Get Close To The Lord

THE HIGH COST OF LIVING # 4

Acts 14:4-20
“But the multitude of the city was divided: and part held with the Jews, and part with the apostles. And when there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers, to use them despitefully, and to stone them, They were ware of it, and fled unto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth round about: And there they preached the gospel. And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked: The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked. And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker. Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people. Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein: Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them. And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.”

The impotent man healed. vs. 8-10 - “And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked: The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.”

We come now to a most interesting experience. First the people were ready to worship them as gods. Then they were ready and tried to stone them to death. Here sat a man at Lystra, impotent in his feet. He had never walked. We see that he hears Paul speak. It is at this very moment that the Holy Spirit moves on this man. Rom. 10:14 -“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed” And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard: and how shall they hear without a preacher.” Paul, steadfastly beholding him, perceived that the man had faith to be healed. What an interesting picture. Here stood Paul preaching the Word. There was that poor cripple. So Paul, seeing the faith on this man’s face, stopped in the midst of his preaching, and “said with a loud voice, stand upright on thy feet.” Without excuse, the man leaped up and walked. Oh, the wonders of the name of Jesus. What was done for that man physically was just a picture of what the Lord does for people spiritually. Millions of people have been unable to take one step toward God, one step toward heaven, until the gospel came and they believed it. When they activated faith they found they were able to rise out of their sinfulness and helplessness and walk in the way of the Lord. This impotent man who had never walked presents a perfect picture of a sinner. Notice first of all that this man had never walked. Not that he had walked and now had quit. No, he had never walked. “Walk” in the Scriptures speaks of character, conduct, manner of life. Believers walk in the light while unbelievers walk in darkness. The man here could not walk at all, he was helpless, just as all sinners are helpless in their bondage to sin. Remember that God says in II Cor. 5:7 - “for we walk by faith, not by sight.” Then when we walk in faith we walk in the light. I John 1:5-7 - “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” Deut. 5:33 - “Ye shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well in the land which ye shall possess.” Those who walk in God’s ways are happy and blessed. Psa. 128:1 - “Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in His ways.” But remember that the unregenerate man can no more walk in God’s ways or do God’s will than the Ethiopian can change his skin or the leopard change his spots. Jesus said to Nicodemus in
John 3:6 - “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Man is born in sin and shapen in iniquity. Rom. 5:12 - “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”

Like the man in our text, a man born crippled and unable to walk physically, every member of the human race is unable to walk in God’s ways until God works a miracle in the heart through the power of the Holy Spirit. Rom. 10:17 - “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Russell Stolp
Chaplain, CFO

Psalm 37:4 "Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."
Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy
ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.