Validation

Overview

The Healing at the Beautiful Gate: A Sign That Validates the Message

In Acts 3:1-10, Peter and John approach the temple at the three o'clock hour of prayer—the busiest time, when sacrifices were offered and crowds streamed in. A man lame from birth, carried daily to the Beautiful Gate, asks for alms. The contrast is striking: a massive door overlaid with silver and gold, requiring twenty men to close it, and beside it a man with nothing. Peter answers, "I have no silver and gold, but what I have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." The man who had never walked leaps and praises God, and a crowd gathers in astonishment.

Why is this miracle recorded? Not merely to relieve one man's suffering, as wonderful as that is. In the book of Acts, every healing involves a non-believer, and every healing serves the same function: to validate the message. Before Scripture was complete and codified, God authenticated the words of His messengers through signs and wonders. Nicodemus recognized this in John 3:2—"no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him." Jesus delegated this authority to the apostles Matthew 10:1, and Paul calls miracles "the signs of a true apostle" 2 Corinthians 12:12. Hebrews 2:3-4 ties it together: salvation "was attested to us by those who heard… while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles." The miracle is the prelude; the message is the point. And the ultimate healing the message proclaims is the forgiveness of sins.

We are tempted to validate truth by other means—by personal experience, by strong feelings, by polls and majorities (a kind of statistical morality), or by whatever draws a crowd. Scripture warns us repeatedly against false teachers who exploit such instincts (Matthew 7:15; Titus 1:10). Christ bore even this sin—our crooked ways of measuring truth—on the cross, and His resurrection is the Father's sign that the sacrifice was accepted.

So how do we know the gospel is true today? The apostolic gift of healing diminished as the apostles died, because what once required miraculous attestation is now confirmed by the completed Word of God. We still pray for healing, gladly and often. But our authority for proclaiming truth is no longer a sign performed by our hands; it is the Scripture placed in them. The miracle gave Peter a crowd; the Word gives us a message. Stand on it, test every claim by it, and trust that what God has spoken needs no other validation than itself.

Transcript

Would you open your Bible, please, with me to the third chapter of the Book of Acts, 0s

as we continue our study in this great book, healings. 4s

Healing's. 12s

We see in Holy Scripture great, great healings. 13s

There's the healing of the blind, the healing of the mute, the healing of the death, 17s

the healing of the lame, the healing of the lepers. 22s

Incredible healings. 27s

And as we come now for the third chapter of the Book of Acts, we have one of these amazing healing 29s

stories. Let's study together. Verse 1. 38s

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer 43s

at three o'clock in the afternoon. Let's fill a little bit of the backstory. 48s

There were three hours of prayer for the Jews. There was nine in the morning. There was noon 54s

and then there was the third hour at three o'clock. This third hour of the three o'clock time 59s

of prayer would have been the busiest time in the temple. Why? Because it was the time of sacrifice. 67s

So it would have the most people there. So if you were asking for money, 74s

if you were in need and you were begging, this is the optimal time to be in the temple, 81s

to seek the money. Verse 2. And a man, lame from birth, was being carried in. 90s

People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the beautiful gate, 101s

so that he could ask for arms from those entering the temple. There was a couple things here 106s

about the man. First, he's lame and he's been lame from what? It's been lame from birth, 114s

hasn't he? And every single day he has to be carried to the place that he's going to ask for arms. 122s

So that's a commitment, isn't it? On the people that are carrying him. And by the location of 133s

the beautiful gate, we know that they would have had to ascend a series of stairs to get to where 139s

he would beg. Catch this in our minds. There he is every single day. This man who has been lame 146s

from birth carried by people, each and every day up the stairs to buy the beautiful gate. 157s

The beautiful gate is a massive, massive door. It is made of silver and gold and it took, 169s

literally, 20 people to shut that door. It is massive. So we see the picture here. 180s

There's this picture of opulence, silver and gold, massive door that takes 20 people to close it. 192s

And there next to the door lays one who has nothing. The picture of riches in the door 201s

and the picture of the man who has nothing. Every day asking for arms. We go on, verse 3. 211s

When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for arms. Peter looked 226s

intently at him as the John and said, look at us. And he fixed his attention on them, expecting 236s

to receive something from them. What would he have been expecting to receive? Oh, that's why 244s

he's there. Every single day. That's why he's carried there. And that's why he's there during the 253s

busiest time. The busiest time. It is of all of the locations for someone to beg in ancient 258s

day. This is the prime location. It's the prime location. Why? Because the Jew would oftentimes 265s

like to show their piety as they headed to make their sacrifice. And so they would try and 273s

press God by giving to the poor. So he has the optimal spot here right by the beautiful gate. 280s

Look at us. He expects to receive what? Arms. Arms. Verse 6. The Peter said, 292s

I have no silver or gold. But what I have, I give you, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, 303s

stand up and walk. I remember how long has he been laying? This is birth, right? 315s

It's birth. Look, satin. In the name of Jesus Christ, which means by his authority, 324s

with a power that has been delegated to him, stand up and walk. And the result? Verse 7. 333s

And he took him by the right hand and raised him up. And immediately his feet and ankles were made 344s

strong, jumping up. He stood and began to walk. And he entered the temple with them, walking 349s

and leaping and praising God. It's one of these amazing healing stories. Isn't it? Amazing healing 358s

story. What's the point of it? What's the point? Why is it placed here in the book of Acts? 370s

Is the point, the alleviation of the suffering of this man? As great as that is, it's not the 385s

point here. So what point was God making in the healing of this man? 393s

Give a day. Traveling down Highway 69, I saw a church. I saw a couple of years ago and I remember 407s

caught my interest. The name of this church is Truth Church. Truth Church. What a great name for a church. 415s

It's not as good as living word. I mean living word. I mean that's a best name you could ever have for a 428s

church. But this one is a close second. Truth Church. We see in the early church 434s

is incredible emphasis on the proclamation of truth and also the raising up of false teachers. 445s

Scripture tells us in Matthew 7, Jesus says, beware of false prophets who come to you and 457s

sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. Titus one. There are also many rebellious 465s

people, idle talkers, and deceivers. But before the Bible came into being, before it was pulled 475s

together, before it was codified. How did you know in ancient day that something was true? 488s

What validated the truthfulness of what was being shared? 499s

We see in Scripture that the apostles miracles validated that what they were saying was true. 509s

So God gave the apostles the gift to do miracles, these signs, these wonders for what purpose 521s

in order to validate that what they were saying was true. Let's just start with Jesus, for example. 532s

In John the third chapter, the Scripture says, now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the 545s

Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come 553s

from God. And now listen to the reason why he says that. He says, we know you're a teacher who's 564s

come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God. 570s

So the signs then that Jesus did, the miracles that Jesus did, what were they validated? 581s

The truthfulness of His message. And listen to what happens with the apostles. Matthew 10. 589s

Then Jesus summoned His 12 disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to cast them out 600s

and to cure every disease and every sickness. I see that was an authority, that was a gift 608s

and who was a given it to, it was given to the disciples. 2 Corinthians 12. The signs of a true 617s

apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, signs and wonders and mighty words. He was too. 625s

How can we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? It was declared at first through the Lord 638s

and it was attested to us by those who heard Him. While God added His testimony by signs and 645s

wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will. 654s

The apostles then were given the gift of healing for what purpose. To validate the message, 666s

to validate that what they were saying was true. As you go through the book of Acts, 680s

as we study it together, these months ahead, notice something, will you? 693s

Every single healing in the book of Acts occurs with a non-believer. Every single one. 699s

Every single healing is for a non-believer. Why? What's the ultimate purpose of the healing? 715s

It's not just the alleviation of the suffering. It's for what? It's to validate the message. 728s

It's a sign of the truthfulness that what the apostles are saying is true. 740s

So the miracle then validates that what they're saying is true. 749s

Because what is the ultimate healing? The ultimate healing is the forgiveness of our sins. 757s

And all of the healings we see in Acts to the unbelievers, they all drive to that. They all drive to that. 766s

Give back in our text. Verse 9. 776s

All the people saw Him walking and praising God and they recognized Him as the one who used to sit and 782s

ask for arms at the beautiful gate of the temple. They were filled with wonder and amazement at what 790s

happened to Him. While He clung to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the 800s

particle called Solomon's particle utterly astonished. When Peter saw it, he addressed the people. 808s

So what's the purpose of the miracle? The purpose of the miracle is simply the prelude to the message. 823s

Because what happens? All of the sudden Peter's got a crowd. Right? So He heals the gift of healing 832s

by the authority that is His in the name of Jesus Christ. The ultimate purpose to validate 840s

that what He says is true, the miracle occurs. They all know this. They've seen them every day here. 847s

Lay him from birth. They carry him up the stairs and now He's jumping around. And it gathers a crowd 855s

and Peter starts to speak and His message is wide. It's validated. Why? Because of the miracle. 862s

That they see right from the earth. What's our temptation? Our temptation is to validate truthfulness 877s

by looking at our own experience. We can try and validate truthfulness 896s

by attaching it to say, is there a miracle attached to it? So therefore it must be true. 905s

We try and validate our truthfulness by saying, well, I feel this way very deeply. 913s

As if what we feel is necessarily true just because we feel it. 922s

We try and validate truthfulness by saying, what does the pole say? Are most people doing it? 929s

Therefore, if most people are doing it, it must be true. Do you know what that's called? 938s

That's called statistical morality. Where morality is determined by statistics. 942s

That if most people are doing something, therefore it must be true. 949s

We try and validate truthfulness by saying, does it attract a crowd? 957s

Because if it attracts a crowd, we think. Therefore, then something must be true. 965s

Because a crowd is attracted. Not necessarily. It just means a crowd has been attracted. 972s

Our sin abounds in how we try and validate our truth. 983s

But what does God do with our sinfulness? But God sends His Son, the Lord Jesus, 995s

and on the cross, Jesus bears all of our sin, including the sin of how we try and validate truth. 1001s

He bears it on the cross. That sin that separates us from God is paid for by Jesus Christ. 1011s

When Jesus comes out of the tomb, it's the sign that the sacrifice has been accepted. 1021s

It is the glorious news of a God who amitts our sin, including our sin, 1026s

of how we go about validating truthfulness. 1036s

Our God who responds in graciousness, for giving us. 1041s

And love it. 1049s

So how do you know that what I just said is true? 1056s

How do you know that the gospel that I just shared of the blood of Jesus Christ and the forgiveness that is 1067s

ours through Him and the victory that is ours through Him, the reconciliation that is ours through Him, 1074s

how do you know that that is true? 1080s

Beloved, if you are expecting me to perform a miracle to validate the truth, 1087s

that will not happen this morning. It won't happen. I can guarantee it won't happen. 1095s

Does that mean that we don't pray for healing, of course not? Do we pray for healing? 1106s

Absolutely, we do. 1112s

But do any of us, like the apostles of old, have the gift of healing, 1115s

where we can turn to someone and say, in the name of Jesus Christ, I give you what I have and then you 1123s

fill in the blank, absolutely not. 1130s

Because the gift of healing belong to the apostles. 1136s

And what you see in Scripture is the decreasing nature of this expression, 1143s

of the gift of healing. Why? Because the apostles started to what? 1151s

Dioff, the gift that validated the truthfulness of what they were saying before the word 1159s

came into being was the miracle. But what validates that something is true now? 1171s

The word, right? So the apostles were given the gift of being able to perform miracles, 1182s

to validate the truthfulness of what they were saying. We are given the gift of his word to validate 1190s

that what we say is truthfulness. So when I share with you this morning, the gospel of Jesus Christ, 1198s

that's not my word, isn't it? That's validated because of this. 1206s

And truth is formed by his word. So the one who had the message validated by the miracle, 1216s

now has this crowd around him. The one validated now, 1234s

that what he's going to say is true, has this crowd. So the one validated then starts to speak. 1240s

And what does he say? What does he communicate to the people? This one who has the validation 1250s

of the miracle behind him. As the crowd gathers, what does he say to the crowd? 1257s

That's next week's sermon. And we'll start there. Let's pray. 1265s

Grace, the Heavenly Father, thank you for this time and your word, your word is truth. 1274s

We thank you for the gift that you gave to the apostles of old, the gift of healing, 1280s

devalidate the message. But we thank you, Lord, that the gift that you give to us today 1285s

is the very word that you place into our hands. And so use us, Lord, to validate truth by your word 1294s

in Jesus' name. Amen. 1307s