PONDERING...How Do We Address Doubts About God’s Movement? (Acts 11:1-18)

VIDEO

How Do We Address Doubts About God’s Movement? (AM Sermon Notes)

GIST: Don’t allow legalism or prejudice to blind us to God’s gift of repentance; instead, humbly and consistently point to the truth of God’s grace.

SCRIPTURE: Acts 11: 1-18

This morning we’re coming to the first half of Acts chapter 11. However, we’re coming back to the same situation Luke covered in chapter 10. Like I said last week, this is the longest narrative in the book, and one of the two most frequently revisited...since it is such a big deal. It points unquestionably to the salvation of Gentiles, non-Jews. Today, we’re going to look at the aftermath of Cornelius’ conversion on the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. Needless to say, though this marked an incredibly important shift in the life of the Church, it was not readily accepted by everybody. Nonetheless, even in this controversy, we see God’s marvelous grace. Let’s look at Acts 11:1-18.

"1 Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, 3 "You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them." 4 But Peter began and explained it to them in order: 5 "I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. 6 Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. 7 And I heard a voice saying to me, 'Rise, Peter; kill and eat.' 8 But I said, 'By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.' 9 But the voice answered a second time from heaven, 'What God has made clean, do not call common.' 10 This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. 11 And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. 12 And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. 13 And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, 'Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; 14 he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.' 15 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' 17 If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?" 18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, "Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life."

This passage can be divided up into two basic parts: the issue and the response. That is, we see why they were upset, what Peter then tells then in response to their concerns, and then how they, in turn, respond to his response ☺️. Really, there are some big points for us to take away here, so this is our gist: Don’t allow legalism or prejudice to blind us to God’s gift of repentance; instead, humbly and consistently point to the truth of God’s grace.

I. THE ISSUE: LEGALISM AND PREJUDICE BLIND THEM TO GOD’S GIFT OF REPENTANCE (1-3, 18)

Healthy VS Unhealthy Skepticism. Let’s start by breaking down the underlying issue here. Big picture, there seemed to be doubts about how God chose to move amongst the Gentiles. Doubts of this kind can be very dangerous. Being Missouri Baptist, you know, the Show-Me state, we probably all have what we consider a healthy level of skepticism. Admittedly, there are spiritual matters of which we should be skeptical. Not everything done in the name of Jesus is real or Biblical. Turn on your TV or flip through online videos, and you’ll see countless examples of people claiming to perform miraculous healings in the name of Jesus, typically for a small donation, or proclaiming success or prosperity or something like that with no reference to the actual Gospel proclaimed by Jesus. We need to know the Bible well enough to view these situations with our eyes wide open.

However, not all skepticism is healthy. I have been a Missouri Baptist long enough to know that oftentimes we’re skeptical of any movement of God that exceeds our experience. If we’ve never seen God do it, we might doubt it actually happened--especially if we hear that it happened in one of those “more charismatic” denominations. If this is the case, shame on us. This kind of skepticism is both dangerous and nonChristian--and it can lead to us missing out on the awesome movement of God because...we just don’t want to see it. That’s more along the lines of the issue we see in this passage. Look back at verses 1-3 again. “1 Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, 3 "You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them." Here we see, they were allowing legalism and prejudice to blind them to God’s gift of repentance! Let’s break those elements down a bit. First, let’s look at that word→

Legalism. This is a term that can bring up varying emotions. I know I’m still young, but in my time in ministry, I have seen this word evoke completely opposite responses among church members. Some will hear it as their battle cry. ‘Yes, yes! Don’t put your repressive restraints on my Christianity! We’re saved by grace, not by works, so don’t try and make me feel obligated to do anything!’ The other side hears it almost as a curse word. ‘No, no, no! Don’t start bringing up your liberal ideas about not needing to do anything. That’s just an excuse not to be involved!’ Both sides have merits but taken to extremes, both sides are unhealthy. So, let’s talk through this a bit. Legalism is making anything except God’s grace a requirement for salvation. If we require any action or discipline as a part of what makes you a Christian, we are being legalistic. That’s wrong, and that’s what we see happening in this passage. However, fear of legalism cannot be an excuse not to be actively and consistently involved in church, any more than an excuse not to worship God, pray, study the Bible, or share the gospel. Expecting Christians to do these things is not legalistic. It’s expecting them to live like Christians. These activities don’t save you, nor do they add an iota to your salvation. However, if you are truly saved, they will be a vital and constant part of your life. Period.

Like I said, what we see here is an example of real legalism, and it’s not from everyone. It’s specifically from the circumcism group, Christians who still held the traditions of the Old Testament. Their issue wasn’t even so much that these people were saved, but that Peter had stoop “so low” as to enter their house and eat with them! That’s failure to keep the main thing the main thing. It’s also a blatant example of→

Prejudice. I’m not sure I need to expound this much at all. These early Jewish Christians had been raised thinking only Jews could have the favor of God. So, even though they’ve now been saved by grace, not their own merits, this deep-set prejudice didn’t just vanish. We saw last week how it messed with Peter as he struggled to see what God was telling him about Gentiles being clean. It took God shaking him up for him to see this clearly. Even after this awesome revelation that happens at the end of this passage, this prejudice doesn’t just vanish. I mean, the very next verse (19) says as they scattered, they still only spoke to other Jews. Prejudice was a major issue in the early church and a huge hurdle that needed to be overcome for the gospel to spread. It still is today. We can say it and say it and say it, but we need to really live it. There is no one beyond God’s salvation. Anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord can be saved, so we have to be sharing the Gospel with everyone! Unfortunately, this legalism and prejudice made them→

Blind. I won’t say much here, but blindness is the natural state of all of us...before we’re saved. To allow legalism and prejudice… or anything else for that matter to revert us back to seeing the world as if we’d never been changed by grace is not only sad but also dishonorable to the Light of the World Who gave us sight. What were they blind to? →

God’s Gift of Repentance (18). When we see the change that happens in their hearts, we have a clear picture of what it was they were missing out on. Look ahead to verse 18 real quick. “18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, "Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.” I know this might be getting ahead of myself a bit here, but we need to remember this truth. Repentance is God’s gracious gift. We don’t earn salvation, and we don’t muster up enough goodness to be better. We are saved because Jesus came and died and rose again, and that same God moves in our hearts calling us to repentance. We turn because He moves us to turn. Remember the first two verses of “Amazing Grace”?

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.

It’s grace, unmerited favor, that saves souls! That’s the issue here. Legalism and prejudice made them miss this beautiful truth. So, what was Peter’s response? I know I’ve been longer here, so I’ll try to be concise☺️. (Man, I wonder how often I say that after point 1?)

II. PETER’S RESPONSE: POINT HUMBLY TO THE TRUTH OF GOD’S GRACE (4-18)

Understanding the dangers in their doubt is important. It’s also important to see how Peter responded. Though he has been known for his “foot-in-mouthedness” in the past. Here, he faithfully pointed humbly to the truth of God’s grace. This is an example for us. Let’s run through that, too. First, we should be careful to→  

Point (4-7). He responds first by simply walking them through what happened. In verses 4-7, he tells the story from where it started for him--his experience with the sheet vision. He’ll then continue to clarify what happened when he got to Cornelius’ house, as well. This is huge because so much conflict, even within the church, comes from misinformation. The best way to avoid this is by...well, actually talking to each other. You might find by doing so that what you were so hopping mad about wasn’t even close to what you thought happened. That’s what Peter does here. He clarifies the situation.

However, when he does this, he does so→

Humbly (8-10). This is huge! Even though he’s an apostle and is completely justified in his actions, he doesn’t try and pull some kind of trump card here. Instead, he walks them through what really happened and expresses sympathy to their perspective. Look at verses 8-10 again, “8 But I said, 'By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.' 9 But the voice answered a second time from heaven, 'What God has made clean, do not call common.' 10 This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven.” He doesn’t pretend that this issue was super easy for him to understand, and they’re just simpletons who need to get their acts together. He admits, “hey, this was hard for me too.”  Imagine how many disputes would be dissolved if this were our attitude? We all struggle. We all have our doubts from time to time. Let’s be honest enough to admit that and move forward together, instead of hiding behind insecurities and stagnating in our walk with Jesus. When we encounter doubts, let’s have those conversations with compassion. We need to be willing to talk because we once were blind and now we see, not because of some superiority but because the grace which is given freely to all who believe! Again, the greatly loved should greatly love.

So, he points humbly→

To The Truth (11-12). Here he keeps his audience in mind. He tells them what happened, and why they can believe it. Look at 11-12, “11 And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. 12 And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house.” According to Jewish law, you needed two witnesses to confirm a testimony. He had six. Some of which were even from this circumcism group (10:45)! I don’t think that’s just coincidence. God knew what He was doing. Beyond that though, he points clearly to the fact that this direction came not from him, but from the Spirit. He’s pointing them to the truth of God! Which is fitting, because this entire account points to the truth→

Of God’s Grace. This isn’t a change Peter is trying to make. The authority here is 100% God. Look at this real quick.

13-14. “13 And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, 'Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; 14 he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.” This is God’s doing. He sent the angel to send for Peter.  Oh, and that house Peter wasn’t supposed to go into? The angel stood in that house first!

15. “15 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning.” Here he is sure to emphasize not the speaker, but the heart mover! The Holy Spirit sent, and the Holy Spirit saved!

16-17. “16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' 17 If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?” It’s not Peter trying to disrupt their traditions. He was just trying to follow Jesus. This changing is Jesus’ doing. Isn’t that what they were all about? Isn’t it what we’re supposed to be all about?

18. Yes, we read this earlier, but it bears repeating. “18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, "Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.” They were silent and praised God because they realized the true extent of this gift!

TAKEAWAYS

Let’s recap in conclusion ☺️→

1. Don’t allow legalism or prejudice to blind us to God’s gift of repentance.

2. Instead, humbly and consistently point to the truth of God’s grace.

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.