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PASTOR WOOD’S Message notes
Message Notes: April 14, 2024
Title: “The Miracle of Walking In Jesus”
Text: Acts 3:11-26
Intro: The gift of the harmonica.
I. The saving things happen only in Jesus.
A. A miracle with legs.
B. The greater miracle is faith.
1. Sin and evil love only itself.
2. Sin kills and makes enemies.
3. Repentance is love in practice.
4. Repentance and faith in Jesus are the goal of Peter’s message.
C. A crippled man receives a great miracle.
1. Cries out to Peter and John at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple.
2. Crippled possibly for over 40 years (Acts 4:22).
3. Peter and John make eye contact.
D. The immediate results were a lot of fun.
1. Entered the temple courts, walking, jumping, and praising God.
2. The people noticed and recognized him and were amazed.
3. This man becomes a living example of God’s grace at work and a picture of eternal life too.
4. His life was completely new.
5. Heavenly stuff.
E. In Jesus’ name.
1. Acts 3:6
2. Acts 3:16
3. Acts 4:10
4. Acts 4:12
5. Jesus is the real miracle.
II. Ignorance is not bliss and does not make us innocent.
A. Example of DOT law.
B. The ignorant Israelites of Acts 3 condemned Jesus and potentially themselves.
1. The people are guilty as well as ignorant vs 17.
2. “Why does it surprise you?” Peter starts off.
3. By now everyone in Jerusalem had heard of Jesus, Good Friday and of the empty tomb.
4. Ephesians 4:18.
5. Willful or stubborn.
C. Guilty.
1. “the one whom you delivered up, and disowned.”
2. Ignored Pilate and condemned Jesus to be crucified.
3. Disowned the righteous One and asked that a murderer be released instead.
4. Beggar initially ignorant too—sought too little.
5. Legs, faith, and eternal life.
D. In condemning Jesus these “men of Israel” condemn themselves.
1. A “prophet like Moses”
2. Deuteronomy 18
3. History of Israel not good.
4. “Men of Israel” become “brothers” when…
E. The truth of the matter is that we are all beggars and guilty of the same sins as the Israelites.
1. An Israelite in the Temple.
2. For worship or for personal benefit?
3. Not a place to commune with God but to beg.
4. Personal benefits vs. a genuine desire to commune with the Almighty.
5. What happens if we don’t get what we want?
6. What are we really asking for?
7. Crippled—lame excuses, lack of interest, blame, or fostering ignorance.
8. Mistaking Routine for peace.
9. Prayer/Worship time for Peter and John was begging time for the beggar.
10. Lots of questions. Being truthful with our answers makes all the difference in the kind of communion we really have with our Lord—lame or strong.
III. The gate is open in Jesus.
F. Finally, into the inner courts with John and Peter.
1. New legs, walking dancing amazing the people with his moves.
2. New faith, new hope, new purpose.
G. No longer invisible.
1. Restaurant illustration.
2. Routine was to be overlooked.
3. Worshippers look at him differently, not as a beggar but as a miracle.
4. He called to Peter and John from his invisibility.
5. Peter and John look at Him.
6. The invisibility of some Christians.
7. We learn that we are not invisible.
H. You are worth….
1. Matthew 10:29…more than many sparrows.
2. Every hair on your head is numbered.
3. Psalm 139– Nothing about us is invisible to God.
I. The gates are opened to those who condemned Jesus.
1. The path is grace in the cross and repentance.
2. Jesus not Israel suffered for sins.
3. Jesus not Israel was forsaken, disowned, and handed over to be crucified.
4. The beggar – evidence of Jesus’ love
5. Of a living, powerful Savior.
6. Of Blessings for all believers.
7. Foreshadowing of a kingdom yet to come.
8. Offered through Peter and John and modern believers.
9. We are all guilty of disowning Jesus for a multitude of reasons.
J. Times of refreshing.
1. 1 Timothy 1:13.
2. The helpless are helped.
3. In Jesus we have new legs to stand on.
Conclusion: Tune in. The tuning fork of faith puts us in harmony with Jesus and one another. Jesus, the harmonica of God’s love, makes us of one heart and mind. In Jesus we have something to sing together about.
Taking it Home.
1. Have you ever isolated yourself in self-pity? How did that work out for you? Bring you any peace? What set you free from it?
2. Have you consciously or unconsciously ever entered worship for reasons other than communing with the Lord? (Examples—to get noticed, because you were ‘made to,’ because you wanted Jesus to fix a problem in your life and you figured to give it a try, or because of something else). What brought you to your senses?
3. In what ways has the Lord opened the gates of heaven to you? (Faith of course)—Examples: New understanding of scripture? A new appreciation of some form? A different perspective? Did it give you a new spring to your walk in Christ?
Consider Reading the rest of Acts 3 and Acts 4 to get the whole story of what happened with the healing of this one beggar.
PRINTABLE PDF: MNapril14.PDF
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Dear Grace Congregation
I am very humbled and grateful to have been in the Lord’s service for 25 years. I am grateful to have served here at Grace for twenty of those years. Thanks to all of you for making our family a part of Grace’s family these twenty years. Thank you for the kindness, the fun, and the joy of last Sunday’s celebration. Thank you for the great meal and fellowship. Thanks to the youth for remembering Michigan Jones so fondly. Thank you for your cards and gifts and for the many expressions of love. Thank you for putting up with all my VBS ideas and hanging in there with me each year. Thank you for your patience when I am a little slow or dull. Thank you for including us in your own milestones. Thank you for allowing me to continue to work side by side with you in this ministry. The family of Grace has been very consistent in its support of its staff and is a big reason I remain here as pastor. We love this congregation and look forward to many more years together with you.
Love in Christ
Pastor Matthew Woods (PW)