SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP SERVICE, 9 November 2025
Sermon Series: “The Acts of the Apostles” (#5)
Sermon Text: Acts 2:1-47
Main Points:
Introduction
I. A lame man at the gate
II. A miraculous healing that points Jesus and His kingdom
III. The ultimate issue we all share and the only solution in Jesus
Conclusion
In Acts 2, we read about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost – the moment that marked the beginning of Jesus’ reign over His kingdom. On that day, the NT Church was born. And what a remarkable picture it was! This new church showed us what the kingdom of Christ looks like – a people united in heart, generous in spirit, deeply devoted to God’s Word, and bound in fellowship with one another. God’s favour rested on them, and His grace was clearly at work among them.
Now, as we turn the page to ch. 3, we see the very first step this newly formed church takes – that is, the healing of a lame man begging at the temple gate.
At first, that might seem surprising. Why would the story of a man’s healing be the first event Luke records after Pentecost? Why not something that feels more ‘spiritual,’ like the story of Ananias and Sapphira in ch. 5, where the church dealt with sin in its midst? Wouldn’t keeping unity in this new Spirit-filled church be a more urgent than healing one man’s legs?
But, under the Spirit’s guidance, Luke tells us that this healing was no random act of kindness – it was the first deliberate step God planned for His church. And there’s a reason for that.
This story reveals the very heart of what Christ’s Church is called to do on earth – that is, to address the ultimate issue of humankind. The church’s mission is not simply to manage itself well or to consider nothing but staying pure and united, but to confront the deeper problem of sin and to bring sinners to the Saviour. The healing of the lame man is a sign of the greater healing Jesus offers – the restoration of broken lives through faith in His name.
So, through this story and Peter’s message that follows, I’d like to see three points – first, a lame man at the gate; second, a miraculous healing that points Jesus and His kingdom; and third, the ultimate issue we all share and the only solution in Jesus.
I. A Lame Man At The Gate
Let’s begin with the story of the lame man. He had been crippled from birth – his legs had never worked. Because he couldn’t walk, he couldn’t work; all he could do was beg. Having lived with this condition for more than forty years, he had long accepted his situation and learned to do the only thing he could – sit and ask for help.
His usual spot was by the temple gate called Beautiful. It was the perfect place for a beggar. Most scholars think this gate was the main eastern entrance to the temple precinct, leading from the Court of the Gentiles into the inner courts reserved for Jews. The Court of the Gentiles was as far as non-Jews could go – beyond that, only Israelites were permitted.
The 1st century historian Flavius Josephus describes this gate as about 50 cubits or 23 metres high, with massive 18 metre high double doors ‘covered with silver and gold.’ Imagine how awe-inspiring that must’ve been. To step through that gate would’ve felt like stepping into the presence of the Almighty. And right there, at that magnificent entrance, lay a broken man – poor, crippled, and pleading for alms. What a contrast!
Around three in the afternoon – the regular hour of prayer – Peter and John were among those heading to the temple. The beggar called out to them, as he had done to countless others. These apostles had likely seen him many times before, since prayer at the temple was part of their daily routine. But this time, something was different – the Holy Spirit drew their attention to him. They stopped, looked straight at him, and said, “Look at us.”
The man looked up, expecting the familiar sound of coins hitting his bowl. But instead, he heard something quite unexpected. Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you” (NKJV).
Let’s just pause for a moment and imagine the man’s confusion. He would’ve thought, ‘What does he mean? If not silver or gold – the Roman coin for trade or Jewish coins for temple use – then, what else could he possibly offer?’
Then, came the words that would change his life forever: “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”
Just imagine that! The very name – Jesus of Nazareth! – must’ve stirred memories. Only months earlier, news about this Jesus had spread everywhere: He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, made the lame walk. Perhaps this man had once hoped to meet Him – until Jesus was crucified, and that hope seemed gone forever. And now, that same name was spoken again with power and authority!
Faith sparked in his heart. Joy surged through his body. Strength filled his legs. He grasped Peter’s hand, stood up, and for the first time in his life, he stood tall! After forty years, he saw the world from a new angle – not just physically, but spiritually. His heart leapt as much as his feet did. He walked, he jumped, and he praised God!
II. A Miraculous Healing That Points Jesus And His Kingdom
This miracle was far more than an act of compassion. It was a sign – a visual testimony to the living power and authority of Jesus Christ – in at least three ways.
First, this miracle shows that Jesus is alive, and that His power and authority continue. The same Jesus of Nazareth whom the Jews rejected and crucified is not dead but risen. Through this healing, God declared that the power which once made the blind see and the lame walk still works today – because Jesus still reigns! His authority extends over all things, even over a body crippled for decades.
Second, this miracle shows that Christ’s power and authority now work through His Church. Peter and John say plainly, “Why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? … By faith in [Christ’s] name, this man has been made strong” (vs. 12, 16). They were not the source of the miracle – they were the channels. This was the risen Christ continuing His ministry through His people, His Church, working in His name.
And third, this miracle proclaims that the kingdom of Christ has begun and is advancing. The healing of the lame man wasn’t just about one man’s legs; it was the first public sign that the risen King’s rule had broken into the world. The first act of the newborn Church was to show that Jesus reigns – restoring what sin has broken and renewing what had bene crippled.
Just as the man’s legs, useless from birth, were made strong, so Christ brings spiritual healing to all who believe. The physical healing points to the deeper restoration of the heart – the renewal of life under His gracious rule.
III. The Ultimate Issue We All Share And The Only Solution In Jesus
While this miracle reveals Jesus’ power and authority, it also uncovers a deeper truth – the ultimate issue we all share as human beings, namely, sin, and our total inability to deal with it.
In many ways, that lame man represents us all. Spiritually, we’re like him – crippled by sin, unable to stand before God. From birth, we’ve been marked by sin, so we don’t even know what true righteousness looks like. Our vision is clouded; our hearts powerless. Just as the man in Acts 3 sat outside the temple, begging for small change, we often settle for temporary comforts and fleeting pleasures, unaware of how far we are from the living God.
I know that sounds grim, but it’s reality – we’re born in sin, and sin leads to death. Not only physical death, but a kind of living death now – marked by hopelessness, emptiness, and separation from God. Unless something changes, that separation becomes eternal!
Notice this: the lame man sat at a beautiful gate – a glorious spot, surrounded by silver and gold. Yet, behind that outward beauty was misery and helplessness. Isn’t that a picture of humanity? We decorate ourselves with the ‘silver and gold’ of this world – our wealth, health, success, reputation – but deep down, we’re still begging for meaning, for hope, for life.
The Apostle Peter addresses this very issue to the amazed crowd. He won’t let them just admire the miracle – he wants them to understand what it points to. In essence, Peter is saying something like this: ‘You’ve just seen a man born lame – helpless to stand or walk. But that’s not only his story; it’s yours. Just as he was born crippled in body, you were born crippled in sin. Just as he could not help himself for all his life, you cannot free yourself from the power of sin. Just as no money or effort could make him walk, no human goodness can make you right with God.’
Peter exposes the heart of the matter – the real problem isn’t physical weakness, but spiritual deadness. The people were standing in a magnificent place – the splendid Solomon’s Portico, near the golden gate of the temple. But, Peter reminds them that even such beauty cannot save a soul. Outward-religion means nothing if the heart remains enslaved to sin.
So, the miracle becomes a mirror. It reflects back to each of us our true condition – powerless, helpless, spiritually paralysed – until the living Christ speaks His word of life into us!
Then, Peter gives the same call Jesus once proclaimed, “Repent!” Acknowledge your hopeless condition in sin; admit your inability to save yourself; recognise that sin’s ultimate consequence is eternal separation from God. Acknowledging and admitting this is repentance!
Peter goes on, urging people in v. 19, “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.” Turn from sin and turn to Jesus Christ. Fix your eyes on Him. Admit your desperate need for Him as your only Saviour! Just as the lame man heard the name of Jesus and his heart leapt within him, so we too must look to His name – the only name that restores those crippled by sin. Confess that He is the Son of God, the promised Messiah. That is faith. Repentance and faith in Jesus Christ is the only solution to the ultimate issue of the human heart.
Conclusion
To every repentant and believing soul, Jesus Christ promises blessing from above – blessings that come in three wonderful ways.
First, your sins are wiped out – completely forgiven! In the ancient world, when the NT was written and copied by hand, ink did not soak into the parchment as modern ink does. It simply sat on the surface of papyrus. So, if a scribe made an error, it could be wiped away with a damp cloth – and it’s gone, as if it had never been there. That’s the picture Peter gives here in v. 19 – through repentance and faith in Christ, your sins are wiped out once and for all. The record of your guilt is erased forever.
Second, spiritual refreshment follows repentance and faith in Jesus. As we heard last Sunday, when someone turns to Christ, they begin to understand the language of heaven – the language of Christ’s kingdom. God’s Word not only makes sense but becomes sweet. The weary heart finds new life, and that refreshment grows fresher every day in Christ!
And third, the believer receives the hope of universal restoration – the promise that one day Christ will return to make all things new. That hope fills the heart with indestructible joy. The more we walk with Jesus now, the more we long for that day when He comes again in glory!
So, the miracle of the lame man points us to see God’s plan for His Church and all who belong to it – that is, to address humanity’s ultimate issue and to proclaim repentance, so that sinners might turn to Christ and receive eternal life in His name. The healing of the lame man is a sign of the greater healing Jesus offers – the restoration of broken lives through faith in Jesus’ name.
So, will you today repent, put your faith in Christ, and receive these blessings from above in His name? ***
St Columba's Presbyterian Church 