Now this is the first miracle
recorded after Pentecost. That sermon that Peter preached
where 3,000 people were brought to a knowledge, a saving knowledge
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And this miracle is a beautiful
illustration of what happens when God saves a sinner. Does that interest you? A miracle is an event not explicable
by natural or scientific laws. And this was indeed that, I think
of this man, he was over 40 years old. He was lame from the womb,
and you think of the condition of his feet and his ankle bones
and the sinews, the, is it called atrophy, that would have set
in over those 40 years, and he had never been up. And all of
a sudden, he was raised up. And he didn't just get up, no,
he leaped up. And he was walking, jumping,
leaping, and praising God. Indeed, this was a notable miracle. Even the enemies of the church
and of Christ and of the gospel call this a notable miracle. Indeed, a notable miracle has
taken place and we can't deny it. This man who was lame from
the womb, over 40 years old, hearing from Peter, rise and
walk. and he got up and leaped and
walked. Now, I think that this miracle
has the same significance that the story of Cain and Abel has. Right after the fall, the first
story of Cain and Abel, and this miracle is when the church, the
New Testament church is first established after this message
by Peter on Pentecost and 3,000 people are saved and we're given
this miracle to tell us what happens when God saves a sinner. Are there miracles in our day? Well, maybe, I don't know. Certainly God can perform miracles,
things that are above nature. The suspension of physical laws,
He certainly can do that. He's God. Do you believe He performs
miracles in our day? I don't know. He may. He can.
But the point is, the point behind this story is to tell us what
happens when God saves a sinner. And you can see if this is what
has happened to you. You know, salvation is what happens
to somebody. And I think we're going to see
this by this miracle. Now look in verse 1 of Acts chapter
3. Now Peter and John went up together
into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour,
nine o'clock in the morning, 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 of them
that entered into the temple. a certain man. God always saves certain men
and women. He knows his own sheep and calls
them out by name. A certain man. I want to be one
of those certain men, don't you? Whom he did foreknow. Whom? Them he also did predestinate
to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be
the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called. And whom he called, don't you
want to be one of these people? Them he also justified. And whom
he justified, them he also glorified. What should we then say to these
things? If God be for us, who can be against us? A certain
man. God saves certain individuals. And I hope everybody in this
room, by the grace of God, is one of these certain men. And notice this description that's
given of this certain man. It says he was lame from his
mother's womb. He was born into a state of inability. The inability to walk, lame from
his mother's womb. Now, you and I, were born in
sin. Now I want you to think of that.
Born in sin. You and I were born evil. You believe that? Born lame. Born unable. David said, behold, I was shapen
in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. The wicked
are estranged from the womb. They go about as soon as they
be born, speaking lies. A certain man lame from his mother's
womb." Now, let me give you three reasons why we believe we were
born sinners. Number one, because God's word
teaches it. I don't need anything else. You
know, when we say we know something, it's because it's what God's
Word says. That's why we know, not because of some kind of intuition
we have or some kind of... We know something because God's
Word says it. And God's Word teaches that the
wicked are estranged from the womb. David said, in sin did
my mother conceive me. I was born bad. We know that
because the Bible says it. We know that, secondly, because
of observation. All you got to do is look around
and you see that men are evil. Thirdly, we know it by experience. We know this is the truth with
regard to us. This man was born lame from his
mother's womb. Now there four views that you
can have of human nature. Number one, and this is the view
that probably most people have, the evolutionary view, that men
evolve. We've evolved from something
else, and here we are now, and we're headed in some kind of
direction of evolution. Now, if that's the case, men
are better than they were, right? Men are better than they were
and they don't need a savior. Just leave them alone through
the process of natural selection, the survival of the fittest.
Men will continue to get better. There's no need for a savior.
That's the evolutionary view. And the second possible view
you can have of human nature is that of you're born morally
neutral. you're born, and how you're gonna
turn out depends on what kind of education you have, and what
kind of influence you have, and what kind of example is set before
you. If you give men the proper information
and the proper education, they'll be okay. The problem is not giving
men what they need, and giving them bad examples, and not giving
them the right information, and all the problems that are associated
with that. But if that's the case, Men don't
really need a savior, do they? They need an educator. They need
an example. They need somebody to show them
what to do, and they'll be okay. Now the third view of human nature,
first there's the evolutionary view and then there's the view
that men are kind of morally neutral, we're just born in such
a way and it just depends on what kind of education we have
as to how we're going to turn out and what kind of example.
The third view is what most religious people hold, the view that man
indeed fell in Adam. He's born sinful, but He still
has the power of free will. He's born bad. He's born sinful. But he has the power in his will
to accept God's offered grace and thus improve his condition. He can accept or reject God's
offered grace. God offers grace to everybody.
God offers mercy to everybody. And it's up to you as to whether
or not you'll accept it or reject it. Your destiny actually is
in your own hand. True, you're sinful, but you
still have the power of free will. And through that, you can
be saved. Now, if that's the case, men
don't really need a savior, do they? They need a persuader. They need someone to persuade
them to believe the right way. Somebody to put force on their
will and cause them to take the right direction. And the fourth
view of human nature is that men are born into the world dead
in sins. Completely evil. unable to do
anything to save themselves. Now, if that is the case, what
men need is a savior. I need a savior. I need someone
to save me from my sins. Now, here we have this certain
man, lame from his mother's womb. He was carried, verse two. He
was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple, which
is called beautiful. I think there's an irony there.
They bring this man to the temple, the gate called beautiful. Oh, it's so beautiful. And they
set this poor, lame man down so he can beg all day long. Now, here we have religion. You're not going to get a more
powerful view of religion than you do right here. It's called
beautiful. What could it do for this man? Now, indeed, he is set there
to beg. And he was wanting things to
be given to him that could help his condition in life right now.
This man could indeed become more comfortable with a little
bit more money, have better food, maybe better clothing. And he
would be at this beautiful gate and he would be there to beg,
to make his life a bit more comfortable and a bit more pleasant. And
that's all that religion can do. It couldn't do anything for
this man's fundamental problem, could it? He was laying from
his womb, his mother's womb. He could not walk. It could do
nothing to help this man's fundamental problem, total depravity and
total inability, but it could attempt to help this man's plight. Moral teaching and advice. Psychological self-help. Positive
thinking. You heard of that book, The Best
You Now? By Joel, can't remember what his last name is. What is
it? Yeah, Joel Osteen, The Best You
Now. Well, religion couldn't produce that. The Best You Now,
positive thinking. How to have a better life, social
help and relief. It's what Peter called silver
and gold. This is what silver and gold
can do for you. This is what the world can do. This man set
here at the temple and religion that's ironically called beautiful
but can do nothing for this man's fundamental problem can help
him out a little bit here and there. Make his life a little
bit better. Maybe make his marriage better.
Maybe teach him to raise kids a little better. It can do certain
things and it helped this man somewhat as he sit here at the
gate. Beautiful. to ask alms of them
that entered into the temple. Verse three. Who, seeing Peter
and John about to go into the temple, asked in alms, this is
what this man was accustomed to do, asked for alms. He was seeking something to make
his life more comfortable and better. He wasn't seeking God. He was seeking to make his life
more comfortable and better. And that's what people use with
religion. Verse four, and Peter fastening
his eyes upon him with John said, look on us. And that represents
the Lord fastening his eye upon me. That represents the Lord fastening
His eye upon you. Don't you want Him to do that? Look on us. That's a command. Look on us. Lord, fasten your
eyes upon me and tell me to look. I think of The Lord coming to
the pool of Bethesda and there were five porches of impotent
folk waiting for the moving of the water. And the Lord fixed
his eyes on a certain man. And he knew that he'd been a
long time in that case. There are a lot of men there.
but the Lord fastened his eyes on a certain man. Lord, fasten
your eyes on me. Verse five, and he gave heed
unto them, expecting to receive something of them. That's all
he'd known. I want something to make my life
a little bit less difficult and a little bit more pleasant. He
looked and gave heed, expecting to receive something from them.
Verse six, then Peter said, silver and gold have I none, but such
as I have, give I thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of
Nazareth, rise and walk. I would have loved to heard the
way Peter said this. Now, here we have the function
of the church, the purpose of gospel preaching. It's not to
make your life better. It's not to make you more comfortable.
It's not to give you stuff. That's not the purpose of the
gospel. Peter said silver and gold have
I none. Now silver and gold can make
things better for you but it can't do anything for you in
that which you really need. It can't do anything about your
lameness from birth. It can't do anything about your
inability and depravity. Silver and gold can't help you
in that sense. Can't help you. True story. It's happened over
a thousand years ago. I read about it. Thomas Aquinas
was speaking with the Pope and the Pope brought him into all
the treasure houses of the church at that time and said, we can't
say any more silver and gold. Have I none? Look what we have.
And Aquinas replied, yes. And we can't say rise up and
walk anymore. A lot of truth to that, isn't
there? But Peter says, such as I have,
I give thee. All Peter had was Christ. That's
all I have. I don't have anything else. But
such as I have, he says, I give thee, not I offer thee, Now understand
this, the gospel is not offered to you for you to accept or reject. Do you hear that? The gospel is not offered to
you. Here it is, you can accept it
or reject it. Salvation is in your hands. Salvation is not offered to you. If you don't receive salvation,
it's because He never gave it. Everybody He gives to, receives. That's true across the board.
Now, look at the way Peter says this. Verse 6, Then Peter said,
Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have, I give thee
in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. Look in verse 12. We're going
to be considering this in the next couple of weeks. Verse 12,
and when Peter saw it, the people came running up at their response
to seeing this miracle, greatly wondering. And when Peter saw,
he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel
ye at this? Or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by
our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? the
God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our
fathers, hath glorified his Son, Jesus, whom you delivered up,
and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined
to let him go. But you denied the Holy One,
and the just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you, and killed
the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead, whereof
we are witnesses, and his name, Through faith in His name hath
made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yea, the faith
which is by Him hath given this Him perfect soundness in the
presence of you all. Look down in chapter 4, beginning
in verse 7. This had caused a real ruckus.
Verse 7, And when they, the chief priests, the religious leaders,
had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power or by what
name have you done this? By what power, by what authority,
by what name have you given this man this ability to walk? Then
Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, ye rulers of
the people, and elders of Israel, if we this day be examined in
the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made
whole, be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel,
that by... Now let me stop for just a second. If he would have said in the
name of Jehovah, he wouldn't have been telling a lie, would
he? Yes, he would. Yes, he would. He would have been compromising
the gospel. He didn't say in the name of Jehovah. Verse 10,
Be it known unto you and to all the people of Israel that by
the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God
raised from the dead, even by him that this man stand here
before you whole, this is the stone which was set at nought
of you builders, which has become the head of the corner. Neither
is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name
under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. In the name of Jesus of Nazareth,
the one you crucified, rise up and walk. Verse 7, and he took him. Acts chapter
3, verse 7. And he took him. Now this word,
if you look it up in the original, every time it's used, it's used
with the idea of apprehending, arresting, laid hold, arrested. I love that song we hear sung. It's not a hymn, but in wrapped
in thick Egyptian night, and fond of darkness more than light. Madly I ran the sinful race,
secure without a hiding place. But thus the eternal counsel
ran, almighty love, arrest that man. Now for me or you to be saved,
God's gonna have to arrest us. He's going to have to reach forth
His hand and grab ours and pull us up. It's what the scripture
calls irresistible grace. Invincible grace. Grace that will not take no for
an answer. Grace that apprehends. Grace
that gives life. Saving grace. apprehending grace, arresting
grace. Now if you are saved, if I'm
saved, we know what this means. If this is confusing to you,
it's because you've never experienced it. If you've experienced salvation,
you know you were arrested. Something happened to you. What did he do? Verse 7. He took
him by the right hand and lifted him up. He didn't say, I'm offering
you this ability to get up. Now will you receive it? No,
nothing like that. He took him by the right hand
and he lifted him up. Invincible power, invincible
grace. He didn't say, Do you have faith
to stand? He lifted him up, and look what
verse 7 says, immediately. Immediately, this miracle took
place. His feet and ankle bones received
strength. This notable miracle was done. He had been lame for 40 years
from his mother's womb and he didn't get up slowly. No, immediately
he got up because he was completely healed. Peter says he was given
perfect soundness. Isn't that salvation? Immediately
his feet and ankle bones received strength. And I think this is
something that's interesting in the original. It's in the passive.
He passively received strength. What that means is he didn't
do anything to get it. It was God's work alone. Salvation is of the Lord. Immediately, instantaneous salvation. When the Lord said, Lazarus,
come forth, what happened? Lazarus came forth. He that was
dead came forth. When the Lord said to Matthew,
sitting at the seat of her customs, follow me, was there any delay? No, he rose up immediately and
followed him. When the Lord looked up in that
tree and saw Zacchaeus, he said, Zacchaeus, make haste, come down
today, I must abide at thy house. Zacchaeus made haste, he came
down and he received him joyfully. Now this is immediate salvation. Verse 7, he took him by the right
hand, lifted him up, and immediately His feet and ankle bones received
strength, verse 8. And he, leaping up, stood and
walked and entered with them into the temple, walking and
leaping and praising God. Oh, I love to picture this in
my mind. This really happened. Oh, Peter said, rise up and walk. And you know, that's the command
of the gospel. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. That's a command. Quit waiting for something to
happen. Quit waiting to experience something. Quit waiting to feel
something. This is God's command to you. Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ and thou shalt be saved. Don't wait for anything. Do it
now. When God commands, men respond. He, leaping up, leaping up, stood
and walked and entered with him into the temple, walking and
leaping and praising God. He wasn't praising Peter and
John, was he? He knew they were the instruments,
but he wouldn't have dared praise them for this. He knew who did
this. God did this. Salvation is of the Lord. Verse 10. And they knew that it was he
would set for alms at the beautiful gate of the temple. And they
were filled with wonder and amazement. And look at this next phrase.
At that which had happened unto him. Now understand this. Salvation is what happens to
you. You understand that? Salvation is what happens to
you. They looked at what happened
to that man. Now if you're saved, let me tell
you what's happened to you. God chose you before the foundation
of the world. That's something that happened
to you. If you're saved, Christ stood as your surety. You didn't
know anything about it at the time. That's something that happened
to you. Isn't salvation what happens
to you? You know what happened to you? Christ worked out a perfect
righteousness for you. That's what happened to you. If you're saved, Christ died
for your sins and put them away. That's what happened to you. If you're saved, God justified
you. That's what happened to you.
God made it to where you don't have any sin, that you stand
before God, holy and unblameable and unreprovable in His sight.
You've been justified. You never sinned in Christ. That's what happened to you.
How much did you have to do with that? Salvation is what happened
to you. When you believed, it's because
God acted on you. He caused you to believe. Salvation
is something that happened to you, isn't it? That's what they
were observing. If you're preserved and kept
by the power of God through faith unto salvation, that's what's
happened to you. Don't you love that salvation
is what happened to you? You see, in this thing of salvation,
you can never begin anything with an I. I'm saved because
I did this. There's only one reason you're
saved. For Christ's sake. Salvation is something that happened
to you. You know what I say to that?
Amen. I know that's my experience. Salvation is something that has
happened to me. Here's what happened to you.
You heard the gospel, it's gospel, and you believed. Verse 11, and as the lame man which was
healed, that's what happened to him, And the lame man which was healed,
what did he do? He hailed Peter and John. He didn't want to get away from
them. He held on to them. He didn't want to leave. Why?
Because of the gospel they preached. He knew Peter and John were not
the ones who caused his healing. He knew God was. But he knew
they brought this message. And here's the point. You believe
the gospel, you want to hold on to the gospel. You don't want
to be let go in any way. You want to be where the gospel
is preached and you don't want to be anywhere else. That is
where this man wanted to say he held on to Peter and John
And all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is
called Solomon's, greatly wondering." Now, I think this is a complete
parable of salvation. That's how significant this miracle
is. And what a miracle it is, but
it's a complete parable of salvation. Begins with a certain man. God
only saves certain individuals. Began with a certain man. And
this man was lame from his womb. That's me and you. Sinners from the womb. Born bad,
born without any ability. Who was laid daily at that gate
beautiful. What an ironic name for something
that couldn't really do anything for him. He was laid daily at
the gate beautiful, hoping to have something to make his life
a little bit more comfortable. asking in alms, and then Peter
and John come with the gospel, fixing their eyes upon this man. Oh, Lord, fix your eyes on me. And oh, how I want to hear, silver
and gold have I none. You know, religion can't do anything
for you. It really can't. Religion is an empty vessel. It might make you a little bit
comfortable for a little while, but it won't save you from the
fires of hell. It won't save you from your own inability.
Silver and gold. I don't have any of that, but
such as I have, I give thee. And then we have the command
of the gospel. Rise up and walk. Believe right
now on the Lord Jesus Christ. That's God's command to you right
now. Don't put it off. If you do,
He hasn't commanded you. Oh, if you believe, He's commanded
you. And you're by His grace obeying
that command. Right now, trust Christ as all
you need to make you perfect before God. Such as I have, I
give thee. Rise in the name of Jesus of
Nazareth. Rise up and walk, and immediately. His ankle bones received strength. And he got up walking and leaping
and praising God. And it was something that happened
to him. And I pray that this happens
to everybody in this room. But let's begin right here. Rise
up and walk. Believe. Don't try to figure
out whether or not you're one of the elect or if Christ died
for you. Or if you're born again, forget that stuff. Right now,
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Let's pray.