As you can imagine, this was causing quite a stir, that a certain man lame from his mother's womb was healed. Herein, Peter and John had went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. Every day the man had been laid at the gate of the temple, which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple. When Peter and John were about to go into the temple, the man asked them for alms. Peter and John told the man to "Look on us!" and when he did, Peter said, "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." (Acts 3:1-6)
At this point, Peter takes the man by the right hand, and lifts him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. Note the healing was immediate. And the man, leaping up stood, and walked, and entered into the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. (Acts 3:7-8)
"And all the people saw him walking and praising God: and they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him. And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.
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 own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? 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. But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; and killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. And His name through faith in His Name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did [it], as [did] also your rulers. But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all His prophets, that Christ should suffer, He hath so fulfilled.
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 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 hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said unto the fathers, "A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; Him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever He shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, [that] every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.
Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, "And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up His Son Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities." (Acts 3:1-26)
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 own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? 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. But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; and killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. And His name through faith in His Name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did [it], as [did] also your rulers. But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all His prophets, that Christ should suffer, He hath so fulfilled.
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 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 hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said unto the fathers, "A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; Him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever He shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, [that] every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.
Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, "And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up His Son Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities." (Acts 3:1-26)
A couple of points worth noting. We know that the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducee's were grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. (Acts 4:1-2) As such, one has to wonder "who" put the man that was lame from birth at the gate -- to beg for alms from those entering into the temple.
As well, note that it was the man's faith that brought soundness to the man's body. "And His name through faith in His Name hath made this man strong ..." It was not Peter and John who healed the man but the same God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob -- the God of their fathers whom glorified His Son Jesus who healed them -- the resurrected Christ.
Interestingly, the man (who we later find out was actually 40 years lame) went directly to the temple praising God. Also of consequence is that this man knew the Name of Jesus to be the very Name that God had given to us by the angel -- for this current dispensation of grace. (Matthew 1:21-23) It is no wonder that the man was made strong through His Name -- the precious holy Name of Jesus -- through faith in His Name.
But Peter does not stop there. In fact, Peter uses this situation as a teaching moment. Similar to Peter's message on the day of Pentecost, Peter reminds those who marvelled, that this same Jesus whom ye crucified is both Lord and Christ. Him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever He shall say unto you. The prophets from afore had pointed to this moment in time. John the baptizer also had instructed those in the temple to "hear ye Him."
Behold, the Lamb of God!
"Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, "And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up His Son Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities." (Acts 3:1-26)
This same Jesus did not come to destroy but to bless them -- you and I -- when we turn away every one of us from our iniquities. But they continued to deny Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted instead, and killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof Peter and John are witnesses.
At this point, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducee's could have repented of their sins, and recognized the good deed done to the impotent man -- that he is now made whole. Sadly, this was not the case.
As Peter filled with the Holy Ghost said to them, "Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, if we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, [even] by Him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:8-12)
The only Name whereby we can have salvation is through the Name of the Lord Jesus. As Peter said, Jesus is the only name whereby we must be saved. No other Name under heaven. And this is the same Jesus which the builders had rejected, the stone (Rock) that was set at nought -- which is become the head of the corner.
One final point. Peter said to them -- this is the stone which was set at nought "of you" builders. These who were rulers in the temple were supposed to be grounded scripturally upon His Word but instead pushed His Word -- the man Christ Jesus -- to the sidelines. In their hearts, Jesus was not who He said He was. Nevertheless, this same Jesus (the Rock which was Christ) has become the head of the corner -- the Head of the body of Christ church.
Yes, Jesus is our hope of salvation. The King of kings and Lord of lords, Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the ending.
Stand in the offering plate.
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