One Foot in Front of the Other

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It is with great joy that I share the Word of God with the Saints of Durbin Memorial Baptist Church. Our church exists by grace, for glory, in love.

A few weeks ago, I lamented the reality that it is about time to start mowing the grass. It is also the time in which, if you have a fairly barren yard like mine, you have to plant new grass seed. I’ve had the “joy” of trying to get that done over the last few weeks. And while I had all the materials, I thought it would be a good opportunity to do a science experiment with me son. We decided we were going to grow a cup of “pet grass” for Aiden-Rey to keep and tend to inside. He and I went out and loaded a cup full of good dirt. We grabbed a toddler sized handful of grass seed, sprinkled it on top of the fresh dirt, took it inside and watered it in the sink. Then we sat it in the windowsill and waited. and waited. and waited. That whole first day, nothing happened. Then we came back the next day. Nothing happened! We gave it a little more water. Came back again the day after that, nothing! It took nearly a week before we saw the first little sprout! So we’d sit and watch it, waiting for the next one to pop up, and nothing! But then we looked again the next day, there were a few more sprouts! While we were watching, it seemed like nothing happened, but when we would take a break and come back again, we’d see more growth!

Much to the ire of the toddler, growth typically happens slowly and over time. But the results of growth, when we’re patient, are incredible to experience.

This morning, we are going to continue on in our look at the book of Acts, rounding out chapter 9. The book of Acts is filled with incredible events, recording the history of the Early Church. Starting off with Christ’s ascension, then the Holy Spirit moves at Pentecost. Then the first church is formed. Then the apostles preach in the synagogues. Healings are done. Deacons are installed. Persecution comes. The disciples are scattered. The gospel enters Samaria. The Holy Spirit leads Philip to the Ethiopian Eunuch. Saul is blinded on the road to Damascus. He then joins the apostles for a time in Jerusalem. That’s only a small sample of everything we have seen thus far in Acts, recorded in the first 8 chapters. Much more is still to come throughout the rest of the book. Acts is filled action and incredible events on every page! What we don’t always recognize, and I’m certainly speaking for myself here, is the amount of time covered in the book of Acts, the gaps that exist between the stories. The entire book covers roughly 35 years of history. But when I read through it, my initial inclination is to think all of these events are happening day after day, that the Early Church moved at an incredibly fast rate. As a pastor, I found myself seeing all the incredible events seemingly flying by page after page and thinking should we be doing more? How can I ever keep up with that pace!?

Yet, as I continued to study, I learned that the the timeline of Acts is incredibly spread out. It zooms in and out of specific events with years separating many of the events. The author, Luke, will focus in on something big or specific, and then add a transition that skips the timeline forward quite a bit. Like last week, we ended on Acts 9:31 “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.” This general statement marks the passage of time. Months or even years before we get to where we are going today.

Understanding this timeline is a relief to me, and I hope to you as well. Why? Well, because sometimes we can get down on ourselves thinking we aren’t doing enough, we aren’t moving fast enough, we aren’t enough enough. If you can identify with any of that sentiment, allow me to share two big truths before we enter into our primary text this morning.

First, you aren’t enough. We’ll never feel like enough in and of ourselves because we can never be enough through our own actions. There will always be a higher standard you could reach or more that you could do. And while this may sound depressing on the onset, it is actually a beautiful because Christ is more than enough! We don’t have to put the burden to be the Savior on ourselves because we can’t fill that role. Only Christ can. Our eternal hope is not in what we CAN DO, but what Christ DID.

Secondly, while we aren’t enough, we also should know that if we know the Lord, God is doing something beautiful in our lives. He who began a good work in us will bring it to completion. As we go forward in life, we are growing in our knowledge, service, and spirit. But the thing about growth, as I mentioned earlier, is that it typically happens slowly over time. We don’t have to beat ourselves up for not having it all figured out immediately. Or not growing fast enough for our own likely. Hear me correctly here, if you know of persistent sin in your life, by the conviction and power of the Holy Spirit, nip it in the bud. I’m not suggesting spiritual apathy. I am suggesting that we can be content and rejoice in the Lord as we see small, gradual progression in our sanctification. We may not notice growth in the moment, but when we look back after a period of time, should we have been faithful, we will see how God has been beautifully at work in growing us in Christlikeness.

With this in mind, turn if you have not already, to Acts chapter 9. This morning we are going to walk through verses 32 through 43. We are going to first witness two miraculous healing that display the incredible power of Christ our Savior and how He works through individuals. Then at the end we will see how God grows His people through gradual sanctification.

This sermon will be a bit different in structure than how I typically present a text so be prepared to bounce back and forth through the whole passage as we look at both miracles simultaneously rather than sequentially. Let’s begin with the introductory verse, 32.

Who is Peter?

Acts 9:32 ESV

32 Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda.

Here we are switching our attention off of Saul and onto Peter. As a quick refresher, Peter was an apostle. He was one of the original 12 that walked closely with Jesus and followed Him throughout His earthly ministry. Peter would passionately serve Christ, even cutting off the ear of someone who was there to arrest Jesus. But he would also deny Christ while fearing for his life during Christ’s trial. After Jesus’ resurrection, Peter would be restored to service and play a vital role in leading the church in Jerusalem.

Thus far in the book of Acts we see Peter leading the church in Jerusalem. He has been preaching in the Jerusalem synagogues. He had ventured out to Samaria to confirm the new believers in that area and returned to lead the spreading Christian movement from the home base of Jerusalem.

This morning we see him venturing out to Lydda and Joppa, we’ll talk more about those specific cities at the end of the message today, but for now, we just need to recognize that Peter is venturing out of Jerusalem, seeing situations where he can serve the Lord.

Let’s look at both situations together, seeing a model for how God displays incredible power through faithful service. Let’s first look at verse 33 and 36-39

The Situation:

Acts 9:33 ESV

33 There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed.

Acts 9:36–39 ESV

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.

In both of these situations Peter is met by dire situations. In verse 33, we are introduced to a man who had been bedridden for 8 years. We aren’t told the exact details of his ailment, but I can only imagine what this man had to be feeling, having been confined to a bed for nearly a decade.

Then in the longer passage we see a woman named Tabitha, she was a delight to everyone around her, full of good works and charity. On a side note, what a way to be remembered! I can only hope that people will say the same about me at the time of my passing!

In both of these cases we are coming face to face with the reality of living in a fallen world. When we think back to the garden of Eden we see that sickness and ultimately death are results of sin entering the world. These are realities that all of us know all too well. Let’s see how God works through Peter in these situations. Look at verses 34 and 40.

Modeled Service

Acts 9:34 ESV

34 And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” And immediately he rose.

Acts 9:40 ESV

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.

Before we get into the results of what Peter did here, I want to first focus on what he actually did. It seems so simple that if we aren’t careful, we’ll overlook it. But in each of these situations, Peter was directly modeling his actions after Jesus Christ!

You see, in His earthly ministry, Jesus both healed individuals and raised them from the dead! And in each of these instances, Peter follows the exact example he had witnessed first hand from Christ.

In Luke 5:24 a paralyzed man is brought before Jesus and Jesus says to him, “rise, pick up your bed and go home.” Compare that now with what is said to the bed ridden man in verse 34 of our text today, “Jesus Christ heals you, rise and make your bed.” Peter is following the pattern of Christ!

The same is true with Tabitha. In Mark 5 Jesus is called to Jairus’s home where his daughter laid dead. In Mark 5:40 Jesus clears the room, just like Peter puts everyone outside. Jesus says to the girl, “Little girl, I say to you Arise.” Peter says here in verse 40, “Tabitha, arise.”

The point to write down and remember is that Peter modeled his service after Christ, seeking to imitate his Savior! And look what happens in verses 34 and 41:

The Power of Christ

Acts 9:34 ESV

34 And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” And immediately he rose.

Acts 9:41 ESV

41 And he gave her his hand and raised her up. Then, calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive.

In both of these cases the power of Christ is displayed and we see healing and resurrection! Notice particularly in verse 34 that Peter does not claim to hone the power in and of himself, rather he says, “JESUS CHRIST heals you.” Peter is the vessel through which these miracles have occured, but he is not the battery. He modeled his Savior and the Lord worked through Him to accomplish these feats. Let’s see what the fall out is from these miracles. Look at verses 35 and 42.

The Impact of faithful, modeled service

Acts 9:35 ESV

35 And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

Acts 9:42 ESV

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

The physical healings, like all the healings recorded in the New Testament, were glorious yet temporary. By that I mean that Aeneas would be healed but eventually pass away. The same is true for Tabitha. But the everlasting glory of the healings we have just read through is that many folks witnessed the power of Christ and not only appreciated the miracle, but repented of their sins and believed in the Lord. We see turning, the same word for repenting in verse 35 and we see believing in verse 42, both of these present the two sides of the coin of faith. Repenting of sin and believing in Christ as Lord.

In both of these miracles, the primary result is not so much in the healing of the individuals, but the promotion and acceptance of the gospel! I’m sure that many of those individuals who believed had their own ailments, whether that be a bum leg, or something as small as a runny nose. But physical relief wasn’t what they needed most. Recognizing Jesus as Lord was! And that is what happened in Lydda and Joppa! And it was accomplished through the service of Peter modeled after His Savior.

Glorious things occur when we model our Savior and faithfully follow the Holy Spirit. I would hope that through these narratives we are all encouraged to model our lives and our actions after Christ.

Hear me correctly hear, I am not suggesting that by perfectly mimicking the actions of Jesus that we will then unlock the ability to heal on command or raise the dead. God is still God over everything and can work miracles as He sees fit, but we know we aren’t promised health and longevity this side of glory.

However, by grace through faith in Christ, we are promised and can take it to the bank, ETERNAL healing! And when we model our lives after the Savior we WILL witness the glorious impact of faithful, modeled service in seeing Christ grow His church, strengthen His people, and save His sheep!

So how do we model our lives after Christ? We look to Scripture, where Jesus Himself gives us the blueprint. In John 13:15, after washing the disciples’ feet, He says, “For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.” Christ calls us to a life of humble service, sacrificial love, and unwavering faithfulness to the mission of God.

We model Christ by loving as He loved—selflessly and unconditionally (John 15:12). By serving as He served—not seeking to be first, but becoming a servant of all (Mark 10:45). By submitting to the Father’s will as He did—praying as He prayed, “Not my will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). By proclaiming truth as He proclaimed it—never shrinking back, but boldly declaring the good news of salvation (Luke 4:18-19).

And here’s the beautiful part: when we walk in the way of Christ, we don’t walk alone. The same Holy Spirit who empowered Jesus in His earthly ministry now empowers us to reflect His light in a dark world. The same Spirit that worked through Peter, bringing spiritual revival in Lydda and Joppa, is at work today.

So let us be encouraged, church! Though we may not heal with a touch or raise the dead with a word, we can love as Christ loved, serve as Christ served, and boldly proclaim the gospel. And when we do, we will see His power at work—not just in our own lives, but in the lives of those He is drawing to Himself. May we be faithful to that calling, knowing that the true miracle is not in temporary healing, but in lives transformed for eternity.

So how do we model our lives after Christ? We look to Scripture, where Jesus Himself gives us the blueprint. In John 13:15, after washing the disciples’ feet, He says, “For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.” Christ calls us to a life of humble service, sacrificial love, and unwavering faithfulness to the mission of God.

We model Christ by loving as He loved—selflessly and unconditionally. John 15:12 reminds us of His words: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Christ’s love was not passive; it was active, self-giving, and costly. It sought out the lost, embraced the broken, and gave itself completely—even to the point of death on the cross. That same love should mark our lives as we interact with our families, our friends, our co-workers, and even our enemies.

We model Christ by serving as He served—not seeking to be first, but willingly becoming a servant of all. Mark 10:45 tells us, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Service is at the heart of Christ’s ministry. Whether He was feeding the hungry, washing feet, or healing the sick, He never put Himself above the needs of others. In the same way, we are called to humble ourselves and serve—whether it’s in our homes, in our workplaces, or in our churches.

We model Christ by submitting to the Father’s will—praying as He prayed, “Not my will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). This was said not as a a disagreement with the Father, but in seeing the great agony that awaited Christ on the Cross. Jesus lived with complete trust in the Father’s plan, even when it led to suffering. When we follow Him, we surrender our own desires, ambitions, and even our fears, trusting that God’s way is always best.

We model Christ by proclaiming truth as He proclaimed it—never shrinking back, but boldly declaring the good news of salvation. Luke 4:18-19 records Jesus reading from Isaiah, proclaiming: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” Christ was bold in truth, yet full of grace. He did not hesitate to call sinners to repentance, yet He did so with compassion and love. As His followers, we are called to do the same—to share the gospel with courage, clarity, and conviction, knowing that it alone has the power to save.

And here’s the beautiful part: when we walk in the way of Christ, we don’t walk alone. The same Spirit that worked through Peter—bringing spiritual revival in Lydda and Joppa—is still at work today.

So let us be encouraged, church! Though we may not heal with a touch or raise the dead with a word, we can love as Christ loved, serve as Christ served, submit as Christ submitted, and proclaim as Christ proclaimed. And when we do, we will see His power at work—not just in our own lives, but in the lives of those He is saving.

May we be faithful to that calling, knowing that the true miracle is not in temporary healing, but in lives transformed for eternity.

Everything we have read through thus far shows how God works through Peter. Before we conclude, I want to show how God was working IN Peter. Because as Christ works through us, He is always working in us as well. Look to verse 43.

The Meta Narrative

Acts 9:43 ESV

43 And he stayed in Joppa for many days with one Simon, a tanner.

So having seen the situation, modeled Christlike service, displayed the power of Christ, and witnessed the impact in the lives of these two individuals and all those who believed in the Lord through it all, Peter now stays in Joppa for many days with a man named Simon, a tanner.

This is another one of those timeline skipping, summary verses that Luke employs throughout the book of Acts. We aren’t told specifically how long, nor exactly what Peter was doing in the day to day during that time. I think it is pretty likely that Peter was discipling the new believers, preparing them to live out the faith they now hold.

If you’re like me, when you read about guy like Peter, the apostles, you can tend to think that they are “Super-Christians.” I don’t want to take anything away from these men who are certainly important to the history of the church, but I also don’t want to elevate them beyond where they should be. The only perfect man in the Bible is Jesus Christ. Everyone else needed some work. Including Ole Peter in our selection of Scripture today. And one of Peter’s most glaring deficiencies in his sanctification was his prejudice.

Jesus gave the disciples the command to share the gospel to the ends of the earth. From Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria, and to the very ends of the earth, they were to go and make disciples. This meant that the gospel, salvation and reconciliation with God, was to be extended Israel. You might think, “well of course. We’re at church in America, we aren’t Israelites.” But for Peter, this would go against concept he ever knew. Peter was raised not to mingle with non-Israelites. One pastor noted, “Peter was heir to a strong tradition of prejudice that went clear back to Abraham and was exemplified in men like Jonah, who resisted bearing witness to the Gentiles and was actually angry with God when the Ninevites repented and escaped judgment. During Peter’s time, Jewish midwives were forbidden to aid a Gentile woman in childbirth, for they would thereby help propagate Gentile scum. The tradition-minded Hebrew called Gentiles goyim (“the nations”) and spat that word out with intense contempt. This attitude even permeated the Hebrew-Christian community.”

To put it shortly, Peter was uncomfortable, if not outright resistant, in sharing the gospel with gentiles.

So how does all of this background information on Peter relate to God sanctifying us over time? Well I find it interesting that while Peter was healing people immediately, it took time and experience for his own personal deficiency to be resolved. What we might not notice in a quick reading is that Peter’s travels to Lydda and Joppa are baby steps for Peter to begin extending his own ministry beyond Jerusalem. Both Tabitha and Aeneas were Hebrews, but the cities in which these miracles took place were no longer primarily Hebrew cities. They were sea port cities with a large gentile presence. Peter is being prepared to step beyond the cultural boundaries he was so accustomed to. We will see next week Peter’s big “aha” moment in addressing his personal prejudice, but in our text this morning, we see how the ground is being paved for Peter to progress in his sanctification. The biggest example of this is that Peter stayed with Simon, the tanner. A tanner is someone who worked with dead animals to convert their skins into leather. This might not seem like a big deal, but for the hebrews, being a tanner was a detestable occupation. A tanner would rendered perpetually “unclean”. The tanner would have to set up his house and business outside of the village because of his ritualistically uncleanliness. And yet, Peter stays with him for many days. The point is that overtime, following the model of Christ, through the working of the Holy Spirit, Peter was growing in his understanding, application, and willingness to participate fully with the will of God. It didn’t happen instantaneously, but gradually overtime.

And that is the way that God works.

God’s work in us is not an instant transformation but a lifelong process. It’s one foot in front of the other, often slow and steady growth. Often messy, but beautiful nonetheless. Just as Peter grew in understanding and obedience, taking steps toward breaking down his own prejudices, we too are called to follow the Holy Spirit as He refines us.

Maybe there are areas in your life where God is stretching you, calling you to step beyond your comfort zone. It might be that He’s asking you to love those you once overlooked, to embrace opportunities you once resisted, or to surrender attitudes that don’t align with His kingdom.

But before sanctification begins, salvation must take place. Peter was transformed because he knew, loved, and followed the risen Christ. We might be 2000 years removed from the earthly ministry of Christ, but the ability to follow Jesus is still as readily available! If you have never surrendered your life to Jesus, now is the time. The gospel is simple but life-changing: We are all sinners in need of a Savior. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again so that we might have eternal life. Through Him, we are forgiven, made new, and given the gift of a transformed heart, and brought into this beautifully messy process of sanctification, growing in Christlikeness.

Will you trust in Jesus today? Will you repent of your sins and accept the salvation He freely offers?

Today, ask yourself:

Where is God calling me to grow?

What cultural or personal barriers might I need to overcome to fully follow His will?

Have I truly surrendered my life to Jesus and accepted His grace?

If you are ready to place your faith in Christ or renew your commitment to Him, getting serious about modeling Christ in your everyday life, don’t wait. Pray and ask Him to forgive your sins, to lead your life, and to transform you from the inside out. Then, make it known, come forward in this hymn of response—so we can walk this journey with you.

Step forward in faith—He is not done with you yet!

Let’s pray.