The Spirit Poured Out on the Gentiles Part 2
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Introduction
Introduction
Jesus’ purpose in offering himself up as a once for all sacrifice was to ransom for himself people from every tribe, language, people and nation
before the bowl judgments are poured out on the earth in the last days the 4 living creatures sing a song,
9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”
God’s plan to make one church out of every tribe, tongue, kindred
when Jesus died on the cross his purpose was to ransom for himself people from every tribe, language, people and nation
when Jesus died on the cross his purpose was to ransom for himself people from every tribe, language, people and nation
knowing that was his purpose listen to his last command to his disciples before he ascended into heaven,
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
make disciples of all nations
in order for the disciples to fulfill Christ’s command the religious and dietary practices which excluded the gentiles had to be broken down:
Eph
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility
before the bowl judgments are poured out on the earth before the coming of the Lord in the last days the 4 living creatures sing this song,
9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”
Jesus’ plan to make one church out of every tribe, tongue, kindred was fulfilled
we know what the church became but it did not start out that way
the church began with the Jews but was confined to Jerusalem
the problem of the hostility of the Jews to non-Jews
they despised the Samaritans and hated the Gentiles
the fierce persecution against Christians after Stephen’s death forced them out of Jerusalem into Judea and Samaria
began with Jesus’ ministry to the woman at the well in
began with the woman at the well in
Philip’s ministry to the Samaritans in
although Philip led the Gentile Ethiopian eunuch to Christ, he went home to his own land
apart from the Ethiopian eunuch the Gentiles remained outside the church
attitude of the disciples about the Gentiles:
how Jewish Christians felt about the Gentiles:
28 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.
2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying,
3 “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
one wonders if any of the disciples really thought about Jesus’ statement in that they would be his witnesses to the uttermost parts of the earth
did they misunderstand?
I believe they were they not able to hear this because of their ingrained thoughts and ideas
we suffer from the same malady but more on that later!
if the Jewish disciples were to bring the gospel to the hated Gentiles God had to change their hearts and minds
God could have simply opened their minds but instead chose to work through the vision he gave to Cornelius, the Roman Centurion and to Peter, the Jewish Preacher and disciple of Jesus
in other words God worked through human instruments
this is God’s normal way of accomplishing his purposes in the world
God in his sovereignty is able to use any person to accomplish whatever he chooses without violating their wills, even those who hate and resist him
example of Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Judas
God worked through Cornelius and Peter to instruct the church and succeeding generations throughout the earth
each succeeding generation of believers faces the temptation to exclude certain persons
example of the church in India coming to grips with their caste system
Brahmin churches that won’t fellowship with Dalits
there are all kinds of inappropriate lines by which Christians separate from one another
the only acceptable ones are those that have to do with essential doctrines, gross immorality, church discipline
last week we looked at the first stage of God’s work, his preparation of Cornelius
he gave him a vision
he opened his eyes to see an angel from God who informed him that his prayers had been heard and his alms noticed and instructed him to send men to Peter
in those instructions he provided the exact address where Peter could be found and whom he was lodging with
this is God’s omniscience
as soon as the angel departed, Cornelius obeyed by sending a devout soldier along with 2 of his servants
Cornelius had learned quick obedience in his vocation as a soldier and a centurion
he applied this to his quest for spiritual life
are you quick to obey the Lord?
when he convicts you about a TV show you enjoy?
when he directs you to go to a brother or sister who has offended you or whom you have offended?
when he provides an opportunity for you to share your faith?
when he urges you to step outside your comfort zone to serve?
when you are confronted by the HS about something you believe that is contrary to the scriptures?
Cornelius could have objected just like Naaman!
why did he have to go to a Jew whose nation the Romans had conquered and whose king they had crucified?
why a common fisherman to show an important Centurion the way?
I’m sure there were many objections that Cornelius could have raised but didn’t
why was he quick to obey?
because his hunger and thirst for God was greater than his desire for honour and respect
when we love God as we ought, prompt obedience is not an issue
we will discover this same quality in Peter
God’s Preparation Of Peter
God’s Preparation Of Peter
as Cornelius’ men were on their way to get Peter, God starting working on him
10 And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance
11 and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth.
Acts 10:10
9 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.
10 And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance
11 and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth.
Acts 10:
6th hour = noon, one of 3x/day devout Jews set apart for prayer
God came to Peter while he was praying just as he had Cornelius!
highlights the importance of prayer!
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
hinderances to answered prayer
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?
2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
James 4:
most likely there is little difference between the two
this is not mentioned as happening to Cornelius
in 11:5 when giving a report to the church in Jerusalem Peter says that in a trance he saw a vision
most likely there is little difference between the two
in his vision Peter saw a great sheet descending from the heavens in which were all kinds of animals, reptiles and birds along with a voice commanding him to kill and eat
contained clean and unclean animals
this would have caused the clean animals to be unclean
Peter was horrified
14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.”
Acts 10:
his reaction was one of shock and revulsion having never eaten anything common or unclean
his reaction was one of shock and revulsion having never eaten anything unclean
ritually impure: not kosher
unclean: that which God had forbidden (eg. pork)
he had been very very careful about not defiling himself with food
his strict adherence to the Jewish dietary laws were a testament to his devotion to God
God’s response to Peter, “What God has made clean, do not call unclean.”
although the civil and ceremonial laws had been set aside when Christ died and rose from the dead so that they were no longer binding on believers this is the first time that God verbally declared them null and void
happened 3x
to remove any doubt about what the Lord was communicating
there is no doubt
Peter was still puzzled as to the meaning of the vision
seems obvious to us because we have the advantage of hindsight
for Peter this was ingrained in his psyche and so the thought of it being done away with was unthinkable
meaning of the sheet was two-fold
negatively: the OT dietary laws were abolished
their separating features were no longer necessary because the indwelling HS had come
God was bringing Jew and Gentile together in the church
positively: the Gentiles were included in the church
symbolized by the clean and unclean animals together in the sheet
Peter did not reject God’s word outright but thought about it, taking a “wait and see” attitude
Berean spirit vs. Jewish hostility to the gospel
fast forward to today where the problem here in the West is that we have been exposed to false teaching for a long time
though the bible teaches we are dead in sin, do not seek after God and always go our own way we have been taught the opposite!
you must speak in tongues in order to be saved or filled with the Spirit
when our wrong beliefs and convictions are challenged by the truth the temptation is to get angry or frustrated rather than think and pray
results in gossip, murmuring, complaining, backbiting
add to this the fact that false teaching is coming at us faster and faster as the day of the Lord draws nearer and nearer (; )
for this reason Jesus warned his disciples to be ready for his return ( & )
Parable of the 10 Virgins
Parable of the Talents
Parable of the 10 Minas
what was the purpose of the ceremonial food laws?
- God had chosen Israel out of all the nations
having been set apart they were not to adopt their worship, their sinful way of life
the main way that people intermingled in ancient days was through feasts
the main way that people intermingled in ancient days was through feasts
they did not have the forms of entertainment that we have which isolate us from others
the great temptation for OT Israel was to mingle with their pagan neighbour nations and adopt their worship and lifestyle thereby bringing on themselves the wrath of God
God gave them the food laws to keep them separate
since they could not eat the food of their idolatrous neighbours they could not associate with them and be drawn into their life styles
since they could not eat the food of their idolatrous neighbours they could not associate with them and be drawn into their life styles
we have been set apart by the Lord and we must live like it!
NT believers are also commanded to be separate ()
while we are to evangelize the unbelievers who surround us we are not to adopt their lifestyles
recent polls show that the lives of Christians are no different than non-christians
John’s command: do not love the world nor the things of the world (1 John 2:15-17)
James’ warning: to love the world is to be an enemy of God (James 4:4)
Paul’s command: do not let the world press you into its mold (Rom 12:2)
the ceremonial and civil laws of the OT were designed by God to separate his people from the nations
NT believers have the presence and power of the HS who speaks to us through the Word and convicts us of sin
both OT and NT believers are separated by the Lord and true believers live like it!
negatively: the OT dietary laws were abolished
their separating features were no longer necessary because the indwelling HS had come
God was bringing Jew and Gentile together in the church
what is our attitude and response when we are confronted with truth that previously we were unaware of?
positively: the Gentiles were included in the church
symbolized by the clean and unclean animals together in the sheet
Acts 10:17-
17 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
18 and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there.
19 And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you.
20 Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.”
accompany them without hesitation = without distinction
Peter did not reject God’s word outright but thought about it, taking a “wait and see” attitude
Berean spirit vs. Jewish hostility to the gospel
fast forward to today where the problem here in the West is that we have been exposed to false teaching for a long time
though the bible teaches we are dead in sin, do not seek after God and always go our own way we have been taught the opposite!
you must speak in tongues in order to be saved or filled with the Spirit
when our wrong beliefs and convictions are challenged by the truth the temptation is to get angry or frustrated rather than think and pray
results in gossip, murmuring, complaining, backbiting
add to this the fact that false teaching is coming at us faster and faster as the day of the Lord draws nearer and nearer (; )
for this reason Jesus warned his disciples to be ready for his return ( & )
Parable of the 10 Virgins
Parable of the Talents
Parable of the 10 Minas
as Peter was thinking about the meaning of the vision the delegation from Cornelius arrived to shed some light on what was perplexing Peter! (God’s sovereignty at work!)
God was about to shed some light on what was perplexing Peter!
17 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
18 and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there.
as a Jew his first reaction would have been to reject their request
19 And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you.
20 Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.”
Acts 10:19
the Spirit now provided the first practical application of the vision!
Peter was not to reject these men as unclean but instead go with them
as Peter waited on the Lord he began to make things clear!
Peter’s response:
21 And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?”
22 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.”
23 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.
Acts 10:21
not only was Cornelius quick to obey but so was Peter even though he did not fully understand!
Peter welcomed the men as his guests, even the hated Roman soldier!
they both model the obedience which God demands
guests: used in where it speaks of entertaining angels
Peter treated the men well, ministering to their needs
the work of God in his heart had broken his Jewish prejudice
it is required at salvation and throughout our Christian lives
the bible repeatedly teaches that obedience always accompanies true faith (; ; , ; ; ,,; ,; ; ; ; ; )
when you are confronted with the truth are you quick to obey even though your understanding may not be complete?
example of Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac
when Peter arrived at Cornelius’ house Cornelius bowed before him and worshipped him
25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.
26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.”
Peter rightly rejected any kind of worship or adulation as belonging only to the Lord
example of Paul & Barnabas in and John in 2:8-9
worship belongs to the Lord and to him alone
a warning to those who pray to Mary and worship saints
a warning to us not to put people on pedestals
Peter asked Cornelius the reason for summoning him
27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered.
28 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.
29 So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.”
the men whom Cornelius sent to Peter had already told him why they had come in v.22
22 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.”
Peter again asked the same question in v.29
29 So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.”
Cornelius responded with the same message! (vv.30-33)
reveals Peter’s deep perplexity about the fact that what separated him as a Jew was passing away!
must not forget that the ceremonial and civil laws were literally written on his mind and heart
it was not uncommon for Jewish boys to memorize the Torah, the first 5 books of the bible, before they were twelve
much of what was written in those books was fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ and was done away with
letting go was a great challenge but one that Peter was will to confront
48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.
baptism one of the first steps of obedience
baptisms on Oct 7
they asked Peter to remain in order to teach them
they wanted to learn
16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
John 10:
a mark of a genuine believer is a hunger and thirst to hear Jesus’ voice
this demonstrated in a hunger for the word of God
John 10:
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
if you claim to be a believer but can go from Sunday to Sunday without opening your bible there is something seriously wrong with you!