The Watchmen's Wait

Acts 10

We’ve been working our way through the Book of Acts in order to study the early days of the Church. You are probably familiar with the stories in Acts about the gift of the Holy Spirit to the believers, the spread of the Gospel, the persecution of the Christians by the Jewish religious leaders, the conversion Paul who was of one of those leaders, and many other stories scattered throughout Luke’s follow-up to his Gospel account.

Something we have been trying to throughout this study is to dive a little deeper. When we dig in, it is amazing how deep and interwoven the Book of Acts is with the Old Testament, Luke’s Gospel, and Jesus. He did a very good job of hiding incredible detail in plain sight, if we will just take the time to read slowly and discover the connections. Many important details are difficult to notice simply because they were written two thousand years ago. As a reader today in a completely different part of the world, some things don’t stand out as important when in fact they are monumental.

At the same time, even though we are separated geographically and chronologically, there are many things that remain all too familiar as they ring true even now. So while we want to ask God to help us understand what was written for us to study, we are also asking for His Word to speak to us today. Let’s go to God with that in our hearts and minds right now before we continue with chapter ten.

Pray

It would be easy to overlook the significance of the events in chapter ten. Luke emphasized the events in this story in several ways. For one, he repeats key elements. He also mirrors elements of this story with elements from chapter nine, as well as the Old Testament. For example, last week we talked about the visions that God gave Paul and Ananias. One was a disciple and the other was not, but they both saw Jesus and He gave them instructions. In chapter ten, Peter and a guy named Cornelius will experience identical visions.

Another interesting way that Luke emphasizes chapter ten is in the length of the story in relation to what may seem to be a MORE AMAZING story. You may remember the end of chapter nine. Right before this story, Luke briefly shares a couple of amazing miracles. Both stories are told in about ten verses. The story we will talk about today takes up over sixty verses. In other words, Luke is like, “Peter went and healed a guy who was paralyzed, then raised a girl from the dead, and then he did something that was actually amazing! You gotta hear this story!”

Chapter nine closes with this verse, and it kind of sets the stage for chapter ten…

Acts 9:43 NIV

43 Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.

If you don’t know, a tanner is someone who makes leather. They take animal hides and turn them into leather. Raise your hand if you know why that might be important…

A recurring theme in the Book of Acts is the fact that certain people were not allowed to worship God in the temple due to being unclean according to the law. We talked about it early on with the paralyzed man that Peter encountered outside of the temple. We talked about it a couple of weeks ago in regard to the Samaritans, or the Half-Jews. From this point forward, it will come up even more because of the Gentiles. It is one of the primary reasons that the religious leaders and devout Jews reject and attack Paul and many of the disciples.

I don’t want to go too far into the weeds, but as a side note, Peter’s name is also Simon. So at this moment, Simon the fisherman is staying in Simon the tanner’s house. If you are a devout Jew reading this not long after Luke wrote it, flashing lights would be going off in your head. If emojis were invented before Luke wrote this, he probably would have put those little spinning read alarm emojis in this verse.

That takes us into chapter ten. I am going to sum up most of it for you today, but I can’t encourage you enough to sit down with this and read it in your quiet time with God.

Let’s try to visualize this story a bit. Peter is staying with a tanner, so he is surrounded with animal hides and leather. We have no idea what was going through his head, but maybe he was thinking about the law and how God set him free from his uncleanliness. Maybe he felt a little uncomfortable being there. Under the law, this would have made him unclean, so wouldn’t it be important to show God respect by continuing to honor what was set forth? Maybe it made him think of the unclean Jews that sat outside of the temple deeply wanting to go inside to worship God but restricted by the law.

Even though we have no idea what he may have thought about during his stay, there must have been a reason for God to place him in the tanner’s house. I think he was there as a sort of “soft primer” for what was about to happen. While he was there he went up to the roof at about noon to pray.

Now, imagine you are under the noon day sun, on top of a roof praying. You are hungry, but that’s okay because someone is making lunch down below. This house has been making you think a lot about “the old days,” as Mike said yesterday. The religion or the rules you grew up under before you learned about Jesus. As you are talking to God about it you start to zone out a little. You might think you are falling asleep, but you feel more awake than ever. So you open your eyes and then see this enormous sheet, much like a bed sheet or table cloth, coming down from the sky. It’s four corners are stretched out as it lowers.

As it begins to touch the ground you can now see what is on top of it. It’s a bunch of animals, but only ones that you are not allowed to eat because they are unclean. As you realize that, God tells you to get up, kill one of them, and eat. As you can imagine, Peter’s reaction is to say, “Surely not, Lord! I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” So God responds…

Acts 10:15 NIV

15 … “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

This happens three times to Peter and he is left to his thoughts, trying to figure out what it means. While he sat there he probably heard tapping at the gate below by three men looking for him. That was Peter’s vision, let’s rewind to the previous day and meet Cornelius.

Cornelius lived in a city called Caesarea, which was about thirty miles from where Peter was staying. He was a centurion in the Italian Regiment, which would be similar to a Captain in our army today. Cornelius was not a Christian or a Jew. He was a Gentile who devoutly believed in God and attended the synagogue but had not become a full convert to Judaism. He gave generously to the needy and prayed to God regularly. On this day, he was praying during the traditional three o’clock prayer time when he had a vision!

He saw and angel of God approach him and call out his name, “Cornelius!” Staring in fear he responded, “What is it, Lord?”

I haven’t been pointing out all of the similarities to the visions we discussed in chapter nine, but you should compare them. They are very very similar. Ananias was a disciple and responded to God by saying, “Yes, Lord.” Much like Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Samuel, and Isaiah who said, “Hear I am!” Cornelius isn’t a Christ follower yet, but he has a response similar to Ananias’ and God has a similar task for him. Remember what God told Ananias, “Go to this person’s house on this street in this town and speak to this guy.” To Cornelius He says exactly the same thing to direct him to where Peter is staying.

So that is what Cornelius does. He sends some people to get Peter and bring him to his house. About a day later they interrupt Peter’s thoughts with a tap at the gate. Peter joins them and they make their way to Caesarea.

The rest of this chapter continues the work that was started in chapter two. That is the Holy Spirit falling on the believers. While it is true to say that in chapter two God gifted the Holy Spirit to those who declare Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9), it is only part of the story. In Chapter two the Holy Spirit fell on the Jewish believers in Jerusalem. In Chapter eight the Holy Spirit fell on the Half-Jew believers. Up to that moment, non of the Samaritans had received the Holy Spirit, and when it happened Peter was there to witness it.

The progression of the gift was, first to the Jews, then to the Half-Jews, and now in chapter ten we will see it officially be gifted to the gentiles, who are considered unclean by the devout Jews. It would be almost impossible to overstate the importance of this moment in the history of the church. The gift will fall on them in the same way that it did the first two groups. It is an obvious occurrence, there is an outward demonstration of a reversal of the story of Babel in the Old Testament, and the Apostle Peter is there to witness and confirm what happens.

In addition to the connections to Old Testament and Gospel scripture that we can dive into and study, there are many lessons that we can see in these verses as well. As you study this passage, I pray that you would see the words God has for you jump off the page and grab your attention. As we continue through the rest of this chapter, I want to share some things that caught my attention. If you are taking notes, the first thing that touched my heart was how excited Cornelius and his family were to worship and learn about God. They were doing what Jesus taught people to do…

Wait for God with anxious anticipation

So Peter, some of the believers from the town Peter was in, and the men who came to get Peter all made the thirty plus mile journey to Cornelius in Caesarea…

Acts 10:24 NIV

24 … Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.

When was the last time you invited someone to your house? How excited were you? When we invite people over it is usually more stressful than exciting. We will clean and hide piles of junk in rooms then lock those doors so no one sees any of it, but I have never called all of my relatives and friends to let them know that someone was coming over. That got me thinking about the word Luke used for “expecting” so I looked it up. The Greek word is translated to “expect,” but what is interesting to me is the other place that it is used.

When Jesus was with the disciples He foretold of the destruction of the temple and then the coming of the Son of Man. He said that not even the angels or the Son know the day or hour of His coming, only the Father. Then He said…

Matthew 24:42–44 NIV

42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

Jesus then compared a faithful servant to a wicked servant. The master goes away and the wicked servant hurts his fellow servants and party’s while the master is gone. The master suddenly returns when the servant is not expecting him. Jesus’ words really struck me yesterday as I was reading this passage. This week the world witnessed something horrendous and heart breaking. Charlie Kirk had a heart for God and a passion to reach the lost. His innocent blood cried out from the ground to God so loud that we all heard it.

People across the world were shocked and saddened. Even people who are not Christians. What is truly heart breaking is the other response that we have seen. The people who are acting like the wicked servant in Jesus’ story. The ones who are partying, celebrating, and bringing hurt and pain in the lives of others. Why? In this story the wicked servant does it because he is NOT EXPECTING the master’s return.

We are called to wait for God with anxious anticipation. If you knew a thief was coming to your house, what would you do? Would you leave the house and go out to the party anyway? Or would you grab all of the equipment you could find (binoculars, night vision, flashlights), and go from window to window anxiously looking for the thief? “Was that him? Oh, I know he’s coming!”

That is how Cornelius was expecting Peter. He was excited! He invited everyone to hear the great news that God was sending with Peter! When Peter walked in he ran to meet him. Peter said, “You know I shouldn’t be here. Why have you sent for me?” …

Acts 10:30–33 NIV

30 Cornelius answered: “Three days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. 32 Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”

Cornelius is excited about what God is going to do! God has already primed and prepped Peter for this moment. He was staying with Simon the Tanner, he had the vision where God told him not to call anyone impure or unclean, he just acknowledged that outwardly toward these gentiles, and now the gentile Cornelius is telling Peter of a vision from God that corresponds with Peter’s vision. This is an eye opening moment for Peter.

Acts 10:34–36 NIV

34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.

Peter gets it now. God’s message of Salvation isn’t just for the Jews, or even the Half-Jews, but all nations. Every one! The message of peace, or the message of salvation, that God sent to the people of Israel is meant for ALL!

Cornelius was already seeking God with everything he had, and, as much as he could as a gentile, he was genuinely performing the right rituals. Even so, it wasn’t enough. Peter needed to show Cornelius what was missing. It wasn’t enough to respect God and perform the proper rituals. To be a child of His family Cornelius had to learn…

The risen Jesus is Lord

Peter was simultaneously connecting scripture he had been taught his whole life that would complete this thought…

The risen Jesus is Lord of All

This story is loaded with connections to the Old Testament that points to this very thing. If you care to dig, what Luke has written here and what Peter goes on to say will lead you down a path of proof that shows how this was God’s plan all along. This isn’t a new concept, it’s just a difficult concept to understand after years and years of tradition and division. If you separate yourself of your group from someone else or their group, they will eventually begin to look like the enemy. Eventually you will decide that they no longer qualify for your team, but according to God there is only one qualification. Here is how Paul says it…

Romans 10:9–13 NIV

9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Peter begins sharing with these gentiles the message of hope, the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ. While he is sharing this with the gentiles, God interrupts his speech…

Acts 10:44–45 NIV

44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles.

Can you believe it? These unclean, impure, unworthy gentiles have been welcomed into God’s family! This is big. It’s HUGE! There was no need for laying on of hands, as with the Samaritans. This time it happened just as it did the first time in chapter two. Peter even says this very thing later…

Acts 11:15 NIV

15 “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning.

This is an incredible moment in the history of the church, and it happens while God is preparing Paul to spread the Good News to more of the gentiles. This movement is about to explode, and it doesn’t stop at the end of chapter twenty-eight. God structured His word in a way that simultaneously teaches us our history, it teaches us about Him and His character, and it teaches us lessons that guide us as we continue the mission of spreading His Word.

I think that it is vitally important, especially after a week like this one, to ask ourselves each day, “How can I expect Jesus, the Lord of ALL, to show up today?” If He is going to show up when I don’t expect it, what can I do to be ready? If there is anything I have learned about myself this week, it’s that I have gotten too comfortable while the master is away. I’ve been sitting on the couch waiting to see the headlights pull in the driveway. A thief won’t turn on the headlights. A thief won’t even park the car within hearing distance.

It’s time for me to keep watch! It’s time for me to get ready! And I pray that you feel the same way. I pray that followers all over this state, this country, and this world get uncomfortable and get anxious for our Master’s return!

Pray