Acts_9_32-10_48

Acts_9_32-10_48
10/5/08

Preparing Peter for the opening of a new door.
I. Introductory Statements
A. Saul will become Apostle to the gentiles, but the door will be opened through Peter for reasons we will see as we progress through our message.
II. The Healing of Aeneas.
Acts 9:32-35 (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.
33 There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years and was paralyzed.
34 And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed.” Then he arose immediately.
35 So all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.
A. Peter's purpose for this trip was to visit the churches and strengthen them, as well other forms of ministry as God gave opportunity.
1. Among the cities Peter visited was Lydda, and there he found a man who had been paralyzed and confined to bed for eight years.
2. Peter evidently perceived that Jesus wanted to heal this man, telling him that Jesus the Christ heals him, and commanding him to get up and make his bed, and immediately he is healed.
B. The healing of this man Aeneas becomes the occasion of many turning to the Lord for salvation.
1. "So all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord." does not mean that everyone in the region was saved, rather that the miracle was not done in private, but in public, and that many outside the Christian circle saw what had been done and believed.
C. Like Peter we need to be open and sensitive and open to the opportunities to minister that the Lord sets before us.
1. And we need to be careful that we don't develop preconceived ideas about what constitutes "important" ministry, note what Peter said "Jesus the Christ heals you", the point being that it is all about Jesus and what He is doing.
a. Anything that Jesus sets before to do is important, or He wouldn't give us the opportunity to do it on His behalf.
III. Resurrection of Dorcas
A. Death of Dorcas
Acts 9:36-38 (NKJV)
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.
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.
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.
1. While Peter was in Lydda Twelve miles away in Joppa a woman name Tabitha (Aramaic), Dorcas in the Greek who had become sick died.
a. This woman whose name means gazelle "the creature with the beautiful look or eyes"... was a disciple or learner of Jesus; and the testimony of her is that she was a woman who continually did good works and charitable deeds.
(1) She was a woman who served others and was much loved for the love that she showed to others.
2. When she died they washed her body in preparation for burial and laid her body in an upper room.
a. And having heard that Peter was in Lydda they sent for him to come with urgency to Joppa.
(1) While we are not specifically told why they wanted him to come with out delay, it would seem that there was some expectation on their part that he might raise her from the dead.
B. Peter Prays
Acts 9:39-41 (NKJV)
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.
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.
41 Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive.
1. Peter responds to the request and upon arriving he is taken to the upper room where Tabitha's body is laying, and gathered together in the upper room are the widows pressing in on Peter to show him the garments and coats Dorcas (Tabitha) had made for them.
a. Now widows were often the poor and discarded segment of people in that culture, indicating for us the character of this woman's ministry and why she was so dearly loved by them.
James 1:27 (NKJV)
27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

Matthew 25:34-36 (NKJV)
34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;
36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
2. Peter puts everyone out of the room and then he prays, after he prays turns to the dead woman calling her by name and commands her to arise.
a. No reason is given for having everyone leave the room, Jesus had done the same when He raised Jairus's daughter from the dead (only his disciples and the little girls parents were allowd to be there).
(1) Possibly it involves removing those who have no faith.
(2) But it also diffuses drama; this keeps it from having any possibility to be a circus or an opportunity for showmanship.
(a) Done this way maximizes the glory given to God for the miracle.
3. Then taking her by the hand and helping her up, Peter called everyone back into the room and presented her to them alive, and you can just imagine the joy that flooded that room.
a. But also can you imagine what each heart felt towards God in those moments, if you have ever been moved by a patriotic moment or been touched when singing a song of worship, then you can begin to understand the deep stirrings of heart they must have been experiencing toward God.
(1) God is so real, and so wonderful, but it seems that we only experience this in small bytes of time, perhaps if it was other than this we would not be able to handle it. (It isn't always tangible this way for us).
C. Further Imformation
Acts 9:42-43 (NKJV)
42 And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord.
43 So it was that he stayed many days in Joppa with Simon, a tanner.
1. Again the testimony of what God had done caused many to come to faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
a. The gospel was beginning to reach a much wider audience, and these two miracles were performed in the coastal cities where there was a much larger gentile population.
2. As the chapter closes, we see that Peter stayed many days in Joppa after this miracle with a man named Simon who was a tanner.
a. This is a significant detail, and we see the effective way that Peter is being prepared for the experience he is about to have with a centurion named Cornelius.
b. Tanners were considered to be ceremonially unclean most of the time because they were constantly handling the skins of dead animal.
c. So we have three things that are preparation for what follows.
(1) The two miracles confirm Peter's ministry and that God was with him in a special way.
(2) He is ministering in an area that has a partially gentile population.
(3) Hew is living in the house of a man that is probably ceremonially unclean.
(a) Peter perhaps is unclean himself as a result.
(b) He no doubt at very least is thinking about matters of uncleanness, and thus open for what ensues.
IV. Cornelius sends for Peter
Acts 10:1-8 (NKJV)
1 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment,
2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always.
3 About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!”
4 And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?” So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.
5 Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter.
6 He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do.”
7 And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually.
8 So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa.
A. So here is a gentile man Cornelius, a centurion that is a Roman officer in charge of 100 soldiers who were part of the Italian Regiment consisting of 600 soldiers.
1. And we are told that he was a devout man who feared God, i.e. he was a righteous man who worshipped Jehovah, though probably not a full-fledged proselyte to Judaism for 11:3 indicates that he was not circumcised.
a. But he loved Jehovah and he loved the people of God (the Jews) as evidenced by the way he blessed them.
2. And while he was in prayer at about 3:00 in the afternoon he saw very clearly in a vision an angel of God coming to him calling him by name, and with fear asked the angel of God "what is it, lord?" to which the angel responds with these instructions.
“Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.

So this vision is in response to something Cornelius has been seeking from God.

5 Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter.
6 He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do.”
a. Immediately after the angel departed, Cornelius calls two of his servants and a devout soldier in, relates the details to them, and sends them to Joppa to find Peter and bring him.
V. Peter's vision and preparation.
Acts 10:9-16 (NKJV)
9 The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour.
10 Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance
11 and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth.
12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air.
13 And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”
14 But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”
15 And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.”
16 This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.
A. As the men from Caesarea neared the city Peter goes up on the housetop to pray, it is noon and while there were the common times for morning and evening prayer, Peter seems to be following the example of pious men before him such as Daniel and stops to pray at noon.
1. Being hungry and while waiting for the meal to be prepared he fell into a trance (an ecstacy) and in this trance he an object like a great sheet coming out of heaven with all kinds of critters and a voice commanding him to rise, kill and eat.
a. Peter refuses “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”
b. To which the reply comes “What God has cleansed you must not call common.”
(1) This happens three times and then the sheet is taken up into heaven again.
(2) Things in groups of three were God's way of getting Peter's attention after Peter's denial three times on the night Jesus was on trial at the house of the high priest.
(a) God is emphasizing to Peter that Jesus cleansed all goods from ceremonial uncleanness.
B. Peter summoned to Caesarea
Acts 10:17-23 (NKJV)
17 Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate.
18 And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there.
19 While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you.
20 Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.”
21 Then Peter went down to the men who had been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, “Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what reason have you come?”
22 And they said, “Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you.”
23 Then he invited them in and lodged them. On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him.
1. As Peter is pondering the vision and while they come to the door of Simon the tanner's house asking for him, the Holy Spirit speaks to Peter about these men with the instruction to go meet them, God had sent them and Peter was not to doubt anything they said.
a. They commend their master Cornelius to Peter and tell why they have been sent, being to late by this time to travel back to Caeserea Peter invites them to lodge at Simon's house for the night and leaves with them the next day for Caeserea.
(1) Some men from Joppa accompany them.
C. Peter meets Cornelius.
Acts 10:24-33 (NKJV)
24 And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends.
25 As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.
26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself am also a man.”
27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together.
28 Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.
29 Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?”
30 So Cornelius said, “Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,
31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God.
32 Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you.’
33 So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God.”
1. Cornelius confident that Peter will come (an example of faith) that he has a crowd gathered in his home to hear what God has to say through Peter to them.
a. Peter corrects Cornelius who bows to worship Peter, stating that he is just a man same as Cornelius.
2. Peter lets Cornelius and those gathered with him, the unusual way God has shown him that it is OK to be there when normally Peter would have considered unlawful.
a. And Peter asks for what reason they had sent for him, and Cornelius tell Peter of his vision and how they are all there to hear the message that God had given Peter for them.

(1) As yet Peter is not aware that he has a message, but they changes in an instant as he begins to speak to them.
D. Peter preaches to the household of Cornelius.
Acts 10:34-43 (NKJV)
34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.
35 But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.
36 The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ— He is Lord of all—
37 that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:
38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
39 And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree.
40 Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly,
41 not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.
42 And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.
43 To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”
1. As Peter opened his mouth God began to give him the message.
a. First Peter recognizes and acknowledges that God is not partial to one group of people over another.
“In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.
But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.
b. And then he preaches the gospel to them, telling them of the crucifixion and the resurrection.
E. Salvation and the Holy Spirit comes to the gentiles.
Acts 10:44-48 (NKJV)
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.
45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.
46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered,
47 “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”
48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.
1. As they heard the gospel and believed the Holy Spirit came upon them just as He had come to the Jews gathered in the upper room on the day of Pentecost
a. The Jews were astonished by this and Peter recognizing that if the Spirit of God has baptized them, then their truly is no difference between Jew and gentile and offers them baptism, after which he stays with them for a few days (unheard of...)

2. And so through Peter the door of the gospel is opened to the gentile world to whom Paul would become the Apostle to the gentiles, but the door is here opened through Peter. (witness is established by two or more and so it was necessary that two Apostles validate the opening of this door to the gentiles).
a. And most if not all of us here today are fruit from this very experience.
b. How wonderful to know that God loves us, and that He has gone to such great lengths to let us know His arm are open and we are welcome to become part of His family!