1-14-2023 Daytona Beach Seventh Day BAPTIST Pastor Ben “In The Name of JESUS” Acts 3;1-10

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1-14-2023 Daytona Beach Seventh Day BAPTIST Pastor Ben “In The Name of JESUS” Acts 3;1-10




The text says Peter and John went to the temple at the hour of prayer and saw this lame man sitting at the temple gate begging. The man asked them for money but instead Peter said “In the name of Jesus Christ, get up and walk”. The man stood up and began leaping and walking and praising God for his healing that he got in the name of Jesus. When the Lord does something, we cannot stop praising the Lord. We must praise the Lord when He performs miracles in front of our eyes.

It was normal for Peter and John to go to the church at 3:00 pm because this was a prayer time set up for all people to pray. Peter and John were used to these prayers times because they knew that with much prayer, there is much power. Let me repeat that; with much prayer, there is much power! Peter and John were prayer partners and each Christian should have a prayer partner. When God’s people pray, power comes down from God and prayers are answered. This is why we have Bible studies online daily because with the power of prayer we have seen miracles. We have been witnesses to God’s miracle healings. Its all been done in the name of Jesus Christ.

Jesus said that whenever one or two are gathered together in His name, He will be there. Now Peter and John were on their way to the temple for their usual afternoon prayer. Just as they get to the temple gate, they see this lame, crippled man right at the door. The man was begging for money. Now notice that the man was outside of the temple, not inside the temple begging for money. The man was not inside. Pay attention, the man was outside the temple. Why was he outside the temple? In order to survive this man needed to beg, so everyday he was outside at the gate. In order to live, he needed to beg. In order to walk, he needed to beg for someone to carry him. In order for him to get help, he needed to beg. In order for him to work, he needed to beg. So he is there just begging.

Let me tell you something; back in those days there was no social service institution in place. There was no social security, no public assistance and no united way agency. There was no salvation army and there was no red cross. There were no food pantry organizations to help people. There were no governmental assistance programs; so there he was begging. The Word of the Lord says this man was lame from his mother’s womb and he needed assistance. In today’s message we need to understand that sometimes it is hard for people to get back on their feet. This is because we live in a society where the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. Inflation is high now and have you noticed that your money goes away quicker and your paycheck is getting smaller? It is sometimes harder for people to get back on their feet because we live in a society of people that sometimes only care for themselves.

Poor people are getting poorer but not all beggars are con-artists. Not all beggars are drug addicts. Not all beggars are alcoholics. Not all beggars are mentally ill. Not all of the beggars are uneducated. This week I went to grab a coffee and I was talking to someone who appeared to be homeless. I hugged him and all of a sudden he said Pastor, when are you going to do Bible studies on prophecy because I want to know more about the mark of the beast and the end times. He spoke some Greek words when asking about what we are studying in the Bible. This man told me he went to such and such school and graduated with such and such certificates. People be careful when you see a person that does not look according to your standards of good. Be careful not to judge.

Think with me for a moment about those who wait for their paycheck every first of the month or who are on a fixed income. If you were to miss one of these paychecks, what would happen to you? You know you would be in trouble so lets not look down on people. Someone out there needs us and for some its just a paycheck away from being homeless. Or being one paycheck away from foreclosure. Or being one paycheck away from claiming bankruptcy. Or being one paycheck away from being car-less, without an automobile. Or one paycheck away from being at the top to being at the bottom. One paycheck away from receiving a lot of phone calls from collection agencies who are not very nice. Can I get a witness to that? My brothers and sisters we know what it is like to be homeless and wait for that check which does not arrive when we most need it. We know what it is like to hit bottom; my wife and I have had that experience. It is not good to be in a tent with no air conditioning and its 85 degrees or in a tent when its only 35 degrees. Its not good to live in a tent with no money and nothing to eat.

If it had not been for my Christ, I don’t know where we would be today. Here we are so Praise the Lord for what He has done for us. The Bible says Peter looked at the lame man and said ‘look at us”. This is important because it is in harmony with Jesus’s actions. Before Jesus had healed or touched anybody, He captivated the individual’s attention. Jesus wanted to make eye contact with the people and to make sure they understood what it was all about, what was about to happen to them and who would be performing their miracle. Jesus wanted them to focus their eyes on Him. In our text the lame man thought he was going to get some money from Peter and John and his faith was activated by Peter’s words, “look at us”. Peter wanted to convey the “look at us”. This means that in order to receive something from God, you got to first pay close attention and activate your faith in Jesus.

“Look at us” is very important people. Look at what Jesus can do for you. Then Peter opened his mouth and said hey buddy I have no money. Just think about this, the beggar is expecting some money. Peter instead says I am broke. I have no money but what I can give you is the most powerful thing you can have. If you have Jesus, you have everything. Peter says “In the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk”. Now this beggar was also very smart because he knew to put himself in a place where he knew he could get money. The beggar had also heard about God and he wanted those people who walked into the church to accept him, to love him and to respect him. He also wanted to hear a good word from God. So there he was right at the door. Now those people who walked into the church were believers and were supposed to be concerned about the needs of the people. These people were supposed to help others. This is why we exist at this church. The Lord brought this church to this community to share God’s love.

I had a question when I was reading, preparing this sermon. Why didn’t Jesus heal the man when Jesus was on the planet Earth Himself? The man had been lame from his birth and in Acts 4;21-22 it says the man was older than 40 years old. So he had to have knowledge of God and Jesus but Jesus didn’t heal this man. Why didn’t Jesus heal this man? I truly believe that Jesus wanted to show the rest of the world and us and his disciples that we can believe it when He said that greater things we would do in His name. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, greater things we can do if we believe. Jesus said “greater things you will do if you believe”. If we call upon the name of Jesus, things will happen. The scripture says in John 14;12-13 that Jesus said,

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son”.

This is Jesus saying that we can do this. Do you believe that you can do this? All of us have access to this promise of Jesus but only if you believe. You believe and call upon the name of JESUS CHRIST.



AMEN