The Word Made Plain

Guest (Male): Welcome to The Word Made Plain with Senior Pastor Tony Clark of Calvary Chapel Newport News in Virginia. Currently, Pastor Tony is teaching a study in the book of Acts. Please open your Bibles to Acts chapter nine, verses 32 through 35.

Tony Clark: This is exciting. Let’s dive into the word of God together. Turn with me in your Bibles to Acts chapter nine as we continue our verse-by-verse study of the word of God. We find ourselves in chapter nine. We're going to be looking at verses 32 to 35. The title of this message is "Saint Or Ain't." This is part one.

Now, there are a lot of misconceptions and misunderstandings about what a saint is. There are some people who believe that a saint is a super-perfect person. But by definition, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness or likeness or closeness to God. However, as we study the Bible, we would see that a saint is just another name for a believer. That's all it is—a believer in Jesus Christ. It speaks of our position before God that we are a saint.

In verses 32 and verse 41, we see the Christians in the city of Lydda and Joppa were called saints for the first time. There's a law of interpretation—biblical interpretation—called the law of the first mention. You find where a phrase or a word is first mentioned in the Bible and you can trace the meaning of it throughout the scriptures. You find the place that it's first mentioned. Well, the word saint is mentioned for the very first time in the book of Acts in verse 32 and verse 41.

So, we will see what a saint does and doesn't do. This way we can see if we're a saint or we ain't. In other words, we will be looking at the practical side of being a saint—what saints do or believers do. We're going to see this. Now, the last time we were together, we saw how the believers in Jerusalem had to send Saul back home to the city of Tarsus because everywhere he went, people wanted to kill him.

Why? Because he went from killing Christians to becoming one himself. And what happened when he left town? Verse 31 says, "Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified." Now, for the next three chapters, the focus is about to be on the apostle Peter. We last saw him in chapter eight and verse 25, when he returned to Jerusalem with John from the revival that was taking place in the city of Samaria.

Look at what it says there in verse 32. It says, "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." I want to draw your attention to the first phrase, "Now it came to pass." This phrase is used to speak of a certain amount of time that has passed. But I want to take a little liberty here to use this phrase to bring comfort to someone who is going through a tough time.

Be of good cheer, for the hardship, the difficulty, the trial that you are presently going through will not last. It came to pass. It is only here for a season. It came and it’s going to pass. That teenager that is giving you trouble is still growing. Meaning that they won't remain a teenager forever. That toddler will grow up. That toddler will grow up. It came to pass. Just think about the intense trial you were facing five years ago, 10 years ago, three years ago. You probably can't remember what it was because it came to pass.

And so be encouraged today because your present situation will not be here all the time. It came and it's going to pass. It really is. I know you're in the midst of it and you're like, "Will this ever be over?" It will. It will be over. It's not always going to be raining out. The sun is going to come out. It came and it’s going to pass. Let’s look at verses 32 to 35.

"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. And there he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years and was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, 'Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed.' Then he arose immediately. So all who dwelt in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord."

In these verses, we see Peter went through all parts of the country, taking full advantage of the collapse of the recent persecution headed up by Saul, who was now a believer. This shows us that Peter was a man on the move, a man looking for opportunities to be used by God. The same is true today when the Lord wants to use a man or woman. He will use someone who, like Peter, is on the move, looking for ways to serve Him, looking for opportunities to minister.

Peter was like Isaiah when the Lord asked him in Isaiah 6:8, "Whom shall I send and who will go for us?" Isaiah answered, "Here am I, send me." What we see here with Isaiah and with Peter is that they were available. The first quality of a saint is that they are available for God's use. Are you available for God's use? I put emphasis on God's use because we are available for everything but for God's use.

We're available for work. We're available to go on dates. We're available for social media. We're available for our children and the myriad of activities that they have. But are we available for God's use? If God were to say to you like He did Isaiah, "Whom shall I send?" many of you would say, "Not me. I got too much going on in my life. I got too much happening," instead of, "Here am I, send me."

It is still true that the greatest ability is availability. Peter made himself available by going through all parts of the country. And then he came to notice the saints who dwelt in Lydda. Now, the city of Lydda was known in the Old Testament as Lod, according to 1 Chronicles 8:12. It was 10 miles southeast of the seacoast city of Joppa. It was an important place since the roads from Egypt to Syria and from Joppa to Jerusalem passed through the city of Lydda.

Today, it is the location of Israel's International Airport. And when Peter arrived there, verse 33 says that he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years and was paralyzed. The use of the term "certain man" in contrast with the description of Dorcas in verse 36 as a "certain disciple" suggests to us that Aeneas was maybe not a believer.

Luke, the author, doesn't tell us what was the cause of his paralysis but just said that he was paralyzed for eight years. I believe that Aeneas is alive and well today in many of your lives. You protest and say, "Hey, I'm not paralyzed." Oh no. Many of you have been paralyzed like Aeneas by some unfortunate event that happened to you eight years ago that has left you paralyzed with fear ever since.

Maybe it was eight months ago or eight weeks ago and it has left you paralyzed, unable to move forward in life, unable to move into a new relationship because the last relationship left you paralyzed, unable to move anymore, unable to do the things that God would want you to do. Oh, for some of you it has left you like Aeneas—not only paralyzed but bedridden, like verse 33 says. It takes everything in you to get out of bed from day to day.

And if it were not for your children, you would not get out of bed at all because of the traumatic event that took place eight years ago. So what do you do if you find yourself in this condition? Listen to what Peter said in verse 34. He told him in verse 34, "Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make up your bed." Then he immediately arose. There are a lot of you who need to hear this word. Jesus the Christ heals you.

Jesus wants to heal you of your bedridden, paralyzed condition. Isaiah 53:5 says, "By his stripes we are healed," meaning what Jesus experienced with the whipping and what He endured on the cross provides healing for us today. David taught us in Psalm 23:3, "He restores our soul." The Hebrew word for "restores" is "Shubh." It's an amazing Hebrew word. It means to turn back or to retreat.

In other words, God has a way of causing our souls to retreat from the place of despair and hopelessness and causes them to return back to the place of hope and joy. Who does this for us? David said "He." This pronoun points back to the subject, "the Lord," in verse one. Only God can restore our souls when we have been paralyzed and bedridden by life's crippling events.

And so Peter tells Aeneas in verse 34, "Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make up your bed." I believe this is a word for somebody today. You need to arise and make up your bed. Open up your curtains, let some sunlight in spiritually and physically. Make your bed and stop allowing Satan to keep you in your crippling, bedridden condition. I was thinking about this last night.

Last night, the Lord kept wanting to draw me into my office. And I'm like, "Lord, you know the Warriors-Boston Celtics game is on. Lord, I want to see the game." And the Lord said, "Okay." So I'm watching the game. It just kept, "Okay." And I went into my office and the Lord reminded me of a crippling event in my own life. Watch this. That took place eight years ago that almost crippled me to the point where I was ready to leave the ministry.

So you're not listening to someone who doesn't understand what it means to go through a crippling event that left me spiritually bedridden where I couldn't move. I was ready to toss in the towel, ready to give it all up. And the Lord said, "That was eight years ago." So I know what it's like to be crippled. I know what it's like to be bedridden where you don't want to get up. Life has just beat you down to where you don't want to move anymore.

I've been there and the Lord had to tell me to arise. Make up your bed. Get up out of that bed. I still continued on with life but I continued on in a bedridden, crippled, paralyzed condition. And the Lord had to minister to me, had to tell me to make my bed. And you may be thinking, "Pastor Tony, I can't. It's just too hard." Aeneas could have said the same thing to Peter. "Arise and make up your bed?" And he could have said, "Peter, maybe you don't realize how long I've been in this condition. Let me give you a little background. It's been eight years."

And you're telling me just to get up right now? "Don't you think if I could get up, I just would have gotten up maybe eight years ago?" He could have easily have given him that excuse and remained in his paralyzed condition another eight years. But the end of verse 34 says, "Then he arose immediately." He didn't give any excuses. He arose immediately. He didn't hesitate nor drag his feet. He arose immediately. He didn't give a bunch of excuses. He arose immediately.

Something else I want to bring to your attention regarding the characteristics or the qualities of a saint. They are not only available but number two, they point people to Jesus. Notice who he said was the one who healed Aeneas: Jesus Christ heals you. We must exalt Jesus Christ and not promote ourselves. Peter understood where the attention should be put on and that is Jesus. We get characters who come to our church all of the time, promoting themselves and their ministry, constantly giving us their spiritual resumes and constantly trying to impress us with their spiritual credentials.

And I look at them and I say to myself, "They won't be here long," because as soon as they see us not giving them special seating and privileges and apple juice to drink—you know, they leave and go somewhere else where they can promote themselves and be a big fish in a small pond. It's just not what we do here. I'm not sitting in special seating and all that kind of stuff. The only special seat I sit in is for security reasons. So my back is not to some door so I can see folks coming in who think they're going to fool around. That's the only special seat I would get.

So, Peter tells Aeneas, "Jesus the Christ heals you." And seeing that you will not need that bed any longer, make up your bed. And your bed could be the bed of affliction, it could be your bed of depression—your crippling bed. Someone needs to make their bed because Jesus the Christ heals you. This healing was so widespread that verse 35 says, "So all who dwelt in Lydda and the city of Sharon," which was to the north, "saw him and turned to the Lord."

Oh, I loved, I want to draw your attention to the phrase "turned to the Lord." In Greek, it’s "Epistrepho." It's a great word. It means to turn around. Which means that salvation is more than just believing the right things about God, but it also affects the way we live. Your whole life will be turned around. And this can happen to you as well where people will turn to the Lord by watching your life.

See, there are many unbelievers who are watching you go through crippling situations and they are watching to see how you're going to go through it—whether you're going to come through it bitter or better. You had a lot to say to them when they were paralyzed and bedridden with their situation. Now they are not only watching you, but they are also listening to what is coming out of your mouth.

This is what happened to Paul and Silas in Acts chapter 16, verses 25 to 34. After they were arrested and beaten for preaching about Jesus Christ, they were put into prison. Acts 16:25 says, "But at midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God." And watch this, here's the phrase, "And the prisoners were listening to them." See, people are not only watching you, but they want to see what comes out of your mouth when you're mistreated or put in a prison situation.

Are you going to murmur and complain and badmouth God or are you going to sing hymns to God like you told them to do when they were in their prison situation? When they were paralyzed and bedridden, you told them to pray and sing worship songs. Okay, now they're listening to you, Mr. or Ms. Saint. Is your Christianity real or is it just all talk for other people?

And so Peter made himself available for God's use. And look at how God used him. All we have to do is make ourselves available for God to use and He will bring us in contact with people like Aeneas. These people, Aeneas, they're all around us. They're all—all we got to do is make ourselves available for God's use. He'll show us the Aeneas that's near you and the Aeneas that is near me.

You know, it's funny. There's a guy I knew from the gym that I go to and he's paralyzed on one side. And I was here, I come here to pray every day at noon. So I got done. It's around one or so, a little bit after one. And so I leave to get in my car and take off. He lives in the neighborhood right behind the church. And so he had his cane. He was making his way to the bus stop, coming across our parking lot right when I was leaving.

And the Lord said, "Go and pick him up and take him wherever he needs to go." I said, "Lord, I'm ready to get to the house. Lord, come on. I've been here. I'm ready to get home, maybe get in a workout myself." And then I said, "If I don't do it, I'm going to be kicking myself, feeling guilty all the way home." I said, "Okay." I went over. I said, "Hey, bro! Hey, man!" He recognized me, of course.

I said, "Bro, where you going? Going to the gym?" He said, "No, I ain't going to the gym. I'm going to Walmart." I said, "Okay, bro. Let me get on in and I'll take you." And right when he got in, his bus came but I said, "Come on, I got you, bro. Let's go." Had a chance to talk to him and that sort of thing. But see, here's the thing. You make yourself available for God's use. He'll show you the Aeneas all around you. They're all around us.

I mean, he was almost literally an Aeneas. And he said he didn't need any help. I said, "Bro, let me—you need some help getting in here? Let me help you get in." He said, "Nope, nope." He said, "I do all this myself." I said, "Let me help you get out." "Nope, do it all myself." I said, "Okay, bro. Take care." You know, I said, "Now you're walking distance from the church now. I mean, you just walk, bro. You see us? We're right here."

And so we talked and—but see, these people are all around us. If you just make yourself available. I could have easily just said, "I got to get to the house." But then I say, "I'm available for you, God." And God would have said, "Well, why weren't you available to pick that man up like I told you the other day?" Peter's availability led him to being used in a greater way that we have to wait until God's will next week for us to see. Because God used him even greater. When you make yourself available for God's use and He uses you, He sees that you were available, He's going to use you in a greater way. He said, "I can count on them." And we got to wait and see, because it’s going to be a great thing.

Let me wrap it up with this. Saint or ain't? We saw the first characteristic of a saint is that they make themselves available for God's use. Peter did and Isaiah did. Go to God this week and say, "Here am I, Lord, send me," and see how He will open up your eyes to see the Aeneas around you. But first God will have to deal with some issues in your life first, like He did Isaiah. Oh, we love to quote that "Here am I, Lord, send me." But see, when you look at the context of chapter six of Isaiah, God had to take the coals from the altar and had to touch his lips. And then Isaiah said—notice Isaiah said, "Oh, woe is me. I'm undone. I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips."

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