FAITH IN ACTION, "TRUSTING GOD WHILE
WAITING"
Acts 3:11-22
GOD'S AMAZING GRACE
V:11. "While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all
the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called
Solomon's Colonnade. "
A. You can always expect the unexpected from the Lord.
1. A man had been
lame from birth, about 40 years.
2. His only means
of support was to beg for money from those going into
the temple.
3. He lived off
the generosity of those who worshipped the Lord.
4. He had the
support of friends or relatives who brought him to the temple
each day.
B. On this particular day, he was at the right place at the
right time.
1. Even though he
did not have the function of his legs, he used
the voice God
gave him to ask for help.
2. He was not lazy,
he was disable
C. He saw Peter and John going into the temple and ask for help.
1. He expected a
donation, but he got the unexpected, complete healing
of his legs,
ankles and feet.
2. God blesses
those who come to Him for help.
3. God blesses
those who are persistence in their prayers.
4. Just because
your prayers have not been answered, does not mean they
want be
answered.
5. You can be sure
that God hears your prayers, but He answers them in His time.
GIVE GOD CREDIT FOR THE SUCCESS IN MINISTRY
V:12-13. " When Peter saw this, he said to them:
"Men of Israel, 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."
A. Never take credit for what God has done through you.
1.We are
instruments of God power.
2. God uses our
troubles to show His power.
3. God uses us to
put His power in action.
B. When good things happen to us, we can use them as
opportunities to give
God praise.
1. We can use what
God has done to us as a testimony to proclaim Jesus
as our Lord and
Savior.
2. Some one is
always watching what happens in your life.
3. Someone can be
drawn to Jesus by your testimony.
C. The people of the community witness the healing of the
lame man.
1. They were amazed
at how he was healed.
2. They may have
been confused as to how uneducated men were able to
heal the lame
man.
3. They may have
thought Peter and John was responsible for the miracle.
D. Peter used their confusion to proclaim the power of God.
1. The first thing
Peter did was proclaim their God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob.
2. Second Peter
introduced them to Jesus as a servant of God.
3. The third thing
Peter did was to proclaim the glory of Jesus
through His
death at the hands of the community.
4. Peter made the
community responsible for the death of Jesus,
because the
Roman government declared Him innocent.
5. No one in the
community spoke up for Jesus doing his trial.
6. When we keep our
mouth closed, we support the majority
opinion.
OWN UP TO
YOUR MISTAKES
V:14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that
a murderer be released to you."
A. You should never agree with the popular opinion if you
don't have supporting
evidence.
1. The community had the evidence that Jesus was
Holy and righteous because
of His good
works.
2. They had the
evidence that Jesus was sent from the Father because they witness
all His
miracles and they heard Him preach the Word of God.
B. The community had no evidence that Jesus was sinful.
1. The accusers of
Jesus couldn't find to men who would agree with the same lie.
2. They knew
Barabbas was a murderer, yet they released him and killed Jesus.
3. Peter laid the
blame of Jesus death on the very ones who were amazed at
the healing of
the lame man.
4. Peter identifies
Jesus with attributes of God the Father; Holy and Righteous.
GOD USES YOUR BAD TO HIS GLORY
V:15. "You killed the author of life, but God raised
him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. "
A. When you condemn a person without evidence, you may not
know how much
damage you are
doing.
1. God allows bad
thing to happen to good people for the benefit of the body of
Christ.
2. We are
responsible for the bad we do, but God can make it work for good.
B. Peter introduces
Jesus life under the guidance of the Father,
1. Jesus is
introduced as the creator.
2. You, the
community killed Him, but God raised Him from the dead.
3. You condemned
Him but God redeemed Him
C. Peter presents himself and the other disciples as eye
witnesses
to
the death and resurrection of Christ.
1. Christ was
raise by the power of the Father.
2. While we were
not living at the time of Christ death,
but we can
trust the word of the eye witnesses.
3. Jesus appeared
to over 500 people after His resurrection.
1 Cor 15:6
D. No one can come to Jesus, unless the Father draws him. John 6:35
1, Peter connected
the dots so that Israel
could be enlighten
to who Jesus
was.
2. You got to
remember that the Jews knew Jesus as the son of a
carpenter.
a. They knew
Jesus as Mary's boy.
c. They knew
Him as a teacher.
d. They
witness him healing their family members, yet refused to
see Him
as the Son of God.
e. They knew
the human side of Jesus, but not the spiritual side.
3. Peter proclaimed
Jesus as the only Holy and Righteous One.
1. He presents
Jesus as the creator of life.
2. Peter
presents Jesus as more than man, because He was resurrected by
Father in
their time.
3. Peter
presents Jesus with all power to heal.
FAITH IN JESUS ANSWERS PRAYERS
V: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 given this complete healing to him, as you can all
see."
A. Under the Law the Jews knew "faith" as it related to keeping God's commands.
1. Here Peter
introduces "faith" as it relates to belief in the power of Jesus.
2. Peter equates
Jesus with God the Father through the power of healing.
B. By faith in the "name of Jesus" a lame man was
made to walk.
1. There is power
in the "name of Jesus".
2. There is
healing in the "name of Jesus"
3. There is
resurrection in the " name of Jesus"
4. Under the Law
the Jews worshipped God.
5. We are taught
to worship Jesus under Grace.
6. Jesus and the
Father are one,
7. The lame man
was broken under the Law but made complete under Grace.
YOUR IGNORANCE MAY GLORIFY GOD
V:17-18. "Now,
brothers, 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 Christ would suffer. "
A. God introduces "ignorance" as a lack of
knowledge about Jesus.
1. He uses
ignorance to draw us to Jesus,
2. In this case, the drawing card was the healing of the lame man,
which was 40
years in the making.
B. This "ignorance" was part of God's plan of
redemption.
1. The prophets had spoke of Jesus suffering.
2. It was the
ignorance of man that led Jesus to the cross,
fulfilling the
prophecy. Isa 53:10
STEPS TO SALVATION
V:19-20. " 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 Christ, who has been appointed
for you — even Jesus. "
A. Peter introduces the steps of Salvation.
1, Repent
2. Turn to God
3. The atonement
of sins
4. Regeneration
B. The Messiah had
been long preached to the Jews as their salvation by the prophets.
1. The Jews were
anticipating the coming of their promised Messiah.
2. Because of
their ignorance they didn't know Him when He showed up.
3. Peter proclaims
Jesus as the appointed Messiah.
4. The same Jesus
they crucified is the Messiah that saves them.
THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS
V:21. : He must remain in heaven until the time comes for
God to restore everything, as
he promised long ago
through his holy prophets. "
A. Peter proclaim, the coming of the Messiah, His death and
resurrection and
His second
coming.
1. The Pharisees, a
ruling Jewish sect believed in the resurrection.
2. Herod, the Roman tetrarch, believed in the
resurrection (Matt 14:2).
2. Peter confirmed
the Jewish belief by proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus.
B. The healing of the lame man got the Jewish community
attention which
Peter used to
preach Jesus as their appointed savior.
1. The hearts and
minds of those who accepted Jesus as their Messiah
by faith were
prepared for the second coming of Jesus.
2. God keeps His
promises in His time.
3. We were all
drawn to Christ in the Father's time.
4. We should all be
anticipating the glorious return of our Lord and
Savior, Jesus
Christ.
PRAISE GOD FOR LOVING US
Rev. M. Mitchell
Asst Pastor of Greater Macedonia
Baptist Church
For more lessons follow me on facebook or visit my
blogs, revmmitchell.com and goodnewsrevmitc.blogspot.com
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