AF-S110-021906 Acts 11
Salvation Lost –
1) God will not take Salvation away. (Romans 5)
2) Nothing besides you or God can take it away. (Romans 8)
3) If you unilaterally divorce, you are truly lost forever. (Hebrews 6)
The only thing that can Save or separate is choice; God will not usurp your will – The unpardonable sin (Matthew 12)
How do I get Salvation? (2 Timothy 3) Accept My son the Hunter; it was my gift to him and because I love him he could have rejected it, but he put it on and became a hunter.
How do I know I have it? (1 Peter 1) Change - Repentance is Conversion
How do I lose it? (Hebrews 3) Deception - Examine your motives!
Salvation depends on my performance = Self-focused
If I fail, I must work harder
My performance indicative of my salvation = God-centered
If I fail, I must move into God
Romans 9:31&32 ~ but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone;
God Love in relationship vs. Human Love in relationship
God loves everyone, but not everyone accepts, so God loves so much He'll honor that choice.
Work on your heart, not on actions - when the heart is right the actions will be right.
Abraham BBQ - You owe me
Acts 10:34-38 ~ Opening his mouth, Peter said:
“I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him. “The word which He (KJV: God) sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all) — you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. ►►►Acts 10:39-43 ~ “We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. “God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. “And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. “Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”
Verse 36 = (KJV: God) Probably: "The word sent to the sons."
God is not one to show partiality - God told the Jews it was too little a thing for Him to save only them (Isaiah 49:6) - God saves everyone; Jesus was sufficient sacrifice to cover all sin (Hebrews 10).
Who is saved? Those who accept and acceptance that is real changes a person, the Holy Spirit converts them and they produce evidence of their new nature if in fact they have a new nature.
It is because of this nature that we automatically move to obey - it is a process because we hinder the movement - when we see the Truth of it we realize that selfless love is the only love that means anything and it is only from God Himself!
The message is God's plan through Christ validated by prophecy and miracles
Acts 10:44-48 ~ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, “Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. (KJV: the Lord). Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.
Circumcised - Baptized the new dudes - water not knives
Tongues -
Baptized ((KJV: the Lord). KJV mss "in the name." So they make it Lord.) Recent discoveries as above.
Acts 11:1-3 ~ Now the apostles and the brethren who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took issue with him, 3saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
took issue - Peter was hardly alone in his disdain for Gentiles. How could Spirit-filled Apostles & Disciples hand-chosen by Jesus be so dumb? “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
Criticized and began to argue --- No rejoicing over saved souls!
2 issues but one flows from the other…
ate with them - Broke the Jewish tradition, but the tradition implies there is something in common, that's the problem.
received the word - The real issue at hand - Gentiles in some numbers were saved as Gentiles!
Jews did not like Gentiles and twisted the Law to justify their prejudice - Prejudice in the name of purity - If God purifies, then they must fellowship
Jonah was mad that they would be forgiven, cleansed, brothers
Paul says Peter's error was a denial of the Gospel itself!
Why do you think Peter is out at the coast alone? If a Gentile group asked to see him in Jerusalem could he have gone? Would the other Christians help him see that the vision was just bad potatoes?
Maybe they could sense the end of their priority as a people and a church. If 500 college-aged kids got saved and joined our church how long could you take it?
Christian sect of Judaism might be respectable to Jews, but never this
Acts 11:4-17 ~ But Peter began speaking and proceeded to explain to them in orderly sequence, saying, 5“I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from the sky; and it came right down to me, 6and when I had fixed my gaze on it and was observing it I saw the four-footed animals of the earth and the wild beasts and the crawling creatures and the birds of the air. 7“I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ 8“But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9“But a voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.’ 10“This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into the sky. 11“And behold, at that moment three men appeared at the house in which we were staying, having been sent to me from Caesarea. 12“The Spirit told me to go with them without misgivings. These six brethren also went with me and we entered the man’s house. 13“And he reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here; 14and he will speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ 15“And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. 16“And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17“Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”
Longest narrative in Acts - 66 verses, is it important?
Peter followed, he went where God was working, he could have said I'm just getting this Joppa ministry started so now is not the right time.
Acts 11:18 ~ When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.”
Proof that it was really the sharing of son-ship that upset them. Like a family that adopts after having their own kids. Sibling rivalry.
It's unfair because they don't have to do all the stuff I did to be a kid.
Prodigal's brother - why does it upset us so much that God would accept those we don't?