Sermon Tone Analysis

Welcome

Prejudice illustration.

10 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, 2 a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. 3 About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” 4 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. 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.” 7 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, 8 and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

Great turning point in history of church.

What do we notice?

Cornelius was a centurion.

Over 100 men.

They were loyal, they were not reckless or over bold, but were steady and prudent, able when overwhelmed and hard pressed to stand fast and die at their posts.

The make up of a man like Cornelius was courageous and loyal.

He was also a God-fearer Gentiles who were Jewish by faith.

Could never be true Jews but would worship the Jewish God from the outside.

They would go to synagogue but would not be able to worship in the temple.

Charitable.

Very kind.

Sought God and God made his heart charitable to others.

He gave much away.

Man of Prayer.

He prayed regularly and made himself available to God.

He sought out God Can I say that when one seeks God with all of their hearts that God finds them.

This is what this man is doing.

Searching God out.

Praying, really seeking God through prayer, through giving.

God’s angel, his messenger visits and gives him a command.

Very interesting this command.

God says go and call for this guy Peter: Here’s the address.

And that is it.

Notice that God isn’t telling Cornelius what is going to happen.

Doesn’t tell him what Peter will say.

He gives him what seems to be an incomplete command and really must leave Cornelius hanging on this point.

That is hard isn’t it?

God doesn’t give Cornelius the whole story, He gives him what seems to be a partial message: Get Peter to your house.

And so the Centurion does what the angel says.

Now this is a bigger deal than you might think.

For us we think, “Okay, God says get this guy” fine.

But there is something you should know.

Peter is a Jew and Cornelius is a Gentile, or a non-Jew and Jews and Gentiles don’t mix.

There was a huge prejudice that Jews would have against any non Jew

Understand the prejudice that existed here.

And for good reason.

God told the Jews to not associate with anyone other than Jews.

It wasn’t because the Jews were better, they weren’t.

It wasn’t because of what they did because they didn’t really do anything to have God choose them.

God just chose them and that was it.

But eventually, for the Jews, there was a feeling of pride and eventually exclusivity that was associated with being a JEW.

Nothing worse than a Gentile.

Could not even walk on their ground (Shake the dust off your feet)

Strict Jews believed that God had no use for the Gentiles.

Sometimes they even went as far as saying that help must not be given to a Gentile woman in childbirth, because that would only bring another Gentile into the world.

Peter had to unlearn that before Cornelius could be allowed in

That was kind of a hatred and that was deep seated in any Jew.

So it was no guarantee that Peter (A Jew) would see this Cornelius.

The principal subject of this chapter is not so much the conversion of Cornelius of the conversion of Peter.

Remember that Jesus tells the disciples to go to 1Judea-2Samaria and to 3all the ends of the earth.

2 Samaritans (half Jews) They were hated by the Jews too because they were half breeds.

Not true Jewish people and finally the ends of the earth would be represented as Gentiles.

3 Gentiles.

So the men from Cornelius leave to find this Peter so that he could come and speak.

While this is going on we cut to Peter who is hanging out on a rooftop praying.

Jews prayed religiously 3 times a day.

Morning, Noon and Evening.

Strict Jews believed that God had no use for the Gentiles.

Sometimes they even went as far as saying that help must not be given to a Gentile woman in childbirth, because that would only bring another Gentile into the world.

Peter had to unlearn that before Cornelius could be allowed in

Peter is minding his own business.

Praying to God the way he would do any other day.

God gives him a vision.

In that vision he sees this sheet with all the animals and birds and reptiles and God tells him to kill and eat.

The principal subject of this chapter is not so much the conversion of Cornelius of the conversion of Peter.

Realize that there were very strict dietary laws for Jewish people.

If you were a Jew there were foods that you just did not eat.

People have tried to speculate as to why but the reality is that God said at the time that if you are a Jew, you can’t eat them so you don’t.

This was a huge part of their lives.

If you were Jewish you couldn’t eat shrimp.

If you were Jewish you couldn’t take part in a crab feast, or have lobster.

If you were Jewish you couldn’t eat baby back ribs or bacon, or scrapple.

Man, that is just tough to hear.

Do I have any bacon lovers out there?

Tough right?

Again, people have tried to explain why those dietary laws were in place but look, sometimes God just makes the choices God makes and it doesn’t have to make sense to us.

Do you really need to approve the decision God makes about particular things?

And so the dietary laws were something as a Jew that you would have to adhere to.

So naturally, Jews wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles, or even be around them because of that fact that they were ceremonially unclean simply by what they ate for breakfast.

So when this vision came to Peter you can understand why it was so strange for him to hear God say, Get up, Kill and eat.

And Peter says,

I can’t do that.

I have never eaten anything unclean.

And God says to Peter, listen to this, very important

God has made a proclamation.

God has made a change!

He has made these things clean, made them clean.

He has restored.

Bacon anyone?

The dream happened three times which was a symbol that sealed the deal.

That word clean is interesting.

It is the same word that is used when Jesus healed the lepers.

He cleansed them.

Made them clean.

Same word.