picture of Jesus.

Are we all straight? Are we all straight?

Okay. Bill, dismiss us please.

Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.