2014.05.18 Acts 9:
26- 35
Total Transformation in Christ part 2
Paul and Peter proclaim the Good News!
Good
morning! We have been talking about the total transformation that God Himself
does in the lives of men and women who repent of their sins and cry out to Him
for mercy…… Last week we continued our look at God´s transformation of Paul….. One
minute he was a persecutor…. Killing believers….. The next he was a proclaimer
of the goodness and grace of God…. One day the hunter…… the next the hunted…Paul
was totally transformed when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus……
He was a Pharisee….. very religious….. He had memorized
huge portions of the scriptures….. He was very careful to keep every little
detail of the law…. He was the perfect picture of a man of God….. But he did
not know God at all….. He pretended to be Godly….. But he knew that he was
not….. He did not Love God from his heart…. he did not love God with all of His
heart and soul and strength…
On the road to Damascus…. Paul ran into the Lord Jesus….
He ran directly into grace….You who are here this morning…. I look out here and
I see good people….. From the outside…. From what I know…. But God sees the
heart…..
You can be very religious….. you can look perfect on the
outside but be full of dead men´s bones….
That was Paul… Saul…. He knew what to do and he did it
with all of his strength…..
He was a super keeper of the law…. Outwardly perfect and
Godly…. But he was lost in his sin…. You see…. It is not what we do……. We can
never be good enough….
In here…. in his
heart….. He was a rebel who did not really understand the truth about his own
heart…. He did not see his own sin…. He did not understand the Grace and mercy
of God….
Here in this room I am afraid that we don´t really
understand the Grace of God in our lives… If you don´t understand the Grace of
God…. You don´t understand the Gospel….
As we pick up the text in Acts 9…. We will spend a few
minutes with Paul and then we will move on the see what Peter has been up
too…..
As we know…. Paul was radically transformed when he met
Jesus on the Damascus Road…. In Damascus they tried to kill him…. The disciples
let him down over the wall in a basket….. He´s the hunted now…. Turn to Acts 9…v26….
Acts
9: 26 NKJV Sch 2000
26
And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they
were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple.
26 Als nun Saulus nach Jerusalem kam, versuchte er, sich
den Jüngern anzuschließen; aber sie fürchteten ihn alle, weil sie nicht
glaubten, daß er ein Jünger sei.
Verse 26…. in the Greek grammar we see that he tried over
and over…. he tried and tried…. But they were all afraid…..
And they didn't believe he was a true Christian and a genuine disciple…… They thought that he was
a wolf in sheep's clothing…..
Acts
9:27 NKJV Sch 2000
27
But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them
how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he
had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.
27 Barnabas aber nahm ihn auf, führte ihn zu den Aposteln
und erzählte ihnen, wie er auf dem Weg den Herrn gesehen und daß dieser zu ihm
geredet habe, und wie er in Damaskus freimütig in dem Namen Jesu verkündigt
habe.
verse 27…. But Barnabus believed him and was not
afraid…. Barnabas put his arm around him
and says come on I'll take you to the Apostles… Barnabas' name means son of
encouragement and he must have been an encouragement to Saul at this point.
Acts
9: 28-30 NKJV
28
So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out. 29 And he spoke
boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists, but
they attempted to kill him. 30 When the brethren found out, they brought him
down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus.
Acts 9: 28-30 Sch 2000
28 Und er ging in Jerusalem mit ihnen aus und ein und
verkündigte freimütig im Namen des Herrn Jesus.
29 Er redete und stritt auch mit den Hellenisten; sie
aber machten sich daran, ihn umzubringen.
30 Als das aber die Brüder erfuhren, brachten sie ihn
nach Cäsarea und schickten ihn nach Tarsus.
Paul was accepted into the fellowship and was very active
in proclaiming the Good News….. But the Hellenists tried to kill him….. Paul was one of the Hellenist Jews…... Do you
remember who was the last one to preach to them? It was Stephen…… Paul picked up
right where Stephen left off…. He went
right back to the Hellenist´s Synagogue…..
He started to proclaim Jesus to them and they tried to kill him......
Thank the Lord they failed to get him and the church took him to Caesarea and put him on a ship and sent him home to
Tarsus…. verse 31….
Acts
9: 31 NKJV Sch 2000
31
Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were
edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit,
they were multiplied.
31 So hatten nun die Gemeinden Frieden in ganz Judäa und
Galiläa und Samaria und wurden auferbaut und wandelten in der Furcht des Herrn
und wuchsen durch den Beistand des Heiligen Geistes.
Paul left town and the Jews concentrated temporarily on a
new enemy…. Caligula…. He set up idols in Jerusalem…… The Jews spent all of
their anger on a new public enemy number 1…..
Notice here that first the church was edified and then it
was multiplied…... That´s the Biblical pattern for church growth….. Teach the
Word of God and love and serve the people who come….
By the way….. when Paul went to Tarsus in Cicilia…. He
continued to fearlessly proclaim the Good news to all who would listen to him….
Later in Acts we will read about the fruit of his ministry there….
Now as we continue in this text….. We are going to walk
with Peter for a while because starting with these verses all the way until we
get to Acts 13….
For the next few chapters our focus will shift to the
great lessons that we can learn from Peter…. Peter big strong bold fisherman….
Peter told the Lord Jesus at the last supper that even if everyone betrayed
him…. He would never betray Him….. That´s in Luke 22….
Peter was proud and sure of himself to the point that he
was willing to argue with the Lord Jesus…… The Lord graciously and lovingly taught Peter
Humility…..
Genuine
Humility understands the incredible Grace of God….. Me
forgiven? Impossible...... I don´t
deserve the Grace and mercy that I have received…
True Christians are humble when they look at themselves……
They see their flesh as sinful….. What we're talking about is genuine
repentance….. God resists the proud but He gives grace to the humble…… James
4:6….. James 4:10…… Humility is part of
a genuine believers character…… I can't
earn heaven…… I can't please God….. I
am what I am by the grace of God….. So we turn from sinful pride and self
achievement…. to salvation by grace
through faith alone….. We rely totally
on Christ….. totally on the Holy Spirit….. And
we give all the glory to God…… That's a true Christian……
And as we look at Peter's life…. We see that it's a lot
like Paul's life…..
They both see the power of God at work in them and jesus
working through them….. They are both totally transformed into radical
followers of Jesus…. Here in the book of
Acts and also in 2 Peter Chapter 1 we see three basic principles of effective ministry….
Three
Basic principles of Effective Ministry
1….
Genuine concern for the needs of people….
2….
Sense of Urgency…… time is short
3….
Genuine experience of conversion
Turn with me to 2 Peter 1…. Verse 12….
2
Peter 1: 12-17 NLT
12
Therefore, I will always remind you about these things—even though you already
know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught. 13 And it is
only right that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live.14 For our
Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that I must soon leave this earthly life, 15 so
I will work hard to make sure you always remember these things after I am gone.
16
For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes
17 when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the
majestic glory of God said to him, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me
great joy.”
2 Peter 1: 12-17 Neues Leben
12 Ich will euch immer wieder daran erinnern - auch wenn
ihr die Wahrheit schon kennt und fest in ihr verwurzelt seid.
13 Ja, ich glaube, dass es meine Pflicht ist, euch daran
zu erinnern, solange ich lebe.
14 Doch Jesus Christus, der Herr, hat mir gezeigt, dass
meine Tage hier auf Erden gezählt sind und dass ich bald sterben werde4.
15 Deshalb bemühe ich mich, euch dies alles noch einmal
klar vor Augen zu führen, damit ihr euch noch daran erinnert, wenn ich schon
längst nicht mehr bei euch bin.
16 Denn wir haben uns nicht etwa irgendwelche klugen
Geschichten ausgedacht, als wir euch von der Macht unseres Herrn Jesus Christus
und von seiner Wiederkehr erzählten. Nein, wir haben seine Majestät mit eigenen
Augen gesehen.
17 Er empfing von Gott, dem Vater, Ehre und Herrlichkeit,
als Gottes herrliche, hoheitsvolle Stimme rief: »Dies ist mein geliebter Sohn,
an dem ich meine Freude habe.«
Verse 12, 13….. 1….
Genuine concern…. Peter shows genuine concern for those to whom
he ministers…… He cares about them very much…. He teaches them the Word of
God…. He makes absolutely certain that they don´t forget…. He reminds them over
and over…. Stand firm in the truth…. He loved them and they listened to Him….. There
is an old saying…. I don´t remember when I first heard it but it´s very true…. People won´t care about how much you know
until they know how much you care….
verse 13,14,15….. add v14,15 to that we see urgency… 2… urgency…. Peter says, I know I don't
have much time left…. I'm going to die……
so I am working hard so that you don´t forget these
things after I´m gone….
verse 16,17…. 3….
Experience…. We were with Jesus … we heard His Words of Life…. We saw His
Glory and we saw the miracles…. We heard the voice of God saying…. This is my
beloved son… We who know and love the Lord Jesus have also seen His Glory and
Heard the very voice of God ring out loud and clear as we have studied the
Scriptures… Let´s walk with Peter
through the book of Acts and see these qualities in action…. Acts9…v 32…
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.
Acts 9: 32- 35 Sch 2000
32 Es begab sich aber, daß Petrus, als er alle besuchte,
auch zu den Heiligen hinabkam, die in Lydda wohnten.
33 Er fand aber dort einen Mann mit Namen Aeneas, der
seit acht Jahren im Bett lag, weil er gelähmt war.
34 Und Petrus sprach zu ihm: Aeneas, Jesus der Christus
macht dich gesund; steh auf und mache dir dein Bett selbst! Und sogleich stand
er auf.
35 Und alle, die in Lydda und Saron wohnten, sahen ihn;
und sie bekehrten sich zu dem Herrn.
verse
32……
Paul has gone back to Tarsus and Peter is on the road…. He´s visiting the believers in Joppa….
Peter
was involved…..Peter was on the move visiting the
believers….. He´s obeying the Lord ´s command….. feed my sheep….…. The rest of
the apostles were traveling in Samaria and Judea…... All of them were
proclaiming the Good News somewhere…. They had been radically transformed by
the Lord…. Life lesson here….
We need to get out there and Do something…. We need to join the Lord in His work….
Peter´s love and concern caused him to get involved…..
Verse
33….. Peter found Aeneas…. He was in bed paralyzed……
for eight years……. This man was really
sick and everybody knew it…..
Verse
34….. Peter said Jesus
the Christ heals you…. Get up and make your bed….….
Aeneas believed Peter and so he obeyed…. He tried to get
up and strength poured into his stiff and paralyzed body….
He had to exercise his will in response to the statement
of Peter….. This man obeyed and God
healed him completely and instantly…. And it says at the end of verse 34, he
arose immediately…..
Peter gave him a chance to obey and respond in real faith……
Jesus Christ maketh thee well." Notice
that Peter doesn't come in there and say I'm here to heal you….. He does not
exalt himself…. Jesus the Christ makes
you well…. We are here….. not in heaven…. So that we can Glorify….. God with
our lives….. living sacrifices….. it is our reasonable form of worship…. Romans
12…v 1….
Verse
35….
All who lived nearby saw him and turned to the Lord….
If you want an effective Christian life and ministry…… just do two things, get involved
in what God's already doing…. Join the Lord in His work…. and live to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ
every day..…… Time is short… Peter knew this already in our text this morning….
He saw it in the life of Paul…. The leaders of Israel have already tried to
kill Paul twice…… The church has a break at the moment…. They have peace
temporarily…. We saw that in Acts
9…v31…. But Peter knows that this is a temporary opportunity to proclaim the
Good News in relative safety….. the
window of opportunity is short…. Time is running out for Peter….. time is
running out for us too….
Nigerian
teenage girls…. They are mostly Christians…. The girls' families have
said that most of those seized are Christians…. The terrorist leaders boast
that some of the girls have converted to Islam….
Two girls on the video singled out for questioning said
they were Christians but had converted to Islam.
In the Sudan…. a pregnant
woman Doctor who married a Christian man has been sentenced to death….
Sudan…. A Khartoum court this week convicted Meriam Yehya Ibrahim, 27, of apostasy,
or the renunciation of faith.
Ibrahim is eight
months pregnant…. She is a Christian, her husband said…… But the court
considers her a Muslim……"I'm so frustrated…… I don't know what to
do," said her husband, Daniel Wani. "I'm just praying."
The court also convicted her of adultery and sentenced
her to 100 lashes because her marriage to a Christian man is considered void
under Sharia law…….
Ibrahim says she was born to a Sudanese Muslim father and an Ethiopian Orthodox mother….. Her
father left when she was age 6…… and she was raised by her mother as a
Christian…….The court warned her to renounce her Christianity by Thursday,…..
but she held firm to her beliefs and was sentenced to death…..
The person who filed the charges is her brother, who is
also a Muslim….. Because her father was Muslim, the courts considered her one
too…. which would mean her marriage to a non-Muslim man is void……
In addition to her pregnancy, the couple's 20-month-old
toddler is with her in prison, and he is getting regular ailments due to lack
of hygiene and the presence of bugs, the lawyer said.
"The fact that a woman could be sentenced to death
for her religious choice, and to flogging for being married to a man of an
allegedly different religion, is abhorrent and should never be even
considered," said Manar Idriss, Amnesty International's Sudan researcher. They
decided that she could have the baby before she is hanged….
We
are in the middle of Worldwide persecution at this moment…. Here is a famous
statement from one of the early church leaders….
"Go
on, rack, torture, grind us to powder: our numbers increase in proportion as
you mow us down. The blood of Christians
is their harvest seed." -Tertullian
(Ca. 200 A.D.)
In
the past 100 years (during the 20th Century) 26,000,000 Christians were killed
for their faith (martyred). This
is more than the combined total of all previous centuries…. These things are all still going on right now…..
and in some countries are worse than they have ever been…... It is extimated
that 200 Million Christians in 60 Countries are being persecuted in some way
today….
As I said Peter had a sense of urgency caused by the fact
that he knew that his time was short…. Turn with me to 1 Peter 4….
1
Peter 4: 7- 11 NKJV
7
But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your
prayers. 8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love
will cover a multitude of sins.” 9 Be hospitable to one another without
grumbling. 10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as
good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 If anyone speaks, let him speak
as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability
which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus
Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 4: 7- 11 Sch 2000
7 Es ist aber nahe gekommen das Ende aller Dinge. So seid
nun besonnen und nüchtern zum Gebet.
8 Vor allem aber habt innige Liebe untereinander; denn
die Liebe wird eine Menge von Sünden zudecken.
9 Seid gegeneinander gastfreundlich ohne Murren!
10 Dient einander, jeder mit der Gnadengabe, die er empfangen
hat, als gute Haushalter der mannigfaltigen Gnade Gottes:
11 Wenn jemand redet, so [rede er es] als Aussprüche
Gottes; wenn jemand dient, so [tue er es] aus der Kraft, die Gott darreicht,
damit in allem Gott verherrlicht wird durch Jesus Christus. Ihm sei die
Herrlichkeit und die Macht von Ewigkeit zu Ewigkeit! Amen.
Look at these marching orders from Peter…
V7…. Time is short…. Be serious and watchful in your
prayers…..
V8….. above all things have fervent love for each other….
For love will cover a multitude of sins…..
V9… be hospitable…
V10…. Use the gifts that God has given you for others…..
V11…… speak and minister for the Glory of God!!! AMEN
What wonderful grace…… What a man of God to serve as our
example today…. Like Paul…. Peter was also totally transformed by the Lord
Jesus …. He knew the grace of God up close and personal…. We have nothing to
boast about…. We are not special….. We did not save ourselves…. As we read in Ephesians 2… We were lost and without hope
dead in our sins….. v4 But God…..
What marks a true Christian? Genuine repentance which
turns completely away from our sin
filled hopeless condition……. We cry out to God for mercy and the salvation that only comes through God's
grace….. We cry out to Him for forgiveness….. And it´s a miracle…. He is
faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us…. Just like we read in the
scriptures….. What Good News…
We don´t really understand the incredible Grace of God….
Forgiven and redeemed….. us…. Me?….. it´s a miracle for
sure….
Peter wept bitterly when he realized that the Lord was
right about him…. He was no Great man of God….. he was loud and proud……. He
desperately needed the power of the grace of God to help him and to transform
him from the inside…. He
found himself at the foot of the cross….. weeping bitter tears of shame and
sorrow….. He found grace…… and forgiveness…. There is where he found mercy and help……
How about you and me….. When we look at the cross do we
really see ourselves…… When we look at the cross do we remember what Jesus
suffered….. Do we remind ourselves that our sin was the reason that he suffered
and died….. Do we Christians look at the cross and say we need help……
