Good morning, Easteridge. It's so great to see you all today. My name's Justin. I'm the associate pastor here, and um I am up here with just a grateful heart and just a lot of gratitude. Um for last week I had my wife Sarah and my mother-in-law deliver the message, uh, and they did an amazing job. I just want to say thank you for that. Taught us all about how we need to have the compassion. We need to have patience and endurance that God gives us and God gifts us uh so that we can be the hands and feet of Jesus, so we can be his light in the world. This is not just for moms, it's not just for parents, it's for everybody. So uh I I just want to say thank you for that. And then also I need to clarify one thing that uh that Vicky also announced that uh that you know that she has two grandchildren with two more on the way. And I want to make something very clear. I checked this morning. We are not having another baby, okay? Um, yeah, it's it's it's not happening, so it it's it's okay. We're we're we're not, but it's exciting that we're you know having more family in our in our lives, but uh, but that's not the method that we're doing at this time. So anyway, uh we have um we have we're we're in week six of our the story continues message series, all about the book of Acts. And we started from you know Jesus ascending into heaven and then the Holy Spirit coming down upon the apostles, and we talked about how the this the this man named Saul who was persecuting the church is now a member of the church and how important that is, and that's a that's a turning point uh in our in our Bible because we know that he turns into, spoiler alert, Paul, who writes a lot of the letters. And we often think of the book of Acts as a comma between the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and the letters of Paul, of Peter, of of of John. And and that that we don't we don't need to read the book of Acts, but it's very important because really pivotal things happen in that book, just like we're gonna read about today. You know, a f a few years ago, I was I had one of those moments where God gently showed me uh something real and something that was in my life that I didn't realize was there before. This was when I was in college and I was in uh Young Life Ministry as a as a leader, and we were doing this uh this leadership summit in Chicago. And it was uh it was a really great opportunity for us to travel around the city. I'd been there, uh I lived there for a while, but being back there, I was able to travel around on trains with some of my uh other leaders that were there, and I had a conversation with a man who was on the train, and I started talking to him. I wanted to share the gospel with him. I felt that prompting of the Holy Spirit to share with him the good news. And we started talking, and I found out that he was a grad student from from uh from uh University of Chicago and he was attending a Christian university, studying to get his master's of theology. I was like, wow, this guy really knows his stuff. I don't need to witness to him at all. And so I kind of put him in a box and said, I don't need a witness to him. I find out, though, that this man who had been studying uh for two years at this point, a master's of theology, was an atheist. He didn't believe in Jesus. He didn't believe in the gospel, he didn't have the gospel in his heart. And so I'm sitting there confused and and telling him about my story and about about what the who Jesus is and how he has changed my life and how I I have been changed through him uh and what he's what what is going on next and why I'm even in Chicago at the time. You know, and in the back of my mind I'm thinking, I don't know if we are going to connect, you know, w with with uh with what he has been going on and with how smart he he he is. Um you know I didn't say that out loud, it wasn't obvious, but it was it was there. And the conversation just kept going. Uh we had some time left, and something along the way, the you know, the wall started to come down. Because we were talking about things that weren't just ideas or theology. We were talking about pain. We were talking about questions that we had, we were talking about uh our faith in something. My faith was in Jesus, his faith was in something else. And we'd started talking about that. And I remember thinking, why did I assume that there would be distance before I even tried to listen to what he had to say? To that that I didn't hear his pain or I didn't hear what he was actually going through. God was already working in this man's life, and I just hadn't expected it. Uh I I he did not end up coming to the Lord that day, but it was a he ended up telling me this is a life-changing experience for me because I I have a face to go with the gospel. I understand how the gospel is supposed to work now, and I'm trying I'm starting to get it a little bit more. There was some humanity that went with it, and not just head knowledge. And head knowledge is great, you know, but it's not all head knowledge, it's heart. There's heart in it as well. And it hit me later, how many times have I myself limited who God might be reaching? And because I've already categorized them, I've put them in the box. I've said that person doesn't fit. You know, sometimes the biggest barrier to the gospel is not what's outside there, it's what's inside your heart. It is what is going on inside that really is going to make a really big barrier. And we we we don't always reject people outright, but we quietly decide that they don't fit, that they're that they they wouldn't be interested in the gospel, that they would, they wouldn't, they they're too far gone, that there's so much sin in their life that it they don't they can't receive it, or that they're too different from us. And so we keep a little bit of a distance from them. And but we build these invisible fences and we we construct these walls and we stay inside of them because it's comfortable. But God has always been in the business of stepping inside and stepping over those lines. We often draw lines where God is already moving across them. And so today we're gonna be in the book of Acts in chapter 10, and it is literally one of the most important chapters in the Bible. Now, there's a lot of really great chapters in the Bible. I encourage you to read it. But there's a lot of great chapters. This is one of the greatest ones because it answers a massive question. Is the gospel really for everyone? Because the Jews at the time, the apostles even, because they are Jews at the time, thought that this was just for them. That the way, the the the Christian way of life, following Jesus, was just for them. They believed that. So in Acts 10, we meet a man named Cornelius, and he is a Roman centurion. So he is in charge of a lot of Roman soldiers. He is uh he is a he's a Gentile, which means that he is not a Jew. He is he is outside of the tribe of Israel. So he's a Gentile, he's a part of the occupying force that is there in Israel. He has military training, he is he is supposed to uh oppress the people that are there. That's what he's supposed to do. And he is outside of the covenant people of Israel. He's outside of it. He is not supposed to know the gospel. And yet, he in in starting in Acts 10, he prays. He gives, he gives his alms, he gives his uh his like money to the church, and he doesn't quite understand why. And he seeks God. Cornelius is seeking God. This echoes something we see even in the Old Testament, that God has always been drawing outsiders in. We see it in um in the book of Isaiah, 56, 7, it says, These I will bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar, for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. Not just Jews, not just the ones who were in exile, but for all peoples. And then even before that, in Acts or in Genesis 12, verse 3, it says, I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. All of them. Every single one of them. Israel was never meant to be the finish line for God's story. It's the starting point. So we pick up in Acts 10, starting in verse 9. It says this uh after after Cornelius is talking to God, he says, All right, I need someone to tell me the truth. I need someone to tell me the gospel, send someone. And this is what happens in starting in Acts in Acts 10, verse 9. The next day, as they were on their journey approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray, and he became hungry and wanted something to eat. Now, who here has you know said, all right, I'm gonna sit down, I'm gonna have my quiet time, I'm gonna pray for a little while, and then you all of a sudden want a hot dog. I mean, it it happens. It's true. You you you get up there and you're you're like, oh, okay, I'm lighting my candle, I've got my Bible, I got my notebackbook, I'm ready to go, and now I'm hungry. Okay? It happens, it happens. It happens to Peter, it'll happen to you, I promise. So he is hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing, he fell into a trance and saw the heavens open, and something like a great sheet descending, bel being let down by its four corners upon the earth. And it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him Rise, Peter, kill and eat. But Peter said, By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean. And the voice came to him again a second time, What God had made has made clean, do not call common. This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven. So while God is working in Cornelius, he is working in Cornelius to change what he knows about the truth of the gospel, he is also working in Peter. He's showing Peter something different. Peter has a vision. A sheet comes down filled with animals considered unclean. And following Jewish history, the clean animals were cattle, sheep, and fish with scales. So the the bad ones, this is gonna break a lot of your hearts. The bad ones were pigs. I know, all right. Pigs, shellfish, camels, believe it or not, vultures, and lots of reptiles. You were not allowed to eat those things. But God says, as he's bringing this vision to him, eat. And Peter says no, which is pretty bold. God says, do not call anything impure, unclean, that has been made clean. This is not about food. This is about people. God is dismantling these categories that were set up in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. These were these were saying, okay, you're not allowed to eat these things. And he that right, it was about food, but now he's talking about something way more than just food. He's talking about people. He's talking about people because Peter had theology. He had the idea of who God is and what God wanted for him. But he still had boundaries. He still set up categories where people could fit in and say, You can't receive the gospel, you can't receive this thing. God doesn't just prepare the outsider, he reshapes the insider, just like he's reshaping all of you. So what happens is Peter walks into Cornelius' house. And Cornelius said, Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing and said, Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms have been remembered before God. Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon, who was called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner. That's a lot of Simons, okay? So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now, therefore, we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord. Now, they weren't allowed, Jews at the time were not allowed to associate with people of other nations, and let alone go into their homes. And for Peter, who was a Jew, who was a Christian, who was, you know, under the occupying force of the time, going into a general's home was dangerous. It was out of this world. You did not want to do that. So it says in Acts 10, 28, and he said to them, You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or visit to anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. He says that to him. This is the turning point. This is where Peter says, I am no longer going to keep the gospel to one group, to one tribe, to one nation. Instead, it will go to everyone. In Cornelius' house was a whole bunch of soldiers and relatives, and probably those soldiers' relatives as well. They would come inside their house and they would all be together. The gospel is not just crossing geography at this point, it's crossing identity. You know, when in the book, uh in the very beginning of the Acts, it says in 1.8, you know, that you go to Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. That's crossing geography. Now we are crossing identity of who can receive the gospel. The gospel is preached. It is preached to the Gentiles in that house. The good news is heard, and this happens after, starting in verse 44. While Peter was still saying these things, as he is preaching, 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. For they were hearing them, speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days. Peter preaches Jesus. And before he's even done, the Holy Spirit falls on these people, onto the Gentiles, the people who are outside of the covenant, who never should have received anything from God. They didn't need a permission slip, they didn't need a checklist, they didn't need a waiting period. They received the Holy Spirit because that is how God moves. And everyone realizes it. That God shows no favoritism. This moment fulfills what God had been pointed toward all along. We sang about it. That God is the God of the ancient of days. That's who he is. So before time even began, he knew this would happen. That throughout scripture, we think about Jonah and how Jonah is sent to Nineveh, an enemy city. He didn't want God's compassion to come upon that city. He didn't want them to be warned. He knows that God might save them if he sent them. And he still didn't like that. And Acts 10, when we read about what Peter did, is the exact opposite of what happened with Jonah. Peter hesitates, he definitely hesitates, but then he obeys. And instead of running from outsiders, he walks towards them. He walks inside their households. And we think about Ruth, a Moabite woman, a Gentile also, brought into God's people. Or in 2 Kings 5, there's a man named Naaman, and he is healed. He is a Gentile who has been healed. And God has always been reaching beyond the boundaries that we set up. He's always been doing that. And Acts 10 just makes it unmistakably clear what God's idea for us is is to break these categories down, to break these walls down, to break these barriers down. And here's why. Here's why this is a really big deal. Because the biggest barrier was never being a Jew, was never being a Gentile, was never being along in the right tribe or the or or someone else. It was sin. Sin has always separated us from God. Our falling short of the glory of God separates us completely, irreparably. And Jesus came to break that barrier. Peter says to these Gentiles, to these people in the household of Cornelius, to him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. Everyone. That includes the religious people, the rebellious people, the insider, the outsider, me, you, all of us can receive that forgiveness. Exactly. You got it. The cross is where the dividing line collapses. So here's where this gets real for all of us is who have you categorized? Who have you categorized? Who have you said, you know what? That person feels a little bit too far to receive this news. That person's a little bit too different from me. I'm gonna keep my distance from them. Who have you quietly written off that says they can't possibly receive the gospel? Who's that person? Second question you have to ask yourself: where is God inviting you to step across a line? Is it a relationship? An invitation? A conversation you just have to have? How are you going to step across that line? To invite that person that you have written off? Who have you categorized? Where is God inviting you to step across a line? How are you going to do it? And have you personally received this? Have you personally received Jesus Christ as your Lord and your Savior so that you can be changed from the inside out for the good news? Because if you don't have that good news in you, other people can't receive it. You have to have that inside of you. It has to be real for you for it to be real to others. So imagine if we all lived this out, this truth out. Not just saying all are welcome, which is true. All are welcome here. We wear it in our t-shirts. No perfect people allowed. You're all welcome here. But if we actually lived that out, what that would actually look like. People stepping towards one another, listening, loving, engaging with one another. Crossing lines with grace and with truth. That's what we need to do because that's what Jesus did for us. And as we close today, we're going to come to the table together. Communion reminds us that we all arrive the same way. Not by merit. We don't arrive by our backgrounds, not by our own effort, but by complete grace. The bread reminds us that his body was broken. The cup reminds us his blood was poured out for us. And it was poured out for all, for Jew, for Gentile, for insider, for outsider. The table of Jesus is where strangers can become family together. And so as we respond to this, the team's going to come back up here and we're going to uh take the communion together, but also we're going to respond by singing. Because we remember who he is, the one who crossed heaven to reach us, the one who saves completely. Because he is mighty to save. He is mighty to forgive. He is mighty to reach the one that you have written off, and he is mighty to reach you. So if you believe that Jesus is your Lord and your Savior, you are welcome to come up and take these elements at these tables. Take them back to your seats, and then we will take them all together in a moment. Let's do that right now.