PONDERING... Why Now? (Acts 9:31-42)

VIDEO

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.

PONDERING... Are Hardships The End of Grace? (Acts 8:1-8)

VIDEO

Are Hardships The End of Grace? (AM Sermon Notes)

GIST: No. ☺️ Even when life is devastating, God’s grace is glorious.

SCRIPTURE: Acts 8:1-8

The last two weeks, we’ve considered Stephen’s influence as a man dedicated to telling people about Jesus and how this led to his arrest and eventual death. This week, we’re back to our smaller passage sampling, as we come to the immediate aftermath of Stephen’s murder in the first eight verses of chapter eight.

1 And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. 3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. 4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. 5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. 6 And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was much joy in that city.

I wrote down a title for this message on Wednesday. At that point, I was still praying about whether or not to divide up this passage. I had considered taking a larger section of the chapter and looking at all the implications of the continuous story presented here, but I couldn’t shake the need to address this first section alone because, simple as it is, the message it has for us is so vital and so timely. In fact, as the week progressed, it seemed every day I continued to be struck by this same truth. I was confronted with heartbreak after heartbreak both in direct interactions and as I scrolled through my newsfeed. Not to get your hopes up too much, but this might be one of the shortest sermons I’ve ever preached here. Because I just one to look a the driving truth presented in these eight verses. When our lives seem to crumble, does that mean God’s grace is gone? I could have just made the gist, “no”, but for the sake of development I’ll add: Even when life is devastating, God’s grace is glorious.

I. LIFE CAN BE DEVASTATING

Let’s start by just break down the picture we’re presented in the first three verses. Like we grew accustomed to seeing in Mark’s gospel, we have a little sandwich passage here. It opens with Saul, then looks at the Church, then comes back to Saul, then goes back to the Church. Therefore, I’m going to lumped those layers together. First, we see there is a→

Deliberate and Publicly Sanctioned Attack (1a, 3)  Verse one tells us that “Saul approved of [Stephen’s] execution.” Then, verse 3 tells us he was “ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.”

Saul is about to become the central figure in this book. He is a man God will so completely transform that he will be used to take the gospel all the way to Rome. Talk about glorious grace! But before we can appreciate that transformation, we have to wrap our minds around where he started. He’s is the driving force behind this relentless persecution. We’ve seen the church being persecuted before this, but it was on a much smaller scale because the religious elite feared the people. Remember back in chapter five when the apostles were arrested and then miraculously freed by an angel? When the religious leaders came to get them back, it says, “26 Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.” (Acts 5:26) The early Church was so well liked by the people who were witnessing God’s grace amongst them, that the religious leaders were afraid to be too open in their opposition. What’s changed? Stephen’s stoning. When Stephen was falsely accused of ultimate blasphemy and then violently murdered as a criminal, public opinion began to shift. Now, this zealous pharisee, embolden and enraged, begins a deliberate and devastating conquest.

One commentary I read pointed to the word translated ravaging having the same root as the effects of a war or the tearing of a wild beast (Williams). It means to undo, ruin, and defile. This is not just telling people to stop doing something. He’s going into to homes and dragging men and women to prison.

Because of this, when we see the church part of this sandwich, we’re presented with→

Fears and Tears (1b, 2) (Not to be confused with the 80’s pop band…☺️) I know it’s easy to feel a sort of numbness when reading passages like this because it’s not our reality right now. But try to put yourself into this situation. Imagine how terrified they were. At any moment, they could be thrown into prison. And what next? Well, what had they just seen happened to Stephen? Their lives were at risk here, so they had to run.

Look at the second part of verse 1, “1b And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.” They were afraid for their lives, so they fled. Now, some stayed, specifically the apostles, and there likely would have been others, as well. Yet, many ran. Remember, a lot of these people already had nothing, and many who did have had been selling what they had to help those who didn’t. They’re largely desolate, and they’re scared.

We also see they’re heartbroken. Verse two is an isolated example of this heartbreak, “2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him.” I want to make two notes here. First, this would have been illegal. Stephen was killed as a criminal, and you weren’t allowed to publicly mourn a criminal, but they did it anyway. This is brave. But secondly, this was warranted. I listened to Skip Heitzig again last week, and he made a point of mentioning that the “tears here were not wrong”. Yes, they knew Stephen was with Jesus, and they could rejoice in that! And they should rejoice in that! Yet, the loss for them immediately was still real. Weeping over the loss of a loved one, even when we know they’re in Heaven, is not weakness. It’s the natural expression of the love we feel for them. No, we should not allow that mourning to stop us from rejoicing in God’s grace, or looking forward to what He can and will still do in our lives. Nonetheless, weeping is not sin. We can weep at the feet of the Savior who provides all comfort (Matthew 5:4) because He is our hope!

Ok, before we move on to the next point, let me just make→  

Two Quick Observations: 1- This is reality: life will sometimes be a struggle. I know for several people in this room today, that point hits home because this week has been really rough. 2- This passage is the reality of many of our brothers and sisters across the world. Specifically this week, news has come out of the persecution of Chinese Christians being on the rise. Hundreds have been arrested just this week as many of us were most concerned about making sure we have all our Christmas presents wrapped. I’m not saying that to try and sound bitter. It’s just a reality that is so easy to ignore because it’s not ours right now. Nonetheless, it’s a reality we must remember because they need our faithful support and our diligent prayers.

II. GOD’S GRACE IS GLORIOUS

So, we’ve seen the devastation. Where’s the grace? Verses 4-8 focus in on what happens immediately after they are run out of their comfort zone. We know they were terrified and heartbroken. But look at this→

Reaction (4) “4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.” They didn’t just run and hide! They’re lives here on earth were at jeopardy because of the gospel, but like we observed in Stephen last week, they realized that those without Jesus were in a more serious and eternal danger, so they preached the word. They weren’t pastors, they were just ordinary proclaimers who went out sharing Jesus with those they encountered!

Guys, this is just flat awesome! When we face devastation, is that our immediate reaction? Do we wallow, or do we worship? Let that sink in.

Also, remember the outline Luke provided for his book in 1:8? Jesus had given the apostles a commission, “8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” They had received this power, but so far where had they witnessed? Just Jerusalem. Now, the Church is being persecuted and what happens as a result? Look back at verse one, “...And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria…” And by the end of this chapter, we’ll see the first convert to Christianity from the “end of the earth”, as well!  Jesus used this persecution to expand His grace! (Note: I just realized as I was typing these notes that 1:8 is where it is commanded, and 8:1 is where it begins to be fulfilled! Not significant. Just fun☺️.)

Life is hard, but Jesus is still God, and people still need to hear about Him. That’s their reaction. Now, let’s look at the→

Result (5-8) After telling us what they’re doing, we’re given a specific example of the gospel being spread! “5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. 6 And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.” Philip, like Stephen, was one of the seven men chosen to help with the distribution of food to the widows. Now, he’s powerfully proclaiming the gospel to the Samaritans. Man, there’s so much we could point out here, but let me just make these observations.

1- These were the “wrong kind of people”. The Jews and Samaritans had a very rocky history. The Samaritans were viewed as “half-breeds” because they had intermarried with Gentiles. Needless to say, they didn’t interact. Yet, Philip went to them and shared the gospel with them! The gospel breaks barriers!

2- God is confirming Philip in the same way to them as Jesus and the apostles had been in Jerusalem. Just like Jesus and the apostles, Philip is healing people and casting out demons pointing to God’s work amongst these people. And→  

3- People were being saved! We don’t see it in this verse, but check at verse 12, “12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.” Amen!

And lastly we see this ultimate result, “8 So there was much joy in that city”(emphasis added). Verses 1-3 are filled with tears and dread, but the same events which lead to that heartache resulted in this joy! Why was there joy? Because lives were being transformed forever by Jesus! Hardship is not the end of God’s grace, but it can be a means of taking it even farther!

TAKEAWAYS

1. Hardships are still hard. They will still happen, and they will still hurt. This isn’t a call just to have a “stiff upper lip”, or just “tough it out”. Remember, they lamented Stephen. However, it is a call to remember→

2. Our suffering is never outside of God’s control. There is nothing that catches God off guard. There is no situation, no matter how dire, that causes Him to step back and say, “Well, I didn’t really see that one coming. Let me see if I can figure something out to try and fix this.” He is 100% sovereign, "28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). What’s that purpose? →

3. God uses even heartbreak to serve His ultimate heart-healing purpose. He is gracious. In the midst of the pain, remember this. In all of life, this should be our purpose, as well. Be about His business; tell people about the only One who can save them; and don’t wait for persecution to spur you to action!