Greatly Limited Expectations
Acts 3:1-8
Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. 2And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; 3Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. 4And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. 5And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. 6Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. 7And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.
Is it possible that we could expect too much from God?
Do you think there is anything that God can not do?
Can the creation ever dream, desire or demand more than the Creator?
Do we limit the hand of God by limiting Him to our ideas and expectations?
To our detriment, we act as though the answers to these questions are a resounding yes! God is not limited by anything other than the faith of the believer. The trouble is not with an all powerful, all knowing, and all loving God! The trouble lies with the child of God, who in our limited understanding binds the hands of God. The trouble is that we, with the aforementioned limitations, set our goals (expectations) too low and are satisfied with the results of limited expectations. I thank the Lord that He does not limit His blessings based on our expectations and understanding. It is a miracle of God that He continues to give to us according to His expectations, which are far beyond anything we could ever dream. As we read the account here in Acts of a certain man we notice the similarities to the Christian today.
We would have liked to entitled the sermon "Great Expectations" but in a quest for accuracy we shall name it, "Greatly Limited Expectations." The greatest of our expectations are far below the abilities of God.
Certain Expectations:
KJV: Ac 3:2
2And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;
Nothing in this life is ever accidental! All things, in the life of a Christian, are ordered by God (Psalm 37:23.) It is not a haphazardly placed meeting that we witness here at the gates of the Temple. Not only was the event ordered so were the individuals. It was the plan of God that this man had suffered and was placed here at the gate called Beautiful. This "Certain" man was indeed certain (sure) of many things but today his wildest expectations were about to be met and surpassed.
A Certain Someone:
This man had been lame, crippled, from his mother’s womb. It was by no accident that the Lord had caused him to be born with a crippling sickness. We are born from the womb with the sin sickness, and cannot by nature come to God on our own. But Jesus came to seek and to save us and He is not willing that any should perish. 2 Peter 3:9
A Certain Sickness:
This man was crippled from his birth and there was no natural cure. For this man to be cured would require a miraculous work of God. For us to be cured of our sin sickness we are sick unto death, it will take a miraculous move of God.
A Certain Situation:
It was by the law that this man could expect alms from the faithful Jew and being laid by the gate only served to remind them as they walked to and from worship. As we make our way to and from the House of God do we notice those who are spiritually crippled. Law does not bind us but by Grace to extend such as we have towards those that are lost or back-slidden.
A Certain Solution:
The only solution expected by this man were the gifts of those who would show mercy towards him. No doubt he had been surprised before with a generous gift, but what lay in store for him this day would be beyond his imagination. Why do we expect so little from God? We should simply expect that by what ever means should please Him, He will meet and exceed our wildest dreams if we will only remain open and sensitive to the Holy Ghost.
There was another "Certain Man" named Lazarus who was also sick (John 11:1.) Mary and Martha expected the Lord to merely cure their brother Lazarus and when he died their expectation of the power and authority of Jesus was limited. It was the design of the Lord Jesus that Lazarus should die so that Jesus should be glorified!
Clestrial Expectations: (Beyond the Stars)
KJV: Ac 3:5
5And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
6Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
It is the common, easy, way to extend mercy by using financial means to meet the need. Money can relieve the immediate physical needs of the sin sick but it is the established principle of God to extend more than money. It relieves the believer of responsibility, so they think, when they make monitory contributions. It not the always the intention of God for you to simply make contributions monetarily but to extend all that you have spiritually to fallen and sin sick man.
Not of Silver
Silver may have bought this man some dinner, but Peter sought to feed his soul. 30 pieces of silver would buy a lot of comfort thought Judas, in truth it was the price of his eternal soul.
Not of Gold:
Gold could buy much! Maybe as much as the knowledge and limited skills of the Drs. of that day! But the gold that Peter wished to give to this man were in another place where it’s value was nothing but that of pavement.
All That I have:
Peter sought to go to the extreme with his newfound power. Peter wished to give this man all that he had that was of value, and that was the love of God. Peter had nothing of this world that was of any value, but what had been given him, through faith in Jesus, he gladly shared with those who needed it also. The gift of salvation is the only gift in the world that becomes more valuable to the individual as you give it to someone else.
Incredible Expectations:
KJV: Ac 3:6
6Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. 9And all the people saw him walking and praising God:
This certain man, at most, expected the usual contribution. It is a good thing that Peter saw beyond the meager expectations of the cripple and was led of the Holy Ghost to give more than the lame ever expected. Look at what was given:
He Received Strength:
From the moment of his birth this man had been lame. He did not kick in his mother’s womb. He could not stretch out his legs as he was laid in his crib. He never took that first step that every mother looks forward to. He never once in his life played with other children. All of his life he had been dependent on others to care for him. In one moment of faith this man received strength in his legs, ankle bones, muscle, sinew, ligaments, and nerve endings all received strength and he stood as if he had done so all of his life and had never suffered. You have never experienced any strength until you have felt the strength of God move into your once-dead soul.
Jesus Christ has all power: Matt 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth
He leaped
He, who could not even crawl, now leapt. The regeneration of the soul can make the saved capable of doing things routinely, that he once could not imagine doing at all. He who was confined to the ground now could reach beyond his greatest dreams; he could reach all the way to the throne of God. We were once bound in sin and confined to the earth but now we can soar as eagles under the influence of the Holy Ghost.
He Stood
He, who had never stood alone, now could with the regeneration of Salvation through Jesus Christ.
We once thought we could stand, but now with the new creature that we are through Jesus we can stand in the greatest storms where once we would have been consumed. It is those who stand proudly that are nearer the fall.
1 Corinthians 10:12
He Walked
As a child he never had to opportunity to take his first steps, now as a new born child of God his first steps were both of the physical and spiritual nature. His ability to walk would be a sign of the grace, mercy, and forgiveness of Jesus Christ.
He Praised
This certain man, who had never entered into the Temple to worship because of his disability, now ran through the gate leaping and worshipping like no other before him. Is it not a shame that we forget, or get used to, the salvation and forgiveness of Jesus Christ and where we once worshipped in the freshness of his mercy no seem to be again crippled and unable to worship God.
Another man who was paralyzed from birth also was forgiven and walked away from the House of God and remember the congregations remark.
Mark 2:12-13 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
Why is that we so soon forget what Jesus has done for us?
Conclusion:
Why Marvel Ye At This:
Acts 3:12
And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this?
As we conclude the sermon let us consider the point that we have tried to bring home!
To the Sinner:
Have you ever been to the point where you felt as though you were akin to this certain man?
For reasons you don’t understand nor comprehend your life is filled with hardships, sickness, sufferings, and there seems to be no end in sight.
Do you sit by the road while others pass you by and seen to do well and prosper?
Are your expectations of others, especially Christians, low?
Have you considered what it woudl be like to be touche, forgiven, by Jesus?
Would you not take the gift of salvation that He offers you this day?
To the Saint:
Do you pass others by and depend on your thighs and prayers as your gift to them?
Silver and Gold will never amount to your shared gift of salvation!
Are your expectations of worship Low!
Are you satisfied with your low expectations or would you like to feel God again in your service.
