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welcome to everyone it's good to be in the house of the Lord on this Sabbath day just one quick announcement tonight at our evening worship we will participate in the Lord's Supper and that is at 5:00 p.m. well for our call to worship you can turn in your Bibles to the prophet Isaiah Isaiah 35 prophecy concerning the new covenant era the rule in the reign of our Lord Jesus Christ the Messiah Isaiah 35 beginning in verse 1 the wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice even with joy and singing the glory of Lebanon shall be given to it the excellence of Carmel and Sharon they shall see the glory of the Lord the excellency of our God strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees say to those who are fearful hearted be strong do not fear behold your God will come with vengeance with the recompense of God he will come and save you then the eyes of the blind shall be open and the ears of the Deaf shall be unstopped then the lame shall leap like a deer and the tongue of the dumb sing for water shall burst forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert the parched ground shall become a pool in the thirsty land Springs of water and the habitation of jackals where each lay there shall be grass with reeds and rushes a highway shall be there and a road and it shall be called the highway of holiness the unclean shall not pass over it but it shall be for others whoever walks the road although a fool shall not go astray no lion shall be there nor shall any ravenous Beast go up on it it shall not be found there but the redeemed shall walk there and the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing with everlasting joy on their heads they shall obtain joy and gladness and sorrow and sighing shall flee away amen well please turn in your Trinity hymnal to him number 230 hymn number 230 will stand as we sing together [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] well let us pray our God and Father it's a joy and a privilege to gather in the house of the Lord God Almighty Father Son and Holy Spirit on the Lord's Day we give praise to you for the works of creation and Providence the fact that you have made all things by the word of your power in the space of six days and all very good you are in fact the God and father who reigns in heaven and does whatever he pleases yet on this Sabbath day we remember and reflect upon the work of redemption and how we praise You Father for choosing us in Christ before the foundation of the world we praise you for the sending of the son of your love into this world to live in obedience to the law to die as a sacrifice and a substitute upon the cross and if we raised the third day and ascended on high and reigning and ruling in glory and as well we praise you for the Ministry of the Holy Spirit that one who called us out of darkness and the marvelous light that one who granted us the graces of faith and repentance showed us our sin that showed us our depravity showed us our misery and showed us the glory of Jesus Christ the Lord how we thank you for him who is altogether lovely and chief among 10,000 how we thank you for the doing and the dying and the rising of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and we thank you for his current session and for the fact that he makes intercession for us and that he is our advocate with the father and we do look forward to his return in glory to judge the living and the dead we give praise to you on this Lord's Day we give praise and glory unto you as it is it is as it is do your name and our Father we pray that you would indeed send forth your power your glory your your excellence among us that we would know the presence of the Holy Spirit that we would be humbled before you that we would tremble and stand in awe and reverence at who you are the scripture reveals you as well may that be mingled with great joy knowing that our sins are forgiven knowing that you have not dealt with us as we deserved with in your mercy and your grace and in your kindness you have receipt you have given us forgiveness you have given us a righteousness that avails with God to help us reflecting upon these things to worship you in spirit and in truth we ask that you would forgive us now for our sins as your people we are given the Holy Spirit we're pointing to that law and yet we transgress it and we lack conformity unto it so we confess our iniquities now pleading the the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ cleaning cleansing in his most precious blood reflecting upon the promise of the Prophet Zechariah that in those days there will be a fountain open for sin and uncleanness how we thank you for that not so that we may continue in sin but that when we do sin we know that forgiveness that is from you that does produce the fear of God in our own hearts so please cleanse us now and our Father for any who've come here this morning that are outside of Christ those who are dead in their trespasses and sins we pray that today would be the day of salvation that your Holy Spirit would work in their hearts that he would bring conviction for sin and set forth the supremacy in the the excellency and the sufficiency of Jesus Christ that one who is able to save to the uttermost all who draw nigh unto God through him be merciful and send forth your grace and your mercy and deal kindly with sinners in this place we asked you'd be with other churches in our community those that preach the truth we pray that they would know your blessed spirits presence as well and that sinners in this community would be saved and throughout this nation we live in a day and age that is in fact grieving to us and and were ungodly on the best of days what it must be - a thrice holy God when he looked down upon a on a nation that practices abortion and euthanasia and all manner of lawlessness and wickedness our Father we pray that in your wrath you would remember mercy that you would send forth your spirit she would revive your people cause us to be a prayerful people and a people that are committed to the truth of Scripture and awaken those who are dead in their trespasses and sins many trust and horses and chariots but we know ultimately victory comes from Yahweh so we would pray God in heaven that you would indeed have mercy on a multitude in this land you would put the fear of God in the hearts of those who are in high places of government that they were no longer legislate immorality and wickedness and lawlessness but God humbled them under your mighty hand caused them to kiss the son cause them to bow to Jesus Christ lest they perish in his way when his wrath is kindled but a little be merciful in this nation be merciful to the churches and may your presence be known among your people we ask for your blessing upon churches throughout the earth we know there are many that are suffering for the cause of Jesus Christ in this world and we commit them to you into the word of your grace and pray that you'd uphold them that you would enable them to persevere in trial and in affliction and in difficulty we pray through imprisonment and in dispossession from home and business they would nevertheless be calling upon the name of the Lord God Almighty we pray for those nations steeped in Islam that the gospel would go forth and that sinners there would turn from their useless idols to the true and the Living God we pray in those nations steeped in other forms of false religion Romanism or even atheism we would pray that the gospel would run swiftly and be glorified and that a multitude from every tribe and tongue and people and nation would come to our God through Jesus Christ the Lord and our Father we pray for our congregation we thank you that our brother dawn can be here with us this morning we thank you for your kindness and your mercy to us on a on a daily basis Jesus taught us to pray she would give us this day our daily bread we know that not only pertains to food but all things concerning the the physical man and so we ask that you look with favor upon our brothers who are not able to be with us this morning we pray for those who are suffering with ongoing disease or illness we ask God that even on their sick bed they would find comfort and their souls in the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ we ask that you it as well bless the children and the young people in this congregation we thank you for recent additions thank you that little Hayley can be here with us today and we pray that one day she would call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ we pray that for all the children and for all the young people here that they would heed the preacher's words that they would remember their Creator in their youth and that God you would be merciful unto them and protect them and and hedge them in and keep them from this evil and and an adulterous age be merciful to us now and continue with us as we sing as we pray as we look to Holy Scripture and we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well please turn with me again in your Trinity hymnal to number 416 416 we'll stand and we'll use a familiar tune it's not the tune indicated here but one that I think we all know so 4:16 please stand with me [Music] [Music] well for our scripture reading you can't turn to Luke's Gospel Luke chapter 18 Luke chapter 18 we'll pick up reading in verse 24 Luke 18 beginning in verse 24 and when Jesus saw that he became very saw saw that he became very sorrowful he said how hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God for it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God and those who heard it said who then can be saved but he said the things which are impossible with men are possible with God then Peter said see we have left all and followed you so he said to them assuredly I say to you there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children for the sake of the kingdom of God who shall not receive many times more in this present time and in the age to come eternal life then he took the twelve aside and said to them behold we are going up to Jerusalem and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished for he will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon they will scourge him and kill him in the third day He will rise again that they understood none of these things the saying was hidden from them and they did not know the things which were spoken then it happened as he was coming near Jericho that a certain blind man sat by the road begging and hearing a multitude passing by he asked what it meant so they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by and he cried out saying Jesus son of David have mercy on me than those who went before warned him that he should be quiet but he cried out all the more son of David have mercy on me so Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to him and when he had come near he asked him saying what do you want me to do for you he said Lord that I may receive my sight then jesus said to him receive your sight your faith has made you well and immediately he received his sight and followed him glorifying God and all the people when they saw it gave praise to God amen well that first section when the disciples asked who then can be saved it's based on the previous situation when that rich young ruler came to our Lord Jesus remember the rich young ruler was not told that if he just did so-and-so works he would be saved no Jesus used the law to show the young man his sinfulness he brought to bear upon his conscience the tenth word you shall not covet it was at that point he went away sorrowful he had a lot of loot he had a lot of stuff but at that departure the disciples said with reference to this how then can't who then can be saved and Christ uses the opportunity to underscore with the best less impossible with men it is impossible but with God all things are possible if salvation depends on me or you that is an impossibility but with God all things are possible sometimes people say well if you believe in the Reformed faith or what men commonly call Calvinism how could you preach the gospel how could we preach the gospel if we didn't believe if the appeal was to the free will of man if the appeal was make yourself a better you or if the appeal was conjure up in yourself something that you don't have that would be a desperate plight but we preach a God who is sovereign a God who is able a God who was powerful and a God who was willing to save to the uttermost all who draw nigh through his son it's a blessed and a wonderful thing that with God all things are possible and then as well Jesus announces that he will go to Jerusalem he will be tried he will be punished he will be executed and then he will be raised the third day at this point they don't understand the implications they aren't sort of tracking along with them at this point we saw in Matthew's Gospel that he announces this on three separate occasions and then in Luke's Gospel we see that he has set his face like a flint to go to Jerusalem he doesn't shrink back he understands always the mission as it's been given to him and he doesn't ever relent Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost and in that final section I think all of us ought to take a bit of instruction from blind Bartimaeus if anybody ever tries to discourage you from coming to Christ cry all the louder Jesus thou son of David have mercy on me they tell the blind beggar be quiet he doesn't have time for you be quiet he doesn't care about you be quiet he doesn't have any concern whatsoever but barn Emmaus says all the louder Jesus thou son of David have mercy on me I love that it says Jesus talk jesus walks over to him and Jesus says what would you have me to do that's the Jesus of the scripture that's the God of Holy Writ he is the father of the prodigal that runs while the son is a long way off and he falls on him and he kisses him and he puts a ring on his finger and he slays the fatted calf never let anybody try to keep you from the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ well brethren I think in the Gospels we see a good particular view of our Christ that he is altogether lovely and that he is chief among ten thousand I did also want to mention that Jonathan Hall a former member here he and his wife just had a healthy baby boy very healthy nine pounds nine ounces and we can praise God for that Alexander Peter and we rejoice in the goodness and the kindness of our God let's pray our Father we thank you for the Lord Christ we thank you for His Majesty his excellence his his beauty and his glory we thank you that he stops in a crowded City when a blind man calls out to him we thank you that he highlights the fact that what is impossible with men is possible with God thank you that he went through what he proclaims here that he would go to Jerusalem that he would die that he would be raised the third day thank you for all things connected to our Lord Jesus Christ in his gospel and thank you for making us partakers in this by grace through faith in Him we rejoice in your goodness to Jonathan and Selena we pray father that they would take seriously the responsibility to bring this one up in the fear and admonition of the Lord and we pray this through Christ our Lord amen well for our final hymn before we look to God's Word in more detail you can turn to hymn number 77 hymn number 77 will stand and we'll use the first tune [Music] [Music] [Music] we can turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Acts Acts chapter 3 we're going through acts in an expository way we finished chapter two a couple of weeks ago or a few weeks ago now and we'll pick up here in Acts chapter 3 we'll focus on the healing of the lame man this morning in verses 1 to 10 and then we'll see later the Apostles sermon in the portico of Solomon based on that particular activity see that same sort of motif say for instance in John 6 Jesus feeds the multitudes with bread and then he preaches the bread of life discourse and the same sort of thing is at play here this healing sets the stage for Peters sermon where he does appeal to the healing but he uses it as the means by which he can set forth the glory of Jesus Christ so I'll begin reading in Acts chapter 3 at verse 1 now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer the ninth hour 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 from those who entered the temple who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple ask for alms and fixing his eyes on him with John Peter said look at us so he gave them his attention expecting to receive something from them then Peter said silver and gold I do not have but what I do have I give you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk and he took him by the right hand and lifted him up and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength so he leaping up stood and walked and entered the temple with them walking leaping and praising God and all the people saw him walking and praising God then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the beautiful gate of the temple and they were all are they were filled with Wonder and amazement at what had happened to him now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon's greatly amazed so when Peter saw it he responded to the people men of Israel why do you marvel at this or why look so intently at us as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walked the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob the god of Our Fathers glorified his servant Jesus whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate when he was determined to let him go but you denied the Holy One and the just and asked for a murderer to be granted to you and killed the Prince of life whom God raised from the dead of which we are witnesses and His name through faith in his name has made this man strong whom you see and know yes the faith which comes through him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all yet now brethren I know that you did it in ignorance as did also your father's but those things which God foretold by the mouth of all his prophets that the Christ would suffer he is thus fulfilled repent therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord and that he may send Jesus Christ who was preached to you before whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things which God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began for Moses truly said to the father's the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren him you shall hear in all things whatever he says to you and it shall be that every soul who will not hear that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people yes and all the prophets from Samuel and those who follow as many as have spoken have also foretold these days you are sons of the prophets and of the Covenant which God made with our fathers saying to Abraham and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed to you first God having raised up his servant Jesus sent him to bless you in turning away every one of you from your iniquities amen let us pray father thank you for the written word and we pray now for the Ministry of the Holy Spirit who gave us the word we pray that he would go just lead us and direct us to a consideration of just how wonderful the Lord Jesus Christ is that power displayed through the agency of the Apostles magnifies the glory of the one and throned at the right hand of the Father forgive us again for our sins and anything that would darken our understanding and help us to rejoice and praise and to glorify you as we consider the Word of God and we ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well as I said verses 1 to 10 are the minute the miracle specifically verses 11 to 26 Peter then preaches a sermon and there he highlights the primary the prime Authority with reference to the healing of this particular man but as well that then moves us into a particular phase in terms of the book of Acts a place of persecution remember that the church was told to be witnesses to Christ first in Jerusalem then to Judea Samaria and then to the uttermost parts of the earth well in the wisdom and in the Providence of God God utilized problems he utilized persecution he utilized trials and difficulties to get the church to mobilize in other words they would have just sat content in Jerusalem if there were never any problems but the Lord God in His Providence moves things in such a way that we see already persecution in Chapter four from the religious authorities there in Israel but I want to look at this particular miracle under three considerations first the setting of the miracle and verses 1 and 2 secondly the execution of the miracle in verses 3 to 7 and then finally the response to the miracle in verses 8 to 10 but if you note the setting they are at the temple verse 1 tells us Peter and John went up together to the temple not likely that they would have engaged in the sacrificial system going on at the temple rather they were there at the hour of prayer there were hours of prayer in the morning in the noon and then in the afternoon and this would have been 3 o'clock so it's Peter and John who went to pray and I know most of the kids already know this sermon because there's a wonderful Sunday school song that basically rehearses the truth so if as I'm preaching you start to sing it in your head that's okay it's a good way to remember it it's a good way to envision it it's a good way for it to make its way into your heart because it really is an amazing thing what God does in the life of this particular man so Peter and John go to pray at three o'clock probably as well to preach the gospel to tell sinners about Jesus who is the Messiah promised in the Old Testament Scriptures now note the description of the man given to us in a bit of detail tells us in verse 2 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 from those who entered the temple the condition was a congenital defect it was a congenital disability he had not broken his leg and the Apostles come and set it no the man had been born this way he was lame verse 22 in chapter 4 tells us he was over 40 years so this was a long-haul thing for this particular man later we know that everybody knows who he is we know that this was not done in some private backroom sort of setting it was very public it was very open it was very out there so that the certainty of the miracle and the glory and the power of the God of the miracle would be conspicuous this isn't a background dealing where persons come out and say believe you me that guy was healed know everybody knew it because his condition was congenital he was in a bad state we don't know which particular gate some suggest my kin or or Shushan we don't know why is it called beautiful most likely because it was beautiful it was greatly adorned it was higher perhaps than the others but you can see the wisdom of this man at least the wisdom of his handlers they carry him at the hour of prayer and they put him in the pathway that is heavily trafficked going to the temple for prayer this would be the optimum place for one to beg this would be the optimum place for one to ask for alms it would be similar to what you find in downtown Chilliwack very often there at that intersection where you've got Tim Hortons and then superstore and you've got what used to be Kmart don't know what they're what are the mall over there but there's typically a fellow standing there with a sign and he's asking for money he's not supposed to he does it right in front of the sign that says no panhandling you know you'll talk about antinomianism right you see hitchhikers sometimes standing under the no hitchhiking sign just a flagrant disregard for all things law but that makes sense he's there in a heavily trafficked area he's not standing out and you know the middle of Rosedale out in the field he knows that he's got to be in the place where there are people with deep pockets and people that buy religious conviction are going to get dig deep and give money to this particular fellow and so all things are in place so that the miracle will in fact be conspicuous it will be obvious and it will be a certain thing that demonstrates the glory of God Most High this was the means by which he managed the living and he had people that would carry him they would lay him daily at the gate of the temple and he would ask alms from those who entered the temple now note secondly the execution of the miracle in verses 3 to 7 note the request of this man in verse 3 who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked for alms you got to love the sovereignty of God I mean there were a lot of pilgrims traveling to the temple at the hour of prayer there were a lot of people population in the city at that particular time and who does the man meet he meets Peter and John let someone try to tell you at some point in your life that God's not sovereign he doesn't control whatever happens the Psalter isn't accurate our God is Evon he does whatever he pleases he most certainly does could it have gone better for this guy than to meet Peter and John could it have been a better day for this particular fellow standing at the gate or rather lying at the gate called beautiful when it was the hour of prayer he sees Peter and John and then note what he does he asks for alms and I think I don't want to get too far afield here but I think we ought to at least observe that persons in a desperate condition don't always realize the desperation of their condition let me just try to restate that he's shooting pretty low here isn't he he's asking for alms which again is understandable that's been the way that he's made is living for his entire life it hasn't asked for a healing he doesn't ask for salvation I think that time sinners don't really really know what their problem is sinners come to church because they want therapy or sinners come to church because they want community or sinners come to church because they want entertainment or sinners come to church because that's what people are supposed to do know your need is desperate your condition is bad and you need salvation by grace and faith in Jesus Christ the Lord he asked for alms again in and of itself not a bad thing longing to be a part of a community not a bad thing wanting some help with your life not a bad thing but there is something far more important and thankfully Peter and John did it pander to his perceived needs rather they addressed him where he had the greatest of needs specifically his salvation now some will be inclined to say well they simply healed him the tax doesn't indicate that he that he was saved brethren the text everywhere indicates that he was saved because that's the point of Peters sermon in verse 26 the forgiveness of sins why would God use this particular fellow simply to raise him up from his bed and then this may and cleave to Peter and John if he hadn't been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ so he's aiming quite low but God in His sovereignty and in His mercy and in His grace saves him it made me think about the sorts of signs that you see from people today that are that are asking for alms you know that one will work for food or you know we'll you know just just give me change or any little bit helps there was a fellow back in palmdale he made the newspaper palmdale was a very aerospace heavy sort of a city and there were oftentimes layoffs and there was a picture of a fellow in a three-piece suit with a sign on the side of the road that said we'll work for competitive wage and benefit package I've always thought that was an interesting way to sort of approach that but even then it's still not a proper understanding of one's need you see you may think you just need some homes you may think you just need a bit of therapy you may think that you just need a little bit of help but God's Word says you are wicked you are sinful you have gone astray you stand with your fists raised to God if not physically certainly ethically in your heart you transgress God's law you lack conformity to God's law you are condemned as an evildoer by God's law and the thing that you need most is not therapy it's certainly not entertainment it's certainly not community it's Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior it is salvation by grace through faith in this one and in him alone so this man looks at Peter and John this man asks for alms and now notice what Peter says in verses 4 to 6 a on behalf of John Peter and John are together then Peter said silver and gold I do not have but what I'm sorry back to verse 4 and fixing his eyes on him with John Peter said look at us what does he do that you know value me prize me no he's gaining his attention because good things are coming his way right he is capturing the man's attention because this man is going to experience wonderful things so he says look at us and thankfully man looks at him you know today I don't want to look at you just give me what I want no look at me I've got something to say to you I've got something to instruct you on I've got something to teach you that a man for his attention creates an expectation Daniel box says seeking the man's attention tells him that a response is coming but it will not be what he expects can you imagine that man imagine being that man you wake up that morning and you know what your normal deal is you don't have plans ahead of you like several options I can go golfing or I can go to the park or I can take the kids out for a walk right no you don't have those options you're lying in your bed you know that you know quarter to three somebody's going to come they're gonna pick you up they're gonna you know take you to the gate called beautiful and they're gonna lay you there and you're gonna just basically beg for your sustenance I mean this guy doesn't have any idea what's about to happen it's the problem when we get a Sunday school song in our heart or we understand a particular narrative it it ceases to thrill us brethren we need to be thrilled this guy woke up a lame man and later on that day he's he's leaping and he's praising God it's an instantaneous miracle there's no sort of you got to deal with the atrophy that has set in you've got to work up to that as soon as God heals him through the agency of the Apostles he's weeping he's crazy he's glorifying God this is a beautiful and wonderful thing and so Peter is going to do something here for him then he has not yet even entertained and then notice what Peter says there in verse 6 Peter said silver and gold I do not have but what I do have I give you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk the Apostle does not have silver and gold no there's a lot in the commentaries as to why that was but suffice it to say he did but what he does have he has the name of Jesus Christ Matthew pool made the observation the disciples or rather the Apostles abounded indeed but in grace not in riches I think this is something are important for all of us because sometimes we all want to find our niche in the kingdom of God you know what what can I do to serve well you have Jesus Christ you can tell people about him Lance have for me to tell people then write to them email them blog to them whatever you got to do the point is it's not necessary to have great amounts of financial resources to be able to do something for God and I think there's something there in terms of how the church ought to operate the church does engage in benevolence we certainly try and look after the needs of those within the community of faith the church tries to ameliorate the needs of those who have suffered great disaster in other parts of the world we've tried to do that and pony up and and render assistance and all those sorts of things but the primary emphasis of church as Church is not silver and gold the primary emphasis of the church as church is Jesus Christ it's the cross it's salvation you see we need to understand what the Bible says can turn concerning the various spheres in life individuals have a certain amount of responsibility for themselves families have a certain amount of responsibility for themselves society has a certain amount of responsibility for society and church has a certain amount of responsibility for church and at least here in acts 2 & 3 we have seen an emphasis yes the church engages in benevolence do not go from here and say Butler is advocating that the church is stingy and tight-fisted and all that sort of thing but the primary orientation affecting the church as church is the proclamation of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ we don't have silver and gold we don't have a bank we don't have trees overflowing with money that you can go pluck from but we have the gospel we have the truth that speaks to something far greater than your temporal issues your temporal conditions we don't pander we don't cater to we don't give credence to the modern cry that the church has to ameliorate every problem society faces no we don't our task is as an agent of healing healing and a redemptive sense namely the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ I really think that if you get sphere sovereignty know what does the individual do what does the family do what does the church do what a society deal I think it makes sense of life it's when we try to make the church do it society or the government does we try to only when when the church is supposed to raise your children brethren again I'm all for kids programs I'm all for Sunday school it's been unfortunate that our two Sunday School teachers two families left for me that was a that was an unfortunate reality but the church's job isn't primarily to raise your kids you want to take a big guess at whose job that is let's hear it together my job you see when the church stops doing what church is supposed to do she does nothing well that has been proven time and time again the church in acts two continued steadfastly in what in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship in the breaking of bread and in prayers that's what she's supposed to do and she's supposed to do it well she's supposed to preach the word she's supposed to administer the sacraments and she's supposed to exercise discipline those are her marks those are her operating instructions and I think what Peter says here gives credence to that silver and gold I don't have but what I have I give you and I have something far more valuable than what the civil government can provide I have something far more valuable than what your hard work can provide I have something more valuable than what even your family structure can afford I have the gospel of Jesus Christ the Lord that one who live that one who died that one who has raised the third day so that sinners may have everlasting life see brethren we maybe devoid of silver and gold but that does not render us ineffective in the world rather we embrace the call that God has given us and we never ever quit from pursuing that that's what I see when Peter makes this statement silver and gold I don't have notice the exhortation he says I don't have silver I don't have gold but what I have I give you in the name of Jesus Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk we've already seen the name alluded to in acts 2:21 a quote from the Prophet Joel whoever calls on the name of the Lord acts 2:38 repent and be baptized in the name of the Lord here in Acts chapter 3 and 4 you'll see that reference to the name of Jesus Christ in several instances what are we to make of that is it magic is it hocus-pocus you just rehearsed Jesus Christ of Nazareth and everything will work out hunky dory for you northern Calvin has a great explanation for name is taken for power and Empire or govern men neither must we dream that there is any magical force in the sounding of pronouncing of the word as the Jews dude dota bout the word Jehovah he says Peter meant to declare that he was nothing but a minister and that Christ was the author of the miracle it's in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk it's a beautiful beautiful name it's a glorious name and back to what I mentioned previously Peter knows what the man needs the man has his hand out for alms and Peter says I've got something far more valuable again I think if the church appreciates our mission we're often told what the church doesn't do she doesn't this she doesn't that she doesn't this she doesn't that she doesn't I mean in some places the church is probably the the main cause for every evil that ever existed you hear that so I don't go to the church because it's filled with hypocrites I'm glad the church is filled with hypocrites no better place for the church to have no better place for a hypocrite to be then under the sound of the forgiveness since I get it we don't want to be you know openly avowedly hypocritical in our walk in profession but every act of sin is ultimately a hypocritical move on the part of God's people right we're never given a freebie we never told okay you get one and if we did get one how long ago is our cease prole would say did we use that up we're never ever given credence to be wicked or evil or inconsistent we are to seek by the grace of God to not be hypocrites but the church oftentimes is blamed for a whole host of things how often do you see in the you know the local paper the national paper and the church on Sunday met together and the gospel was preached I don't care about that but that's why we exist what's the usefulness and being the church we preach the gospel years and years ago we used to run an ad in the local paper and one time a lady called and she was really upset and she was basically yelling at me about the content of that particular article that was in the paper and you know God gave me some wisdom and grace to be able to talk to her and she calmed the way down and at one point she said something to me like this she said you sound pretty smart well thanks she said why don't you become something useful like a doctor or a lawyer that reflects society doesn't it you know there was a man in the history of the church who was a doctor a very successful physician that left his practice to become a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord and he would later write that there is no greater privilege in the world to be a man standing and committed to preach the Word of the Living God we know that man is Martyn lloyd-jones he didn't see it as something as a step down he didn't see it as something ineffective or non useful we live in a materialistic age unless you can increase my bank account unless you can make me grow limbs unless you can you know enhance my life in some tangible way then it's useless brethren we know better silver and gold we don't have but what we have brings the best help ever in terms of the forgiveness of sins and a status with God based on the doing and the dying of the Lord Jesus Christ of righteous there's nothing better than that those who have found that pearl of great price know exactly how useful it is they know exactly how glorious it is and they with the bride say he is all together lovely and chief among 10,000 we don't take our cue from what the world says and we certainly certainly not try not to ape the world in our approach to doing church we do what God says that's always played well for the people of God what do we do you do what the Bible says that's another zany idea in this modern age of defecting to the world in order to try to win the world so the lame man is healed Peter says rise up and walk he took him by the right hand now don't misinterpret Peters not sort of helping the miracle along this is an unbelief on the part of Peter grabbing him by the hand and sort of yanking him in and giving him a bit of a running shot no he saw Jesus do this often times miracle spoken would be accompanied by a healing hand our Lord raises gyruss daughter in a same sort of way Peter is imitating Peter is observing Peter is watching how his Lord did what he did it communicates not unbelief but it rather communicates his love and affection for this man and the healing that has transpired now let's look finally at the response to the miracle in verses 8 to 10 I love the response of the man first he does what you'd expect him to do what does doesn't he I mean there's there's a little lack of decorum there perhaps there were some fastidious ones on the way to prayer in the temple and said oh my that that man is leaping about he shouldn't do that remember in the history of the people of God that happened with David David comes back victorious from battle and he dances before the Ark of the Covenant of God and Michael hates him for it Michael despises him for it what's David's response I'm gonna keep doing it because God Most High is glorious and wondrous and excellent and he worthy now we saw in our study of that passage that does not authorize dancing in the church so don't think for a moment I'm saying okay based on this and David you can go ahead and just you know stand up as the mood gap grabs you and start dancing no no no that's not what I'm suggesting you can see with reference to this particular man this is the legitimate response of somebody that's been healed from lameness isn't it he's not polished he's not what we thank you Peter and John this this has been quite nice to meet you today some what he does he's got strengthen his ankles again which many have observed Luke the physician you and I would say he started walking again Luke tells us the nitty gritty his ankles were strengthened again Luke the physician knows what's happening and or is reporting to us where the malady live for this particular fellow that had been affected from birth but he is in the first place of fulfillment of Scripture he is a fulfillment of Isaiah 35 I read it the outset of worship then the lame shall leap like a deer and the tongue of the dominant sing for waters and shall burst forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert you see a similar allusion to the prophet Isaiah chapter 35 in the ministry of jesus in matthew chapter 11 when John the Baptist is languishing in a prison he tells his disciples to go and ask Jesus are you the coming one again I don't think for a moment that John mistook who Jesus the Christ was but John understood that the arrival of Messiah would indicate glorious and wondrous things and as far as the Baptist was concerned him being in a prison wasn't a glorious and a wondrous thing but when these disciples of John come to ask Jesus Jesus says go and tell John these things and he pulls it right out of Isaiah 35 to show unto validate that what the Prophet wrote there in Isaiah 35 comes to fulfillment and fruition in the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ the lame shall rise and leap like a deer that's what this man is you see these fulfillments of the Old Testament all through the book of Acts when you you get to the book of Acts chapter 8 that Ethiopian eunuch you know what's significant about that Ethiopia eunuch the prophet Isaiah told us at a time when eunuchs would be allowed to come into the Assembly of the Lord that's all prophecy that's all given that's all scripted and you see it fulfilled in the life and the ministry of these apostles the Lord Jesus and thrown at the right hand working his power through the agency of these Apostolic man's so he was a fulfillment of Scripture but as well he was a worshipper of God look at verse 8 so he leaping up stood and walked and entered the temple with that what was he previously he's outside the temple asking for alms he's outside the temple begging to try to get his daily sustenance he's outside the temple and now that he's healed what is his natural response it is to go into the temple and to worship you want to know how you're saved you want a worship God sometimes that comes out people say well how do I know I'm really believing the gospel how do I know I'm really in a state of grace how do I really know well do you worship God oh yeah I love God he's great that's a good sign pagans don't say that pagans just don't say that you'll never meet a pagan it says aw yeah I just really want to worship God and love it and they might say that of a God that they built or construct but not the God of the Bible not Father Son and Holy Spirit you see the person healed by the grace of God wants to worship the god of grace it's it's that simple sure thought of the Lord's Day just thought of worship see brethren if anything at this point in Acts chapter 2 only we ought to have a high view of church this happens within the church the world tells us what we are guilty of not doing or doing or what you know all of our problems but within the church we've lost sight of the centrality of Church in God's redemptive plan what's saying there's no salvation outside the church but I am suggesting then more often than not salvation is to be found in a church that preaches the truth of the gospel and a low view of church a low view of the Lord's Day a low view of public worship are inconsistent with people that have been healed by the grace of God see when we are forgiven when we are given that righteousness our heartbeat is that of David in Psalm 122 I was glad when they said to me let us go to the house of the Lord you know when you wake up on Sunday morning and you go no it's Sunday morning there might be problems in your soul I get it if this church repulses you or it's offensive or you got problem find a church that you can embrace it preaches the gospel that sets forth the glory of Christ that underscores grace through faith in am but this antipathy to the public means of grace is not indicative of people conquered by grace we want to be with God's people we want to sing his praises we want to open our hymn books in our Salters we want to hear that tune and we want to belt it out it's one of the things I appreciate about our church the singing not one I mean there's a lot but the singing is wonderful then the church is before we open your mouth man and sing praise to God he saved you by grace and you don't have the wherewithal to let it flow back to him you wouldn't be a dancing david whirling about before the ark of the covenant-- because Yahweh brought you victory you're the Michael that disdains that or despises that or says well that's on untoward and and that's off-putting brethren those conquered by grace wanted to serve they want to praise they want to worship they want to love and want to express that and that's precisely what is true of this particular man he he walks or he leaps soppy he stood he walks he he enters the temple with him and he's walking leaping and praising God this man went from a beggar a a man that that had nothing to a man now in the temple with eternal life it's a beautiful thing and I submit this is the natural response so this is the way it ought to look when centers come to the Lord Jesus Christ there's a spring in their step there's joy they're happy they don't carry satchels of lemons and bite on them all day long and I get it sorrow comes hardship comes the Psalter is so real and true why aren't they'll cast down O my soul hope thou in God I get it brethren Jesus was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief what Jones suggests that Jesus never smiled I find that difficult to grasp children came to Jesus when he needed them for an illustration he wasn't austere there was a joy about our Lord so so while there's sorrows and while there's hardships and while this world is just terrible isn't it I mean can we all just agree when you read the the papers if you know if that or the internet whatever you wherever you get your news today it's it's bad out there isn't it and it lends itself to the people of God being burdened and heavy laden at times concerning and considering what's happening but the overarching trajectory in the life of the people of God ought to be joy it ought to be hope attacks came up in our morning our first Timothy or first Peter chapter 3 what does Peter tell us there were what a sanctify the Lord God in our hearts and we're always to be ready to give a reason for the hope that we have to those who ask us what does that assume that somebody out there is going to ask us about our hope doesn't it it's assumed that it implies that it doesn't say that but it's assumed that you have hope if somebody's gonna say how come you look so hopeful you know you're going down the you know the plane is going to crash and you're the only guy sitting there and smiling because you know you're gonna go be with Jesus person next to you might say why are you smiling why do you look like you have hope brethren yes their sorrow yes there's an occasional lemon in the life to buy it on I'm not discounting their diminishing that and hopefully we all weep with one another when we weep but but this man leaped and he and he praised and he and he worshiped and and that's what's true the people that are conquered by and grace it's not that they just become great debaters on Facebook polemicists they become worshippers this is the context of Ephesians chapter 1 blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ he chose us in him before the foundation of the world in him we have redemption through his blood the Holy Spirit is the sealed in the guarantee that that triune or that reflection upon the triune God in terms of of salvation wrought salvation accomplished salvation applied is Paul praising God blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ you have been saved to praise you have been saved to worship you know that's almost like secondary today it's it's like that ought to be primary we spend time defining what worship is what what the the proper parameters are why oh you're just always in those details those are the reasons we exist it's coming to God and worship it's praising it's it's it's honoring it's glorifying him and then know that the people's response they saw that the man was healed they couldn't deny it notice in verse 10 all the people saw him walking and praising God then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the beautiful gate of the temple and they were filled with Wonder and amazement at what had happened to him you see this is conspicuous as I said earlier this wasn't done in a corner so wasn't some sort of a side meeting this wasn't you know often off the beaten path everybody saw him leaping and walking and praising and everybody knew that it was the man who had been carried to the gate beautiful the bay they knew the guy he was over 40 years old they had probably given shekels to him along the way to the temple they knew who he was he was part of the part of the scenery Calvin makes this observation and I think it lends itself to what I'm about to bring out he says in that being healed he walked in the temple at the time of prayer this served to spread abroad the fame of the miracle the people are filled with Wonder and amazement at what had happened to him brethren chapter 4 ought not to surprise us the enmity of the Sanhedrin toward Peter and John ought not to shock us this ought to be expected when did the religious leaders get really up in arms about Jesus when he had favor with the people when the people marveled at his teaching and that his works when the people saw him that he was night wasn't a teacher like their scribes but he taught as one having Authority that threatened the establishment that threatened the religious octorok recei it threatened them where they lived and they sought to neutralize Jesus the same is taking place here in acts 4 Peter and John are going to be called before the Sanhedrin and asked to give an account we're going to see increasing persecution upon the people of God and as I said earlier it's under or in the scope of God's providence to get the church mobilized we may not have chosen this way we may not choose the hardships and the trials to get us in a place where we need to be but God does and he does that here J Alexander makes the observation he says the new religion this is Christianity was not to be a national or local one but Catholic and ecumenical don't recoil when you heard hear the word Catholic Roman Catholic bad Catholic good Catholic simply means universal the people of God from every tribe and tongue and people and nation we should all love that Catholic Church it's the Roman version it's the Roman sort of abomination that is problematic but he says the new religion was not to be Nash a national or local one but Catholic and ecumenical again ecumenical good ecumenism back when you try to get people together at the sacrifice of truth that's bad but when you try to bring people together under the banner of truth that's good ecumenism the early Creed's of the church are called ecumenical intriguingly they all end with announcements of anathema on anybody that would disagree with them imagine that as an ecumenical movement today anathema if you disagree the idea was biblical Accu Menace ism the idea was gathering the people of God together rallying under the banner of truth that's where he's using these terms he says in order to attain its end it must be spread and in order to be spread it must be scattered and in order to be scattered it must undergo strong pressure from within and from without the history now presents to us the series of providential causes by which these effects were brought about so yeah it's a glorious and a wonderful thing jesus heals this man through the agency of the Apostles so wonderful and a glorious thing that God conquers this man and makes him appraiser and a worshipper of God who had enjoyed the forgiveness of sins and now have everlasting life but the narrative is absolutely crucial for us to appreciate what God is doing in terms of causing the church to fulfill her mission to be witnesses in Jerusalem Judea Samaria and then to the uttermost parts of the earth how does he do that by command in Acts chapter 1 but when they don't there's persecution they're gonna leave when Saul of Tarsus comes and starts to arrest people they're gonna leave they're gonna scatter about and they're going to preach the gospel now one final response that will appreciate more or see more next week God willing is Peter Peter Sirmon weren't going to develop this too much but Peter Sirmon here does exactly what he does on the day of Pentecost he tells him what it doesn't mean and then he tells them what it does mean remember that on the day of Pentecost these men are not drunk as you suppose it's only the third hour but this is that which was spoken by the Prophet Joel he tells him what it wasn't and then he tells him what it was well Peter in verse 12 says it wasn't me it wasn't John but I will tell you who it was it was Jesus now I only bring that out to sort of parallel Peter with the modern purveyors of miracles it is all about them isn't it it is all about their and their bank book it is all about their ministry it is all about their book sales it is all about their internet social media presence peter is self-abnegation Peter is self effacing Peter fades to the background so that Christ may be all in all that's the mark of a minister of the gospel he does not crave praise for himself but rather he seeks to direct the people of God to the Lord Jesus it's a beautiful thing and that's what Peter does with the man and with the hearers well in conclusion we see the presence of wonders and signs go back for just a moment to acts 2 acts chapter 2 something we need to appreciate once again acts 2:42 they continued steadfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and the breaking of bread and in prayers then fear came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles the apostles were the authorized representatives of Jesus Christ they were given this power and authority to confirm affirm and authenticate that they were indeed God's spokesmen a biblical theology of miracles miracles will recognize that miracles always accompanied eras or epochs wherein God is revealing himself in other words the miracles are not the end of the game the miracles confirmed that Moses the prophets Jesus and the Apostles were men sent from God that's the function and so this sort of craze for miracles today and again I'm not saying God can't do miracles I would never say God can't heal cancer God can't heal your your lamed state God can't God certainly can but in terms of a particular ministry within the church that is tasked with physical healing I think that's barking up the wrong tree these things were given to affirm that the men associated with the miracles were God's spokesmen and the lasting and abiding rial that the church has today is the Word of God Most High as far as the appropriate responses to the miracle notice in this passage the man praises God goes along with what I said earlier Peter doesn't seek praise for himself Peter doesn't want affirmation Peter's not some insecure guy say wait a minute you're praising God where's mine a true gospel minister doesn't need that kind of validation I mean they might but they try to bury it and say and I need to be faithful see the man praises God he knows from lenses Healing calms he doesn't start a Peter called he doesn't start a John called he doesn't say wow there's massively wonderfully good things coming from your your fingertips let me let me just follow you and in verse 11 when it says that he then he held on to them I think it's because they're brothers now there's love there's a faction there's affinity there's solidarity is he is with his brothers now it's not because he wants them to be the new guys in Jerusalem that have the big ministry the man praises God not Peter the people are filled with Wonder and amazement and the Apostle does not take credit for himself but he rather directs his hearers to the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ and then I think the final thing that we need to appreciate it kind of comes from what we're gonna see God willing in the sermon that follows in Acts chapter three Calvin says we have in this history this miracle of healing a type or figure of our spiritual restoring namely that as the word laid hold on by faith did restore the crippled to his limbs so the Lord Pierce's into our souls by the word that he may restore the same in other words God's sovereignty ought to be appreciated at the level where he runs into he he accidentally meets the kind of language that we say Peter and John but then God's sovereignty ought to be appreciated at this particular level this guy was not seeking a healing this fellow was not seeking forgiveness he was not seeking salvation God in Christ bursts into his life and brings him from a death state to a state of everlasting life that is most blessed and that's what gives us hope to come to preach to call sinners to repent and believe because God is or all things are possible with God the texts very specific in verse 19 the language might scare some of us repent and therefore be a repent therefore and be converted you mean Peters actually telling us to repent and be converted that's what Peter saying don't know how you can wiggle out of it repent and be converted but God is sovereign and God in His sovereignty put it upon Peters art under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to tell sinners to repent and be converted you see if God commands you to do something you're not outlandish to do it now certainly you need his enablement certainly need His grace certainly you need the power from on I but the thought is that we can't do anything and we can't but when God moves our hearts that's precisely what we're supposed to do repent and be converted and then that last statement of Peter in the sermon in verse 26 he says to you first and again the priority here Jew first and then to Greeks to you first God having raised up his servant Jesus sent him to bless you in turning away every one of you from your iniquities I think that's an emphasis that we see repeatedly in the Apostolic preaching it's on the forgiveness of sins yeah the gospel answers to our status with God the gospel answers to the righteousness received from God imputed by faith alone imputed the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone the gospel answers to every need that we have but one conspicuous need that's continually addressed by these apostles is forgiveness Peter probably loved the doctrine of forgiveness didn't he Peter probably delighted in the doctrine of forgiveness why because Peter not long ago from the time that he is speaking here had denied Jesus Christ three times we talked about this yesterday in our study and in perseverance of the saints our confession reflecting accurately the Word of God tells us that real Saints can fall and agree that sin and there's a few reasons why I think the confessions say that one of them is because David and Peter did who those two men both rehearse and celebrate the forgiveness of sin that is a boon that if you do not have this morning may I say to you to come unto the Lord Jesus Christ to believe on him to look to him who lived who died and who was raised the third day you are a sinner you have violated that law you have fallen short of the glory of God you like a sheep have gone astray but there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayst be feared that's David Psalm 130 verse 4 take his encouragement listen to the Apostle Peter and come to the Lord Jesus Christ and your sins will be forgiven well let's close in a word of Prayer father thank you for your word thank you for this wonderful display of the power of Jesus Christ through the agency of the disciples in the healing of this man and what a blessed picture of salvation wrought in the heart of the sinner where he leaps up and he praises God and he wants to be with the people of God may you increase that in us we confess at times we grow cold we grow dull and we need reviving grace from on high we pray that you would breathe fresh life into us help us to love the public place of worship help us to love the Lord's Day help us to love the things of God most high and we pray this in Jesus name Amen let's close by singing the doxology you may stand with me and we will sing the doxology of praise unto God [Music] [Music] the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all amen God go with us now may we know that grace may we know that love may we know that communion and may we know a blessed Lord's Day and may you bring us together tonight that we may worship and sing and praise and glorify you as those conquered by Sovereign Grace go with us now we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord amen please be seated for a