God Continues Molding Peter

I’m A Work In Progress

Psalm 115 NIV

1 Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. 2 Why do the nations say, “Where is their God?” 3 Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him. 4 But their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. 5 They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. 6 They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell. 7 They have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk, nor can they utter a sound with their throats. 8 Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them. 9 All you Israelites, trust in the Lord— he is their help and shield. 10 House of Aaron, trust in the Lord— he is their help and shield. 11 You who fear him, trust in the Lord— he is their help and shield. 12 The Lord remembers us and will bless us: He will bless his people Israel, he will bless the house of Aaron, 13 he will bless those who fear the Lord— small and great alike. 14 May the Lord cause you to flourish, both you and your children. 15 May you be blessed by the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 16 The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth he has given to mankind. 17 It is not the dead who praise the Lord, those who go down to the place of silence; 18 it is we who extol the Lord, both now and forevermore. Praise the Lord.

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God Continues Molding Peter

10,000 Sermon Illustrations The Painting

The Painting

Nat Wyeth, engineer and inventor, on his brother, artist Andrew Wyeth: Andy did a picture of Lafayette’s quarters near Chadds Ford, Pa., with a sycamore tree behind the building. When I first saw the painting, he wasn’t finished with it. He showed me a lot of drawings of the trunk and the sycamore’s gnarled roots, and I said, “Where’s all that in the picture?” “It’s not in the picture, Nat,” he said. “For me to get what I want in the part of the tree that’s showing, I’ve got to know thoroughly how it is anchored in back of the house.”

I find that remarkable. He could draw the tree above the house with such authenticity because he knew exactly how the thing was in the ground.

Kenneth A. Brown, Inventors at Work

God is an incredible artist. He knows everything there is to know about us, therefore, He knows how to prepare us for the work He calls us to do.

Peter walked along Jesus for 3 years. He followed Jesus instructions and even His rebukes. God was preparing Peter to lead His people when He was gone. However, this did not mean that Peter was perfect or completely ready for it all. He was a work in progress.

In today’s passage, God prepares Peter for another major upset to his world.

Acts 10:9–23 NIV

9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. 13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” 14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” 15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” 16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven. 17 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. 18 They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there. 19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. 20 So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.” 21 Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?” 22 The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” 23 Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests. The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers from Joppa went along.

The Word of God for the People of God. Thanks be to God!

I. Peter: A Work in Progress

Last week, we met Cornelius, a Roman Centurion seeking God. An angel came to Cornelius and said God had received his “prayers and gifts to the poor as a memorial offering.” In other words, God had heard Cornelius and wanted Cornelius to know Him personally. The angel instructed Cornelius to send to Joppa for Simon Peter. And Cornelius with no hesitation did just that.

God has been molding Peter and preparing him to serve in ways that would be out of his comfort zone. You see, Peter was a Jew. He was raised that the Gentiles were unclean and not to be associated with along with the Samaritan Jews who worshipped God in ways different from those in Judea.

Peter’s world has been changed. He used to be a fisherman in Galilee, but Jesus came and called him to be a fisherman for men. Then he had followed Jesus and served Jesus, anticipating that soon Jesus would become ruler of the Jews. This idea was vanquished when he witnessed Jesus hung on a cross.

When Jesus left, Jesus appointed Peter as head of the new church that was to come. Jesus gave many instructions, but Peter is still learning what all this means. His world is still being churned upside down as God leads him into service in ways that are so foreign to what he always understood.

Just as we learned some things from Cornelius, we can learn some things from Peter. Peter may have been head of the church, but that did not mean that Peter was perfect or understood things perfectly. Peter obviously realized this as well because the first thing we see about Peter is...

A. Peter took time to pray throughout his day. (v 9)

Acts 10:9 NIV

9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray.

Peter availed himself to God by taking time throughout his day to pray at different times. He was not alone. Remember Daniel. We are told that Daniel prayed morning, noon, and night. I suspect many people think all they need do is pray over their morning devotions or as they lie down to sleep.

When I was a child, it seemed like the television and old classic novels talked about kneeling before before your bed and praying before going to bed. This was often displayed as something children should do.

One of my favorite series is Anne of Green Gables and I always remember Marilla Cuthbert stating that Anne was nearly a heathen because she had never been taught to kneel and say her prayers as bedtime.

What would are routines be if we copied them from the Bible instead of the television or books?

I Thessalonians 5:16-18 says,

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 NIV

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 4:2 NIV

2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Romans 12:12 NIV

12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

These verses all give an impression of always having our minds in a state of prayer. There are many such verses stating “pray in our adversity, be watchful as we pray, expect an answer when we pray,” etc…This all gives the impression that are mind is to be focused on God and watchful for our answers.

In Peter’s case, God is about to use Peter’s faithfulness as well as his hunger to prepare him for his next task.

B. Peter recognized the message was from God. (v 14)

Peter did not seem to hesitate in understanding that this vision was from God. For one thing, Peter knew that prayer time was time for two-way communication. He did not just bring a list of prayer requests, but he expected to hear from God. When it came, as strange as it was, he accepted that God was trying to tell him something.

In this case, the message was given 3 times. That seems a bit unusual, especially since this passage emphasizes that the vision was given 3 times. The repetition in this short period of time would give it a feeling of urgency. Peter understood this and pondered it.

I have to wonder how many of us would have walked away thinking, “That was a strange dream.” Then we would chuckle and blow it off. We do not always talk about dreams but God does communicate with us in our dreams at times.

I remember the first time I was to preach in the adult service in Tennessee. I had only preached to adults once before, which was to satisfy the requirement for a class. It should not have been too difficult because the pastor was using a book that gave us a scripture to use and some recommendations for the sermon. I worked diligently all week on my sermon following many of the book recommendations. Come Friday night, I had a dream that I was preaching to the church. The message I heard myself preach was not what I had written. In the dream, the sermon was well received. When I woke up, I could still remember the sermon in my dream.

I quickly sat about putting it to paper. Come Sunday, I preached it just like I had in my dream and for several weeks people were telling me that they were still thinking and talking about my sermon that Sunday.

When I woke from that dream, I knew God was speaking to me and He gave me the sermon I was to preach.

In our nation we do not often think about God talking to us in our dreams, but God has always done so. Remember Jacob? He was running from home for his life. He laid his head on a stone and dreamed of heaven open above with a ladder that came to earth and angels ascending and descending it. God spoke to Jacob in that dream.

Joseph had two dreams. In one he was told it was okay to receive Mary as his wife. In another, he was warned to take Jesus and Mary and flee to Egypt because Herod had intention to kill the baby Jesus.

I have mentioned several times lately, the book, “The Heavenly Man.” It is the account of Brother Yun in his involvement in the house churches of China in the 1980’s and 90’s. God communicated to him regularly through his dreams.

There are more and more reports that Muslims are experiencing a record high number of people dreaming about Jesus and turning from Muslim to Christians.

The prophet Joel tells us that in the last days...

Joel 2:28 NIV

28 “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.

It is high time we take this serious. When we have a dream that seems important, we need to give it some thought. Especially if it is repeated.

Now, sometimes a dream is just that and we need to be careful but here is another place where we can learn from Peter.

C. Peter compared his dream with scripture. (v 14)

One of the reasons God repeated the dream was because it went against what Peter understood from scripture. We always need to be cautious that our dreams or visions do not go against God’s Word. God never violates his own word.

In this case, it seemed like it was. It was disturbing to Peter and it should disturb us if it does goes against God’s Word. Satan is a spiritual being and he often uses supernatural ways to draw us away from God. So dreams and visions must be carefully analyzed.

In this case, God uses two means to help Peter understand what He was saying.

1. The vision was repeated. (v 16)

Three times, Peter saw the same thing. It became clear that God was trying to tell him something.

This was important as Peter saw this vision in light of the Jewish practice of eating clean foods. Now, I want to camp out here on this subject for just a moment as it causes lots of division in the church.

In Leviticus 11, God made clear to Moses and Aaron what animals were considered clean and which were considered unclean. This was evidently nothing new as even Noah had an understanding of what was clean and unclean. The reason was that only clean animals were acceptable for sacrifices. For this reason, Noah was to take more clean animals on the ark than the unclean of which Noah only took two.

One reason for this was for health reasons. There are certain things that make the unclean animals more of a health risk when eaten.

The second reason was to demonstrate to the Jews that they were to be God’s clean and holy people. They were set apart from all the other peoples of the world as God’s chosen people. They were to take care to remain pure and clean as an object lesson of this holy consecration as God’s people.

At this point in Peter’s life, God is showing Peter that now God is opening the door to the Gentiles. His salvation is for all peoples, not just the Jews.

So this vision was not about eating or not eating certain kinds of food. The Jews had for centuries considered the Gentiles unclean. They refused to associate with them. They refused to eat with them, especially since they did not refrain from the foods the Jews were taught were unclean.

Now, this brings us to God’s second means of showing Peter what He is saying.

2. Gentiles arrive while Peter is pondering the vision. (v 19)

Have you ever noticed how perfect is God’s timing. Peter is wondering what this vision means and Gentiles come to his door. I can just see Peter thinking as the light bulb in his brain turns on, “Oh, not unclean food but unclean people!” There is no violation of the Jewish law here because it has nothing to do with food, it has to do with the Gentile people.

Now, before we continue on this this event, I want to stop here for just a moment and address an issue that has caused division in the church. The Jews were directed not to eat of the animals that were labeled unclean. As I shared before, this was an object lesson demonstrating the holiness and consecration of God’s people.

Today, many argue over whether Gentiles should refrain from these same animals. God never committed the Gentiles to that same rule. The objective was completed when Jesus came and died on the cross. It was like circumcision, and other laws that pertained to the Jews alone.

Truthfully, the animals labeled unclean do come with some health hazards though our ability to process and church things eliminates some of that. Like most things, it is not so bad if it is eaten in moderation.

However, God never wants these kinds of things to cause division within His church. In such situations, each person must decide for themselves and must not judge someone else for acting differently. There are some things we call “discernable matters.” They are not listed as outright sin, but there may be reasons why something is best abstained from. Sometimes God leads one person to say no, while another never feels that same hesitation. Some times it is because one person is tempted by something another person is not. We each need to make decisions based on what God has laid upon our heart and not judge others if they decide to do differently from us.

Paul will address this in later years.

The third thing that helps Peter understand God’s direction is...

3. God uses the vision to help Peter understand the moment. (vv 19-20)

The vision happened three times. Even as Peter is thinking about all of this, three Gentile men come calling for him. Numbers are highly significant to Jews. Peter’s vision occurring three times would instantly correlate with him that three men come asking for him. Let me reiterate that these are Gentiles, people that Peter has been raised to consider unclean. The sheet of unclean foods comes down three times and now three “unclean” men stand asking for Peter. In our culture, we would not recognize the significance of this moment, but to Peter it makes perfect sense.

And it is in this moment that God’s Spirit speaks.

Acts 10:19–20 NIV

19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. 20 So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”

God has been preparing Peter for what is about to take place. If Peter had responded to the men like he did the vision at first, these Gentiles would have been offended. However, when the time came, Peter graciously receives them.

Acts 10:23 NIV

23 Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests. The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers from Joppa went along.

Conclusion

Peter may be lead of God’s Jewish church, but he is still a work in progress. He has been raised with prejudices and beliefs that were contrary to what God intended. He is not alone. We are the same. We have many cultural biases as well as church biases. We do not always recognize these as contrary to God’s purpose. God works to reveal these within us in order to use us the way He ordains.

For example, the Nazarene church began with good intentions. Out of a devotion to do what was right, we held many rules; women wore dresses, no jewelry or makeup was allowed, men wore suits, no drinking, no dancing, no movie theaters. The reasons for all of these rules were just. They were not being knit picky, but they had valid reasons why they felt it was good to abstain from these things.

Over time, we have grown to realize that though there were good intentions, these were man-made rules that caused us to judge people unfairly. Some even prevented us from ministering to others outside the church. Little by little, most of these rules have been removed, not because they were necessarily wrong, but because we recognize that they should be decided by each individual and not used as laws to judge others by.

God is always at work in us to help us to mature in our faith. To live more by love and faith and less by rules. God was not only ministering through Peter, but He was also ministering in Peter. He was moving Peter from his cultural biases to be a better minister of God’s gospel.

The next time God is leading you to minister to someone, remember that God is also doing a work within you. I am convinced that many people do not mature in their faith because they have never move from feeding to serving. We only learn so much be listening and reading. The better learning comes when we take action using what we have learned.

We are all “works in progress.” God continually molds us to prepare us for what He has for us in eternity. Never think better of yourself for what you are able to do for another, because I guarantee you, God is molding you even as you help to mold them.

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