Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Eph 1:3). Amen.
How is your day so far? Perhaps you haven’t had enough time to formulate an opinion yet. Possibly you would put it into the category of “normal.” You got up and got ready. You showered and shaved. And now you are sitting here. It is an ordinary Sunday.
That was not the case for a lame man. His life was completely changed. He would say and we could state it: This is no ordinary day because of extraordinary deliverance and because of extraordinary delight. We read from …
Acts 3:1-10
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus, who has all power and deserves all praise,
I don’t know when any given day goes from normal to abnormal. We all woke with things that bug us or bother us. Each of us has them—to various degrees. And they are real—for you and for me. My concerns. Your cares. And it will be that way this side of heaven. It will never be painless or pain-free.
But here is the reminder. Even though they are made up words, our day is not “Jesus-less” or “Jesus-free.” For that reason, …
This Is No Ordinary Day
1. Because of extraordinary deliverance (1-8a)
2. Because of extraordinary delight (8b-10)
1. Because of extraordinary deliverance (1-8a)
It just may be me. I am not sure where to put the stress on the adjective. Is it extraordinary? Or is it extraordinary? It refers to something phenomenal. That describes what occurred with a crippled man. This is no ordinary day because of extraordinary deliverance.
There was no indication that the present day was going to be different from the previous day. After Jesus ascended into heaven, the believers assembled in the temple courts (Acts 2:46), gathering around God’s Word. So it is not surprising that Luke reports: “One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon” (Acts 3:1). The ninth hour was one of the three hours of prayer. The others were 9:00 AM and sunset. Peter and John are mentioned together and often worked together. So far, pretty ordinary—Peter and John making their way to the temple.
And there was that nameless man. For 40 years he had struggled with the same situation—he had no use of his legs (Acts 4:22). Since there was no welfare system, he went about his daily activity, stationed in his usual place like people position themselves at stoplights here in town. “Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts” (Acts 3:2). He was at the mercy of passersby for charitable gifts. So far, pretty ordinary—this man making a living at the temple.
But that all changed. Peter and John met this man. They were strolling and he was soliciting. “When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money” (Acts 3:3). He stretched out his hand for some help—a coin of some sort, if they could spare some change.
The two men stopped. Who wouldn’t feel for this one with his withered legs? “Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, ‘Look at us!’” (Acts 3:4). Peter wanted his undivided attention as a teacher does with her students. No looking down or looking up. “Eyes right here.” Could this be his payday? He was ready. “So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them” (Acts 3:5).
Was he upset at what Peter uttered next? “Silver or gold I do not have” (Acts 3:6). What good was that? But there was more, much more. Bigger and better. A student wants a day off of school around Christmas time and he gets a two week of vacation. “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk” (Acts 3:6). He requested some money and received a miracle. “Taking him by the right hand, he [that is, Peter] helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong” (Acts 3:7). Four decades of an ailment reversed with a few words from a disciple. And it was immediate. No physical therapy or fancy exercises like after knee surgery. “He jumped to his feet and began to walk” (Acts 3:8). No stumbling or staggering like a toddler’s first steps. We can only imagine what that must have been like. This is no ordinary day because of extraordinary deliverance.
When Jesus was on earth, he performed miracles—just like he did in the region of the Decapolis (Mk 7:31). There was that man who had deafness in his ears and difficulty with his speech. Jesus gave him the ability to hear clearly and talk correctly. Mark even recorded the Aramaic word: “‘Ephphatha!’ (which means, ‘Be opened!’)” (Mk 7:34). He fulfilled what the prophet Isaiah predicted: “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy” (Is 35:5,6). Those were marks of the Messiah whom God promised to send to save from sin (Is 34:4).
What Peter did was not by himself of on his own. That ability came from Jesus—“In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk” (Acts 3:6). In other words, “by the power of and the authority of Jesus.” This is an example of one of the signs that the apostles did (Acts 2:43). Jesus gave them that capability to back up their message. They were his instruments. The people could connect the dots. What Jesus did, his followers do. They must be from him. And those proofs confirmed their message about Jesus who came to rescue all from the stranglehold of sin and Satan. That let them proclaim that significance.
When we hold our tin cup up to God, what are we looking for? Since we have nothing to offer him, he offers us everything. Instead of a dollar or two (and that does come from him too), we get deliverance from sin and Satan. Instead of some pocket change, we get a perfect change. He sends away our sin because he set it on Jesus’ cross and supplies us with Jesus’ holiness. What he has, he gives to us—the removal of guilt and the eternity with him. And he follows that up with good and perfect gifts on earth—other things (Ja 1:17; Ro 8:32). This is no ordinary day with an extraordinary deliverance from the Lord—undeserved gifts to us.
2. Because of extraordinary delight (8b-10)
It really makes no difference how we pronounce it—extraordinary or extraordinary. The meaning remains the same. It is something remarkable. That depicts what transpired with a paralyzed man. This is no ordinary day because of extraordinary delight.
There was no stopping him. How could anyone? Can you picture him trying out his new legs? This was not a sad dream, but sheer delight. “Then he [that is, the lame man] went with them [that is, Peter and John] into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God” (Acts 3:8). All three are significant—walking, jumping, and praising. He checked out his long stride and vertical leap. But the words of worship were not directed to Peter, but to God. He was the One to honor for what had taken place.
It certainly drew the notice of those who had congregated on the temple grounds. “When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 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” (Acts 3:9,10). They were almost beside themselves with astonishment at what was so unusual. This gave Peter an opportunity to address them with a lengthy explanation (Acts 3:11ff.). But this is no ordinary day because of extraordinary delight.
There may have been other beggars there that day who were not healed. Jesus didn’t come to get rid of all physical problems. He came to take care of our spiritual issues. And he did. That doesn’t make him powerless to handle the others. That reminder is in place. He can and does keep some suffering from us. We praise him for that. But when there is hurt or heartaches, cancer or colds, if he doesn’t clear them up, he bears us up—strengthening us and supporting us each day. We praise him for that too. In them we look to the Lord. Through them we lean on the Lord. Even others take note as we take comfort in his goodness and faithfulness. This is no ordinary day because of extraordinary delight in the Lord—undeniable gratitude from us.
So what about today? Normal? Whatever that is for a Sunday—an afternoon nap in a comfy chair or a nice lunch in front of the TV since football is back on. Or any other day. It doesn’t matter. This is no ordinary day because of extraordinary deliverance and because of extraordinary delight. God cancels our sin and keeps us strong. With the psalmist we sing: “Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul. I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live” (Ps 146:1). Amen.
Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen! (Re 7:12).
September 9, 2018
No comments:
Post a Comment