Living Waters Church | November 23, 2025
Acts 3: 1-10
Listen to or watch the sermon here.
Growing up we used to watch a television show called The Antiques Roadshow. You wouldn’t think The Antiques Roadshow was prime viewing for children, but I loved it. A group of antique dealers would turn up in some town, and folks were invited to bring in all their old stuff to be inspected and then to hear how much it might fetch in an auction. People would bring all kinds of things: old paintings, family heirlooms, dusty kitchenware, shoebox jewelry, wardrobes that looked like something from The Chronicles of Narnia. Folks would drag just about anything to The Roadshow which they hoped might be worth something. With the cameras rolling the appraisers would study an item, share the history, and eventually disclose how much it might be worth.
Sometimes folks would bring in an item which looked rare and impressive, and you could tell they were hoping it’d fetch a pretty penny. But then, following the inspection, the appraiser would have to break the news that the item was not in fact that rare or impressive. You could see the disappointment on their faces when folks learned that Aunt Mildrid’s special plate collection was actually quite ordinary, no matter what they’d heard growing up.
Other times the opposite would happen. Some unassuming granny would turn up with some long-forgotten family heirloom, stuffed away in an attic for fifty years, dragged out only because The Roadshow was in town. I always loved that moment, when, after the inspection, the appraiser would ask, “And would you like to hazard a guess as to what your item might be worth?”, and the granny would reply with some modest number, only to then be informed that the item was in fact very rare and impressive, and should she wish to put it up for auction she might be able to clear her mortgage with the earnings. I loved when those little old grannies would exclaim, “Oh my! And I nearly didn’t come in today!” As a kid I remember wondering what that would be like. What if we had something like that in our house? It made me want to have a better a look around.
Do we know the value of what’s in our possession? That’s one of the questions emerging from our text today. We’ll come to that in a moment, but first let’s recall what we’ve heard in the book of Acts so far.
So Far in Acts
As we’ve been learning, Acts is the second volume from an ancient, historical writer named Luke. In his first volume, Luke wrote a biography of Jesus (or what we now call a Gospel), and after putting Jesus’ life on paper, Luke continued to record the narrative. Acts begins with Luke telling us that his first volume was about “all that Jesus began to do and teach”. The word “began” is very important in that sentence, as Luke’s second volume records what Jesus’ continued to do, only now through his Holy Spirit in the lives of his first followers. After Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension, it was important for the author to stress that Jesus was no less present in the world, but had flooded his first followers with his Spirit so that they might be his hands and feet, sharing the truth about who he was and what he’d done with everyone. And so, where previously folks had expected a tent or temple to house God’s presence, Jesus’ followers (“the believers”, as they came to be known) were now themselves the temples, filled with and empowered by God’s very own presence, that is, the Holy Spirit. And when that happened, the believers began to do and share the sorts of things Jesus did and shared.
In Acts 1 we read that before his ascension Jesus tells his followers to wait for the outpouring and baptism of the Holy Spirit, which they did, and which happened. Remarkable signs accompanied arrival of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem, which leads to one of Jesus’ closest disciples, Peter, standing up and boldly sharing the truth about Jesus with the crowds gathered. People trust what Peter is telling them and the community of believers grows to over 3,000. Last week we heard that the first devoted believers in Jesus met regularly, worshiped, learned, ate and shared together, growing with a good reputation in the city, all while more were joining the new movement daily.
Acts 3
Today we arrive in Acts chapter 3, which follows a similar pattern to some of what we’ve seen in Acts 2. Peter is again as a central figure among the first believers, and a powerful sign (in this case a healing) draws a reaction from “all the people”.
1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts.
As we see in the gospels, Peter is a kind of team captain among the disciples, so it’s no surprise to again see him on the forefront of what Jesus began and then riding that wave. John is also a central figure among the early believers, especially close to Jesus himself, also the disciple who wrote the Gospel of John and other books in our New Testament. As we look at this episode it’s helpful to remember that the author of Acts isn’t telling us about everything going on at that time but has selected episodes to get a point across. What should we notice at the beginning of this vignette?
We’re told the believers not only gathered in homes to commune, but also still visited Jerusalem’s temple with regularity. That’s a small but important detail in Acts. It’s crucial for us to see here at the beginning of the movement that the early believers don’t consider Jesus to be a periphery, or brand new figure in Israel’s story. They believe Jesus and YHWH are on the same footing. When they go to the Temple, they’re going with all Israel’s history in mind, and with Jesus’ as the fulfillment and future of that history too. Think about that for a moment. For them, Jesus is no mere rabbi, or even simply the Messiah, important as the Messiah was. Jesus was the long-awaited promise of the presence of the LORD himself. Jesus has been God among them, God returned to his temple, and Jesus’ disciples believe it’s part of their assignment to share that news. So Peter and John appear very clear on Jesus, which means when they go to the temple, just as they had done with Jesus, they see the temple and Jesus differently on the other side of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
So Peter and John are going to the temple at the time of prayer. We’re not told they intending to preach, other than that they had been given a general assignment to share Jesus’ message in the boldness of the Holy Spirit, which they had received. Just as we see many times in the gospels with Jesus, Peter and John are going from here to there with an overall mission, are met with need when they arrival at the temple. As you’d imagine the needy gather in high traffic or meaningful places around the temple, hoping for the mercy of their neighbours. And the man we read about in Acts 3 is no different. He’s unable to walk and is brought to a temple gate to beg daily. Luke tells us it’s a particular gate (the Beautiful gate), a detail reminding us that Luke’s recording history and these facts would be corroborated as they spread. As Peter and John make their way in, they’re called on by the man begging, but he ends up receiving more than he’s bargained for.
3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk.
When we read something like that we might be taken aback. Because we may have become comfortable with reading about Jesus’ doing this kind of stuff in the gospels (which he did), but in the back of our minds we’re always conscious of the differences between Jesus and everyone else. Of course Jesus can heal people, he’s Jesus. Even if you don’t subscribe to the entire Jesus deal, you might still accept what we read in the Gospels as clearly something remarkable happening around him. But Peter and John are not Jesus. And so right away we might start feeling a little nervous, because the stuff Jesus was doing in the Gospels is now being done by his followers, and Jesus isn’t even around to steady the bike without the training wheels. Or is he?
We might also notice Peter and John’s boldness. Who do they think they are? Walking up to a person begging who can’t walk, and saying, “look at me, give me your hand, get up and walk” is a big swing! And yet they take it. What on earth gives Peter the confidence to do that? And, and another question looms: how on earth is that confidence verified by the man then being healed? The answer to both of those questions is simple but profound: the authority of Jesus is why they have such confidence, and the power of his Spirit is how the healing happens. Peter and John aren’t like a couple of rock star leaders walking around with a swagger. They simply know they have been filled with Jesus’ Spirit, and they appeal to the authority of Jesus’ name in the moment. “In Jesus’ name”. A name points to a character, and this is what Peter leans on. Now Peter’s always been a bit bold, even a bit rash, but in this instance his boldness isn’t rooted in himself. His willingness to swing for the fences is backed up with real power beyond him. Peter has a confidence (faith) even in the name of Jesus, and in this case the man is healed. That’s a new boldness and undeniable power.
Let’s pause for a moment to talk about healing, because whenever we read about healing in Scripture we often carry in our own questions. We likely sit in one of three camps when it comes to the kind of healing we’ve just read of here, or maybe on the boarder of a couple of camps. Some folks don’t believe the stuff we hear of in Scripture (like healing) is something we should expect today. Others believe that stuff like healing is something we should expect today (which is what we hold to generally at Living Waters, and some among us have stories from their own experience to back that up). Still there are others of us who might believe stuff like healing can happen today, and we may even have asked for it, but healing hasn’t happened. And if that’s been our experience, we should hear a few things.
First, if we’ve asked God for healing and the answer appears to be no, or not yet, or an answer comes but not as we’d hoped, that can be disappointing and painful. I’ve prayed for healing, and I’ve presided over the funerals of those I’ve prayed for – and it is painful. But it’s important to remember that as painful and unique as that experience might be to us, it’s both painful and observable in Scripture too. In the Bible prayers of trust are sometimes answered exactly as folks hoped. But it’s also observable in Scripture for folks to hear no, not yet, or for the reply to land differently than they may have at first wanted. For example, the night before his death Jesus asked that he’d be spared his cup of suffering and he heard no. So Jesus walked through it. Paul, asked to be freed, healed from an affliction, and he was told that he’d instead be given the grace live with the affliction.
Now in both those cases it appears something vital was being brought to bear through suffering. The evidence in Scripture points to the fact that God is both a work in things like healing, but also at work in and through suffering. It is easy for believers in relatively comfortable settings to forget that the very way in which God brought about profound change in his world was through a deep work of suffering (Ie: the cross). Those are just two examples but what we need to hear is that neither of those examples had anything to do with a lack of faith or trust on Jesus or Paul’s part. In other words, they didn’t hear “no” because they were doing something wrong. So let’s be clear: sometimes, even if we’re full of trust, the answers to our asks are in the Lord’s hands. This doesn’t mean we should stop asking unless otherwise directed, nor does it mean we’ve been forgotten, or aren’t loved, or sustained. We don’t know why the Lord might do one thing, and not the other, and so as a people of trust, we leave that with him.
Now I hesitate to move on quickly from this because this is deep stuff. But let me just say this before we do. We can and should ask and even expect good gifts from the Lord. But out asking is not about what we can or can’t do. Asking is primarily a sign of our trust. And we trust, because we know that ultimately we’re in the Lord’s hands in the big picture. We trust his character and that one day, every tear will be wiped away. That’s the great hope we have in our resurrected Jesus, promised to return, renew and restore his creation. And, as with any relationship, trust is something which either grows or diminishes over time. Quick answers and cliches are not helpful. Growing honesty and trust is where we need to go with the Lord. We can and should ask boldly, but with trust as our foundation for asking. Let’s return to the scene:
Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. 11 While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade.
As the three men enter the Temple a ruckus begins to grow, and everyone who sees and knows this man’s story can’t believe what they’re seeing as he leaps around praising God. Folks come running and there’s this man hanging onto Peter and John. You have to wonder if John leaned over to Peter and said, “Well, I guess we’re not going to prayer that meeting anymore”. Just as what we saw in Acts 2, something incredible and undeniable happens, a crowd forms, and Peter will have to address what’s happened. Not only does this man experience the mercy of God in his physical body, Peter will again announce the news about Jesus to the crowd, and direct them to God’s mercy also. That’s for next week as we’ll hear from Rikk.
What next?
Here’s a few things we might take away today from this episode.
First, do we know the value of what’s not only Peter’s possession, but ours’ too? What’s Jesus’ name worth to us? Are we stirred by the boldness of Peter who speaks and acts in the authority of Jesus’ name, and the power of the Holy Spirit?
Us believers sometimes need to be reminded of the true value of things. We’ve got skills, gifts, money, education, reputation, and we can put a lot of stock in that stuff. Not bad stuff, but we put a lot of stock in it. And we often we think that if we only had different gifts, skills, more money, more education, a better reputation, we’d be better off, or more influential. And to some degree we might be. But, as believers, if we think all that stuff is what makes the difference in God’s kingdom, we’re mistaken. We’re like those people on The Antiques Roadshow, who turn up with what we think has great value, and the appraiser has to tell us, “sorry, it’s just not worth as much as you thought.”
I also wonder if us believers, sometimes simultaneously, don’t realize the value, the worth of what we do have in our possession. We’re like that granny who turns up to The Antiques Roadshow, a little timid, a little unassuming, almost entirely unaware of the value of what’s in our hands, the power at work in us. Only it’s not a thing, or a skill, or possession, but a person – Jesus himself. Do we know the weight of Jesus’ name on our lips, the power of his presence in our steps?
Peter wasn’t distracted by what he didn’t have to offer the man begging. Nor did Peter didn’t give the begging man what the man thought he needed. Peter knew the value, the authority, of Jesus’ name, and spoke it (spent it) in boldness and trust. And the man ended up receiving something much better than a few pennies. Peter trusted the authority of Jesus and walked in the power of the Holy Spirit, just on the way somewhere one day, and something remarkable happened – changing not just one life, but as we’ll hear next in Acts, many more.
There’s nothing wrong with silver and gold. Gifts, skills, money, education, reputation – all the stuff we know can make a difference. But believers don’t put too much stock in that stuff, because we don’t walk around in our own authority or capacity or reputation. We walk around in Jesus’ name and in his Spirit, which creates a different kind of boldness. Not a boldness that turns us into emotionally unintelligent jerks, but a boldness which responds with God’s mercy and good news to those around us with a strange generosity. It’s not a boldness of ideology or self-righteousness, but a boldness rooted in relationship, a reliance on Jesus and the deep work of his Spirit in each moment of our day.
We have a confidence, not in ourselves, but in Jesus, because we’re beginning to see the worth of Jesus’ name. The weight of his glory. The presence and power of his Spirit in our steps.
Luke Knight 