Acts 10:1-33

An estimated 11 million Syrians have fled their homes since the outbreak of the civil war in March 2011. After 6 years of war, 13.5 million are in need of humanitarian assistance within the country. Among those escaping the conflict, the majority have sought refuge in neighbouring countries or within Syria itself. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 4.8 million have fled to Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq, and 6.6 million are internally displaced within Syria.   Further, about one million have requested asylum to Europe. Germany, with more than 300,000 cumulated applications, and Sweden with 100,000, are EU’s top receiving countries.[1]  In 2015 Australia we promised to take in 12, 000 of these refugees, we only took in 2,000[2]  We did little better in 2016 only accepting 1, 000 more, ddespite churches and towns opening up invitations to resettle Syrian refugees including Christians fleeing the terror of their country.  We have also witnessed many European countries have recently closed their borders leaving many refugees stranded in resettlement camps in poor conditions.  Prejudice is an ugly word.  We all hate being confronted with our own prejudices as our emotions are never neutral.   Just like anger towards God will either maliciously accuse Him or express living faith in Him.  So often people who are angry at God shove him away[3], or how my pride is a love of getting my own way.  What we are to notice is that being in the company of Jesus I need to confess my sins, ask forgiveness, believe the gospel, and ask for the wisdom to know how to respond and the power to do it.   Which is where we find ourselves today in Acts 

with God there is no prejudice. Jesus is Lord over every tongue and nation, and he is the one comes towards us with mercy and grace

so that we might bring the glory and praise to Jesus.  The question we are asked to answer today is: Who is the gospel for?  As we read in Acts 10:3-4

 One day at about three in the afternoon he (that’s Cornelius) had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, "Cornelius!"  Cornelius stared at him in fear. "What is it, Lord?" he asked.  The angel answered, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.

Caesarea is a sea port town on the Mediterranean coast.  It is where the Italian Regiment was stationed, and a soldier named Cornelius - a centurion was in command.  Rome was the occupying force of Palestine

Caesarea was the hub of control for the region, a center of Roman administration.  This Italian Regiment would have been there to keep domestic peace; as well as also reminding people who was really in charge, a showpiece to Roman ingenuity and culture, that even sported a temple dedicated to Caesarea.  Cornelius the centurion led around 80 men.  He would have been a toughened war veteran and he was personally accountable for the men under his command.  There is one thing we soon learn about this war hardened Centurion Cornelius, it was that he and his family were all God fearers.  Cornelius even though part of the Roman war machine, was a man who identified himself with God, the God of Israel; and what’s more he was known for his generosity and prayerfulness, and his devout faith and a fear for God.  Verse 2

He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 

We can’t miss a little of the irony of that as part of an occupying force of Israel, has a God fearer who has identified himself totally with the faith of Israel in charge.  Cornelius was more than a sympathizer for God.

He was a follower who wanted God to shape his every thought and action though respected he was someone as a Gentile who was unclean

so any serious Jew would not enter his house.  All that was about to change, verse 5-8 (The Message)

The angel said, “Your prayers and neighborly acts have brought you to God’s attention. Here’s what you are to do. Send men to Joppa to get Simon, the one everyone calls Peter. He is staying with Simon the Tanner, whose house is down by the sea.”  As soon as the angel was gone, Cornelius called two servants and one particularly devout soldier from the guard. He went over with them in great detail everything that had just happened, and then sent them off to Joppa.

Like using Google Earth today’s passage we now zoom’s out from Caesarea and zoom in on Joppa on where Peter is staying at the home of animal skin tanner named Simon.  Like Cornelius prayer is at the center of the action.  Also like Cornelius God meets with Peter with a vision that will challenge all of his cultural sensibilities.  As a Jew Peter thought he couldn’t associate with Gentiles, even though now he was a follower of Jesus, he just kept up his old Jewish ways.  All of this was about to change as God was about to confront him with his own prejudices, verses 11-14

He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat." "Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean."

Peter’s Jewish sensibilities meant the laws of Moses stopped him eating many of those animals he was now seeing caught in that net.  The reptiles were out as were some birds, so was any animal with a split hoof

(cf Leviticus 11).  Peter’s growth in humility and grace is made plain to us, as we know Peter understood his freedom in Jesus.  We also know how the gospel was being spread to the ends of the earth, where even Ethiopians and Samaritans, confessed Jesus is Lord.  Now we witness a shift that was about to occur that has impacted ever since as to what our identity is today.  We are one in Christ Jesus there is no Jew or Greek slave or free.  The more I read about Peter the more I keep on thinking how relatable he is.  I see that Peter is like me it sometimes takes a while for the penny to drop.  Sometimes it’s like God has to make it really obvious where change needs to occur in me, verse 19-20

While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Simon, three men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them."

This is part of that problem many of us still deal with today.  That if we’re someone who’s grown up in a church we like the comfort of all of those rules we grew up with, and so we find it hard when people who are not Christians don’t live the same way.  I wonder if we can see our own cultural sensitivities that have to do with people hearing about Jesus ?  The question is do we believe that people need to earn the right to hear the gospel?  What I mean is like do they need to have to come here to church, or behave or dress or speak in certain ways before they qualify for us to tell them the Good News.  Peter got it verse 27-29 (The Message)

Talking things over, they went on into the house, where Cornelius introduced Peter to everyone who had come. Peter addressed them, “You know, I’m sure that this is highly irregular. Jews just don’t do this—visit and relax with people of another race. But God has just shown me that no race is better than any other. So the minute I was sent for, I came, no questions asked. But now I’d like to know why you sent for me.”

The response Peter shares the Good News about Jesus and  Cornelius and the rest put their faith and trust in Jesus as their Saviour.  Peter couldn’t refuse to baptises them in the name of Jesus, and he stays on with them for a few days.  Peter is someone who knew what forgiveness meant.  He was a broken man who had trashed everything, on the night of Jesus’ death, to be personally restored, forgiven by Jesus.  So if we hang around a new Christian for any length of time they become infectious.  The overwhelming response is that God’s spirit transcends cultures and borders, as faith is not a product of our race or heritage or family.  It is only by faith in Jesus Christ, the forgiveness of sins.  The question is how are you going at sharing that Good News with that person you’ve praying about?  Where are you seeing God on the move in your life?  Is there anything you are putting in the way of sharing what is Good News?

Let’s pray…

David Hassan @ Tamworth Community Presbyterian Church 26/3/17