5/4 Stretch Out Your Arms and Go Where You Do Not Wish To Go

Acts Chapter 50 - Sermon

Date: May 4, 2025

Title: Stretch Out Your Arms and Go Where You Do Not Wish To Go

Passage: Acts 9:32-43

32. Then Peter, as he traveled about from place to place, went down also to the saints living in Lydda.

33. There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden for eight years, since he was paralyzed.

34. Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your mat.” Immediately he got up.

35. All those living in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

36. In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas) who was always doing good and helping the poor.

37. About that time she became ill and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room.

38. Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!”

39. Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

40. Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up.

41. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called the believers and the widows and presented her to them alive.

42. This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.

43. Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.

We will continue looking at the same passage from last week. As persecution intensified in Jerusalem, the apostle Peter also had to leave.

It was sad to leave Jerusalem, where he had ministered with Jesus and where the first church was established. But what was even more daunting was not having any plan for how long to flee or where to go.

Have you ever left home without a destination? It's like heading to the airport without knowing where your ticket will take you.

Verse 32 says that Peter "traveled about from place to place." This means he wasn't hiding in a safe, comfortable place, but was constantly on the move. Eventually, he arrived in Lydda.

Lydda was a Gentile city, but there were already believers there, and they led Peter to a man named Aeneas. Aeneas had been bedridden for eight years due to paralysis, but with a word from Peter, he got up and took care of his mat himself.

The healing was amazing, but what happened because of it was even more amazing.

All the people in Lydda, a Gentile city, and the surrounding Sharon region saw Aeneas healed and turned to the Lord!

This clearly shows the true purpose of healing.

The works of God always have meaning on two levels:

The immediate situation, and the history of salvation that results from it - eternal meaning.

And this second meaning is as important as eternity.

Because of the news of Aeneas' healing, disciples from Joppa, which was near Sharon, urgently came to find Peter.

This was because their beloved female disciple Dorcas had died, and they were preparing for her funeral.

The term 'female disciple' appears here for the first and last time. The unusual expression used as Dorcas' title suggests that, unlike Aeneas, she was a coworker whom Peter knew well.

And the fact that this woman was called Tabitha in Hebrew and Dorcas in Greek suggests that she was a female missionary sent to the Gentile regions, called Dorcas by the Gentiles and Tabitha by the disciples.

She had been doing missionary work among the widows and women of Joppa, and was especially gifted at making clothes, which she shared with the poor.

When Peter arrived in Joppa, Dorcas was already dead, washed, and dressed for burial. Neither the disciples who had urgently sought Peter nor Peter himself had ever raised anyone from the dead. However, a scene must have come to their minds.

In John 11, when Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary from Bethany, became ill, they sent for Jesus. But Jesus did not go immediately. Instead, He said,

[John 11:4] “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”

The illness would ultimately bring glory to God and His Son, Jesus.

But strangely, Jesus did not rush to Lazarus. He stayed for two more days. By the time Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had already been buried for four days.

Knowing the situation, Jesus said to His disciples,

[John 11:15] “But for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. Let us go to him.”

Jesus was saying that He was glad He wasn't there because Lazarus' death would provide an opportunity for them to believe.

When Jesus arrived in Bethany, Martha came out to meet Him and complained,

“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” But she did not stop there. Martha went on to confess,

[John 11:22] “But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

Then Jesus said the famous words that were written on the card we shared on Easter.

[John 11:25-26]

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;

26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

And as you know well, Lazarus was resurrected, bringing glory to God and His Son. As a result, many people came to believe in Jesus as the Christ.

The most unfortunate event in Lazarus' life was reversed into the most moving event, a blessing that led many to turn to the Lord.

However, most Christians will not experience being raised from the dead like Lazarus, four days after dying from an illness. Yet, the Lord has recorded this event in great detail in the Bible, which will be read forever.

As I said, the work of God always has meaning on two levels.

The eternal meaning that the sign points to is incomparably more important than the visible sign.

The Lord will give us visible signs in ways that are necessary for us in each era and situation, but something even more amazing and precious will surely happen to those who believe.

Our bodies will die someday, but we will ultimately be resurrected with new and perfect bodies, just as we have always dreamed.

Lazarus' resurrection was used as an event to help the disciples believe by showing them what will actually happen. It was not that Jesus made Lazarus sick, but knowing that death was imminent, He deliberately delayed His arrival, turning the sorrow brought by the illness and death into great joy.

In our lives, even in prayers that seem to go unanswered for a long time, God is preparing a reversal that will clearly convey and be remembered in the eternal dimension.

How concretely and completely can we imagine being clothed in a perfect body and being resurrected with eternal life in heaven?

This is as difficult as trying to explain snow or ice to a child in the remote Amazon jungle who has never experienced or seen winter. If explaining that ice is a sign, then directly experiencing it is the eternal reality.

Jesus asked a paralyzed man, after declaring that his sins were forgiven,

[Luke 5:22-23]

22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?

23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?”

Here, being forgiven of sins is the eternal meaning, and the paralyzed man getting up and walking is the visible sign.

Both are good, but the visible sign is shown as a result of the incomparably more important eternal grace of having sins forgiven.

Peter was a witness not only to the resurrection of Lazarus but also to the resurrection and ascension of Jesus.

He now had the faith to see the eternal meaning of the visible signs.

So, wouldn't death, disease, and the inevitable misfortunes of life have a dramatically different meaning for Peter than for the people of the world?

That is the faith of believing in the resurrection.

We each received Jesus as the Christ in various ways. There were moments when we came to believe in the existence of Jesus, and moments when we became certain that He died and was resurrected.

More important than how it happened is that the purpose of all miracles is that the most precious miracle of believing in the resurrection has now occurred in my life.

Peter had a very certain belief that the dead could live again, and he also knew that the Holy Spirit could easily do such things. Therefore, no hesitation or fear of failure is seen in his healing ministry.

For Peter, who believed in the resurrection in the eternal world, the sign of healing a disease that would only prolong life for a few more years was like a doctor who had successfully performed delicate brain surgery putting a band-aid on a slightly cut finger.

How can we even compare the value of healing someone's body from an illness with the value of a soul being transferred from eternal hell to eternal life?

In fact, our problem lies in our inability to truly believe in the world where we will live eternally, the resurrection to eternity. That is why we are so easily agitated by the things that happen in this world. Because we do not believe. We do not truly believe in the eternal world, nor in the fact that we will surely enter it.

Let's focus again on Jesus' question!

[John 11:25-26]

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;

26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

A Life Lived with Arms Stretched Out

Last week, I went to Chicago for the annual Korean General Assembly. Since I became a staff member at the General Assembly three years ago, it has been a meeting that I feel more burdened than excited about because I have to participate in the preparation and various meetings.

Looking at my calendar app, which shows my schedule for this year, I discovered that most of the schedules were not chosen by me, but rather seemed to have been arranged for me. As I thought about it, I felt more strongly that I was living a life that was gradually being led by someone else's plan, not my own.

Let's look together at what Jesus said to Peter in John's Gospel.

[John 21:18] Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your arms, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”

Here, 'younger' and 'older' are expressions of comparison rather than referring specifically to young and old people.

And 'dressing oneself' means putting on clothes, which naturally signifies a position and role.

The expression 'stretch out your arms' symbolizes the cross, but the act of stretching out one's arms toward the sky is also an act of praising God and receiving the grace He pours out, and stretching out one's arms downward is an act of embracing those in need, like holding a young child.

In summary, this means that when one is spiritually immature, they do what they want and go where they please, but as they mature, they can no longer live according to their own will but live according to God's will, in the position of being held by God's calling.

Do you desire such a life? Not a life according to your own will, but one where you stretch out your arms and live as the Lord leads you?

Peter leaving Jerusalem and moving from place to place, and the amazing miracles that occurred along the way in Lydda and Joppa - none of these were things he chose for himself, were they?

And isn't this the most blessed life?

Some of you may remember when Bishop Jung Jae-ho of the Korean General Assembly came and shared his testimony. After enduring the pain of almost losing sight in one eye, he gave up his beloved position as the pastor of a church and accepted the position of bishop of the Korean General Assembly, putting his arms out and obeying God's leading.

Watching him from nearby, there were many times when I felt sorry for him. Bearing all the difficult situations that occurred in many churches due to the pandemic and its aftermath was an unimaginable hardship.

Of course, the bishop did his best in that role, but at the same time, he was naturally eager for his four-year term to end. Not only I, who had been assisting him closely, but also many pastors had repeatedly asked him to serve at least a second term, but the bishop was firm about that.

Moreover, considering his age and health, his children were all opposed, so we could no longer ask him. However, the children's ministry that we presented at the Easter service received sponsorship from an external organization, and the contracted ministry period extended beyond the bishop's term, which seemed to put him in a dilemma.

And eventually, he surrendered to the Lord, who was leading him through the situations and people that had unfolded, and began his second term this year. With a human heart, I felt sorry and resolved to follow him more faithfully and diligently.

It is clear that more and more pastors are feeling the same gratitude as I do towards the bishop and the Korean General Assembly. What could be more pleasing to the Lord than churches uniting to love and spread the kingdom of God together?

Among them, a really good thing is the movement of churches uniting with each other.

This time, we are also going to South Dakota in collaboration with three churches.

The Orlando team is composed of elderly deacons and elders, who, at the recommendation of Pastor Park Tae-seok, are participating for the first time two years ago and have been looking forward to this mission trip for a year.

These people had served the church for a long time, but it was their first time on a mission trip, and they experienced the Lord's love and miracles, shedding many tears.

In the first year, a deacon had severe back pain, and she looked even worse last year. As our team and I prayed earnestly for her, something amazing happened. It was not the deacon who was healed, but another elder.

So, I wondered if that deacon would be able to come this year, but I heard that she is preparing more actively than ever. Isn't it because she saw something more precious than the visible sign?

This time, we are also facing a new situation where the church in New Jersey, Cham Joeun Church, is participating with a number of people greater than our church's members. But since this is also not something I planned, I am obeying the Lord, who is leading me to "where I do not want to go (different from my plan)" and stretching out my arms, rather than my own calculations.

The plane I was supposed to take back from Chicago, where the Korean General Assembly was held this time, was originally at 6:36 PM. On the last day, Thursday, the pastors in the area showed us around and gave us time to rest, and I was planning to spend some time with my sister's family since her house was nearby.

However, there was a big event that day where my nephews, who were about to graduate, wore clothes from the schools they had each been accepted to and congratulated each other, so I was scheduled to meet only my sister and brother-in-law without seeing my nephews.

But then, emails kept coming in, changing the time due to a delayed flight. At first, I blamed the budget airline, but I found out that all flights were being canceled or delayed due to a problem at the New Jersey airport.

Eventually, it was delayed for four hours until 10:40 PM, giving me time to have dinner with my nephews and pray for them sufficiently, and I returned after spending a warm and grateful time.

The tiredness of arriving at dawn was there, but it is incomparable to the eternal value of meeting my nephews, who are graduating from high school and facing new challenges, and giving them words of God and praying for them.

John 8:29: "The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.”

Here, "pleases" is not just about being fun and laughing, but it is the same expression as when He said He was pleased that he was not there when Lazarus died.

A life lived according to the Lord's will, not my own! A life where God is always with me.

A better life, even when things do not go as I wish!

A life where, in the end, the Lord's will gradually becomes my will, and my will aligns with the Lord's will!

A life of constantly stretching out my arms, being filled abundantly from heaven, and generously sharing it with those who do not even have the courage to stretch out their arms, like Jesus.

Go to where you do not want to go. Turn your body and take a step on the narrow path. There is a treasure there that I cannot create, that the world cannot give. The selfishness, jealousy, and desires that have stubbornly blocked my path will be shattered and collapse. Love! Peace! Joy! Those eternal things will fill you.

Let us pray.