Power to Break Barriers
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Barrier Breakers:
D-Day - June 6th 1944, 156,000 Allied troops landed on a 50 mile, heavily fortified stretch of beach in order to break the barrier that stood between them and the ideal of freedom that Hitler endangered.
Another barrier, you all know about “Mr. Gorbachov....”
Or that famous speech delivered to over 250,000 people at the Washington monument “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged based upon the color of their skin but the......(content of his character)
Barriers are often setup to provide safety and protection. But barriers can also be used in
PARTIALITY: A favorable bias or perception.
Prosopolemptes - “one who unjustly treats one person better than another”
one who unjustly treats one person better than another
Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 767). New York: United Bible Societies.
The gospel = barrier breaker, it pushes out partiality. 1
The gospel is going out and barriers are being broken.
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.”
It breaks the barrier betwen you and God but also you and the person sitting next to you.
Even the “Good” need the Gospel
Even the “Good” need the Gospel
The gospel is doing out and barriers are being broken
Lets meet Cornelius
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.”
English Standard Version Chapter 10
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
Even the “Good” need the Gospel
Even the “Good” need the Gospel
Who was Cornelius?
He was a Roman Centurion
Over 100 Freedmen.
Runs his family well.
A man who understands authority.
He was as Jewish as he could get without circumcision.
He was a devout man, he was a godly man. He didn’t just believe in the idea of god, but he believed in the one true God.
Nothing negative is said about Cornelius.
He prayed at the time a devout Jew would pray.
He couldn’t offer sacrifices in the Temple and so he gave generously and prayed routinely.
Cornelius was a “good, moral” person, he was a Jewish sympathizer and practiced in the way that he could.
He followed YHWH, so when the angel comes and tells him to send for Peter, he responds right away.
To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Acts
Cornelius was a “good, moral” person, he was a Jewish sympathizer and practiced in the way that he could.
He followed YHWH, so when the angel comes and tells him to send for Peter, he responds right away.
Cornelius was prime for the pickin, His heart was ready for the gospel.
God still sends him Peter.
Cornelius, according to every standard would have been considered “pretty good”
One thing Cornelius didn’t have was pride.
He was a humble man.
This story involves two people.
Cornelius was ready
Peter was not.
Where pride breaks down, barriers break down.
Where pride breaks down, barriers break down.
Peters vision.
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.
Peter realized in that moment that any national pride he held onto that separated him from the Gentiles and people that weren’t like him was gone.
Peter had preached to thousands seen the church grow yet there was still something in his heart that needed to change. There was a barrier that needed to be broken....The barrier of Partiality.
The superiority was gone.
The partiality was gone.
“Peter moves from cultural isolation to global involvement” David Platt
“In one moment Peter has a deft ear to the people around him the next his heart was broken.” Pastor Rodney
Comfort is the Enemy of an impartial life.
Comfort is the Enemy of an impartial life.
Even the Converted need Conversion
Even the Converted need Conversion
Partiality is rooted in a desire of comfort.
Our age tends to worsen the problem
“There is something very comfortable about seeing not only the same people each week but seeing the same TYPE of people each week.”
Social observation: I don’t think people care if they see the same people each week. Where they get uncomfortable is where they don’t see the same type of people each week.
Jesus ministry was very uncomfortable
Look at who he associated with
He walked in a tension that was designed to be uncomfortable.
Whens the last time you had a conversation with someone at New Life.
When’s the last time you went to lunch with someone you barely knew at New Life. Even the Converted need Conversion
Jesus Juke Line: “We cannot fly to Peru if we cannot first walk across the street.”
Would we acknowledge the Peruvians we love so much if they lived across the street?
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility
God is showing Peter that he is impartial to the Gentiles. God’s desire is to include them into His Kingdom.
Remember - Two people
Even the Converted need to be converted
Even the Converted need to be converted
Peter was involved with Cornelius’ conversion, but Peter was converted because of Cornelius.
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.
Acts 10
Acts 10:44-47
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.
Speaking in tongues
This is when Peter realizes the gospel has broken through the barrier to the Gentiles.
Peter tells the things that have happened to his pals and they too fall in line with what God is doing.
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.”
Acts 11:17-
Do we live in Partiality?
Do we live in Partiality?
We must do a self-examination and check our hearts.
Keys to living an impartial life.
Pray the gospel daily. (Walk in humility)
You’re not a big deal!!!
Examine your life
Are you doing the same things and hanging out with the same types of people?
Does your life look the same?
Same people, same activities, same comfort.
Make changes
Take someone out to lunch who you don’t know very well.
Stay after church and meet someone new.
When you feel discomfort, don’t try and get away.
Make friends with people who are different than you.
“There is something very comfortable about seeing not only the same people each week but seeing the same TYPE of people each week.”
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,
Rods Points:
No one likes a person who thinks they are better than everyone else.
Start with a story.
Church history is littered with people groups who think they are better than other groups.
Pastoral Observations
Cults look the same, Christians always look different.
Comfort is the Enemy of an impartial life.
Partiality is rooted in a desire of comfort.
Our age tends to worsen the problem
“There is something very comfortable about seeing not only the same people each week but seeing the same TYPE of people each week.”
Social observation: I don’t think people care if they see the same people each week. Where they get uncomfortable is where they don’t see the same type of people each week.
Jesus ministry was very uncomfortable
Look at who he associated with
He walked in a tension that was designed to be uncomfortable.
Whens the last time you had a conversation with someone at New Life.
When’s the last time you went to lunch with someone you barely knew at New Life.
Jesus Juke Line: “We cannot fly to Peru when we cannot walk across the street.”
Would we acknowledge the Peruvians we love so much if they lived across the street?
