@Tamworth Community Presbyterian Church 5/6/16

Acts 3:1-26

Here’s an update on Global poverty from 2014

•  Almost half the world that is over 3 billion people live on less than $2.50 a day.

•  The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the 41 Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (567 million people) is less than the wealth of the world’s 7 richest people combined.

•  Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.

•  Less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn’t happen.

•  1 billion children live in poverty (1 in 2 children in the world).

            640 million live without adequate shelter,

            400 million have no access to safe water,

            270 million have no access to health services.

            10.6 million died in 2003 before they reached the age of 5

            (or roughly 29,000 children per day).[1]

In fact the majority of the world’s impoverished live in rural areas or villages in what is called the 10-40 window (latitude 10degN – 40 deg N[2]) covering most of Africa & Asia.  As far back as 1994 it was calculated that the wealth of the world’s 387 billionaires equalled the combined incomes of the bottom 45% of the entire world’s population.  It is the case that recently our nation hit a record, we should be ashamed of, with both sides of politics in Australia, walking away from the Millennium Development Goal promise to increase aid to 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income.  We give just 22 cents per $100 of our nations income to other countries in desperate need of international aid.  The reality is this that for many people their experience of life is harsh and short.  Just as we meet here in Acts 3 a desperately poor crippled man who begged at the temple in Jerusalem.

This mans disabilities barred him from ever going to church or worship or pray alongside the rest of the people in the temple.  It was the case that all he could do was place himself at a gate called Beautiful, and beg for his life, while being shunned by all, in reality he was treated like scum.

Peter & John, the 2 well known disciples of Jesus, are on their way to the temple when met with this crippled man & they give him a gift more precious than any money could buy, like this song we know:

            “silver and gold have I none

            but such as I have give I thee

            in the name of Jesus Christ

            of Nazareth Rise up and walk

            and he went walking and leaping and praising God

            walking and leaping and praising God

            in the name of Jesus Christ

            of Nazareth Rise up and walk”

 We know this story well, so how do you find this story unsettle your soul as it should?  As we read in Acts 3:1-3

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 who was lame 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. 

Peter & John are on their way up to the temple to pray with the other believers.  As we’re told this was what was happening in the early church, they met up at the temple steps.  When they met, they came together to pray and sing, and listen to God’s word being taught to them,  later they would enjoy a meal together.  They had glad and sincere hearts.

Now as Peter and John travel up the steps, they come across a beggar sitting at the beautiful gate.  A man who lived with the expectation of people feeling sorry for him, and so give him a few coins.  Thing was Peter & John haven’t got any money to give, and so they have something better to give, as we read in verse 4-7, 

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.  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."           

 For the first time we see how the apostles are given the same power as Jesus to heal, just as the Holy Spirit now allows the disciples of Jesus, bringing Christ in ways they may not ever have imagined possible.  This was where the Old testament was pointing to, that now on these temple steps a crippled man is healed, and Jesus is now making his point through his disciples.

In response to that healing, this man who once couldn’t walk, we read of in verse 8

 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. 

Praising God is the way we are called to live.  As the healing of this man gives us a window into the mercy of God; this is one reason among many to believe in Jesus, as we get a foretaste of eternal life.  So look with me at what this man does next, he jumps to his feet, walks, goes up into those temple courts he’d been barred from entering all of his life, and we're told the way in which he it, he went walking, jumping and praising God.  God’s restoration of this broken man gave him great jubilation, just as before the gate, beautiful at the temple, a broken man was made whole.

Martin Luther points us the same direction when he says this

"This life, therefore, is not righteousness but growth in righteousness, not health but healing, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise. We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it. The process is not yet finished but it is going on. This is not the end but it is the road. All does not yet gleam in glory but all is being purified."[3]

As Peter now brings what’s happened into view for us, as we read in verse 12 and the first part of verse 13

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.

 At Pentecost Peter spoke of how the Holy Spirit’s coming as proof of Jesus resurrection from the grave, now he tells God’s people of their complicity in killing the author of life, as we see in verses 14-16

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. 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. 

 Then down in verse 19 response is called for

"repent, turn to God, so that you sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord."

We are called to turn from seeing the power of God, to make a crippled man well, to consider the eternity God sets before our eyes; just as Jesus healed some people he began to roll back the curse in his earthly ministry giving a foretaste of the eternity to come.  In these days after the resurrection of Jesus we see Peter & John point people to the only one who can do far more than make a sickness or a disability whole.  They can point to the one who can forgive us our sins, our want and waste, and who has set eternity before us.

We are drawn far deeper in here with how we will respond to the presence of mercy  “Christ continues to work through all time and in every place to wash us, nourish us, and change our lives.”[4]  For Peter & John presenting Jesus wasn’t about talk.  The question we are asked is how we are seeing Jesus invading your life with his mercy to develop a growing humility in him?  Do we see the continuing invitation of Jesus to keep turning to him as our Lord & saviour at every stage of our lives

Let’s pray…