But when I was here speaking last, we were covering the sermon that Peter had done. We saw about, the way my Bible reads, about 3,000 people were converted, became believers, and the first church was started. So tonight, we're gonna head into, and many of you all are familiar with these passages in chapter three. I'm gonna cover verses one through 11 tonight, or that's my intention. and we're getting ready to see a miracle work through Peter and John. The scriptures this evening are gonna open with them going into the temple and Peter and John being together is something that's not uncommon. Peter and John have been lifelong friends almost. Peter and John were mega businessmen together in the fishing industry at that time. There was no lack of trust between these two. They were very committed, not only to one another, but now they're very committed in the spread of the gospel. So trust isn't an issue here. They've been together through thick and thin. And Peter and John, along with James, are referred to as the inner circle of the apostles. In Luke chapter 9 and Matthew chapter 17, we are told that these three were the only disciples or apostles that were allowed to witness the transfiguration. Mark 5 and Luke chapter 8 tells us that only these three were allowed to witness the healing of Jairus' daughter. Mark 14 states that only these three were able to accompany Jesus into the Garden of Gethsemane. And Luke 22 states, these three were the ones who prepared the Passover feast just before Christ's crucifixion. And then we have John 18 that states these three were the ones that followed Jesus after he was arrested. Later, Paul notes that Peter and John were the pillars of strength in the new Christian community, and we find this in Galatians chapter two. And John chapter 20 tells us that when Christ arose, these were the first two of the disciples to show up at the open tomb. So you see, seeing these two together is nothing new to anyone. These two were together probably more than they weren't. They were friends and they were brothers in Christ. However, their traveling in pairs was intentional. There was intent behind it. Having two people together was essential in their current situation. If some event had happened, they would have needed a witness if they had gone into court or proof of a testimony, traveling in two covered them in that event. They're fully aware of what the court system in Jerusalem looked like. Jesus just went through a kangaroo court and they ended up hanging him on a tree. And I'm sure they were fully aware that if they would do that to Jesus, they certainly would do that to them. And further, Jesus trained them to travel this way. When they were sent out on their journeys in Luke 10 and Mark 6, they traveled in pairs. So Peter and John are on this precipice of performing a miracle of healing. And this healing is gonna be a prelude to the next sermon that Peter's gonna give. It's amazing how these things These miracles, these events, a lot of times their purpose is to draw a crowd, and I think you'll see that as we go through these verses. All of this is part of the apostles' desire to fulfill the Great Commission, to bring more people to know Christ, and to develop these disciples in all the nations. And the Great Commission told us to start in Jerusalem. That's what it told the apostles. So they are starting in Jerusalem. I want you all to remember as we go through these verses that it's just a few weeks before this that Christ was crucified. That event is still on people's memory. It was a huge event in that time and the word was out. So bear that in mind. The miracles in the book of Acts were always performed in the service of God's word or confirming God's presence or in the spread of the gospel, or as a sign that enabled faith, and ultimately all the miracles that Jesus and the apostles worked in one way, shape, form, or fashion, they were used to validate that they were truly messengers of God. So it's interesting to note that only the apostles and those closely connected to them perform miracles. And once these people passed away and possibly even before the miracle stopped. So at this point, if you will, and you're able, we'll stand for the reading of the inerrant word of the living God. Acts chapter three, verses one through 11. Verse 1, now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer. And a man who had been lame from his mother's womb was being carried, whom they used to sit down daily at the gate of the temple, which is called beautiful, in order to beg alms of those who were entering the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms. But when Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him, he said, look at us. And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, I do not possess silver or gold, but what I do have, I give to you. I'm sorry, excuse me. In the name of Jesus Christ of the Nazarene, walk. And seizing him by the right hand, he raised up, and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened. And leaping up, he stood upright and began to walk. And he entered the temple with them, walking, leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and they were recognizing him, that he was the one who used to sit at the beautiful gate of the temple to beg alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. And while he was clinging to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them at the portico called Solomon's, full of wonder. Let's pray. This is your word, Father. Use it. Use it in our lives to advance your kingdom somehow, some way. And I pray that this service will bring honor to you. Please allow something that is said this evening to impact lives in a positive manner. We thank you, Lord, for all you do for us. We thank you for this church and for these people that are here. We love you, and we pray that your will be done this evening. And I pray this in Jesus' name. I'll get children said, amen. So upfront and honest, verse one is one of these verses that I've probably read dozens of times and never slowed down enough to understand what it was saying. because it really doesn't appear that there's that much here in this verse. I mean, we got Peter and John, they're going up to the temple, it's the ninth hour, and it's the hour of prayer, right? So let's go on to verse two. But before you do, after the sermon Peter had just preached and the notoriety that was obviously gained from it, the fact that Peter and John would show their faces at the temple shows a lot of courage. volumes of courage, in my opinion, that they would go into that temple and surely preach and teach about Jesus Christ before all the Jews that hung Christ, particularly in this temple. Certainly the same Jewish leaders who had demanded Christ's death were there just a few weeks before. These are the same people in this temple in the same city where they hung him on a tree. Yet they're going to the temple anyway, and according to the Book of Acts that we've already covered, they were doing it daily. It was every day they were going to the temple in prayer. So I started asking myself, the ninth hour. Okay, you've read this several times. What's the ninth hour mean? Well, the ninth hour, if the Jews had a clock, the first hour of the day starts at six o'clock in the morning. The ninth hour would be 3 p.m., okay? So it's especially pointed out, but it's not the only hour of prayer. The first hour of prayer occurs at three, excuse me, at the third hour at 9 a.m., six, seven, eight, nine, three hours, third hour. Second hour of prayer occurs on the sixth hour, which is 12 noon, and this gets a little confusing, so I apologize. but it's in three hour blocks, nine, noon, and then the last, the third hour of prayer on any given day is at 3 p.m. And Psalms backs this up in chapter 55. It reads, as for me, I shall call upon God, and Yahweh will save me. Evening, morning, and at noon, I will bring my complaint and moan, and he will hear my voice. So if you're casually reading through the scripture, You wouldn't think about this verse very much. There's so much more here. You see, the third hour of prayer was especially busy every day. The third hour of prayer at 3 p.m., this is when the sacrifices were made every day. The daily sacrifices were brought to the temple, and those sacrifices were performed at 3 p.m. That's when they were conducted. So this hour was an hour when the crowd would be at its peak. You may find it interesting that Jesus Christ gave up his life during this hour. And we're going to find this when we look at Matthew chapter 27. And go ahead and turn there. And we'll jump in at verse 45. But this hour, while the priests are making these sacrifices, This is the hour they're going into the temple, but this is also the hour that Christ died. So Matthew 27, starting at verse 45, now from the sixth hour, darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. It's a third hour prayer. And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying, Eli, Eli, lama, sabachthani, and I really practiced that, so give me, One star, if not two. That is, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, this man is calling for Elijah. And immediately, one of them ran. And taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave him a drink. But the rest of them were saying, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him. And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. Stop. What happened at the ninth hour? Jesus died. He gave up his spirit. This is the same hour that they're going into the temple. This is the same hour that the priests are making sacrifices for that day. Why did Christ die? To be our ultimate sacrifice. You all get it, right? And we'll go on. And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two From top to bottom, stop. I was talking with Jackie about this veil. When we say veil, we think about a bride wearing a sheer piece of material over her face. And if the husband behaves himself and doesn't forget his lines, he gets to raise it up and give her a kiss. And it's all beautiful. And we call this curtain that's hanging here a veil. But it's much, much more than a veil. This is a divider. between the holy of holies. God's presence in the temple is the way it's defined, but the holy of holies and the general population. The only person that can go behind this curtain is the high priest. Legend has it that they would tie a rope around his ankle. That way if he went back in there and did something wrong and God struck him dead, they could drag him out without going back there because they didn't want to get struck dead for going back there. This is how legalistic this all was. So this curtain is hanging there. This curtain's big. It's 60 feet by 20 feet, 60 feet long. The foyer to the baptistry is gonna be close to that. Maybe a little less, but it's close, okay? 20 feet tall, probably not hardly to the peak of the roof here to the floor, but something close to that. But you'll see a curtain that big at Barter Theater. We went up there not long ago. Sure enough, they had these big curtains hanging there, and between acts, they'd shut the curtains and change the scenery, and then they'd open them back up. They were probably 60 by 20. The really impressive part about this curtain is the thickness of the curtain. Because this curtain's made out of woven fabric. And I've got a crew that handles all the hoist at the Eastman, and we had this choker there that was made in China that we can't use. How it got in there, I'm not sure. But this is a woven fabric. This is nylon. And we use this for lifting stuff. And this nylon woven fabric sling, if you hung this on a hook that was capable of holding all the weight, you can put 3,200 pounds on the end of this. That's what it's rated for. This is woven fabric. If you wrap it around something and lift it like this, with your load in the cradle, it's rated for over 6,000 pounds, that's three tons. Woven fabric. Okay, this curtain is three and a half to four inches thick. Any way you look at it, most of you all know what this is. This is a four by four, that's actually three and a half by three and a half. It holds up many of our decks and handrails and basketball goals. That's how thick, any way you look at it, this way, this way, this way, that's how thick this curtain was. 60 feet long and 20 feet high. At the ninth hour, this was torn in two from top to bottom. Torn in two. Josh, if you will, come here and get this. I want to pass this around, a little visual stimulation for you. And I want you to feel how strong this is. Don't get your pocketknife out and cut it. Just feel of this. You can't even stretch this thing. And imagine that being three and a half inches thick. That's three sixteenths of an inch thick, maybe. And I would like to have that back. It's not for chewing. And I'm not going to pass this old nasty wooden block around, but if you'd like to see it, it's here. So, at the ninth hour, this veil was torn in two. But that's not all that happened. The earth shook and the rocks were split open, and I don't know exactly what it means that the rocks were split open. But I've seen pictures of when an earthquake happens, where the fault lines are, often there'll be a crack that forms in the ground. And I think we, Kelly, you can keep that. And a crack will form when you have an earthquake. The mountain, Golgotha, was pretty much a rock from what I understand. Maybe the whole mountain split open at the ninth hour when Christ died. And the tombs were opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep, they had died, were raised. Let me read that again. Many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many. Think about that. How would you react standing there on the mountain when Christ hung on the tree and the darkness that had unexpectedly come on ended? The earthquake happens and busts this rock open. and suddenly the tombs are opened and dead people start being raised and coming out of there. 3 p.m., the ninth hour. It says, and now the centurion and those who were with him, keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, truly, this was God's son. At least there were a handful listening that day, right? Now it's interesting to know, and I'm gonna leave verse one here, probably spent too much time there, but for no more words than verse one was, that's a lot of information. There was a lot of things happened. That's why the ninth hour, 3 p.m., that hour of prayer is so important. And it's just so interesting that Christ died. He gave up his spirit, not until that hour when the daily sacrifices were being made. The apostles are still observing at this ninth hour. They're going to the temple daily, the third hour of prayer, but there's no indication that they were sacrificing anything. I think they knew very well that the ceremonial sacrifices had ended. That part of the law was fulfilled. Their mission now is a little different. Verse two reads, and a man who had been lame from his mother's womb was being carried, whom they used to sit down daily at the gate of the temple, which is called beautiful, in order to beg alms of those who were entering the temple. This man had been afflicted, lame, according to Acts chapter four, which we'll get to eventually, for over 40 years. He's been lame since his birth. He has never walked a step in his life. You all have seen people in similar conditions and how much the muscles and the structure in their legs will shrink and just really become useless appendages. And over time, they may even lose circulation in them and they have to be amputated. So this man is there. His inability to perform normal daily tasks has led him to a life of begging to provide some level of income so that he can provide for himself in some manner for the essentials that he needs. It's not uncommon for beggars to frequent the gates of the temple. In fact, the scripture leads us to believe that this was a desirable location for begging. People going into the temple to participate in worship, prayer, sacrifices, they're likely to be a little more generous than the regular crowd out on the street. Maybe they're wanting to buy a little more homage with God and say, I did something really good. And this man was obviously not a member of the newly found church, right? How do we know this? The last time I spoke, we talked about Acts chapter two, verse 45, and they began selling their property and possessions and were dividing them up with all as anyone might have need. Had he been a member of that church, had he been one of those believers, he wouldn't have had to been here begging. The church would have taken care of him according to this. So we have an unbelieving, lame, since birth beggar. Now we do not know with certainty which gate in the temple is called beautiful. The scriptures do not verify this for us. However, people more scholarly than I am have narrowed it down to two gates, and I'm gonna try and pronounce these names, and I'll spell them just in case I really blow it. One of the gates is the Shuson Gate, S-H-U-S-A-N. This gate was, is, in the outside wall of the east side of the temple. This would put it near Solomon's portico that we will discuss in verse 11 a little bit. And it's located just outside the court of the Gentiles. Others, more scholarly than I, and it seems the majority, believe the gate called Beautiful to be the Nicanor gate, N-I-C-A-N-O-R. The majority of people, the scholarly people, think it was this gate. This gate was located on the east side of the Court of Women, coming from the Court of Gentiles, and it's commonly believed that this gate's doors were made of solid Corinthian bronze. That would make these doors more valuable than gates plated in silver or gold. Solid Corinthian bronze was highly desirable, lots of value. Tradition holds that there was an Alexandrian Jew with Nicanor, that was his last name or his first name, gifted these doors to the temple. And the entire scenario creates something that I really consider to be more than irony. If you turn to Deuteronomy 15 and read verses four and seven through eight, God instructs the Israelites that there should be no poor among them. These verses read, however, there will be no needy one among you since Yahweh will surely bless you in the land which Yahweh your God has given you as an inheritance to possess. If there is a needy one among you, one of your brothers in excuse me, in any of your gates of the towns and your land, which Yahweh, your God, is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor close your hand from your needy brother, but you shall freely open your hand to him and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks." A Jewish man sitting at the temple, begging for alms, never walked, lame, sitting at the temple that's supposed to be upholding this law, that none will be poor, none will be in need. Obviously, the Jews have ignored this command. Obviously, they considered giving alms to beggars a virtue. Obviously, there was nothing here regarding duty or requirement. But as written, this can be interpreted as a law or a commandment of God. There shall be no, leaves little doubt. So let's go on to verse three. I'm gonna read three through five. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms. But when Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him, he said, look at us. And he began to give them his attention. The beggar began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from him. Obviously, this lame beggar, he views Peter and John as just a couple of nameless people coming through the beautiful gate to go into the temple and do whatever it is that they do in there. He's assuming they're just another number of the people frequenting the temple in order to impress God. But their self-made virtues and their willingness to make offerings to the temple treasury, but their unwillingness to help a man in need. The lame man's hope must have been that the two would offer him a coin. And then maybe they would move hurriedly along so that the next people that came in might also give him a coin. As is, his job was to beg for these alms to provide for himself. It was his only means. This is all happening at the gate called Beautiful. There's nothing beautiful about this scene. Poor, lame beggar man in front of the temple that's supposed to not have any poor, supposed to be taken care of. And he begins to call out to Peter and John asking for alms. And I imagine he's saying, alms, alms, please help a poor lame man. Whatever that chant looks like. Please, please, can you help a guy out? But I'm sure he was really surprised when Peter and John stopped. Said, look at me. Look at us. Peter and John had little concern for the lame man's financial struggles. They were looking at ridding him of his physical ailments and curing his spiritual struggles. Peter and John are looking for a response from this man. They fix their gaze on him and Peter demands that the man look at us. Why do they want this guy to look at him? Why? I really think, it's really my opinion, they wanted this man to realize that what was about to happen to him was not just a passing occurrence. This was not just something that happened and we really don't know why. They wanted him to know that this was an intentional act. The Holy Spirit within them desired to use this miracle to grab the attention of the crowd that was going to gather In the same way, Peter and John are grabbing his attention. There's going to be a level of shock. Peter and John wanted him to clearly be able to identify who they were as his testimony would be presented with the power of witnesses. For just a minute, let's talk about another miracle. Acts 14 verses 18 and 19 has a lot of similarities here. Paul in Lystra, a man was sitting who had no strength in his feet, sound familiar? Lame from his mother's womb, who had never walked. The man listened to Paul as he spoke, who, when he fixed his gaze upon him, saw that he had faith to be saved. Similarity, same affliction, same fixed gaze. Performing this miracle in the same manner intentionally. Of course, we realize that the same Holy Spirit that dwells within John and Peter are within Paul as well, right? It's not really John and Peter doing this. Let's be real. This is Jesus Christ. This is the Holy Spirit. And it's at this point that the lame man does look at him. It had to be out of the ordinary for someone to actually stop and even speak to this guy. I don't think I've rolled my window down at the interstate when you get off the ramp up here and that guy's playing his guitar with no strings and said one word to him. It's got to be abnormal for people to stop and talk to him, right? Had to be a state of shock that they would even say words to him. And I would assume at this point, he's hoping for an extra large act of generosity in the giving. Otherwise, why would they want him to look at him? There's no way that he expected the wonderful, beautiful gift he was about to receive, though. Because in verse six and seven, it's Peter, but Peter said, I do not possess silver or gold. But what I do have I give to you in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk. And it sees in him by the right hand he raised him up and immediately his feet and ankles were strengthened. Immediately his feet and ankles were strengthened. If the scholars are correct and the gate called beautiful is this Nicanor gate, the statement that I do not possess silver and gold has some kind of special implied meaning here. Perhaps Peter looked up at this gate, constructed of solid Corinthian gold or bronze, and realized the corrupt nature that was going on within the Jewish religion itself at this time. Much like the Roman Catholic Church of the last several centuries, the temple has many expensive, ornate features, but at the bottom of this beautiful gate sits a poor, helpless lame beggar that they have done nothing for. The church had much value for itself, but none for the lame man. Peter's expressing that silver and gold truly do not have value for one who's in dire need physically and spiritually. He will now show the lame man that true value is shown only in the name of Jesus Christ. This name is far more beautiful than this gate called beautiful. So Peter proceeds to tell the lame man that what he does have he gives to him. How fitting that he's presenting this as a gift. I'm gonna give it to you. The gift of salvation. It's not only physical healing, it's spiritual as well. The gift of salvation always comes at no cost. It's not cheap, it's of infinite value. Isaiah 55 one is a verse that we had to memorize at Graham. It says, ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. And you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. I think subtly Peter's telling the lame man here that money's not what you need. He's telling him he needs Jesus. Peter then adds, in the name of Jesus Christ of the Nazarene, and this has particular meaning here. When this terminology is used, it means by the virtue of Jesus Christ's character, authority, and power. This act is declared. It is an act consistent with Jesus's will. It's an act that is done as though Jesus were there physically himself at that very moment. What I'm doing is in his name. It's in his power. This is not a magical incantation, but it testifies to the source of the action. Peter uses the term the Nazarene to ensure, as he's done in the past, that everyone knows that this is the Jesus you hung on that tree. This is him. Peter wants anyone near enough to see or hear to know this with clarity. This is the Jesus that was crucified, that was buried, that was resurrected, that ascended. He is still at work today. Something else to consider here is didn't this lame man have to know about Jesus? Had he not thought to himself at some point in time, man, I wish Jesus would come by here. I could really stand some healing about right now. And he had probably given up hope when he heard that they had hung Jesus, crucified him on the tree. And all hope was gone. He would never come by. But yet here he is. Don't you think that this, his being seated at the temple gate daily, would have positioned him to at least hear the stories, if not actually see miracles that Jesus had worked during his ministry? He had to know these things. And here Peter and John are. This man's going to be healed in the name of Jesus. Isn't it ironic that the healing happened right outside the temple? There's going to be no declaration that it happened because you were here at the third hour of prayer. There's going to be no declaration here. It was because of some sacrifice that somebody presented. This is outside the temple. This beautiful event happens outside of a gate called beautiful. Another miracle that's recorded in Mark chapter one, we find Peter's mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. And immediately they spoke to Jesus about her and he came to her, raised her up, taking her by the hand, and the fever left her and she began to wait on him. Peter's mother-in-law is healed. and some very similar actions here. Isn't it interesting that both cases the miracle occurs only after the patient is helped by an extended hand? Help your brother. We can be miracles to others by extending our hand and helping them. This miracle's far more than that. Looking ahead just a bit, Peter's upcoming servant is going to tell us that this man was healed by faith in Christ's name. You'll find that in Acts chapter 3 verse 16. Healing was a major part of Jesus's ministry. Through these acts of healing, he manifested the kingdom of God and his identity as the Messiah. Luke 7, verse 22, and he, Jesus, answered and said to them, go and report to John what you have seen and heard. The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. This is the kingdom of God, right? It's important for us to remember that the miracles worked through the apostles as well as all the miracles worked by Jesus had intent. Sure, they did meet an immediate need that each of these people had, an ailment, some physical problem. There was an immediate need for that individual receiving the miracle, but these were ultimately performed to promote the name of Jesus Christ and his status as the Messiah. These miracles are going to continue for some chapters as we journey on through the Book of Acts. Verses 8 to 11 read, And leaping up, he stood upright, began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God. And they were recognizing him, that he was the one who used to sit at the beautiful gate of the temple to beg alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. And while he was clinging to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them at the portico called Solomon, full of wonder. And we see this lame man, formerly lame man, not only able to walk, but he's leaping to take his first steps. Leaping. He's over 40 years old and he's jumping around. The first steps in his life. Not only his first leap and his first steps, this is his first time praising God. This is his first moments of belief. He suddenly realized that this miracle has happened to himself through the name of Jesus Christ. He has all the reasons in the world to rejoice. This miracle is not only includes simple healing of his lame condition, but his atrophy is gone. We talked a few minutes ago about how the size of the legs would decrease. His strength is given to him. What about this? He knows how to walk. He's never taken a step in his life. He has balance, he has coordination, he knows how to shift. We all know or have heard stories of people that have a car accident and perhaps they're in a coma for a little while. And when they come around to finally get them on their feet, they have to go through rehab to learn how to walk again. He hasn't walked in 40 some years ever. Not only was his lame condition healed, his whole physical problem was gone. He's walking as though he'd done it all of his life. Not only does he utter words of joy and praise to God, but he desires to accompany Peter and John into the temple. Another first. He's finally worthy to go into the temple. He finally feels welcome to go into the temple. First time he's found spiritual acceptance. He's going into the house of the worship. Once again, a member of the Jewish religion who was rejected and considered unworthy has found full acceptance in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene. Isaiah 35 is often referred to as being prophetic of this and several other miracles, and it states the eyes of the blind will be opened. The ears of the deaf will be unstopped, and I'm sure Jackie is ready for that to happen to me. And then the lame will leap like a deer. It's formerly lame guys like a kid with a new toy. He just cannot resist the temptation to walk and leap and praise God. The common things that we all take for granted. that his ailment has denied him for so long ago. And now as they enter the temple, all this leaping and praising is going on during what? What's going on at three o'clock in the afternoon? We got the daily sacrifices. We got the hour of prayer. I'm sure this is a solemn time. This is a time of quiet worship. And here comes this guy that used to be lame. leaping and praising God into the temple for his first time. What a commotion that must have been. I mean, that really must have been something to bear. So now we realize that the people in the temple were filled with wonder and amazement. And this reaction of the people stemmed from the fact that this man with an incurable ailment is now in their presence, not only walking, but leaping and praising God, rejoicing in Jesus' name, no doubt, in the temple that the Jews worship in. And these people are bearing witness to a miracle that only the one true God could have done. There's no other way. Only moments before this, many of these people luckily just walked by him and ignored him. And now they're Look at this. They knew this man is the lame beggar he used to be and now they are marveling over him. This man has been touched by the true God and they want to be a part of it. Another thing that causes marveling here is there was apparently a teaching in the Jewish community that when you had an ailment like this, that either you or your parents had sinned to cause it. In John chapter nine, we have the apostles asking Jesus Christ, they saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples ask him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind? And Jesus answered him and said, neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this was so that the works of God might be manifested in him. And he goes on to cure him and heal him of his sight. So the disciples got this from somewhere. It had to be a teaching that was there. So the Jewish leaders no doubt had taught this, and now all these people have this paradox that they've gotta overcome. This teaching that we've heard is apparently errant. Because if sin had caused that, it would not be curable. This would be a forever status. And now here he is able to, you get the point, right? So they've got a theological issue they're dealing with now. How is he healed? So, these people are having to overcome this. And we know that an illness is the result of a fallen world. There's no doubt that sin causes every illness, but not a particular sin necessarily. This is a fallen state. The whole world is contaminated by it. This hill man is now clinging to Peter and John, and this confirms his own marveling at himself. He's marveling at what has just occurred and I can only imagine the things that are going through his mind because surely he didn't want to be separated from Peter and John. He's found faith. He's experienced healing in the name of Jesus Christ through the actions of these men. He surely wants to believe what they believe now. These men truly possess truth. And he wants to be a part of it. This has to be going through his mind. I feel certain that he had some pinned up fear for the Jewish leaders. He knows what they did for Christ and Christ is the one that they healed. The healing happened through these apostles. He's certainly aware of that these Jewish leaders have cross blood on their hands. But surely the Jewish leaders would not dare touch Peter and John with all this going on right now. Surely they could not deny that this was a work of God. And how could he not be overflowing with joy and love and devotion for these guys? Just the fact that they had stopped to talk to him would have made them to be friends. They just had a personal experience with Jesus, the Messiah, through them. He did not want to lose this feeling of love and joy that he experienced. And certainly he's having to cope with a level of confidence that he has never experienced before. You don't have to carry me anywhere anymore. I can go where I want to and I'm in this temple. I'm praising God. I'm leaping. Verse 11 clearly explains that he stayed near the men who had brought the miracle to be. All the people gathering around them obviously heard him rejoicing and praising God and surely praising Jesus Christ of the Nazarene. Certainly, Peter and John were known as followers of Jesus Christ, and here they are performing the same miracles that Jesus himself had performed. The healed man is living evidence of their miracle. Verse 11 serves as a transitional verse. Verse 11 is a verse that takes us from the miracle that has occurred to the next sermon of Peter. Peter's gonna deliver his next sermon at the same place where Jesus gave his Good Shepherd discourse in John 10, 23. And it's even more amazing to me when you think about this, that these people are literally running together around Peter and John and this healed man so they can hear the gospel preached. They're running in amazement to see what is going on. They're running up there unaware to hear the gospel. This miracle was used to draw that crowd. And the miracles caused the crowd to gather here. Peter is ready to deliver his next indictment of Jesus's crucifixion and how to find salvation in him alone. In closing, we're going to be studying a number of miracles performed by the apostles as we go through the book of Acts. There's four aspects to all the miracles performed by the apostles. Number one, they're unexpected. They happen suddenly. Number two, they're done in Jesus's name, every one of them. Number three, they're immediate, they're instantaneous. And number four, they're thorough and complete. When this lame man was healed, there was no progressive healing here. There was no three months of rehab and you'll be able to walk. It was complete. So when you're browsing through your TV channels and you come across this Christian television station and you got people slinging their coat around and knocking people down with their foul breath and you got all these shenanigans going on, you need to understand something. This is a show and it's nothing more than that. They're trying to work on the same side of people's brains that says, if you buy one more lottery ticket, you'll win it this time. Just one more, just buy one more. If these false teachers truly had a gift of healing, and they were truly out to forward the name of Christ and his kingdom, we would read in the newspaper or hear it on the six o'clock evening news that so-and-so preacher down the road went into Holston Valley Hospital and the place was emptied. You can't make me believe otherwise. This is about money. This is about, these men are robbers preying on the very vulnerable, most vulnerable people that we have in our communities. Thieves stalking out the most desperate among us. And yes, I am a cessationist. And yes, I will talk clearly about this. I won't pull any punches. But I do know that God still does work miracles today. But he doesn't do it through people like that. Fortunately, you don't have to experience a great miracle of healing to receive faith and salvation as this formerly lame man did. Tonight, if you're feeling that effectual calling of God upon you, today can be the first day of your new born again life. Let's pray. Father, you have spoken to us through your word once again, and we thank you for your word. Help us, Lord, to apply your words to our lives, and please allow us to recognize your power in our lives, and help us to not take things so for granted. We do it so easily. Please keep us in your will as we go through our daily walk, and I thank you for everyone that's here, for the families that are represented, and I ask that you give them safe travels home. Bring us back at your next appointed time, Father, we love you and pray this in Jesus's name and all God's children said, amen.