Grace Unleashed
The Acts of the Apostles • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
Last week, in Acts we saw where Peter took the Gospel to the last group of people yet to be touched by the Word of God. The gentiles represented the most unclean of all the people of the earth. They were unclean because of their diet, because of their lifestyle and because of their heart. But most importantly they were unclean because they had been born that way.
God came to the earth to restore that which was lost due to the sinfulness of man. The whole earth—all of creation is desperate for that salvation. The entire planet is desperate to be put back into correct order. It is a job Peter started, Paul would take over (after a lengthy absence—God had to get him to stop being such a quarreling scoundrel), and that you and I have been charged with continuing.
We are to take the good news of Jesus to the world in which we live. Don’t presume that people know already, be willing to take it and let me caution you of this. DO NOT make the mistake of saying there is no way that this person or that person can ever receive salvation. Do not call unclean that which the Lord has made clean. You never know when the person whom you’ve written off is another Cornelius.
The Apostles’ Reaction
The Apostles’ Reaction
It can come as no surprise to anyone that the rest of the church took issue with what happened in Cornelius’ home. In fact that’s exactly where we pick – Chapter 11.
Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him, saying, “You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!”
But Peter explained it to them in order from the beginning, saying: “I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came to me. When I observed it intently and considered, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ But I said, ‘Not so, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has at any time entered my mouth.’ But the voice answered me again from heaven, ‘What God has cleansed you must not call common.’ Now this was done three times, and all were drawn up again into heaven. At that very moment, three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent to me from Caesarea. Then the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, ‘Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter, who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.’ And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?”
When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”
The good Jews were concerned that Peter had done something that was in violation of God’s law. They saw that he had spent time in the homes of uncircumcised, bacon-eating gentiles! How now, could Peter reconcile what he did with what they knewto be wrong? They knew it because God had declared it in the old covenant. After all, didn’t even Jesus tell them in
“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.
Peter answers them by telling them about the vision he had, but it was not the vision that Peter had that convinced the believers; it was that they saw that Peter had managed to appropriate the Grace of God! But what does it look like when we appropriate God’s grace? Can we actually see it?
Let’s go back to Acts 11 and look starting in verse 15:
And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?”
First they received the baptism in the Holy Spirit- Just like the Jews did in the upper room! Notice that they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit before they were baptized in water! Does that mean that they were baptized in the Holy Spirit before they were saved? Of course not! What it does mean is that something happened in their heart that led them to salvation. Something that qualified them to be fully children of God apart from the law of Moses, and that something was grace. But did Jesus also teach about grace? Did He specifically give us criteria to judge? Well, let’s look:
Luke 6:43–45
“For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
So, if out of their hearts, the people in Cornelius’ household were bringing forth good fruit, then what happened to them must be from God!
What kind of fruit exactly was coming from them? They were full of the Holy Spirit, and there’s no way the Holy Spirit would fall upon something or someone that God had ruled unclean. The reaction of the apostles to this irrefutable demonstration of God’s grace was—silence! Silence because they couldn’t argue with the simple truth. The only thing left to do was rejoice!
When God does something in our lives that is truly outside of “the box” we can view it one of two ways, either we can fight it and say that it offends our sense of what is right, or look for the signs of God’s grace on the situation.
What are the signs?
Before we even discuss what the signs of God’s grace are, we should look at the definition of Grace.
unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification[1]
So then, let’s break it down:
Unmerited- We don’t deserve it.
Divine assistance- help from God.
Given for regeneration or sanctification- it’s what makes us born again- it’s what makes us holy.
So what does this all mean?
but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
Peter is clearly saying that we can grow in grace—can we grow in salvation? Not really? When we’re saved, we’re pretty much saved—you’re either in or out. But we can grow in grace, so grace has to be more than just salvation.
Grace isn’t just given for the purpose of saving us; it is also given for the purpose of sanctification. There are two big bible terms that preachers and Bible scholars like to throw around a lot. We like to say that we are justified and sanctified. What do those words mean?
Well, this is the way I like to remember what they are:
Justified => “Just as if I’d” never sinned
Sanctified => “Saint-ified”—in other words “to be made saintly”
So justification is the act of God taking us from being sinners in His sight to being seen as righteous. Sanctification then, is the process of taking us from being saints in name only, to saints in behavior.
So that means that grace is not merely something we receive from God unto salvation, it is also something that thereafter enables us to live according to God’s commands.
What was it that Jesus said about the job of the Holy Spirit?
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
So then, the grace of God is demonstrated in part, by the presence of the Holy Spirit in our life, and that was cause for celebration amongst the apostles!
Why all the fuss?
The apostles knew something about grace. Paul talks about it in his letter to the Corinthians:
Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God. So we urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well. But as you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see that you abound in this grace also.
Here he’s specifically talking about their willingness to give financially even in the midst of their hardships, but the point is much bigger than the giving of finances. It was that their deep affliction could not keep them from being joyful. See, grace is freely given. It cannot be earned, as a result it produces joy. It is the joy of knowing that I don’t have to do anything to earn it, it is “un-earnable” as that is the essence of grace- it’s unmerited. Verse 7 is the key here though, it lists the things that we as Christians should abound in, faith, speech, knowledge, diligence and love; but then he adds this final admonition. “See that you abound in grace also.” Paul knew that the way to persevere during the hardships was by grace.
So someone that has been touched by grace will show that grace in the midst of trials. They will have a supernatural joy to carry them through.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
That perseverance carries over in the way they approach ministry. I’ve seen way too many people in church get bent out of shape because the pastor asked sister Gertrude to lead so and so instead of me! And I’ve been going her longer! But look at what Paul says, “I worked harder than they did.” But in the end it was the grace of God working through him so he was able to say easily that it didn’t matter who got the credit, it wasn’t really his work anyway.
Somebody operating by grace will not strive for their own acknowledgement; they will strive for the Gospel.
So then, how do we become people of grace? Grace is not earned, it is freely given, but what did you do to get your initial measure of grace? You repented. You opened your heart to God. You didn’t earn it, you put yourself in the position to receive grace. It wasn’t that God wasn’t pouring it out freely, it’s just that you put up a barrier against receiving it. What must we do then to maintain that evidence of grace in our lives? Let’s go back to the words of Jesus in Luke 6:
“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”
If we are not in a place where grace can be developed in our lives, we run the risk of grave consequences. Not only because we lack the perseverance to stand up to the external trials, but because failing to humble ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus brings its own consequences. Specifically the end of verse 49- the ruin of that house was great. What is Jesus talking about here?
I believe that Jesus is telling us that we must dig deep and lay a foundation on the Word of God, because failing to do so will result in not only a loss foundation due to a lack of grace, but more specifically, total ruin due to an indifference to the “Spirit of Grace”—an indifference that leads to an outright insult to the Spirit of God.
For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
It’s not that God will not pour out His grace upon that person; it’s that the person has not put themselves into the place where they can receive God’s grace. Such an unrepentant person is not only excluded from obtaining the FULL grace of God, they are in grave danger of incurring God’s wrath as well.
So the converse must be true. Grace is developed when one is under godly discipleship, and when one is walking in humility. When one is completely submitted to the commandments of Jesus, then they abound in grace.
Conclusion
Cornelius and his household had done the advance work. They had humbled themselves. Remember, they were the conquerors! It was they who had the upper hand, yet Cornelius saw something in the Jews. He must have seen the truth of who God really was, and he must have seen something that caused him to pursue the God of the Jews.
By humbling himself before God, and by extension Peter, He put not only himself, but all those of his household in the perfect place to receive God’s grace, and when God’s grace abounded to him he was able to receive it. It was this strong evidence of God’s grace on Cornelius and his household that convinced the apostles that God had indeed touched the gentiles.
Do you need the grace of God in your life today? It’s really very easy. Stop giving God lip-service. Don’t simply go around saying,, “Lord, Lord” but then fail to do the things He commands. If we make Jesus lord of our lives, it means that we hand over the title—free and clear. After all, He paid for it with His life.
When we do this, we will have clear evidence of the grace of God on our lives, and we can all rejoice in what God is doing in our midst.
Benediction
“The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.” ’