God's Authority to Define

Sunday, October 15th, 2023

Introductory information

Cornelius, a Roman Centurion, had received a message from God

God had seen his care for people and heard his prayers, and told him to call for Peter who was staying nearby

Peter has been staying in Joppa

He was staying in the home of Simon - a Jewish man with a ceremonially unclean occupation (leather tanner)

What was meant by “Clean” and “Unclean”?

These terms were about ritual and moral purity

Because God is Holy and Pure, no one who is impure or “unclean” could be in His presence (1)

In the Old Testament, God had given the Jews many laws about what could defile them and make them “unclean” (See Leviticus for example)

Laws about contact with certain people or things, consumption of certain foods, certain behaviors, personal hygiene, etc.

God had given them these laws to teach them about His Holiness, and to separate them from the cultural practices of the surrounding people groups.

By doing this he marked the Jews as His unique and holy people.

In the Jewish mind, they were the only people that could ever be considered “clean”...

READ

Question to consider as we read:

Who defines who a person is?

Acts 10:9–16 CSB

9 The next day, as they were traveling and nearing the city, Peter went up to pray on the roof about noon. 10 He became hungry and wanted to eat, but while they were preparing something, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners to the earth. 12 In it were all the four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth, and the birds of the sky. 13 A voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 “No, Lord!” Peter said. “For I have never eaten anything impure and ritually unclean.” 15 Again, a second time, the voice said to him, “What God has made clean, do not call impure.” 16 This happened three times, and suddenly the object was taken up into heaven.

EXAMINE

What are some key points in this passage?

#1 | Peter is spending time with God

Peter was probably in a rhythm of prayer - morning, noon, evening (2)

Acts 10:9 The next day, as they were traveling and nearing the city, Peter went up to pray on the roof about noon.

Peter was ready to hear from God, because he had set aside time for personal, private prayer

#2 | God challenges Peter’s “boxes”

God is telling Peter to eat things that God’s Law said were unclean

Acts 10:13–14 A voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 “No, Lord!” Peter said. “For I have never eaten anything impure and ritually unclean.”

This is a really big deal. God is telling Peter to eat something that Peter believes will make Him unfit for the presence of God and the Holy Spirit

God repeats the message three times

Acts 10:16 This happened three times, and suddenly the object was taken up into heaven.

This number is important - it’s placing emphasis on the certainty of what God is saying. (3)

It also references back to key turning-points in Peter’s life:

Peter denied Jesus three times and was restored after being questioned by Jesus three times. (John 13:38 & John 21:17)

#3 | God asserts Himself as the one who defines what something is

God seems to be contradicting Himself, but He isn’t

Acts 10:15 ...the voice said to him, “What God has made clean, do not call impure.”

God doesn’t discover what is clean and unclean - He decides it

Note the wording “What God has made clean...”

God isn’t changing His mind on purity - He is purifying something

The full meaning of this vision will become clear to Peter in the next part of chapter 10

This is a big turning point - God is finally going to execute His plan to redeem all people

God has been foreshadowing this since the beginning of the Jewish people (Genesis 12:1-3, Deut 32:8-9 & Exodus 19:5-6)

God’s designation of Gentiles as “unclean” was never a permanent designation

His plan was always to use Israel to bring salvation to the whole world

APPLY

Focused, Open-Ended Questions

What stands out to you the most in Peter’s vision?

What frustrates or confuses you in this story?

How do God’s statements to Peter conflict with our present culture?

How is God challenging you through this story?

Where we want to land...

[Refer back to the NOTE TO TEACHER and the goal of this lesson]

REFLECT

Prayer Points

Repent of trying to define ourselves and others.

Ask the Lord to teach us to see things and people as He does.

Devotional Question

Our culture is obsessed with defining and remaking ourselves. How have you been guilty of this in your life? In what ways do you need to submit to God and receive His definition for you?

FOOTNOTES

All of the terms related to “clean” and “unclean” are part of the purity system of the Old Testament. This system served to regulate the interactions between a holy God and fallen humanity by defining the boundaries of sacred space, the community, objects, animals, and time (i.e., festivals) because God’s holy presence was “physically” located among his people. This system enabled God to dwell among his people while protecting them from the dire consequences of approaching him inappropriately. Benjamin J. Snyder, “Clean and Unclean,” ed. Douglas Mangum et al., Lexham Theological Wordbook, Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).

That Peter prayed morning and evening may be assumed, for those were normal times of prayer. In addition he prayed at noon. Prayer three times a day was not commanded in the Scriptures, but Peter followed the example of pious men before him (cf. Ps. 55:17; Dan. 6:10). Peter went up to the (flat) roof to pray; this would have given him privacy. Stanley D. Toussaint, “Acts,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 380.

Why did Peter refuse three times to eat the unclean foods? For one thing, this indicated emphasis. But more than that it revealed certainty and truth. Here was one place where Peter was being scrupulous beyond the will of God. His intentions were good, but he was being disobedient. Also, was there some link here with Peter’s threefold denial (John 18:17, 25–27) and with his three affirmations of his love for the Lord? (John 21:15–17) Stanley D. Toussaint, “Acts,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 380.