God Loves Mankind. When a Jew, any Jew, became a Christian, much less a priest, there was a certain amount of religious baggage that came with them.

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1 God Loves Mankind Acts 10 & 11 Sunday, April 8, 2018 Most of Acts 10 and 11 are the same. Chapter 10 is the event that takes place at a Gentile s house in Caesarea. Before Peter could get back to Jerusalem, details of that event had already reached the ears of the church leaders in Jerusalem. So, in chapter 11 Peter gives a blow-by-blow account of what had transpired. When I say church leaders in Jerusalem, I want you to be clear just who those guys were. We automatically think apostles, but remember, there were a bunch of Jewish priests who became Christians when the revival broke out in Jerusalem. Acts 6:7 (NKJV) 7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith. When a Jew, any Jew, became a Christian, much less a priest, there was a certain amount of religious baggage that came with them. That may be true of you and me. If you grew up in a certain church and then truly became born-again later in life, there s a good chance some of those religious customs that were a part of your upbringing came along with you. Maybe your church upbringing taught that you must be baptized as an infant and then once you were, you were automatically saved. Or perhaps you were accustomed to foot washing services to demonstrate humility. Maybe the worship style you grew up with is much different than what you ve experienced here. Or maybe, just maybe you can t help but look for the holy water and candles in the foyer when you come into church. That s why I like teaching through the Bible verse by verse. That way we can all figure out what is truly Biblical doctrine and what are religious traditions. Now, take a look at chapter 11 and I ll demonstrate what I m talking about. Acts 11:1 3 (NKJV) 1 Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. 2 And when Peter Page 1 of 7

2 came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him, 3 saying, You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them! A few words that we want to point out in these opening verses - 1. Those of the circumcision vs. uncircumcised men 2. contend First, contend has two meanings: 1) to express disapproval of what someone has done - to criticize. 2) to make a difference. Those of the circumcision were the Jewish Christians who were both criticizing Peter s actions and creating a huge difference between themselves and the uncircumcised Gentiles. They had been raised with Rabbinical teaching that was far from the heart of God and the Word of God. It was tradition! To the snooty circumcised, the Gentiles were dogs. They were mere fuel for the fires of hell. While the heart of God and the will of God had been expressed to Abraham hundreds of years earlier. God said Genesis 26:4 (NKJV) 4 And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed The Psalmist would pen dozens and dozens of times verses like Psalm 86:9 (NKJV) 9 All nations whom You have made ahall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name. Isaiah time and again would say Isaiah 56:7 (NKJV) 7 Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations. Yet the traditions were such, so that they looked at Gentiles with a religious disdain. Page 2 of 7

3 The lesson that Paul so clearly describes in Galatians has yet to be learned. Galatians 3:28 (NKJV) 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. So they CONTEND with Pete and say something like What were you thinking? We heard that you went into a Gentile s house. And then you ate un- Kosher food!!!!! Have you gone mad, Peter???? Peter said, let me tell you how this happened. Once upon a time. (lol) This particular Gentile has quite a unique reputation Acts 10:1 2 (NKJV) 1 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, 2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. Let me just read this text to you Luke 7:1 10 (NKJV) 1 Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum. (This is the same place that Cornelius was stationed.) 2 And a certain centurion s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die. 3 So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant. 4 And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, 5 for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue. 6 Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. 7 Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do this, and he does it. 9 When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! 10 Page 3 of 7

4 And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick. Is this the same centurion? It very well could be. Back to our text Cornelius was praying and an angel appeared to him and instructed him to send for Peter, who, when he got there, would tell him what to do. Meanwhile, Peter is on a rooftop praying and an image from heaven appeared. It was like a sheet with a bunch of non-kosher items on it, and a voice from heaven said Acts 10:13 (NKJV) 13 And a voice came to him, Rise, Peter; kill and eat. And Peter said no way José. Acts 10:14 (NKJV) 14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean. Then the voice from heaven said, Acts 10:15 What God has cleansed you must not call common. Now, this went on a couple more times before Peter got the message. When Peter finally got the message. (at this time, it s not totally clear to him, but at least he s not saying not so Lord ). the men that Cornelius dispatched to bring back Peter were knocking at the door. The message that Cornelius received was now being relayed to Peter. It s about a two-day trip. But when Peter and a few of the circumcised Jewish Christians arrived at Cornelius s house they entered with a bit of nervous explanation Page 4 of 7

5 Acts 10:28 You know how unlawful [by tradition] it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. Pause here for just a second and think with me about what happened when Jesus went to Samaria with the disciples accompanying him. John 4:40 41 (NKJV) 40 So when the Samaritans had come to Jesus, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of His own word. Now maybe Peter is giving way a bit to the Samaritans because they had a little Jewish DNA. Not so Cornelius. Anyway, Peter asks What am I doing here? Cornelius, who had packed out his house with family, extended relatives and friends says, Well, the angel told me that you would tell us what we need to do Peter then explains to the contenders Acts 11:15 16 (NKJV) 15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. [Here he s referring to the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon the 120 in the upper room in Jerusalem and they began to speak with tongues]. 16 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. Now - this is the question that he poses to those contenders Acts 11:17 (NKJV) 17 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? Though the contenders were more than a bit snooty - they were not unreasonable. Acts 11:18 (NKJV) 18 When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life. Page 5 of 7

6 Why did Jonah disobey God and board a ship for Tarshish instead of sail to Nineveh to preach the message of God? Prejudice We are all susceptible to this problem prejudice. We look at people with colored glasses. We find it hard to relate to people who differ from us. It can be cultural, racial or simply some preferences. It is based on a preconceived notion. We can t run away from it. Anyone can be affected by it. That s why we need to remind ourselves to see people the way God sees them; to see the world with the eyes of Christ. It is not easy for us. It was not easy for Peter. More so for Peter and the Jewish believers, because of their generations of belief in God s Law and their religious practices. They had been following God s Law all their lives and saw the fulfilment of God s prophesy - Jesus their Messiah has come to rescue them. Now the Lord is telling them to share that privilege with the rest of the world. It is one thing to hear what Jesus tells them go and make disciples of all nations, but it is quite another to cross the cultural and racial divide and actually do it. In their immediate context, they are to share this Savior of theirs with the Gentiles, the kind who have never lived by their laws, not circumcised, the ones who were unclean and ungodly. But the time has come for that to start, and the Lord will start with Peter. This event happens about ten years after Pentecost. So you can see, for ten years they have not reached beyond their own race. They have traveled beyond Jerusalem, but they had not crossed the racial line. Now is the time. There is a devout and God-fearing Gentile and his family, all ready to hear about Christ. Page 6 of 7

7 But first, man needs to overcome their bias or prejudices or fears - or just plain old hang-ups. Two things I want you to take home from our passage: 1. It was easier for Peter to stand up in the middle of Jerusalem and look out at the people and priests and say Acts 2:22 23 Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death, than it was for Peter to share the Gospel with those in Cornelius house. Sometimes, maybe even most of the time - you will be led by the Holy Spirit to share the Gospel and it will be out of your comfort zone. Will you say - Not so Lord? or Help me Jesus 2. I would like to combine two verses that rolled off the lips of Jesus John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. AND Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. John 3:16 answers the why? of Acts 1:8 Why should we be Christ s witnesses to the ends of the earth? Because God loves mankind. Why should we as it says in Matthew 28:19 20 (NKJV) 19 Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that Christ has commanded you? Because God loves the world. Page 7 of 7