Resurrection Power | Acts 9:32-43

What does the resurrection of Jesus mean for your Monday morning? In Acts 9, Peter speaks a simple word — "Jesus Christ heals you" — and a paralyzed man walks; he prays, and a beloved disciple named Tabitha is raised to life. In this message, Pastor Zach shows how the same resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead is still at work today, flowing through ordinary people, and how every one of us who follows Jesus is sent to carry that hope into a world desperate for it.

Scripture: Acts 9:32-43
Series: Living by the Spirit, Following the Way

The Way Church KC is a community of misfits & saints in the Rosedale neighborhood of Kansas City following the Way of Jesus & pushing back darkness — together. Join us Sundays or learn more at thewaykc.church.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Welcome to Sermons from the Way Church KC, a community of listeners and saints in Kansas City, following the way of Jesus and pushing back our lesson together.

SPEAKER_01 0:21

Good morning, everybody. Let's try to read God's word. Our scripture reading comes from Acts 9, verse 33 to 34, to forty-three. Now, as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down to the to the saints who lived in Lida. There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Rise and make your bed. And immediately he low he rose. And all the residents of Lida and Shalom saw him and they turned to the Lord. Verse 36. Now there was there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which translates to Dokas. She was full of good works and acts of charity. In those days she became ill and died. And when they they had washed her, they laid her hand in an upper room. Since Lida was near Joppa, the disciples heard that Peter was there and sent two men to him, urging him to please come to us without delay. So Peter rose and went to them. And when he he arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the windows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other and other garments that dog has had made while she was with them. But Peter put them all outside and knelt down and prayed, turning to the body and said, Tabitha, rise. And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up and gave his hand and raised and raised her up. And then calling all the saints, widows, he presented her alive. And it became known throughout Jopper that many believed in the Lord and they stayed in Jopper for many days with Simon and Eternal. There is the word of the Lord. Amen.

SPEAKER_02 3:01

Amen, amen. Well, you can grab a seat. Thank you, Dali, for reading God's word to us this morning. I'm excited to continue in the book of Acts. If we haven't gotten a chance to meet yet, my name is Zach. I have the privilege of being one of the pastors here at the Way Church. And uh, if this is your first time here, we're a new church plant who exists to follow the way of Jesus and push back darkness together. So I say that like every week. That's the mission we're on, and God's building a really sweet family here at the Way KC. Like I said, we've been in a sermon series through the book of Acts. We took a break for the Advent season to celebrate Christ's arrival at Christmas. Um but we we this month have been continuing in the book of Acts, and we'll do that again today. Kind of our uh thematic statement as we look at Acts is living by the Spirit and following the way. That's what we see embodied here in this book. And we we look verse by verse through the entirety of this book, and we'll we'll continue doing that today. Um if you remember last week, we we saw, last week and the week before, we saw Saul's radical conversion on the road to Damascus, and then last week we saw like kind of what happened immediately after his conversion. He immediately begins to preach the gospel. Um and so you would think that the author Luke would continue looking at Saul's life and Saul's conversion, his new life as he becomes Paul. But today what we see in Acts chapter 9, 32 through 43 is uh like almost like a camera shift. Uh the scene cuts back to Peter. Um and I think that what we see is this shift is intentional. Um before the Gentile mission explodes in Acts chapter 10 and 11. Luke wants us to see something crucial. The risen Jesus, the risen Christ, has not stopped working. He's not stopped acting, he has not stopped healing. And today we see that Jesus Christ's resurrection power is still living and active in the book of Acts, and it's still living and active for us today. Now it's important to note just off the rip before we dig in, like Peter, yes, he's the kind of main character in this section of text, but he is not replacing Jesus. His healing power is not his own, it is from Christ. He is a representative of Jesus. So what we see in Lita and Joppa, it's not like this apostolic sort of celebrity. It's not about the power of Peter. No, this story in all of Acts, in all of Scripture, is undeniably about the power of Jesus Christ. About his resurrection power continuing through ordinary obedience from ordinary disciples. Just like you and just like me. Acts chapter 9, 32 through 43, it gives us two miracles. They're told as a pair, and they prepare us for a major turning point in salvation history. But before Gentiles are welcomed as Gentiles, that's what's about to happen, kind of spoiler alert. Um, Luke shows us what kind of gospel is bringing, is being brought to them. It's a gospel that heals, it's a gospel that restores, it's a gospel that raises, it's a gospel that renews. And so that's what we're gonna see today, and that's what we're gonna continue to see as we continue to travel through Acts. With that, here's our big idea. True faith in Christ brings transformation and healing, and we as believers have the opportunity to participate in his work of resurrection and restoration in the world. I'll say it again. True faith in Christ brings transformation and healing, and we as believers have the opportunity to participate in his work of resurrection and restoration in the world. With that, there's three truths that I want to impress upon your heart this morning. First, resurrection power restores the helpless. Resurrection power restores the helpless. Secondly, resurrection power honors the life of faithful servants. And then thirdly, resurrection power conquers death and spreads faith. Resurrection power conquers death and spreads faith. I'll pray and then let's dig in. Heavenly Father, thank you for bringing us here today. Lord, thank you for your word, that your word that is living and active, that applies to us here in 2025 in Kansas City, Lord, just as it did in the time of the book of Acts, Lord. Praise you for your word. God, I praise you for your resurrection power that we see displayed so clearly in today's text. God, I pray that you prepare our hearts, prepare our minds, prepare our spirits for the word that you have for us today. God, I ask that you move me out of the way and that you speak through me, Lord. Let your words be made clear. Let it not be my own words, Lord. Holy Spirit, you are welcome here. Would you move in through and among us? We love you, Jesus. It's in your mighty name we pray. And everybody said, Amen. Amen. So point number one this morning is resurrection power restores the helpless. Resurrection power restores the helpless. Acts chapter 9, verses 32 through 35, the word of God says, Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Leda. There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Rise and make your bed. And immediately he rose. And all the residents of Leda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. So, first thing we see, Peter, he's traveling from place to place. He's going here and there, is what the text says. Luke presents him as an active, mobile, and pastoral sort of force. He's an apostle who is on the move. He's doing the work of the ministry. He is preaching the good news of Jesus Christ, and he is being obedient to the calling that Christ has placed on his life. The text says that he comes down to the saints in Leda. What this shows us, this is critical, this shows us that the church has already grown out past Jerusalem. That's significant because the apostles, they've not yet taken the message outside of Jerusalem. So what that shows us, God's work is even outpacing the apostles. The gospel is advancing more rapidly than the apostles can move. Normal, everyday believers have been spreading the hope of the gospel that they had found in Jesus Christ. Like, let's look back to a few verses earlier in the book of Acts. Acts chapter 2, verse 41. 3,000 souls are added to the church. Acts chapter 2, verse 47. It says, And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. Acts chapter 4, verse 4. And the number of the men, just the men, came to 5,000. Acts 5, 14. And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women. Acts 6 7. And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem. Acts 8.4. Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. That's how we have the believers in Lita, because Acts 8.4, those who were scattered went about preaching the word. That's ordinary believers going about spreading the gospel, sharing their faith. And it's because of that that there's already believers in Lita. All throughout Acts up until this point, we see radical conversions. We see men and women being saved to the faith. But they're not just being saved and then sitting and soaking. They're being saved and then they're sent. They're going and sharing, hey, this is what Christ has done in my life. I gotta tell people in Lita about it. And it's there, it's in Lita, that Peter encounters Aeneas, a man who is paralyzed and bedridden for eight years. Imagine that, if you will. Paralyzed, bedridden for eight years. Watching life happen around you. You feel as though maybe you're hopeless, you're helpless, like things will never get better, like you will be paralyzed for the rest of your life. Then one sentence changes everything. One sentence that changes everything for Aeneas. Peter says, Jesus Christ heals you. Rise and make your bed. Jesus Christ heals you. Rise and make your bed. These words change everything for this man. Not because of Peter, not because of any sort of like power in and of Peter, but because of the resurrection power of the Savior behind the words that are being spoken. And it's not like, hey, Aeneas, I hope Jesus Christ heals you. We're praying for Jesus Christ to heal you. It's not like God in the abstract. No, it's confident, it's affirmative. It's Jesus Christ heals you right now. Peter's sure of the fact that Jesus Christ is going to heal this man. And then the commands, get up and make your bed, it deliberately echoes Jesus' healing of the paralytic man in Luke chapter 5. One commentator, he notes this. This is not Peter imitating Jesus. This is Jesus himself continuing to heal through Peter. And what's crazy, so this this healing happens, this miracle happens. And what happens to the people around them and Leda and Sharon? Seeing the resurrection power of our Lord, the text shows us verse 35. And all the residents of Leda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. All the residents of these two towns. So Leda, it lies like about 25 miles northwest of Jerusalem. It's edging closer and closer to Gentile territory. And Sharon, Isaiah 35, associates Sharon with desert blooming. So Luke is subtly signaling these eschatological restoration words, breaking into the presence, breaking into the early church. And the phrase, turn to the Lord, it's prophetic language of repentance, of covenant renewal. And I don't know about you guys as you as you read this verse, as you read verse 35, but I'm gonna take the text, what the text says at face value. And I think that's pretty wild. All of the residents of Lita and Sharon turned to the Lord. It's not like all but a couple. It's not like, oh, half of them, half of them turned to the Lord and half of them didn't. No, the text says that all of them. Can you imagine that? What if all of the residents of Rosedale turned to the Lord? That'd be pretty cool. What if all of the residents of Kansas City turned to the Lord? Amen, Louie. That'd be amazing. So here's what we should see. Healing, it leads to conversion. They coincide here in the text. So what does this mean? Christ's resurrection power, it meets people where hope feels exhausted. And maybe that's you this morning. Maybe that's you. Now you may not be paralyzed in a physical sense, but maybe you are paralyzed by fear. Maybe you're paralyzed by insecurity. Maybe you're paralyzed by anxiety. Maybe you're paralyzed by addiction. Maybe you're paralyzed by alcoholism. Whatever it may be. Whatever it is for you. I'm here to tell you this morning that there is resurrection power that can restore you. There is resurrection power in the Lord Jesus Christ that can restore you. That can heal you. That can give you the power to walk through whatever paralytic thing you're going through. There's power in Jesus Christ's family. And another thing we see, just for us as a church, as the Way Church KC, what we see is that faithful care within the church, it fuels gospel growth outside the church. As we're faithful to care for our family, for our brothers and sisters within these four walls, what naturally happens is it explodes outside the four walls. Resurrection power moving in the church, it leads to resurrection power moving outside the church. And transformation, it doesn't look the same in every instance. Healing, it doesn't look the same in every instance. Some happens quietly in back rooms or a basement youth group. Some happen in the sanctuary, some happen as you're sitting one-to-one in a discipleship relationship. But regardless, what happens when transformation happens is it ripples throughout the city, throughout the town, throughout the region. So my prayer, I hope it's your prayer as well, is that resurrection power would move in this house, that this house would be marked with resurrection power, and it would ripple out across Rosedale, across Kansas City, and across the world. But the text doesn't stop there. What we see next is point number two resurrection power honors the life of a faithful servant. Resurrection power honors the life of a faithful servant. Acts chapter 9, verses 36 through 39. The text says, Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which translated means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity. I have that underlined in my Bible. She was full of good works and acts of charity. In those days she became ill and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. Since Leto was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, Please come to us without delay. So Peter rose and went with them, and when he arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them. So here Luke introduces us to Tabitha, or Dorcas, as it's translated. And he uses remarkable language to introduce her. He says that she is a disciple, meaning she is a follower of the way of Jesus. And she's the only woman who's explicitly referred to as a disciple for the Greek word for disciple right here in this verse, the only woman that's that word is used for in the New Testament. Additionally, she is full of good works and charity. Especially what the text highlights is toward widows. What we're seeing is someone who embodies Luke's theology of generosity. She's embodying what the early church looked like. Acts chapter 2, we saw the church marked by sharing possessions. Tabitha models this. Acts chapter 4, we see radical unity. Tabitha models this. Acts chapter 6, we see the importance of caring for widows. Tabitha models this. So Tabitha stands in that stream, the stream of the early church. She embodies the early church, she embodies what it stood for. And she embodies what the church of today should stand for. And she dies, unfortunately, and her death, it's not minimized. The community, it grieves deeply. Like you can understand why the community would grieve deeply. Like this woman who is an instrumental part of this gathering of believers, she dies. So they grieve. And it's pretty crazy. The widows who she had cared for, they show Peter the garments that she'd made for them. This isn't like showing off, it's not a bribe. No, this is like an embodied testimony. Think of it like this: these these widows are saying, hey, look what Tabitha did for me. Look at this garment that she made for me. Look at how she cared for me. That's what they're saying. And we've talked about this in the past, but just as kind of a refresher, widows were among the most vulnerable in the ancient world. So clothing production, it was economic empowerment. It wasn't like a hobby. She was empowering the least of these. And so Tabitha, she is remembered after her death for the very way in which she reflected Christ. Then she's laid in an upper room. And as we've seen in the Gospel of Luke and throughout the book of Acts, upper rooms, they're consistently places of God's activity. They're consistently places of his divine activity. And what we'll soon see as we close out the section of text, what we'll see in a second is that Tabitha is raised from the dead. But before we get there, I want you to see something. Tabitha's not raised because of her works. She's not raised because she was generous. She's not raised from the dead because she cared for widows. Good works can't earn new life. We are undoubtedly saved by grace alone through faith alone. But she is raised simply because her coming to new life aligned with the purposes of the resurrected Christ. Yes, she modeled all these good qualities, a long obedience in the same direction. But it's not because she was good that she is resurrected. It's not because she was good and righteous that she comes to new life. It's because of Christ alone. And it's because she understood that, because she understood that it's Christ who did this work in her heart, therefore she lived rightly and did these things. Caring for widows, being charitable, all these things. And I think there's some truths we can pull from that. First, like faith, it expresses itself in the ordinary, faithful, unseen. The behind the scenes sort of service. That's how faith expresses itself. So for us, I think we gotta ask, would our community miss us if we were gone? Would there be widows at our bedside saying, look at what this brother or sister did for me? Look at how they cared for me. Maybe it's not a widow, but maybe it's just somebody who's distressed and dejected, or you know, somebody who would be considered the society the least of these. Would we be missed if we were gone? Not missed because, like, hey, we're a cool person and you know, like popular. No, missed because of the way in which we modeled Christ. That's my hope. Like, that'd be pretty rad. And so, yes, like I let's think about it individually, but also I think let's think about it as a church, for us as a church. And I've said this in the past, but I think it's a good reminder. If our church were to close down today, like we shut the doors after service today, would our community notice that we're gone? Would our neighborhood, would Rosedale notice that we're gone if our church wasn't here anymore? My hope is that the answer is yes. That we've been a city set on a hill, that we've shined the light of Christ, and therefore people would notice we're gone. Because there's a light that's missing. There's a city set up on a hill that is missing. We're not shutting down today, but we got to wrestle with that. Third point, last point, resurrection power conquers death and spreads faith. Resurrection power conquers death and spreads faith. Acts chapter 9, verse 40 through 42. But Peter put them all outside and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body, he said, Tabitha, arise. Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up, and he gave her his hand and raised her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. And he stayed in Joppa for many days with one Simon, a tanner. So Peter, he clears the room. Everybody out. He kneels, he prays, and resurrection power flows through the room. And I think what's so critical that we see is that resurrection power, it flows through dependence. Peter's depending on the Lord, he's praying. He calls everybody to leave the room, so it's not like this isn't a performance. He's not like, hey, showing off, like, hey, I, the resurrection power of Christ is moving and flowing through me. No, it's not a performance, it is an encounter that's rooted in dependence. And Peter, he speaks Tabitha arise. Tabitha arise. And so the verb here that's in the Greek is resurrection language used of Jesus Himself. So Luke, he wants us to hear this echo, to hear this mirror. This mirrors Elijah and Elisha raising the dead. And it also, if you look at the gospels, it mirrors Jesus raising Jairus' daughter from the dead when he says, little girl, Talitha Kumi. So the continuity here is intentional. What the author is showing us is that God's life-giving power has always been at work. But now it's concentrated on the risen Messiah. Peter, he takes her by the hand. This is an act that would have caused ritual impurity in these times. Significant for a man of Jewish descent as Peter was. What this shows us is that resurrection power, it reverses defilement. Life overcomes death. So Tabitha, she's resurrected. She rises from the dead. The dead come to life. And just like in Leda, many believed in the Lord. Here's what I want you to see. You didn't disagree with me? That's fine. But this is what I think we see in the text. I don't think that miracles are the message here. Yes, it's a piece of it, but the message is Jesus. This section of text, it also closes with a little bit of foreshadowing. Look at uh verse 43. And he stayed in Joppa for many days with one Simon, a tanner. So where does Peter stay? With Simon the Tanner. This is a man whose very trade, his occupation involved dead animals and ritual uncleanness. So the author Luke is preparing us for what comes next. You see Peter's vision in chapter 10. So you're seeing the beginnings of this mission to the Gentiles. Luke is preparing us, showing us that resurrection power, it breaks purity boundaries, that Peter is already living on the edge of Jewish kind of morals and laws and ceremonial laws. What we see is that the Gentile mission is coming. And God is in the process of softening Peter's heart for it. It's a process for him, like it often is for many of us. So what we will soon see as we continue in this act series is that resurrection hope sends us toward the margins. Not away from them. Not a cute little country club, Christian church. That's not what resurrection power does. That's not what our church is about. No. We're going to the least of these, the distressed and the dejected, because that is what the gospel of Jesus Christ calls us to do. The gospel that dismantles barriers. Here, what we see is that Jesus is preparing his church for people that they don't yet expect. And I believe he's doing the same thing here for us today. So, family, may we be a community that welcomes everyone with the resurrection power of the risen Christ. May that be what marks us. May that be what we're known for. So I'll invite Ashton up. But a few thoughts for you in closing. I said this last week, but I think the same is true today. Just like the verses we read last week were not mainly about Saul or Paul. The verses that we read today are not mainly about Peter. As I said, it is about Jesus Christ. Undeniably. Undoubtedly. It's about Jesus Christ, who is alive, who is reigning, and is still working today. Jesus Christ, he heals the paralyzed. Jesus Christ, he honors faithful service. Jesus Christ, he raises the dead. And this same Jesus Christ, he builds his church, he grows his church, and he prepares his people for a wider mission. The resurrection is not only like a doctrine to live by, it's not like, yes, it is what we base our faith upon, but it is also a power in which and by which we live today. Can I just tell you this morning that Jesus is not changed? That he still restores the broken, that he still heals the lame, that he still uses ordinary faithfulness of ordinary disciples, and that he still brings life where death seems final. And he still sends people out. This isn't like, hey, let's just good word, now let's go about our days. No, we're walking out of here sent, carrying resurrection power into a world that is desperate for hope. So, family, this week you are sent. You are sent. So go out into the world and proclaim it. Jesus Christ heals you. Proclaim that truth. Tabitha, arise. Brother or sister, arise. Awaken, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine upon you. May we believe it, may we live it, and may many turn to the Lord. Not for our sake, but for the glory of the Lord.

SPEAKER_00 31:59

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