It Is God Who Did It

                                                                

An amateur photographer was invited to dinner by a friend. He took along a few pictures to show the hostess. She looked at the photos and commented "these are very good! You must have a good camera”. He did not make any comment. Later as he was leaving to go home he said to her, "that was a really delicious meal! You must have some very good pots."

The book of Acts represents the origin and progress of Christianity from the capital of Judaism to the capital of heathenism. We see the Church rising into existence first among the Jews and later the Gentiles. It sweeps majestically from Jerusalem until it gains a foothold in Rome, the great capital of the ancient world. Acts is the history of the planting of the Church among the Jews by Peter and among the Gentiles by Paul.

The early triumphs of Christianity are recorded for the benefit of men of every age. It is a remarkable testimony to the power of the Gospel, that, within thirty years it made a deep impression upon all parts of the civilized world. Its success cannot be accounted for by any view, other than that it was God’s message and His Almighty power made it effective.

In Acts 3 God uses Peter to miraculously heal a lame man. This miracle is a significant sign. While Jesus was on earth, he had healed the lame in this same town. In John 5:1-14, we are told that “Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool... one who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years... Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and  walk ". At once the man was cured ; he picked up his mat and walked.

Peter said to the lame man “in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk” (Acts 3:6). By healing the lame man in Jesus' name, it would have been evident to all present that the power of Jesus was now at work through His disciples. Isaiah had predicted that in Israel's future " the lame will  leap like a  deer (Isa. 35:6).  The healing of lame people in the Gospel and Acts indicated to the Jews present that the Messiah had come.

In Acts 3 we read about Peter’s second sermon. On the Day of Pentecost when Peter preached his first sermon, the Holy Spirit used a sound from heaven to attract people to the crusade ground.  When this sound occurred, the multitudes came together and were confused because everyone heard the Galileans speak in his own language.  They were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?” (Acts 2:1-12). Peters first sermon addressed that question.

In Acts 3 the Holy Spirit uses the healing of the lame man to draw a crowd to hear another sermon. The now completely healed man “went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. When all the people saw him ... 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. While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them”(Acts 3:8-11).

There was no doubt about the genuineness of his healing. Almost everyone in Jerusalem knew this beggar, since he had sat for so long at an entrance to the temple. Jesus may have passed this man many times as he walked in and out of the temple. Why didn’t he heal him? One reason why Jesus did not heal him is because God’s timing is just as important as His will. And, it was for the greater glory of God that Jesus heals this man from heaven through His apostles.

The healed man went with the apostles into the temple courts. This might have been a good time for a testimony, for the healed man certainly had a great experience. Yet Peter knew that what the crowd needed to hear, even more than the healed man’s experience, was the gospel of Jesus Christ and a call to repent. Peter knew that saving faith did not come by seeing or hearing about miracles, rather faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Rom. 10:17).

Jesus was a great teacher; one of the most effective techniques Jesus used was drawing parallels with everyday things and events. Sermon illustrations are crucial because they help to capture attention. They provide a visual or relatable story that helps people understand and apply the sermon to their own lives. An illustration brings clarity to biblical truth and reveal how God’s Word works and has worked in the lives of others.

Sermon illustrations act as a bridge between abstract biblical concepts and the everyday lives of listeners. This makes the message more relatable and memorable. Illustrations help people see the immediate relevance of the biblical text for their lives. A good illustration can mean the difference between an average sermon and an outstanding sermon. It may be the difference between a sermon that changes lives and one that does not.

The Holy Spirit has provided a living illustration to introduce Peter’s second sermon. When Peter and John are standing in Solomon’s porch, hanging on to both of them was this living illustration. They knew who he was; they saw him every time they passed in and out of the Beautiful gate. So the Spirit has already set the stage for the sermon. The whole time Peter is preaching, they are staring at this living illustration.

Peter sows the gospel seed in the ground which has already been prepared to receive it. The healing of the lame man was a miracle; only God could do it. These Jews knew about the infinite power of their God; they had heard from their forefathers about the miracles he had performed. But this is the first time they are witnessing human beings perform a miracle. They ran to see the healed man and they were to greatly amazed.

When Peter saw their reaction, he said to them “men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus (Acts 3:11-13). Peter asked two questions; first “men of Israel, why do you marvel at this?”

In other words “why should this seem so strange? This is not more than what Jesus had done many a time. He healed all sorts of people when he walked this earth. Shortly before this that he had raised Lazarus from the dead. Jesus had also risen from the dead himself. So why should it seem strange that he continues to heal from heaven? God has always been a God of miracles. This is just part of your history.

The second question was, “why look you so earnestly on us as though by our own power or holiness we have made this man walk?” The crowd was focusing on him and John as the "miracle workers". Peter quickly corrected this by diverting their focus to God. He said “God ...has glorified his servant Jesus. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see (Acts3:13,16). It’s God who had done it, they were only instruments his Jesus’ hand.

Peter spoke to his audience as a fellow Jew. He told them “the God of our fathers glorified His Servant Jesus”. It was not the power or good character of himself or John that was responsible for the healing. They did not have the power to heal a lame man. They had no special godliness of their own that would give them a direct channel to God for healing. Jesus who was now in glory but still doing his work on earth did it.

Peter's response is the response which every believer should seek to give to those who applaud them for “great” service. This is a good pattern for all believers when they receive praise or commendation for something they have done in ministry. It is so tempting to take the credit. Proverbs 27:21 says “the crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but people are tested by their praise” (Prov. 27:21). You know what a man is by the way he bears praise.

In 2 Corinthians 4:7 Paul says “but we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us”. Paul likens gospel ministers to ordinary earthen vessels, fragile clay pots that nevertheless contain the priceless treasure of the gospel. They should be humbled to be included in God’s plan to preserve and proclaim His priceless message. Yet somehow, in the process they often forget the “clay pot” reality.

Sometimes we work hard to impress each other. We place our most treasured pots on display for all to see, failing to actually reveal the invaluable treasure inside. God delights in thoroughness, hard work, and excellence (Col. 3:23). But a noble offering to God can easily cross the line into showmanship. We must do and give our best in service to our Savior, but we must never shine the spotlight on ourselves. Rather, we are to let His light shine through us.

We are just the clay vessels that the Potter uses for His own purposes. To take any credit for anything that God does through us is to rob Him of the glory rightly due to His name. When God uses you in some way be thankful, be grateful but don’t make the mistake of thinking that you have done this by your own strength or godliness. Paul told the Corinthians, “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?”(1 Cor. 4:7).

Paul said in Philippians “not having a righteousness of my own ... but the righteousness that comes from God (Phil 3:9). He told them that “I can do all this through him who gives me strength (Phil 4:13). Your righteousness is not your own. It comes from God. Your strength is not your own. It comes from God. So, don’t rob God of his glory by taking it for yourself.  Join the psalmist in saying “Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness (Ps.115:1).