Sunday Nov 17th Sermon from Pastor Ray
First B Jackson
2024-11-17

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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Amen. Thank you, Judy. So, we have gotten to Acts three. Just up to Acts three. So, did Acts one a few weeks ago, Acts two last week and we're starting with Acts three.

If you're looking at that, you're going Acts three through forty one four thirty one. That's a lot of scripture. That's a whole chapter and most of the next chapter, we probably are not going to cover the whole thing but this is the next section. If you're looking at it as sections, there's something that happens and then there's the aftermath of that and all of it I think needs to be considered at once but I'm only going to preach half of it today, okay? So, I want to present today's as the first half, a couple of a situation and then the aftermath is what's going on.

If you want to read ahead, read up to four thirty one and then this though is just going to be chapter three. So, if you are here and you hadn't heard the other two sermons, I'll give you a real quick summary. Acts one, we see that Jesus tells his disciples that they're going to be his witnesses. He has asked them to stay in Jerusalem until they're blessed with the gift that God would give the Holy Spirit and he says, stay together and be there until this happens. Don't leave until this happens and so they were obedient to him.

They also figured that they needed to replace Judas, the betrayer and so, they cast lots. They used a random game of chance is the way we would look at it. Cast lots to determine who would replace Judas and that's weird to me because as a New Testament Christian, Acts two is the very next text. Acts two is the coming down of the Holy Spirit. The comforter has come and he will lead us into the truth.

He'll convict us of our sin. He'll comfort us and he'll show us God's righteousness and we don't have to depend on just random games of chance to figure out what God wants. We don't have to flip a coin. We don't have to number things or draw straws. So, in Acts two, we do see the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, the fiftieth day after Jesus's after the Passover, Jesus's crucifixion.

So, the fiftieth day, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit comes down and I think the best way, my favorite line for how to describe what happens in Acts two is there were Jews from every nation present in Jerusalem at that time and when the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles, capital A apostles, those that were present right there, it says, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and they began to speak in other tongues. This is my favorite line and they were confused because they understood. Oh, can we be confused because we understand? That that's not the norm for humanity up to that point. It was not normal to understand the ways of God or to be able to understand in a language that was your mother tongue.

It says that the apostles, though they were from Galilee and the crowd of first of Jewish people from every tribe from every place around them, they were gathered in one place and when the Holy Spirit came, they were confused because they understood and they understand and and you can hear it in the way that the people speak and they say, listen, we're from everywhere and we hear this bunch of backwater hicks from Galilee and yet they're speaking in language that I can understand in my mother tongue. This is a special event. This is a special time where God is reversing Babel. It's great. They were confused because they understood.

So, get through that in chapter two and we hear Peter takes great advantage of the situation and says, hey, I know it's confusing and I know it's wonderful but go back to the prophet Joel. He said this, go back to the to David. He said this, it's always accompanied by the proclamation of God's word. So, here we are in Acts three, we'll go from there. I wanna do one more little summary statement in Acts two after the whole deal about the Holy Spirit and 3,000 were added to their number.

All of the believers it says in 242, all of the believers devoted themselves to four things. One, to the apostles teaching and at this point, the the sermon that yielded results, 3,000, probably 3,000 guys, not including women and children but at least 3,000 people come into the kingdom and they're believers and they devote themselves to what the apostles are teaching. What they're teaching is Jesus, the Messiah, crucified, and resurrected. That's the apostles teaching and to fellowship, being together is important and sharing in meals including the Lord's supper and to prayer and it goes on from there. This is sort of a summary statement in general terms and then we're going to find ourselves coming from the general to the very specific Peter and John.

So, that's what we're covering today but if you think of this, a deep sense of awe came over all of them and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders nonchalantly it's it seems and all the believers met together in one place and they shared what they had, they sold their property and their possessions, they shared the money with those in need, they worship together at the temple as was their custom. There's a morning service, there's an afternoon service, they worship together at the temple. Each day, they met in homes for the Lord's supper and they shared their meals with great joy and with great generosity. All the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people and each day, the Lord added to their fellowship, those who are being saved. That last line, doesn't it sound like a place that would be adding to their fellowship every day?

That's that's kind of the Christian ideal is the way that they were right there and each day, the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. Peter and John, very specific now. Peter and John, one day, they went to the temple one afternoon. Luke, the Gentile physician, historian, is telling the story. Peter and John went to the temple one afternoon to take part in the 03:00 prayer service, the oblation service and as they were going, it says, as they approached the temple, a man lame from birth, lame from his mother's womb, the Greek text says.

So, congenital condition, he had never been able to walk. He'd never been able to stand on his own. He was a man who was lame from birth and he was being carried in and when you hear being carried in, does anybody else flash back to that time in Capernaum where there's a roof crumbling overhead? Jesus is there, packed room, and then somebody dangles down in front of him. I do.

I immediately go back there. I can't hear this without hearing that. As they approach the temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day, he was put beside the temple gate. The one that was called the Beautiful Gate.

Most people think it was the Nekainer Gate. It's prettier than the other one so therefore the Beautiful Gate. It's hard to say. There are couple of em that could be but most people think it was in the Cana Gate. Each day, he was put beside the temple gate.

The one called the Beautiful Gate so that he could beg from the people going into the temple. It's a good place to be. These are the devout ones. It's okay to go there. It was okay for that man to be there asking for alms, asking for people to give.

That's okay for him to be there. But you know what? It it holds with it a little bit of the theology, right? Even the disciples in John nine, when they passed by a blind man, they said, who sinned? This guy or his parents?

So, there's a little bit of, oh, poor guy but he must have done something or maybe his parents did something. That's just kind of the primitive religion or even the religion of the time. It was kind of traditional, not true. Jesus said it's for the glory of God. Right?

But each day, he was brought there. He's put there at the temple gate, the one called the beautiful gate so that he could beg from people going in. Now, when he saw Peter and John about to enter, he wasn't blind. He was lame. When he saw them coming, he asked them for some money.

That's what he did. And Peter and John looked at him intently. Now, I'll say, let me back back up right here. When he saw Peter and John, now he's looking for everybody that's coming but what do people usually do when they see somebody begging from afar? Let's go another way.

Cross the street, maybe go around the block. It's like, oh, I hope that guy. I wish he'd stop looking at me. I don't really want to read that cardboard sign. It's uncomfortable or just pretend he's not looking at you and just keep going.

When he saw Peter and John, they're about to enter. He asked them for some money and Peter and John looked at him intently. They looked at him intently and Peter said, look back at us. Here, want a connection with you. Look back at us And the lame man looked at them eagerly.

Of course, he did because they weren't ignoring him. It looked like, hey, these guys, these guys might might wanna show off for their friends. They might wanna show how good they are by giving me something. He looked at them eagerly expecting some money. The text says so but Peter says, I don't have any silver and gold for you.

Now, we've been told in the last chapter that they kept all their goods in common. Maybe Peter didn't have it, literally didn't have any money on him because he'd given it. Who knows? But Doctor Larkin, my professor was responsible for this translation. He said, I don't have any silver or gold for you.

But for you, I think he kinda added. It's a silver and gold have I none. That's what the text says. Silver and gold have I none. But what I do have, I'll give you.

But I'll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene, get up and walk. Now, that's a bold Peter's bold. That's a bold thing to to say to the guy and it was a bold thing for Jesus to say, take up your pallet and go to that guy that was dangling through the roof, right? It's really bold.

Peter said, I don't have any silver and gold for you but I'll give you what I do have. In the name of Jesus Christ, Nazarene, get up and walk. And then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and he helped him up and as he did, the man's feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. Now, think about that. He had never walked on those.

He had never stood on those. This was lame from his mother's womb and immediately healed and strengthened. Silver and gold have I none but what I do have I'll give you. In the name of Jesus Christ, get up. And he does.

And then, he jumped up. Can you can you feel it? Like there's an there's an eagerness and an anticipation right here. He jumped up, he stood to his feet, he began to walk, and then walking and leaping and praising God, he went into the temple with them. Now, he had sat outside of that place for so long, right?

And then, he got up and he went in with them. Isaiah 35. Isaiah's got so many messianic prophecies and the time of the age of grace is forecast, the time of the church age is forecasted and Isaiah had said, and then the lame will leap like a deer and those who cannot speak will sing for joy and this man had become the embodiment of that. That's pretty cool. That's great.

The the age of grace had commenced and this guy is evidence of that. All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God and when they realized that he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the beautiful gate. This guy's friends brought him in regularly and all the people who show up. Listen. Are y'all mostly the people who keep on showing up?

The people who show up every day are the people who show up every day and they saw that guy sitting there. It was a normal matter. Normal life was that guy sitting outside and us passing him to get inside and maybe we give him some every once in a while. I don't know. I'm not giving that guy anything.

I I was I was riding through Downtown Atlanta when I was in high school one time. I was going to a concert. I was riding with a friend, and I saw a guy at a red light up in front of us, and he had a bottle, probably a little soap in it, some water, and he was cleaning windshields. The guy who's driving the car that I was riding in said, if he cleans my windshield, he's gonna have done his good deed for the day and I wanted to sink into the Earth because I was like, he's he's trying his best. You know, I I wanted to see the guy and help him and he's like, nope, not helping that guy.

Just encouraging it and he had this kind of thing and I think that you develop your pattern. You know, maybe you do something every once in a while but what was normal was they went in and he sat outside and then, something different happened that day. When they realized it was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the beautiful gate, they were absolutely astounded. The confusion continues in chapter three. And they all rushed out in amazement.

They rushed out to Solomon's colonnade where the man was holding tightly to Peter and to John. This is a temple mount kind of a little architectural idea. You've got the temple up here, and of course the holy of holies we usually point to, and then there's the temple, I mean the the court for Israel, the women's court, and then outside of that is the court of the Gentiles. Well, they come out of the interior part of the of the temple grounds and out from the women's court and they come to Solomon's portico or colonnade over here. I don't know if it was raining but there was a roof over that and that was a good place.

We see that apostles teaching there later on in Acts a couple of times. See Jesus there once. Interesting that that's where they are. They all rushed out in amazement. Everybody that was at the prayer service that afternoon got to see something different and new and they hung around afterwards.

That man was holding on tightly to Peter and John and Peter saw his opportunity. Oh, he's a preacher. He saw the opportunity and he addressed the crowd and he said, people of Israel. Now, he's already said that one time in the last chapter. He recognized the moment and it says in that last chapter, it says and he went on and on.

He preached for a long time. People of Israel, he said, what's so surprising about this? Now Peter had had three years to get used to weird stuff happening. Peter had had three years to get used to Christ doing things that were just outlandish and he had accustomed, he had been more accustomed than most and he had had a couple of months, you know, almost fifty days in in there somewhere. He got a couple of months to kind of get used to this age of grace opening up and things being different now.

And he says, what's so surprising about this? Y'all been reading the prophets? You've been reading this for a long time. Why is it that you're staring at us as though we had made this man walk? Now, the man himself was clinging to them it says.

That sounds like even he thought maybe it might have been because of them. Why are y'all staring at us as though we made this man walk by our own power or godliness? If I back up and I go, how is it that they did? Let me back up. Let me go, go, go, go, go.

Okay. Peter and John looked intently at him. Look at us. Okay, they made a connection. The lame man looked at the meagerly expected money and Peter says, I don't have any money but what I do have, I'm gonna give to you.

Now, in the name of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene and that is it's Jesus that's doing this, not me. I've already said I don't have anything but because I've been with Jesus and he sent Peter out specifically while Jesus was still alive. He sent them out two by two and they had already done this sort of stuff before Peter knew it was not him, John knew it was not him, they both knew that it was Jesus, actual Jesus. Continuing as Luke says, I told you about all the stuff he began to do and preach. He's still doing it at this time.

Get up and walk. So I'll go back to where I was. Here we are. Peter saw his opportunity to dress the crowd, people of Israel. What's so surprising about this?

Why are y'all staring at us as though we made this man walk by our own power or godliness? I know that in our day, this is an uncomfortable passage, Okay? It's uncomfortable. We can see it as history and we can say, okay, that happened but it makes me uncomfortable because is the gift for today or not? That's the question.

Now, Tanya got the first version of this sermon on Friday. We rode together and I said, the section of scriptures three one through four thirty one, that's what I'm planning on doing. She says, if you run through this scripture that fast, you are going to be guilty of just going past all the questions everybody has and saying it fast that you don't have to be nailed down to anything. Well, thank you for that rebuke. I don't want to be guilty of that, but I also don't want to say, well, based on this, the gifts are not for today.

I don't always understand exactly how God works or why. I do see what it says. What it says is that on that day, situation normal was upset. A miracle happened because of Jesus. I agree with Peter and John.

It was not them. It was not because of their power and it was not because of their godliness. Now, if you're sitting there thinking, I wish I could do that. Yes, so did Simon the magician and so did the fellow who said, in the name of Jesus that Paul preaches and the demon said, I know Jesus and I know Paul. Who are you?

Right? I think that it is an error for us to think. I want to be able to do that. You know, they recognize the moment, seeing the man, he saw them. The power of God was present to heal and Peter says it's not by our power nor is it by our godliness.

I know what I'm like. Peter said that. I know I deny Christ. I know he rebuked me on multiple occasions because I was just so far off. It's not by my godliness and it's not by my power.

It is in the name. Actually, says, he attributes it to, think of his audience, people of Israel, people at the temple, and it could have been Gentiles at this point too because they're at Solomon's Colony, you know, it's a mixed audience. It is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The God of all of our ancestors. God almighty has done this and he brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this.

He did it, not us. This is the same Jesus. Bold as he can be, Peter. This is the same Jesus whom you handed over. You handed him over, you didn't believe him, you're exposed to the same miracles that we were, really.

You have the same texts that we have. You've heard all the prophets. Now, Peter has had the benefit of being with Jesus for forty days after the resurrection and hearing all of the ways that the prophets were confirmed and fulfilled in Jesus. That even the disciples on the road to Emmaus when they got to the house, they saw all of the ways from the prophets, all of these, they were starting to see scripture in a new light and since Peter was one degree ahead of him like you can teach in college if you're one degree ahead of your students, right? Peter was one degree ahead of him.

He understood this better than they did and the Holy Spirit used that knowledge. This is the same Jesus whom y'all handed over to and rejected before Pilate, governor. Right? Pilate, despite Pilate's decision to release him, reread that text. You'll see at least seven times where he's declared innocent and Pilate is responsible for four or five of those.

He, the governor, the one who gets to say whether the man's innocent or not, he declares him innocent over and over and they crucified him anyway. One of the worst miscarriage of justice but still God's way, right? This is the same Jesus whom you handed over and rejected before despite Pilate's decision to release him, y'all rejected this holy righteous one, the holy one of Israel that kind of brings conjures that imagery in my mind. It brings it up. The righteous one like no other.

Y'all rejected the holy righteous one and instead, y'all demanded the release of a murderer that you knew was a murderer. But it was politically expedient to you to get what you wanted and politics makes very strange bedfellows. You rejected this holy righteous one and instead you demanded the release of murder. You killed the crown prince, the author, the instigator, the architect, archegos is the word, the beginning. You killed the author of life but God, amen, but God, you did this but God raised him from the dead and we are all witnesses of this fact.

He said that in chapter one. We're all witnesses this fact. He'll say that again throughout up until Paul takes over and then Paul will talk about what he witnessed. Acts three sixteen, tells how the guy was healed. It's not by Peter's power or John's, not by their godliness.

It's through faith in the name of Jesus. This man was healed. And y'all know how crippled he was before. You walk past him every day. You saw him out there whether you helped him or not, you knew he was not faking it.

You don't last like that. Through faith in the name of Jesus, the man was healed. It's sort of a kiosk construction actually and y'all know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus name has healed him before your very eyes. Now, there's an argument.

Every time that the word faith comes up in the New Testament when it's faith in Jesus, there's a little bit of an argument between scholars that says, is it our faith in Jesus or is it Jesus's faithfulness and yes, it's both of those things and in this case, it's obvious that it's both of those things. Now, whose faith was it? Was it that man's faith? The one that's still clinging on to Peter and John? Did he have faith in Jesus?

Did he just hear that name that one time? Had he met Jesus, known about Jesus? We don't, we're not given all of that information but when Jesus looked up at from the man dangling from the ceiling, he said, their faith was what? Did it. Their faith was why he healed the guy.

Whoo. That messenger that you're with your theology a little bit too. Don't stop praying for anybody. Keep on praying for him, right? Faith in Jesus name has healed him before your very eyes.

You saw how crippled he was and because of Jesus, he's not crippled anymore. He's saved. He is completely whole. It goes from people of Israel to friends. That's a good preacher, right?

Friends. Friends, I realize that what you and your leaders did to Jesus was done in ignorance. I mean, I I realized that I'm speaking to people who very likely were screaming out, crucify him, crucify him, right after I denied him and was crying about it. Right? In the midst of all of that, goodness gracious.

Friends, I realize that what you and your leaders did to Jesus was done in ignorance. If you go back to Exodus or Leviticus or couple of different places in the law, numbers in particular, numbers, there's a place where it says, for sins committed in ignorance. Like, is that different? I mean, the law is the law. Right?

Ignorance of the law is no excuse, but for sins committed in ignorance, God has made a way. You're still responsible for the sin that you did even if you didn't know about it. Ignorance. I know what you did was an it is a mitigating factor though and the offering in the Old Testament was a little different for it, it was. But it still had to be made.

Friends, I realize that what you and your leaders did to Jesus was done in ignorance. I know that you didn't know and it's not just for your sins. Peter could say, it's for my sins too. What you did, you did in ignorance but God has made a way even for sins that we do in ignorance. I know that it was done in ignorance but God, that's the second time we've heard that in Peter's sermon.

But God's a good sermon. There's a sticky situations abounding but God. Right? But God was fulfilling what all the prophets had foretold about Messiah, the anointed one that he must suffer these things and if you think back, Peter is preaching. Peter has been with Jesus this time for three years or so and he's had forty days with him after the resurrection from time to time, the text says, and he's empowered now by the Holy Spirit to preach and proclaim the good news.

God was fulfilling all the prophets had foretold about the Messiah. When I hear that, I hear about those two disciples on the road to Emmaus when they're walking, looking sad. Jesus comes alongside. They don't recognize him and he says, but didn't it say that the Messiah had to suffer these things? Look back at the text.

You remember where it said this in Isaiah? Remember where it said this and these places? Yeah. It was all new covenant stuff and then when he broke bed and they recognized him and said, oh, didn't our hearts burn within us when he told us all of the ways from the prophets. You know, Jesus had told them that.

Peter is now saying this to the people who should have recognized him. Think about this. When Jesus said, listen, I'm saying all this stuff because it's gonna be hard without me. But I'm gonna send a comforter but I'm going to be crucified. This is the message.

He tells him over and over and over and when he says, I'm going to be crucified. Evil men are going to come and they're going to take me and I'm going to be betrayed and and Peter says, no, that's not going to happen. And Christ says, get behind me, Satan. Don't even tempt me with that. It is the way that it's going come down.

I'm just warning you of it. That he must suffer. These things and here comes his major application point of this. Y'all, what you did, you did an ignorance, you've seen further evidence after the fact that Jesus inaugurated the age of grace and what I'm saying to you is that's open to you. Now, what you need to do and he's already said this one time.

He's already preached the same message. Repent. Turn. If you were stiff necked and hard headed and you felt like Jesus was an innovator and an interloper and he should not have even been able to say what he was saying. You called him a blasphemer, you need to change your mind about that.

His power is still present, it's still active, and it's doing this. It's not me. It's not John. Y'all need to repent of your sins, you need to repent of your legalistic sins, you need to repent of any licentiousness, you might feel like it's all on you and that you're super righteous and you're not, or you might have given up hope and you're living just a profligate lifestyle. Repent of those sins both ways.

Repent and turn towards God so that your sins may be wiped away and then, when you do that, times of refreshment will come from the very presence of the Lord. All the believers were present in one place and all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit. It says earlier, right? And when they believe, they're filled with the power of God. Is that a time of refreshing?

Yes. Yes. Thank you, Connor. Amen. It absolutely is.

Times of refreshment will come from the very presence of the Lord and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah. That great mighty day of the Lord is still to come and you can still look forward to it but the times of refreshment are in the here and the now and it is in the grace of God. For he must remain in heaven until the time comes for the final restoration of all things just as God promised long ago through his holy prophets. You all know the word and some of that stuff hasn't been revealed and some of that stuff hasn't been coming to pass but the age of grace is now upon us and it is here. Okay.

Here's my point, Peter says. Moses said this, we all know this. Everybody, people of Israel in the Solomon's colonnade, you all know this already. But don't you remember what Moses said? The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people.

Listen carefully to everything he tells you. That's Exodus eighteen fifteen. And Moses continued to tell all those people. Listen, the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, the fellow Israelites and you must listen to him. Who do you think that's pointing to?

Jesus. Prophet, priest, and king. Then Moses said, anyone who will not listen to that prophet will be completely cut off from God's people. How is that message going to fly? Exodus eighteen eighteen, they all knew it.

They know the scriptures. They've seen something that they can't explain in their presence. Moses said it, and then this is eighteen eighteen. This is God saying it to Moses. I am going to raise up a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell the people everything that I command them.

You remember when Jesus said, I'm not speaking of my own accord. What the father says to me, I say to y'all. I I give you everything that he gives to me. This is this is what he's done. I will, this is God almighty speaking through Moses.

I will deal or to Moses. I will personally deal with anyone who will not listen to the messages that that prophet proclaims on my behalf. And the New Living Translation does not capitalize like the prepositions. I mean, I'm sorry, the pronouns of Jesus and it doesn't, but I have to. The capital p prophet is Jesus.

Moses said, I'm gonna raise up for you people, prophets, but this is the prophet. If you want to look it up and read it in context, it's Exodus eighteen fifteen through 22, I won't cover that right here right now. But then after Moses, we see Samuel and we can't find a place in specific in first Kings where Samuel is something super super messianic except for through the line of David. It's going to happen, right? But starting with Samuel, Samuel, every prophet spoke about what's happening today.

So, Peter seeing that this new age is inaugurated and that Christ is doing what he said he would do. He is growing his church. He has died for his beloved and now he's growing his church. Peter recognizing that says, this is what's happening and the miracles authenticate the message. You are the children of those prophets.

Now, he doesn't say it but Jesus said it several times. What did they do to those prophets? Jerusalem. Oh, Jerusalem. You who kill the prophets.

Ignore everything they said. You're still not paying attention but Peter's given them grace and saying, y'all are the children of those very prophets and y'all are included in the covenant that God promised to your ancestors. For God said to Abraham, Abraham at the time, through your descendants, all the families of the earth will be blessed and probably remember that from Genesis twelve one through three. The Lord said to Abram, Abram leave your native country, leave your relatives and your father's family and go into the land that I will show you. Trust me.

I will make of you a great nation, I will bless you. The the new living says, and I'll make you famous. Father Abraham, we still sing about the guy. You hear about him almost every Sunday. He did make of him great nation and he blessed him and he wasn't perfect.

It wasn't his power. It wasn't his godliness. He did a lot of stuff wrong actually but God was true to his promise. I'll bless those who bless you and I'll curse those who treat you with contempt and all the families on the earth will be blessed through you. Actually, through your seed is a good translation there and that is pointing to Jesus without a doubt.

Through your descendants or through your descendant, all the families on the earth will be blessed. When God raised up his servant, Jesus, he sent him first to you, people of Israel. It says, it's for the Jew first and then for the Gentile. Paul says that a lot of different times. Y'all are the ones who had the backstory.

You're the ones who had all of this taught since your very youth and you knew to be looking for him and he showed himself to you and you missed him and now I'm showing you again and this guy who's clinging to me is showing you and if you're missing it again, it's because you're stiff necked, it's because you're not getting it. When God raised up his servant Jesus, he sent him first to you people of Israel to bless you by turning each of you back from your sinful ways. So, this is not the whole story. It keeps on going from there. When they present this message and as they present this message, what do you think happens?

They're always naysayers. They're gonna they're gonna hit opposition. There's plenty of intrigue and conflict next week. But just from what we've seen today, the application that we draw from the text, I try to just say what it says and I don't wanna land on a systematic theology. I want for I feel like I've kinda put some guardrails up there to keep us.

I am seeing that there was a power encounter that was necessary at that time without a doubt and does that still happen? I don't wanna answer that for you. I want for acts to hedge itself rather than me hedging it for you. Is God still active in that way? Let let's look at this first.

Questions for self evaluation. This is me asking me and y'all asking yourself, do I really see people who are suffering? If I'm looking at it from Peter's perspective or John's perspective, do I actually see the people who are suffering? Do I want for them to see me? I mean, even if I do see him, do I just want to go, hope he doesn't see me.

Diversionary tactics to keep him from seeing or keep him from knowing me. Maybe I wanna protect myself a little much, but they had that connection with him. So they said, silver and gold have a none, but what I do have, I'm gonna give it. Do I give people what I have to help others in Jesus name? For some of you, it is silver and gold that you have and I know our benevolence fund here receives from y'all and hands out through Diane, through Nick, through me, through through the church when we hear of needs.

We do distribute that but it might be financial in your case. It might also be I just said this a minute ago, you have to be one one degree ahead of your students. I got to go to seminary for five years. Ninety hour program and it was amazing. And so, I don't feel like I deserve that at all, at all.

But I I got to be a step ahead on that. But I'm required, I'm more responsible with that, you know. And not many of you should be teachers and all that, there's a great responsibility there but I get to. I get to when people call and say, I don't know how God works. I don't understand this.

I don't get this. Can you tell me? Well, I can tell you from scripture it says this, it says that, I can I can help a little? Yeah, I think so. Do I give what I have to help others in Jesus name?

Maybe you have incredible patience for difficult people. Maybe. Extra grace is required for some people. Right? Whatever it is that you do that God has gifted you to do, do you give that to other people?

Then I and I should say, in Jesus name, is it because you know that that's a gift from God that you give it? Having been established on the good old gospel way. So, not legalistic thinking we've done it on our own, not abandoning hope and just trying to have some fun while we're here, less anxiousness but established in Christ, humble before God, knowing that it's not because of us but he saved us, established in the good old gospel way. Am I reaching down and lifting people up from both of those ditches, either of those ditches, both of those ditches. Am I trying to bring people up?

And if I do, do I credit Jesus with the save? Y'all know baseball terminology. The save, the pitcher that comes in that saves the game. Right? If I help somebody by taking them to rehab, let's say.

Do I think, oh, I'm a great guy because I helped that person. I got that guy sober. It's not my power. It's not my godliness but I do want you to think about this. Anytime anybody gets set free from their besetting sin, sober, whatever it is.

It's a miracle. Anytime anybody gets saved, it's a miracle that they didn't deserve and so the realization, I prayed about it this morning. I spent so much time this week trying to decide whether I should lay it out in systematic theology wise or not. Let the text just say what it says, Tanya's Tanya's rebuke. I'm I can't preach the whole thing.

I gotta I gotta drop back and preach what it says and then I drew all these questions from just the section we've seen. Three one through 26. Full chapter three And then I got here this morning. We're singing through the song service. We actually are singing through You're Worthy of It All.

You're Worthy of It All. We've never sung this in in church before. Here. Carl and I and Nick sat in the office yesterday and ran through it one time. You're worthy of it all.

You're worthy of it all. For from you are all things and to you are all things. Jesus, you deserve the glory. And as I was in here this morning, I thought rather than seeing ourselves in Peter's position, they're capital a apostles. It's hard to put ourselves in that position.

But rather than see it, which I I had and I drew all these questions from this, from Peter's position or John's position. Rather than seeing ourselves as Peter or John in this text, can we see ourselves as the other guy? That miraculously was saved? Maybe maybe we shouldn't be worried about being Peter or John or desiring the gift to heal or the gift to do something miraculous. Maybe we are the one who was stricken and helpless and we were the ones who were lifted up by the very gospel in the name of Jesus and maybe what we should be doing is leaping to our feet and praising God for that.

Clinging to the apostles teaching and to fellowship and to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Maybe we should see ourselves in the position of having been saved, let the redeemed of the Lord say, that's what happened for me. So, that's it. We'll go into four one through 31 next time. I preach which is I think next week.

I hope next week. That's the plan and would you stand with me? Let's leap to our feet. Praise God together and considering this, we know that it's by grace that we've been saved through faith. It's not of ourselves.

It's faith in the name of Jesus. We know that. It's not something we can brag about. It's not something that we did. It's not by power or by godliness, Peter and John said.

We know that but we are indeed his workmanship and he has stuff for us to do that he established long beforehand that we should be walking in them. So, the song of day is have thine own way, lord. Lord, I don't know what it is you want for me to do tomorrow or this afternoon but you do know and so, I'm saying, you have your own way. You're the potter. I'm clay.

I'm not gonna question how you do stuff, why you do stuff. I find myself in some weird situations, lord. Would you use me in the situations that you have placed me in? Have that own way. Would you sing with me?