Lechem Panim #163 "Closing The Door Behind Us” (Acts 9:32-34) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello and welcome to the show today! Over the past several weeks we have been looking at the beginning of the ministry of Paul. But at this point in the book of Acts there is a shift back to the ministry of Peter. And during our time together today we will be beginning to take a look at the miracle ministry of Peter, which is highlighted in a special way in 9:32-10:48. In verses 32-35 we have first a great miracle; the healing of Aeneas. Then in verses 36-43 we have a greater miracle; the raising of Tabitha from the dead. And then in 10:1-48 we have the greatest miracle; that of lost sinners coming to faith in Jesus Christ; and not only sinners, but Gentile sinners at that, which we will see even in this passage God is already making His Church (and particularly Peter) ready for. Now the Church is currently experiencing a time of peace. It says in…

Acts 9:31a (NKJV)— 31 Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified.

The Church Universal— Now [There must have been hundreds of churches in the small cities and towns throughout this large region, but all of them together can be called a “church” (Gk. ekklēsia, {and it’s actually} singular in the earliest and best manuscripts of this verse, though some later manuscripts have the plural). {But this is significant because now} The NT can apply the singular word “church” to the church meeting in a home (Rom. 16:5 ; 1 Cor. 16:19), in an entire city (1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:1), in a large region (as here), or throughout the whole world (1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 5:25 ).] Wherever the people of God is, there Christ’s Church is. Now it says of these churches (or the Church)…

Acts 9:31b (NKJV)— And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

“they were multiplied”— And this description of the growth of the Church is Luke’s key way of signaling the closing of a section. At every major transition of the Church here in the book of Acts, you find at the end some phrase like this describing the resulting blessing of God as seen in the growing fruitfulness of the Church (1:15; 2:41, 47; 4:4; 5:14; 6:7; 9:31; 12:24; 13:49; 16:5; 19:20). And though this is a God thing, we see that the believers were not idle. They were taking Jesus admonition that the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few very seriously. They themselves see that the fields are white for harvest and are now actively seeking to bring the Gospel to those places that have yet to hear it. And that is what we find Peter doing. We last saw him witnessing to the Samaritans in 8:25, having come there after Philip was used by God to spark a massive response to the Gospel there in Samaria. But now Peter sets his sights on and moves into the fertile coastal plain of Sharon, where we will witness the next two recorded miracles taking place. And this is important because it shows that Peter is already moving outwards from Jerusalem. It says…

Acts 9:32 (NKJV)— 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.

Lydda— Now Lydda was actually known as Lod in the Old Testament. It was a regional administrative town (toparchy) for Judea, and was on an important trade route. Located about 10 miles Southeast of Joppa, it was a hub that serviced roads from Egypt to Syria and from Joppa to Jerusalem. And while Peter is here it says…

Acts 9:33 (NKJV)— 33 There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years and was paralyzed.

“a certain man”— Now that phrase “a certain man” that is used to describe this man named Aeneas is actually a key phrase that Luke uses here to clue us in to the fact that Aeneas was an unbeliever. In the following miracle, involving Tabitha, we see that she is described not as “a certain woman” but as “a disciple named Tabitha” (v.36). You can also look back earlier in this very chapter to a similar description given to us of Ananias. In verse 10 he is described as “a disciple at Damascus” (v.10). So this man Aeneas Luke is careful to distinguish as an unbeliever. And for some reason or other, he has become paralyzed and bedridden.

A Hurting Member— You know, as I was beginning preparation for this message I had an interesting situation develop involving a dear member of our Church here at Renton Park Chapel. A gentleman, as a result of a terrible fall off a tall ladder onto solid concrete many years ago was on the road to becoming paralyzed. Doctors said that he would be paralyzed within a few months if he did not get a vital surgery on his neck. And I took him to that surgery; it was a three-hour surgery that took two doctors working very carefully to place a metal rod in his neck and attempt to stem the coming paralysis. Now thankfully that surgery was a success, but he still has a long road of recovery in front of him. And in the months that have followed I have witnessed first-hand both the ongoing struggles he has had to face in that recovery process, but also have gotten to see the miracles of modern medicine that we have available to us today. I got to see him slowly begin to improve; and I got to see the ex-rays in which you can see (clearly visible) this rod that has been inserted to help straighten his neck. It is truly incredible what doctors are able to do today. But having gone through this experience with my friend, it kind of helped me to see through new eyes the situation of Aeneas in our passage today. Now we don’t know what his story is; what treatments he had possibly gone through; certainly nothing like what we have today. But there is no doubt that for him the game is over. There were no modern surgeries like there are today that can sometimes correct these kinds of issues. No, he is incurably paralyzed. And yet it says in…

Acts 9:34a (NKJV)— 34 And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you.

Glory To Jesus— Now I love this because though we usually think of Peter (now at least) as this awesome rock in the Church, he is much more humble than he was during the earthly ministry of Jesus. Peter understands that it is not him but Jesus who is invisibly working to build the Church. And this is such a key thing for us to remember; and is a criteria we should apply to any Christian leader before deciding to follow them. False prophets always point to themselves. But true prophets of God (like John the Baptist) always point away from themselves to Jesus (“Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”); seeking Him to receive all the glory and praise. And that is something we need to watch in ourselves in all we do. What are our intentions? Are we seeking to bring glory to ourselves or glory to Jesus. Because (honestly) God will never work through you as fully as He might if you are not willing to recognize and give glory to Him for what He is doing through you. Humility is the gateway to being usable by God. Now, following Peter’s saying to Aeneas “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you…”, Peter adds to this…

Acts 9:34b (NKJV)— Arise and make your bed.” Then he arose immediately.

Make Your Bed— Now I don’t know about you, but here Peter almost sounds like a mom; “Make your bed!” And, honestly, Peter sounds very much like Jesus here; because Jesus had said similar things to the lame people that He healed. But it wasn’t until my study of this passage that I really asked why? Why this phrase “make your bed.”? I mean, what a mundane thing; to make your bed. Why not just say, “Arise! Be healed!”, which would have involved enough faith for Aeneas to be healed; as he would have obeyed enough just to attempt to stand up. Why this imperative (and that is what it is in the Greek); why this imperative for him to make his bed, which [probably refers to folding the mat on which he was lying.]? Well, I raised this question recently to my secretary (Miss Donna, a very insightful woman who has walked with the Lord for many many years) and she said something that really kind of got me thinking. And I think she hit the nail right on the head. She said that “When you make your bed, there’s no going back.” And you know I thought; my goodness, she’s absolutely right. There is an arising; a step of faith into the healing of Jesus, but there is also a closure behind him of the door to his old way of doing life. And one of the best NT commentaries I read, confirmed this. It said that the phrase here means [Literally, spread thy bed for thyself (dative case), what others for eight years have done for thee.] There is a transformation not just of his legs, but in the whole way he is to view and live his life.

Samuel L. Brengle: "I had to go forward”— Now all of this struck a chord with me because I have been reading a book by Samuel Logan Brengle, a mighty man of God in the Salvation Army who described in his book “Helps to Holiness” the very moment that (following his salvation) God moved him beyond mere forgiveness from sin and into an experience of actual deliverance from the power of sin; to freedom from sin where God actually purges you of your old self and creates in you (as the Psalmist anticipated) a clean heart; a united heart that is made altogether new. Listen to what Brengle writes; and I love how he knows precisely when this work of grace happened for him. He says: [On January 9, 1885, at about 9 o'clock in the morning, God sanctified my soul. I was in my own room at the time, but in a few minutes I went out and met a man and told him what God had done for me. The next morning, I met another friend on the street and told him the story. He shouted and praised God and urged me to preach full salvation and confess it everywhere. God used him to encourage and help me. So the following day I preached on the subject as clearly and forcibly as I could, and ended with my testimony. God mightily blessed the Word to others, but I think He blessed it most to me. That confession put me on record. It cut down the bridges behind me. Three worlds were now looking at me as one who professed that God had given him a clean heart. I could not go back now. I had to go forward.] And you know, that is what the Christian life is all about; leaving your life of sinfulness and embracing a transformed life. And that is what we are called to do as well. And that is what we see Aeneas does. He arises, finds himself healed, and makes his bed.

Have You Made Your Bed?— Now let me ask you, have you made your bed? Not your physical bed (though that is important), but your spiritual bed. Have you closed the door behind you to that old way of life? Have you allowed Jesus to do more in your life than just forgive you of your sin? Have you surrendered to Him fully and completely; allowing Him to actually empower you to rise against/out of that old way of life and begin to walk (un-crippled) in holiness before Him? If not, I want to tell you that there is no greater joy than allowing Him to create in you a clean heart (as the Psalmist says) and to walk in that “newness of life” (Romans 6:4). Ask for Him to do that for you today and He will do it, by His grace through your faith in Him. Amen.