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MESSAGE SERIES: “CHURCH ON THE MOVE”
Acts 3:1-10

INTRODUCTION: Our message series is called Church on the Move, and we are looking at the early church in the book of Acts to learn how we also can be a church on the move with the gospel.

So far, everything has worked out great for the church. They went back to Jerusalem and waited for the Holy Spirit as Jesus instructed. God sent the Spirit as promised on the day of Pentecost. Peter preached the gospel, and three thousand people were saved. The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship and to worship and prayer. They continued to meet daily in the temple courts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. You almost expect the next line to read: “And they all lived happily ever after!”

But as we enter Acts 3, the church encounters something new. It is in chapters 3-5 of Acts that we first begin to see opposition to the gospel from the people in Jerusalem. Gospel proclamation in this world will always face opposition. This one of the reasons why we need the power of the Holy Spirit as witnesses for Jesus.

What’s sad about this account is that the opposition was in response to the healing of a crippled man. You would think no one would object to a man being healed, but when you bring Jesus into a situation, watch out! (Read Acts 3:6-8 and pray.)

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Peter and John went to pray (clap clap), they met a lame man on the way (clap clap),
He held out his palms and he asked for some alms, and this is what Peter did say (clap clap).

Silver and gold have I none (clap clap), but such as I have give I thee (clap clap),
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk (clap clap).

He went walking and leaping and praising God, walking and leaping and praising God,
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk (clap clap).

I love that song! And I love this story. It is one of my favorite healing miracles, and that song captures the fun and the joy of this miracle beautifully. There is healing in the name of Jesus, and that should indeed fill our hearts with joy. So, let’s look at this amazing miracle together.

I. The beggar at the gate (1-2)

The miracle begins with the beggar at the gate. Look at verses 1-2:

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 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. (Acts 3:1-2)

Peter and John were the two foremost of the apostles. Peter figures prominently in the first half of the book of Acts. We already saw him in action as the spokesman for the disciples at Pentecost and the preacher of the first sermon after the Holy Spirit was given. Now Peter and John are going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon.

   A. The hour of prayer (1)

There were three set times of prayer at the temple—morning, afternoon and evening. There were also two lambs sacrificed each day, one at the morning sacrifice and the other at the evening sacrifice (Exodus 29:38-39). The first lamb was brought out and tied to the altar at dawn. The morning sacrifice then took place at 9:00 am coinciding with the first hour of prayer. This is also when the gates of the temple were opened for the day. The second lamb was brought out and tied to the altar at noon coinciding with the second hour of prayer. The evening sacrifice then took place at 3:00 pm coinciding with the third hour of prayer. Notice that the evening sacrifice took place in what we call the afternoon. That’s because the next day for the Jews began at sundown.

So, this incident in Acts 3 takes place during the third hour of prayer, which was also the time of the evening sacrifice. It is always good to pray, and good things always happen when you pray. It is also good to have set times of prayer, to make sure you remember to pray so that good things can happen!

   B. Our former condition (2)

Peter and John are going up to the temple to pray when they meet the beggar. This man was crippled from birth, literally “from his mother’s womb.” He had never walked, never used his legs to run or jump or play. He had to be carried from one place to another.

He was brought to the temple at this specific time not so much to join the others for prayer but rather to take advantage of “rush hour.” There would be many people coming and going for the evening prayer and sacrifice, and so this was prime time for begging. When I was in college, I used to play guitar in the subways for spare change. When were the best times to play? During the morning and evening rush hours. That’s when all the people were there! It didn’t make sense to play in the middle of the day when there was no one around.

Luke tells us he was carried every day to the temple gate called Beautiful. We’re not sure exactly which gate this was, but it was most likely the Nicanor Gate which was located at the main eastern entrance to the temple. There were ten gates in the temple that stood between the court of the Gentiles and the inner courts. This particular gate was seventy-five feet high. It had huge double doors made of Corinthian bronze. It took twenty men to close it at night. The historian Josephus describes it as “far excelling those that were only covered over with silver and gold.”

Every day this man was put here to beg from those going into the temple courts. But he was not allowed to enter himself. No Gentiles, no crippled, lame or blind were permitted to pass through the gate to the inner courts.

And so, this man had three huge needs. 1) He had a long-standing condition from birth. 2) He was utterly dependent on others. 3) He had no means of subsistence. He had to beg for money in order to live.

The beggar’s physical condition mirrors our spiritual condition before we came to Christ. 1) We are all crippled by sin from birth. We are born into our sin condition and helpless to change ourselves. 2) We too are completely dependent on another. Only God can save us from our sin condition. 3) Outside of Christ we are all spiritual beggars, and all we can do is throw ourselves on the mercy of God.

II. The only source of help (3-8)

And that’s where we come to the only source of help.

   A. Looking in all the wrong places (3-5)

Too often, like the beggar in Acts 3, we find ourselves looking in all the wrong places. Look at verses 3-5 next:

When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. (Acts 3:3-5)

When the beggar sees Peter and John, he asks them for money, just like he asked everyone else who entered. Peter and John both look straight at him, and Peter gets his attention. “Look at us!” Peter tells him.

Most people probably ignored the beggar, and most people certainly avoided eye contact. You see it all the time at traffic lights when people are asking for money. People in the cars avoid eye contact. Why is that? Because they’re embarrassed or uncomfortable. They don’t want to make a connection.

So, when Peter says, “Look at us,” that would definitely have gotten this man’s attention. It’s sort of like rolling down your window at the traffic light, honking your horn, and waving the person over. Of course, the man gave them his attention. He was expecting to get something. He was expecting to get some money from them.

This is a classic example of looking in all the wrong places. This man needed far more than monetary help. Yes, he needed money to get by, but what he really was needed physical healing, and even more importantly, he needed spiritual healing. We often look to the wrong things in life for help and neglect the most important things we need. Money is important, but if you are looking for money to fill all your other needs, you are looking in all the wrong places.

   B. In the name of Jesus (6-8)

Peter and John didn’t have a lot of money anyways, but they gave what they had, which was what the beggar actually needed far more than money. Look at verses 6-8 now:

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.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. (Acts 3:6-8)

Peter tells the beggar: “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you.” I’m sure the man wasn’t expecting silver or gold anyways. He was probably hoping for just a few coins. But Peter mentions silver and gold for a number of reasons. First, he may have been referencing the Beautiful Gate. Remember this was the one gate that was not overlaid with silver and gold. But then Peter also wants to emphasize the value of what he is about to give. By starting with silver and gold, he immediately raises this man’s expectations: “What, you are going to give me something even more valuable than silver or gold?”

Peter continues: “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Okay, the beggar was definitely not expecting this. Notice some of the key phrases in what Peter says here. He begins with the name of Jesus. Jesus healed in his own power, but the apostles healed in Jesus’ name. Remember, these are not “the acts of the apostles” and not even “the acts of the Holy Spirit working through the apostles. These are “the acts of Jesus through the Holy Spirit working in the apostles.” Why in the name of Jesus? Because Jesus alone has the power to heal. Yes, Jesus ascended to heaven, but he was still present with the power to heal through his designated apostles.

Peter begins with the name of Jesus and then adds the title Christ: “in the name of Jesus Christ.” The word Christ means Messiah. At this point the believers are still in Jerusalem bringing the gospel to their fellow Jews, and so the title of Christ or Messiah is especially important. Peter also mentions Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown where he grew up.

Notice Peter does not merely pray for healing. This was not a prayer for healing like we do today, but rather a direct command. As an apostle of Christ empowered to do signs and wonders, he commands the healing, and it is done.

Peter takes him by the right hand and helps him up. This is an example of physical touch to aid faith. Jesus often used physical touch when healing people in the gospels, too. When Peter takes the man’s hand, the man’s feet and ankles become strong. Jesus not only heals the underlying issue but grants instant strength to the man’s atrophied muscles. No physical therapy needed!

The man jumps to his feet and starts walking. Can you imagine trying out your new legs after never walking in your life? You’ve always been carried everywhere, completely dependent, and now you are walking on your own.

Luke tells us the beggar walked with the disciples through the gate into the temple courts. Remember, he was never allowed inside before, but now he can walk in on his own two legs. But he doesn’t just walk. He goes into the temple courts walking and leaping and praising God. What an awesome scene! Walking was not enough for this man. Unable to contain his joy, he starts jumping and leaping around as he praises God for this wonderful miracle.

This is a beautiful moment that takes place at the Beautiful Gate. The man is physically healed in the name of Jesus, and now for the first time in his life he is permitted entrance into the temple to worship God with his people. The word that is translated “leaping” here is a rare word that was used in a prophecy from Isaiah about the Messiah, which says when the Messiah comes, “the lame will leap like a deer” (Isaiah 35:6). This is another confirmation that Jesus is the Christ, the promised Messiah who was to come.

This is an amazing miracle. Remember, this man was crippled from birth! It’s one thing to recover from an accident, but to be healed when you have been lame from birth? Now that is an amazing miracle!

The story is told of Thomas Aquinas in the 1200’s walking in on Pope Innocent II when the Pope was counting out a large sum of money. “You see, Thomas,” said the Pope, “the church can no longer say, ‘Silver and god have I none.’” “True, holy father,” replied Thomas, “but neither can she now say, ‘Rise up and walk!’” The beggar at the Beautiful Gate asked for money, but he got so much more.

III. People take notice (9-10)

And the people in the temple took notice. Look at verses 9-10:

When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 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. (Acts 3:9-10)

The people saw him walking around the temple and praising God. This caused a commotion, and so they all came over to see what was going on. They recognized him of course. They had seen him for years begging at the temple gate. But now here he is walking and leaping and praising God! They know who he was before, and they are amazed at the difference.

   A. People know who you were before (9-10a)

When you come to Christ later in life, people know who you were before, too. They know your old patterns and habits. They know what you used to talk about. They know what kind of language you used. They know what used to be most important to you.

   B. May they be amazed at the difference! (10b)

But when you become a Christian everything changes. You are a new creation in Christ! You have new goals and priorities in life. You may not be walking around the office jumping and leaping and causing a commotion, but there should be noticeable changes in your life. You start to grow in your faith. Your character changes. You become more loving, more joyful, more peaceful. You become vocal about your faith.

People know who you were before you came to Christ. Now that you’re a Christian, may they be amazed at the difference. It is part of your witness for Christ.

CONCLUSION: Let me close with a number of applications from this passage to our lives today.

1) God still heals in answer to prayer

First of all, God still heals in answer to prayer. We do not command people to be healed like the apostles did. Remember, signs and wonders were God’s way of authenticating the apostles and their message. But God still heals today in answer to prayer.

This is another example where we need to be careful not to build doctrines out of unique historical events. Just because the apostles commanded people to be healed doesn’t mean we can command people to be healed. The apostles also wrote Scripture, and we certainly can’t write Scripture. We interpret the narrative sections of Scripture using the teaching sections of Scripture, and nowhere are we told to command people to be healed.

Rather, we are instructed to pray for people to be healed (James 5:14-15; 3 John 2). Physical and spiritual healing come only through Jesus, and so we should pray for healing in Jesus’ name.

2) Give people what you have – Jesus and the gospel!

Secondly, give people what you have, and the one thing we all have as Christians is Jesus and the gospel. The beggar at the gate thought money was his greatest need, but God knew better. You may or may not have silver and gold to share, but either way you have something much better than silver or gold. Let’s always be willing to help others whenever we can, but the best thing you can ever offer is Jesus and the gospel.

3) Let your light shine. May people be amazed at the difference Jesus makes in your life.

And then finally, let your light shine. May people be amazed at the difference Jesus makes in your life. The lame beggar sat by the Beautiful Gate for years but never entered through. It wasn’t until someone shared Jesus with him that he was physically and spiritually healed.

You are spiritually lame and helpless apart from Christ. You have been since birth. Many of us have sat outside the gate all our lives. Like the beggar who was not permitted to enter the temple, we are lost in our sins and outside of Christ.

But there is still healing at the gate today. Jesus is the true beautiful gate. He is the doorway to salvation. There is healing and salvation and forgiveness of sins in the name of Jesus. And so, I say to you what Peter said to the lame man in Acts: “In the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk! Enter through the beautiful gate. Enter through Jesus and enjoy the blessings of God’s salvation and favor!”

© Ray Fowler

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