Look Who Moved Out (Part 5)

The gospel of tolerance.

It's about the only gospel is being tolerated today. In fact, it is preached in schools and corporations and governments. And yes, even in some churches, but in most cases it is a distortion of the real meaning of that word tolerance. It is at best, riddled with hypocrisy and with falsehoods for when you force every regenerative heart to be tolerant is going to tolerate you without gritting his teeth because the Christian gospel in the gospel of Jesus Christ goes far beyond the so-called tolerance and explained that in a minute but I find what's more disturbing to me that many Christians have either been intimidated by that false gospel or their altogether and silenced by that false gospel instead of taking part in exposing its falsehood. Tolerance of course in its proper definition is the respect of others whom I have a different belief system but the Christian gospel goes far deeper than that.

They goes far deeper than just tolerance.

The Christian gospel goes deeper. Beyond that classical definition. The Christian gospel says that Christian love everyone and even serves those who differ from him public people we love them and that is why this new gospel of Satan, which is what I call, it's my own words must be confronted by believers lovingly, thoughtfully, gingerly, but must be confronted only give you some example of the deceptiveness of this gospel of tolerance.

For example, today you can have all sorts of clubs in public schools except Bible clubs, political leaders, when they go on speaking chapels of traditionally Christians, universities and school. They insist on covering the crosses in these chapels. And yet, by the same token, when they got Islamic mosques. They take their shoes off and they treat that place with reverence, hypocrisy, hypocrisy.

That's what tolerance is as full of hypocrisy in 1995, a Massachusetts judge ruled that you can distribute condoms in schools but not Bibles is what he said let me read it. Patient parents have no right to tailor public school programs to meet their individual moral or religious preferences is been going downhill ever since.

In the media today.

You can ask Russell expound the virtue of any religion or any group except the Christian faith. But sadly, the response of so many Christians is either to crawl into a hole or binder that false gospel. The true Christians are called upon to pursue the truth. Whatever the truth may lead them and the truth is this. We are called to love all people, but never condone the wrong things we are called to love all people, but not their destructive lifestyles.

We are called to love all people, but not at the expense of abandoning what is right and embracing what is wrong. We are called upon to love all people, but not to compromise our convictions in order to be accepted by society and today I am going to show you an example of how the Christian faith by a special revelation from God is the truly the gospel of love for others regardless what their background is, regardless of whether the company regardless of the differences between us. In fact, we are called by God to move out. In this example here that with which I'll conclude this series and ask chapter 10 and I hope you turn with me already in your Bibles is the greatest example of moving out of one's prejudices is moving out of the real stereotyping of people of moving out of our comfort level. In fact, had Peter not moved out of his situation the Christian religion would be today a small Jewish sect. We saw how the Lord Jesus Christ himself. In the last message bridge the gap between Jews and Samaritans who are half Jews have gentleness later on in the book of acts chapter 8, there you find Philip and Peter and John go into Samaria for all the people who follow Jesus and they declared his death and resurrection, and the coming of the Holy Spirit and the Samaritan got filled with the Holy Spirit and ask chapter 8 and the here the biggest golf was really between Jews and Gentiles. And here, only Jesus and his gospel could bridge the gulf that separated those two people if Jews detested the Samaritans limited value, they passionately hated the Gentiles. It really did, and this is why I'm telling you this is a moving out of all moving outs.

This moving out of Peter was so drastic of a challenge to Jewish believers that God chose the chief apostle himself to be the one to do it because otherwise it would never have gone anywhere and regardless how gracious he was so gracious in preparing Peter's heart for this task.

For this radical moving out of his comfort zone. Listen Peter came a long way in accepting Samaritans as brothers in Christ and here is really going to go the full way by accepting Gentiles to be his brothers in Christ. Let me just tell you a few things about how drastic a move that was annoying kind of modern culture today. We can't even comprehend how incredible this is on the part of Peter C. Jews did not only hate Gentiles. They actually had nothing to do with. In fact, they would never be guests in the Gentiles home in Nunavut dream of inviting a Gentile into the house. Even the dust that is in the land of Gentile country was considered to be defiling and that's why they had to really get rid of the dust before entering back into Jewish territory and that's what the saying you shake the dust off your feet come from Jews would ever eat food that was prepared by Gentiles. In fact, cooking utensils, when there were purchased from Gentile countries had to be purified before they used in Jewish homes. The bottom line Gentiles were considered unclean, and their presence is considered to be defiling toward you and talk about moving out of your comfort zone moving out of your stereotype.

Cornelius was an Italian captain of the Roman army was a God-fearing and he was a generous man but God prepared him to by sending him an angel, just as Peter who walked with the Lord for three years had to be prepared so as Cornelius just think with me about the timing of all of this just the timing.

It tells you so much about God and the character of God in the way God works like very few places and the reason I'm telling you to focus on the timing of God is because if you're anything like me, you must have got frustrated with God's timing.

At some point hello can I get a witness on and listen I know from our life.

Many times I got exasperated with God's timing. I really have and I know if you're anything like me, many times you just wish that God's timing was on your timing and of God gets in my program I will be in business, but he doesn't really doesn't. He is never one second late and is never one second Ehrlich is always on time.

I know this is hard to accept the part take to heart. You see it here at the moment, Peter Walker from his trance Cornelius soldiers were knocking on the door meant if they arrived early Peter would've said no way, José had to arrive late. Peter would've had time to think about an essay while I wonder whether that was just not a nightmare. It wasn't a vision from God is a nightmare. Not only that, but by the time Peter arrives in Cornelius's house. All of the hearths were prepared go prepared to hear the gospel there prepared to obey the gospel.

Everything worked according to plan God's plan. The faster we understand this thing about God's timing. The faster we save ourselves a whole lot of heartburn.

We would save ourselves whole lot of false anxiety. We would save ourselves great deal of unnecessary fears and apprehensions. We would save ourselves a whole lot of panic and pain. I know this is true in my own life. I know that whenever I tried to beat down the closed door and I'll try few of those whenever I tried to force an issue before it's time. Whenever I try to jump into spiritual warfare without preparation.

I get clobbered every time every time never misses. But when I trusted in God's timing when I trusted in God's preparation of what I trusted God's sovereign plan. I always got the victory.

Can I get a witness in look at asked and if you haven't already. There are three things I want to tell you very quickly you see three things. First received in the first. In verses God is preparing Cornelius his heart and then in the next 10 verses 9 to 20 God is preparing Peter's heart and then the last 20 verses God is preparing the hearts of the entire household. First, the preparation of Cornelius not I often tell people that the best of us may be able to work on one or two. Three fronts at the center of very few of us now know, probably some of your so brilliant he can work from four or five different NASCAR multitasking but listen God is working on thousands of fronts all at the same time he really is okay he is working on what is impact for your life who loves you enough to do that. He is working and what is impact full of your future which you can see he is working on what is impactful to your loved ones. He is working on what is impactful for his kingdom at large is working on all those fronts all at the same time for his glory for your good. Cornelius was a God-fearing, but he was not a full convert to Judaism.

He has not been through the rite of circumcision, and in the language of today would say he was a genuine inquiry about the truth he was a genuine seeker of the truth, but he was not a convert yet in the Bible is very clear that when you seek after God will find him if you genuinely seek the truth, you gonna run smack into Jesus and that is why Jesus said seek and you shall find. Cornelius had 100 soldiers under him under his command, and history tells us that Roman soldiers hated Jews and Jews return the favor. But not Cornelius.

This man sought to humble himself before the God of heaven Jehovah Yahweh God did not was not polytheistic and worshiping many gods, like most Romans he worship the one true God, and God responded to his humility, he sought to financially support the work of God and God always has a soft spot for generous people, he sought to live up to the little amount of light that he had and that was not wasted on God. He sought to live up to the limited knowledge of God that he had. And God remembered his generosity to God responded to his inquiring heart by sending an angel. Look at verse four now as you look at this incident when he confronted with an angel. I want to tell you the portrayal of angels that comes out of Hollywood will be in the movies or television is utterly and completely and without a shadow of doubt false did you get that is false portrayal of angels they really didn't have a clue what an angel is only show here in verse four, waterfalls and portrayal is angels must be very fearsome creatures. So much so that this veteran battle hardened soldier like Cornelius. He was terrified when he saw an angel every time an angel appeared in the Bible. He says fear not. Why, because when you see that creature you. You must be terrified. See angels are not fat babies with wings they really not. It's a figment of the imagination of an Italian artist years ago a friend of mine in Australia used to call his wife Andrew, knowing as I do the scriptural understanding of angels as it what you call your wife.

Angel, I love you.

She was terrifying and was something he said no no no no no. Is it she's always up in the clouds hopping on something wrong perception of angels, but there's something here.

I don't want you to miss the angel whom God sent to Cornelius. He could've preached the gospel message to Cornelius right on the spot cleaner. He could've told him all about the gospel and he could've manners early in the state of terror. He was a young area. Whatever you say.

But God always use human instruments. God always uses you and God will soften the hearts of those to whom he sends you and God will always prepare the heart of those whom he sent to you, but he always wants you to open your mouth. God wanted Peter to see firsthand how a full blown Gentiles can be converted to Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit. Why is that important, very important.

Listen to me when the Holy Spirit came to dwell on the earth for the first time ever is in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit would come on Sampson or somebody do the work of God then goes back to heaven. But the Holy Spirit of God came on the day of Pentecost to dwell in believers while on the upper room door. All Jews are Jewish believers. When the Holy Spirit came and saw the Holy Spirit came a second time in the book of acts chapter 8 when the Harvard Jews have Gentiles become believers and it fell upon the Samaritans and here as if it were God is closing the circle and for the first time the Holy Spirit came and dwelt upon the Gentiles. Cornelius and his household finally dresses okay with this. The gospel is for everyone of every ethnic group of every tongue of every nation of everyone in the world and this and that's why the mission of leading the way is all about. We take the gospel to every dark corner on the globe with a B, radio, television, Internet, whichever way we can get in there were get in there so that everyone, as Jesus said, toward the end, the gospel will be preached to the ends of the earth.

That's what Jesus asked us to do so he prepared Cornelius his heart. Secondly, he prepared Peter's heart by a dream. Had the Lord prepared Cornelius but not Peter. It would've been a different story. Right now, had Cornelius soldiers arrived without Peter being prepared, he would have resisted the soldier's invitation, but the Lord showed Peter by a special revelation during his trance while he was napping before the meal he show him a vision of a sheet that has a lot of food that's not kosher food and he basically wanted them to go from food to people. There's a double meaning here because the Jews consider those types of food to be unclean. Just as I consider the Gentiles to be unclean as it is telling to Peter and his dream. Peter, I am setting the Gentiles aside to be for my glory and they're going to be equal partners in my kingdom Peter as a faithful Jew who only ate kosher food was disturbed and that's why God had to repeat it three times, but he wanted Peter to leap from food to people Peter had never entered into a house of a Gentile, let alone spend the night just get that Cornelius is a proud Roman Capt. soldier would never in his wildest imagination kneel before a lowly Jew but here's the unmistakable truth when God is at work prejudice melt away when God is at work all hatred is all it will dissolve all animosity will be no more.

When God is at work, you will do the undoable. When God is at work, you will go whenever you thought you could ever go before this forcing an unregenerate heart to be tolerant, is no more possible. In reality, and I fake it on the outside than for a pig to fly verse 34 Peter makes an incredible statement on site is an incredible statement pieces.

I truly perceive that God shows no partiality or God shows no favoritism and I tell you this is not only a history making statement. This is not only a world changing statement. It is not only a global impacting information but beloved friend think with me for a moment here because this should be a challenge and encouragement to every one of us who are times looked up to heaven and said God doesn't love Mary. He does not love me like you love someone so God doesn't care about me as much as he care about so and so beloved friends. God loves you equally. He shows no favoritism. God does not prefer somebody else know God is looking for willing obedience is always looking for willing obedience, God has a soft spot.

The Bible said for generous people in the Bible said God loves a cheerful giver literally means that God has a soft spot for generous people why because God wants his children to be channels, not puddles. That's always looking for. He shows no partiality on the basis of anything except for those who are obedient that he want to bless some more, doesn't mean that he loves the more vitamins you want to bless more. He has a soft spot for generous people, because he wants to use them as channels as conduits because he promised to honor those who honor him.

He prepared the hero he prepared the witness or lastly a prepared everyone to receive the Holy Spirit. In fact, is a Holy Spirit who really prepared all hearts prepare them for what prepare them for the fact that he Holy Spirit indwells both Jews and Gentiles equally whenever they come to Jesus Christ. Read carefully, Peter's testimony, it's very clear very clear and is a very simple testimony really is not much really complicated.

I have a hunch that from what Peter said that Cornelius probably was one of those soldiers who were involved somewhere during the crucifixion of Jesus, because he sat there missing you know an effective celebrating said you know you know what to place Roger dear, you know Cornelius you know they put him to death on the cross, you know that the tomb is empty and those of us who have seen the risen Christ and ate with him and walked with him and fellowship with him when they are witnessing account of the resurrected Jesus here again the witness. Like I said in the last message to things tell the truth to what he experienced in where before Peter can finish a three point sermon the Holy Spirit came and fell upon the Gentiles in their becoming drilled of the Holy Spirit just as the Jews did and just as the Samaritans. If you look here at the last part of chapter 10, there you see Cornelius and his household were all baptized in water, a marvelous day when we see and I believe I'm going to see it in my lifetime.

Whole families coming into baptism together.

As it turned their heart to Christ father. There is nothing impossible for you.

What is impossible with man is not impossible with you and we thank you that we worship the God who moves the mountains and we thank you that we worship the God who does not give us a vision to Marcus, but he gives us a vision to fulfill it. Father, I just pray that our hearts be obedient that our hearts would turn to you in a total trust that we will see the harvest of Saul come to you and that will be able to rejoice like Peter rejoiced. We pray this in Jesus name. Thanks for listening to this message from Dr. Michael. You sat recently featured on leading the way. If you'd like to know more about us, please visit LTW.org that LTW.Ward