Sunday, October 2, 2022 AM

Let's go to the Lord together in prayer. Father, I thank you for gathering us here today.

Thank you for loving us for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you for giving us your

Holy Spirit. We may worship you in truth. As we look at your word today,

Lord, I pray that you would encourage our hearts, strengthen our faith. I pray that you would help us to pay all the more attention to that which we have been given.

There will be no drifting in our hearts from the hope that we have in Christ and in Christ alone.

I pray that you would stir us up to love and to good deeds, that you would help us to hold fast to the confession of our hope in Christ.

I thank you for this day and for the promise that it holds, for the blessings we've already enjoyed.

We pray all these things for the sake of Christ. Amen. I invite you to open your

Bibles and turn with me to Acts chapter 3. Acts 3, we'll be reading from that chapter here in a moment.

We have finished our look at Acts chapter 2, the day of Pentecost, when

Peter and the apostles, empowered by the Holy Spirit with languages that they had never learned, proclaimed the good news of Jesus Christ, the mighty works of God, to those who had gathered for this feast, this harvest feast.

And the activity of the Holy Spirit certainly grabbed everyone's attention and they wanted to know, what did it mean?

Some were just in amazement and others were scoffing and trying to dismiss it, but Peter preached the gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news of the work of Jesus Christ, the reality of the new covenant, from the gospel of Joel.

And he preached it from the evangel of the Psalms, and he demonstrated that the prophets of old had long foretold this moment, in the victory of the

Messiah, the arrival of the Holy Spirit, the reality of the new covenant, the good news of Jesus Christ.

And although these days of the new covenant signaled the end of the old covenant, and with it the judgment upon this perverse generation to which they belonged,

Peter proclaimed to these people, hope in Christ, whoever will call upon the name of the

Lord shall be saved. And who is this Lord? None other than Jesus of Nazareth, who is the

Christ, the Son of the living God. And he preached this message, and we see how

Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, through the preaching of his word and the gospel of his

Son, that God, through his Son, builds the church. Jesus said that he would build his church, and the gates of Hades would not prevail against it.

At the end of Acts 2, we see how Christ builds his church. The Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

Now when we consider that, that Christ is building his church, and we see the other metaphors in the

New Testament, that he's building his city, he's building his temple, he's building upon his mountain, he's gathering his people to this mountain, and that he is furthering his kingdom, bringing to pass all the promises of the new covenant.

When we consider how Jesus expresses it, that I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it,

Jesus, all at once, assures victory and tells us there's going to be conflict.

The fact that he says the gates of Hades will not prevail against it means that the gates of Hades will try to prevail against it.

And so here, in Acts chapters 3 and 4, we have the first skirmish of the church.

A temple showdown. It makes sense that the temple would be the scene of the critical conflict between the jealous, feckless stewards of the old covenant, jealous

Saul, against those who would praise David who had slain his ten thousands.

So I invite you to stand with me, and we're going to read Acts chapter 3, and we'll read verses 1 through 10.

We may go farther today, we may go less today, but we're going to read verses 1 through 10,

Acts chapter 3. This is the word of the Lord. Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour, 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 from those who entered the temple, who seeing

Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, look at us.

So he gave him his attention, expecting to receive something from them. Then Peter said, silver and gold

I do not have, but what I do have I give to you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.

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

So he leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them, walking, leaping and praising

God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God. Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the beautiful gate of the temple.

And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. You may be seated. The first three verses we hear of the temple four times.

What are we to think of when we think of the temple? Perhaps you've seen pictures of the temple of Solomon, artist's reconstruction based upon the details, the very many details that were given in 1

Kings. Perhaps you've seen pictures of Herod's temple, diagrams, models that archaeologists and historians have recreated for us to consider the physical space and the architectural beauty of this wonder of the ancient

Roman world. What are we to think of when we read about this temple?

We can think of the beautiful architecture. We can think of all the bustling activity. But those who were coming, were they coming to lay their hearts upon the shadows of Messiah?

To look forward to his work accomplished? The bringing about of a new covenant as long had been promised by the prophets?

Some were. We think of Simeon. We think of Anna. We think of others who truly believed.

Who saw beyond the shadow to lay hold of the substance. But many who came there were blind.

The veil was upon them and so they did not see the light of the glory of God in the face of Christ unveiled even in Moses.

Even in these artifacts. They did not see. They did not know. They were blind as they came to the temple.

And then of course there were the various rulers of the temple, the bureaucratic authoritarians who ran the place, who got rich off the place, who retained their power because they controlled all that happened in that sacred space.

And our attention is placed upon this man, a lame man, a man who was born lame, who every day of his existence was brought and laid here at this gate to beg.

Laid here just a few feet from entering into the temple courts proper where the other

Jewish men entered and laid their eyes upon the altar and the brazen laver.

And even saw as the doors were opened to the temple what lay beyond that entrance.

Who worshipped together amongst the columns of Solomon's porch and put their eyes upon the shadows of Messiah.

This man, this lame man was not allowed past that door. Just a few feet from entrance, every day for decades laid here and could not enter in.

Here he is, this man, this lame man, laid at the gate, beautiful, and we realize with all the beautiful architecture and the bustling activity, the masses of people streaming in here at the hour of prayer, the time of the evening sacrifice, despite all the power and wealth of those who ran the temple, this lame man laid here and the system that surrounded him, the system that he was laid here to benefit from, this system could not redeem, could not heal, could not deliver, could not save, could not forgive.

We are meant to think about that. We are meant to see the contrast.

The temple showdown begins before Peter and John even enter into the court. Before they even get to Solomon's porch, before they even put their eyes at this moment upon the temple itself proper, the temple showdown already begins in the contrast that is being put before us.

This is a passage, Acts 3 verses 1 through 16, and indeed the whole two chapters of this temple showdown, we're being encouraged to put no faith in a system, to put no faith in a system, but rather trust the

Savior. Put no faith in a system, rather trust the Savior. In verses 1 and 2 we have the question of entrance, the question of entrance, and we again reflect upon the temple.

It was not only a marvelous wonder of the ancient Roman world covered over in layers of gold and silver and finery, not only was it a place that the

Jews donated their gold and silver to, but even patrons from across the

Roman Empire would send their donations for the beautification of this artifact, this architecture of the

Roman Empire which they felt brought glory to their realm. It's not simply that.

The temple, the temple was, this temple was a reconstruction, aggrandizement of a temple that was built under the supervision of Ezra hundreds of years before.

A project that was begun by Herod the Great, who was interested in bringing grandeur to his own name, but that temple that was rebuilt under the supervision of Ezra, why did they rebuild the temple when they returned from exile?

Because of course they wanted to worship the Lord, because they wanted to worship the Lord according to the way that he had told them to.

They wanted to worship the Lord anticipating the fulfillment of all of God's promises in the coming of Messiah, who would bring to pass all of God's good into their lives.

They knew they were to go to Jerusalem and wait for the promise, who would come, who would bring to pass all the good into their lives, so they rebuilt that temple.

But it was, it was a far cry from Solomon's temple. Solomon's temple, the apex of Israel's temple worship, a place that was truly glorifying to God.

There, God promised to place his name, that all who would turn there, and not just turn there physically, but turn there in their hearts, like Jonah and the whale who turned towards the temple.

He didn't know which direction it was. Daniel, who in exile turned towards the temple, though the temple was already destroyed, that the people of God would turn by faith to the place where God had revealed his name and revealed the shadows of the mediator to come, by whom they would be brought to God.

The temple was a place of mediation, a place where God had determined to dwell amongst his people, to tabernacle among them, wasn't that the first temple, the tabernacle?

A design given to Moses from heaven, that Moses would direct the people to create these copies of the realities of heaven, and that there

God would reveal himself in fellowship amongst his people. His people were in tents, he would be in a tent, a reminder that one day the word would take upon flesh and dwell among us, for we are human, and so God would tabernacle among us as one of us for our salvation.

A mediator, all the tabernacle said, all the temple said was that we needed a mediator, we needed forgiveness, we needed someone to bring us to God.

That's what the temple was about, about bringing people to God, that they would look upon with faith what

God had provided for forgiveness and reconciliation, and that they would indeed be reconciled unto

God, and into the exile that began in Eden. When God cast

Adam and Eve away from him because of their sin, this is why the tabernacle was patterned after Eden, or the temple was patterned after Eden, to remind us that the way back to God was through a mediator and forgiveness of sin.

That's what the temple was supposed to be about. Now this temple was quite a bit of finery, covered over in silver and gold.

Those who attended came with their pockets full of silver and gold to give to the temple treasury.

They thought a lot of the silver and gold of the temple, especially the gold. Jesus called out the religious leaders on this matter.

In Matthew chapter 23, in verse 16, it's very interesting. Amongst his many woes, he identifies part of the problem amongst these leaders.

And he says in verse 16, Woe to you blind guides, that's what he called the religious authorities, that's what he called the credentialed among the

Jews. Woe to you blind guides who say, whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing.

But whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it. Hello, where was their faith?

What did they worship? Nothing wrong with overlaying God's throne with gold, recognizing that he is the weighty most glorious center of all of our lives.

But when you worship the gold, you're an idolater, rather than worshiping the

God to whom the gold is to point. Jesus says in verse 17,

Fools and blind, for which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? You see, they were worshiping the finery, they were worshiping the temple, rather than worshiping at the temple.

The same error that was made in the generation of Jeremiah, who also found their city destroyed.

So as we consider what goes on here, Peter and John go together and they come to the temple at the hour of prayer.

It's also the hour of the evening sacrifice. Sacrifice is going on, ceremonies are going on, the officials are gathering and doing their jobs, and there is decorations everywhere.

But what about this man? What about this man? He's not allowed in.

He has been brought day after day for decades to the Gate Beautiful, identified now as the

Gate Nicanor, on the eastern side of the temple, a dividing point between those who are allowed to go into the temple courts proper, and then the

Gentiles, and the women, and the infirm who are not allowed in. Every day, he's been brought up to the point, just a few feet away from entering the temple courts, from putting his eyes upon the altar, from putting his eyes upon the temple proper, from joining with the other

Jewish men on Solomon's porch, every day, just a few feet away from entering, but he's not allowed to enter.

Leviticus 21, verse 17, gives instructions to Aaron and his descendants, and it says,

Speak to Aaron, saying, No man of your descendants, in succeeding generations, who has any defect, may approach to offer the bread of his

God. Verse 18, For any man who has a defect shall not approach, a man blind or lame, who has a marred face, or any limb too long, and so on and so forth.

Again, shadows of Christ, who is the perfect Lamb of God, without blemish, the high priest and the

Lamb, shadows of Christ, and what did the feckless stewards of this second temple of Judaism do?

They spread that out, as they were ought to do. They spread that out and fenced in the law, and said,

Well, that means that nobody's allowed in if they're lame or has a defect. So, this man was kept out, kept out, not allowed in, no lame, no

Gentile, no woman was allowed in past this beautiful gate.

He was cut off, and he was lying here, three o 'clock in the afternoon, on the east side of a great wall, literally lying in the shadow of a shadow, and who shows up?

Amongst all the other travelers who came up to the temple that day, here come two saints of God, Peter and John.

Peter and John, who were with, together, on the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter and John, who worked together to prepare the

Passover meal, the Last Supper, with their Savior Jesus. Peter and John, who accompanied

Jesus deeper into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray and witnessed His suffering as He sweat drops of blood.

Peter and John, who ran together to the open tomb to witness for themselves what the women had told them on Resurrection Day.

Peter and John, who would later be known as pillars of the church, they show up to this man lying in the shadow of a shadow, the light of the world.

Jesus is the light of the world. He says of His followers, you are the light of the world. Why? Because we're in Him, because we have faith in Him, because He has made us alive.

And the light of the world shows up to this man lying in the shadow of a shadow. So, and what happens?

What happens? This man who was denied entrance time and time again, always just a few feet away. The system could never help him.

He was never allowed entrance to the sanctuary. But you know, you see what happened? You see what happens here?

Peter and John show up and come to Him. The entrance came to Him. The sanctuary came to the cripple.

Peter and John are living stones. Indeed, foundation stones of the temple that the son of David builds.

And they show up and they proclaim to Him the good news of Jesus Christ. The good news of the new covenant.

They show up and offer Him entrance by faith in Jesus Christ.

At the hour of prayer, at the ninth hour, the hour of the evening sacrifice, indeed the very moment when our

Savior Jesus Christ, God's Lamb, died upon the cross, the very same hour, here come

Peter and John in the name of Jesus Christ to offer entrance into the new covenant. This cripple who had been cut off from the old.

Do we see what is happening here? Entrance to Christ.

How did Jesus preach it? What did He say? Jesus came preaching and says, the time is fulfilled.

The kingdom of heaven is at hand. What does that mean? Kingdom of heaven is at hand. You can reach out and touch it.

Kingdom of heaven is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel. Look how close it has come.

Jesus did not come preaching and say, you must go on a pilgrimage. You must gather together your meager resources and plant a seed of faith into my pocket.

No, He came preaching the good news and saying, repent and believe in the gospel. The kingdom indeed is at hand.

Entrance is so nigh. Is this not the message that we have in the scriptures?

Consider what is said in Romans chapter 10. As Paul is working through this manifesto on missions, how is it that anyone can be saved?

How is it that the gospel is to go to everyone? How is this to be understood as good news for both the

Gentile and the Jew? It says in chapter 10 of Romans, brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.

Paul has a heart for his countrymen. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

Do you know that just because people are zealous about God, they're not saved? What if they don't know the gospel?

For they being ignorant of God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own righteousness have not submitted to the righteousness of God.

Why is this man laid in the shadow of the shadow? Why is he put there at the gate beautiful?

Because it was understood, religiously and culturally, that acts of benevolence, gifts to the poor, were more meritorious the closer you were to the temple, right?

Seeking to establish your own righteousness. Here is this man who has been placed inside this system, but to no avail.

For Christ is the end of the law, verse 4. Christ is the end of the law, the talos of the law, the fulfillment of the law, for righteousness to everyone who believes.

Our righteousness is not in our keeping of the law, but in Christ's keeping of the law. For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, the man who does those things shall live by them.

Good luck. But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, do not say in your heart, who will ascend into heaven, that is to bring

Christ down from above, or who will descend into the abyss, that is to bring Christ up from the dead, meaning we're not going, there's not some great difficult far off message, some great deed that we have to go do, no, the word is near you, verse 8, in your mouth and in your heart, that is the word of faith which we preach.

That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

For with the heart one believes into righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made into salvation. For the scripture says, whoever believes on him will not be put to shame.

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon him.

Here's Peter's favorite verse from Pentecost, for whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

This is the good news of the new covenant. Back at the shadow, lame man's not allowed in.

No, you have a defect, you can't come in. We must be very cautious, brothers and sisters, lest we re -shadow entrance to Christ.

Let us not re -shadow the entrance to Christ. The gospel, as Jesus taught us, is not restricted for the well -adjusted.

He said he comes as a physician for those who are sick. This is a faithful saying,

Jesus Christ came to save sinners, of whom Saul of Tarsus was chief.

Some god -awful sinners. God already saved the chief of sinners. He can save these other sinners, too.

Let us be very cautious that we don't re -shadow entrance to Christ. Well, I'm not going to say anything to this person or that person.

I'm not going to tell them about the gospel that's pointless, useless, worthless. You're not

God. He saves sinners. We can't save anybody. Of course you have no confidence in the flesh.

You should have no confidence in the flesh. But you should have every confidence in the power of God to save. Let us not re -shadow the entrance to Christ.

Now notice not only the question about entrance, how does one enter, but also the contrast of expectations in verses 3 -6.

The contrast of expectations. Consider the expectations of the lame man. What does he expect?

What is he looking for? And then consider the expectations of Peter and John.

Maybe we need to question our own expectations. Beginning in verse 3, speaking of the lame man, who, seeing

Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.

And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, look at us. So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.

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. He's asking everybody for something.

The hour of prayer. A lot of people coming into the temple. So he's asking people again and again, right?

Alms, alms for the poor. He's there so he won't be a burden to his family.

He's there because they don't want to have to have another useless mouth to feed. He's there so he can maybe find a few mites from generous temple attendees, so that he'd be able to pay for the bread that he eats day by day.

That's why he's there. He's expecting a pittance. And so he calls out to Peter and John, just like he calls out to everybody else.

He doesn't see any difference between them. He's just calling out to everybody, please give me something.

He's lame from the womb. He is pitied by all who walk past him.

The cultural expectation here is that he is unclean for a reason. Who sinned?

This man or his parents that he was born blind. That's the cultural expectation. Who sinned?

This man or his parents that he was born lame. He's unclean.

He's not allowed to be in the temple. He's just trying to not be a burden.

His expectation is maybe somebody will give me a little bit of something.

But then, as the reader, we just finished up with Acts chapter 2, right? And we read in verse 43 of Acts 2, in the list of how

Christ is building his church, "...then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles."

So maybe we're expecting a sign or a wonder. Here's something, some sort of power that testifies to the reality of Christ about to be put on display.

Rather than a pittance, the reader should expect power. Something good is about to happen.

And Peter and John address the man. And the man has already looked at them, seen them, asked them for money, and already looked away somewhere.

Because Peter says, look at us. Pay attention here. Why? The man had plenty to look at.

There's other people coming past. Anybody, anything, please. The man had plenty of reasons to look down and away.

A man full of shame. A man who is humble, has nothing to look forward to. Here's a man who is right next to a wall that is beautifully ordained.

A gate that is beautifully ornate with all manner of gold and silver.

He has plenty of different places to look. But Peter says to him, look at us. Look at us.

Now what does he say? He looks at him.

He expects something, receives something from him. Okay, maybe they're going to give me something. And Peter said, silver and gold.

Silver and gold I do not have. But what I do have

I give to you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Rise up and walk.

The name, the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The name that Peter's already been preaching about on the day of Pentecost.

The name of Jesus of Nazareth was on everybody's tongue. They all knew what happened. He was the most famous person in all of Israel.

North or south, everybody knew Jesus of Nazareth. The great wonder worker, the great prophet of God. Did you hear that they crucified him outside of Jerusalem?

They're saying that he rose from the dead. Everybody knew about Jesus of Nazareth. And Peter preaches his name to this man.

The name is not simply some sort of power word. Not some sort of superstitious bludgeon to use in certain circumstances.

Just ask the seven sons of Sceva what happens when you try that. No, the name of Jesus stands for all that he has said.

All that he has done. All that he is. As much as the name of God stands for all that he is.

All that he has done. And all that he has said. Which is why we are not to bear the name of the Lord our God in vain.

And so he says, I declare to you in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, who is the

Christ, the Son of the living God, who died upon the cross and was risen the third day, rise up and walk.

If God, if he rose from the dead, he can get you up off the ground. Right?

Here is deliverance. Here is salvation. Here is power. The name of Jesus Christ comes to the man.

God has said that I set my name upon my tabernacle. I set my name upon my temple.

Well, guess what? He has set his name upon Jesus of Nazareth. So what if this man wasn't allowed through the beautiful gate?

The name of Jesus Christ came to him on this day. And that's what matters.

That's the difference being shown in this story. Peter mediates the authoritative power of Christ as the apostle.

He is the ambassador plenipotentiary of the kingdom of Christ.

He comes in the name of Christ, with the power of Christ, with the word of Christ. And look what he does in the very pattern of Christ.

Jesus did this when he went about proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, the reality of the new covenant. He proclaimed the truth and called for repentance and faith.

And then he did all of these marvelous miracles that people couldn't stop talking about.

But what kind of miracles were they? Time and again, they were the miracles of reversing the works of Satan, undoing the works of the devil, 1

John tells us. And indeed, Jesus shows up and he heals the leper. He heals the blind.

He heals the chronically diseased. He keeps on undoing all the uncleanness.

He even casts out demons who are called unclean spirits. He keeps on undoing everything.

Because in the old covenant, everybody who's unclean is what? Cast outside the camp.

You're not allowed past the boundary of the Levites who encamp around the tabernacle. If you're unclean, you're out.

In the new covenant, Jesus Christ himself is the sanctuary. Jesus Christ himself is the temple.

He said, destroy this temple in three days, I will raise it up. Speaking of himself, he is the place where God and man meet.

And the sanctuary, the temple himself shows up. And rather than the unclean being cast out, he just rolls over all the unclean, making them clean.

You see how much better the new covenant is? And here, Peter, in the name of Christ, John, in the name of Christ, they're doing the same thing that Jesus did.

And this lame man healed by faith in Christ.

This is made clear in verse 16. Peter explains how this happened.

How'd this man get healed? Verse 16, in his name, through faith in his name. Jesus in all who he is, through faith in him, has made this man strong whom you see and know.

Yes, the faith which comes through him, the faith which comes through Christ, has given him, this man, perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

How did this man ever have faith? In the name of Jesus Christ, who has to be healed. Oh, Jesus gave him the faith to have faith in him.

So Peter said, praise be to God. Salvation by faith alone in Christ.

Now, we need to evaluate what Peter says here in the text. He says, silver and gold, I have none.

I just read Acts 2. They had a lot of silver and gold flowing around the church.

You ever notice that? Let's read that again. Verse 44.

Right after that signs and wonders statement in verse 43. Verse 44 of Acts 2.

Now all who believed were together and had all things in common and sold their possessions and goods and divided them among all as anyone had need.

That was a bunch of silver and gold flowing around in the church. Why would Peter say to this man, silver and gold,

I have none. When there's all this silver and gold, all this wealth flowing through the church. We need to evaluate that.

This tells us a few things. First of all, our observation is that as anyone had need within the church, they were being generous and loving and selling and using the money to benefit one another within the church.

Again, the emphasis from Christ in Matthew 25 and the final day of judgment. As much as you have done it to the least of these my brethren, you have done it to me.

The priority upon benevolence is the benevolence within the church that none within God's people should be hungry and going without.

But God's people in showing love for one another, whoever has this world's goods and does not treat his brother and help his brother who is in need, how can the love of God abide in him?

First John tells us. Of course, our expression of love for one another is going to be made in practical expression that we're going to help one another out and show generosity to one another.

We're told this in Galatians that we are to first look to the needs of the household of faith. And then when everything is being taken care of within the family, we still are encouraged to be generous to those outside.

After all, we're reminded that Christ himself is the most generous of all to those who are outside. And we are reminded in Proverbs that the poor man has no friends, even his brothers hate him.

So who needs the love of Christ more than the poor man? Also, those who give to the poor lend to the

Lord. So we're encouraged in all manner to be generous to those outside. Well, why is Peter who has access to all this silver and gold?

After all, we see in Acts 4 that when they sold those properties, they brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.

And Peter is the dude in charge. He's like the first among equals amongst all the apostles. How is he saying, silver and gold,

I have none? This is instructive. This is instructive.

The money that was being sold in the name of the Lord for the good of the people of the Lord doesn't belong, doesn't belong in the pockets of the church leaders.

All right? They don't control that money. In fact, when the needs got really great, they said, we need somebody else to be in charge of the property held in common, and that's why they have deacons.

So no church should have a pastor or a preacher who has full control of the money and the finances.

That's not biblical. Nonetheless, we also learn something here.

What do we learn? Peter has something else he wants to offer to this man.

Something better, something greater. He offers to him the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

On that day, as any other day, this lame man was a part of the system.

He was placed in the most advantageous place for him to benefit from the system, but that benefit fell far short of his deliverance.

There was no Israelite ascending, no priest interceding.

No benevolent spending or sacrifice bleeding in that system that could deliver that man.

But there is an Israelite of Israelites who did ascend. There is a great high priest who intercedes at the right hand of God, and there is one out of great benevolence and grace and generosity who gave himself to bleed as our sacrifice.

And so, Peter preaches the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

Only Christ, only by faith in his name. What should our expectations be?

Practically speaking, as we see the situation, we recognize that alleviating, simply alleviating the needs of the poor may be good at some level, but it's not adequate.

Adequate. It's not the answer. Salvation is not system management.

The salvation that Christ came to bring is not simply the retooling of systems to benefit people in crisis.

Are we to be generous? Are we to be kind? Yes, of course. But notice how the system failed the lame man.

Day after day, day after day, no deliverance, no redemption, no forgiveness, not brought to God.

Time after time, day after day. We should put no faith in a system.

What happens to the man, we'll see more of next week, but what happens to the man? He gets up and walks.

There's a massive transformation that happens in his life, and it's not simply the fact that he can walk again.

He walked for the first time. It's not that he can walk. It's not simply that he can leap. Look at him.

He's praising the Lord. That didn't always happen when Jesus healed people and delivered people.

He healed ten lepers and nine said, thank you very much, we're going to stick with the system. Only one came back to praise the

Lord. What should we expect? What should we expect?

We should expect far more than what is offered in a system.

What should we expect in the preaching of the gospel? What should we expect as we live out our Christian lives? What should we expect as we labor for the

Lord in His kingdom? What should we expect? Not the rehabbing of systems, but radical transformation in people's lives.

That's what we should expect, because that's the kind of work that God does. That's the kind of work that Jesus Christ does.

He doesn't do rehabilitation work. He does resurrection work. It's not about trying to manage the poor outcomes of people who are addicted to all manner of pagan idols.

That's not salvation. That's not Christendom. That's not the kingdom of Christ. We should expect the radical transformation of people made in the image of God, made alive by the power of Christ, so that everything in their lives is made new.

That's what we ought to expect as we labor for Christ in His kingdom. Far different than the temple system or any other religious system.

Let's close with a word of prayer. Father, we thank you for the time you've given us in your word. I thank you for the encounter that we see here between this lame man who was constantly denied true hope, but was delivered in the name of Jesus Christ.

And Lord, how to identify with that man. No hope in and of myself, and no hope in anything else that anyone has to offer, but just the name of Jesus Christ.

Lord, we rejoice in your name, a name that speaks salvation in a hundred ways.