THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL - Acts 9:32-43

all right if you have a Bible or an app

let's open it up we are back in the book

of Acts this morning Acts chapter 9

Acts 9 · chapter mention

we're going to be closing out um chapter

nine of the book of Acts by looking at

verses 32- 43 um last year we began a

series over the book of Acts and

actually this Sunday takes us to week 24

over our series but before we dive into

our passage I want to read to you what I

read when we began this series um almost

half a year or or over a year ago in

Acts 28: 31 now remember there's no

official ending to the book of Acts and

Luke the author of The Gospel of Luke

has purposefully done that and he's done

it that way so that we would be a

continuation of what is taken place all

throughout the 28 chapters as a matter

of fact it's been set this way often

that the church today is living in Acts

chap 29 that what the Holy Spirit began

back in Acts chapter 1 and chapter 2 uh

Acts 1 · chapter mention

and as God began to work through the

disciples and the Church of the New

Testament God continues to do today and

so in Acts

Acts 28:31

28:31 Paul is imprisoned in Rome Paul

likely knows that he will die matter of

fact history tells us that he died at

the hands of the Roman Emperor here's

what he writes or here's what Luke

continues to tell us to write I can go

to a handheld if I need to no am I good

okay Acts

Acts 28:31

28:31 says proclaiming the kingdom of

God and teaching about the Lord Jesus

Christ with all boldness and without

hindrance this is what the gospel is

about it's about moving forward

unhindered and what we're going to

discover in our message this morning as

we look at the bottom part of Acts

chapter n is we're going to discover

what the power of the Gospel

accomplishes as a matter of fact we know

that the gospel is never stagnant the

gospel is constantly moving and working

it breathes new life into places that

are dead it it bre it brings new

perspective itive and New Hope I'm I'm

just going to um switch to a handheld

it's it's kind of bugging

me check mike check you know what a

handheld means right that's DJ Roland

time so so acts is is this picture of

Gospel Power moving forward forward as

it brings focus and perspective into our

lives into our families into our work

into really every part about us this is

what the book of Acts is about and

really um let me give you a review of

what is happening so far up until

chapter nine we know in Acts chapter 1

Acts 1 · chapter mention

and Acts chapter 2 we read about the

Acts 2 · chapter mention

Ascension of Christ the disciples

experienced the birth of the church

through the dwelling power of the holy

spirit this takes place on the day of

Pentecost and the power of the spirit is

manifested in what Luke writes as

tongues of fire it's incredible because

when we take the proclamation of the

Gospel forward it ignites passion it

ignites new life it brings

Resurrection to things that were perhaps

long for begotten and long dead in our

life and then in Acts chapter 3 through

Acts 3 · chapter mention

chapter 5 we read about the power of the

indwelling Holy Spirit bringing

miracles to the worlds around the

disciples as they move forward preaching

boldly as the church is being persecuted

the gospel continues to thrive and move

forward Acts chapter 6 and chapter 7 we

Acts 6 · chapter mention

see leadership being established within

the church we see this calling of

service by deacons to minister to the

people of the church and then we read

about the first martyr Stephen who is

arrested for proclaiming the gospel and

in giving his defense of the Gospel he

begins to preach the gospel he's dragged

outside he's stoned to death and we read

that there was a young Pharisee by the

name of Saul who approved of the murder

of Steven we get to Acts chapter 8 and

Acts 8 · chapter mention

we see that the gospel continues to move

forward that that now it's breaking out

of Jerusalem and it's moving forward

into the Judean region making its way to

Samaria and we even read about a moment

that a gentleman by the name of Phillip

has with an

Ethiopian he proclaims the go gospel

from the book of Isaiah the Ethiopian is

saved is baptized and we get a small

glimpse of how the gospel would be taken

into the continent of Africa and then

here in Acts chapter nine if you

remember last year we read about the

conversion of Saul who later is referred

to as Paul as the gospel continues to

Break Forth as a testimony of God's

power what does all this mean what is

all of this showing us it's showing us

that the gospel is a gospel of action

that what God has destined and what God

has purposed for your life will come to

pass through the power the indwelling

power of the Holy Spirit and and here's

what we'll find in just a moment in Acts

chapter nine that the gospel is not just

for the Jews but the gospel is for the

Gentiles and if if you are unable to

trace your ancestry your genetics back

to the Israelite Nation then you are

considered a gentile or some

translations would would call you a a

Greek it is a generic term to

distinguish everyone else outside of

Jewish

ancestry and this has been prophesied

all the way back in Genesis 12 when God

called Father Abraham and and said that

you would be the man by which all the

nations of the Earth shall be blessed it

was a prophetic foreshadowing of the

coming Savior Jesus Christ that through

him you and I would experience salvation

we would experience Gospel Power we

would experience new life you fast

forward several hundred years the

prophet Isaiah in Isaiah chapter 49

Isaiah 49 · chapter mention

talks about salvation reaching the ends

of the Earth and this is what

Dr Luke shows us in Acts chapter

n that the gospel is on the precipice of

entering into Gentile

territory matter of fact it is an

introduction into what will take place

in Acts chapter 10 we'll learn more

Acts 10 · chapter mention

about that next week but here's what it

reads Acts chapter n beginning in verse

32 now as Peter went here and there

among them all he came down also to the

Saints who lived at L there he found a

man named anas bedridden for eight years

who was

paralyzed Peter said to him anas Jesus

Christ heals you rise and make your bed

now now watch this and

immediately he

rose and all the Resident of L and

Sharon saw him and they turned to the

Lord now there was in japa a disciple

named Tabitha which translated means

Dorcas she was full of good works and

acts of Charity in those days she became

ill and died and when they had washed

her they laid her in an upper room since

L was near japa the disciples hearing

that Peter was there sent to two men to

him urging him please come to us

without delay if if you're thinking

there are some parallels here of what

took place with Jesus in Matthew Chapter

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

5 or even Jesus in the raising of

Lazarus I believe Luke makes that

intentional so Peter Rose and went with

them and when he arrived they took him

to the upper room all the Widow Stood

Beside him weeping and showing tunics

and other garments that Dorcas made

while she was with them but Peter put

them all

outside he 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 he gave her his

hand and raised her up then calling the

Saints and widows he presented her alive

and it became known throughout all japa

and many believed in the Lord and he

stayed in japa for many days with one

Simon ATT Tanner and all God's people

said amen Lord would you bless your word

Holy Spirit this morning would you stir

our

hearts now as we read this passage I

don't know if you picked up on some

pictures that are taking place here

remember acts is a book of pictures Luke

does an amazing job painting these

portraits of of biblical pictures as we

get glimpses of how God moves and works

and and weaves the power of the spirit

in your life and I've reminded us this

throughout our Series in the book of

Acts and I want to continue to remind us

about this today that the way God moved

then is precisely how he moves now how

he used Peter to demonstrate Gospel

Power power is how he uses us today to

demonstrate Gospel Power or or maybe you

feel like anas paralyzed bedridden not

able to move not not able to go about

your daily lives because of some sinful

addiction some past habit or some

consequences of past mistakes that you

are still dealing with or maybe you feel

like Tabatha

Dorcas dead gone caught in a wave of

evil and chaos and perhaps you feel that

that there is no coming back from that

let me just tell you this there's power

in the Gospel of Jesus and here's what I

love about what Peter demonstrates we'll

get to this here in just a

moment Peter is a man full of Faith so

faithful in fact that that we read in

the book of Acts that that people knew

that he possessed resurrecting power as

a matter of fact all throughout the the

book of Acts you read about these signs

and these Miracles and these Wonders

that are done at the hands of the

disciples and it's not so that they

would get credit it's not so that people

would turn to Peter or Paul or to John

or to the other disciples but that they

would know that there is power in the

Gospel of Jesus Christ and so real

simple question I want to ask you this

morning is have you experienced Gospel

Power in your life

have you turned in faith to Jesus Christ

so that the power of the Gospel of Jesus

Christ that indwelt the Believers back

in the book of Acts is the same Gospel

Power that can indwell you

today as a matter of fact I want to go

back through our passage this morning

and I want to walk us through each of

these pictures Luke so majestically

paints three pictures we'll look at them

one by one if you're taking notes here's

the first picture Gospel Power conquers

sin and

death this is something that we pick up

immediately and and here's what I love

Luke as he is recording the history of

the New Testament Church he doesn't

mince

words he's not pretentious there's no

fluff he gets to the meat of the matter

and here's the thing if you have not

understood what the power of the Gospel

is Luke makes it plain as day right

here verse

34 we read that Peter said to anas Jesus

Christ heals you rise and make your bed

and what's recorded there and

immediately he rose you fast forward to

verse 40 again Peter says 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 two separate

instances a man who's

paralyzed a woman who has

died both a

representation of what's to come with

Gospel Power really these two instances

represent the human condition that we

are paralyzed by the sin in our life and

as long as we remain apart from Jesus

because of rebellion because of a lack

of faith and because of all that the

devil attempts to do in his stealing

killing and destroying of your peace of

your joy of your focus in your life then

we remain dead in our trespasses

Paralyzed by the power of what the

scripture calls the prince of this

world and here's what I love Peter he

doesn't offer self-help help does he he

doesn't offer religious rituals what

does he do he offers the only thing that

he knows will have effect the only thing

that he knows will bring about result he

offers the name of

Jesus you know last week we talked about

what it means to live with gospel

urgency and how we must be

compelled and how we must be disciplined

enough to recognize the world rot in

chaos lost souls who as Jesus declares

in the Gospel of Luke are helpless

people sheep without a Shepherd who are

in desperate need of the Gospel that

that we should be so compelled to share

with them the same life-saving message

that has transformed us but often times

if you're anything like me you feel

unqualified you feel like maybe you

don't have a good enough story maybe you

don't feel equ ipped enough or or or or

or maybe you you feel lost in the shame

of the sin that once defin your life and

you don't think anyone will listen or

even recognize the change in you when

it's all said and done you and I apart

from Christ have nothing to

offer except one

thing and that's what Peter knew and

that's what Peter offered it's the name

of Jesus and what does the name of Jesus

do it brings

dead things to life anas was

paralyzed and I think often times we're

paralyzed as well Paralyzed by our sin

powerless to stand before the holy God

of creation we're Tabitha as Paul tells

us in Ephesians chapter 2 verse one dead

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

in our trespasses and here's the thing

we're unable to raise

ourselves no matter how hard we try no

no matter often we come to church no

matter how much money we give no matter

how many Bible verses we memorize how

many Bible studies we sit on how many

Ministries we serve in which are all

admirable things and qualities that we

hope that you would possess and

character traits that we hope would be

indicative of a lifestyle that's

committed to the gospel the one thing

that resurrects us from death to life is

the name of Jesus so what do we do we

recognize that Brokenness is The Human

Condition this is what

Peter understands we're we're all

cracked by sin we're all wounded by life

we're all burdened by the weight of our

own failures but let me share with you

some words of Jesus Luke Chapter

4:18 Jesus says the spirit of the Lord

is upon me he has sent me don't miss

this he has sent me to Proclaim Liberty

to the captive

and to set at Liberty those who are

oppressed the reason Gospel Power

conquers sin and death is because the

gospel does not offer temporary

relief but it offers eternal

life it offers perspective and focus and

a shift where complete and total

restoration of a soul that was once set

apart because of evil is now set apart

because of the Holiness of Jesus Christ

have you

experienced the power of the Gospel over

the sin of your

life over the death that perhaps you

find yourself

in Gospel Power conquers sin and death

here's the second picture that Luke

paints for us it's about Gospel Power

moving forward did you pick up on what

the result or or rather what the effect

the Ripple effects are of the healing of

anas and the resurrection of Tabitha go

back with me to verses 35 and

42 here's what Luke

writes and all the residents of L and

Sharon saw him who did they see they saw

that a

who was paralyzed bedridden for years

was fully healed fully restored here's

here's what makes it all the more

miraculous is that he didn't have to

learn to walk what happens if your bed

written for eight years if you're

paralyzed your your muscles go through

atrophy right your muscle mass decreases

your your bone structure even begins to

decrease increase and and wither away

and yet in that moment of healing

muscles are restored bones joints and

marrows are as they should be this is

what was recognized in the healing of

anas and it says they turned to the Lord

verse 42 Luke continues he says and it

became known throughout all japa what

became known that Tabitha was

raised that Tabitha received life that

she was new and made whole the scripture

says because of that many believed

here's the important thing that you and

I need to recognize about Gospel

Power when God transforms your life and

he resurrects you out of sin and death

he does so not for your own purpose only

but so that your story would go forward

in Gospel Power and people would

recognize the change in

you and when they see the change in you

it opens up the doors for

questions what is it that is different

in your life why did you turn away from

the person you once were how did you

overcome that pain or that suffering how

was your marriage restored how did you

give up addictions and and and things

that that grasped you and things that

enslaved you and things that Shackled

you how did you get over those things

and it opens up the door to

Proclaim Gospel Power you see these

miraculous healings they're not meant to

be isolated and let let me just

challenge you with this your story is

never meant to be an isolated

story you have a story on how God has

transformed you and how God has changed

you I know any of your

stories and how it is a clear picture of

God's glory shining forth in your life

to bring resurrection and

restoration there are some stories that

I don't know quite as well as

others but don't keep that story hidden

don't bury it away don't tuck it in a

drawer somewhere never be ashamed or

embarrassed of your story because your

story has the name of Jesus written all

over it and if it has the name of Jesus

written all over it it's a story I say

this often that's worth telling to tell

people how Christ has transformed your

life how he gave you Liberty and freedom

and brought Resurrection to your life

this transformed life is a ripple effect

that moves outward calling others to

Faith do you know

ripples only go go so far and it's only

dependent on the size of the stone that

is cast into the

water let me tell you we have the

biggest rock the universe has ever known

we have the truth of God a power that

brings you and I to life a power that

restores us and that is a rock that when

it's cast into the Harvest fields of the

world around us has Ripple effects that

will never waste away this is why what

God began in Acts chapter 2 on the day

Acts 2 · chapter mention

of Pentecost with the indwelling power

of the Holy Spirit God continues to do

today through you through me if you're a

teacher in your classroom if you're a

student in your hallways if you're a

business owner in your office if you're

a Salesman with your

clients whatever vocation God has given

you that's the Harvest field where

gospel power the power that that lives

and breathes and moves in you goes

forward so the gospel it conquers sin

and death the gospel moves forward it's

a clear pattern that we see all

throughout the scriptures that whenever

the power of Jesus is

displayed the power of the Gospel moves

forward and it's not just so that your

life would be transformed right because

here's here's the goal the goal is that

what you and I experience here as

wonderful and as powerful and as

encouraging and lifegiving as it

is listen we walk in Disobedience to the

Lord if we leave it in

here if if this place exists for nothing

more than a spiritual fix then you and I

have missed

it if this place exist exists for

nothing more than ful to fulfill a

social longing that we have or just to

connect with people in a deeper

spiritual level and we don't do that out

there then we're missing the

mark then we're not walking in Gospel

Power because here's the thing the

things that you treasure and the things

that you love they will naturally

overflow from your life they'll be a

part of who you are they'll be a natural

part of how you speak of how you make

decisions of how you go about

interacting with the world around you so

let me just pause for a

moment let me speak to Believers in this

room and let me speak

to we'll call you seekers in this room

if if you're a Believer I pray that this

is challenging to you maybe for some of

us it's affirming what we are already

doing and if it's affirming us then then

it's empowering us and embold us to

further go and proclaim the power of the

Gospel the one that conquers sin and

death the one that moves forward without

hindrance but maybe for others it's it's

holding us accountable I share this

often when whenever I preach to you

whenever I study with with the word and

and it creates tension in me and I

wrestle with it there's there there's

accountability and so I've had to ask

myself this week am am I walking in

Gospel Power are the Ripple effects of

what of what Christ has done in my life

made evident to the people around me is

that true for you Christian is that true

for you son and daughter of God are you

walking with the effects of a changed

life the

scripture calls you and I to die to

self that means we cast aside Roland

cast aside what Roland

wants my my dreams my goals my ambitions

are always second place to the glory of

God this is why I love Matthew chapter

6:33 right my favorite words of Jesus in

the New Testament Jesus says seek first

the kingdom of God and its righteousness

and all other things will be added to

you it's not wrong that we have goals

dreams and Ambitions and I pray that you

would fulfill your goals dreams and

ambitions

but we must never pursue things at the

cost of the Gospel we must never move

forward at the cost of the

Gospel but if the gospel is our

everything then everything else around

us will come into Focus come into

perspective and so here's the challenge

right here's the challenge about

Christianity we talked about this last

week being a Christian is the hardest

thing that you will ever

do if all we're ever led to believe is

it be a Christian is easy then we've

missed the truth of the

scriptures are there Seasons where it's

easy to be a Christian sure they come in

pockets and some of those Seasons last

far longer than other Seasons I pray

that you would have

seasons where you find that it is easy

to be a Christian and that and that

comes in in in one of two ways it's

really a double-sided coin it comes in

moments that the more disciplined we are

to pursue the Lord and to pursue two

spiritual disciplines then then the

easier it becomes to say to say no to

sin right think of an athlete Paul uses

uh athletic terms and metaphors uh

regularly in his letters and he talks

about how we run the race and how how we

how um um uh a bodybuilder lifts weights

to prepare the body so we lift our

spiritual weights to prepare the soul

and the more weights that you lift the

easier the lifting becomes

and so sometimes those those moments

will come easy other

times God will put us in the fire or God

will allow the fire to burn a

bit to test whether we are truly in the

Lord to test whether Gospel Power is

real in our life we just came off a

series about the end times about what's

going to happen when Christ returned and

the scripture talks about that The

Closer we get to the return of Jesus

Christ the

worse off the world will be sin will

begin to magnify sin will begin to

increase first Thessalonians tells us

that the restrainer will be removed that

the enemy will be released from the

prisons to wreak havoc in a way that

we've never experienced or seen before

and that is to separate those that are

real in their faith from those that are

not and so when the scripture calls us

to die to self it calls us to understand

the

cost are we counting the cost no one who

puts their hands to the plow and looks

back is fit for the kingdom of God no

Builder will immediately begin to build

without first surveying the land

counting the costs and accounting for

all the labor and materials that it will

take to complete the project this is

what Christ calls us to do

Gospel Power conquer sin and death

gospel power moves forward here's here's

the last picture that Luke is painting

Gospel Power breaks down

barriers I think this is my favorite

part about our

passage remember in in Acts chapter 10

Acts 10 · chapter mention

Peter is going to have a dream a vision

given to him by God and this dream and

vision is is going to prompt him with a

door SW wide open to take the gospel to

the Gentile World The Gospel is moving

forward into Gentile territory it is

fulfilling the scriptural prophecy this

foreshadowing of Salvation going to the

ends of the Earth go with me to verse

43 and he stayed in japa for many days

with one Simon a

tener now this might seem as just a

tidbit of information but remember every

word every sentence in the scripture

serves a purpose it it's not a passing

detail as a matter of fact if we

understand Jewish culture and we

understand what it took for someone to

be a Tanner particularly in the days of

the Bible then this is a significant

moment of God's plan

unfolding and his power in purpose

coming to pass what this verse shows us

is God is breaking down this dividing

wall between Jews and

Gentiles so let me just set the stage

for you Peter being a disciple of Jesus

spending three and a half years with him

Jesus who by the way was a Jewish rabbi

did you know that and as a Jewish rabbi

of course Jesus would have taught his

disciples Old Testament law Old

Testament purification rituals and

traditions Peter as well as the rest of

of the disciples were no

strangers to these rules and these laws

and what it meant to be considered clean

and unclean now watch this when Luke

tells us here at the end of chapter nine

that Peter stayed with Simon who is a

Tanner any Jewish individual reading

this would have lost their mind let me

tell you why because a Tanner would have

been someone who worked with dead

animals and if you touched anything dead

in Jewish culture and Jewish tradition

you were considered

unclean not only that if you the unclean

person were around someone who was

ceremonially clean and there was

interaction and touching between you and

them then the clean person was now

considered unclean Peter knows this and

Peter is taking a huge step forward when

he stays with this man Simon the Tanner

he's risking being perceived by everyone

else as unclean well you're a disciple

of Jesus wouldn't you know the law

wouldn't you know the ceremonial

cleanliness laws and yet you were

staying with this individual who's

considered unclean this is a significant

moment because it's

emphasizing how Gospel Power breaks down

barriers cultural barriers social

barriers religious barriers and it opens

the way for all people who will call

upon the name of Jesus to be included in

his

kingdom the gospel breaks down

barriers this is what the gospel does it

crosses cultural lines it dismantles

pretenses religious pride and it

welcomes the

outcast I don't know what Simon may have

been thinking but I can imagine Peter

knocking on his door and saying hey I'm

going to crash here we're g to spend a

couple of days together together and

Simon thinking well

what don't you know the law don't you

know the rules Peter you'll be

ostracized by the other Jewish people

they'll look at you as

unclean and Peter understands Gospel

Power how Gospel Power breaks down

barriers you know what I love about our

church what I love about our

community that it's made up of young and

old alike people from different

backgrounds ethnicities cultures

socioeconomic statuses made up of White

Collar blue collar

workers and that's what the Community of

Faith is God's kingdom is a mosaic of

people from every Walk of Life here's

what I believe I believe some of us will

get to heaven we'll be surprised that he

or she is there you made

it and their response is by the name of

J

Jesus this is the power of the Gospel it

breaks down barriers so let me just

challenge us with this we're run out of

time call into question your own

prejudices all of us in here we have a

barrier that exists I have a barrier

that exists and that's a barrier that we

need to deal with and we need to call

upon the name of the Lord to break it

down whether it's because people don't

look like us vote like us dress like us

think like

us but every individual Bears the image

of God and because they bear the image

of God we are called to go and share the

gospel with

them this is what Peter's demonstrating

this is what Luke is writing in Acts

chapter nine the gospel was never meant

to remain stagnant and Idol and let me

just say this some of us in this room

the gospel is idle in your life it's

stagnant in your life and you've been

coming to church for years maybe even

decades maybe you've been a Christian

more than three quarters of your life

but the gospel has only remained in you

and it's never gone

forward what would it look

like if we as a church body

committed to moving forward in Gospel

Power we're experiencing Resurrection

from death and our

sin why not show that to the world

around us why not break down the

barriers that exist in our life because

here's what the gospel is about it's not

about who you once were it's about who

Christ

is and who is Christ he's the name that

is above all names he's the king of

kings and the Lord of lords the one who

has called you out of death in your sin

and just as Peter took the hand of

Tabitha and said arise Christ takes your

heart and he says

arise and he resurrects you to New Life

Peter walked into some impossible

situations a paralyzed man who couldn't

heal

himself a woman who couldn't raise

herself but what happened in both

instances Gospel Power was

demonstrated who are you in this

story I I think at some point in our

life we're all three if you're a

Believer are you an paralyzed by the sin

in your life are you

Tabitha

dead falling victim to the power of the

enemy of this

world are you Peter moving forward in

Gospel Power which one are you I pray

that we would be a

people that aren't hesitant to step out

of our comfort

zones that we would take Gospel Power

live it boldly and Proclaim it to a

world in need

let's be a

people who with changed

lives make it our mission to take the

name of Jesus to this community so that

it can change their life would you pray

with me