Full Sermon: Look at Us!

Devotional

Day 1: From Crippled Beggar to Leaping Witness

A man born lame sat daily at the temple gate, trapped in cycles of dependency. His healing came not through coins but through Peter’s declaration: "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." True transformation begins when we stop expecting scraps from the world and receive the life-changing power of Christ. Like the healed man, our testimony isn’t in what we lack but in how we leap—praising God openly, unshackled from old patterns. The Holy Spirit’s work turns passive begging into active worship, proving that Christ’s authority rewrites our story. [41:45]

"Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. (Acts 3:6-8, NIV)

Reflection: Where do you feel like the "crippled beggar" in your life—stuck in cycles of dependency? How might the Holy Spirit be calling you to "leap" today?

Day 2: Eyes on Hands vs. Eyes on Christ

The beggar fixated on outstretched hands, hoping for coins. Peter interrupted his downward gaze: "Look at us." Spiritual poverty persists when we obsess over what others can give rather than who Christ is. The world trains us to scan for transactional relief, but disciples learn to fix their eyes on the One who offers lasting identity. Miracles happen not when we clutch at scraps but when we lock eyes with the Giver of life. [21:04]

"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life..." (Matthew 6:24-26a, NIV)

Reflection: What "hands" (circumstances, needs, or people) have you been staring at lately? How might shifting your gaze to Christ reorient your expectations?

Day 3: The Holy Spirit’s Slow, Steady Transformation

Growth, like a child’s unnoticed height changes, often happens incrementally. The disciples didn’t become apostles overnight—three years with Jesus planted seeds that Pentecost ignited. The Holy Spirit works patiently, strengthening spiritual "ankles" through daily obedience until we realize we’re no longer carried by others but walking boldly. Lasting change isn’t a spectacle; it’s the quiet work of a Potter reshaping clay. [06:19]

"And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18, NIV)

Reflection: What gradual work of the Holy Spirit in your life might you be overlooking? Where do you sense "strength" growing where weakness once ruled?

Day 4: Boldness Beyond Locked Doors

Fear once kept the disciples barricaded in a room. Pentecost replaced locks with unshakable purpose—they walked openly to the temple, the very place their enemies ruled. The Holy Spirit doesn’t just empower dramatic miracles; He fuels ordinary obedience in hostile spaces. True freedom isn’t avoiding danger but advancing through it, trusting the Spirit’s fire within more than the threats outside. [17:10]

"When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them." (Acts 2:1-3, NIV)

Reflection: Where have you been "locking doors" out of fear? What step of boldness is the Spirit asking you to take in a place that once intimidated you?

Day 5: Washed Feet, Strong Ankles, Running Faith

Jesus washed grime from disciples’ feet; Peter later lifted a beggar’s atrophied legs. Both acts symbolize the Spirit’s work: cleansing daily dust and healing lifelong weakness. Feet represent direction—will we trudge old paths or let Christ redirect our steps? Strong ankles aren’t for show; they’re for going where the Spirit leads, unhindered by past limitations or present obstacles. [46:58]

"Peter said, 'You shall never wash my feet.' Jesus answered, 'Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.'... 'Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean.'" (John 13:8-10, NIV)

Reflection: What "dust" from today’s journey do you need Christ to wash? Where is He strengthening you to walk a new path you once thought impossible?

Sermon Summary

Acts 3 sets Peter and John at the temple at the time of prayer, and the scene already shows what Pentecost did. The Spirit of Christ did not just grant tongues. The Spirit took fearful disciples who once locked doors and made them free to walk into the very courts they once avoided, not as ritual but as love overflowing. The beggar at the Beautiful Gate stands as a mirror. He is crippled from birth, carried daily, and trained by habit to look at the hand and expect a little change. His outer trap reveals an inner gaze. His eyes are fixed on circumstance, on silver and gold, on the “god of money,” and that is the rut.

Peter’s word, “Look at us,” flips the gaze. The call is not to stare at the hand, but to see a person remade by Jesus. Jesus had taught it already. No one can serve two masters. Pagans run after these things. Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and the Father knows what is needed. The Spirit does not first change the wallet; the Spirit changes the person, and then “all these things” learn to follow rather than be chased. That is why Peter can say, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you.” He gives Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and in that name he lifts the man. Feet and ankles become strong. A carried man becomes a man who jumps and praises God.

The image of feet opens another memory. Jesus had already washed those feet in the upper room. Bodies cleansed once still need feet washed again and again. So the Spirit keeps washing and strengthening, changing direction, moving a disciple from needy and stuck to free and faithful. The sign is not loud performance but quiet, steady Christlikeness. Over time a believer stops spinning on the hamster wheel of money, approval, and opportunity, and starts walking, then running, then leaping toward the kingdom. Acts 3 says that kind of change is public. People recognize the one who used to sit and beg. Wonder and amazement swell, and God draws many. Pentecost did that. Jesus did that. The Spirit still does that.

Key Takeaways

1. The Spirit changes persons, not performances The sign of Pentecost is not mainly tongues but a life turned Godward. Fishermen become apostles, fear turns to bold love, ritual turns to prayer that flows from grace. The fruit shows up in steady Christlikeness that others can recognize. [04:45]
2. “Look at us” redirects desire Peter calls the beggar to lift his gaze from the hand to the person in whom Christ’s life is at work. That shift breaks the inner trap of always expecting from circumstances and begins dependence on Jesus himself. Desire moves from silver and gold to a name that makes ankles strong. [22:13]
3. Seek the kingdom, not the hand Jesus names the real master in play and calls disciples out of worry. Chasing money, validation, and opportunity is a hamster wheel that never ends. Seeking his kingdom reorders need, and then provision learns to follow a reordered life. [31:19]
4. Washed feet, strong ankles, new direction A cleansed heart still needs daily feet-washing so the path keeps changing toward goodness. The Spirit’s grace does not just forgive, it strengthens ankles to walk, then run, then jump toward Christlikeness. Direction, not volume, is the true mark of Spirit-filled life. [46:11]
5. Love walks boldly into the temple The same courts that once provoked fear become the place of prayer and witness. Set times are no longer bare ritual but overflow of grace. Such bold, simple faith becomes a public testimony that God uses to awaken wonder. [17:10]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:36] - Title and Pentecost
[01:32] - Tongues and the Spirit’s gift
[04:45] - Fruit beyond tongues
[06:19] - Slow and sudden change
[08:44] - Beggar at the Beautiful Gate
[12:50] - Entrapment and fear before Spirit
[15:09] - Time of prayer and bold boldness
[19:39] - “Look at us” and the gaze
[31:19] - Seek first the kingdom
[40:44] - “Silver or gold I do not have”
[45:26] - Washed feet, strengthened ankles
[50:10] - More than tongues, new direction
[52:35] - A new image the crowd sees
[56:31] - Fruit that saves lost souls
[57:50] - Closing prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Acts 3:1-10 (ESV)
1 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. 3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. 4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” 5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 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!” 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8 And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God, 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.

Observation Questions

What did Peter ask the beggar to do before healing him, and why might this action matter? (Acts 3:4)
How does Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6:24-34 contrast the mindset of the beggar with the life of someone seeking God’s kingdom?
In the sermon, what does the healing of the beggar’s feet and ankles symbolize about the Spirit’s work? [45:26]

Interpretation Questions

Why is the beggar’s fixation on “silver and gold” (Acts 3:6) described as a spiritual trap? How does this mirror modern struggles with materialism or approval?
The sermon says, “The Spirit changes persons, not performances.” How does Peter’s boldness in Acts 3 reflect this truth compared to his earlier fear (John 20:19)?
Jesus washing the disciples’ feet (John 13:1-17) is linked to the strengthening of the beggar’s ankles. What does daily “feet-washing” by the Spirit look like for believers? [46:11]

Application Questions

Where do you most often fix your gaze—on circumstances (like the beggar) or on Christ’s work in others? What practical step could redirect your focus this week?
The sermon warns against the “hamster wheel” of chasing money, validation, or opportunities. What area of your life feels most like a “rut,” and how could seeking God’s kingdom reorder it? [31:19]
How might your relationships, work, or habits look different if your ankles were “strengthened” to walk, leap, and praise God publicly? What small act of boldness could you take?
The beggar’s healing led others to wonder. What aspect of your transformed life (even gradual growth) could point someone to Christ this month? [56:31]
Identify one area where you still “need washing” (pride, worry, etc.). How can you actively depend on the Spirit’s daily renewal rather than self-effort?

Sermon Clips

43s

“Like you were always, you as the beggar, you were we were always focused on the the hands from the money above. Like, it it flowed. Like like, my everything of my life flowed from the circumstance. Right? But it's to change from flowing and and what I look at from the from the change of the circumstance to instead what he's calling him on to do is to look at us, to look at the person. I look at the change in the person. Right? When we take ourselves away from relying on on the world and living like a person that is relying on the world, like, you know, begging. Like, begging for money all the time. That's how this beggar is. Like, he's just relying and begging in the world all the time.”

46s

“But what actually became his strength was that he realized, you know, what he said was, you know that I love you. It means that the love is not the love from from Peter himself that I love you. It's that you know that I love you. It's that the love comes from God first, comes from Jesus first. And so, you know, coming to really rely on that that love of of Jesus instead. Right? That, you know, we're always, like, you know, reliant on some circumstance, something inside of this world like this beggar. But, you know, being in a relationship with Jesus is, you know, rather it's, you know, being in his love and being in his grace, relying on him and being dependent on his love and grace instead.”

33s

“You know, I'm I'm always reaching out here and always reaching out there like a beggar looking at the god of money like that. But, you know, the one who really runs well, like, should run well. You should run, laugh, jump, go to the temple and praise God and all of that. If your feet are running, then, yeah, everything would follow you instead. I mean, before all these people were carrying the crippled beggar over to the the temple gate. Right? But then, you know, now he's the one jumping and praising God and they're looking at him. Right? They're all following him, you know, like that.”

50s

“And then so, you know, it's the same thing for us as well also in everything, you know, you know, everything that that happens. Like, you know, let let's let's talk about money as well too, like being this beggar. You know, is my my my my money like, I'm always always, like, stuck in this situation. Like, we're always stuck in finance and the money of this world. Is it gonna change by chasing the next big money or the next big opportunity? You know? No. You know, rather, you know, we should change in Jesus Christ. You should develop like the bible talks about, you know, good habits, being disciplined, not being excessive, you know. And, you know, budget well and use do overflow with generosity and goodness as well too. And our finances also model this godly way.”

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Full Sermon: Look at Us!

Devotional

Day 1: From Crippled Beggar to Leaping Witness

Day 2: Eyes on Hands vs. Eyes on Christ

Day 3: The Holy Spirit’s Slow, Steady Transformation

Day 4: Boldness Beyond Locked Doors

Day 5: Washed Feet, Strong Ankles, Running Faith

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Full Sermon: Look at Us!

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