Why Now? (AM Sermon Notes)
GIST: God uses your circumstances to point people to His love.
SCRIPTURE: Acts 9:31-42
This morning we’re coming to the last passage in chapter 9 of Acts. For the past several weeks, we’ve been looking at how God did an unexpected work in the life of Saul. Now, the focus of Luke’s account shifts back to Peter for a few chapters. However, the emphasis is still on God doing what people aren’t expecting. This particular chapter wraps up with two healing miracles. They seem connected not only in time, but also in purpose. Remember, Scripture is inspired by God. The events recorded aren’t done so haphazardly, and these two seem to be placed here together very intentionally. Let’s look at verses 31-42.
“31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. 32 Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. 33 There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. 34 And Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed." And immediately he rose. 35 And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. 36 Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity. 37 In those days she became ill and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. 38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, "Please come to us without delay." 39 So Peter rose and went with them. And when he arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them. 40 But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, "Tabitha, arise." And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. 41 And he gave her his hand and raised her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. 42 And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord."
Both of these accounts focus in on the miraculous movement of Jesus in individual lives. However, what we see in both accounts is that His individual movement had a far reaching purpose. In fact, I started by reading verse 31 which gives us the general setting for this account in the life of the early Church. That observation and both of the healing miracles end with the same kind of statement. Look at verses 31b, 35, and 42. “31b….And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied...35 And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord...42 And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.” The end result of all these circumstances was people coming to know Jesus. As we’ve stated before, the purpose of miracles is to point people to the God of miracles! However, in these accounts, God was moving in theses lives even when they were still facing tragedies. So what’s our gist for this morning? God uses your circumstances to point people to His love. Oh, how I need this perspective!
Now, before we even start breaking down the verses this morning, I want to make this quick observation because I don’t want to ignore this potentially serious objection. In saying this, I am not saying that Jesus causes bad things to happen in your life, so He can work through them. We live in a world that has been corrupted by sin, but not a world that is absent of God’s grace. When sin entered the world, man chose himself over God. Ever since then, we have been living the results of that decision. Nonetheless, even in the midst of the hardships and pain that come from living in this fallen world, God works to bring beauty from these ashes. (Check out Isaiah 61: 1-3.)
I know that was basically like a point in itself, but I felt we needed that context before moving forward. Now, to the verses!
I. GOD USES BLESSINGS TO BLESS
Even though we just addressed the harder side of this passage, we can’t help but notice that there is actually far more rejoicing than mourning that happens in these verses. So, let’s start there. God uses blessings to bless. Specifically, I want to point out how He uses peace, service, and health to point to His love. First, let’s look at→
Peace (31). “31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.” Two weeks ago, we closed by reading this verse and talking about what led to this peace. Today, I just want to make a few quick observations.
1. This is God-ordained peace. If you remember, this peace was largely the result of two factors: 1. Paul isn’t killing Christians anymore. 2. The Sanhedrin are being distracted by a new high priest and a new Roman emperor. As we noted last week, this wasn’t chance. God knew exactly what He was doing. Though the church grew under persecution, and would continue to do so, this time of peace was intentional. →
2. It was used to build up the church. Not having to fear as much for their lives, they were able to use their time to more freely proclaim the gospel and learn as the apostles proclaimed the teachings of Jesus. Let’s just pause for a second and let this hit us in the face. As part of the Church in America, we have experienced years of peace. Though we have faced persecutions, they are nowhere near the level of those faced by our fellow believers in other parts of the world. We have so much freedom to spread the gospel and study God’s Word. Are we using it? See→
3. They were built up by walking in fear & comfort. They did not get lazy in this relative time of ease. They had a right view of God (they feared Him which implied awe and respect), so they had a right view of comfort (it comes from walking in the Holy Spirit, following His guidance--not our own!). →
4. And it resulted in multiplying! Growth. More people were saved because this peace was used to point people to Jesus--the Prince of Peace!
The second blessing we see being used to point others to Jesus is→
Service (36). “36 Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity.” I’m sure every time you’ve heard a sermon on Tabitha, you’ve heard the preacher make a joke about her dorky name...and there’s mine☺️. Let’s make two quick observations about her here, as well.
1. She was the gazelle of grace☺️. Terrible English equivalent aside, both Tabitha and Dorcas mean gazelle. I’m not sure if that is significant to anything, but you’ll probably find it in your Bible’s footnotes, and it allowed me to use some alliteration☺️. Honestly though, Tabitha appears to have been an incredible woman. She was full of good works and acts of charity which mean they defined her life. She was a follower of Jesus who lived her life for others. That who we should be too! See, she lived a life of service→
2. So→ her life had an impact. Look at verse 39 real quick, “39 So Peter rose and went with them. And when he arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them.” Her loss was felt because her life was lived for others. Let that sink in. She had gifts, but she wasn’t a preacher, and she wasn’t a missionary. She was a first century woman who cared about people, and, though she might have done other things as well, we at least know she made clothes for people who needed them. She didn’t waste her life, but was used as a blessing.
The last blessing I want to point out is probably the most obvious one in the text→
Health (34-35, 38-42). The first one healed here is Aeneas. “34 And Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed." And immediately he rose. 35 And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.” 3 quick observations.
1. This was the direction of God. As we’ll see in a second with Tabitha, this wasn’t the power of Peter. Jesus was working in this man’s life, and He impressed that upon Peter. Peter is the mouthpiece, but→
2. The hero is Jesus. This man’s name is interesting to me. Aeneas is the name of a very important Roman hero. He’s the main character in Virgil’s epic, The Aeneid. In this story, Aeneas is a rags to riches kind of character. After losing the Trojan war, he escapes with some of his family and goes on a journey led by the gods. Eventually, he’s able to overcome terrible obstacles and turn his failure into success as he founds the Roman empire. Our Aeneas here tells a different story, and a story that is true for every one of us. He is in desperate need...and Jesus comes to the rescue. This is His plan. This is His salvation. Aeneas’ health was a gift from Jesus. So is yours. But→
3. This was about more than physical healing. Peter found Aeneas amongst the saints. Given the context here, it is safe to believe that he was a disciple of Jesus. So, not only did his physical healing point to his spiritual salvation, but his healing was used to point more people to his savior. This makes me think of our friend John Barnett. God miraculously healed him of a cancer which the doctors said should have taken his life within, I believe, a year. However, rather than just living comfortably knowing he’s now ok, John has allowed God to use that testimony as a witness to His love and His grace. If your living, you’ve been given a gift. Use it to share Jesus with the world.
The second healing we see is of Tabitha...who had died. Look at verses 38-42, “38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, "Please come to us without delay." 39 So Peter rose and went with them. And when he arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them. 40 But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, "Tabitha, arise." And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. 41 And he gave her his hand and raised her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. 42 And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.” The lesson in these verses is much the same as the one above, but let me just make these two quick observations.
1. This was done only by the power of God. If you can remember our study in Mark, this passage might sound very familiar. Here, Peter does almost exactly what Jesus did when He raised Jairus’ daughter. However, Peter doesn’t go into the situation assuming he has power to do this. He prays, and God chooses to move. And just like when Jesus looked at the little girl and said, “Honey, it’s time to get up.” Peter turns to this woman who cared so much for others and said, “Tabitha, it’s time to get up.” It’s amazing! And→
2. This was done for the purpose of God. Not everyone who physically dies is raised back to physical life again. In fact, this rarely happens in the Bible. However, she was dead, and now she’s alive. Just like you! If you are lost today, you are spiritually dead. Your life is trapped by sin. But Jesus came and died and rose again, so that He can speak to your dead heart and say, “It’s time to get up. It’s time to live.” That’s grace!
I know I went pretty long on this first point, so I’ll try to be shorter on this second one since we did preface it a bit at the beginning ☺️. →
II. GOD USES HEARTACHES TO BLESS
So, we saw all the great things God used to point people to His love. Let’s take a few minutes to flip that coin. First, though we saw these miraculous healings, before those could happen, these people were faced with→
Sickness & Death (32-33, 37). First, let’s look at Aeneas again. “32 Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. 33 There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed.” He gets healed, but not until after being paralyzed for eight years. We have to remember→
1. This required patience. Not every good thing happens when we want, and sometimes in life the hard things will last for a long time. But this doesn’t mean God isn’t working, and it doesn’t mean that He isn’t good. I’ve said this before, but every day when I leave the house I ask my kids the same two questions--maybe because I need to remember the answers: “Who made this day? God. So, what does that mean? It’s going to be good!” That doesn’t mean it won’t be hard. That doesn’t mean there won’t be pain. That means that even in the middle of those hardships, God is still good, and He is still working things out according to His purposes to point people, including you, to His loving salvation!
2. This is a reflection of our dependence. Aeneas couldn’t do anything about his situation. He was stuck...just like all of us. We need Him. Period. It reminds me of that song, “Jesus, Lover of My Soul”, “You've taken me from the miry clay/You've set my feet upon the rock/ And now I know”.
Lastly, let’s look at Tabitha again. “37 In those days she became ill and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room.” I don’t want to draw this out unnecessarily. Like Aeneas, her loss was real. →
1. She really died. I think sometimes we can read passages like this and not be blown away as much as we should. Her death wasn't figurative. What Peter came to see was a corpse. →
2. However, this was more devastating to those she served than to her. If you remember, in verse 39, the people she had blessed came to Peter weeping. They were hurting. Tabitha was in Heaven rejoicing! And for anyone who has lost someone we love, we know that this pain they were experiencing was also real. This is when it gets hard, and→
3. This is why we need to remember His grace. Jesus can take even our pain and use it to remind us and others of His love.
TAKEAWAYS
I know I’ve been a little longer today, so I’ll try and be concise in these takeaways.
1. Every day is an intentional part of His plan. Every. Single. Day. No matter what is or isn’t happening, He’s moving.
2. I need to give all I have to aligning myself with His purpose. Tabitha’s loss was felt because she spent her time loving people like Jesus. I need to be doing the same. However God has gifted you, whatever opportunities you have, use them to point people to the love of Jesus that will change their lives!
3. I need to keep that perspective in the good, bad, and ugly. Are you experiencing peace and health? Don’t waste them. Are you in the midst of devastation, or confusion, or dispair? Don’t forget: He’s with you.
No comments:
Post a Comment