Handkerchiefs In The Hands Of God
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Transcript
Handout
Intro
Intro
This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.
God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.
The Miracles. In the New Testament we have 3 terms to describe what we commonly call miracles:
Dunamis - Powerful Operations. This translation emphasizes the supernatural power of Christ;
Terete - Wonders. This translation emphasizes the effect miracles have on people;
Semaia - Signs. This translation emphasizes the goal, the purpose of the miracle: to draw people to Jesus.
The interesting thing is that, in the book of Acts, the terms Dunamis and Terete are always accompanied by the word Semaia.
In other words, the miracle always has the objective of attracting people towards the Lord and not of entertaining them.
Without the miracles we should have a teacher; with the miracles we have a Saviour.
John Gresham Machen (American Presbyterian Apologist)
Sermon’s outline. Having made this necessary premise, through these "handkerchiefs" we will see 3 important aspects that help us understand the character of the God of miracles:
The Source of Miracles (Acts 19:11);
The Diversity of Miracles (Acts 19:12);
The Instruments for Miracles (Acts 19:12).
N.1 - The source of miracles
N.1 - The source of miracles
God did extraordinary miracles through Paul,
God is the Author. Luke is keen to underline that it is God who performs these miracles (Acts 19:11).
We are instruments, only vessels that God uses, but the Origin, the Source from which such miracles proceed is our God.
Paul's goals and successes must never divert our gaze from Him who is the Author and Creator of everything.
Story. In the Pentecostal Evangel missionary Ian Hall tells the story of a Romanian woman named Cristina Ardeleanu, whom he met during a preaching crusade: In March 1992 Cristina was in the hospital with an ectopic pregnancy. Before she learned she was pregnant, the fetus died and began to decompose in her body. Cristina was not expected to live. My wife Sheila and I went to the hospital to pray for Cristina, and God healed her. Still, in their attempts to save her life, doctors removed most of her uterus and one ovary. They told her she would never bear a child. Cristina’s strength returned, and by May she was back in church. I was holding another series of meetings there, and she and her husband Stefan came forward for prayer. “Will you pray that God will give us a child?” they asked. Knowing Cristina’s diagnosis, they were hoping to adopt. I began to pray, but suddenly I found myself prophesying: “In one year you will stand in this place holding a son born of your own body.” “Why did you say that?” Sheila asked later. “You know she can’t bear children. You’ve really put yourself out on a limb.” I knew my predicament all too well. The words that came from my lips had astonished everyone, including me. That year I returned to the area from time to time, but Stefan and Cristina said nothing of a baby. Although I was troubled at first, in time I stopped thinking about the prophecy. In May 1993 I was conducting services again in the Cimpulung church. The pastor announced that a baby would be dedicated and informed me that I was to pray for the child. But as I surveyed the audience, I couldn’t see anyone with a baby. Then from the farthest corner of the church I saw Stefan and Cristina approaching, holding the son born to them 6 weeks earlier. As with Hannah of the Bible, the Ardeleanus had received their promise—and they named him Samuel.
Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
N.2 - The diversity of miracles
N.2 - The diversity of miracles
so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.
Healing and liberations. As a good doctor, Luke here describes to us the diversification of the needs of the people in Ephesus. In fact, there were:
Sick people;
Possessed people.
It doesn't matter what the problem was because the result is always the same: liberation and healing for all!
This aspect reminds us that our God is not specialized only to solve some problems, such as modern day doctors.
He is your answer to every problem. Perhaps, as with John the Baptist, the Lord Jesus must remind us that:
Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.
There is an Italian song that says: "Jesus can solve every problem..."
A simple, childlike faith in a Divine Friend solves all the problems that come to us by land or sea.
Helen Keller
N.3 - The instruments for miracles
N.3 - The instruments for miracles
so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.
The condition of these handkerchiefs. We want to remember that Paul was a tent maker and Ephesus was in a very hot area.
These handkerchiefs were soaked in the apostle's sweat, making them dirty and smelly.
God uses these dirty handkerchiefs, emphasizing the clear contrast with the pagan practices practiced in Ephesus.
In fact, the priests, for their religious functions, used white robes, made of fine linen for their pagan rituals.
These handkerchiefs tell us about the dedication of a man ready to do anything for the Work of the Lord: ready to cry, ready to sweat, ready even to die for his Lord.
The question is: where are the "sweaty handkerchiefs" of the Church? Where are the Bride of Christ towels that speak of dedication and determination?
Unfortunately, we are witnessing a transformation of the Church of Jesus: she dresses in linen, with apparent holiness which however does not impact the society immersed in sin.
Instead, if like Paul, the Church returns to dedicate itself totally to the work of God, to sweat for the advancement of the Kingdom of God: even dirty handkerchiefs will be instruments in the hands of God.
Lord, may your Church be tireless and dedicated to You as the Moabite Ruth was in the field of Boaz:
So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah. She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough.
Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you!”
Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Why are we searching miracles? God's miracles were not performed to entertain us, but to encourage us to go towards the One who is worthy of praise and honor: Christ Jesus the Lord!
