Subject: Do We Have What They Had
by Rick Welborne
Acts 3:1-11 (NKJV)
1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
2 And 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 from those who entered the temple;
3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.
4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us."
5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.
6 Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."
7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them--walking, leaping, and praising God.
9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God.
10 Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
11 Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon's, greatly amazed.
1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
2 And 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 from those who entered the temple;
3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.
4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us."
5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.
6 Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."
7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them--walking, leaping, and praising God.
9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God.
10 Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
11 Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon's, greatly amazed.
--Today we will be staring a new series…From verse 6…What I do have or KJV…Such as I have.
--Before we jump into this I want us to take a brief look back to what led up to this miracle…this event.
--In Luke 24 Jesus gives the disciples some very important instructions that definitely had an influence on what happened at the Gate Beautiful.
Luke 24:49-53 (NKJV)
49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."
50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.
51 Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.
52 And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
53 and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.
49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."
50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.
51 Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.
52 And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
53 and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.
--Jesus is getting ready to ascend to the Father and He knows they need help (actually a Helper). He has even told them that it is for your good that He is going away.
--If I do not go away Holy Spirit will not come but when I leave I will send Him to you.
Acts 1:6-8 (NKJV)
6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"
7 And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"
7 And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
--He tells them they will receive Holy Spirit power and He will be exactly what you need for such an occasion as they were facing with this lame beggar…did not mean he was bad at begging. You’ll be witnesses.
--At the beginning of Acts 2 (approximately 10 days later) Holy Spirit shows up and shows off…A rushing mighty wind, tongues like fire sit on all 120 of them.
--All of them are filled with Holy Spirit and speak in tongues…it caused such a commotion in Jerusalem because people were there from everywhere. Miracles started happening.
--These unlearned Jews begin to glorify God in the languages of the people who were listening and they were amazed…some mocked them because they thought they were drunk at 9:00am.
--Peter stands up to preach under the power of Holy Spirit and he shares with them a prophesy from Joel!
Acts 2:16-18 (KJV)
16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
--Before Peter shares the prophesy (knowing the crowd he is speaking to knows prophecy) he says something very powerful…This is that…this is that which Joel spoke about…This is that Jesus spoke about.
--This is that which was promised by the Father to them on the Day of Pentecost but also promised to us today:
Acts 2:37-39 (NKJV)
37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?"
38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."
37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?"
38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."
--Hear me…this is that and this is available for all of us here today who belong to Jesus Christ. The 120 receive Holy Spirit baptism and the immediate result was salvation. 3000 added to the church! Wow!
--Indeed wow! Joel’s prophecy and Jesus’ promise is fulfilled with Holy Spirit being poured out but hear me, this was not an ending…it was a beginning. The same is true for us…Holy Spirit baptism is a new beginning.
--Lest you think I have forgotten our text, let’s go back to Acts 3.
Acts 3:6 (NKJV)
6 Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."
6 Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."
1. It is impossible to separate the “such as I have” or “what I do have” from the prophecy of Joel and the promises of Jesus.
--There is not one of you here today who could convince me that the “such as I have” that Peter was talking about was none other than Holy Spirit.
--You would have to take these verses out of context to try and say that this supernatural healing was anything other than a result of them being filled with Holy Spirit power.
--Holy Spirit was just doing what He does when He comes…one of the gifts of Holy Spirit is healing:
1 Corinthians 12:7-11 (NKJV)
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
--Holy Spirit has been poured out, Peter and John are baptized in Holy Spirit, God distributes the gift of healing as this gift of Holy Spirit is needed.
--The last verse of this Acts 3 confirms that when Holy Spirit comes upon us He will make us witnesses… many of them turn to Christ.
Acts 3:26 (NKJV)
26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities."
26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities."
--Part of this being a witness was a continuation of the work of Holy Spirit…a few weeks earlier Peter was too afraid to share Jesus with anyone but now everything has changed.
Acts 2:16-17 (KJV)
16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh:
16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh:
--Before Peter could not have said “such as I have” why? Because He did not have the baptism in the Holy Spirit in his life…now he is so full, he is overflowing. Spirit filled and Spirit spilled.
2. Peter said with boldness, “such as I have”.
--A question that has bothered me for years is this when it comes to “such as I have”. Do I have what Peter and John had?
--Have we moved so far from the original that we seem to have a powerless gospel. Could what Paul is saying here truly be what we have become?
2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NKJV)
1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
--Do we have a form of godliness or maybe we just have a reputation of being Spirit filled but the reality is that we are just kidding ourselves.
--If we are Spirit filled…truly Spirit filled…why do we struggle so much with issues that seem to overwhelm us. Why do we struggle in dealing with one another and dealing with sin?
--If we are filled with Holy Spirit why aren’t we walking in the Spirit and not fulfilling the lust of the flesh…
Many of us seem powerless over sin…where are the signs that follow them who believe?
Galatians 5:16-25 (NLT)
16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.
17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.
18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.
19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,
21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.
25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.
17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.
18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.
19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,
21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.
25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
--If I am doing what I want to do and not what the Spirit of God wants me to do then can I truly say, “such as I have, I give to you”
3. If we had what they had we could do what they did.
--Let me reiterate, the disciples had waited on the Promise of the Father, the prophecy of Joel to be fulfilled, and they all experienced the baptism in Holy Spirit.
--Again this experience is not a once and your done thing…it is only the beginning…when Peter and John were walking into the temple that day…they were able to do what they saw Jesus do.
John 14:12-14 (NKJV)
12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
---Keep this in context…Jesus is telling His Disciples He is going away but not to worry, He is sending Holy Spirit to be with them forever and then they will be able to do what He did.
--If we have what they had why can’t we do what they did? Hear me! I know this message can seem to have a sound of condemnation to it but that is definitely not my purpose.
--This is a passionate cry for us to want more of Holy Spirit in our lives…a cry for us to realize we are just scratching the surface of what God has for us.
--Do I truly believe we have Who they had…do I believe we have Holy Spirit in our lives? Yes, a thousand times yes but the thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy…He is robbing us of the more we could have.
--Peter and John had been baptized in Holy Spirit but what were they doing…they were going to the temple to pray and to receive more…on their way Jesus worked a beautiful miracle.
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