God's Acceptance of Us
Notes
Transcript
Planning
Planning
Passage
Passage
32 As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord’s people who lived in Lydda. 33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. 34 “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up. 35 All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord. 36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. 37 About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. 38 Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!” 39 Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them. 40 Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. 41 He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. 42 This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. 43 Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon. 1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” 4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.” 7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. 8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa. 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. 24 The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. 26 But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.” 27 While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. 28 He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?” 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.” 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. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached—38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. 39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” 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. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, 47 “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days. 1 The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him 3 and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.” 4 Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story: 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. 6 I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds. 7 Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’ 8 “I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 “The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ 10 This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again. 11 “Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. 12 The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. 14 He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.’ 15 “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?” 18 When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
Passage structure
Passage structure
1. God’s acceptance is foreshadowed
Acts 9:32-35 - Peter heals Aeneas
Acts 9:36-43 - Peter heals Dorcas
2. God’s acceptance includes us Gentiles
The house of Cornelius (Caesarea)
Acts 10:1-8 - God tells Cornelius to send for Peter
The house of Simon the tanner (Joppa)
Acts 10:9-16 - Peter receives a vision from God
Acts 10:17-23 - Cornelius’ men meet Peter at the house of Simon the tanner
The house of Cornelius (Caesarea)
Acts 10:23-43 - Peter speaks to Cornelius and the crowd at Cornelius’ house
Acts 10:44-48 - The hearers receives the Spirit
3. God’s acceptance means praising him
Acts 11:1-18 - Peter recounts to the circumcised Christians (Jerusalem)
Big stuff
Big stuff
Big idea: God accepts you through Jesus Christ.
Fallen condition focus: We try to make ourselves acceptable by our good works.
Good news statement: Despite how broken we are, God accepts us through Jesus Christ.
Big question: What do you do to make yourself acceptable to God?
Sermon structure
Sermon structure
Intro
Stories of people doing things to be accepted
Family
Inside Out 2
Dating
We all want to be accepted
Baptism of Audrey
Olivea and I want her to be accepted by God. Explain why.
How can she be accepted by God?
How can we be accepted by God?
Context: Shift from Paul’s journey to Peter’s journey, and the growth of the early church
1, God’s acceptance is foreshadowed
How accepting should we expect God to be?
A sole focus on God’s love leads us to think God should accept everyone.
A sole focus on God’s justice leads us to think God should accept no one.
E.g. Should God accept Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot? Pedophiles? Murderers? Thieves? Then where is the line?
Gen 3 - Rejection of Adam and Eve
If God is perfectly just, then it is fair for him as a righteous God to reject us since we are unrighteous.
Judgement Day: Romans 2:5–6 “5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 God “will repay each person according to what they have done.””
But God is loving as well.
Acceptance in the OT
Acceptance of the Israel through giving them a way for their sin to be dealt with, not through their own righteousness.
God’s acceptance was centred on Israel
Other people were accepted by God typically (not always) via joining the Jews and living their ways (Jews still saved through faith in God)
But hints of God’s acceptance extending to other nations without having to join the Jewish nation
Genesis 18:18 “18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.”
Isaiah 60:3 “3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”
Our Acts passage
Explain Acts
Context: Gospel going out only to the Jews (people of Israel)
Miracles aren’t commonplace but show God’s working / verification of the apostle’s message in Acts.
Acts 9:32-35 - Peter heals Aeneas
Acts 9:36-43 - Peter heals Dorcas
Preparation for us to hear Peter’s message and trust it.
2, God’s acceptance includes us Gentiles
The house of Cornelius (Caesarea)
Acts 10:1-8 - God tells Cornelius to send for Peter
Define Gentile
Keep short
The house of Simon the tanner (Joppa)
Acts 10:9-16 - Peter receives a vision from God
Describe vision without explaining it
Acts 10:17-23 - Cornelius’ men meet Peter at the house of Simon the tanner
Keep short
The house of Cornelius (Caesarea)
Acts 10:23-43 - Peter speaks to Cornelius and the crowd at Cornelius’ house
Explain the vision
Why is a vision about food related to Gentiles? Not because the Gentiles are food!
OT: Unclean food led to unclean people
Acts 10:28 “28 He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.”
Acceptance isn’t based on being part of the Jewish nation, with its food laws and other laws
Acceptance by God is now extended to everyone without requiring them to join the Jews
Acts 10:34–35 “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.”
How?
Fearing God -> faith
Doing what is right -> not requirement for perfection -> Acts 10:43 “43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.””
Faith in Jesus leads to forgiveness (PSA)
Doing what is right expresses the fear of God
Acts 10:44-48 - The hearers receives the Spirit
Proof of this radical change from acceptance of Israel only to acceptance of the Gentiles as well
Proof of acceptance
God accepts us who believe
Reminder about the goodness of having God’s acceptance
Challenge for the non-Christian
What does it mean for Christian?
If I didn’t have this passage in front of me, I’d say sharing about this good news with others so that they can be accepted. That’s what we’ll see in the rest of Acts.
But in the last section of this passage...
3, God’s acceptance means praising him
Acts 11:1-18 - Peter recounts to the circumcised Christians (Jerusalem)
God doesn’t have to accept us, but he has because of his love for us. So we praise him!
In prayer (adoration and thanksgiving prayer at the start of the service, individually), in our words to others, in song.
Conclusion
How is Audrey accepted by God? By faith in Jesus
That is why, on top of wanting her to be healthy, smart, have a lot of friends, be a good citizen, etc., we want her first and foremost to have faith in Jesus.
That’s why we pray for her, we read Bible stories to her, we bring her to church, etc.
How are we accepted by God? By faith in Jesus
Goodness of acceptance by God
Praise
Pray
Song: Amazing Grace
Feedback with Tim (15/9)
Feedback with Tim (15/9)
Good
Structure
Use of the passage without referring to all of it
Improve
Shorten point 1
Coldplay: If even we have standards, then how much more should God have standards?
Use Acts 10:36 after bringing up verse 35.
Sermon
Sermon
Intro
Intro
This morning, I stand here as a proud dad looking forward to my daughter being baptised.
Audrey is very special is me and Olivea.
She’s our daughter.
She’s our baby.
Audrey is special to many people here.
Our church family has seen grow.
She’s spent most of her life as a member of New Life Presbyterian.
She’s special to friends and family in Canberra and Sydney.
Thank you to those who are visiting our church this morning to witness Audrey’s baptism.
Audrey is special to many of us.
At the same time, she’s not that different to other kids.
I see her and other kids do similar things.
I see her and other kids wanting to be loved by their parents.
She and others want to be accepted by their families.
What does that look like?
For Audrey as a one-year-old, her desire for acceptance is expressed in coming to mum or dad for a hug.
And so we give her a hug.
As kids get older, they look for acceptance outside of their families.
Olivea and I watched a movie called Inside Out 2.
Inside Out 2 shares the emotional journey of a teenage girl called Riley.
Riley wants to be accepted into a hockey team.
And she wants to be accepted by the cool kids.
So she betrays her previous friends to spend time with these cool kids.
She sneaks into the coach’s office to find out what the coach thinks of her.
Because she wants to be accepted.
Adults have that desire for acceptance too.
I remember when I was dating Olivea.
I wanted to be accepted by her so I did things I would never normally do.
I wrote poems for her.
I’m pretty stingy but I spent money on her.
I even changed up my wardrobe for her.
The desire for acceptance is universal.
We all want to be accepted.
Maybe it’s acceptance from family.
Or acceptance from friends.
Or from a romantic interest.
Olivea and I want Audrey to know that we always accept her.
We want her to be accepted by her wider family and her friends.
We want her to be accepted by her church family.
But most of all, we want her to be accepted by God.
Why do we want Audrey to be accepted by God?
Well God is her Creator.
God is the one in charge of the universe.
And so, if God accepts Audrey, we know that he will work for her good.
If God accepts Audrey, we know that she’ll be okay, no matter what happens.
We know that she will spend eternity with God and his people.
So how can Audrey be accepted by God?
How can any of us be accepted by God?
Thankfully, we find answers in the Bible.
This morning, we’re first looking at what the Old Testament says about acceptance by God.
Then we’ll focus on a passage in the book of Acts.
Acts 9:32-11:18.
We’ll see what it looks like for God to accept us now.
I’ve structured today’s sermon in three points.
It’s up on the screen.
1, God’s acceptance is foreshadowed
2, God’s acceptance includes us Gentiles
3, God’s acceptance means praising him
God’s acceptance is foreshadowed
God’s acceptance includes us Gentiles
God’s acceptance means praising him
Let’s start with the first point.
1, God’s acceptance is foreshadowed
1, God’s acceptance is foreshadowed
God’s acceptance is foreshadowed.
Now, let me ask you: How accepting should God be?
How accepting should God be?
Different people will give you different answers.
And it often depends on what aspect of God they focus on.
See, a singular focus on God’s love might lead us to think that God should accept everyone.
And a singular focus on God’s justice might lead us to think that God should accept no one.
Focus on love and you might think God should accept everyone.
Focus on justice and you might think God should accept no one.
What do we mean by that?
In the middle of this year, there was a scandal that made global news.
You may have heard it.
The Coldplay kiss cam scandal.
During a Coldplay concert in July, the kiss cam spotlighted one couple.
Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot.
But when Byron and Cabot saw they were on the big screen, they didn’t embrace each other.
They hid their faces and hid from the camera.
People did some investigation and found out that Byron and Cabot were having an affair.
Both were married.
He was the CEO.
She was the Head of HR.
They were having an affair.
If you’ve been following the news, you’ve seen that the whole world condemned this.
It was unacceptable behaviour.
They stepped down from their positions.
From what we can see, their friends and family rejected them.
Our sense of justice means we often don’t accept injustice.
We reject it.
So should God accept Byron and Cabot?
Well if the whole world has standards for justice, how much more should God have a standards.
Should God accept Byron and Cabot?
A singular focus on God’s justice would lead us to say no.
A just and righteous God wouldn’t tolerate such behaviour.
He would condemn it.
God has standards.
He is just and righteous.
That’s a good thing.
But if God would condemn Byron and Cabot’s behaviour, where’s the line between what’s acceptable and what’s rejected?
Is adultery unacceptable but looking at someone lustfully acceptable?
Is murder unacceptable but insulting others acceptable?
Is narcissism unacceptable but a small dose of selfishness acceptable?
I confess that I’ve looked at someone lustfully.
I’ve insulted others.
I’ve been selfish.
Will God still accept me?
Well a perfectly just and righteous God sees all injustices.
All injustices break his holy law.
All injustices show a rejection of him.
And an injustice against an infinite God is an injustice of infinite severity.
It deserves condemnation.
Rejection by God.
We see this in the Bible from the beginning of humanity.
Adam and Eve rejected God in Genesis 3.
And as a perfectly just and righteous God, he rejected them.
A singular focus on God’s justice might lead us to think that God should accept no one.
But let’s not only focus on his justice.
The Bible shows us God’s love as well.
God’s love means that he wants to be in a good and loving relationship with people.
God’s love means he wants to show acceptance to people.
The big way we see this in the Old Testament is the nation of Israel.
There are other ways too, but God’s acceptance was centred on the nation of Israel.
That is, God gave that particular nation a way to deal with their injustices.
He gave them a system of ceremonies and sacrifices so that their unrighteousness could be dealt with.
So he didn’t accept them because they were amazing people.
He accepted them because he made a way for them to become acceptable.
And what did it look like for other people if they wanted to be accepted by God?
They typically joined the nation of Israel.
They become Jews and lived the Jewish way.
God’s acceptance was centred on Israel.
But the Old Testament also shows that God’s acceptance was to extend to other nations as well, without them having to join the Jewish nation.
[Don’t read passage]
18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.
Like in Genesis 18, even before the nation of Israel was formed.
God indicates that his blessing will extend to all nations.
This is in passages like Isaiah 60:3.
[Don’t read passage]
3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
Isaiah the prophet explains that God’s acceptance won’t just be for Israel, but many nations.
So in the Old Testament, God’s acceptance of people from all nations is foreshadowed.
God’s acceptance is foreshadowed.
And as we come to our passage in Acts, that acceptance is foreshadowed again.
For people here who are visiting our church just today, we’ve been going through the book of Acts.
Acts tells us how the church grew.
It describes the historical events after Jesus died, rose, and ascended.
And so far, in chapters 1 to 9, we’ve seen the good news about Jesus go out in Jerusalem.
The good news has gone out to Judea and Samaria.
These are areas with Jews and Samaritans… both people groups that descended from the nation of Israel.
Both groups were brought up thinking that God’s acceptance was just for their group.
They had centuries of religious activity where they were taught that God only accepted people who belonged to their group.
It would take a miracle to change their thinking.
And that’s exactly what God gives them.
At the start of our Acts passage, the apostle Peter performs not one, but two, miracles.
Let’s read about it in Acts 9:32-34.
32 As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord’s people who lived in Lydda. 33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. 34 “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up.
Miracle number 1 is Peter healing a paralysed man.
The second miracle is in the rest of chapter 9.
There’s a woman called Tabitha.
She’s also known as Dorcas.
She dies and everyone’s grieving.
Peter comes along, and what does he do?
Acts 9:40.
40 Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up.
Miracle number 2 is Peter healing a dead woman.
Miracles aren’t a regular, everyday event.
So why are miracles happening in this passage?
Well throughout the book of Acts, miracles happen not just for the sake of miracles.
The miracles in Acts are to show that God is with the person performing these miracles.
The miracles in Acts help verify the truthfulness the message that this person is sharing.
So as we read about these two miracles in Acts 9, we shouldn’t just be astounded by the miracles themselves.
We should be prepared to hear something amazing from Peter.
We should be ready to trust what he has to say.
And we’ll soon read about Peter sharing a message that was been life-changing to those who heard it.
God’s acceptance of people outside of Israel has been foreshadowed.
And it’s now time to hear it come to fruition.
We’re now at point 2.
2, God’s acceptance includes us Gentiles
2, God’s acceptance includes us Gentiles
God’s acceptance includes us Gentiles.
We’ve finished chapter 9 and we’re ready to hear from Peter.
But chapter 10 doesn’t launch straight into a message from Peter.
Chapter 10 starts off with a man named Cornelius.
Cornelius lives in Caesarea.
Let’s put that up on the screen.
Here’s a map of the key places in today’s passage.
And Cornelius is up there in Caesarea.
Who’s Cornelius?
He’s a Roman Centurion.
And he’s a great guy.
Loves God.
Very generous.
But what’s most important about him is that he’s a Gentile.
What’s a Gentile?
A Gentile is someone who isn’t Jewish.
They’re not part of the nation of Israel.
Most of us here, maybe all of us, are Gentiles.
Anyway, Cornelius is a Gentile.
And he has a vision from God.
God’s messenger tells Cornelius to send men to Peter and bring him.
So again, we’re expecting something special to happen with Peter.
And something special does happen.
Peter’s in a city called Joppa.
And he too gets a vision from God.
It’s in verses 11 to 15.
Let’s look at that together.
Acts 10:11-15
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.”
It’s a strange vision and Peter doesn’t know what to do with it.
And while he’s wondering what it means, Cornelius’ men have arrived.
They invite Peter to go with them back to Cornelius’ place.
And that’s what they do the next day.
So we’re back in Caesarea.
Cornelius’ place.
We’ve got Cornelius with his relatives and friends.
They’re Gentiles.
And we’ve got Peter with some of his friends.
They’re Jewish.
From the nation of Israel.
As Peter and Cornelius talk, Peter finally understands the vision.
He finally gets that the vision isn’t really about food.
It’s about the Gentiles.
Why is that?
Well in the Old Testament law, there were many rules about what foods were unclean.
According to the Old Testament law, unclean food led to unclean people.
The Gentiles ate these unclean foods.
So that’s why the Jews believed the Gentiles were unclean people.
People rejected by God.
So this vision of God making unclean food clean is basically saying that unclean people can be clean.
It’s what Peter explains in verse 28.
Acts 10:28.
28 He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.
Peter is realising that God’s acceptance of people isn’t based on being part of the Jewish nation, with its food laws or other laws.
Acceptance by God is now extended to every nation without requiring them to join the Jews.
Let’s look at verses 34 and 35.
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.
This is God’s acceptance.
It’s not just for the Jews.
It’s for people from any nation.
It’s for those who fear God and do what is right.
Now what exactly does that mean?
Well there’s two parts to be accepted.
The first is fearing God.
In the Bible, the positive fear of God isn’t about being scared of God.
It’s about reverence for God.
Respect for God.
In other words, it’s about faith.
Being accepted by God requires us to have faith that God is God.
That he exists.
That he is our Creator and does what is good and right.
That he is deserving of our worship.
The second part in verse 35 is doing what is right.
Does that mean we have to do what is right all the time?
No one does the right thing all the time.
No one’s perfect.
God isn’t asking for perfection.
Because he knows we’ve all done the wrong thing.
We’ve all sinned.
Which is why we need forgiveness.
And we see that in verse 43.
Acts 10:43.
43 All the prophets testify about him [that’s Jesus!] that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
THIS is the very centre of God’s acceptance of people.
It’s not about being part of the nation of Israel.
It’s about believing in Jesus to receive forgiveness of sins.
Believing in Jesus means recognising that Jesus, as the morally perfect man, paid the penalty for our sins.
He died on the cross to take our punishment.
To satisfy God’s justice.
He was our substitute.
So believing in Jesus means accepting that forgiveness.
It also means living for Jesus and not yourself.
See, the person who genuinely believes in Jesus recognises that Jesus knows what’s best.
That his ways are better than our ways.
It means wanting to live a life that pleases Jesus.
And that means doing what’s right.
[Don’t read passage]
35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.
So as we come back to verse 35, what does it mean that God accepts the person who does what is right?
It doesn’t mean that we need to be perfect.
No one is.
It mean that the person who genuinely trusts in Jesus is living a life that expresses that trust.
They are trying their best to do what is right.
Anyone can be accepted by God.
It happens through fearing God.
Through faith in Jesus.
A faith that leads people to do what’s right.
In Peter’s time, this is a radical message.
They thought God’s acceptance was only for the Jews.
So God gives them proof that Peter’s message is actually a message from God.
He sends his Holy Spirit to Cornelius and the other Gentiles.
They start speaking in tongues; that’s the miraculous speaking of other languages.
It’s proof that they have been accepted by God.
After that proof from God, the Gentiles get baptised too.
Baptism is the regular, normal sign of God’s acceptance.
Speaking in tongues was a miraculous sign that was needed to prove this radical message.
But baptism is the normal sign now, showing us that God has accepted the baptised person because of Jesus.
Acts 10 is a great reminder to us who believe in Jesus that we too have been accepted by God.
Most, if not all, of us are Gentiles.
But if we have faith in Jesus, we’ve been accepted by God.
We’ve been accepted by the one who is in control of the whole universe.
We’ve been accepted by the one who orders every part of our lives.
So we can have confidence that God will work for our good.
We know that we will be with God and his people forever.
We know that God is there for us even when times are tough.
We can live with great hope, peace, and joy, because God is on our side.
What about those here who don’t have faith in God?
If that’s you, I hope you can why Christians want their friends and family and others they know to come to trust in Jesus.
We would love for you to know the forgiveness that comes from faith in Jesus.
We would love for you to experience God’s acceptance.
Perhaps today’s the day for that.
If you do want to experience God’s acceptance, well we’ve heard that it comes through faith in Jesus.
And one of the best ways to express faith in Jesus is to pray.
So at the end of this sermon, I will lead us in a prayer.
We will confess to God that we’ve done the wrong thing, that we’ve sinned.
We will ask God to forgive us through Jesus dying on the cross for us.
And we will thank God that we too are accepted by him because of Jesus.
And what if you’re already a Christian?
What’s the action from today’s passage?
Well if I didn’t have the rest of the passage in front of me, I’d say that we should be encouraged us to share more about Jesus with others.
And that’s certainly true.
But it’s not the focus of the last part of our passage.
We’re at our third and final point.
3, God’s acceptance means praising him
3, God’s acceptance means praising him
God’s acceptance means praising him.
The last part of our passage is Acts 11:1-18.
Peter goes back to the central hub.
To Jerusalem, the holy city of Israel.
Remember, the Jews thought that God’s acceptance was limited just to them.
But Peter recounts what happened for the Gentiles.
How do the Jews respond?
It’s in verse 18.
Acts 11:18.
18 When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
What should God’s acceptance mean for us?
It means praising him!
Because of God’s love, he’s made a way for us to be accepted again.
So we praise him!
We praise him with our words.
That’s what the Jews did in this verse.
They praised God with their words to one another.
We praise God in prayer, both as a church family and as individual Christians.
And we praise God in song, singing with our hearts to the God who loves us.
God’s acceptance means praising him.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Olivea and I want Audrey to be accepted by God.
How can Audrey be accepted by God?
By faith in Jesus.
We have many hopes for her.
We want her to be healthy, smart, have lots of friends, be a good citizen, and so on...
But most of all, we want her to have faith in Jesus.
To be accepted by God.
And that’s why we pray for her, we read Bible stories to her, we bring her to church...
What about the rest of us?
How can we be accepted by God?
It’s the same answer.
By faith in Jesus.
That acceptance leads us to praise God.
Let’s praise God now in prayer.
Heavenly Father,
We recognise that all of us have rejected you in some way. All of us have sinned. We need forgiveness.
Thank you for sending us Jesus, who died on the cross for us. Please forgive us because Jesus took the penalty for our sins on the cross.
Thank you that you do accept us now because of Jesus. So we praise you. We praise you for your great love for us.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
