Thursday, October 9th

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Thursday, October 9

Acts 3:1-21

Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, "Look at us." And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, "I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!" And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

A number of years ago Pastor Roger was invited to visit one of FBCG mission partners in South Africa. When he returned he delighted in telling the story of sharing in a baptismal service that took place in a river near a small village. He told of one man in particular who was overcome with joy at the moment of his baptism. Roger prayed for him and then lowered him into the river, and when the man came up out of the water he threw his hands in the air and began shouting at the top of his lungs, “I’m free! I’m free!” Roger often referred to that story when he taught about the joy of salvation; the freedom from sin that we receive through Christ.

We’ve already seen that the lame man in this story serves as a picture of what it means to be helpless in and captive to our own sin.

We’ve seen that the man was healed as a testimony to the power of Jesus and the liberating truth of the gospel.

Now we see that the result of the healing was joy and worship.

And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
It occurs to me that the man was so joyful because he knew what it was to be broken and outcast. To be free to walk and run and leap had to be an incredibly joyful and overwhelming experience.

I wonder if we experience our spiritual freedom with the same joy and praise. I wonder if we are as keenly aware of our brokenness as was this ancient man.

I think I am sometimes guilty of taking the gospel for granted. I fear that sometimes I have become so familiar with the grace and forgiveness of Christ that I tend to forget my own brokenness apart from Christ and therefore forfeit the joy of my own salvation.

Perhaps this is true at times for you too! Would you join me in this prayer?

Lord Jesus, by your Spirit remind me that I am so like the man who was lame from birth. Remind me that I have been sinful from birth and that without your grace I am imprisoned by the power of sin and death. Remind me of my brokenness not so I would wallow in my unworthiness, but so that I might rejoice in your salvation! Take me by the hand that I might run and leap and dance because I have been set free! Amen.

Pastor Brian Coffey