God did it...

 “Adventure at Caesarea” (concluded)

(Acts 11:1-18, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, April 15, 2012)

[11:1] 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.”

Good news travels fast, but in churches that are operating more on traditions than on the Spirit-directed love of the Scriptures, good news can sound like bad news to many. Was it good news that the Gentiles had received the Word of God? Not to many Jewish believers in Jesus who had assumed that while Jesus was the only gate to heaven, Judaism was the only gateway to Jesus.

When they heard that Gentiles, non-Jews, had received the Word of God without first becoming Jews, they were alarmed, and they were ready to convict Peter of heresy. Of course, they were wrong, but they were sure they were right. To us, so many centuries later, it seems shocking that the church was so slow to understand that Jesus was for the nations without the nations having to become Jews before they could have Jesus. They did not see it in the Old Testament Scriptures, though it was there. They did not see the hints of it in Jesus' own ministry. They did not understand it in the Great Commission. They did not appreciate it in the gift of languages at Pentecost. They did not see it in what the Lord had said about Saul of Tarsus. Even Peter did not get it without a vision from heaven about eating “unclean” food, and that given three times.

[4] But Peter began and explained it to them in order: [5] “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. [6] Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. [7] And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ [8] But I said, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ [9] But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common.’ [10] This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. [11] And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. [12] And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. [13] And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; [14] he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ [15] 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?”

But finally Peter did get it. At long last. Now what? His former colleagues were ready to turn him in for not being sufficiently Jewish. How would he respond to this challenge? I can tell you how ministers respond to this kind of criticism in the flesh. First, they get their feelings hurt. They are trying to serve the Lord. They feel like they have given up everything. Now people they had expected to be for them are against them. They get insulted, and they sulk, they lash out, they complain, and they hope that the problem will go away.

This is not the recommended way to respond. It is also inconsistent with the gospel that we joyfully confess, and the Savior that we truly love.

Peter takes a different approach, an orderly and godly approach. He decides that it is all about God and not himself. He is willing to expose his own difficulty in coming to this truth. He then brings forward the facts of what the Lord did to enlighten him, to help him to break out of what he had once thought was a seemingly undeniable fact, that Jews don't eat with non-Jews.

In explaining how Peter came to eat with Gentiles, Peter lets God be the main character in the story. God gave Peter the vision. God spoke from heaven, rebuking Peter. The Almighty One brought the representatives from Cornelius at just the right time. The Holy Spirit told Peter to go with these men, making no distinction between Jews and Gentiles. It was an angel of God who had appeared to Cornelius and instructed him to send for Peter. It was the Holy Spirit that had fallen upon them in a shocking second Pentecost experience when Peter began to speak to this assembly of Gentile hearers. It was Jesus, the Son of God, who had prepared Peter for this moment by saying, “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

It was only after presenting all this relevant God evidence, that Peter made the logical conclusion that would demolish his previous incorrect ethical absolute that there was no way that a Jew should enter the house of a non-Jew. He said, “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?” Even in this final point, Peter makes God the focus. Who are we to stand in God's way.

[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.”

This is the way to honor the Lord, and to diffuse objections when people are overwhelmed with challenges to their belief system. Don't make it about you. Don't get your feelings hurt. What has the Lord said? What has the Lord done? What has the Lord made clear? Let this be much more important to you than your own being right, or your own intelligence, or your own spirituality.

Let God make His case in the obvious facts that will persuade someone who loves the Lord. Be patient if you come under attack. Tell the truth. Honor God. Perhaps the Lord will change the minds of those who believe that you are wrong. It happened here. The people who heard Peter glorified God. They forgot about Peter because of the shining light of the good news of what the Lord had done. “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

Repentance and faith are wonderful gifts of God. Peter did not give these gifts to give to anyone. Neither has any minister of the gospel since his day. Only the Lord can grant them. Whenever He gives repentance and faith, we should rejoice. We should focus on what God has done.

This is not only true of the beginning of the Christian life. It is just as true for every step along the way to glory. God not only brought Gentiles into true contact with His Son through the power of the Holy Spirit. He further healed some Jewish hearts that day, beginning with Peter, and then continuing on to those who had been alarmed when they heard the report that Peter had eaten with non-Jews.

The same Lord is among us today. He still brings forth fresh water for us from the Rock of Jesus Christ. Are you perfectly glorified? I am not. We should expect that God, who drew us mercifully to Himself and who first granted to us repentance unto life, will continue to grant us faith and repentance until Jesus comes again. Praise God, from whom all blessings flow!

1. What was the concern of certain Jews who heard about what happened at Caesarea?

2. How did Peter address their concerns?

3. What was the response of the Jews who listened to Peter's explanation?

4. What are the implications of this potential conflict and its resolution for us?

OT Passage: Exodus 17:1-7