The Problem of Beauty
Acts 5:11-16
Magician & Materialist
Magician: New Age Spirituality, Wicca, Crystals, Buddhism, Hindu What your longing for isn’t where you’re looking for it.
Materialist: Like me embraced the idea that we are computers made of meat, that evolved from primordial soup. The world is more mysterious and beautiful than you dared imagine.
“THE PROBLEM OF EVIL” I want to present in response “THE PROBLEM OF BEAUTY”
“Dad we want to sit in the culdesac and look at stars” … The stars were my first apologists…
Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God”
Augustine “The beauty of the stars, the splendor of the heavens, the harmony of all things—these are voices crying out: ‘We did not make ourselves.’”
→ When has your firm grip on atheism been loosened by otherworldly beauty?
Examples:
- Beholding Nature
- Music and how it moves you deeply
- The joy and feeling of real friendship (Samwise + Frodo)
- The sweetness of marriage
- Not being in snow
- Holding your first born
Beauty somehow slips past our reason…
Acts 5:12-16 Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. [13] None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. [14] And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, [15] so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. [16] The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE IN HIS PRESENCE.
The Power of the Spirit is attracting crowds. There is power in Christ, His Word, His Church, His disciples. That’s true today. Have you locked in with Jesus, church, and discipleship?
The supernatural power of healing that was on Jesus was now on the disciples.
QUESTION: Should we expect miracles like this today?
Yes and no.
No: We’re not the Apostles. There’s a danger in over-assuming God’s power will flow through us like it did through the apostles themselves. There are no Apostles today.
We are in the “Not Yet”… Over-realized eschatology
Yes: We serve the same God. We should not discount the impossible from happening anymore.
[16] The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.
Note: This was real healing.
However, we can trust that Luke is not merely recording legends. “From what we know of physicians, even in those days, we cannot assume that Luke would gullibly accept stories of ‘miraculous healing’ without investigating them.”
Peter’s shadow?!
[15] so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them.
The presence of the Lord was healing them.
Our text does not specifically say people were healed by Peter’s shadow; it merely tells us people thought it would, and they took action based on this belief. We don’t know for certain if people were actually healed when the shadow of Peter passed over them.
John Stott “It may be significant that the verb episkiazo, which Luke chooses, meaning ‘to overshadow’, he has used twice in his Gospel of the overshadowing of God’s presence.”
THE POWER IS IN GOD’S PRESENCE.
Uzzah: God’s presence judgement & blessing
2 Samuel 6:11 And the ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and all his household.
GOD OFTEN WORKS WHERE HE IS WANTED.
“Your faith has made you well” – Jesus
Similar concept in the Gospels…
Matthew 13:58 “And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.”
We shouldn’t expect God to heal a marriage; we say He will never heal. We shouldn’t expect God to work in our lives when we resist Him and ignore His Word. We shouldn’t expect God to renew our family when we’ve never pray with our kids or attempt to teach Christ’s Lordship in our homes. We shouldn’t expect His help, healing, or hope when we’ve put zero faith in Him.
But watch this:
Matthew 17:18–20 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. [19] Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” [20] He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
→ God works where He’s wanted.
THE WORD OF FAITH MOVEMENT IS A FALSE GOSPEL.
The Word of Faith (WoF) movement teaches that faith is a spiritual force that can be activated through spoken words to produce health, wealth, and success.
Core ideas:
Words create reality (“positive confession”)
Faith obligates God to act
Sickness and poverty are curses that can be overcome by faith
Jesus died to make you materially prosperous, not just forgiven
If you don’t receive healing or blessing, the problem is your faith, not God’s will
Why?
1. It treats God as a mechanism, not sovereign.
2. It centers on miracles, not the Gospel.
3. It has no theology of suffering.
4. It sells God and miracles for money.
5. It shifts authority from Scripture to experience.
False Teachers
Kenneth Hagin (founder)
Kenneth Copeland
Jesse Duplantis
Creflo Dollar
Benny Hinn
Joyce Meyer (earlier theology especially)
Paula White
***I’m suspicious of Mike Todd
Two Theological Cautions:
This gets twisted by the so-called “Word of Faith” movement and prosperity Gospel garbage.
01. Healing is not a reward for strong faith and sickness is not a punishment for weak faith.
Physical healing is not unlocked by the right amount of faith. The Word of Faith movement has produced real harm—shaming the sick and implying that unanswered prayers mean deficient belief. Scripture does not teach that a lack of faith causes cancer, poverty, or suffering. Instead, faith in Christ brings hope and healing of many kinds—regardless of circumstances. Our confidence is not in the size of our faith but in the sovereignty of God. And when God says no, He does so with purpose. Biblical faith trusts Him—whether the answer is yes, no, or wait.
Job was a man of faith and said “tho He slay me yet I will trust Him”
02. Do not make Jesus a means to another end. Jesus is the goal and reward of faith, not health, wealth or prosperity.
→ Even when God says yes to my prayers, for me, the greatest treasure is the re-enforced assurance that Jesus is real.
How is what I’m saying different?
→ Certainly teaches that Jesus refused to perform signs for hardened, cynical hearts
Real faith:
01. Centers on God Jesus & the Gospel not faith itself.
02. Trusts God’s Character regardless of His answer to prayer.
03. Recognizes God is sovereign. (to heal or not heal)
04. Treasures God’s presence as the real gift.
JESUS CAN DO A LOT WITH A LITTLE BIT OF FAITH.
[15] so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them.
We need to learn to lay our mat in the presence of the Lord.
Do you need your marriage healed?
Do you need perseverance in a hard season?
Are you looking for wisdom in your circumstances?
Does parenting feel like a losing a boxing match?
Do you feel alone and can’t find the right people?
→ Prayer team! Let’s go out of our way to pack it out. In a minute get up.
Mary Queen of Scots “I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies…”
You don’t even have to be a Christian to ask for prayer
Put your faith in Jesus. He does a lot with a little fatih.
BAPTISM: After service
Branch: It’s better to have a weak grip on a strong than a strong grip on a weak branch.
JWs. → You have a strong savior. Grip him with whatever you’ve got.
Who needs to be forgiven?
By His wounds we are healed
Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for ourtransgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Grandma or Mom’s Praying (Those prayers you thought you wasted on me)
—------------------------
GOD’S POWER FALLS ON PEOPLE PURSUING HIS PURPOSES.
God blesses missional efforts.
[17] But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy [18] they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. [19] But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, [20] “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” [21] And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach.
I’ve never seen as many miraculous doors open, supernatural occurrences of power, and uncanny “coincidences” as I have since stepping into the uncertainty of God’s mission of church planting.
Paradise Honors . . . Others . . .
YOU CAN TRY BUT YOU CAN’T LOCK UP THE GOSPEL.
[27] And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, [28] saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” [29] But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. [30] The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. [31] God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. [32] And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
Paul says this same thing.
2 Timothy 2:9 …for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!
Colossians 1:5–6 …because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing…
→ That’s not because they can’t kill us, but because death won’t stop us.
Daniel’s boys had this same energy in Babylon under threat of being burned alive. Facing execution for refusing to worship the king’s idol, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego declare that God can rescue them from the fire—but even if He doesn’t, their allegiance will not change.
Daniel 3:17–18 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
Because of this:
[33] When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.
Fortunately…Cooler heads prevailed.
Gamaliel urges the council to let the apostles go, arguing that movements not from God collapse on their own.
So they threatened them and beat them:
ACTS
[40] and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. [41] Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. [42] And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.
Muslim Stories “When they are ready to die for Christ we know they are real converts…”
“I’m bullet proof until God says I’m not”
ARE YOU TRULY SOLD OUT?
When we are surrendered in their finances
Jake + Alicia Mitchell
Does the world turn their heads and say “Why would you ever do that?”
What happens when we are?
A CHURCH ON MISSION REACHES MULTITUDES
[14] And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women…
Don’t you long for this?
Jesus movement. My crew of dudes when I got saved. The Way in Portland. The Garden Church.
My dream behind the grinder…
1 Corinthians 1:14–17 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, [15] so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. [16] (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) [17] For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. (ESV)