Sermon -The Pentecost Effect – The Gospel is For All
Scripture - Acts 11:1-18 “Soon the news reached the apostles and other believers in Judea that the Gentiles had received the word of God. But when Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, the Jewish believers criticized him. “You entered the home of Gentiles and even ate with them!” they said. Then Peter told them exactly what had happened. “I was in the town of Joppa,” he said, “and while I was praying, I went into a trance and saw a vision. Something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners from the sky. And it came right down to me. When I looked inside the sheet, I saw all sorts of tame and wild animals, reptiles, and birds. And I heard a voice say, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.’ “‘No, Lord,’ I replied. ‘I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure or unclean.’ “But the voice from heaven spoke again: ‘Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.’ This happened three times before the sheet and all it contained was pulled back up to heaven.
“Just then three men who had been sent from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were staying. The Holy Spirit told me to go with them and not to worry that they were Gentiles. These six brothers here accompanied me, and we soon entered the home of the man who had sent for us. He told us how an angel had appeared to him in his home and had told him, ‘Send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. He will tell you how you and everyone in your household can be saved!’ “As I began to speak,” Peter continued, “the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as he fell on us at the beginning. Then I thought of the Lord’s words when he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God’s way?” When the others heard this, they stopped objecting and began praising God. They said, “We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.”
Introduction: The Holy Spirit is in the business of Kingdom Expansion. When the Lord Jesus Christ spoke of the kingdom He was planning to establish, he said, “The kingdom of heaven is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: which indeed is less than all seeds; but when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the heaven come and lodge in the branches thereof” (Mt. 13:31-32).
From the very beginning to the natural eye, it must have appeared that the Christian movement was destined for failure. Its founder, crucified, the movement persecuted, and the membership scattered. Yet like a root out of dry ground, the Lord’s church not only survived, but they also shook this planet to its very core. They became effective witnesses, telling people about the Lord Jesus Christ everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Now the movement spreads into the Gentile arena. Did Jesus really mean take the gospel to the ends of the earth? Is it really for everybody? Including the porkchop eating, uncircumcised Gentiles? The invading Romans? Everybody?
In Acts 11, Peter came to the realization that the gospel was for all, no restrictions or exclusions, based on nothing but faith through the grace of God! Neither God, nor Jesus, nor the Holy Spirit are prejudiced in any manner. They would not have the greatest promise ever made exclude anyone. Even though the New Testament is plain in its teaching, that whosoever will can come, all have equal opportunity to be put right with God, without conditions or exceptions. According to Genesis 1:27, all men and women are created in God's image; therefore, they are equal in value and worth.
How many things in our world are equally open to all men? God's word is very clear in telling us that all men are created by God, all have value, and every single person can be a child of God, receiving the full inheritance of heaven. Generally, religious systems are designed to unite a faith community, denominations divide one faith community from the other faith communities. We build denominations on convictions, common values, moral ethics, rules and goals. Why? Because they think that their path is the “right” path and others are wrong. The Holy Spirit will lead us beyond our narrow view and help us see what God is doing now! We make rules about How God can use women, the role of children, who can lead a church or serve in positions of authority. Yet God can use anyone or anything. Good has a history of using women, children, donkeys, roosters, and even fish. He is Sovereign. He can do what He wants to do and how He wants to at any time He wants to.
Through the Jews, we received the Law and the Prophets, we received the sacrifice, temple worship and even Jesus himself. The intentions of God were always to save the world. John 3:16-17 states, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”
In our world, it is rare for anything to be available to all people. Different religions, businesses, clubs, organizations, etc., all have some type of formal or informal exclusions even if written in just the fine print. Many things in our world are based on gender, race, economics, nationality, and many other factors that automatically disqualify certain individuals. In Acts 11, the Holy Spirit crosses every barrier and launches a new multicultural, multiethnic group of believers and announces this gospel is for all. How thankful we should be daily that the blessed gospel is for all. We realize from Acts chapter 11 that “all” means “all” when it comes to the New Testament Gospel and spiritual blessings given through Jesus Christ.
1. God Opens The Door of Salvation to All. Acts 11:1-3 “Soon the news reached the apostles and other believers in Judea that the Gentiles had received the word of God. But when Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, the Jewish believers criticized him. “You entered the home of Gentiles and even ate with them!”
Believers can expect criticism as they follow the Holy Spirit’s lead. Those with special privileges, who have enjoyed the grace of God might attempt to limit that same access to others. Peter crossed the line. He treated the gentiles with love and respect. He enjoyed fellowship with them and shared a meal with them. The Jews’ question was “How Dare You?” No one even notice that these gentiles had received the Word of God. Doorkeeper will always try to control the flow, determine who’s in and who’s out. Jesus removed every wall and partition and opened the door of salvation to all who believe. The Holy Spirit will not stand in the way of God’s movement, He has come to reveal Jesus Christ to all, to open the door of salvation to all.
Men will always judge from the outer appearances. They will always be overly concern about race, color, economics, status, and position. They always be concerned about education, degrees, human standards and qualifications. They want to decide who’s in and who’s out; who’s qualified and who’s not, but God has opened the door to all who believe. We must not call unclean what God has called clean. We must not reject those God has accepted. Apostle Paul reminds that nothing can separate us from God’s love in Romans 8:31-34 which states, “What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.” God has opened the door for all!
2. God Gave The Same Gift of the Holy Spirit To All. Acts 11:17-18 “Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way? When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, ‘Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.’”
Peter came to the realization that the gospel is for all and the Holy Spirit is for all, no exclusions based on anything! God and Jesus are not prejudiced in any manner. They would not have the greatest promise ever made exclude anyone. Even though the New Testament is plain in its teaching, all have been given the same opportunity but not without conditions. Many are confused about this point. Yet the scriptures are clear, all need to be saved, all can be saved, all can know they are saved, all can be faithful children of God and be used by God. Christ’s invitation is open to everyone, to all and all can respond to the Gospel. Let’s be ever thankful and grateful to God for His grace which is sufficient for all mankind. Let’s be thankful that the invitation of Christ is open for all. Let’s continue to pray and work for the salvation of all mankind. The evidence of the Holy Spirit sealed the deal for Peter, and convinced the saints at Jerusalem that God was working among the gentiles too.
3. God’s Working Among Us Should Be Celebrated. Acts 11:17-18 “And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God’s way?” When the others heard this, they stopped objecting and began praising God. They said, “We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.”
People are generally down on what they are not up on! Most criticism comes from confusion or a lack of knowledge. At other times, it comes because people believe they have all the knowledge. Because they have never seen it this way before, it cannot be God. Who do they think they are? Peter’s testimony about what God was doing among the gentiles should have been a cause for celebration. Remember when God started working through Moses, he was criticized; Joshua was criticized; Elijah was called the troubler of Israel. Samuel was criticized along with every other person who followed the Holy Spirit’s Lead. In every case, celebration became the order of the day. Peter was able to move his critics to a place of celebration. He had an open mind and understood their reservations. He then gave his testimony about his own reservations, but how God supernaturally intervened. He admitted that it took him awhile to realize that we are all God’s children and God invites all to come.
After Peter’s testimony, the crowd calmed down, until praises filled the room. I will be the first to admit I have made mistakes, been critical of God’s people who believed differently, worshipped differently than I was used to. I found out that God works in mysterious ways His wonders to perform. His ways are progressive and always moving because He is building and expanding His Kingdom. Finally, I try not to dwell too much on any criticism I receive and try to withhold any criticism I want to give, because I don’t know everything, nor have I seen everything. So, I keep following the Holy Spirit because knowing that God alone opens the door of salvation and ministry to all; God gave the same gift of the Holy Spirit to all and using us all in the way He sees fit; and God’s working among us should be celebrated that He might be glorified. I will bless the Lord for all He is doing and keep moving on. The things I don’t understand now, I will understand it better by and by. Amen.
