Sermon Tone Analysis

*It Doesn’t Matter Who You Are, It Only Matters Who You Know*

*April 25, 1999                                                     Acts 10:34-43*

 

*Introduction:*

 

          There are certain cliche's you hear all through your life that, upon closer inspection, prove to be false.

They are so ingrained in our consciousness you can probably say them along with me.

For example...

It takes money... (to make money).

Sam Walton didn't believe that and neither does Bill Gates-two of the richest men this country has produced.

Neither one was wealthy when he began his career; and both men discovered it doesn't always take money to make money; you can make money through hard work and innovation.

Another cliche'...

You can't fight... (city hall.)

Sonny Bono didn't believe that.

He opened a restaurant in Palm Springs, got mired in the red tape of local politics, and he fought and won.

He also ran for mayor and won, and then became a U.S. Congressman before his tragic death in early 1998.

Of course, his story reminds us of another cliche': If you can't beat em, (join em).

Another cliche' we hear from time to is...

 

      It's not who you ARE, it's who you (know).

Unlike the others, we all know of cases where this cliche' is painfully true.

I'm sure each of us has had the experience of being excluded from something-maybe a club you wanted to join, a neighborhood you wanted to live in, a company you wanted to work for; a business opportunity you wanted to pursue, and you never got a chance because you weren't "in" with the right people.

At the time it may have seemed absolutely unfair.

Today, however; we're going to examine how this truism works in your favor.

In the tenth chapter of Acts the Apostle Peter had a vision that changed his entire outlook on life.

Like most Jews of his day, Peter had always believed that God showed special favoritism to Jewish people.

In the vision, however; he saw heaven open and large sheet being let down to earth, filled with all kinds animals, reptiles and birds.

A voice told him, "Get up Peter, kill and eat."

Peter was taken aback.

"Surely not," he said.

“I have never eaten anything impure or unclean."

Peter had always adhered to the strict Jewish dietary laws, which forbade eating things like shrimp, pork, catfish, and so on.

A good Jew would never touch soul food – and maybe that was their problem.

The voice then said, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."

Peter had this same vision three times in a row; it was obvious that God was about to teach him something new.

About that time, Peter was invited to speak to the household of Cornelius, a God-fearing Gentile who lived in Caesarea.

You see, God was preparing Peter’s heart for a special mission and a special understanding.

Peter accepted the invitation.

But God was also preparing Cornelius to hear what Peter would have to say.

There was a vision that God gave to Cornelius as well as to Peter.

Through this dual preparation, Cornelius summoned Peter to come to him.

God wanted Peter to share what he knew about Jesus.

With Peter’s vision, the old prejudice had to be stripped away.

Whether with food or with men, the New Covenant placed everything on equal footing.

It was on the holy ground of faith in Jesus.

The vision that God had given to Cornelius in verses 1-8 gave him no details.

God would be using Peter for that.

God would bring healing to two men in one encounter.

Peter would see the will of God to bring salvation to the Gentiles, and Cornelius would see that salvation.

Both men obeyed their visions, they obeyed God.

It is interesting that the one with the greater prejudice, Peter, had to receive his vision three times.

God’s people are quite hard-headed at times.

The Gentile was ready the first time God spoke.

I wonder how hard-headed we are sometimes at the ministries God would give us to hearts that he has already prepared?

I wonder if it that sometimes we think it is who we are and not who he is?

Notice also that Cornelius immediately fell to the ground in worship at the feet of Peter in verse 25.

Was he prepared or what?

Admittedly, he did not know what to expect.

Peter spoke the truth in verse 26 when he said in essence, it is not who I am, but who He is.

After openly admitting his struggle with the issue of being in the presence of Gentiles, he asks Cornelius what he wants of him.

Cornelius said to him...

 

/(v.33)

"We are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us."/

Suddenly Peter understood the meaning of the vision.

He preached a brief but powerful message that can be summarized with the statement, "It doesn't matter who you are, it only matters who you know" He told them of the all-encompassing love of God which is available to everyone regardless of race, nationality, or social status.

He told them that God loves every one the same.

This was God’s blessing to both Peter and Cornelius.

Today, we're going to take a look at Peter's sermon and see how it affects our lives today, and what it teaches about our relationship with God.

There are three principles here I want you to notice.

First of all...

 

*1.

God Accepts Everyone the Same (vv.

34-41)*

* *

          I heard recently that someone was in Dallas and saw a pickup truck with a bumper sticker that said, “Texan by the Grace of God."

That just about sums up how most Texans feel.

(If you have ever known a Texan or have ever been there, you know that is the prevailing attitude.)

They are proud of their home state, and they're proud of the Cowboys.

Texas Stadium (where the Cowboys play) is built almost like a dome, but it has a huge opening at the top.

The seats in the stadium are under a roof, but the field itself is under the open sky.

You know why they did that, don't you?

It's so  that God can watch his favorite team play.

Another bumper sticker you will see occasionally in the Lone Star State is "It's hard to be humble when you're from Texas."

This is the kind of attitude many religious Jewish people had during the first century.

In the Old Testament we see how the people of the nation of Israel were designated as God's chosen people.

Some interpreted this to mean they were his favorite people as well - that God loved them more than the others.

To put it bluntly, they believed that God had no use for Gentiles.

Though a Gentile could convert to Judaism, at best he could attain only a "second-class" status in their religion.

Some religious Jews even went so far as to say you shouldn't give help to a Gentile woman in childbirth, because you would only be bringing another Gentile into the world.

It is like the attitude many pioneers had about the native Indians in America.

The only good Indian was a dead Indian.

It was alright to massacre even women because they would just produce another Indian, and to kill even Indian children because they would just grow up to become another savage.

It was this kind of racial and cultural prejudice that God wanted Peter to overcome.

He wanted to use Peter to tell the world something new: God is not only the God of the Jews, he is the God of all creation - and God loves us and accepts us all the same.

And he has the same message for all of us - that the way to God is through faith in Jesus Christ.

/(v.34-35)

Then Peter began to speak, "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism, but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right."/

The American Declaration of Independence proclaims that all men are created equal.

In theory this may be true, but it hasn't worked out that way in our society.

All men are not created equal.

Some are born with greater opportunities than others, a better family, more money, more talent, more intelligence, more resources.

We have not created a society where all people are equal.

Just travel south on Cicero and you will discover this.

Once you get past Division Street, you know you are in another part of the city where all is not equal.

That is where our black brothers and sisters live in the midst of urban blight caused by the ravages of economic sin, and the faded billboards of storefront churches struggle to peddle some semblance of hope amid the depravity and the depression.

Sadly, the same can be said about the church.