Acts 10:1

And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda. And there he found a certain man named Aeneas, which had kept his bed eight years and was sick of palsy. And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ makes thee whole. Arise and take thy bed. And he rose immediately... Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and alms deeds... But Peter put them all forth and kneeled down and prayed, turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes... and he gave her his hand and lifted her up... presented her alive.

Two miracles, a Roman centurion, and a sheet from heaven—God proving that He is no respecter of persons.

Peter Sent Out into the Work

We saw previously how God worked a miraculous work in the life of Saul of Tarsus, that great persecutor of the church, who has now come to the knowledge of the truth and yielded to Christ Jesus as Lord. Last week, in chapter 9, verse 31, we read that the churches had rest throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria. They were edified, walking in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit, and they were multiplied.

Now we get a glimpse into the missionary work of the apostle Peter. Often when we think of the book of Acts, we think of the missionary journeys of Paul, yet here we see what God was doing in and through Peter. The persecution has died down, an open door has appeared, and Peter is moving out doing ministry throughout Judea and Samaria.

This contrasts with what we saw earlier in Acts 5:16, where people brought the sick and demon-possessed to the apostles at Jerusalem and they were all healed. Back then, the people were brought to the apostles; now we see God sending the apostles out. And we will see that the Lord uses Peter to be the apostle who brings the gospel to the Gentiles—just as in Acts 2 he was used principally to bring it to the Jews.

The Keys of the Kingdom

This reminds us of Matthew 16, near Caesarea Philippi, where Jesus asked, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this unto you, but my Father which is in heaven... and I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom."

From that verse many have built the idea that Peter stands at the pearly gates with the keys, and that you must go to him for entrance. If you visit the great cathedrals of Europe, you can always pick out Peter because he holds the keys. I have a photo from St. Peter's Basilica of a huge statue of Peter with curly hair and two golden keys in his hand. But the Scriptures don't teach that he guards the gates.

What Jesus did say is significant. Many commentators understand that Peter was used by God with those keys to open the gospel to the Jew first, and then, as we'll see in Acts 10, to the Gentile. He was used to see the Holy Spirit fall upon those at Pentecost, and we will see it again here today.

What It Means to Be a Saint

As Peter passes through Judea, he comes to "the saints which dwelt at Lydda." This is the first time in the New Testament that members of the body of Christ are called saints. We tend to think of statues and cathedrals and the saints the Catholic Church reveres, but that is not the biblical idea.

The word saint comes from the Greek hagios, meaning set apart, holy, or consecrated. The saints were clearly set apart, different from the rest of the world, consecrated unto the Lord. Last week I mentioned vessels of honor consecrated to God—even the vessel in my house consecrated only for our dog's use. In the same way, we are to be consecrated to our God for His use. That is what a saint is.

Aeneas Made Whole—In Jesus' Name

There at Lydda, Peter found a man named Aeneas who had been bedridden with palsy for eight years. We don't know exactly what ailed him, but it had lasted a long time. Peter said, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ makes you whole. Arise and make your bed," and he rose up immediately. The word translated "whole" speaks both spiritually and physically. Aeneas appears to have been a saint—made whole in his soul—and now he was made whole in body.

This is like the earlier healing at the temple gate called Beautiful, where Peter said, "Silver and gold have I not, but what I do have I give unto you in the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk." In both cases, when Peter was used to heal, he always did so in the name of Jesus. He used no power of his own, for he had none. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3, "we are not sufficient of ourselves... but our sufficiency is of Christ."

This is why I become concerned when I hear of healing ministries attached to the name of some preacher or revivalist, because in the Scriptures it was always Jesus' name attached to any healing. If God ever uses you to pray for someone and they are healed, it is His power and strength, not your own. It is our faith in Him that brings about His working.

Do We Still See Such Healings?

Some ask, why aren't we seeing such healings today? In this church right now there are many who have experienced physical healings. But more than that, every one of you has experienced the wholeness found in Christ on a spiritual and emotional level. We once were lost but now are found, once blind but now we see. "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me." Our God makes us whole.

Next week, Pastor Jeff Jackson will be with us. Ask him whether he believes in miraculous healing. Years ago he was diagnosed with ALS—Lou Gehrig's disease—and God has miraculously healed him. The medical community says he was simply misdiagnosed, but the Christian community recognizes that Christ Jesus has made him whole.

If you long to see God move miraculously, I'd encourage you to do what Peter did: he "passed throughout all quarters." Get out of America; go into the uttermost parts. As a nation we are fixed upon medical technology—just listen to the news; everything is healthcare. When we get sick, our first thought is to call the doctor, and by our actions we essentially say, "We don't need God; we've got Kaiser or Blue Shield." But in the uttermost parts, where they don't have these things, there is a much clearer reliance upon God, and missionaries will tell you they have seen Him heal as we see in Acts.

Miracles Are for God's Glory

Note the response: "All they that dwelt at Lydda and in Sauron saw him, and they turned to the Lord." This is the result of God's work every time we see it. Some think Jesus came to heal people, but if that were His primary purpose He would have started a hospital. Instead He started a church, because He came to preach the gospel.

In the early chapters of Mark, many were healed in Capernaum, yet not all. The next morning Jesus withdrew to pray, and His disciples came looking for Him because multitudes of the sick had gathered to be healed. But Jesus said, "Let's go into the other towns... I have come to preach the gospel." Throughout the gospels and Acts, God used the miraculous strategically to bring glory to Himself and to send forth His word.

When we studied the gospel of John—built upon seven "I am" statements and seven miracles—I kept telling you that Jesus' works proved His message. The works substantiated the words. Here again, the work was performed, and the people of Lydda turned to God.

Tabitha Raised at Joppa

At Joppa, about nine miles northwest of Lydda on the Mediterranean coast, there was a disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is Dorcas—both names mean a gazelle. She was "full of good works and alms deeds, which she did." Circle "which she did." She was a servant who tended the physical needs of the widows, well-loved by the believers there, and God took note of it.

She fell sick and died. They washed her body and laid her in an upper chamber. As was the custom then—and still is in many Middle Eastern nations—burial happened the same day. Since Lydda was near, the disciples sent two men to Peter, urging him not to delay. He came, and the widows stood weeping, showing the coats and garments Dorcas had made.

Peter put them all out, kneeled down, prayed, and turning to the body said, "Tabitha, arise." She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up, and he gave her his hand and lifted her up. This echoes Jairus's daughter in the gospels, where Jesus put out the mourners, took Peter, James, and John inside, and said, "Talitha cumi"—"little girl, arise." Peter had seen it with his own eyes, and now he does much the same. The result: "It was known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord."

When God Does Not Heal

God performs miracles as He wills. Back in Acts 7, when Stephen was stoned, God did not intervene to heal or revive him. Why did God raise Tabitha but not Stephen? Many struggle with this—that God does not always work the way we want or expect, and His ways are beyond our finding out.

But let me submit to you: if you could wrap your mind around God, if you could fully understand Him, He would not be powerful enough to be God. He works in ways we do not understand and that are sometimes hard to grasp.

Consider John the Baptist. He had spoken words that were religiously right but politically incorrect, and Herod threw him into prison. John had pointed to Jesus and said, "Behold the Lamb of God." Yet like any Jew of his day, he likely expected the Messiah to overthrow Rome and establish His kingdom. Sitting in a cell awaiting a trial he would never get, John sent two disciples to ask, "Are you the one, or should we seek another?" I believe John was having a crisis of faith.

Jesus answered, "Go tell John: the blind see, the lame walk, and the poor have the gospel preached unto them," and then, powerfully, "Blessed are you if you're not offended with me." Some of you may be offended with God because He did not meet your expectation. You prayed for a friend or family member, and they didn't get better. It may never make sense in this life, but I guarantee one day it will. God knows what He's doing. Stephen's death was used to bring Saul to faith; the raising of Tabitha will be used to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. If we can lean upon and trust that plan, we will find great strength.

Peter at the House of Simon the Tanner

Peter tarried many days in Joppa with one Simon the Tanner. A tanner worked hides, and to the Jews a tanner was unclean because of his profession. The law required his home to be a certain distance from everyone else; he lived a separate life. A woman betrothed to a man who turned out to be a tanner could void the betrothal—that's how undesirable it was. Yet here is Peter staying in the house of an unclean tanner. You can visit Joppa today, where they believe they've found the house, by the only fresh-water well outside the city, since a tanner needed fresh water.

Cornelius the Centurion

Thirty miles north, in Caesarea, was a certain man called Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian band. Caesarea was a beautiful Roman merchant city and fortress; you can still see its ancient ruins by the sea. The Italian band came directly from Italy and was believed to be the most elite and most loyal to Rome. To a Jew of Peter's day, this man—leader of one of the most loyal Roman cohorts, in occupied Israel—was enemy number one.

Yet we read that he was "a devout man and one who feared God with all his house, and he gave much alms to the people and prayed to God always." He was a God-fearer who believed in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. About the ninth hour, three in the afternoon, he saw a clear vision of an angel saying, "Cornelius." God called him by name. Cornelius looked on him and was afraid—imagine the battles a centurion had faced, yet in the presence of an angel he trembled. "What is it, Lord?" The angel said, "Your prayers and your alms are come up for a memorial before God."

God Takes Note

That verse may be a great joy to you this morning, or one of the scariest you've read. God takes note of how we pray and what we give. There is coming a day when we will stand before Him and give an account of every thought, word, deed, and action—how we used our time, our intellect, the things He gave us. The earth is the Lord's, and everything is His; we are merely stewards. The question is how we are using it. I don't say this to scare you or to get you to give more—it applies to our time, energy, and intellect, not just money. But God keeps an account.

The angel told Cornelius to send men to Joppa for Simon Peter, lodging with Simon the tanner by the seaside. Notice: God sent an angelic being, but He would use a man to preach the gospel. Paul says God has chosen to use the foolishness of preaching, the weak things of this world. If God wanted, He could peel open the ceiling and say, "Hello, I'm God, follow me." Instead He uses men. This also put the ball in Cornelius's court—he was already a seeker, and God gave him specific directions without making it difficult. Cornelius immediately, wasting no time, sent two household servants and a devout soldier.

Peter's Vision on the Housetop

The next day, before noon, the men drew near to Joppa. Peter had gone up on the housetop to pray about the sixth hour. In those days housetops had patio areas where people relaxed and ate, especially in the heat. He became very hungry. Have you noticed that when you set aside time to pray or read the Bible, you're suddenly distracted—you're hungry, the phone rings, you remember a bill?

C.S. Lewis captured this in The Screwtape Letters, where a senior demon tells his nephew Wormwood to keep reminding the client of the physical, the natural—every time he starts something spiritual, remind him he's hungry. The enemy does that, and I'm glad Peter, "the first pope," struggled with it too.

While they made ready his food, Peter fell into a trance and saw heaven open. God was working in two places at once—in Cornelius's heart in Caesarea, and now preparing Peter, first by lodging him with an unclean tanner. A great sheet descended, knit at the four corners, filled with all manner of beasts, creeping things, and birds—clean and unclean, kosher and non-kosher alike. A voice said, "Rise, Peter, kill and eat."

Peter said, "Not so, Lord." Those three words don't go together. Any of you with a military background know you don't tell a superior officer, "Not so, sir." But Peter was accustomed to this—in Matthew 16:22, when Jesus said He would be killed, Peter said, "No, no, no, not so, Lord." Here again Peter tries to clue God in: "I have never eaten anything common or unclean"—while staying in the house of an unclean man. The voice came again: "What God has cleansed, that call not common or unclean." This was done three times, then the vessel was taken back up.

"Go With Them, Doubting Nothing"

While Peter sat doubting what the vision meant, the men from Cornelius arrived at the gate, asking for him. The Spirit said, "Behold, three men seek you. Arise, go with them, doubting nothing, for I have sent them."

This is a common problem for us. New believers often obey instantly—the Bible says, "Do not be drunk with wine," and they say, "All right, I won't get drunk." But meet a Christian of twenty years, and they read something and say, "Oh, that can't mean what it says—I'll have to correlate it with the Old Testament, parse the Greek, see what Matthew Henry says." The longer some walk with the Lord, the more they delay obedience by questioning the things of God. It's dangerous. God desires our obedience.

Notice how God simply told Cornelius once—and he obeyed instantly. He told Peter, and Peter said, "Wait a minute, Lord." So God spelled it out: "Three men are looking for you. Go with them. I've sent them." Peter went down and said, "I am he whom you seek. Why have you come?" They told him about Cornelius, "a just man, one that fears God, of good report among all the nation of the Jews," warned by a holy angel to send for Peter.

"God Is No Respecter of Persons"

Peter went to Caesarea, where Cornelius had gathered his kinsmen and friends. When Peter arrived, Cornelius fell at his feet to worship him. Peter took him by the hand: "Stand up; I myself also am a man." He acknowledged it was unlawful for a Jew to keep company with another nation, "but God has showed me that I should not call any man common or unclean."

Then Peter opened his mouth and said, "Of truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons." Star that and put an exclamation point next to it. Peter had been a respecter of persons; the Jewish people had been. And we are too. We may say we're not prejudiced, yet we naturally identify with people who look like us, talk like us, smell like us, and rarely venture beyond those bonds.

A friend, Eric, once told me as we drove down the street, "Apart from Jesus, you and me would never be friends." It's true. Apart from Jesus you'd never have met the person sitting next to you. Back in Genesis 11, the people divided among those who spoke the same language when God confused the tongues, and we've stayed that way ever since—until this great experiment, the United States, this melting pot. As I look around, I see all kinds of races, nationalities, and people groups gathered as one in Christ, because God is not a respecter of persons. God's desire is for all nations, which is why He has called us to go into all the world.

Beyond Our Comfort Zone

We usually don't struggle much with different races or nationalities, but we do struggle with different subcultures—the guy with earrings and tattoos, or the guy wearing girls' pants with a skateboard. We say, "I'm not talking to that guy." Yet God loves to take us out of our comfort zone and set us right in the middle of that group. That's why He put Eric, of all ministries, into the college ministry.

We don't always handle it perfectly. Later in the book of Acts and in Galatians, you'll find Peter struggling with this very issue, and Paul had to rebuke him. So we do struggle, and God is constantly pushing us out. When we prejudge the person with tattoos, we are acting in the flesh, not the Spirit.

The Spirit Falls on the Gentiles

Peter preached: "In every nation he that fears Him and works righteousness is accepted with Him." He proclaimed peace by Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all—how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; whom they slew and hung on a tree; whom God raised up the third day and showed openly to chosen witnesses who ate and drank with Him after He rose. "To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believes in Him shall receive remission of sins."

As Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard, and the Jewish believers with Peter were astonished, "because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the Holy Spirit," and they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Peter said, "Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Spirit as well as we?" And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.

I have a hunch—mere speculation—that had God not poured out the Spirit apart from Peter's initiative, Peter might not have thought to baptize them. His Jewish background would have said these could believe in Jesus, but the gift of the Spirit was not for them. But God poured out the Spirit and blew Peter's mind. God wanted Peter and his companions to recognize that in Christ's kingdom there is not the blessed of God and the only partially blessed, the spiritual and the mere church attender. God makes all one in Christ, Jew and Gentile alike, so that Paul could say, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."

Closing Prayer

Father, I think that many, if not all, of my brothers and sisters here this morning would agree in thanking You that You have called and poured out Your Spirit upon Gentiles like us. Perhaps some here have a Jewish background, Lord, but for the most part we are all just a bunch of heathen Gentile wretches, and You've saved us by grace, and we're so thankful You've filled us this morning. I pray that as we prepare to go, You would fill us once again to overflowing, and cause us to be lights in this world. Strengthen us when we are tempted by the enemy or our flesh to be respecters of persons; help us to look to You and to know that You desire that all men everywhere would come to repentance. Give us boldness to speak Your word wherever we go, and to step out and minister to the person who is a little different—who may smell different or look different—for I know there are many in this room who once smelled different and still look a little different. We thank You that You are powerful to save. In Jesus' name, Amen.