Miracle of Salvation

Acts Chapter 3

V1) Ninth hour – 3 O’clock in the afternoon.

V2) Born crippled. Born to be a beggar. Temple gate. There was constant traffic , perfect place to ask help to beg for money.

V3-5) He asked for alms, modern terms asked for a donation, alms is given to the poor.

V6-8) An amazing miracle happens, man who was crippled since birth was healed, instantly. Only God can do, done in the name of Jesus. The man who saw other people walking but never walked was able to leap for joy, he entered not the world outside but the temple praising God.

V 10-11) This was a public demonstration of God’s power, people were amazed as they knew this man was crippled before. The man clinging on to Peter and John, people followed, a vast crowd.

Here Peter takes the opportunity to preach the gospel.

V12) Crowd of people were looking at Peter and John, but Peter gave the glory to God, pointed the finger to God, he deserve the glory, the miracle came from him. Unlike today’s money making faith healers, like Benny Hinn and others Peter and John remained poor and preached the gospel for people to repent and turn to Jesus. We see in our day people like Benny Hinn and others, they do not preach the gospel of repentance, that’s why we know they are of the devil, they live in mansions, have their own air planes but Peter and John remained poor preaching the gospel.

V13) God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is the living God, the God of the Bible. Glorified Jesus, by raising him from the dead.

V14) Jesus is the Holy One, the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior of the world. You rejected him and asked for a murderer to be released.

V15) You killed the Prince of Life. Author of life. The giver of life, the Creator, the one who created you and gave you life, you killed him. But God almighty raised him from the dead and we are witnesses of the marvelous resurrection.

V16) This cripple beggar that you saw who was healed, he was healed in Jesus name, whom you crucified.

That’s the conviction part of the gospel. That’s the part that hurt the soul, the part that cut the soul, pierce the soul. Gospel is the good news, yet bad news must be preached first, we need to preach that people are responsible for their sins and God’s wrath is going to fall upon them, there is the lake of fire to those who do not repent and follow God’s way.

After the bad news, now Peter turns to the encouraging, comforting good news of the gospel.

V17) He calls them brethren, his love and compassion to the people and say you did it in ignorance.

V18) But it didn’t happen by chance or by accidents, there are no accidents in God’s sight, it was in God’s program, in his blue prints it to happen this way, predicted in the O.T, Jesus prophesied he will suffer and die and rise on the third day. Scriptures were fulfilled.

V19-21) Repent, turn away from your sins and turn to God, you will escape the wrath of God, the fires of hell and find refuge in heaven.

V22-25) Jesus is the fulfillment of the OT prophecy.

V26) Turn away from your sins, your darling sins, pet sins, secret sins, and God will bless you.