Bible Text: Acts 14:8-28 | Preacher: Pastor Steve | Series: The Solid Acts of God
Biblical writers complained about sickness, suffering and evil conflict
 
Psalm 40:12 For innumerable evils have surrounded me;
Jeremiah 15:18 Why then does my suffering continue? Why is my wound so incurable? Your help seems as uncertain as a seasonal brook. It is like a spring that has gone dry.
Romans 8:21-23 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
Human Choice – Free Will
Genuine love cannot exist unless freely given through free choice and will. We have been given the powerful choice to accept God’s love or to reject it.
 
Hebrews 4:15-16 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
James 4:1-6 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.
Believers in Jesus have a responsibility to fight against disease, sickness, ignorance, immorality, and corruption.
Ephesians 4:7 …neither give place to the devil…
James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee…
Matthew 11:11-15 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force…
Spirit-Filled Faith
Acts 14:8-10 And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, Stand up straight on your feet! And he leaped and walked.
Learn to live in FAITH rather than DESPAIR
Paul saw the man’s faith and the man had faith! This miracle is a word picture of what the Lord does in our lives.
…observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed…
James 5:14-16 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray…Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up…the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
We need to have faith not only in Jesus’ ability to heal but faith in the fact He DOES heal today!
 
Mark 16:1-5 When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it. Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either. Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.
We need to remember that God will heal even when we don’t have a “psychological” certainty for healing.
God does not require “perfect faith” from us; just faith!
 
Matthew 8:2-3 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean. Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. I am willing, he said. Be clean! Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.
Matthew 21:21-22 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. How did the fig tree wither so quickly? they asked. Jesus replied, I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, Go, throw yourself into the sea, and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.
BELIEVE! EXPECT A MIRACLE! TRUST JESUS!
Acts 14:11-13 Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men! And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, intending to sacrifice with the multitudes.
Spirit-Filled Humility
Acts 14:14-18 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out and saying, Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them, who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways.
Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. And with these sayings they could scarcely restrain the multitudes from sacrificing to them.
Acts 3:7-16 …Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and anklebones were healed and strengthened. He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk!…All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God…they were absolutely astounded! They all rushed out to Solomon’s Colonnade…everyone stood there in awe of the wonderful thing that had happened.
Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd. People of Israel, he said, what is so astounding about this? And why look at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power and godliness? For it is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God of all our ancestors who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this. This is the same Jesus whom you handed over and rejected before Pilate…you killed the author of life, but God raised him to life…The name of Jesus has healed this man — and you know how lame he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has caused this healing before your very eyes.
Spirit-Filled Honor
We are to honor one another but never more than Jesus.
We must be careful to never abuse our honor and remain humble, and always, always give the Lord all the credit!
 
Romans 12:10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.
 
Giving honor is better than receiving honor.
Spirit-Filled Stubbornness
Acts 14:19-20 Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up and went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.
Acts 14:21-22 And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.