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The official audio library of sermons preached at Kingstree Church in Sabina, Ohio.
We ought to be so familiar with Christ, so intimate with Christ, that we're able to say,
I'm doing this in his name.
I'm doing this in the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus, let me encourage you.
In the name of Jesus, I need to rebuke you. In the name of Jesus, let me pray for you.
Every time we say in the name of Jesus, amen, we're claiming this.
But that's a high claim.
The following message was recorded at Kingstree Church.
May the Spirit use it to help you see, savor, and sing the beauty of God in the crucified
and risen Jesus Christ.
We are in Acts chapter 3 this morning. We're beginning Acts chapter 3, and you might say,
All that we've done up to this point has been the introduction of the story.
And last week we came to the end. of the introduction. We've seen that Christ who was
crucified was raised up again ascended to heaven to reign at the right hand Of God the
Father
pours out from the throne the Holy Spirit upon his church empowers them for proclamation.
And then through this Spirit-empowered proclamation, People are gathered in, 3,000 are
gathered in to the community.
of those united to Christ. And then we saw last time That this community now lives
together in harmony.
around the abiding presence of Christ as he is present with them in his word, in prayer,
and at the table, at the Lord's Table.
So that's what we've seen. Luke has kind of set the stage. And now, moving out from here,
we're going to see the rest of the story begin to unfold.
Specifically, we're going to see what's happening as this new this new body of believers,
this new movement breathed into existence by Jesus.
as this new people begins to live and grow in The Jewish world Because that's where the
Christianity begins.
It begins inside. the Jewish world and we're going to see it Grow there.
Disturb the status quo there and then extend out. And Jesus, his words really give us the
pattern for this.
At the beginning of Acts, Here's what the Lord says to his disciples in Acts chapter 1
verse 8.
He says, But you will receive power. When the Holy Spirit has come upon you, And you will
be my witnesses in Jerusalem.
And in all Judea and Samaria And to the ends of the earth. And that has long been
recognized as something of a structure.
For the book of Acts. What we see as we go through this story is that it begins with the
church growing inside the Jewish context of Jerusalem.
And then through persecution, it breaks out of those bounds and spreads to the surrounding
areas, Judea and Samaria.
And then Through missionary activity, it extends. to the ends of the world as they were
known at the time.
which was Rome. And so that that pattern Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, the ends of the
earth.
that becomes a pattern for the narrative. of Acts as we're moving through it.
And so today
Luke having laid the foundation, We're going to now see how this How this all begins.
and specifically how the church begins to shake up. The status quo In Jerusalem-based
Judaism.
and things begin to shake around, things begin to fall apart.
things begin to be turned upside down as they'll say. Later on in this book.
And as we look at that, I hope for us to see also something of who Jesus remains for us
today.
Because it is critical to keep in mind whenever we're reading scripture, but stories do
this especially.
God, who's at work in these stories, is the same God present with us.
The Jesus whom Peter and John claim and who works through them, is the same Jesus
listening to me talk right now.
with his eyes upon this congregation right now present with us by his Spirit right now the
same Jesus Christ.
So may we then learn something of who he is for us today. As we look at his works, here in
the past.
Now We're going to read a longer section. It's a story, so I'm going to read through it as
a narrative, and then we'll pray and get into some specific portions of it.
We're just going to be looking at chapter 3. up through verse 16 this morning.
So follow along or just listen. And this is what we'll be looking at.
Luke writes, Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the
ninth hour.
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 into the temple.
And seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms.
And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, Look at us.
And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.
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. And he took him by the right
hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong, and leaping
up, he stood and began to walk and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and
praising God.
And all the people around all the people saw him praising, walking and praising God.
And they 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.
While he clung to Peter and John, all the people utterly astounded ran together to them in
the portico called Solomon's.
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 this man walk?
The God of Abraham. The God of Isaac, 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. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a
murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised up from
the
dead. To this we are witnesses. 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 all of you. So I want to look with you this morning just
at the sign and then the interpretation Peter gives.
Very simply, the sign that is done, The interpretation that is given, and then we'll end
with a few thoughts: what it means for us.
Let's pray. as we look at this text together.
So Father, we, we know that we've read something that touches upon you and your work in
this world.
This isn't a distant thing, this is family history. And you, you, Father, who were at work
in this moment through Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit.
Uh you are here, you hear me. You see us. We are servants of the same Christ.
We're filled with the same Spirit. and we're on the same mission.
that these apostles were on. And so Father, I pray that you would close the gap now.
between this text and our hearts and our minds bring the two together.
and allow it to do its work in us. Allow it to leave its imprint.
Upon the the wax of our mind. pressing into us and leaving us shaped.
in the form of Christ. Pray for this grace, Lord. I pray for my words now to be a means
through which you would work.
this end in your people. And Lord, for your purposes. to be brought to pass.
So come, Father. Have mercy on us. and let your will be done.
Let your kingdom come and your name be hallowed, we ask now in Jesus' name.
Amen.
So let's look first at the sign that was performed.
we're going to see throughout this book
that miraculous works of the Holy Spirit like this healing are consistently present to
establish a witness for Christ in a particular area.
So in those areas where Christ is just beginning to be proclaimed, you'll see these
miraculous things happening kind of planting stakes at the fringes of the church, uh to to
bear
witness to Jesus Christ. So these healings, these events, these miracles that we see.
They're not for show. It's not just to say, hey, look, look at us.
It's not for puffing up the ones who perform the miracles. It's not even ultimately in the
end.
For the healing itself, though, of course, the merciful heart of God is at work healing
the broken.
That's what He does.
Particularly in the book of Acts, these events are rather
actions that sink anchors of witness to Christ, at the frontiers of the church.
So that the church can then spread, the witness to Christ can spread.
That's how these healings and these miraculous works seem to be used very often.
And that seems to be a divine strategy to this day. Because often when you look at the
frontiers of the church today, You will see work like this.
Not always, but you will see these things continuing as the church is spreading, as the
church is going into places that haven't yet heard of Christ.
And so this isn't as distant as it may feel to us when we first read it.
Now let's look at the instance more closely, the
event of the healing, and then we'll turn and look at the interpretation.
First let's look at the location where this happens. It says, now Peter and John were
going up to the temple at the hour of prayer.
That is the ninth hour. Now, notice something that's interesting here.
The early Christians were still attending. the nor the temple services.
They were still going there. Now they're going there in light of Christ.
They're going there knowing Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus has fulfilled.
All that we're seeing. Seeing here. But they were still going up at the hour of prayer.
They were still using the temple at Jerusalem as kind of a A hub, it would seem, of
gathering.
They weren't afraid to continue in the liturgical life. that had been established in in
Judaism.
And I think that's worth pointing out. That Christianity was, as it were, born with a a
building.
Not that they were born. that the building itself was was essential.
But Christianity was born with a place of worship given to them that they had.
Now, we'll see in a bit why it was not sufficient and it was finally destroyed.
But what this means, at least, is that our faith is not opposed.
to beautiful architecture. To liturgical worship. They're going up at the hour of prayer.
They're following the patterns. Of Judaism at the time. Our faith is not opposed to times
for prayer throughout the day.
Prayers that you recite. So we can hear these things and think, oh, that's high church,
that's liturgical, that's not good.
The church was born with a pattern and a place where they worshipped.
Now, that is not, don't hear me saying this, that is not essential.
to the church. Church lives without that. But it is also not opposed.
to the church. The church was born with That structure. And so just bear that in mind as
we're thinking about what does it look like.
To be meeting and gathering and living as God's people, structure and order, and this kind
of liturgical shape of life is not opposed
to the faith that we've been given by Christ. But as soon as we notice that, they're going
up into the temple, okay?
They're still following the shape. But as soon as we notice that It becomes very clear
that Luke is making a contrast here between the old and the new.
the old and the new. Remember, a few weeks ago, we pointed out that the coming of the Holy
Spirit in fire.
Upon the disciples is essentially inaugurating them, revealing them, declaring them to be.
new and true temple. God's faithful. Presence in fire descends upon the disciples because
the body of Christ, the church in the world, is the true temple.
because they're united to Christ who is himself the temple. So we've already seen that.
Luke has already laid the foundation for us understanding the congregation, the
Spirit-filled people.
are the dwelling place of God, not the stone building. But now, here, the Spirit-filled
people, the true temple, is coming into contact with the old temple, the stone building.
Luke is inviting us to consider this contrast here. As they're coming in, you've got the
old way and the new way.
The old temple and the new temple, what kind of contrast do we see?
Well, the old temple. Looks impressive, very tall. Ornate building looks impressive.
It's a building. It's it's it's stone. It's something that's impersonally present there.
The old temple is opposed to Christ. to the extent that it is considered a place where you
meet God.
To that extent it becomes opposed to Christ. Because Christ himself is the place where we
meet God.
The old temple cannot heal. Here's the paralytic sitting right there in the temple courts
day after day after day.
Unhealed. And the old temple is part of the old age that was marked by the departure of
the Spirit, like we see in Ezekiel.
The Spirit departs from the temple. What about the new temple?
Well, the new temple doesn't look impressive. It looks weak.
It looks like just a bunch of kind of ragtag people gathered together.
It looks weak.
It's people. It's not a building. It's not anchored down. It's an organic body of people
united to Christ.
The new temple is in Christ. It only exists in him because he's its head.
He's its chief cornerstone. He's its totality. So the new temple is weak, looks weak, it's
made of people, it's in Christ, it can bring healing.
Here the new temple comes in contact with this man. who's lain unhealed in the old temple
for years, And the new temple brings healing.
And the new temple lives, as it were, in the new age that's been inaugurated by the coming
of the Spirit.
So we have the coming together of these two: the one that looks impressive in the eyes of
the world, that looks big, that's popular and powerful.
and the other one that looks small and weak And yet, this is the new temple where the
Spirit dwells.
This is the old temple. Where the Spirit has has left. And so Luke is inviting us,
consider these two together.
And implicitly saying, identify with the new temple. The new town, because what makes the
difference here?
The difference, the the the critical difference between these two temples is the name of
Jesus.
The new temple, the people, say Christ is our Lord. The name of Jesus is where we live,
it's what we cling to, it's what covers us, it's our identity.
The old temple has rejected the name of Jesus to the extent that it is still seen as the
place we're meeting God and the sacrificial system and all the rest.
The distinction between the old and the new is the name of Christ and what we do with it.
Luke is saying. that be in the new temple. Identify as it were with the new temple,
claiming the name of Christ.
So this is something of the location that we're the tale of two temples, as it were.
Now, in the coming together of these two temple presences, what do we see happen?
What about the healing itself? Well, as soon as we've got this contrast, this kind of
implicit contrast with two temples, we see another contrast.
And we might call it a contrast between two saviors. Because what is the man looking for?
alms, money, He's looking for the stuff of the world. We can't we don't blame him for
that.
He needs food, he needs clothing. But he's looking this the the answer to that he's
looking for is money.
Money. This kind of will this ability to exercise your will made tangible which is money
and he's looking for this money.
And Peter says to him, I have no Silver and gold. I have no money.
But what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and
walk.
The text invites us again to bring together two things, money, Silver and gold?
What it can do. And Jesus. Now remember, I said I believe it was the last time I was
teaching here in Acts.
There's a difference between description. and prescription. Description, description is
saying, here's what happened.
Prescription is saying this is a command. When Peter says, I don't have silver and gold.
But I do have this, rise up in the name of Jesus. Luke is not saying all of you need to be
that way.
He's not saying it's a command that none of you have any money and you only live by the
name of Jesus and heal everyone's sicknesses.
That's not what he's saying. It's description. He's describing what happened.
But in describing what happened, he's saying. Compare these two.
Compare silver and gold. What it would have done for this man, what it does for us.
And the name of Jesus. He's inviting us to make this comparison.
And so let's do it for a moment. Money, silver and gold, can do a lot of things in this
world.
A lot of things. Money is very powerful. There's no question about it.
Money gives you control. It gives at least a very strong illusion of control.
It gives you the ability to exert your will. It gives you the ability to feel safe and
covered and comforted.
It gives you the ability to bring about what you want. Almost to be able to say Let it
happen like God creating the world.
You can say, let there be. A meal. Let there be a new car. Let there be whatever it might
be.
Money gives you the ability. to do this. Money is very powerful and so.
Very desirable. Very desirable because we want that. We want to have this degree of
security and strength and safety.
And so Very powerful, very desirable, and so very much in competition with the name of
Jesus.
In our lives. And I would venture to say. in every one of our lives, mine included.
Money is not evil. Don't hear me saying that. It is not evil.
But it is very easy. put it into competition. With the name of Jesus Christ in our life,
with trusting in Jesus Christ.
Money, speaking of our verse earlier. utterly of this earth.
It is completely of this world. It is the way this world uses to exert its will.
And we live in this world, so we can't act like oh, I'm above money, I don't need money.
Well, we live in this world, we use it. But it is so dangerous.
Because it is so alluring to our hearts to say, that's how I'll get the answer.
That's how I'll be safe. That's how I'll cover all my bases because I'll have money, I'll
have silver and gold.
But we also all know We at least say this and we think this, you know, around Christmas
and during funerals and things.
There's things money can't buy. But that's not just a Hallmark card saying.
That will save our souls if we realize that. There are things that money cannot do.
Cannot do. It cannot cure the incurable. It couldn't give this man legs.
It couldn't help this man walk. It cannot mend broken minds or relationships or hearts.
Can't fill us up. It cannot fill our heart. It can pour stuff in.
Like, you know, when you're starving and if you just eat a bunch of Cheez-Its and you kind
of feel better for a little while and then you feel much worse.
Money can pour stuff into your hungry soul. But it's not going to satisfy it.
It's not going to answer it. Money cannot save our soul. And so we know that, we know
that, but it's critical to see because seeing that breaks the spell of money.
Moments like what we have here in the text break the spell of money when you realize Money
means nothing to me right now.
when you're laying on the hospital bed. And all the money in the world can't get you
better or or harder.
When your loved one is on the hospital bed, and all the money you would be willing to pour
into this can do nothing.
you realize money doesn't matter. Money money can't do the things I most desperately need.
All the times I've believed its promises, It can't do those things.
There are ways to use money, of course. We see this in Luke's Gospel.
It can be used to show love, it can be used to care for others, it can be used to build up
the body of Christ.
So, again, don't hear me demonizing. money, but do hear me say I am demonizing dependence
on it.
and looking to it. For our salvation. and a moment like what we find here In the text We
realize that the spell of money is broken, and you realize it can't.
Do anything. for this man. If he gets another three coins of gold, he's still going to
have to drag himself home that night.
He can't walk. The money can't do it. And so the power of money is broken.
What then can give him what he's actually looking for? and it's the name of Christ.
And that's what Peter says to him. He says, look, I don't have.
the thing the world is running after. and fighting for and murdering for.
I don't have it. But I do have the thing that they're looking for.
In all that seeking. and that is the name of Christ. And who and what he is and what he
does.
And he says, I give that to you. Which then causes us to ask: okay, what does Peter give?
What does Peter give to this man? Well, he gives him healing.
Yes, he gives him healing. But I would say he gives him Christ ultimately.
He gives him Christ. Now why do I say that? Because Peter belongs to Jesus.
He's united to Jesus. He is living in a Spirit-bound communion with Jesus Christ.
And so what he does here in the name of Jesus is as if Jesus himself were here doing it.
For this man. Later on in Acts, it will say the same Jesus who works through, or in
Galatians, I believe, Paul says, the same Jesus working in Peter is working in me.
It is Jesus working in me. In this moment. So just like a cup.
Fill the cup with wine and lift it to the lips. The cup carries the wine to the lips of
the person.
So too. Peter is like the cup. who is bringing the presence of Christ to the paralyzed
man.
and what he's communicating to him, what he's giving to him.
Is ultimately Christ Himself. And then downstream from this gift of the presence of Christ
is the healing.
And I'd suggest that this idea that it is Christ himself present to heal That's
communicated in this phrase, the name.
the name of Jesus. You see that in verse 6? I have no silver and gold, but what I do have,
I give to you in the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
Rise up. and walk. We've talked about this before here, but name.
doesn't just mean like a magical articulation, you know, Jesus, like that word.
It means Who he is. His character, his presence, his identity, this person in him.
I'm doing this. So when someone does something in the name of someone.
They're doing it empowered by that person.
As the representative of that person. Think about a herald, a divi or a a royal herald
comes into a town.
And he says, in the name of the king, This town is free.
He is he is speaking for the king. And it's as if the king is there because he's just the
messenger.
He's just the voice of the king embodied in that town. In the name of the king, this town
is free.
Similarly, but far more so, When Peter says, in the name of Jesus, rise and walk.
He is He is representing Jesus Christ. He is bringing Christ to bear in that moment.
Through the Holy Spirit, who is the presence of Jesus, Christ Himself is there.
doing that
In that.
And so this that's what's going on here. He's giving him not just a healing, though of
course he is healing him.
But he's bringing presence of Christ to bear. on this moment.
And we'll touch on this at the end, but I'll say it now. We ought to be able to live in
this way as well.
Not in this way like I'm not saying Every sickness should be healed.
No, no, no. But I'm saying we should. We need to, we ought to be so familiar with Christ,
so intimate with Christ, that we're able to say, I'm doing this in his name.
I'm doing this in the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus, let me encourage you.
In the name of Jesus, I need to rebuke you. In the name of Jesus, let me pray for you.
Every time we say in the name of Jesus, amen, we're claiming this.
But that's a high claim. And if you think, well, wait a second.
Do I really have the ability to go into a place and say, in the name of Jesus, this?
That's dangerous because how easy to just import my ideas, you know?
In the name of Jesus, here's the thing I want to have happen.
That's dangerous. But what this is Calling us to is such a knowledge of Him, a intimacy
with Him, a familiarity with Him, a submission to Him.
that we are as he leads. able to confidently say In the name of Jesus, This is, I'm saying
this, I'm praying this, I'm asking this.
I'm presenting this. May the Lord give us grace and wisdom to know what that looks like
for each one of us.
So he heals the man. In the name of Christ, And the healing draws a crowd.
And that gives Peter the chance then to bear witness to Christ.
Because that's the As it were, of this whole thing. So let's look at that.
Crowd comes, the man has been healed, and what does Peter say?
Well, he starts off. by saying very clearly, listen, We this isn't from us.
He says, all the people ran together. When Peter saw it, he addressed the people: Men of
Israel, why do you wonder at this?
Why do you stare at us as though our own power and piety has made him walk?
The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. Of 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.
First thing Peter says is, listen. This isn't because of us.
They all come and they say, wow, how'd this happen? And Peter says, it's not because of
us.
Let's be clear about that. This is like
a pencil, a beaten up, broken pencil that the master artist picks up.
and uses to make a beautiful portrait and then sets down again.
Well the pencil can say yes it came through me. But I didn't do that.
I don't have that capacity in me. It's the capacity of the artist working through me.
And Peter and John can say, we don't have this power and piety and righteousness in us
that brought this to pass.
It was something else. It was the working of Christ. is where he's ultimately going.
So he defrays any sense that, look at me, look at me. So, if anyone is ever working
miraculous things and is saying, look at me, look at me.
There's a problem. Like, that's pretty clear. There's a problem there.
Just leave that with you to add to your discernment. So what does he say?
It wasn't me. What was the answer? Well, he doesn't just say it wasn't us, it was Jesus.
That would be easy. But he doesn't say that. Rather he says It wasn't us.
The God of Abraham Raised from the dead the Jesus whom you killed.
So he goes into this this account. Of Christ's death and resurrection.
which at first might be surprising to us, you know. It wasn't us.
It was Jesus. That makes sense. It wasn't us. You killed Jesus and God raised him, that's
different.
That's not necessarily expected. So let's try to figure out why does Peter do this?
Why is that the answer he gives? Look at verse 13. Here's his explanation of why this man
was healed.
Like I read a moment ago. The God of Abraham, of Isaac, of Jacob, 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. You denied the Holy and Righteous One.
You asked for a murderer to be granted to you. You killed the Author of life, whom God
raised from the dead.
And I say, okay, How is that an answer? to why this man was healed.
That doesn't seem immediately to be an answer. to why this man was healed.
Let's look at it and see if we can figure that out. Well, the first thing Peter does is
what we've seen him do before.
He says, listen, and this takes boldness, right? standing around with a crowd of his
neighbors, people he knows, and he says, Well, at least people he's familiar with and
right
there with. You killed Jesus. You killed him. And God raised him.
That's the first part of Peter's explanation as to how the paralyzed man was healed.
is to say you killed a man. And God raised that man from the dead.
That's the first part. of Peter's explanation. And then he makes it even sharper.
Because he doesn't just say you killed this man named Jesus.
What does he say? He said, You killed. The man who is the servant of God, glorified to the
throne.
You killed the only holy and righteous human being who ever lived.
You killed him. You killed the one who is even more than that, the Author of life.
the source of life. You killed him. That's what Peter is saying here.
That's what he's bringing onto their consciences. And remember, a few weeks ago, also onto
our consciences.
Because it's our sin too. It's our sin too. that hangs Christ on the cross.
Now
We ought to stop and put ourselves in the story and consider.
How hard it would be for Peter to say this, and how strange.
Because some of the people in his audience saw the man he was talking about.
Hanging dead on a cross about a month ago. And here's Jesus saying, Do you remember him?
He's the Author of life. Do you remember him? He's glorified to the throne of God.
And so There's a there's a disconnect here. Jesus saying the man that you saw dead
is the Author of all life. The man that you saw dead, just you remember him, you remember
him in your mind's eye, dead on the cross.
He's glorified to the throne. How can Peter say that? to these people.
Who saw it happen? And that's the key. That's the key point.
The only way he can say these things is because the crucified Jesus is raised from the
dead.
That's that's the whole turning point of Peter's logic here.
and of all reality. The only reason this can be said Is because Jesus Christ is raised up
from the dead.
Peter can say, remember the man hanging dead on the cross? He's seated on the throne of
God.
The only way he can say that is Because he's raised. That's what turns it all.
That's what turns everything. Jesus Christ is risen.
Remember, the apostles are witnesses to this. A man who is God is raised from the dead.
Therefore, death is dead. Therefore, hope is open. Therefore, life is given.
That's the whole point. Okay now. Great, I see that. But still tell me How does this
explain the healing of the paralytic?
I still don't get it. Here's Peter's logic. Here's what he's saying.
If Jesus were not raised
our faith in his name would have no power. That's the point.
However, Our faith in His name does have power. You can see it.
This paralyzed man is alive. And the reason our faith has power to heal this man is
because the crucified one is risen.
That's what Peter is eager to make clear to them. The reason this paralyzed man is
leaping.
is because the man crucified is risen. That's the point. And so he points to the leaping
of the paralyzed man, to the healing of the paralyzed man, and says that is a living
embodied witness to something you've got to get clear. The crucified Christ is risen and
reigning over the world.
The healed paralytic is like an emblem of the universal reign of Jesus Christ, a witness
that Jesus is risen from the dead.
That's what Peter is eager to get across to his audience. Our faith healed him because we
have faith in something real.
Faith is like a pipe that
you put into a reservoir. And if there's nothing in the reservoir, dust comes out.
It's got nothing in it. But if you put that pipe into the reservoir and water is pouring
out, it's because there's something in the reservoir.
And so Peter says, our faith does something. Because the one we trust in is real.
He's alive. The effect of our faith in this world is not a witness to how holy I am.
It is a witness to the faith that the one I believe in, the fact the one I believe in.
is real. is alive. That's what Peter is laboring. To get across to this people, Jesus is
risen from the dead.
Then let me point out that the faith he's talking about is almost certainly his faith.
He's not saying the paralyzed man believed in Jesus, that's why he was able to be healed.
If you have enough faith, you'll be able to be healed too. That's not what he's saying.
He's saying we trust the name of the risen one. The power and reality of that name are
manifest.
in this man being healed. And he brings that to bear on his audience then and points to
the healed man as.
uh exhibit A as it were. In the evidence of the living power, the living reality.
Of Jesus Christ. If Christ were not risen, faith in His name would have no power.
Because he is risen, our faith did what you see. And so then Peter moves on.
We'll look at this next week. we have to deal with the fact that the crucified man is
risen.
That's his point. And we all have to deal with that too. But before we get to that,
that'll be next week.
Let me wrap up this week. by just looking at three brief things that we I think can take
away from this.
Well, from what Peter says here. The first is this. The clear emphasis in this passage on
Jesus' name, in the name of Jesus.
Rise up and walk. And then he says, verse 16, his name, by faith in his name, has this man
been made strong before you.
The name of Jesus. Now, as I mentioned earlier, the name of Jesus, that's not the bare
facts about him.
That's not the rightly ordered doctrine about him. That's not the bare essentials.
To get to heaven. And I do this because sometimes people say like, oh, I want to go to
heaven.
But heaven is Christ. Like the joy, the life, the atmosphere of heaven is everything we
see in Christ.
So you can't not care about Christ but want to get to heaven.
He is where we're going. And so that's why I put heaven in quotation mark, not because
there is no heaven, of course, there is.
The the point here is
We are to know the name of Christ. And I would
call you to that and me to that too. That we would know Jesus, the man, Christ Jesus, as
he is met in this book.
And in his people and in the world, a real person who has real defined edges that pushes
against us and doesn't let us just be the way we want to be.
May we know Jesus. so that we can say increasingly throughout our life, I'm doing this in
the name of Jesus.
I'm doing this in the name of Jesus. We can't say that. That is taking his name in vain if
I don't know who he is.
but we are called to know Jesus Christ, the man. Jesus Christ, the God, our God.
Jesus Christ Like Paul says so memorably in Philippians chapter three, I'll read just
briefly for you.
I count everything as lost because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my
Lord.
For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order
that I may gain Christ.
And be found in him, that I might know him and the power of his resurrection, and share
his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.
that by any means possible I may attain to the resurrection of the dead, May we Press on
to know.
Jesus Christ and not be satisfied, to say, well, you know, I, I, I go to church, or I, I
believe these things.
Know his name. Yeah, I'm up. Cut myself short there and move to the second one.
Knowing his name, then we're called to believe his name. To trust his name.
To have faith in his name. That's what Peter and John model for us here.
They don't just know Christ, they live as if he's real. They are living As if the Jesus
who they saw ascended to heaven is still listening to them.
is still aware of them. is still empowering and caring for them.
And so often for us, believing faith just means saying. I believe in Jesus.
I believe in Jesus. Do I live like he's real? That's the question.
Do I live like the crucified man is alive and reigning, and I'm going to stand before him.
And he's going to evaluate me. And he's all my hope, and he's all my life, and he's all my
salvation, and he's my provider, and he's my shepherd.
And he says, Come to me if you're weary. Come to me. Don't be anxious about tomorrow.
He actually said those things. That's not just like religious talk.
The man Jesus actually said those things. And am I living like he's real?
Or am I living like he's this kind of imaginary friend who's there sometimes and gone some
other times?
And he's like this interesting idea. May we live as if Christ were real.
It's a pretty low bar to be a Christian. But that's what we're called to.
And it's hard. Hard for me. Hard for me.
When I'm disappointed and afraid and worried and envious and tempted and crushed by pain
or sorrow in that moment.
Is that when Christ evaporates? And becomes A meaningless idea?
Or is that when he is there and I can feel and lean upon him?
May it be The second of those two. When I actually have to hold on to the rope of faith
and trust in his name, does the whole thing collapse?
Or does it hold? May it may it be the second. I pray that for us.
I pray that we would believe and live. as though these things were so.
as though the man Jesus Christ were alive and we know him And we're living by His name,
and that's going to be hard.
That's gonna because remember, like Paul said, we live in a world that is opposed to him
and his cross.
The world is never going to say. Let me make it easier for you to follow Jesus.
Let me make it easier for you to obey Jesus. No, the system of the world is never going to
do that.
So, to the extent that I'm folded into the system of the world, it's harder and harder and
harder to follow Christ.
But we are called to come out of that system, come out of the way of the world and follow
him.
God, have mercy. And show us what that looks like. I'm not here to give you the answers.
I don't know the answers for what that looks like for you. But take that and say, what's
it look like?
To trust you. Last thing, very briefly. This man's healing Was a witness that Christ is
risen, right?
He is healed. Which says there is a risen Christ. His physical healing said the crucified
one is risen.
And the point I'd want to make here in the end is The healing of paralyzed legs.
is no more impressive, no more miraculous, let me say. than the healing of a loveless
soul.
or the healing healing of a selfless soul or a selfish soul.
or the healing of an unforgiving soul. The legs that didn't work were healed.
Equally as miraculous, if not more so, is the heart that won't forgive being healed.
is the heart that lives for itself. being healed. to repent.
and turn to Christ and grow in faith and hope and love. to throw off the fears.
that terrify the world. and live in Christ. That is a miracle.
That is a healing. And that bears witness to the fact that the crucified one is risen.
And so, just as people saw the paralyzed man leaping and they knew something had happened,
may it be for us, Christian, that those who see us and know us, our spouses, our friends,
our co-workers, our roommates. That they would see us growing in likeness to Christ.
Those rooted sins are changing. Those habits and ways are breaking.
Those fears are loosening their grip. Why? Because Christ is risen.
Because Christ is risen and his name has power to heal us. To heal our lives.
So may we see, and may others around us see, our paralyzed souls healed in the name of
Jesus.
And as they see that, May we increasingly become witnesses to the fact that he is risen.
That he is real. That he's reigning over us. And coming to the table right now is, is a
confession of all these things.
The only reason you're coming up here, I hope is because you believe By grace.
in the bones of your soul Christ is risen. Christ is my king.
Jesus is as real and more real than the President of the United States.
At least He is as real and more real than the movements of the economy and the stock
market.
He's as real and more real than the things going on in my body.
Coming to the table is confessing that. And here we see the name of Christ because His
name is defined for us supremely as he gives his body.
to be broken in our place. as he gives his blood To wash us and bind us.
to himself. And as we come here, we also see what Peter is laboring to make known.
He's risen. You don't we are we are not here Participating. in the body and blood of
Christ, as Paul says, because he's dead and gone.
We are participating in this because the one witnessed here is living.
and reigning and risen.
In fact, it's like his living hand gives you the elements this morning as you're coming to
them.
Like Paul says, taking this is to proclaim his death. Until he comes.
And the only reason he can come. is because he's risen. So we are proclaiming his
resurrection as we come to the table.
May we then be examining ourselves. Like Pastor Sean reminded us, I believe that was last
week.
Examining ourselves, looking at our heart in light of the eyes of our God.
Turn from our sin. coming up here be a turning away. From the other things.
Turn from our sin, trust in his name. Come to this table and receive again the very same
Jesus who healed the paralyzed man.
who empowered Peter. and who is himself with us right now. By his Spirit.
Let me pray. And then we'll We'll do this together.
So Father, uh, your word says not many should be teachers, because we will give an account
for what we've said.
And Lord, I believe, I believe these things are true. that you call us to this life of
Dependence upon Christ, faith in Christ.
truly living. in light of the reality of Christ and I, I'd be the first to confess
that so often my passions and fears. And Pursuits don't look like Christ is risen and so I
confess that to you, Lord, and I pray that we would.
Be given grace to confess and not just confess, but to repent and turn.
And that even this week You would give us opportunity, show us clear forks in the road.
Where one way is trusting, living as though Christ were not real.
And the other way is living as though he were real. Help us, Lord, to depend on him and
walk in him.
And so bear witness to the fact that we have a risen Savior.
who is at work in the world today. And Lord, may the food we're about to take into
ourselves.
be a strength and a means of grace, Unto this witness. as your church comes together to
celebrate and remember our Lord Jesus Christ.
We pray these things, Father, in His name. Amen.
Thank you for listening to this message from Kingstree Church in Sabina, Ohio.
To see more of the beauty of God in the crucified and risen Jesus Christ, come worship
with us on Sundays at 10 AM or visit our website at kingstreechurch.org.