Has anyone here ever received an unexpected gift? Perhaps you’ve received word that a family member or friend has passed and they included you in their will. Maybe you’ve gone to meet a friend of a friend and that person turned out to be your spouse. Or—you know someone who was told they would not be able to have children so they adopt…then, they become pregnant. As we continue in our study of the book of Acts this morning we’ll be introduced to a man whose life is changed by an unexpected gift.

Chapter 3 tells us that Peter and John were on their way to worship. When they arrive at the Temple there’s a crippled man sitting at the gate. This man—the Bible says, is there every day asking people for help. When he sees Peter and John, he asks them for some money but what he receives is totally unexpected. It’s a gift that will change his life forever.

What happens to this man is a miracle in every sense of the word. But—greater still…this unexpected gift also provides an opportunity for Peter to explain who is responsible for a miracle such as this and how people should respond to it. There’s no doubt something amazing has happened at the Temple. Those present recognize it...and they come running (v11). After all—it’s not every day a lame man gets up and begins to walk.  What does it mean?

1. The power of restoration.

We’ve already mentioned that something amazing has happened…and it happened to the crippled man in our text. Luke tells us this man was in need of some money in order to make ends meet…but what he received was a miracle. A miracle that was totally unexpected.

This miracle speaks of power. Not just any power—but God’s power to restore things to their right place. We know from the creation account in Genesis that God created man…and it was good (Gen 1). We also know from being a descendant of Adam and from our own experience that he created man with the ability to walk. The fact that this man was a cripple from birth magnifies the importance of what happened.

The Bible tells us the lives of Peter, John, and this crippled man all intersect at the Temple. When they do—their lives are never the same…especially the crippled man. Peter is the servant of God with the message of God that this man needs to hear (Is 52:7, Rom 10:13). “Silver and gold I do not have—but what I have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth…walk” (v6).

What happens next is so amazing that all the people in the temple area are filled with awe and amazement (vv9-10). The crippled man is healed. He can walk just like everyone else. Therefore, the logical question is simply this, “How did that happen?” It’s interesting—that’s the same question the Sanhedrin asks Peter and John in Acts 4:7, “By what power or what name did you did you do this?” In other words—who’s responsible for restoring this man’s ability to walk?

2. The person responsible.

As we study through the first 9 chapters in the book of Acts—we’ll see that big events provide the opportunity for explaining how God has always been at work. For example: The miracle of tongues in Acts 1 provided the opportunity for Peter to explain from the O.T. that Jesus was the Christ sent by God. Here in chapter 3—the miracle of healing the lame man gives Peter a chance to explain how the ministry of Christ continues through His disciples.

Notice if you will in verses 11-16 that Peter makes two things perfectly clear:

A) That he and John were not responsible for what happened to the crippled man (v12).

It’s true that Peter and John were there and that God used them as instruments to affect this man’s healing. But—notice right away that they want everyone to know up front that it was not by any power of theirs that he was able to walk.

I remember one particular man in Dixon when I was pasturing there that responded to the gospel and was gloriously saved. In a testimony service one day he said, “When Brother Benny saved me.” I knew what he meant—but we must be clear about what happened. I was privileged to share the gospel…but it was God who saved him. I afraid some folks have lost sight of that truth today and haven’t learned the lesson of Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8. Peter and John were not seeking fame or fortune…they just wanted to be faithful and let everyone know that they were not the ones responsible for the crippled man’s healing.

B) The person responsible is Jesus.

According to Peter—Jesus is the servant of God in verse 13 (cf; Is 52:13). He’s the Holy and Righteous One in verse 14.He’s the author of life in verse 15. But that’s not all, according to verse 16—when the crippled man trusted or placed his faith in Jesus…he was restored. I believe we’re talking about a complete restoration…both physically and spiritually.   

Friends—this is exactly what the world needs to know. We’ve been crippled by sin and we’re in need of healing. We need to be restored both physically and spiritually. And—the good news this morning is…God has the power and He willing to do it.

3. The proper response.

According to Peter? Repent (v19). Notice it’s the same response he gives in Acts 2:38. By rejecting Jesus and putting Him on the cross—the Jews had basically turned away from God. This is why Peter’s message is repent. Turn back to God.

Peter knows the crowd that he’s preaching to—that’s why he qualifies his message with references to Moses, Samuel, the prophets, and Abraham. These are all giants in Judaism—but at the same time they had all spoken of the Christ of God who was to come. With His coming there would be forgiveness of sins, times of refreshing and great anticipation for the day that God will restore all thing to their right place in a new heavens and new earth (vv19-21).

I believe that we’re living in those days. Moses said that God would raise up a prophet like him from among the people…and that prophet is Jesus (Deut 18:15). He also said we must listen to Him. The promise to Abraham that his Seed would be a blessing to the nations was also fulfilled in Jesus. Like the Israelites—we also have turned away from God. The Bible teaches that everyone crippled by sin and needs to be healed. We all need to have our fellowship with God restored. It begins with our willingness to repent.

In the movie You’ve Got Mail, Meg Ryan is the owner of a small book store. When she discovers that a big franchise book store in moving in to her neighborhood she feels threatened. Even though she doesn’t know anything about the owner of the franchise (Tom Hanks)…she just assumes all he wants to do is rule the world and she begins to as if he doesn’t exist.

Over the course of the movie she gets to know this guy anonymously through e-mail. What she comes to realize in the end is that he’s who she’s needed for a long time. He’s an unexpected gift.

There are plenty of people who misunderstand who Jesus really is. My point is simple—if you’re here today and are not sure who Jesus really is…don’t act in ignorance or as if He doesn’t exist. The Bible tells us to seek Him while He may be found. Jesus is God’s plan for your life—don’t turn from Him…turn to Him. When you do—your life will never be the same again. You’ll discover what an unexpected gift Jesus truly is.