Cornerstone Mission Church, Sunday Sermon May 25, 2008
It has been a while since we saw Peter in action in the book of Acts. The last time we saw him in major action was back in chapter 5. Following the tragic story of pride Ananias and his wife Sapphira, we saw Peter preaching in spite of the growing persecution in Jerusalem. Even after being flogged, his attitude along other apostles was that of “rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name” and he “never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.”
Chapter 6-7 is all about the story of Stephen, his evangelistic effort at the cost of being stoned to death. Chapter 8 was about the story of Philip’s evangelic effort. And, chapter 9 introduced us to Saul, the chief persecutors of Christians and how he became a Christian.
Finally, we now see Peter in action after being out of the picture in the last four chapters. This doesn’t mean Peter wasn’t active in the last four chapters. Peter likely was very action with teaching and proclaiming about Jesus Christ. It just that Luke focused on telling the stories involving Stephen, Philip and Saul.
Chapter 9:32 and on, Luke again tells the story of Peter. Verse 32 says that he was traveling about the country and “went to the saints in Lydda.” Lydda was located twenty-five miles northwest of Jerusalem at the intersection of the highways from Egypt to the South to Syria to the North. And, about 10 miles northwest was Jappa where Peter also visited.[1]
- Called to be saints, not by what we have done, but by everything God has done.
Here in verse 32, I noticed another designated term used by Luke to describe Christians. He called them, “the saints,” “the holy ones,” or “set apart ones.” It was also used in verse 13 as well. And, another time you see it being used is in Acts 26:10 when Paul recounted how he used to persecute the saints. Luke only used three times in Acts, which isn’t a lot. But, this doesn’t mean it isn’t important designation.
The story of Peter with Aeneas and Tabitha as known also as Dorcas is preceded by the crucial turning point that unleashed Christianity beyond the boundary of Jerusalem into the Gentile world. The major turning point occurred in the story of Peter with Cornelius. What we will discover is that the greatest hindrance to outward expansion of Christianity beyond the inner Jewish circle was the issue of holiness, what makes a person holy or saintly. Since the turning point involved understanding what holiness really is the reference to believers as saints here in 9:32 is important.
Since Peter traveled to Lydda specifically to visit the saints and there Peter found a man named Aeneas, it is not unreasonable to think that Aeneas was a believer of Jewish descendant.
This man too was called a saint. But, for this man, the last eight years before Peter stepped into his life with the power of Jesus Christ to heal was marked by paralysis that bound him to his bed. The healing story of Aeneas doesn’t promise that everyone can be healed as he was. Such miraculous healings do occur, yet is far from being the norm.
Here is an important fact about this man. If indeed it is right that this man was a believer, before the healing took place, he was called a saint and after the healing took place, he still was a saint. The physical healing was more of icing on the cake. It didn’t add anything more to the reality of who he was already in Christ. Before he could stand up on his feet, do things for himself, be active physically, be able to help others, be useful and tangible contributors in the society, he was dependant on others, he was at the mercy of those who would take care of him, yet his disability and dependence on others for help didn’t make him less of a saint than after he was healed of his paralysis.
When we think of saints, the image that is evoked in our mind is of that person who is actively engaged in doing good works for others. Yet, here was a man considered a saint when he couldn’t do much good works for others, not alone do much for himself.
What this tells us is that being saints is not by what we do or what we can do for others or for ourselves, but by everything that God has done, is doing and will do in Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit. A theological dictionary says it this way, “This was primarily not an ethical expression but a parallel to concepts like “called” (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:1), “elect” (Rom. 8:33; Col. 3:12) and “faithful” (Col 1:2). It implies association with the Holy Spirit… “You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:11; cf. 2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Pet. 1:1 f.)”[2] It also says, “holiness implies a relationship with God which is expressed… through the fact that believers are “led” by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:14)”[3] Romans 8:14 says, “those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”
The image of saints that develops when you study the word of God is the one who is solidly grounded in what God has done, is doing and will do. It is about our trust in God who sent Jesus Christ to die for us, who raised him from the dead to be the resurrection power for us, who sent the Holy Spirit to be our counselor, our guide, our ever presence of God.
So, ultimately being saints is not about us, it is all about God. For Aeneas, being a saint was not defined by being useful to the society, doing good works actively. It if was so, he couldn’t be a saint for his disability prevented him from actively carrying out good works. He was a saint because he trusted in God.
The healing was an icing to the cake. It was the outward expression of what God was already doing in Aeneas. Although he was bound by paralysis, his mind, his heart, his spirit, his life was not paralyzed by disability. He was indeed a free man no longer enslaved to the power of sin, but now freed to serve God. The physical healing was in David Gooding’ word, “an exhibition of supernatural physical power that advertised reality of the risen Christ... point to Christ’s ability to empower all his people; in the metaphorical language of Hebrews 12:12-13, to reinvigorate their drooping hands and paralyzed knees.”[4] Hebrew 12:12-13 reads, “Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.”
- Saints expresses the reality of the risen Christ with action.
Yes, it is true that being called saints has everything to do with what God has done for us, is doing for us and will do for us. The story of Aeneas points to this truth. Yet, it doesn’t stop there. As Hebrews 12:12-13 reads, the power of the risen Christ is genuinely felt and working in us, what we are going to see is soon or later the power of God working in us to make difference in others.
Again quoting from David Gooding, he says, “True saintliness will sooner or later begin to make its presence felt; for it is not a form of weakness, encouraging people to remain in spiritual immature dependence on others, all the while obsessed with “difficulties” and “problems.” True saintliness is positive, vigorous, active, maturely self-supporting, and able spiritually to stand on its own feet.”[5]
Consider the story of Tabitha, aka Dorcas. Her Hebrew name Tabitha and here Greek translation Dorcus both mean “gazelle.” In Song of Songs 2:9 and 8:9, “Gazelle” was the metaphor for “beloved”[6] a fitting description when you consider the scene at her death in verse 39. In Joppa, no widows were untouched by Tabitha. When Peter came to the room where the body of Tabitha laid having been washed, he saw her body surrounded by all the widows who lives were deeply touched by this saint. They were crying and showing Peter the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was till with them.” Perhaps, some of them were wearing the clothes this saint made for them.[7] Verse 36 describes her as one who was always doing good and helping the poor. Her true saintliness was not disguised under the pretence of goodness. Her goodness, her love, her kindness, her care, all that was true about her inside because of the Spirit’s indwelling made its presence felt tangibly and practically.
The truth is that saintliness is found in God; it has everything to do with what God, but it doesn’t stop there. Here was a woman who trusted in Christ deeply, who trusted the Spirit’s leadership, who was socked in the heavenly Father’s love; the life of God was in her. And, the life of God could not be contained in her as the light cannot be contained in darkness. Soon or later, she was gripped by what broke God’s heart. She opened her eyes and saw with God’s eyes the hurting, needed widows around her.
A Woman’s Study Bible notes that Joppa, a beautiful city situated on the Mediterranean coast, saw numerous husbands and fathers hip off into the dangers of perilous waters. Many men would never make it back from the sea leaving behind them widows and orphans in dire needs.[8] You see, this woman was gripped by God’s grace. Her state of saintliness had nothing to do with what she had done, but had everything to do with God’s grace. She was in need of salvation and God came and saved her. She was in need of true meaning and God came and gave her the meaning of life. She was lonely and her creator came and fulfilled her. She was unhappy and God came and became her joy. Because she was so gripped by God’s grace, when she saw needs, the brokenness, sadness around her, her heart couldn’t remain still.
When God’s grace grips our hearts, God’s grave moves our hearts after his heart; and our hands, our feet, our money, our time, our effort, our life are moved to God’s heart. God’s grace working in her couldn’t be contained. That is that nature of God’s grace. It is like virus. Once you are infected by it, it spreads throughout the body quickly, multiplying and occupying all corners of body and making its presence be known.
Dorcas was sick with God’s grace. The symptoms of this sickness with God’s grace was pouring her life into caring for the heartbroken, financially strapped, disadvantaged and marginalized.
When we think of being saints, many of you may have the picture of holiness in the sense of staying away from what tarnishes holiness.
In the forests of northern Europe and Asia lives a small animal called the ermine. It is also known as short tailed weasel or stoat. Normally, it has a rich medium brown with an off-white belly. But, in winter at places that experience an inch or more of snow for forty days and more, the fur color changes to clean white. And, this white fur is known as “ermine.” Ermine with its clean white fur has been used as a symbol of purity in Europe. Legend had it that an ermine would die before allowing its pure white coat to be dirty.[9] Fur hunters would home of the ermine by clefts and rocks or hollow old trees. They would smear the entrance and inside of the home with grime. Then the hunters would set their dogs loose and chase the ermine. When the frightened ermine flees toward home, it won’t enter it because of filth. So, instead of risking the pristine and pure white coat from being soiled, it would allowed itself be trapped by the dogs and be captured.
This is one aspect of holiness. Where God resides, it must be holy and clean place. We understand this well.
Yet, where as Christians we fail is not so much in this area of holiness in the sense of staying away from negative things, but expressing positively of God’s grace.
Let’s pray that our lives will be full of God’s grace so that we stand by God’s grace and work by God’s grace.
[1] EBCNT, Acts 9:32.
[2] NIDNTT, G41
[3] NIDNTT, G41
[4] David Gooding, True to the Faith, 158.
[5] Ibid., p 159.
[6] .Darrell Bock, Acts: Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, 377.
[7] Ibid., p. 378.
[8]Thomas Nelson, I. (1997, c1995). Woman's study Bible . (Ac 9:43). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[9] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoat
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