The Gospel for the Gentiles-- Acts 9:32-10:48

Prayer

Open to Acts 9:32.

Today we are going to be looking at the longest single narrative of the New Testament. And the reason Luke spends more than 2 chapters, 10 and 11 sharing this story is BECAUSE IT IS A HUUUUUGEEEE DEAL. This cannot be overstated… Acts 10 and 11 is the dam bursting in favor of world evangelization. Acts 10 & 11 is the reason that you and I, 2000 years removed, are gathered under the banner of Jesus Christ, is a result of what we read in this passage!

So let’s jump right in!

Introduction

Acts 9:31 ESV

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

Acts 1:8.

What Jesus had comissioned to His disciples in Acts 1:8 is coming true. The name of Christ is being powerfully proclaimed and witnessed to in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria… but, there is one thing still lacking...

It has yet to to “the ends up the earth.”

7 years removed from Pentecost, and the Gospel is still contained to a fairly small radius.

Why!?

Why is it not happening!?

The reason is simple, but overcoming the reason is a totally different ordeal.

Partiality. An unfair bias in favor of one person or group of persons over another.

Prejudice.

Discrimination.

The fault in us all to respect and honor one category of people over another.

What stood between the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the evangelization of the world was Sin. The Sin of Partiality.

But before we read our particular passage, we actually need to see how this plays into the meta-narrative of Scripture. Because it has been building for centuries, as we approach Acts 10.

Church, this book although consisting of 66 seperate books, is actaully a singular story, written by a singular author. And the WALL OF DIVISION built by DISCRIMINATION got its first few stones way back in Genesis.

People of Partiality

Beginning

Genesis 1:26 “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.””

Genesis 1:28 “And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.

So God created mankind in the image of himself, and commanded them to fill the earth; in essence, to fill the earth with the image of Himself.

Problem

But in Genesis 3 sin came, and consequently marred the image of God within mankind. Now as mankind was fruitful and multiplying and filling the earth they are filling the earth with the image and corruption of sin.

So God, always the initiator in this story, finds someone who carries an air of righteousness. His name was Noah.

And he tells Noah to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (Genesis 9:1). But Noah’s decesendnts failed… continuing in sin. And filling the earth with the image of sin.

So God, always the initator in this story, finds another… Genesis 12:1-3 “Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.””

But unlike Noah’s decendents— Genesis 12:4 “So Abram went, (He obeyed)

And what was Abram destined to do?

To be a great nation, and God will bless that nation, SO THAT they will be a blessing, and thru that nation all the families or nations of the earth will be blessed!

The remainder of the OT is filled with God using, that Nation, Israel to make His name great among the nations.

He blesses Israel, so that through Israel the families of the earth will be blessed.

Deuteronomy 7:6 ““For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession...

BUT ALWAYS FOR A REASON. So that they may be a blessing!

Even in spite of their continued idolatry, God kept them as his treasured possession.

Because even when they were faithfless, he was faithful.

Even when they followed Idols, he continued to bless them.

His favor was clearly seen on His people Israel.

Forgot their So That!

But unfortunately, over time they forgot their “So That.”

The nation Israel reveled in the fact that they were chosen. They were the apple of God’s eye. His treasured possession. They knew that they were different, and set apart.

But they forgot their so that… Instead of being blessed to be a blessing, they just viewed themselves as blessed.

In short… they grew prideful.

So being Jewish was the equivalent of being a blessed nation, when being Jewish was supposed to mean they were to be a blessing to all nations.

Church, this pride then proceeded to create a disdain for, even a revulsion at, the idolatrous nations all around them… The Gentiles.

Gentiles is the greek word “Goyim”— just means nations. It is the others. All those who are not Jews.

So in their collective, national pride it became “US” and “THEM”

So then, over the course of centuries and centuries Jews refused to associte with Gentiles.

A strict Jew would never be a guest in a gentile home.

A strict Jew wouldn’t drink milk if it was drawn from the hand of a Gentile.

A strict Jew wouldn’t buy cooking utensils from a Gentile.

It became US vs. THEM.

CLEAN vs. UNCLEAN.

JEW vs. Gentile.

Let me demonstrate this partiality by showing you the Temple used to worship God.

SLIDE

The outermost courtyard, furthest from the Presence of God was the Court of the Gentiles.

So even in the archictecture of their worship a LITERAL WALL stood between the Gentiles and God. That Wall illustrates the prejudice, discrimination, and partiality of the collective Jewish cultural mind.

But once again, as the initator, God steps in and sends His Son Jesus.

Throughout the OT it was prophecied that a Messiah would come from the Nation of Israel, the tribe of David, and would be a “light to the nations (Is 42) and bring salvation “to the ends of the earth.” (49:6).

Jesus taught that the Gospel of the Kingdom must be preached to all nations and then the end will come (Matt 24).

Jesus, told all the JEWS that it isn’t their traditions that make them treasured, and it isn’t their laws that make them clean. It isn’t what you eat that defiles you… it’s your heart.

This Jesus immediately after telling them that goes into Tyre and Sidon and ministers to GENTILES.

It was Jesus, who comes into Jerusalem and walks into the Temple and sees the moneychangers and lenders with their tables set up between the court of the gentiles and the inner courtyards… practically barring their entrance to the presence of God… so what does he do? He flips the tables and drives them out and says,

Mark 11:17 “And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.””

But Centuries of cultural bias, ethnic prejudice, and simply the sin of partiality is hard to undo. And although Jesus had modeled, taught, and come to eliminate the dividing wall of Jew and Gentile, the church, Jesus’ closest followers were slow in following suit.

And Once again, God is always the initiator in this story. And God choose a leader that would lead the way!

Matthew 16:18–19 ESV

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Peter was the Rock, that Christ would use.

Peter was the one who inaguarated the church in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost.

Peter was the one who was sent to Samria in Acts 8 to pray for the church in Samaria to receive the Spirit.

Now, it would be Peter that God would select to open the door of the Gospel to the ends of the earth… to the Gentiles.

So we pick up in 9:32… the church in Jerusalem is at peace and multiplying, and Paul is back in obscurity in Tarsus.

and 9:32 picks up with Peter. At first glance, these 2 accounts of Peter in Acts 9 feel out of place. But they aren’t. The reason Luke places them here is to show us how Peter ended up at Joppa.

So I’m actually not going to read this, but summarize it for you.

Peter goes to Lydda, and heals a man who had been paralyzed for 8 years, and many turned to the Lord. So Peter stays there to help disciple these new believers.

But while there, a cherished lady named Tabitha, living in Joppa on the coast, died. And the disciples in Joppa heard Peter wasn’t too far away, so they fetch him. Peter raises Tabitha, and many again believe in the Lord there in Joppa. So he stays there in Joppa, with Simon a tanner.

So peter is in Joppa! That is the primary purpose for these miracle stories being placed here…

But Chapter 10 is where we need to camp out…

The Visions (10:1-16)

Read Acts 10:1-16

Acts 10:1–16 ESV

At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa. The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.

Let’s stop here, and look at the 2 Visions

Cornelius’ Vision

About 30 miles up the coast from Joppa, there is a Roman Centurian named Cornelius.

A centurion oversaw about 100 Roman Soldiers, but this Centurion was interesting, because he was “a devout man who feard God, gave alms, and prayed continually to God.” IN short he was a God-Fearer!”

What that means is that he had rejeceted the polytheism and idolatry of his homeland, and come to believe that the God of Israel was the one true God.

But to be a full proselyte of Judaism he would need to a) adopt the Hebrew Law including Kosher food distinctives b) and secondly, be circumcised.

Cornelius had not jumped that far…

So he wasn’t a convert, He was a God fearer.

He worshiped God, and prayed to HIm and was apparently very charitable in his alms to the Jewish people… but he had not “converted”. He was still a Gentile!

His devotion though had arisen to God like smoke from a sacrifice.

And God responds to His devotion and tells him to send for Simon in Joppa, who is residing with Simon the Tanner. and he obeyes immediately

But to Peter’s vision.

Peter’s Vision

So the next day… as Cornelius’ servants are on the way to Joppa Peter has a vision.

Simiarly it happens while Peter is at prayer… Church God tends to reveal himself when we give ourselves to prayer.

So he’s praying and hungry, and he sees the heavens open:

A great sheet, being let down by its 4 corners.

In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds.

And the voice said, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”

On this sheet, was all types of animals. Clean and Unclean.

In LEV 11, God makes a distinction in His law about certain animals that are clean (appropriate for his distinct people) and certain that are not.

Jews would eat the clean, and Gentiles ate both… And by eating the unclean, Gentiles are once again, unclean! And even stepping foot in the home of a Gentile who ate like this, would make the Jew Unclean. US VS. THEM.

But on this sheet are both. Clean and Unclean Together.

And A voice says, “Kill and Eat.”

Peter then, being a good Jew says, “BY NO MEANS!”

And the voice says, “What God has made clean, do not call common.”

In essence, the Vision was abolishing the Jewish dietary laws. And they were being abolished because they created a distinction, between Jew and Gentile.

Those dietary laws forbid a Jew from sharing table fellowship with a Gentile. Forbid a Jew from even entering into the home of a gentile.

The Distinction of clean and unclean food was abolished.

Peter was dense though, so he has to hear it 3x!

Cultural bias, prejudice, and partiality is like an iceberg. You may be aware of 10%, but 90% of it is sooo ingrained in who we are. God has to tell Peter 3x, because this was a radical reversal of what Peter thought to be true.

So we have the visions, but what is the Reason behind them!?

The Reason (10:17-33)

Acts 10:17–33 ESV

Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon’s house, stood at the gate and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.” And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?” And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.” So he invited them in to be his guests. The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.” And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered. And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.” And Cornelius said, “Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”

Peter to the servants… “What is the reason for your coming!?

To which they say, “An angel said to send for you, to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.”

The next day they all went together.

And he finds a Roman Gentile, but not just a Gentile, a Gentile Occupier, A Gentile Centurion, falling at his feet, surrounded by all his neighbors and family!

Take in the gasp here. And after Peter tells him to get up, for I am just a man like you...

Peter says… Acts 10:28 “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.”

Don’t miss this… at this point in the narrative Peter interpreted the vision to simply mean an abolishion of dietary food distinctives.

Peter thought the reason for the vision was primarily about FOOD.

In essence, all food is clean now… so although previously unlawful for me to be in this house right now, associating with your unclean practices, because you eat this unclean food… Jesus has now shown me that I can associate with you. I can come into your house. So I’m here, without objection.

But the room is full, and the reaction was extreme… So Peter, dense remember, thought, “maybe there is something else going on here?” A deeper reason…

Acts 10:29 “I ask then why you sent for me.””

The Reason

Acts 10:33 “So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.””

The reason for the visions, was to break down remove the separateness created by the law, so that Cornelius, and his family (Gentiles) could hear all that God had commanded Peter!

The Wall Demolished (10:34-48)

Acts 10:34-35 “So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”

Now it sets on Peter… the abolishment of dieteray food was to create space for Jews and Gentiles, not just to share a table… but to worship together!

So he shares the Word vs. 36

The Word that was first sent to Israel… so that!

It was sent to Israel first… so that through them all the nations of the earth might be blessed.

And that blessing is of the Jews, because it is the Good News of PEACE with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of All!

This Jesus who was anointed, was put to death on the cross (vs. 39)

But was raised on the 3rd day (vs. 40)

And appeared to me, and others, and commanded us to preach to the people (ALL NATIONS), that Jesus is appointed by God to be judge.

And EVERYONE (ALL NATIONS), JEWS AND GENTILES, who believe in him receive his forgiveness of sins thorugh his name!

Where Christ is… as Lord of all; all prejudice and partiality is removed and worldwide fellowship of all believers, regardless of backgrounds, is found!

Immediately, the Holy Spirit Fell on the Gentiles.

They were speaking in tongues extolling God.

The exact way that the HS fell on the Jews in Pentecost, has now fallen on the Gentiles in Ceaserea.

NO DISTINCTION.

Acts 10:47 ““Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?””

In essence, if God has accepted the Gentiles as seen in the giving of the HS, in only remains for the church to do so as well by accepting them in the waters of baptism.

The Application

Peter’s Partiality

Partiality. Prejudice, Bias & Discrimination was standing tall and strong as a Wall between the Gospel of Grace and the Gentiles.

So God divinely confronts Peter’s Prejudice, and as the rock of the church, as the holder of keys to the Kingdom, Peter’s Partiality came crashing down and serves as an example for us all.

That sheet, whose four corners represent North, South, East and West, decends with contents that indicate the billions that populate the earth today.

People who are different than you.

Our shets are full of people who are different in various backgrounds:

educational

racial

cultural

and even spiritual backgrounds.

How quick we are, like Peter, to look at the contents of our sheet and declare! “BY NO MEANS LORD!”

We seperate ourselvse from whole churches because they are different denominations.

We avoid different ethnic or racial groups because of long held stereotypes.

We excommunicate and slam others that disagree with us on predestination, gifts of the spirit, or forms of baptism.

We judge and gossip about the homeschoolers, or privateschoolers or public schoolers.

We tilt our noses at the vastly inferior rec baseball teams, when our kid is elevated to travel ball.

We give the seat of honor to the rich and wealthy, and look down or past the poor among us.

And on and on and on I could go. We are biased. We are prejudiced. We are partial!

And the issue is magnified by the fact, that like Peter, we can have these partial attitudes towards others even while possessing a favorable one toward fellowship with Christ!

Peter was praying when he had that vision.

He had a beautiful attitude toward God, but a prideful and partial one toward the nations God had come to save.

That ought to scare you a bit. You can come here every Sunday and worship with passion, yet possess deeply held sinful prejudices.

Church… we must let God deal with our prejudice! Not someone elses. Not their’s. Not foxnews. Not Cnn’s. Ours. The man or woman in the mirror.

So how? How do we do that!?

We must REMEMBER the grace of Christ.

“Truly, I understand that God shows no partiality!, but every nation can be acceptable to him.”

Ephesians 2:11-18 “Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

It was HE that has broken down in HIS FLESH the dividing wall. HE has made peace between foreign enemies.

It is HIS GRACE, that removes US vs. THEM!

There is no US or THEM, we are all… sinners saved by grace. On the same playing field.

We must REPENT of the sin of partiality.

Hear the words of Alexander Whyte 19th century scottish preacher.

It would change your whole heart and life this very night if you would take Peter and Cornelius home with you and lay them both to heart. If you would take a 4 cornered napkin when you go home, and pen and ink, and write the. names of nations, and the churches, and the denominations, and the congregations, and the ministers, and the public men, and the private citizens, and the neighbors,--- all the people you dislike, and despise, and do not, cannot, will not, love! Heap all their names into your unclean napkin, and then look up and say… “By no means Lord”. To look in the mirror and get such a sight of yourselves that you would never forget it.

Confess it. Repent of it.

We must RESPOND like Peter and Cornelius.

To begin, at once to extend a hand of fellowship. A table and a meal. A conversation with that “THEM” and ultimately invite them into the fellowship you enjoy with Christ, and the fellowship of the church.

CBC, we cannot fall victim to the pride of prejudice. We must always be reaching and stretching to those different from us, for the Gospel of Grace smashes the wall of our prideful hostility and like Peter with Cornelius we need to remain for some days.

Conclusion

A new phase in the work and ministry of the church has commenced. The DOOR to the Gentiles has been unlocked.... Sovereignly stirred and ultimately turned by Peter, the holder of the keys.

New Song

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