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would receive. He thought he would just get a coin or two. He
expected to be the same that night that he was the day before.
But this day his life would be changed forever. Peter and John
were different. They weren’t different in what they had.
Every Christian has Christ. Not every Christian knows it.
Some don’t rely upon it. They have Christ but they don’t
depend upon the Lord. Acts 3:4, “And Peter, along with John,
fixed his gaze upon him and said, ‘Look at us!’” Peter said,
“Look at us!” What was he saying? Was he saying, “We are
the answer to your problem? Look at us. We’re important. We
have what you need. Look at us.” I know he didn’t mean that
because of Acts 3:12, “But when Peter saw this, he replied to
the people, ‘Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this, or why
do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made
him walk?’” Peter said, “Look at us.” And then when they
accused him he said, “Why are you looking at us?” When he
said, “Look at us, he didn’t mean that.” He said, “Look at us
and see somebody else. See Jesus. We can’t do this in our own
power. We can’t make a lame man walk.”
Peter and John were conscious that Christ was living in their
lives. Jesus had come to live again, but now in His church. Our
Lord Jesus, when He lived on earth for thirty three and a half
years, said, “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.” Now,
you are a Christian. Others should look at you and if they see
you, they should have seen Christ. If they see me, they’ve seen
Christ.
I want you to picture the scene as it happens. Acts 3:7, “And
seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up and immediately
his feet and his ankles were strengthened.” The point I want
you to see is that Peter, the big fisherman, reached down with
his right hand and grabbed him by the hand and stood him on
his feet. Later when he prayed in Acts 4:30, “…while thou dost
extend Thy hand to heal, and signs and wonder take place
through the name of Thy holy servant Jesus.” He prays, “Lord,
keep reaching forth Your hand to heal.” Whose hand was it?