Getting a Second Chance

“Then Peter said, ‘Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.’ And he took him by the right hand, and lifted [him] up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.” - Acts 3:6-7 KJV

Have you ever wondered about this guy’s backstory?

I love to read about this miracle in Acts 3 for a couple of reasons. First, the healing of this lame man is the first miracle recorded after Jesus ascended into heaven. This event lets everyone know that the days of healing and miracles did not leave when Jesus ascended.

Second, it is the backstory on this guy that I really like. We can extrapolate a few things from the text about this lame man:

• He was lame from birth.
• He was at the gate every day to beg.
• He was vocal in his request.
• He had been around long enough that “all the people” recognized him. He was a fixture at the temple gate.

Now here is the part that I really, really like.

If we roll the clock back about two months we find ourselves in the middle of Matthew 21. In this passage (which occurs just a few days before the crucifixion) Jesus destroys the money-changers operation in the Temple and declares the money changers to be “thieves”. Then something really wonderful happens:

“And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.” - Matthew 21:14 KJV

This leaves me to wonder, why wasn’t the guy of Acts 3 healed in Matthew 21?

Well, there is no way to know all of the particulars really, but one thing is sure - he didn’t come to Jesus. I don’t know why, but here are some possibilities:

• Maybe he wasn’t there that day.
• Maybe he didn’t understand it was Jesus in the Temple.
• Maybe his beggar buddies all went in and left him alone at the best begging seat at the gate.
• Maybe those going into the Temple were particularly generous that day and he hated to lose revenue.
• Maybe he was crawling around for loose change after Jesus knocked over the tables.
• Maybe he thought he’d seek Jesus the next time he saw him.

One thing is sure, the next morning there were a lot fewer beggars at the gate. This guy may have even been sitting there alone. And then, Jesus was gone. The crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension soon followed. The opportunity was lost.

It seems to me that when we see him up close and personal in Acts 3, he is a bit forlorn. Maybe that is why the man seems to see Peter and John but doesn’t really “look” at them until Peter tells him to do so. Maybe he is still mourning a lost opportunity.

Ah, but a Spirit-filled believer with a mandate from Jesus approaches him! This time he paid attention, and this time he got to stand and walk and run and leap. He got a second chance, and he took it.

We live in a world filled with broken people, broken dreams and dashed hopes. Sometimes the broken will take the initiative and come to Jesus, but, really, our mandate is to take Jesus to the broken.

The truth is, most of us, like this fellow, have probably mourned a lost opportunity.Jesus was there to meet the need and, for whatever reason, we were too distracted to see it through. I have good news for you, Jesus gives second chances. So if you feel like you’ve blown it, don’t give up. Instead, fix your gaze on Jesus, repent of your distraction and wait for God’s timing. He will bring your answer around again.

Have a great week! 

-Tony

Radical Teachings of Jesus Christ #1: "Blessed are the poor in spirit".

PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF LESSONS ON THE BEATITUDES FOUND IN MATTHEW CHAPTER 5.

To his listeners, the Sermon on the Mount must have seemed to turn the world upside down!

In Matthew 5 Jesus gives us a list of personal “attitudes” that will cause us to be “blessed” or “happy”. These are directly counter the usual humanistic way of thinking. 

Radical Concept #1
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” [Matthew 5:3 KJV]

• Is Jesus making a statement in this verse that endorses physical poverty?

IMPORTANT TRUTH: Despite the pervasive popularity of the “prosperity gospel” personal wealth or lack thereof is NOT an indicator or either God’s approval or disapproval in your life.

…[the Father] gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. [Mat 5:45b NLT]

• What does it mean to be “poor in spirit”?

HINT: How would you describe someone who is “poor in dollars” or “rich in dollars”?

• Identify the correct statements:

God needs everything I am and have… 
God needs nothing I am and have…
God wants everything I am and have…
God wants nothing I am and have…

• Identify the correct statement:

God will never ask us to do anything we cannot do…
God will never ask us to do anything we can do…

Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, [2Ti 1:9 KJV]

• Why does a spiritual balance of “zero” qualify as blessed?

HINT: We cannot be filled with the "kingdom" until we are first emptied of "self".

Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. [1Co 6:19-20 NLT]

• We will never be "poor in spirit" until we see God in his greatness.

Biblical examples:

Job: Job considers himself righteous until he has an encounter with God. 

"My righteousness I hold fast." (27:6)"I have heard of thee, but now I have seen thee, wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes." (42:5,6)

Isaiah: Isaiah is able to identify sin in others, then when he sees the Lord, he is able to identify it in himself.

Woe unto the wicked! [it shall be] ill [with him]: for the reward of his hands shall be given him. [Isa 3:11 KJV]Woe unto them that join house to house, [that] lay field to field, till [there be] no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth! [Isa 5:8 KJV]Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, [that] they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, [till] wine inflame them! [Isa 5:11 KJV]Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope: [Isa 5:18 KJV]Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! [Isa 5:20 KJV]Woe unto [them that are] wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! [Isa 5:21 KJV]Woe unto [them that are] mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: [Isa 5:22 KJV]Then said I, Woe [is] me! for I am undone; because I [am] a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. [Isa 6:5 KJV]

Peter: Peter recognizing the superiority of Jesus is able to see his own inferiority.

"And when Peter saw that he fell at Jesus knees and said, Depart from me Lord for I am a sinful man." Luke 5:8

To read the next lesson click HERE.

Jesus Strikes Back...

I have simplified this as best I can. It may still be a bit tedious, but I think it will be worth it.

    The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke all record the baptism and temptation of Jesus. The gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us that he immediately left the Jordan River after his baptism to spend forty days fasting in the Judean Wilderness. At the end of those forty days Satan came to him to  tempt him.

    The first temptation overcome by Jesus was a challenge by Satan for Jesus to use his divine power to satisfy the desires of his own flesh; that is, to transform stones into bread to satisfy his hunger. In the second, Satan took him to the pinnacle of the temple and (using a misquotation of scripture) challenged Jesus to throw himself from the top of the Temple and land safely at the base. In the third temptation, Satan shows Jesus all of the Kingdoms of the World and offers to surrender them all to him in exchange for one thing that Satan wants above all else; that is, worship.

    The Gospel of John is the most unique of the four gospel accounts. We sometimes use chapter one as an account of Jesus baptism and anointing by the Holy Spirit. Technically it is not. It is a record of John the Baptist's dialogue with priests and Levites about his role in the kingdom of God. In this dialogue John the Baptist is recounting  the baptism of Jesus which had occurred a few weeks prior. The next day, after this dialogue, Jesus returns and John the Baptist makes a public proclamation that Jesus is the Messiah.

Here is what I find so interesting.

    In the wilderness Jesus repelled the temptations Satan brought to him, and upon his return Jesus begins a counter attack against Satan in the very same venues in which Satan had declared war.

 Counter attack #1: Transformation

   Three days after Jesus has returned from his wilderness experience he is at a marriage in Cana of Galilee. It is here that he performs his first miracle: he transforms water into wine...not privately for himself but publicly for the benefit of others. This act manifests his glory and causes his growing band of disciples to believe on him. There is no mention that he prayed over the water. There is no mention of the Father or the Spirit in this passage. This was an autonomous divine action by the Son of God.

Counter attack #2: The Temple

    A few days later he attends the Passover in Jerusalem. He enters the Temple and promptly throws the merchants and their livestock out. This marked his entrance into Jerusalem (and particularly the Temple).   His zeal for holiness is unmistakeable. His entrance is not self aggrandizing, rather, he openly chastises the merchants for polluting the house of the Father.

Counter attack #3: Nature of the Kingdom

    The third item of interest come from the next chapter, John chapter 3. While Jesus is in Jerusalem, a young ruler named Nicodemus comes to him by night to consult with him. Jesus immediately reads his heart and begins to discuss with him the nature of the Kingdom of God, and emphasizes the work of the Holy Spirit in salvation.

1. Bread and wine are both symbols/types of the suffering of Christ. Satan tried to corrupt these symbols, Jesus reinforced them.

2. Satan tried to turn the Temple into a circus and Christ into a clown. Jesus cleansed the temple, and left the resurrection as his calling card.

3. Satan bargained with the kingdoms of the earth in an attempt to elevate himself. Jesus reveals the depth of the sacrifice of the Godhead so that he might give men the key to the Kingdom of God.

The wilderness temptations were not solely and attack on the Son of God, they were an attack by Satan on the Godhead as a whole. Notice the emphasis on each person of the Godhead in the progression of events. The Son, the Father and the Spirit are all emphasized in turn.

Additional thoughts...

...on throw yourself from the pinnacle

The challenge here was to make a spectacle of himself in the temple by doing something supernatural, and in essence trade his mission of salvation for a carnival act.

...on worship me and I'll give you the kingdoms.

Essentially Satan was offering Jesus a way around the cross. In exchange however Satan would be allowed to exalt his throne to the level of Godhood. by the very act of worship, Jesus would have been acknowledging Satan as a superior . [cf. Isaiah 14:12-14].

...on John 3.

 It is in this dialogue that the much quoted John 3:16 occurs (for God so loved the world...etc.), but we also see that in this passage the wilderness experience is still very fresh on his mind, for he says,

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." [John 3:14-16]

I, for one, have enjoyed this study. Hopefully it will inspire you as well. Blessings.

Jesus strikes back.

I have simplified this as best I can. It may still be a bit tedious, but I think it will be worth it.

    The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke all record the baptism and temptation of Jesus. The gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us that he immediately left the Jordan River after his baptism to spend forty days fasting in the Judean Wilderness. At the end of those forty days Satan came to him to  tempt him.

    The first temptation overcome by Jesus was a challenge by Satan for Jesus to use his divine power to satisfy the desires of his own flesh; that is, to transform stones into bread to satisfy his hunger. In the second, Satan took him to the pinnacle of the temple and (using a misquotation of scripture) challenged Jesus to throw himself from the top of the Temple and land safely at the base. In the third temptation, Satan shows Jesus all of the Kingdoms of the World and offers to surrender them all to him in exchange for one thing that Satan wants above all else; that is, worship.

    The Gospel of John is the most unique of the four gospel accounts. We sometimes use chapter one as an account of Jesus baptism and anointing by the Holy Spirit. Technically it is not. It is a record of John the Baptist's dialogue with priests and Levites about his role in the kingdom of God. In this dialogue John the Baptist is recounting  the baptism of Jesus which had occurred a few weeks prior. The next day, after this dialogue, Jesus returns and John the Baptist makes a public proclamation that Jesus is the Messiah.

Here is what I find so interesting.

    In the wilderness Jesus repelled the temptations Satan brought to him, and upon his return Jesus begins a counter attack against Satan in the very same venues in which Satan had declared war.

 Counter attack #1: Transformation

   Three days after Jesus has returned from his wilderness experience he is at a marriage in Cana of Galilee. It is here that he performs his first miracle: he transforms water into wine...not privately for himself but publicly for the benefit of others. This act manifests his glory and causes his growing band of disciples to believe on him. There is no mention that he prayed over the water. There is no mention of the Father or the Spirit in this passage. This was an autonomous divine action by the Son of God.

Counter attack #2: The Temple

    A few days later he attends the Passover in Jerusalem. He enters the Temple and promptly throws the merchants and their livestock out. This marked his entrance into Jerusalem (and particularly the Temple).   His zeal for holiness is unmistakeable. His entrance is not self aggrandizing, rather, he openly chastises the merchants for polluting the house of the Father.

Counter attack #3: Nature of the Kingdom

    The third item of interest come from the next chapter, John chapter 3. While Jesus is in Jerusalem, a young ruler named Nicodemus comes to him by night to consult with him. Jesus immediately reads his heart and begins to discuss with him the nature of the Kingdom of God, and emphasizes the work of the Holy Spirit in salvation.

1. Bread and wine are both symbols/types of the suffering of Christ. Satan tried to corrupt these symbols, Jesus reinforced them.

2. Satan tried to turn the Temple into a circus and Christ into a clown. Jesus cleansed the temple, and left the resurrection as his calling card.

3. Satan bargained with the kingdoms of the earth in an attempt to elevate himself. Jesus reveals the depth of the sacrifice of the Godhead so that he might give men the key to the Kingdom of God.

The wilderness temptations were not solely and attack on the Son of God, they were an attack by Satan on the Godhead as a whole. Notice the emphasis on each person of the Godhead in the progression of events. The Son, the Father and the Spirit are all emphasized in turn.

Additional thoughts...

...on throw yourself from the pinnacle

The challenge here was to make a spectacle of himself in the temple by doing something supernatural, and in essence trade his mission of salvation for a carnival act.

...on worship me and I'll give you the kingdoms.

Essentially Satan was offering Jesus a way around the cross. In exchange however Satan would be allowed to exalt his throne to the level of Godhood. by the very act of worship, Jesus would have been acknowledging Satan as a superior . [cf. Isaiah 14:12-14].

...on John 3.

 It is in this dialogue that the much quoted John 3:16 occurs (for God so loved the world...etc.), but we also see that in this passage the wilderness experience is still very fresh on his mind, for he says,

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." [John 3:14-16]

I, for one, have enjoyed this study. Hopefully it will inspire you as well. Blessings.