WWUTT 2612 Peter Performs Many Miracles (Acts 9:32-43)

We're shifting from Paul to go back to Peter and see what he's been up to traveling through Judea Healing the sick even raising the dead all to proclaim the name of Christ when we understand the text

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here once again is pastor Gabe. Thank you Becky in our study of Acts 9 We move on to the

Apostle Peter. We've finished up with Paul for a little while He's gonna come back into the story later on in chapter 13, but as we're jumping around to different figures here

I think one of the things that this emphasizes is that there is no one person who is the central figure of Acts Except God and we see the

Lord working through his Apostles as the Apostle Peter Performs a couple of miracles to close out

Acts chapter 9. Let me begin reading here in verse 32 We'll go through verse 43 here the

Word of the Lord Now it happened that as Peter was traveling through all those regions

He came down also to the Saints who lived at Lydda and there he found a man named

Aeneas Who had been bedridden eight years for he was paralyzed and Peter said to him

Aeneas Jesus Christ heals you Rise up and make your bed

Immediately he rose up and all who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him and they turned to the

Lord Now 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 and 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 Now 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 So Peter rose and went with them and 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

But 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 And he gave her his hand and raised her up and calling the

Saints and widows he presented her alive and it became known all over Joppa and Many believed in the

Lord and it happened that he stayed many days in Joppa with a tanner named

Simon now all of this is happening in the region of Judea Lydda and Joppa are in Judea on the western side along the coast or at least pretty close to the coast

So as we had concluded the section yesterday we saw that the church was expanding in Judea and Galilee and Samaria and then

Peter was traveling through all those regions. That's where we start today in verse 32 So this was showing us as we concluded yesterday

It shows that the gospel had gone to those places that Jesus sent his disciples to you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria now, we've not yet gotten to the ends of the earth

But this is getting pretty close when we get to chapter 10. It'll be teasing out Getting to the end of the earth though.

We've already seen a little bit of that back in chapter 8 with Stephen ministering to the

Ethiopian eunuch that was still happening in Judea But the

Ethiopian eunuch is going to go down to the continent of Africa and back to Ethiopia south of Egypt So you're seeing the gospel beginning to expand but we haven't actually gone into those territories yet And that won't happen until a little bit later on but in the meantime

What is being shown to us here in the text is what Jesus said to his disciples to do has happened

You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem. Yes We've spent most of the time in acts up to this point in Jerusalem You will be my witnesses in Judea and Samaria Well Samaria came in in chapter 8 and Here we have seen the gospel go even all the way up north of Galilee which is where Damascus was clear up beyond Galilee to the north and So now we've come back down through Judea and Samaria and those are the regions that Peter is passing through continuing to preach the gospel and Perform many miracles as we see here now like I said in the beginning since we jump from Paul back into the story of Peter what we see here is that Christ is still at the center of all of this this is the work of God and he's using various people to Accomplish the work that he means to accomplish with the spread of the message of the gospel around the world

Proclaiming that Jesus is the Christ. That's exactly what Paul does Paul who was going to go persecute

Christians because they were proclaiming Jesus is the Christ now He's doing it back in verse 20, which we read yesterday

Immediately, he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues saying he is the Son of God We see the power of Christ here in this chapter to even convert the most hardened sinner enemy of God and of his church and Jesus makes him a soldier in his army saying no you're gonna work for me

And I'm gonna show you how much you must suffer for my name going out to the world spreading the gospel

Immediately when Luke uses that word in Acts 9 20 immediately He began to proclaim

Jesus in the synagogues Paul didn't go through some sort of process but right away he was renouncing his church persecuting ways and Was instead advancing the name of Christ among all that he ministered to Christ is advancing.

That's what we're seeing through Acts chapter 9 and Peter is Continuing that in his work as well

Now as I said yesterday, I think we kind of back up in the action a little bit because what we had read yesterday in verses 19 to 31

All of that had taken place over the span of about three years based on what Paul recalls in Galatians chapter 1

So so now we're kind of backing up a little bit to see what Peter was doing in the midst of all of that while While Luke gave us an overview of the conversion of Paul and those first few years of his discipleship

Now we come back to Peter to see what Peter was doing in the midst of that Remember Peter had joined

Philip in Samaria when Philip was preaching the gospel there and performing many miracles Philip went back south and ended up on that road that was going out to Why does the name escape me all of a sudden it was

Gaza He ended up on the road to Gaza so that he would encounter that Ethiopian eunuch and share the gospel with him

Peter it says went back to Jerusalem But then I think right after that is where he ends up in the rest of Judea here and is even spreading the gospel in So verse 32 again, it happened that as Peter was traveling through all those regions

He came down also to the Saints who lived at Lydda. We're seeing how the church is spread out all over Remember at the persecution of Stephen at the beginning of chapter 8

We had read how the Christians had scattered because persecution had now come against the church And so Christians are going everywhere and Peter is ministering to the

Saints in those areas But he's also spreading the gospel in the places that he goes to but he comes to the Saints at Lydda and there he found a man named

Aeneas who had been bedridden for eight years For he was paralyzed

Now we don't really know for sure how much time has transpired up to this point Like if we were to lay this out in a timeline, we don't know how for sure how long this is gone

But you would have to figure at least by mentioning that Aeneas had been bedridden for eight years

He has been paralyzed since before the days of Jesus So Peter said to him

Aeneas Jesus Christ heals you rise up and make your bed and Immediately he rose up.

This is starting to feel a little bit like mark, right? Mark, you know, he loved to use that word immediately and we've seen

Paul use it with regards to Or sorry, we've seen Luke use it with regards to Paul immediately

Paul renounced his church persecuting ways and Here we have this man immediately he who was bedridden for eight years got up and All who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him and they turned to the

Lord We're still seeing miracles performed in these regions and the gospel that is accompanying those miracles

Knowing that this happened because of Christ Peter does not proclaim himself He proclaims

Christ Paul a moment ago after his conversion does not proclaim himself He proclaims

Christ So Jesus continues to be preached in all of these incredible things that are going on the conversion of Paul the miracles of Peter and so now we go to Joppa verse 36 now in Joppa There was a disciple named

Tabitha which translated is called Dorcas, I know that's a funny name

Remember when I was a kid and my Sunday school teachers would be reading the story of Dorcas I remember all of us guys laughing at it

Yeah, I'm giggling now just at how how stupid we were but anyway, yeah So her name's

Dorcas better to call her Tabitha I think and this woman was full of good works and charity

Which she continually did and when I read the story of Tabitha It just reminds me of of every church

I grew up in and then even the churches that I've pastored in and there have always been those generous kind Ladies who were invested in their sewing projects and they always wanted to do something great for families

And they would have outfits they would make or quilts that they would sew or something like that. They always had

Always had one ready to go to gift to a family when a new baby was born. They had a Quilt to give away or something like that a great blanket that they sewed together

Whatever it might happen to be we just had that with with our son Ezekiel Well, I say just it was four years ago, but when

Ezekiel was born I know all the old ladies in the church that were making quilts and gifting them to and we even had a lady from a church that we weren't part of that made a quilt for him and Gave it to Ezekiel that it's just such a wonderful thing to see that kind of thing in the church

And this is that kind of woman. That's why Tabitha reminds me of this because when she died

You had all these people coming and bringing to Peter What she made for them they they showed him all the tunics and the garments

That Dorcas used to make while she was with them as I said it again But yeah,

Tabitha, so this woman all this all the stuff that she used to make for everybody. She's so kind -hearted she would serve the

Saints remember that the Apostle Paul said to Timothy in first Timothy chapter 5 where you have the the rules there concerning the registration of widows if she is somebody who is

Served the church and has washed the feet of the Saints and this this was that kind of woman right here

Tabitha was the kind of woman who cared for the body and and her Lost just grieved the heart of of this people to lose her that they're showing to Peter Look what she meant to us and it grieved everybody

You know when when we lose a loved one, of course that hurts because they're not gonna be with us anymore

We're happy for them. Yes Being a Christian they have gone on to heaven to be with Jesus.

We know they're in a better place They're not suffering here anymore. They won't have to go through any of the stuff that we go through They're not even worried about what's gonna happen with the stock market of the economy or who's gonna get elected next or what's on the news?

Tomorrow, they're not worried about any of that. They have been delivered out of this world and are with their Savior So, of course, we're happy for them, but it still grieves us

Because a person that meant so much to us is gone We'll never have another conversation with them again.

We'll never hear their laugh again We will never be blessed by them in their presence doing something wonderful for us it's like the sanctification that we were receiving from that person has ended and It grieves us that that they can't help us grow anymore

Yes, we'll have memories and we'll think of some things and maybe some counsel that they said at one point

We'll come back to our ears and that will help to sanctify but it's just not the same. They're not with us any longer and so this people are grieving over the loss of Tabitha and Peter is obviously sympathetic and Moved in his own spirit for them verse 37

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.

So not buried yet But not even to the point of embalming it. They've just washed it

Now since Lita 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 Now it doesn't say here that they wanted him to come and raise her from the dead

But that that seems to be what's implied We've heard of the Apostles of Jesus we've heard that Jesus was raising the dead

The Apostles what can they do? Maybe Peter can come and raise her from the dead so Peter arose and went with them now, this is kind of setting up the next story too because When two men come to Peter and want him to come with them to Cornelius's house again

He rises and goes with them. So we're getting kind of a trilogy of events from Peter here

We have the miracle that he does with Aeneas and the miracle that he does with Tabitha And then the miraculous vision that he has to go to Cornelius's house and share the gospel with him

We're gonna start on that tomorrow. Anyway, when we get to chapter 10, so Peter goes with them and 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 Tabitha used to make while she was with them but 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 This woman was dead. She was gone

Life was no longer in her body and everybody knew it Everybody was familiar with this body knew there was no more life in it

It said that they had already washed her and prepared her for whatever the next steps were for this They knew that she was not alive and yet Peter simply kneeling beside her simply prayed and The Lord hears his prayer and heals this woman and delivers her back to the people that were mourning over this loss and He gave her his hand and raised her up and calling the

Saints and widows he presented her alive and it became known all over Joppa and many believed in the

Lord and It happened that he stayed many days in Joppa with a

Tanner named Simon so Peter has done this amazing miracle and restoring this woman back to life and Giving her back to those people that loved her

So, you know as I have made this comment before especially when reading about Lazarus that Jesus raised from the dead

Lazarus was dead for four days when Jesus had raised him Lazarus was gonna have to die again

I'm sure that was one of the disappointing things of having to come back. He was already gone He already got that over with and here he was gonna have to do it again

So it's the same with Tabitha that she had already died Now she's been raised and has given been given back to the people who loved her but she's gonna have to die again

So the only true eternal life that we have is by faith in Jesus He could give us back our dead now, but they would still have to die again

Eventually, the body is going to die if the Lord tarries and Jesus doesn't return tomorrow

It's still true. The statistic is still true and it's gonna be true every day one out of every one person dies

We're all heading for that So what's gonna happen to us when we die? Well for those who know the

Lord Jesus Christ This life is not the end and we will go on to live with him forever in glory

But for those who don't know Christ yeah, this this life is the best that you're ever gonna get and When you die, what happens next is eternal judgment the wrath of God hellfire

Forever it is only by faith in Jesus that we can be saved from God's wrath and Restored into his eternal kingdom

Tabitha surely knew that she died and and I don't know what it was like for her

We don't have any of those near -death experiences in the NDE's, you know, the heaven tourism stories

We don't have any of those in the Bible except for Jesus coming to tell us what it was what it was like on the other side what he witnessed there and the vision that John received or Paul saying in 2nd

Corinthians chapter 12 a man who was caught up into the third heaven whether in the body or in the spirit the

Lord knows We do have accounts of those who had seen incredible miraculous things

Really? It's the Word of Jesus that has come to us that has said what's on the other side. We don't have any

You know dead and risen again accounts from anybody else telling us what is what it's like on the other side

But we know that we will live forever when we are in Christ and that's a hope that we can hold on to For our loved ones and for those who know

Christ Jesus is still accomplishing this work today. He is accomplishing this work in amazing ways.

You've seen conversions You know those who have died and have gone to live with the

Lord and Jesus is still fulfilling those promises to this day Hold on to the promises we have in Christ.

There's no hope anywhere else but in Jesus Christ our Lord Heavenly Father we thank you for what for what we've read today

These reminders are very important to us that we know what you have done Dying on the cross for our sins rising again from the dead so that all who believe in Jesus will not perish but have everlasting life

Help us to take this message to others that they too may see the goodness of God and give glory to Christ who forgives sins

Reconciles to God and gives eternal life come quickly Lord. Jesus. We pray in his name.

Amen Pastor Gabe keeps a regular blog sharing personal thoughts alerting readers to false teachers and Offering commentary on the church and social issues.