From
Acts to Revelation
Part
26 – Aeneas and Tabitha
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House
of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org
INTRODUCTION
We are looking at the entire book of Acts,
discovering how the first church began, and operated.
We see many difficulties they endured, as
well as how they dealt with the trials and tribulations of being a new founded
group of believers.
Acts began with the ascension and command
of Christ, leading the believers to communion with the Holy Spirit. The church
then dispersed from Jerusalem, escaping the grasp of the Sanhedrin, as a
result, growing in numbers as they traveled to Judea and Samaria.
We see that Saul, with permission from the
Sanhedrin, left Jerusalem to hunt the men and women who were followers of
Christ, so they could be brought back to Jerusalem and imprisoned.
On his way, Saul met with the Lord who
revealed He was Jesus Christ.
Saul submitted to the Lord, who gave him a
command, and he obeyed, traveling to see Ananias, who had also spoken to the
Lord, and healed Saul's blindness.
Saul was then baptized, received the Holy
Spirit, and began preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
He too found himself an enemy of the Jews,
and had to escape their murderous plots by sneaking out of town, returning
first to Jerusalem, where the Apostles were slow to accept him, and afterwords
returning to his home town of Tarsus.
Today we are going to take a look at Aeneas
and Tabitha.
One who needed a healing, and the other who
gave all she had in the name of the Lord.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE
Acts 9:32-43
32 As
Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord’s people who
lived in Lydda. 33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and
had been bedridden for eight years.34 “Aeneas,” Peter said to him,
“Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas
got up. 35 All
those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.
36 In Joppa there was a
disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing
good and helping the poor. 37 About that time she became sick
and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. 38 Lydda
was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they
sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!”
39 Peter went with them, and when
he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him,
crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while
she was still with them.
40 Peter sent them all out of the
room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the
dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing
Peter she sat up. 41 He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he
called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them
alive. 42 This
became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. 43 Peter
stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.
I.
AENEAS
a. Aeneas
was found by the Apostle Peter in Lydda
i.
Was it by chance?
b. He had
been paralyzed for eight years
i.
God brings His word and His healing to all
ii.
In Matthew, Jesus says to the Disciples,
“Take the Gospel into all the world.”
iii. The
scriptures tell us in John that “He loved us first...”
iv.
God has already made the first move, we
need to respond.
c. Peter
says to him, “Jesus Christ makes you whole.”
i.
Giving all credit to the power of Jesus
Christ
ii.
In verse 35, All who saw this healing
turned to the Lord
a.
This is why it is so important to give the
Lord all the credit
1. Because
it is by His power, these things are done
2. and it
is He who should be followed
d. Then
gives Aeneas commands
i.
We see here that Peter is acting in the
same manner as Christ, giving a command so that Aeneas could be obedient.
ii.
Without a command, you cannot be obedient.
a.
Get Up
1. To
receive his healing, Aeneas had to “get up”
b.
Roll up your mat
1. Why?
2. To show
that he not only obeyed, but repented...
3. This
was a symbolic gesture. Without the mat on the ground, there would be no more
sitting there, paralyzed.
II.
TABITHA (IN SYRIAN, DORCAS IN GREEK)
MEANING GAZZELLE
a. Tabitha
was an obedient Disciple of Christ, living love.
i.
Scriptures say she was always doing good
and helping the poor
ii.
When she died, the other disciples in Joppa
sent for Peter in Lydda
b. When
Peter came, the widows were in the upper room crying
i.
They showed Peter the clothes and robes
that Tabitha had made them
c. Peter
sent them out of the room and prayed
i.
Peter then gave Tabitha a command
ii.
Tabitha, get up!
iii. She
opened her eyes, and he helped her up
d. Many in
Joppa heard of this and believed in the Lord
i.
Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a
tanner named Simon.
III. TO
RECEIVE, THERE MUST BE OBEDIENCE AND REPENTANCE
a. Two
examples of receiving miracles from the Lord
i.
One, a healing from being chained to a mat
for eight years
ii.
One, a raising from the dead
b. Two
people with a need
i.
Aeneas with a need to be freed from
captivity of being paralyzed
ii.
Tabitha with a need to be freed from death
c. Both
were given a command
i.
“Get up!”
d. Both
obeyed
e. Both
repented
i.
Aeneas repented (turn away from) his mat
ii.
Tabitha turned away from deaths bed
CONCLUSION
There are some here today who
need a miracle in their life.
There are some here like
Aeneas, who are paralyzed in their existence, sitting there day after day not
serving the Lord.
It is time for you to obey the
word of God, and do what you know the word to say and the lord to command. You
need to “Get up!”, and repent of your old ways!
There are some here, who,
though they are alive, are dead.
The real walking dead are not
imagination made into a television series, but are real people, who though from
all appearances look to be alive, are dead.
You need to “Obey” the Lord,
and repent of whatever it is in your life that is keeping you from serving like
Tabitha.
Was it by chance that Peter
came across Aeneas who was in need of a meeting with the Lord?
Was it by accident that Peter
happened to be in the town next to Tabitha's when she died?
Is it mere coincidence that you
are in need of a meeting with the Lord and you are here today hearing this
message?
If you are tired of being a
slave to your sickness, stand up.
If you are tired of being
paralyzed in your service to the Lord, stand up!
If you are tired of living and
breathing, but completely dead inside, stand up!
Obey the command, in the name
of Christ, be healed, live for Him, serve Him, and repent of the old life that
enslaved you!
