Bread of His Presence

Lechem Panim #137 "Boldness When Nations Rage” (Acts 4:23-31) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello and welcome to Lechem Panim. We have been taking a look at Peter and John’s healing of a lame beggar here in Acts chapter 4; we have seen the crowds gathering in response, Peter and John’s using this as an opportunity to share the Gospel, the angry response from the Jewish leaders, their duplicity in overlooking the evidence in front of them, and their command for Peter and John to no longer preach or teach in the name of Jesus, which of course invokes a response from Peter and John that no doubt shocked and angered them. It says in…

Acts 4:19-20 (ESV)— 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

Their Release & The Growth of The Church— Now the Jewish leaders don’t really have a strong case against Peter and John. Plus Peter and John obviously have the strong support of the people. And also the man who was healed was standing right in front of them; and so they have no choice but to let them go. And following this we see that despite this persecution the Church grows in an incredible way. From 120 praying men and women in Acts 1 to more than three thousand on the day of Pentecost, to now, where (in response to this miracle) the Church grows to over 5,000 disciples. [In the days that followed, “believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women” (Acts 5:14; and see 6:1,7). {And so we see that} Satan’s attempts to silence the Church only led to a stronger witness for the Lord.] And that is often how it is today as well. The harder the Church is persecuted, the more multiplied is the spread of the Gospel. Now it says in…

Acts 4:23-26 (ESV)— 23 When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, “‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? 26 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’—

Entering Into Prayer— Now I love this. The first thing that happens after this righteous protest is Peter and John immediately start praying with fellow believers. And that’s a good test of a righteous protest. If you can immediately enter into Spirit-filled fellowship with God and fellow Christians in prayer after a protest, you have probably done it right. And this is truly one of the great prayers recorded for us in scripture. And I love how it is born out of the Church coming together to unite in the midst of adversity.

"One Accord"— But you know, that was typical of the early Church. Over and over again throughout the book of Acts we run into the phrase “of one accord”, which shows up again here in verse 24. The disciples always fought hard to keep that spirit of unity. And one of the chief ways they so often managed to do this was in and through prayer. They prayed with fervency, because they knew it was absolutely critical to maintaining unity in the Body of Christ and to further the work of helping to build His Church. In and through prayer they (together) sought the heart and mind of God and God was therefore pleased to answer their requests.

Referencing the Entire Psalm— Now remember what I told you several weeks ago. Jewish men and women during that time would have massive amounts of scripture memorized that they could quote at any moment verbatim. Many still do. Men would often have the entire Old Testament memorized and could (at the drop of a hat) recite and portion of the Old Testament you asked them to. Even women (who were less educated and rarely received training from rabbis) were all expected to have Psalms, Proverbs, and Deuteronomy memorized. By the way, that is why you notice that whenever Jesus is talking with women, he only speaks to them using passages from those three books; from the books they would have known by memory. Now keep in mind that the chapter and verse references were not a part of the text during that time. And so the way that you would reference a passage is by quoting the first line. And then your audience (who had the entire text you were referencing memorized) would mentally pull up and have it (in its entirety) in their mind. It was like our saying “Open your Bibles to…” Only they didn’t have to open up their Bibles. They would just mentally turn to the text you were referencing. Now you need to understand this key part of Jewish culture because note how the passage they quote (from Psalm 2) is the very beginning of the Psalm. And so why are they doing this? You see, the disciples here are more than just pulling a nice little pithy passage to use in their prayer time. No, they are quoting the first line in order to bring to the minds of all those who are a part of that prayer meeting the entirety of Psalm 2. And since most of us don’t have it memorized, let me go ahead and read it. In this psalm David writes…

Psalm 2 (ESV)— 1 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” 7 I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.” 10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Why Psalm 2 Encouraged Them— Now why do the disciples use this psalm as the basis of their prayer meeting? It may interest you to note that [This psalm is often mentioned in the New Testament (see Acts 4:25-26; 13:33; Hebrews 1:5-6; 5:5; Revelation 2:26-27; 12:5; 19:15 ).] It was one of those psalms Christians found very encouraging, particularly during times of persecution. Why? Well, first of all, it’s because this is a Messianic psalm. And there are [Several psalms {that} are called “messianic” because of their prophetic descriptions of Jesus the Messiah (Christ)—his life, death, resurrection, and future reign.] And this psalm in particular [describes the rebellion of the nations and the coming of Christ to establish his eternal reign.] And [David may have written these words during a conspiracy against Israel by some of the surrounding pagan nations.] And so what this reminded the early believers of (and should remind us as well) is the fact that Satan has always been at war against God’s plan of salvation. All who were chosen and anointed by God had to face intense persecution in the midst of Satan’s attempt to thwart God’s plan. And the disciples here in this prayer meeting are acknowledging this reality. And you know Satan is still at war with us. The nations are still raging. And Peter and John’s rejection and persecution by the Sanhedrin was just another one of Satan’s many, typical attacks. But in David’s case, note how he didn’t lose faith. He knew that he had been chosen and anointed by God. And because of that, he [knew that God would fulfill his promise to bring the Messiah into the world through his bloodline (2 Samuel 7:16; 1 Chronicles 17:11-12).] And what this Psalm shows us is that the disciples (in a similar way) were trusting in God to work out His plan of salvation regardless of the resistance they might meet along the way. They (as the last verse says) take refuge in him knowing that though the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain, the Lord will eventually break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. The Lord will be victorious; and their mission will succeed because it is a mission that is endorsed and empowered by God Himself. God’s anointed (Jesus Christ) will sit on the throne; and nothing can thwart the coming of the Kingdom of God. Can you begin to see the roots of their boldness? They stood in a very real and tangible way on the promises of God. Now after referencing this psalm, they say in…

Acts 4:27-28 (ESV)— 27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.

Prayer and Politicians— Now I love this because while many pastors are told to keep politics out of their service (which means don’t mention the name of your president, your governor, or any other politician), we find here in the early Church the early Christians mentioning two politicians by name whom they recognized had set themselves against Christ. But we also find that the early Christians did so in a spirit of prayer, praying for their leaders; even those at enmity with them; at war against Christ and His Church. And that was no doubt the spirit here as well. But note also how they acknowledge the actions of these politicians to still be under the sovereign hand of God. God had a plan that was not only not thwarted by these men who had set themselves against God in their feeble attempts to de-rail God’s plan, but had actually only succeeded in helping to further His plan. And listen to what these Christians pray. It says in…

Acts 4:29-31 (ESV)— 29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

“With Boldness”— And note that word “boldness”. It comes up again and again. The early Christians were bold. But it wasn’t a boldness that came from arrogance or righteous indignation. It was a boldness that came from the Holy Spirit of God.

​A Right Pattern— And so today I want to encourage you, as we continue to face a government that is increasingly at odds with us, to follow the pattern set by these early Christians. The temptation to divide is only going to become stronger. And so we need to be Christians who are committed to unity with Christ and with one another; Christians who are committed to truth; Christians who are committed to following the clear mandates of God as revealed to us in scripture; Christians who are committed to taking a stand for God (even against authority when necessary), but to do while demonstrating the love and self-sacrifice of the one we are proclaiming; with a conviction and integrity that touches every area of our lives. Let’s do so. Amen.

Lechem Panim #136 "When & How To Disobey" (Acts 4:19-20) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello and welcome to Lechem Panim. If you have been following our study of the book of Acts, you will know that for the past several weeks we have been taking a look at chapter 4, in which Peter and John find and heal a crippled beggar outside of the temple gate. And seeing the crowds that gathered around them as a result of that miracle, they use it as a launching point to tell them about Jesus, in whose name the miracle was performed. And they’re proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. Now the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees don’t appreciate that; because remember the Sadducees rejected the concept of a resurrection and an afterlife); and so they seize Peter and John, hold them in custody until the following day, and then make them stand before the Jewish religious court known as the Sanhedrin, the members of whom were supposed to be the keepers of truth in the land. And yet here we find them ignoring the truth; being unwilling to follow where the evidence pointed because of what it would mean for their own personal worldview. And we see in the text that they are not even willing to deal with the evidence. They choose to ignore it. And they resolve amongst themselves to try to silence Peter and John. So they threaten them and order them to no longer preach or teach in the name of Jesus.

Satan’s Strategy— And you know, that is what Satan always does; he seeks to stifle the Gospel by getting Christians to remain silent. And sadly, this often works. Christians have often allowed themselves to become the “silent witnesses” of the Church, even in a day and age of unparalleled freedom (at least here in the United States). And I just wonder “Why is that?” Why are we so reluctant and timid when it comes to sharing the Gospel?

Penn Jillette’s Encounter With A Christian— Recently I re-watched a video of famous magician Penn Jillette as he shared about his encounter with a man who sought to give him a Gideon Bible and to share with Him the good news of the Gospel of Christ. And Penn of course is a stout atheist. But in this video he shared about his encounter with this Christian and what an impact this man had on him in the few moments he had contact with him. And he said this. “…I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize. I don’t respect that at all. If you believe that there’s a heaven and hell and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life or whatever and you think that “well it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward.” And atheists who think that people shouldn’t proselytize; just leave me alone; just keep your religion to yourself. How much do you have to hate someone to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that. I mean if I believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that a truck was coming at you and you didn’t believe it; that truck was bearing down on you; there’s a certain point where I tackle you; and this is more important than that….This guy was a really good guy. He was polite, and honest, and sane; and he cared enough about me to proselytize and give me a bible…”.

Albert Camus— I love what [the existential philosopher Albert Camus said, “What the world expects of Christians is that Christians should speak out, loud and clear … in such a way that never a doubt, never the slightest doubt, could arise in the heart of the simplest man.”

They Cared Enough— Part of the reason Peter and John were unwilling to comply was because they cared enough about the people they were ministering to to take a stand. Why? Souls were at stake. And so they chose to openly defy the Sanhedrin. It says in…

Acts 4:19-20 (ESV)— 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

Commanded to Proclaim— Now one of the key prerequisites to Peter and John openly choosing to disobey these authorities was that they had a clear inarguable command from Jesus Himself to proclaim the Gospel. It says in…

Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)— 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Standing on The Word— And similarly, if we are going to take a stand, we need to do so being sure that we are following the clear directive of the Word of God. This is especially important when we are challenging the authority of our government. We need to be sure that we are standing not on the basis of our own perspective or our own righteous indignation, but on the clear teaching of the Word of God. And I say this because there are many groups today that seek to oppose and defy government. But they do so on the basis of what they think is right or wrong (or merely on what is popular at the time) rather than on the basis of what the Word of God says.

How to Stand— Now while at times it is important and necessary for Christians to practice "civil disobedience", we need also to understand how to do so while still living out the teaching and principles of scripture. Peter and John were obviously not the first ones to take a stand for what they knew was right. Think of the Jewish midwives in Exodus 1 who refused to follow the command of Pharaoh to (when delivering the Hebrew babies and if they see that the baby is a boy, to) kill it because of the (what was perceived to be) the overpopulation of the Jews. Or think about Moses’ parents who hid their child against the edict of the king (Hebrews 11:23). Or you might think of Daniel, who resolved not to eat the king’s food in Daniel 1, or later in chapter 6 when he refuses to cease praying to his God and pray only to the king. Daniel’s three friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (also known as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) also took a stand and refused to pray to the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had made of himself and commanded that all should worship (Daniel 3). Now on the surface their protesting might look similar to other modern protests. But when we look closely, we see that each of these biblical characters were operating on a specific set of principles. The midwives who refused to murder the Hebrew babies did so out of a recognition that to do so would go against God Himself. That is what it means when it says in Exodus 1:17 (and please note carefully how it opens; it says)...

Exodus 1:17 (ESV)— 17 But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live.

Fearing God— You see, they feared God, which meant they knew where He stood on the issue of the sanctity of human life and therefore chose to act in alignment with His will rather than Pharaoh’s. Moses’ parent’s no doubt refused for similar reasons. Daniel refused to eat the king’s food for reasons that are highly debated; we don’t know all the reasons. Some have suggested that it was because the food was not kosher; some have suggested that it was food that had been offered to idols; others say that it merely represented Nebuchadnezzar’s overall attempt to get these young men to acknowledge that he was the center of their lives; replacing their former God. Or it may have been a combination of those three. But regardless, Daniel knew where God stood on the issue and therefore he knew both where he stood and what he needed to do (or not do). And later Daniel couldn’t worship the king and Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah would not fall down and worship the statue of Nebuchadnezzar because they knew…

Exodus 20:2-3 (ESV)— 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

Exodus 34:14 (ESV)— 14 (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),

Now in a similar way Peter and John knew they could not obey the command given them to not speak of Jesus and the resurrection because of how it went against what Christ had so clearly commanded them to do. And so (at least in this instance) it would have been wrong for them to obey.

An Integral Conviction— But note something else about each of these examples of conscientious objectors given to us in the Old Testament. Not only were all of them obeying the clear directives of God given to them in scripture, but they also protested out of a conviction that touched every area of their lives rather than just manifesting itself when it came to that particular issue. Does that make sense?

Unrighteous Protest— For example, take the man who has no qualm about cheating on his taxes, cheating on exams, driving while drunk, or beating his wife but who (for whatever reason) is suddenly moved to take a stand against police brutality. Now there may be a place for that kind of protest; and there is a right way to do that, but you see there is a lack of integrity in the whole of that person’s life that gives credibility to that particular area in which he is choosing to take his stand. And sadly we often see a lack of integrity in much of the mob violence taking place today. Somebody who loots and burns is obviously NOT demonstrating the righteousness of their cause. No, it is the righteous people who seem to command the most attention when they protest because people recognize in them an integrated conviction.

Love-Centered Conviction— The Biblical characters we mentioned were all people of integrity whose convictions touched every area of their lives, not just what they happened to be protesting about in that moment. And if you look closely, you will note also that each of them (though they were defying the law) were also at the same time maintaining an attitude of both respect and courtesy. Daniel took special measures to make sure that the chief of the eunuchs did not get into trouble because of his refusal to eat the king’s food. Similarly here Peter and John used their arrest as an opportunity to tell the Sanhedrin the good news of the Gospel of Christ. And really all the apostles and Christians in and throughout the book of Acts used their arrests as an opportunity to bless and witness. And so we learn from this that it is important for us as Christians to (when we must disobey) to at the same time show respect and love for those persecuting us (see Rom. 13; Titus 3:1–2; 1 Peter 2:13–25). And this obviously is in keeping with the pattern of Christ, whom 1 Peter 2:13-25 calls us to imitate. Christ also protested against injustice, but He always did so with a spirit of self-sacrifice and with a central motivation that people might come to know God and experience the joy and love that comes through a right relationship with God, made possible through the shedding of His own blood.

What’s Your Motivation?— And so we must always (when we choose to take a stand) ask ourselves what our motivation is. Are we clearly standing on the Word of God? Does our protest flow from a conviction that touches every area of our lives? And does that protest flow from a spirit of love and self-sacrifice? Answer those questions truthfully and you will know if, when, and how to take a stand. Let us (like Peter and John) be willing to take a stand for Christ and His Word. Let’s do so. Amen.

Lechem Panim #135 "Avoiding The Evidence" (Acts 4:15-22) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim. I hope all of you are keeping safe. I’m not sure how the weather is where you are, but here in and around the Seattle area this week the winds have been absolutely unbelievable. The other night my wife and I were laying awake in bed terrified, positive that one of the trees surrounding our house back in the woods was going to keel over on top of us. And though that didn’t happen (thankfully), the following morning we found branches strewn all over our yard. Unfortunately in our neighborhood it was trash night and so everyone had put their trash out just before this windstorm. And so these gusts of wind toppled many a trash can and strew garbage all across the streets. I got to speak with our trash man and I said, “I’m sure glad I’m not you today. And he said powerlines in nearby neighborhoods were down. I mean, a real mess. It’s amazing what a little wind can do. But you know it’s interesting, I read that the fastest windspeed possible on our planet is 250mph. And I mean nothing survives that kind of force. However, on the planet Saturn, the windspeeds there actually reach a whopping 1,118mph. Now I cannot even begin to wrap my mind around how fast that is. Good luck trying to stand up there. I am very glad to be from planet earth where the windspeed (at least most of the time) is just perfect to allow for life; the atmosphere is just right (don’t even get me started on Saturn’s atmosphere; it’s all gas). In fact they say that if you were to put Saturn in an ocean of water (if you could) it would float; it can’t sink, it is that gaseous. But we have clear air to breath; water, which is so rare and yet absolutely essential for life. The earth is just the right size so as to provide the perfect level of gravity. We have the moon to give us the tides we need, not to mention light at night; we are precisely the right distance from the sun to provide just the perfect amount of heat where we’re not iced or burnt; we are perfectly placed. Our rotation around the sun; the tilt of the earth; the speed that earth rotates on its axis; I mean all of those things are just right; I mean to the point where it really (if we are going to be honest) defies comprehension. You could not create a planet more conducive to life than ours.

Grandma’s Violin— The other day I was playing my Grandmother’s violin (actually I should say “attempting to play”). And in studying its construction, I marveled at just how many things have to be perfectly right to create music. I struggled for a while just to get the thing in tune; all the micro-adjustments that needed to be made. The bow needs to be tightened to a certain degree. And not only that, but the bow has to be rosined, where you rub this stuff (rosin) on it to give the horse hair on the bow to give it friction enough so that it will create sound. I mean everything has to be fine-tuned just perfectly. And then I put the bow to the strings and play sweet, melodious…….(okay, let’s be honest) mind-destroying screeching. Yeah, I’m still at that stage. But you know the universe is fine-tuned just like that violin. No matter how you look at it, the world has been engineered according to a blueprint that right down to the structure of our DNA speaks to the incredible design of a Creator. Scientists are discovering day by day new levels of that design that are making it harder and harder for any rational, thinking person to hold to the belief that all of what we know (and more) exploded from a grain of sand so many trillions of years ago and slowly self-created itself out of some kind of primordial soup, which is what you have to believe if you don’t accept that God did it. That’s why I confess I could never be an atheist. I don’t have that kind of faith. I feel like I would have to shut my eyes to what so clearly seems to me to be the work of God around me.

Avoiding The Evidence— But that is what I believe is happening in our passage today with the religious leaders here in Acts chapter 4. John and Peter (whom they have taken into custody) have just healed a lame beggar in the name of Jesus. And yet (despite the evidence) which was absolutely irrefutable, as there were a plethora of witnesses; and witnesses who had known this lame beggar for a long time, these religious leaders refused to believe. But they cannot refute the evidence, because the man with the shriveled legs was now standing right there in front of them with Peter and John. And so, not knowing what to do, they have Peter and John (and the man) removed so that they can secretly confer with one another. And it says in…

Acts 4:15-16 (ESV)— 15 But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, 16 saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.

Not Truth-Seekers— Now if anything is clear from our passage today, it is that the council (the Sanhedrin) were not really seeking the truth. They were not seriously considering the evidence and allowing the evidence to lead them to the only possible conclusion, which is that Jesus is indeed the Savior of the world. Instead, we find that they avoid the truth! They allowed their pride and the hardness of their hearts to keep them from accepting the truth of what Peter and John were proclaiming to them. Their hard hearts stood in the way. And because of that, they actually saw the healing of the man as a problem rather than a mighty work of God; perhaps even a problem that needed to be removed. And you know that was nothing new. Remember that after Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, everyone was starting to follow Jesus. And the triumphal entry was actually the avalanche that had been started by that miracle. But listen to what it says in…

John 11:47-53 (ESV)— 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that day on they made plans to put him to death. (SO INSTEAD OF ACCEPTING WHAT THE MIRACLE REVEALED, THEM DECIDED TO KILL THE MIRACLE WORKER) But that’s not all! It says in…

John 12:10-11 (ESV)— 10 So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

Get Rid of The Evidence— You see, it’s was much easier for them to get rid of the evidence than to deal with where the evidence pointed; because to accept the evidence would be to allow God to re-shape their worldview. And that was not something they were willing to let God or anybody else do. And you know the same is often true today. But remember that they had done the same thing with the empty tomb, saying the disciples had stolen the body. By the way it’s interesting that nobody ever really seems to make that claim again anywhere in the book of Acts. The religious leaders themselves don’t even seem willing anymore to back that story anymore. And yet they are still unwilling to follow where the evidence points. And note how they never seek to answer any of Peter’s arguments. Instead they just agree (amongst themselves) that a notable sign has indeed been performed and to try to hush this movement up. And so they say…

Acts 4:17-18 (ESV)— 17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” 18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 

Pillars of Justice— Now I love this next part, because these are the guys who are supposed to be the pillars of justice and truth in Israel. You know how you always see statues of Lady Justice (with her eyes blindfolded). Well, if you were to picture justice in the 1st century world, you would have a statue of these guys. They were supposedly the most righteous judges in Israel. And yet listen to how Peter chooses to answer them.

Acts 4:19-22 (ESV)— 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” {You see, he plays right on the position they say they hold. And they can’t really do anything at this point so it says…} 21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.

Who’s More Crippled— Let me ask you a question. Who is the more crippled in this story, the lame beggar or the Sadducees. Whose situation was more hopeless? The beggar was healed and saved (according to the text), and stood for Jesus with Peter and John. The Sadducees ducked the truth. And so who was really more crippled?

Resurrection In Us— You know, this passage challenges us because it reminds us of just how much the resurrection of Jesus Christ ought to challenge and re-shape our world-views. We might not have the same objections to Christ that the Sadducees had, but there are beliefs and patterns of thought in us that the truth of the Resurrection challenges and demands we change. You might believe in the empty tomb, but what condition is the Jesus in your heart in? Has He be raised in you? You might believe in God’s healing of this lame beggar, but do you believe in His power to meet your physical and spiritual needs right here and now; and to heal you completely of sin in and through His Holy Spirit. If you were to describe your spiritual position today, what would it be. Are you standing? Are you lame? Maybe even spiritually dead? As Peter and John stood before the Sanhedrin in our passage today, so the Holy Spirit I believe is standing before you and I right now in this moment. And He’s asking, just like Jesus asked the blind man in Mark 10:51 “What do you want me to do for you?” And basically He’s asking, as he asked the lame beggar by the pool of Bethesda “Do you want to be healed.” (John 5:6) Are you going to accept the truth of the Resurrection for your life and the healing that Jesus is offering you now in this moment? I want to challenge you as we close today to accept the truth of Christ’s resurrection for you. Ask God to bring the healing to your heart and life today that He so greatly desires to bring to you. And He will touch as much of your life as you are willing to give Him. Give Him your whole life today. Amen.

Lechem Panim #134 "Evidence That Stood" (Acts 4:8-14) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim. In recent weeks we have been discussing Acts chapter 4; a marvelous chapter in which Peter and John heal a crippled beggar outside of the Temple in Jerusalem. And everyone is captivated and eager to learn from them the means by which this man was healed; and so Peter and John explain that it is by the power of Jesus that this man was healed. And that prompts a very negative reaction from the religious leaders, who seize Peter and John, hold them for the night, and them make them stand on trial before the Sanhedrin, the very council that was responsible for condemning their Rabbi (Jesus) to death not long before this. And they pointedly ask/demand of them the answer to a question, which is given to us in verse 7. It says…

Acts 4:7 (ESV)— 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”

By God or Satan?— And the reason they ask this is because they don’t know if this is a miracle done by an evil power or a good one. If it was as work of God or a work of Satan. And (when you think about that) don’t you find that rather sad? I mean to think that these guys are the spiritual leaders of Israel; and yet apparently they have become so spiritually blind that they cannot even distinguish between a miracle of God and a miracle of Satan. Having noted that Peter and John had been with Jesus (which we see in verse 13), they should have been able to recognize that this was the same power and authority that Jesus had Himself demonstrated throughout the course of His ministry. And Jesus did things that only God could do (or someone working for God), so they should have recognized that this miracle as also having come from God. But, having been blind to the source of Jesus’ miracles (often willingly), it is no surprise they are here blind to the source of Peter’s and John’s as well. But Peter declares it boldly. It says in…

Acts 4:8-12 (ESV)— 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Peter’s Hutzpah— Now in studying this passage, I was amazed at the Hutzpah here of Peter. I mean Peter had not long before this (out of fear) denied three times that he even knew Jesus. And yet here (before the very council that condemned Jesus; the chief leaders of whom were Sadducees and therefore denied that there even is a resurrection and an afterlife) Peter was willing to respectfully yet forcefully declare their guilt in having killed the Messiah and to declare (basically) that their whole theology about the resurrection was wrong and that Jesus (the One they crucified) has not only been raised, but is their only Way of salvation. And it is clear from verse 8 that this boldness and fearlessness came directly from the Holy Spirit. It was the Holy Spirit who wrought the greatest transformation in Peter and was now empowering His messages. And you know, if we are to have that same boldness, it doesn’t matter how many speaking seminars or witnessing books we read; what is going to give our message authority and power is the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the One who gives us understanding and who moves in the hearts of those we are witnessing to, bringing conviction and (hopefully) change.

Peter’s War Cry— Now the members of the Sanhedrin (like many in the crowd) had no doubt seen this crippled man many times. They had no doubt even given him alms or perhaps even piously prayed for or even over him. He was a common fixture there at the temple Gate Beautiful. But now (apparently) he’s right there in the courtroom with Peter and John (as verse 10 seems to indicate); a living testimony so to speak. You might say Peter and John’s testimony stood. And Peter declares that it is through the power of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom they crucified and whom God raised from the dead that this man is standing before them (v.10). And considering what their beliefs were and what they had done to Jesus only a short time before this, just think about how these words must have pierced and convicted the hearts of these Jewish leaders. They had thought that when they killed Jesus, they were finished hearing about this small-time prophet from the back hills of nowhere (which is what Nazareth was). But now two of His disciples are standing before them in all the might and power of their Rabbi Jesus, declaring to them (and all the people) that Jesus is alive! I mean, these guys (the Sadducees) reject the resurrection. And so on two fronts Peter’s declaration must have sounded to them like a declaration of war! “You killed the Messiah, but then God raised Him.” And in saying this, Peter is also implying that they had set themselves against God Himself.

The Rejected Rock— Now after this Peter (as he always does) starts quoting the Old Testament, this time from Psalm 118:2 when he says This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. (v.11) And this is a messianic reference, one which Jesus Himself quoted in Matthew 21:42 (and which Peter uses again later in 1 Peter 2:4-8). And [They knew that the “Rock” was a symbol of God {Himself} (Deut. 32:4, 15, 18, 31; 2 Sam. 22:2; Ps. 18:2; Isa. 28:16), and that the prophet Daniel had used the rock to picture the Messiah and the coming of His kingdom on earth (Dan. 2:31–45).] And so Peter is using imagery that they were familiar with; and he interprets the Psalm for them. They (the members of the council) were “the builders” and Jesus (the Son of God) was God’s Stone that they had rejected. They had stumbled over the Rock (Rom. 9:32; 1 Cor. 1:23) and rejected Him, just as Psalm 118:22 had predicted. And yet that rock (for those who have trusted in Him; in Jesus) that rock has become the chief Cornerstone (1 Peter 2:4–8, Eph. 2:20); the very source of Salvation itself (as Peter declares in verse 12).

A “WHOLE” Salvation— And this healing of the beggar was a picture of that, which Peter indicates. He says in verse 9 that the man was “made whole”, which in Greek is the word σῴζω (literally meaning “saved”) which is the foundation for the word he uses for salvation in verse 12 (σωτηρία). And this is very Jewish, because the Jews saw a [human being as a psychosomatic unity, an indivisible amalgam of body and soul in which if either goes wrong, the other is affected.] This is why [the Greek verb sozo was used in Jesus' day to mean both ""to save"" and ""to heal,"" and soter could signify either ""savior"" or “”physician.""] And that fits Jesus so perfectly. He is our Savior and our Great Physician. And as such, He and He alone can heal mankind of its greatest disease, the sickness of sin (Mark 2:14–17), which Peter highlights when he says in verse 12: 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” And you’ll remember Jesus’ own words in…

John 14:6 (ESV)— 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

The Life— Jesus is Life itself; He’s not just living or life-giving. No, He is the source of all life; He is Life. And therefore there can’t be salvation in anyone else. To choose Jesus is to choose life. To reject Jesus is to reject life. It’s that simple. And Peter is very clear on this, which is why he says in verse 12: there is salvation in no one else,

Acts 4:13-14 (ESV)— 13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. 

It’s A Trap!!!— You see, they recognized that they were “trapped.” Either way they approach this, they lose. They couldn’t deny the miracle (which would be tough to do with the man standing right there in front of them; a man everyone knew had been lame since birth; whose legs and even his mental capacity to walk had never developed; and therefore could not be healed any other way). Neither could they explain how these (the text says) “uneducated, common men” could perform such a miracle. They weren’t mighty Rabbis (at least by the standards of the Sadducees) and certainly didn’t have the backing of the Jewish authorities as ministers and scribes. They were simple fishermen from an unholy place (Galilee; known as Galilee of the Gentiles) whose only qualification on their resume was that they had been with Jesus. Now the council could say that the miracle they performed was powered by Satan, but the problem is that false prophets and workers of demonic miracles always seek to undermine the Word of God, something that Peter and John were clearly not doing. In both sermons that Peter has preached, we find Peter preaching straight from the Word of God (in context), using the Old Testament [to support and explain his claims, {which}… is one evidence of a true prophet of God (Deut. 13:1–5; Isa. 8:20).] He is standing on, not undermining the Old Testament. And the Sanhedrin doesn’t know what to do. The miracle, coupled with what Peter and John were saying, was clear [evidence that Jesus Christ was alive and at work in the church by His Holy Spirit.] And yet (as we will continue to see as we proceed) these Jewish leaders continue to choose to look away; away from the sign; away from the evidence; even a piece of evidence that could not only speak, but stood (literally) in their presence, bearing testimony to them of Jesus.

​The Mundane Miracles— You know, the thing that bothers me the most about both myself and our culture is how completely oblivious we so often are to the magnificent power of God moving in our midst. There is so much we take for granted. And some intentionally look away for the same reason the Sanhedrin looked away. Others are like me; we have just become so desensitized to the mundane, everyday miracles. I was reading in bed with my kids the other night a devotional book; and in that devotional book the author was talking about the development of the eye in an unborn child and how the optic nerve slowly moves from the eye towards the brain while at the same time the optic nerve is growing from the brain towards the eye. And the end of each of those nerves growing towards one another contains 2 million connection points, all of which have to match up perfectly. And when the two ends of that optic nerve meet, all the connections somehow manage to find their way to each other. It’s funny, I was taking a parishioner to his eye appointment this past week. And I told him this. And he and I sort of laughed together. We just thought that it is so funny how often we complain when things go bad, never realizing the miracle in their ever having worked at all. What evidence is there of the presence of Jesus in your life? Are you overlooking the miracles He has worked in and through you? Maybe this year, the challenge we can take from this passage is simply to look; to truly see and acknowledge what God has done for us, even in the mundane everyday miracles that you and I take for granted. Because if we can do that, I think we will recapture the awe of what it means to know in Jesus the One who is both our Creator and (as with this man) also our Re-Creator as well. Let’s commit to look. Amen.

Lechem Panim #133 "When Jesus Becomes Lord" (Acts 4:1-7) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim. In our study of Acts chapter 4, you will remember that Peter and John have just healed a crippled beggar outside of the temple and (seeing the crowds) used that as a launching point to declare the Gospel to them. Now you’d think that everyone would be thrilled to hear the message of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and what that means, but there was a group of people who were not happy about it. It says in…

Acts 4:1 (ESV)— 1 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 

Burst Upon— You know, I have always been fascinated with nature shows; have been ever since I was a kid. And now I enjoy watching them with my kids. And this week I watched some particularly amazing footage of the Kingfisher bird. Now the Kingfisher bird is a bird of prey that dives into the water to catch fish. And in this footage the perspective of the camera was below the fish. The fish was going about its business and you could see the bird above the fish plummeting down towards the water. And suddenly the bird broke through the water and the beak of the bird was wrapped around the fish. And it plucked that fish out of the water and flew away. Well, that imagery is similar to that which is behind this phrase “came upon them” here in verse 1. These religious leaders [Burst upon them suddenly or stood by them in a hostile attitude].

The Afterlife-less Pastor— I remember back when I was ordained, the leaders of our denomination put me through quite a thorough doctrinal examination. They wanted to make sure that I held to the essential teachings of the Christian faith and that what I would preach and teach had its anchor in scripture. Now this is not what happened, but let’s say that in the course of the follow-up interview, one member of the board, looking over my answers, says, “Hey Cameron, I notice that all you put in the section on your beliefs concerning the resurrection and afterlife was ‘not applicable’. What do you mean by that? And I say, “Well, I put that because (simply put) I don’t believe in resurrection or an afterlife. There’s a long silence. “Ummmm, what?” “I don’t believe in either a resurrection or an afterlife. Is that going to be a problem?” Another long silence. What do you think? Would it be a problem for you to have a pastor who doesn’t believe in a resurrection or an afterlife? Let me put it in a slightly more focused context. I have done many funerals over the years. And funerals (for anybody) are difficult. The grief of being separated from a loved one (even when we know it is only temporary) can be excruciatingly painful. But what would it be like to have a preacher for your loved one’s funeral who doesn’t believe in or preach a resurrection or an afterlife? Would you be okay with that?

The Afterlife-less Leaders— Now I want you to think about that because (as you know) the Sadducees of Jesus day rejected the concept of a resurrection and an afterlife. But did you know that the High Priest and his family were all Sadducees? The spiritual shepherds of Israel during the time of Christ and the Early Church did not even believe in an afterlife. Pretty astounding to think about, isn’t it? And so you can begin to understand then why so much of their focus was on the here and now; why the focus of their concern was on their danger from Rome (losing their position, their place); how their perspective was always temporal. Because that is all they believed in.

He’s Moving!!!— Once a Pharisee, a Scribe, and a Sadducee were once discussing what they would like people to say after they die and their bodies are on display in open caskets. Pharisee: “I would like someone to say, ‘He was a righteous man, an honest man, and very generous.’” Scribe: “I would like someone to say, ‘He was very kind and fair, and he was very good to his parishioners.’” Sadducee: “I want someone to say ‘LOOK! HE’S MOVING!!’”] When you’re a Sadducee, that’s how it is. There’s nothing else you’d wish for because (for you) there’s no afterlife!

Beliefs of the Sadducees— Contrary to the Pharisees (a rival faction) […the Sadducees denied the resurrection of the dead (Mt 22:23 – 33; Ac 4:1 – 2 ; 23:6 – 8 ), the immortality of the soul, the doctrine of reward and punishment and the validity of the oral law (regulations passed down by rabbinic tradition). They accepted as binding only those laws based directly upon the written text of the Pentateuch {(Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy)}. It is for this reason that Jesus defended the doctrine of the resurrection to them from the standpoint of Exodus 3:6 rather than from the prophets (Mt 22:32).], who were much clearer on the resurrection. Now, as we see in the Gospels (and we see here and in and later in the book of Acts as well), the Sadducees vehemently defended their beliefs, which is why they seize Peter and John. It says they were…

Acts 4:2-4 (ESV)— 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.

Reading Them Their Rights— So they arrest Peter and John, and not doubt read them their rights in typical Sadducee fashion: [You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted then used against you.] Unfortunately that seems so often to be the case in and throughout the book of Acts (not to mention the ministry of Jesus). And it says…

Acts 4:5-6 (ESV)— 5 On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 

Why Annas and not Caiaphas?— Now you may be wondering why (instead of Caiaphas) this guy [Annas is designated as high priest. {Well} (Much like U.S. presidents, high priests seem to have retained their title for life.) He had served in that role earlier (A.D. 6–15) and was the controlling figure in the high-priestly circle, which may also explain why he is given the title here. His son-in-law Caiaphas was the official high priest at this time (serving A.D. 18–36), and Annas’s son John would serve in the role later (36–37).] Now this was not how things ought to be, because essentially what this meant was that [The court was essentially composed of the high priest’s family. The Jewish religious system had become so corrupt that the offices were {simply} passed from one relative to another.…In fact, five of Annas’s sons held the office of High Priest at one time or another. Somebody has defined a “nepotist” as “a man who, being evil, knows how to give good gifts to his children.” Annas certainly qualified.] Now it says in…

Acts 4:7 (ESV)— 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” 

A Right to Investigate— Now what is going on here is not unusual. [This was an official meeting of the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:15).… {And} The Sanhedrin {was the Jewish court of the land that} was charged with the responsibility of protecting the Jewish faith, and this meant that they had to examine every new teacher and teaching that appeared in the land (see Deut. 13).] And that is not in and of itself a bad thing. A lot of times when John the Baptist or Jesus was questioned, it wasn’t always malicious. Sometimes they were just being tested to see if what they were teaching matched what the scriptures teach. And the Sadducees certainly had the right to investigate this new movement and to enquire as to what this new teaching was and on what authority Peter and John (not to mention Jesus) were preaching. The problem is that they weren’t do so honestly. They arrested innocent men and ignored the evidence presented in their favor. And they had done the same with Jesus. Keep in mind, this was [the same council that a few months before had condemned Jesus to die. In fact, these officials recognized Peter and John as the associates of Jesus (Acts 4:13).] And they had done everything wrong at that trial. You will notice here that (because it was evening) they postponed the meeting until the morning. That was how things were always supposed to be done. But remember that Jesus had been tried at night, which was actually against Jewish law. They were law-breakers. And their willingness to subvert justice is seen here as well, as (despite the miracle) they [did everything they could to avoid admitting that a miracle had taken place (Acts 4:14).] Note that in verse 7 they say “By what power or by what name did you do this?” It’s interesting that (publicly) [They were evasive and merely referred to the miracle as “this.”] It is only later in v. 16 that (in private amongst themselves) they acknowledge it is as a notable sign.

Avoiding Christ’s Lordship— And so here are a group of guys who are trying to avoid the full reality of what has taken place; they are trying to deny that it truly is God who is at work through Peter and John. And as we will see next week, Peter has no problem telling them exactly whose name is the source of this healing. But of course they will not want to accept that because if God is at work through them, then their message is validated; and therefore their indictment against them would stand. Remember the same thing had happened to Jesus. The religious authorities always seemed to avoid what the signs Jesus was performing actually pointed to; that He truly was the Son of God. Because if Jesus is more than just a man speaking on His own behalf; if He is the Son of God speaking with all of the authority of God, then His indictment against of their sin would stand. And you know, the same is true today. People don’t want to look too closely at the person and works of Jesus or the evidence that supports His divine claims because if He truly is who He claimed to be, then He has authority over my life. And we don’t like that. We want to be in authority over our own lives. Even us Christians can often fall into (as we begin the New Year) this mentality of “This year I’m going to take the bull by the horns and achieve all the things I want to accomplish.” Now it’s not wrong to want to become a better person. That is what Christianity is all about. But it is amazing how quickly we can go from the manger (to a celebration of Christ being born into our existence to bring the very presence and authority of God into our flesh) to thinking that we are going to take better control of our own lives. There is something missing in the lives of many Christians; and that is the sincere belief that Jesus truly is Lord of your life and mine. But if we make Him Lord this coming year, His favor will abide on us and He will see fit to grant us success in those things we purse that are in keeping with His Lordship. And so let us this year seek to (in every way) honor Jesus Christ as the Lord of our lives. Let’s do so. Amen.

Lechem Panim #132 "When God Erases" (Acts 3:17-26) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim. I hope all of you had a good Christmas this past week.

The Frozen Lock— I don’t know where you are listening from today, but let me tell you, it has definitely been cold here in the Seattle area. Particularly this past Wednesday, I remember I went outside to warm up my wife’s car before she left for work and found ice all over both our windshields. Knowing that she would not be able to see, I went ahead and got the defroster going. But, not wanting to open the gate while the car was going, I waited until she began pulling out of the driveway before I attempted to unlock the gate. And she was running a little bit late for work and so I was anxious to get the gate open as quickly as possible. However, to my dismay, I found that the lock was frozen. I remember I could not even get the key into the keyhole. I kept pushing and pushing, but it simply would not go in. But after a great deal of effort, I finally managed to get the key in and turn it and get the lock off. After which she was able to leave. But you know, it made me think. I could not open the gate because the lock was frozen. And it was frozen because the world (or at least my world) was touched by a bitterly cold frost.

Narnia Thawing— It is interesting how in C.S. Lewis’ book "The Chronicles of Narnia" the way that Lewis describes the sin-enslaved land of Narnia is in terms of winter. It is bitterly cold in Narnia, under the spell of the White Witch. And (as Lewis says through one of his main characters) "It is always winter, but never Christmas”. And it is not until Aslan (the great lion; representative of the lion of Judah) comes that the world begins to thaw and come back to life. In a similar way, our world was frozen until Jesus came. The warmth of that quiet stable in Bethlehem marked the beginning of the thawing of the world. And it is through Jesus that the lock to the gate of heaven has been made unfrozen and opened; not by a merely human hand, but by a human hand that was at the same time the very hand of God; a person who was (at the same time) both God and man. That is what was needed in order to break the power of sin and death; the Son of God in the person of Jesus Christ. It is through Him that the defroster was set on the world, as through Him we are enabled to be united again with the sin-melting, holy-making, love-creating presence of God.

Their “Ignorant” Crime— And it is this person that Peter and John are seeking to connect the crowd with here in Acts chapter 3. They have just healed a lame beggar; and so Peter is explaining to the crowd how this beggar was healed; by the very name of Jesus, the one they had crucified. And Peter tells them point blank that they committed the greatest crime in human history; they killed the Son of God. Before salvation could be offered, they first had to come to terms with that reality; with an understanding of who Jesus is and what they had done to Him. Now at this point Peter begins to use a softer tone with his audience. He tells them that he understands that they (and the Jewish leaders) killed Jesus out of ignorance. He says…

Acts 3:17 (ESV)— 17 “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 

Sins of Ignorance— And this ignorance is key. Because [In the Old Testament law, there is a difference between deliberate sins and sins of ignorance (see Lev. 4—5; Num. 15:22–31). The person who sinned presumptuously was a rebel against God and was guilty of great sin. He was to be “cut off” from his people (Num. 15:30–31), which could mean excommunication and even death. The defiant “high-handed” sinner was condemned, but the person who sinned unwittingly and without deliberate intent was given opportunity to repent and seek God’s forgiveness. {Now} Ignorance does not remove the sinner’s guilt, but it does mitigate the circumstances. {Remember} Jesus had prayed {from the cross,} “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34), and God had answered that prayer. Instead of sending judgment, He sent the Holy Spirit to empower His church and to convict lost sinners.] Peter continues…

Acts 3:18-19 (ESV)— 18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. {And so Peter encourages them by telling them how all of this was foretold by God through the prophets and was a part of his divine plan for the salvation of the world. Then he says…} 19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 

Erasers— Now I’m the dad of two amazing kids; I am blessed with both a son and a daughter; both of whom are in school now; and both of whom have a considerable amount of homework. And every time my wife and I sit down with them to help them, there are two things we need personally. The first is patience, which I confess I am not always the best at. And the second is an eraser. We use a lot of erasers at my house. We have big erasers for big mistakes and little erasers for little mistakes. But you know, none of them work perfectly. No matter how hard you scrub, most of the time you can still see where that mistake was and can often times even read what was written there. However, not so with God’s eraser.

Blotted Out— This phrase [“Blotted out” {that Peter uses} compares forgiveness to the complete wiping away of ink from the surface of a document (Col. 2:14).] Once again, this is Old Testament theology. God had said in…

Isaiah 43:25 (ESV)— 25 “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.

A Clean Slate— How awesome it is that God when we confess our sins to Him and receive His forgiveness in and through Christ Jesus, we have a clean slate; God remembers our sins no more. And at any moment you are ready to repent, you can have a fresh start with God. Anybody listening need a fresh start with God today? It’s available to you. All we have to do is (as Peter says here) “repent” and “turn”.

A Communal Blessing— And Peter is offering this crowd not only the opportunity of experiencing the overwhelming joy of having the weight of their personal sins removed, but he is also promising them they they will experience a communal blessing if they corporately turn to faith in Christ. Peter says in…

Acts 3:20-22 (ESV)— 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, 21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. 22 Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. 

The 2nd Moses— Now Peter is here quoting [from Deut. 18:15. Moses {(if you remember)} was revered by the Jews as their first and greatest prophet, and the Jews viewed the prophet “like him” to refer to the Messiah.] And Jesus really was like Moses in so many ways. [Both were born into a Hebrew world under Gentile domination (Egyptian and Roman). Both had unusual cots at birth (basket and manger). Both were saved from death at the King's order (Pharaoh, Herod). Both were raised in the home of one who was not their father (Pharaoh, Joseph). Both had to put up with criticism and persecution from their own people. Both appointed 70 chosen helpers (Numbers 11:16, Luke 10:1). Both sent out 12 men on special missions (Numbers 13:1-2, Matthew 10:1,5). Both experienced 40 day fasts (Exodus 34:38, Matthew 4:1-2). Both fed multitudes through miraculous means (manna and quails, bread and fish). Both were touched by God so that their faces shone (Exodus 34:29-30, Matthew 17:1-2). Both heard God as an audible voice (Exodus 19:9,19, John 12:23,27-28). Both acted as mediators of a covenant that was sealed by blood (Exodus 24:7-8, Matthew 26:26-28). Both interceded for their people with God (Numbers 11:1-2, Luke 23:33-34). Both delivered their people from bondage (Exodus 3:9-10, Acts 7:25). Both performed miracles (Exodus 3:20, John 5:19-20). Both appeared after death (transfiguration, resurrection)]. And so Peter is saying that this is who Jesus is; the 2nd Moses they had been waiting for. But Peter warns them, saying…

Acts 3:23 (ESV)— 23 And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ 

Losing Blessings— And once again Peter is quoting [from Deut. 18:19 ; cf. Lev. 23:29. Peter’s audience was in the precarious position of losing covenant blessings by rejecting the Messiah.] Peter says…

​Acts 3:24-25 (ESV)— 24 And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. 25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ 

The Fulfillment of The Covenant— And here Peter is quoting [from Gen. 22:18 ; 26:4. Jesus Christ was the ultimate fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant and its blessings (Gal. 3:16), which are still available to the Jews.] And he concludes once again with the resurrection and what God’s purpose was in sending Jesus into the world. He says…

Acts 3:26 (ESV)— 26 God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”

Repentance & Faith— And that is the ultimate healing that Jesus offers to us. And it is a healing that comes through faith and repentance. Now the two go hand in hand. You can’t have faith without repentance and you can’t have repentance without faith. It is not enough to believe in Jesus; no, we must (like true disciples) choose to follow Him; to leave our old lives behind (our self-destructive, crippled, wicked ways) and embrace lives that (like the beggar’s) are made entirely new. Let us embrace that life today, made possible in and through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Lechem Panim #131 "A Light in The Dark" (Acts 3) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim. I hope all of you are doing well as you prepare for what promises to be a very unusual Christmas; I know it will be for my family. It can be hard celebrating when we cannot be with friends and loved ones to the extent that I know many of us would like to be. But you know, I think this may actually prompt us to think a little more about what Christmas really means.

The other night my family and I drove around a nearby neighborhood looking at all the Christmas decorations, many of which were absolutely beautiful. I mean, what better way to celebrate the Light of the World than to look at all the Christmas lights. But I remember in the midst of all the decorations one item in particular; a snowman (you know, the inflatable kind) who wasn’t quite making it. For some reason or other, it was a bit deflated. And you know, honestly, while I’d say that that is often times how we feel at Christmas time (which is true) I kind of feel like our entire year has been kind of like that (at least for many people). It has been a tough year. And for some, Christmas is sort of an escape from all of that. It is a time to forget about the problems of the world and to pretend (at least for a little while) that everything is okay. It’s kind of like how we often tend to think about Church. We escape our normal week for a day and think higher, happier thoughts before setting them aside again when we return to our regular schedule on Monday. Now something like this happened the other night when my family and I were looking at all those Christmas decorations. We left our worries at home for an hour or so and simply went out to enjoy something beautiful. But ironically, after cruising around looking at all the beautiful lights, we came home; and after we got settled I got a phone call from a lady in my church that utterly deflated me. Her father (also a member of our church, who always made sure that I had a cup of water by the pulpit should I need it during or after I preach); he had passed away. And man, I will tell you, I became just like that snowman, as all the harsh reality of the world we live in just kind of came flooding back in that moment. And today is the first Sunday I preached today where his seat was empty and I knew wouldn’t be occupied by him again. And I will miss him dearly.

But you know, Jesus keeps challenging me with the way that I tend to think about Christmas. He keeps asking me about the nice pretty nativity scene picture that we tend to imagine; all the perfection. And He keeps asking me, “Is that what it was really like?” “Was it really as perfect as what we like to think it was?” “Was the first Christmas a nice pretty picture or was it something else entirely?”

The Wright View of Christmas— There’s this quote by N.T. Wright that I keep coming back to; and it is one of those quotes that has become more and more dear to me as I walk through periods of personal suffering. Listen to what he says. He captures it so beautifully. He says “For many, Christianity is just a beautiful dream. It's a world in which everyday reality goes a bit blurred. It's nostalgic, cosy, and comforting. But real Christianity isn't like that at all. Take Christmas, for instance: a season of nostalgia, of carols and candles and firelight and happy children. But that misses the point completely. Christmas is not a reminder that the world is really quite a nice old place. It reminds us that the world is a shockingly bad old place, where wickedness flourishes unchecked, where children are murdered, where civilized countries make a lot of money by selling weapons to uncivilized ones so they can blow each other apart. Christmas is God lighting a candle; and you don't light a candle in a room that's already full of sunlight. You light a candle in a room that's so murky the candle, when lit, reveals just how bad things really are. The light shines in the darkness, says St John, and the darkness has not overcome it."

And you know, the more I read the Christmas story, the more I find that statement to be proven true, as Jesus keeps showing me new levels of pain and suffering I hadn’t seen before; or at least allowed to sink in as deeply as I ought. For starters, think of the fear of rejection Mary no doubt feared when she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Even though she knew it was of God (because the angel had told her), what did she think Joseph would say? And God (for some reason) saw fit to allow Joseph to also wrestle with this for a time after finding Mary to be pregnant. He knew it wasn’t his child, and so he was no doubt uncertain as to the faithfulness of Mary; and just as uncertain about what path he should take. And when God reveals that path to Him, it isn’t an easy one. He’s to take a pregnant woman as his wife knowing that doing so might impinge on his own personal reputation. And that is a microcosm of God’s relationship with us by the way; as God welcome us into relationship with Him even though we (unlike Mary) are truly unfaithful; at least until Christ gets ahold of us. Think about Joseph and Mary’s having to travel to Bethlehem at the whim of a tyrannical leader imposing a census. Think about the poor birthing conditions; the manger; the stench of the animals; the subsequent dream revealing that Herod would be after them to kill the child; their flight to Egypt; the murder of all the young boys in Bethlehem by Herod (and think about it; some of those boys may have been part of the families of the very shepherds who had come to see Jesus. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around that one). Think about Joseph, Mary, and Jesus’ return to Israel only to be warned that Archelaus (who was reigning in place of his father Herod) might also try to kill the child; and finally their settling in Nazareth (the no-wheres-ville of Israel) to eek out a humble existence that we know left them barely scraping by. And the reason we know that is because of the level of sacrifice Joseph and Mary had offered at the temple not long before that; “a pair of doves or two young pigeons” instead of a lamb. This was a concession that was given in Leviticus 2:28 for the poorest of the poor who could not afford a lamb. Amazing to think the Lamb of God was born into a family that was so poor, they couldn’t even afford a lamb? And maybe that’s the message of Christmas in a nutshell; God giving us a sacrifice (the perfect gift) that none of us could afford.

But my point is that the reality that we are confronted with when we come to the Christmas story is that the Christmas story is not a story of escape from trouble; it is the story of a God who loved us so much that He was willing to enter into our struggle; into our suffering; into our death. He was part of a family that was in turmoil right from the start; He grew up in poverty-stricken conditions; He knew what it was like to be cheated by tax collectors as he helped his dad with the family business. And we know (though we don’t know when or how it happened; other than that it definitely happened before Jesus began his ministry); but we know that Joseph (Jesus’ non-biological earthly father) died. And Jesus had to go through the process of grieving and burying his father. Now I don’t know about you, but that says something to me. It says to me that Jesus was not willing to try to escape from one single dimension of the way that you and I suffer in this life. Every element of suffering that we face, He also was willing to face. And you think about it; He could have raised Joseph again in a heartbeat. He (the author and sustainer of all things) could have kept his earthly father alive till the end of time; keeping himself from having to go through that pain. But He didn’t. He didn’t take the easy way out. No, He chose to weep, cry, bury, and mourn right along with us.

Now I feel in my heart of hearts that that is the message of Christmas we most need to hear right now; the reality that in the flesh of Jesus Christ (born in that stable 2,000 years ago) God met us (and continues to meet us) in all of our brokenness; in all of our pain in order to offer us life.

​You know, over the past few weeks we have been taking a look at Acts chapter 3, which of course tells of the lame beggar who was begging at the temple gate called “Beautiful”. And I don’t know about you, but the more I look at that story, the more I think of the many ways it perfectly embodies the experience (at least in symbol) of every single person alive today. Here was a man sitting in darkness; in absolute hopelessness. The text says he had been lame since birth. And you know, that is how all of us come into the world (at least in a spiritual sense). We are born into this world lost in sin and darkness; incapable of walking with God. And in ourselves, we are hopeless, just like this man was hopeless. We don’t have what it takes to be the men and women God has called us to be; has designed us to be. No matter how hard we might try on our own strength, we will always fall short of the glory of God. You can never be good enough or do enough to merit or earn your salvation. No; just like this lame beggar had to happen with this lame beggar, healing had to come from outside of himself. He couldn’t find healing by tapping into his inner goodness; or by simply trying to engage in more positive thinking. No, he needed a healer; a Savior. Because without the touch of the Savior, we know that there was no chance for him to ever be healed. Now (like any of us would have) this lame beggar no doubt resolved in himself that that is just how things were always going to be for him; that was how he was destined to live out the remainder of his existence. But then, lo and behold, Peter and John come to the temple at the hour of prayer. And seeing this lame man, who had asked them for money, Peter speaks into this man’s brokenness the name of Jesus. And the moment Jesus’ name is called upon, the impossible takes place. The man is healed; so healed in fact that the next passage finds him not just walking, but also leaping and praising God. From hopelessness to restoration in a single moment. What do you think Jesus is trying to offer you this Christmas season? Maybe it’s the message that when we are weakest and most broken, He is right there with us offering us life in Himself; a light that (in the end) will not be overcome by the darkness but will overcome all the temporal suffering that you and I face. It is my hope and prayer that He may be God with you this Christmas season; that through His being born in you, He also might be the light in your darkness this day and every day. God bless and Merry Christmas.

Lechem Panim #130 "Peter Indicts The Crowd" (Acts 3:12-16) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim. We are glad you are with us today as we continue looking at Acts chapter 3 together. 

A Beggar Healed— You will remember that we have been talking about Peter and John’s healing of a lame beggar outside of the Temple Gate Beautiful in Jerusalem following Pentecost. And the crowds are amazed at the healing, so they are running together to share in this miraculous event. But (like we said before) Peter responds by guiding their focus towards the source of the healing, which wasn’t either him or John; no, it was the name of Jesus Christ. He says in…

Acts 3:12b-16 (ESV) Peter Speaks in Solomon's Portico— “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? 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. 14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16 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 the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

Guilty— Now Peter uses the word "you" four times here to confront his listeners with what they had done to the Messiah. And he doesn't pull any punches. He wants them to feel the enormity of what they’ve done. And this wasn’t to be cruel, but rather flowed from his desire for them to find the healing and forgiveness that comes through faith in Christ. But before they or anybody can do that, there has to be a reckoning. We have to come to terms with our guiltiness before God and the severity of what we have done.

Peter’s Names for Jesus— And in order to highlight what they had done not just to a man, but to the Messiah, Peter uses several different names and titles for Jesus that each had significant Messianic meaning for those in his Jewish audience. And the first of these is: 

His “Servant” Jesus— “His (God’s) Servant Jesus”; a title that is only used four other times in the New Testament (v. 26 ; 4:27 , 30 ; Matt. 12:18 ), but many more times in the Old Testament in reference to the Messiah who was to come. Especially in Isaiah 52:13–53:12 (the last and most memorable of the 4 Messiah/Servant songs) we see the Messiah depicted as God’s Suffering Servant. 

Isaiah 53:2 talks about how the suffering servant had no special beauty or majesty to attract others to him. Now this doesn’t mean Jesus was ugly or anything like that; but there was an ordinary-ness to Jesus’ appearance. He wasn’t a supermodel or anything like that. He didn’t glow, as he often does in the paintings. No, there was this beautiful ordinariness to Jesus. He didn’t come to wow us with His appearance, but rather to identify with ordinary people like you and me, which is pretty extraordinary when you think about it.

Isaiah 53:3 discusses how mankind despised and rejected this servant of God. And when Jesus was on earth, we do see that many (including His own people) rejected Him; because Jesus wanted more than just to save them from Rome. He wanted to confront and deal with their sin. And many people (just like nowadays) didn’t want that; and so they rejected Him and handed Him over to be killed.

Now in Isaiah 53:4-5 we find that it is through suffering that the Messiah would take our place as the recipient of God judgment against sin and bring us ultimate healing. And when you think about it, this really could not be used to describe any of the Old Testament prophets. Although many of them did suffer, Israel (or the world in general) wasn’t healed by their wounds. And that’s the distinction. Isaiah is very clear that by the wounds of this suffering servant, we would be healed.

In Isaiah 53:7 we see that the Suffering Servant doesn’t open his mouth in the face of execution. And you’ll remember that when Jesus was on trial, he didn’t answer any of the charges (Matthew 27:14) brought against Him. No, He remained silent.

In Isaiah 53:9 we find that the Suffering Servant would be assigned a grave with the wicked and yet in death he would be assigned with the rich. And we see that when Jesus dies, He does so between two thieves (the wicked), and yet He is buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea (the rich). Now the chances that any man could fulfill all these prophecies without actually being the Messiah is astronomical. [The details are so minute that no human could have predicted them by accident, and no imposter fulfilled them by cunning.] 

Surprised By Prophecy— In fact there’s a true story of a Christian man I heard of who took a piece of paper with Isaiah 53:5 on it to his secular place of work; only he left out the reference. But he took that piece of paper to all his coworkers and asked them to read it and tell him who the passage was writing about and where it came from in the Bible. And of course the passage reads…

Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)— 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

And without fail, every one of his coworkers said that that passage was about Jesus and it comes from the New Testament. And the Christian man would smile and say “No, that’s what’s so awesome. It’s not from the New Testament at all. It is from the Old Testament, written 700 hundred years before Jesus was even born.” And when he said that, he could tell that many of his coworkers were a bit jarred by this, seeing in this prophecy such a clear description of Jesus. And that’s why Peter draws his people’s attention to it; because it so clearly reveals how Jesus is the Suffering Servant that Isaiah had prophesied about.

The Holy One— Now the next title Peter uses is the title “The Holy One”; and “The Holy One” is another Old Testament title for the Messiah, seen particularly in Psalm 16:10, which Peter had quoted in his sermon on the Day of Pentecost. It reads…

Psalm 16:10 (ESV)— 10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.

And we see that even during the ministry of Jesus, Peter already recognized Jesus as the fulfillment of this title. Speaking for the rest of the disciples, Peter had said to Jesus in…

John 6:69 (ESV)— 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

There was not a Jew alive who would not have recognized the Messiah by that title.

The Just/Righteous One— Next, Peter calls Jesus the Just/Righteous One. And this title [carries the idea of being innocent of any crime.] You will remember that Pilate would at every Passover release to the Jews a prisoner. And so he had given them a choice between Jesus, their innocent Messiah, and the guilty murderer Barabbas. And (instigated by the Jewish leaders) the people chose Barabbas. And what makes this story so unbelievable and tragic is that even pagans, such as Pilate, Pilate’s wife (Matt. 27:19) and the Roman centurion (Luke 23:47) standing near the cross recognized what Israel could not; and that was that Jesus was innocent and righteous. And so Peter’s indictment here of this grave sin of hiss people is both devastatingly direct and convicting.

Prince of Life— And the next title Peter uses to describe Jesus is “The Prince of Life.” And the Greek word here for “prince” actually [means originator, pioneer, or beginner of something. Both Heb. 2:10 and 12:2 translate it “author.” {And your translation may have that here as well. But} It describes Jesus as the Divine Originator of life (cf. Ps. 36:9; Heb. 2:10; 12:2; 1 John 5:11, 20 ).] [That is a claim of deity for Jesus, since Psalm 36:9 describes God as the “fountain of life.”] He is the source of all that is living. 

The Resurrection— Now in verse 15 Peter shifts from talking about the gravity of their sin (the murder of the Messiah) and states two very important facts. The first is that God raised Jesus from the dead and the second is that they (the apostles) are witnesses of that. Now you’ll notice that every sermon in the book of Acts is built around the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That historical event was the foundation of everything else. And the reason for this is most clearly stated in…

1 Corinthians 15:17 (ESV)— 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 

Validation— If Jesus has been raised, His claims to be the Messiah, the Son of God, and his ability to forgive sins would all be validated. If Jesus was not raised, Christianity would fall apart. Now Peter is able to proclaim the resurrection boldly because really at this point it was undeniable. If Jesus had not been raised (because the disciples went to the wrong tomb or some other mistake had been made) all the Jewish leaders would have had to do would have been to produce the body; to say “No, wait! Here it is!” But they never did. And what would have made Jesus’ resurrection even harder to refute at this point was the fact that this lame beggar was healed. You see Peter and John had healed this man in the name of Jesus. And they themselves were only ordinary fishermen. How could they do this unless God was with them; and God would not validate men preaching in the name of a false messiah. And so what we see Peter doing is he’s basically turning the temple here into a courtroom, laying out clearly irrefutable evidence that Jesus is that very messiah. And I mean it would have been pretty hard for anybody to argue against their claims because (think about it) the beggar was standing right there in front of them all in (the text says) “perfect soundness” (Acts 3:16; 4:14). And yet if they were to accept this miracle, they would have to accept what this miracle pointed to; namely that Jesus is the Messiah and the very Son of God.

​Believe in His Name— And similarly with us, our salvation must begin with our belief in Jesus as the Resurrected Son of God. If (as John 20:30-31 says) we believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, we will have life in his name. Let us believe in Him today. Amen.

Lechem Panim #129 "Carrying Others To Jesus" (Acts 3:11-16) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim. We are glad you are with us today as we continue to take a look at Acts chapter 3 together.

Becoming Like Your Rabbi— Now over the last couple of weeks we have been talking about what it meant to be a disciple of a rabbi in the 1st century world of Jesus. Being a disciple meant so much more than just studying so that you could know what your rabbi knew. No, it was about becoming what your rabbi is. You wanted (in every area of your life) to be just like your rabbi. Well, Rabbi Jesus has gone into heaven; and His disciples are left behind to follow in His footsteps; to image Him; to be miniature copies of Him in the world so that the world might look to them but (in doing so) to experience Him. And that is what we see here in the opening chapters of the book of Acts; people are looking to Peter and John, but are discovering Christ. They are seeing in Peter and John the same authority over sickness that Jesus Himself had demonstrated while on earth. And this was experienced first right here at the temple gate called “Beautiful” in the healing of this lame beggar here. This man had been lame since birth and had been laid there by someone else in order to beg. And that in itself is a picture of prevenient grace. The man had been carried to the very place where he could meet the presence of Jesus. And the same is true of us. At my church (Renton Park Chapel) we have been talking about the reality of the fact that very rarely does anybody come to faith in Christ on their own. There is almost always somebody else involved; somebody who is pointing us to (or even carrying us into) the presence of Jesus. 

Calling the Disciples— And the same was true even at the beginning of the ministry of Jesus. You know, we often have this idea that Jesus was the one to find His first disciples and initiate that first point of contact. But that isn’t true. [According to the gospel of John, only one of the first five disciples was reached directly by Christ. That was Philip. Jesus said to him, “Follow me” (John 1:43). The other four were reached by someone else’s witness to Christ. Andrew and an unnamed disciple, perhaps John, came as the result of John the Baptist’s witness. Simon came because of his brother Andrew, and Nathanael came because of his friend Philip.] Now that has huge implications for how we think about how Jesus calls men and women to Himself. He doesn’t always call them directly, but does so through the ministry of another person. There is always somebody in the background (like whoever it was that brought this lame beggar to the temple gate; perhaps who did so faithfully for some time) who is helping us to come to Jesus. And that is what we see here. Now this lame beggar came this day only to beg; to have his financial needs met. And that is often when we come to Jesus; when there is a need. But what is amazing is that the healing that Peter and John provide for this beggar in the name of Jesus goes so much further than anything he could have ever hoped for or even prayed for himself. His legs were restored, yes. But even more importantly, he experienced a restoration of his heart as well, as he came to faith in Jesus Christ. His healing was a complete and total restoration.

What About Our Healing?— Now what does the story of this healing mean for you and for me? How do we apply this passage? Sometimes (if I am going to be honest) I struggle with passages like this because (unlike those who encountered the disciples or Jesus Himself), we don’t always get to experience the physical side of the healing. Often times there is that “thorn in the flesh” we have to deal with like Paul had to deal with; there’s that illness or struggle or burden that God doesn’t see fit to remove right away (or at all) while we are on earth. And so the question we often ask is, “How ought we to participate in Christ’s ministry of healing?” Are we to perform healings in the same way that Peter and John did on a regular basis? Or did God use healings to validate the truth of the Gospel, but then withdraw much of that healing power after the Church was established? That’s a tough question. There is no question that to image Jesus must involve our being agents of healing in culture. But what does that look like, especially considering that while God sometimes does heal through us (which I myself have experienced in and throughout my years of ministry) there are other times when you pray for that person who is sick or lame and God doesn’t heal them, at least in the way we might have originally been praying for. You may be grappling with that question now. Maybe you or someone you love is battling a very serious illness. And you want to know what (if any) healing is available to you for your own situation. And there are often no easy answers to those kinds of questions. But I love what Tony Campolo shares…

[He Was Healed— Tony Campolo tells a story about being in a church in Oregon where he was asked to pray for a man who had cancer. Campolo prayed boldly for the man’s healing. That next week he got a telephone call from the man’s wife. She said, “You prayed for my husband. He had cancer.” Campolo thought when he heard her use the past tense verb that his cancer had been eradicated! But before he could think much about it she said, “He died.”
     Campolo felt terrible. But she continued, “Don’t feel bad. When he came into that church that Sunday he was filled with anger. He knew he was going to be dead in a short period of time, and he hated God. He was 58 years old, and he wanted to see his children and grandchildren grow up. He was angry that this all-powerful God didn’t take away his sickness and heal him. He would lie in bed and curse God. The more his anger grew towards God, the more miserable he was to everybody around him. It was an awful thing to be in his presence.”
     But the lady told Campolo, “After you prayed for him, a peace had come over him and a joy had come into him. Tony, the last three days have been the best days of our lives. We’ve sung. We’ve laughed. We’ve read Scripture. We prayed. Oh, they’ve been wonderful days. And I called to thank you for laying your hands on him and praying for healing.”
And then she said something incredibly profound. She said, “He wasn’t cured, but he was healed.”]

The Right Healing— Today you and I need to recognize that while healing might not always look the way we want it to, God does answer our prayers and does bring the kind of healing that He deems right for us at that time. And in this instance in our passage today, it meant total healing for this man who had been lame since birth. It was physical; it was mental; and it was spiritual. And in this instance it is evident that God wanted to give everyone there at Solomon’s Porch a picture of what He hoped to do spiritually in their hearts in and through faith in Jesus Christ. Now, as you can imagine, the beggar is beside himself with gratitude. We already read of his walking and leaping and praising God. But his joy is further evidenced in verse 11, where it says…

Acts 3:11-16 (ESV)— 11 While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon's. 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? 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. 14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16 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 the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

Refutations— Now [In his sermon at Pentecost, Peter had to refute the accusation that the believers were drunk. In this sermon, he had to refute the notion that he and John had healed the man by their own power. (Paul and Barnabas would face a similar situation after healing a lame man. See Acts 14:8–18.)]

Directed to Jesus— Now in this we need to notice something foundational to the pattern of Peter's preaching; and really all true Christian preaching. And that is that he doesn’t ever allow the miracles themselves to become the main focus. No, he chooses rather to emphasize the power of the presence of God moving in the midst of His people; that is the focus. And so notice how he directs the attention of the people away from the miracle itself and towards God (particularly Jesus Christ). Even after Pentecost, when so much of the focus of Peter’s message could have been on the gift of tongues and how awesome that was, he instead immediately moves into how it was something God prophesied about, had come to fulfillment, and then he immediately moves into talking about Jesus. And so it is here as well. Right off the bat, the miracle becomes the launching point for talking about Jesus. And that is how it ought to be for us as well. If we truly believe that Jesus is the best thing we can offer the world, we won’t let our conversations get bogged down with much else. We will always find those avenues through which we can begin to share Christ with others.

Coronavirus: A Launching Point— And by the way, one avenue that God has given you that might not have dawned on you yet is the Corona Virus. I don’t know how things are for where you live, but here in the Seattle area we have an incredibly diverse population; so many cultures so vastly different from one another jam packed together. And think about it; one year ago you would have had little (if anything) in common with many of those cultures, but now you have a touching point. God has given every one of us a common experience; a shared pain that can be a launching point for our talking about the root of all sickness (including spiritual sickness); and that root goes back beyond any lab in China. It stretches all the way back to a garden in Eden, where all our problems first began; and that root is sin. And yet God saw fit to help us by bringing a cure to mankind in and through His Son Jesus Christ. 

Common Experiences— Now in our passage today almost all the people present had recently had a number of shared common experiences. They were all of the same culture (they were all Jews), they had all been there for Passover and Pentecost, and (in being there) they had witnessed (and some even participated in) the death of Rabbi Jesus of Nazareth. And it is that common experience Peter chooses to capitalize on and use as his launching point for sharing the Gospel.

Let’s Carry— And similarly, you and I need to be taking advantage of every opportunity we can to tell people about Jesus. Because God’s greatest means of bringing healing to culture isn’t any vaccine or drug; it isn’t a shower of healing power from on high. His greatest means of healing are you and me. You and I are the hands and feet of Christ. And so let us commit today to (in every way that we can) be the ones who will carry into the presence of Jesus Christ those who need His touch. Let’s do so. Amen.

Lechem Panim #128 "Choosing To Look" (Acts 3:1-10) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim. We are glad you are with us today as we take a look at our next passage in our series on the book of Acts. Last week we started chapter 3, talking about the nature of a true disciple; which was to mirror your rabbi in his character, in his actions, and even in his authority. And here in chapter 3 we find Peter and John doing this together. They are following in the pattern of their rabbi. Now it says in…

Acts 3:1 (ESV)— 1 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 

Peter & John Together— Now [Peter and John are often found together in Scripture. They were partners in the fishing business {together} (Luke 5:10); they prepared the last Passover for Jesus {together} (Luke 22:8); they ran to the tomb {together} on the first Easter Sunday morning (John 20:3–4); and they ministered {together} to the Samaritans who believed on Jesus Christ (Acts 8:14). {And} Now that they were filled with the Holy Spirit, {they and really all of} the apostles were no longer competing for greatness, but were at last working faithfully together to build the church {of Christ} (Ps. 133).]

Like Their Rabbi— But notice something else about these two men. Peter and John were two of the first three disciples Jesus had called to come and be like Him. And now their Rabbi has gone, it is up to them (and really to the Church as a whole) to demonstrate to the world who Jesus is. And it is so interesting how that imaging of Christ begins here, on the steps of the temple, with their doing exactly what their rabbi had done; allowing their schedule to be interrupted by a poor and needy person. It says in…

Acts 3:2 (ESV)— 2 And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. 

The Beautiful Gate— So the man is laid down [at the Beautiful Gate. {Now} There were nine gates that led from the court of the Gentiles into the temple itself. Scholars are not agreed, but the Beautiful Gate was probably the “Eastern Gate” that led into the court of the women. Made of Corinthian bronze, the gate looked like gold, and it certainly was a choice place for a lame man to beg.] 

The Role of Alms in Jewish Society— Because remember that [The giving of alms was an important part of the Jewish faith, so beggars found it profitable to be near the temple.] And for them it was […the best site to operate because {(as we see when Jesus came to the temple and observed people coming to make their donations)} the daily throngs came to impress God with their pious good works, including offerings at the temple treasury.] But keep in mind also that this was around the time of Passover and Pentecost; so a much larger crowd was there than usual. So it was probably looking like it was going to be a good day for the beggar; though he had no idea how good of a day he was about to have. It says in…

Acts 3:3 (ESV)—3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. 

Atrophied Asking— Amazing to think that of two of the most important men in history; the two who had walked with Jesus the closest, this beggar asks for money. Now he simply didn’t know yet the power of God available to him through Peter and John. And so his asking is limited to what is only going to be the pavement in heaven when you think about it. But it leads us to wonder how often our asking is limited; how often our prayers are as atrophied as this man’s legs simply because we don’t know the power of God available to us. And yet God is merciful. Even when we don’t know the greatness of what He can provide, He is often already on the way to bring it to us.

Eye Contact— You know, I have been honored and blessed to have visited many different countries in the world; some of which were very poor or at least had very high poverty levels. But I don’t think I have ever seen anywhere else the level of homelessness I have seen in and around the Seattle area. I mean everywhere you go you find people begging on the street corners. And there are rules that we have learned (subconsciously often) about how to deal with the homeless. First of all, don’t look at them. Right? Don’t make eye contact. Because you know what will happen when you do. You pull up to that stoplight and there’s that guy with a sign looking for anyone who looks like they might be willing to give them money. You don’t want to make eye contact because either you don’t want to give them money or you feel ashamed of them; or you feel ashamed of yourself (maybe even a little bit guilty that you get to sit in an air-conditioned car while they have nothing). But I want you to listen to the next phrase in this passage and really let sink in how Luke chooses to phrase this verse; he’s very careful here. It says in…

Acts 3:4 (ESV)— 4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” 5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 

Peter Noticed— Peter and John looked; they directed their gaze. The text is very specific. They didn’t happen to make eye contact inadvertently. No, they looked intentionally. They allowed God to break into their schedule with a more immediately important divine appointment. And by the way, it is interesting that while Acts 2 (the Pentecost chapter) is filled with the mention of the Holy Spirit, in chapter 3 the Holy Spirit is not named one single time. NOT ONCE! And yet He’s just as present. Because while [No doubt thousands of people were near the temple (Acts 4:4), and perhaps scores of beggars, …the Lord {directed the gaze of Peter and John and} told Peter to heal …{THIS}… lame man lying at the Beautiful Gate.] And the fact [That Peter noticed …{THIS}… lame beggar is … evidence of the Spirit’s ministry.] Now the man sees that Peter and John have made eye contact. So naturally (like all beggars would) he expects that that means he’s about to get something. And so he’s probably already sticking out his beggar’s cup. But it says…

Acts 3:6-8 (ESV)— 6 But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. {Now catch this. It says} 8 And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.

Jumping Before Walking— Isn’t it amazing that the man jumped before he had even walked? Now keep in mind the man had never walked before. The Bible says he had been lame since birth. So he had little to no muscle tissue. His legs were not developed; they were atrophied. HE HAD NEVER EVEN LEARNED HOW TO WALK!!! His brain didn’t even know what to do; he had no muscle memory; any of the mental capability to walk, much less jump. And yet when Peter had lifted him to his feet, he felt his legs grow strong. And his mind was touched. He got his muscle memory (and the whole mental side of walking) straight from God; sent heavenly express mail right to his mind and legs!!! [Through the power of the name of Jesus, the beggar was completely healed, and he was so happy and excited that he acted like a child, leaping and praising God.]

A Picture of Salvation— And I love what one author I read said on this. He said that [It is easy to see in this {(and in the joy and excitement) of this} man an illustration of what salvation is like. He was born lame, and all of us are born unable to walk so as to please God. Our father Adam had a fall and passed his lameness on to all of his descendants (Rom. 5:12–21). The man was also poor, and we as sinners are bankrupt before God, unable to pay the tremendous debt that we owe Him (Luke 7:36–50). He was “outside the temple,” and all sinners are separated from God, no matter how near to the door they might be. The man was healed wholly by the grace of God (Eph. 2:8–9), and the healing was immediate (Acts 3:7). He gave evidence of what God had done by “walking, and leaping, and praising God” (v. 8) and by publicly identifying himself with the apostles, both in the temple (v. 11) and in their arrest (4:14). Now that he could stand, there was no question where this man stood!] [Now that he could stand, there was no question where this man stood!] This man now stood for Jesus. And he is so filled with joy, he can’t stop walking and leaping and praising God. He himself could have sang (as we in my church sing on a regular basis), “On Christ the solid rock I stand.” And the whole crowd joins in. It says in…

Acts 3:9-10 (ESV)— 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

A New Living— Now God more than just gave this man’s feet back; but rather God (through healing his feet) completely transformed the way that he would live his life.

​Directing Our Gaze— And that is what Christ does for us as well. He touches us and heals us; he regenerates the crippled-ness of our own hearts so that we might embrace a whole new way of living life; in holiness, free from sin and in love for our neighbor. He touches our minds as well as our hearts, transforming the way we think; elevating our thoughts so that we think as God thinks. Our calling is changed; our mission is changed. And we begin to truly see people; to truly care. We start directing our gaze to them and truly look. Because we have something far greater than anything they might think they need or be asking for. We have the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And being bearers of that Gospel, we have the power (the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven) to lead people from death to life in the name of Jesus. But it takes time; a willingness to allow God to interrupt our schedules; to allow Him to work in us and make us like Him (to make us true disciples); and to allow Him to use us to pour into the lives of those around us. And so let us be true disciples from this moment onwards. Let us turn our eyes upon Jesus and (having our hearts united with his) let us also turn our eyes upon those who need Him. Amen.