The Church that Changed

One underling who was I that I am in God.

Why good.

Do you expect me to stand in the way of God's word and by asking that by the way he implies the same question to them. Are you understanding God's way.

The question was is one offer phrase that when they listen their grip on the past when they really learn centuries of tradition and in acts 10, Peter received a vision from the Lord God showed him some previously unclean animals and told Peter to eat. Now this was a radical departure God was calling for a change that went against everything Peter thought previously. This is wisdom for the heart with Stephen Devi as we look at this account. Today were going to be challenged with our own convictions and learn the importance of distinguishing between our convictions and God's command in our last discussion we observe Peter in the crucible of change and I use the word crucible intentionally because it is a difficult thing to be involved in and change.

Perhaps you can identify with the change maybe recently you change you geography you moved here and maybe you left, flatlands, and you move to wake County and the rolling hills and all the trees and maybe some of you have gone for the changes of leaving career and I are at home with a newborn baby. Maybe you've gone through the change or you're looking just a few months ahead in your seeing change coming where your your your last child is entering college, and you have that what they call the empty nest syndrome. Whatever that means. Maybe you know now that you're going through nadir of your first child is about to enter school in just a few months.

I can remember that with our oldest daughter now. Her older brothers that it wasn't a big stretch is by guys. It's time to go to Nygaard but heard is going to different the girls were different.

I took her to school and if you had seen us. I just remember that that morning if you'd seen it for about 30 to 30 yards away you.

It was a picture-perfect scene she was wearing her new shoes, new shiny lunchbox. I was holding her hand and and were talking but if you got within earshot, you would realize we were arguing. She's kind and make me go back and sit in the car.

She does not want me to take her to kindergarten class and I'm arguing with her.

I am taking a class know you might be doing fine, but I'm not a little insecure here. Remember that change to this day. Some of you are involved in the changes related to married life. Maybe you will have changed your life dramatically and that you're now a single parent, maybe a few months ago or you're so goes the team effort, and now your your loan.

Maybe some of you changed from busy career to retirement in your sort of juggling. Now all of these extra hours that you have been your seeing them sort of evaporated the busy activity in your sort of going to the changes related to that working through that and maybe some of you change from being healthy basic. But whatever the list is as long we naturally resist the rough waters of change.

Don't we would like the Lord smooth everything out and and and bring us is little change as possible. And it's sort of like hello to the Christian life, which is change. We talked about that last time we would argue we were together as it involved a one man by the name of Peter, but I I happen to believe that some of the most difficult changes that you encounter that we go through our changes related to what you believe changes related to the church. More specifically, changes in the way you worship or passage that God is using in your life to change you. And you know how difficult and and and and the controversy within your own soul that comes from thinking through things that relate to the word change will fortunately were not the first Christians to encounter change. We started the subject in the last discussion with Pickett backup with chapter 10 of the book of acts we left off will have time to restudy all of it, but if you go back to chapter 10. Let's refresh for just a little bit some of this appears in the home of Simon the tanner and the in chapter 10 of of the acts. Verse 11 work, we read that he beheld the sky open up in a certain object like a great sheet coming down lowered by the corners to the ground and there were in it, all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth, and birds of the air and a voice came to him, arise, Peter Killen 814 but Peter said, by no means Lord Drive never eaten anything unholy or unclean, and again a voice came to him a second time what God is cleansed, no longer consider unholy and this happened three times and immediately the object was taken up into the sky not to follow along and is provided only be three things about this vision. First of all this vision from God. If okay by Peter in others would directly conflict with earlier revelation from God. This is not courses versus hymns. This is not robes versus this is something that directly is prohibited by Old Testament Scripture you do not eat ceremonially unclean animals. This is a significant radical J and if it's going to be obeyed to understand its conflicting with earlier revelation is God making vast changes, not contradicting himself is changing as revelation continues to man. Second of all this vision from God, if followed, would dramatically change the course of first century Christianity and it's really where we are the first nine chapters of the book of acts, or to the Jew to the Jew to the gym to the Israelite nation first and foremost, and only now is going to be formally introduced to the Gentile world through this household of Cornelius, a gentleman third this vision from God. If applied, would change the thinking forever toward the Gentile peoples of the world that you remember in our study last time following the vision, the servants of Cornelius arrived and asked for Peter to come back with them because Cornelius had had a vision that Simon, a man called Simon would come and explain to him the gospel of Jesus Christ and so they arrive. He went to their home. He preached to them. He fellowship with them. He ate with them and that these are shocking developments. By the way, not so shocking to us because of where we are in church history. There are shocking developments within lives individually in our congregation. I met with the family in their home a few weeks ago that were Orthodox Jew and and all of these changes related to some of these things here were impacting their lives as well as it come the days in Jesus Christ as their own personal Messiah. While it doesn't take long for the word to get back to Jerusalem that Peter is in the home of a Gentile. He's eating with a Gentile.

Peter is in trouble by the church in Jerusalem, a toy left off Nellis picking up their Chapter 11 verse one now the apostles and the brethren who were throughout Judeo heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. And when Peter came up to Jerusalem. Those who were circumcised took issue with him, saying, you went to uncircumcised men and you and with them, Peter, as it were. We put up with your stock, your shenanigans before all this time you've gone too far.

We can allow this.

They don't ask Peter first point of view. They don't even throw in a an Old Testament verse of Scripture, set the stage. Peter been away and is reached and he's been in a Gentiles on the jury's met they decided Peter arrived Peter, you said. Shame on you. That's why I think the one of the reasons the next phrase in verse four is rather striking to me it says, but Peter began speaking and proceeded to explain to them in the orderly sequence I had the same case. This is Peter were senior short fused emotional sword swinging your chopping Peter and raise the question how I treat people, how do you treat people when were cues. Furthermore, how you treat people when you're accused wrongly when you know you're right, Peter really is writing that the vision from God. It's with Dottie.

He knew he was on track and they were all wrong usual. That's when you get on the soapbox honey straighten you out. Well I think that's why it's it's it's interesting that Peter was confronted like this. He is accused of hypocrisy basically is accused of inconsistency. He is frankly accused of ungodliness and and I would have never imagined learning from Peter a lesson intact. Fullness and that's exactly what were about to learn only give you three observations as we go through this first observation is this and will read the passage, Peter was trained his actions and his emotions. These leaders of unloaded their guns on Peter.

They pinned is tied to the wall, you would ask verse four to begin by reading this way, but Peter began yelling and shouting back at them. Would you expect but it says the Peter began to explain to them in an orderly sequence explain is the same word gives us the word exposition carefully.

Calmly them through what happened in a Proverbs tells us that the one who refrains his lips is wise. Solomon writes that a gentle or a soft answer turns away wrath someone who's tongue is under control. He writes, is able to avert or pacify contention is what's happening here in Peter's life observation number two Peter showed respect toward the vantage point of his accusers. Now this is an explosive issue right here just all by itself. I just gone to a Gentiles knowledge is eat with a Gentile.

But let me set the stage historically little bit for you and help you understand a little bit more of how the emotion would be so hot. This occurred as we put the clues together chronologically around 40 or 41 A.D. when Peter went to Caesarea it is around that same time affect 40 to 41 A.D. that a man is the Emperor of Rome by the name of Caligula you know much about Roman history. No Caligula was a madman. He had an illness in after the illness or following the illness. He seem to go mad, stark raving mad. He he would get his senators out of bed at night and he come to a remarketed stand on the stage and acting sing and play instruments and force them through the night that the listener he killed most of his family.

He enjoyed having people tortured in his presence while he dined. He was he was a madman. Then he came over the idea that he was God. He decided to have temples built to his divinity and sacrifices offered to his own glory. Then he turned his eyes toward that that group of people that works committed to their worship of the one true God. The Jews, and he ordered that a likeness of himself be placed in the center of the temple in Jerusalem, and he set a large Roman army around 4041 A.D. he sent them marching toward Jerusalem with the orders and they were to kill any Judah got in their way and they were to set up his idol of the idol of his own image inside this temple and they were to offer sacrifices to himself.

You can imagine what that meant that you history tells us that Petronius was the Roman leader who was taking his vast army there and when he arrived at the shore of Galilee were of the chores that see he was met by tens of thousands of Jewish people, leaders who then need him not to do it. They were able they succeeded in causing him to hesitate. And in fact they they they so challenged his thinking that he was willing to write a letter back to Caligula asking Caligula to change his mind. That was sort of waiting this point of history for war tool rocked and for Jerusalem to distorted be wiped off the face of the earth by this madman who would be in the sense that his orders had not been followed. It was at this point in time. The Caligula then was assassinated by his own protective Roman guard. I tell you that to tell you how deeply the feelings must've been in Jerusalem.

Not only is Peter hobnobbing with a Gentile is bad enough but is wanting to include into the church. Here are Roman centurion Cornelius was a ranking officer in the Roman army that at that point in time. In fact, at that very moment may have been sent by the Emperor to Jerusalem to destroy and kill.

And whatever necessary so to desecrate the temple that Judaism would be obliterated in that city. And this is the kind of Gentile that he's been shipping with. Can you imagine how dramatic the news was when he came back and interesting as God chooses the first Gentile convert that he chooses this guy is the one change or what. So Peter evidently respected their historical vantage point, he could see how they felt. Can you do that can you slip into their sandals accuse you and see how it must appear them or how they must feel and that's really a difficult thing is in hardest thing about it. Well, he respected their third observation is that Peter recognizes accountability to the church body. Peter been the head of the church is fallible in his actions. He would not of explained it would need to explain his actions or what he said he could've simply said I said what I said I did what I did and you're not accuse me. Instead, we see Peter giving up a full explanation to the church family is what I did and let me explain to you he was accountable to them in his actions know that in mind, let's just read through his response. Verse four but Peter began speaking and proceeded to explain to them an orderly sequence saying I was in the city of Joppa praying and in a trance. I saw a vision of certain object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from the sky and it came right down to me when I'd fix my gaze upon and was observing and I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, and the wild beasts and the crawling creatures and the birds of the year.

I also heard a voice saying to me, arise, Peter, kill and eat. I said, by no means Lord for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth, but a voice from heaven answer the second time when God is cleansed, no longer consider unholy.

This will directly relate. By the way to the Gentile people and this happened three times and everything was drawn back up into the sky. Verse 11 of the whole. At that moment three men appeared for the house which we were staying, having been sent to me from Caesarea in the spirit told me to go with and without misgivings in these six brethren also went with me and we entered the man's house and he reported to us how we see the angel standing in his house and said the job and have Simon who was also called Peter Royer and he shall speak words to you, which by which you will be saved, you and all your household and Isaiah begin to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, just as he did upon us at the beginning and I remember the word of the Lord. How used to say John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the holy year.

In other words, they're having with some of called the Gentile Pentecost. Holy Spirit is not sending a second time. He Artie descended the Jewish Pentecost was the establishment of the church. This is a manifestation and you see the significance as we studied in detail in the past how this manifestation of the sign gift to the Gentile convert was exactly that which was evidenced by the Jewish convert communicating to the entire body that they were equal and received the same spiritual gift they'd receive the same spirit fact that Peter's application verse 17 if God therefore appears as verdict gave them the same gift as he gave to us. Also, after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.

I love this phrase. What underlined it.

Who was I that I could stand in God's way. Not good. Do you expect me to stand in the way of God is at work and by asking that by the way he he implies the same questions of them are you understanding God's way. The question was is one author phrase that would they loosen their grip on the past with they real learn centuries of tradition and practice. Simply put, with the church at this moment be willing to change. I think it's interesting that at this moment in church history, it's what you would easily call a defining moment. I could see the leader looking at each other in the church body, mumbling a little bit while.

Maybe some people are kicking their sandals think and feel God's done this Peter stand here with his six witnesses. That's twice the amount needed by the Mosaic law got evidence the supernatural sign gift through the Gentile Congress is a division and an eventually smiles begin to appear in a neighborhood they realize that God indeed was, including the Gentiles in the church.

I find it interesting by the way that Luke spent so much time on this event. He's writing a vast survey of church history, and if he spends nearly 2 chapters on this particular event. Why I think the answer is, among others, the fact that Luke was a Gentile. This was a dramatic personal life changing truth that he and the Gentile peoples of the world were on equal standing in the church of Jesus Christ. When you notice the next verse, verse 18 when they heard this, they quieted down to glorify God saying well that well God is granted to the Gentiles. Also the repentance that leads to life incredible change now. I'd love to tell you that everybody bought into everybody did their references to a certain faction that would develop over time there called the circumcised believers than they are called later, those of the circumcision.

By the time you get to Galatians chapter 2 is referred to as the party of the circumcised. There is a warring faction within the church that seeks to mix Judaism with the gospel and they get in the way they remained in the way of what God was going to do now how do we apply this passage here specifically the loss. How do you distinguish between godly discipline. Legalism how you determine what to keep and what not to keep how do you know if you think about changing that that change the God's working in your life. The things that your to hold onto and develop in the things that are nonessentials that can that that can come and go. I found it interesting to pull from history again in the second century as a young man is writing his church leader asking him how how can I more closely follow Jesus Christ. His specific question was, what must I forsake in order to follow him more closely. Here's the rather disappointing answer from the church leader and by the way, this is about 150 years after the ascension of Christ which shows you how quickly things got messed up. Here's what the leader wrote, quote forsake colored clothing remove everything in your wardrobe that is not white.

This is evidently taken from Revelation where we read that the saints will be robed in white. I think it was unfortunately applying it a little too early. He writes stop sleeping on a soft pillow and taking warm bad from striking out how much you if you are sincere about following Christ. He writes never shave your beard to shave is to attempt to improve on the work of him who created us interesting. Well, that was the way that he felt that you could follow Christ more closely and unfortunately he dealt with a list of nonessentials. The question from this passage and ask is how you keep from being driven by nonessentials so that the essentials kinda go by the wayside went quick kind of guidelines could could we develop and I want to give you some very quickly number one if the Scriptures warn against something, don't play around with it. Don't use this passage on Peter's vision as a license, you know you have a sheet that came down in nothings unholy distorted dump everything into that thing even though it may be attempting thing, or maybe even in moral thing aura or something that does not allow you to walk distinctively, or use, pilot all Internet. Anybody ever questioned you about that you come back with. Well, I'm under grace. Some people are under so much grace, I'm surprised they're not crushed will be careful that you don't just let anything come in your life and then say well I'm under grace being under grace does not mean you can use grace the cover impurity or laziness or lack of godly discipline or tolerance of sin.

Paul said should sin abound. The grace abound more than the word since grace abounds that we send more it's covered in the end that phrase by saying a double negative in the Greek language God forbid. Furthermore, number two of the Scriptures forbid something, don't try to justify it. The Bible says this is the will of God. Even your sanctification that you will gain from fornication. Fornication is a long word that refers to sexual relations outside of marriage.

The Bible forbids it dull justify.

Don't say well we love each other or what were going to get married nor assuredly in on these days God understands. I wanted tell you he does not. The Bible specifically forbid something and you want to walk with Christ. Dull justify third, if the Scriptures are silent about something that is a little mention don't go door-to-door with it and don't turn what God is doing in your life into a public crusade.

God is doing things in your life and in mind, but some practice, some devotional methods. Some discipline that he is he is developing in your life. Remember that it's not for everybody else's life. Learn the difference between a biblical command in a personal preference. Both are important personal preferences are those things that you consider important for your family are for your life.

The Bible is for the most part silent. I think Christians need more of these preferences, but be careful that you understand that if the reason I'm wearing a suit today and and not a robe. The reason that called Stephen or Pastor instead of Elder Davey or Bishop Davey because the Bible refers or command you want. In fact, every title that I just gave you is biblical and are all found in the book of acts, but are just there's personal preferences of your my peer or older, you can call me Stephen. I like that name, my mother gave me that name.

If you're younger than many call me Stephen telling your mother did you know that in the third century there was a controversy on the posture of prayer. What kind of bodily posture should you assume when you pray in A.D. 227, long after the Lord's freshly deposited in heaven to tooling is well known church father.

He said down some guidelines.

He says if you left your prayer or hands toward heaven. When you parade which was a custom he he he sorta settles the controversy. They don't need to be washed every time before prayer. There was a controversy rating you raise your hands in prayer the wash and sacrilege.

He just let them know that it's okay to not wash Friday fall on your face.

Do you do you kneel to toys that don't kneel on Easter because that day is celebrating the risen Christ see me contradicting what is happening. Christian world see all these things and how do you pride you do wash her hands each time you raise in the elixir rising problem is the Scriptures don't command any particular posture there silent on the issue in these men took their personal preference and taught them publicly as biblical commands. Number four if the Scriptures encourage it. Don't try to ignore it. Find out more about it was God doing in your life with what is this passage, how's it been applied to your life is the spirit of God is personal work inside you seek to walk with Christ babies addressing a needed area change in your life. If the Scriptures encourage something. Don't try to ignore them. Lastly, if the Scriptures teach. Don't try to live without.

Don't try to live without lesson that changes in its part of our vintage wisdom library series going back to 1997 will continue through this series from acts in the days ahead. If you tuned in late and missed part of this lesson, or if you want to go back and listen again. You'll find it posted on our website which is wisdom online.org. Perhaps even more convenient is the wisdom international app which contains the complete archive of Stephen's teaching.

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