Where then all a place more sweet? Where is there a place more sweet? No place I'd rather be. The mercy
seat is Christ Himself, isn't it? The mercy seat is where His
people find mercy, where the gospel is preached, where we
come and sit at His feet. He who is the mercy seat. Isn't that a good song? and listen
to the gospel of His mercy, sovereign mercy and grace. Go to Acts chapter
3 again with me. Acts chapter 3. Mercy for sinners. This message, I hope, I believe
was given to me by the Lord on this passage through a similar
encounter with the woman who came here the day before yesterday,
I believe it was, Friday morning, seeking assistance, seeking money. It used to happen a lot. It used
to happen once or twice a week. Not so much anymore, but still
occasionally. And she came here and I told
her just what Peter did, as well as tried to give her something.
But I told her, You need what we have more than money. And she assured me that she would
be here this morning. But she's not. This never has
happened. Never has. But you are. And I am, and I'm glad. And no
chance encounters. It's all been arranged. It's
all been ordered. You're here by divine decree. Peter and John, verse 1, went
up together into the temple at the hour of prayer. The ninth
hour. Three o'clock in the afternoon.
Peter and John. The Lord sent these certain preachers. Two men. We're sent, we're called,
chosen by our Lord. We're sent. Scripture says in
the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, doesn't
know God, can't know God by wisdom, by searching. You'll not find
out God. But God, it pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching. There's nothing considered more
foolish today in our modern society than what I do and what you sit
and listen to Sunday after Wednesday. You are a fool. You know that?
According to the world, you're a fool. Like Noah who sat in
that ark when no rain was falling. They thought he was a fool. But
that's okay. We know who the fools are. And what we were foolish,
but God. And God sends men. How shall
they preach, Romans 10 says, except they be sent? Called,
chosen, gifted, and sent. Sunday morning we listened to
a message by my pastor. We all sat around, two preachers,
and their wives and another man and his wife, a teacher, and
sat and listened to my father and watched him preach a message
thirty-some, eight years ago. Have you ever heard a better
message in your life? We were just rejoicing. Todd
said, I have never heard a better message. Now he said, I'm going
to get it transcribed and I'm going to preach it word for word,
just like that. A sent man. A sent man with a
sent message. Always sent in pairs. The Lord
always sent them in pairs. Peter and John went together.
They were often found together like Paul and Silas. Because it's not good that man
should be alone. That means woman too. We need
a helpmate. We need a companion. And we need
someone to walk with and talk with for our comfort, for our
help, for our reproof, for our encouragement. A godly companion. Not a worldly one, because evil
communications corrupt good manners. But now, a good companion will
edify you and build you up on this most holy thing. That's
what the Scripture says. How can two walk together except
they be agreed anyway? How can light have fellowship
with darkness? You can't. Fellowship is with God and with
His Son. Nowhere else. The rest of it
is just fun. Fellowship. What we're doing
right now is fellowship. Fellowship. Right? Fellowship
of His suffering. The fellowship of the Gospel.
That's only fellows in the ship. Right? In Christ. They all know. And they go through the same
suffering. But Peter and John were always together like David
and Jonathan. They loved each other. Brothers
in the Lord and brothers in love. Closer than brothers. Matthew,
Henry brought this out. Peter had a brother named Andrew.
John had a brother named James. They weren't with them. They
were with each other. They were just as close as they
were to their earthly brothers. Oh, how good and pleasant it
is for brethren to dwell together in unity. They went up together to the temple. They went up together to the
temple, not just physically speaking. The temple was set on a hill.
The city was set on a hill. When we leave this miry clay,
this world, this cesspool, these slime pits of Egypt and come
to the house of God, Where Christ is, on His throne, we ascend. The Lord lifts us up then. He lifted me up out of the deep
miry clay and settled my feet in a straight and narrow way.
Yes, He lifted me up to a heavenly place and floods my soul each day with
His grace. They went up together in the
temple where two or three are gathered together. Grace is coming. Healing is coming. If two or
three people are together, our Lord promised it, you're going
to get a blessing. In His name. Gathered together
in My name. They went up to the temple. It
was the hour of prayer. And it says, the hour of prayer. Didn't our Lord say, My house
shall be called a house of prayer? Remember when He went into the
temple that day and planted a whip? and cleaned that temple out because
they'd made it a place of merchandise. They were selling bricks. They
were having spaghetti dinners. They were having singles meetings where you could meet
somebody and get married. They were having youth whatever. They were having basketball games.
They were fashion shows and golf tournaments and strawberry festivals.
And our Lord went with a whip. Yeah, they were the same thing.
Same thing. And our Lord plaited a whip,
and you remember what He said? My house shall be called a house
of prayer. A place where God's people come
to ask mercy. Where God's people come to give
thanks. Whether they get another thing
or not, where God's people come to worship Christ, where God's
people come to hear His Word preached, sing His praises, and
call on the name of the Lord with those who call on the name
of the Lord. And He's promised to be there. The dire Lord said,
you've made it a den of thieves. Well, there was a certain man
there. A certain man there. Don't you
love it when the Scripture says that? Verse 2, a certain man,
lame from his mother's womb, was carried there. Someone picked
him up and carried him there and laid him. He couldn't walk.
They laid him daily at the gate of the temple called Beautiful
to ask alms of them that entered into the temple. And he saw Peter
and John about to go into the temple, and he asked them for
help. For some money. A certain man. Now, salvation is of the Lord. The blessing of the Lord is on
His people, Psalm 3 says. It's for His people. Certain
chosen ones. If someone doesn't like this,
I wish you did. Because it's just so. Because
the fact of the matter is, if God doesn't choose us, didn't
choose us, we will never choose Him. Never choose Him. And every one of God's elect
know that, don't they? If He hadn't chosen you and brought
you and taught you and carried you, you wouldn't be here today. You wouldn't be worshiping Him.
A certain man, the foundation of the Lord stands assured. It's certain. Having this seal,
the Lord knows them that are His because He chose them. Jacob have I loved. And no matter
what, he's coming. He's coming. Certain salvation
of certain ones whom the Lord sends certain chosen men to preach
a certain message. They all preach one message.
It's a message of a certain salvation. It's of all the promises of God
that are in Christ Jesus and they're what? Yea, that's certain. And amen to the glory of God.
A message of Christ, Him crucified. Of a salvation ordained, ordered,
and commanded by the Lord. This man was lame, verse 2. It
says he was lame from his mother's womb, as are all women. Now you know this, that every
physically afflicted person in the Scriptures that the Lord
healed is a picture of the spiritual healing of all of God's people.
The Lord healed the lame. He healed the blind. He gave
eyes to the blind. He gave ears to the deaf. He opened the mouth, the tongue,
loosened the tongue of the dumb who could not speak. He healed
lepers dying of a deadly disease. He cast out devils, those that
were possessed and held captive by demons. He healed the lame, those who
could not walk. Never had, born that way. And He raised the dead. And such
were some of you. Such were all of us. This man
was lame from his mother's womb. He was born lame, wasn't he? Came forth from the womb lame. He had feet, but they didn't
walk. He had ankles and legs, but they
wouldn't work. Like the eyes and ears and mouth
and hands of some, they had them having ears to hear, our Lord
said, of so many. They can't hear. Why? Because the Lord has to
give ears to him. The seeing eye and the hearing
ear of the Lord. And so is the preparation of
the heart and the answer of the tongue. And so are feet that
walk. Scripture says, here's the way,
walk in it. Man says, I won't do it. Not
only he can't do it, he can't walk in paths of righteousness.
He won't. He's not only unable, he's a rebel. Walk with God. Uh-uh. Go any
other way. Walk by faith, not by sight.
Uh-uh. I won't believe that unless I
see it. But God. This man was carried. Verse 2
says he was carried and laid at the gate of this temple, this
gate called Beautiful. He was daily laid at the gate. Who was it that carried him there?
Somebody that loved him. Somebody that cared for him. And they would physically pick
him up. You remember the story of the
man who had the palsy and four of his friends. Boy, what good
friends, huh? What good friends. These men
really loved that fellow, didn't they? They picked him up, bed
and all, and climbed up a ladder. Try that! And onto a roof. you know, being arrested for
tearing the roof up, they had to get this man down to the feet
of the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing he's his only hope, the only
hope of our friends. If we're going to carry him,
we have to take him all the way. And they did. And what did he
do? He blessed that. They carried him. Who do we carry
to the Lord in prayer? Who do we lay before His feet? Sweet ire of prayer. We've already
sung that. What pain we often forfeit. What needless pain we
bear. All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer. Lay them at His feet. The gate
was called beautiful. They laid him at this gate that
was called Beautiful. This beautiful gate must have
been very ornate and very beautiful to look at. The gate into the
temple is the Eastern Gate. It's where the sun came in every
morning. That's fitting, isn't it? It
was called Beautiful. This gate, this beautiful entrance, this
beautiful door into the Holy of Holies. Now what might that
be? Christ said, straight is the
gate, and narrow is the way that leadeth to eternal life. He said,
I am the door. By me, if any man enter, he'll
find rest. Christ is that gate. Is He not
beautiful? Is He not altogether lovely?
He's the way. He's the truth. He's the life.
He's entrance into the presence of God. He's the righteousness
of God. He's the mercy seat we sang of.
He's the Savior for sinners. This man that was lame, though,
somebody carried him and laid him at the gate. He's not in
the gate. He's not inside. He's going to
be. I don't imagine he wanted to
be inside. I don't think he wanted to be.
He's just there to get a little money. He's just there to get
a little money. And when he got a little money,
what did he spend it on? What do you reckon he spent his money
on? I know what he did. I've seen this happen many times.
Give money to somebody and they head out of the door and they
head straight to the liquor store. That's the way it happened. Ninety-nine out of a hundred
times. That happened to us down in the
island, didn't it? We were poor in an island just
like Mexico, except for the filthy rich. But we gave a poor Rastafarian
some money and we watched him. He strayed in that liquor store.
And this man was only there to get something out of these fellas.
That's it. He saw no beauty in that game. At the gate, he was sitting at
the gate all the time. He didn't want to go in. He saw
no beauty that he should desire going in that way. It looks like
Stan had said, fellas, take me inside. I want to see what's
going on in there. That's where the worship is.
Take me in there. He'd crawl. Wouldn't he have
crawled if he knew what was going on? If he had any desire for
what was going on? Wouldn't he have said, if you don't take me, I'm
going to crawl. Like the woman with the issue?
Trolls? No. But God. See, we won't come. We see no
beauty in Christ that we should desire Him. God sent a preacher. I spent in vanity and pride,
caring not my Lord was crucified, knowing not it was for me He
died at Calvary, and I saw no beauty in Him, would not go in. But God sent a preacher, a certain
preacher, more than one, my way, to preach the message. Now, this
is no chance encounter. There are no chance encounters.
I hope you read that last week in our bulletin last week. Do
I have it? Yes, I do. Nothing small. We start out in
the morning, and we may call it a chance meeting or an ordinary
letter or something that we receive, but the whole of our life may
be changed by this little chance encounter. This man was one. We call it the providence of
God, and we do well because it is. We always say things like
that, don't we? That was providential. What isn't? Well, that was providential.
Well, of course it was. It all is. And a believer, a
true Christian, always loves to trace the hand of God in the
ordinary experience of life. Because after all, ordinary comes
from the word orderly. Did you read that? You just did. Ordinary. Nothing ordinary. It's
all nothing by chance. Nothing by accident. They laid
Him at this gate. And they laid Him at this gate.
Oh, how few there be that find it. Somebody brought you to hear
the gospel. And you know the gospel is not
in every place. Few there be that find it. They
laid him there and he was there to ask alms. He was there to
ask alms. They laid him at a good place
knowing that these people that went in there were generous people.
If I was a beggar or whatever, I would want you to lay me at
this door right here. That's where I want to go. I
know because I know you people, God's people, can't pass by a
beggar. Can't do it. I've been with you.
I've been with a couple of people on the streets of Roanoke. Went
out to dinner and there are beggars there on the street. Been down
through Mexico the street. Beggars there. And you can't
pass by. You can't pass them by. Why? Because you know what you know?
That's me. Don't you? That's me. Not just
that was me. That is me. That is me. That is what they both saw, Peter
and John and the man. It says that he saw Peter and
John about to go into the temple, asking alms. What he saw, all
he saw was two ordinary men going to church. Men perhaps with money
that would help him. This is so my story. This is
so my story, this prodigal, that I ended up at the gate of the
church house, at the door where Christ is preached, and I saw
men of means. Just men. Men of means with an
opportunity to better myself and get a job. And that's all
I wanted. That's all I wanted. It was a job and money. That's all I wanted was money.
And knowing not, I needed mercy. Mercy. Well, they looked on him.
And what they saw, it says Peter and John fastening, they looked
on him. Peter and John both fastened
their eyes upon him. They looked on him. And you know
what they saw? They saw what he didn't see. They saw a poor, lame man, worse
than that, a dead, lost, helpless, blind, halt, lame sinner. There were many people there
that day, and they might not have been lame physically, but
they were lame spiritually. Many people there that day who
had eyes to see, but they didn't see. their need of Christ. Many people in here, well, not
many perhaps, but some, in other places there are many that don't
see any need of Christ. They'll have eyes and don't see.
They'll have ears and they haven't heard a word of His mercy. They
haven't heard a word. Don't walk by faith. They've
got legs, feet. Don't walk by faith. Don't walk
with God. That's what Peter and John saw
in this man. Look at verse 4. I like this.
It says, Peter fastening his eyes upon him with John, both
of them. Peter and John fastened their
eyes upon this man and said to that man, looked him straight
in the eye and said, look upon us. Look at me. Look at me. See, we're not fighting as one
that beats the air. Not preaching just because we
like the sound of our voice. Preaching to people. Communicating,
trying to communicate. Hoping that God will speak. This
is how God speaks. This man saw a man. Two men. They're just men. Yes, they are. Sinful men. But God sent them. And if this man is going to hear
through them from God, he's going to hear through that man. And
these men were in earnest. They were in earnest, sincere. It was an urgent message of life
and death. And he said, look at us, talking
to you. We listened to my dad preach,
and this is something I noted in him, and nobody's heard him
preach more than me. Nobody's seen him preach. He
seldom smiled when he's preaching. He didn't smile once in that
message we heard. Not once. Why? It's too serious. We've got people on the edge
of eternity that don't know Christ. That's what they did. This is
what they did. Would you look at me? Open up your eyes. Look
at me. You listen to me now. And buddy, He paid heed to them. That's what it says, He gave
heed unto them. He gave heed to them. God's man
commands respect. They always do. God sent him.
He's got a message from God. And you're going to hear it.
God's people are going to hear it. He's not playing games. Listen up
now. If he didn't heed this message,
if he didn't hear this message, if this lame man did not hear
this Word, he's going to die without Christ, and he's going
to perish forever. That's how serious this was.
And it's got one opportunity. Peter and John, they might never
see this man again. He might die tomorrow. They said,
you look at us now. We've got something you need
desperately. And it ain't money. It ain't my name. You know, Peter is the one that
spoke. Peter and John were together.
Peter spoke. It didn't matter who was speaking. Just as long
as this fellow heard one of them. Did it matter? Brother Donnie
came here and preached, and I'm gone. I'm often gone. I'm praying,
Lord. Open somebody's eyes. It doesn't
have to be me. My dad used to say this anyway.
He said, nobody is saved by one message anyway. It's the seed
that's sown. I tell our ladies, teachers,
and me and Gabe who's here teaching our young people, and I tell
them all whenever the Lord saves somebody, I say, the Lord used
you. He used you. Train them up. Raise them up.
You've talked to class, haven't you? Several of you have talked
to our young people. We're all in this together, aren't
we? We're all praying. The fellows that laid him there,
they're praying, aren't they? Oh, Lord, send a man. He did. He did. I said, you look at me
now. Look at us. You know he's not
saying, look on us. Look to us. No, he's saying,
You need to hear what I'm about to say." And my dad pointed his
finger at Nancy the whole time. Like that. The whole time. You're
not supposed to do that. Oh, may God take away his error
and point it at my heart. You talking to me? Well, I hope
so. Look on me now. Listen. And he did, expecting to receive
something. Oh, did he receive something.
He got what he wasn't expecting. Expecting a little money, he
got mercy. Expecting a handout, God laid
His hand on him. Expecting a few pennies, went
away with unsearchable riches. I believe he was just like that
woman at the well dropped her water pot. You know, he had his
little hat and he had a little basket or whatever full of, you
know, he collected all that day. It doesn't make any mention that
he, I think he dropped it. And you'll find him, I'm getting
ahead of myself. But here's what Peter said to
him. Here's the message Peter said,
silver and gold have I none. We don't have a health and wealth
gospel, not a material one. We have a health and wealth gospel,
all right, but it's a spiritual health, healing from the disease
called leprosy. Wealth, yes, but not physical
wealth, material wealth, but the unsearchable riches of Christ.
Now, all silver and gold have I none, Peter said, and John
said, Amen. And he said, but such as I have,
ye are bound to be. Such as I have, here's all we
have, because this is all. This is all we have because Christ
is all. In the name of Jesus Christ of
Nazareth, get up, rise, and walk by faith. Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. In the name of... Chapter 4,
we'll run over there real quickly. Chapter 4, verse 10. This is
what Peter... And this is all a result of that. You'll find this man standing
here while Peter's preaching this message. In the next chapter. Look down at verse 14. It says
that man that was healed was standing there. He's standing
with them. He's listening. He can't get enough of this now.
But here's Peter's message in verse 10, Be it known unto you
all, all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ
of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead,
by him doth this man stand here before you whole. And this is
our message, is it not? If anybody is standing before
God right now whole, Holy. If anybody is standing before
God now, unblameable, unreprovable in God's sight. If anybody is
standing before God right now, at the right hand of the majesty
on high, complete, accepted, without sin, without blame, completely
pardoned, justified from all things, their sin blotted out,
never to be remembered again, it's by that name. It's by Jesus
Christ and Him alone because He said, this is that name, verse
12, that salvation is nowhere else in any other. There's none
other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be
saved. Be saved, not get saved, not
accept and let into your life, but be saved. Go back to our text. We're going
to see why this man was saved, why these men were sent, what
happened. He said, In the name of Jesus
Christ, rise up and walk. In the name, person, the work,
the power, the authority. He who is prophet, priest, and
king, the way, the truth, and the life, all such as we have.
This is all we have here, isn't it? Isn't it, people? Do you
need anything else? Do our children need anything
else? Would you have me do anything else for your children? Would you have me organize a
ball team for our children? Would you? Would you have me
spend the time in little plays and skits and
fun and games while our children are on the verge of eternity?
Would you? Such as we have. Such has been given unto us.
Paul said, I've been entrusted with the gospel. He said, though
I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory in. No, no, no. He was chosen. He was chosen. Necessity, he said, was laid
upon me. But woe is me if I preach not the gospel, he said, for
the eternity bound me and women and children. Woe is me. In the name of such as we have,
we give unto you. It's given to us by God. Paul
said, the gospel I preach to you is the same one I received.
The same one that Ananias was sent to preach to me. The boy,
old Paul, Saul of Tarsus laid hold of old Ananias and he was
with him and the apostles were coming and going until the Lord
taught him fully and sent him out to preach. Like Gabe. Repentance,
faith, fruit, preservation, the Holy Spirit sent. All according
to the command of Jesus Christ. This is all according to the
authority of Jesus Christ who said, you don't see Him, but
He's there. And He said to Peter and John, at a certain time,
go to that temple. There's a man waiting on you.
There's a certain man waiting on you. Just like that woman
at the well. The command. Anybody? Anybody? And so they said, look and live,
believe and live. Verse 7 says that Peter took
him by the right hand. I bet you John took the other. But he took him by the right
hand and lifted him up. Lifted him up. Oh, he lifted
me from sinking sand. He lifted me, set my feet on
a rock. He lifted him up. And do we not
bear one another's burdens, each other's burdens, carry one another
to the Lord in prayer? And if a brother falls, do we
not want to lift him up? Do we not? He laid hold of his
right hand and lifted him up and it says, immediately his
feet and his ankle bones received strength. And he, leaping up,
stood and walked and entered with them into the temple, walking
and leaping and praising God. He couldn't stand before where
he is now. He's standing for the truth. He's standing with
them, it says. He couldn't walk before. He couldn't
walk by faith. He didn't. He wouldn't. He couldn't
walk into that church house. He wouldn't be caught dead in
that church house before. That's because he was dead. He's
in there now. Where'd he go? As soon as he
could get legs, feet to walk, where'd he go? Right into that
temple, buddy. That's where he needed to be.
Straight into that temple. With them. He's with them like
Saul, coming and going. He wouldn't have been caught
dead in that church. Well, now that he's alive, he's in there.
He's in the church of God that's in Christ and in God. He wasn't
a companion with preachers before. Preachers weren't his friends
before. They're his constant companions now. Look at verse
11. It says that he was holding the
lame man that was healed, held Peter and John. He's not. He has a hold of these people. Those men that the Lord sent
with the gospel, He loved them. Their message, their preaching,
ah, life. And He doesn't want to let them
go. Like those disciples on the road to Emmaus. They didn't know
that was Christ. They didn't know. They thought it was just
a preacher. What a preacher. But it says they constrained
him. Don't leave. Don't leave. Held him. Held him. Brethren, hold me up, would you? They held Peter and John. Look
at verse 10, and I'll quit. He leaped up. A lame man is now
leaping. A man sitting is now standing.
A man who can't walk is now walking. Walking with God. Walking by
faith. Walking with the people of God. They're his constant
and forever companions now. Leaping. And what's he doing?
He's praising God in the temple. That's where you'll find him
from here on. And the people saw this. Saw
him walking and praising God. And they knew, verse 10, it was
he that sat for alms at the beautiful gate. of the temple, and they
were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto
him. Something happened unto him. He didn't do anything, did he?
Huh? Did Peter and John say, Brother,
God loves you. He has a wonderful plan for your
life. If you'll just accept His Son, Jesus loves you. What blasphemy! What dishonor! What a lie! If you'll just come with us.
If you'll just take the first step. What a mockery, wasn't
it? Mockery! If you'll just take
the first step, Jesus will meet you the rest of the way. If you'll
open the door or the gate, there's no handle, you see. He's knocking
on it. If you'll just open the door
and let him in, if you'll take the first step, he's lame. But something happened to him. Salvation is something happening
to you. Like Ruth, her hemp was. To land on Boaz's field, of all
fields. Wasn't she lucky? No. Chosen. Not lucky. It was her lucky day. No. This was the day of salvation. The day the Lord had purposed
before the world began. Ruth, go to that field. I've got men with handfuls on
purpose. You're going to glean there,
and Boaz is coming." And he did, and he looked on her. And he
brought her into his house, and he married her. And they're living
happily ever after, as I speak. Something happened to her. Something
happened to this man. And something happened to you,
too. I sat there just like someone sitting here this morning. Not
hearing a thing. Sat there for years. Not hearing
a thing. People, this is why I can't preach
without saying these two words. Because this is my salvation.
And this is His glory. But God and you didn't care. Beautiful gate. Wasn't to you.
Don't want in. Just give me something. But God. You know what I mean. At your
salvation, it happens to you. Oh, happy day that fixed my choice
on Thee my Savior and my God. Let's sing that song. It's in
our book. He taught me how to watch and
pray. Oh, Happy Day. Is that the name
of it, Sheriff? Okay, it's number what? 207. John, come up here and we'll
sing that. Oh, Happy Day. Stand. We'll sing the first.
Oh my, verse three, we can't leave that out. Let's sing the
first three verses, okay? Let's stand and sing the first
three verses, number 207. Oh, happy day that fixed my choice,
on thee my Savior and my God, may this glowing heart rejoice
and tell