Page 9 - Florida Sentinel 12-1-17

Few things in the Bible are as important as faith in Jesus. Our lessons for this quarter focus on faith—the faith pro- claimed by the early church, the example of faith evident in the life of Daniel, and the call to be measured and up-
right in faith.
Faith is “the assurance of
things hoped for and the con- viction of things unseen” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith’s im- portance is underlined by “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6a).
But at the end of the day, faith is simply saying “Yes” to Jesus.
That is what Peter and John had done (John 14:1), and it was what the lame man did at the Beautiful Gate (Acts 3:1-
11).
Faith and Healing
Acts 3:11-16
The apostles preached, were imprisoned, were re- leased, gathered the church for prayer, exercised church discipline, worked miracles, and were arrested again and beaten. But the incident that drove all of those narratives was the healing of the lame man near the Beautiful Gate in Jerusalem.
Peter made it clear that faith in Jesus’ name is what brought about the healing. The word “name” appears 14 times in Acts 3-5. It is like the “name of Jesus” is the grand echo of the chapters.
Salvation is more than forgiveness of sins. Salvation also encompasses the healing
Focus On Faith Acts 3: 11-21
of bodies and the restoration of all creation.
This lame man became a microcosm of a restored uni- verse. He got his life back (to say nothing of his job, family, and dignity). No wonder he went walking and leaping and praising God. “This man” (a phrase that appears three times in this paragraph) held on to Peter and John.
A crowd began to gather. (This always happens when miracles take place.) Peter saw an opportunity to con- nect a message to the miracle so he began to preach. His pulpit was the open air, and his church building was Solomon’s Colonnade in the temple. Peter quickly dis- pelled any notion that he or John was responsible for the healing of the lame man. The apostles did not have the power or the piety to heal the man. Peter and John de- flected to God any potential glory that might come their way.
What had happened was
God, working in perfect soli- darity with his promises to the patriarchs, glorified his servant Jesus. As soon as Peter said the “name” of Jesus he launched into his sermon.
The message contained three points: (1) You handed Jesus over to Pilate, even though Pilate wanted to re- lease him. (2) You denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked for Barabbas. (3) You killed Jesus, but God raised him from the dead.
Let the record show: God is the one who heals. Peter and John’s part was to have faith that God would heal.
Be careful of assuming that faith is a necessary pre- requisite to healing. Some- times God heals people whether or not they have faith because it is what he wants to do (see John 5:1-18). But God is more glorified when our faith in Jesus meets his power.
Faith and Repentance Acts 3:17-21
If all the sermon we had
was Acts 3:13-15, Peter would have sounded quite ac- cusatory—“You, you, you.” But his compassion comes through in his redemptive ap- peal.
Peter showed his solidarity with the Jews by referring to them as fellow Israelites. He also acknowledged that they acted in ignorance (without knowledge).
Peter called upon the Old Testament prophets to under- line his appeal about faith in Jesus. He reminded the peo- ple that the Messiah would suffer (Isaiah 52:13-53:12), and he called them to repent.
Three wonderful promises are attached to the people who have the kind of faith that demonstrates itself in re- pentance: (1) Sins wiped out (removed or cancelled). (2) Times of refreshing (renewal or new life) come from God. (3) The Messiah will return to restore all things.
Faith in Jesus can unlock healing. Faith in Jesus can lead to restoration.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2017 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 9-A