Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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Text
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
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
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:
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)
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
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?
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