MIRACLES THROUGH FAITHFUL PRAYER
Acts 3:1-16
THE BEAUTIFUL GATE OF OPPORTUNITY
V:1. One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer — at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, \”Look at us!\” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.
- The man was positioned at the temple gate which kept him in a beggar
position.
- His people were dedicated enough to take him to the temple, but
Not inside the temple.
- He was left outside the temple to prey on the sympathy of the
Temple goers.
- I say, temple goers, because a true worshipper, would have felt the
Need to help him out of his situation.
A true worshipper would have taken him into the temple for prayer.
It was prayer time, why was he left outside?
- Except for his legs, the man was of sound mind and capable of
Doing more than just laying down.
Think about it, he could talk, think, reason, eat, and accept donations.
He was good at begging.
- The work of a Christian is not what we do for ourselves, but what we
Do for others.
- The lame man was the opportunity for the temple goers to exercise
Their love for God and their love for their neighbor.
- If we focus on the lame man, the question would be why didn’t he
Request his helpers to take him inside the temple for prayer.
- Was his begging more important than worship?
- The lame man was not completely helpless.
- He had no one to encourage him to use what God had blessed him
With.
- Peter and John gave us the example of true worshippers.
- They did not see the lame man as a beggar but as a person.
- Peter and John took time to know the man.
- They did not focus on his condition but on his potential.
- They did not follow the crowd, but the power of the Word.
- Man’s expectations are limited, but God is unlimited.
- The lame man was satisfied with a handout, but God expects
More of us.
- God expects believers to act on their faith.
TAKE TIME TO KNOW, TAKE TIME TO PRAY
V.6 Then Peter said, \”Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.\” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man\’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God
A. Sometimes people don’t need your pity, they need your prayers.
1. Before Peter and John, we have no indication of anyone stopping
To pray with this man.
2. If the prayers of the righteous avails much, where were the righteous
Temple goers in the community.
3, Sometimes people in need, need a way out of their situation.
4, You and I must decide before we try to help, what the real problem is.
5, The lame man was already successfully at begging and probably had
A pocket full of change.
6, They gave him what he needed, a connection with Jesus.
7, Peter and John extended the right hand of fellowship to the man
- After the prayer, Peter and John’s faith went into action.
- There is power in a touch of faith.
- A few pennies here and there leave the person
Where they are.
But the touch joins them into fellowship with you and
The Lord.
- The touch lifts them out of a sad situation into a glad
Situation.
- The touch extends the blessings of God from you to
Them.
- The touch breaks the bonds of isolation and opens the
bonds of community.
- The touch breaks the bonds of affliction and opens the
Power of healing.
- The touch brings hope and inspiration.
- The touch moves satisfaction to excitement.
- The touch breathes new life into a dead situation.
- The touch is a miracle in the making.
- The touch of faith put strength in his ankles and feet.
- The touch of faith put walking and jumping in his life
For the first time.
- The touch gave him the desire to praise God.
- The lamed man jumped up and followed his
Blessing in the temple.
- Take a lesson from this man when you have been blessed.
Don’t stay at home, show up at the church.
- When you have been blessed don’t be a fly on the wall
But be a show out in the Church.
- Make some noise up in here.
- The man was WJPG; walking jumping and praising God.
DON’T BE ALL THE PEOPLE
V: 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
- ALL THE PEOPLE who walked by him into the temple
- All the people who ignored his silent plea for help
- All the holy than thou church folk to busy to get to
Church and couldn’t take time to extend the church
- All the people who couldn’t take time to pray until
They got an audience
- All the people who had access to the power of God
But wouldn’t take time to use the power.
- All the people who proclaimed God but didn’t
Know God
- All the people who saw the man outside the temple
And left him there
- All the people who knew the man as a fixture and
Not a human being
- All the people who knew the man had been lamed wondered
what happen to make him
WJPG, walking jumping, and praising God.
- You don’t want to be one of ALL THE PEOPLE
- ALL THE PEOPLE missed being part of a miracle by
Being JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE.
THE REASON YOU WERE BORN
V:11 While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon\’s Colonnade. 12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: \”Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus.
- The man was born lame. It wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t his momma\’s fault.
It wasn’t his dad’s fault. It was the divine power of God.
- Why did God allow this man to be born lame?
- Why did God put a burden on this man’s parents and friends?
- Why did God show his lameness off to the world?
- WHY? SO THAT GOD COULD GLORIFY HIMSELF
- The man was born at a time when Israel was under
Roman occupation.
- This man was born in a time when man determine his righteousness.
- The man was born in a time when Israel live by two sets of rules
They had the book of the Law and the book of their own traditions.
The Sanhedrin court and the Chief Priest used the Law as a hammer
To keep Israel in check and the book of their Traditions to live
By.
Mark 7:8-10
8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.\”
9 And he said to them: \”You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!
- There was no power in the teachers of the Law, just their pride.
- The man was born in a time when the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
The Church was exploding into a new way of teaching.
- The old guard was on its way out and they didn’t know it.
- God used this lame man to ignorance of Israel.
- God used this lame man to show the power of His Word.
YOU NEED TO CHECK YOURSELF
V: 13b. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. 14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.
- God used the healing of the lamb man to create an audience
For chastisement.
- Every once in a while we need to review the sins we have
committed against Jesus in the name of our self-righteousness.
- In their ignorance, they killed the Father of rightness to promote
Their traditions.
- They went along with the lawlessness of the Chief Priest and the
Sanhedrin court even though they knew the Law which
Was taught in their synagogues.
- How many of us go along with the laws of the land even though
They opposed God’s commands.
- How many of us say ok to gun rights when our family members
Are being maimed and killed.
- How many of us say ok to abortion when God says you should
Not kill.
- How many of us say ok to homosexual rights when God says He
Detest it.
- How many times a day do we kill Jesus with our attitude and
Decisions we make.
- God used the healing of a lame man to show us that He is
In control
IMPOSSIBLE TO SERVE GOD WITHOUT FAITH
V:16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus\’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.
- There is power in faith through Jesus Christ.
- Everything we do ought to be in the name of Jesus Christ.
- Every problem we face ought to be in the name of Jesus Christ.
- Every prayer we pray ought to be in the name of Jesus Christ.
- There is power in intercessory prayer as long as it is in the
Name of Jesus.
- We are all witnesses to the power of someone’s faith in Jesus.
- We are all recipients of the power of someone\’s faith in Jesus.
- Don’t take your faith in Jesus for granted.
- Utilize your faith in Jesus to pray for the well-being of others.
- Pray in private and pray in public exercising your faith in Jesus.
- Your family, friend, or neighbor may be the next miracle you
Pray into existence.
Rev. M. Mitchell
