The End of Pride and Predjudice, [Part 1]

Pastor author and Bible teacher Alan Wright hero was up all because these foods were detestable to him. Never once tasted. Never would even think of such a thing and other sources and rise of any and he says no. 47.

Every unclean food and God spoke to him and said I have made clean. Do not Alan Wright excited for you to hear the teaching today. In the series Limited is presented at renewal, the church, North Carolina are not able to stay with us throughout the entire to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now could be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright as you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact us at pastoralan.org Pastor Alan.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860. More on this later in the program right now.

Let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright got pretty good. God is not prejudiced, which means that he's not only perfectly fair but is perfectly inclined to bless anyone and everyone regardless of age and race and gender, ethnicity, or social stand.

There is no partiality, and today we are continuing in a series that I'm just loving being in in the book of acts, just marching through the book of acts chapter by chapter and where in chapter 10 again today really, the sequel to last week. We're going to look at a chunk of Scripture. But I want to began with just these two verses that are the focal point today.

Acts 1034 and 35 Peter opened his mouth and said, truly, I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. No partiality in every nation. Many every color scan every F density every spoken language. Every culture God is an acceptor of persons and that's what were going to learn about for our own lives as well. Well with some apologies for kind of bait and switch on the title today. I've entitled this message the end of pride and prejudice, but less some of the men get too excited about me giving you some way out of ever watching this chick flick again.

That's not actually what this is about today. I don't have a times I've seen the pride and prejudice. I have a wife and a daughter. I think they would watch it endlessly and some of the men would like a way out of it is actually a classic is either classic book of Jane Austen.

Although Mark Twain in his usual satirical way said of Jane Austen said any library would be a good library if it had no volume of Jane Austen's even if it had no other book and it is actually the classic tale of love and well pride and prejudice that have to be overcome if truelove is going to be discovered and embraced because where there is pride. If you think you're better than someone or prejudice where you think you know everything about someone, then there is going to be distance and there's going to be broken. This, but when we let go of pride and prejudice. That's where real relationships happen. Someone talk plainly about this, especially this matter, prejudice, and sometimes you know it just got beat be playing in and out of those chuckling. Remember the story of a minister young minister moved to a rural community that was a logging community and there are two or three competing logging companies in the area. People in his church work for one of those and it was at a river and it was back in the old days they send the logs down the river. They brand the end of it with their company and it and he looked down at the Riverside one day and saw some parishioners and own church, much is horror were down there and they were pulling the logs out of the river. The work being sent down by another company. Cutting the end of the logoff would had the brand of the other company on and stealing them and rebranding them themselves. He was appalled at this great sand that was going on amongst his own people, so he came and decide his own preacher, real pointed sermon about this next week and he came in he said the title of my message is. Thou shalt not lie and he sat down and looked at the very people been stealing the logs and rebranding them and those same people walked out of the end of the service and said good message pastor you really told him today and he said well that didn't work he looked down and saw him stealing again that week came back the next week is gonna make this even more direct and he*said the title of today's message is. Thou shalt not steal a look right of those people he breaks his heart out and at the end of the message, they cannot they say good message pastor you really told him today and they Stealing law so he thought and prayed about it next week. He steadily said the title of today's message is. Thou shalt not steal thy neighbors logs and cut the end off and rebrand the measure we have to do is be pretty direct and I think especially in this day is really important we be direct about this.

There's no place for prejudice in the Christian's heart or anyone's heart what I want to show you is how powerful it is when you let go of prejudice and I want to just keep pointing to this that every social effort that we make. That's good. I'm for, but that and serve for racial discord and answer for racism is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In this chapter. Acts chapter 10 is much as any place in the Scripture shows you why this chapter of Scripture is not just pivotal in the apostle Peter's life is not just pivotal in the New Testament, not just pivotal in the Bible, but this chapter of Scripture. If pivotal in human history.

In a very real sense you and I everyone who's not Jewish, would not be here today except for what happened in acts chapter 10 we were there last week Sunday to build a recap of the first part of acts chapter 10 so Peter, who we know and love the disciple who had denied Jesus three times. But Jesus loved him and that Peter had been there long with others at Pentecost and they'd seen the Holy Spirit be poured out in their midst and they were preaching the gospel and talking to everyone with in the amongst the Hebrew people, but this big change happen because Peter has a vision that corresponds with a vision that God gives to an Italian soldier, a Roman sin sure in name Cornelius and Cornelius is we call it GQ the Jews be called a Gentile because Gentile is means not Jewish, as a Gentile who lives in the seaside city of Caesarea. Beautiful place to King Herod had built. He oversees 100 troops and is well respected Cornelius unusually is not Jewish. He is a man of prayer and the Scripture said that he prayed and he gave almost to the poor and that his prayers had risen as a memorial to got they'd risen his prayers, as compared to like incense that the priests burned the temple the debris then is was like God breathed in the prayers of this Gentile Roman centurion Cornelius. So Cornelius was seeking God will God sent an angel in a vision to Cornelius and told him to send some of his men down 30 miles south to another coastal town Joppa and define a man named Simon who is called Peter. That's our apostle Peter, and to bring him because there was something God wanted to say through Peter will while those men are traveling down to Joppa. Peter goes up on the rooftop of the house where he's staying with Tanner name Simon coincidentally and he goes up on the rooftop at noon to pray and while he is praying. He gets hungry. So he's thinking about what he like to eat and somebody downstairs in the kitchen. Some some Jewish mother down there fix a nice kosher meal and by kosher we mean in accord with all the Jewish dietary laws and customs.

The book of Leviticus spelled out some special dietary restrictions for the Jewish people, most famously, they don't eat pork, but there a lot of other animals they don't eat as well. It's all specified in is very important important part of Jewish culture. It was God's way of saying your distinct people in three times a day when you eat your meal. I want you remember you're not like everybody else has some health benefits to the dietary laws, but more than anything. It was to point out the distinctiveness of this people, so Peter had ever had a barbecue sandwich in his life right will have more teaching moment from today's important series inspiration and practical help to grasp is that in conjunction with the exciting really surpassed Allen's new book, the power to classically put together some tools to get you started on the journey of speaking life empowering the people you that the toolkit includes an idea message of Pastor Alan's recent sermon on the mysterious blessing from them the marks at the gateway to understanding the power of all blessing also included in the kit is appropriately a list of scriptures that can be spoken directly as blessings blessing Scripture soprano glycine can easily access them for specific situations when you make your gift right ministries this month will happily send you the power to bless toolkit is our way of saying thanks for your partnership resources are available for immediate digital download or available in CD and a quick partner with and be inspired and equipped to bless someone's life to the gospel is shared when you get to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you get today. We will send you a special offer.

We are happy to send this to you as I thanks from Alan Wright Ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastoralan.org. Today's teaching now once again is greater. Every net unclean and and he's up on the roof and he's hungry you think about what they're fixing for lunch downstairs and he has a vision and God sends in this vision actually three times what he wants to make the point that your Peter gets his is a vision in which he sees is caught up in the spirit and he sees this very vividly. A big sheet like a sale from a boat that Peter would be familiar with and is being lowered down by four corners to the earth huge and on it, all kinds of unclean animals. The kind that Peter had never eaten, never would think of eating and a voice spoke to said rise up and eat.

Peter was appalled because these foods were detestable to him. Never once tasted pork never would think of such a thing and other sources and rise up and eat and he says no. 47 never eaten unclean food and God spoke to him and said what I have made clean. Do not call common three times this happened to get this point across. Because in thinkable for Peter to eat unclean food, but God was setting him up for what will you learn about today because what God really wanted them to see was that there are certain people that he was supposed to avoid either because just as much as Peter avoiding eating pork. He also avoided associating with anybody that one Jewish Jewish people didn't go into the homes or live with Gentiles. They tried to remain completely distinct from that they thought this was what God wanted and is will discuss today. There was a lot of misunderstanding about the heart of God in this they were a holy people and they consider the Gentiles, but God is getting ready to send the gospel through Peter to Gentiles, so to set it all up. He started with the vision of Peter and these clean, unclean animals.

He says you can eat and now Peter is brought by brought out from Joppa by Cornelius his servants to come to Cornelius's house and goes into a Gentiles house and were going to pick up and read through the rest of the story started.

Acts 10 adverse 25 acts 10 verse 25.

Here's exactly what happened when Peter entered. Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him, but Peter lifted him up, said stand up.

I too am a man and as he talked with them.

He went in goes in this Gentiles house and found many persons gather to lots of Gentiles. Cornelius his family and he's just brought all the neighbors are probably other soldiers. There is a big crowd in the house.

I said to them, you yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation set walked in the house. He said you know because I now knew this, the Jews didn't associate with. It is not lawful for me to do this, he said, but he said, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. The world get Ray to change because of this writer. So when I was sent for. I came without objection.

I asked then fly you sent for me and Cornelius responded to him adverse 33 Cornelius said I sent for you at once and you been kind enough to come now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord said we want to hear what you got to say.

Obviously, God is not a miracle to make this happen so you couldn't have a group of people more full of expectancy in this group of Gentiles that knew nothing of Jesus and yet they want to hear what is and what follows start in verse 34 is the first Christian sermon to non-Jews.

Peter open his mouth and set truly. I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears and does what's right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ is Lord of all, you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea beginning from galley after the baptism that Jesus proclaimed how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power and went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with them were witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem they put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear. Not all people, but to us who have been chosen by God as witnesses who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead, and he commanded us to preach to the people and testified that he is the one appointed by God to be the judge of the living and the dead. And Jesus preaches just tell them about Jesus and what happens is this glorious miracle in verse 44 while Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word you just start talking about Jesus and the Holy Spirit fell upon the Gentiles and the believers from among the circumcised who come with Peter. That's amongst the Jews. They were amazed, amazed.

You can even imagine what they felt like because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles, for they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God exactly what happened to them at Pentecost and Peter declared. Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have any commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and then they asked him to remain for some days. After that were just not that the Holy Spirit had come upon the Gentiles.

Their whole understanding of life of people and of the world.

All of it changed that day. It was the end of all pride and prejudice in this regard for them in the change the world. So I want to focus in our attention on this verse that there's no partiality in God but I want to start with Peter open his mouth and said truly understand because I think this means more than what we think of when we hear the English word understand. It comes from two Greek prefix caca, which means coming down like in the sense of something from above. It comes down so that gives the idea of some transcendent that then moves downward into us and it also lumbar know that means receive or take so literally. This is like the taking into from something that you receive.

So it means like to grasp what previously was beyond someone or to realize the truth that previously was not known well know what we mean when we say the light turned on for me, it dawned on. I came to understand this is like saying there was something of massive importance that I had not understood and then I came to understand. It's like saying I woke up to a reality that I've been missing where woke is this is slaying it means being attuned to the social, especially racial issues are going on someone's woke someone is tuned in to to all of these issues. He was awakened to something that he hadn't previously known that that's the context of same. I now realize that there is no reason to say that God is just for the people of Israel, Helen Wright, today's good news message. The end from our series and unlimited and pastorate out of his back with us in the studio, sharing our parting good news thought for the day. Just a moment of inspiration and practical help to grasp is that in conjunction with the exciting release of Pascal in his new book the power of the last put together some tools to get you started on the journey of speaking life empowering the people you that the toolkit includes an idea message of Pastor Alan's recent sermon on the mysterious blessing FM marks the gateway to understanding the power of all blessing also included in the kit is a booklet with a list of scriptures that can be spoken directly as blessings, blessing scriptures and product pricing can easily access them for specific situations when you make your gift right ministries this month will happily send you the power to bless toolkit is our way of saying thanks for your partnership resources are available for immediate digital download or available in CD and a quick partner with us and be inspired and equipped to bless someone's life to the gospel is shared when you get to Alan Wright Ministries.

This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you get today.

We will send you a special offer. We are happy to send this to you as I thanks from Alan Wright Ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor.org accurate test rally and reporting good news thought for the day. By the way the series written is unlimited and there's a lot to unpack your and that if we close out here plays a bookmark in this teaching the in the pride and prejudice will be leaving with folks will God through the Holy Spirit can open up your eyes to what you had not seen before and it really means is there's an invitation to what we might call from a sociological point, a paradigm shift, but to see something totally different in the way out of our pride in the way out of our prejudices is by the same grace that God showed us in the coming of Christ in the first place. And so we pray for our listeners. Every one of you today that the eyes your heart would be opened so that you could see from God's perspective and when you do. I think humility and follows and our judgments melt. Visit us online pastorate Alan.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860 if you only caught part of today's teaching. Not only can you listen again online but also get a daily email devotional that matches today's teaching right to your email inbox free.

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