Do What They Did Series

Acts 9:32-42

Do What They Did

Introduction

A. If you have ever seen my son smile, you know that his smile is by far the cutest thing you have ever seen

B. There is nothing that will make a bad day much better, then to see Isaiah smile

C. I was watching him smile once, and I noticed something peculiar

D. When ever he smiles, he lifts his eyebrows up

E. I thought that was interesting

F. The other day I was watching Heather Smile at him to make him smile

G. I looked at her and sure enough, her eyebrows lifted up when she smiled at him

H. Isaiah is merely do what his mom does

I. Today we are going to look at three people and we are going to learn how to “do what they did”

J. They say that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery

K. Today we want to imitate this three

L. We start of by look at doing what Jesus did

I. Do What Jesus Did

A. Explanation

1. Peter went to visit the saint in Lydda

2. Basically you could say that he was the District Superintendent checking up on his one of his church

3. As he was walking by he saw a guy sitting there who was a paralytic

4. Now this man, Aeneas we do not know much about

a) We can not assume that he part of the saints in Lydda

b) We also can not assume that he was a total pagan

5. So peter realizes this man can not walk

6. He asked him how long he has been this way the guy told him 8 years

7. Aeneas, Jesus Heal you, get up and walk

8. Immediately Aeneas got up

9. We then learned that all who lived in Lydda and Sharon (the town right next door) who heard what had happened turned to Jesus

10. When the people in Joppa (about the distance from hear to Cranberry, but without the aid of modern day transportation) they wanted Peter to come there because Dorcus was on her death bead

11. So Peter went to Joppa

12. When he got there he noticed that her body was already washed and in an upstairs room

a) However he body had not yet been anointed with the spices (what we consider to be embalming)

13. The room was full of people crying sobbing and morning the lost of their friend

14. Peter ask that they all leave the room

15. When everyone has left he says “Tabitha, get up”

16. Takes he by the hand and helped her to the feet

17. Soon everyone began to rejoice

B. Application

18. Question Dan, you have talked about what Peter did here, but the title of the point is Do what Jesus did

19. Turn to John 5:6-8 (Read them)

20. Turn to Mark 5:41 (Read it) – in fact there is only 1 letter different

21. Notice What Peter did

22. He did what Jesus did

23. We have made all these different formulas for how we have to heal

24. We have to do this and that and pray for 20 minutes and say 40 amen’s,

25. Now Peter was a fisherman, he did not have a master’s degree, he was just a fisherman

26. He did not know what to do, he was not taught the proper healing procedure in Seminary

27. You want to know what he did?

28. He did exactly what Jesus did

29. Notice how the spiritual condition of Aeneas is never mentioned

30. Notice how the spiritual condition of the guy that Jesus healed is never mentioned

31. Guess what it is not important.

32. The healing was done in God’s name

33. The healing was never done, or is never done, based on a persons spiritual condition

34. That would be putting attention on something that does need attention

35. It is done by God, and God alone

36. Do what Jesus did!

C. Illustration

37. At this point I have to mention something about Faith Healers

38. If you have enough Faith you will be healed

39. Just send 19.95 to P.O Box 8382 ….

40. There are some difference between the action of the Faith Healers and Peter and he mimicked Christ

41. First of all Peter you notice never invited the sick, the lame, the paralyzed, the ones that needed healing to a “healing service” to be hosted at Melon Arena

42. Rather he went to them

43. Another difference comes in the words that were used

44. There was not “wind up”

a) (Demonstrate?)

45. There was no “laying on of palm strike”

46. Peter, following Christ example, said very little, in fact you all probably wish that I would be a brief as Peter