Recorded LIVE at Grace Baptist Tabernacle on Wednesday, July 16, 2025. Come visit us! You are welcome and expected here!
What happens when you've been bedridden for eight years with no hope of recovery? The story of Aeneas reveals the transformative power of five simple words: "Jesus Christ makes you whole."
This profound message explores spiritual paralysis through the lens of a man who couldn't move without help. For eight years - a divinely appointed timeframe - Aeneas remained trapped in his condition, beyond medical intervention, unable to change his circumstances. His physical state mirrors our spiritual reality: helplessly bound by sin, separated from God, and powerless to save ourselves.
The symptoms are familiar. Perhaps you're battling the slow cancer of pride that gradually consumes until the inevitable fall. Maybe it's the fever of hatred burning inside, affecting your mind and body. Or possibly you're caught in the cycle of addiction - highs followed by crashes, with mounting consequences. The paralysis of lust might be your struggle, constantly dominating your thoughts and emotions. Whatever the manifestation, the root cause remains the same: separation from the God who formed you.
When Peter approached Aeneas with those transformative words, something remarkable happened. "He arose immediately." Not merely healed physically, but made whole spiritually. His sickbed became a place of rest rather than misery. His weakness turned to strength. His bondage gave way to freedom. And the impact reached far beyond one man - an entire region witnessed the transformation and turned to the Lord.
The message resonates powerfully today: Jesus still makes people whole. He still approaches those in helpless situations, offering complete transformation. While we were yet without strength, Christ died for the ungodly. His hand remains extended to those burdened by guilt, shame, anger, bitterness, depression, or despair.
Are you ready to exchange your sickbed for a place of rest? Jesus is passing by, offering wholeness to those who recognize their need. Believe on Him with a sincere heart, and experience the freedom that comes when Jesus Christ makes you whole.
NEW BOOK! I'm pleased to say that we have completed a new book that has been years in the making. The Ten Shirot: Songs of Redemption looks at ten songs that were sung through pivotal times in Scripture. It's an examination of the redemption of Jesus, of worship, and of Scripture in a way that we believe you probably haven't seen before. Check it out at https://a.co/d/0a4KIooL .
The Redeeming Love Bible Broadcast is a ministry of Grace Baptist Tabernacle. We're located at 121 Arborside Lane in King, NC and we can be reached at welcome@gracebaptisttabernacle.org. Please continue to share these episodes, and please consider coming to visit our church. We are excited and expectant for you to come!
Episode Transcript
glory, glory, glory, hallelujah, amen, hallelujah,
welcome, welcome those of youwho are here tonight.
Welcome our visitor back there,hallelujah.
It's good to start seeing thissection get filled up.
I still see plenty of emptyseats out there, though,
hallelujah.
So bring folks in.
Hallelujah, and I want to saywelcome to those who are
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listening around the world 61nations.
Now, as I preach this, I wantto welcome Pakistan.
Heard about you today,hallelujah, and we're praying
for this entire audience who'slistening.
I know some of you have beenlistening even as far back as
2019.
And 61 nations.
(00:59):
We're on every continent exceptAntarctica, and so if you're
streaming this or if you'relistening on the replay, as many
of you do, you're in greatcompany.
You're not alone.
There are brothers and sistersall around the world who are
listening, and we're gratefulfor that.
We're humbled by it, becausethis has been the Lord's work,
and he's used several of us inthis room to help reach you, and
(01:21):
he's used several of us in thisroom to help reach you, but
it's been his work and his word,and we want to know how to pray
for you.
Please reach out to us.
At gbtministriescom, you'llfind email addresses, phone
numbers and you'll find aphysical mailing address for the
mailbox in front of thebuilding.
Amen.
So reach out to us.
(01:41):
We want to hear from you.
So let's come down to Acts,chapter 9 tonight.
Acts, chapter 9, starting inverse 32.
And I'm going to preach aboutJesus reaching you.
Jesus is well, and the entirepoint of this, the entire point
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of what I'm doing, is that theLord will speak to you through
this.
The Lord will speak to youpersonally through this message.
He wants to reach you.
He's got something he wants tosay to you, and so we're glad
you're here to listen to him andglad you're here to hear it.
Amen.
And so let's come down to Acts,chapter 9, 32.
And it came to pass.
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As Peter passed throughout allquarters, he came down also to
the saints which dwelt at Lydda,and so Peter is ministering
Amen.
Go back a couple of chaptersand you can see Peter and John.
They're in Samaria because whatthe Lord had said before he was
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taken up had started to come topass.
The gospel started in Jerusalem, and now the gospel is going
outside of Jerusalem, the gospelis going into Judea, and if
you're a saint and you'relistening to this in America or
in any other country, that'sstill going on.
So let that amaze you tonight.
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Now, what the Lord said so manygenerations ago is still
happening, started in Jerusalem,it's gone through Judea
Hallelujah and amen.
And it's going to every singlenation around this world and
amen, you're a part of that.
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And so Peter, he's been inSamaria and now we've got some
saints which are dwelling in thetown of Lydda.
Hallelujah, someone preachedJesus in the land of Judea and
some folks in this city hadresponded in faith.
They responded by believing thegospel.
They responded and the Lordresponded to that faith by
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saving their souls.
And Peter, as the apostle, he'sgoing to meet these people,
he's going to see what's goingon, he's going to help build
them up as newborns in the faith.
And so he comes to the saintswhich dwelt at Lydda and there
he found, glory to God, acertain man.
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He found a certain man, andthis man's name was Aeneas.
And Aeneas, the Bible says,which had kept his bed.
Eight years, eight years, hehad kept his bed, he was sick of
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the palsy and God had him inthis position.
God Almighty himself had himbedridden for eight years.
I'm going to come back to thatnumber.
That's a precious, preciousnumber, my friend, god
intentionally had this manbedridden with the palsy for
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eight years.
You might ask why?
Well, he wants to talk to you.
He wants to talk to you throughthis man.
This man is a picture.
He's a picture to us in twoways.
He was sick of the palsy, hewas bedridden.
He was sick of the palsy, hewas bedridden, he couldn't move
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without help.
Palsy in the old Greek is very,very close to the English
paralysis.
He was paralyzed.
It literally means he wasunstrung.
It's sort of like the signaldidn't reach the nerves.
The nerves were numb and he wasunstrung.
He couldn't move without help.
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And he was humanly helpless.
And he'd been here for eightyears.
He's a man.
He had not been born this way.
But over time his sickness hadset in and he became more and
more weak.
He became more and more unableto do things, to the point where
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he could only really just laythere and he couldn't move
unless somebody else came andhelped him.
And he was beyond the scienceof the age, he was beyond
medicine, he was beyond help.
People could observe what wasgoing on, but they couldn't do
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anything.
They couldn't do anything tohelp the man.
And I'm reminded I don't knowif you are, but I am.
When we were yet withoutstrength, christ died for the
ungodly when we were yet withoutstrength.
Christ died for the ungodlywhen we were yet without
strength, and the book of Romans, I believe, is very intentional
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with that message.
We were without ability, wewere without a hope in this
world.
Without a hope in this world,we were unable to move, unable
to do anything about it.
Without help, without help.
(07:15):
Oh, my friend, maybe you'refamiliar with the slow cancer of
pride.
And it eats and it eats, and iteats and it eats, and it builds
up until one day there's a fall.
Maybe you're familiar with thefever of hatred.
It burns on the inside, itburns on the inside and then
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sometimes it comes out.
It's always there burning, it'salways there weighing, it's
always there having a physicaltoll.
It's always there dominatingyour mind.
It's always there, it's pullingyou down.
Maybe you're more familiar withthe insanity of alcohol and
drugs, the insane behavior ofalcohol and drugs.
(07:58):
You have a high and you have acrash.
You have a high and you have acrash.
You have a high and and youhave a crash.
You have a high and you have acrash and there's a hangover.
And the physical consequences,the financial consequences, and
all of this builds and it builds, and it builds and it builds.
And you repeat the cycle againand again, and again, and again
and again, or maybe back to theparalysis of sexual lust.
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It's always there, it's alwayspulling, it's always dominating,
it's always just tugging at you, your mind and your emotions.
But what I've described, myfriend, they're just symptoms.
You know the real root of ityour separation from God, your
(08:43):
separation from the King of allkings and the Lord of all lords,
your separation from the Godwho put you together and formed
you.
And it comes out in these ways,it comes out in all these ways
and more.
But the point for tonight is,my friend, you're helpless.
You're helpless humanlyspeaking.
(09:06):
No amount of social philosophycan really deal with the root
problem.
No amount of medication canreally deal with the root
problem.
Even as good as some of ourcounselors are, they can't deal
with the root problem.
There's but one man who can,and, my friend, that's how
(09:33):
Aeneas is a picture to youtonight in a second way.
See, god had him here for you.
God had him in a humanlyhelpless situation, illustrating
in his body the condition ofyour soul, helplessly lost,
helplessly bound up in sin,helplessly weighed down.
But oh, my friend, if you'relooking for help tonight, quote
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an old gospel song.
I know a man who can.
We'll keep on reading amen.
Peter found this certain man andPeter said unto him Aeneas, oh,
put your name there tonight.
Aeneas, jesus Christ maketh youwhole, arise, make thy bed.
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Oh.
And Aeneas arose immediately.
Bless God.
Aeneas arose immediately.
Oh, and the Bible's not.
It's not an accident, my friend.
Jesus Christ maketh thee whole.
See, I believe I'm on the sidethat this man was one of these
saints.
But oh, if I'm wrong on that,hallelujah, he was a saint.
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After this.
Jesus Christ makes you whole.
Jesus Christ heals your body.
No, in English we're lookingforward to something else body,
you know.
In English we're lookingforward to something else.
Aeneas, at this instant, waswhole in body and he was whole
in spirit.
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He was whole in his soul.
He was complete in his soul.
Not another moment in paralysis, not another moment in the
palsy, not another moment in sin, not another moment in the
palsy, not another moment in sin, not another moment weighed
down, not another momenthelpless, because his helper had
come, and oh, through a mannamed Peter.
(11:29):
See, this was a living Godspeaking through a man.
Just like tonight.
This was a living God speakingto one man through a man.
Just like tonight.
This was a living God speakingto one man through a man.
Oh, this wasn't a religion,this wasn't a philosophy, this
wasn't a method, this wasn't anapproach, this wasn't a drug,
this wasn't even a medicine,this wasn't even a science.
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This was a man, under thedrawing and the inspiration of
the Holy Ghost, walking up toanother man and saying Aeneas,
jesus Christ makes you whole.
See, he didn't even ask Aeneasif he believed, and Aeneas
didn't even ask him anythingabout Jesus Christ.
Because I believe Aeneas knewsomething about Jesus Christ.
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I believe Aeneas had heard ofJesus Christ.
I believe Aeneas knew somethingabout Jesus Christ.
I believe Aeneas had heard ofJesus Christ.
I believe Aeneas hadencountered Jesus Christ already
.
And hallelujah Peter's here.
And he says hallelujah, aeneas,jesus told me something about
you.
He makes you whole, he makesyou complete, he makes you born
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again.
He sets you free from anybondage of sin, because Jesus
has forgotten your sin.
Because, my friend, we'rehelpless before him.
We're helpless.
You're under the wrath of Goduntil God does something about
it.
And what's God do about it?
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He comes up to you and says Ilove you and I know you and I
went to a cross for you.
I took your sin and I put itover here.
I took your sin, I separatedPsalm 103.
It says as far as the east isfrom the west, I cast your sin
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into a sea of forgetfulnessBecause I've looked at you and
I've seen you in your bondage.
I've seen you in yourhelplessness.
I've seen you.
You try to kind of deal with itby yourself, but you can't.
The reality is you can't reallymove unless someone helps you.
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And I'm here to help you.
I'm here as your king, I'm hereas your God, I'm here as your
savior to help you, because youneed help and I want to give it.
And so he arose immediately,bless God.
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And he made his bed.
I love that.
It's no longer a sick bed Now,it's a bed for rest, as the
man's body is whole.
And, oh, he has a rest now inJesus.
He has a rest in God.
He is safe and he is secure inGod.
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The devil can't touch himanymore.
Sin is no longer his master.
Sin is no longer weighing himdown.
His guilt isn't weighing himdown.
Jesus took that away.
There's no reason for itanymore.
His shame isn't weighing himdown.
Jesus took it away.
There's no reason anymore.
His conscience isn't burdened.
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It's light and he's strong.
You see, he was weak before.
You see that picture in thebody.
Before he couldn't do anything.
He was weak, and that's whatRomans tells us.
While we were yet weak, we werewithout ability.
(15:09):
And then Christ came and diedfor the ungodly.
And now, my friend, if you're inChrist tonight, you're strong.
You're strong in the Lord andin the power of his might.
You've got a boldness.
You don't have a spirit of fear.
(15:30):
Sin's not your master anymore.
You've got an authority.
You've got a new master.
You've got a, an authority.
You've got a new master.
You've got a new king.
You've got a better king.
You've got the king of allkings.
Oh, lust, my friend.
The world.
Bible says love, not the world.
That's only possible in JesusChrist.
Hallelujah.
Love, not the world.
(15:52):
And oh, have you tasted that?
Have you tasted that, my friend?
How sweet Jesus is, how sweethe is.
Nothing in the world cancompare to him.
And, my friend, you've got astrength.
You've got a security.
You've got a.
And, my friend, you've also gotthat rest, precious rest.
(16:14):
You don't have a sickbedanymore.
You don't have a sick bedanymore.
You don't have a misery anymore.
You don't have a helplessnessanymore.
At the very moment someone comesinto your life and says believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, verymoment someone comes in and says
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call upon the name of the LordJesus Christ.
Very moment someone comes inand says call upon the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ and youshall be saved.
And you do that out of a trueheart, you do that out of a real
faith, you do that out of asincerity.
Oh, you enter into a sweethaven of rest.
You don't have a misery, youdon't have a burdened conscience
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.
You don't have a misery.
You don't have a burdenedconscience.
You don't have any bondageswhatsoever.
You're free.
You may hear Christians singabout that, you may hear
Christians talk about that.
That's what we mean.
You're free, you are made wholeand he arose immediately, and
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glory to God.
Verse 35.
All that dwelt at Lydda, thewhole town and Sharon, amen,
sharon, amen, hallelujah.
They all saw him and turned tothe Lord.
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Amen, sharon, amen, hallelujah.
They all saw him and turned tothe Lord.
They saw a real living GodWorking through, a real living
human person Ministering toanother real, human, living
person, who was in a hopelesssituation, who was beyond
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anything, and they all knew it.
Even Aeneas had to know it andI wonder what that eight years
was like for him.
But oh, I think, not only hishealing, but I think, when he
walked out and a little bit oftime went by and the word, and
person after person after person, maybe groups of people, they
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came and they saw him.
They came in and they looked athim and he got to say Jesus
Christ made me whole.
I was laying on my sickbed, Icouldn't do a thing about it, I
was helpless, hopeless, damnedand doomed, but then Jesus
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Christ came in and he made mewhole.
And bless God.
Lita saw it, sharon saw it andthe whole region turned to the
Lord.
How about you tonight, my friend?
Because Jesus Christ is thesame yesterday, today and
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forever.
And today, if you're listeningto this and Jesus is drawing you
, maybe he's speaking to you inanother way too.
Maybe you're a modern dayAeneas, and God's got you in
this situation and he's sayingtonight, be made whole, and
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other people around you aregoing to see it and you're going
to give glory to my name andyou're going to tell them about
me and you're going to lead themto me and they're going to
encounter me through you andyou're going to have a harvest,
amen.
And oh, maybe he's talking toyou in another way that you're
sick on the inside, your soul issin, sick and weary, your soul
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is burdened down, your soul isheavy, and it's because you're
separate from God and you'rejust living your life the only
way you can, in sin.
He's coming by to tell youtonight, get up.
He's coming by to tell youtonight I've got my hand reached
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out to you because, glory toGod, jesus Christ, he came not
for the healthy.
He came not for those whobelieve they're well.
He came not for those whobelieve they're fine.
He came for the sick.
He came for you.
He came for the lost, dying andhell bound sinner.
He came for the fornicator whohasn't got a hope in heaven or
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hell.
He's got a living hope in JesusChrist.
You don't have a hope in thisworld, but amen, jesus Christ
came into the world.
Amen, jesus Christ overcame theworld.
Amen.
Jesus Christ is coming to youand he's saying come unto me,
I'll give you rest.
Coming to you and he's sayingcome unto me, I'll give you rest
(21:08):
, come to me.
Oh, you've got that anger.
You can't outrun it.
You've got that pride andyou're starting to fall.
You've got that bitter heart.
You've got that depressed heart.
You've got that lonely heart.
You've got that despairingheart.
Oh, jesus Christ is coming toall of y'all right now and he's
saying I did it for Aeneas, Iremember Aeneas and I know
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Aeneas.
He's up here in glory.
I want you to be with him and Iwant you to be with me.
I want you to be in glory.
I want you to be whole.
I want you to live a forgivenlife.
I want you to live a new life.
I'm going to make you to beborn again, hallelujah.
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Will you be saved tonight?
Will you be made whole tonight?
For our musicians will comeforward here and we'll have a
time of invitation for those whoare right here tonight.
If you need to be born again,these folks are going to be
playing a song in just a momentand I want you to come forward.
I want you to come forward.
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I'd be glad to pray with you,hallelujah.
And for those who are abroad,we thank you again for being
here tonight.
Abroad.
We thank you again for beinghere tonight and if you need to
be saved, and you want to besaved and you want to be born
again, and you want to be healed, and and and you want life.
Hallelujah, believe on the lordjesus christ.
(22:37):
He's your savior.
He went to an old, rugged crossfor you.
He's your Savior.
He went to an old, rugged crossfor you.
He became your sin.
He died the death that youshould die.
Understand that your sindemands a price, and that price
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is death.
But Jesus Christ stepped in andhe took your death in your
place, and he's alive and he'swell, and it's to the point now
where, glory to God, he'sfaithful and just to forgive you
.
Any man, woman or child who putstheir faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ, no questions asked.
God forgives you and, oh, hedoes more than that.
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He makes you whole, and so Iwant you to talk to him just as
though he's standing right infront of you.
Ask him to be saved, ask him tobe born again, and anyone who
does that with a genuine, honestheart of faith, he will never,
in no way, turn you away.
(23:47):
He'll never cast you away,he'll never push you away.
What He'll do is He'll embraceyou.
So, my friend, if you do that.
We want to hear about it.
If you're born again, we wantto hear about it.
Contact us gbtministriescom.
We look forward to hearing fromyou.
We're excited whenever we hearfrom you.
Contact us gbtministriescom.
We look forward to hearing fromyou.
We're excited whenever we hearfrom someone who's right here in
(24:12):
America or halfway around theworld.
Bless God.
We're excited.
It's a blessing to us to hearfrom you, and so let us know
what the Lord's doing, let usknow how the Lord's moving in
your life, how we can be prayingfor you in particular.
Let us know that, and may theLord continue to richly bless us
.
Amen, because I will see youlater.
(24:34):
Thank you.
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