“What changed?”
Yes, these are my final reflections on this wonderful miracle of healing that was recorded in Acts chapter 3. I have entitled it, “What changed?” It is extremely important that you read again Parts 1 and 2.
Mathew chapter 26 v 55
“In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, are you come out as a thief with swords and staves(sticks) for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and you laid no hand on me.”
This man, lame from his mother’s womb, was laid daily at the temple gate beautiful. The Lord Jesus Christ taught daily at the temple. Are you beginning to understand my question? The ministry of the Lord Jesus lasted, approximately, some 2 years and 6 months. Are you telling me that their respective paths never crossed? At the very least they must have encountered each other once a week as the Lord Jesus made his way into the temple. Yet the man remained lame.
Mathew chapter 14 v 14
“And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and He healed their sick.”
Anyone who came to the Lord seeking healing, received according to their faith.
Mathew chapter 17 v 20b
“…….for verily(truly) I say unto you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove.”
If you travel to the Holy Lands today, you will observe that not many mountains have actually moved from their original location. The Lord Jesus knew the Hebrew mind as well as any. To the Hebrew mind anything that impeded their progress through life was classified as a mountain: impossible to climb over and extremely difficult to go around. Sickness would be regarded thus, as would poverty and lack of social standing. The Lord Jesus was teaching the disciples that any problem that rose up to confront them in their walk with God could be despatched by faith in God. Did it say you needed great faith? No!
Just a tiny mustard seed portion.
Mark chapter 6, verses 1 to 4, relate to the reception Jesus received when He returned to his hometown.
Verse 3:” Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? and are not His sisters here with us?” And they were offended at Him.
Verse 4: But Jesus said unto them”A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.”
Verse 5: And He could there do no mighty work, save that He laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.
Verse 6: And He marvelled because of their unbelief…
Unbelief, or lack of even a mustard seed of faith will derail the power of God. We have just read about how it hindered the ability of His only begotten son to do mighty works because of the unbelief of His country men, His own kin, and even in His own house.
Am I saying that the man, lame from his mother’s womb, had no faith to be healed? No, the scriptures don’t say that. They merely state that if a person has not faith to be healed or has unbelief regarding the person through whom the power of God is flowing: no mighty works will flow.
We need to remind ourselves that the man born lame was a man of body and soul. His faith was based upon what he saw, tasted, touched, smelled and heard. He perceived the Lord Jesus Christ only through his 5 senses. Because of his static position he quite possibly never saw any of the miracles that the Father performed through the Lord Jesus. If you read the gospels you will note that very few miracles were seen in and around the temple area. The Lord Jesus went to where the people were as opposed to expecting them to come to Him in the temple.
So let’s not be too hard on this man. To the lame man, seeing was believing. He remained lame.
Romans chapter 12 v 3.
“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly (arrogantly) than he ought to think; but to think soberly(sensibly) according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”
Because of the Lord Jesus sacrifice and shedding of blood, his ascension, his glorification, and the consequent giving of the gift of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost; We who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord, we who believed that the Father raised Him from the dead received a spiritual faith, the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ. Gone is the old 5 senses faith; replaced by a measure of faith, dealt to every man who has received the gift of the holy spirit, that enables us to secure that which our Heavenly Father has made available to us, BY GRACE, through the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not our own faith anymore: and yes, we still only need a mustard seed amount: that has not changed. Hallelujah!
2 Peter chapter 1 v 1.
“Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith( a measure of equal value) with us through the righteousness of God and our saviour, Jesus Christ.”
Something changed in the heart of the wonderful lame man. How do I know that? …Because, by the grace of God, he was miraculously healed when he encountered Peter and John at the temple gate beautiful, something that eluded him during the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And so to our final Scripture.
Acts chapter 3 v 16.
And His name( the Greek word onoma, meaning Jesus standing, His lifestyle, His achievements) through faith(the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ, received at the time of the new birth) in His name(onoma) hath made this man strong, whom you see and know; yes the faith which is by Him(the spiritual faith of the Lord Jesus Christ)has given him this perfect soundness ( wholeness) in the presence of you all.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
I believe that Acts chapter 3 v 16 categorically states that this wonderful man was saved, endued with power from on high, before he encountered Peter and John, that his old 5 senses faith was removed along with his old man nature, and miraculously replaced with a spiritual faith that came with the spiritual new man nature.
There is no doubt that a miracle of healing took place, yet for that to come to pass he needed a mustard seed sized portion of spiritual faith to receive that which was his by the Father’s grace.
The apostle Peter was adamant, and let’s face it he was at the temple gate beautiful that day, that” through faith, in His name hath made this man strong…yes the faith which is by Him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.”
The lame man had to have received this spiritual faith at the time of his new birth.
This is what changed. Because of this spiritual faith he could now believe the promise of God, which was uttered by Peter in Acts chapter 3 v 6.” In the name(onoma) of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.”
Verse 8.And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.
Hallelujah!
Have a glorious day!