The Beggar

The Beautiful Gate

Acts Chapter 3_____

I. The Beggar at the Beautiful Gate_Acts 3__

by Lane

1Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer.2And a man who had been lame from his mother's womb was being carried along, whom they used to set down every day at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, in order to beg alms of those who were entering the temple. 3When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms.4But Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him and said, "Look at us!"5And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6But Peter said, "I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene--walk!"7And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened.8With a leap he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.9And all the people saw him walking and praising God;10and they were taking note of him as being the one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg alms, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

A. Verse 1.___ The day of Pentecost had passed but the power of Pentecost remained. We still see the power of Pentecost each time we go to the assembly. Being Jews, Peter and John observed the three Jewish hours of prayer; nine in the morning, at noon, and at three in the afternoon.

B. Verse 2.___ The temple in Jerusalem was the place of prayer and public meetings for all Jews in the city. It happened on a certain day at the afternoon hour of prayer that two of the apostles were ascending the steps of the temple. These steps led them through a particular gate of the temple called "Gate Beautiful." To this particular gate a beggar was carried daily and there was laid that he might ask a pittance of those who entered the temple. Luke describes the man's physical condition as being lame from the womb.

C. Verse 3.-4__It is here where Peter and John meet the beggar. They fixed their gaze on him and said "look at us."

D. Verse 5-6__Peter tells the beggar that he does not have silver and gold __but__what he does have he will give___then the command to "walk."

E. Verse 7__Luke tells us in his customary medical exactness the action of the healing of the feet and ankle bones.

F. Verse 8-10___Joy and amazement spread throughout the temple.

II. Peter's Second Sermon

A General Outline___

Theme..."The Glorification of God's Servant Jesus."

Introduction__The Apostles were not the real source of healing. (12)

I.___God, your Father has done this through Jesus. 13-16

1. But you have delivered up this one you have denied Him. 13

2. You asked for a murderer instead. 14

3. You have killed the Prince of Life. 15a

4. But God has raised Him from the dead and we are witnesses of this fact. 15b.

5. It is our faith in Jesus that has performed this miracle. 16

II.___ He was put to death in ignorance but in fulfillment of prophecy. 17-18.

III.___ A call to repentance and obedience for the blotting out of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. 19

IV.___If obedience is forthcoming the promise of the blessings of the second event will be yours. Christ must remain in heaven until all things which are spoken in the OT are fulfilled. 20,21.

V. ___Further Prophetic proof that Jesus is the Christ. 22,24.

1. Moses and what he said concerning the Christ. 22,23.

2. All the prophets have spoken of these days. 24.

VI. A call to the Jews as sons of the prophets and covenants, to accept Christ and thus enter into all the promises of the prophets and the covenants. 25,26.

The Texts

11While he was clinging to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them at the so-called portico of Solomon, full of amazement.12But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, "Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk?13"The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him.14"But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,15but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses.16"And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.17"And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also.18"But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.19"Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;20and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you,21whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.

22"Moses said, 'THE LORD GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN; TO HIM YOU SHALL GIVE HEED to everything He says to you.23'And it will be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.'24"And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also announced these days.25"It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, 'AND IN YOUR SEED ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED.'6"For you first, God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways."

A. Verse 11___ It must be noted that the healing of the lame man occurred at the entrance of the temple proper. The incident above happens on Solomon's portico or porch. It must be concluded from the text that upon being healed, the blind man went into the temple with Peter and John.

B. Verses 12-13a___Peter notices the "wonder" of the people. He was very bold. "It was not the power of godliness of ours that mad this one to walk...look to the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob....."

C. Verses 13b-19____And now we launch into the sermon and an explanation "why was this thing done."

1. Peter again reminds the Jews that he is "God's servant," and this act of healing was to glorify Jesus. You asked for a murderer and killed the Lord Jesus. God however raised Jesus from the dead, of this we were witnesses. You acted in ignorance just as your rulers.

2. The death of Jesus was "predetermined." This is the same truth that Peter presented on the Day of Pentecost. God had already announced that the Messiah was to suffer (Isa. 53ff) and the death of Jesus was the fulfillment of prophecy. Now there is a call to "repent." If we pay attention, this sermon is almost word for word as Peter's sermon in Acts 2:38.

D. Verses 20-21___Still another result was to follow. Upon repentance and "turning again" their sins were to be blotted out. They were to receive times and season of refreshing from the gift of God's Spirit, sent as he was from His presence. But also upon their obedience to this charge they were promised that God would send them "the Christ." What is the meaning of this expression? It could have no reference to the first advent of Jesus for He had already come: nor could it refer to the presence of Christ through the Spirit for the gift of the Holy Spirit had already been spoken of. This can only refer to the second coming of Christ. Every Jew looked forward to the Christ coming as a great king in his kingdom. He was to come to conquer and subdue all other kingdoms. This indeed He will do when He comes again. We have the words of Peter to these Jews that their hopes will be realized in the second coming of the Christ. Not in a temporal, earthy kingdom, but in the triumphant glory of the eternal conquering king in His kingdom.

But Peter says: "The heavens will hold Him until a certain time, then He will come." It is difficult to determine the exact meaning of the word restoration in this place: but it is limited by definition to "all things that the Holy Prophets spoke....and consequently it consists in the fulfillment of OT predictions and this remark assures them that Jesus will not return until all things are accomplished in the universe.

E. Verses 22-26___Now Peter ends his sermon where he began. He once again returns to the OT. The prediction made by Moses and read by the Jews for hundreds of years now finds its fulfillment (Deut 18:15ff).

1. The Lord God was to raise up a prophet: which thing God did in Jesus.

2. That this prophet would be raised up to be sent to the Israelites which thing was fulfilled by Jesus.

3. That the prophet would be from among their brethren; Jesus was from the tribe of Judah.

4. That he would be like Moses. The comparison of Jesus to Moses are too many to mention.

Like unto me (ως εμε). As me, literally; Moses (De 18:14-18) claims that God raised him up as a prophet and that another and greater one will come, the Messiah. The Jews understood Moses to be a type of Christ (Joh 1:21). God spoke to Moses face to face (Ex 33:11) and he was the greatest of the prophets (De 34:10).
(Acts 3:22, RWP)

Forerunner to the modern day "Schools of Preaching."

From Samuel (απο Σαμουηλ). Schools of prophets arose in his time, few before him (1Sa 3:1).
(Acts 3:24, RWP)

Peter ends his sermon by making a sweeping statement that all the prophets from the first one, Samuel, down to the last one, told of the Son of Man.

The appeal of the apostle. He strikes at the very heart of the Jews when he reminds them that they are the "sons" of the prophets and of the covenant God made with their fathers. "AND IN YOUR SEED ALL THE FAMILES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED (Gen.22:18). Jesus Christ did come from them and their seed. (Also, see the entire 3rd Chapter of Galatians). They were indeed blessed!

You (Hυμεις). Emphatic position. The covenant which God made (της διαθηκης ης ο θεος διεθετο). Literally, "the covenant which God covenanted." Διαθηκη and διεθετο (second aorist middle indicative of διαθημ) are the same root. See on Mt 26:28. The covenant (agreement between two, δια, τιθημ) was with Abraham (Ge 12:1-3) and repeated at various times (Ge 18:18; 22:18; 26:4, etc.). In Heb 9:15-18 the word is used both for covenant and will.
(Acts 3:25, RWP)