The Gospel Changes Everything

Introduction

Open your Bibles to the book of Acts this morning

Acts chapter 9 verse 32 - found on page 863 in the black church Bibles that are under the seat in front of you

We are continuing our look at this second volume of Luke - a book called Acts - The Continuing Acts of Jesus Christ

Remember, the first volume recorded the things that Jesus began to do and teach - this second volume (called Acts) records the things Jesus continues to do and teach - the continuing ministry of Jesus

In the opening verses he commissioned the church to be his witnesses - to take the gospel to Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and the end of the Earth - Acts 1:8

Here is what we see as the book of Acts unfolds - the continuing ministry of Jesus

The same gospel that He preached is preached - the Gospel that Changes Everything - it is a miraculous work

It does the impossible

In chapter 4 we saw the lame man who was outside the temple healed and brought into the temple

In chapter 8 we saw the Ethiopian Eunuch, who was cut off, being welcomed in

The gospel transformed the Jews who killed Jesus and the Samaritans who hated the Jews and were hated by the Jews

And then the gospel transformed an Enemy and made him family

We saw the dragon of Saul who breathed out hatred and murder be blinded by the gospel light of the glory of God - and we saw him become a disciple… who is called “brother”, by ananias

This is the power of the gospel - It changes Everything!

This morning, as we move into the later part of chapter 9 we will find the miraculous power of the gospel of Jesus Christ on display again

We will see the Continuing Ministry of Jesus through His witness

So, I invite you to stand with me, if you are able, for the reading of the Word of God

Read Acts 9:32–43 (ESV)

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

This is the Word of the Living God

Pray

One of the things that we have noted in Luke’s writing are these summary statements that he includes along the way

Almost like little progress reports

Remember, the mission of the Church (Unstoppable because it is powered and given by Christ) the mission is to spread the gospel throughout the earth and make disciples

Particularly, that pattern moves from Jerusalem to the regions surrounding the city - the reagions of Judea and Samaria - and then to the end of the earth

When the church had fully saturated the city of Jerusalem, so that you could not live in the city without being aware of the gospel of This Jesus who is the Christ , Luke gave us a summary statement in…

Acts 6:7 (ESV)

And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

This is right after the 7 men have been appointed to serve the widows of the church

We find that Luke wants us to know that the gospel was spreading throughout the city, to the point that even some of the priests were believing

The very next verse introduces Stephen and begins a transition passage to show us how God moved the gospel from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria

We then followed Philip as he preached throughout Samaria snd Judea - we learned of Peter and John coming and preaching - and then preaching the gospel throughout Samaria on the way back to Jerusalem

And we learn of Saul being converted in Damascus and the gospel being preached in the north

Now, we come again to a second transition verse and summary statement by Luke found in…

Acts 9:31 (ESV)

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 is the verse that we ended with last week

You will notice how it starts… “So” - this is a summary word - showing us the results to this point

After Persecution spread the disciples, after Philip preached and peter and John Preached - after Saul was converted - the church grew

The mission has moved from Jerusalem to Judea/Samaria and successfully spread the gospel and grown the church

It is now time to see how God is going to move the church to the ends of the earth

And it is time to be reminded that the gospel is the same - it has the power to change - to Change Everything

So Luke shifts from Saul - we won’t find him again until chapter 13 - many years later

Now, Luke wants to show us the ministry of Peter - and how the gospel goes to the Gentiles

He needs to show us the prominence of Peter in the early church - and also show su Peter continuing to do what Jesus had commanded him to do - namely, “feed his Sheep”

So Luke gives us two stories - two events - two miricles in two different towns - that seem different, but are really the same

He gives us pictures to see the power of the Gospel - and to show us that this is the same Gospel that Jesus preached - the Same ministry and mission that Jesus had - to seek and to save the lost

So, to help us see the deep riches of the passage and not to get caught up in the surface, I want to take the next few minutes to walk through the two events - and then I am going to show you what these two strange events are about

Specifically…

What they are Not

What they are in Part

What they are in Full

So, let’s start by walking through the events and getting the big picture

The Healing of Aeneas

Acts 9:32–35 (ESV)

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

Note, that Luke wants us to see that Peter is not sitting at home in Jerusalem waiting on others - As an apostle he is out moving the gospel - it appears from the Scriptures that Peter traveled a great deal to spread the gospel and establish the church

He is going here and there and and in his travels, he comes to Lydda

This the Greek name for the Hebrew city of Lod

We will stick with Lydda for today, so as not to get confused

It is located about 24 miles west-north-west of Jerusalem and about 14 miles south of modern Teleavive - in fact, this is where the international airport for Israel is

The own is mentioned in the Old Testament as being one of the locations that exiles from Babylon returned to

By the first century, it had become a center of learning with schools, study houses, and synagogues

In 43 BC the entire city was sold into slavery by the Romand Governor Cassuis - only to be freed 2 years later by Mark Antony

In 66 AD, the whole city would be destroyed by Roman forces on their way to Jerusalem

In between, we find Peter coming to visit the “saints” who lived there

Now, that is not saints in the sense that the Catholic church uses the term (for they use it inappropriately)

Luke wants us to know that these are Christians - these are believers who have heard the gospel

How the gospel got here we are not told

Perhaps it was part of Philips ministry - after he left the Eunuch, he traveled up the coast preaching in all the cities to Ceasera - and while Lydda is not a coastal city, it is only 11 miles from Joppa which is - it is probable that either Philip preached here or some of the residents heard him preach in Joppa

Either way, there is a beleiveing community here

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

Here we come to the heart of the miracle - Peter comes to a man and heals him

We are not told if this man is a believer - we are not told if this man asked for healing - just that Peter healed him

This is similar to the ministry of Jesus throughout the gospel accounts - and it is similar to the beginning of Acts when Peter and John heal the lame beggar

What we are told is that this man was paralyzed and bedridden for 8 years

Whatever happened to him was a long time in the past - any hope of recovery was long gone - any remaining muscle to be strengthened was long gone

What Luke is showing us is a helpless situation - and then Peter says…

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

Two commands given with the announcement that Jesus heals him

Rise

This is the same command that he will give in the second story - it is resurrection language

It is the same word that Jesus uses to describe Lazarus resurrection from the dead when he speaks to Martha

John 11:23 (ESV)

“Your brother will rise again.”

There is a deeper picture than just standing up

There is a Gospel picture of change - the long standing, hopeless, situation is changed by the gospel resurrection - becasue the gospel changes everything

We will look more at this in a moment

The second command is

Make Your Bed

This is significant for two reason - one, this would have been impossible for the man to have done just seconds before

In fact, it would have been a cruel thing to say to the man

but now, because the gospel of Jesus - he can do it - he can do what was impossible before

Secondly, this is what you do when you are done with your bed - you make it

As children we learn this - when you get up, you make your bed

It is a harder habit for some of us than it is for others

Jennifer loves a properly made bed - I appreciate it it… but have always wondered at the necessity of making a bed that I was just going to mess up in a few hours

But here, the command is more pointed - make your bed - or put your bed in order

The reason… you won’t need it anymore

Notice the result of this miracle

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

Lydda is the city, Sharon is the region - like Ilion is the village and the Mohawk Valley is the region

The point is, that the effects of the Gospel transformation were spread - and notice who the people turned to

They turned to the Lord - they did not turn to Peter - they turned to Jesus - for it is Jesus who changes everything

The second pictures takes place in Joppa - where a women is raised from the dead

The Raising of Dorcas

Acts 9:36–43 (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.

Here we have a disciple - we were not told the spiritual condition of Aeneas - we are told that Tabatha/Dorcas is a disciple - that is, a Christian (remember the use from last week) - both names mean gazelle - Tabatha is Aramaic and Dorcas is Greek

It is also worth noting that this is the only women in the book of Acts to be called a disciple - why don’t we have more baby girls named Tabatha? I know why we don’t use Dorcas much today, but Tabatha? Just a thought

The city of Joppa is on the coast - modern day Jaffa - about 11 miles further west from Lydda - and it was apparently a city that had a thriving gospel presence

And we are told that she was “full of good works and acts of charity” - that is not to mark her out as special, but to show that the effects of the gospel on her life were true and genuine

Particularly as the passage unfolds, we see that she had a significant ministry among the widows - further evidence that her religion was “pure and undefiled” as James would later describe it - because she ministered to the widows in their affliction

She was serving those who were desperate and cut off - loving them with the love of the Father through the Son and by the Holy Spirit

And the church deeply loved and mourned her as a community of believers would love one another

Well, as the account goes on…

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.”

This is the normal practice to prepare her for burial - to prepare the body

What seems a bit strange, is that they did not lay her out in a tomb, but rather in the upper room perhaps the room they met in - it seems that this was time for goodbye a time of closure for a blessed sister in Christ

The call to Peter is an interesting one - we are not told why they called Peter

Perhaps they were looking for a miracle - hearing what he did in Lydda

Perhaps they wanted him to come and grieve with them to see what Christ had done through Tabatha

Or perhaps they were looking for direction as to how to grieve the loss

What we do know, is that they called him to come 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. 43 And he stayed in Joppa for many days with one Simon, a tanner.

Peter hears the cries of the widows and grieves with them - then he does something that none of them could do

He does what an Apostle can do under the direction of Jesus - he does what he saw Jesus do in Luke 8 and Matthew 9

in that situation, It was the daughter of Jairus’ daughter who had died - and Jesus sent the crowds outside (Peter, James, and John were allowed to stay) and told the little girl to rise… and she did

So, Peter does the same - he puts the crowds outside

And then… unlike Jesus.. He prays

Signifying that the power does not come from him - Almost to say… Lord… Now what…

Then he simple calls here by name (just like Jesus did with Lazarus) and tells here to rise

The same instruction he had given to the lame man in Lydda

And then he presented her ALIVE

See what the gospel does - it brings the dead to life - It changes everything

When there was no hope and utter despair - the gospel changes everything

Now, let me try to tie all this together, so that we see what Luke wants us to see from these two strange events

First I think I need to address…

What they are not

It is too easy to come to these passage and carve them out of the book and misuse them

That has happened on countless occasions

Two things that they are not

A promise for all ailments to be healed in this life

This is not a promise that all of your infirmities will be made well - it is not a promise that sickness will not lead to death

Remember, the curse of sin is death - it is appointed for all men to die once and then the Judgment (Hebrews 9)

And the death toll holds steady at 100%

Sickness is part of that curse - suffering reminds us of our need of a Savior

To come to this passage and suggest that God does not want any of His children to suffer sickness is a lie - and inconsistent with the text - it is an abuse of the Word of God just like the serpent in the garden who twisted the Word of God

Any minister who teaches such a false teaching is a liar

The Scriptures teach us how to endure suffering and to endure it to the glory of God - Peter would go on to write his first letter to believers who were suffering under persecution - he, himself, would die a martyrs death

Secondly, this is not…

A prescription for healing ministries

Remember, the book of Acts is both descriptive and prescriptive - but not all parts are both

This passage is descriptive in both the nature of the events and the power of the Gospel to change everything

There are plenty of charlatans who travel about using this text as prescriptive for healing ministries and resurrection ministries boasting outlandish claims

That the lame walk and the blind see and the dead rise… except they seem to deal with hearing loss or a leg made straight

They seem to deal in charades and not miracles - there miracles have no factual evidence behind them - their miracles are dependent of the faith of the one being healed

Their charade claims that God wants everyone healed of everything in this life - yet they themselves are getting sick and dying

They are more like Simon the Magician than Simon Peter

These miracles did not involve faith on the part of either recipient - Peter spoke and they rose

Neither Aeneas nor Dorcas are with us today - they have both long since died - as has Peter

Secondly…

What they are in part

I do not want to make the mistake of reacting to the false teachers by swinging the pedulum all the awy to the other side and miss the power of God here

There was real physical healing that took place and that was a marker of the ministry of Jesus

It was a clear display that they time of the Messiah had come - a fulfillment of Prophecy

So too.. this is the story of the continuing ministry of Jesus - and with that there are some lingering miracles that occur

Two things that these are in part…

A display of Christ’s Mercy

All of the healings of Jesus brought real relief to the suffering

And so do these - Aeneas was paralyzed for 8 years - I don’t want to minimize the state of any who are paralized, but Aeneas lived in a time and a place where they were considered outcasts - there was very little help and social support

He was laying in a bed because that is what he had - no wheel chair - no lifts - just a bed - no way to turn himself - he relied on others to feed him and dress his bedsores

It can be a miserable existence - a difficult life

And here the mercy of Jesus gives his legs strength to rise up

To leave the bed - this is real healing - real mercy - and real rare - because it is not the main point of the story

secondly, this is

A declaration that the Mercy of Jesus continues

Remember the continuing ministry of Jesus is being recorded here in Acts

And just as the ministry of Jesus was marked by mercy, so to the ministry of the Apostles and the ministry of the church is marked by mercy

We often get caught up in the wonder of the miraculous and miss the wonder of the mundane

We see the Mercy of Christ in the healing of Aeneas - but we miss the Mercy of Christ in the work of Tabatha/Dorcas

Remember who she was and what she did - she …

Acts 9:36 (ESV)

…She was full of good works and acts of charity.

And…

Acts 9:39 (ESV)

… All the widows... [were] weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them.

She was a disciple of Christ - she learned what it meant to dispense mercy… and she continued this work - the continuing ministry of Jesus

The wonder and mercy of the mundane - you want to do miraculous things for the kingdom of God - do mundane acts of Mercy and you will continue the ministry of Jesus - leave the miraculous to God

Third…

What they are in full

Here is the real meaning of the passage

These events/stories are two things…

A Picture of the Gospel

The gospel changes everything

The man lying on a bed was radically transformed when he was raised from the bed

The impossible was done - everything changed for this man in an instant - for that is what the gospel does

IT heals the broken of every ailment - and it enables you to do what could not do

Dorcas was dead and made alive again when she was raised up - this is what the gospel does

Those who are dead in their trespasses and sins are made alive by the work of Christ and Christ alone - raised up into salvation - into eternal life

Notice that is was not the name of Peter that was praise - it was not the name of peter that spread throughout the plane of Sharon - it was the name of Jesus

For…

Acts 4:12 (ESV)

…there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Peter preached that in before the religious leaders

It is in the name of Jesus that the Gospel changes everything - raises the dead to life

Friends, the greater miracle is not the raising of Aeneas or the raising of Dorcas - it is the raising of sinners to eternal life

The Gospel changes everything

Secondly it is..

A Prescription of the Gospel

There is application here of gospel life

A prescription for us - and while it is not in running from here to there seeking the supernatural physical manifestations… It is seeking the supernatural spiritual transformations

And that starts with obedience

If we have been raised in Christ then…

Make Your Bed!

Why did Aeneas make his bed? because he didn’t need it anymore

It was of no use to him and no value - the living do not need the bed of the dead

Stand up and live

It is time to put away the old things

Put away the remnants of the old life - the Gospel changes everything!

We all come to Christ from a bed of sin and brokenness and shame and regret and heartache and pain and we are all to put that bed away

It will only hinder us

Before the gospel it is impossible to rise up and obey God - but after the ministry Christ’s Mercy is poured out on our lives, we are able to rise up and do what we could not do before

Specifically, obey the Word of God - In Christ we can now walk Holy like he is Holy

So make your bed - pack it away - you wont need it anymore

Secondly, in Christ we are…

Presented Alive

After Peter prayed and God raised Dorcas, He took her by the hand and presented her ALIVE!

She who was dead has been made alive

You who are in Christ have been presented Alive

We are not told what Dorcas did from that moment on - but I can tell you what she didn’t do

She didn’t lie around in the upper room waiting for others to take care of her

She was presented alive, so she lived

I would guess that she when back to ministering mercy as a disciple of Jesus

She served

Friends the Gospel changes the dead to the living - it makes it possible for us to live for Christ as His ministers of Mercy

As his disciples

After she was raised from the dead…

Acts 9:42 (ESV)

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

You know what else I think she did… She told people

“Yes, I was dead, but Jesus made me alive - raised me from the dead”

And that is what we are to do

Live - and tell people why and how we live!

WE are a resurrected people who live through a resurrected Christ

Raised to eternal life - that starts now!

Conclusion:

The Gospel Changes Everything

The pictures presented by Luke show us the power of the Gospel

The spiritual reality is that the Gospel heals every brokenness and raises the dead

I don’t know what brokenness you are enduring, but know this that the gospel changes it

IT brings those who are outside in - it attaches those who are cut off - it turns the dragon of death into the hound of heaven - it heals the broken and raises the dead

The Gospel Changes Everything

Pray

Communion

Benediction:

Ephesians 3:20–21 (ESV)

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.