Acts 10 (2)

Text

Acts 10:1–11:18 ESV

At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa. The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven. 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 and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. 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?” 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.” 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. And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.” And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered. And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.” And Cornelius said, “Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.” So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days. Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” But Peter began and explained it to them in order: “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ But I said, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common.’ This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

Introduction

Saul

Proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues in Damascus

Amazed the Jews - the transformation!

“confounded the Jews by proving that that Jesus was the Christ”

In it was Saul who along with the Jews “could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which [Stephen] was speaking.”

Now Saul has the Holy Spirit - and understanding of the truth

Acts 6:10 ESV

But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.

Before long the Jews wanted to kill Saul too

When we can’t beat them, kill them

The disciples sneak him out of Damascus and he goes to Jerusalem

The disciples in Jerusalem didn’t trust him

Fortunately Barnabas - the great encourager - heard him out

Barnabas relayed Saul’s conversion experience to the disciples

assured the disciples that Saul’s conversion was genuine

Saul preached boldly in the name of Jesus in Jerusalem

But the Greek speaking Jews there wanted to kill him too

Jesus had said, I will show Paul how he must suffer for my sake

The disciples take care of him, send him to Caesarea and to Tarsus

is like a bookend

“So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.”

Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria have been reached

The church is growing

But...

“...you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

this marks the beginning of the Gospel going beyond the borders of Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria...

… and into Gentile countries

… the beginning of the gospel going out to the end of the earth

So Luke now turns his attention to Peter

Acts 1:8 ESV

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.”

Then we see him call a dead woman in Joppa to get up, and she does

Both are miraculous works of the Lord who is still working in the world to build his Church

Now God is going to call Peter to get

Acts 9:31 ESV

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

Acts 9:

1. God Prepares Cornelius

Introduce Cornelius

A centurion - equivalent of an army captain

prepares Cornelius

Stationed at Caesarea

Gentile city

important sea port for the Romans, 105km north-west of Jerusalem

105km north-west of Jerusalem

Described as a man who was:

devout (religious)

generous in charity

a man of prayer (prayed continually)

feared God

Feared God...

A believer?

A Jew?

Interesting… the narrative of Acts makes a distinction between circumcised Jews and men who feared God

, , Paul addresses the crowd, “men of Israel and you who fear God”

someone who is a Gentile who believes in the God of Israel, but was not circumcised

Proselyte = converted Gentile, circumcised, full submission to ceremonial laws

Men who fear God = Gentile believer, uncircumcised, has not submitted to ceremonial or dietary laws

worships the same God, does not take on the culture - keeps his own

This means… though he was a respected man who worshiped the one true God, in the eyes of any Jew, he was still an unclean Gentile

Ninth hour - 3pm - vision of an angel

“Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” (verse 4-6)

English Standard Version Chapter 10

Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. 5 And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.”

Notice his reaction - he stared at him in terror

Acts 10:4–6 ESV

And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.”

Interesting - God sent angels to:

Zechariah to announce the conception of John the Baptist

Mary to announce the conception of Jesus

now to Cornelius, directing him to an apostle who has the message of salvation through Jesus Christ...

…just ahead of the first Gentile conversions

Cornelius, recognizing this as an instruction from God, responds in obedience

2. God Prepares Peter

Who has the greater need to be prepared for what is about to happen?

Peter is already converted

He is an apostle

A leader of the church

Surely its the unclean, uncircumcised Gentile!

God is preparing Peter for a massive leap

There is a massive barrier that needs to be broken

For Peter and his own prejudices

and for the Church

and for the Church

because the Gospel is about to be brought for the first time to Gentiles

Where is Peter?

shows Peter first in Lydda, and now in Joppa

And he’s staying with a man called Simon - who Luke makes a point of mentioning is a tanner

somebody who works with animal skins

While in Lydda, Peter had told a paralysed man to get up and walk, and he did.

Then in Joppa, Peter had told a dead woman to get up, and she did.

Now, Peter is praying and in a vision, the Lord tells Peter “Rise up, kill and eat.

Luke says he sees in a vision...

something that looked like a huge sheet coming down from heaven - I imagine like a table cloth

Acts 10:

Its coming down by its 4 corners on the earth -

maybe to cover the 4 corners of the earth -

a Scriptural metaphor for the whole earth

and inside the sheet is every kind of animal - including reptiles and birds and every kind of animal that Jews would have seen as unclean

Jesus says “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”

When the Lord commands paralysis to leave a man’s body, it does and he is healed

When the Lord commands life to enter a dead woman, life enters her and she lives

but when the Lord commands Peter to kill and eat, does he respond in immediate obedience?

“By no means Lord, I’ve never eaten anything that is unclean or common.”

And what’s worse - Luke says it happened 3 times!

This is typical Peter

Jesus tells him to throw a net and he argues

Jesus tells him to eat and he argues

Peter hasn’t made the connection yet between the vision and the lesson

Its not for nothing that Jesus has given him the vision

For some time, I used to think that Jesus was trying to show Peter that its OK to eat any kind of meat

It is that - but its more than that

What Peter has to learn is that as a member of Jesus’ body, it is not appropriate to apply a distinction of clean and unclean to what you eat - OR WITH WHOM YOU EAT

3. God Brings Them Together

With perfect timing again, as Peter is mulling over the vision and its meaning, Cornelius’ men arrive

The Lord has sovereignly orchestrated everything

- even to the point that Cornelius men arrive just as Peter is told by the Holy Spirit to go with them

He arranged for Peter to stay at this house

Peter goes with them - and now look at Peter’s attitude as he enters Cornelius house:

He told Cornelius where Peter would be

verse 28: “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation...”

And that is the problem -

We all know that the Jews had a prejudice against Gentiles and that they saw them as unclean

But it seems that even Peter and others in the Church still held this view of the Gentiles

Old habits die hard and cultural distinctives die harder

This is a huge issue that needs to be dealt with

How is the gospel going to go out to the ends of the earth if the Church still sees Gentiles as unclean?

how is the gospel going to go out to the ends of the earth if the Church still sees Gentiles as unclean?

BUT...

Having been told by the Lord to come to this place

and having entered the home of this Gentile man and seeing all the others gathered there...

Peter is starting to make the connection between his vision and its meaning

He continues...

“You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.”

Through the vision, God is teaching Peter not to be a man of his culture, but to be a man of the kingdom

Peter was a Christian - born again, saved, received the Holy Spirit...

but he still attached his identity to his culture as much as to Christ

His culture said that Jews don’t hang with Gentiles

that Gentiles were unclean

God has shown Peter that no man is unclean

All men - whether Jew or Gentile, black or white, colored or Indian, rich or poor, are made in God’s image

And none are to be called unclean

Peter’s got that now. BUT...

he still hasn’t understood the vision in its entirety

Acts 10:28

Acts 10:28 ESV

And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.

he now asks...

verse 29: “So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.”

He now understands that there’s no reason to call a Gentile unclean...

…and that he is not unclean by entering a Gentile home...

…but Mr apostle - Mr evangelist who has preached to thousands and seen thousands converted after a single sermon...

… and who is now in a man’s home surrounded by people just hanging on his every word and dying to hear what he can tell them about God...

…doesn’t know why he’s there?

It hasn’t occurred yet to Peter that the gospel is also for Gentiles

Peter knew very well Jesus instruction in and to proclaim the gospel and preach repentance and forgiveness of sins to all nations...

…but he took it to mean preach repentance and forgiveness of sins to the Jews of all nations

its only when Cornelius explains God’s dealings with him that the penny finally drops for Peter

Acts 10:29

Acts 10:29 ESV

So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.”

Ohhhh…

Verse 34-35: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”

So salvation isn’t for Jews only, but for anyone who believes in Jesus - even Gentiles!

So Peter, with new understanding, like a good Baptist preaches a 3-point sermon...

and then something amazing happens...

Verse 44-45 “While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.”

Acts 10:

Acts 10:34-

In , in Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit came before the preaching

Acts 10:44–45 ESV

While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.

In , in Samaria, the Holy Spirit came after the preaching

Acts 10:34–35 ESV

So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

In , in this Gentile home in a Gentile city, the Holy Spirit comes during the preaching...

… even before Peter gets to the call to repent

and it happens in full view of those Luke calls “the circumcised believers”...

…who with Peter are absolutely amazed because not only has the Holy Spirit fallen on these Gentiles in the same way that fell on them...

… but He fell on them without any prerequisites of being either baptised or circumcised.

And so Peter commands these newly converted believers to be baptized in Jesus name and spends a few days with them.

And the gospel begins to spread to the Gentiles.

Conclusion

This was a key turning point in the history of the Church

Peter wasn’t the only believer who harbored prejudices against the Gentiles in his heart

Word got out to all the apostles and brothers throughout Judea that Peter had stayed with and eaten with Gentiles...

… and that he had proclaimed the gospel to them

And when Peter got back to Jerusalem, the circumcision party - those who believed that you had to first be circumcised a Jew before you could receive the Holy Spirit - criticised Peter and demanded answers

but after Peter explained his vision to them, they were silenced and also understood

“When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

It took a vision from the Lord to show Peter and the rest of the apostles and believers that the gospel is for ALL people...

Acts 11:18 ESV

When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

…and to remove the prejudice that they still harbored in their hearts towards Gentiles

Acts 11:

Peter was so blinded by his own prejudice that he didn’t even see his own hypocrisy

Peter was living in the house of a tanner - people who were also considered unclean because they handled the carcasses of dead animals...

He was prepared to live in the house of a tanner - people who were also considered unclean because they handled the carcasses of dead animals...

He was prepared to stay in the house of an unclean Jew...

He was prepared to stay in the house of an unclean Jew...

…but had found it unthinkable to accept the hospitality of a God-fearing Gentile

…

…but had found it unthinkable to accept the hospitality of a God-fearing Gentile

It required a vision from the Lord to change his heart

Application

The Church can still learn from Peter’s vision today

We must fight the tendency to want to hold too tightly to our traditions and culture

Too many in the Church still attach their identity to their culture first, and to the Kingdom 2nd

If you are a Christian, and you don’t have friends of another culture or skin colour...

…or have never shared a meal with or given hospitality to people of a different culture… why not?

Or is there a custom or tradition that is tied to your culture that you would consider unthinkable to give up...

why is that?

We also need to see that the gospel is for ALL people, not just for people who are just like us

Peter and the other Jewish believers had to see the Holy Spirit fall on people before they were either baptised or circumcised before they understood the gospel is for all people

We don’t require people to be baptised or circumcised (imagine that) before we would share the gospel with them here...

…but I feel like in our hearts we do often require people to be more like us before they can hear the gospel from us...

… like they need to be more respectable...

… dress appropriately

… behave appropriately...

… smell good

… not be too needy

… they shouldn’t be at all different to us because they might want to change the way we do things over here

Peter’s vision and the spread of the Gospel into Gentile territory shows us that Jesus is VERY serious about taking the gospel to all 4 corners of the globe

to the ends of the earth

The gospel is for

the Jew and the Gentile,

the rich and the poor,

the Jewish Pharisee and the Ethiopian Eunuch,

the Roman centurion and the Philippian jailor,

the sophisticated socialite and the uncultured roughian

Because the fact of the matter is, ALL need the gospel

You might be respectable, educated and sophisticated and nicely dressed up from head to toe...

… but I assure you, you need Jesus just as much as the rebellious gangster from the dark side of Parkside

Cornelius was a God-fearing, charitable and respectable man, but he was not right with God

He did not have peace with God through Jesus Christ

He needed to hear the gospel, he needed to believe and he needed to repent for the forgiveness of his sins

And so do ALL men and women

Think about what prejudices you may have - is there anybody you have opportunity to share the gospel with but haven’t...

either because he’s so different from you that you feel he wouldn’t possibly accept it...

or because he’s so much like you that he couldn’t possibly need it?

Don’t be blinded by your own self-righteousness that you believe you don’t need it!

There is only one way for us to have peace with God, and that is through Jesus Christ.

The world is full of people who are dying and on their way to hell - and their only hope is Jesus

What if they never get to hear about Him?

What if people end up going to hell because of our prejudices?

because we put unnecessary expectations on them to be more like us before we would tell them the good news?

May the Lord help us to see our own prejudices, so that more people would hear the gospel and be saved

because of our misunderstanding o

And so that Jesus may receive the full reward for His sacrifice