A Cataclysmic Change

Introduction

You know, one of the benefits and just sheer blessings of being a Christian, and if I’m just speaking selfishly of being a preacher, is the wonderful people that you get to meet, and as you get to be a part of their lives and you get to know them. I could write a book. I could take up two hours of your time, maybe more, of just telling you of the wonderful people that have been a part of my life just because I’m a Christian, because I’m a preacher.

I was young, still single. When I met the McCullough, when I was introduced to the McCullough’s, they were in their 90s and had been married over 70 years.

That’s over 25,000 orders of biscuits. Every day, every morning.

She didn’t hit that container on the counter. She made biscuits from scratch. She even said when I was sick and in bed or was having children, that Brother McCullough would bring the ingredients to the side of the bed. That’s the kind of nice guy that he was. He would bring the flour and the shortening and the milk to the bed, and she would mix up and make the biscuits in bed, and he would put them in the oven. Every day for over 25,000 days she had made biscuits for her husband. I tell you, I can respect that on so many levels. Number one is her love and her care for her husband that was just demonstrated through that simple but loving act of making biscuits because she made them for him.

But I’m going to tell you, with my personality, one other thing I can respect about that is just the absolute sheer constancy of that.

And sometimes major changes. You think about the life changes that the most boring and constant of lives have gone through. And sometimes we take some of these changes for granted, particularly the changes in our children’s lives, to where you are the center of attention of your mother and your father at home, and you have no responsibilities, nothing to do, and then all of a sudden life comes crashing down, and you have to get on that big yellow box and go to school now. Your life has changed drastically. You survive 12 or 13 years of that, and you maybe go to another school, and you realize that school that they call college or university is a drastic change from the school that you went to before. And it may be even in another city or another state.

Change. Your life may be altered drastically by not just living by yourself and for yourself, but now you get married, and things change drastically, and then enter in those small little humans into your equation, and they really change things. And when you get just used to life there, they move up and they move away, and life changes again.

Sometimes drastic, earth-shattering change. And we don’t always adjust to that real well, do we?

Would you go with me in your New Testaments to the book of Acts, chapter 10? I want to talk to you this morning about a change that took place in the Christian world. And it’s a drastic change. In fact, the drastic nature of this change is probably lost on us as 21st century Christians. Because I think it’s probably safe to say in this audience that the overwhelming majority of us are Gentiles. And this is all we have ever known is the inclusion of Gentiles into Christianity into the church. And so it doesn’t feel like a change. And even if it was a change that we could relate to, not a big change. But I don’t think there’s any way for our 21st century Gentile Christian minds to fully grasp what a cataclysmic change.

What a violent upheaval of the Jewish mind that was.

And they still believed in the same God. They had introduced a new character, Jesus Christ, but it’s the same God, the God of the Old Testament, that they believed. They still believed in the scriptures that Abraham and Moses spoke. And so, yeah, that’s a change. We’re not crazy about it, but okay. But then this violent cataclysmic change comes in Acts chapter 10. When those low-down, dirty, rotten Gentiles, that would have been the Jewish mindset, unfortunately, are now introduced into that equation. And that’s not a change. That’s an upheaval of everything they knew and held dear to their heart. And that takes place in Acts chapter 10 and Acts chapter 11. And let’s look at this change and some lessons that we can learn about change in our lives.

Just to reacquaint ourselves with that story. And for maybe those in our audience who aren’t as familiar with this cataclysmic change that takes place in Acts chapters 10 and 11. Let’s reacquaint ourselves with that story. A man by the name of Cornelius, this is how we’re introduced to him in Acts chapter 10. He is a centurion of what’s called the Italian regiment, a devout man, and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people and prayed to God always. The first thing we notice about this man is obviously he is a Gentile. The second thing we notice is, but he is a good man. The Bible is effusive in its praise about this Gentile man. It’s my belief, and that’s all it is, is just a belief and opinion, is that he was handpicked to be the first.

If anyone would be acceptable and palatable to the Jewish Christians, it would surely be this man. We don’t go find some rogue, idolatrous, fornicator, murderer. Here is a good God-fearing man that God chooses. We know to this man, Cornelius, an angel appears and tells him to send for a man named Peter, who will come and teach him the word of God. That’s the first part of the equation is heaven speaking to Cornelius and saying, Peter, the human messenger, will come and tell you what you need to do. The second part of this equation, if we were reading a novel, it would say, Meanwhile, meanwhile, Peter is hungry. It’s about mealtime. And Peter goes into kind of a trance and sees a vision, a vision of a sheet being lowered down.

And on this sheet are all manners of animals. And the voice from heaven tells Peter, rise, kill and eat. But Peter, as a good Jew, objects and says, but I can’t. There’s some unclean animals on this sheep. I’ve never, as a good observant Jew, I’ve never let anything unclean pass through my lips. Three times though, rise, kill and eat, the command was. Peter’s thinking about this. What’s God trying to do? Is God trying to tell me that now the dietary restrictions of the Old Testament have been done away with with all the other things? Is it okay now for a Jewish man to eat these otherwise forbidden, otherwise unclean foods? Well, about that time there’s a knock on the door. The men who have come from Cornelius, following the instructions of the angel.

And they say Cornelius has received communication from God, and he requests that you come. So Peter goes and he takes, we find out later, takes six Jewish men with him who will be his witnesses of the events that will transpire. And so he goes to the household of Cornelius, and as Griffin read before us in our final Bible reading, Cornelius had assembled his family and his friends and said, We’re here, ready, willing, and able to hear the message that God will deliver to us through you. And if we were there, and if we had this type of vision, we could literally see the light bulb over Peter’s head. When Peter says, I perceive that God is no respecter of person. It was the aha moment for Peter.

That’s what that vision of the sheet with the animals was all about. That’s what the command to rise, kill, and eat was all about. It wasn’t just about food. Because you see, it never really was just about food. Have you ever wondered about that restriction? One of the most memorable laws and restrictions that we remember about the Jewish faith, why they couldn’t eat certain things and they could eat certain things. Ever wondered why? Seems kind of random and arbitrary. Was there some dietary reason? Was God saying these meats are good for you, these meats are bad for you, and so I want you to be healthy? Well, no, that’s not really the reason. These are plentiful, these are scarce. I don’t want you to eat all of these up because these animals will die and go away.

They’re on the endangered list, and so don’t eat. No, that doesn’t seem to be the reason. So why did God ever come up with that concept? Eat this, don’t eat that. Well, let’s see. Hold your finger here in Acts chapter 10. And go with me back to the book of Leviticus. Leviticus chapter 20, when God institutes that distinction.

And that’s certainly the case here. That when God instituted this distinction, this law, eat this, but not that. That there was a basis for it. It wasn’t just some arbitrary dietary guidelines that were being given. It was a lesson for them. Notice again, Leviticus chapter 20. And let’s start in our reading in verse 22. Leviticus 20. And in verse 22 it says, You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my judgments and perform them, that the land where I am bringing you to dwell may not vomit you out. Let’s put this pause there. This is before they’re being brought into the land of promise, the land that would become known as Israel. And you shall not walk, verse 23, you shall not walk in the statute of the nations which I am casting out before you, for they commit all these things, and therefore I abhor them.

But I have said to you, you shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the Lord your God who has separated you from the peoples.

I’m giving you their land, they’re idolatrous, they’ve rebelled against me, therefore I abhor them. I’m giving you their land. I have made a distinction, a separation between you, Jews, and them, Gentiles. Keep reading. Verse 25, you shall therefore distinguish between clean beast and unclean, between unclean birds and clean, and you shall not make yourselves abominable by beast or by bird or by any kind of living thing that creeps on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean, and you shall be holy to me, for I am the I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, and you shall be mine. Do you see that the dietary restrictions, this is clean, this is unclean, grew out of the concept of God saying, I have chosen you and have separated you from the people.

They were tied together. God says, I’ve separated you as a people, I’m separating your diet. You can eat certain things, you can’t eat certain things.

One was clean, one was unclean. And so it’s no coincidence that when God’s going to break down that barrier, he illustrates it again by now removing that dietary restriction. When he started that distinction between Jew and Gentile, he started it with the dietary restriction, and now when he removes it, he does so by removing the dietary restriction. Nothing is unclean, Peter. You can eat it all. And Peter says when he’s finally there in Cornelius’ living room, ready to deliver the gospel, the light bulb goes off and he goes, aha. That’s what that vision was about. It wasn’t about food, because it really never was about food. It was all about the distinction between Jews and Gentile. That’s why we couldn’t eat that, but we could eat this.

And now God is saying you can eat anything. Because there’s no longer a distinction between Jews and Gentiles. And then another remarkable thing, as Peter preaches the gospel, the Holy Spirit fell upon them as it had upon the Jewish apostles on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2, showing that this was truly an act of God. This is the Acts chapter 2. This is the day of Pentecost, if you will, for the Gentile people. Acts chapter 2 made over for the Gentile. And Cornelius and his household are baptized for the forgiveness of their sin. In Acts chapter 11, Peter goes now to his Jewish compatriots, the Jewish Christians, and explains to them and really defends his actions. Why did you go into their house and eat with them?

They haven’t even raised the objection that you baptize them. You brought them into the church. It’s just bad enough that you just went to their dirty house and ate food with them. And Peter offers irrefutable evidence that this was not some rogue action of Peter. But this was the radical action of God of breaking down this former barrier. That what God had promised to Abraham centuries before, that through your seed, all, all, all nations of the earth will be blessed. A cataclysmic change in the church has taken place. It’s not a cataclysmic change in God’s plan. This has been a part of God’s plan from the beginning. But it’s a change in their mindset and a difficult change for them to accept. And so, what are some lessons that we can draw from this massive change?

1. A Good Person Can Be Lost

First of all, is that a good person can be lost. I said I think Cornelius was handpicked because he is going to be maybe the most acceptable Gentile to the Jews, but maybe he’s also selected for our benefit. That here is a man, how was he described again in Acts chapter 10? A devout man who feared God with all his household and gave his alms generously to the people and prayed to God always. If you took a survey of people on Cornelius’ street, they would have probably said, he’s going to heaven when he died. But Peter was sent because this man was a lost sinner. Because the axiom of Romans stands true, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. He was a good man.

2. We Learn How to Listen

We’re not disputing that, but he was not perfect. He still had sin in his life that needed to be remedied. And so this concept that, well, all I need to do is to be good is not good enough. We need the forgiveness that only the blood of Christ can offer. Another lesson I think we can learn from this, and this is a valuable lesson from Cornelius, is we learn how to listen. We know that principle that how you listen is very valuable. If you sat down with a prejudiced mind that I don’t like this guy, I don’t want to listen to what he says, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. You’re not going to be moved by that message, are you? But notice how Cornelius listened.

He listened with an appreciation for the truth. Acts chapter 10, verse 24. The following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them and called together his relatives and close friends. That’s almost a verse that just kind of transitions, setting the stage for what’s going to happen when Peter gets there. But it’s a very telling verse. Here’s a man that shows that he’s appreciated, he’s wanting to hear. He says he’s waiting for them. He’s brought other people into this. Look at the next verse, verse 25. As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, fell down at his feet, and worshiped him. Now, Peter’s going to correct him for that act of worship. Peter’s not worthy of his worship. Peter’s just a man. But still, that incorrect action still shows, I think, a correct mindset in the sense that there’s just a deep appreciation for Peter, the messenger.

Now, he again, he demonstrated that appreciation in an inappropriate way, but it still shows that here was a man who appreciated the message. He wanted to hear that message. And I’m going to tell you, your acceptance of the gospel, your acceptance of the message is going to be at least 90% affected by whether or not you have an appreciation for it. Whether you want to hear it, whether you’re anxious to hear that.

Cornelius says, I sent to you immediately, and you’ve done well to come. Now, therefore, we’re all present before God to hear all things commanded you by God. He had an appreciation for the truth. He said, This is the word of God.

He showed an improper mindset bowing down and worshiping Peter, but now he shows that he’s got it right. We’re not here to hear your words, Peter. We don’t want to hear your opinions, your thoughts, your truth. We’re here to hear God. Reverence for the Word of God. He shows an appreciation. He shows a reverence. But also in that he says, we are here to hear all things commanded you by God. He showed a strong desire to obey. Inherent in that statement is an anxiousness. We’re here to hear what you are going to command us from God Himself. Isn’t the inference there? And we’re ready to pounce. Whatever you tell us is coming from God, and we’re ready to do it. Just say it, and we’re ready to act.

3. Prejudice in Any Form Is Just Ungodly

Our attitude has everything to do with our reception of the Word of God. And let’s learn from Cornelius in that. Another obvious lesson that we can’t miss in the story of Cornelius is that prejudice in any form is just ungodly. That’s the only way to put it. Notice how Peter phrases it here. In Acts chapter 10, look at the following verses, verses 34 and 35. Peter opened his mouth and said, In truth, I perceive that God shows no partiality. That’s the aha moment for Peter. It wasn’t about beef versus pork. It wasn’t about fish versus shrimp. I get it now. I perceive that God shows no partiality, but in every nation, whoever fears him and works righteousness is accepted by him. God chose no partiality. Your translation may say it this way God is no respecter of persons.

God doesn’t judge by the color of skin. God doesn’t choose based upon the nationality on someone’s passport or birth certificate. God doesn’t care. God doesn’t care who your parents were, who your grandparents were. God doesn’t care what nation you were born into. God doesn’t care what your bank account says. God doesn’t care. God just loves. And he wants you to be his.

It’s probably a word hate with some degrees added on to it. It wasn’t because they weren’t Jews. It wasn’t because they had a different color of skin, spoke with a different accent. It was because of their actions. They had rejected God. They were serving other false gods. God was no respecter of persons. He didn’t show partiality based upon their nationality and their color of skin, even in the Old Testament. It was their actions that God made a distinction. And don’t miss this point.

But all you Gentiles are locked out. No. You know, sometimes we have that chart, the patriarch period, the Mosaic period and the Christian period. We have that three separate boxes or three separate circles there. That’s a little misleading. Really, the way to show that chart is we had the patriarchal period that started and went all the way up to the cross and then running simultaneously was the Jewish period. The patriarchal period never ended for the Gentiles. They could still serve God the way Cornelius was.

4. I Must Be Prepared to Change

And yes, again, God opposed mixed marriages in those days, but it had nothing to do with black marrying white or Jew marrying Gentile. It was about God-fearing people marrying into people who had nothing to do with God. God’s opposition to mixed marriages wasn’t a racial or national difference. It was a spiritual and moral difference that God rejected. And so prejudice in any form is just ungodly. And then the last lesson, and maybe the hardest lesson to learn from the story of Cornelius is that I must be prepared to change. And change isn’t easy. When I’m talking about change here, I’m not talking about the change that Cornelius had to go through. He did have the change. He underwent a cataclysmic, violent change in his life. His life is never going to be the same after Acts chapter 10.

But I’m talking about the change that Peter had to undergo. He had to change.

And our nice little quaint Jewish church. Where everybody here looks like me and talks like me and sounds and believes like me. And oh, we have our problems, but our problems are all the same. And it’s Peter who, let’s be frank, is still going to struggle with this change later in his life. And Paul’s going to have to call him for that. Because remember, change ain’t easy. But Peter starts here. And to their credit, these Gentile-hating Jews start changing here. Because remember, in chapter 11, they confront Peter, and they don’t confront him because he’s baptized a Gentile, because he’s brought Gentiles into the church. It’s just the fact that you went in their house.

But in Acts chapter 11, when Peter lays out the evidence, it says in verse 18, when they heard these things, these Jewish Christians who for their whole life had hated Gentiles.

God gets to set the agenda. And we have to change. It wasn’t an easy change, but it was a change they had to make. And so I wonder what is it for Ken? What stubborn change is there in my life? That, oh, I became a Christian, but I’m still hanging on to this stubborn thing that I don’t want to give up. Is it prejudice like Peter and these other Jews? Or is it something else that’s antagonistic to God and to Christianity? That I’m not willing to give up. That I need to have my aha moment and go, oh, that’s the way God wants it. And God gets to say, not me. And yes, that’s a huge change in my way of thinking, my way of living.

Conclusion

But change I must. Am I humble enough to say that although that’s 100% against what I used to think and believe and practice? If that’s the way God wants it, who am I to stand in the way? Are you prepared to change? Are you willing to submit your will fully and completely to the will of God and change in whatever way he asks or demands of you to make in your life? Can we help you make what might be for you a cataclysmic change in your life that would turn your world upside down? But it’s a change for the better. Would you come to him emptying yourself of yourself and saying, God, mold me, make me, and change me into your will. And would you do that right now as together we stand and as we sing?