Stand Amazed at God's Work

Oh, praise the one who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead.

That's why we're here.

We have the joy of praising the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The rest of that song transitions into helping us understand why we can praise.

Why can we praise the Lord?

Well, because Jesus paid it all.

All to Him we owe.

It's because of His life, His death, His resurrection,

that we have hope of being able to enjoy the benefits of the life that He provided through His death,

His resurrection, the payment of sin.

And so we praise Him.

And this morning as we look at Acts chapter 3,

Acts 3 · chapter mention

we're going to see a similar direction to Peter and John

as they seek to draw attention to the praise that God deserves,

the praise that Jesus deserves.

I would encourage you, if you would, please to open with me, if you would, to Acts chapter 3.

Acts 3 · chapter mention

We're going to be starting in verse 11.

If you're using the Pew Bible, you can find us there on page 911.

There's a contemporary example of how this played out on May 24, 1844.

Samuel Morris officially opened the first long-distance telegraph between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore.

The line stretched for 38 miles.

It started at the old Supreme Court chamber in the U.S. Capitol

and stretched to Baltimore.

And on the receiving end of this line was a man named Alfred Vail

who waited to receive this message

and then confirmed that he had received and the success of the telegraph was born.

The initial message was put together by a woman by the name of Annie Ellsworth

and it's a line that was drawn from the book of Numbers chapter 23 verse 23

Numbers 23:23

which reads,

What hath God wrought?

It's a powerful historical moment of celebrating this achievement,

this success of this improvement,

this technological advance of being able not just to deliver a message by hand

but now to be able to deliver a message electronically

between two places that were spread apart.

But rather than celebrating the ingenuity of human invention

and celebrating Samuel Morris and his ability to put this together,

Annie Ellsworth wanted to draw attention to something else,

someone else.

Look what God has wrought.

Draw attention to him.

Praise him.

And in this first public message,

it deliberately lifted the higher question,

What has God done?

It's a question that Peter and John will raise through our passage today

of directing hearts and attention,

not to what Peter or John have accomplished there in the early parts of Acts chapter 3,

Acts 3 · chapter mention

but to draw attention to the work of God.

His work, his power,

and praise needs to be directed to him.

And so as we move into our passage this morning,

we're going to find in verse 12 how Peter will do this.

He says,

Men of Israel,

why do you wonder at this?

Or why do you stare at us as though by our own power we have made him walk?

This lame man.

The God of Abraham glorified his servant Jesus

and the faith that is through Jesus

has given this man health in the presence of you all.

Don't celebrate the power of God working through humanity.

Celebrate the power working through God.

God and his son Jesus.

Don't ask,

What has Peter and John done for you?

Understand and recognize the power of God.

Stand amazed at the work of God.

And so the posture this morning that we need to recognize from Peter and John

is the same posture that we need to have as well.

That those who celebrate and praise God

and recognize the work of God,

that posture needs to be directed appropriately.

This morning,

we're going to observe four principles of standing amazed at God's work.

We're going to see that beginning in verse 11.

And it begins with this.

We must recognize the difference between wonder and worship.

Recognize the difference between wonder and worship.

Let me read this for us.

It says in verse 11,

While he clung to Peter,

speaking of the lame man who had just been healed,

he clung to Peter and John,

all the people,

utterly astounded,

ran together to them in the portico called Solomon's.

And when Peter saw it,

he addressed the people,

Men of Israel,

why do you wonder at this?

Or why do you stare at us

as though by our own power or piety,

we have made him walk?

Now remember this story.

Those of you who were here with us a couple of weeks ago,

remember this miraculous healing that took place.

That Peter and John were there.

They had gone up to the temple to pray.

This was one of the several moments throughout the day

where God's people would assemble.

This was the ninth hour,

which means it was the third time throughout the course of the day

where God's people would pray.

It would first happen at nine in the morning

and then at noon

and then at three o'clock in the afternoon.

And on this occasion,

a lame man was brought.

A lame man who couldn't come on his own.

He was carried.

And while he is in transit,

rather than Peter and John just letting him go by

as they had done before,

they help him to stop in his tracks.

And we find something about this lame man.

He's been lame from birth.

And in chapter four, verse 22,

we find that he had been,

he's 40 years old.

So he's been dealing with this affliction,

this infirmity for a great deal of time.

And here he is.

He's dependent on the gifts of those,

the generosity,

the kindness,

the mercy of those who would come by.

And Peter stops and looks at this man and says,

I have no silver or gold to give to you,

but what I have,

I give to you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,

rise up and walk.

In other words,

I don't have exactly what you are looking for,

but I have something better.

And Peter faithfully directs attention of this miracle.

He begins this miracle by directing attention

where direction was due to Jesus Christ.

It's through the name of Jesus of Nazareth

that this miracle is happening.

And then we find what happens.

Well,

this man's ankles and feet were strengthened.

He leaps up and he begins to walk

and praise the Lord as he's moving into the temple.

We recognize that a miracle's occurred

not only because of the strengthening of his feet and ankles,

but also because of this coordination,

this proficiency of walking that was taking place.

Everyone who was there would have noticed

that something significant had just happened.

And he's not just shuffling his way.

He's not just limping or wobbling into the temple.

He is walking and leaping and praising the Lord

through this process.

And all the people who saw him recognized him

and we find that they were filled with wonder and amazement

at what had just happened.

Wonder and amazement.

And at this point,

I want to pause this morning

because wonder and worship are not the same.

Wonder and worship are not the same.

And if God is going to receive glory

the way that God deserves glory,

we need to move from just being amazed,

just wondering,

just being astounded,

just marveling.

We need to move from an emotional response

of realizing that what God has done

and it needs to move us into worship.

It needs to move us to a spot of recognizing

there's an object of wonder,

there's an object of praise

and that praise must go to God.

And so these people would stand in awe

and they would even praise God.

Some would even marvel at what had been done,

but it did not lead them,

at least initially,

to faith,

which means it didn't lead them to worship

because worship depends on faith.

It depends on having an understanding

the right object of worship,

the right object of wonder,

and moving us into faith in the Lord Jesus.

The people stood with mouths open

with a puzzled glance,

but their response on this day,

I don't believe was a coincidence

because Jesus himself would heal a lame man,

not just,

not too far away from this very time,

but not more than a couple of months

before this incident,

Jesus,

his final healing miracle in public,

in the final week of his ministry,

would be a ministry of healing lame and blind.

We find that in Matthew 21,

Matthew 21:14

verses 14 and 15.

It says,

And the blind and the lame came to him

in the temple,

and he healed them.

But when the chief priests and the scribes

saw the wonderful things that he did,

and the children crying out in the temple,

Hosanna to the son of David,

they were indignant.

I don't think it's a coincidence

that Jesus healed the lame and the blind

just a few months,

just actually a few weeks

before this very incident.

But even when Jesus performs

this incredible miracle,

the response was wonder and amazement.

They wondered,

they were amazed at the wonderful things

that Jesus did,

but instead of turning

and inclining their hearts to worship,

the chief priests and the scribes

were indignant.

They were furious.

They were incensed.

You see,

if we're ever going to stand amazed

at the work of God,

we must first recognize

the difference between wonder

and worship.

The people here in the temple

need to be enlightened.

They need their wonder

to be informed.

And so this miracle

gets everyone's attention.

We see that in verse 11.

While he clung to Peter and John,

all the people,

utterly astounded,

ran together to them

in the portico called Solomon's.

It's interesting, isn't it?

Jesus had performed miracles.

Jesus had done plenty of miracles.

Why does this now garner

so much attention?

Why was this not,

seems to be this unique

response of the crowd?

Well, I think it's because

Jesus was now gone.

And now the works

that Jesus had done

that had affirmed

his ministry,

his word,

are now being worked out

by the apostles

who are also teaching.

And in their teaching ministry,

their teaching ministry

also now confirmed,

affirmed by miracles.

This work of God

through their lives.

And now all of a sudden,

these works and wonders

that were associated

so closely to Jesus

are now being attached

to the apostles.

apostles.

And in utter amazement,

the people run together.

It's a word that's only used

in this verse.

This running together.

It's a word that describes

their tremendous amazement.

They're blown away.

They're out of their minds

for what is happening here.

And it's not only garnered

their attention,

but it's created a response.

Response of rushing

and running and assembling.

And they gather here

in a place called

Solomon's Portico,

which will become familiar to us

as we continue to move

our way through

this book of Acts.

This was a recognizable

public place.

It was a place

where God's people

would often assemble.

It was a large,

expansive place

on the east side

of the temple.

And it was a place

that was accessible

because it was on

a part of the outer courts.

It wasn't restricted

to anyone.

And it had this awning,

this covered shade

that allowed people

to gather

when the sun was hot.

It was accessible

and the people

are gathering.

But these people

needed to understand

that while however amazed

they might be,

they needed to move

from wonder to worship.

Next, they needed

to understand,

we need to understand

the significance

of refusing

to take credit

for God's work.

If God will ever

get glory,

if praise will ever

be directed to him,

then we need

to recognize

the significance

of refusing

to take credit

for the work

that God does,

for God's work.

We see that in verse 12.

And when Peter saw it,

he addressed the people,

men of Israel,

why do you wonder at this?

Or why do you stare at us

as though by our own power

or piety

we have made him walk?

In other words,

I know you're really

amazed right now.

I know this work

has really captured

your attention.

But don't direct

your attention to us.

Don't look at us.

Don't marvel at us.

This is not a work of men.

This is a work of God.

Peter has already

directed attention

to the Lord Jesus

in Acts chapter 3,

Acts 3:6

verse 6.

He says,

In the name of Jesus

Christ of Nazareth,

rise up and walk.

And the lame man got up

and what does he do?

In verse 8,

well,

he praises God.

His heart is now

already inclined

to praising

the right object

of worship.

Praising God

for what God

has accomplished.

Not praising Peter

or praising John.

This man who had lived

on the perimeter.

He had lived on

the threshold,

as it were,

of the temple.

Never being able

to really move

into the inner courts.

Now,

as a result of being

healed by the Lord Jesus,

he is now moving in.

He's praising God.

He's a part of the assembly.

He worshiped and praise

has filled his heart

and the object of praise

is to the Lord himself.

It's to God.

This emblematic

of his physical full recovery

is seen in the posture

of his heart.

Yes,

he was healed physically,

but we're beginning

to see already

there's a transformation,

there's a change

in his heart and life.

There's a direction to it.

There's an object to it.

Peter says,

don't look at us

as though we accomplished

this work.

Look to God.

And this is exactly

what we learned

from the Lord Jesus' example.

Jesus would do

the same thing.

Jesus constantly

deferred attention

to the will

of the Father.

He would defer attention

to the words

of the Father

throughout his ministry.

We see that in

John 5,

John 5:19

verse 19.

So Jesus said to them,

truly,

truly,

I say to you,

the Son

can do nothing

of his own accord,

but only what he sees

the Father doing.

For whatever the Father

does,

that the Son

does likewise.

A few verses later

in verse 30,

chapter 5,

verse 30,

he says this,

I can do nothing

of my own.

As I hear,

I judge,

and my judgment

is just because

I seek not

my own will,

but the will

of him who sent me.

We find it again

in the next chapter,

John 6,

John 6:38

verse 38.

For I have come down

from heaven,

not to do my own will,

but the will of him

who sent me.

Jesus modeled

this kind of heart.

The heart of submission

and obedience

and deferring

to the Father,

seeking to direct

attention of hearts

of people

to God the Father.

Jesus depended

on the Father's will

and the Father's power.

And if we're ever

going to stand amazed

at the works

of God,

we must do the same.

We must draw

attention

to the work

of God,

not to the work

of us.

Whatever things

God accomplishes

through our lives,

whatever successes

that you may have,

whatever comfort

you may give,

whatever joys

your life

and service

your life

may contribute

to the body,

it is a result

of the work

of God.

We must

direct attention

to God.

That's what I love

about Ephesians

Ephesians 3:20

chapter 3

verses 20 and 21.

Paul here says,

Now to him

who is able

to do far more

abundantly

than all that

we ask or think

according to the power

at work within us,

to him

be the glory

in the church

and in Christ Jesus

throughout all generations

forever

and ever.

Amen.

Notice the emphasis.

Now to him.

Praise to God.

Yes,

he has given us

the joy

of the indwelling

power of the Holy Spirit

but everything

that happens,

everything good

that happens

in life

is a result

of the power

of God

and it's directed

to his glory.

Glorify the Lord.

In our working,

in our serving,

in our speaking,

we need to have

the posture

of deferring

and directing

people's attention

to the Lord Jesus Christ.

And I believe

as I look around

this room,

I believe that

most of you

do a really good job

at this.

You often give credit

to the Lord

for what God

has accomplished

through you

and in you

and when you receive

credit and praise

from others,

you often defer

that praise.

praise the Lord

for this.

Thank the Lord

for how he's worked

through me.

And I think

we tend to do

really well

at this.

But we often

get it wrong

in reverse

or maybe I should

just maybe

personalize this.

I often get it

wrong in reverse.

And what I mean

is this.

When credit

comes my way,

it's easy for me

to defer

that credit

to somebody else.

But where I struggle

is when

nobody notices.

When I struggle

is when

that pat

on the back

doesn't come to me.

When no one appreciates,

when no one enjoys,

when no one

takes notice,

then

that's when

my heart

begins to

be discouraged

and be depressed

and be frustrated.

Why didn't anyone

notice what's happening?

But this is

the same problem

in reverse.

is the problem

in reverse

as Paul will say

in Galatians 1.10.

Am I now

seeking the approval

of men or God?

Or do I seek

to please men?

For if I still

please men,

I cannot be a servant

of Christ.

You see,

it's easy to acknowledge

God when people

acknowledge us.

It's not so easy,

I think,

for us to acknowledge

God when nobody

acknowledges us.

And that's where

the real test comes.

Will we give God

praise even in

private

when no acceptance,

no appreciation,

no commendation

comes our way?

We continue to say,

praise the Lord

for what God is doing.

You see,

if God is going

to get praise,

if he's going to

receive

the accolades

and the celebration

for what he is doing,

we need to direct

hearts to him

and refuse to take

credit for God's

working.

We find in verse 13,

we also need to

reckon with the reality

of rejecting God's

son.

If God is ever

going to receive

praise,

we need to reckon

with the reality

of rejecting God's

son.

It says this in

verse 13.

The God of Abraham,

the God of Isaac,

and the God of Jacob,

the God of our fathers,

glorified his servant

Jesus,

whom you delivered

over and denied

in the presence of

Pilate.

when he had decided

to release him,

but you denied

the holy and

righteous one

and asked for a

murderer to be

granted to you,

and you killed

the author of life,

whom God raised

from the dead.

To this,

we are witnesses.

Reckon with the

reality of rejecting

God's son.

What do I mean by

this?

Well,

it is this.

In summary,

you cannot

reject the son

and have

the father.

You cannot

stand amazed

at God's work

and oppose

the son.

The two

come together.

And that was

largely the problem

in Jerusalem.

They had no problem

directing attention

to God

and recognize

the work of God,

but when

Jesus came

into the mix,

they opposed

Jesus,

they pushed him

away,

they rejected

Jesus,

and by

rejecting

Jesus,

they also

rejected God.

And so you

cannot praise

and please

God and

worship God

by rejecting

Jesus.

John will

say,

in 1 John,

1 John 2:22

chapter 2,

verse 22,

who is a

liar,

but he who

denies that

Jesus is the

Christ.

This is the

antichrist,

he who denies

the Father

and the Son.

No one

who denies

the Son

has the

Father.

Whoever

confesses

the Son

has the

Father also.

That's where

true saving

faith

crystallizes.

It crystallizes

in knowing

who Jesus

is.

It crystallizes

in knowing

and directing

attention and

praise to the

God and

Father of

our Lord

Jesus Christ.

And so

that's what

Peter is

about to do.

we find that

in verse 13.

He begins

to draw

attention to

the God

and Father

of the Lord

Jesus Christ

who was also

the God of

Abraham,

the God of

Isaac,

the God of

Jacob.

The God

that these

people in

Jerusalem

celebrated

and worshipped

is the same

God that

was embodied

in the person

of Jesus

Christ.

And he is

the promise

keeping God.

God.

It's

interesting

that Peter

will draw

attention to

the God

of Abraham.

That's where

the people

of God

find their

identity.

They find it

in the promises

that were

originally given

to Abraham

and then worked

out through

Jesus Christ

who was the

seed of Abraham

and those who

are in Christ

are also

beneficiaries

of these promises

that were

originally given

to Abraham.

God has

promised these

things to

Abraham and

those who are

of faith in

Christ are

now beneficiaries

of this promise.

We see this

God glorified

his servant

Jesus whom

you delivered

over to

and denied

in the presence

of Pilate.

This word

Jesus as

servant,

this servant

Jesus is an

unusual word

in the Greek.

It's a word

that's used

only a few

times throughout

the book of

Acts.

It draws

attention to

Jesus as

servant but

it is this

title that

had this

messianic

understanding,

this future

promise that

God would send

this promised

king and

this title

that was used

in this moment

is meant to

create that

connection,

that association.

You see

Jesus here?

He's the

servant of God.

He's the

son of God.

He's the

promised king

sent from

God.

We find in

Isaiah chapter

Isaiah 52:13

52 verse 13

a reference to

this servant,

this promised

servant.

It says this,

Behold my

servant shall

act wisely.

He was despised

and rejected by

men, a man of

sorrows and

acquainted with

grief.

Surely he has

borne our

griefs and

carried our

sorrows.

Yet we

esteemed him

stricken,

smitten by

God and

afflicted,

but he was

pierced for

our transgression.

He was

crushed for

our iniquities.

Upon him

was the

chastisement

that brought

us peace

and with his

wounds we

are healed.

This same

promised servant,

this servant

of God is

the one in

the same

Jesus Christ

who came

to serve

and to

save his

people from

their sin.

The one

that was

promised in

Isaiah,

the prophet

Isaiah is

the same

one that

you crucified

and killed

by hanging

on a tree.

This is

one and

the same.

Do you

recognize the

weight, the

gravity of

your rejection

of your

very God,

Jesus Christ,

who came,

who came to

offer salvation

to you?

This was

God's servant.

There's not

some random

prophet, not

just a good

man, not

just a worker

of miracles,

but this was

God's very

servant and

son.

And this

identity calls

attention to

the gravity

of the

offense.

Jesus was

sent by

God, affirmed

by God,

spoke the

words of

God and

worked the

miracles that

God called

him to work

and what did

they do?

We find this

two-fold reaction.

They delivered

him over and

they denied

him, this

very servant

son.

And while

Pilate was

ultimately

responsible for

Jesus' death,

we find

through the

gospel accounts

that there

were six

times through

the gospel

accounts that

Pilate refers

to Jesus as

innocent.

And three

occasions when

Pilate wanted

to release

Jesus and

the crowds that

were in

Jerusalem, those

Jews, demanded

his death.

They rejected

him, they

denied him,

they delivered

him over.

And Peter

assigns this

full responsibility

for Christ's

crucifixion to

the Jews.

The very ones

who were standing

there listening

to this message,

they were the

ones, they were

culpable.

Peter uses three

titles for Jesus

which are meant

to add weight

to his identity.

He calls him

holy and the

righteous one.

He calls him the

author of life.

All terms that

were used throughout

the Old Testament

to direct attention

to Jesus as the

Messiah, the

promised king,

the one who

is coming.

And even though

it should have

been clear, it

should have been

obvious, and

even though as

the holy one,

even the demons

believed and

trembled, we find

from Mark chapter

Mark 1:24

1 verse 24, the

demons who say,

I know who you

are, the holy

one of God.

And what the

demons could

recognize, the

people in

Jerusalem could

not.

And so they

delivered him

over, they

denied him.

This author of

life, and the

irony is

meant to come

with force.

The author of

life, you

killed, you

murdered, you

delivered him

over.

If we're ever

going to stand

amazed at God's

work, we must

recognize the

son for who he

is.

We must come to

terms with

Jesus as the

son of God.

We must

recognize what

he is owing,

he is due, our

praise.

And finally, if

we're ever going

to stand amazed

at God's work, we

need to respond in

faith and praise to

Jesus.

We find that in

verse 16, it

says this, and

his name, by

faith in his

name, has made

this man strong,

whom you see and

know, and the

faith that is

through Jesus has

given this man

perfect health in

the presence of

you all.

To ensure that

his audience

doesn't miss the

point.

Peter will draw

attention to the

name Jesus, the

object of their

praise.

He draws attention

to three times in

this one little

verse.

He begins, and

his name, by

faith in his

name.

That's the second

one.

And then in this

middle phrase, and

faith that is

through Jesus.

Peter, that

started this whole

miraculous event by

directing attention to

Jesus Christ, now

draws attention to

him once again.

And to ensure this

emphasis, he calls

attention to him now

three times in this

short little verse.

And the message is

this, that faith is

only strong when the

object rests on the

right individual.

And faith is not

powerful because it

comes from us.

faith is powerful

because it rests in

Christ.

And we find

throughout this

passage, this verse

in particular, that

Peter is drawing

attention to faith.

Well, what is

missing is whose

faith are we talking

about?

Are we talking about

the faith of Peter,

who recognized that

God could do a work

in this lame man?

Are we talking about

the faith of the

lame man, who when

Peter grasped his

hand, that he lifted

him up, and by faith

the man was able to

stand and believing

that the word that

Peter gave him was

true?

I believe this is by

design.

We don't know whose

faith we're addressing

because the faith of

both parties was

important.

But what the

apostle Peter is

trying to welcome

us and invite us to

participate is

recognizing that if

you want to enjoy the

same kind of work of

God, you must also be

a person of faith.

You must also come to

a place of recognizing

who Jesus is.

You must also be the

kind of person who

lays aside personal

praise and refuses to

accept that praise for

the sake of directing

praise to God.

And that through faith in

Christ, you can enjoy

the benefits of healing.

He uses this word.

He's been healed.

It reminds me again of

what we found in Isaiah

Isaiah 53:5

chapter 53 verse 5.

It says, but he was

pierced for our

transgressions.

He was crushed for our

iniquities.

Upon him was the

chastisement that brought

us peace and with his

wounds we are healed.

Well, what kind of

healing are we talking

about here?

We're not just talking

about the healing that

took place here in

Jerusalem.

This physical healing,

this miraculous healing

of this lame man.

But it was just meant

to be emblematic of the

greater healing that God

desires to do for anyone

who trusts in him.

And that's a healing of

our greatest need.

Our sin need that has

separated us from the

Lord.

That because of sin we

have been separated from

him.

And without a connection

to him, without fellowship

with him, without being

restored back to him, we

will continue to walk in

disfellowship apart from

God.

This great healing that

Jesus offered is the

healing of your heart.

And ultimately those who

believe in Jesus will also

enjoy the benefits of this

resurrected body at some

point down the road.

So there will be a

physical and spiritual

healing that comes

because of the work of

Christ.

But this miraculous work is

meant to draw attention to

praise to God.

You see, the crowd came

rushing because they had

seen a miracle.

And Peter would not let

them stop at the miracle.

He would not let them

stop even at the healed

man.

He would not let them

stop at Peter and John.

He would not even let them

stop at wonder and

amazement.

Peter wants to direct their

attention to the object of

worship.

The object of praise to

Jesus Christ himself.

Faith in his name.

Do you believe in Jesus

this morning?

Have you enjoyed the

benefits of his power?

His saving power that

came through this

crucified Lord that all

of us here in this room

are culpable in some

sense.

That at some point in

our life we've all

participated in this

process of denying the

Lord Jesus.

Of delivering him over.

But as we find in this

passage there is still an

invitation.

There's an invitation for

all of us to enjoy the

benefits of this welcome.

Through faith in his name

we can participate in the

power of his healing and

especially his healing power

in salvation.

Healing hearts in bringing

us to God.

So this morning we're

reminded of what faith in

Christ entails.

us.

We're reminded this morning

of the importance of what

Christ has accomplished for

us through his death and

resurrection.

And we come this morning to

these elements and we're

reminded of the cost that are

required for us to enjoy the

benefits of Christ's work.

His crucifixion and his

resurrection have afforded us

the joy of being united with

him in faith.

Do you believe in the Lord

Jesus today?

Are you setting your

affection not just on the

wonder of what God has done

but has it drawn you into

worship, into faith, into

believing in him as the only

son of God, the servant of God

who is worthy of your worship

and praise.

Let me pray.

Father, thank you for the work

of your son Jesus Christ.

thank you that through faith in

Christ we can enjoy the

benefits of life with God.

The author of life who was put

to death has ushered in an age

of enjoyment of life with God

through faith in the son.

And God, as we recognize this

work, I pray that our hearts

would not only be reminded but

challenged to direct our hearts,

our praise rightly to the

object of worship to God

himself and his son Jesus

Christ.

We pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.