WEBVTT 00:00:00.479 --> 00:00:03.839 Thank you for tuning in to Newsong Church's Sermon Podcast. 00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:12.240 Newsong is a gospel-centered community-serving Anglican church in Port Perry, Ontario, in the parish of the Anglican Network in Canada. 00:00:12.400 --> 00:00:13.759 We'd love to connect with you. 00:00:13.919 --> 00:00:19.839 If you'd like to reach out to us, you can find our contact information at Newsongportperry.ca. 00:00:20.239 --> 00:00:22.719 God bless you through the ministry of the Word. 00:00:26.399 --> 00:00:29.920 The second lesson is from the Book of Acts, chapter 10. 00:00:31.199 --> 00:00:45.920 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. 00:00:46.479 --> 00:00:54.960 About the ninth hour of the day, he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, Cornelius. 00:00:55.200 --> 00:00:59.039 And he stared at him in terror and said, What is it, Lord? 00:00:59.280 --> 00:01:05.120 And he said to him, Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. 00:01:05.359 --> 00:01:10.400 And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon, who is called Peter. 00:01:10.640 --> 00:01:15.599 He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. 00:01:15.920 --> 00:01:28.239 When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants, and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa. 00:01:29.200 --> 00:01:36.640 The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. 00:01:36.879 --> 00:01:40.159 And he became hungry and wanted something to eat. 00:01:40.400 --> 00:01:52.000 But while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw the heavens opened, and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. 00:01:52.239 --> 00:01:56.480 In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. 00:01:56.719 --> 00:02:02.079 And there came a voice to him Rise, Peter, kill and eat. 00:02:02.400 --> 00:02:09.520 But Peter said, By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean. 00:02:09.919 --> 00:02:12.560 And the voice came to him again a second time. 00:02:17.199 --> 00:02:21.919 This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven. 00:02:22.479 --> 00:02:40.240 Now, while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon's house, stood at the gate and called out to ask whether Simon, who was called Peter, was lodging there. 00:02:40.479 --> 00:02:47.599 And while Peter was pondering the vision, the spirit said to him, Behold, three men are looking for you. 00:02:47.919 --> 00:02:53.280 Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them. 00:02:53.840 --> 00:02:58.159 And Peter went down to the man and said, I am the one you are looking for. 00:02:58.319 --> 00:03:00.479 What is the reason for your coming? 00:03:00.719 --> 00:03:16.560 And they said, Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to this to his house and to hear what you have to say. 00:03:17.439 --> 00:03:29.759 So 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. 00:03:30.159 --> 00:03:37.280 As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ, he is Lord of all. 00:03:37.599 --> 00:03:50.319 You yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. 00:03:50.639 --> 00:03:57.039 He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 00:03:57.439 --> 00:04:03.439 And we are witnesses of all that he did, both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. 00:04:03.680 --> 00:04:06.800 They put him to death by hanging him on a tree. 00:04:07.039 --> 00:04:20.319 But God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people, but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 00:04:20.560 --> 00:04:28.800 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 00:04:29.040 --> 00:04:37.199 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. 00:04:38.079 --> 00:04:54.560 While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word, and the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. 00:04:54.879 --> 00:04:59.120 For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. 00:04:59.519 --> 00:05:07.920 Then Peter declared, Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? 00:05:08.399 --> 00:05:12.639 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. 00:05:12.879 --> 00:05:15.839 Then they asked him to remain for some days. 00:05:16.160 --> 00:05:17.360 The word of the Lord. 00:05:17.759 --> 00:05:18.720 Thanks be to God. 00:05:23.920 --> 00:05:34.639 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. 00:05:35.199 --> 00:05:36.639 So let's pray. 00:05:41.680 --> 00:05:50.319 Father of all mercies, you revealed your boundless compassion to your apostle Saint Peter in a threefold vision. 00:05:50.879 --> 00:06:14.480 Forgive our unbelief, we pray, and so strengthen our hearts and enkindle our zeal, that we may fervently desire the salvation of all people, and diligently labor in the extension of your kingdom through him who gave himself for the life of the world, your son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. 00:06:15.040 --> 00:06:15.439 Amen. 00:06:16.160 --> 00:06:17.519 Please be seated. 00:06:23.759 --> 00:06:25.040 So uh C.S. 00:06:25.199 --> 00:06:28.000 Lewis, he's um we know C. 00:06:28.160 --> 00:06:28.240 S. 00:06:28.319 --> 00:06:36.240 Lewis, he's the beloved author of the Chronicles of Narnia, one of the most influential, important Christian thinkers of the last century. 00:06:36.560 --> 00:06:36.639 C. 00:06:36.879 --> 00:06:36.959 S. 00:06:37.040 --> 00:06:41.040 Lewis tells a story uh of uh from from his childhood. 00:06:41.199 --> 00:06:44.560 He couldn't have been older than, let's say, seven or eight. 00:06:44.800 --> 00:06:54.480 And at that age, you are just starting to figure out how the world works, but you're not quite old enough to really get the significance of it. 00:06:54.639 --> 00:06:55.519 You know what I mean? 00:06:55.920 --> 00:06:56.399 So C. 00:06:56.560 --> 00:06:56.639 S. 00:06:56.720 --> 00:07:08.639 Lewis tells a story about uh he was that age, and he came into the living room and found his his father there, and he says to him, Father, I think I'm prejudiced against the French. 00:07:09.360 --> 00:07:16.079 And his father was very perplexed and looks at him and says, Why are you prejudiced against the French? 00:07:16.639 --> 00:07:19.120 And Lewis is confused by the question. 00:07:19.839 --> 00:07:26.480 Seven, eight-year-old Lewis replies, Well, Father, if I knew why, then it wouldn't be prejudice, would it? 00:07:31.120 --> 00:07:38.079 Over a century later, we are very mindful of the presence of prejudice, aren't we? 00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:52.800 Whether it's economical, racial, whether it relates to gender, sexuality, whether it's race, religion, we're very mindful that in whatever sphere of life we talk about, there's prejudice to be found. 00:07:52.959 --> 00:07:59.920 There are a division between some sense of insiders who agree with me and outsiders who don't. 00:08:00.079 --> 00:08:06.639 There's some social barrier that we put up to keep ourselves guarded against one another. 00:08:06.959 --> 00:08:13.040 And the best solution, it seems, that our moment has to offer is some version of tolerance. 00:08:13.199 --> 00:08:15.439 And I want to say tolerance is a very good thing. 00:08:15.680 --> 00:08:27.120 Tolerance means that we can gather as Christians and worship together without fear of another religious group or even those who are militantly guarded against religion coming and doing us harm. 00:08:27.279 --> 00:08:28.959 Tolerance is a very good thing. 00:08:29.199 --> 00:08:33.360 Tolerance is a social contract to agree to disagree. 00:08:33.679 --> 00:08:36.559 And that is done for our mutual good. 00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:47.600 But tolerance means that the best we can hope for, the very best scenario here is one where we still remain siloed, one where we still retreat into our separate corners. 00:08:48.320 --> 00:08:52.240 So here in the book of Acts, we're learning to be go and tell disciples. 00:08:52.480 --> 00:09:04.480 The commission that Jesus, the risen Jesus, has given to his disciples is to go and bear witness to the gospel, to the power of his resurrection, to the new life and new creation work that he's doing. 00:09:04.720 --> 00:09:20.960 Go and bear witness in Jerusalem, you know, amongst your people, amongst your immediate community, your immediate city, and then in all Judea in the greater region, the greater Jerusalem area, and then go to Samaria, cross cultural boundaries. 00:09:21.120 --> 00:09:24.320 Go take the gospel across social barriers. 00:09:24.480 --> 00:09:27.360 And not only that, take the gospel to the very ends of the earth. 00:09:27.440 --> 00:09:29.600 That's what Jesus commissions his disciples to do. 00:09:29.679 --> 00:09:33.840 There is no social barrier that is insurmountable for the gospel. 00:09:34.240 --> 00:09:38.879 There is no barrier too great that the gospel cannot reach beyond it. 00:09:39.039 --> 00:09:41.279 And so here we are in Acts chapter 10. 00:09:41.440 --> 00:09:50.159 In Acts chapter 10, we are very conscious of religious and racial barriers present in this setting. 00:09:50.480 --> 00:09:58.320 Here we have cultural prejudice pushing it back against the advance of the gospel. 00:09:58.480 --> 00:10:09.440 But the good news that we find here is the gospel reaches even beyond this social barrier, that the gospel unites where there would otherwise be social division. 00:10:09.600 --> 00:10:14.080 And it's a vision for what it means to be a gospel-centered church. 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:22.879 A gospel-centered church knows that God shows no partiality and therefore neither should we. 00:10:29.039 --> 00:10:34.399 There is no social barrier that gets between us and one another in Christ. 00:10:34.639 --> 00:10:39.759 A gospel-centered church knows that God shows no partiality, neither should we. 00:10:39.840 --> 00:10:44.720 And that means, number one, God invites outsiders. 00:10:45.360 --> 00:10:51.120 Number two, God supplies what his invitation requires. 00:10:51.679 --> 00:11:00.000 Number three, God transforms everyone, insiders and outsiders alike. 00:11:00.320 --> 00:11:02.080 All of those he invites. 00:11:12.000 --> 00:11:23.519 So the exciting thing I think about Acts chapter 10 is it calls us into a gospel-shaped reality where prejudice melts away in light of the gospel. 00:11:24.000 --> 00:11:41.120 The gospel calls us not just to tolerance, but to go further up and further in into the reality of transformation, where our own lives can bear the shape of the gospel and we can bear witness to the world that so desperately is looking for an answer to the barriers that we put up. 00:11:41.360 --> 00:11:43.200 This is what's exciting about Acts 10. 00:11:43.360 --> 00:11:44.159 Let's open up together. 00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:51.120 If you have your order of service, if you have your Bibles, let's open up to Acts 10, and we're going to explore this together. 00:11:51.360 --> 00:12:00.559 We're going to see a gospel-centered church is one that understands that God shows no partiality, and neither should we. 00:12:00.799 --> 00:12:03.600 So, number one, God invites outsiders. 00:12:03.840 --> 00:12:05.360 Let's look at verses 1 to 8. 00:12:05.519 --> 00:12:12.320 Maybe we want to begin by asking if God invites outsiders, who are the insiders that we're talking about? 00:12:12.480 --> 00:12:16.080 And in this passage, the insiders are the Jewish people. 00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:24.480 And Luke is writing to a Jewish audience, and so Jewish people read this, and first century Jewish people, that makes sense. 00:12:24.639 --> 00:12:30.159 And they have good reason to think that, because the Jewish people received God's word, what we call the Old Testament. 00:12:30.320 --> 00:12:31.600 They received God's law. 00:12:31.679 --> 00:12:46.639 They were called out from the nations around them to bear witness to be a royal priesthood, a royal nation, a priesthood of all people, and to bear witness to God's new creation work in the world. 00:12:47.279 --> 00:12:51.759 They were called out and chosen specifically by God for this vocation. 00:12:52.879 --> 00:13:03.600 But what the Jewish people have forgotten, at least at this point in the first century, is that God has chosen them not as a means of favoritism, but he's chosen them for the sake of the world. 00:13:03.840 --> 00:13:06.159 They're meant to be a blessing to the world. 00:13:06.320 --> 00:13:12.000 Their vocation is to carry God's blessing and his renewal to all nations. 00:13:12.879 --> 00:13:17.919 So here we have insiders encountering outsiders. 00:13:18.080 --> 00:13:20.480 And we meet Captain Outsider very quickly. 00:13:20.720 --> 00:13:23.039 Captain Outsider is named Cornelius. 00:13:23.200 --> 00:13:27.039 He's a centurion of what was known as the Italian cohort. 00:13:27.200 --> 00:13:33.120 He's a devout man who feared God, had a personal trust in God, and he feared him with all his household. 00:13:33.279 --> 00:13:36.799 He gave alms generously to the people and prayed continually to God. 00:13:37.039 --> 00:13:42.960 So we know that Cornelius has a personal faith in the God who reveals himself to the Jewish people. 00:13:43.120 --> 00:13:47.679 We know that Cornelius lives by the moral imperatives of the Old Testament. 00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:52.799 Cornelius has a genuine and sincere faith, and yet he's a Gentile. 00:13:53.840 --> 00:14:00.000 He's not a Jew, which means there's always going to be a sense of a racial barrier between him and other Jewish people. 00:14:00.080 --> 00:14:08.559 And not only that, he's a centurion, he's a soldier in the Roman army, he's middle management in the occupying forces. 00:14:08.799 --> 00:14:13.519 Not only is he an outsider, he's an enemy in that sense. 00:14:14.080 --> 00:14:26.960 But here's Cornelius, captain outsider, receiving a vision from God, receiving a word from God that says, Cornelius, God has recognized your faith. 00:14:27.120 --> 00:14:31.120 Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. 00:14:32.159 --> 00:14:38.320 Even if the Jewish people around him don't recognize the legitimacy of Cornelius' faith, God does. 00:14:38.559 --> 00:14:39.759 And he validates it. 00:14:39.840 --> 00:14:47.360 And he invites Cornelius to himself and he says, Cornelius, I think it's time for you to have a conversation with my apostle Peter. 00:14:49.120 --> 00:14:55.600 God has seen your his faith in action, and the invitation now is to come further up and further in. 00:14:55.840 --> 00:15:00.399 Cornelius reminds us that God invites outsiders. 00:15:01.120 --> 00:15:04.399 And we still have outsiders today in our church, don't we? 00:15:04.879 --> 00:15:11.600 We don't mean to, but we definitely have those folks that, well, are unlike us. 00:15:13.120 --> 00:15:17.279 So I've been thinking about the people that Jesus spends his time with. 00:15:17.840 --> 00:15:23.360 He gets challenged on it a couple of times by Pharisees, by the kind of religious elite of his day. 00:15:23.440 --> 00:15:29.919 He's spending time with prostitutes, he's spending time with tax collectors, he's spending time with sinners. 00:15:30.080 --> 00:15:34.240 Not to sort of pat them on the back and say, it's all okay, you're okay, I'm okay, we're all okay. 00:15:34.559 --> 00:15:42.000 No, he's spending time with them because these are folks who know that they have a desperate need for God's grace in their life. 00:15:42.320 --> 00:15:50.639 He is meeting with them to be a physician to their soul, to meet them with the grace that they so desperately require, to meet them with good news. 00:15:50.879 --> 00:15:53.919 These are the people Jesus is spending his time with. 00:15:54.159 --> 00:15:59.440 And yet, what would it be like if any one of those folks showed up to church this Sunday? 00:15:59.679 --> 00:16:04.000 What would it be like if they sat right next to us five minutes into service? 00:16:05.120 --> 00:16:10.960 What if someone we knew was notoriously ripping off people poorer than himself? 00:16:11.360 --> 00:16:15.679 Or what if someone was living an absolutely scandalous lifestyle? 00:16:16.080 --> 00:16:18.240 What if they sat right down next to us in church? 00:16:18.399 --> 00:16:20.159 Do you want to know the first thing that I would think? 00:16:20.320 --> 00:16:22.879 And this is a sincere confession on my part. 00:16:23.120 --> 00:16:24.960 You want to know what the first thing that I would think? 00:16:25.120 --> 00:16:27.840 I would think, oh, this just got complicated. 00:16:28.639 --> 00:16:30.639 Because that's complicated, isn't it? 00:16:30.960 --> 00:16:35.120 Welcoming the outsider is complicated business, and I don't like complicated. 00:16:35.440 --> 00:16:44.720 I like simple, which is why I tend to, and we all tend to associate with like-minded folks who share our life experience, who share our values. 00:16:44.879 --> 00:16:47.200 We get those people, and it's simple. 00:16:47.519 --> 00:16:52.639 So outsiders seem complicated to welcome. 00:16:53.200 --> 00:17:04.240 But here's the thing: Cornelius reminds us that God is inviting even outsiders into his grace, into the life of faith. 00:17:04.480 --> 00:17:09.440 Cornelius reminds us that there is no one God is not inviting to himself. 00:17:10.319 --> 00:17:17.599 And being a gospel-centered church begins by recognizing that God invites outsiders to himself. 00:17:18.000 --> 00:17:21.359 He doesn't show partiality, neither should we. 00:17:21.599 --> 00:17:27.119 But God doesn't just invite outsiders, he supplies what outsiders require. 00:17:30.640 --> 00:17:36.000 So we cut from Cornelius' vision, we cut over to Peter's. 00:17:36.559 --> 00:17:40.000 Peter is up on the housetop saying his midday prayers. 00:17:40.079 --> 00:17:41.519 It's around noon. 00:17:41.759 --> 00:17:45.279 And Peter is just always the most relatable disciple, isn't he? 00:17:45.440 --> 00:17:49.519 Because he's up on the rooftop, it's noon, he's saying his prayers. 00:17:49.759 --> 00:17:51.599 You know, that's something maybe we can relate to. 00:17:51.680 --> 00:17:55.920 And if you've ever been praying around noon, you know you're thinking about lunch. 00:17:56.559 --> 00:17:58.559 And that's exactly what Peter's thinking about. 00:17:58.640 --> 00:18:02.640 And maybe some of us are thinking about lunch right now, following Peter's example. 00:18:02.960 --> 00:18:07.599 Peter is hungry and he wanted something to eat, and it's being prepared downstairs in the kitchen. 00:18:07.759 --> 00:18:13.119 Now, the lunch that Peter is thinking about is most certainly a kosher lunch. 00:18:13.359 --> 00:18:31.440 Because Peter knows that God who spoke his word to the Jewish people, God who chose the Jewish people to be a witness to his good news, be a witness to the renewing work he's doing in creation, God chose the Jewish people and called them to be distinct from the other nations around them. 00:18:31.599 --> 00:18:33.839 They were going to stand out, they were going to be set apart. 00:18:34.000 --> 00:18:44.480 And one of the ways that they were going to show that they were set apart for God's purposes is that every sphere of life, including their diet, is going to look different than the nations around them. 00:18:44.640 --> 00:18:57.440 So there were certain food laws, there were foods that were considered unclean, that Jewish people did not eat, see some seafood, shellfish and uh pork and and these other things. 00:18:57.759 --> 00:19:03.359 So the lunch that Peter is dreaming about right now, as he's saying his prayers, is most certainly a kosher lunch. 00:19:04.319 --> 00:19:05.599 And here he has a vision. 00:19:05.920 --> 00:19:07.440 He has a wild vision. 00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:19.839 He sees this great white sheet, kind of like a sail or more like a giant picnic blanket almost, descending from heaven, and on the sheet is every kind of animal conceivable. 00:19:20.720 --> 00:19:27.440 This would include clean animals that he's used to eating and unclean animals that he knows he's not supposed to be eating. 00:19:28.400 --> 00:19:32.319 And here he hears a voice, Peter, it's lunch? 00:19:32.880 --> 00:19:33.920 You're hungry. 00:19:34.240 --> 00:19:35.680 Why don't you help yourself? 00:19:35.920 --> 00:19:40.319 Help yourself to anything here being presented to you. 00:19:40.880 --> 00:19:47.519 Peter, you can have uh a well-done steak, a piece of lamb like you're used to having. 00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:52.319 Or, may I suggest you try the clam chowder? 00:19:52.480 --> 00:19:55.440 Or, Peter, maybe I would suggest that you have a BLT. 00:19:55.519 --> 00:19:56.960 It's a nice light lunch. 00:19:57.279 --> 00:20:03.200 Or, Peter, maybe you've heard the news, but the McRib is back at McDonald's for a limited time only. 00:20:03.920 --> 00:20:05.680 Why don't you go and get one? 00:20:05.920 --> 00:20:07.440 And what's Peter's response? 00:20:07.680 --> 00:20:08.799 Peter knows God's word. 00:20:09.039 --> 00:20:11.279 He says, Oh Lord, I would never do something like that. 00:20:11.440 --> 00:20:14.480 You know how seriously I take your word and your commandments. 00:20:14.559 --> 00:20:19.839 You know that I strive to live my life separate and set apart for your sake. 00:20:19.920 --> 00:20:21.599 And what does God say to Peter? 00:20:21.839 --> 00:20:28.079 He says, What God has made clean, do not call common. 00:20:28.480 --> 00:20:32.640 This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven. 00:20:32.880 --> 00:20:41.039 So notice, by the way, this giant picnic blanket full of all these animals descends from heaven and then ascends back to heaven. 00:20:41.279 --> 00:20:43.599 It's not being cast away from God's presence. 00:20:43.759 --> 00:20:47.359 These are God's creatures that are being offered to Peter. 00:20:49.440 --> 00:20:53.680 And Peter's being told it's all fair game. 00:20:54.000 --> 00:20:57.119 God has supplied what his invitation requires. 00:20:57.279 --> 00:20:58.319 It's a little bit like this. 00:20:58.480 --> 00:21:01.839 Imagine, you know, because it it might seem like a contradiction. 00:21:01.920 --> 00:21:06.960 It might seem like God is saying, don't eat these foods there, but now it's like God is saying these are fine. 00:21:07.119 --> 00:21:07.920 How does that work? 00:21:08.640 --> 00:21:09.599 We can think about it this way. 00:21:09.759 --> 00:21:17.759 Imagine you're you're young, you're maybe five or six years old, and you're playing with your ball in your front yard, and almost inevitably what's going to happen to that ball? 00:21:17.839 --> 00:21:19.519 It's gonna roll across the street, isn't it? 00:21:19.599 --> 00:21:22.960 And what's your very first instinct as a five or six-year-old? 00:21:23.200 --> 00:21:24.640 You're running after that ball. 00:21:24.799 --> 00:21:28.480 It's not even a not even a conscious decision, it's just reaction, right? 00:21:28.559 --> 00:21:36.720 Now your mom is nearby, and your mom knows exactly what's happening here, and she gives you one commandment, and that commandment is stop. 00:21:37.119 --> 00:21:38.640 That's right, it's a one-word commandment. 00:21:38.720 --> 00:21:41.599 It's all too real, maybe for some parents here in the room. 00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:43.680 She gives a commandment that says stop. 00:21:44.480 --> 00:21:47.279 Now, that's a commandment given for your good. 00:21:47.519 --> 00:21:49.039 But you've got a choice, don't you? 00:21:49.200 --> 00:21:59.759 You can either choose to follow through on that commandment, to obey, to trust that your mom is is has your your good in mind, or you can choose to disobey, to go and get your ball as quickly as you can. 00:22:00.559 --> 00:22:02.559 And risk the consequences, right? 00:22:02.880 --> 00:22:06.799 But you know that your mom doesn't just throw out arbitrary instructions. 00:22:06.960 --> 00:22:09.920 You know that she has your very best in mind. 00:22:10.160 --> 00:22:11.519 So you do, you stop. 00:22:11.680 --> 00:22:18.400 You stop right on the edge of your lawn as cars go by, you know, at 60 clicks on either side of the street. 00:22:18.640 --> 00:22:20.319 Now, here's what happens next. 00:22:20.880 --> 00:22:39.440 You're standing at the edge of the lawn, and your mom comes up behind you, and very carefully but confidently, she puts up one hand and she stops the traffic on that side of the street, and then she puts up her other hand and she stops the traffic on that side of the street, and now she turns to you and she says, Okay, go get your ball. 00:22:40.079 --> 00:22:41.759 Now what are you gonna say to your mom? 00:22:42.000 --> 00:22:46.559 You're gonna put your hands on your hips and you're gonna say, Okay, I'm tired of you contradicting yourself, mom. 00:22:47.759 --> 00:22:49.519 You said stop and now it's go. 00:22:49.599 --> 00:22:50.240 Which one is it? 00:22:50.319 --> 00:22:51.440 Let's pick a lane here. 00:22:51.680 --> 00:22:53.279 Of course you're not gonna say that. 00:22:53.440 --> 00:22:56.480 You're gonna go get your ball because you know exactly what just happened. 00:22:56.799 --> 00:23:03.119 You know that your mom is only has your good in mind, and when she said stop, she meant it, so you stopped. 00:23:03.359 --> 00:23:06.880 But now she has personally entered into your situation. 00:23:07.039 --> 00:23:11.279 She has intervened such that the conditions have changed. 00:23:11.519 --> 00:23:18.079 And now she can issue you a new commandment go and get your ball with your good in mind. 00:23:18.640 --> 00:23:24.640 You see, it in the same way, God has entered into our situation in Christ. 00:23:24.799 --> 00:23:33.119 God first gave this commandment to call his people to be separate from the nations around them, to live a life of set apartness and holiness. 00:23:33.359 --> 00:23:41.839 But now God has come to earth, lived in our neighborhood, in the person of Jesus, the Holy One, and conditions have changed. 00:23:42.000 --> 00:23:43.599 He's entered into our situation. 00:23:43.680 --> 00:23:48.640 And now the purpose of these food laws has found their fulfillment in the Holy One. 00:23:48.880 --> 00:23:49.839 Do you see that? 00:23:50.720 --> 00:23:58.720 So now God can say, Peter, there's no reason for you to carry forward a commandment that has been fulfilled in Jesus. 00:23:59.039 --> 00:24:02.160 But this applies to way more than food laws. 00:24:02.799 --> 00:24:08.079 This applies right to uh the social barriers that have been put up. 00:24:08.880 --> 00:24:13.119 The key takeaway here is uh verse 15. 00:24:13.279 --> 00:24:17.359 God has made, what God has made clean, do not call common. 00:24:17.599 --> 00:24:19.440 See, God has intervened here. 00:24:19.680 --> 00:24:25.440 God has stepped into our situation in Christ, God has taken the action required. 00:24:26.880 --> 00:24:30.319 What God has done here has supplied our need. 00:24:30.400 --> 00:24:32.640 That's what Genesis 22 is all about, by the way. 00:24:32.720 --> 00:24:35.200 That's a really heavy reading, isn't it, Genesis 22? 00:24:35.359 --> 00:24:40.640 And we scratch our heads, why would God command Abraham to do such a thing to his son Isaac? 00:24:40.880 --> 00:24:47.680 And the only answer we can have is not that God was testing Abraham's faith to see if he has an A plus faith. 00:24:48.000 --> 00:24:54.319 He wants Abraham to understand, just like he wants us to understand, that what God demands, he will supply. 00:24:54.559 --> 00:24:56.400 The Lord will provide. 00:24:56.720 --> 00:24:58.880 That's the lesson of Genesis 22. 00:24:59.039 --> 00:25:02.160 And we can have a coffee and explore that more sometime if you'd like. 00:25:02.480 --> 00:25:05.920 God supplies what his invitation requires. 00:25:06.160 --> 00:25:12.799 He has entered into our situation and he has taken what we'd consider unclean and made it clean. 00:25:13.039 --> 00:25:16.720 There's no reason to carry forward what's been fulfilled in Jesus. 00:25:18.079 --> 00:25:21.839 Now, God shows no partiality, neither should we. 00:25:21.920 --> 00:25:27.519 He invites outsiders, he supplies what his invitation requires, but Peter is confused. 00:25:27.839 --> 00:25:29.119 He's scratching his head. 00:25:29.279 --> 00:25:35.599 Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision he had seen might mean, verse 17. 00:25:35.839 --> 00:25:40.079 And just as he's confused, there's a knock at the door, and it's Cornelius' men. 00:25:40.160 --> 00:25:45.680 And Cornelius' men say, Peter, we'd like for you to come and meet with our master who had a vision from the Lord. 00:25:45.759 --> 00:25:47.759 And so Peter leaves with them. 00:25:48.000 --> 00:25:57.759 Now it's the juxtaposition between this vision and the arrival of these Gentile outsiders that the gears start spinning for Peter. 00:25:57.839 --> 00:26:13.839 So that when he arrives at Cornelius' house, he says, verse 28, You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. 00:26:14.079 --> 00:26:23.440 God has shown me what he has done in Christ to break down this barrier, to draw outsiders to himself and to supply what they need most. 00:26:23.839 --> 00:26:24.559 Pardon me. 00:26:26.400 --> 00:26:30.319 Now it's tempting to stop the lesson right here. 00:26:30.880 --> 00:26:39.039 And our takeaway would be this God chose no partiality, therefore we practice tolerance. 00:26:39.279 --> 00:26:40.480 And that's true. 00:26:40.720 --> 00:26:42.960 Tolerance is aimed in the right direction. 00:26:43.200 --> 00:26:47.359 It's doing unto others as you would have doing them do unto you. 00:26:47.599 --> 00:26:50.640 And we're heading in the right direction if that's where we're tracking. 00:26:50.799 --> 00:26:56.160 But if we stopped the lesson right here, we would stop short of the gospel significance here. 00:26:56.319 --> 00:27:02.000 See, the gospel's calling us to go further up and further in, beyond just let's agree to disagree. 00:27:02.160 --> 00:27:04.559 The gospel is calling us to transformation. 00:27:04.880 --> 00:27:08.799 God transforms those that he calls from the inside out. 00:27:08.960 --> 00:27:11.599 That's insiders and outsiders alike. 00:27:11.920 --> 00:27:26.160 See, Peter gets now, he opens his mouth, verse 34 Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation, anyone who fears him puts their trust in him, and does what is right, puts their faith in action, is acceptable to him. 00:27:26.400 --> 00:27:29.119 And that's a description of Cornelius, isn't it? 00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:39.680 It's not just God's favorites who are invited, it's everyone, regardless of background, regardless of demographics, who can be made right with God through faith. 00:27:39.839 --> 00:27:46.799 And that's why Peter goes on to share the good news the life, the ministry, the death, the resurrection of Jesus. 00:27:47.039 --> 00:27:54.079 Jesus, who Peter says is Lord of all, not just Lord of his favorites, but Lord of all. 00:27:54.880 --> 00:28:04.720 Jesus died for all, therefore all have died and are invited into this new transformed life together. 00:28:05.200 --> 00:28:12.319 And so we see verse 44, the Spirit falls on these outs these former outsiders. 00:28:12.480 --> 00:28:27.359 Peter's still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on them who heard the word, and the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter, the insiders, they were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles, the outsiders. 00:28:27.519 --> 00:28:29.519 Do you remember what happened in Acts chapter 2? 00:28:29.680 --> 00:28:35.519 The Spirit was poured out, and folks spoke in other languages, proclaiming the glory and the gospel. 00:28:36.079 --> 00:28:40.400 This is what's happening for not just for insiders, but for outsiders. 00:28:40.640 --> 00:28:43.440 God is inviting outsiders in. 00:28:44.400 --> 00:28:50.480 And now he's poured out his spirit, and Peter recognized there's no reason to withhold baptism from these people. 00:28:50.880 --> 00:28:53.039 And so that's just what happens. 00:28:53.279 --> 00:29:10.000 And for the first time as Cornelius emerges from the waters of baptism, this man who has had a devout faith for many, many years, but has always been considered an outsider amongst the Jewish people, for the first time he can look a Jewish man, he can look Peter in the eye. 00:29:10.160 --> 00:29:13.920 And the word that they can use to describe one another is brother. 00:29:14.160 --> 00:29:15.680 We are brothers. 00:29:15.920 --> 00:29:19.200 There is now no barrier between us in Christ. 00:29:19.359 --> 00:29:19.839 Why? 00:29:20.000 --> 00:29:33.680 Because God's grace has met us both exactly where we are, because God has called us both to himself, because God has supplied what we both need, because God is working transformation by his spirit in both of our lives. 00:29:33.920 --> 00:29:40.720 There is no separation, no barrier between us, and only the gospel can accomplish that. 00:29:40.960 --> 00:29:41.759 Do you see? 00:29:42.000 --> 00:29:45.839 Do you see how the gospel dissolves barriers of prejudice? 00:29:46.079 --> 00:29:52.559 Do you see how the gospel has the power to unite where we would otherwise retreat into our separate corners? 00:29:52.799 --> 00:29:55.519 This is what the church is meant to bear witness to. 00:29:55.759 --> 00:30:14.799 A gospel-centered church gets that there's no room for prejudice or partiality because God's grace meets us all exactly where we are, and we bear witness to a world that so desperately needs to be unified and experience some sense of camaraderie or fellowship. 00:30:15.759 --> 00:30:22.160 We try and articulate that, but here the church can actually bear a living witness to that reality in Christ. 00:30:22.400 --> 00:30:29.519 We can show that God is doing a new creation work amongst us as he draws us together regardless of our background. 00:30:29.680 --> 00:30:37.359 But not just that, he is transforming us to conform to the very life and love of Christ. 00:30:38.960 --> 00:30:45.759 In Christ, God shows no partiality, so neither should we, his church. 00:30:57.039 --> 00:30:59.599 This is our opportunity, new song. 00:31:00.559 --> 00:31:06.000 Our opportunity is to bear witness to our community that God is doing this work amongst us. 00:31:06.240 --> 00:31:14.400 That it doesn't matter what our history is, it doesn't matter what our demographic is, here we are brothers and sisters in Christ. 00:31:15.039 --> 00:31:19.119 There is no barrier to God's grace, therefore there is no barrier between us. 00:31:19.200 --> 00:31:24.160 But friends, we have to guard against partiality. 00:31:24.400 --> 00:31:33.519 We have to guard against prejudice because pride and ego and self-righteousness will assert themselves little by little over time. 00:31:33.759 --> 00:31:35.440 We can be certain of that. 00:31:35.599 --> 00:31:36.480 And you know why? 00:31:36.640 --> 00:31:38.160 Because it happens to Peter. 00:31:38.400 --> 00:31:51.119 A little bit further into Peter's ministry, Peter has this very vivid vision and gets it so clearly in Acts chapter 10, just a few years later, is going to be doing ministry where um amongst Gentile people. 00:31:51.279 --> 00:31:59.680 But then when his own Jewish people start to show up, he starts to feel that cultural tension again, and his self-righteousness and his pride starts to kick in. 00:31:59.759 --> 00:32:07.200 And so he starts to spend less and less and less time with the Gentile outsiders and more and more time with the Jewish insiders. 00:32:07.359 --> 00:32:12.079 And it's Paul who in Galatians chapter 2 calls Peter out on this behavior. 00:32:12.160 --> 00:32:14.799 And he calls him out on the basis of the gospel. 00:32:15.039 --> 00:32:20.160 Peter, don't you understand that the gospel calls us to a life of unity? 00:32:20.640 --> 00:32:28.720 Calls us to dissolve these prejudices, calls us to dissolve these barriers, because God is working transformation in both of our lives. 00:32:28.880 --> 00:32:32.160 If it can happen to Peter, it can most certainly happen to us. 00:32:32.480 --> 00:32:45.359 So we guard ourselves against partiality and prejudice, thinking insiders and outsiders, and the only antidote that we have is the antidote that Peter has, and that's the gospel. 00:32:45.680 --> 00:33:03.839 We need to be reminded again and again and again that Christ died for all, therefore all have died, and that we are brothers and sisters precisely because the Spirit is working transformation in our lives individually and corporately as a church. 00:33:04.160 --> 00:33:08.000 God shows no partiality, neither should we. 00:33:08.400 --> 00:33:09.039 See, C.S. 00:33:09.119 --> 00:33:12.559 Lewis can say to his father, if I knew why, it wouldn't be prejudice. 00:33:12.720 --> 00:33:34.079 But if we know the gospel, then we know that prejudice has to dissolve away in the mercy and compassion and invitation of God as he invites us to find our whole selves, our identity completely transformed by taking up our cross and following him into a life of new creation and glory. 00:33:34.319 --> 00:33:42.880 And we can invite all to a life of transformation and renewal in the Spirit right here amongst our church family. 00:33:43.200 --> 00:33:48.480 So, friends, we can understand that God shows no partiality. 00:33:48.960 --> 00:34:03.920 But in every nation, amongst all people, even the outsiders that come to mind, all who fear him, put their faith, their trust in him, and do what is right, put their faith into action, are acceptable, can be rightly related to him. 00:34:04.480 --> 00:34:07.039 This is the grace of God to us in Christ. 00:34:07.279 --> 00:34:08.559 Thanks be to God. 00:34:08.880 --> 00:34:09.519 Amen. 00:34:15.039 --> 00:34:16.480 Thank you for listening today. 00:34:16.719 --> 00:34:22.320 We follow a generous God who calls us to give willfully, cheerfully, and sacrificially towards gospel ministry. 00:34:22.480 --> 00:34:28.639 Newsong is one hundred percent funded by the generous giving of those who worship and journey with us. 00:34:28.800 --> 00:34:36.320 If you'd like to learn more about how to give towards Newsong's ministry, you can do just that at newsongportperry.ca slash giving. 00:34:36.480 --> 00:34:38.880 God bless you and keep you today and every day.