Christ is Life Podcast

All right, if you have your Bible today or a device with a Bible app on it, I want to invite you to pull it out at this time. This is the point in our worship service where we we dive into God's Word together, and we ask the Holy Spirit to speak to us through His Word and and reveal His truth that's found there and show us how it applies to our lives. And so if you have your Bible, we're going to be in Acts chapter 10 today, starting in the second half of verse 23 in just a moment, we're starting in the second half of verse 23 because last week we covered verses one through the first half of 23 and this is an important chapter. This whole section is a really important section in the book of Acts. We talked about how many people view this as one of the most important chapters, not only in the book of Acts, but one of the most important chapters in all of the Bible, because of what we see happen here and the implications that it has for so many of us today, and so because this is one continuous story, I need to get you caught up on what we covered a little bit last week, so that we'll have the context for where we are going today. If you were here last week. You may remember that there was a Gentile Roman military leader. He was a Centurion whose name was Cornelius. We were introduced to him, and we were told that there was an angel who visited him, and he had this, this vision from the angel, or the angel spoke to him, saying, hey, I need you to send some men to go get this guy named Simon, who is also called Peter. He's in Joppa, and you need to bring him back here, because he has an important message to share with you. The only problem with that is that Peter didn't know it. He didn't know that he was going to share a message with them. And so while Cornelius sent these messengers on the way to tell him that and to pick him up and bring him back, the Lord had to take steps to reveal that to Peter. And so Peter has this vision from the Lord. And it's ultimately, at first about food and all of these, these food laws that he's always followed, where certain foods were considered unclean and others were considered clean, and he was only supposed to eat certain foods. And basically, through that vision, the Lord was revealing to Peter that during the New Covenant, this new thing that he was doing in Christ, and the work he accomplished through his finished work on the cross and his resurrection and sending of the Spirit that the food laws didn't apply any longer. And also, through that vision, he revealed to him that there were some men coming. He said, Hey, there's some there's some guys coming, but don't hesitate to go with them. And we talked about how this was really important for him to say that, and the reason that he would have been hesitant to go with them is because these men were Gentiles. They were not Jewish. And just to give us a sense of why this was such a big deal in the book of Jubilees, which was an ancient Jewish writing, kind of doing some commentary on Genesis in the first few books of the Bible. Here's one of the things that we read that was written about the Gentiles. This was written to the Jewish people, separate yourself from the Gentiles and do not eat with them and do not perform deeds like theirs. Also do not become associates of theirs, because their deeds are defiled and all of their ways are contaminated and despicable and abominable. I mean, this is how the Jewish people felt about the Gentiles. We talked a little bit last week of how they referred to them as dogs. They called them dogs to demean them, to devalue them, to just show that they, as God's people, were above them. One of the things that Jewish people would often even say about Gentiles is that God only created Gentiles. Listen to this to be the fuel for the fires of hell.
This is how bad things were.
And at the very end of this section that we looked at this last week, the Gentiles show up. They knock on the door of the home that Peter was staying at Simon the tanner, but he actually invited them in to stay the night with them, because the Lord was starting to soften his heart reveal new truth to him. He had been walking in these false beliefs, and he was revealing what was true about the Gentiles, and they said not to hesitate to go with them. And so this is where we left off last week that he had just invited them. Them to stay the night. And here's what happens. We said in the second half of the verse that we left off last week in 23 the next day. So after they spent the night and he had invited them in, Peter started out with them. We had said the vision, the angel told them to go get Peter, bring them back. And so he starts back with them, and we're told that some of the believers from Joppa went along. So it wasn't just Peter. There were other Jewish believers that actually went with Peter. And verse 24 says, the following day he arrived at Caesarea, and Cornelius was expecting them, and had called together his relatives and his close friends. Verse 25 as Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. Stand up. He said, I am only a man myself. Now this isn't the main thrust of our text today, but anytime we see things like this, it's worth, worth noting and highlighting what the truth is about scripture here, because the apostle Peter references himself as only being a man. I mean, when Cornelius bows in reverence with him, it was really an act of worship. This is why Peter's getting so bent out of shape. Here is because he's treating him as if he's someone other than a man. And we need to highlight these things because there are some people in our society, in our culture, some churches, who will try to elevate people like Peter and Mary and others and elevate them in such a way that they worship them, and we're treating them as if they are someone other than man. And so we need to know the truth. When we see that, or we hear people talking about that and treating them in certain ways, we go, well, is that something that I should be doing too? But then when we come across a verse like this, we see, oh, well, here's the truth. I mean, Peter himself was bothered by this kind of activity and special treatment. He said, I'm only a man myself. And so the reality is, when you and I, even today, put our faith and trust in Jesus and the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us. The same Holy Spirit that dwells in us is the same Holy Spirit that dwelt in Peter, and he was just a human being with the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him, just like you and I are, a human being just like him, but with the same Holy Spirit living in us today. And so this is the truth. This is what we need to recognize when it comes to these kinds of things. And it also, I think, should be an encouragement to us to go, Okay, if Peter's just a man and we're just humans, and the Holy Spirit was doing these things that we're reading about 2000 years ago in and through him. Then, then that's the Holy Spirit, not Peter, which means he's still at work doing things in us, in me, today, and to be open to those kind of things the way that Peter was open to them. Okay, so where we're at though, is now he's there all these things that God had to do. I mean, it's in an angel and a vision, and they had to go and convince them, and the big barrier between Jews and Gentiles. But now he's he's gone, and he's there, and he's in their presence. And so let's see what happens. Verse 27 says, while talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. He said to them, you are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. What a way to start an opening speech, right? I mean, you guys are well aware that it's against our law for someone like me to be here amongst you low people, right? I mean, I don't think that Peter really meant it that way, but when we first read it, it can certainly come across that maybe that was what he was thinking, like he was being condescending here, but, but we know that he's already told Cornelius to get up, that that this was he's just a man, right? And so I think he's just trying to highlight that this is the way it had been, and it really wasn't a specific law. I mean, there was no specific law in the Old Testament that said exactly what we read in these other contexts. It's just they had taken some of these ways they were supposed to to act and the things that they were supposed to do, and to separate themselves in some way that it had become this thing where they were prideful, they were prejudiced against the Gentiles in many ways. So you're well aware that this was the case, but God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. Now this goes back to the food. He's saying that even through the vision and the food that was unclean. And clean, and don't call anything that I've created unclean or clean. Does have two meanings here. It meant specifically, Jesus has dealt with the food laws, and we no longer live by those today. And that also he was at work above and beyond that, on a higher level, to even show that he was also referencing the Gentiles, and not to call them unclean or clean, because God had a work to do in their lives as well. So. Verse 29 says, when I was sent for I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent me? Verse 30, Cornelius answered, three days ago, I was in my house and praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon, suddenly, a man in shining clothes stood before me and said, Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. Send to Joppa for Simon, who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon, the tanner, who lives by the sea. And so I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come now. We are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything that the Lord has commanded you to tell us. I just love this last line and what he says. Look at the way that Cornelius is speaking here. He acknowledges that that they are in the presence of God, that God has gone to great lengths to to communicate these things and to bring them together. And he's He's present right there, and what he's done in his presence is to get them to to listen to not just some things, but to listen to everything that Peter has to tell them. So what it says, It's not what it says. We're here to listen to everything who the Lord has to tell us. He's just going to do it through Peter. And so there's a recognition here that even though Peter was the one and Cornelius was the one who bowed down before him, he said, get up. I'm just a man. And he's going, Oh, well, there's something here that the Lord is going to say, then in and through you and and you're just an instrument here, kind of thing. But what you what you get is this, this language that he's using is there's this eagerness, there's this anticipation, like, like we've gathered in the presence of God, and we're, we're sitting on the edge of our seats just just waiting for what the Lord is going to say to us today. I mean, it is much the same way that many of you approached coming to church each and every Sunday.
Or maybe think about
if we did really approach it that way,
because there is no such thing
as just another Sunday.
I mean, we have gathered together today
as the people of God, with God's presence dwelling in us and his presence among us, and he brought us here to work in and through us, to worship Him, to glorify Him, to sing praises to Him, but also to speak to us today. Think about if we came in every single Sunday going we get to sit together in the presence of the actual living God of the universe who spoke everything into existence, the One who created me, and we get to hear everything that he has to say to us as His people today. How much more with that kind of eagerness and anticipation would we actually hear him saying to us, this is the kind of expectation that we see here in what God wants to do each and not just every Sunday, but this is possible every day, because he dwells in us and works through us and and we, including me, miss so much of what he has to say because we just take it for granted and we start going through the motions. But I hope this reminds us of what I mean this is anytime we meet. Is never just another Sunday. It's it's the God of the universe showing up to declare something to us today, in his power and through His truth, to to show us what applies to our lives that can impact us today and tomorrow and in the day after that verse, 34 then Peter began to speak. I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism, but accepts every nation from every nation, the one who fears him and does what is right.
I. See how true it is.
We talked last week about how Peter, even though he was a believer in Christ and experienced this being a new creation, and walking in power and strength and all these things that he was walking with false beliefs, there were things that he thought were true, that were actually no longer applicable to him as a New Covenant Christian believer, and because he was living with false beliefs, it impacted his actions and his speech and his behavior in all of those things. So now God's shown me the truth. I realize how true it actually is. What's the truth that God does not show favoritism. My false beliefs. I believed that that God did show favoritism, he was saying to the Jewish people, and that this wasn't open to the Gentiles. But now I'm recognizing the truth that God does not show favoritism, and he accepts from every nation. I mean every nation. It doesn't matter who you are, what language you speak, where you come from, Jew or Gentile. He accepts everyone who what, but accepts from every nation, the one who fears him and does what is right.
Now we've got a problem.
I mean, that is true as being a holy and a perfect God, if we were able to completely fear Him and do what was right, then he's the standard. We wouldn't fall short of that and and he would accept anyone, no matter who you were for where you were from, if we could just fear Him and do what is right. But the problem is, is that the book of Romans in chapter three tells us that there is no one righteous, there is no one who does what is right, and that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. So when we see this here, we don't need to look at this and walk away and go, well, verse 35 there is a scripture that tells us that anyone who fears him and does what is right, that is how a person is saved. That is not what he's saying here. His emphasis, ultimately, really is on this part right here, the truth that that he accepts anyone, that's where the emphasis is on. And then he's just declaring the truth that if there were people that feared him and did what right, anyone would be able to fall into that. But that's what he's going to get into next is, even though this isn't true of anyone, Jesus makes it still possible to be right and be made right with Him. And that, of course, is the gospel and the good news, which is what he gets into now verse 36 he says, you know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all and so he does recognize right that this message, this Gospel message that God sent did, first and foremost, come through the people of Israel. And we, we see that. We see that all the way back at the beginning of Scripture and what God was doing as early as Genesis chapter 12. He appears. God appears to to Abram and, and he's revealing himself and who he is, and, and is the one true God. And, and he says, I want to build a nation through you, and you're going to be my people. And this is what's going to happen, but, but in Rome, I mean, excuse me, in Genesis 12 three, we're told that he's doing that not just to be a blessing to Abram, not just to be a blessing to the nation that he was going to build, but that he would bless all peoples through that nation. This is what he was up to. The message was, I'm going to build the nation. Reveal who I am to you, the reason that you need a savior, I'm going to send that savior, which is what he gets into next. He revealed it to the people of Israel, announcing the good news, the gospel of peace, that happens through Jesus Christ. Now, why does it need to be a good news of peace? Well, the reason is because we have a holy and a perfect and a just God, and so if there is sin in humanity, then we've fallen from that position short of the standard and being a just God, he must deal with sin. There is a barrier that is created now. There is hostility that exists between the one who loves you and created you and. Has a great plan for your life, but because of sin, there's hostility, there's no peace between you, and so Jesus came to establish peace, to establish peace between you and God, which was only possible through taking all of our sins and paying a penalty for them on the cross, substituting himself for us, so that our sins could be forgiven and we could have peace. Now with God, so he's getting into the good news. God sent this, first and foremost, to Israel. He's announced it's the gospel of peace through Jesus Christ. Notice how he throws this in here. Who is Lord of who, oh, not just the Jews. He's the Lord of all Jews and Gentiles. This is also significant because Caesar, they lived in the Roman Empire, who was in control, was known as Lord in this day and age, and they acknowledged Caesar as Lord as Romans and Gentiles, and he's standing before Romans and Gentiles and say, no, no, Caesar. Caesar's not Lord Jesus. Jesus is Lord of all both Jews and Gentiles, because he's the creator of all. Verse 37 he says, You know what has happened throughout the Providence, province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached verse 38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil because God was with him. Okay, so. So, so, one of the things that we of course, know about Jesus is that he is the second member of the Trinity. There is there is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Not three gods, one God, three distinct persons of one essence, right? So, what do we know about Jesus and the Incarnation, when he took on an additional nature and was born into this world. He was born into this world fully God, 100% God, and 100% fully man in every way when he came into the world. Now what we are told in Philippians two about Jesus in the incarnation is that he made his deity as if it was no account, we're told. So it was still true about him. He was still God, and always is God, but he made it as if it was no account. What does that mean? He acted and lived his life out of his human nature, and he did so, and he was able to do so because God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit. Jesus lived the Christian life as a human being, the way we were created to live the very life that God created for us to experience in the first place. It's the same life that Adam and Eve had. Eve had in the beginning, with no sin, living a life of dependence upon him, and then sin ruined it and messed everything up. Jesus comes on the scene. The Holy Spirit is dwelling in him. He's living his life dependent upon the Holy Spirit, and because of that, in complete dependence upon him, he's able to live his life in power and able to do good and to heal people in the power of who are under the power of the devil, because God was with him and in him. So it is true that he was God,
but he was living in dependence, as a human being, on the Holy Spirit. And so listen, this is important. We'll move on. Because you and I sometimes hear the language you need to imitate Jesus. You're a Christian. You need to imitate him now. And what most of us think that means is we go, okay, I guess I'll go read all about what Jesus did and what he said and all of his character traits, and I'm gonna go try to try to imitate all of those things that Jesus did. To imitate Jesus means to do what, to live in dependence upon the Holy Spirit, to produce fruit in and through you the Christian life. It's John 15. He was doing it and giving us the example. And this is the example that you and I even live by today. And this is what we see as he's even sharing the gospel with the Gentiles. Here he goes on in verse 39 it says, We are witnesses, witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem, they killed him. They killed Jesus by hanging Him on a cross, but God raised Him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all people, but. By witnesses whom God had already chosen by us, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. It was a bodily resurrection. He's sharing more of the gospel. They killed him by hanging on a cross. He went to the cross fully God, fully man, because he was fully man, he could represent all of us because He was God, He was God, he didn't have any sense to pay for himself, so he went to the cross to pay the penalty for those they killed him. He paid the penalty for those. God raised Him from the dead. There was a bodily resurrection. This is the gospel, and we are witnesses of this thing. Verse 42 he commanded us also to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as Judge of the living and of the dead, all the prophets testify about him, that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins Through His name there is the gospel everyone who believes in Jesus, in him, receives forgiveness of sins through his name. Everyone Jew Gentile, doesn't matter where you come from, notice the condition. The only condition listed here is belief in Jesus, belief in Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life, and that no one comes to the Father through him. Notice that it doesn't have any other conditions. It doesn't say, believe and confess Him to be the Lord over every aspect of your entire life and everything that you do. How could you even know what all he's going to want you to do or not and commit all of those things to him in that moment, notice that it doesn't say To he who believes and then confesses his sins and continues to confess them each and every single time that he messes up like we would think that first John one nine means and then that way, if there's ongoing confession, then you'll be saved. No, no. It doesn't say Believe and confess and continue to confess and you'll be saved. Believe and you'll be saved. It doesn't say Believe and be baptized. There's no other conditions. Anytime you ever hear someone else trying to tell you, it's yeah, you believe. But there's also this thing about boy, you're really committing to follow Jesus too. You better make sure that, yeah, it's grace, but and you're trying to add to the Gospel, it is simple belief, and it's something to receive. Other than that, it's no longer something to receive. It's something you're doing. It no longer becomes a gift. So we gotta be very clear about what salvation is, how we get it. What happens? There's forgiveness of sins, complete 100% past, present and future sins. You don't just get forgiven for all of your past sins, and then you get forgiven each step of the way for your future ones as you commit them and then confess them. Jesus took all of them to the cross, and it's found through Him. Verse 44 he goes on and says, While Peter was still speaking, watch this. This is confirmation to the truth the false beliefs that Jesus, the Holy Spirit, was revealing to him while Peter was still speaking. These words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message, the circumcised believers, the Jewish believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out, even on the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God now. Now, when you read that, that should remind you of something. If you've read the book of Acts, or you've been a part of this series with us from the beginning, what that should kind of trigger and hopefully does for many of you is Acts Chapter oops, I forgot to put it on Acts chapter two, where we see Pentecost, and so in Acts, chapter two is where we see the Holy Spirit being poured out on the Jewish believers. And we began to see signs and and wonders. And there were manifestations of the Spirit working in them and through them, so they could visibly see that something happened, something in the unseen realm of things happened, and now there were visible expressions of that thing in the invisible realm of things that happened. The same thing was happening here. Why is that important to to confirm that the gospel really is for both the Jews and the Gentiles. God goes to all this work to reveal an angel in a vision and bring them together and then send the Holy Spirit. Did you notice that this even happened before there was ever even an altar call? Peter hadn't even finished. Sharing the gospel completely yet, or maybe he had completely, but he hadn't stopped and asked for a response. It's just he shared the truth that those who believe in him receive forgiveness in his name, and they were like, Oh, I believe that. And then their sins were forgiven in that moment, and the Holy Spirit came in that moment, and now they were visibly seeing these things happen to confirm that this is also for the Holy Spirit. It's it's not a second Pentecost, but you can think of it kind of like that was a Gentile pouring out of the spirit to confirm those things. Then Peter said verse 46 the rest of verse 46 again into 47 Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water they have received. There's that word, again, the Holy Spirit, just as we have so he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days now, notice the timing of this. Anyone who believes in Jesus will receive forgiveness of sins. Peter says that the Holy Spirit falls on them, confirming that they've received that forgiveness and that something happened in their life, and now he says, Be baptized after the salvation experience has already happened. This is to confirm and say, hey, now that you're is anybody standing away? Now that we've seen the Holy Spirit come and they have been forgiven, let's get them baptized to show that all of their sins have been washed away, that the old them is dead, buried and gone, and they had been raised up to this new life in Christ, and to show everyone that they're now part of the church with them, identification with the church the Jews were now
one with us. This is a huge
step for them to take. And then notice they asked Peter to stay with them a few days. I mean, don't associate with them. They're despicable. They're contaminated, they're dogs, they're fuel for the fires of hell. And then Peter invites them to stay tonight. Now he's in their home, and they stay a few more nights, and they eat together, and they hang out together. This is life in the Spirit, the church from different backgrounds, in the spirit, working out the racism and the prejudices and all the things, to bring people, regardless of who they are, where they've grown up, where they come from, or what it is they've done, into one family together to do life together. It's beautiful. Now this truth has been revealed to Peter, to those who were with him, that there are some who are still living in their false beliefs. Verse 11, or chapter 11, verse one, the apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him and said, you went into the house of uncircumcised men and you ate with them. Peter, how could you do that? They're contaminated, they're dogs. They're fueled for the fires of hell. You are in sin. What you did was wrong. Peter, you should never do that. Confess, repent. They're walking in their false beliefs. It's affecting their behavior and their actions. Now, even though they're new creations in Christ, same things happening with them. So Peter responds. Verse four, starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story. Now, starting in verse five, Peter recounts the whole story. He just basically go back and he retells the vision that Cornelius had, the vision that he had, and then how he was there in their home and what began to happen there. I'm not going to read all of that today because of time, and it's almost word for word, what we've already read. And so we've already read these scriptures. In a sense, you can certainly go home and reading, read them on your own. But he gets finished, kind of sharing that, and we pick up in verse 15, and he says, As I Peter says, As I began to speak, so he's he's getting to the point of the story where he's speaking to the Gentiles and sharing the gospel with them. He says, The Holy Spirit came on them, and as he came, as he had come on us in the beginning. So then I remembered what the Lord had said, John, baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. So if God gave them the same gift that he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think I could stand in God's way. We'll come back and we'll talk about that in just a second, but just quickly, I just want to remind you of something we've already talked about. He's reminded as the Holy Spirit fell on them, that this was not just about being baptized, of course, with water, but being baptized with the Holy Spirit. It, and it reminds us that that's what this is about, too. When we talk about being a Christian, when we talk about being a part of the church, we're talking about a conversion experience, something the Holy Spirit does when he comes to dwell in us, and we experience this baptism of the Spirit, where we were spiritually dead, but then we're regenerated, and now we become spiritually alive. We have this old, dead, sinful nature, and we experience a change on our heart, where we have this new heart and this new nature. There's a work that Jesus does through the Holy Spirit to completely change us and make us into someone, from someone that we were into someone that we become in that moment. And we emphasize that, and we talk about it here a lot, but I've just got to keep bringing it up, because a lot of what I heard communicate, and a lot of what we hear in messages and things is is, yeah, you're saved, and now it's all about what you're supposed to be doing to get right. You were made right through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Do you know how different you are than you used to be. When you quit walking in the false beliefs of not agreeing with him, of those things, it'll start to play out in different ways, and we see that here. The second thing that, again I highlighted a second ago, is just He says in verse 17 that if God gave them the same gift that he gave us, and believe, who was I right? Who? Who was I to think that I should stand in God's way?
What a great question to ask,
not just for Peter, but for all of us. I mean, think for just a moment what we're really talking about. Peter's whole life was spent one way thinking, one way about the Gentiles, his actions, his behaviors, all of the things that they were contaminated fuel for the fires of hell. All right. Even listen, even after Jesus got a hold of him, they had been doing church, if you will, for a few years now, and they had been doing it a certain way, with just the Jewish people and in line with it. And then God begins to change his mind about things, and his response is not, Oh man, that's
always the way we've done church, though,
you know that's, that's always, that's the way I grew up. This is the way we've been doing church since the Holy Spirit came, and now you're asking us to change. No, I won't do it. He was like, what seems like the Holy Spirit's moving in this direction. It's very different than the way I grew up. It's very different than the way we've been doing church, even right now. But who was I to stand in the way of what the Spirit was doing? And that's a great question for all of us in the church to ask, when he's doing new things in our lives and even in our church, and are we standing in God's way? In that moment, they could not. They heard him say that, and look at their response as we finish up today. When they heard this, they had no further objections. You're right. Sure does seem like that's the direction the Holy Spirit is moving through all of those things that you just said. And so therefore they praised God saying so then even the Gentiles, even to the Gentiles, God has granted repentance, a change of mind, to believe in Jesus Christ, that leads to life, once again, in a short statement, what this is all about. You were dead. You needed a resurrection. You got one, and it led to life. You now have abundant life. You already have eternal life through your union with the one who is life. That is what this is all about. So when we look at this whole section, what life in the Spirit was like for them and what we've learned today. What what does it mean for us? How does it apply for us today? First and foremost, we've got to acknowledge thank God for Acts chapter 10, thank you for what we see here, because I'm willing to bet that the overwhelming majority of us gathered together in this room for worship, if not all of us are Gentiles. Remember, to be a Gentile just means you're not Jewish, and so that means, if there would be no Acts chapter 10, guess what? You and I would not be gathered here today as part of the church, worshiping Him. Do you see how significant this is? You and I listen. You and I were the dogs. We're Gentiles. We're the ones they would have referred to as dogs. We're the ones the scum that they would have been saying contaminated. Stay away from.
Him. That's how they viewed you and me,
and they welcomed us in because of the Holy Spirit and His work you're in if you put your faith and trust in Him and received His free gift of salvation. And so listen, that's our first application. If we were received without prejudice, then the Holy Spirit at work in and through us. Life in the spirit means there is no room for racism or bring prejudice against anyone in the church. The Gospel is for everyone, and so anytime anyone comes into our church, if you ever hear their reaction, really them, like, like, we're going to let those people in here. Have you seen the way they dress? Have you seen where they come from? Do you know what language they speak? Do you know how they vote? Yeah, if they put their faith and trust in Jesus, we're accepting them into our family, and we're going to welcome them in even before then to give them the opportunity to hear the truth and do so and so to not do that would be an indication that we're walking in our flesh and holding those racist tendencies, those prejudices against people, because life in the Spirit, there's no room. The spirit's not going to lead us in that way. The second thing, and we already kind of highlighted this, but just to state it one more time, life in the Spirit means that we will not stand in God's way when he is changing things and moving us in new directions. This is what he was doing in and through Peter's life. He says, Who was I to stand in God's ways we've unfortunately, many of us who have been a part of church for a while now, have been in situations where the Holy Spirit began to do something different, began to move our church in a little bit of a direction, and we all saw other people, or maybe it was even us who reacted in a way and says, No, not on my watch. This is different than what I grew up with. This is different than the way that we've been doing things, I will not go there. And if this is the direction the church is going, then I will not stay and be a part of it. We've all had experiences, most likely in church, where that kind of thing has happened. And not to say that we can't ask questions. We can't try to figure out if something really is from the Holy Spirit and moving in a certain direction. But if it just seems like the overwhelming majority of things seem to be moving in a new direction, and we begin to react in those ways, that is a pretty good indication that that is not life in the Spirit,
but that's life in the flesh.
Because life in the Spirit would go, You know what? That's different.
I don't even know if I like the direction that we're going. It's not my preference. Gosh, it Sure. Sure. Seems like that's the direction the Holy Spirit is leading.
And so who am I to stand in God's way?
I'm available. Here we go, and he'll change your heart. He'll move you into it and show you. And then finally, if you're here today and you've just never put your faith and trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins, to receive eternal life. We've stated it over and over, this is for everyone. It's for you. No matter where you've been, no matter what you've done, you can receive His forgiveness today.