Miracle of Miracles

We’ve looked over Saul for most of the last few weeks and now we move to Peter for today and will return to him after Easter

We discussed the churches in Judea, Samaria and Galilee; now we see Peter moving freely among them

We probably should first define miracle

From the Easton's Bible Dictionary: an event in the external world brought about by the immediate agency or the simple volition of God, operating without the use of means capable of being discerned by the senses, and designed to authenticate the divine commission of a religious teacher and the truth of his message (John 2:18; Matt. 12:38). It is an occurrence at once above nature and above man. It shows the intervention of a power that is not limited by the laws either of matter or of mind, a power interrupting the fixed laws which govern their movements, a supernatural power.

Many of the miracles we see, throughout the OT particularly, are done at the agency of a servant of God

In the NT, we often have Jesus, God in the flesh, performing them throughout the Gospels, and we have those He sent performing them as well

Some word-nerd stuff: are we to think that everyone became believers in Lydda It almost looks that way—don’t forget the figurative language that is often used, here an example of hyperbole—an extravagant exaggeration, e.g. a “mile-high ice cream cone”—(MW)

Also, the word “to” in v. 35 and “in” in v. 42 are both the same preposition, epi, which has a huge semantic range—think of it as “turned toward”

We often see people inclined toward Christ, but never actually trust Him

It’s more clear that in Joppa “many believed in....”

We must note that as Peter then spends some time in Joppa, God is moving him toward a series of events that will take his ministry in a strange direction—at least in his mind…toward non-traditional Jews, ultimately to a Gentile…stay tuned

The Miracle of Healing

Not Peter’s 1st recorded healing, in 3:1-8, we have the lame man at the temple gate—which started something of a firestorm among the ruling Jewish class

Aeneas was likely (by his name) a Hellenistic Jew by origin—apparently now a believer; instead if a firestorm we get a groundswell of support

That was a major difference in the two events

There is also a similarity here:

The healing of the lame man at the temple gate was done …in the name of Jesus Christ...

Here, the verbiage is a bit different, but pretty close: ...Jesus Christ heals you...

Note the similarity—in both incidents, it’s proclaimed as the work of Jesus, NOT the work of Peter

That’s critical to keep in mind, as we go through this book

The Miracle of Restored Life

Tabitha, an Aramaic name, Dorcas a Greek name, may mean gazelle

She is called a disciple—the only place in the NT that the feminine form of the word is used, which makes her unique; much like Phoebe, the only woman with whom the feminine form of deacon is used

Not the first time in Scripture someone has been restored to life

In the OT, we have Elijah raising a widow’s son; Elisha raised the Shunammite’s son; the bones of a dead man restored to life when thrown into the grave of Elisha

Interestingly, both Elijah’s and Elisha’s miracles of raising from the dead both occurred in upper rooms—not going to try to make anything doctrinal here…but it’s an interesting parallel

Also interesting is the parallel to Jesus’ raising of Jairus’ daughter

Though we do not hear often of people being restored to life, it is occasionally reported

STOP!

Let’s stop here for just a minute and talk about miracles in general

Either we’re going to believe in a God who can and does do miracles—with or without human agency--or we’re going to put Him in a box, say that these things, at least some, are myth and legends, and not true

If we choose to do this, we have gutted the Scripture—and may as well toss it in the trash—no better than Aesop’s Fables, or Grimm’s Fairy Tails

We might as well just go home now and never come back, finding something else to do on or Sunday mornings/Wednesday nights…whatever else

If these are untrue, the virgin birth of Christ, His sinless life, and His resurrection are all worthless and we are, as Paul said, “of all men most miserable”

The Miracle behind the Miracles

That God empowers men to do such marvelous works on His behalf

We need a look at 1 Corinthians 12:4–6

1 Corinthians 12:4–6 ESV

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.

1 Corinthians 12:8–11 “For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another....

Even though Paul wrote this many years past the times we’ve discussed, the reality is there

Miracles, along with all the other gifts, are an outworking of the power of God’s Spirit

The Spirit ONLY works in those whom He indwells—

The Spirit ONLY indwells believers

Any miracle outside the realm of believers is demonic--

Why Is this Important Today?

In the greater scheme of things

We can look at how God used Peter

He orchestrated the events to have him in the right places at the right times to serve as His agent in these two miracles!

When we see these NT miracles, God is using them for the purpose of bringing people in to hear the Gospel message and be saved

We can go back, read the totality of 1st Corinthians and see that what we call the sign gifts—including miracles—are being used to demonstrate and validate the preaching of the Gospel…and the Corinthians were messing it up

…we can even see—through a longer lens—that God is setting Peter up for more good things

Go ahead…cheat and read ahead through chapter 10!

Then there’s this

We’ve said already that only believers can be used by God

Sad but necessary to do, calling out the false miracle workers

I’m not a “hard cessationist”

Things are happening in foreign lands that defy any other explanation

Though I think the miracles via human agency are not common, I believe they still happen ON VERY RARE OCCASIONS

I am more prone to believe that God works miracles—particularly healings—by the means of the prayers of His saints

Without naming names of those who call themselves “faith healers,” without dissecting what are called healing ministries or programs…I put before you the two examples given us here…and even to reference the previously mentioned ones

The ones we have in this morning’s text are here solely to glorify God and to bring people to saving knowledge of Jesus Christ

When we view the healers and ministries of today, what do we see as a result—flash and cash

No Challenge:

To be a faith healer

…or to use any other gift that may result if a great show

There Is a Challenge:

To be a spirit filled believer

Following the commands of our Lor

We have, within them, a couple ordinances of the church

The Lord’s Supper and Baptism