MPC
18th March 2018.March 18 - Acts 9:32-11:18 - "Inclusive Church"
MPC
18th March 2018.
Phil Campbell
As you probably know, we live in an age where apparently the only rule is that "love is love." And so, with only a few limits, you can marry whoever you like.
Because... love is love. Except of course when it comes to people who might disagree with that. And then you can hate them as much as you like.
Especially online. Where again of course the only rule is that you're not allowed to offend anyone. Except if it's in a comment. Where you say whatever you like. Because there's always Facebook to keep us together. Except that even Mark Zuckerberg admits that too much social media is just making us depressed. And potentially more divided than ever.
The fact is, these days we're all going tribal. And technology is only making it happen faster. Politics is more and more polarised. And election after election, down to the wire. All over the world. The right further right, the left further left. From Tasmania; South Australia; Italy every election seems to leave the world with just another hung parliament. Able to do nothing.
As the gap between us gets wider and wider. And people seem further and further apart.
So if I start a sentence with the words, "There is nothing worse than... " maybe you'll all finish it differently.
There's nothing worse than a... Labor voter.
There's nothing worse than a... One Nation supporter.
There's nothing worse than a... New Zealander.
There's nothing worse... shift your mind back 2000 years and half a world away. There's nothing worse. Than a Gentile. If you happened to be Jewish.
Because if you were Jewish you knew from the cradle... there were two kinds of people in the world. You. And the Gentiles. You. And everyone else.
Because you in a unique way were the people of God. And they weren't.
And so right through the Old Testament there were laws. Designed to remind you that you Israelites were very special. That you were distinct. That you, if you did all the sacrifices right, if you were careful what you touched and whose house you went in... that you were clean. And everyone else was unclean.
And there were certain foods that other people ate that you just wouldn't even think about. Because that was unclean food. And you were clean. In a dirty, dirty world. Full of dirty, dirty people. You. Were different.
It's a funny thing, the gag reflex we've got; the waves of nausea when you're watching, I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. Which might partly be just because of the show ;-) ... but I'm talking about the gross challenges. Like eating cockroaches. Or sucking on a worm milkshake while rats are nibbling at your toes. Think of something as gross as you can. Something that turns your stomach. And that's what it was like for a first century Jew. To think of mixing with people like us.
And yet as we've seen already in Acts, that resurrected Jesus has stepped up to fulfil Daniel's prophecy that one day the King of Israel was going to be king of all the world. Stephen, as he dies; Acts 7; gets a glimpse into heaven. It's true. He's there at the right hand of God. King over every nation and tribe and language and tongue.
Which matches the marching orders Jesus gave his apostles back in chapter 1. That the Holy Spirit's going to give you power to be my witnesses in Jerusalem. That's okay. And in all Judea. Yep, that's okay too. And last week - Samaria! Well, that's a challenge. We don't mix with half Jews. But now a bigger challenge... now to the ends of the earth. The unclean bits.
Because Jesus is going to rule there as well.
Last week we saw Saul turned around and commissioned as God's chosen instrument to reach the Gentiles. But the fact is, Peter; head apostle; has gotta be on board too. Whether he likes it or not.
We're picking up in chapter 9 verse 32. As the focus switches back from Saul who we saw last week. To Peter. Who's travelling round Judea up to the north west of Jerusalem healing people. And even raising the dead. He's doing it in the name of Jesus. And things are happening, much like they did when Jesus was around in person.
Take up your mat and walk. And the guy walks.
Get up. And she gets up.
If you go back and read Luke 5 and Luke 8, it's like Jesus all over again. Still at work through Peter.
And loads of them, you'll see in verse 35, loads of them in the towns of Lydda and Sharon, are turning to the Lord Jesus.
Chapter 9 Verse 42, \many people believe in the Lord.
All of them... Jewish.
Which is great. But still not stepping up for the bigger mission. That Jesus flagged right at the start.
Jerusalem. Check. Judea. Check. Samaria. Check.
But Peter, what about the ends of the earth?
What about, for example, an Italian?
Because as you'll see in chapter 10, that's exactly what Jesus is planning. Even if Peter needs a bit of softening up first.
Pick it up at chapter 10 verse 1.
There's a centurion. a Roman soldier from the Italian regiment. And he lives at Caesarea.
Through the passage we're told about five times what a decent bloke he is. He and his family are devout and God fearing, verse 2. He might be a Roman. But he already respects Jewish ways. Even prays to Israel's God regularly. And gives generously to the Jewish poor.
For Peter, this is starting with an easy one.
It's 3 in the afternoon, and Cornelius has a vision. "Cornelius! God's pleased with you." It's an angel! "Your prayers and your gifts to the poor."
What the angel doesn't mention upfront is, that means you're going to have the huge privilege of becoming Gentile Christian number 1. Because what better thing could God offer?
So send some men, says the angel. Send them to get Simon Peter... who's staying at a beach house down at Joppa.
And so off they go.
Now at the other end of the story, we're in chapter 10 verse 9, Peter's having a vision too. Which is good, because it confirms for both of them that Cornelius hasn't just had too much pizza before siesta.
Peter is praying on the roof of Simon the tanner's beach house in Joppa. Enjoying the sea breeze.
And he's hungry. Peter nods off; falls into a trance. And suddenly the sky opens up and there's a picnic rug lowered down from heaven full of lunch.
Except it's straight out of i'm a celebrity. And Peter's saying get me out of here.
For starters, its crawling. It's got wriggling reptiles, it's got birds of the air, and worst of all it's got all kinds of four footed animals. Like pigs.
All of them straight from the list in Leviticus of animals that Jews never eat. They're all from the unclean list.
And yet a voice says to him, verse 13, get up Peter - kill and eat.
Now it's not just that Peter's a squeamish city boy who's never taken an axe to a chicken. It's that it's breaking the rules of yuk. Not to mention the rules of clean.
And he says in verse 14, surely not.
"Surely not Lord. I've never eaten anything impure or unclean in my life. " My lips are clean. Nothing unclean has ever gone into me. I'm a good Jewish boy. How can you tell me to do that?
And the voice speaks to him a second time. "Don't you call anything impure... that God has made clean."
Do you get that? do not. Call anything impure. That God has made clean. A N Y T H I N G.
Peter doesn't get it. Verse 16 says the whole thing happens three times for dummies. And then the sheet's taken back into heaven.
Now if you're Peter, what do you make of that?
He's still thinking about it. When a voice with an Italian accent calls out from the gate. "Is Simon Peter here?"
Get the connection? "Don't call anything unclean... that I have made clean." Here's a bunch of unclean Gentiles ... standing at the gate.
The spirit nudges him again. Verse 19. Direct instructions from Jesus. "Simon, three men are looking for you. get up and go downstairs. don't hesitate to go with them. For I have sent them."
Get it? They're unclean men!!
Peter goes down. "Why have you come?"
They say, "We've come from Cornelius the centurion," Verse 22. He is a righteous and God fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people.
See, Peter, it's going to be easy. You'll like him already.
Not to mention, they're saying, a holy angel... told him to have you come to his house. So that he can hear what you've got to say.
At which point Peter invites the travellers in. To be his guests.
Now if you want to, you can let off the fireworks and throw the streamers at this point, because when you see the word house there in verse 22, Peter asking Cornelius to come to his house, and the word house there again in verse 23, Peter inviting these Gentiles into his house... that right there... is the breakthrough. That right there is Peter saying, I get it. I get it. That the old clean-unclean boundary rules no longer apply. That I'm going to open my house. And share a table. And share my food. With the kind of people I once in my mind thought were unclean. And excluded. Now they're my guests.
And you see it again a few verses later when Peter arrives at Caesarea at the house of Italian Cornelius. And he goes in without even a second thought. There's a group there. Cornelius has invited all his friends and relatives. And Peter says this...
"You're very well aware," verse 28; "that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a gentile" ... or visit him. Right now, he says, I'm breaking our law.
But God has shown me that I shouldn't call any man impure or unclean. So when I was sent for I came without raising any objections.
You get that? God has shown me I should not call any man impure or unclean. I shouldn't rule anyone out. I shouldn't put up any boundary between me and anyone on the basis of their ethnic origins. Or even their State of Origin if it's footy season. That stuff just doesn't matter.
So Peter says, why did you sent for me? And Cornelius tells the story of the angel. And says we want to listen to you. To everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.
We need to spend a minute on what Peter says next. Because it's the essence of the gospel. And you might be thinking with a guy like Cornelius who's a decent guy who already does lots of good deeds that he doesn't need anything else to be saved. But you couldn't be further from the truth. It's interesting isn't it, last week we had Saul the religious Jew. Who had to submit to king Jesus. And now we've got Cornelius the good living Gentile. Who needs to submit to King Jesus as well. See, in spite of popular opinion the gospel message isn't do good stuff and you'll be right with God. And it's not be more religious and you'll be right with God.
The Gospel message is that the one who died for sin is king.
And God's gone to extraordinary lengths to have Cornelius get to hear that.
Verse 34, Peter starts talking. I now realise how true it is... that God does not show favouritism. At last I get it, says Peter. Jesus is not just for us Jews. He says God's going to accept people from every nation who fear him and do what is right. People like Cornelius. Who are ready to repent. And do the right thing of turning to Jesus.
Which is exactly what Peter calls on them to do.
Verse 36, this is the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.
I get it! Lord of all. Not just Lord of Israel.
And he tells them how Jesus went around healing through Judea, how he was pushing back the kingdom of the devil. How they killed him; how God raised him back to life. And how he's been appointed by God as the one who's going to judge the living and the dead. The rightful king. Of everyone.
Which is the punch line in verse 43; the punch line all the prophets testify about him, that everyone who believes in him... receives forgiveness of sins through his name.
Get it? What you used to be isn't the point. When you come to the point of believing in Jesus, it doesn't matter where you've come from. You've come to the right place. And you're welcome. And you receive the one thing that matters most of all. The forgiveness of your sins. So that your wrongs are no longer listed on your account... they're cancelled.
Peter says, that's true for everyone who believes; God calls you clean. On his account.
In other words: The One who Died for Sin is King... of everyone. everywhere. Ready to forgive any sin. Of anyone. Any place. Any time.
So number 1. Have you... come to him on that basis?
I hope you have!
And number 2, if you have, do you get the importance of the second bit. Don't you call anything impure... that God's calling clean.
Your conscience. No matter what you've been through that's made you feel otherwise. If you've believed on Jesus, forgiven. Clean.
Cornelius the Gentile: clean.
His whole household: clean.
The person beside you and behind you: clean.
And if you're clean and if they're clean, what's to divide over?
And so as Cornelius and his household believe; it's like Pentecost all over again. As the spirit that came on the first Jewish believers so visibly... now comes on them visibly as well. So there's no possible mistake. It's really happening. Right in front of Peter's eyes. Gentiles. Receiving the spirit.
And Peter says to his Jewish friends who came with him, come on, we'll baptise them with water now just like we were... as a sign they're part of the church too. Because they've received the Holy Spirit just like we did.
At which point the story should say they all lived happily ever after. But it doesn't.
Because when Peter gets back to Jerusalem, there's trouble.
You can see it at the start of chapter 11. He's in trouble with the other apostles. He's in trouble with the grumpy brothers in Judea. Have a quick look at what happens from verse 1.
"The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers - the Jewish ones - criticised him. You went into the house of uncircumcised men, these dirty Gentiles; and ate with them." How could you?
See, there's how your average Jewish Christian is thinking.
And so Peter takes them through the story; one step at a time; the vision with the unclean animals; the voice from heaven; Cornelius, and his vision. And finally, verse 16, how the Holy Spirit came on them... just like he came on the Jewish believers at the beginning. No difference.
So he says if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus, who was I to think that I could oppose God?
And so when they hear this, they've got no further objections, verse 18; and they say, wow. God has granted even the Gentiles... repentance unto life."
Even Italians.
Even Japanese and Americans and Irish and Cambodians.
Even you and me. Whatever you are.
I'm an Australian. And I reckon it's astonishing he let's Australians in!
Now again, this point here. Acts 11 verse 18. This is where they finally get it. Although they're going to be fighting about it again in chapter 15. But they finally get that this is a gospel for everyone.
Which is exactly why today, this morning, you can look around here most Sunday morning and see more and more brothers and sisters from all over the world, all here together.
Are you welcoming them? I do wonder sometimes if we still draw dividing lines.
First and foremost, maybe you need to be reminded, there's no place for racism. Not any hint of it. In a church ruled by Jesus Christ. And yet it can easily enough creep in. Always with the presupposition that our own way is the right way. And other ways are odd.
In the end, we want to be a church that celebrates diversity. In all kinds of ways.
Maybe you stand at a distance for other reasons?
Wrong kind of school maybe?
Wrong kind of job?
Wrong age group?
Not brought up Presbyterian?
Wrong style of music?
It's an attitude that says without even saying the words, "What are you doing at my church?" And so maybe the people over one side on a Sunday morning have been part of MPC for fifty years. And the people on the other side have been coming for five. And have maybe never even said hello.
Every few years we declare an amnesty day for that over morning tea. I'll declare it again for today.
This is the day that without being awkward you get to go and find someone from the other side of church; you don't have to hug them. But you can if you like. Say hello. And start something new. Someone whose name you should know but you don't. Someone you've seen around for a couple of years and you've never said g'day.
Maybe even this year make it your goal to have someone like that into your home. Because now, see, it's not only okay to do that. It's a mark of who we are. You can start with a cheese toastie at our house today.
More important, maybe there are people in your street you'd never think of sharing the gospel with. They're just not the following Jesus types. Guess what. That's exactly what Peter thought. And it was a tough lesson. Whatever you do... make sure you don't go calling anyone impure... that God has made clean!