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C:\LESSON\KINGDOM\SPGIFT2.DOC 29-09-91
THY KINGDOM COME PART 3
A SPIRITUAL GIFT PART 2
Acts 3:1 - 10 read ---
We finished last week by saying -- as Peter and John
were on their way to the temple to pray --
they met a man
at Gate Beautiful begging for alms -- he was among many
hundreds of others doing the same thing --
But this one the Holy Spirit directed Peters eyes
to him --
Peter was conscious of this and moved towards
this man --
Peter becomes aware that the Holy Spirit has something
to give to this man ---
The Holy Spirit united to Peter's spirit expresses the
love of God in a desire to impart life to this man's body --
There is a word in the Bible that you may say is the key
to the whole Bible -- if there is such a word --
The word is --
LOVING KINDNESS
In the King James Bible it is translated
mercy
This is a useless word if you do not know what it means
-- because mercy today
Means --
pity -- sympathy --
In the Bible it does not mean this ---
Loving Kindness is the
choice love of God
it is your choice
it is a love of will
it is not a love of feeling
it is not an emotional love
A SPIRITUAL GIFT PART 2
It is a love of will
I choose
It is a love that is backed up by covenant
It is an urgent love
It is a fighting violent love
It is expressed in the term I will never leave you nor
forsake you ---
This love is God's kind of love
The word saint in the Bible
Means --
a doer of loving kindness --
one who is an
expresser of this urgent kind of love ---
In the New Testament it is often expressed as compassion -
Compassion is not feeling weepy over someone
Compassion comes from -- the original Greek word --
intestines
When a sacrifice was made on the alter and they took out
the intestines -- this was the compassion that they offered
to God ---
Soon it came to mean --
when I love someone
or
I am moved over something in my very inner being
it is a love that moves my intestines
Therefore it is a love that is related to anger
The compassion is such that you will not stand for what
is happening -- you love the person so much you will do
something ---
Jesus was moved with compassion -- he had something
for the multitudes ---
A SPIRITUAL GIFT PART 2
Here Peter's eyes are fixed onto the man as he is moved
with compassion ---
God has something for this man and he
has put it in Peter's spirit ---
Peter has a gift for the man and there is an urgency
about it --
it is an urgent love ---
It is such that Peter can --
Say --
such as I have I give to you --
he had something that was as tangible as a dollar
coin ---
The man was asking for money --
if Peter had have had a
dollar coin he could have given it to the man ---
What Peter had been given in his spirit was as tangible
-- and as real as a dollar coin ---
Then Peter says --
in the name of Jesus --
he uses
the name of Jesus -- which is going to be one of the key
phrases of the Acts of the Apostles ---
You might say --
there are three key phrases in the Acts
( 1 ) is the name of Jesus
( 2 ) the word --
which is the word that
the Kingdom had come
( 3 ) the Holy Spirit --
who makes the
whole thing work
A SPIRITUAL GIFT PART 2
They had the name of Jesus on their lips
In the name of Jesus -- is in the power of the
attorney ---
In the physical absence of Jesus -
Peter is the spokesman for the Kingdom of God
He is acting on behalf of Jesus
He is now bringing the very desire of Jesus to bare on the
situation
This is not what Peter - might - think that Jesus wanted
to do --
Peter is positive about it ---
Such as -- I have -- I give to you in the name of
Jesus --
now rise up and walk ---
All of what we are speaking of --
arises out of a relationship
it is not from a formula
The seven sons of Sceva who heard Paul preaching and saw
the miracles --
went and found a demon possessed person --
And said ---
in the name of the Jesus of whom Paul
preached ---
This is using Jesus as a formula
When someone was praying I heard them --
Say --
in the name of Jesus --
To myself I now say --
this must be the right way --
this must be the right formula
A SPIRITUAL GIFT PART 2
It is not a formula
it is a relationship to a person
the person is the Lord Jesus
If I have this personal relationship then I may speak
with an authority --
Saying --
in the name of Jesus ---
Now I am acting in the power of an attorney
It carries as much weight as if Jesus himself is
speaking ---
The power of attorney is not something that is handed
out just to anyone because they speak on behalf of --
and
in this case on behalf of Jesus himself --
In the name of Jesus is to speak out of a relationship
with Jesus ---
To speak in the name of Jesus is to know what Jesus
wants in this situation ---
In fact you do not have to say in the name of Jesus if
you are acting out of a relationship with Jesus ---
In the name of Jesus is not just words -- it is a
relationship ---
The words are only verbalising what is on the inside --
Peter knew what Jesus wanted
he knew the desire of God
Therefore he could --
speak with such an assurance --
speak with the authority of the person-
A SPIRITUAL GIFT PART 2
If I give you my credit card -- in one sense I am
giving you power of attorney -- you are going to speak with
my authority --
I do not give my credit card
my power -- my authority
to just anyone
When you present that card -- they are going to see my
buying power --
then you can buy according to my buying
power --
When I am given the name of the Lord Jesus
I have the buying power
I have the authority
I stand in the finished work of Jesus
With the blood of the everlasting covenant behind me
In the name of Jesus --
speaks of all that Jesus has
accomplished in his finished work ---
This is what he meant just before he ascended --
When he said --
all authority is given to me in heaven
and in earth - therefore you go and teach all nations ---
The word therefore refers me back to what he had just
said ---
He said --
All authority is mine --
now you go in that authority --
now you go in that name ---
The trouble with much of the church today is that it
does not believe that it has -- this power -- this
authority --
and it allows itself to be -- tossed around -
thrown around -- never daring to move ---
A SPIRITUAL GIFT PART 2
It is well time that the church today opens its eyes to
see -- that it has all the authority of Jesus ---
Peter in relationship with the king -- and in the
authority of the king --
can now speak as the ambassador of
the king -- and the kingdom --
he is using the name of
Jesus ---
Later when describing this moment of faith --
He says --
it is -- by him - by Jesus --
it is the faith that is by Jesus ---
This is not faith in faith
This is a faith with no background --
with no foundation
It is a faith -- that if you confess it enough you
will receive it ---
If you keep trying to believe you will make it -- this
is not what we mean here ---
It is not Peter
Saying --
get up and walk -- get up and walk --
get up - get up --
walk -- walk --
Peter says --
I give you what I have -- now get up
and walk --
This is not faith in faith --
this is the faith that is by Jesus
this is a faith that is worked in me by Jesus himself
A SPIRITUAL GIFT PART 2
I could say it this way --
it is Jesus having faith inside of me
it is his faith
it is a faith that comes by him
This is what Paul says --
In Galatians 2:20 --
The life that I now live -- I
live by the faith of the Son of God --
This is Jesus having faith inside of me ---
This same Jesus is in you - and I -- and it is when
we try to make a formula out of Jesus we miss him ---
When I accept Jesus as a person it is so easy --
but when I accept him as a formula it is so difficult --
This is what we have done with the miracle of Jesus --
we must have a formula
we want to get it out of the text book
Generally we start off by confessing and then more
confession -- but nothing happens --
You say why not
Many of the things we see Jesus do and many of the
things that the Apostles did --
just happened to happen
this way --
it was not a formula --
When you study the miracles of Jesus in the wrong way --
it can become quite frustrating --
For when you just think you have it worked out -- Jesus
blows it by doing it another way ---
You have it where he touches the eyes of the blind and
they are healed --
A SPIRITUAL GIFT PART 2
Now I have it made -- all that I have to do is to touch
the eyes of the blind ---
Next time I hear of him opening the eyes of the blind -
he spit in their eyes
Another time he makes mud and places over their eyes
then tells them to go take a wash
It is as if Jesus can not make up his mind -- where is
the formula in this ---
To another blind man he touches his eyes two times
Now do I have to touch a blind mans eyes two times --
or
if my faith is not to good
maybe three or four times
Just when I think I may have it I find the formula has
changed --
somehow or other I just can't work it out --
There is no formula -- a formula is not demanding --
it is seen as being secure ---
It is a relationship -- and a relationship is
demanding --
A relationship means --
I am walking in a constant
awareness of the person to whom I am in relationship with --
I am constantly aware of him -- who lives within me --
and out of him who lives within me -- there faith is ---
This then releases me from formulas
A SPIRITUAL GIFT PART 2
Whatever situation I find confronting me -- I find I
am moving with his compassion inside of me --
I am moving by
his nudging -- his urging --
and in this -- I know that
he is in me and I in him --
I then do -- I then act ---
I then walk out in faith
the faith that is by him
it is not my faith
it is his faith
In the bible we do not see where Jesus or his disciples
prayed for the sick --
in the sense that we often find
ourselves doing --
I believe Jesus prayed for them in his times or private
prayer to his Father ---
This prayer was the many times he rose early of a
morning and spoke to his Father ---
But when he is facing the sick he does not pray in the
sense that we understand prayer --
It is arise take up your bed and walk
It is as if his desire had gone out in the power of the
Spirit --
and by the time he speaks they are already healed-
but yet do not know it --
so he had to tell them to get up
because they are healed ---
In this case of Peters --
it is -- such as I have I
give to you --
When did this giving take place --
somewhere between
Peter saying it -- and touching the mans hand ---
A SPIRITUAL GIFT PART 2
Healing seems to be the first thing on peoples minds
When a person first meets you the first thing that they
say is --
how are you today -- and if they are really
sick they will generally tell you ---
And if you are moved by the Holy Spirit why not
Say --
let me pray for you ---
I do not want to leave you with the idea that you are
going out to heal the multitudes --
but very simply let
yourself be taken by the Holy Spirit out into the world and
proclaim this Gospel ---
What is the Gospel
It is the Kingdom --
what is the Kingdom --
God's love
coming through the finished work of Jesus in the power of the
Holy Spirit --
and the works that he does -- we do also ---
This is not to leave your place of employment -- but
to do this in the context of our ordinary days work ---
Have you ever heard this expression --
have a good day
This in many cases -- is a very meaningless thing to
say ---
What power does the world have to give another a good
day --
or
For that matter to say -- have a bad day --
A SPIRITUAL GIFT PART 2
But it still would not have made any difference --
because you can not curse me because I am blessed --
They are meaningless words ---
When Jesus was sending his disciples out in their
apprenticeship days --
He said --
when you go to a house -- greet it --
and if they are worthy in that house -- your greeting will
stay there ---
He is saying --
your greeting will go and find someone
to receive ---
Now what was the greeting
Very much the same as have a good day ---
It was good morning -- Shalom ---
Shalom means --
peace with God -- peace with me
peace with you -- peace and prosperity
It arises out of a covenant God made with Israel -- and
the Jew said it with as much meaning as you probably --
Say --
good morning ---
What does good morning mean
In England in about the 1500's good morning meant -- God
be in your morning ---
Good night -- God be in you night --
A SPIRITUAL GIFT PART 2
Today it is shortened to -
good day -- good night
today is does not mean anything
Jesus took a simple greeting --
And when you say it - your words will go out to find
someone in the house who is worthy to receive it --
If no one is worthy it will come back to you ---
Shalom now takes on a new meaning --
when you say Shalom --
then the peace of God goes out --
Saying --
is there anyone in the house who is searching
for peace --
if there is they will receive it -- for you
are speaking -- peace with power ---
You are only saying --
Hello -- but what a hello --
this is shalom --
When I meet someone in everyday life and --
Say --
God bless you -- God be with you -- have a
good day --
I am walking up to my gate beautiful -- and there I
meet many people in many areas of need
On that day the Kingdom of God came up to gate beautiful
-- there the Holy Spirit showed the need ---
Here we have Peter and John -- two people who I would
say are immature in the things of God --
A SPIRITUAL GIFT PART 2
At that time they had not seen the New Covenant as
clearly as we do --
and yet they can minister in the power
of the Holy Spirit -- by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
-- and bring healing to this man ---
This lame man as it is often the case in one sense could
do more than Peter and John could do ---
Everyone knew him for he had sat at Gate Beautiful most
of his life --
now here he is dancing and leaping on legs
that had never ever supported him before ---
Now people gather to see this great wonder -- and
immediately Peter preaches the Good News that the Kingdom has
come --
He is using the man as a sign that pointed to the fact
that Jesus Christ is alive ---
Peter did not preach a message on divine healing
He was proclaiming that --
this is the proof -- this is the sign
that Jesus is alive
This is telling us that the Kingdom of God is here --it
became an opportunity to spread the Good News ---
As you take this message remember it is a
Relationship with Jesus -- not a formula
And out of this relationship -- just let him nudge you
to start acting -- and sometimes it will be in ways you
might not even have thought of before ---
As we do this God will bless us -- in the spreading of
the Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ ---
Amen