MIRACLES THROUGH FAITHFUL PRAYER
Acts 3:1-16
THE
BEAUTIFUL GATE OF OPPORTUNITY
V: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 crippled 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. 3 When 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.
A. The man was positioned at the temple
gate which kept him in a beggar
position.
1. His people were dedicated enough to
take him to the temple, but
Not inside the temple.
2. He was left outside the temple to
prey on the sympathy of the
Temple goers.
3. I say, temple goers, because a true
worshipper, would have felt the
Need to help him out of
his situation.
A true worshipper would
have taken him into the temple for prayer.
It was prayer time, why
was he left outside?
4. Except for his legs, the man was of
sound mind and capable of
Doing more than just
laying down.
Think about it, he could
talk, think, reason, eat, and accept donations.
He was good at begging.
5. The work of a Christian is not what
we do for ourselves, but what we
Do for others.
6. The lame man was the opportunity for
the temple goers to exercise
Their love for God and their
love for their neighbor.
B. If we focus on the lame man, the
question would be why didn’t he
Request his helpers to take him inside the temple for prayer.
1. Was his begging more important than
worship?
2. The lame man was not completely
helpless.
3. He had no one to encourage him to use
what God had blessed him
With.
C. Peter and John gave us the example of
true worshippers.
1. They did not see the lame man as a beggar
but as a person.
2. Peter and John took time to know the
man.
3. They did not focus on his condition
but on his potential.
4. They did not follow the crowd, but
the power of the Word.
5. Man’s expectations are limited, but
God is unlimited.
6. The lame man was satisfied with a
handout, but God expects
More of us.
7. God expects believers to act on their
faith.
TAKE TIME
TO KNOW, TAKE TIME TO PRAY
V.6 Then
Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I 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
A. Sometimes
people don’t need your pity, they need your prayers.
1. Before Peter and John, we have no
indication of anyone stopping
To pray with this man.
2. If the prayers of the righteous avails
much, where were the righteous
Temple goers in the community.
3, Sometimes people in need, need a way
out of their situation.
4, You and I must decide before we try
to help, what the real problem is.
5,
The lame man was already successfully at begging and probably had
A pocket full of change.
6, They gave him what he needed, a
connection with Jesus.
7, Peter and John extended the right
hand of fellowship to the man
8. After the prayer, Peter and John’s faith
went into action.
9. There is power in a touch of faith.
10. A few pennies here and there leave
the person
Where they are.
But the touch joins them
into fellowship with you and
The Lord.
11.The touch lifts them out of a sad
situation into a glad
Situation.
12.The touch extends the blessings of God
from you to
Them.
13.The touch breaks the bonds of isolation
and opens the
bonds of community.
14.The touch breaks the bonds of affliction
and opens the
Power of healing.
15.The touch brings hope and inspiration.
16.The touch moves satisfaction to excitement.
17.The touch breathes new life into a
dead situation.
D. The touch is a miracle in the making.
1. The touch of faith put strength in
his ankles and feet.
2. The touch of faith put walking and
jumping in his life
For the first time.
3. The touch gave him the desire to
praise God.
4. The lamed man jumped up and followed
his
Blessing in the temple.
5. Take a lesson from this man when you have
been blessed.
Don’t stay at home, show
up at the church.
6. When you have been blessed don’t be a
fly on the wall
But be a show out in the
Church.
7. Make some noise up in here.
8. The man was WJPG; walking jumping and
praising God.
DON’T BE
ALL THE PEOPLE
V: 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.
A. ALL THE PEOPLE who walked by him into
the temple
1. All the people who ignored his silent
plea for help
2. All the holy than thou church folk to
busy to get to
Church and couldn’t take
time to extend the church
3. All the people who couldn’t take time
to pray until
They got an audience
4. All the people who had access to the
power of God
But wouldn’t take time to
use the power.
5. All the people who proclaimed God but
didn’t
Know God
6. All the people who saw the man outside
the temple
And left him there
7. All the people who knew the man as a
fixture and
Not a human being
8. All the people who knew the man had
been lamed wondered
what happen to make him
WJPG, walking jumping,
and praising God.
9. You don’t want to be one of ALL THE
PEOPLE
10. ALL THE PEOPLE missed being part of a
miracle by
Being JUST LIKE EVERYBODY
ELSE.
THE
REASON YOU WERE BORN
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. 12 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.
A. The man was born lame. It wasn’t his
fault. It wasn’t his momma's fault.
It wasn’t his dad’s fault. It was the divine power of God.
1. Why did God allow this man to be born
lame?
2. Why did God put a burden on this man’s
parents and friends?
3. Why did God show his lameness off to
the world?
B. WHY? SO THAT GOD COULD GLORIFY
HIMSELF
1. The man was born at a time when
Israel was under
Roman occupation.
2. This man was born in a time when man
determine his righteousness.
3. The man was born in a time when Israel
live by two sets of rules
They had the book of the
Law and the book of their own traditions.
The Sanhedrin court and
the Chief Priest used the Law as a hammer
To keep Israel in check
and the book of their Traditions to live
By.
Mark 7:8-10
8 You have let go of the
commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men."
9 And he said to them:
"You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to
observe your own traditions!
4. There was no power in the teachers of
the Law, just their pride.
5. The man was born in a time when the
Gospel of Jesus Christ,
The Church was exploding
into a new way of teaching.
6. The old guard was on its way out and
they didn’t know it.
7. God used this lame man to ignorance
of Israel.
8. God used this lame man to show the
power of His Word.
YOU NEED
TO CHECK YOURSELF
V: 13b. You
handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had
decided to let him go. 14 You 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.
A. God used the healing of the lamb man
to create an audience
For chastisement.
1. Every once in a while we need to review
the sins we have
committed against Jesus
in the name of our self-righteousness.
2. In their ignorance, they killed the Father
of rightness to promote
Their traditions.
3. They went along with the lawlessness
of the Chief Priest and the
Sanhedrin court even
though they knew the Law which
Was taught in their synagogues.
4. How many of us go along with the laws
of the land even though
They opposed God’s
commands.
a. How many of us say ok to gun rights
when our family members
Are being maimed and
killed.
b. How many of us say ok to abortion
when God says you should
Not kill.
c. How many of us say ok to homosexual rights
when God says He
Detest it.
d. How many times a day do we kill Jesus
with our attitude and
Decisions we make.
5. God used the healing of a lame man to
show us that He is
In control
IMPOSSIBLE
TO SERVE GOD WITHOUT FAITH
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. There is power in faith through Jesus
Christ.
1. Everything we do ought to be in the
name of Jesus Christ.
2. Every problem we face ought to be in
the name of Jesus Christ.
3. Every prayer we pray ought to be in
the name of Jesus Christ.
B. There is power in intercessory prayer
as long as it is in the
Name of Jesus.
1. We are all witnesses to the power of someone’s
faith in Jesus.
2. We are all recipients of the power of
someone's faith in Jesus.
3. Don’t take your faith in Jesus for
granted.
4. Utilize your faith in Jesus to pray
for the well-being of others.
5. Pray in private and pray in public exercising
your faith in Jesus.
6. Your family, friend, or neighbor may
be the next miracle you
Pray into existence.
Rev. M. Mitchell
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