Made Whole (LIVE)

Recorded LIVE at Grace Baptist Tabernacle on Wednesday, July 16, 2025. Come visit us! You are welcome and expected here!

What happens when you've been bedridden for eight years with no hope of recovery? The story of Aeneas reveals the transformative power of five simple words: "Jesus Christ makes you whole."

This profound message explores spiritual paralysis through the lens of a man who couldn't move without help. For eight years - a divinely appointed timeframe - Aeneas remained trapped in his condition, beyond medical intervention, unable to change his circumstances. His physical state mirrors our spiritual reality: helplessly bound by sin, separated from God, and powerless to save ourselves.

The symptoms are familiar. Perhaps you're battling the slow cancer of pride that gradually consumes until the inevitable fall. Maybe it's the fever of hatred burning inside, affecting your mind and body. Or possibly you're caught in the  cycle of addiction - highs followed by crashes, with mounting consequences. The paralysis of lust might be your struggle, constantly dominating your thoughts and emotions. Whatever the manifestation, the root cause remains the same: separation from the God who formed you.

When Peter approached Aeneas with those transformative words, something remarkable happened. "He arose immediately." Not merely healed physically, but made whole spiritually. His sickbed became a place of rest rather than misery. His weakness turned to strength. His bondage gave way to freedom. And the impact reached far beyond one man - an entire region witnessed the transformation and turned to the Lord.

The message resonates powerfully today: Jesus still makes people whole. He still approaches those in helpless situations, offering complete transformation. While we were yet without strength, Christ died for the ungodly. His hand remains extended to those burdened by guilt, shame, anger, bitterness, depression, or despair.

Are you ready to exchange your sickbed for a place of rest? Jesus is passing by, offering wholeness to those who recognize their need. Believe on Him with a sincere heart, and experience the freedom that comes when Jesus Christ makes you whole.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to Global Listeners
• 3:47 Aeneas: The Man Bedridden Eight Years
• 10:38 Symptoms of Spiritual Paralysis
• 15:52 Jesus Christ Makes You Whole
• 20:05 A Whole Town Turns to the Lord
• 23:31 Invitation to Salvation

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:41

glory, glory, glory, hallelujah, amen, hallelujah, welcome, welcome those of you who are here tonight. Welcome our visitor back there, hallelujah. It's good to start seeing this section get filled up. I still see plenty of empty seats out there, though, hallelujah. So bring folks in. Hallelujah, and I want to say welcome to those who are listening around the world 61 nations. Now, as I preach this, I want to welcome Pakistan.

Speaker 1: 1:11

Heard about you today, hallelujah, and we're praying for this entire audience who's listening. I know some of you have been listening even as far back as 2019. And 61 nations. We're on every continent except Antarctica, and so if you're streaming this or if you're listening on the replay, as many of you do, you're in great company. You're not alone. There are brothers and sisters all around the world who are listening, and we're grateful for that. We're humbled by it, because this has been the Lord's work, and he's used several of us in this room to help reach you, and he's used several of us in this room to help reach you, but it's been his work and his word, and we want to know how to pray for you. Please reach out to us. At gbtministriescom, you'll find email addresses, phone numbers and you'll find a physical mailing address for the mailbox in front of the building. Amen. So reach out to us. We want to hear from you.

Speaker 1: 2:09

So let's come down to Acts, chapter 9 tonight. Acts, chapter 9, starting in verse 32. And I'm going to preach about Jesus reaching you. Jesus is well, and the entire point of this, the entire point of what I'm doing, is that the Lord will speak to you through this. The Lord will speak to you personally through this message. He wants to reach you. He's got something he wants to say to you, and so we're glad you're here to listen to him and glad you're here to hear it. Amen.

Speaker 1: 2:51

And so let's come down to Acts, chapter 9, 32. And it came to pass. As Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda, and so Peter is ministering Amen. Go back a couple of chapters and you can see Peter and John. They're in Samaria because what the Lord had said before he was taken up had started to come to pass. The gospel started in Jerusalem, and now the gospel is going outside of Jerusalem, the gospel is going into Judea, and if you're a saint and you're listening to this in America or in any other country, that's still going on. So let that amaze you tonight. Now, what the Lord said so many generations ago is still happening, started in Jerusalem, it's gone through Judea Hallelujah and amen. And it's going to every single nation around this world and amen, you're a part of that.

Speaker 1: 4:04

And so Peter, he's been in Samaria and now we've got some saints which are dwelling in the town of Lydda. Hallelujah, someone preached Jesus in the land of Judea and some folks in this city had responded in faith. They responded by believing the gospel. They responded and the Lord responded to that faith by saving their souls. And Peter, as the apostle, he's going to meet these people, he's going to see what's going on, he's going to help build them up as newborns in the faith.

Speaker 1: 4:42

And so he comes to the saints which dwelt at Lydda and there he found, glory to God, a certain man. He found a certain man, and this man's name was Aeneas. And Aeneas, the Bible says, which had kept his bed. Eight years, eight years, he had kept his bed, he was sick of the palsy and God had him in this position. God Almighty himself had him bedridden for eight years. I'm going to come back to that number. That's a precious, precious number, my friend, god intentionally had this man bedridden with the palsy for eight years. You might ask why? Well, he wants to talk to you. He wants to talk to you through this man.

Speaker 1: 5:42

This man is a picture. He's a picture to us in two ways. He was sick of the palsy, he was bedridden. He was sick of the palsy, he was bedridden, he couldn't move without help. Palsy in the old Greek is very, very close to the English paralysis. He was paralyzed. It literally means he was unstrung. It's sort of like the signal didn't reach the nerves. The nerves were numb and he was unstrung. He couldn't move without help. And he was humanly helpless. And he'd been here for eight years.

Speaker 1: 6:22

He's a man. He had not been born this way. But over time his sickness had set in and he became more and more weak. He became more and more unable to do things, to the point where he could only really just lay there and he couldn't move unless somebody else came and helped him. And he was beyond the science of the age, he was beyond medicine, he was beyond help. People could observe what was going on, but they couldn't do anything. They couldn't do anything to help the man. And I'm reminded I don't know if you are, but I am. When we were yet without strength, christ died for the ungodly when we were yet without strength. Christ died for the ungodly when we were yet without strength, and the book of Romans, I believe, is very intentional with that message. We were without ability, we were without a hope in this world. Without a hope in this world, we were unable to move, unable to do anything about it. Without help, without help.

Speaker 1: 7:41

Oh, my friend, maybe you're familiar with the slow cancer of pride. And it eats and it eats, and it eats and it eats, and it builds up until one day there's a fall. Maybe you're familiar with the fever of hatred. It burns on the inside, it burns on the inside and then sometimes it comes out. It's always there burning, it's always there weighing, it's always there having a physical toll. It's always there dominating your mind. It's always there, it's pulling you down.

Speaker 1: 8:15

Maybe you're more familiar with the insanity of alcohol and drugs, the insane behavior of alcohol and drugs. You have a high and you have a crash. You have a high and you have a crash. You have a high and and you have a crash. You have a high and you have a crash and there's a hangover. And the physical consequences, the financial consequences, and all of this builds and it builds, and it builds and it builds. And you repeat the cycle again and again, and again, and again and again, or maybe back to the paralysis of sexual lust. It's always there, it's always pulling, it's always dominating, it's always just tugging at you, your mind and your emotions.

Speaker 1: 8:59

But what I've described, my friend, they're just symptoms. You know the real root of it your separation from God, your separation from the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords, your separation from the God who put you together and formed you. And it comes out in these ways, it comes out in all these ways and more. But the point for tonight is, my friend, you're helpless. You're helpless humanly speaking. No amount of social philosophy can really deal with the root problem. No amount of medication can really deal with the root problem. Even as good as some of our counselors are, they can't deal with the root problem. There's but one man who can, and, my friend, that's how Aeneas is a picture to you tonight in a second way. See, god had him here for you. God had him in a humanly helpless situation, illustrating in his body the condition of your soul, helplessly lost, helplessly bound up in sin, helplessly weighed down. But oh, my friend, if you're looking for help tonight, quote an old gospel song. I know a man who can. We'll keep on reading amen.

Speaker 1: 10:32

Peter found this certain man and Peter said unto him Aeneas, oh, put your name there tonight. Aeneas, jesus Christ maketh you whole, arise, make thy bed. Oh. And Aeneas arose immediately. Bless God. Aeneas arose immediately. Oh, and the Bible's not. It's not an accident, my friend. Jesus Christ maketh thee whole. See, I believe I'm on the side that this man was one of these saints. But oh, if I'm wrong on that, hallelujah, he was a saint. After this. Jesus Christ makes you whole. Jesus Christ heals your body. No, in English we're looking forward to something else body, you know. In English we're looking forward to something else.

Speaker 1: 11:24

Aeneas, at this instant, was whole in body and he was whole in spirit. He was whole in his soul. He was complete in his soul. Not another moment in paralysis, not another moment in the palsy, not another moment in sin, not another moment in the palsy, not another moment in sin, not another moment weighed down, not another moment helpless, because his helper had come, and oh, through a man named Peter. See, this was a living God speaking through a man. Just like tonight. This was a living God speaking to one man through a man. Just like tonight. This was a living God speaking to one man through a man. Oh, this wasn't a religion, this wasn't a philosophy, this wasn't a method, this wasn't an approach, this wasn't a drug, this wasn't even a medicine, this wasn't even a science.

Speaker 1: 12:18

This was a man, under the drawing and the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, walking up to another man and saying Aeneas, jesus Christ makes you whole. See, he didn't even ask Aeneas if he believed, and Aeneas didn't even ask him anything about Jesus Christ. Because I believe Aeneas knew something about Jesus Christ. I believe Aeneas had heard of Jesus Christ. I believe Aeneas knew something about Jesus Christ. I believe Aeneas had heard of Jesus Christ. I believe Aeneas had encountered Jesus Christ already.

Speaker 1: 12:46

And hallelujah Peter's here. And he says hallelujah, aeneas, jesus told me something about you. He makes you whole, he makes you complete, he makes you born again. He sets you free from any bondage of sin, because Jesus has forgotten your sin. Because, my friend, we're helpless before him. We're helpless. You're under the wrath of God until God does something about it. And what's God do about it? He comes up to you and says I love you and I know you and I went to a cross for you. I took your sin and I put it over here. I took your sin, I separated Psalm 103. It says as far as the east is from the west, I cast your sin into a sea of forgetfulness Because I've looked at you and I've seen you in your bondage. I've seen you in your helplessness. I've seen you.

Speaker 1: 13:58

You try to kind of deal with it by yourself, but you can't. The reality is you can't really move unless someone helps you. And I'm here to help you. I'm here as your king, I'm here as your God, I'm here as your savior to help you, because you need help and I want to give it.

Speaker 1: 14:28

And so he arose immediately, bless God. And he made his bed. I love that. It's no longer a sick bed Now, it's a bed for rest, as the man's body is whole. And, oh, he has a rest now in Jesus. He has a rest in God. He is safe and he is secure in God.

Speaker 1: 14:54

The devil can't touch him anymore. Sin is no longer his master. Sin is no longer weighing him down. His guilt isn't weighing him down. Jesus took that away. There's no reason for it anymore. His shame isn't weighing him down. Jesus took it away. There's no reason anymore. His conscience isn't burdened. It's light and he's strong.

Speaker 1: 15:19

You see, he was weak before. You see that picture in the body. Before he couldn't do anything. He was weak, and that's what Romans tells us. While we were yet weak, we were without ability. And then Christ came and died for the ungodly.

Speaker 1: 15:42

And now, my friend, if you're in Christ tonight, you're strong. You're strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. You've got a boldness. You don't have a spirit of fear. Sin's not your master anymore. You've got an authority. You've got a new master. You've got a, an authority. You've got a new master. You've got a new king. You've got a better king. You've got the king of all kings.

Speaker 1: 16:09

Oh, lust, my friend. The world. Bible says love, not the world. That's only possible in Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. Love, not the world. And oh, have you tasted that? Have you tasted that, my friend? How sweet Jesus is, how sweet he is. Nothing in the world can compare to him.

Speaker 1: 16:31

And, my friend, you've got a strength. You've got a security. You've got a. And, my friend, you've also got that rest, precious rest. You don't have a sickbed anymore. You don't have a sick bed anymore. You don't have a misery anymore. You don't have a helplessness anymore.

Speaker 1: 16:50

At the very moment someone comes into your life and says believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, very moment someone comes in and says call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Very moment someone comes in and says call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. And you do that out of a true heart, you do that out of a real faith, you do that out of a sincerity. Oh, you enter into a sweet haven of rest. You don't have a misery, you don't have a burdened conscience. You don't have a misery. You don't have a burdened conscience. You don't have any bondages whatsoever. You're free. You may hear Christians sing about that, you may hear Christians talk about that. That's what we mean. You're free, you are made whole and he arose immediately, and glory to God.

Speaker 1: 17:45

Verse 35. All that dwelt at Lydda, the whole town and Sharon, amen, sharon, amen, hallelujah. They all saw him and turned to the Lord. Amen, sharon, amen, hallelujah. They all saw him and turned to the Lord. They saw a real living God Working through, a real living human person Ministering to another real, human, living person, who was in a hopeless situation, who was beyond anything, and they all knew it. Even Aeneas had to know it and I wonder what that eight years was like for him. But oh, I think, not only his healing, but I think, when he walked out and a little bit of time went by and the word, and person after person after person, maybe groups of people, they came and they saw him. They came in and they looked at him and he got to say Jesus Christ made me whole. I was laying on my sickbed, I couldn't do a thing about it, I was helpless, hopeless, damned and doomed, but then Jesus Christ came in and he made me whole. And bless God. Lita saw it, sharon saw it and the whole region turned to the Lord.

Speaker 1: 19:25

How about you tonight, my friend? Because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. And today, if you're listening to this and Jesus is drawing you, maybe he's speaking to you in another way too. Maybe you're a modern day Aeneas, and God's got you in this situation and he's saying tonight, be made whole, and other people around you are going to see it and you're going to give glory to my name and you're going to tell them about me and you're going to lead them to me and they're going to encounter me through you and you're going to have a harvest, amen. And oh, maybe he's talking to you in another way that you're sick on the inside, your soul is sin, sick and weary, your soul is burdened down, your soul is heavy, and it's because you're separate from God and you're just living your life the only way you can, in sin. He's coming by to tell you tonight, get up. He's coming by to tell you tonight I've got my hand reached out to you because, glory to God, jesus Christ, he came not for the healthy.

Speaker 1: 20:56

He came not for those who believe they're well. He came not for those who believe they're fine. He came for the sick. He came for you. He came for the lost, dying and hell bound sinner. He came for the fornicator who hasn't got a hope in heaven or hell. He's got a living hope in Jesus Christ. You don't have a hope in this world, but amen, jesus Christ came into the world. Amen, jesus Christ overcame the world. Amen.

Speaker 1: 21:26

Jesus Christ is coming to you and he's saying come unto me, I'll give you rest. Coming to you and he's saying come unto me, I'll give you rest, come to me. Oh, you've got that anger. You can't outrun it. You've got that pride and you're starting to fall. You've got that bitter heart. You've got that depressed heart. You've got that lonely heart. You've got that despairing heart.

Speaker 1: 21:50

Oh, jesus Christ is coming to all of y'all right now and he's saying I did it for Aeneas, I remember Aeneas and I know Aeneas. He's up here in glory. I want you to be with him and I want you to be with me. I want you to be in glory. I want you to be whole. I want you to live a forgiven life. I want you to live a new life. I'm going to make you to be born again, hallelujah. Will you be saved tonight? Will you be made whole tonight?

Speaker 1: 22:28

For our musicians will come forward here and we'll have a time of invitation for those who are right here tonight. If you need to be born again, these folks are going to be playing a song in just a moment and I want you to come forward. I want you to come forward. I'd be glad to pray with you, hallelujah. And for those who are abroad, we thank you again for being here tonight.

Speaker 1: 22:53

Abroad. We thank you again for being here tonight and if you need to be saved, and you want to be saved and you want to be born again, and you want to be healed, and and and you want life. Hallelujah, believe on the lord jesus christ. He's your savior. He went to an old, rugged cross for you. He's your Savior. He went to an old, rugged cross for you. He became your sin. He died the death that you should die. Understand that your sin demands a price, and that price is death. But Jesus Christ stepped in and he took your death in your place, and he's alive and he's well, and it's to the point now where, glory to God, he's faithful and just to forgive you.

Speaker 1: 23:39

Any man, woman or child who puts their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, no questions asked. God forgives you and, oh, he does more than that. He makes you whole, and so I want you to talk to him just as though he's standing right in front of you. Ask him to be saved, ask him to be born again, and anyone who does that with a genuine, honest heart of faith, he will never, in no way, turn you away. He'll never cast you away, he'll never push you away. What He'll do is He'll embrace you. So, my friend, if you do that.

Speaker 1: 24:24

We want to hear about it. If you're born again, we want to hear about it. Contact us gbtministriescom. We look forward to hearing from you. We're excited whenever we hear from you. Contact us gbtministriescom. We look forward to hearing from you. We're excited whenever we hear from someone who's right here in America or halfway around the world. Bless God. We're excited. It's a blessing to us to hear from you, and so let us know what the Lord's doing, let us know how the Lord's moving in your life, how we can be praying for you in particular. Let us know that, and may the Lord continue to richly bless us. Amen, because I will see you later. Thank you.