I have no gold or silver – Preaching
Preaching Outline on Acts 3:6 – “Then Peter said, ‘I have neither silver nor gold, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk.”
Introduction
The account in Acts 3 shows one of the first miraculous deeds performed by the apostles after Jesus was resurrected and ascended into heaven. That day, Peter and John were going up to the temple to pray when they came across a man who had been crippled in his lower limbs since birth and who used to sit at the temple gate, known as Formosa, to beg for alms.
This man experienced worship in the temple only from a distance. He was physically close, but spiritually distant from true access to God’s presence. He was waiting for material resources like silver and gold, but God wanted to offer him something much greater: healing, complete restoration and full entry into the heavenly kingdom.
Peter, motivated by the Holy Spirit, declared that he didn’t have material riches, but something much more valuable: the power of Jesus’ name, the master key that opens the true Door of Grace.
This story teaches us that the greatest wonder is not something physical, but spiritual. That man needed more than alms; he needed inner transformation, a full life and a renewed purpose.
The big question that remains for us today is: What do we really want? Perishable goods or the authentic key that grants us access to the divine presence?
Development
“I have no silver or gold”
The Real Treasure
Often, people only look to the temple for material things: prosperity, possessions, earthly solutions. However, God offers something much greater.
Peter and John didn’t have any money to give that man, but they had something much greater: the key that could completely transform his life.
Matthew 6:19-20 – “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume them and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up treasures in heaven (…).”
What have we been seeking in our Christian life? Are we more concerned with material blessings or with the true treasure of the Kingdom of God?
“But what I have, I give you”
The Salvation project
Peter understood that he possessed something of incalculable value: the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Project of Salvation.
Matthew 16:19 – “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven (…).”
The keys Peter received were not literal, but spiritual. He had the authority to present the door of salvation to that man.
What does it mean to have this key?
- Knowing and living the Gospel.
- Having a real experience with God.
- Sharing the message that transforms lives.
Have we used this key to bless others or are we withholding what God has given us? Are we sharing the message of salvation or just living our faith selfishly?
“In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene”
The real Porta Formosa
That man was at the door of the temple, but he couldn’t enter. He was close, but still outside the presence of God.
Jesus declared:
John 10:9 – “I am the door: if any man enter in by me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
- The Beautiful Gate of the temple was a symbol of the beauty and grandeur of the Jewish religion. But only Jesus could give the lame man true access to the presence of God.
- When Peter declares the name of Jesus, he is pointing to the only door that really matters: Christ, the only way to God.
How many people today are “at the door” but have no real access to God? They’re in church, they hear the Word, but they haven’t yet passed through the Door that is Christ. Have we been leading people to Jesus or just to an empty religiosity?
Conclusion
Peter and John could have given alms to the lame man, and he would still have been there the next day. But they gave him something eternal: the opportunity for a new beginning.
Acts 3:8 – “And he leaped up, and stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.”
Now that man could enter the temple and worship God for real. He was no longer on the outside – he was transformed and had free access to the Father!
What can we learn from this?
We must seek what is eternal, not just what is material.
God has given us the key to the Gospel to share with others.
The true Beautiful Door is not a temple, but Jesus Christ.
The key is with us. Shall we use it to open the door for those who are still outside?
May God help us to be instruments of transformation, bringing the key to the Gospel to those who are still waiting at the door!
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