11 Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon's, greatly amazed. 12 So when Peter saw [it], he responded to the people: "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let [Him] go. 14 "But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 "and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. 16 "And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which [comes] through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. 17 "Yet now, brethren, I know that you did [it] in ignorance, as [did] also your rulers. 18 "But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. 19 "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20 "and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 "whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. 22 "For Moses truly said to the fathers, `The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. 23 `And it shall be [that] every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.' 24 "Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. 25 "You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, `And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.' 26 "To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one [of] [you] from your iniquities."
It doesn’t take long for God to work a miracle. The healing event at the gate Beautiful could not have taken more than 20 seconds from beginning to end. Though the miracle was over it was still having an affect on those who had gathered for prayer. The lame man, perhaps exhausted by his athletic response to his new found abilities, was holding on to Peter and John as the crowd gathered. This is the most physical exercise he had ever indulged in. By this time the crowd of onlookers were certain that this was the lame man who had been at the gate Beautiful. They were sure it was him, but they were uncertain about what had happened to him.
God used a burning bush to get Moses attention. He knocked Paul off of his horse to get His attention. In this case He used the healing of the lame man to get the attention of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. This was the second city-stirring event since the resurrection of Jesus. God was visiting Jerusalem again and that with great power. God used the healing of this man to serve His own purpose.
People tend to see the immediate result of God’s work and fail to see God behind the work. They focus on the miracle or on the vessel that God uses and fail to recognize that they are privy to a manifestation of God’s power. It is imperative that the vessel being used by God recognizes the purpose of the divine act and directs the attention of the onlookers away from himself/herself toward God. This is exactly what Peter and John did.
LESSON 1: God’s timing is perfect!
One might be inclined to ask why Jesus didn’t heal this man when He visited the Temple. In John 11, Jesus delayed his trip to the house of Lazarus until He knew he was dead. By the time he got there Lazarus had been dead for four days. When talking to His disciples, He said, "I am glad for your sakes that I was not there" (Jn. 11:15). What a strange thing to say about someone that Jesus loved (11:5). Later, as He stood before Lazarus’ tomb, He declared, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me" (11:41,42).
Surely Jesus could have arrived at Lazarus’ home in time to prevent his death, but He chose not to. He could have healed the lame man when He visited the temple, but He chose not to. His reason for delaying His trip to Bethany is stated in verses 15 and 42—"for your sakes…because of the people who are standing by." The timing of the miracle came at the moment in which it would best serve the overall purpose of God. Are you willing to allow God to use your situation to His glory?
LESSON 2: God’s purpose is perfect!
When we look at a God situation we need to look past the immediate result and seek to discern God’s purpose for the event. God is interested in doing more than merely healing this man. If healing was His objective, then He could have healed him in the privacy of his own home and that forty years earlier. The miracle is but a small portion of this event and the occasion for what God wanted to do. God’s purpose goes beyond the strengthening of the lame man’s feet and ankles. The miracle transcends the relief brought to the lame man and takes hold of the temple crowd.
If all God wanted to do was give Abraham a son, then Ishmael would have been enough. All Abraham wanted was a son, but God’s purpose went beyond Abraham’s son to a Savior.
God’s purpose was not to exalt the vessels through whom the miracle was wrought. God’s primary purpose was not to relieve the lame man of his lameness. God’s purpose was to use this miracle to validate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through this miracle He was going to reach 5,000 men.
The Indictment
The Ignorance
The Information
The Instructions
We must come to the place where we can discern God’s perfect purpose for our miracles.
LESSON 3: God’s power is provocative!
The works of God will endear you and endanger you. I can assure you that the healed man loved Peter and John, and the God who had healed him. I can also assure you that the 5000 who heard the word and believed had no quarrel with Peter or John. The "priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees" laid hands on them and put them in jail. You can be sure that not everyone is going to be excited when God uses you to declare and demonstrate the life that is available in Jesus.
Brownsville has more enemies since God broke into their midst on Father’s day of 1996. People who didn’t have ministries now have a purpose in life—to prove that Brownsville is not of God. The miracle didn’t disturb these religious leaders. They were "greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead" (4:2). You can work miracles all day long, but don’t associate the miracles with life that is in Jesus. Don’t tell people that the miracle is proof that Jesus is alive and able to forgive sins and set people free.
CONCLUSION:
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