29. A New Beginning

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Hymns: RHC 24 Praise to the Lord, The Almighty 87 I Know Whom I Have Believed 454 Make Me a Blessing

Acts 11:1-18

1 And the apostles and brethren that were in Judaea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. 2 And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him, 3 Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them. 4 But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and expounded it by order unto them, saying, 5 I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a vision, A certain vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came even to me: 6 Upon the which when I had fastened mine eyes, I considered, and saw fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. 7 And I heard a voice saying unto me, Arise, Peter; slay and eat. 8 But I said, Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth. 9 But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. 10 And this was done three times: and all were drawn up again into heaven. 11 And, behold, immediately there were three men already come unto the house where I was, sent from Caesarea unto me. 12 And the spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered into the man’s house: 13 And he shewed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter; 14 Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved. 15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. 16 Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. 17 Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? 18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.

A New Beginning

OUTLINE

  • The Salvation Plan of God Rehearsed (v1-10)
  • The Salvific Proof of God’s Plan Recounted (v11-16)
  • The Settled Purpose of God Reinforced (v17-18)

INTRODUCTION

A New Beginning – Acts 11:1-18. Before Jesus’ ascension, He said to the 120 disciples waiting for the promise God’s power through the Holy Spirit to energize them to be God’s witnesses, Jesus said in Acts 1:8

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Jesus gives the marching orders to all His disciples without exception to bring the gospel to all nations and to make them disciples of them and identify them through baptism and to teach them all things teach them so that they become like you that they in turn may make others disciples. This was Christ’s Commission to the infant church.

And geographically, Jesus delineated that they should move as the Holy Spirit would lead them from Jerusalem and in all Judaea, and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

The unsaid portion of this commission is that God’s plan is not only to save the Jews this group assembled were all Jews but His plan includes saving the half-Jews and half-Gentiles in Samaria and even more so, His plan includes saving all men from every nation that is living even in the uttermost part of the earth.

The promise was fulfilled when the Holy Ghost came with great power to save the Jews which came to Jerusalem for the Passover. 3000 thousand were saved when the gospel was first preached in Jerusalem.

And we see the movement of God through the Holy Spirit leading the apostles to establish the New Testament Church at the end of Acts 2 with the teaching of God’s Word – the Apostles’ Doctrine, in breaking of bread and in prayers. The power of God continue to markedly manifest itself through the salvation of the lame man at the Temple Gate beautiful, the church appointed her seven deacons to assist the Apostles in the caring of the widows and the energizing of the deacons Stephen and Philip to preach the gospel suffering persecution and even martyrdom.

The word of God reached Samaria with Philip preaching the gospel, men and women came to faith and were baptised in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 8). Peter and John were called in from Jerusalem to confirm the faith of these new Samaritan convert.

 And then we see the movement of God to save Saul of Tarsus, the man called of God to be a preacher to the Gentiles (Acts 9).

We see the progression of the gospel from Jerusalem to all Judaea and in Samaria and now there a movement for Peter to go to the western coast from Joppa to Caesarea to preach the gospel to the gentile Roman centurion Cornelius and his family.

The Jews is perhaps 0.1% (8 million verse 6 billion world population) and the Samaritans, an even smaller minority and now to the gentile world.

The stage has been set here in Acts 11 for a new beginning, a new phase of God’s plan to save the nations of the world.

God’s plan has not deviated from the beginning. His plan was to make a nation, the nation of Israel to be a witness to all the nations of the earth. 

When Israel rejected their Christ, God’s plan continued with the remnant Jewish witnesses in Jerusalem to fulfil this plan – 12 disciples, a congregation of 120 and the expansion of 3000 and 5000, but that is going to multiply in the next 30 years.

By now, we see a time lapse of perhaps 7 years since the ascension of Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit in power to energize the church to fulfil the redemption plan to save mankind from their sins.

  • The Salvation Plan of God Rehearsed (v1-10)

1 And the apostles and brethren that were in Judaea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. 2 And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him, 3 Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them. 4 But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and expounded it by order unto them, saying, 5  I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a vision, A certain vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came even to me: 6 Upon the which when I had fastened mine eyes, I considered, and saw fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. 7 And I heard a voice saying unto me, Arise, Peter; slay and eat. 8 But I said, Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth. 9 But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. 10 And this was done three times: and all were drawn up again into heaven.

The door of salvation is opened when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died on the cross for the sins of the world and His resurrection the third day averted judgment of hell fire upon all who will believe to receive eternal life with God in heaven.

And this mandate was first given to a group of unlearned Jewish men who formed the nucleus of the New Testament church. Being Jewish in upbringing, they had to understand the broadness of God’s heart, the broadness of God’s salvation plan. It is a plan to reach all who will believe. So this gospel is not only for the Jews but the Jews are the first recipients of this gospel because God has given this nation to be His witness to the world and God has chosen this nation and this people from whom the Saviour of the world will come from.

They were the privileged people with the message of salvation that only Jesus saves and they are called to proclaim this message far and wide. And they are to do so not by their own wisdom, but it will be a God-directed, Holy Spirit-enabled mission to reach the unsaved world.

The book of Acts is a historical record of the initiation and enactment of God’s plan to reach the world with the message that “only Jesus saves”.

Our story brings us to the Mediterranean coast line of Caesarea, a modern seaport during those days built by Herod and to a Roman military commander Cornelius whom God’s grace has visited.

We saw how God has prepared the heart of this man for salvation and for him to be saved. He must be given the gospel of Jesus Christ. And God’s grace has prepared the heart of this Gentiles and his family for salvation. And we see how God sovereignly orchestrated the salvation of this family. And we are brought on this exciting journey together.

Caesarea is the seaport 48 km from Joppa from Tuas to Changi, a major international port that rivalled Alexandria and Piraeus (the port of Athens), in creating the first artificial harbour in the ancient world, Herod’s engineers made use of a new sophisticated technology. 

Peter saw a vision of a sheet with 4 corners representing the earth and its inhabitants. God sovereignly chose this time as it was about noon when Peter would be hungry and he would see lots of food before him.

Peter falls into a trance (ekstasis) and saw a vision of heaven opening, the word literally means “to stand outside of yourself” and refers to a state of being brought by God “in which consciousness is wholly or partially suspended. The same word was used to describe the vision Daniel sees on the banks of the Tigris River after fasting for 3 weeks and interceding for the people of Israel (Daniel 10:7).

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. 

In this vision, Peter sees all kinds of animals. Thios description is reminiscent of the summary of animal life at the beginning of creation (Gen. 1:24). The Torah, however, prohibited the Israelites from eating certain animals. A detailed set of criteria for determining which animals were clean and unclean is given in Leviticus 11.

There are 4 basic criteria:

  • Land animals had to both chew the cud and have a split hoof.
  • Sea creatures had to have fins and scales.
  • Winged insects had to have jointed legs to hop.
  • Birds of prey, reptiles, and other crawlers were off limits.

Among those animals the Israelites could not eat were camels, rabbits, pigs, eagles, vultures, owls, weasels, rats, and lizards. Peter sees many of these prohibited (unclean animals in the sheet), presumably mingled together with animals that are ritually pure.

Peter said in verse 14 that he has never eaten any of the prohibited animals. He exercises sensitivity not to defile himself with any food that will render him ceremonially impure. God has clearly revealed in the law that he should not eat any of them.

Leviticus 11:43-44 Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby. 44 For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Peter reacted to the vision with great perplexity this is understandable.

Unclean is the typical description in the law for the prohibited animals.

Doubtless, Peter had searched the Scriptures literally the night before or mentally since seeing the vision on the roof top.Gentile evangelism was not an afterthought in God’s redemptive plan. It was true that God has elected the Jews from the rest of mankind, but only because He wanted them to be a demonstration to all the other nations of the relationship God wants to have with every nation and every people.

Jesus Himself witnessed to the woman in Samaria in John 4 and the Syrophoenician woman in Mark 7:24-30 and Matthew 15:21-28.

It has been plainly promised in the great covenant with Abraham that in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed (Genesis 12:3).

That blessing was to come through Christ, Abraham’s seed. Gentile evangelisation is not a new teaching.

Isaiah 42:6-10 I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; 7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. 8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. 9 Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. 10 Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.

Isaiah 60:1-4 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. 4 Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.

The full implication of the coming of Christ and the inauguration of the new covenant has not dawned on Peter. God is lifting the distinction between clean and unclean foods – a boundary that separates Jews from Gentiles.

The prophets anticipated a time when God would cleanse anyone who worshipped Him. The new covenant promise of Ezekiel anticipated a time when God would cleanse His people from impurity and place His Spirit in them.

Ezekiel 36:25-28 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. 28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

In fact, Jesus declared all foods to be clean during his ministry.

Mark 7:15-16 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. 16 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. 15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. 16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

Jesus emphasized that it is sinful thoughts and tendencies that defile people rather than what they eat. 

Mark 7:18-19 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; 19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?

Mark 7:20-25 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. 24 And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid. 25 For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:

God now impresses the reality of this teaching of Jesus on Peter by means of this vision. Of course, this is a critical time. The gentiles are not to be incorporated into the new people of God

  • The Salvific Proof of God’s Plan Recounted (v11-16)

11 And, behold, immediately there were three men already come unto the house where I was, sent from Caesarea unto me. 12 And the Spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered into the man’s house: 13 And he shewed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter; 14 Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved. 15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. 16 Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.

Herod named the city after Caesar Augustus the reigning emperor. On the rising of the opposite of the harbour mouth stood Caesar’s temple, of exceptional size and beauty, in it a colossal statute of Caesar. Herod dedicated the city to the province, the harbour to those who sailed these seas and the honour of his new creation to Caesar. God’s grace has come to this city though largely idolatrous the evil that is that cannot resist the power of God to save.

This man Cornelius was visited by an angel at 3pm, the 9th hour of the day saying to him that his prayers and alms are seen and acknowledged by God and God has a plan to direct him so that he may receive the living and true God.

God prepared the heart of Cornelius, this Gentile man and his family to receive the gospel.

The authority of the church, the visible church is a spiritual and heavenly kingdom with its citizens, pilgrims on en-route to the heavenly kingdom – Matthew 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

The keys symbolize the authority to open the kingdom of heaven to men through the proclamation of the Gospel. 

What the disciples were commissioned to do, were to facilitate the entrance of the people into the kingdom of heaven.

The keys were symbolic of authority, which is here specified as the power of binding and loosing. It is clear that the consequences of what the disciples did in this regard of the giving of the Gospel would go far beyond earth and would have their permanent results in heaven. They were in a real sense building for eternity. 

In referring to the keys of the kingdom Jesus was continuing the figure in which He had been comparing the kingdom of heaven to a house which He was about to build. It would be built upon a solid rock (Matt. 7:24).

Matthew 7:24-26 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

Entrance into that house was through the door of faith. The door was to be opened, first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles. 

Peter was the first of the disciples to comprehend the person of Christ in His true Deity and to confess that Deity before the other disciples. And He was commissioned to first open that door.

To Peter was given the distinct honour to open the door of faith to the Jewish world which he did on the day of Pentecost when through his sermon 3000 Jews were converted.

Acts 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

Now, a short time later, he was given the distinction and high honour of opening the door of faith to the Gentile world, which he did in the house of Cornelius.

Possession of the keys does not mean that Peter had sovereignly within his own authority to determine who should be admitted to heaven and who should be excluded. This authority is in the hands of Christ alone. 

It means that Peter, and later the other apostles, being in possession of the gospel message, truly did open the door and present the opportunity to enter in as they proclaimed the message before the people.[1]

This same privilege of opening the door or of closing the door of salvation to theirs is given to Christians, for the command that Christ gave His Church was to go and make disciples of all nations. Peter understood well this authority that Jesus gave to the church when he said in 

Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

  • The Settled Purpose of God Reinforced (v17-18)

17 Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? 18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. 

Peter invited them into the house. Although it is unlawful for Peter to host a Gentile guest in the home, he certainly risks ritual defilement according to Jewish tradition. 

In general, Jews tried to minimize their contact with the Gentiles. 

Peter’s warm invitation to these men indicates that he is beginning to understand what the Lord is teaching him about ritual impurity. The much greater test, however, will be to enter the home of a Gentiles.

 6 Jewish believers from Joppa accompany Peter (Acts 11:12).

CONCLUSION

  • The Salvation Plan of God Rehearsed (v1-10)
  • The Salvific Proof of God’s Plan Recounted (v11-16)
  • The Settled Purpose of God Reinforced (v17-18)

[1] Loraine Boettner, Roman Catholicism, The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1962, 109-111.