WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.279 Remember the Titans? Maybe you've seen it before. 00:00:02.359 --> 00:00:04.820 Hopefully you have. If you haven't, the challenge 00:00:04.820 --> 00:00:06.839 for you this afternoon is to go home and watch 00:00:06.839 --> 00:00:10.380 it. In 2000, this movie came out telling the 00:00:10.380 --> 00:00:13.560 story of three Virginia high schools being forced 00:00:13.560 --> 00:00:16.920 to integrate. Most famously in this true story, 00:00:17.140 --> 00:00:20.679 the integration of a football team. And so you 00:00:20.679 --> 00:00:23.620 had these black football players and these white 00:00:23.620 --> 00:00:26.699 football players all thrown onto one team. And 00:00:26.699 --> 00:00:29.260 you now had coaches that didn't want to work 00:00:29.260 --> 00:00:30.800 together because you had black coaches that didn't 00:00:30.800 --> 00:00:32.179 want to work with the white coaches. And you 00:00:32.179 --> 00:00:34.500 had black players that didn't want to play for 00:00:34.500 --> 00:00:36.020 the white coaches and white players that didn't 00:00:36.020 --> 00:00:37.479 want to play for the black coaches. And this 00:00:37.479 --> 00:00:41.159 issue that not only was a part of the football 00:00:41.159 --> 00:00:44.619 team dynamic early on, just this fighting, but 00:00:44.619 --> 00:00:47.159 it was in the community. The community hated 00:00:47.159 --> 00:00:50.159 this. The community, they didn't like it. They 00:00:50.159 --> 00:00:52.609 didn't want to see this. happen. And these two 00:00:52.609 --> 00:00:55.789 main characters, Gary Bertier and Julius Campbell, 00:00:55.969 --> 00:00:58.829 they were the most notable in their despise for 00:00:58.829 --> 00:01:01.950 each other. Early on in the movie, you see them 00:01:01.950 --> 00:01:04.349 fighting and they get put in a room together 00:01:04.349 --> 00:01:06.870 and they fight over, you know, a poster that 00:01:06.870 --> 00:01:09.310 Julius wanted to put on the wall that kind of 00:01:09.310 --> 00:01:11.030 offended Gary. And he's like, I don't want to 00:01:11.030 --> 00:01:15.590 see that. And you have this issue until eventually, 00:01:15.609 --> 00:01:20.299 as you see in the clip, these enemies. become 00:01:20.299 --> 00:01:24.439 brothers these guys that society had told for 00:01:24.439 --> 00:01:27.319 a century that they should not like each other 00:01:27.319 --> 00:01:30.359 they now see themselves as family these people 00:01:30.359 --> 00:01:33.239 that society had told each other that they should 00:01:33.239 --> 00:01:37.299 hate each other they see themselves as family 00:01:39.849 --> 00:01:42.150 And I thought this story was relevant to today's 00:01:42.150 --> 00:01:44.430 message because what we see in Acts chapter 10 00:01:44.430 --> 00:01:47.849 is a very similar case of a group of people breaking 00:01:47.849 --> 00:01:53.329 down barriers that society had created. And remember 00:01:53.329 --> 00:01:55.409 the Titans, you see this division of black people 00:01:55.409 --> 00:01:58.010 and white people. But in Acts chapter 10, it's 00:01:58.010 --> 00:02:00.689 a division of Jews and Gentiles. In either case, 00:02:00.709 --> 00:02:04.030 it's wrong and it's not in God's design for humanity. 00:02:04.650 --> 00:02:06.609 We can look all the way back to Genesis chapter 00:02:06.609 --> 00:02:09.509 12. When God first called Abraham, he says to 00:02:09.509 --> 00:02:12.990 Abraham, in you, all the families of the earth 00:02:12.990 --> 00:02:15.569 shall be blessed. Okay, I need to say this reminder 00:02:15.569 --> 00:02:18.449 for my members here. One day we're gonna get 00:02:18.449 --> 00:02:21.210 this on autopilot, but if it's underlined, I 00:02:21.210 --> 00:02:22.810 need you to read it along with me because that's 00:02:22.810 --> 00:02:24.789 how I know you're awake. Also, there's something 00:02:24.789 --> 00:02:27.090 to be said about saying it out loud, okay? So 00:02:27.090 --> 00:02:28.569 we're gonna read that again. If it's underlined, 00:02:28.610 --> 00:02:30.629 I'd love for you to read along with me. In you, 00:02:30.770 --> 00:02:33.590 all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 00:02:34.280 --> 00:02:38.400 All the families, not one nation, not one type 00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:43.080 of person, all of them. So when we get to Acts 00:02:43.080 --> 00:02:46.319 chapter 10 and God starts tearing down the wall 00:02:46.319 --> 00:02:49.879 between Jew and Gentile, he's not changing his 00:02:49.879 --> 00:02:51.979 mind. This isn't something new that God decided 00:02:51.979 --> 00:02:54.680 to do. He's keeping a promise that he had made 00:02:54.680 --> 00:02:57.990 thousands of years before. And so what we're 00:02:57.990 --> 00:03:01.210 going to see today is how God remedies this division 00:03:01.210 --> 00:03:03.430 in Acts 10. But first, I want to give you some 00:03:03.430 --> 00:03:06.050 context. So at this point in the story of the 00:03:06.050 --> 00:03:08.710 early church, our good friend Peter, he's hiding 00:03:08.710 --> 00:03:11.400 out in a place called Joppa. He's living with 00:03:11.400 --> 00:03:14.180 a man named Simon, who's a tanner. He works with 00:03:14.180 --> 00:03:16.860 dead animals. He works with these dead animal 00:03:16.860 --> 00:03:20.539 skins, trying to make leather out of them. And 00:03:20.539 --> 00:03:22.560 I want you to know, and we'll talk about it later, 00:03:22.639 --> 00:03:25.560 that Joppa is relevant. That place that Peter 00:03:25.560 --> 00:03:28.120 is in is very relevant to this story. And you 00:03:28.120 --> 00:03:30.560 don't know why, but I'll tell you later. Also 00:03:30.560 --> 00:03:34.199 of note is we meet someone named Cornelius. Cornelius 00:03:34.199 --> 00:03:37.539 is a Roman centurion, which means he's a Gentile. 00:03:37.849 --> 00:03:41.009 But he's not some awful person like you might 00:03:41.009 --> 00:03:42.969 assume when you hear Roman centurion or when 00:03:42.969 --> 00:03:45.729 you hear Gentile. Cornelius is described as a 00:03:45.729 --> 00:03:48.870 God -fearer. He's described as someone who's 00:03:48.870 --> 00:03:51.590 devout to God, someone who is not just a Jew, 00:03:51.849 --> 00:03:57.349 but he devotes his life to being righteous in 00:03:57.349 --> 00:04:00.569 the sight of God. He gives, he prays, he makes 00:04:00.569 --> 00:04:04.169 sacrifices. So he is described as a God -fearer. 00:04:04.490 --> 00:04:07.389 Well, Cornelius has a vision, and as we see in 00:04:07.389 --> 00:04:09.949 chapter 10, an angel appears to him, and he says 00:04:09.949 --> 00:04:13.389 this to him in verses 4 through 6. Your prayers 00:04:13.389 --> 00:04:15.889 and your alms have ascended as a memorial before 00:04:15.889 --> 00:04:19.930 God, and now send men to Joppa and bring one 00:04:19.930 --> 00:04:22.910 Simon who is called Peter. He's lodging with 00:04:22.910 --> 00:04:26.850 one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. 00:04:27.969 --> 00:04:30.569 So Cornelius, being a devout, God -fearing man, 00:04:30.670 --> 00:04:33.589 he listens and he sends three men to go to Joppa 00:04:33.589 --> 00:04:36.509 to go find Peter. And as they travel to Peter, 00:04:36.629 --> 00:04:40.259 Peter himself has a vision. And Peter goes up 00:04:40.259 --> 00:04:42.240 to the roof of this house that he's staying in. 00:04:42.279 --> 00:04:44.439 He's going up there to pray. And I can only imagine 00:04:44.439 --> 00:04:45.920 why he would want to get out of the house and 00:04:45.920 --> 00:04:47.779 go up on the rooftop to pray. Probably because 00:04:47.779 --> 00:04:49.339 the house smelled terrible because, you know, 00:04:49.379 --> 00:04:52.079 dead animal skins, right? So Peter goes up on 00:04:52.079 --> 00:04:54.319 the rooftop to pray. But while he's up there, 00:04:54.360 --> 00:04:56.819 he gets hungry. And his hunger puts him into 00:04:56.819 --> 00:05:00.980 a sleep. And he falls into this trance. And here's 00:05:00.980 --> 00:05:03.899 what Scripture tells us he saw in verses 11 through 00:05:03.899 --> 00:05:07.319 15. He fell into a trance, and he saw the heavens 00:05:07.319 --> 00:05:09.759 open, and something like a great sheet descending, 00:05:10.079 --> 00:05:12.819 being let down by its four corners upon the earth. 00:05:13.019 --> 00:05:15.639 In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles 00:05:15.639 --> 00:05:18.079 and birds of the air. And there came a voice 00:05:18.079 --> 00:05:21.879 to him, Rise, Peter, kill and eat. But Peter 00:05:21.879 --> 00:05:24.579 said, By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten 00:05:24.579 --> 00:05:28.139 anything that is common or unclean. And the voice 00:05:28.139 --> 00:05:31.259 came to him again a second time, What God has 00:05:31.259 --> 00:05:35.620 made clean do not call common. And then in verse 00:05:35.620 --> 00:05:38.540 16, it tells us that he saw this happen. three 00:05:38.540 --> 00:05:41.259 times. Now, I want you to notice what's happening 00:05:41.259 --> 00:05:43.500 here, and to help you with that, I want to go 00:05:43.500 --> 00:05:45.699 back and touch on the significance of where this 00:05:45.699 --> 00:05:48.240 is happening to Peter. Peter's staying with Simon 00:05:48.240 --> 00:05:51.040 the Tanner. Now, like we said, dead animal skins. 00:05:51.319 --> 00:05:53.920 If you know Jewish history, you know the Jewish 00:05:53.920 --> 00:05:56.980 tradition, then you will know that a Jewish person 00:05:56.980 --> 00:06:00.819 was made unclean by coming in contact with dead 00:06:00.819 --> 00:06:03.680 animals. Not only was the Jewish person made 00:06:03.680 --> 00:06:06.959 unclean, but anybody living in their house became 00:06:06.959 --> 00:06:10.139 unclean. And for a Jewish person, there was nothing 00:06:10.139 --> 00:06:13.060 worse than being unclean because if you're unclean, 00:06:13.060 --> 00:06:15.300 you mess up your chance of being with community. 00:06:15.379 --> 00:06:17.720 You also mess up your chance of being in community 00:06:17.720 --> 00:06:21.019 with God. And so for Peter to be living with 00:06:21.019 --> 00:06:23.800 Simon the Tanner, he is putting himself in a 00:06:23.800 --> 00:06:28.100 place where he is now unclean. And that may not 00:06:28.100 --> 00:06:30.620 seem significant to you, but for me, what it 00:06:30.620 --> 00:06:34.610 shows is Peter, a proud... Jew, for him to live 00:06:34.610 --> 00:06:36.990 with Simon the Tanner means that he is starting 00:06:36.990 --> 00:06:39.069 to grow up a little bit in his spiritual life. 00:06:39.550 --> 00:06:42.009 Because Peter is starting to get over the old 00:06:42.009 --> 00:06:45.529 law and starting to realize that Jesus has changed 00:06:45.529 --> 00:06:49.170 everything. But it seems that Peter hasn't fully 00:06:49.170 --> 00:06:51.250 arrived yet because as he's having this vision, 00:06:51.370 --> 00:06:54.089 he's not quite sure if he, well actually he is 00:06:54.089 --> 00:06:56.569 sure that he cannot partake of some of these 00:06:56.569 --> 00:06:58.889 animals. He says, God, I can't eat those things 00:06:58.889 --> 00:07:01.379 because You made it unclean. Back in the law 00:07:01.379 --> 00:07:03.620 of Moses, it was unclean for me to touch or eat 00:07:03.620 --> 00:07:06.740 those animals. And God says, hey, if I said it's 00:07:06.740 --> 00:07:10.959 clean, you can eat it. If I say it's clean, if 00:07:10.959 --> 00:07:13.399 I say it's okay, if I say it's good, you can 00:07:13.399 --> 00:07:19.319 go there. You're not bound to what was. And so 00:07:19.319 --> 00:07:22.879 Peter, the Christian that he is, is growing up. 00:07:23.459 --> 00:07:26.160 He's starting to really learn the Jesus way, 00:07:26.220 --> 00:07:29.000 the way that has separated itself, that has really 00:07:29.000 --> 00:07:32.379 come a long way from that old law. As Paul says 00:07:32.379 --> 00:07:34.480 later in one of his letters, he says, the old 00:07:34.480 --> 00:07:37.199 law was given to us as a guardian. It was given 00:07:37.199 --> 00:07:40.420 to us as a temporary caretaker to make sure we 00:07:40.420 --> 00:07:42.720 stayed in right standing with God. But now that 00:07:42.720 --> 00:07:47.220 Jesus has come, now that the good news has come, 00:07:47.459 --> 00:07:50.100 we're not bound to that anymore. And so here... 00:07:50.639 --> 00:07:52.660 Peter's in this unclean home when he receives 00:07:52.660 --> 00:07:55.480 this vision, and he remembers that he's getting 00:07:55.480 --> 00:07:58.279 this vision, or as he's getting this vision, 00:07:58.480 --> 00:08:01.379 as Gentile men are on their way to see him. And 00:08:01.379 --> 00:08:06.060 what the message of this dream is, is God has 00:08:06.060 --> 00:08:08.660 made it clean. And so hold on to that. As Peter 00:08:08.660 --> 00:08:13.220 is seeing all these animals, he's looking at 00:08:13.220 --> 00:08:19.120 it. He's doubting. He's not quite sure. But he's 00:08:19.120 --> 00:08:22.399 getting this message. He's getting this message 00:08:22.399 --> 00:08:25.740 that we need to apply, not just to food, that 00:08:25.740 --> 00:08:28.180 we need to apply not just to traditions, not 00:08:28.180 --> 00:08:30.459 just to places, but we need to apply this to 00:08:30.459 --> 00:08:36.460 people. God has made these things clean. We can 00:08:36.460 --> 00:08:38.840 apply this to people. We can apply this to all 00:08:38.840 --> 00:08:41.580 these things that used to make Jews distinguishable, 00:08:41.639 --> 00:08:45.019 that used to make Jews one of a kind. All of 00:08:45.019 --> 00:08:47.659 these things, we apply it, and we see that God 00:08:47.659 --> 00:08:50.059 sends this message to Peter that things are very 00:08:50.059 --> 00:08:51.960 different now. And then in verses 17 through 00:08:51.960 --> 00:08:55.240 18, Cornelius' men show up, and they're looking 00:08:55.240 --> 00:08:57.360 for Peter. And I want you to see what happens 00:08:57.360 --> 00:09:02.779 in verse 19. And this is probably... My favorite 00:09:02.779 --> 00:09:05.360 part of this story, and as I explain it a little 00:09:05.360 --> 00:09:07.399 bit more, some of that context about Joppa, I 00:09:07.399 --> 00:09:09.899 think it'll become maybe your favorite part as 00:09:09.899 --> 00:09:12.480 well. Verse 19, while Peter was pondering the 00:09:12.480 --> 00:09:15.039 vision, the Spirit said to him, Behold, three 00:09:15.039 --> 00:09:18.179 men are looking for you. Rise and go down and 00:09:18.179 --> 00:09:20.720 accompany them without hesitation, for I have 00:09:20.720 --> 00:09:24.419 sent them. And Peter does exactly what he's told. 00:09:24.720 --> 00:09:27.299 He goes, he talks to these guys, they tell him 00:09:27.299 --> 00:09:29.200 why they're there, and then he goes with them. 00:09:29.659 --> 00:09:33.659 He goes with them to Cornelius. He's going to 00:09:33.659 --> 00:09:36.100 this man that for a while he would have seen 00:09:36.100 --> 00:09:40.539 as unclean. He would have seen this man as undeserving 00:09:40.539 --> 00:09:43.700 or unworthy of, one, his presence, but also of 00:09:43.700 --> 00:09:46.879 God. And so Peter goes and he brings other disciples 00:09:46.879 --> 00:09:49.100 along with him. And now I want you to remember, 00:09:49.200 --> 00:09:51.539 I told you Joppa was relevant. Well, here's why. 00:09:51.799 --> 00:09:54.080 Do you remember that old story about a guy named 00:09:54.080 --> 00:09:57.409 Jonah? And how God told Jonah to go to the people 00:09:57.409 --> 00:10:00.870 of Nineveh and tell them and preach to them really. 00:10:01.070 --> 00:10:04.250 And so Jonah is given this call from God and 00:10:04.250 --> 00:10:07.330 he's told to go somewhere, go to a people that 00:10:07.330 --> 00:10:10.269 are not Jews, but they are Gentiles, a people 00:10:10.269 --> 00:10:13.649 that are unclean, a people that are not worthy. 00:10:13.769 --> 00:10:16.889 God tells Jonah to go there. But does Jonah go 00:10:16.889 --> 00:10:21.269 there right away? No. What does Jonah do? He 00:10:21.269 --> 00:10:24.120 gets on a boat and he goes the other way. Well, 00:10:24.139 --> 00:10:27.539 do you know where Jonah got on that boat? Anybody 00:10:27.539 --> 00:10:31.580 want to take a guess? Joppa. Jonah gets on the 00:10:31.580 --> 00:10:34.960 boat in Joppa. See, right here in the book of 00:10:34.960 --> 00:10:38.379 Acts, centuries later, Peter has the same decision 00:10:38.379 --> 00:10:43.460 to make as Jonah did. Obey God, go to the Gentiles, 00:10:43.460 --> 00:10:48.139 and preach to them. But see, Jonah resisted. 00:10:48.699 --> 00:10:51.580 Jonah ran from his calling. Jonah was led by 00:10:51.580 --> 00:10:53.879 his fear, and so he didn't do what God called 00:10:53.879 --> 00:10:56.059 him to do. But Peter, on the other hand, as we 00:10:56.059 --> 00:10:59.019 see in verse 19, Peter is led by the Spirit. 00:11:00.240 --> 00:11:03.440 And so the Spirit leads Peter to go where he's 00:11:03.440 --> 00:11:07.360 called, and ultimately Peter's obedience is what 00:11:07.360 --> 00:11:09.860 brings the good news to the Gentiles. Now, the 00:11:09.860 --> 00:11:12.360 reason I told you it's one of my favorite parts 00:11:12.360 --> 00:11:15.399 of the story is because Jonah didn't have the 00:11:15.399 --> 00:11:18.580 Spirit leading him. Jonah was led by his own 00:11:18.580 --> 00:11:20.940 feelings. He was led by his own doubts and desires, 00:11:21.179 --> 00:11:24.419 his own fears. But Peter is now led by this thing 00:11:24.419 --> 00:11:27.519 that Jesus sent us as a gift to help us along 00:11:27.519 --> 00:11:31.559 our way, the Spirit, capital S, Holy Spirit. 00:11:31.720 --> 00:11:36.340 And so Peter is easily available. And he's easily 00:11:36.340 --> 00:11:41.059 ready to obey. The Holy Spirit makes a world 00:11:41.059 --> 00:11:44.080 of difference in our lives, does it not? And 00:11:44.080 --> 00:11:46.279 that's important context because we have to know 00:11:46.279 --> 00:11:50.000 that there is only one way that barriers can 00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:54.080 be broken down. It's not by my good knowledge. 00:11:54.159 --> 00:11:57.440 It's not by your wisdom. It's not by your courageousness. 00:11:57.500 --> 00:12:02.200 It is only by the Holy Spirit. that we can do 00:12:02.200 --> 00:12:04.399 the unthinkable. And I think we're a church trending 00:12:04.399 --> 00:12:06.639 in that direction. I can say that because a year 00:12:06.639 --> 00:12:09.860 ago today, well, this week, my family and I moved 00:12:09.860 --> 00:12:13.980 here to this 98 % white county to be the minister 00:12:13.980 --> 00:12:17.639 at a 99 % white church. And guess what? We're 00:12:17.639 --> 00:12:20.080 doing okay. And I think we're having a really 00:12:20.080 --> 00:12:23.940 good time. Yeah. And so I think we're trending 00:12:23.940 --> 00:12:26.500 in the right direction of being that Jesus church, 00:12:26.620 --> 00:12:29.159 the barrier breaking church. And you welcomed 00:12:29.159 --> 00:12:31.279 us. You've taken care of us. You've made us family. 00:12:33.059 --> 00:12:36.720 And that's not normal. Sadly, it's not natural. 00:12:38.340 --> 00:12:41.840 By every measure the world uses, this shouldn't 00:12:41.840 --> 00:12:45.769 be a thing. Because we're too different. And 00:12:45.769 --> 00:12:48.269 in the world, we go where we're the same, right? 00:12:48.330 --> 00:12:51.450 We work with people that are like us. We hang 00:12:51.450 --> 00:12:53.570 out with people that are like us. We spend time 00:12:53.570 --> 00:12:56.769 with people that are like us. And the world tells 00:12:56.769 --> 00:12:58.470 us if we're too different, we got to divide, 00:12:58.710 --> 00:13:00.370 right? I mean, that's what the world has been 00:13:00.370 --> 00:13:02.610 doing. And we've seen it a lot in the last 10 00:13:02.610 --> 00:13:04.909 or so years, this division over these things 00:13:04.909 --> 00:13:08.389 that truly should not divide us, but they do. 00:13:08.929 --> 00:13:13.919 They create barriers. But in this church, We 00:13:13.919 --> 00:13:15.860 are trending in this direction, and I hope we 00:13:15.860 --> 00:13:17.779 will keep going in this direction until we are 00:13:17.779 --> 00:13:22.519 completely perfect in it. But the Holy Spirit 00:13:22.519 --> 00:13:28.799 is among these people leading us to a unity that 00:13:28.799 --> 00:13:32.820 I believe makes God happy. Just like Julius and 00:13:32.820 --> 00:13:35.519 Gary in Remember the Titans, we look at this 00:13:35.519 --> 00:13:38.220 difference that society and Satan say should 00:13:38.220 --> 00:13:41.039 divide us, yet we call each other brother and 00:13:41.039 --> 00:13:43.620 sister. Yet we look at each other and we see 00:13:43.620 --> 00:13:46.539 a family resemblance because of the work of the 00:13:46.539 --> 00:13:50.100 Holy Spirit. And as much as I want to just sit 00:13:50.100 --> 00:13:53.179 here and applaud us, I also have to be very honest 00:13:53.179 --> 00:13:55.860 and say that we're not perfect. And we still 00:13:55.860 --> 00:13:58.899 have the barriers. We still have these things 00:13:58.899 --> 00:14:03.139 that are dividing us both individually and communally. 00:14:03.679 --> 00:14:06.059 We know that there are other dividing lines. 00:14:06.179 --> 00:14:07.559 And I want you to sit there and ask yourself 00:14:07.559 --> 00:14:11.330 for just a moment, what is your barrier? What 00:14:11.330 --> 00:14:13.330 is the thing that's kept you from going to a 00:14:13.330 --> 00:14:15.509 certain person or a certain people group and 00:14:15.509 --> 00:14:17.870 reaching them with the gospel? These lines that 00:14:17.870 --> 00:14:20.289 are even more pressing for our context, like 00:14:20.289 --> 00:14:23.830 socioeconomic status or political divides or 00:14:23.830 --> 00:14:26.789 cultural divides, gender divides, generational 00:14:26.789 --> 00:14:30.269 divides. What is the thing for you? I know what 00:14:30.269 --> 00:14:34.610 the thing is for me. It's the cultural. Like 00:14:34.610 --> 00:14:37.110 I would have a very hard time connecting with 00:14:37.110 --> 00:14:40.289 people up north. Because I'm just like, I'm just 00:14:40.289 --> 00:14:43.309 a good old Southern boy. And I know what I like. 00:14:43.850 --> 00:14:47.690 And I know what I know. I know my culture. And 00:14:47.690 --> 00:14:50.210 it's hard for me. I also know, like somebody 00:14:50.210 --> 00:14:51.769 was telling me the other day that they like that 00:14:51.769 --> 00:14:54.049 I use football references in my sermons. But 00:14:54.049 --> 00:14:56.029 I know there's a lot of people that don't. They 00:14:56.029 --> 00:14:58.590 don't connect with that. Which is why I try to 00:14:58.590 --> 00:15:02.009 like find other ways to connect. But that's a 00:15:02.009 --> 00:15:05.029 divide that I have to be mindful of. And so for 00:15:05.029 --> 00:15:07.950 you. And for us as a church, we need to ask ourselves, 00:15:08.230 --> 00:15:12.350 what are the things that are still dividing us? 00:15:14.210 --> 00:15:17.570 Socioeconomic is one that I sit on because sometimes 00:15:17.570 --> 00:15:19.549 you see the guy sitting on the side of the road, 00:15:19.669 --> 00:15:21.710 and we don't have a really big homeless problem 00:15:21.710 --> 00:15:25.029 here in Union County, but where we just moved 00:15:25.029 --> 00:15:26.450 from in Montgomery, there's a lot of homeless 00:15:26.450 --> 00:15:29.029 people. And it's very easy for me to just keep 00:15:29.029 --> 00:15:33.419 driving. It's very easy for me to just... Make 00:15:33.419 --> 00:15:35.559 sure they don't, you know, if we make eye contact, 00:15:35.639 --> 00:15:37.299 now I got to engage with them. But if I never 00:15:37.299 --> 00:15:40.700 make eye contact, they're not there, right? And 00:15:40.700 --> 00:15:43.600 that's something that I don't think Christ loves. 00:15:44.440 --> 00:15:46.799 I don't think it represents the Jesus church. 00:15:46.919 --> 00:15:48.720 And so that's a barrier that I need to knock 00:15:48.720 --> 00:15:52.679 down. But I'm not strong or smart enough. I need 00:15:52.679 --> 00:15:56.740 the Spirit. We've got Gentiles all around us 00:15:56.740 --> 00:15:59.870 that we aren't reaching. people that are not 00:15:59.870 --> 00:16:01.690 like us, that we are not reaching. And to put 00:16:01.690 --> 00:16:04.350 it plainly, some of us are being a little more 00:16:04.350 --> 00:16:08.440 like Jonah than we are like Peter. And so this 00:16:08.440 --> 00:16:10.200 morning I'm begging you and I'm begging myself 00:16:10.200 --> 00:16:13.159 to be like Peter because when you are like Peter, 00:16:13.200 --> 00:16:15.559 when you are led by the Holy Spirit, good things 00:16:15.559 --> 00:16:17.980 happen. I want you to watch what happens in verses 00:16:17.980 --> 00:16:21.820 34 through 35. Peter goes to Cornelius and Cornelius 00:16:21.820 --> 00:16:24.100 has all these people gathered. Cornelius is ready. 00:16:24.340 --> 00:16:26.740 He is ready for Peter to come and say whatever 00:16:26.740 --> 00:16:29.620 it is that God sent him there to say. He's ready 00:16:29.620 --> 00:16:31.980 to hear what God has in store for them. And Peter, 00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:34.259 in his obedience to the Spirit, starts preaching. 00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:36.659 And this is what happens. Peter opens his mouth 00:16:36.659 --> 00:16:52.460 and says, In layman's term, Peter says, I get 00:16:52.460 --> 00:16:56.730 it now. I understand. Thousands of years after 00:16:56.730 --> 00:16:59.490 the promise to Abraham, Peter, a Jew who had 00:16:59.490 --> 00:17:01.509 been raised a certain way, who had been raised 00:17:01.509 --> 00:17:03.929 with certain traditions, with certain cultures, 00:17:04.269 --> 00:17:06.829 with certain rules, these do's and don'ts of 00:17:06.829 --> 00:17:09.869 our religion, Peter looks at these people and 00:17:09.869 --> 00:17:14.230 he says, I understand now that God does not care 00:17:14.230 --> 00:17:17.569 who you are, where you're from, what you've done. 00:17:17.609 --> 00:17:20.910 If you love God, if you fear God and you do what 00:17:20.910 --> 00:17:25.099 is right in the eyes of God, you too. can be 00:17:25.099 --> 00:17:31.099 saved. That God really does mean, as he said 00:17:31.099 --> 00:17:37.420 in Genesis 12, all families on the earth. He 00:17:37.420 --> 00:17:41.109 says, I understand that God doesn't care. The 00:17:41.109 --> 00:17:43.150 gospel is available to you. And if you're in 00:17:43.150 --> 00:17:46.390 this room and you've never taken that step of 00:17:46.390 --> 00:17:50.130 obeying the gospel and becoming a child of God 00:17:50.130 --> 00:17:52.309 and giving your life to Christ, if you've never 00:17:52.309 --> 00:17:54.750 accepted that free gift of salvation, I want 00:17:54.750 --> 00:17:56.809 you to know whatever it is that's holding you 00:17:56.809 --> 00:18:00.599 back, the gospel is available to you. I don't 00:18:00.599 --> 00:18:03.079 care how far you feel you have fallen. I don't 00:18:03.079 --> 00:18:05.319 care how messed up you think your life is. The 00:18:05.319 --> 00:18:08.900 good news that Christ came to save all people 00:18:08.900 --> 00:18:10.839 on this earth and bring them into his family, 00:18:10.900 --> 00:18:17.039 that news is available to you. Then he goes on 00:18:17.039 --> 00:18:19.500 to actually preach the gospel of Jesus Christ 00:18:19.500 --> 00:18:21.180 because he says the gospel is available to you, 00:18:21.200 --> 00:18:22.920 but you need to know what that is. And so he 00:18:22.920 --> 00:18:25.200 tells them about this Jesus coming to the earth 00:18:25.200 --> 00:18:28.460 to die, to rise again for the salvation of all 00:18:28.460 --> 00:18:30.920 who would give their lives to him. And then in 00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:33.759 verses 44 through 48, this is incredible. And 00:18:33.759 --> 00:18:36.660 I hope you love this as much as I do. While Peter 00:18:36.660 --> 00:18:39.000 was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit 00:18:39.000 --> 00:18:42.000 fell on all who heard the word. And the believers 00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:44.059 from among the circumcised who had come with 00:18:44.059 --> 00:18:46.619 Peter were amazed because the gift of the Holy 00:18:46.619 --> 00:18:50.180 Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles, for 00:18:50.180 --> 00:18:51.980 they were hearing them speaking in tongues and 00:18:51.980 --> 00:18:55.259 extolling God. Then Peter declared, Can anyone 00:18:55.259 --> 00:18:58.359 withhold water for baptizing these people who 00:18:58.359 --> 00:19:00.500 have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? 00:19:01.000 --> 00:19:04.400 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name 00:19:04.400 --> 00:19:08.470 of Jesus Christ. See, Peter preaches this great 00:19:08.470 --> 00:19:10.450 sermon a lot shorter than the sermon I'm preaching, 00:19:10.589 --> 00:19:12.970 but that's not important. Peter preaches this 00:19:12.970 --> 00:19:15.430 great sermon to them. And as he's preaching, 00:19:15.490 --> 00:19:19.269 the Holy Spirit comes down on them. And the Gentiles, 00:19:19.289 --> 00:19:22.509 they were then too given this amazing gift that 00:19:22.509 --> 00:19:25.589 Christ had promised. And the Jews there, they're 00:19:25.589 --> 00:19:28.809 amazed as if they hadn't truly understood that 00:19:28.809 --> 00:19:30.670 this gift would be available for all people. 00:19:30.849 --> 00:19:32.650 And now some of you, you may notice something 00:19:32.650 --> 00:19:35.920 here. You may notice. That in this story, the 00:19:35.920 --> 00:19:38.720 Holy Spirit comes to these people before they're 00:19:38.720 --> 00:19:42.660 baptized. And you may think, that doesn't make 00:19:42.660 --> 00:19:45.180 a lot of sense. Well, I think in this story, 00:19:45.259 --> 00:19:48.240 this is my best understanding of it. That this 00:19:48.240 --> 00:19:51.900 is God trying to make a point. Not make a point 00:19:51.900 --> 00:19:54.079 to Cornelius, but to make a point to those Jewish 00:19:54.079 --> 00:19:56.980 believers standing there with Peter. God himself 00:19:56.980 --> 00:19:59.700 puts a stamp of approval on these people, on 00:19:59.700 --> 00:20:02.740 these Gentiles, so that no one could argue whether 00:20:02.740 --> 00:20:06.000 they belonged or not. And that's exactly Peter's 00:20:06.000 --> 00:20:08.579 argument in verse 47 when he says, can anyone 00:20:08.579 --> 00:20:11.720 withhold water from these people who've received 00:20:11.720 --> 00:20:15.259 the Holy Spirit just as we have? It's like God 00:20:15.259 --> 00:20:18.859 said, hey, there's no way around this. I'm making 00:20:18.859 --> 00:20:22.240 this happen. In other words, God already accepted 00:20:22.240 --> 00:20:27.440 them. So who are we to refuse them? And I want 00:20:27.440 --> 00:20:31.039 you again to think about those divides. Those 00:20:31.039 --> 00:20:33.140 things that are keeping you from reaching certain 00:20:33.140 --> 00:20:35.400 people or certain people groups, certain communities, 00:20:35.559 --> 00:20:39.420 certain countries. Those barriers that are standing 00:20:39.420 --> 00:20:42.460 in the way when God says, I don't want the barrier 00:20:42.460 --> 00:20:44.740 there. I just want you to bring the gospel to 00:20:44.740 --> 00:20:49.299 them. I've accepted them. I've offered this gift 00:20:49.299 --> 00:20:51.700 freely to them. You just need to go do your part. 00:20:53.880 --> 00:20:56.880 And then, like every story in the New Testament 00:20:56.880 --> 00:20:59.400 of someone coming to Christ, they are baptized. 00:21:00.460 --> 00:21:03.539 They're brought into the family of God. These 00:21:03.539 --> 00:21:06.160 Jewish Christian men now have brothers and sisters 00:21:06.160 --> 00:21:09.339 who just a few years ago, they would have cursed 00:21:09.339 --> 00:21:12.400 the ground they walked on. They have family now 00:21:12.400 --> 00:21:14.900 that they would have never imagined they would 00:21:14.900 --> 00:21:18.480 even walk in the same rooms as. And that's because 00:21:18.480 --> 00:21:24.049 the Jesus way is taking effect. The Jesus way 00:21:24.049 --> 00:21:26.430 tears down those dividing walls. It brings all 00:21:26.430 --> 00:21:28.869 kinds of people, all kinds of people groups together 00:21:28.869 --> 00:21:31.750 to form the Jesus church. It does something radical 00:21:31.750 --> 00:21:35.170 that transforms the world around it. That is 00:21:35.170 --> 00:21:39.569 what the church does. It looks at society's messed 00:21:39.569 --> 00:21:41.369 up systems and it says, there's a better way. 00:21:41.930 --> 00:21:45.150 It looks at society's messed up dividers and 00:21:45.150 --> 00:21:48.240 says, we don't want those. In our Father's house, 00:21:48.480 --> 00:21:51.279 everyone is welcome. And it's not because we 00:21:51.279 --> 00:21:53.259 are so compassionate. It's not because we're 00:21:53.259 --> 00:21:56.119 so considerate and so wise. It is only because 00:21:56.119 --> 00:21:59.359 when the Jesus way is in play, the division, 00:21:59.519 --> 00:22:02.839 the oppression cannot stay. When the Spirit is 00:22:02.839 --> 00:22:06.400 working, when the Spirit is among us, there is 00:22:06.400 --> 00:22:08.900 no partiality because that's not the way of God. 00:22:09.019 --> 00:22:12.200 And so I want you to think about Peter and Cornelius 00:22:12.200 --> 00:22:16.359 as we tie it all together. These two men. These 00:22:16.359 --> 00:22:18.839 two different backgrounds, these two different 00:22:18.839 --> 00:22:23.339 visions, but now they're united under one God 00:22:23.339 --> 00:22:28.319 with one Lord and one baptism. They've been brought 00:22:28.319 --> 00:22:31.240 into one family. You see, that's what the Jesus 00:22:31.240 --> 00:22:33.740 Church looks like. It looks like a church that's 00:22:33.740 --> 00:22:36.779 not divided over all these trivial earthly matters, 00:22:36.859 --> 00:22:39.839 but rather united in the one thing that does 00:22:39.839 --> 00:22:42.500 matter, and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. 00:22:42.680 --> 00:22:44.220 And so this morning, I'm going to ask you a hard 00:22:44.220 --> 00:22:46.000 question, and I hope you think about it honestly. 00:22:47.579 --> 00:22:51.440 Who's the Gentile in your life? Who's the person 00:22:51.440 --> 00:22:54.619 that you've decided is just too different? Who 00:22:54.619 --> 00:22:57.859 you've decided is too far gone? Who's the person 00:22:57.859 --> 00:23:00.180 you've decided is not the type of person that 00:23:00.180 --> 00:23:03.380 you care to bother reaching? You know, the person 00:23:03.380 --> 00:23:05.500 that you've said, oh, somebody else can reach 00:23:05.500 --> 00:23:08.819 them. That's somebody else's demographic to reach. 00:23:10.140 --> 00:23:13.579 Who's the Gentile in your life? And I don't want 00:23:13.579 --> 00:23:16.259 you to just figure out who the Gentile is, but 00:23:16.259 --> 00:23:20.200 I want you to do something about it. I hear all 00:23:20.200 --> 00:23:21.640 the time, that was such a great sermon, that 00:23:21.640 --> 00:23:23.279 was such a great sermon, and some of it is just 00:23:23.279 --> 00:23:25.980 y 'all trying to inflate my ego or make me feel 00:23:25.980 --> 00:23:30.119 good. But when you say that, I want to say to 00:23:30.119 --> 00:23:33.920 you, okay, well, do something about it. If it 00:23:33.920 --> 00:23:36.900 was so good, if it was so convicting, go do something 00:23:36.900 --> 00:23:38.940 about it. On Monday, what does your life look 00:23:38.940 --> 00:23:41.099 like after this 30 -minute sermon on Sunday? 00:23:41.769 --> 00:23:44.029 On Tuesday, what does your life look like? What 00:23:44.029 --> 00:23:46.369 does my life look like? Has it changed? Or did 00:23:46.369 --> 00:23:48.230 I just waste 30 minutes of my life listening 00:23:48.230 --> 00:23:52.490 to somebody talk? So find your Gentile, who that 00:23:52.490 --> 00:23:56.349 person is, and then go reach them. We've got 00:23:56.349 --> 00:23:58.750 to stop hearing sermons and think, oh, that was 00:23:58.750 --> 00:24:01.789 so good, and then doing nothing. We need to respond 00:24:01.789 --> 00:24:04.490 to whatever conviction is in our heart, whatever 00:24:04.490 --> 00:24:07.170 stirring the Holy Spirit is doing, and then go 00:24:07.170 --> 00:24:13.640 be obedient. Call that person. Have a meal with 00:24:13.640 --> 00:24:17.559 them. Just talk to them. Do something to reach 00:24:17.559 --> 00:24:22.279 that person. Get on the boat and go to Nineveh. 00:24:22.880 --> 00:24:26.339 Follow these people and go to the Gentiles. Do 00:24:26.339 --> 00:24:29.380 something with this word. If you've been allowing 00:24:29.380 --> 00:24:32.400 the world to divide you. if you've been allowing 00:24:32.400 --> 00:24:34.779 the world to get in between you and those who 00:24:34.779 --> 00:24:36.859 God wants you to reach, if you've been allowing 00:24:36.859 --> 00:24:39.880 divisions to stand between you and those that 00:24:39.880 --> 00:24:42.579 God wants to be a part of his family, or if you 00:24:42.579 --> 00:24:45.839 felt like you just need to accept the call to 00:24:45.839 --> 00:24:51.079 join God's one family. Whatever it is that you 00:24:51.079 --> 00:24:52.839 need to do, however you need to respond this 00:24:52.839 --> 00:24:54.759 morning, and I know there's somebody that needs 00:24:54.759 --> 00:24:58.779 to respond because we have all, and I'm saying 00:24:58.779 --> 00:25:02.589 all, We have all been divided. We have all been 00:25:02.589 --> 00:25:06.529 resistant to the call of God. We have all tiptoed 00:25:06.529 --> 00:25:08.390 around the things that need to be said, the things 00:25:08.390 --> 00:25:11.269 that need to be done. And there are those in 00:25:11.269 --> 00:25:14.750 this room, I know they're here, who need to accept 00:25:14.750 --> 00:25:18.589 the gospel and be brought into the family of 00:25:18.589 --> 00:25:21.150 God through baptism. I know there are those among 00:25:21.150 --> 00:25:24.569 us who need prayer, that are hurting, that are 00:25:24.569 --> 00:25:28.109 carrying heavy burdens. In the Jesus Church, 00:25:28.190 --> 00:25:32.589 we pray. In the Jesus Church, we do. And so today 00:25:32.589 --> 00:25:36.089 I'm asking you, if you respond by coming forward 00:25:36.089 --> 00:25:38.750 in the invitation song or if you respond by Monday, 00:25:38.829 --> 00:25:40.809 Tuesday, the rest of the week going and reaching 00:25:40.809 --> 00:25:44.809 somebody, my plea is that you answer the invitation 00:25:44.809 --> 00:25:49.250 and do what God is calling you to do. No dividers, 00:25:49.309 --> 00:25:54.630 no separations, no barriers in the way. Just 00:25:54.630 --> 00:25:55.349 go.