Painful Health

If you have your Bibles this morning, please take them and find Acts 3:1.  I want to continue in our summer sermon series on Sunday mornings talking about “Painful Health.”

 

This summer, we are talking about a life full of pain.  So far, we have talked about painful decisions in Saul’s life from 1 Samuel 15, and painful finances from Paul’s life in Philippians 4.

 

BTW…Please remember that life on this earth will always be full of pain.  However, a life in heaven for eternity will be painless and pain-free, but you can only experience such through a personal and saving relationship with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

 

When we talk about painful health, almost all of us can identify.  So many of us have had the dreaded cancer diagnosis.  Others have diabetes.

 

You can add arthritis to list and migraines torn muscles and tendons and ligaments. We can all identify.

 

BTW…I want to publically thank EBC for the insurance that you provide for me and my family and our ministers.  If it were not for our very good insurance, my wife and I would have had to declare bankruptcy after two hospital stays last summer and trying to pay for college. Thank you!

 

 

1. A Man Who was Hopeless, 3:1-3

1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 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; 3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.

 

Here in Acts 3, Peter and John were on their way to the temple to pray.  It was 3 PM.  The ninth hour refers to from 6 AM.

 

They met a certain man who had been unable to walk since his birth.  Acts 4:22 says this man was 40 years old. 

 

Friends and family took him to the temple every day for him to be seen and cared for with the donations of others.  Of course, because of his physical handicap, he couldn’t work and couldn’t provide for himself.

 

Alms were offerings that were being given.  In our day and time, he would be considered a “panhandler.’

 

BTW…Was this man’s condition because of his sin or his parents.  John 9:1-3 tells us that this man’s handicap simply could have been a situation to demonstrate glory of God. 

 

Verse 3 says he saw Peter and John.  Maybe he hadn’t seen them previously.  Regardless, he requested assistance from them.

 

Otherwise, his situation was hopeless.  He had been lame for 14,600 days with no sign of change.

 

 

2. A Miracle of Healing, 3:4-7

4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.” 5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 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.” 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.

 

Verse 4 says that Peter caught his eyes and began to converse with him.  Since many had probably ignored him, when Peter began to talk, the lame man expected that Peter and John were going to help them, and they did, but not in the way he was expecting.

 

Peter commanded him to get up in the name and authority of Jesus.  Then Peter helped him up, and he was healed instantly and completely.

 

BTW…It was God’s plan for this man to be healed.  It was also God’s plan for Peter to play his part, to fulfill his role.

 

God can save anyone and everyone instantly.  However, His plan is use us in sharing the gospel.  Brothers and sisters, God left you on earth for a specific purpose, and that purpose is to share the gospel with anyone and everyone that He brings in your path. 

 

 

3. Magnifying the Healer, 3:8-10

8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God. 10 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.

 

What happened once he was healed?  The who was limping went to leaping. 

 

He praised God, and he showed others what had happened. 

 

Consequently, those in the temple were filled with wonder and amazement. They saw for themselves that a miracle had taken place, and they too knew that God had done it.

 

 

 

Application and Conclusion

First, God still performs miracles of healing today.  He can heal cancer, and He can heal diabetes, and He can heal anything and everything.

 

If you are in need, I invite you to do what the James invited the first-century Christians to do.  See James 5:14.

 

14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

 

As the single elder of Emory Baptist Church, I have prayed for and anointed multiple people with oil.  I would love to do the same for you.

 

Second, when God does heal, we should praise Him.  We should praise Him personally, and we should praise Him publically. That’s what this man did.

 

BTW…If God doesn’t heal, He is still God, and He is still good.  See Job 2:10 and 13:15.

 

10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

 

15 Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.

 

Third, this example of physical healing is a picture and symbol of our need for spiritual healing. We are all spiritually lame, and we need Jesus, and only Jesus, to heal us and save us.

 

And this is Jesus’ first priority.  It is no good for Jesus to heal physically and then healed men and women spend an eternity in hell because they haven’t been healed spiritually.

 

This morning, I invite you to let Jesus heal your heart.  Will you trust Him today as Lord and Savior?