The Man God Uses
Acts 3:1-16
I.
Introduction
A. Desire
of Each Person to be used by God or be useful
1. God
has created us for good works, He has a plan and purpose for each of us.
For we are God’s workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared in advance for us to
do. Eph. 2.10
2. Personal
illustration of wanting to be involved in sports, teaching, job at motorcycle
program, missions. Being a spectator is
not fulfilling when you know you can be in the action and making a difference.
B. God
is looking for people whose hearts are fully devoted to Him.
1. When
God finds the right person at the right time miraculous things will happen.
9“For the eyes of the
Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on
behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him 2 Chronicles 16.9
2. History
is full of people who were “God’s man or woman” for that specific time.
a. Biblical
Examples: Joseph, Moses, Deborah,
Esther, David, Paul etc.
3. Example
of Peter and John being used by God in Acts 3
a. Learn
the principles of being used by God through them.
II.
The Person God Uses
A. Peter
and John had been with Jesus
1. Jesus
invited them to be with him before He sent them out.
2. Our
first and most important ministry is ministry to Jesus, spending time with Him.
3. They
saw Jesus in action, they learned from him for 3 years before they were sent
out on their own.
4. Developed
an intimate relationship with him
5. Witnessed
the compassion and power of God.
6. We
must be filled with the knowledge of the Word of God and the ways of God.
B. They
were filled with the Holy Spirit Acts
2.4
1. Jesus
told them to wait in
2. Their
lives were radically transformed after receiving the Holy Spirit. Revelation of the Truth, Boldness in their
witness, Faith, to believe God’s promises, Action compelled by obedience and
compassion.
3. Our
ministry must be empowered and guided by the Holy Spirit.
4. If
we are not being led by the Spirit then we are not operating in the power of
the Spirit.
5. The
Holy Spirit must empower and lead us in ministry.We have to be cued into the
H.S. who is in charge of the work on the earth today. He is the Divine, initiator, motivator and
administrator for the work of God.
C. They
lived with a Sense of Expectation
1. Peter
& John had seen Jesus do the miraculous on a regular basis.
2. They
had seen God use them to heal the sick and cast out demons. (sending out of the
70)
3. On
this “one day” God invaded time and space and change happened.
a. God
can take the mundane daily rituals and perform miracles.
b. God
can take the ordinary and make it extraordinary.
c. God
can take the hopeless situations and bring transformation.
4. We
must always live with a sense of expectation of what God can and will do
through us on a daily basis.
a. Satan
wants us to be hopeless, lacking in faith, unbelieving, doubters, destined to
repeat the same errors, never seeing change, accepting of anything less than
God’s best.
1.
b. This
could be the day a miracle will happen!
D. They
had a Spirit of Cooperation/Unity
1. Peter
& John were going up together to the temple. They were opposites who had being united by
Christ.
a. Peter-impulsive;
John-contemplative
b. Peter-quick
to speak; John leaned on Jesus’ chest
c. Peter
stood from afar in the courtyard; John stayed close to Jesus.
d. Peter
was a man of action and was called on to preach the first sermon after
Pentecost. John was the apostle of love
and intimate revelation of Christ.
2. Men
and women God uses have learned to overcome their differences.
a. The
b. Our
differences can not serve to divide us.
Delight in our differences!
3. The
synergistic effect of 2 being in agreement is woven throughout the Bible.
a. No
lone rangers, hi ho silvers or hermit crabs allowed.
b. One
can chase a 1000, 2 can chase 10000.
c. 70
were sent out 2 by 2. Security, synergy,
solidarity.
d. Remember even the Lone Ranger needed Tonto.
E. They
were men of prayer, “they went at the hour of prayer”
1. Regularly
scheduled time of prayer. They had seen
the example of Jesus’ life of prayer.
2. The
gathered to pray for 10 days of constant prayer before the Holy Spirit was
given. Acts 1:14
3. they
devoted themselves to prayer Acts 2:42
4. Prayer
must be both scheduled and spontaneous.
5. John
Hyde, “Praying Hyde” was greatly used of God to reach the nation of
6. Hudson
Taylor was a man of prayer who changed the course of
7. George
Mueller was known for his faith and his life of prayer.
8. People
of prayer are often more in tune with what God is doing and wants to do.
9. Be
ready for anything. Pray throughout the
day and ask God what you should do in situations that you see.
F. They
had a Sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit “And Peter looking steadfastly upon him with
John said, Look at us.”
1. Something
happened to Peter and John to change their normal encounter into a supernatural
encounter.
2. We
must live with an expectation of God’s intervention but we must also develop a
sensitivity to the winds of the Holy Spirit.
A lot of ministry happens “on the way.” To do ministry
a. Jesus was interrupted by the woman with the
issue of blood.
b. Witnessing to the Muslim at the Gopher game.
3. Develop
spiritual eyes to see what God sees.
G. They
knew the power and authority of the Name
of Jesus.
1. They
knew their financial limitation but also understood the unlimited power of the
Name of Jesus!!!
2. When
we operate in the Name of Jesus and re-present Him to the world, we can expect
the miraculous to happen.
Mark 16:17-18
17 “And these signs will follow
those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with
new tongues;18 “they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly,
it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will
recover.”
Colossians
2:9,10
9
For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;10 and you are
complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
Philippians
2:9-11
9
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above
every name,10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in
heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,11 and that
every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of
God the Father.
James
5:14
14
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let
them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the
prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he
has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
3. I wonder if Peter had a flash back to the
time when Jesus rescued him in the water by extending his hand to him. Peter was so convinced that he pulled him up
and commanded him to walk.
H. They
quickly gave Jesus all the credit for the healing of the lame man. They knew who deserved all the glory because
they recognized that without Jesus nothing would have happened.
“John 15:5
5 “I am the vine, you are
the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without
Me you can do nothing.
God
has good works waiting for me.
He
desires to use me each day.
He
wants me to be full of the knowledge of His Word and His ways.
He
has given me the power of the Holy Spirit.
I
will live with expectancy each day!
I
will strive for unity with other believers.
I
will be a person of scheduled and spontaneous prayer.
I
will be sensitive and obedient to the Holy Spirit
I
will act in the power of the Name of Jesus and give him all the glory.
III. Conclusion: God is moving in these days through His
people who are living in expectation of His intervention. He delights in the unity of His body and
desires that we reconcile our differences and stay focused on the mission He
has given the Church. He is calling His
people to become people of prayer because people of prayer are ready to hear His
voice. He wants to make us sensitive to
the working of the Holy Spirit so we can respond in faith and obedience when He
gives us the inner witness of the Spirit.
Finally, God is desiring to work through people who know the authority
of the Name of Jesus and will be quick to give Him all the praise.
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