As an introduction to our message this morning, I would like to read a larger than normal passage of scripture first that is found in Acts 10.
I want to read the majority of the story so please bare with me as we do then we will come back look at some important issues concerning it.
Read: Acts 10:1-34
This as we know is the event that opened the door for the gospel to be preached to the gentiles and for the gentiles to receive the infilling of the Holy Ghost.
The Prophet Isaiah prophesied saying:
Isa 43:19
19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
(KJV)
In the passage of scripture that we just read in the book of Acts this scripture in Isaiah has prophetic implications
A new thing was about to happen
A new thing was about to spring forth ¡V and boy did it spring forth
And it was being made know to God¡¦s people ¡V first with Peter, but if you read on in chapter 11 Peter then tells it to other leaders within this movement of God¡¦s Church.
There are several key points within the passage of scripture that I just read that I want to elaborate on, but before we do that I want to look at Peter for just a moment.
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Peter was not some yahoo out there on the fringes of the current movement of Christianity
Peter was not some average Christian ¡V he was not a pew sitter ¡V and he wasn¡¦t born again the day before.
I want you to stop and think for a minute who Peter was:
„« This man not only walked with Jesus personally, but Jesus personally called him out.
„« He had the Word that he felt, touched, communicated with. (John 1)
„« How would you like a three year one-on-one education by the Word manifested in the flesh?
„« The things he learned was not some man¡¦s interpretation of what had been said before ¡V he got the Word first hand.
„« The things he knew ¡V the things he understood were not wrong ¡V what was imparted to him was straight from the throne room of God.
„« This is the man that spoke on the day of Pentecost and 3,000 were added to the Church
„« This is the man in Acts 3 that told the lame man, ¡§Silver and Gold have I none, but such as I have give I to thee¡¨ and the man stood up and walked who had been lame his whole life.
„« This is the man in Acts 5 had two people fall dead in front of him for lying
„« This is the man later in Acts 5 that was imprisoned but an Angel came in and walked right out of the prison.
„« This is the man also that in Acts 5 people laid the sick on the street in hopes that Peter¡¦s shadow would go over them so they would be healed.
This is Peter ¡V I want you to stop for just a moment and think about this man that had this encounter with God in Acts 10.
He was a spiritually mature ¡V powerhouse in the Kingdom of God.
So let¡¦s go back for just a moment and see if we can learn something from this great man of God ¡V in this great event that opened the door of the Spirit of God to the gentiles.
As we read Cornelius saw an angel that instructed him to send for Peter.
Peter is a Jew and Cornelius apparently is Italian or a Roman at that time.
While the men that Cornelius sent for Peter was coming Peter has a vision:
Acts 10:9-14
9 On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:
10 And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,
11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:
12 Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.
13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
„« This scripture right here gives us insight into Peter¡¦s Spiritual maturity ¡V his ability to know the voice of God.
In John 10 Jesus uses the illustration of a sheep and a shepherd and He says of the sheep:
John 10:27
27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. (NKJ)
Peter knew the voice of God ¡V he recognized the voice of God because in the next verse he says:
14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord;(Lord = supreme in authority)¡K
Peter knew he was talking to the Lord ¡V
We can rationalize out why he said this ¡V obviously what was being asked of him was against the law of God.
Everything Peter knew about the things of God ¡V this request was contrary to his understanding of who God was and what God required of His people.
Acts 10:14
14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. (KJV)
In other words he was saying, ¡§Lord, I have kept myself in obedience to your statutes my whole life and I am not about to change that now.¡¨
Peter could have easily viewed this as God seeing how committed he was.
And Peter was not going to deviate off that which he knew.
But then something very interesting happens:
Acts 10:15
15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. (KJV)
Now a whole new revelation is being opened ¡V
The first time acting in the revelation knowledge that he had (make a point that knowledge was not wrong ¡V it was just incomplete)
Acting in the revelation knowledge he had he said, ¡§No Lord, your laws require me not to do that¡¨
But now the Lord was going to bring some revelation to Peter ¡V the Lord said, ¡§what I cleanse you have no authority to call common¡¨
In other words the Lord was saying I have prepared this ¡V this is of me ¡V
Now let¡¦s go back for just a minute to the prophesy of Isaiah that we read:
Isa 43:19
19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
(KJV)
„« What is a new thing?
Isn¡¦t a new thing a new thing?
And if it is a new thing how much understanding do you have about it?
A wise man told me one time, ¡§you don¡¦t know what you don¡¦t know¡¨
Peter didn¡¦t know that he didn¡¦t know that God was going to do this.
It would have been a different story if Peter was sitting around talking and said, ¡§The Lord is going to be opening this gospel and the power of the Spirit to the gentiles here soon, I just don¡¦t know how he is going to do it.¡¨
But he not only didn¡¦t know how God was going to do it ¡V he didn¡¦t even know God was going to do it because God was about to do a new thing
And in this passage of scripture the Lord let him know that He was going to do a new thing that was about to spring forth.
Let¡¦s look back to verse 14 again for just a minute:
Peter said, ¡§Not so, Lord¡¨
Do you realize that if God really is an ¡§exceeding God¡¨ as described in Ephesians chapter 1 then if we limit God to only what He has done in the past we will never experience the ¡§exceeding¡¨ aspect of what God wants to bring into this world.
Peter was about to make this mistake when he said, ¡§Not so, Lord¡¨
Peter was on a path that would limit God from doing the new thing that God wanted to do.
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As I stated just a minute ago, when this was first presented, Peter had no understanding of this new thing.
He didn¡¦t know what he didn¡¦t know
But the second when the Lord said, ¡§don¡¦t you call common what I have cleansed¡¨
Peter now did not have a right to stay at the same level of understanding that he had previously because light was given to him
But look at the next verse:
Acts 10:16
16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven. (KJV)
There was a third time this was done that is not expounded upon.
Which means that after Peter said, ¡§Not so, Lord¡¨ and the Lord responded ¡§Don¡¦t call common what I have cleansed¡¨
Peter had to have responded again in like manner saying, ¡§Not so, Lord¡¨
What was the basis of Peter saying this?
„« It is not how I understand it to be
When God does a new thing ¡V it is a new thing
Remember the words of Jesus:
Mark 7:13
13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition¡K (KJV)
If Peter would have held onto what he thought ¡V
Peter could have easily gotten offended over this ¡V ¡§Well, Lord I¡¦ve walked with you for three years, the power of the Spirit has been upon me where the lame walk, my shadow heals, and people fall dead when they lie ¡V are you telling me that I haven¡¦t been doing it right.¡¨
He could have become offended ¡V ¡§I am spiritually mature enough to know what the Spirit is doing and you¡¦re saying I¡¦m not¡¨
He could have become intimidated ¡V what will all my brothers in Christ think. I know they will hear about this they are going to excommunicate me ¡V I won¡¦t have anybody I can talk to ¡V they¡¦ll all think I have gone off the deep end.
If Peter would have held onto his traditions (that which he knew and understood) he would have made the plan of purpose of God of no effect ¡V
Fortunately after the third time he realized God was doing a new thing
We have been told by many ¡V probably 4 or 5 different people that have said that we are in birthing pains right now
A lot goes on within a woman¡¦s body when she gives birth and it can be a wonderful joyous event as a new child is brought into the world.
But because so many things are taking place at one time ¡V it can also be a dangerous proposition
That is why women don¡¦t just stay home with their husbands and have kids
They want someone near that knows what they are doing because things can go wrong.
As a church in a birthing process we have to be sensitive to the spirit as God brings forth a new thing and not be stuck in what we know
We can¡¦t be stuck in spiritual pride ¡V thinking that we know more than the spirit
Because we don¡¦t know what we don¡¦t know and we must allow the Spirit of God to lead us into this new thing.
Peter thought he was operating out of knowledge of the Word and was about to totally miss God
Acts 10:28
28 And he [Peter] said unto them [Cornelius and company], Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean. (KJV)
„« There are many traditions
„« There are many things that the church has evolved into
That man¡¦s ideas and concepts have kept God from being the ¡§exceeding God¡¨ that He is and we must not allow what we know to keep us from what we do not yet know.
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Let me say this to bring balance to this message ¡V
There is a difference in the time we live in and the time that Peter lived in
When Peter was experiencing this, the written Word was being lived out
The time we live in the written Word is established and every leading of the Spirit has a biblical basis.
I¡¦ve said before:
Having all Word and no Spirit = legalism
Having all Spirit and no Word = fanaticism
We are lead by the Spirit based upon the Word of God ¡V but there are areas of the Word of God that we have not experienced yet.
I look at where I am today compared with where I was when we started the church and the Lord has opened my eyes to many areas
There are some ideas and concepts I embraced when I first started in ministry that I cannot embrace now
And the Word of God confirms this as it says that we move from faith to faith and from glory to glory.
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What happened with Peter when He said, ¡§Yes, Lord I will be apart of this new thing you are doing¡¨
Acts 10:32-34 ¡§Cornelius is telling Peter what happened¡¨
32 ’Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you.’
33 "So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God."
34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. (NKJ)
When Peter stepped into this new thing the very first thing he said was, ¡§I perceive¡¨ which lets us know that he was speaking from his spirit.
We want to be totally prepared ¡V notes ready ¡V having studied and ready to answer every questions ¡V in a position where no mistakes will be made
But that is not always the case because we grow by moving from faith to faith and from glory to glory.
Acts 11:1-2
1 Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.
2 And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him, (NKJ)
People do not like their beliefs messed with ¡V but we have got to come to a place that we allow God to mess with our theology so that our doctrine is His doctrine
Because He is not going to make His doctrine our doctrine
I have stated several times that over the last couple of years the Lord has really dealt with my heart about some very specific areas of His church
In these areas He has let me know that some of the revelation He has given me will not be popular because it is going to destroy areas of man¡¦s kingdom.
„« I have been having to deal with areas of belief within myself to know God and His heart no matter what my head tells me ¡V no matter who stands against me.
What happens so often is like the Israelites ¡V they actually arrive at the gates of their promise, but because they cannot comprehend what God is about to do they have to go back into the wilderness
Let¡¦s not go back into the wilderness ¡V let¡¦s not go back into the dry places ¡V
Let¡¦s experience the exceedingness of what God wants to do.
