In our passage today we’re going to see another divine appointment. We’ll see how God accomplished His will for His glory and the spread of the gospel to the Gentiles. We’re going to see how God orchestrates events to bring two men together by breaking down the wall of prejudice between them.
We will see God give Peter an attitude adjustment.
The main characters are Cornelius, a Roman officer, and Peter, a Jew, and one of the twelve Apostles. This is a groundbreaking chapter in the history of the church and a crucial turning point for the advancement of the gospel. Acts 10:1-33
VS2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. We learn here the character of Cornelius. The angel tells Cornelius “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.” His praying and his giving were like sweet incense to God.
Cornelius was a Gentile who worshiped the Jewish God. He was seeking God but was not yet saved.
After hearing a specific message, Cornelius calls two of his servants and a devout soldier and told them everything that had happened. Sends them to Joppa.
God could have sent the evangelist Philip he was in Caesarea at the time. Acts 8:40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea. But in His sovereignty, the Lord wanted Peter because he was a leader of the church, Peter also needed an attitude adjustment and Peter held some very important keys.
This goes back to Matthew 16:13-19 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” 14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
This idea of Peter holding the keys of the kingdom of heaven has captured the imagination (and theology) of Christians throughout the centuries.
Some people think that this means that Peter has the authority to admit people to heaven, or to keep people out of heaven. This is the basis for the popular image of Peter at the Pearly Gates of Heaven, allowing people to enter or turning them away.
Catholics think that it means that Peter was the first Pope. (Stain Glass/Statues) PIC Even, the Papal insignia of the Roman Catholic Church is made up of two prominent keys crossed together.PIC
God used Peter to unlock three doors for the gospel proclamation among three key groups of people:
- Jews (Acts 2) • Samaritans (Acts 8) • Gentiles (Acts 10)
Having prepared Cornelius to hear the gospel, God now has to prepare Peter to go and proclaim the gospel to a Gentile. But for that to happen God will have to give Peter an attitude adjustment. It would be difficult for Peter to turn this key to unlock this last door.
In VS9, “Peter went up on the housetop to pray.” “He saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. This means there were “clean” and “unclean” animals all jumbled together.
Peter was raised only to eat what was considered ceremonially clean and Kosher. Abstaining from unclean animals was part of his Jewish heritage and identity and to do otherwise would have been offensive to him. He would have been repulsed by all the unclean animals touching the clean ones.
Peter hears a voice VS13: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” Peter pushes back in a big way: Vs14 “Surely not, Lord!” “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” Peter knows it’s the Lord, but he says no way. We should never say “no” and “Lord” at the same time.
It’s helpful to understand the tension that existed between Jew and Gentile. If a Jew went into a Gentile country, they would “shake the dust” off their feet before returning to Israel because Gentile dirt was considered defiled. If milk was drawn from a cow by Gentile hands, a Jew could not drink. No Jew would ever eat with a Gentile.
I love how gracious God is with Peter as the voice comes a second time in: VS15 “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
Verse 16 tells us this happened 3 times, and then was taken up to heaven.
It’s difficult for us to grasp how big a deal this was for Peter. This was a crossroads moment for Peter.
Here we see God’s sovereign timing once again. At the exact time Peter is wondering what the vision meant, the men who were sent by Cornelius” stood at the gate and asked if this was the place where Peter was staying.
Peter needed some help processing this so: VS19-20 “..the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. 20 So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”
In verse 23, we see Peter is beginning to let his prejudices go: Vs23 “Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.” Normally Jews would never invite Gentiles into their homes.
The next day he headed to Caesarea with some brothers from Joppa who would serve as witnesses and for accountability. The following day they arrived in Caesarea: “Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.”
Jews believed they would become unclean if they ever entered a Gentile’s house, Peter goes in and finds himself in a crowded room full of gentiles.
Then Peter makes a statement about how God has adjusted his attitude: Vs28-29 He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?”
Cornelius repeats his story: Vs33 “Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.” (REMOVE KEY)
Acts 10:34-48
Peter gives them the Key. The Key represents the TRUTH-the GOSPEL-the fact that Jesus is the messiah, the Son of the living God and upon that Jesus will build His Church……
Laodicea Revelation 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
John 10:9 “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved,..”
ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT/THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM
Give it out 100 times and yet it always remains…
The church is like the linen sheet – we’re filled with all races, ethnicities and political parties and one day will be raptured up to heaven.
Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
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