Rise and Walk

Acts chapter 3 tells the story of a miracle that could not be reasonably denied, humanly explained, or lightly dismissed. Now, why these miracles in the early days? They were miracles of introduction, they were miracles of authentication, collaboration, and substantiation.

Now, we live in a different age. We have not miracles of glory, but miracles of grace. Jesus said, greater works than these that I do shall ye do.

What's he talking about? He's talking about the ministry of evangelism. All of these are signs to teach a greater lesson.

Welcome to Love Worth Finding, featuring profound truth simply stated by Adrian Rogers. In Acts chapter 3, Peter and John came across a beggar lying outside the temple gates. He had been lame from his youth and spent his days asking religious leaders for money as they entered the temple. Through the apostles, God performed a special miracle to authenticate their authority given by the Holy Spirit. If you have your Bible, turn now to Acts chapter 3, as Adrian Rogers shares four things about the name of Jesus which caused this man to rise and walk. Find Acts chapter 3. The name of our study is, In the Name of Jesus, Rise and Walk.

Listen to God's Word, Acts chapter 3, verse 1. Now, Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer being the ninth hour, and a certain man, lame from his mother's womb, was carried, whom they lay daily at the gate of the temple, which is called Beautiful, to ask alms. That is, he was begging of them that entered into the temple. And seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked an alms, and Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have, give I thee, in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, rise and walk. Now, if you're down, I want to tell you tonight, there's a miracle waiting for you, and in the name of Jesus, I want you to rise and walk.

Let me give you the setting. Here was a man who was lame from his birth when he came into this world from his mother's womb. His parents looked at his little legs, twisted and deformed. They knew that he would never be able to run. They knew that he would never be able to work. They knew that he could not play with the other children.

They knew that he would be a cripple all of his life because he was born lame. And so every day, they would take him now as a grown man and bring him to the beautiful gate. If you've been to Israel, and you know that you can go up on the Mount of Olives, look down across the Kidron Valley, and then there's a rise that comes up, and there at the Temple Mount, where today the mosque of Omar is, there on the Temple Mount is a gate, the eastern gate, the beautiful gate.

Josephus, who was a Jewish historian, wrote about that gate, and he said it was made of Corinthian brass, but it was overlaid with panels of silver and gold, and as the sun would come up over the Mount of Olives and shine down on that Temple Mount, it would strike that gate, it would be absolutely dazzling. So they called it the Gate Beautiful, and here was this man lying at the gate, a beggar, and by Levitical law, in his condition, he could not go in, wanting to go in, but there was a gate between him and, as it were, the worship of Almighty God. He's a beggar.

He's lying there. Peter and John come, and a notable miracle is done. He rises up to walk. Now, the Bible says in Acts chapter 4, the next chapter, verse 22, And the man was above forty years old, on whom the miracle of healing was shown. Now, that's a very interesting verse, the miracle of healing, because the word there in Acts chapter 4 and verse 22 for miracle is the word that means a sign miracle.

Not a mere miracle, but a sign miracle, a special miracle, a miracle that has symbolism, a miracle with a message. Now, the passage of Scripture is not to teach, therefore, that we today have the power to go about and say to people who are in hospitals, in the name of Jesus, rise and walk. God has not given us that ability. God has not given us that power.

It's not to say God cannot do it, but it is absolutely not normative. This was a special miracle. It was a sign miracle meant to teach a deeper lesson. The apostles had power to do things that you and I don't have power to do. Now, I want to give you some Scriptures.

Just put them down. Acts chapter 5 verse 12, and the Bible says here, And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people. By the hands of the apostles. And the apostle Paul had those who did not believe in his authenticity as an apostle, and they said, You are not a true apostle. And Paul had to vindicate his apostolic authority, and this is what he said in 2 Corinthians 12, verses 11 and 12, I become a fool in glorying, ye have compelled me, for I ought to have been commended of you, for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing. Truly, the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds. Paul, can you prove that you're an apostle? Yes, by the signs of the apostles, the miracles that have been wrought by my hands authenticate my apostolic authority.

Now, what I'm trying to say is this, this was not the rank and file of people going around saying, in the name of Jesus, rise up and walk. Now, why these miracles in the early days? They were miracles of introduction, they were miracles of authentication, collaboration, and substantiation.

Now, we live in a different age. We have not miracles of glory, but miracles of grace. Jesus said, greater works than these that I do shall ye do.

What's he talking about? He's talking about the ministry of evangelism. All of these are signs to teach a greater lesson. For example, when Jesus opened blinded eyes, was that what he came to do?

No. He didn't open all the blind eyes. But when he did open a blind eye or blind eyes, it was a sign that he is able to open the eyes of those who are spiritually blind. When Jesus unstopped deaf ears, did he do that for all?

No. It was a sign, a miracle, to show that he was able to help those who are deaf and cannot hear from God. When Jesus cleansed the lepers, that was a sign to teach that he could cleanse us from the vileness and the filth of sin. When Jesus raised the dead, he didn't raise all the dead. It was a sign to show that he is the resurrection and the life, and he can raise those who are dead in trespasses and sin. So here was this man. He's a highly symbolic man.

The word for miracle is the word that means a sign. Here was a man who could not walk. He could not work.

He could not worship. And Jesus, through the apostles, heals this man. Now, there are a lot of people who want to put an emphasis upon healing and not salvation. Physical miracles are only temporary. Peter and John said, Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I unto you.

What we have is greater than the ability to heal the sick. Now, this man was healed, however, and it was a miracle that could not be denied. Notice in verse 11, chapter 3, verse 11. And as the lame man which was healed helped Peter and John, he wouldn't let them go, just clinging around their knees.

All the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly wondering. Now, no reasonable person, no reasonable person could deny this miracle that was done. And today, in the spiritual sense, catch the parallel now. There ought to be miracles in my life, in your life, in this congregation, that no reasonable person can deny. It was a miracle that could not be reasonably denied, verse 11. It was a miracle that could not be humanly explained in verse 12. And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? Or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our power our holiness we'd made this man to walk? What he was saying is, there is no power inherent in me.

Don't look at me. I did not do this. It was a miracle that could not be denied, reasonably denied. It was a miracle that could not be humanly explained. You could not explain the miracle by Peter or John.

He said, hey, don't look at me as though I had done this. That's one of the reasons I don't believe in praying to saints. There are some people that have the idea that saints have some inherent value in themselves, that saints have some super ability. So, if we can't go to God himself, maybe we could go to a saint and get halfway there and pray to a saint, because he has some built-up validity or some built-up virtue of himself. I see people going around with a little saint on the dashboard.

You ever seen that? A little saint on the dashboard of the car? Friend, it'd be better to take that saint off the dashboard and put him behind the steering wheel.

Why don't you drive like one then? All right, now, it was a miracle that could not be reasonably denied. It was a miracle that could not be humanly explained, but it was a miracle that could not be lightly dismissed. Look in verse 13. Here Peter says, The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus, whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. What he is saying is this, that this miracle was done in the name of Jesus.

Jesus here, his name stands for his person. Actually, what Peter was saying is Jesus is still in business. And now Peter turns the attention from this lame man and away from the apostles, and he turns the lesson to Jesus, and Jesus is the hero of this story. Now, this is the Lord Jesus Christ that they were dealing with. I want you to learn three things about Jesus who caused this man to rise and walk, because I want you to rise up over the circumstances of your life and walk. The three things I want to learn in your heart about Jesus, number one, he is the risen Lord. He is the risen Lord. Look in verse 15. And you kill the prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead, where we're witnesses. What caused Peter, who cringed and denied Jesus in front of a little girl, now to stand and look in the very face of the high muckety-mucks of that day, the highest court of the Jewish land, the Sanhedrin, and the chief priest who had also civil authority, and put his finger in their face and say, you crucified him, but God has raised him from the dead.

Why this boldness? Once they had seen Jesus Christ come out of that tomb. Once they knew that he was alive. There was no way you could daunt them, there was no way you could intimidate them, because they were absolutely certain that he was the prince of life, that he had been raised from the dead, and if we have a living Savior, then what have we to fear? These apostles were not preaching facts about a dead Christ.

That's the only way you can explain the boldness of these people. How do you explain the early church? How do you explain the fact that this Peter, this man who's now talking, they finally took him, and if tradition is correct, and we have reason to believe it is, they crucified Peter. When they were getting ready to crucify Peter, Peter said, look, don't crucify me right side up. Crucify me upside down. I'm not worthy to even be crucified, as my Lord was crucified.

Where did he get that bonus, friend? He had no fear of death. Of course, he didn't want to be crucified, but he had no fear of death, because he knew that his Savior was alive. Listen, you cannot explain away the resurrection of Jesus. History tells us that these early apostles paid for their faith with their lives.

Now, men may live for a lie, but few men will willingly die for a lie if they know it is a lie. The hypocrites and martyrs are not made of the same stuff. This is the risen Christ. He is the risen Lord.

If the devil has you down, in the name of the risen Savior, rise and walk. Second thing I want to say, not only is he the risen Lord, but the Lord Jesus Christ is the residing Lord. Look in verse 16 now. Verse 16 says, Now, remember when we began this message on the book of Acts, we told you that the book of Luke is all that Jesus began to do and to teach. In the book of Acts, we see all that Jesus continues to do and teach. What Peter is saying, though, we said, in the name of Jesus, rise up and walk.

We didn't do it. It is Jesus Christ in us. When it says it's done by his name, name means nature. It was done by the holy nature of Jesus Christ in these men. Our Christ is the contemporary Christ. Now, go back to chapter 4, and look, if you will, in verse 10.

I love this beautiful story here. Now, here's Peter. He's not the defendant now. He's the prosecuting attorney, and here's what he says in verse 10. Now, that's very interesting. Look in verse 11. Now, that's very interesting.

Look in verse 11. They were building this magnificent temple. There was one stone that was in the middle. It was a strange-looking stone. Nobody seemed to know what it was for, how it would fit, and they kept stumbling over it. It was a stumbling stone.

It was in the way. And finally, the project manager said, men, move that stone out of the way. They took that stone over to the edge of the temple mount, took their pry bars and rolled it over, and it went down, down, down, down into the valley, the Kidron Valley. They set a stone at naught.

Now they come. It's time for the cornerstone. Bring the cornerstone.

Send a word to the quarry. We're ready for the cornerstone. We've already sent the cornerstone.

No, you haven't. We don't have it. We tell you, our records say we sent the cornerstone. Where do you think it was?

Down in the valley. That's what this verse is talking about. That stone which is set at naught of you builders has become the head of the corner.

Peter is saying, listen, you want me to tell you how this is done? That stone that you rejected, Jesus Christ, the living stone, the cornerstone, he is the one who has made this man whole. He is the risen Lord. He is the residing Lord. And I want you to know that Jesus, who is alive, lives in you. Oh, if we could only get that in our hearts. We're not just talking about somebody. Friend, he is alive and well in you.

Do you understand that? He is the risen Lord. He is the residing Lord. And, friend, he is the redeeming Lord. Look, if you will, in verse 17 now.

We're back in chapter 3. And now, brethren, I want that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. That's the reason Jesus could pray, Father, forgive them, they know not what they do. But now notice in verse 18. But those things which God before has showed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled, repent ye therefore and be converted, that your sins be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.

That's the reason I'm saying that this miracle was only a platform to preach salvation, to preach being converted. It is an amazing thing. Here, where man did wickedness and wrongness, and when man ruled in wickedness, God overruled in righteousness. And he said, you did it? But those things which God before has showed by the mouth of his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.

It is an amazing thing. He's saying, here is the wickedness of man and the righteousness of God coming together in the crucifixion and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he says, now you need to be converted.

You need to be changed. You need to be saved. And what did he tell them to do? He told them to repent and be converted.

Look in verse 19. Repent ye therefore and be converted. Question, have you repented?

Answer, no. Statement, you're lost. Jesus said in Luke 13, three, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. No one has ever been saved who has not repented. Repentance and faith are heads and tails of the same coin. And friend, if there's no repentance, there can be no refreshing. What is repentance? Repentance is not overcoming sin. You can't do that till you have Jesus in your heart and in your life.

God doesn't say, clean up your life and I'll save you. That'd be salvation by works. That is repentance. The word metanoia means a change of mind.

And friend, it is a change of heart, a change of mind that leads to a change of life. Have you repented? The Bible says in the name of Jesus, repent, believe. In the name of the risen Lord, in the name of the residing Lord, in the name of the redeeming Lord, rise and walk. He is the risen Lord. He is the residing Lord. He is the redeeming Lord.

One more thing. He is the returning Lord. Look now in verse 20. And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you. Send Jesus Christ? Why, I thought Jesus had already come. Yes, but he's coming again. And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you, whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

What's the world coming to? It's coming to Jesus because Jesus is coming to the world. Heaven has received him until the time of restitution. He is coming to restore all things.

And he calls it in verse 19 the time of refreshing. Jesus is coming again. First time he came as a lamb. He's coming again as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He came the first time to redeem. He's coming again to reign. He came the first time to die. He's coming again to raise the dead.

When he came the first time, they asked, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? Next time he's coming as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The first time to a crown of thorns. Next time a crown of glory.

First time in poverty. The next time in power. The first time he had an escort of angels. The next time he's coming with ten thousands of his saints.

The first time he came in meekness. He's coming again in majesty. Don't ever lose sight of the fact that Jesus is alive and well. He is the risen Lord. He is the residing Lord. He is the redeeming Lord. He is the returning Lord.

And even so, come Lord Jesus. Today, if you have questions regarding your faith in Jesus Christ, we'd love to offer you an insightful resource on our website. It's our Find God's Love page. There you'll find answers you may need about your faith. We have a response section where you can share how this message or others have made a difference in your life. Simply go to lwf.org slash radio and click the tab that says Find God's Love. We can't wait to hear from you today. Now, if you'd like to order a copy of today's message in its entirety, you can call 1-877-LOVEGOD.

Mention the title, Rise and Walk. Now, this message is also part of the insightful series, Living Supernaturally. For that complete collection, all 13 powerful messages, call 877-LOVEGOD, or order online at lwf.org slash radio. Or write us at Love Worth Finding, Box 38600, Memphis, Tennessee 38183. You can also purchase our new Bible studies, much like this message, in our online store.

For information, go to lwf.org slash radio. Thank you for studying in God's Word with us today. If you're down, there's a miracle waiting for you in the name of Jesus.

He is the risen, residing, redeeming, and returning Lord. Adrian Rogers said, if the devil has you down in the name of the risen Savior, rise and walk. And tune in next time for more from Adrian Rogers right here on Love Worth Finding. Here's a message of encouragement we received from a listener not long ago.

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