Grace for the Nations! Acts 11:1-18

Grace for the Nations!

Acts 11:1-18

Introduction: News travels fast. Today with Facebook, and Twitter, and e-mail and text messages, news of what’s happening with our family and friends, and news of what’s happening in the world, can travel almost instantly around the globe, literally.  However even before there was such a thing as an I-pad or a smart phone, we see in the Bible that some news seemed to spread quickly even back then. If it is news that challenges the status quo, especially news that seems shocking or offensive to us, then and now it travels even more quickly. The news of Peter fellowshipping with Gentiles got back to Jerusalem and he had some explaining to do. Essentially they ask him, “What were you thinking brother!?”

For centuries the Jews had maintained a strict practice of separating themselves from the nations. If this was to be changed, there needed to be a good explanation!  You notice in the reading (Acts 11:1-18) that there is quite a bit of repetition of what happened in Chapter 10 of Acts in Peter’s report on his return to Jerusalem in these verses.  We will try to focus on the context of the retelling, and the additional details that we are given here.  It may be difficult for us to grasp the significance of this expansion of God’s people to include the nations. After centuries of separation, the dividing wall between Jews and the rest of the nations (gentiles, i.e., non-Jews) was coming down in Christ (see also Ephesians 2:11-22). In Jesus, the Son of God, there is hope for every son of Adam. That brings us to…

The Big Idea: The gospel of grace offers the only hope for sinful humans. We are called to extend that hope to every race and every nation.

I. Our “religion” can limit our understanding of grace: People may find fault with what we believe God has said and what He has led us to do (1-3).

“Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.  ² So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying,  ³ ‘You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.’."

            First we see that a report about what had happened had gotten back to Jerusalem, and the leaders weren’t completely good with the news.  The gentiles had received the Word of God?  What did that mean? And Peter ate with them?

            They heard, and so, for this reason, “Peter went up.”  Peter did not simply ignore the rumblings of discontent, but he “went up to Jerusalem,” to the others apostles and leaders of the church, with the intention of speaking about what had happened.  He loved the Lord’s Church, and longed to maintain the unity of the body, and so he was willing to take the risk of facing his critics about the matter, speaking the truth to his brothers about what had happened, about what God had done.   While respecting their insights and the authority of the apostolic band he was anxious to share his story and have it evaluated by them. He trusted them as brothers in Christ and loved them enough to be willing to take a risk. Remember, the church is the Church of Christ.  We shouldn’t want to build the church in our image and according to our limited understanding.  We need to be humble, and teachable. The day came when Peter needed to be corrected on some of the implications of this very issue. We read about that incident in Galatians 2:11-14 where Paul says,   

¹¹ But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.  ¹² For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.  ¹³ And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.  ¹⁴ But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, "If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?"

If it happened to Peter it can happen to us! We need to be “on guard” against slipping back into our prejudices, be it culture, race, or country of origin.

            Remember what is the same about then and now, and also what is different. The apostles were unique in authority and in calling. The New Testament was not yet written and they had the authority as the representatives of Jesus to bring his Word to the world. Even so, here in Acts 10-11, Peter did not run willy-nilly on his own, forgetting to submit his teaching and his interpretation of what was happening to the church.  Many times I hear people say, “The Lord has led me to do this or that…”  Well, maybe, but let’s examine the Scriptures, the first step since God will never contradict Himself. And let’s pray with the church, let’s seek together a consensus about what God is calling us to do.

When we talk about people forgetting the doctrine of Grace and replacing it with tradition, or with what we are comfortable with, we immediately think of other traditions and don’t imagine that as God fearing Baptists we could be susceptible.  Yet we can have the same tendency to canonize our understanding of doctrine or practice, forgetting that He is the Head and He is building up the body.  There was a lot at stake, since the gospel of grace offers the only hope for sinful humans. We must extend that hope to every race and every nation.

II. Our testimony can be a powerful witness to the grace of God: We should carefully and respectfully share what God is doing (4-18).

            Peter establishes a connection with his offended brothers by talking about how he got to the point that he was at, starting with the thrice repeated vision he had received (which we looked at last week), including his initial reaction: “By no means Lord…” (4-10, N.B. v.8). He is not shocked by their initial skepticism; in fact he could honestly say that initially he shared it!  Think about our witness to the unsaved: without glorifying our sinful conduct before trusting Christ, we can identify with our unsaved neighbors in their unbelief because at least for a time, we were there!  Your testimony is simply a statement of what you were “B.C.” (before Christ), the story of how you came to believe in Him and trust Him for your salvation, and finally the difference that He has made, what you are now, “in Christ.”  Peter tells his story of how God sent him to the gentiles, and he starts with his resistance to the vision he had received.

            Next Peter explains the timing of the arrival of the men, the Spirit’s explicit instruction to go with them, their trip to Caesarea, and Cornelius’ testimony about what the Angel had told him (vv.11-14).  Notice especially v.14, “…he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.”  This explicit prediction of salvation through the message preached by Peter is a detail we didn’t get in Acts 10.  We see it happen, but now we know more about what was said in Acts 10:33,  “Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord." Yes, they recognized God was working, He had sent Peter and in fact He was present. They also understood that this message was the Word by which they would be saved (11:14)! This is the precise form of the verb used in Acts 16:31 and Romans 10:9…

“And they said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household…’" (Acts 16:31).

“…because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved…” (Romans 10:9).

The verb in all three contexts is a future indicative, it is something that is going to happen to those who believe, and it is in the passive voice, it is going to happen to you. No wonder they were ready and waiting to hear!  Peter also understood more about the fact that God was receiving the gentiles, but tells how God dramatically made the point that they were being saved by grace through faith, that there was no need for a conversion to Judaism first. He explains in Acts 11:15-17,   

“As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning.  ¹⁶ And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'  ¹⁷ If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?"

First of all, notice the timing: it happened as he began speaking.  We read about it last week in Acts 10:43-45,

  “…everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."  ⁴⁴ While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.  ⁴⁵ And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed…”

Peter didn’t get very far apparently, he began speaking, they heard, they believed, and the Spirit fell on them. There was no laying on of hands, nothing that they did or had done to them, they heard and believed. Period.  In 11:15 Peter testifies,

 “…The Holy Spirit fell on them just as He did upon us in the beginning…”

What is the beginning to which Peter is referring?  Normally when the phrase en arche  is used in the New Testament it has an expressed object, it’s the beginning of something specific. One of the only other places where it stands alone is in John 1:1, “In the beginning, (en arche) was the Word…”  In that context John is clearly referring back to Genesis 1:1 (see also Proverbs 8:23), to the very beginning, to creation.  This was a “beginning” of that magnitude. A “New Creation” has begun in Christ, a new age had dawned, and that starts with the birth of the New Testament church on the day of Pentecost.  It was such a fundamental, foundational beginning that there was no need to give more detail.  Everyone knew that the beginning to which he referred, when the Holy Spirit fell, was the day of Pentecost.  This may have been about six years (or so) afterward, still it is to that day, Pentecost, that moment in history that Peter points. 

[A side point here, certainly not the main idea but worth mentioning, is that Peter points back to the “beginning,” to Pentecost, an event perhaps six years in the past, and does not mention what is repeatedly or typically happening as people come to believe in Jesus and receive the indwelling Spirit. On Pentecost, speaking in tongues was a sign that the age predicted by Joel the prophet was at hand, the age of the Messiah, the last days. That foundational, eschatological event is the beginning of a new presence of the Spirit in the people of God.  Samaria (Acts 8) and now the house of Cornelius (Acts 10) confirm the breadth and the unity of the new people of God. Pentecost was a unique, eschatological event, and the ripples of Pentecost move outward in Acts to include the nations.]

            He also tells us that he remembered what Jesus had repeated the teaching of John the Baptist about a future messianic ministry of baptism in the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:16,17; John 7:38,39; Acts 1:6-8). The initial fulfillment of the prediction of Jesus happened in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost, and the ripples of that event continue through Acts. The Samaritans are included in Acts 8 as John and Peter (representing the Apostles) follow Philip into Samaria (though Acts does not mention tongues in this context, it may have been the sign that allowed the bystanders to “see” that the Samaritans received the Spirit) and lay  hands on the Samaritans. Again in Acts 10 we see the expansion continuing as Peter goes to the house of Cornelius and preaches Jesus. The gospel of grace offers the only hope for sinful humans. We are called to extend that hope to every race and every nation.

III. Our story of God’s Grace will resonate with those who have experienced it (18). “When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, "Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life."

            They fell silent. The testimony was compelling, God’s presence and handprints were all over what had happened.  Remember when God spoke to Job after he had lamented his unjust suffering, Job replies, “…what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth…” (40:4).  Here, after hearing Peter’s testimony of what had happened, it rings true, there is no more to say, the objections fall away, “…they fell silent…”  Peter’s testimony would silence the skeptics again a few years later, as the church gathered in council to discuss the question of the gentiles and he referred back to this event.  We read about it in Acts 15:7-12,

^“And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, ‘Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.  ⁸ And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us,  ⁹ and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.  ¹⁰ Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?  ¹¹ But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.’  ¹² And all the assembly fell silent…”

They recognized what God was doing and understood that it made no sense to ask gentiles to obey the civil and ceremonial requirements of the Law.  Here in Acts 11:18, their silence is followed by praise, glorifying the Lord. This underscores an understanding of grace, it’s not about Peter’s boldness or ingenuity or insight.  “…they glorified God…”   The heart of the doctrine of grace is that it expresses God’s unmerited favor. So He alone gets the praise. 

What is God saying to me in this passage? The gospel of grace offers the only hope for sinful humans. We are called to extend that hope to every race and every nation.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? One conclusion that we have to draw is that since God is no respecter of persons, since he extends the offer of salvation by grace through faith to every people group, we need to have our Father’s eyes, we need to see people, created in His image, desperately needing the only message that saves, the Gospel of Christ. We need to be reminded that the whole world is God’s world, and world evangelization is God’s work.  Remember, first of all, that God is with us and in us if we have believed in Jesus. As we yield to His presence He will empower and guide our witness.

 How can we be more effective in doing our part to to bring the message of grace to the nations?

·        It needs to start with reaching our neighbors and family. They are our first “mission field,” the one where we can have the most influence.

·        We need to support those who God has called to go, especially those who are willing to sacrifice their comfort and security to go long term and live among those who need to hear. Emily is our newest missionary, and the Lord has burdened her to go, currently helping a team working with Syrian refugees.

·        We need to be sensitive to the opportunities at our door, as seasonal workers and summer visitors come to our area. How can we reach out to them?

·        Jason has reminded us that in the cities around us we have refugees and immigrants who are open and hungry. How can we respond?

·        And we need to be “on guard” against slipping back into our prejudices, be it culture, race, or country of origin. If it happened to Peter, it could happen to us.

Let’s choose to be faithful in bringing the message of His amazing grace to the nations!                             AMEN,

A Church without Walls Acts 10

A Church without Walls

Acts 10 (Read 10:1-15; 34-48)

Introduction: Today after the morning service we’ll be gathering out front for an all church photo – the building will be in the background but that is not the church. The church is the people (so we need you there, please plan to stay!). The word “church” is actually used a couple of different ways in the Bible, but it always refers to people, not bricks and mortar. The local “church” is the people, the born again followers of Jesus, who are united in a local congregation for worship and ministry. The church universal, by definition and design, is diverse, and will include a remnant from every race, tribe, and nation.  As we’ve seen in the book of Acts, it didn’t start that way. The first believers were all ethnic Jews who had come to Jerusalem for the pilgrim feast of Pentecost. It took a while for the church to begin reaching outward with the gospel. Persecution after Stephen’s death was one motivator. And when Philip went down to Samaria and the Samaritans believed, Peter and John came to lay hands on them, confirming the unity of the church. There would not be a Jewish church and a Samaritan church, but a single church, united through faith in Christ. The Lord was showing that the apostles had a foundational role-Jesus was the cornerstone-and the apostles, as His authorized representatives, would bring the Word of Christ to the world (Ephesians 2:20; 3:5).   Now things would move a step further, and the gentiles also would be grafted in.

Context: Peter’s Geographical movement away from Jerusalem, and his residence with Simon, a tanner, someone who worked with the skins of dead animals and so may have been considered “unclean,” were preparation for another step outward in God’s mission. The miracles God did at his hands affirmed his apostolic authority, and the Lord would speak to him so that he could speak to those present in the house of Cornelius, a gentile “god-fearer,” and then report back to the other leaders in Jerusalem (first in chapter 11 and then again at the Jerusalem Council in chapter 15 when the church addresses the question of what should be required of non-Jews who believe in Messiah Jesus).

The Big Idea: God’s plan is for a diverse people to be gathered in one body through faith in Christ. Are we willing to speak up without prejudice and point people to Jesus?

I. Our Sovereign God prepares those who will believe (1-8).

            The passage opens with a description of Cornelius, and it is clear that God had been working in his heart for some time. We get some information about this man that is a study in contrast. On the one hand he is a centurion, someone in charge of a hundred men in the occupying Roman army. In that sense he is not someone you would necessarily expect to be sympathetic to the faith of the Jews. We are not told how or when, but somehow this man had heard about God and was drawn to the Truth.  He believed the Scriptures of the Jews were a true revelation of the story of the one true God. He reverenced that God, and prayed to him, and gave generously to the poor in his name.

            He is described as a “devout man who feared God…” The context of Acts will make clear that he was not a proselyte, a convert to Judaism, but a “God-fearer,” that is, a gentile who believed in and placed his hope and trust in the God of Israel, without becoming a full convert to Judaism. He wouldn’t have taken the step of circumcision which was required of all Hebrew males. He is described as a “God-fearer.” We are not talking about someone who is afraid of God. “Fear” for the believer is reverence, an overwhelming respect for the awesome Creator of the universe. It’s what Proverbs 1:7 is talking about, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, and fools despise wisdom and instruction…”  Notice that it wasn’t only Cornelius, but his entire “house” had reverence for the God who is (v.2).  “God-fearer” had become a semi-technical term and they were gentiles who typically became associated with a synagogue where they heard the Scriptures read and at some level had embraced the monotheism of the Jews.  Cornelius was such a one, and he was also generous and was given to persistent prayer, he “prayed always.”

By the way, in this transitional period that the Book of Acts is describing, Jews and Gentiles like Cornelius, men and women who revered and hoped in the God of the Bible, were “ripe fruit,” prepared to hear and respond to the message that Jesus is the promised Messiah.  They had responded to the “light” they had, the Old Testament Scriptures, but now they were awaiting the full revelation of the Gospel of Christ.  One objection that people sometimes raise to the Christian message is “If Jesus is the only way, what about those who have never heard?” This is a good illustration of the fact that God is not sending someone to hell for not believing in a Jesus of whom they have never heard. They will be judged for rejecting the light that they have – in creation (Romans 1:18-21), in the conscience (Romans 2:14ff), in Scripture (Romans 3:10-19).  If their hearts are opened to respond to the Light, God, the sovereign, omniscient and omnipotent Lord of the universe, will find a way for the gospel to get to them.  We have stories of missionaries coming to tribal groups that had never heard the gospel turning in faith to Jesus as soon as they hear the message.  God prepares the hearts of those who will come to him in faith. And so Jesus could say in John 10:26,27, “…you do not believe because you are not part of my flock.  ²⁷ My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”  We see Cornelius, hearing the words from the Angel of the Lord, and believing.

N.B. again that the angel didn’t simply spell out the good news that God so loved us that he sent the Son to die for our sins, and that he defeated death in the resurrection. Rather he tells him to send for Peter. Why? Well, because God said so! That’s God’s plan: to work through humans to bring the message of His grace to humans!  God was preparing the heart of Cornelius, and he would use Peter to preach the Word.   God was working in the life of Cornelius, preparing him to hear and respond to the gospel message. He continues to prepare those who will believe, and believe they will. God’s plan is for a diverse people to be gathered in one body through faith in Christ. Are we willing to be His messengers, to speak up without prejudice and point people to Jesus?

II. Our Sovereign God positions those who are His in mission (9-23a).

            Peter was in Joppa, just thirty or thirty five miles down the coast from Caesarea.  The angel gave precise information about Peter, and about where He was staying. At the same time He was preparing Peter for what would come next.  Notice again Peter needs to learn to interpret and apply the revelation that he receives.  Could the Lord have simply spoken from heaven and said, ok, you know that ham and cheese sandwich, and that bacon cheeseburger you always wanted to try?  The pepperoni pizza? The seafood chowder (now your talking!)?  It’s all good!  He could have gone further and said, the message of Jesus is for everyone, not only your fellow Jews!  Instead he gave the vision, repeated three times, of the sheet descending from heaven and the voice saying, “take, eat.”  Initially Peter objected, but then he began considering the implications of what he saw and heard.  Peter realized that there was more than “diet” at stake.  Notice the timing of the divine appointment that follows in Acts 10:17-20,

¹⁷ Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate.  ¹⁸ And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there.  ¹⁹ While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men are seeking you.  ²⁰ "Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them."

God was preparing Peter for a paradigm shift. He was dealing with relatively easy things, like food, to open his heart and mind to a bigger change concerning people.  It would not only be a message to the Jews that the Messiah, Son of God, is Jesus, but the news of the Savior would be extended to the nations.

        God had Peter exactly where he wanted him, and he was preparing him for the next stage of the ministry in which he was to be engaged. By using Peter, a leader of leaders from among the twelve, the one Jesus called a “rock,” He assured that there would be one church, a united church, under the authority of the apostles.  He was preparing Peter to lead and to be a witness, and He continues to prepare those who are sent (that’s us!).  God’s plan is for a diverse people to be gathered in one body through faith in Christ. Are we willing to speak up without prejudice and point people to Jesus?

III. Our Sovereign God works through the message preached to save those who believe (23b-48).  Notice the process that God uses: testimony and witness leads to preaching the gospel, which leads to faith, and the gift of the Spirit.

-       First we see Explanation: Testifying to what God is doing (23-33). Peter received the men, and heard what they had to say: an angel had appeared to Cornelius and told him to send for Peter. Because of the message Peter had received, he was prepared to go with them.  It was one thing to receive these men and let them stay the night, another to go with them, a day’s journey, to the home of their master, a gentile. One thing I see here is humility and teachability, recognizing that God is working in others as well as us, leading and preparing. When he gets there the next day, Peter explains what God had taught him, and he asks Cornelius why he had sent for him (v.29).  He is anxious to hear what God was saying to Cornelius, perhaps to discern where to start in sharing Christ.  We can be encouraged by hearing testimonies of what God is doing. In our small groups and in one-on-one discipleship situations we learn together, we learn from each other. The bottom line for Cornelius is that he and his household are present and ready, waiting to hear the truth.

“Now therefore we are all present before God to hear all the things commanded you by God” (v.33).

What a great attitude as we come to hear the Word! We need to be discerning, like the Bereans (Acts 17:11), examining what we hear in the light of the Scriptures. But we need to be hungry and open, and teachable.  Do we come together, in our small groups, in Sunday School, in this morning worship service, expecting to meet with God and hear from Him? Warren Wiersbe used to say, “Attitude determines outcome!” There is truth in that when we hear the Word.

-       Next we see Proclamation of the Gospel: A Christ Centered message for all: the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus (34-43). The message Peter shares points away from himself, and lifts up Jesus. Cornelius had been wrong to bow down to Peter and was immediately corrected. We should not exalt humans unduly. We should love one another, and respect those in authority, but it can become idolatry if the pastor becomes a “star” around which the church circles. In the church at Corinth that became a problem, some saying “I’m of Peter” or “I am of Paul” or “I am of Apollos.”  They were proud and divisive instead of being humble, and united in their faith in Christ.  Sometimes churches can be built around a human leader, his personality and attractiveness draw a crowd.  Human leaders can be a blessing to us, but they are pilgrims just like us, and they are fallible. People will inevitably let us down at one time or another.  The writer to the Hebrews says, “…let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,  ² looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…” (Heb 12:1,2).  He will never fail us, and He is the Good Shepherd, our Master, our King.

       V.34 says “Peter opened his mouth and said…” That is a formula that is used to introduce a weighty, important teaching. As a rabbi instructing his students or a prophet bring a word from the Lord, Peter is about to bring a word from the Lord.   A key realization that had come to Peter at this point in the story sets the stage for what happens. We read in Acts 10:34,35,

“So Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘Truly I understand that God shows no partiality,  ³⁵ but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.’”

He is not going to hold back the message of life from these gentiles, God had taught Peter, and now Peter will preach Jesus. He is “Lord of all,” by his death and resurrection He has made possible forgiveness, and v.43, "To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins." It is through faith that the work is Christ is personally appropriated.

-       Vindication:  One Spirit, One Faith, One Baptism (44-48). Notice v.44, “While Peter was yet speaking the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard…” There was nothing that Cornelius and his family did, they heard, believed, and received the Word of God as it was preached. And as confirmation of their new faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit fell on those present, just as it had on the Jews who believed on the day of Pentecost. NB. this is only the second time speaking in tongues is mentioned in Acts. Chapter 2, on the day of Pentecost, and here, as Peter is preaching in the house of Cornelius. I think it probably happened in Acts 8 as Peter and John laid hands on the Samaritans (how else would they know that they had received the Holy Spirit with the laying on of hands?) but the Bible doesn’t say so we can’t know for sure. But here it is explicitly stated, this time with no laying on of hands, simply hearing and believing the message, and Peter sees the connection with Pentecost. On Pentecost it was a sign that the New Age, the age of Messiah, had arrived. Now the ripples of Pentecost have moved outward to the Samaritans (8) and the gentiles (10).  It is a confirmation, a vindication of the truth that God is not a respecter of persons, that he accepts all humans on the same basis, by grace, through faith.

What is God saying to me in this passage? God continues to prepare those who will believe and those who will go. And God’s plan is for a diverse people to be gathered in one body through faith in Christ. Are we willing to speak up without prejudice and point people to Jesus?

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? Are you sensitized to the truth that God is working in you, teaching you, preparing you for your ongoing part in His mission?  Your story is a part of His story because of His amazing grace!  Are you doing your best to maintain a “teachable spirit,” or are you pretty sure you’ve got it all figured out?  I’m a little slow, after 35 years in the faith I’m still learning how much I don’t know! We need to be constantly asking God how we can most effectively be available to Him as He carries out His mission – are we willing to sacrifice our comfort, even our security, as we respond to Him? There are some around us, in our sphere of influence, whom God is convicting, and drawing, preparing to hear the truth and trust in Jesus. We need to be alert, vigilant, looking for every opportunity to lift up His name and to point others to Him as the the Way, the Truth, and the Life.    Think about that.         AMEN. 

Kingdom Blessings Acts 9:32-43

KINGDOM BLESSINGS!

Acts 9:32-43

Introduction:  One danger in slowly walking through an historical book like Acts is that we can get “lessons” from the individual episodes each week, but lose track of the bigger picture. The church has titled this book “The Acts of the Apostles.” That is not very descriptive since we don’t hear much about most of the apostles after the first chapter. Paul is perhaps the key human character in the story from 13-28, and Peter is central in 1-12. But it is really the story of Jesus, working through the Holy Spirit who indwells and empowers His people. How about calling it, “The Acts of Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit, through His Church.”  My point is that God is building the church, and amazingly he uses us in the process. Paul talks about this idea in Ephesians 2:13-22,  

¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  ¹⁴ 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 and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,  ¹⁶ and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.  ¹⁷ And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.  ¹⁸ For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.  ¹⁹ So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,  ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,  ²¹ in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.  ²² In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

When you are building a structure, it is important to have a good foundation. We saw the project for the elevator addition. It is only small, did we really need to dig that deep and put all that cement down there? No one is even going to see it! It was only necessary if we want it to last! A key to understanding Acts is to understand the foundational role of the Apostles in the first century. They were the recipients of revelation who would bring the Word of Christ to this new entity that is the church. One means that the Lord used to validate their authority was the miracles he did at their hands. We see first Peter doing the same kinds of miracles that Jesus did, two of them in the passage we look at today. Later Paul will do some of the same kinds of miracles, showing that he too was an apostle.

The miracles Jesus did during his earthly ministry and those which He did through his apostles in Acts gave a glimpse of the promised future kingdom. They also confirmed the apostles’ authority to present His teaching. As we consider the miracles that accompanied the ministry of the apostles we also see the unique, foundational role they had in the early church. As they did miracles in the name of Jesus they also spoke as His authorized representatives. “Apostle” means “one who is sent,” and in the context of the first century it was understood as “one who is sent on a mission as an authorized representative of another.” The Hebrew term shaliach had much the same idea.  It was very similar to the idea of an “ambassador” in the political world, or maybe something akin to “power of attorney”.  Through all of our years in Brazil, I never did my taxes (Don’t get nervous, I had my taxes done, I just didn’t do them myself!). Actually, I never even saw our taxes during that time as our mission treasurer had power of attorney and he signed and mailed our tax returns for us. Jesus ascended into heaven, but He was still building his church, and the apostles whom he had sent were given authority to act and to speak in his name. 

The miracles were also a kind of “window” into the future. What do I mean by that? Well just as those who Jesus healed during his earthly ministry would eventually get old or sick and die, the same was true of those that the apostles healed in His name.  Even people who were raised from the dead like Jairus’ daughter and Lazarus, and Dorcas in this story, would eventually get old or get sick and would die. But these miracles were a glimpse into the future, to the day when the Lord will make all things new and when this corruptible will put on incorruption, this mortal, immortality.  So in that sense the miracles are signs that confirm the apostles’ authority to speak for Jesus, and they were works of power in that revealed the reality of the already/not yet kingdom (Col 1:13; 2 Cor 5:17).

Context: After Saul’s departure for Tarsus, Dr. Luke shifts his attention back to Peter, the apostle who had been part of Jesus’ inner circle, and who, along with John and James, was one of the leaders of the church in Jerusalem. Luke is a master story teller, and he wants us to be sure that we have a correct understanding of the early church as the church of Jesus: it is not a particular human servant, but Jesus himself, who is building the church.  In that sense, v.31 was a snapshot in time that illustrated that the Lord’s plan was unfolding exactly as He had planned.

The Big Idea: The day will come when sickness and death will be no more. Until then we can trust in His goodness and rest in His presence as we carry out His mission.

I. Healing in Jesus Name: The best is yet to come (32-35)!

³¹ So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.  ³² Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda.  ³³ There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed.  ³⁴ And Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed." And immediately he rose.  ³⁵ And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. 

V.31 was a summary statement, and also a reminder that despite the opposition of humans, Jesus was in control and His plan would be accomplished. God even showed his power by “arresting” one of the leaders of the opposition, a young rabbi named Saul, and turning him into a fearless preacher of the gospel! So now the scene shifts, Paul is in Tarsus until further notice, and Luke turns us back to a man who seems to have been a leader among leaders, Peter, the Rock.

       Peter went “…here and there among them all.” He might have been a key leader, but he knew the church was all about people, and he was “among them”. In the midst of that kind of ministry he came to Lydda, which tells us his ministry was extending out of Jerusalem into other parts of Judea. He was about twenty miles northwest of Jerusalem, heading toward Joppa on the coast. According to v.32, he went to the “saints” first of all, the Christ-followers who lived in the city of Lydda. It may be that God was preparing Peter for the next stage of his ministry when he would journey to the home of a gentile named Cornelius. In the meantime, v.33 gives the circumstance that sets the stage for the miracle:

“There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bed ridden for eight years and was paralyzed.”

If you have had someone close to you who was immobile for a long period of time you have an idea of what this implies about his condition. Some form of paralysis, whether the result of disease or injury we don’t know, but after 8 years surely the muscles had atrophied from disuse, perhaps there were pressure sores from his immobility.  It is a bleak picture of hopelessness.  And given his condition, there was no possibility of missing the fact that this was a miraculous healing, that something supernatural had happened.  We are not told for certain if this man was a believer, but since the “saints at Lydda” are mentioned in the preceding verse, I think it was likely.

            Little is mentioned about Aeneas. Nothing about his prayers, his faith, his asking for help. Peter sees him, and tells him to get up, saying, “…Jesus Christ heals you…” Notice the wording. It isn’t Peter in his own power or piety. It’s all about the work of Jesus. Peter is simply a humble servant, a human conduit, used by the Master, to reach out to this one in need. Jesus is still present and working in the church. He receives the glory. And He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

       The miracles, like this, done through the hands of the apostles, had a unique purpose: to validate their ministry and calling as the ambassadors, the authorized representatives, of Jesus. Because they did the works of Christ their teaching could be accepted as the words of Christ. Their ministry was unique in that sense. A foundation is laid only once, on that foundation the building which is the church is being constructed. With that in mind one might ask, does God still heal?  The short answer, yes, when it suits His purpose.

It is also true that these miracles, like those done during the earthly ministry of Jesus, were temporary and provisional. The people healed would still get old, get sick, and one day die. But another day is coming.  Ultimately all who know Him will be healed completely, once and for all. That is our sure hope.  Remember the story of the lady who was making the arrangements for her own burial. She said she wanted to be buried with a fork in her hand. She explained, “When we have potluck suppers at church someone will always say, when dinner is ended, ‘Save your fork, the best is yet to come!’ Well its been a good life, but when this is over, the best is yet to come!” The miracles Jesus did, and the miracles He did through his apostles, were a glimpse ahead to that day.

The day will come when sickness and death will be no more. So “…The suffering of this present age is not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us.”  Until then we can trust in His goodness and rest in His presence as we carry out His mission.

II. Life from the Author and Giver of Life: Anybody for a New Body (36-42)?

³⁶ Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity.  ³⁷ In those days she became ill and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room.  ³⁸ Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, "Please come to us without delay."  ³⁹ So Peter rose and went with them. And when he arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them.  ⁴⁰ But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, "Tabitha, arise." And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up.  ⁴¹ And he gave her his hand and raised her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive.  ⁴² And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. 

            Healing a paralytic is a powerful demonstration of the presence and authority of the Lord.  Raising the dead brings things to another level!  This story remarkably parallels the scene where Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus to life. We read in Mark 5:39-42,

³⁹ And when he had entered, he said to them, "Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping."  ⁴⁰ And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was.  ⁴¹ Taking her by the hand he said to her, "Talitha cumi," which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."  ⁴² And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement.

Peter put the mourners out of the room as Jesus had done, and, assuming Peter spoke in Aramaic, he would have said almost the exact same words, with only a one letter difference, “Tabitha cumi…” (Jesus had said, Talitha cumi…).  Peter no doubt remembered that earlier scene with the Master.  It seems that an aspect of Luke’s purpose in including this story is to show us that Jesus was working through His apostles, that the miracles He did, He did through them as well. I think the purpose of these kinds of works is revealed on the first missionary journey, in Acts 14:3 where we read:

“So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.”

 The works Jesus did at their hands vindicated and validated their authority to speak in His name. They were indeed his “apostoloi,” his ambassadors, his authorized spokesmen.

The big difference between Jesus’ miracles in the Gospels and what we see in Acts is that Peter kneels down to pray. Just as he healed Aeneas in the name of Jesus, (or more correctly, Jesus healed him!), he prays to the Lord, knowing that only God, the author of life, could do such a miracle. It’s clear in Acts that it is not always God’s will to do such a restoration. Stephen was stoned in chapter 7 and buried. John the Baptist had been beheaded. In Chapter 12 James will be put to death with a sword.  As far as we know there were no prayers offered for these men to be resurrected. But on a couple of occasions, we see God doing this kind of miracle at the hand of the apostles. The last phrase of v.42 perhaps tells us why, “…And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.” In this case it served the Lord’s purpose for getting the Gospel out further, another step toward the “ends of the earth” (cf. 1:8). 

Later Paul would write a letter to the church in Corinth, and devote an entire chapter (I Corinthians 15) to the promise of a future resurrection. We read in I Cor 15:52-55,

For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.  ⁵³ For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.  ⁵⁴ When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."  ⁵⁵ "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"

The dead in Christ will rise, that is a promise!  As surely as Jesus rose from the dead, so one day will those who are His.  The day will come when sickness and death will be no more. Until then we can trust in His goodness and rest in His presence as we carry out His mission.

III. God works through His people and in His people: Get ready, Get Set, GO! (v.43). “ And he stayed in Joppa for many days with one Simon, a tanner.”

            The scene ends with what may seem to be an incidental detail in v.43. It is a subtle reminder that God is preparing us, molding us, equipping us for what is coming next in our walk with Him.  A couple of things to note. One, Peter had moved by now 30 miles or so from Jerusalem to the coastal city of Joppa. The idea that the church was to move outward and that they couldn’t be content with a ministry in Jerusalem seems to have reached the apostles’ hearts. The whole world is God’s world, and world evangelization is God’s work. So Peter goes from Lydda, where he was encouraging the saints, to Joppa, and there does this miracle, reminiscent of the miracles Jesus had done. But there is also a clue here that God is working in Peter, preparing him for what comes next.  Notice that “…he stayed …with one Simon, a tanner…”

            For us this may be just an incidental detail that we would skip over. But remember the context, the church is largely Jewish, and Peter was raised in the Jewish tradition. It was his heritage, his ethnicity. It may be that as a Galilean fisherman he was not the most pious of Jews, but here he is staying with a tanner. Someone who worked with dead animals and prepared and treated their skins.  Tanners were necessary, but because of their work, their frequent contact with dead animals, the odors associated with their work place, they were looked down upon, even despised, by more pious Jews. And here was Peter, of all places in Joppa, staying with Simon the tanner. God was working in Peter, preparing him, and still, he is not finished with him yet!  In chapter 10 Peter would have a vision of a sheet coming down from heaven with all kinds of animals that had previously been considered unclean, and he would directed to the home of a gentile who had not become a proselyte to Judaism. God was preparing him for those next steps. Do you have a sense that God is working in you? Have you thought about the fact that all of your experiences, good and bad, have been used by God to mold you into the person you are today?  God is that big, He “…causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28).  We should all have one of those t-shirts: “Be patient with me, God isn’t finished with me yet!” He is molding us, preparing us. And He will use us. We have a chorus in Portuguese, “Loving Lord, I want to be like a pot in the Potter’s hands. Break my life, make it new, a want to be a new pot.” (It sounds a lot better in Portuguese but you get the idea!).

What is God saying to me in this passage? The day will come when sickness and death will be no more. Until then we can trust in His goodness and rest in His presence.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? Praying for the sick is a good thing, we are told to do it. When it pleases the Lord and serves His purposes he will answer in the affirmative, and either through natural means or miraculous intervention bring healing.  The point I want to make is that ultimately he will heal our infirmities. One day God himself will wipe away the tears from our eyes, and there will be no more sickness, no more pain, no more death.  That is not wishful thinking, it is our sure hope in Christ. The Lord’s supper is a memorial, an invitation to look back, to remember the Cross. And so we show forth the Lord’s death until he comes.  Maranatha Lord Jesus.               Amen.