Mercy Extended to the Gentiles

Intro

Good evening, everyone. It’s good to see you. I hope you all have had a nice day. Be sure to be praying for Pastor Mike. He hasn’t been feeling well so I will be picking up where he left off last week in our study in Acts. So if you have your Bibles, go ahead and grab those and turn with me to Acts chapter 10.

*Announce that there is no church next Wednesday for Valentine’s Day.*

This is a really important chapter in the book of Acts because it is the story of the first Gentiles believing the gospel and receiving the Holy Spirit. Acts chapter 10 is the beginning of our story as Gentile believers in Yeshua (Jesus) the Jewish Messiah.

What we have forgotten is that Christianity and the gospel first came to the Jews and when God announced that he was also showing the Gentiles mercy and giving them the Holy Spirit in the exact same way, there was real controversy and tension within the body, which at the time was only Jewish.

The controversy will be addressed by the Apostles later in Acts 15 in the Jerusalem Council. Great chapter, I cannot wait until we get to Acts 15 .

Up until this point in Acts 10, all of the church was Jewish (Acts 2) and Samaritan (Acts 8). This is the point of Acts 10, God’s mercy is also extended to the gentiles and praise God for that, amen? The point of Acts 10 is that God can and will save whomever he wants no matter how unsaveable we may think that they are. In the mind of the early church prior to Acts 10, the Gentiles were unsavable. Now we make up the majority of the church.

Background and Context

So just to kind of catch you up to speed from last week. We saw the Paul meet the Lord Jesus in chapter 9 and the focus has now shifted back to Peter. Peter is in Joppa staying with Simon the Tanner, which is already an unclean thing to do because he handled dead animals.

Peter goes up to the roof of Simon’s house to pray and the text tells us that he becomes hungry. He was praying at the sixth hour which would be about noon. Peter is praying but he knows it is lunchtime and he is hungry.

This is when he sees a vision of a sheet descend from heaven and it had what a good Jew would consider to be unclean animals on it. Food that he cannot eat according to the Law of Moses. He hears a voice telling him to rise, kill and eat.

So, he sees this sheet come down from heaven with food being displayed. Why does God use food to express this new reality of the inclusion of the Gentiles to Peter? Because he was hungry. Remember it is lunch time.

What is Peter’s response? “No Lord, I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.”

What does the Lord Jesus say to Peter? He says, “What God has made clean, do not call uncommon.”

The point of this vision is not that Peter is allowed to eat bacon now. Instead, the point of this vision is that the people who do eat things like bacon, me and you amen?, are extended the same mercy that the kosher-eating Jews received.

God is not changing Peter’s diet. Instead, he is changing his heart. Many of us need our hearts changed when it comes to mission. I bet everyone in here could name one person in their lives that they believe, maybe even subconsciously, is too unsaveable to ever be saved.

Wouldn’t it be so much easier for an angel to show up to them to share the gospel with them? If you remember from last week, an angel visited Cornelius in verse 3, but the angel did not share the gospel with Cornelius. Instead, the angel told Cornelius to send for Peter so that he could hear the gospel. Why is that?

I think the reason for this is because Cornelius wasn’t the only one needing a heart change. Sure, Peter already was saved but he had a lot of growing still to do because the gospel is for all people and this is exactly what Peter needed to see. We have no problem saying that our neighbors need a heart change but a lot of times, we need that too.

I just love how much God the Holy Spirit is working in Peter even now. Most commentators say that this event takes place around 7 years after the ascension of Jesus, yet Peter still has a lot to learn. Just goes to show you, no matter how long or how closely you’ve walked with Jesus, there’s always room for you to grow.

Luke tells us that Peter had the vision with the sheet three more times and he was inwardly perplexed as to the meaning of the vision. This is when the men who were sent by Cornelius show up at Simon the Tanner’s house asking for Peter.

So the next day, Peter goes with these men to Caesarea to speak with Cornelius and what happens next? Peter hears from Cornelius, he puts the pieces of the puzzle together and it clicks. The gospel is for the Gentiles too. So he preaches the gospel to them. He tells Cornelius, his family, and his servants the gospel message and this is when the Holy Spirit falls and the Gentiles have their very own version of Pentecost. It’s a beautiful scene.

Last week, Mike started to give us 16 Missional Principles from Acts 10. We were only able to get through 4. To catch you up,

1. God’s vision for missions is INCLUSIVE (all people, regardless of their nationality, color of skin, or ethnicity.) In other words, God shows no partiality and neither should we. The gospel is for all people and anyone who confesses Jesus as Lord and repents of their sins, will be saved.

2. He SOVEREIGNLY moves people so the missional process takes place and His mission is accomplished. God orchestrates our lives around his mission. This is why we need to learn to watch for what the Spirit is doing and join him in whatever it is.

3. God’s Spirit (or angelic ministers) moves upon both the SEEKER and the SENT. We see this with how Cornelius and Peter both heard from God.

4. God responds to SINCERE SEEKERS who want to find. You remember, Cornelius was a God fearer. He believed in the God of Israel and he took care of the Jews but he did not know Jesus.

So, we are going to pick right up in missional principle number 5 and it is this.

5. We may be tempted to Question what God is doing in the mission process (Acts 10:17).

Acts 10:17 “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”

Put yourself in Peter’s shoes here. Again he’s hungry, he sees a vision with food that he is not allowed to eat — I see weird things when I get too hungry too — and God tells him to ‘not call unclean thing that I have called clean.”

You know Peter had to be tempted to question what it is God was telling him, right? I mean, think about it. Peter, a good Jew, had followed the Law of Moses since he was born. He would never eat what God said not to eat. Luke tells us that Peter was inwardly perplexed. He’s wondering, what on earth does this vision meant. I wonder if he even tried to shrug it off as a hallucination simply due to intense hunger pains.

What’s happening here is while Peter is hungry for food, God is trying to show him that he should be hungry for Souls. And even though his family, friends and even he himself thought of gentiles as unclean, God is telling him that they are clean because of Missional Principle number 1,

God’s vision for mission is inclusive. Anyone who calls on the name of Jesus will be saved. The gospel is for all peoples, in all places.

This is probably why he saw the same vision three different times, to show him that this was in fact from God. God is making a point and we all know how hard-headed Peter was in the gospel accounts. Just this past Sunday, Pastor Mike preached out of Matthew 16 where Peter very rightly answers the question of who Jesus is.

What we didn’t get to see was just a few verses later when Jesus is explaining that he is going to be delivered over and murdered in Jerusalem, Peter pulls Jesus aside and tells him that he will make sure that he is not killed. Do you remember what Jesus said to him? He said,

Matthew 16:23 “But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.””

Ouch, right? Can you imagine being called Satan by Jesus?

Peter could be pretty dense and his mouth constantly got him in trouble. Literally, the most relatable person in the scriptures. For me anyway. I had a manager once ask me if my mouth ever got me in trouble. I would say at least once a day.

But what’s important to note here is that we can also question the direction that the Spirit is directing us. We can hear or feel God directing us to do a certain thing, and it can be tempting to question what God is doing or to even question if he is doing anything at all.

What’s important is that we have an appetite for Souls. Do you have a hunger for the mission? Do you remember in John 4 after Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well?

His disciples were out looking for food and when they came back to him, he said to them,

My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.

Have you ever had a leader that you just didn’t trust and they ask you to do something without providing a reason? I have. The difference is that there is no question, we can trust God the Holy Spirit because he is good and his motives are always pure and when he calls you to do something, don’t question his plan. Just say “Yes.”

When we are hungry for the mission and we are obedient, God will show us what he is doing. Which leads us into point 6 in the handout.

6. The Spirit directs the Engagement Process (Acts 10: 19-20).

Acts 10:19–21 “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?””

As Peter is thinking about this vision and what it may mean, the Spirit of God directs him to the interpretation. The Spirit will direct us but we must be obedient to his leading.

Peter responds in obedience to what he was calling him to do. Three Roman men show up at his front door and the first thing that he says is, “I am the one you are looking for.” Peter says “Yes” to the Spirit of God.

You know, no matter what God calls you to do. No matter how much uncertainty may come along with that calling, always say “Yes.” Even if what he is calling you to do makes absolutely no sense to you. Always say, “Yes.” This is always the best thing that you can do. It’s the safest thing you can do. Have you ever heard that before? That the safest place to be is right in the center of God’s will? I think that is 100% true.

I’m reminded of another story from the Old Testament where God called a man to preach to a nation of Gentiles. Do you remember the story of Jonah and how God called him to call the nation of Nineveh to repentance and at first, Jonah said “No” and it did not go well for Jonah after that did it?

Thankfully, Peter said yes and when he said yes to the direction of the Spirit, what happened? The Spirit of God directed him further to exactly where he needed to go and what he needed to do.

Here’s another thing. When God calls you to do something, whatever it is, you don’t have to have it all figured out in that moment. This is where you do need to let go and trust God. Like with Peter, God did not, right out the gate, tell him that he was going to use him to launch this global mission project. All he did was tell him not to call the Gentiles unclean. Peter does accept this, we know that because he welcomed Cornelius’s men into the home of Simon and showed them hospitality, if they were unclean, he wouldn’t have done that. And it is only after that does God give him more revelation to what is going on.

We don’t need to have all of the details of the plan. Instead, follow the Spirit’s leading one step at a time.

Peter really is learning a lot of important lessons through all of this. The Spirit is showing Peter that not only is the gospel for all people but he really is showing him his intent with this mission.

His vision is to reach all people but what is his intention,

And this is the next point in your handout:

7. The intent of the mission is always to deliver God’s Message to those far from God (Acts 10:22).

Acts 10:22 “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.””

There is no more question to Peter as to what this vision may have meant. Cornelius, a Roman centurion, sent for him and wants to hear what he had to say. This is the Apostle Peter, we’re talking about. He only had one thing to say, the gospel message, and apparently an Angel came to this Roman Centurion telling him to send for Peter to hear what this message was all about.

It was probably a shock to hear that a Roman Centurion was well spoken of by the Jewish nation. Let alone the fact that this guy was a God-fearer.

Do you guys understand the tension between the Jews and Rome at the time of the New Testament. Rome was occupying Jerusalem and all of Judea. Cornelius was a Roman Centurion, meaning that he was in charge of 100 Roman soldiers, 100 occupiers. He is not the kind of guy you would expect for God to save. Jesus’ own executioners were Roman Centurions. These guys are experts in war.

To the Jewish follower of Jesus, Saul getting saved in Acts 9 was a big surprise, but to hear that God has been pursuing a Gentile was just crazy. Why on earth would God want a Gentile like Cornelius?

Quite honestly, this really shouldn’t have been such a surprise for Peter and nothing in the text indicates that it was. He could have been perfectly aware of what is going on by this point. I mean, what did Jesus say right before he ascended into heaven?

Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.””

Acts 2, Peter witnessed this taking place in Jersusalem and Judea. In Acts 8, after Philip preached in Samaria and Peter went to see the fruit of that ministry, he saw the same thing that happened at Pentecost happen in Samaria.

Jesus said you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, this is fulfilled in Acts 2 at Pentecost. Then Jesus said you will be my witnesses in all Judea, this is fulfilled in and through the events in Acts 3-7 and is crescendoed with the death of Stephen. Then, Jesus said that you will be my witnesses in Samaria. This is fulfilled through the ministry of Philip and when the Spirit fell on the Samaritans in Acts 8. Peter was there to witness that too. What’s left? They need to be witnesses to the ends of the earth.

And what better way for God to kickstart the ministry to the Ends of the Earth than by calling a Roman Centurion out of darkness? The guys no Jewish Believer at that time would ever expect. Roman Centurians didn’t care about the people that were under them. All they cared about was keeping the Roman Peace.

But God had been pursuing this man because this is exactly what God does.

But look at the context in which this Gentile inclusion into the promise takes place. Homes.

And this is Missional Principle number 8,

8. Those who live sent implement hospitality as part of their ministry model (Acts 10:23)

Acts 10:23 “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.”

Both when Cornelius’ men show up at Peter’s house and when Peter is taken to Cornelius, they are meeting in the context of the home. Why is that so important? I think it is because we are able to show the love of Jesus the most when we are hospitable. And what is more hospitable than opening our homes?

Peter broke a rule when he invited those Gentile guys into his home. Much like when his master, Jesus, was ridiculed for being in the homes of tax collectors and sinners. Peter did not see these men as unclean, anymore.

I think that the fact that Peter had these men stay with him as guests is indication that he now understands the meaning of the vision. So he shows these gentiles hospitality.

Hospitality is a trait of someone who has the Spirit of God in them. We see the church from Acts 2:42–45 onward showing hospitality and meeting needs of one another and those outside of the body. And this hospitality oftentimes is an open door for real life change.

I read a story this week about the Roman Emperor Flavius Claudius Iulianus (Julian the Apostate), in 361-363, where he referred to Christian charity as a model for the Roman philanthropic system. He wanted to model the structures of his governmental social arm after how the Christian Church functioned.

Listen to this quote by Julian, and note: he’s known as Julian the Apostate because he rejected Christianity.

He said, “These impious Galileans [Christians] not only feed their own poor, but ours also; welcoming them into their agape (Love feast or home meals/House church service), they attract them, as children are attracted, with cakes.”

He goes on,

Whilst the pagan priests neglect the poor, the hated Galileans devote themselves to works of charity, and by a display of false compassion have established and given effect to their pernicious errors.  See their love-feasts, and their tables spread for the indigent.  Such practice is common among them, and causes a contempt for our gods.”

Our hospitality is seen by the lost world around us. Is this not what Jesus meant when he said “they will know you by your love for one another?”

When we are willing to open our lives, we will have a much easier time reaching people with the gospel. Hospitality has to be our ministry model. This has to be from where we lead from. Why? Because we have been given the most precious gift imaginable. The Spirit of God in us. We were made into children of God, through the blood of Jesus. He has purchased us. And when compared to having that, who cares about things. Opening my home is no big deal at all because everything I own has been given to me by God. It’s all ultimately his and he has called us to be generous with the resources that he has entrusted to us.

So just a couple points of application and then we will spend some time in prayer. First,

Application

Have people in your homes. Just like how Peter went to the home of Cornelius to hear the gospel, have people in your homes to hear the gospel. This past Sunday, Mike did some vision casting for us and one thing that he mentioned as a possibility is what he called DBS Huddles, where we have these discovery bible studies in homes and invite seekers in to hear the gospel and experience real biblical community.

I’m telling you, we could really reach our city doing with these small expressions in our homes because the Corneliuses will come into our homes to hear the gospel but not necessarily the ‘temple,’ or our church building.

Back to point 7, ask yourself, who in my sphere of influence do I think is too lost to be saved. I think you should be praying for them and looking for opportunities to share the gospel with them. Do you have a hunger for the mission of God? If you do, make all of your life’s decisions through the filter of mission. View your work and your school as mission fields. Looks for opportunities to meet the people that live around you so that you can be a good neighbor to them. When you are a good neighbor, you will be more likely to have open doors to sharing the gospel.

Point 6, Ask the Spirit to show you where he is working and direct you in how you can join him in the work that he is already doing. Just like how he was already working in Cornelius’ life before Peter even knew he existed, he could be working in the life of absolutely anyone. We don’t know, this is why we must listen for his direction and say yes to him.

Point 5, don’t question whether or not God is working because he is. Instead, ask yourself, where is he working now OR where does he want to work through me in a whole new way? Maybe there’s a need that you see in your neighborhood or in the community. Take steps to see those needs met.

I don’t know if you guys read that Crossing Jordan document that Mike passed out a couple of Sundays ago but I don’t think Mike was joking when he said that we are going into the New Frontier and that makes me so excited. Just like when Peter went to Cornelius to do a new thing, we get to do a new thing and I’m just excited about that and I hope you are too. God wants to use this church to reach this city.

Mike has brought up the Underground Network down in Tampa. This is a network that has planted almost 300 churches in their city. I had the opportunity to take one of their classes at one point and I learned that the church has to function in two spaces.

The Modalic and the Sodalic. The Modalic space means that we function as a place of healing and belonging. We need to be a place where people can find safety and healing. A Family. We say this all the time. Jones Road Baptist is not a building. Jones Road Baptist is a family and we should strive to be as welcoming as possible.

But we also need to function in the Sodalic and what this means is that we need to take Apostolic risks. It means that we need to go out into the field and reach the lost. We need to go out in the New Frontier and lay gospel foundations where there are none.

Living on mission is risky but with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can accomplish the mission that Jesus has entrusted to us.

Let’s pray.

Father, we thank you for using weak people like us. God, we ask for grace as we endeavor to walk in the footsteps of the Apostles. Lord, we want to be used by you and for your glory. Jesus, be glorified in our church and in our lives. We love you, and it is in your name I pray, Amen.