This Was Jesus March 12, 2023 Sermon

A man, his wife, and his mother-in-law are traveling through the Holy Land on vacation.  As they are visiting Jerusalem, the mother-in-law dies suddenly.  Devastated, the husband and wife turn to a local funeral Home for guidance and wisdom.  “We mourn your loss at this very unfortunate time”, said the funeral director.  “In light of your circumstance, we are willing to perform the entire ceremony, including burial here in one of our plots overlooking the city of Jerusalem, for only $500.00.  It would cost you $10,000.00 to transport your deceased mother-in-law back to the United States.  The man thinks things over for a while and then says, “No thanks.  I think we will return her to the United States.  After all, I know of someone else who was buried outside of this city who came back to life three days later, and I’m just not willing to take that chance.”

I can’t help but wonder how this man would react if his mother-in-law would come back to life.  Would the miracle affect him in any way?

Lots of amazing things happened in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago.  The blind could see again; the crippled were healed; diseases were cured; people were brought back to life.  Jesus did all these things while He walked the earth.  This was Jesus.  And yet, even after Jesus was gone, these same miracles continued.  Who was working all these amazing signs and wonders we read about in the Book of Acts?  Who healed the lame beggar outside of the Temple in Jerusalem?  That was the question on the mind of many as they gathered in amazement.  Was it Peter?  Was it John?  Who was at work here?

Acts 3:12-19

¹² Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd. “People of Israel,” he said, “what is so surprising about this? And why stare at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or godliness? ¹³ For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of all our ancestors—who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this. This is the same Jesus whom you handed over and rejected before Pilate, despite Pilate’s decision to release him. ¹⁴ You rejected this holy, righteous one and instead demanded the release of a murderer. ¹⁵ You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact!

¹⁶ “Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes.

¹⁷ “Friends, I realize that what you and your leaders did to Jesus was done in ignorance. ¹⁸ But God was fulfilling what all the prophets had foretold about the Messiah—that he must suffer these things. ¹⁹ Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.

For some reason the people thought that Peter and John had healed this man.  But Peter, seeing a great opportunity, points out that this was Jesus; He did the healing; they were merely the vessels through whom the Lord worked.

Jesus did the work.  Yeah.  Jesus.  And Peter, in his loving and tender way, says, “this is the same guy you had put to death about two months ago.”  But Peter wasn’t trying to pick a fight with these people.  Actually, he was trying to help these folks see the error of their ways.  They had acted in ignorance (verse 17).  I like how it says, “Peter saw an opportunity.” Not to scold or condemn, but to call these people to repentance.

Permit me to share something here about the heart of God.  God does not desire that we remain separated from Him or that we spend eternity in outer darkness (Matthew 22:13).  Through the Prophet Ezekiel, God cries out “As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?”– Ezekiel 33:11.

Because of God’s desire, He would pull back the curtain and reach into our world making right what was wrong – making straight that which was crooked and bent.  He did these things in Old Testament times so the people of this world might stand and take notice… not to impress the world or to amaze people, but so they might see, believe, repent, and be saved.

Because of this man's healing in Acts 3, the number of MEN who believed in Jesus grew to 5,000.  That’s not counting the women and youngsters.  And it all began because Peter and John took the time to get involved in one man's life, offering him healing in the name of Jesus.  The miracle this crippled man experienced was one thing, but it wasn’t the main thing.  For sure the man could now walk and run, but the physical healing this man received was only temporary.  Eventually he would grow old and die.  The main thing is where this man would spend eternity, not that he could now walk.  So, Peter reminds those who have just witnessed a miracle that this was Jesus.  The miracle happened not just to heal the lame man but to help people see, believe, repent, and be saved (Acts 3:19). 

The Father in heaven was working then and even now to catch our attention before it is too late; before the offer of Eternal Life is gone.

 

When a miracle happens, Christians proclaim, this was Jesus.  When a life of bondage is set free, Christians proclaim, this was Jesus.  When the church comes together to help those dealing with a crisis, Christians proclaim this is Jesus.  At least they should.  Christians should seize the opportunity to call those who have just witnessed the mighty works of God to believe, repent, and be saved.  That’s the lesson the Church needs to learn.

Jesus has done the work, but the Church must be the ones who seize the opportunity.  The Apostle Paul reminds Christians to, “Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. ⁶ Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.”– Colossians 4:5-6.

What I have noticed here is that Peter and John, transformed by the Holy Spirit, saw a man whom others had overlooked.  They saw his need while others saw his condition.  They got involved while others walked by.  Apart from the miracles, the Church’s greatest witness in the first century was its tendency to see the needs of others.  From the poor in Jerusalem to the unwanted babies in Ephesus, these first Christians saw the needs of others and got involved.  This was Jesus as He walked the earth; we should expect His followers to do the same.

Church, permit me to ask you a question: What might happen in our communities if we, as Christians, take the time to get involved in a person's life who is still living in darkness: still spiritually crippled.  Have we become like the religious folks who continue to walk past those in need, or will we become like Peter and John and get involved in the lives of those held captive by sin?

A believer should be able to see the handiwork of the Lord; a person who doesn’t know Jesus will not know this… they will not know it was Jesus who just reached into their lives.   This is why the Christians must seize the opportunity that is before them and tell the World the power they see at work is Jesus.

I have seen my share of miracles in life.  When a young man with severe brain trauma was healed - even though the professionals figured he would die - that wasn’t science and technology; that was Jesus.  When twins were born prematurely, and their little heads were no bigger than a tennis ball, their health and vitality happened because of Jesus.  When a former drug addict, being homeless, finds themselves eventually pastoring a church, that wasn’t because of some 12-step program; that was Jesus.  When a farmer from our own family beats the odds and is healing from cancer, this was Jesus.  When we witness a person’s fear turn to hope, when their anger turns to love and their sadness turn to joy, it wasn’t because they purchased a self-help book; that was Jesus.  When God pulls back the curtain of Heaven and makes straight something in your life that was crooked, This was Jesus.  But these miracles are not the main thing.  It’s one thing to witness a miracle, but the main thing is to allow that miracle to point you to Jesus.  In this way, the great miracle you have seen will complete the work for which it was sent – not to impress or to amaze – but to help you see, believe, repent, and be saved.

My friend, since God, in His mercy, has reached into your life, make the most of that moment by believing Jesus is who He said He is – God’s only Son through whom you might be saved.  “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”– Acts 4:12.