Good morning,
friends, and welcome once again
00:00:35.66\00:00:37.77
to Sabbath School Study Hour
00:00:37.77\00:00:39.33
here at the Granite Bay
Seventh-day Adventist Church
00:00:39.33\00:00:41.67
in Sacramento, California.
00:00:41.67\00:00:43.51
Very warm welcome
to our online members,
00:00:43.51\00:00:45.67
and those of you who
are viewing this program
00:00:45.67\00:00:47.51
via television
across the country,
00:00:47.51\00:00:49.58
and around the world.
00:00:49.58\00:00:51.41
Also, I'd like to
welcome our members
00:00:51.41\00:00:53.15
and our visitors here
for Sabbath School today,
00:00:53.15\00:00:55.55
always good to see you.
00:00:55.55\00:00:57.12
And today, we're
going to be looking
00:00:57.12\00:00:58.42
at the next lesson
in our lesson quarterly
00:00:58.42\00:01:01.22
dealing with the Book of Acts.
00:01:01.22\00:01:02.69
We're actually
on lesson number six
00:01:02.69\00:01:05.13
which is entitled
the Ministry of Peter.
00:01:05.13\00:01:07.56
Now, for those of you
who are joining us online
00:01:07.56\00:01:09.53
or watching this on television,
00:01:09.53\00:01:11.00
if you don't have a
copy of this week's lesson,
00:01:11.00\00:01:13.87
just go to the
Amazing Fact's website,
00:01:13.87\00:01:15.77
just amazingfacts.com,
and you'll be able to download
00:01:15.77\00:01:19.11
a copy of the study,
and you can read it together
00:01:19.11\00:01:21.88
with us as we study God's Word.
00:01:21.88\00:01:24.25
We do have a free offer
00:01:24.25\00:01:25.51
that we like to let
our viewers know about,
00:01:25.51\00:01:27.52
it is a book
entitled "The Armor of God".
00:01:27.52\00:01:30.29
Now there are two ways
00:01:30.29\00:01:31.55
that you can get
our free offer today.
00:01:31.55\00:01:33.19
The one is to call, and
the number is 866-788-3966,
00:01:33.19\00:01:38.76
and you can ask
for offer number 173,
00:01:38.76\00:01:42.13
and we'll be happy
to send you the book
00:01:42.13\00:01:43.63
The Armor of God
through the mail.
00:01:43.63\00:01:45.47
But if you'd like the book
00:01:45.47\00:01:46.47
sooner than waiting
for the mail to get there,
00:01:46.47\00:01:49.27
you can also text the
following code to the number.
00:01:49.27\00:01:53.27
First of all,
the code is "SH101",
00:01:53.27\00:01:56.41
and you can text that
code to the number 40544,
00:01:56.41\00:02:00.85
you'll then get the link,
00:02:00.85\00:02:02.15
and you'll be able to download
the book in digital format,
00:02:02.15\00:02:04.89
and you can read it right away.
00:02:04.89\00:02:06.76
So we hope you'll
take advantage of that,
00:02:06.76\00:02:08.16
this is a great book
entitled "The Armor of God",
00:02:08.16\00:02:10.56
and that is our free
offer for our program today.
00:02:10.56\00:02:14.13
But before we get to our lesson,
00:02:14.13\00:02:15.43
we like to begin by
lifting our voices in song.
00:02:15.43\00:02:18.20
I'd like to
invite the song leaders
00:02:18.20\00:02:19.53
to come lead us in
our music this morning.
00:02:19.53\00:02:22.44
We are excited to sing
00:02:22.44\00:02:24.27
one of our
favorites with you today,
00:02:24.27\00:02:26.41
and I know that
it is one of yours
00:02:26.41\00:02:28.64
because I think this is one
of the highly requested songs
00:02:28.64\00:02:33.85
from around the world,
00:02:33.85\00:02:35.75
"Come Thou Fount
of Every Blessing."
00:02:35.75\00:02:37.99
You'll find that
number 334 in your hymnals.
00:02:37.99\00:02:42.12
So if you have
those, join with us,
00:02:42.12\00:02:44.03
we will do all
three stanzas, 334.
00:02:44.03\00:02:46.29
Thank you so much
for joining with us
00:05:00.53\00:05:02.20
and at this time Pastor Ross
00:05:02.20\00:05:04.10
is going to have
our opening prayer.
00:05:04.10\00:05:07.67
Dear Father in heaven,
we thank You once again
00:05:07.67\00:05:09.57
for the
opportunity to gather together,
00:05:09.57\00:05:11.17
and to open up Your Word,
00:05:11.17\00:05:12.24
and study this important lesson,
00:05:12.24\00:05:14.48
dealing with the Book of Acts,
00:05:14.48\00:05:15.54
and in particular
the Ministry of Peter.
00:05:15.54\00:05:17.35
We pray that Your Holy
Spirit will come and guide
00:05:17.35\00:05:19.18
our hearts, our minds, for
we ask this in Jesus' name.
00:05:19.18\00:05:22.82
Amen.
00:05:22.82\00:05:24.49
Our lesson this morning
is gonna be brought to us
00:05:24.49\00:05:26.25
by our family life
pastor here at Granite Bay,
00:05:26.25\00:05:28.89
Pastor Shawn Brummund.
00:05:28.89\00:05:30.33
Shawn, we're just
delighted that you are able
00:05:30.33\00:05:31.86
to teach for us this
morning, may God bless.
00:05:31.86\00:05:35.86
Well, good morning to all.
00:05:35.86\00:05:38.33
It's good to see everyone here
as we come together to worship.
00:05:38.33\00:05:41.67
As we have sung
our songs of praise,
00:05:41.67\00:05:44.34
it is a privilege
to be able to stand
00:05:44.34\00:05:46.51
in front of you here today.
00:05:46.51\00:05:49.18
Every time I stand before
you, it's always a privilege
00:05:49.18\00:05:51.75
to be able to
open the Word of God
00:05:51.75\00:05:52.95
and to be able
to guide us through
00:05:52.95\00:05:54.58
some of these important truths
00:05:54.58\00:05:55.92
that God wants us
to be able to know.
00:05:55.92\00:05:58.05
But today I have to say
that I am extra privileged,
00:05:58.05\00:06:01.46
and I am extra grateful to
be able to stand before you
00:06:01.46\00:06:05.29
because as many of you know,
especially those who are local,
00:06:05.29\00:06:08.23
as many that have been
online watching this program
00:06:08.23\00:06:11.17
or have been
following on Facebook page
00:06:11.17\00:06:14.87
for Granite Bay Church as well
as my personal Facebook page
00:06:14.87\00:06:18.87
that I have faced
some very real challenges.
00:06:18.87\00:06:22.11
And before we get
into our topic here today,
00:06:22.11\00:06:24.48
I want to just confirm
something that is important
00:06:24.48\00:06:27.68
for all church members
to be able to understand,
00:06:27.68\00:06:30.42
and that is that pastors
00:06:30.42\00:06:32.42
are subject to
the same temptations
00:06:32.42\00:06:35.09
and to the same
trials as everybody else is.
00:06:35.09\00:06:39.39
And the reason I say
this is because over the years
00:06:39.39\00:06:41.73
as a pastor I've discovered that
00:06:41.73\00:06:43.06
there is a number of
members that have concluded
00:06:43.06\00:06:46.27
that the pastor's
family is exempt somehow,
00:06:46.27\00:06:49.04
and they just don't
face quite the same trials
00:06:49.04\00:06:51.64
and temptations as we do,
00:06:51.64\00:06:52.91
that we are kind of in
a special place somehow.
00:06:52.91\00:06:56.71
No, we're all in the same
special place under the grace
00:06:56.71\00:06:58.78
and salvation of Christ,
00:06:58.78\00:07:00.98
but we all face the same trials.
00:07:00.98\00:07:04.49
As Jesus says, "Do
not worry about tomorrow,
00:07:04.49\00:07:06.82
for tomorrow has enough
things to worry about itself.
00:07:06.82\00:07:10.26
Sufficient is today or
the worries that we have,
00:07:10.26\00:07:13.83
or the troubles
that we have for today."
00:07:13.83\00:07:17.00
And so that speaks to all
believers including pastors.
00:07:17.00\00:07:20.20
So I'm just very grateful
that the Lord has restored me
00:07:20.20\00:07:23.17
and has brought me
through various serious neck
00:07:23.17\00:07:25.81
health challenge
and extensive operation.
00:07:25.81\00:07:29.28
Now I'm back and
I'm able to serve you
00:07:29.28\00:07:30.98
and be able to look at
this very important subject
00:07:30.98\00:07:33.21
that we're looking at today.
00:07:33.21\00:07:34.85
God is good and I'm
thankful that He has restored me
00:07:34.85\00:07:38.69
that I might be
able to serve once again,
00:07:38.69\00:07:42.22
but that's enough about
the Ministry of Pastor Shawn.
00:07:42.22\00:07:44.13
We want to look at
the ministry of something,
00:07:44.13\00:07:46.06
somebody much more important,
00:07:46.06\00:07:48.00
an instrumental
apostle by the name of Peter.
00:07:48.00\00:07:52.07
And Peter is no small a person.
00:07:52.07\00:07:55.97
He is no small
individual in the plan of God
00:07:55.97\00:07:58.41
in the very first years
of the Christian church.
00:07:58.41\00:08:01.08
In fact as we look
at the Book of Acts
00:08:01.08\00:08:03.91
and some of us have
been following faithfully
00:08:03.91\00:08:05.61
through this quarterly so far,
00:08:05.61\00:08:07.12
we have been
reading chapter 1 through 12
00:08:07.12\00:08:11.19
which this
particular week's lessons
00:08:11.19\00:08:13.19
brings us up to the end of,
00:08:13.19\00:08:15.29
and perhaps some of
us have already ran ahead
00:08:15.29\00:08:17.53
and read the whole
thing, they got so excited.
00:08:17.53\00:08:19.26
Acts is just one of those books
00:08:19.26\00:08:20.70
where once you
start to get into it,
00:08:20.70\00:08:22.36
it's very hard to
put it back down again,
00:08:22.36\00:08:24.63
and you just want
to see how it all ends.
00:08:24.63\00:08:27.40
And so it's just a
very powerful book.
00:08:27.40\00:08:30.41
As we go through
the whole Book of Acts,
00:08:30.41\00:08:32.24
there are two individuals
00:08:32.24\00:08:33.81
that stand out above
all the other apostles.
00:08:33.81\00:08:36.48
There are two
individuals that are named
00:08:36.48\00:08:37.95
more often by far
than the other two apostles
00:08:37.95\00:08:41.58
and that is Peter,
00:08:41.58\00:08:43.75
where we're going to be studying
00:08:43.75\00:08:44.89
in more extensively
today, as well as Paul.
00:08:44.89\00:08:48.82
I hear a number of
you saying as well.
00:08:48.82\00:08:50.69
And so Peter and Paul
are the two key individuals
00:08:50.69\00:08:55.23
that the Book of Acts
00:08:55.23\00:08:56.46
focuses on more than
any of the other apostles.
00:08:56.46\00:08:59.80
Now, the Apostle John
comes to a close third
00:08:59.80\00:09:02.04
I guess we can say,
00:09:02.04\00:09:03.10
but nevertheless Peter and Paul
00:09:03.10\00:09:04.77
seem to have the biggest part,
00:09:04.77\00:09:06.78
at least the most
prominent part of God's plan
00:09:06.78\00:09:09.58
in the early church.
00:09:09.58\00:09:12.05
With that being said, I
want to ask you a question
00:09:12.05\00:09:13.98
to stimulate your minds
here a little bit this morning.
00:09:13.98\00:09:16.92
What does the Bible
say is the key difference
00:09:16.92\00:09:18.79
between the
ministry of the Apostle Paul
00:09:18.79\00:09:21.89
and the ministry
of the Apostle Peter?
00:09:21.89\00:09:25.39
What is the key difference
between those two individuals
00:09:25.39\00:09:28.16
and the ministry that
God had called them to?
00:09:28.16\00:09:32.13
All right, I hear somebody
saying Jews and Gentiles.
00:09:32.13\00:09:35.14
All right, you're on
track and I think I know
00:09:35.14\00:09:37.27
what Dianne is trying to
tell us here this morning,
00:09:37.27\00:09:39.47
and that is that
God had called Paul
00:09:39.47\00:09:42.68
to be an
apostle to the Gentiles.
00:09:42.68\00:09:46.38
Now what is a Gentile?
00:09:46.38\00:09:49.12
Well, you know, some of
us we know what a Gentile is.
00:09:49.12\00:09:51.59
You know, some of us
that are here this morning,
00:09:51.59\00:09:53.89
or that are watching online,
00:09:53.89\00:09:55.02
or on the various
television networks,
00:09:55.02\00:09:56.89
they've never
heard of the word Gentile
00:09:56.89\00:09:59.03
unless you've
been exposed to church
00:09:59.03\00:10:01.63
and to the Christian faith.
00:10:01.63\00:10:02.96
And the reason is, we
don't use that language,
00:10:02.96\00:10:04.60
or that word
outside of the Bible,
00:10:04.60\00:10:06.80
or talk about the Bible in
our modern vernacular today.
00:10:06.80\00:10:10.44
So I know that by
personal experience
00:10:10.44\00:10:11.97
because I was raised secular,
I wasn't raised in the faith,
00:10:11.97\00:10:15.08
and so it wasn't till 20
or that summer I turned 21
00:10:15.08\00:10:18.01
that I gave my heart to the Lord
00:10:18.01\00:10:19.15
and started to discover a
real experience with Christ
00:10:19.15\00:10:23.55
and with the Lord.
00:10:23.55\00:10:24.72
And so I started going to church
00:10:24.72\00:10:26.59
and I heard during Bible
studies talk about Gentiles,
00:10:26.59\00:10:29.39
and I'm
scratching my head saying,
00:10:29.39\00:10:30.46
"What in the world's a Gentile?"
00:10:30.46\00:10:32.19
Well, a Gentile is
a non-Jewish person
00:10:32.19\00:10:34.93
and so we have two
populations of the Bible,
00:10:34.93\00:10:37.40
in particular Acts speaks about
00:10:37.40\00:10:39.23
and that is that there
is the Jewish population
00:10:39.23\00:10:43.17
and then any other nationality
00:10:43.17\00:10:46.01
or race, et cetera,
religion, et cetera,
00:10:46.01\00:10:48.51
would be under the
umbrella of Gentile.
00:10:48.51\00:10:51.78
And so yes, you're
right, Paul was called by God
00:10:51.78\00:10:55.25
to focus his ministry on
evangelizing and ministering
00:10:55.25\00:10:58.85
most
specifically to the Gentiles.
00:10:58.85\00:11:00.92
And then to
Peter, God had called him
00:11:00.92\00:11:03.22
to be an apostle to
Jews, the other population
00:11:03.22\00:11:07.86
that was the most
concentrated in his own country,
00:11:07.86\00:11:10.67
the country of Israel.
00:11:10.67\00:11:12.37
In Galatians
2:7-8, I'd like to read
00:11:12.37\00:11:15.44
for you a statement that Paul
himself had actually written,
00:11:15.44\00:11:18.17
understanding this distinction
00:11:18.17\00:11:19.77
and calling that
God had given these two,
00:11:19.77\00:11:22.28
it says, "But on the contrary
when he saw that the gospel
00:11:22.28\00:11:26.11
for the uncircumcised
had been committed to me..."
00:11:26.11\00:11:29.15
Now again, the
uncircumcised would be those
00:11:29.15\00:11:31.69
who are non-Jewish,
00:11:31.69\00:11:33.76
"As the gospel for
the circumcised..."
00:11:33.76\00:11:36.09
That is for the Jews,
was to Peter, "For He..."
00:11:36.09\00:11:39.86
That is God, "Who
worked effectively
00:11:39.86\00:11:41.80
and Peter for the
Apostleship to the circumcised
00:11:41.80\00:11:44.63
also worked effectively
in me toward the Gentiles."
00:11:44.63\00:11:49.14
And so I think it is
important for us to understand
00:11:49.14\00:11:51.04
that God had called them
00:11:51.04\00:11:52.44
for a very
specific priority or focus.
00:11:52.44\00:11:55.58
Now for those of
you who have studied
00:11:55.58\00:11:56.98
last week's memory verse
00:11:56.98\00:11:58.95
has found in Acts 9:15,
it's a bit of a review for us
00:11:58.95\00:12:03.45
as we look at the statement
made there by Paul as well.
00:12:03.45\00:12:07.32
Actually, it's not by
Paul, it's made by the Lord
00:12:07.32\00:12:09.32
to a Christian by
the name of Ananias.
00:12:09.32\00:12:12.13
And Ananias was the Christian
in the city of Damascus
00:12:12.13\00:12:15.03
that was
commissioned by God to go over,
00:12:15.03\00:12:17.93
find the Apostle Paul,
soon to be Apostle Paul,
00:12:17.93\00:12:21.04
he wasn't the apostle yet,
00:12:21.04\00:12:23.24
but Paul was in a
very serious situation
00:12:23.24\00:12:25.87
because he was
struck blind by God
00:12:25.87\00:12:27.48
on the road to that city.
00:12:27.48\00:12:29.58
And so God had
commissioned Ananias
00:12:29.58\00:12:31.51
after two or
three days of fasting
00:12:31.51\00:12:33.42
and prayer that
Paul was going through
00:12:33.42\00:12:35.68
to go over and to
lay hands on Paul,
00:12:35.68\00:12:38.42
and pray over him,
and pray that Paul would
00:12:38.42\00:12:40.92
not only receive
his physical sight back,
00:12:40.92\00:12:43.12
but that he would
receive his spiritual sight,
00:12:43.12\00:12:46.29
that he would
receive the Holy Spirit,
00:12:46.29\00:12:48.63
and learn and experience
00:12:48.63\00:12:50.13
what it is to be
born again of the spirit,
00:12:50.13\00:12:52.80
something that Paul had
yet understood nor experienced.
00:12:52.80\00:12:56.47
And so we have this commission
00:12:56.47\00:12:57.71
recorded in that
particular verse,
00:12:57.71\00:12:59.17
Acts 9:15 where it says,
00:12:59.17\00:13:04.58
"Go for he is a chosen
vessel of mind to bear My name
00:13:04.58\00:13:08.85
before Gentiles, kings
and the children of Israel."
00:13:08.85\00:13:15.19
And so here we have the
first priority which is again,
00:13:15.19\00:13:17.66
the Gentiles, and
some Gentile kings,
00:13:17.66\00:13:20.33
and some kings that were either
Jewish or at least half Jewish
00:13:20.33\00:13:22.73
that he also was
brought before in the future.
00:13:22.73\00:13:25.83
But it also says that he
was called to minister to the...
00:13:25.83\00:13:30.11
Well, to the children of Israel,
00:13:30.11\00:13:32.97
and that would be the Jews.
00:13:32.97\00:13:35.18
And so I think it's
also important for us
00:13:35.18\00:13:36.81
to be able to understand
that when you read the statement
00:13:36.81\00:13:39.31
as well as look
at their ministry,
00:13:39.31\00:13:40.52
we discover that even though
Paul was called to prioritize
00:13:40.52\00:13:44.52
his ministry to evangelize
and minister to Gentiles.
00:13:44.52\00:13:48.79
He also was found ministering
and evangelizing Jews as well.
00:13:48.79\00:13:53.40
And the same goes with Peter,
00:13:53.40\00:13:54.73
and so Peter spent
most of his ministering time
00:13:54.73\00:13:58.07
ministering to Jews,
00:13:58.07\00:13:59.43
but he also spent some real
time ministering to Gentiles,
00:13:59.43\00:14:02.67
and we're going
to be looking at that
00:14:02.67\00:14:04.31
in this week's lesson study
00:14:04.31\00:14:06.01
in the chapters
of 9, 10, 11, and 12.
00:14:06.01\00:14:11.75
All right, so we look at
one of the key differences
00:14:11.75\00:14:14.32
between the ministries
of these two individuals.
00:14:14.32\00:14:16.79
Now, what about Peter and Paul?
00:14:16.79\00:14:19.05
And the next question I have is
00:14:19.05\00:14:21.99
what did they hold in common
in regards to their ministry?
00:14:21.99\00:14:25.96
What did Peter and
Paul hold in common
00:14:25.96\00:14:28.83
in regards to their ministry?
00:14:28.83\00:14:30.73
And I'll give you one more hint.
00:14:30.73\00:14:33.40
It's something that God
00:14:33.40\00:14:34.44
had called them
in their ministry
00:14:34.44\00:14:35.87
that was unique from
the calling to ministry
00:14:35.87\00:14:38.81
of the other apostles that
are recorded in the gospels.
00:14:38.81\00:14:43.08
Okay, so what is
unique in the ministering
00:14:43.08\00:14:44.88
and calling of Peter
and Paul that is unique
00:14:44.88\00:14:49.22
and different from
that of the other apostles,
00:14:49.22\00:14:51.85
but what the two hold in common?
00:14:51.85\00:14:54.56
Now the first one, you know,
00:14:54.56\00:14:55.66
how I started with
the easy question first.
00:14:55.66\00:14:58.39
Okay, all right.
00:14:58.39\00:15:00.73
Anybody want to venture a guess?
00:15:00.73\00:15:02.90
Okay, I'm going to go
ahead and share with you.
00:15:02.90\00:15:07.10
The thing that
they held in common
00:15:07.10\00:15:08.77
was that God had,
00:15:08.77\00:15:10.07
when He had called
them into the ministry
00:15:10.07\00:15:13.11
and into the
position of apostleship,
00:15:13.11\00:15:15.54
He had revealed to both of them
some of the very real details
00:15:15.54\00:15:19.78
that they would
suffer from the world
00:15:19.78\00:15:22.85
before they came to pass.
00:15:22.85\00:15:25.25
And so at the
beginning of their ministry,
00:15:25.25\00:15:27.62
God and through Christ
had revealed to both of them
00:15:27.62\00:15:30.73
some of the
details of the suffering
00:15:30.73\00:15:32.63
that they would
face in the future.
00:15:32.63\00:15:33.90
Let's look at a
couple of statements
00:15:33.90\00:15:35.56
to be able to
verify that here today.
00:15:35.56\00:15:39.10
Okay, Acts 9:16, now we
just looked at the Acts 9:15,
00:15:39.10\00:15:42.90
the very next verse
Paul goes on and says,
00:15:42.90\00:15:45.41
or the Bible says.
00:15:45.41\00:15:46.84
I keep saying Paul
but it's not, is it?
00:15:46.84\00:15:48.88
It's God that is speaking here.
00:15:48.88\00:15:50.91
It says, "For I will
show him how many things
00:15:50.91\00:15:54.15
he must suffer
for My name's sake."
00:15:54.15\00:15:56.85
And so as Paul's continued to
speak to the Christian Ananias,
00:15:56.85\00:16:00.82
he reveals indeed
00:16:00.82\00:16:02.02
that at the beginning part
00:16:02.02\00:16:03.93
of Paul's
experience with Christ,
00:16:03.93\00:16:06.26
and Paul later
on in his epistles
00:16:06.26\00:16:07.96
or in his
letters that are recorded
00:16:07.96\00:16:09.46
in the New Testament,
00:16:09.46\00:16:10.77
Paul talks about how
God had taken him aside
00:16:10.77\00:16:13.80
into Arabia for
a couple of years,
00:16:13.80\00:16:16.20
and then he talks
about how God had revealed
00:16:16.20\00:16:18.87
multiple supernatural
prophetic visions of truth,
00:16:18.87\00:16:22.98
the messages that God had
given to the Apostle Paul.
00:16:22.98\00:16:25.95
Well, when we put that
together with the statement
00:16:25.95\00:16:28.62
that is made here
that God had planned
00:16:28.62\00:16:30.52
to reveal to Paul the
sufferings that he would suffer
00:16:30.52\00:16:33.82
for His sake
before it came to pass,
00:16:33.82\00:16:36.16
we can very
reasonably assume then that
00:16:36.16\00:16:38.76
during those visions and
during that personal time
00:16:38.76\00:16:41.46
that Paul had with
Christ that Christ had revealed
00:16:41.46\00:16:45.00
many of the different things
00:16:45.00\00:16:46.03
that He would suffer in
the future for His sake.
00:16:46.03\00:16:50.44
Well, did the same
thing happen with Peter?
00:16:50.44\00:16:52.44
Now I got your
minds rolling, okay.
00:16:52.44\00:16:55.14
Did the same
thing happen with Peter?
00:16:55.14\00:16:56.58
Did Christ revealed to
Peter some of the things
00:16:56.58\00:16:59.21
in details that he would suffer?
00:16:59.21\00:17:01.28
Well, some of us
might be thinking
00:17:01.28\00:17:02.58
of the very last
chapter of the Gospel of John,
00:17:02.58\00:17:04.49
and if you are,
00:17:04.49\00:17:05.55
that's what I was
thinking of as well.
00:17:05.55\00:17:07.56
In John 21, we find a
very unique scene there
00:17:07.56\00:17:11.89
that only the Apostle
John was inspired to record
00:17:11.89\00:17:15.06
of all the four gospels.
00:17:15.06\00:17:16.67
And we find there that
Christ has already resurrected,
00:17:16.67\00:17:18.83
He had met His disciples
00:17:18.83\00:17:20.60
on the shore of
the Sea of Galilee
00:17:20.60\00:17:22.54
one early morning after
they had been fishing all night.
00:17:22.54\00:17:26.07
And after breakfast
we find that Jesus now
00:17:26.07\00:17:29.28
pulls Peter aside
00:17:29.28\00:17:30.75
and he has a private talk
and walk with the apostle.
00:17:30.75\00:17:34.88
And as He is walking with him,
00:17:34.88\00:17:36.62
He begins to share
with him the sufferings
00:17:36.62\00:17:39.05
that he would have.
00:17:39.05\00:17:41.19
John 21
00:17:41.19\00:17:44.36
and we're going to
look at verses 18-19
00:17:44.36\00:17:48.30
here this morning.
00:17:48.30\00:17:50.13
Verses 18-19, it says,
"Most assuredly I say to you
00:17:50.13\00:17:54.47
when you were
younger you girded yourself
00:17:54.47\00:17:56.81
and walked where you wished,
00:17:56.81\00:17:58.87
but when you are old you
will stretch out your hands,
00:17:58.87\00:18:01.78
and another will
gird you, and carry you
00:18:01.78\00:18:05.05
where you do not wish."
00:18:05.05\00:18:07.18
This He spoke
signifying by with death
00:18:07.18\00:18:10.75
he would glorify God.
00:18:10.75\00:18:12.72
So it sounds a
little cryptic in one way,
00:18:12.72\00:18:15.09
but Peter
understood very clearly
00:18:15.09\00:18:17.16
because he had seen many
times people that were executed
00:18:17.16\00:18:21.26
in the same way
that his Lord Jesus
00:18:21.26\00:18:22.63
was executed just a few
days or weeks before that.
00:18:22.63\00:18:26.37
And, of course,
when you're crucified,
00:18:26.37\00:18:29.90
your arms or your
hands are stretched out
00:18:29.90\00:18:34.71
against your will, aren't they?
00:18:34.71\00:18:36.98
And so here Jesus
is revealing to Peter
00:18:36.98\00:18:40.32
the manner in which
he would eventually die
00:18:40.32\00:18:42.68
for the gospel sake.
00:18:42.68\00:18:44.75
Now as it turns
out, Jesus knew exactly
00:18:44.75\00:18:47.29
what He was
talking about, didn't He?
00:18:47.29\00:18:48.76
Because traditional
history tells us that indeed
00:18:48.76\00:18:51.59
when Peter was
in the city of Rome
00:18:51.59\00:18:53.80
and he was ministering there,
00:18:53.80\00:18:55.33
we find that the Roman
officials had finally taken him
00:18:55.33\00:18:58.13
and they said,
"Enough's enough."
00:18:58.13\00:19:01.10
And so they decided
00:19:01.10\00:19:02.94
that they were
going to crucify Him.
00:19:02.94\00:19:06.07
Now the interesting
thing about the historical
00:19:06.07\00:19:08.34
or traditional historical
story of Peter's crucifixion
00:19:08.34\00:19:12.75
is that when they
came to crucify him,
00:19:12.75\00:19:14.48
he made a request
00:19:14.48\00:19:15.55
to the Roman
soldiers and officials,
00:19:15.55\00:19:17.69
and he said, "Listen, you know,
00:19:17.69\00:19:20.59
My Lord Jesus was
crucified on a cross
00:19:20.59\00:19:23.16
just outside the
walls of Jerusalem,
00:19:23.16\00:19:25.56
and I believe
00:19:25.56\00:19:26.76
that He is the Lord
of heaven and earth,
00:19:26.76\00:19:28.80
and I don't believe
that I deserve to have
00:19:28.80\00:19:31.57
the same honor as Him in being
crucified in the same manner.
00:19:31.57\00:19:35.14
Would it be possible for me
to be crucified upside down?"
00:19:35.14\00:19:40.58
And apparently that's
exactly what happened.
00:19:40.58\00:19:43.91
And so they had
agreed to his request
00:19:43.91\00:19:47.48
and traditional history tells us
00:19:47.48\00:19:51.35
that Peter was
crucified upside down.
00:19:51.35\00:19:56.09
And so one of the lessons
that we learned from this
00:19:56.09\00:19:58.63
is kind of
similar to my introduction
00:19:58.63\00:20:00.10
as I shared about my own
personal experience is the fact
00:20:00.10\00:20:02.40
that when God calls
us into the ministry,
00:20:02.40\00:20:06.50
when God calls us
into a more highly
00:20:06.50\00:20:11.01
responsible position of
influence in the church,
00:20:11.01\00:20:15.18
it's not the same as
being called to a more higher
00:20:15.18\00:20:19.21
position of
influence and responsibility
00:20:19.21\00:20:21.75
in the world.
00:20:21.75\00:20:22.78
When we look at
the sports arena,
00:20:22.78\00:20:25.29
or we look at the industry,
00:20:25.29\00:20:27.06
or we look at
the business arena,
00:20:27.06\00:20:28.86
or we look at
the political arena,
00:20:28.86\00:20:31.33
when you find
yourself in a higher position
00:20:31.33\00:20:34.00
of influence and
responsibility in politics,
00:20:34.00\00:20:37.83
you know, typically that comes
00:20:37.83\00:20:39.50
with a lot of perks.
00:20:39.50\00:20:41.30
It comes with a
lot of extra luxuries,
00:20:41.30\00:20:43.30
especially in the business
if you're in high position
00:20:43.30\00:20:45.64
and CEO in a company,
00:20:45.64\00:20:49.04
you have a lot of
responsibility, yes,
00:20:49.04\00:20:51.15
but you also have a
very generous salary.
00:20:51.15\00:20:55.65
You have all
kinds of different perks
00:20:55.65\00:20:58.72
and you're
living in a nice house.
00:20:58.72\00:21:00.06
There's all kinds of
luxuries that come with that,
00:21:00.06\00:21:01.62
but not in the
kingdom of God on earth,
00:21:01.62\00:21:04.33
not in this world.
00:21:04.33\00:21:05.96
When you're called
to a higher position
00:21:05.96\00:21:07.60
of influence and responsibility,
00:21:07.60\00:21:10.80
typically that comes
with a lot of sacrifice,
00:21:10.80\00:21:14.14
and Peter and Paul
00:21:14.14\00:21:16.87
are prime examples
of that, aren't they?
00:21:16.87\00:21:20.31
And so again, being in Christ,
00:21:20.31\00:21:24.81
does that mean that life
is going to always be easy?
00:21:24.81\00:21:28.62
But the good news is that
Jesus is always our strength.
00:21:28.62\00:21:31.45
He is our rock. He
is our refugee, amen?
00:21:31.45\00:21:33.82
And so He is the one
that gives us the strength,
00:21:33.82\00:21:36.96
and gives us the courage,
and gives us the persistence,
00:21:36.96\00:21:39.56
and gives us the patience,
00:21:39.56\00:21:40.70
and all these other
attributes that we need
00:21:40.70\00:21:42.83
to be able to
make our way through
00:21:42.83\00:21:44.27
some of these different trials,
00:21:44.27\00:21:45.40
and sufferings, and temptations.
00:21:45.40\00:21:47.87
And so that's the good news
00:21:47.87\00:21:49.04
that we want to
be able to focus on
00:21:49.04\00:21:51.31
as we look at this
here today as well.
00:21:51.31\00:21:56.18
And so again,
last week we looked
00:21:56.18\00:21:57.51
at the
conversion calling of Paul,
00:21:57.51\00:21:59.11
this week we're going to
look at some key chapters
00:21:59.11\00:22:01.52
that are focusing
in on the ministry
00:22:01.52\00:22:03.32
of the Apostle Peter,
00:22:03.32\00:22:05.35
and we're going to
start in 9:32, 9:32,
00:22:05.35\00:22:09.46
and we have a
volunteer here today,
00:22:09.46\00:22:11.63
my lovely wife has agreed
to read that first scripture,
00:22:11.63\00:22:14.96
and then a couple of verses
shortly after that as well.
00:22:14.96\00:22:17.93
Go ahead please.
00:22:17.93\00:22:20.70
"Now it came to pass,
00:22:20.70\00:22:22.10
as Peter went through
all parts of the country
00:22:22.10\00:22:25.61
that he also came down
00:22:25.61\00:22:27.14
to the saints
who dwelt in Lydda."
00:22:27.14\00:22:30.21
Okay, thank you.
00:22:30.21\00:22:32.05
And so, unlike some
of the other apostles
00:22:32.05\00:22:33.78
that find themselves stationed
and kind of running things
00:22:33.78\00:22:36.79
from the
headquarters of the church
00:22:36.79\00:22:38.72
which was established
in the city of Jerusalem,
00:22:38.72\00:22:41.09
a very natural establishment
being the holy city,
00:22:41.09\00:22:46.26
the capital of Israel,
00:22:46.26\00:22:47.36
and what the Jews understood
00:22:47.36\00:22:49.46
to be the capital of the
entire earthly kingdom of God
00:22:49.46\00:22:52.27
established under Christ,
00:22:52.27\00:22:53.90
for surely God
has not called anybody
00:22:53.90\00:22:55.54
but Jews into
the kingdom, right?
00:22:55.54\00:22:58.71
Well, some of you are
looking and saying, "Really?
00:22:58.71\00:23:00.28
Well, I'm not a
Jew and I'm here."
00:23:00.28\00:23:02.51
Well, you know,
this is something
00:23:02.51\00:23:03.85
that God had to work on
00:23:03.85\00:23:05.18
in regards both to Peter
as well as to the church,
00:23:05.18\00:23:07.48
and we're going to look at
some of those important details,
00:23:07.48\00:23:09.95
and how Peter was an,
00:23:09.95\00:23:11.12
instrumental player in the plan,
00:23:11.12\00:23:14.72
and the workings that God knew
00:23:14.72\00:23:16.02
He needed to do to be
able to open up the minds
00:23:16.02\00:23:18.59
and the hearts to
the Jewish Christians
00:23:18.59\00:23:20.56
to understand that the gospel
00:23:20.56\00:23:22.30
is for all peoples, all nations,
00:23:22.30\00:23:25.03
and people from
all walks of life.
00:23:25.03\00:23:27.00
And so He is the international
God of all the world,
00:23:27.00\00:23:33.24
and that the gospel is
to go not only to Jerusalem,
00:23:33.24\00:23:35.64
and to Judea, and Samaria,
00:23:35.64\00:23:37.05
but as He had told His
disciples to the ends of...
00:23:37.05\00:23:40.62
To the ends of the earth.
00:23:40.62\00:23:41.92
And so it's very
important for them to be able
00:23:41.92\00:23:43.79
to come to understand that.
00:23:43.79\00:23:46.92
So Peter doesn't
find himself only
00:23:46.92\00:23:49.76
working out of the office
of the churches, synagogues,
00:23:49.76\00:23:52.53
the temple and
so on in Jerusalem,
00:23:52.53\00:23:54.40
but we find that he is
also an itinerant apostle.
00:23:54.40\00:23:58.00
And so God had
inspired him to go
00:23:58.00\00:24:00.10
and to visit the
various churches,
00:24:00.10\00:24:01.80
and groups of believers,
as well as to help evangelize
00:24:01.80\00:24:04.84
to the different
various Jewish populations
00:24:04.84\00:24:07.34
in the cities
and towns of Israel.
00:24:07.34\00:24:10.58
Now in this case as
we come to chapter 9,
00:24:10.58\00:24:12.28
we find that Peter was
inspired to make his way
00:24:12.28\00:24:14.92
towards or close to
the Mediterranean Sea.
00:24:14.92\00:24:18.49
And so he just kind of southeast
00:24:18.49\00:24:20.52
of what we call the
modern city of Tel Aviv
00:24:20.52\00:24:22.62
in modern Israel
today, and that little town
00:24:22.62\00:24:25.73
as we just read was
called Lydda or Lydda.
00:24:25.73\00:24:31.77
And today, by the way,
00:24:31.77\00:24:32.87
if you go to
Israel it's called Lod,
00:24:32.87\00:24:34.30
so it still exists,
00:24:34.30\00:24:35.50
but, the evolution of these
names of these ancient cities
00:24:35.50\00:24:38.51
have changed just a little bit.
00:24:38.51\00:24:41.61
And so we don't know
what stops Paul and Peter
00:24:41.61\00:24:43.98
had before that, we
don't know the reason
00:24:43.98\00:24:45.91
why Peter had chosen
and was led to go to Lydda,
00:24:45.91\00:24:48.95
but when we read
the following verses
00:24:48.95\00:24:50.92
after verse 32, we discover
very quickly that God knew
00:24:50.92\00:24:55.22
why he had sent Peter
there and led providentially
00:24:55.22\00:24:58.23
his tour to be
able to arrive there
00:24:58.23\00:25:00.90
because there was a paralytic
that was waiting for him.
00:25:00.90\00:25:04.13
And this particular
man had been a paralytic
00:25:04.13\00:25:06.77
for the last eight years,
00:25:06.77\00:25:09.07
and really just left
to exist as best as he can
00:25:09.07\00:25:14.71
on a bed or on a mat.
00:25:14.71\00:25:16.61
And we find that Peter was led
to actually perform a miracle
00:25:16.61\00:25:19.91
that was very similar to
that of the Lord Jesus, Himself.
00:25:19.91\00:25:23.72
And so, Denise
is going to go ahead
00:25:23.72\00:25:25.79
and read verses 34 and 35,
00:25:25.79\00:25:27.69
and finish up
that commentary for us.
00:25:27.69\00:25:31.49
"And Peter said to him,
00:25:31.49\00:25:33.56
'Aeneas, Jesus
the Christ heals you.
00:25:33.56\00:25:37.13
Arise and make your bed.'
00:25:37.13\00:25:39.70
Then he arose immediately.
00:25:39.70\00:25:41.97
So all who dwelt
at Lydda and Sharon
00:25:41.97\00:25:45.61
saw him and turned to the Lord."
00:25:45.61\00:25:49.21
Okay, does that sound familiar?
00:25:49.21\00:25:51.05
As Jesus had
talked to the paralytic
00:25:51.05\00:25:52.48
that was lowered
down through the roof
00:25:52.48\00:25:54.82
in Capernaum some years before
00:25:54.82\00:25:57.32
as Peter had
witnessed Jesus telling him,
00:25:57.32\00:25:59.59
you know, "Son,
get up and walk...
00:25:59.59\00:26:02.52
Arise and walk
and take your bed."
00:26:02.52\00:26:05.23
And here we find
that the Apostle Peter
00:26:05.23\00:26:08.13
is doing the exact same thing.
00:26:08.13\00:26:09.56
And so God is working in a
very powerful way through Peter.
00:26:09.56\00:26:12.63
Now as always, Peter is...
00:26:12.63\00:26:14.70
And through all the
miracles that Jesus worked,
00:26:14.70\00:26:17.44
and that God then proceeded
to work through the apostles
00:26:17.44\00:26:20.34
was not to be able
to entertain the people,
00:26:20.34\00:26:22.71
it was not be able to
wile them to sell tickets.
00:26:22.71\00:26:25.08
There was no magician show.
00:26:25.08\00:26:26.11
This was for a
very specific purpose.
00:26:26.11\00:26:28.62
And that purpose was
to be able to win people
00:26:28.62\00:26:32.15
for the kingdom of Christ.
00:26:32.15\00:26:33.86
And we find that
confirmed for us in verse 35.
00:26:33.86\00:26:36.99
It says at the end of verse 35,
00:26:36.99\00:26:38.59
"And many who saw
him turned to the Lord."
00:26:38.59\00:26:43.16
And so many that
either witnessed the miracle
00:26:43.16\00:26:46.30
or had heard about
the miracle in Lydda
00:26:46.30\00:26:48.40
began to consider
the gospel in a way
00:26:48.40\00:26:50.17
that they wouldn't
have considered it before.
00:26:50.17\00:26:52.97
And by the way, this
particular theme and statement
00:26:52.97\00:26:55.28
that we find in verse 35
00:26:55.28\00:26:57.11
is prevalent and
repeated in different ways
00:26:57.11\00:26:59.45
all the way
through the Book of Acts.
00:26:59.45\00:27:01.02
Why?
00:27:01.02\00:27:02.05
Because the Book of Acts,
00:27:02.05\00:27:03.59
and the theme
of the Book of Acts
00:27:03.59\00:27:05.79
is to be able to focus on
00:27:05.79\00:27:06.99
and give us a very
strong and inspiring model
00:27:06.99\00:27:10.23
on how to fulfill the commission
00:27:10.23\00:27:12.66
that Christ has given to us.
00:27:12.66\00:27:14.56
"Go therefore and make
disciples of all nations,
00:27:14.56\00:27:18.00
baptizing in the
name of the Father, Son,
00:27:18.00\00:27:19.30
and the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them all things
00:27:19.30\00:27:22.34
which I commanded you,
and lo, I am with you always.
00:27:22.34\00:27:24.31
Teaching them to
observe all things
00:27:24.31\00:27:25.47
that I have commanded you,
and lo, I am with you always,
00:27:25.47\00:27:27.14
even to the end of the age."
00:27:27.14\00:27:28.34
And so Jesus had given
them a very large commission,
00:27:28.34\00:27:30.81
and has given us a
very large commission.
00:27:30.81\00:27:33.08
And Acts is the
first plane out of that.
00:27:33.08\00:27:35.35
And so over and
over, it talks about
00:27:35.35\00:27:36.89
how the Word of
the Lord grew daily
00:27:36.89\00:27:40.69
where disciples and people
being added unto the church
00:27:40.69\00:27:43.56
and were being baptized.
00:27:43.56\00:27:45.36
And so we find that theme
00:27:45.36\00:27:46.93
all the way
through this powerful book.
00:27:46.93\00:27:49.60
Very important truth for us
00:27:49.60\00:27:50.80
to be able to pick
up as we continue on.
00:27:50.80\00:27:54.94
Well, as we continue on
through this particular chapter,
00:27:54.94\00:27:56.94
towards the end of
chapter 9, we find that Peter...
00:27:56.94\00:27:59.67
I don't know what
his next plan was,
00:27:59.67\00:28:01.54
I don't know what
his itinerary had said
00:28:01.54\00:28:03.78
as far as his next stop
on his tour after Lydda,
00:28:03.78\00:28:07.05
but we do find that God already
had planned out his itinerary,
00:28:07.05\00:28:12.65
and decided that
the next stop that Peter
00:28:12.65\00:28:14.66
was going to
experience was right on the sea
00:28:14.66\00:28:16.76
in a little town named Joppa.
00:28:16.76\00:28:19.53
Now Joppa is a very
fascinating little town
00:28:19.53\00:28:22.50
that existed
back in Peter's time,
00:28:22.50\00:28:24.00
and I've brought a look couple
of photos with me here today.
00:28:24.00\00:28:27.60
And so I'm going to ask our
AV people if they can go ahead
00:28:27.60\00:28:30.61
and put that first photo up.
00:28:30.61\00:28:32.14
I had the privilege of
actually walking and exploring
00:28:32.14\00:28:35.44
for a couple hours
through the town of Joppa.
00:28:35.44\00:28:40.28
Now today they
don't call it Joppa,
00:28:40.28\00:28:42.32
But just like Lydda has evolved
00:28:42.32\00:28:43.69
into the name
Lod in modern Israel,
00:28:43.69\00:28:46.62
ancient Joppa is still
existed in the same place
00:28:46.62\00:28:52.63
but now they call it Jaffa.
00:28:52.63\00:28:55.13
Don't ask me why, but that's
just the evolution of the name.
00:28:55.13\00:28:58.50
And so you can
see on the slide there
00:28:58.50\00:28:59.87
that it says to old Jaffa.
00:28:59.87\00:29:02.50
So there's more
modern small part of Jaffa.
00:29:02.50\00:29:05.41
And by the way, this
is just a stone throw
00:29:05.41\00:29:07.78
just south of
the city of Tel Aviv.
00:29:07.78\00:29:10.75
And so you don't
have to go very far.
00:29:10.75\00:29:13.01
And you'll find
the city of Tel Aviv
00:29:13.01\00:29:16.25
in modern Israel today.
00:29:16.25\00:29:18.32
By the way, the individual
that was up on that picture
00:29:18.32\00:29:20.96
was the one that stayed with me
after we went to a clergy tour
00:29:20.96\00:29:23.79
for about nine
days, I believe it was.
00:29:23.79\00:29:26.76
Both Pastor Del Border
and myself had decided to stay
00:29:26.76\00:29:30.10
and take about five
extra vacation days,
00:29:30.10\00:29:32.83
and to just
explore old Jerusalem,
00:29:32.83\00:29:34.60
and they go over to
Tel Aviv, and Joppa,
00:29:34.60\00:29:36.60
and Jaffa as they call it today,
00:29:36.60\00:29:38.44
and explore
through there as well.
00:29:38.44\00:29:42.18
And Pastor Del
Border and he is also
00:29:42.18\00:29:43.91
one of the board of directors
for Amazing Facts, Canada.
00:29:43.91\00:29:46.61
And so he was
actually just visiting here
00:29:46.61\00:29:48.28
in Granite Bay
Church, this last fall,
00:29:48.28\00:29:51.05
and it was good
to have him visit.
00:29:51.05\00:29:54.56
And so if you can
go to the next photo
00:29:54.56\00:29:56.49
where we just kind of explored,
and again, this is old Jaffa.
00:29:56.49\00:29:59.29
Now, I can tell you pretty well
for certain that the building
00:29:59.29\00:30:02.40
and the housing
structure at Jaffa today
00:30:02.40\00:30:05.27
is not the same
building structure
00:30:05.27\00:30:07.50
that existed
during Peter's time.
00:30:07.50\00:30:09.04
A lot happens over 2,000 years,
00:30:09.04\00:30:10.94
especially in a
place like Israel
00:30:10.94\00:30:13.04
where there is
just countless wars
00:30:13.04\00:30:15.44
between Muslims and Jews
over the centuries and such.
00:30:15.44\00:30:18.81
And many cities were flattened
and rebuilt many times.
00:30:18.81\00:30:21.98
But old Jaffa
here has been built
00:30:21.98\00:30:25.35
several hundred years ago,
00:30:25.35\00:30:26.42
and so we have
something much closer
00:30:26.42\00:30:28.46
to what Peter
would have experienced.
00:30:28.46\00:30:30.83
And then as we go
to the next photo,
00:30:30.83\00:30:32.23
we'll find that you come...
00:30:32.23\00:30:33.76
After you go up that staircase
and kind of explore through it,
00:30:33.76\00:30:36.80
you'll find a little door
there, and it really looks like
00:30:36.80\00:30:40.60
somebody went to
the local dollar store
00:30:40.60\00:30:43.51
and bought some
cheap paint and a cheap,
00:30:43.51\00:30:45.87
you know, paint
brush, and just kind of,
00:30:45.87\00:30:48.81
you know, graffitied on
their house of Simon the Tanner.
00:30:48.81\00:30:53.01
And then it says Der Gerber,
00:30:53.01\00:30:55.58
and I hope I'm
pronouncing that right.
00:30:55.58\00:30:56.89
My wife is German, and
her parents are German,
00:30:56.89\00:30:59.85
and I looked it up in
00:30:59.85\00:31:01.22
and Der Gerber is
German for the tanner.
00:31:01.22\00:31:03.83
Now if you look close enough,
00:31:03.83\00:31:04.99
it says actually
house of Simon the Tanners.
00:31:04.99\00:31:07.36
Now don't ask me why
they put, "The Tanners."
00:31:07.36\00:31:08.90
I guess whoever was putting it
00:31:08.90\00:31:10.67
didn't really know
their Bible all that well.
00:31:10.67\00:31:13.64
So the chances of
that actually being
00:31:13.64\00:31:15.94
the house of Simon the Tanner
00:31:15.94\00:31:17.21
where Peter actually
lodged is pretty close to zero.
00:31:17.21\00:31:22.41
But it's fun to have
some traditional sites,
00:31:22.41\00:31:24.51
and at least, you
know, kind of get a feel of
00:31:24.51\00:31:26.82
what it was like
during Peter's time.
00:31:26.82\00:31:29.12
Now the last photo
that we're going to bring up
00:31:29.12\00:31:30.82
on the screen here is
one that helps us the most.
00:31:30.82\00:31:33.82
And this would be the viewpoint
that Peter would have had
00:31:33.82\00:31:37.86
when he received the vision
00:31:37.86\00:31:38.93
that we'll be
looking at in chapter 10.
00:31:38.93\00:31:41.36
And so there it is.
00:31:41.36\00:31:43.67
You know, as Peter
was up on the roof top,
00:31:43.67\00:31:46.07
flat roofs were
very common back then,
00:31:46.07\00:31:47.67
even as many of the roofs here
in old Jaffa had flat roofs.
00:31:47.67\00:31:51.84
And they would use
that like a patio or a deck.
00:31:51.84\00:31:54.31
And so Paul was
up there at noon,
00:31:54.31\00:31:56.21
and he had this beautiful
view of the Mediterranean Sea.
00:31:56.21\00:31:59.18
And I can see, Peter, as
he stayed there for some time,
00:31:59.18\00:32:04.49
you know, maybe
joining the fishermen
00:32:04.49\00:32:06.35
early morning for
a couple of hours,
00:32:06.35\00:32:08.62
and getting
back to his old trade
00:32:08.62\00:32:10.13
in throwing his net out
into the water, and such but,
00:32:10.13\00:32:14.73
that was the view that
he would have had at noon
00:32:14.73\00:32:16.63
when you see the vision.
00:32:16.63\00:32:17.67
But before we see the vision,
00:32:17.67\00:32:19.37
before he even got
there while he was in Lydda,
00:32:19.37\00:32:21.37
there was a woman
by the name of Tabitha.
00:32:21.37\00:32:24.27
And Tabitha is Aramaic for
the Greek name which is Dorcas.
00:32:24.27\00:32:29.04
And Dorcas is the name
00:32:29.04\00:32:30.11
that more
Christians are familiar with,
00:32:30.11\00:32:31.91
but the Bible
records both in this chapter.
00:32:31.91\00:32:34.85
And so Aramaic is
Tabitha, Greek is Dorcas,
00:32:34.85\00:32:38.35
English is Giselle.
00:32:38.35\00:32:43.19
Did anybody say, Giselle?
00:32:43.19\00:32:45.16
Okay, English is Giselle.
00:32:45.16\00:32:46.90
And so her name was Giselle,
00:32:46.90\00:32:48.70
if we were to
translate it into English today.
00:32:48.70\00:32:51.23
And so Tabitha,
Dorcas, Giselle was a woman
00:32:51.23\00:32:54.77
that was an
outstanding Christian.
00:32:54.77\00:32:56.24
She had given her
life to charitable deeds,
00:32:56.24\00:32:58.84
and she spent a lot
of time with the loom,
00:32:58.84\00:33:01.11
and making by hand
different garments or clothes
00:33:01.11\00:33:05.18
for the widows that
were in need in her city.
00:33:05.18\00:33:08.08
Well, she got a fever
and died quite quickly,
00:33:08.08\00:33:10.09
and while they were
preparing her body and such,
00:33:10.09\00:33:12.95
some of the local
Christians found out
00:33:12.95\00:33:14.46
that Peter, the
great Apostle Peter
00:33:14.46\00:33:16.56
was just down the
road of the city of Lydda
00:33:16.56\00:33:18.36
or the town of Lydda.
00:33:18.36\00:33:19.83
And so they sent a
contingency of a couple of men
00:33:19.83\00:33:22.63
to go down and implore
him to ask him to please come
00:33:22.63\00:33:26.87
as quickly as you can
and address the situation.
00:33:26.87\00:33:30.11
And so Peter did exactly that.
00:33:30.11\00:33:31.84
He packed up and he walked down
00:33:31.84\00:33:33.64
the couple of
hours or three hours
00:33:33.64\00:33:34.88
or whatever it
was to the sea side
00:33:34.88\00:33:37.61
of town of Jaffa or Joppa,
and he went into the room,
00:33:37.61\00:33:41.78
and the widows were
weeping, he sent them all out
00:33:41.78\00:33:43.85
as Jesus did with
Jarrius' daughter,
00:33:43.85\00:33:46.35
some years before,
00:33:46.35\00:33:47.42
and then he
knelt down beside her
00:33:47.42\00:33:49.09
and prayed for her healing.
00:33:49.09\00:33:51.63
And the Lord had decided
to bring her back to life.
00:33:51.63\00:33:55.00
And so, he gave his hand
00:33:55.00\00:33:57.27
and brought her
back to her feet again,
00:33:57.27\00:33:59.47
and presented her
alive to the believers there.
00:33:59.47\00:34:02.67
Do you think that
had an impact on the city
00:34:02.67\00:34:04.34
or the town of Joppa?
00:34:04.34\00:34:06.14
Sure it did.
00:34:06.14\00:34:07.11
You think the word
out went out fairly fast?
00:34:07.11\00:34:09.38
Sure it did, just like it did
during the miracles of Jesus.
00:34:09.38\00:34:13.82
And so we have
another volunteer here
00:34:13.82\00:34:15.72
that's going to read the
concluding verses on that.
00:34:15.72\00:34:20.56
And that is verses 40 to 43.
00:34:20.56\00:34:24.73
Sorry, no, we don't
have a volunteer for that.
00:34:24.73\00:34:26.26
I'm going to go ahead and
read those verses for you.
00:34:26.26\00:34:29.10
In verse 40, it says,
"But Peter put them all out,
00:34:29.10\00:34:31.77
and knelt down and prayed.
00:34:31.77\00:34:33.80
And turning to the body
he said, 'Tabitha, arise.'
00:34:33.80\00:34:36.20
And she opened her eyes,
00:34:36.20\00:34:37.47
and when she saw
Peter she sat up.
00:34:37.47\00:34:39.91
And then he gave her
his hand and lifted her up,
00:34:39.91\00:34:41.88
and when he had
called the saints and widows,
00:34:41.88\00:34:44.01
he presented her alive.
00:34:44.01\00:34:45.58
And it came to be known
throughout all of Joppa,
00:34:45.58\00:34:47.35
and many believed on the Lord.
00:34:47.35\00:34:49.38
And so it was that he
stayed many days in Joppa
00:34:49.38\00:34:52.62
with Simon, a tanner."
00:34:52.62\00:34:54.89
And so again, many
people believed on the Lord,
00:34:54.89\00:34:58.53
that repeating theme
00:34:58.53\00:34:59.69
all the way
through the Book of Acts.
00:34:59.69\00:35:02.76
Well, Peter here is spending
00:35:02.76\00:35:04.07
some extended time now in Joppa.
00:35:04.07\00:35:06.00
He doesn't just do the miracle
and says, "You know what?
00:35:06.00\00:35:08.17
I've got to go.
00:35:08.17\00:35:09.24
I've got another itinerary
appointment on my tour.
00:35:09.24\00:35:12.77
I've got to go.
00:35:12.77\00:35:13.81
" No, he stays by
for an extended stay.
00:35:13.81\00:35:16.75
Why do you suppose he did that?
00:35:16.75\00:35:20.22
Was that because he
wanted to just hang out
00:35:20.22\00:35:22.05
with the fishermen there,
00:35:22.05\00:35:23.15
and kind of get back into
his old trade for a while?
00:35:23.15\00:35:25.69
Well, again,
maybe in the morning
00:35:25.69\00:35:26.76
for an hour or
two he did do that.
00:35:26.76\00:35:28.26
I can see him doing that.
00:35:28.26\00:35:29.39
But what did he spend most
of his time in Joppa doing?
00:35:29.39\00:35:32.86
He would be
baptizing, wouldn't he?
00:35:32.86\00:35:34.23
He would be
establishing and instructing
00:35:34.23\00:35:35.90
these new
believers that were coming
00:35:35.90\00:35:37.40
because of the
influence of the miracle
00:35:37.40\00:35:39.37
that had just taken
place in that particular city.
00:35:39.37\00:35:42.04
And so God had a
work for him to do
00:35:42.04\00:35:44.04
as he was helping
00:35:44.04\00:35:45.41
these different Jewish residents
00:35:45.41\00:35:48.14
to be able to come to
the Lord and be established
00:35:48.14\00:35:50.85
in this new found
faith that he had.
00:35:50.85\00:35:54.58
And so that's
the end of chapter 9
00:35:54.58\00:35:57.65
in this particular study.
00:35:57.65\00:36:00.46
But Peter was soon to find out
00:36:00.46\00:36:01.69
that God had already
planned his next trip.
00:36:01.69\00:36:03.96
Again, we don't know
00:36:03.96\00:36:05.03
what Peter had
planned before that,
00:36:05.03\00:36:06.46
but God had already planned
it, and Peter didn't know
00:36:06.46\00:36:09.16
what was coming down
the pipe, but God did.
00:36:09.16\00:36:11.20
And this is one of
my favorite chapters
00:36:11.20\00:36:12.90
because we find the amazing
providential timing of God
00:36:12.90\00:36:16.91
as He orchestrates
the events of chapter 10.
00:36:16.91\00:36:20.98
Now chapter 10, it includes
not only the city of Joppa
00:36:20.98\00:36:23.68
but also another city
00:36:23.68\00:36:24.75
further up the same
Mediterranean shoreline.
00:36:24.75\00:36:27.65
A city by the name of Caesarea.
00:36:27.65\00:36:30.05
And Caesarea had
an individual there
00:36:30.05\00:36:33.22
by the name of Cornelius.
00:36:33.22\00:36:35.66
And Cornelius was an
uncircumcised Gentile.
00:36:35.66\00:36:39.49
He was a centurion.
00:36:39.49\00:36:41.66
And he was in
charge of a very large
00:36:41.66\00:36:44.43
and important Italian
group of soldiers and so on
00:36:44.43\00:36:49.30
within the Roman military.
00:36:49.30\00:36:51.04
And he was also a devote man
00:36:51.04\00:36:53.14
that had already
opened his heart to God.
00:36:53.14\00:36:54.88
In fact, he was on
record of fearing God,
00:36:54.88\00:36:57.38
respecting God, worshipping Him,
00:36:57.38\00:37:00.08
and praying to God
on a regular basis.
00:37:00.08\00:37:02.48
He was also living out
the fruits of his faith
00:37:02.48\00:37:05.65
by helping and
giving charitable alms
00:37:05.65\00:37:09.32
and charitable donations
to those who are in need.
00:37:09.32\00:37:12.86
And so as one goes
00:37:12.86\00:37:14.93
through the first
verses of chapter 10,
00:37:14.93\00:37:19.43
we find here that Cornelius
00:37:19.43\00:37:21.60
then has a very
interesting experience
00:37:21.60\00:37:24.37
because an angel of
the Lord appears before him
00:37:24.37\00:37:27.24
one afternoon at 3
o'clock while he's in prayer.
00:37:27.24\00:37:30.41
Have you noticed
so often in the Bible,
00:37:30.41\00:37:32.35
God's people,
when an angel appears,
00:37:32.35\00:37:34.65
not all the
time but quite often,
00:37:34.65\00:37:36.58
they're in prayer?
00:37:36.58\00:37:37.72
They're already in
the presence of God.
00:37:37.72\00:37:39.09
And lo and behold, this
angel appears before him.
00:37:39.09\00:37:42.42
And the angel says,
00:37:42.42\00:37:43.73
you know, "The Lord
has noticed your faith,
00:37:43.73\00:37:46.26
your good deeds, your alms,
00:37:46.26\00:37:47.86
your charitable works, and such.
00:37:47.86\00:37:49.60
And there's an
individual that I have,
00:37:49.60\00:37:52.17
a very important
apostle by the name of Peter
00:37:52.17\00:37:54.74
that is just about 25
miles south of where you live,
00:37:54.74\00:37:58.31
40 kilometers
south of where you live.
00:37:58.31\00:38:00.74
And I want you to send for him
00:38:00.74\00:38:02.44
because he has a very
important message of truth
00:38:02.44\00:38:05.35
for you and for your household.
00:38:05.35\00:38:07.65
And he's going to explain to you
00:38:07.65\00:38:08.92
how you and your household
00:38:08.92\00:38:10.55
are going to be
saved or can be saved."
00:38:10.55\00:38:14.29
And so Cornelius
being a man of God already,
00:38:14.29\00:38:18.53
and obedient to the
Lord, obeys him immediately.
00:38:18.53\00:38:21.40
He calls in two
household servants,
00:38:21.40\00:38:23.13
he calls in a soldier,
00:38:23.13\00:38:24.53
probably to protect both
the group on the way down
00:38:24.53\00:38:26.70
as well as
Peter on the way back,
00:38:26.70\00:38:28.64
and says, "Can you please
go first thing in the morning
00:38:28.64\00:38:31.41
and retrieve this individual
by the name of Peter."
00:38:31.41\00:38:36.95
God has given me a
vision. He explains the vision.
00:38:36.95\00:38:39.78
Well, as
they're making their way
00:38:39.78\00:38:41.28
the next morning
on that long journey,
00:38:41.28\00:38:43.49
25 miles is no small walk.
00:38:43.49\00:38:46.12
And maybe they
went by horseback,
00:38:46.12\00:38:47.92
but most of the
time in those days
00:38:47.92\00:38:49.22
they went by foot.
00:38:49.22\00:38:51.83
And so that would
take the better time
00:38:51.83\00:38:54.10
about half a day.
00:38:54.10\00:38:55.66
And so while
they were starting off
00:38:55.66\00:38:57.77
early in the morning
00:38:57.77\00:38:58.97
to be able to
retrieve this individual
00:38:58.97\00:39:00.67
by the name of Peter,
00:39:00.67\00:39:02.17
Peter comes to noon hour,
00:39:02.17\00:39:04.07
and he's hungry
as many of us are
00:39:04.07\00:39:06.31
because it's lunchtime,
00:39:06.31\00:39:08.98
and so
naturally Peter is hungry.
00:39:08.98\00:39:10.68
While he's kind of waiting
for the dinner bell to go off
00:39:10.68\00:39:14.02
and for the call
for lunch to happen
00:39:14.02\00:39:15.65
but he decides, you know what,
I'm going to spend the time
00:39:15.65\00:39:18.82
while I'm
waiting up on the rooftop
00:39:18.82\00:39:20.59
looking at the beautiful sea,
00:39:20.59\00:39:22.02
and I'm going to spend some time
00:39:22.02\00:39:23.19
praying and talking to God.
00:39:23.19\00:39:25.03
And while he's up there
praying before his Lord,
00:39:25.03\00:39:27.93
God gives him the
supernatural visual vision,
00:39:27.93\00:39:31.53
and prophetic vision,
00:39:31.53\00:39:33.13
and this sheep
comes down out of heaven.
00:39:33.13\00:39:36.54
And this giant
heavenly size sheep
00:39:36.54\00:39:39.74
is bound at the four
corners, kind of like a bundle,
00:39:39.74\00:39:42.04
so that it can
hold its package inside.
00:39:42.04\00:39:45.35
And as many have
read the chapter,
00:39:45.35\00:39:46.82
we find there that God then.
00:39:46.82\00:39:48.35
The Bible
describes that in the sheep,
00:39:48.35\00:39:50.12
Peter sees all
kinds of creatures.
00:39:50.12\00:39:51.89
He sees animals, he sees birds,
00:39:51.89\00:39:54.99
he sees insects
of different kinds,
00:39:54.99\00:39:57.06
and the unique thing that
all of them had in common,
00:39:57.06\00:39:59.03
was that they were all
biblically unclean animals.
00:39:59.03\00:40:02.80
In other words,
these were animals
00:40:02.80\00:40:04.03
that God had revealed
00:40:04.03\00:40:05.77
from the very
beginning of mankind's history
00:40:05.77\00:40:08.24
and, of course, through
Moses and through the Israelites
00:40:08.24\00:40:11.11
that there's just some animals
00:40:11.11\00:40:12.77
that God had never
intended to be food.
00:40:12.77\00:40:16.51
And so when Peter has seen this,
00:40:16.51\00:40:19.21
you can kind of
imagine him as a Jew
00:40:19.21\00:40:21.38
that understood this
and avoided these animals
00:40:21.38\00:40:23.49
as food all this time
00:40:23.49\00:40:25.12
was kind of
cringing a little bit
00:40:25.12\00:40:26.42
as he saw all these
different creatures.
00:40:26.42\00:40:28.89
And then of all
things, God gives the command.
00:40:28.89\00:40:30.83
He says, "Peter,
rise, kill, and eat."
00:40:30.83\00:40:34.86
And Peter, kind of,
you know, he revolts,
00:40:34.86\00:40:37.97
and he says...
00:40:37.97\00:40:41.10
"Lord, I have never eaten
anything unclean or common.
00:40:41.10\00:40:44.97
Don't you remember
the very directions
00:40:44.97\00:40:46.68
that You gave to
us through Moses?
00:40:46.68\00:40:48.48
And how even
Noah understood this
00:40:48.48\00:40:50.68
hundreds of years before
Moses and the Law of Moses
00:40:50.68\00:40:53.08
that God had never intended
these animals to be food.
00:40:53.08\00:40:56.25
And so Peter doesn't obey.
00:40:56.25\00:41:00.52
And so three times it
says that God again...
00:41:00.52\00:41:03.83
Three times in total
God rose up and He said,
00:41:03.83\00:41:06.06
"Peter, rise, kill and eat."
00:41:06.06\00:41:08.00
And three times
Peter refuses to kill
00:41:08.00\00:41:11.83
and eat these
particular animals.
00:41:11.83\00:41:15.34
Now, as you come to that
at that particular vision,
00:41:15.34\00:41:17.94
we asked the question,
the important question is,
00:41:17.94\00:41:20.18
"Did Peter understand
the obvious interpretation
00:41:20.18\00:41:23.31
and meaning of
that particular vision?"
00:41:23.31\00:41:26.55
No, he didn't.
00:41:26.55\00:41:28.35
Now, one of the mistakes
that I believe that many of us
00:41:28.35\00:41:30.65
as Christians have made
and myself being one of them
00:41:30.65\00:41:33.52
for many years in my
first years of experience
00:41:33.52\00:41:36.22
as a Christian is
that we read the vision,
00:41:36.22\00:41:39.29
but we don't read
the rest of the chapter.
00:41:39.29\00:41:42.40
And we do something
different than Peter does.
00:41:42.40\00:41:44.73
We assume that
the obvious meaning
00:41:44.73\00:41:47.44
is that God is declaring now
00:41:47.44\00:41:49.30
that that which He has
forbidden for us to eat
00:41:49.30\00:41:51.87
that was never
designed to be food
00:41:51.87\00:41:53.68
is something now that He says,
00:41:53.68\00:41:54.81
"Hey, rise, pull
out the barbecue,
00:41:54.81\00:41:56.51
and let's have some pork chops."
00:41:56.51\00:41:59.45
Is that really the message,
00:41:59.45\00:42:00.98
the obvious message that
God was giving to us here?
00:42:00.98\00:42:05.75
Well, some of you,
00:42:05.75\00:42:06.79
who may be watching on
this program here today,
00:42:06.79\00:42:09.12
may be asking yourself and say,
00:42:09.12\00:42:10.39
"Well, that's
the obvious message
00:42:10.39\00:42:11.56
I've always understood."
00:42:11.56\00:42:13.03
Well, again I was there.
00:42:13.03\00:42:15.43
But one thing that happened
was that a Christian came along
00:42:15.43\00:42:17.83
in the future and pointed out
00:42:17.83\00:42:18.97
that we need to read
the rest of the story
00:42:18.97\00:42:22.20
and allow the Bible
to interpret it for us.
00:42:22.20\00:42:24.61
Now let's go to verse 17.
00:42:24.61\00:42:26.94
Because verse 17,
00:42:26.94\00:42:27.98
we find Peter's
initial reaction to the vision.
00:42:27.98\00:42:31.05
In verse 17, it says,
00:42:31.05\00:42:32.25
"Now while Peter
wondered within himself
00:42:32.25\00:42:33.82
what this vision
which he had seen meant,
00:42:33.82\00:42:39.39
behold, the men
who had been sent
00:42:39.39\00:42:41.02
from Cornelius had made
inquiry to Simon's house,
00:42:41.02\00:42:43.22
and stood before the gate."
00:42:43.22\00:42:45.33
And so here we have Peter
00:42:45.33\00:42:46.56
and he's
scratching his head, isn't he?
00:42:46.56\00:42:48.10
And he's saying,
00:42:48.10\00:42:49.16
"What in the
world did that mean?"
00:42:49.16\00:42:51.13
The meaning wasn't
obvious to Peter at all, was it?
00:42:51.13\00:42:53.90
He didn't come,
jump to any conclusion,
00:42:53.90\00:42:55.77
so we shouldn't either.
00:42:55.77\00:42:57.57
And so here we find
that God's timing is perfect.
00:42:57.57\00:43:01.31
At the very time that
Peter ended his vision,
00:43:01.31\00:43:03.61
lo and behold, the contingency
from Caesarea arrives
00:43:03.61\00:43:06.85
and is calling for Peter.
00:43:06.85\00:43:07.88
And so he interrupts
Peter's deep thoughts,
00:43:07.88\00:43:10.69
and he says there's...
00:43:10.69\00:43:12.15
And he's told
that there's three men
00:43:12.15\00:43:13.59
that are waiting for him
down in the front of the house.
00:43:13.59\00:43:16.32
And so immediately the
Spirit speaks to Peter and says,
00:43:16.32\00:43:19.49
"That, I've sent them."
00:43:19.49\00:43:20.63
Make sure you follow
them, don't doubt anything,
00:43:20.63\00:43:22.20
just do what they say,
00:43:22.20\00:43:23.50
and believe
everything that they tell you.
00:43:23.50\00:43:25.50
And so they told him the vision
00:43:25.50\00:43:26.60
and the angelic
visit for Cornelius,
00:43:26.60\00:43:28.74
"Can you please come with us?"
00:43:28.74\00:43:29.94
And so the next morning Peter
and six other men believers
00:43:29.94\00:43:33.01
had joined Peter as they made
their way back up to Caesarea.
00:43:33.01\00:43:36.58
Well, when they get to Caesarea,
00:43:36.58\00:43:38.61
Peter is finding
himself in a packed house.
00:43:38.61\00:43:41.45
And the house is packed
00:43:41.45\00:43:42.52
not only with
Cornelius and his family,
00:43:42.52\00:43:43.82
but he's invited
every colleague and friend
00:43:43.82\00:43:46.05
that he can possibly convince
00:43:46.05\00:43:47.09
to come and hear the
words of this great man of God
00:43:47.09\00:43:49.59
by the name of a Peter.
00:43:49.59\00:43:51.06
He's got a
special message for us.
00:43:51.06\00:43:53.70
And so Peter's in this
room, and it's really crowded.
00:43:53.70\00:43:56.87
Now even in an uncrowded
house of uncircumcised Gentiles,
00:43:56.87\00:44:01.20
a Jew like Peter felt
very, very uncomfortable.
00:44:01.20\00:44:05.54
Well, as it turns out,
00:44:05.54\00:44:07.81
Peter confesses why in verse 28.
00:44:07.81\00:44:10.75
Well, not only
does he confess why,
00:44:10.75\00:44:12.41
but he also gives
us the interpretation
00:44:12.41\00:44:15.75
of the actual vision.
00:44:15.75\00:44:17.09
And so we have a volunteer.
00:44:17.09\00:44:19.45
Rachel is going
to be reading for us
00:44:19.45\00:44:21.32
the punch line
of verse 28 please?
00:44:21.32\00:44:23.86
"Then he said to them,
00:44:23.86\00:44:25.63
'You know how
unlawful it is for a Jewish man
00:44:25.63\00:44:29.26
to keep company with or
go to one of another nation.
00:44:29.26\00:44:34.60
But God has shown me
00:44:34.60\00:44:36.17
that I should not call
any man common or unclean.'"
00:44:36.17\00:44:40.54
Okay, thank you.
00:44:40.54\00:44:41.88
So Peter is very uncomfortable
because it's saying,
00:44:41.88\00:44:43.65
it goes against all
Jewish laws and traditions
00:44:43.65\00:44:46.31
that I'm even in
this house with you
00:44:46.31\00:44:47.82
because you're
uncircumcised Gentiles.
00:44:47.82\00:44:50.49
And then he says
but in the meantime
00:44:50.49\00:44:51.92
between the time
that I received the vision
00:44:51.92\00:44:54.19
in the town of Joppa
00:44:54.19\00:44:55.86
and my arrival here in Caesarea,
00:44:55.86\00:44:58.26
God's Spirit has
made it clear to me
00:44:58.26\00:45:00.56
what the meaning
of the vision is.
00:45:00.56\00:45:02.66
Does it have
anything to do with barbeques?
00:45:02.66\00:45:05.40
No, not at all.
00:45:05.40\00:45:07.00
In case, it has
everything to do with people.
00:45:07.00\00:45:11.21
And that's
where we need to stay.
00:45:11.21\00:45:12.44
If we want to
be Bible Christians
00:45:12.44\00:45:14.68
in interpreting this vision,
00:45:14.68\00:45:15.94
we need to stay
with what the Bible says.
00:45:15.94\00:45:17.48
Amen?
00:45:17.48\00:45:18.65
And I want to encourage you
as well, this is new to you,
00:45:18.65\00:45:21.02
watching this program.
00:45:21.02\00:45:22.15
And so here we find that
Peter says the interpretation
00:45:22.15\00:45:25.62
is that I should call
no man common or unclean.
00:45:25.62\00:45:28.46
Jews commonly
called the Gentile a dog.
00:45:28.46\00:45:31.96
And that wasn't a
flattering term that they use,
00:45:31.96\00:45:35.33
they call them a dog because
a dog is an unclean kind of...
00:45:35.33\00:45:37.97
And they weren't friendly
pets like we have today.
00:45:37.97\00:45:40.07
Dogs were kind of
mangy, kind of, scavengers
00:45:40.07\00:45:42.37
that, you know, ran the streets
00:45:42.37\00:45:43.71
of the cities of
Jerusalem to feed,
00:45:43.71\00:45:45.24
you know, feed on the
garbage and the refuge
00:45:45.24\00:45:47.01
and such of the
alleys and streets.
00:45:47.01\00:45:49.28
And so a dog
wasn't even looked upon
00:45:49.28\00:45:52.15
as a friendly
kind of family pet.
00:45:52.15\00:45:53.92
It was a very derogatory term
00:45:53.92\00:45:56.38
to call a Gentile a dog.
00:45:56.38\00:46:00.26
Well, let's go to verse 44,
00:46:00.26\00:46:01.66
and we'll look at the
conclusion of the matter.
00:46:01.66\00:46:03.26
Verses 44 to 46.
00:46:03.26\00:46:06.33
And Wayne is kind
enough to be able to read
00:46:06.33\00:46:07.86
that for us in the same chapter.
00:46:07.86\00:46:10.67
"While Peter was
still speaking these words,
00:46:10.67\00:46:12.90
the Holy Spirit fell upon
all those who heard the word.
00:46:12.90\00:46:16.44
And those of the circumcision
who believed were astonished,
00:46:16.44\00:46:19.77
as many came with Peter,
00:46:19.77\00:46:21.54
because the gift
of the Holy Spirit
00:46:21.54\00:46:22.98
had been poured out
on the Gentiles also.
00:46:22.98\00:46:25.81
For they heard them speak
with tongues and magnify God."
00:46:25.81\00:46:30.02
Okay, so Peter is still in
the middle of his preaching
00:46:30.02\00:46:32.19
and all of a
sudden what happens?
00:46:32.19\00:46:33.86
The same thing that
happened during Pentecost.
00:46:33.86\00:46:35.79
We have this down
pouring of the Holy Spirit
00:46:35.79\00:46:38.03
like Peter and the
apostles experienced
00:46:38.03\00:46:39.56
just a few months before.
00:46:39.56\00:46:41.50
And now we find that
these uncircumcised dogs,
00:46:41.50\00:46:46.30
these Gentiles, are
receiving the same gift.
00:46:46.30\00:46:49.60
How could it be that a
Gentile could be born again?
00:46:49.60\00:46:54.61
As Jesus had taught
Nicodemus in the night.
00:46:54.61\00:46:56.68
How could it be
that these Gentiles,
00:46:56.68\00:46:58.48
who are still uncircumcised,
00:46:58.48\00:47:00.05
could be saved and
receive the Holy Spirit?
00:47:00.05\00:47:03.12
Well, this is something
that God was bringing Peter
00:47:03.12\00:47:05.35
and the church to be
able to come to grips with
00:47:05.35\00:47:08.06
a very needed truth.
00:47:08.06\00:47:10.26
Now it's true that
almost for certain,
00:47:10.26\00:47:12.76
Cornelius and
everybody in the house
00:47:12.76\00:47:14.30
spoke the same language,
00:47:14.30\00:47:15.60
Latin or Aramaic or
Greek or whatever it was,
00:47:15.60\00:47:18.67
they all communicated with
each other on a daily basis.
00:47:18.67\00:47:21.57
So they didn't need
the spirit of tongues
00:47:21.57\00:47:23.34
or the gift of tongues in the
same way that Pentecost needed
00:47:23.34\00:47:25.84
when the audience was
an international audience
00:47:25.84\00:47:27.84
of different languages.
00:47:27.84\00:47:29.68
But the reason
almost for certain
00:47:29.68\00:47:32.05
that Peter saw
them get the same gift
00:47:32.05\00:47:34.92
was that Peter's mind was
tied immediately back to what?
00:47:34.92\00:47:38.65
Back to Pentecost and
to his own experience.
00:47:38.65\00:47:41.96
And so when he saw them
00:47:41.96\00:47:42.99
speaking in different languages,
00:47:42.99\00:47:44.56
different
international languages
00:47:44.56\00:47:46.23
that they had
never known before,
00:47:46.23\00:47:48.06
why he immediately tied it in,
00:47:48.06\00:47:50.10
and God tied it in his heart
and said, "Okay, that's it.
00:47:50.10\00:47:52.60
It's synched up.
00:47:52.60\00:47:53.64
I'm trying to get across to you
00:47:53.64\00:47:55.20
that you need to be
able to expand the gospels
00:47:55.20\00:47:57.54
to the
uncircumcised Gentiles as well."
00:47:57.54\00:48:01.14
And that's the message
00:48:01.14\00:48:02.11
that we find in this
very important chapter.
00:48:02.11\00:48:04.31
And it sets the
stage for chapter 11.
00:48:04.31\00:48:06.82
Peter arrives back in Jerusalem,
00:48:06.82\00:48:08.35
but the word of his
preaching, his eating,
00:48:08.35\00:48:10.62
and he's baptizing
00:48:10.62\00:48:11.72
many of these
uncircumcised Gentiles
00:48:11.72\00:48:13.29
has already
beaten him to Jerusalem.
00:48:13.29\00:48:15.59
Word travels fast back
then even without internet,
00:48:15.59\00:48:18.16
and texting, and
cell phones, and e-mail,
00:48:18.16\00:48:21.60
and all the things that we have.
00:48:21.60\00:48:22.86
It's amazing how
quickly it got to Jerusalem
00:48:22.86\00:48:25.33
even before Peter did.
00:48:25.33\00:48:26.90
And so when Peter
arrives in Jerusalem,
00:48:26.90\00:48:28.47
he's in hot water, isn't he?
00:48:28.47\00:48:30.11
And the first
thing that the elders
00:48:30.11\00:48:31.41
and the apostles do
is they approach him
00:48:31.41\00:48:33.07
and they
confront him on and says,
00:48:33.07\00:48:34.78
"Is the rumors
that we heard true?
00:48:34.78\00:48:37.61
Tell us it's not true."
00:48:37.61\00:48:39.58
You didn't go into
the house of a Gentile,
00:48:39.58\00:48:41.62
uncircumcised Gentile,
and eat with them, did you?
00:48:41.62\00:48:44.72
And then preached
and baptized them?
00:48:44.72\00:48:47.06
And so Peter is
immediately forced
00:48:47.06\00:48:48.56
into a speech of defense.
00:48:48.56\00:48:51.06
And that's what he does.
00:48:51.06\00:48:52.13
He recalls the
story of Cornelius,
00:48:52.13\00:48:54.40
his experience with the vision,
00:48:54.40\00:48:56.13
and then his experience
with the household of Cornelius.
00:48:56.13\00:49:00.97
We come to the
conclusion of that matter
00:49:00.97\00:49:02.77
in verses 17 and 18
in the same chapter,
00:49:02.77\00:49:06.64
chapter 11, I should say.
00:49:06.64\00:49:08.28
And so Dianna is kind enough
00:49:08.28\00:49:09.91
to be able to read
those two verses for us.
00:49:09.91\00:49:12.78
Acts 11:17-18.
00:49:12.78\00:49:15.38
"If therefore God
gave them the same gift
00:49:15.38\00:49:18.02
as He gave us when we believed
on the Lord Jesus Christ,
00:49:18.02\00:49:21.82
who was I that I
could withstand God?'
00:49:21.82\00:49:25.83
When they heard these
things they became silent,
00:49:25.83\00:49:28.16
and they glorified God, saying,
00:49:28.16\00:49:30.50
'Then God has also
granted to the Gentiles
00:49:30.50\00:49:33.30
repentance to life.'"
00:49:33.30\00:49:35.74
Okay, thank you.
00:49:35.74\00:49:37.27
And so Peter says
00:49:37.27\00:49:38.31
how could I resist
the working of God?
00:49:38.31\00:49:39.91
It was obvious that God
was involved in all this,
00:49:39.91\00:49:43.24
and so how could
I fight against it?
00:49:43.24\00:49:45.35
And then we have that
kind of dramatic silence
00:49:45.35\00:49:48.25
that took place
after he explained.
00:49:48.25\00:49:50.59
And it's explained and
it's recorded in verse 18.
00:49:50.59\00:49:52.92
"When they heard these
things, they became silent."
00:49:52.92\00:49:56.73
And so there's the
silent tense pause.
00:49:56.73\00:49:59.73
How are these church leaders
00:49:59.73\00:50:01.36
going to handle
this very hot potato
00:50:01.36\00:50:04.60
that God had just
thrown into their laps,
00:50:04.60\00:50:06.43
into their hands?
00:50:06.43\00:50:07.97
And then we find that
God's Spirit was there,
00:50:07.97\00:50:10.04
they were sincere Christians
and leaders of the church,
00:50:10.04\00:50:12.34
and they said that God is also
00:50:12.34\00:50:13.61
the gratitude of the
Gentile's repentance to life.
00:50:13.61\00:50:17.11
Now we would think,
okay, that matter's solved.
00:50:17.11\00:50:19.25
Let's move on.
00:50:19.25\00:50:20.35
Let's continue to expand
the Bible, I mean, the church,
00:50:20.35\00:50:22.65
and we'll baptize and evangelize
00:50:22.65\00:50:24.92
as many uncircumcised Gentiles
as we possibly can find.
00:50:24.92\00:50:28.59
Is that what happened?
00:50:28.59\00:50:30.43
No, in fact, the Bible tells us
00:50:30.43\00:50:32.86
as we read the
rest of the Book of Acts
00:50:32.86\00:50:34.30
as well as Christian history,
00:50:34.30\00:50:35.36
there would be
many years yet to come
00:50:35.36\00:50:37.70
before the church
would officially put it
00:50:37.70\00:50:40.17
into the church manual.
00:50:40.17\00:50:43.00
And so it was quite some time,
00:50:43.00\00:50:44.97
and we're going to
spend a whole week looking
00:50:44.97\00:50:47.64
at a very important chapter.
00:50:47.64\00:50:49.14
There's just a
few chapters ahead.
00:50:49.14\00:50:50.45
Acts 15,
00:50:50.45\00:50:51.68
where the Jerusalem
Council came together,
00:50:51.68\00:50:54.05
today we would
call that the GC session
00:50:54.05\00:50:56.42
or the general
conference session.
00:50:56.42\00:50:58.29
And as they came together
00:50:58.29\00:50:59.32
for this general
conference session,
00:50:59.32\00:51:00.82
the apostles, the leaders,
the elders, the delegates,
00:51:00.82\00:51:03.83
they came together
and they discussed it,
00:51:03.83\00:51:05.33
and it said in a
very hot dispute still,
00:51:05.33\00:51:07.40
this very hot topic.
00:51:07.40\00:51:09.30
And when it was
all said and done,
00:51:09.30\00:51:10.63
they came to a conclusion.
00:51:10.63\00:51:12.30
And then it made it
into the church manual.
00:51:12.30\00:51:14.70
And so it took some time
00:51:14.70\00:51:16.44
before that actually took place.
00:51:16.44\00:51:18.24
But nevertheless, we
find that God is patient,
00:51:18.24\00:51:20.51
He's working upon His people,
00:51:20.51\00:51:22.81
He's expanding the
gospel not only through Peter.
00:51:22.81\00:51:25.35
And by the way, I
don't think it's arbitrary
00:51:25.35\00:51:26.72
that he picked Peter.
00:51:26.72\00:51:28.05
He could have picked Paul
00:51:28.05\00:51:29.08
to give the
vision too, couldn't He?
00:51:29.08\00:51:30.52
But He didn't
have to convince Paul.
00:51:30.52\00:51:32.09
Paul was already out there
doing it anyway with Barnabas.
00:51:32.09\00:51:35.49
But he had to convince
00:51:35.49\00:51:36.62
the most
instrumental apostle of the Jews
00:51:36.62\00:51:39.19
which was Peter, wasn't it?
00:51:39.19\00:51:40.83
Why?
00:51:40.83\00:51:41.93
Because Peter was the one
that was the most influential
00:51:41.93\00:51:45.33
with the Jewish populations.
00:51:45.33\00:51:46.53
So if God could sell Peter on it
00:51:46.53\00:51:48.64
when He could sell the
whole church a lot easier.
00:51:48.64\00:51:51.17
And that's exactly what happened
00:51:51.17\00:51:52.41
when we get to Acts 15.
00:51:52.41\00:51:54.24
We discover indeed
00:51:54.24\00:51:55.31
that Peter
stands up and he recalls
00:51:55.31\00:51:58.21
and brings back to the
memory of its delegates,
00:51:58.21\00:52:02.25
the very experience that he had,
00:52:02.25\00:52:04.89
pointing them to
the example into the way
00:52:04.89\00:52:07.22
that God had
worked to be able to bring
00:52:07.22\00:52:10.19
the gospel to the
uncircumcised Gentiles.
00:52:10.19\00:52:12.99
And no, they don't
have to be circumcised.
00:52:12.99\00:52:14.83
No, they don't have to observe
00:52:14.83\00:52:16.06
the ceremony of Moses.
00:52:16.06\00:52:17.67
They don't have to
become a convert to Judaism
00:52:17.67\00:52:20.74
before they can enter
into the salvation of Christ.
00:52:20.74\00:52:23.77
They have an avenue
00:52:23.77\00:52:25.14
that is available
straight through Christ.
00:52:25.14\00:52:27.48
And what a powerful
truth for us today. Amen?
00:52:27.48\00:52:31.05
And so it's good to be
able to study these things.
00:52:31.05\00:52:33.75
It's always exciting to be able
to study the ministry of Peter.
00:52:33.75\00:52:37.22
For those who are watching,
00:52:37.22\00:52:38.25
we want to remind you
that we have a free offer.
00:52:38.25\00:52:40.79
And if you're interested
00:52:40.79\00:52:41.76
in continuing to grow
in the knowledge of God,
00:52:41.76\00:52:43.86
this is a book
written by Doug Batchelor,
00:52:43.86\00:52:45.56
The Armor of God.
00:52:45.56\00:52:47.50
And you just
call into 866-788-3966
00:52:47.50\00:52:52.30
and you can receive that.
00:52:52.30\00:52:53.37
Just ask for
free offer number 173.
00:52:53.37\00:52:56.94
We also have a digital
download that's available.
00:52:56.94\00:52:59.37
And you can text
that on your phone
00:52:59.37\00:53:01.54
to code, "SH101".
00:53:01.54\00:53:03.98
And text the code,
I should say, "SH101"
00:53:03.98\00:53:07.72
and then you want to
text it to the number 40544,
00:53:07.72\00:53:12.32
that's 40544.
00:53:12.32\00:53:15.52
It's always good to be
able to study with you.
00:53:15.52\00:53:17.23
I love you. God bless you.
And we'll see you next week.
00:53:17.23\00:53:21.56
Did you know
that Noah was present
00:53:21.56\00:53:23.23
at the birth of Abraham?
00:53:23.23\00:53:24.93
Okay, maybe he
wasn't in the room,
00:53:24.93\00:53:27.50
but he was alive and
probably telling stories
00:53:27.50\00:53:30.04
about his floating zoo.
00:53:30.04\00:53:31.94
From the creation of the world
00:53:31.94\00:53:33.68
to the last day
events of Revelation,
00:53:33.68\00:53:35.98
biblehistory.com
is a free resource
00:53:35.98\00:53:38.58
where you can explore
00:53:38.58\00:53:39.71
major Bible
events and characters.
00:53:39.71\00:53:42.12
Enhance your
knowledge of the Bible
00:53:42.12\00:53:44.22
and draw closer to God's Word.
00:53:44.22\00:53:46.45
Go deeper,
00:53:46.45\00:53:47.76
visit the Amazing Bible Timeline
00:53:47.76\00:53:49.79
at biblehistory.com.
00:53:49.79\00:53:53.29
Let's face it,
it's not always easy
00:53:53.29\00:53:55.53
to understand everything
you read in the Bible.
00:53:55.53\00:53:58.17
With over 700,000
words contained in 66 books,
00:53:58.17\00:54:01.94
the Bible can
generate a lot of questions.
00:54:01.94\00:54:04.67
To get biblical
straightforward answers,
00:54:04.67\00:54:06.91
call into Bible Answers Live,
00:54:06.91\00:54:08.78
a live nationwide
call-in radio program
00:54:08.78\00:54:11.45
where you can talk
to Pastor Doug Batchelor
00:54:11.45\00:54:13.78
and ask him your most
difficult Bible questions.
00:54:13.78\00:54:16.32
For times and
stations in your area
00:54:16.32\00:54:18.55
or to listen to answers online,
00:54:18.55\00:54:20.32
visit bal.amazingfacts.org.
00:54:20.32\00:54:24.43
Friends, are you
afraid of heights?
00:54:36.10\00:54:37.74
If so, you might want
to look away right now.
00:54:37.74\00:54:40.68
One of the most
famous attractions
00:54:40.68\00:54:42.24
in the San Francisco Bay area
00:54:42.24\00:54:44.11
is the iconic
Golden Gate Bridge.
00:54:44.11\00:54:46.92
While this world
famous bridge was named
00:54:46.92\00:54:49.02
as one of the seven
wonders of the modern world.
00:54:49.02\00:54:51.55
Few people know the
story of the brave men
00:54:51.55\00:54:53.66
who were involved
in its construction
00:54:53.66\00:54:55.42
and also known as the
Half Way to Hell Club.
00:54:55.42\00:54:59.39
Designed by a group
of visionary engineers
00:54:59.39\00:55:01.86
at 4,200 feet from end to end,
00:55:01.86\00:55:04.33
the Golden Gate
Bridge was at one time
00:55:04.33\00:55:06.30
the longest
suspension bridge in the world.
00:55:06.30\00:55:09.34
During its
construction from 1933 to 1937,
00:55:09.34\00:55:13.14
the Golden Gate Bridge
00:55:13.14\00:55:14.41
had one of the best
safety construction records
00:55:14.41\00:55:16.54
of any project during that time.
00:55:16.54\00:55:18.98
Keep in mind,
they would factor in
00:55:18.98\00:55:20.82
and calculate
that one man would die
00:55:20.82\00:55:23.08
for every million
dollars that was spent.
00:55:23.08\00:55:25.09
So with a budget of $35 million,
00:55:25.09\00:55:27.62
they knew that loss of
life would be unacceptable.
00:55:27.62\00:55:30.46
This is why the chief
engineer Joseph B Strauss
00:55:30.46\00:55:33.50
was absolutely adamant about
00:55:33.50\00:55:34.96
using the most
rigorous safety precautions
00:55:34.96\00:55:37.50
that it ever been
used in bridge building.
00:55:37.50\00:55:39.97
He had a local manufacturer
of safety equipment,
00:55:39.97\00:55:42.57
designed special headgear
00:55:42.57\00:55:44.04
that he insisted
be worn on every job.
00:55:44.04\00:55:46.21
This became the prototype
for the modern hard hat
00:55:46.21\00:55:49.04
worn for the first time ever,
00:55:49.04\00:55:50.85
but the safety
precautions went even farther.
00:55:50.85\00:55:53.42
Strauss provided a
special hand and face cream
00:55:53.42\00:55:56.18
to protect their skin
from the cold biting wind
00:55:56.18\00:55:58.95
and glare free
goggles to protect their eyes.
00:55:58.95\00:56:01.72
In addition, they
also ate a special diet
00:56:01.72\00:56:04.39
to help ward off dizziness
00:56:04.39\00:56:06.09
when they were
working at those epic heights.
00:56:06.09\00:56:08.23
But the most
conspicuous safety precaution
00:56:08.23\00:56:10.57
was a gigantic
net that was suspended
00:56:10.57\00:56:13.13
from end to end under
the entire construction area
00:56:13.13\00:56:16.44
of the Golden Gate Bridge.
00:56:16.44\00:56:18.41
In fact, during construction,
00:56:18.41\00:56:20.71
this net saved
the lives of 19 men
00:56:20.71\00:56:23.91
who later became known as
the Half Way to Hell Club.
00:56:23.91\00:56:27.55
Now you need to keep in mind,
00:56:27.55\00:56:28.62
these were some of the most
00:56:28.62\00:56:29.68
dangerous construction
conditions you can imagine.
00:56:29.68\00:56:32.79
The wind was constantly blowing.
00:56:32.79\00:56:35.26
They were walking around on iron
00:56:35.26\00:56:37.09
that sometimes had
ice from the freezing fog.
00:56:37.09\00:56:40.33
In places, they
were over 700 feet
00:56:40.33\00:56:42.83
above the icy waters.
00:56:42.83\00:56:45.10
Yet, the men coming
from all walks of life
00:56:45.10\00:56:47.44
were willing to take these risks
00:56:47.44\00:56:49.24
because it was
during The Great Depression
00:56:49.24\00:56:51.41
and they would get
paid up to $11 a day
00:56:51.41\00:56:54.11
which was a fortune back then.
00:56:54.11\00:56:56.64
One of the other
benefits of the net
00:56:56.64\00:56:59.05
was they discovered that the men
00:56:59.05\00:57:00.62
were much more courageous
00:57:00.62\00:57:01.75
even though they
were walking high
00:57:01.75\00:57:03.49
on those slippery surfaces
00:57:03.49\00:57:05.32
because they knew
there was a mechanism
00:57:05.32\00:57:06.86
to protect them
if they should fall,
00:57:06.86\00:57:09.16
this gave them the
confidence and the courage
00:57:09.16\00:57:10.93
to press on and get the
bridge built in record time.
00:57:10.93\00:57:13.86
You know, friends,
00:57:13.86\00:57:14.93
as Christians we
have a great work to do.
00:57:14.93\00:57:17.40
The Bible tells us that we
get to participate with Jesus
00:57:17.40\00:57:20.60
in building a bridge that
connects heaven and earth,
00:57:20.60\00:57:23.81
and there are
dangers along the way.
00:57:23.81\00:57:25.74
The devil would like
to paralyze us with fear
00:57:25.74\00:57:28.34
that we might
fall or make a mistake,
00:57:28.34\00:57:30.45
but we know that
Jesus has provided
00:57:30.45\00:57:32.35
a safety net for us
00:57:32.35\00:57:33.65
and we don't have to be afraid.
00:57:33.65\00:57:35.18
We can press on with confidence
00:57:35.18\00:57:36.92
because the promise is
in the Book of Jude 24,
00:57:36.92\00:57:39.72
he is able to
keep us from falling.
00:57:39.72\00:57:42.12
But sometimes we make mistakes,
00:57:42.12\00:57:44.09
still don't be
discouraged, friends,
00:57:44.09\00:57:45.99
if you read in 1 John 2:1,
00:57:45.99\00:57:48.80
the Bible says,
"If we fall, if we sin,
00:57:48.80\00:57:51.47
we have an advocate
with the Father Jesus Christ.
00:57:51.47\00:57:54.40
So let's press on together
00:57:54.40\00:57:55.60
and build that
bridge with Christ.
00:57:55.60\00:57:57.31