To The Gentiles (Part 1)

To The Gentiles (Part 1)

Introduction

• Throughout the book of Acts, one of the things we have seen is that the church is continually being sent out of their city, out of their culture, out of their ethnicity, and out of their comfort zones to engage the world around them with the Gospel.   And once again, this morning,  we are going to see the Gospel breaking down barriers between people who would normally never have anything to do with each other.
• Before we talk about the gospel going to the gentiles (which is exactly what is happening in this passage) we first need to understand why God is causing this to happen in the first place.  In the old testament God had carved out a people for himself… The Israelites.   And it seemed that almost all his interaction with the world went through the Israelites.  But now in the New Testament, God goes out of His way to expand his kingdom to all people regardless of what culture or ethnicity they were a part of.

Acts 10:1-34

Context/Story

 Now, I am going to take as my starting point the assumption that racism is stupid.  Theologically, there is only one race (human), only one common problem (sin), and only one solution (The blood of Jesus).  Believing otherwise is a serious misunderstanding of the biblical narrative. 

• I know that there are some Christians, both inside and outside the church who are intentionally or unintentionally racist, But I believe this is the exception, not the rule. Especially at Celebration Church.  So instead of attacking and condemning racism for 40 minutes this morning, we are going to assume a baseline that God sees all people as equally valuable and capable of bearing His image regardless of skin color.

• The reason for this goes back to Creation.  

The Imago Dei

• Image bearers of God.  (not mini-gods, not pieces of the divine like in Hinduism, Gaia, The Universe, or the most recent Disney movie) 
  • We have value because God has given us value
    • To Think like he thinks, to love like He loves, to create in some small way, like He creates
      • The world says we are a collection of atoms, no more significance than a beast or a grain of sand.  They place no value on human life, and so they abandon it and abort it when it becomes inconvenient… But God tells us we are made in His image.  And when we damage or pervert or destroy that image, we have done something profoundly evil.  
  • Like Mirrors – Reflections of the most high God (reflecting his Glory)
    • Sin came and shattered the mirrors and now we reflect all sorts of wrong and sinful things. 
      • Sanctification is the process of taking that broken mirror and slowly, carefully, painstakingly, reorienting every piece of our lives back to rightly reflect Jesus.
• The image of God is all over this passage. God is dealing with 2 totally different people, 
  • God chooses a fisherman (Peter) and a Centurion (Cornelius); and they both need to hear the same message: that ALL people (regardless of race, class, culture, education level, or socioeconomic level), ALL people are made in the image of God. 
  • That’s why it doesn’t matter who walks through the doors of Celebration church; Hispanic-Asian-African American-Caucasian, believer or non-believer, young or old, struggling with anger, porn addiction, alcohol addiction, same sex attraction.
    • I’m here you tell you that you were made is God’s image and there is such a better life for you IN CHRIST 
  • We are gonna love you, we are gonna challenge the sin that destroys you and separates you from God, by God’s grace we are going to point you to the fact that Christ’s love is sweeter and better, and we are going to love you through this slow process called sanctification. Because we are ALL created in God’s image.

• Prove
  • Malachi 1:11 – For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.
• Be Fruitful and Multiply and Fill the Earth
  • God desires to see all the earth filled with His image, reflections of His glory.  This has always been His desire, and we all have a part to play to make this happen.  
  • Have Children – Don’t be afraid of big families. Don’t shun having lots of kids!  This is by far the most impactful way to multiply.  
    • You get 18 years to share Jesus with your kids.  That is the greatest platform you could ever ask for.  
  • Make Disciples of all nations
    • Our first choice when it comes to evangelism is reaching those who are just like us.
    • Our second choice is reaching those who we have some things in common with.  
    • But if we are honest, most of us don’t even consider intentionally trying to reach  those who are radically different from ourselves.  This is why most churches in America are filled with only one type of person.  You have old churches, you have young churches, you have black churches, white churches, Hispanic churches, wealthy churches, and poor churches.   But rarely do you have churches that are able to transcend those barriers. 
    • But the kingdom of God is different.  People from every nation, tribe and tongue worshipping together in unity.  

The Recipient – Cornelius

• Cornelius is an important man.
  • A Centurion- which means that he leads 100 men.
  • The Italian Cohort. That just sounds like Special Forces all over it!
  • This is probably a garrison of 600 soldiers assigned to Caesarea where the Roman governor resided.  He is a guardian, a protector for the Roman governor.
  • He also probably deployed occasionally to put down insurrections in that part of the world.  Jews absolutely hated Rome, and they had a history of bucking authority.
• Cornelius is a gentile
  • Up until this time, Gentiles were considered outside the scope of God’s covenant and were therefore without hope.
  • It was so bad that there was a sign on the temple in Israel which read, “Any foreigner who passes this point will be responsible for their own death”
    • No Court, No trial, no Jury.  Just execution.  Gentiles couldn’t get to God.  
• Cornelius is a follower of God
  • He’s Roman, which means he should be polytheistic. He should believe in many gods. He also should be worshiping Caesar, especially as a good military man. 
    • He has abandoned his spiritual, cultural heritage.  This is a man who seems to be drawn to the God of the Jews. He’s a devout man, he has a respect for God, and he’s beginning to act upon that respect. He prays, he gives gifts to the poor, and he’s in good standing with the local Jewish population.
  • Here is a man sent to be a soldier in a foreign country, and he’s turned his back on his own culture and on his own religious heritage, and he’s begun to seek out the God of the Bible with a modicum of respect and activism.
    • If I would have been Cornelius, I would have questioned God and I would have probably told Him, “God, you  are already talking to me through this angel right now, might as well give me the message! Why do I have to go looking for a guy named Peter to come here to my house to preach to me, when you are talking to me already?
• Prove
  • Romans 3:29 – Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also
  • Colossians 1:26-27 – the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
  • Galatians 3:28 – There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
  • Matthew 12:21b – in his name the Gentiles will hope
• Apply
  • Seek the Lord, and He will find you
    • God never, Never, NEVER lets any genuine attempt to reach Him go unanswered.  (Muslims in foreign nations, children in abusive homes, patients on their deathbeds) He comes and offers salvation to ALL who call on His name.  
  • God has come to you.  He came as an infant, as a suffering savior.  Now he comes to you this morning. Hear his words, Turn from sin, and reorient your mirror back at him.  Do what God created you to do.  Be who He created you to be.  Bear His image! And become His messenger to the world. 

The Messenger – Peter

• Peter’s in Joppa. It’s a seaward town. He’s gone up on the roof, he’s very hungry, he’s been praying, it’s noon, he’s waiting for his food to be prepared. He’s likely looking out onto the sea and probably seeing ships. And out of heaven, in a supernatural vision, in a trance, comes this sheet that probably looks like a sail. And on it, according to the text, are all kinds of animals. And Peter is commanded by the Lord, “Peter, I want you to kill and eat.”
  • What God has made Clean, Do not call common – Bacon, Shellfish, Gentiles
    • Cultural context – No pigs, No rabbits, No Shellfish, No sushi
  • Peter does what Peter often does in the Bible when the Lord tells him to do something, he resists. You like that about Peter? I personally resonate with Peter because I’m very much the same way. And these three different times, Peter refuses the Lord.
• there’s a deeper issue in his heart. It has to do with more than food. It has to do with the fact that Peter is separating himself from people that Jesus wants him to go to.
  • Peter is raising up walls of separation between himself, and those that Jesus is sending him to, in a way that’s hindering the work of Jesus
    • And it takes him awhile to figure it out.  
      • Vs 16 says that God had to show him the animal thing 3 times!
      • Vs 21 – Cornelius’ people show up and he asks, why are you here?
      • Vs 29 – Why did you send for me?
        • Not the sharpest tool in the shed…  But God patiently worked with him, helped him to understand that the Gospel is for everyone, Everyone, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord.
• Prove
  • Ephesians 2:14-15 – For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 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
• Apply
  • Are there walls in your life that you need to tear down between ourselves and those who don’t yet know Jesus?
    • Hellenist Widows, Samaritans, Peter, had to be later rebuked again, this time by Paul, for showing favoritism to his own people.  
    • • These are my preferences. There isn’t anything wrong with them, you have them too.  Nothing wrong with that.  But the problem comes when we take our preferences and elevate them above others.  When we look at people who are different from us, and begin to think we are superior to them.  We look down on them.  That is the tendency here in America. And it is a barrier to the gospel.
  • Vs 34 – Truly I understand that God shows no partiality.