Sermon Tone Analysis

September 18th 2022

Series: The Book of Acts

Sermon Title: Change in Church

Topic: Journey through the book of Acts.

Key Passages: Acts 11: 1-18

Sermon Blurb: We all can get stuck in our ways.

We all are jaded based on the way we were raised and the culture we come from.

The early church was no different.

In this message, we see God usher in so major change into the church and see how they responded.

Sermon:

Well, hello everyone!

Family Moment

Today we finally get to move out of Acts 10 after two weeks of diving deep into that chapter….

So, grab your Bible and open it up to Acts 11

New Person Bible Talk

App Talk

If you are new or newer to Family Church, we are so happy you are here today!

Let me catch you up just a little bit.

We are on a journey through one of the books in our Bibles called Acts.

The book of Acts is a GREAT one for churches to study because it is all about how the early church operated right after Jesus launched it!

Let’s backtrack, let me remind you of some important details from the last two weeks because it ties to what is going on in the Scriptures today.

And because we know we have some new people today.

And at Family Church, we never like anyone to feel like an outsider.

So, recently we saw this Roman guy named Cornelius have a vision from God and even have an angel appear to him!

They told him to go find a guy in a town like 30 miles away named Peter and bring him to their house.

And this guy named Cornelius did what God and the angel told him to do!

At the same time all that was happening this guy named Peter, who was one of Jesus’ best friends while Jesus was on earth, had a vision from God as well.

And Peter was confused by the vision and had a little debate with God about that!

Does anyone want to be honest and raise your hand if you have debated with God on what should be the priorities in life!

Anyone besides me?????

If your hand is not up it is because you just don’t realize it yet!!!

PAUSE

What Peter was struggling with was that God was calling him to break with the church traditions he was raised with.

And if we are honest that is HARD for any of us!

We all like what we like.

We all like stability.

We all like our church to be that place of stability in an ever-changing world…..

Peter was like that as well.

And last week we saw Peter take this MASSIVE step and be open to this NEW move of God….

This NEW move of welcoming in Gentiles into the church.

And for those of you who are new, or newer to church, understand that was a BIG deal….

Because the gentiles were the group of people that the Jews looked at as the people that were NOT accepted by God and NOT in His chosen people.

So…….

It is a BIG deal to say now they are NOT outsiders!

To say NOW they are welcome into God’s family is a BIG deal!

And……

Today….you are going to see the early church struggled through that issue as well…..

Literally, that is at the very start of this chapter….

Let me show you.

PAUSE

Acts 11 The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him 3 and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”

Stop reading here church…..

Do you see it?

Look at verse 1……

The church throughout the region HEARD that the GENTILES.

AKA the people they did NOT like.

AKA the people they tried to avoid.

AKA the people they did currently ALLOW to even enter their churches…

That THOSE kind of people had received the word of God.

They HEARD that….

But look at verse 2 in your Bible…..

Peter goes to Jerusalem…

Peter goes to the place where the church leaders live.

Peter goes to where the GOOD circumcised Jewish people were…

And look at what they say about what they HEARD….because

they did NOT like what they heard Peter was doing!

Look at verse 3….

“Peter….are

you kidding me!!!!

You went into the home of an unclean person…

An uncircumcised man!

And not only that you ate with them!

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PETER!

Peter did you forget everything your parents taught you!

Peter did you forget everything your pastor taught you!

PAUSE

Church hear me in this…..

If your parents taught you prejudice is good….

sorry, they are wrong.

If your teachers taught you judging someone based on the choices of their ancestors is GOOD… sorry, they are wrong.

If your pastors taught you to look down on other races of people….

Sorry, they are wrong…

All of us need to make sure what we believe or are taught aligns with the Word of God our Bibles…

And it is SO easy to be racist in small ways and NOT even realize it….because everyone around us thinks the same way!

And that is what you see here in the Bible!

They all think the people that are gentiles are NOT as good as they are!

PAUSE

So, Peter realizes he needs to explain to everyone what God did in him to change his view….

Let’s read that….verse

4….

4 Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story:

5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision.

I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was.

6 I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds.

7 Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter.

Kill and eat.’

8 “I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’

Pause there for a second….

Again Peter tells God…

NO WAY GOD!

I have always done what I was taught was right and good by my parents and my church!