Peter and John Witness Before the Jewish Council (Acts 4:1–22)

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on Sunday, April 28, 2024

R.C. Sproul writes:

Anytime someone is introduced as famous, it seems to be unnecessary; if he is famous, he should not have to be introduced. Yet we never know how far our influence extends; sometimes we are surprised. One of the most shocking and surprising experiences of my life came on the day when Lech Walesa, the leader of the Polish Solidarity Movement, was placed under house arrest by Soviet officials in Poland. The picture of his arrest was on the front page of every newspaper in America. When he was arrested, he was shaking his fists in defiance of the arresting authorities, and in his hand he was holding one of my books. I recall thinking how incredible that was. I later found out he had placed that same book in the casket of his father.

I never would have dreamed that anything I had written would find its way into the hands of Lech Walesa. It made me think about his position in modern history. “Why was the government at that time interested in arresting him? Why didn’t they just execute him?” That is usually the way it works; tyrannical governments always have a secret police. They find a way to get rid of those in opposition to them, usually by some form of execution. I realized that the reason Lech Walesa was put under house arrest rather than executed was that he had already become too well known; to kill him would have made him a martyr, and the thing that every tyrannical regime fears more than anything else is a public uprising.

Back in the eighteenth century the philosopher Montesquieu, when he wrote his book The Spirit of the Laws, said that the maintenance of all forms of tyranny depends upon the ability of the government to keep the people afraid. That is why there are purges and secret police and mass executions in nations with that sort of regime. Montesquieu said that it only takes one person, one Lech Walesa with enough courage to withstand the tyrant, to bring down a powerful regime. Throughout history individuals have swum against the current and withstood powerful obstacles. Mahatma Gandhi was one. In our own country, Martin Luther King stood against the authorities of his day. He defied those authorities and raised questions about the legitimacy of civil disobedience.^[1]

Today, we come to Acts 4. In Acts 3 Peter and John had healed a man lame from birth. Now, Peter and John are arrested and give testimony. I want to walk through this passage.

My theme is:

Peter and John witness boldly before the Jewish Council.

1. First, we see Peter and John are arrested (Acts 4:1-3).
   1. Acts 4:1–3 (ESV) And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, ² greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. ³ And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.
   2. Acts 4:1 says that he is still speaking. What is about to happen, happens as he is speaking.
   3. Certain ruling authorities are now getting involved.
   4. The ESV Study Bible shares: The captain of the temple was second in rank to the high priest. The Sadducees may have accepted only the Pentateuch as Scripture; they also denied the resurrection and represented the privileged aristocracy who worked closely with the Romans to protect their own political and economic interests.^[2]
   5. Verse 2 says that they are teaching and proclaiming the resurrection. This matters because the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection.
   6. Other Jews, including the Pharisees, did believe in the resurrection.
   7. The ESV Study Bible shares: The Sadducees were upset with Peter’s preaching that in Jesus the general resurrection had begun, a message with definite messianic implications that was liable to be viewed by the Romans as revolutionary.^[3]
   8. Verse 3 says they are arrested and put in custody until the next day.
   9. They will be taken before the Jewish high court, the Sanhedrin.
   10. The CSB shares: The apostles were held in custody overnight because Sanhedrin trials were not conducted at night. Rome had granted the Sanhedrin legal authority over the temple area since disputes arising there were religious in nature rather than civic.^[4]
2. Notice many people are saved, about 5000 (Acts 4:4).
   1. Acts 4:4 (ESV): ⁴ But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.
   2. So, we see many coming to know Jesus as Lord and Savior.
   3. They heard the Word, and they believed.
   4. The 5000 likely does not include women and children.
3. Now, we see the disciples are questioned and respond (Acts 4:5-12).
   1. Acts 4:5–7 (ESV)
   2. ⁵ On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, ⁶ with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. ⁷ And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”
   3. It is now the next day.
   4. The elders and scribes gather together.
   5. Notice that they gather with the High Priest, Annas and Caiaphas, and John and Alexander, who were of the high priestly family.
   6. ESV Study Bible helps us understand this group: The Jewish high court consisted of 71 members—70 elders according to the pattern of Num. 11:16 plus the high priest as presiding officer. It was dominated by the priestly Sadducees with a Pharisaic minority, represented mainly by the scribes (lawyers) of the court. Annas is designated as high priest. (Much like U.S. presidents, high priests seem to have retained their title for life.) He had served in that role earlier (d. 6–15) and was the controlling figure in the high-priestly circle, which may also explain why he is given the title here. His son-in-law Caiaphas was the official high priest at this time (serving a.d. 18–36), and Annas’s son John would serve in the role later (36–37).^[5]
   7. They ask by what power, or in Whose Name, are you doing this (Acts 4:7)?
   8. Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, responds (Acts 4:8-12).
   9. Acts 4:8–12 (ESV)
   10. ⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, ⁹ if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, ¹⁰ let it be known to all of 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—by him this man is standing before you well. ¹¹ This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. ¹² And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
   11. Peter is filled with the Holy Spirit.
   12. Jesus had said in Matthew 10 that the Holy Spirit would guide them (Matthew 10:17-20).
   13. I find it funny that Peter asks, “Are we really being examined for a good deed?” Later in 1 Peter 2:12 and 1 Peter 3:16-17 Peter will talk about good deeds and suffering for doing good.
   14. In verse 10, Peter clarifies that this was by the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
   15. Notice he says, Jesus, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead.
   16. Jesus is not dead, but He lives.
   17. This Jesus is the stone the builders rejected as David predicted (Acts 4:11 quoting Psalm 118:22). Yet, God made Him the cornerstone.
   18. There is no salvation apart from Jesus (see also John 14:6).
4. The religious leaders talk about what to do with these men (Acts 4:13-17)
   1. Acts 4:13–17 (ESV)
   2. ¹³ Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. ¹⁴ But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. ¹⁵ But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, ¹⁶ saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷ But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.”
   3. They saw boldness. They saw that Peter and John had boldness. They were confident.
   4. They saw they were uneducated, common men… What does that mean?
   5. Swindoll writes:
   6. “Unlike the professionals, Peter and John were uneducated and untrained. I love those words! The first comes from the Greek term agrammatos, and refers to one without a formal education.⁵ We might call this person “unlettered.” The second word, untrained, translates the Greek term idiotes. I’m tempted just to leave that one as it is! In that day the term meant, simply, a “nonprofessional.”[6]
   7. In fact, they had the best education.
   8. IVP BBC NT: “Unschooled” means not trained in Greek rhetoric (public speaking), as the priestly aristocracy would be. (It could also mean that they were not trained under a recognized rabbi, if the aristocrats were too arrogant to count Jesus as a recognized rabbi.) Popular Greek philosophers used to boast that they were not educated in rhetoric and lived simple lives, so what strikes the Sanhedrin as a weakness of Peter and John would strike many of Luke’s readers as a strength. But the reason for their “uneducated” boldness is obvious: they had been educated by Jesus, who was himself bold and “uneducated.” (It was widely understood that disciples regularly reflected the lifestyle and character they had learned from their teachers.)^[7]
   9. They had been with Jesus.
   10. They had 3 years or so of seminary education with Jesus.
   11. The rulers are astonished by Peter and John’s confidence.
   12. In verse 14, it says they see the man who was healed. What a testimony!
   13. How could they argue with this?
   14. They send Peter and John out of the room (Acts 4:15).
   15. They have a dilemma (Acts 4:16). They wonder what to do with these men.
   16. So, they threatened them (Acts 4:17). They called Peter and John back in and threatened them.
   17. Notice they threaten them and tell them not to speak anymore in the Name of Jesus. Why? They are afraid that this will spread. They are concerned about holding on to power.
5. The order (Acts 4:18-22).

1. 1. Acts 4:18–22 (ESV)
   2. ¹⁸ So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, ²⁰ for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” ²¹ And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. ²² For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.
   3. They warn Peter and John never to speak about Jesus (Acts 4:18).
   4. Peter and John respond (Acts 4:19-20). They must speak about what they have seen and heard.
   5. We must always obey the higher authority. The highest authority is God.
   6. If the disciples obeyed this order, we would not be Christians today.
   7. They threatened them further and then let them go (Acts 4:21-22).
   8. They found no basis to punish them.
   9. The people were all glorifying and praising God for what happened as the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle had been performed.
   10. Moody: Miracle (v. 22) is better translated “sign.” The healing is a “sign” pointing to the awesome power of Jesus to heal physically and ultimately to save spiritually.^[8]

Now, what do we do with this?

I just walked you through the first part of Acts 4, but why? Who cares? Why does this matter?

1. Christians are being persecuted all over the world. We need to pray for them. Peter and John are called before the Jewish high court and this is an example for us to follow. We must be like Peter and John.
2. We must be like Peter and depend upon the Holy Spirit when asked about our faith (Acts 4:8). We must remember that Jesus said not to worry about what we will say, the Holy Spirit will give us the words (Matthew 10:17-20).
3. We must pray now for the persecuted church.
4. We must pray now that God will give us boldness when asked about our faith (Acts 4:13).
5. We must spend time with Jesus (Acts 4:13).

Pray

^[1] R. C. Sproul, Acts, St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010), 97–98.

^[2] Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2087.

^[3] Ibid.

^[4] Stanley E. Porter, “Acts,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1723.

^[5] Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2087.

[6] Charles R. Swindoll, The Church Awakening: An Urgent Call for Renewal (New York City, NY: FaithWords, 2010).

^[7] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Ac 4:13.

^[8] William H. Marty, “Acts,” in The Moody Bible Commentary, ed. Michael A. Rydelnik and Michael Vanlaningham (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2014), 1682.

Peter Preaches in the Temple Square (Acts 3:11–26)

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on Sunday, April 21, 2024

How many of you put together puzzles?

Can anyone here put together puzzles with 500 pieces? How about 1000 pieces? How about more than 1000 pieces?

Is it frustrating when you get everything together and then you are missing one piece?

So, my question for you is this: Do you have Jesus? Do you have the right piece in place? Where are you in your relationship with Christ? Today, we are going to look at Peter’s second sermon in the book of Acts. In this sermon, we find out that the Jewish people of the day were missing the main piece of their historic Jewish faith. Jesus is the One the prophesies were about. Jesus was the one that Moses prophesied about. Jesus is the one they killed. Peter challenges the Jewish people to believe and accept Jesus as Lord.

As we look at this passage, we should notice how Peter takes an event and makes a beeline for Jesus. In college, I was taught someone once said we, as preachers, should take a text and make a beeline to Jesus. That is what Peter is doing now. He is proclaiming Jesus as the prophesied Messiah.

Allow me to give some context to this passage: We have already been through Pentecost. At Pentecost, in Acts chapter 2, the Holy Spirit came upon the church in mighty power. They saw tongues, like fire, resting on each one of them. They heard a violent wind. Peter preached, and 3000 people were saved. Then, we saw an amazing example of the early church’s fellowship. We saw this in Acts 2:42-47. We saw that the early church had self-sacrificial fellowship as they were involved in evangelism, discipleship, worship, and ministry. Then, last week, we talked about Peter and James healing a lame beggar. This man had been lame his entire life, and now he is over forty years old (Acts 4:22). This brings us to where we are at now. Peter will now respond to all the people looking at them because of this miracle. Let’s read the passage.

Acts 3:11–26 (ESV)

¹¹ While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s. ¹² And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? ¹³ The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. ¹⁴ But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, ¹⁵ and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. ¹⁶ And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

¹⁷ “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. ¹⁸ But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. ¹⁹ Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, ²⁰ that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, ²¹ whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. ²² Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. ²³ And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ ²⁴ And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. ²⁵ You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ ²⁶ God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

1. In verses 11-16, Peter explains the miracle.
   1. In verse 12, the formerly lame beggar is still holding on to Peter and John. They had gone into the Temple, and now they are back outside of what is called Solomon’s Colonnade.
   2. In verse 12, Peter affirms they did not have the power or godliness to bring this healing.
   3. Peter could have participated in the worship, and he could have allowed them to worship him, but he didn’t. He gave glory to Christ.
   4. In verse 13 notice how Peter appeals to the God of the Jewish lineage. He says the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He says the God of our Fathers. This is a Jewish audience, and he talks to them that way.
   5. I notice in verse 13 he says that God, the Father, glorified Jesus.
   6. Then Peter starts pointing the finger, and rightfully so. Peter starts telling them that they had Jesus crucified.
   7. In verses 13-14, Peter tells them that they disowned Jesus. They gave Him over to Pilate and allowed a murderer to be released. I think that most of you know this story, so I don’t think I need to walk through it right now. But know that Israel crucified her own Messiah!
   8. But do notice that Peter calls Jesus, the Holy and Righteous One. This was a common Jewish phrase for the Messiah. Holy One and Righteous One are messianic terms (cf. Isa. 53:11; Mark 1:24).^[1]
   9. In verse 15, Peter appeals to the resurrection. Peter says that they (you) killed the author of life, but God raised Him from the dead.
   10. Notice that Peter calls Jesus the author of Life. We must ask if we are trusting Jesus as the author of life. The Scriptures affirm that Jesus created us in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139).
       1. Trusting in Jesus as the author of life must shape how we view life.
       2. We will view all life as valuable.
       3. We will view war as a greater tragedy since Jesus is the author of life.
       4. We will view abortion as a great tragedy as well.
       5. We will trust and obey what Christ teaches since He is the author of life, He must know what is best.
   11. In verses 17-26, Peter exhorts them to repent and trust in Christ Jesus.
   12. Peter affirms this was done out of ignorance (verse 17). Sometimes, we take it as an insult if someone calls us ignorant, but I do not think we should in this case. In this case, Peter is softening things. Peter started out this sermon strongly stating they were the ones who crucified Jesus, using “us” and “them” language. Now, Peter affirms this was not entirely their fault.
   13. In my studies, I read that sins of ignorance could be forgiven with sacrifices on the “Day of Atonement” in the Old Testament. So, Peter is once again appealing to their Jewish heritage.
   14. Peter exhorts they should believe and trust in Jesus now as it is for their redemption and cleansing from sin (verse 19).
   15. Notice the word “repent,” which Peter uses. To “repent” means to change our minds. It also implies changing our behavior. We must change our minds and behavior, which reflects patterns or trends. As we repent to follow Christ, the patterns or trends of our lives are reflected in a life after Jesus.
   16. Notice also that Peter says their sins will be “wiped out.”
   17. Think of the image of a chalkboard with all your sins listed on it, and when you repent and give your life to Jesus, they are wiped away. Psalm 103:12 says our sins are as far as the east is from the west.
   18. As a believer in Christ, you can do nothing to bring those sins back. Allow yourself to be forgiven and be comforted that God has forgiven you!
   19. Peter affirms this was all God’s Divine plan, as the prophets have said (verses 18-26).
       1. Verse 18 and the crucifixion.
       2. Verse 26 and the resurrection.
       3. Verse 21 and the present ministry of Jesus in Heaven.
       4. Verse 20 and Jesus’s second coming.
2. This passage helps hurting people:
   1. This passage can help hurting people when we see that God is not limited.
   2. This was the follow-up to an amazing miracle. A man born lame and over forty years old walks and is right in front of them. Throughout this sermon, they can see proof of what God did.
   3. Where is our hurt?
   4. Where do we need God to help us? Don’t limit Him. Trust that He can help us as well. He is the author of life.

Close:

Going back to the puzzle illustration, do you have the right piece? I read the following:

The Sunflower is probably the most amazing flower God created. They literally follow the sun. I don’t know about you, but one of the most amazing things I have seen is a field of sunflowers. Watching one follow the sun through is cute. Watching hundreds in absolute unison follow the sun is quite incredible. I recently discovered that Sunflowers continue tracking the sun’s direction long after the sun sets. Through 360 degrees, they ensure that they are always oriented in the direction of the sun. Their unity is totally dependent on one thing –their relationship to the sun.

How is our relationship with the Son? How is our relationship with Jesus?

Do you know Jesus?

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

Pray

^[1] Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2086.

Peter Heals a Lame Man (3:1–10)

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on Sunday, April 14, 2024

In my second year of college, I was at a community college in downtown Dayton called Sinclair Community College. One morning I was walking in between two buildings outside, and a man came up to me and told me a story that he said was true. He said he was trying to register for classes, but the school would not take a check. He asked me to deposit his check and then give him cash. Well, I was young, and I trusted people. So, I did that. I walked to the bank, and this man didn’t go inside with me for some reason. I soon found out exactly why he would not go inside. I went inside, and the bank told me I shouldn’t withdraw money from a deposit until a week afterward. But I had most of the money and trusted people, so I did this. I gave him the cash. I called my bank every day to make sure the check was cleared, and after one week, my bank reported a negative balance. It turns out that the man had stolen a checkbook from a student at the University of Dayton. I was out 425 dollars, and for my age, that was a lot of money. That is a lot of money now. I talked to my dad that night and knew he would go crazy that I did such a dumb thing (he used to be a police officer). Ultimately, my dad gave me 300 dollars to help redeem the difference.

I wonder, do you have any similar stories? Have you ever been taken advantage of when trying to be a nice person?

I used to work with another manager at Mcdonald’s, and his name was Scott. One day, Scott came to work and told me something like this: “Steve, I am not going to help someone again.” I said something like, “What happened?” He responded, “I gave someone money yesterday in Columbus and saw them get in a nice car a while later.” We all hear stories of people cheating on another person, don’t we? We all hear stories that make us not want to trust another person. The bad ruin it for those who need help. There used to be a show about policewomen in Cincinnati. It just so happens that one ex-military policewoman caught a man claiming to be a veteran to receive money, and he was not a veteran at all! How shameful is that? There is also something called “A culture of poverty.” People get used to the same old thing.

In today’s sermon, we will talk about how Peter and John healed a man who had been lame for more than 40 years, but God healed him. Remember the theme of one of my past sermons? The theme was that we serve a “mighty” God. We will see that true today. Let’s read Acts 3:1-10:

Acts 3:1–10 (ESV)

Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. ² And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. ³ Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. ⁴ And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” ⁵ And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. ⁶ But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” ⁷ And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. ⁸ And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. ⁹ And all the people saw him walking and praising God, ¹⁰ and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

1. Notice first the context of this section.
   1. Verse 1 simply starts by stating, “Now…” It is as if this is one illustration of something happening in the early church, and I think that is correct. This is one illustration. Do we remember Acts 1:8? Jesus says they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them. Well, they now have the Holy Spirit, and powerful, amazing, awesome things have happened. Acts 1:8 is pretty much a theme for the whole scroll of Acts.
   2. Back in February, we talked about the model church in Acts 2:42-47. Verse 43 says that “everyone kept feeling a sense of awe and many signs and wonders began taking place through the apostles.” (NASB)
   3. This section follows up on those two verses. It is an example of the Holy Spirit-empowered church.
   4. Things happen in Acts for a reason, and this is no different. We will soon see how this event leads to an amazing sermon by Peter in verses 11- 26. Then, in chapter 4, Peter and John are arrested and beaten. After that, they are released and have an amazing prayer meeting with the other disciples. All of this begins with the healing of a lame beggar.
2. Now, the event.
   1. It is now three in the afternoon, and Peter and John are going to the temple. It was a normal time of prayer. The text says that it was the ninth hour. This would mean that we start counting hours from 6 A.M., and at 3:00 in the afternoon, it is the ninth hour. This was a time of prayer. They had times of prayer that were specified in the morning and evening offerings, so this would be going into the evening offerings.
   2. What is about to happen is when they are on their way to a corporate spiritual discipline. Have we ever had something happen when going to a corporate spiritual discipline? I think Peter and John had their eyes opened, ready for God to have them do something, and because of that, they were ready for this event.
   3. Do we have our eyes opened? What about after church when we go to lunch? Are we ready? God may give us an awesome opportunity to pray for a waitress; don’t miss it. Pray that God will open our eyes.
   4. I heard something interesting on the Christian Radio program Chris Fabry Live. Chris interviewed Paul Baloche. Paul wrote the song Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord. Paul explained the background to that great Christian prayer song. He said that when he wrote the song, he was working hard, trying to raise a family. They were living in poverty in a trailer and, of course, going to church. Many times, the pastor would invite people to stay for prayer after the service. Based on Ephesians 1 the pastor would talk about God opening their eyes and so he started playing with those words on his guitar and then we end up with that song: Open the eyes of my heart Lord, Open the eyes of my heart, I want to see you, I want to see you. To see you high and lifted up [Isaiah 6], shining in the light of your glory, pour out your power and love, as we sing holy, holy, holy. That song has now been sung in many different languages. I heard Paul sing it in French.
   5. Are our eyes open to see the major things the Lord will do?
   6. Peter and John enter the temple for prayer. Now, you must know that they are not in the temple building yet. The noun used to describe the temple means the outer courts and the whole area.
   7. Verse 2 tells us that a man who had been lame from birth was being carried. These people would carry him and lay him down before a gate to beg for alms. The word translated as “alms” means “acts of mercy.” He was begging for money or food.
   8. By the way, Acts 4:22 says that he had been lame since birth, and he was over 40 years old. This man has never walked, never stood up, nothing, and he is over 40 years old.
   9. The rabbis taught that there were three pillars of the Jewish faith—the Torah, worship, and the showing of kindness or charity.^[1]
   10. Now, verse 4 tells us Peter and John looked straight at him. They notice him.
   11. When we see people, do we notice them?
   12. I must think that this man probably was amazed when Peter and John looked at him. I bet that a lot of people would simply pass by. I bet many people would look away or fake like they were doing something. Maybe people would text message on their scrolls, or I don’t know, but they would try to do anything but notice the poor beggar. I certainly know that is something that I struggle with. I don’t want to give people money and enable some bad habits. I don’t want to give them gift cards that they can sell for their habit. It is hard to know how to help someone. Peter and John help differently. But right now, he is leaping inside with excitement because he has been noticed. I wonder if he knew who they were. I mean, Pentecost has happened; there was a large stir in the area. Chapter 2 says that the disciples shared with one another.
   13. Verse 5 tells us that he gave them his attention as he expected to receive something. Oh, he will receive something for sure.
   14. Verse 6: Peter makes no excuse. Peter does not pretend to have money. Peter says that he does not have money. But Peter commands him to walk. Now, notice that Peter does this in Jesus’ authority. He says, “In the name of Jesus Christ.”
   15. Verse 7: Peter takes his hand and stands him up. The man’s feet and ankles were strengthened.
   16. The man didn’t need any rehabilitation. He did not have to strengthen or wait for those muscles to be strengthened. He was immediately healed.
   17. Verse 8 tells us, “he jumped to his feet.” Wow! This is amazing. We serve a strong and mighty God!!!
   18. Now, he enters the temple. He praises God for his healing.
   19. According to Leviticus 21, he would not be allowed to enter the temple because he was lame, but now he could. Look at an Old Testament passage with me: then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert…(Isa. 35:6)
   20. Verses 9-10 show that everyone saw this, and everyone was amazed and wondered about this because they knew that he had always sat there and begged for mercy.

• Some applications:
  1. Peter and John were going to the temple to pray. We must also be active in the corporate spiritual disciplines.
  2. This event happened on their way to a corporate prayer meeting.
  3. This made a ready atmosphere for them to be used by the Lord. We must also be ready to be used by the Lord.
  4. To do this, we must keep our eyes open for events like this. We must be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s lead.
  5. Peter and John didn’t ignore the beggar. I am sure they had seen many before, and maybe they had seen this beggar before, considering Acts 4:22 says that he was more than 40 years old. We must notice people.
  6. Granted that they might have looked at him because they knew the Lord would work through them, but they still did notice, and we must also notice people.
  7. Verse 6: Even if we cannot help people with money, we still can help through prayer and other means (spiritual counsel).
  8. We must remember that we serve a Lord who is at work in mighty ways. This was a miracle and a mighty one at that.
  9. Verse 10: We must also be filled with wonder and amazement at what God does. God has regenerated us!

Close:

Are we ready for God to work through us? I want to come back to the lyrics of that song:

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord

Open the eyes of my heart

I want to see You

I want to see You

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord

Open the eyes of my heart

I want to see You

I want to see You

{Chorus}

To see you high and lifted up

Shining in the light of Your glory

Pour out Your power and love

As we sing holy, holy, holy

Pray

^[1] Polhill, J. B. (1995). Acts (Vol. 26, p. 126). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.