Acts 3

CHAPTER 3THEME: First miracle of the church; Peter’s second sermonWe are still in the first division of the Book of Acts which shows the Lord Jesus Christ at work by the Holy Spirit through the apostles in Jerusalem. We have seen the birthday of the church on the Day of Pentecost, a day which can never be repeated. There was a church because the Holy Spirit had become incarnate in believers. He was indwelling the believers, and He filled them with His love, power, and blessing for service. Just as you and I cannot repeat Bethlehem, neither can we repeat Pentecost. But we do need the power of the Holy Spirit today. Thank God, He is in the world, convicting the world, restraining evil in the world. We don’t have to seek Him; He is indwelling all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. In this third chapter we will find the healing of the lame man, verses Act_3:1-11. The appealing and revealing address of Peter is in verses Act_3:12-26. The result was five thousand men who believed!

Acts 3:1

HEALING OF LAME MANThis apparently was the time of the evening sacrifice when a priest went in to offer incense with his prayers. We find in the first chapter of Luke that this was the service Zacharias was performing when he went to minister before the golden altar and the angel appeared to him. That golden altar, the altar of incense, speaks of prayer. This was the time of prayer. There would be a great company in the temple area praying at this time.

Acts 3:2

This man had been born lame. He was brought every day and put there at the gate of the temple. What a contrast he was to the gate which is called Beautiful. Here was a beautiful gate, and here was a man who was carried. Man can make beautiful things, but man cannot improve himself. Of course, man can do some trimming on the outside. He can cut his hair, have his fingernails manicured, take a bath now and then, but man can never change that old nature which he has. This is the contrast we have herea beautiful gate of the temple and a man lame from his mother’s womb. He was there to beg for alms. This was the way he lived, of course.

Acts 3:3

This shows us that after the Day of Pentecost, Peter and John still went up to the temple to pray. All the believers there in Jerusalem were Israelites or proselytes, and they continued to go to the temple to pray. The poor beggar saw Peter and John, and he hoped that they would be able to give him something.

Acts 3:4

When these two men gave him this much attention, the beggar looked at them with the certainty that they would give him something.

Acts 3:6

An incident is told of one of the early saints of the church in Rome who walked in on the pope as he was counting money. Realizing that he had walked in on something which was private, he started to walk out. The pope said to him, “No longer can the church say ‘Silver and gold have I none.’” As the saintly man continued walking out, he said, “Neither can the church say to the impotent man, ‘Rise up and walk.’” Today the organized church has wealth. I suppose that if one could put together all the holdings of all the churches, all groups, denominations, and non-denominations across the country, we would find the church wealthier than any other organization. I think it is wealthier than the Standard Oil Company. Yet the church today lacks power. Now notice what Peter does.

Acts 3:7

Remember that Dr. Luke wrote this book. You will notice that when Dr. Luke records a miracle, he gives a great many details which we don’t find in some other books. He tells specifically what happened. The weakness had been in the feet and ankle bones of this man.

Acts 3:8

Friend, don’t miss this word leaping. It occurs twice in this verse. This is a very interesting chapter. We will find that Peter is going to offer the Kingdom to the nation again because at this time the church Isaiah 100 percent Israelite. There are no Gentiles from the outside. The church began with the Jews in Jerusalem. Later, it will go to the ends of the earth. But this, now, is the Jerusalem period. Don’t try to tell me this is another dispensation. We have hyperdispensationalists today who call this another dispensation. It is not different at all. But it is a period of transition. The Lord had said they were to begin by going out to the ends of the earth. Now the Kingdom is being offered to Israel again. This will be the final opportunity. What will be some of the identifying marks of the Kingdom? Well, one is that the lame shall leap! “Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert” (Isa_35:6). Every instructed Israelite going up to the temple that day marveled at this lame man leaping. They knew this could actually be the beginning of the Kingdom. The Messiah had been crucified, raised from the dead, ascended to heaven, and seated at God’s right hand. If they would receive Him, He would come again.

Acts 3:9

They saw him. They recognized the man. They caught the significance of this miracle. I’m afraid there are a great many today who haven’t caught the significance of this record which Dr. Luke has given us.

Acts 3:11

Is this to be the beginning of the Kingdom? Great things had happened in Jerusalem during the past few weeks. They had witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus, His resurrection, His ascension, and the Day of Pentecost. They are amazed. What is really taking place?

Acts 3:12

THE APPEALING AND REVEALING ADDRESS OF PETERHe doesn’t say, “Ye men of the United States.” He is talking to the men of Israel. This is the Jerusalem period, friend. This is the transition period. The church has not yet moved out to other areas. No one in Rome has heard yet. No one in America has heard. No one in England has heard. This is in Jerusalem. May I say something kindly? Folk reading the Bible should bring to it the same common sense they use in reading other books. This is God’s Book. But it is not some “way out yonder” type of book. It deals with us right where we are, and it communicates so we can understand it. Peter is very careful to tell them that this miracle was not done in his own power. He is going to direct this Jewish audience back to the Old Testament. He is going to tell them that if they will turn to God, these prophecies can be fulfilled. Listen to some of the prophecies which these Jewish people knew. “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (Zec_12:10). This would be fulfilled if they would turn to Him. It was not fulfilled because the nation did not accept the Lord Jesus at that time. They did not repent and turn to Him. Peter will invite them to turn to the Lord Jesus. They will refuse.

The time is still to come when this will be fulfilled. Also Ezekiel spoke of the Kingdom: “And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God” (Eze_36:27-28). Notice the twelfth chapter of Isaiah, a remarkable chapteronly six versesthat speaks of the worship during the time of the Kingdom: “And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation” (Isa_12:1-2). Also, as we have mentioned, Isa_35:6 told of the lame man leaping as an hart. “And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isa_35:10).

They should have seen that this lame man was a miniature, a picture of the whole nation. If they would but turn to God, all these promises would be fulfilled.

Acts 3:13

Here he goes again. Simon Peter will never preach a sermon without the mention of the Resurrection. Paul won’t either. Unfortunately, today there are many sermons preached without a mention of the Resurrection.

Acts 3:16

In essence Peter is saying, “Don’t you see that man leaping there? That is what they will do in the Kingdom. The question is whether or not you want the Messiah to come back. Do you want to receive Him?”

Acts 3:17

Their past deeds call for a course of action. That action is repentance and conversion. This was not a new message to them. “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins” (Isa_43:25). Listen to Peter’s message:

Acts 3:19

If they had accepted Jesus, would He have returned to the earth? The answer, of course, is yes. Peter says He would have. Then what would have been God’s program after that? I’ll tell you something today that will be a secret just between you and me: I don’t know what would have happened. Does that come as a surprise to you? Well, I have news for you. No one else knows eitherno one except God. We can ask innumerable “if” questions to which there are no answers. All I know is that the nation did not accept Jesus Christ. That is the only answer I know to the “if” question. Any other answer would be only the wildest speculation.

Acts 3:21

Some folk use this verse to bolster their belief that eventually everything and every person will be saved. “The restitution of all things” is the phrase they use. Exactly what are the “all things” which are to be the subject of restitution? In Php_3:8 when Paul said, “…I count all things but loss …” did he mean all things in God’s universe? Obviously not. So here, the “all things” are limited by what follows. “The times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” The prophets had spoken of the restoration of Israel. Nowhere is there a prophecy of the conversion and restoration of the wicked dead.

Acts 3:22

The nation of Israel was on the verge of a great judgment. In A.D. 70 Titus, the Roman general, came with his army and destroyed the city. It is estimated that over a million people perished, and the rest were sold into slavery throughout the Roman Empire. Judgment did come upon these people.

Acts 3:24

This is a transition period. They were given their final chance to accept the Messiah. Because they turned down their opportunity to accept the Messiah, later on Paul will come on the scene as the apostle to the Gentiles. What might have happened if they had turned to God is merely speculation. They did not turn to Him. God is never surprised by what man does, and He still works things out according to His plan and purpose.