Sermon Tone Analysis

Text:

acts 11

Sub:God's Will for a World-Wide Mission

Intro: The church's early vision was narrow and traditional.

When the legalistic Jewish Christians in Jerusalem complained about Peter’s association with the Gentile Cornelius (11:1–3), Peter carefully explained his vision (11:4–10), God’s revelation to Cornelius (11:11–14), and the confirming sign of the Holy Spirit (11:15–17).

This convinced the Jewish believers that God had indeed offered salvation to both Jews and Gentiles.

The apostles and brothers heard about Peter's preaching mission to the Gentiles and about their having received "the Word of God."

The news was bound to travel fast, for it was unheard of that a Jew would fellowship and eat with an idolatrous Gentile.

The apostles and brothers, that is, the whole church, heard about Peter's preaching mission to the Gentiles and about their having received "the Word of God."

The news was bound to travel fast, for it was unheard of that a Jew would fellowship and eat with an idolatrous Gentile.

And to top it off, Peter had baptized the Gentiles without first requiring them to be circumcised.

And to top it off, Peter had baptized the Gentiles without first requiring them to be circumcised.

And to top it off, Peter had baptized the Gentiles without first requiring them to be circumcised.

Most if not all the believers at Jerusalem were Jews.

They were circumcised as small children and had been committed to the law of Moses since childhood.

When they accepted Christ, they did not forsake their Judaistic religion.

They saw Christianity as an extension of Judaism.

In their minds Christ had only added new teachings to their existing law and religion.

If a person wished to accept Christ, he had to become a Jew first...

Most if not all the believers at Jerusalem were Jews.

They were circumcised as small children and had been committed to the law of Moses since childhood.

When they accepted Christ, they did not forsake their Judaistic religion.

They saw Christianity as an extension of Judaism.

In their minds Christ had only added new teachings to their existing law and religion.

, The Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible – Acts, (Chattanooga: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 1991), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "F.

A World-Wide Ministry--In Caesarea (Part IV): Gaining a World-Wide Vision, 11:1-18".

Most if not all the believers at Jerusalem were Jews.

They were circumcised as small children and had been committed to the law of Moses since childhood.

When they accepted Christ, they did not forsake their Judaistic religion.

They saw Christianity as an extension of Judaism.

In their minds Christ had only added new teachings to their existing law and religion.

If a person wished to accept Christ, he had to become a Jew first...

• to be circumcised

• to commit himself to the law of Moses

• to observe all the ceremonies and rituals of Judaism

Once a person had done these things, that is, become a Jew, then and only then could he receive Christ and be baptized.

Then and only then could he be accepted into the church.

Peter had gone contrary to these beliefs and practices.

He had...

• allowed Gentiles to receive the Word of God without circumcising them ().

• broken the law of Moses by "going in to the uncircumcised [Gentiles] and eating" with them ().

I. Arguing God’s Will

v. 1-3 The apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had welcomed God’s message also. 2 When Peter went up to Jerusalem, those who stressed circumcision argued with him, 3 saying, “You visited uncircumcised men and ate with them!”

As soon as Peter arrived home, he was called on the carpet for going too far.

The news of Peter’s actions made it home ahead of him.

While the apostles and a few brothers were supportive, a significant group in the church was deeply upset.

“The circumcision” group, as the text calls them, opposed the Gentiles’ inclusion into fellowship.

“If they want to be part of us,” they said, “let them be circumcised, observe our food laws, and do things just like we have always done them.”

Accepting Jesus was a big enough change for these devout Jews, but they were not going to let this new movement forget God’s chosen people had always been Jews.

The early believers, who were still loyal to their Judaistic religion, were shocked.

The Jerusalem church was being shaken to its foundation.

The basic belief of so many of the early believers—that Jesus had come only to enlarge and extend Judaism—was being challenged.

Peter had to give an answer, and it had to be clearly explained and understood.

Life Application:

Their main objection was that Peter ate with uncircumcised men in a Gentile house.

Their reaction was not, “Great, we have new brothers!”

but, “You broke the rules!

It is one thing to baptize ‘those kinds of people,’ but let them have their own church.

Do not bring them into our church to sit at the same table with us.

Gentiles are unclean, nasty, and unholy!

We are to be separate!”

The problem they saw, that we often miss, is that baptism is an invitation to sit both at the Lord’s table and our table also.

Prejudice, discrimination, rituals, and rules can blind us to God's purpose to reach out to all men in salvation.

All men are to be reached no matter who they are.

No church should exclude anyone.

The church's mission is to reach both the dirty and the clean, both the lower and the upper class.

Personal Application

Keep your convictions.

But don't let them keep you from others.

II.

Acknowledging God’s Will

4 Peter began to explain to them in an orderly sequence, saying: 5 “I was in the town of Joppa praying, and I saw, in a visionary state, an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners from heaven, and it came to me.

6 When I looked closely and considered it, I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky.

7 Then I also heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat!’

Peter reached out to the upset group.

He explained as clearly and straightforwardly as he could.

He simply shared what had happened.

But note what Peter stressed: God's will is a world-wide mission, the door of salvation is to be thrown open to the whole world (Gentiles).

8 “ ‘No, Lord!’

I said.

‘For nothing common or ritually unclean has ever entered my mouth!’ 9 But a voice answered from heaven a second time, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call common.’

10 “Now this happened three times, and then everything was drawn up again into heaven.

11 At that very moment, three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were.

12 Then the Spirit told me to accompany them with no doubts at all.

These six brothers accompanied me, and we went into the man’s house.

13 He reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is also named Peter.

14 He will speak a message to you that you and all your household will be saved by.’

15 “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on them, just as on us at the beginning.

16 Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

17 Therefore, if God gave them the same gift that He also gave to us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I possibly hinder God?”

Peter reached out to the upset group.

He explained as clearly and straightforwardly as he could.

He simply shared what had happened.

But note what Peter stressed: God's will is a world-wide mission, the door of salvation is to be thrown open to the whole world (Gentiles).

In the stress is upon God's intervention: God acting, moving, revealing, and making His will clear.

Peter stressed...

• a trance and vision from God ().

• a vessel or platter descending from heaven to him ().

• the Lord speaking to him ().

• the Lord commanding him three times ().