Godly Change
Acts chapter 10
Introduction-
This morning I would like to talk to you about change.
Some change is good and some bad.
Some people adjust to change and some people struggle.
Some people look for change and some avoid it.
Usually the only people that like change is the person who s idea was taken.
What kind of person are you? If God called for change, are you open to it or would you fight God for it?
The text this morning covers over two chapters, but the main text is about change and the change was instituted by God. This change took many people playing parts to bring the change needed.
In Acts chapter 10, a Roman centurion named Cornelius had a vision. He had an angel call him by name and tell him that his prayers and gifts to the poor has been recognized by God. Scripture tells us that Cornelius was a God fearing man. He was instructed by the angel to send his men to the house of a man named Simon Peter.
He had a choice whether he was going to trust his vision or chock it up to a bad piece of fish.
During that same time period, Simon Peter who was miles away is up on his roof praying. Scripture tells us that while he was praying, he went into a trance.
Now to define trance- it was a state of mind God produced and used to communicate with Peter. Peter was not imagining or dreaming this, he was in a conscious state of communication with God.
God was working on two different people and used them to accomplish his task.
Acts 10:9-16
God wanted to make;
Cultural changes
Traditional changes
Take people out of their comfortzone.
(13) “Then a voice told him, get up, Peter, kill and eat. Peter’s reply- “surely not Lord! I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
(15) “The voice spoke to him a second time. Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
I want you to see that God did more than give Peter an updated food menu.
Making pork okay to eat
Lobsters, scallops, snails, acceptable eating.
Acts 10:34-43
The first person changed by God was Cornelius
Cornelius , the Roman soldier was a good old boy.
Good old boys believe that if they give to the poor and pray once in a while they are okay.
Through the plan of God, many people are drawn together to be taught a lesson from the Lord.
He had heard about Jesus, but never understood the importance of Jesus.
Peter was sent to him to show him the plan of salvation.
God does not show favoritism- Aren’t you glad for that?
Aren’t you glad that God does not favor individuals because of their station in life, their nationality, or their material possessions?
Cornelius was not going to make heaven, not because he wasn’t a good person, but because he lacked faith in Jesus Christ.
God loved him so much that he sent Peter to his house to explain the plan of salvation.
He heard about Jesus
He heard the good things that Jesus did.
He knew that Jesus was killed.
He didn’t understand Jesus as Lord and Savior. Being good was not good enough.
Romans 3:21-24
“But now a righteousness from God apart from law, has been made known to which the law and the prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that comes by Christ Jesus.”
Cornelius knew enough about God to think he was okay, but not enough to have a relationship with the Lord.
I think there are a lot of people like Cornelius.
It really is a dangerous place to be because you put your trust in being good and lack the trust in what Jesus Christ has done for us.
Acts chapter 10:3-
“One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said Cornelius!”
This was Ah Ha moment! Don’t rush through this- Cornelius had a God moment.
He knew God was talking to him and if he listened it would never be the same.
We have ah ha moments too.
Maybe we didn’t get an audible voice, but we have had God speak to us about change.
There is not one of us that has not been directed by God to change sometime in our lives and we have not obeyed.
The thing about those moments is that we cannot be sure if we will get another.
Can you relate to the way Cornelius thought about God before his encounter with God?
Thought good people made heaven by works.
Help the needy, live a clean life is enough
He had Ah Ha moment, and God changes the way he thinks.
He realized that no matter how good you are, your never good enough.
You can never do enough to earn God’s favor. That even the nicest people have short comings and faults that they cannot fix by themselves.
Then you find out that Jesus is more than an example of a good person. You find out that he has done something for you that no one else can do. He has taken your sins, your faults, your mistakes, and wants to forgive you for them. You can stop trying to earn your way to heaven and start trusting in Jesus as savior.
Some people remember the day, time, and year that Christ became savior to them. I do not remember the exact time, but I remember the moment that Christ became real to me.
He changed the way I thought. He changed my priorities. He became more than a Bible character.
The good news (Gospel of Christ) turned that Roman soldier world upside down for the good. This change takes this upside world and brings trust and balance to tit.
Change is good if God is in it.
The second person changed is Peter
This apostle of God who at times struggled with his walk with God.
Peter loved the Lord but just plain struggled at times to maintain a healthy relationship with him.
While he is praying God shows him a large blanket of animals and birds and tells Peter to kill and eat.
(14) Surely not Lord, I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.
(15) The voice spoken to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
And if you don’t think it is important, I will tell you 3 times and then lifted the sheet to the heavens.”
Peter thought it was about what animals he could eat. But it was more than that. He’s praying, the Lord shows him men who were coming to speak to him and he was shown that he was to go with them.
He goes to Cornelius house and finds that God brought him there to minister the gospel.
(22B) A holy angel told him to have you come to his home so that he could hear what you have to say. (23) Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guest.”
Peter thought it was about food, but the Lord said it was about ministry. The Lord wanted to use Peter and to change his mind about a few things
What do you think when you hear these words?
Prejudice? Discrimination? Segregation? Racism?
Our society comes against such offenses- as well they should.
Peter gets a lesson right from the Lord that addresses all these issues.
Peter was stereotyping people!
He stereotyped a certain class of people, certain occupations, and a certain race of people.
He thought the Jews were who God wanted saved and forget about the rest.
Archie Bunker and George Jefferson may be funny on TV but we sure wouldn’t want to be them or hang with people like them.
Some stereotypes I found
All blonds are dizzy
All teenagers are rebellious
All men are pigs.
All women are temperamental
Peter gets schooled by the Lord, and so will we when we act and think like that. That was a blind way of judgment, and blind observation as being the rule.
1 Sam 16:7-
“The Lord does not look at the things man looks at, man looks at outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Prejudice is ugly. It divides and isolates.
The road to Jesus is narrow, not because Jesus does not care for people, but because there is only one way. Jesus is the way.
Narrow minded in thinking that God cares for only them.
Every church should be multi-cultural; every church should be diverse, because all are welcome.
Salvation came not only to the Jews, but to the Gentiles also, which is each one of us.
Romans 10:12-
“For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile, the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Closing
I want you to grasp this
The Lord brought two people together and accomplished two different things in their life.
Cornelius needed to understand that he needed Jesus in his life and not just be familiar with Jesus.
Peter need to realize that salvation was for all and is not selective to stages of life, nationality, or money.
As we wrap this up, which lesson is the Lord trying to teach you?
You a good old boy/gal that believes that being good is good enough? Your relationship with the Lord has never went to the next level beyond familiar with Jesus? He wants to acknowledge it and deal with it this morning.
Maybe your like Peter, you are so legalistic and traditional that you forgot that God is the one working on people and getting involved in their lives and that salvation is open to all and we play a part in the gospel going out to those that we can into contact with.
Amen.
