## Worship is a Celebration

## Acts 3:1-10

We love celebrations. They are an important part of our lives. We celebrate our birthdays, anniversaries and other important days. We throw parties, take pictures, give flowers and gifts, we, eat special cake, and go to our special restaurants. These special times remind us of the past and bond us together for the future. We not only have personal celebrations, we have national celebrations. We celebrate holidays like Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. Again these celebration days are marked by time away from work, leisure, laughter and play. We picnic, parade, barbecue and shoot off fireworks. We spend time with family and friends. Such celebrations lift us from the routine of our lives. Every Sunday should be a celebration. Every Lord's Day should be a holiday. Worship is like these other celebrations in that it reminds me of the PAST - what God has done. Worship centers me on the PRESENT- what God is doing now. Worship also give me hope for the FUTURE - what God will do soon.

Tonight we want to examine a biblical example of worship celebration and consider why every believer ought to celebrate the worship of Almighty God.

Read: Acts 3:1-10

I. One Example of Celebration Worship

A. The Lame Man's Handicap (v1-2).

1. "Peter and John went up together to the temple."

a. Along with James, Peter and John were the inner circle of the disciples.

b. Now after Pentecost they were the inner core of the apostles.

c. Acts shows us they often traveled and ministered together.

2. The phrase "went up" suggests that they went to the temple frequently.

a. On this particular situation, it was "at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour."

b. On the Jewish clock, 6:00 a.m. was the first hour; noon was the sixth hour; and the "ninth hour" would be 3 p.m.

c. It was the "hour of prayer."

1) The Jews had three special prayer hours at the temple.

(Psa 55:17) "Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice."

2) They prayed at nine, noon and three.

3) This hour was called "evening prayer."

4) Evidently, in this early stage of the church era, many Christians still prayed at the temple at these regular Jewish worship times.

3. There at the temple was a man "lame from his mother's womb."

a. He had not been crippled in an accident.

b. He had not had a debilitating injury or illness.

c. He simply had never walked.

d. What's more, 4:22 tells us he was over forty years old.

e. Further, there was no cure or hope for him.

4. He had to be "carried."

a. He had never been capable of supporting his own weight.

b. Evidently there were friends or family members who cared enough about him to move him about.

c. With their help he was "laid daily at the gate of the temple."

5. His practice was to ask alms from those who entered the temple.

a. "Alms" were gifts given to the poor.

b. To the Jewish mind, giving of alms was seen as an opportunity to win favor with God.

c. When they went to pray was an excellent time for a handicapped person to ask for a little assistance.

d. His only income came from begging and the charity of strangers.

6. He had a strategic post at "the gate… which is called Beautiful."

a. Beggars favored three spots: near the houses of the rich (like Lazarus), near main highways or city gates (like Blind Bartimaus) or at the temple gates.

b. The temple was probably the best site because it guaranteed heavy traffic and the worshipers were likely to try to impress God with their generosity.

B. The Lame Man's Healing (v3-7).

1. Lying there at the gate, the lame man saw"Peter and John about to go into the temple."

a. He called out to them and "asked for alms."

b. The beggars were not shy.

c. Their livelihood rested on their ability to attract attention.

d. I can imagine him calling out specifically to Peter and John, "Sirs, you look like such godly men.

e. Surely you want to help a poor lame person like me. I need to eat."

2. The Bible says Peter fastened his eyes upon him.

a. It means Peter and John looked intently into the man's face.

b. Many others had no doubt heard his cries, but turned away and wouldn't look at him.

c. Pretend that he wasn't there, just ignore him.

d. But Peter and John fixed their eyes upon him.

e. It may have been the first time anyone had looked at him eye to eye.

3. Peter said, "Look on us."

a. Peter wanted to see his eyes.

b. The man gave them his attention.

c. He was expecting to receive something.

(Acts 3:6) "Then 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."

4. Peter and John were the apostolic representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ.

5. Verse 7 says he " took him by the right hand, and lifted him up."

a. Peter commanded the beggar to walk, but he didn't wait on him to try to get up.

b. He reached out.

c. God's power flowed through Peter "immediately" or instantly.

d. There was no waiting.

e. Instantaneously his feet and ankle bones received strength.

C. The Lame Man's Worship (v.8).

1. As strength came in to his joints he "leaping up stood and walked"

a. Though he had never walked, he was on his feet.

b. Though he had never taken a step he received balance and coordination.

c. What joy! He expected a handout, not a healing!

d. He expected some coins not a cure! He expected money not a miracle!

2. He "entered the temple with them."

a. All the way he was "walking, leaping and praising God."

b. He couldn't just walk.

c. His joy at being healed would not allow that.

d. No, he leaped and danced about all the while giving the praise to the Lord.

e. Can't you hear him, "I can walk! I can run! I can jump! Praise God! Thank You Jesus!"

3. Imagine this man who was healed.

a. Imagine if Peter had said, "Hey buddy, settle down. You are not acting very dignified.

b. We are Christians.

c. We're not supposed to dance like that!"

d. Impossible. He could never hold it in!

D. The Lame Man's Witness (v9-10).

1. What happened when this man began his celebration of praise to God? V.9 says, "All the people saw him…"

2. Let's face it… we are concerned with what people see and hear.

a. We are concerned with what others might think if we were to be so moved that we shouted "Glory!"

b. We are concerned with what others might wonder if they saw us raise our hands or clap our hands in praise of God.

3. The healed man didn't care what anyone thought.

a. His experience with God's grace was so fresh, he was consumed with worship, not worrying about the opinions of others.

b. There is something here… something about freshness.

c. When we have a fresh relationship with the Lord, we don't worry so much what others see or think.

4. Well what did the people think when they saw him?

a. v10 says they recognized him.

b. They "knew it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate."

c. How did they respond? "They were filled with wonder and amazement."

d. Worship is directly related to witnessing.

II. Reasons for Worship as Celebration.

- Why do we come here and sing these songs?
- Why do we pray these prayers?
- Why do we do the things we do when we gather together?
- We do these things for the same reason the lame man leaped, jumped and praised God after his healing.
- We celebrate in worship because of what God has done, what He is doing and what He will do.

A. We Celebrate because of where we were yesterday.

1. First, realize that the lame man was in a desperate condition before he encountered God's grace.

a. Think of what life was like for him.

b. He never walked. He never ran.

c. He was confined to one place and absolutely dependant on others.

d. He was confined to a miserable existence.

e. His worship was the result of being set free from such a life.

2. Second, realize that we were in a far more desperate condition before we encountered God's grace.

a. Though we may not have been physically handicapped, we were spiritually handicapped.

b. What's worse, we were spiritually dead.

c. Where we were yesterday, before we were saved was a bad place.

d. It was a place of slavery to sin, a place of judgment and condemnation, a place of despair, hopelessness and death.

e. If Jesus had not intervened in our lives, we would be destined for an eternity in hell.

(Col 1:13) "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:"

f. Why was he healed and others not?

g. Why have we been saved and others not? I don't know.

h. We should be eternally thankful for God's grace in our life.

B. We Celebrate because of where we are today.

1. Where we are today is not perfection.

a. We have not made it.

b. God is still working on the sin in our lives.

(Phil 3:12) "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus."

2. We are so blessed to be where are.

a. We are part of God's family.

b. We have a loving local church.

c. We have His Spirit within us.

d. We have His Word before us.

e. We have His people around us.

f. No matter what happens, we are richly blessed.

C. We Celebrate because of where we will be tomorrow.

1. Being a Christian is not just about the here and now.

2. It is about the there and then, eternity.

(1 Cor 15:19) "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable."

(John 14:2-3) "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. {3} And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."

(1 John 3:2) "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."

3. Ours is an eternity of joy in God's presence.

Do we have cause to celebrate in worship? Think about our yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Is there not a reason for us to celebrate and worship Him? If not, perhaps we need to be saved. Or if we are a Christian, perhaps we just need to draw closer to Him. Whatever the need why not come tonight and spend time with the Lord. Let's make it right.