The Greatest Miracle, Acts 9:31-43

 

Acts 9:31

Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

A great persecution arose against the Church at the start of chapter 8. Saul was slaughtering Christians as we started chapter 9.

But the battle is never forever.

Saul saw the Light, and changed his ways.

The Church found a place of peace and quiet rest, near to the heart of God.

If we’ll receive it, there’s peace in the midst of the storm.

Walking in the fear of the Lord, the storm doesn’t seem so strong, and we come out, not shattered and shaken, but strengthened and comforted by the Holy Spirit.

Walking in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit is where we find the Church in our text; and we pray, where we will be, and stay.

32 Now it came to pass, as Peter went through all parts of the country, that he also came down to the saints who dwelt in Lydda.

Peter once the bumbling fisherman who, after seeing the greatest miracle of his life, a catch of fish so great his nets were breaking and boats were sinking, said to Jesus, “depart from me for I am a sinful man.” Luke 5:8.

Now, just as Jesus said, Peter’s become a fisher of men. He casts his net, the Word of God, and draws them from sinner, to saint. 

Notice that word, saint.

Who are the saints?

Yes, the Church, Ekklésia, Christians.

According to the Bible, if you are a Christian, you are a saint. 

Saints, in the original text is: hagios (hag'-ee-os); defined as, sacred, set apart. Translated, saint(s) 61 times in the New Testament. However, translated, holy, 168 times.

The angel that announced the birth of Christ to the virgin Mary, used the word, hagios, twice in Luke 1:34-35. “How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel replied, “The Holy (hagios) Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy (hagios) One to be born will be called the Son of God.

Jesus used that word in Acts 1:8. But you will receive power when the Holy (hagios) Spirit comes upon you…

If you are a Christian, you are a saint, if you are a saint, you are to be holy.

Peter makes it abundantly clear using, hagios 4 times in a row. As He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, 16 for it is written: “Be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16.

Four times God Almighty makes it abundantly clear, for it is writtten:

Leviticus 11:44
For I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am holy…

Leviticus 11:45
For I am the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt so that I would be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.

Leviticus 19:2
"Speak to the whole congregation of Israel and tell them: Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.

Leviticus 20:7
Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am the LORD your God.

If you are a Christian, you are a saint, if you are a saint, you are to be holy.

No Doug, not me, I’m just an ol’ sinner saved by grace.

That sounds real nice, and spiritual, but not Scriptural.

If you are a Christian, you are a saint, if you are a saint, you are to be holy.

If you’re not holy…? If you willingly continue in sin, that’s the opposite of holy, if you’re not holy, you’re not a saint, if you’re not a saint… you’re not a Christian.

If that’s the case, you need to remedy that, right now. 

The net is cast, the Word of God is drawing you, to change you, from sinner to saint.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  1 John 1:9.

33 There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years and was paralyzed.

We’re not told if this certain man named Aeneas was sinner or saint, all we know is that he was broken and bedridden, for eight long years.

So, since we’re not told, that tells us, that’s all we need to know.

If the Lord shows us someone whose fallen, we help them up, as simple as that—we don’t need to know the details.

If the Lord shows us, leads us, is the key. We follow the Lord, not the need. Peter found a certain man, not every man. This takes discernment, which comes from walking in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

34 And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed.” Then he arose immediately.

Jesus the Christ, heals you. Arise…

Peter, sees the man, cares enough to learn his name.

The rest is all Jesus the Christ.

Notice, he didn’t beg, and plead and pray, he spoke a command under the Authority of the Holy Spirit. Arise, take up your bed and walk.

The Gifts of the Spirit are, Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Healings, Miracles, Prophecy, Discerning of Spirits, Tongues, Interpretation. 1 Corinthians 12:4, 8-11, 28.

The Gift(s) working here are one or more of these: Faith, Healings, Miracles.

It works like this: Pete saw and heard Jesus, (Holy Spirit within) and simply repeated what he saw and heard.

Likewise, Jesus only said and did what He saw and heard from His Father. John 5:19; 12:49.

Likewise, saints, (that should be you) are only to say and do what we see and hear from the Holy Spirit. 

Do you remember a similar situation when Jesus found a certain man, by the Pool of Bethesda? The man had been lame for 38 years. Jesus said, “Rise take up your bed and walk.” John 5:8.

Now, Peter, found a certain man lame for 8 years, and following the Holy Spirit, Peter echoes the Words of His Lord:

Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise…

Peter was simply the vessel from which the Holy Spirit poured His Power.

You can be too.

Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8.

He can flow through you, like He did him. Any vessel; sacred, set apart, hagios, holy, in other words, any saint, is fit for the Master’s use.

Then he arose, immediately. The man obeyed right away. He had to choose do it, he had to get up on his own free will. He had to be willing to change. He could’ve rejected the free Gift. He could’ve refused and said, “No, this is just the way I am.” But hallelujah, he didn't. He obeyed right away, got up and got healed.

35 So all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

They saw him, but turned to, the Lord. Hallelujah!

That tells us that miracles weren’t so common that they were taken for granted.

This was the Greatest miracle. That they turned to the Lord.

The 1st miracle was for the purpose of this miracle.

The 1st miracle was temporary, for Aeneas.

The 2nd is Eternal, and for all willing to change from sinner to saint.

By the way Lydda, (modern day Ludd) is about 30 miles NW of Jerusalem, about 10 miles east of the Mediterranean Sea. If you fly to Israel, you’ll land in Lydda, at the Ben Gurion Airport.

Sharon is the coastal plain surrounding Lydda.

36 At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did.

Joppa is on the coast a dozen or so miles NW of Lydda.

Aeneas was a certain man; however, Tabitha is a certain disciple. We know her spiritual status. She’s a saint.

Tabitha is Aramaic, Dorcas is Greek, both mean, gazelle, or antelope.

She is complimented for her good works and charitable deeds, which she had done.

She was a doer, not just full of good intentions but full of good works, and charitable deeds. She got-er done. (James 1:22-25).

37 But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room.

Rain falls on the just and unjust. Sinners and saints, live in this sickness and sin filled world.

They prepared her body for burial and laid her in an upper room for mourners to say their goodbyes and weep.

38 And since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them.

Since word spread about the whereabouts of Peter; probably due to the healing of the Aeneas, they sent for Peter to come quickly.

39 Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them.

She left a legacy, not only of tunics and garments, but is remembered as a disciple, a saint.

Are you leaving a legacy as a disciple? A saint? Holy?

40 But Peter put 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.

Peter put them all out, not to be rude, but to hear from the Lord.

You can pray, just you and Jesus, in a room full of people.

However, it’s hard to have a conversation with all kinds of distractions.

At times, a Christian, a saint, set apart, must get apart, get away, turn off the noise, and get alone with the Lord.

Sometimes in my house, if the noise gets too distracting and I need to get away with Jesus; noise cancelling ear buds with Christian instrumental music, works wonders.

Susanna Wesley, (1669-1742), was a preacher’s wife and mother of 10, including; John and Charles Wesley. With that many kids, it was hard to get apart with the Lord. They didn’t have noise cancelling earbuds back then, but she found a way. She’d throw her apron over her head to let the kids know—leave me alone, I’m meeting with Jesus. She promised God she’d spend as much time in prayer and Bible study as she did in entertainment. She often invested 2 hrs. a day in prayer.

Charles Spurgeon (1800s), is called the Prince of Preachers. He was known far and wide, his sermons are still preached today. One day some visitors came to the Church wanting to see the powerful preacher. A man (some say it was Spurgeon himself) came and asked the visitors if they’d like to see the heating system for the Church. They didn’t really want to, but agreed. They were led down a hall, to a room and when the door was opened, there were hundreds of saints in prayer. He said, this is where the Power of our Church comes from.

Peter prayed, heard from the Lord, turned to the lady and echoed what he heard. Tabitha, arise.

Very similar to what Jesus did in Mark 5:41. Jesus also put them all out, then, He took the child who had died by the hand, and said, Talitha, cumi, which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.”

41 Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive.

Peter was simply the vessel from which the Holy Spirit poured His Power.

You can be too.

Hebrews 13:8; Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.

He can flow through you, like He did him. Any vessel; sacred, set apart, hagios, holy, in other words, any saint, is fit for the Master’s use.

Modern day miracle:

I recently heard about this modern-day miracle.

As the Church folks walked to their cars after the service, they noticed a car with a man slumped over the steering wheel. They called for help.

After examining the body, the paramedics pronounced the man dead from a drug overdose.

The Christians prayed.

The paramedics placed the dead man on a stretcher and pulled the sheet over his face.

The Christians prayed.

As the paramedics prepared to load the dead man into the ambulance.

The Christians prayed.

The dead man became a live man and sat straight up on the stretcher.

The paramedic screamed.

Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8.

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

They saw her, heard about her, and believed on the Lord.

Once again, this tells us that miracles weren’t so common that they were taken for granted.

Once again, this is the Greatest miracle. That many they believed on the Lord.

Many dead were brought to Life, real Life, Eternal Life, in Christ.

Many resurrected, changed, from sinner to saint.

43 So it was that he stayed many days in Joppa with Simon, a tanner.

The tanner?

No, it’s not the guy who lays in the sun a lot.

It’s the man who made a living touching dead carcasses, tanning hides, making leather. Which, according to Jewish, religious tradition, ranked right up there with brothels and garbage dumps.

Which, made Peter ceremonially unclean, as long as he stayed there.

The religious leaders would’ve rebuked him, shunned him.

But in God’s eyes, it deserved a great big, attaboy. It ranked right up there with Jesus, befriending tax collectors, harlots, and sinners.

God saw it as a blossoming opportunity to bless Peter, and teach Peter, and the rest of the world, about something that effects every one of us. His great, amazing, love for all; red, yellow, black, white, Jew, gentile, all, every single one.

Which is unveiled in chapter 10, and Lord willing, what we’ll see next week. It’s such an awesome story we wrote a little book on it. A Soldier and a Fisherman Acts 10.

Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, it’s comforting to know that You are the same, yesterday, today, and forever. Lord, thank You for helping us to be who You’ve called us to be; saints, sacred, set apart, hagios, holy. So, as vessels fit for our Master’s use, You can flow through us and perform the greatest miracle, changing sinners to saints.

We love You, forever.

Amen.

Prayer Requests:

Call or text: 612-554-2522

Email: pray4measap@aol.com

Facebook: Church at WPV

Books: amazon.com/author/dougspurling

Watch online:

Facebook: The Greatest Miracle, Acts 9:31-43

You Tube: The Greatest Miracle, Acts 9:31-43

This was feed for you to read. Now it’s Seed for you to sow.

Thank you for sharing.