Peter's Vision / God Shows No Partiality (Acts 10)

Thank you for listening to this message from the ministry of Morse Corner Church in Leverett, Massachusetts. Morse Corner is a non-denominational church that is committed to the preaching and teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our church was founded in 1896 by two students of the famous evangelist D .L. Moody. We seek to encourage and edify the body of Christ through the proclamation of God's word through the ministries of the local church.

If you'd like more information, visit our website morsecornerchurch .com. We hope you enjoy the message. Acts chapter 10, we're going to read this in a moment. What's the sermon about? Not being straightforward about the gospel, not living in line with our beliefs.

Peter's Vision and the Meaning of Clean and Unclean

God is going to change Peter's mind here in Acts chapter 10. Because Peter still struggled with this old behavior, this prejudice against the Gentiles. And you know what God's going to do? He's going to use a Roman officer to help change his mind.

God has a sense of humor about these things. Look at Acts 10 starting in verse 1. There was a certain man from Caesarea, or in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment.

A devout man and one who feared God with all his household. Who gave alms generously to the people and prayed to God always. About the ninth hour of the day, he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, Cornelius.

And when he observed him, he was afraid and said, what is it, Lord? So he said to him, your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa and send for Simon, whose surname is Peter.

So Cornelius, a Roman officer in the military, he's a Gentile. He does not yet know the gospel. We would say that at this moment, Cornelius is not a saved man. But God sees his heart. In some ways, he is living in line with the gospel.

God is doing a work in this man's heart. He does believe in God. He just doesn't have the fullness of the truth. He's a work in progress. Peter, on the other hand, has the truth. Peter is saved. But Peter is a work in progress.

He needs the fullness of the truth. So God is going to open both of their eyes just in different ways. Look at Acts chapter 10, verse 9. The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray about the sixth hour.

And he became very hungry and wanted to eat. But while they made ready, he fell into a trance. And he saw heaven opened in an object like a great sheet, bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth.

In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And a voice came to him, Rise, Peter, kill and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord. I love that.

God tells him something, and he's, Not so, Lord. Jesus, I'm going to die and be put to death and rise again the third day. That's not going to happen to you. Just a newsflash. It's not a good idea to tell God he's wrong.

It's not a good idea to rebuke the Son of God. It's not a good idea to say, Not so, Lord. And yet that's what he does. So the Lord says to Peter, Rise, kill and eat. And Peter says, Not so, Lord, for I have never eaten anything common or unclean.

Well, that's true because Peter was brought up under the old covenant with the dietary laws given to Moses. So there were certain foods, certain animals that Peter could not eat. But you know what? That's just the object lesson here.

This really isn't about food. It's about people. Because the whole purpose of the dietary laws was to keep the Jews separate from the Gentiles. Keep the Jews separate from the heathen. How so? Well, the Jews had a different diet.

You know, people come together over food, don't they? So the Jews, they had a different diet. They would dress differently. They cut their hair differently. And all of those distinctions were to clearly separate them from everybody else.

You know, it's kind of like an Amish person. If you drive to Pennsylvania and you see someone who's Amish, you don't have to ask them. You just look at them and you know. Right? Sunday afternoon one time I went to the supermarket after church.

And I pulled into the parking lot and I saw coming out of the Chinese restaurant a man dressed in a coat and a tie, and a woman with a skirt all the way down to her ankles. I mean I knew they had just come from some sort of religious service.

Sometimes you just know. Jehovah's Witnesses are really conservative Baptists or something. But sometimes you just know just by looking at someone. I don't mean to say that in a derogatory way, but sometimes you just know.

But that was the point of God giving these rules and restrictions to the Jews. So that it would be obvious it's us and everybody else. We are not like everybody else. What was the purpose ultimately though?

That they would be a shining example. To show the world that they loved God and they served God and they were different. Unfortunately they became like everyone else. The heathen were godless. But the Jews over time they became godless too.

But they kept on some of those outward things. They retained the differences. And then they started taking pride in the differences. I mean dressing up on Sunday is great. But if you start looking down on others because they don't.

That's the problem. So the point is this is the way Peter was. He retained these differences. Hey I don't eat what the Gentiles eat. And it made him feel superior. Peter thought he was better than the Gentiles.

Have you ever felt that way? Well I'm a Christian. I'm better than all of them. You better check your heart. Because if it wasn't for the grace of God. You'd be in the exact same situation that they're in.

So Peter he turns up his nose to the animals. He's really turning his nose up to the people. God's got to deal with that. Look at verse 15. And a voice spoke to him again the second time. What God has cleansed you must not call common.

And this was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again. Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision was. Which he had seen what it meant. Behold two men had been sent from Cornelius.

And had made inquiry for Simon's house. And stood before the gate. So Peter he doesn't really get it. He knows something's going on. But he doesn't really understand. And in fairness, you know, sometimes it takes us a little while.

To understand what God is trying to tell us. The gospel has implications. We may say a prayer or confess faith in Christ. We may get baptized and join a church. But the gospel is to be lived out. Continuously lived out.

So what are the areas of our life that God is trying to change? God has brought people in situations into our life. To show us, maybe not in a vision. But to show us what we need to change. And we, like Peter, sometimes we don't see it.

Or we don't want to see it. Well thankfully Peter figured it out. Look at verse 18. And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there. And while Peter thought about the vision, the spirit said to him, Behold, three men are seeking you.

Arise therefore, go down and go with them. Doubting nothing, for I have sent them. And then they explained the situation. How an angel has sent this Gentile to him. And then Peter, he's starting to make some connections.

So Peter agrees to meet with them. Skip down to verse 24. And the following day they entered Caesarea. And now Cornelius was waiting for them. And had called together his relatives and close friends. As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshipped him.

But Peter lifted him up saying, Stand up. I myself am also a man. Now why did he do this? Because only God is to be worshipped. So Peter acknowledges, Hey, don't get down on your hands and knees and worship me.

Get up. Get up. I'm just a man. So that's a good sign. Peter isn't trying to exalt himself above Cornelius. You know, don't worship me. And he doesn't say, Okay, you can kiss my ring. But you know, don't worship me.

There's nothing like that going on here. Peter is picking up on the message. He's growing. He's humble. He's not stiff-necked. Look at verse 27. And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together.

Then he, that is Peter, said to them, You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or to go to one of another nation. But God has shown me. Here it is. God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

So Peter got the message. It's not really about food. It's not that this food is unclean. I'm not to call any man unclean. So this is the message that the Lord was trying to show the early church, that there is neither Jew nor Greek.

There is neither slave nor free. There is neither male nor female. We are all one in Christ Jesus. We are unified. And there cannot be any divisions and pitting one group against another. Jesus is the Savior of all men.

That's the good news of the Gospel. So do you see now why in Galatians 2 it was so inconsistent with the Gospel for Peter to act like he wanted nothing to do with the Gentiles. You can say, I believe.

I believe Jesus. I believe in Jesus. But then when your deeds are not in line with what He's telling you to do, that's an inconsistency. Look at verse 34. And then Peter opened his mouth and said, In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.

But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ, He is Lord of all. That word you know which was proclaimed throughout all Judea and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached.

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil. For God was with Him. And we are witnesses of all things which He did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem whom they killed by hanging on a tree.

Him God raised up the third day and showed Him openly. Not to all the people but to witnesses chosen before God. Even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be the judge of the living and the dead.

To Him all the prophets witnessed that through His name whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins. And while Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon those who heard the word and those of the circumcision who believed were astonished.

As many as came with Peter. Why? Because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. Right now let's go back to Galatians chapter 2 and this is where we will close. That's why it was so grievous for Peter to separate himself from the Gentiles.

Because he was not living out the gospel and he knew better. He knew better. Even before Paul understood this, even before Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles, Peter got it first. Peter understood it first.

And yet at times he failed to live up to it because that old sinner, that old man kept making an appearance. And perhaps that's why over the next few chapters of the book of Acts, Peter no longer is the main character.

Peter is not the man that God is primarily working in and through. Who is it? Paul. Why is it Paul? Probably because Paul more consistently lived out the gospel. So as we close, what can we learn from this message?

We are not only to believe the gospel, we are to live the gospel. The gospel of Jesus Christ has widespread implications that filter down to every area of our life. Thanks for listening. I'm Pastor Michael Grant from Morris Cornick Church.

If you'd like to listen to the complete message or if you'd like more information about the ministry, visit our website, MorrisCornickChurch .com. And we'd love to have you join us some Sunday morning here in Leverett.

Until next time, may the grace of God be with you.