Sermon Tone Analysis

Acts - 26

Acts 9:32-43

Introduction

When you anchor in watching one particular TV show across all of its multiple seasons, you know that there are some episodes that are more important than other ones.

Some of the most critical episodes are known as set-up episodes.

While they may not be the most entertaining, they are critical to ensure great storytelling.

Their sole purpose is to get the characters in the show set up in the right places so that something important can take place later.

Sometimes it is getting a character to the right city where they will later face off against the villain, or having a character endure some struggle that changes their worldview, which will come into play later on in the season.

Regardless of the manner the setup happens, the purpose is always the same…get the character ready for what is coming next.

In Acts 9, we have spent the last few sermons focused in on the early life of the Apostle Paul.

We have walked through the miraculous conversion of Saul of Tarsus to his early ministry of preaching and teaching, to the beginnings of his missionary endeavors in the world.

But Saul/Paul is now away in Tarsus and will not come back into the narrative for a couple of chapters, representing 14 years of history.

In the meantime, Acts will zero in on the Apostle Peter for this season.

It all culminates in chapter 10 with the conversion of Cornelius, the first recorded Gentile convert, as the gospel has officially, powerfully, made its way out of its Jewish heritage to go to the nations.

But before that happens, God has to get Peter ready.

He will need to maneuver his location to get him to the right place, which He does.

But He also needs to do some work on Peter himself.

Peter, as a devout Jew, has struggled with the fact that the gospel is going to people outside of Israel.

When Philip was evangelizing in Samaria and they had readily received the good news of Jesus, the apostles dispatched Peter and John to leave Jerusalem and go to Samaria to verify it.

They couldn’t believe their eyes.

Upon their arrival, they laid their hands on the Samaritan believers and the Holy Spirit fell upon them.

That is the last we heard of Peter.

After experiencing that great event in Samaria, he and John traveled throughout Samaria and preached to them.

Acts 8:25 - 25So, when they had solemnly bore witness and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, and were proclaiming the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.

Peter has already experienced some shifts in his view towards outsiders.

And while it will crescendo with Cornelius, an unclean Gentile in chapter 10, God now gets him ready.

As Peter is traveling around doing this preaching, God leads him into two experiences that are both designed as setup in Peter’s heart for what God is going to do with him next.

Acts 9:32-43 - 32Now it happened that as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda.

33And there he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years, for he was paralyzed.

34And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you.

Rise up and make your bed.”

Immediately he rose up.

35And all who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

36Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated is called Dorcas).

This woman was full of good works and charity which she continually did.

37And it happened at that time that she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upper room.

38Now since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, pleading with him, “Do not delay in coming to us.” 39So Peter arose and went with them.

When he arrived, they brought him into the upper room; and all the widows stood beside him, crying and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them.

40But Peter sent them all out 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.

41And he gave her his hand and raised her up.

And calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive.

42And it became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.

43And it happened that he stayed many days in Joppa with a tanner named Simon.

Both of these are incredible events, both occurring in Gentile cities. God is setting him up.

God is preparing his heart to be open to ministry in and among Gentiles.

While his ministry here likely occurs among Christians who come out of a Jewish background, since there aren’t any official Gentile converts yet, this is God getting him ready for what is next.

Let’s look at these two events and see what God is up to.

It begins with Aeneas, bedridden for eight years.

So he wasn’t born this way, like the man who had been healed in Acts 3. Maybe this guy experienced some injury that paralyzed him, or he contracted a disease that disabled him.

Either way, he is in bad shape.

Paralytics lived hard lives in ancient cultures.

There are no treatment programs or disability plans for him.

He cannot work.

He cannot provide anything for himself or his family.

He cannot even care for himself.

He is fully reliant on family and friends to clean him, bathe him, get him food and water.

No hope and no future.

That’s a tough way to live.

Peter comes into town, meets him (likely a Christian as one of the ‘saints who lived at Lydda’).

Peter doesn’t hesitate.

v. 34 - And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you.

Rise up and make your bed.”

This is why we love Peter.

All throughout Acts as Peter has been thrust into the spotlight, healing people, preaching sermons, testifying before the Jewish senate…all that he has done the entire time is deflect the attention off of himself and onto Jesus.

And he does that again here.

There is clear authority in his words, but Peter knows where that authority comes from.

“Jesus Christ heals you.”

In the present tense, meaning right now, as I am saying this, Jesus is healing you.

Peter takes no credit.

He is truly interested in Jesus receiving all credit and glory.

Why?

Peter has power, but he knows where that power came from.

Luke 9:1 - 1And calling the twelve together, He gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases.

Jesus bestowed onto His apostles the power to heal and to perform miracles.

And all throughout Acts we see those apostles, and those on whom they lay their hands, performing miracles.

All designed to validate the truth of their preaching.

That is why the miracles are called ‘signs.’

The miracles themselves are never the point.

They simply point to Heaven’s validation of the gospel.

And can we admit how great of a miracle this truly is?

I have issued this same command at my children for two decades now, to “rise up and make your bed,” but with no success.

Peter says it once and Aeneas does it!

Obvious miraculous power.

And how do the crowds respond?

End of v. 35 - they turned to the Lord.

They see the power of God to save and the validation of the truth of the message about Jesus, and they believe.

They trust in Him for salvation.

Who are these people who are coming to faith in Christ?

‘All who lived at Lydda and Sharon.’

Luke certainly doesn’t mean that the entire city of Lydda, in the entire region of Sharon were converted.

But a large mass of the community coverts.

This has gone beyond this little Jewish circle that Peter is operating in.

The Gentile population is getting wind of this Jesus and they like what they hear.

Peter is not directly evangelizing them here.

It is indirect as word is spreading about the healing.

But God is preparing him for what’s next.

Jesus is inviting the world to be saved.

Further up the coast is the city of Joppa.

Word has spread that Peter is in the region and he is needed in Joppa.