2 Samuel 23:24-24:9; Acts 3:12-26; Psalms 122:6-9; Proverbs 27:7-9
NT: “When Peter saw this, he addressed the people: “Fellow Israelites, why are you amazed at this? Why do you stare at us, as though we had made him walk by our own power or godliness? The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and denied before Pilate, though he had decided to release him. You denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer released to you. You killed the source of life, whom God raised from the dead; we are witnesses of this. By faith in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. So the faith that comes through Jesus has given him this perfect health in front of all of you… Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out, that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send Jesus, who has been appointed for you as the Messiah.”” (Acts 3:12-16, 19-20 CSB)
News of the lame man being healed quickly spread, and a crowd of people rushed to the temple to see what had happened. This gave Peter an opportunity to glorify Jesus and share the gospel. He made it perfectly clear that the lame man was not healed by their own power, but the man was healed through faith in the name of Jesus Christ. When Peter ministered healing to the lame man, he did so in the name of Jesus Christ. Peter, obviously had faith in that name because he knew that Jesus was not dead but was alive and was seated in all power in authority in heaven. The lame man, upon hearing the name, placed faith in that moment in the name of Jesus. Between Peter and John’s faith to heal and the lame man’s faith to be healed, a miracle occurred. It wasn’t faith in faith that healed the man. It was faith in the name (the power and authority, willingness and ability) of Jesus to heal. Peter then gave the crowd the opportunity to place their faith in the name of the risen and glorified Jesus Christ by calling them to repent of their sins. The gospel isn’t complicated. If you, upon realizing that Jesus is the Messiah and God the Son, will place your faith in Him and His ability to save, repent (turn away from from your sins and turn to Jesus), and confess that He is Savior and Lord, you will be saved.
Proverbs: “A person who is full tramples on a honeycomb, but to a hungry person, any bitter thing is sweet.” (Proverbs 27:7 CSB)
This proverb is so true of the church in America. We have spiritual food in abundance. We have hundreds of different versions of the Bible to read… study Bibles for every category of person… Bibles that are easy to understand… Bibles in large print… Bibles that can fit in our pockets. There are Bible studies available everywhere. There are entire television networks devoted to preaching and teaching the word of God. There is no lack for spiritual resources… yet many, if not most of the Christians in America are biblically illiterate and spiritually immature. Why? Because a person who is full tramples on a honeycomb – they take the blessing they have for granted and do not treasure it. It is a different story when I go into the prisons to teach – or when I go into areas of the world where the gospel is not freely available. The gospel truly is good news… it is far better news than other political or religious system has. Truly hungry people, when they hear the unadulterated gospel of the Kingdom – it is so sweet to their ears, and they respond to it convincingly. Oh church, let us not grow too familiar with the treasure that we have and take it for granted… and end up trampling on what could bring life and peace to another.
Jamie Hicks 