Why “Things” Happen

Acts 3:1-10

A challenge to take advantage of whatever is happening around us regardless of why it may be happening.

Introduction

There’s an old Chinese Proverb that says… A farmer and his son had a stallion that ran away and their neighbors exclaimed, “Your horse ran away, what terrible luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.” A few days later, the horse returned home, leading a few wild mares with it. And the neighbors shouted, “Your horse has returned, and brought several horses home with him. What great luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.” Later, the farmer’s son tried to break one of the mares and she threw him to the ground, breaking his leg. The villagers cried, “Your son broke his leg, what terrible luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.” A few weeks later, the national army marched through town, conscripting all able- bodied boys into service. They did not take the farmer’s son because of his broken leg. Friends shouted, “Your boy is spared, what tremendous luck!” To which the farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.” And so the story goes. But the moral of the story is that the end result of any event may not be readily apparent. We may have to wait and see what “happens.” Which brings up an interesting question: Why Do “Things” Happen? Is it a matter of luck? Just a matter of happenstance? Or is there some hand orchestrating the events that are happening around us, leading us, directing us down certain paths? That’s what I hope our text helps us look at this morning. Our text is about… • Peter and John • And a lame man • And a great crowd that gathers after a great miracle has taken place Our text this morning describes it this way… Acts 3:1 Now Peter and John were going up (imperfect tense: describing continuous action) to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And, while Peter and John were going up, verse two says… Acts 3:2 And a man lame from birth was being carried (again, imperfect tense: continuous action), whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. And my question this morning is: What’s the chances of that? That these “two ships passing in the night,” as it were, would bump into one another? That just as Peter and John “were going up” this lame man “was being carried” in? That is, one did not arrive before the other. And the one passed the other on the way in. No. Both “were arriving” at the same time. “Simultaneously,” is the way one Greek scholar describes it. (Lenski Commentary) At the same time. At the same gate even! And… Acts 3:3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, (the lame man) he asked to receive alms. Because that’s why he was there. That’s why he was carried there, and laid there, every day. “To ask alms of those entering the temple.” Now that’s not why Peter and John are there. Peter and John seem to be there for prayer. Because it was the time of prayer. Which would probably make it a great time for a lame man down on his luck to to lean on a few bleeding hearts as well. So that’s probably why everyone is there. • For prayer • Or for a hand out from a few bleeding hearts that may have been there for prayer And so… Acts 3:3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, (the lame man) he asked to receive alms. Acts 3:4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” That is, Peter and John did not, like the priest and the Levite in ’ Parable of the Good Samaritan, see the poor man down on his luck “and pass by on the other side.” No! Peter and John stopped, and directed their gaze at the man. And they directed the man’s gaze to them! “Look at us,” they said. Acts 3:5 And (the lame man) he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. And receive something He did! But it wasn’t the little bit of pocket change he was expecting. Instead… Acts 3:6 But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” Acts 3:7 And (Peter) he took (the lame man) him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. Acts 3:8 And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Raise a man to his feet, who has been lame all his life, so that he can immediately walk, and leap, AND HE GOES AROUND WALKING AND LEAPING AND PRAISING GOD! And I’ll tell what else he does. HE DRAWS A CROWD! For… Acts 3:9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God, Acts 3:10 and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. As it fills me with wonder and amazement as well! It causes me to wonder…

1. How Much of All This was Coincidental & How Much Providential?

Explanation

• The arrival at the same time, • at the same gate; • the man who needed needed help, • and maybe the only men in who could really help him! • The one, begging for what the other did not have; • and the other, giving that which the one never asked! Coincidental? or Providential? Was this the luckiest man in the world, or what? Some people don’t believe in luck. Some people say this man was rewarded because of his faith. But this man is not mentioned as having any faith. He didn’t ask for a miracle. He didn’t expect a miracle. He may not have even believed in miracles, as far as we know. He may have given up on the idea of ever walking long ago. He asked for money. From everybody. Just like he did everyday. With the help of his friends, or family, this man was carried, daily, and laid at the gate called “Beautiful” to beg. And every day, his friends, or family, had to return and carry this man home. And I’m sure that was the plan for today as well. Why should today be any different? But today was different, wasn’t it! And that’s my question: Why was it different? Why did this wonderful thing happen? And why did it happen to this man and not some other man? Why was I blessed to be born and raised in “Almost Heaven” West Virginia– while my son-in-law was born and raised in Haiti? Don’t get me wrong. I thank God for all my blessings. The says… James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. And so I “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow!” But why me? And why not David? And if you say it must be because my faith is so much greater, you don’t know what you are talking about. Why was this lame man healed, and not one of the other many cripples hobbling around Jerusalem who could have also used a good healing? Was this man just “in the right place, at the right time?” I don’t think Scripture tells us. What Scripture does tell us is what Peter does with this wonderful opportunity provided him– whether it came to him coincidentally or Providentially. Or by some combination of thereof.

2. Peter Made the Most of It!

Explanation

A great crowd gathers. All the people see this man “walking and leaping and praising God!” And they recognized him as the same man, lame from birth, who sat at the gate called Beautiful, at the temple, every day, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened. And… Acts 3:11 While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called ’s. Acts 3:12 And when Peter saw it (the ex-fisherman in him came out, and…) he addressed the people… Peter preached Christ! Because that’s what fishermen do. Fishermen don’t philosophize. That’s what philosophers do who sit in their ivory towers. Sit around in their slippers and smoke pipes and wonder and philosophize and theorize “Why.” Fishermen don’t care why. Fishermen simply care about catching fish. That’s the only reason fishermen cast nets. Peter is recorded as doing that, upon more than one occasion if you’ll remember– but I’m thinking of the one after Jesus’ resurrection, on the Sea of Tiberius. :3 Simon Peter said to (the other discipes) them, “I am going fishing.” (Because Peter was a what before he became an apostle? A fisherman! And the other disciples) They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. John 21:4 Just as day was breaking, (the Resurrected) Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. John 21:5 Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” John 21:6 (And Jesus) He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So (What did they do? Pull out their protractors and rulers and iphones and ipads, put on their slippers and and pull out their pipes, and begin theorizing and philosophizing about why fish would be on one side of the boat and not on the other? No! These are fishermen, not philosophers. So what do fishermen do? ) they cast (their net on the right side of the boat) it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. And that’s exactly what Peter does in our text this morning! Peter sees this great crowd gathering around him at the temple, “filled with wonder and amazement,” begging for an explanation, and rather than stopping to ask… • why here, • why now, • why this man, • why not another man, • why me, • why John, • why not one of the other apostles… …rather than asking, “I wonder how much of all this is a blessed coincidence and how much of this is Divine Providence?” Peter just cast his net into that great sea of humanity and preaches Christ. With the upshot being recorded at the beginning of the next chapter, which says… :4 …many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand. The last time Peter cast his net into a crowd like this was on the Day of . And the Bible says… :41 …those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. This time the old fisherman casts his net and the number of the men who believed came to about five thousand! Thousands were drawn to Christ by the casting of those two nets alone! And that’s why I say the lesson we need to take home this morning is this…

3. Whether Coincidental, or Providential, We Need to See Such Happenings as the Wonderful Opportunities that They Are?

Explanation

I know we have some brothers and sisters here this morning who do not believe in coincidence. They believe that God directs ever coin toss. That there is no such thing as luck. Heads or tails, God decides, no matter how seemingly inconsequential the toss. I don’t go that far. I’m a little like Yogi Berra in that respect. After a batter came to the plate and made the sign of the cross across it with his bat Yogi wiped home plate off and said, “What do you say we just let God sit this one out?” Can we let God sit one out? And let God enjoy the game every once in a while? Or does God have to decide every coin toss? We have some people who believe God decides every coin toss. I don’t go that far. I believe in coincidence. But I also believe in Divine Providence. Especially when the Bible specifically tells us that God’s Hand is involved. Like in Acts Chapter Eight, just a couple of chapters down the road from our text this morning, where the Bible says… :26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. Acts 8:27 And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship Acts 8:28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. Acts 8:29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” Acts 8:30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” • The angel said… • The Spirit said… • Philip heard the man reading the prophet Isaiah where God said… I mean, it’s pretty hard NOT TO SEE God’s Providence at play when things are so clearly SAID. But this morning Peter and John were just going up to the temple to pray. There’s nothing SAID about Peter and John being TOLD to go there. • And why then? • And why this man? • Why not some other man? Why the first man Peter and John bump into. Well, everyone knows… • The early bird gets the… • First come, first… • You snooze, you… But the problem with that kind of thinking is this is not early at all. Verse one says it’s the ninth hour. Three O’Clock in the afternoon! Why then? Why this man? Providence? or Coincidence? The Bible doesn’t say. What the Bible does say is regardless of the reason “Why This Thing Happened” Peter and John make the most of it. AND THOUSANDS ARE SAVED BECAUSE OF IT! And that’s the lesson I think we need to take home from this. I’ll admit, at times I really do wonder if God’s Hand is not involved in some things… • Several months ago one of our elders asked if he could preach a certain Sunday not realizing it would be Father’s Day. And I said certainly. And Michael preached a fabulous Father’s Day sermon. But what neither of us knew at the time was that my wife’s grandmother, who would be turning 100, would be going home to be with the Lord that very weekend at one hundred years, and 7 days old. And Michael preaching here would allow me to preach the gospel there at my wife’s grandmother’s funeral. It also allowed Lynn and I to attend the early Church service at our home Church where we got to see so many of our old friends and I got to see my old Jr Hi Sunday School teacher who did so much for me and helped me through a very difficult time when I was young and who had just returned to Wv himself from wintering in Florida. And after Church I got to hot-foot-it over to my dad’s Church where dad plays the piano and I got to worship with my father on Father’s Day, something I haven’t done in 45 years! I texted several times with our elders about that. And we all wondered if the Lord didn’t have a hand in all that from the get-go. • But what about all the times I’ve been picking up this fellow walking down Dayton Rd to the Duke? Has the Lord had His Hand in that? I don’t know. So far we haven’t got to talk too much about the Lord. Because we only have about a half mile or so to make small talk. But I’m trying to talk to him about the Lord. I’m trying to make the most of every one of those opportunities whether they are coincidences or events orchestrated by by the Lord.. • How about one evening this past week when I was driving Lynn down to East Main St to get her an ice cream cone? Was the Lord in that? I saw a car broken down in a certain driveway that seemed suspicious. And one of the side windows in that house was cranked wide open. And I told Lynn I had to turn around and check that out. Make sure this wasn’t some kind of break-in. I went up to the house, knocked on the door, found out every thing was alright. And I met a neighbor I’ve been meaning to meet for years. I also got to talk to the man and woman broken down in the drive. Was that coincidence? or Divine Providence? I don’t know. But I know this. I know what Peter would say. I know what that old fisherman would say I needed to do. I needed to be casting my net where the fish are! Regardless of whether they are there by coincidence or by Divine Providence! In Acts Chapter Nine Peter is travelling around and Peter finds a bedridden man in Lydda who was paralyzed. :34 And Peter said to him, “, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” And immediately he rose. Acts 9:35 And (the Bible says) all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. Peter casts his net again, and makes the most of the opportunity given him. The next thing we’re told is that Peter was sent for by the disciples in nearby Joppa. A dear saint had died and gone home to be with the Lord. And Peter went and raised her back to life! Acts 9:42 And (the Bible says) it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. Why? Because the old fisherman was at it again! Cast his net, catching fish. Making the most from every opportunity afforded him. And someone here might say, “Surely you see Divine Providence in all that?” And I do. But sometimes it’s not so easy to distinguish between Divine Providence and coincidence. Like when I was writing this sermon. One of our elders texted me and said he really liked last week’s sermon. Especially a personal illustration I threw in. He said he’d like to see me do more of that. So I stopped and prayed that the Lord would open my eyes and show me a personal illustration I could use this Sunday for this sermon. A sermon I was writing outside TJ Max down in Heath, on their outside employee smoking picnic table while Lynn was shopping at Aldi’s. And for the life of me I couldn’t see a thing happening in that parking lot that would make a good sermon illustration. I looked and I looked and I looked across that parking lot and I got nothin’. But when Lynn texted me and said she was finished and I went over to help her load up, she was a bit peeved that Aldi’s didn’t have any ice cream. And I said. “Hmm. Think of that; the middle of summer and there’s a run on ice cream?” And I thought to myself, “Coincidence? or Divine Providence?” Some of you who know I’m a heart patient might be thinking, “Divine Providence, preacher. The Lord was helping to keep you around a little longer!” But if that’s so, what am I to think when Aldi’s has a sale on ice cream! Coincidence? or Divine Providence? In my mind, that’s not the point. The point is what will you and I do with the opportunities that come to us? However they come. Whether by Providence or by coincidence. Will we make the most of them? Like a good fisherman. And cast whatever net the Lord has given us? or Will we let those golden moments pass us by?

Conclusion

Earlier last week I asked Linda to post this message on our highway sign… “You Looked: Coincidental? Or Providential?” And then below, she posted the time of this morning’s worship service and our website address. Did anyone look as they drove past this last week? I don’t know. I only know that it only matters if they did something about it. • Are they here this morning? • or Are they watching the video recording of this message on their home computer or smart phone? And if they are, is that “Coincidental? Or Providential?” I don’t know. And frankly, I don’t care. What I do care about is what they do about it. What you and I do about it. Today. Right now, by this opportunity afforded us. However it came to us. To the fishermen among us, I would encourage us to unpack our nets, and… Ephesians 5:15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, Ephesians 5:16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. To be ready to cast our nets at any given moment. Regardless of what has brought us to that moment. And to those being “fished”… 2 Corinthians 6:1 …we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 Corinthians 6:2 For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” (And then God says…) Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We can try and sort out how the opportunity came, the coincidental from the providential, some other time. Now is the time for you to do something about it and come to Christ. Now is the time for you to BEGIN to know Jesus –> come to BELIEVE in Him –> BECOME a follower of Him –> and join others in BUILDING His kingdom. Amen? I hope some of you will stop by our BEGINNING POINT this morning on your way out and have a serious conversation about how you might begin doing that today. Let’s pray…