Peter’s Vision           August 26

 

Background:  Last week we heard the story of Cornelius.  He was a Roman Centurion who lived in Caesarea; he was a devout and God-fearing man.  Cornelius gave to the poor and needy and prayed regularly.  One day he had a vision in which he saw an Angel who spoke to him.  The Angel explained to Cornelius that his prayers and giving had come up before God as a memorial offering.  The Angel instructed Cornelius to send men to Joppa to fetch Simon Peter and bring him back to Caesarea.  After the Angel departed Cornelius called three of his men, told them about his vision and the Angel and then sent them to Joppa.

Scripture: Acts 10:9-23

Situation:  About noon the following day, as Cornelius’ men neared Joppa Peter went up on the roof to pray and fell into a trance.  He had a vision in which he saw heaven open; a large sheet containing four footed animals, reptiles, and birds was lowered to earth and a voice said to Peter, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” Peter refused saying, “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”  The voice said to Peter, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”  This happened three times and then the sheet was taken up to Heaven.

While Peter was trying to figure out the meaning of the vision the men Cornelius had sent arrived at the house where Peter was staying.  Peter was still thinking about the vision when the Spirit told him about the three men and instructed Peter to go downstairs and not hesitate to go with the three men because the Spirit had sent them. 

Peter went downstairs, identified himself to Cornelius’ men and asked them, “Why have you come?”  The men told Peter about Cornelius and his vision and then Peter invited the three men into the house to be his guests.

Let’s examine the actions, words and results of what people did in this story and discover what God wants us to learn. 

From the background of last week’s story you will remember that Peter had been travelling around the country preaching the Gospel and healing many.

Prayer: Where it all begins

Why do you think Peter went up on the roof to pray? Was he taking time to seek God’s direction and heart for the next steps?  Would you say his Radar was tuned to God? It is critical that as we serve we get our guidance from God through His Spirit.  We don’t pray, “God help us do what we planned but rather God guide us into your plan and will.”

When we seek God, He responds .

The next thing we notice about the situation with Peter is that he fell into a trance and had a vision. When we seek God’s guidance to discover and do His will, He will respond.  Did Peter understand the experience he had? Why do you think God used this type of revelation? Why not just spell it out clearly? Before you answer this question remember that Cornelius was a Gentile (a non-Jew) and there were strict rules forbidding Jews to eat and associate with Gentiles. At first Peter did not understand the vision.  God used this type of revelation because it fit with the next sequence of events.  We like Peter may not understand how God is working but that does not mean God sits by idly and does nothing. What happened next as Peter was still up on the roof trying to figure things out? (See verse 17, 19) The three men (who were Gentiles) Cornelius had sent arrived and the Spirit gave Peter specific instructions.      

Progressive Revelation: 

Look closely at Peter’s experience; he prays and God gives him a vision.  He does not understand the significance of the vision but continues to think and ponder on it.  He doesn’t jump into action because things are not clear to him yet.  Next God reveals another part of the revelation as the Spirit tells Peter about the three men and gives him some specific instructions. God’s revelation to us is often progressive just like in the story. Discovering God’s will can often be like putting together pieces of a puzzle; it is critical for each of us to wait on God’s leading through His Spirit.  This often involves thinking, pondering, seeking advice from trusted friends and lots of prayer.   Do you know of anyone who has experienced God’s progressive revelation; have you ever experienced it?

God uses people:

Earlier I asked the question why God acted as He did.  Take a moment and reflect on how many people there are in this story, from chapter 10:1-23.  We are not told how many are in Cornelius’ family but we can guess 7 or more people involved in this story.  If we were to closely examine the growth and spread of the early Church we would realize another important truth God is teaching us in this story.  God works through people, ordinary people like you and me.  As you reflect on your own personal spiritual journey can you figure out how many people God used to direct you to Himself?  When God works to affect His purposes He is at work in many different lives at the same time.  

Building faith:

What is God doing in the lives of the people in our story as He involves them?  Building faith.  God could have done things quite differently but He chooses to work as He does in order to build the faith of those He interacts with as well as family and friends.  God could have revealed His will directly to Cornelius but in choosing to include the people He did God affected an even wider circle of people.  What is God doing in your life right now; how is He using you and to what end?  What great thing is God doing that He has chosen you to be a part of and that is infinitely bigger than you? How is God using our Church in this community and what great plans does He have for Chestermere? 

Conclusion:      

·     If you are looking to God for guidance, waiting for Him to do big things, then you have to pray.  It all starts with prayer.

·     Remember when we seek God and His guidance we must believe that He will respond to us.

·     God’s revelation to us is most often progressive, so don’t rush into action, wait, think, pray and God will lead you.

·     God uses people so what we say and do and how we interact with others can and often is a part of what God is doing. 

·     God desires to build faith in each of us and will use people, circumstances and several other means to accomplish what He is doing in our lives and the lives of others. 

 

       Cornelius Calls for Peter              August 19, 2012

 

Background:  Prior to our story the Church had gone through a time of persecution. Steven had become the Church’s first Martyr, Saul was rounding up and imprisoning believers and the Church was being scattered.  Shortly after this Saul was converted on the road to Damascus.  Things began to settle down and a period of relative peace ensued in which the Church experienced growth in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria.  Philip, who had led the Ethiopian Eunuch to the Lord traveled around and ended up in Caesarea.  The Apostle Peter had also been travelling around the country, preaching the Gospel and healing many.  Of peculiar interest to our story is the healing of Aeneas, a paralytic from Lydda.  This miracle led to the conversion of all those who lived in Lydda and Sharon.  Meanwhile in the town of Joppa not far away a greatly loved servant of the Lord named Dorcas became ill and died.  When the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda which is not far from Joppa they sent for Peter.  When he arrived they told him about Dorcas and Peter raised her from the dead.  This led to the conversion of many in Joppa where Peter decided to stay with Simon the tanner.  This sets the stage for our story which is found in Acts 10:1-8

Scripture: Acts 10:1-8

Situation:  Cornelius, a Roman Centurion had a vision; an angel came to him and said...”your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.  Now send men to Joppa to bring back Simon who is called Peter.”  After the angel left, Cornelius sent for three of his men, told them about the vision and sent them to Joppa.

We want to examine what the people in this story said and did, what the consequences were and what we can learn.  Let’s begin with the man Cornelius. 

What kind of man was Cornelius, how is he described in this story?  (See verses 1, 2, 7, and 8)

·     A Roman Centurion (commander of 100 soldiers)

·     Devout and God-fearing

·     Behaviour- gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly

·     Listened to and was obedient to the instruction of the Angel (even though he did not have all the facts)

Go back over each point we have discovered and let’s see what else we can learn. 

         A)  A Roman Centurion- how did the Jews get along with the Romans? (They were being oppressed by them and usually hated them).  How do you think the Jews in Caesarea felt about Cornelius?

          B) Devout and God-fearing fearing (most likely a Gentile-non Jew, interested in Judaism but not necessarily a convert or proselyte- he would have observed the same God and Law of the Jews but was not circumcised)

          C) Gave generously to those in need and prayed regularly to God. What is implied here about Cornelius? 

           D) Listened to and was obedient to the Angel’s instruction. What does this tell us about Cornelius and his religious experience?

What phrase would you use to describe Cornelius in modern terms? Could you say he was a “seeker?”  Do you know of anyone like this in your circle of influence? Would you describe yourself as a modern day Cornelius?  Is it fair to say that Cornelius was a “seeker of God, knew about God but was not yet in relationship with God?”

In our story how does God respond to Cornelius and what can we learn about God’s character from our story?  See verses 3, 4, 5, and 6.  (God answers his prayer by giving him a vision in which he sees and talks to an Angel who tells him his prayers and giving has been noticed by God.  This shows us that God responds to those who earnestly seek Him and that God’s ears are open to our prayers and He sees our good works.  The Angel gives Cornelius specific instruction, which he listens to and obeys.  This tells us that God has a plan- He knew where Peter was and had Cornelius send his men to Peter- to accomplish His will and uses those who have faith.  God also builds on the faith of those who seek Him.)

Having read and talked about the story reflect on the following background points. How do they relate to the story? What do they tell us about God and what can we learn?

·     A time of relative peace and growth in the Church

·     Philip ending up in Caesarea

·     Peter’s ministry and miracles and him ending up in Joppa

God is always at work to accomplish His plans.  He is constantly putting the pieces of the puzzle of His will together.  Each of us fit into His plan somewhere and what is going on with us is often a small part of something much bigger.  How we respond to God matters, a lot. 

Conclusion:  What can we take home from this story? What have we learned about “seekers “of God? What have we learned about how God responds to those who seek Him?  What have we learned about God’s plan?

·     God answers those who earnestly seek Him

·     The prayers and good works of a person who is honestly seeking God are not in vain

·     God’s ears and eyes are open to see and respond to those who seek Him

·     If a seeker has a measure of faith God will build on it and help them to grow in their faith by bringing about circumstances to test the seeker to see if they will listen to Him and Obey instructions given

·     God is at work, has a plan and we can be part of it.  What is happening to us is often part of something much bigger. 

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The Good Samaritan           August 12, 2012

Introduction: Today we are going to look at the story of the Good Samaritan; a story Jesus told in answer to the question, “Who is my neighbour.” This story serves to remind us all of the three founding principles of our Fellowship.  Can anyone tell me what these three principles are? (Love God, Love others and Serve)  Our story touches each principle. 

As we read the Scripture passage we are confronted with some very important questions and then some very peculiar responses to those questions. It will be helpful to realize that this is a story within a story and we will have to be careful not to lose sight of the original encounter and the original questions. Scripture: Luke 10:25-37

Situation: The expert in the Law and Jesus were having a conversation about eternal life and trying to answer the question who is my neighbour.  In order for us to get the meaning of this story we have to ask ourselves what did people say, what did they do and what were the results and what can we learn from this? 

Look closely at verses 25-28 what can we learn about the expert in the Law from what he says?  How would you describe or define an, “expert in the Law?” (extremely knowledgeable in the teaching of the Law; the first five books of the Bible) We are also told that he wants to test Jesus- Why? - He refers to Jesus as “Teacher”- is this a sign of respect? As you reflect on the first question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” can you think of why this particular question was asked? Was he asking Jesus to answer questions he already knew the answers to?

Do you find anything peculiar about how Jesus responds to the question?  (Jesus responds to the question with a question?) Why? Was Jesus gauging the man’s knowledge? (if he understood the Law did that make him accountable to keep it?)

In verse 27 and 28 it appears as though the man had answered correctly and the conversation was over. 

What else can we learn about this man from verse 29?  (Scripture says he wanted to justify himself- Why -pride- was he really interested in the answers to his questions, or was he trying to make himself look good- could motive be suspect here? It seems that the man had a lot of knowledge about the Law in his head but what about his heart?) This second question seems simple and innocent enough, however, in light of the fact that the Scripture tells us the man’s motive (self justification); what do you think the man was really asking Jesus? (clue, remember he is an expert in the Law; remember the hero in Jesus story is the good Samaritan. Notice the use of contrast; this is a Hebrew writer’s method to amplify the difference between how the expert of the Law felt and how the good Samaritan acted) Could the expert of the Law be saying something like, “Do I have to love even Samaritans?” In order for us to get to the truth here we need to look closely at how Jesus answers the man and then compare the man’s question with Jesus question in verse 36. 

How does Jesus answer the question, “Who is my neighbour?”(With the story of the Good Samaritan)

Jesus now answers the man’s original question, “Who is my neighbor,” with another question, “Which of these three was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

Can you see what Jesus has done here? How does Jesus question differ from the original question? Jesus’ story and question put the onus on the expert in the Law.  To have the proper perspective here we have to realize the point is not, ‘Who is my neighbour’ but rather, “How can I be a neighbour to those in need.”  The point is not, you only need to be a neighbour to certain people( i.e. those you like, those who treat you nicely in return), your neighbourliness only needs to extend so far. How far should neighbourliness extend?  To get the truth principle on that let’s look again at how Jesus ends this conversation. He turns to the expert and asks this question, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbour…”Why did Jesus say this, what is He doing? (Helping someone who does not want to see the truth see it—Jesus is leading this man to the truth) Look at the man’s reply, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus has now maneuvered the man to the moment of truth (the man answers his own question) and Jesus says to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Extending Mercy: Take a moment and look at what the Good Samaritan did and what we can learn about extending mercy from this man.  He helped the helpless at considerable cost and inconvenience to himself.  He ignored all cultural and religious barriers and had mercy.  He saw a need and didn’t shy away from it.  He stayed with the man until he could get him to a good care facility.  He did not look for anything in return for what he had done.

Conclusion:  In this story we have discovered a more accurate picture of “the expert in the Law;” how would you describe him now that you have read the entire story? (Self-centred, proud, arrogant, blind to the truth about himself, blind to the needs of others, a full head and an empty heart.)   What was his downfall in the story?  Pride – wanted to look good – justify himself.

Do you see this kind of thing going on today?  Where, or in whom? Have you ever found yourself more concerned with looking good in the eyes of others, personal image, pride, or justifying yourself? Do you avoid facing the truth about yourself (for example, if you see inconsistencies in your own life, are you reluctant to deal with them) what about the needs of others? Would you say you are aware of the needs of those in your circle of influence, and the opportunities God puts in your way to show mercy to others? What is your motive for showing mercy to others? (a sense of duty or true concern)

What can we learn from this story that would help us to show mercy to others, be more like the Good Samaritan and less like the self- righteous expert in the Law? (true mercy has no agenda and no boundaries; we show mercy to others unconditionally because God showed mercy to us unconditionally; showing mercy has nothing to do with self-justification; an abundance of Biblical knowledge in the head, does not guarantee an abundance of mercy in the heart; when Christ reveals our heart and what is lacking in it to us, we need to accept that truth and ask Him to help us face and deal with it; we are on a spiritual journey, a process of becoming “Christ-like.” It takes time for Biblical knowledge to move from our head to our heart, and it takes time for us to face truth about ourselves.

In your desire to help those in your circle of influence and the people in this community by showing them God’s mercy, are you ready to follow Jesus’ instruction to the expert of the Law, to “Go and do likewise?”

                     Helping God      July 15, 2012

Introduction: This morning we are going to look at the story of Isaac and Rebekah and their twin sons, Esau and Jacob.  Our story is found in Genesis 27: 1-46 but before we turn there we need to look at a few scattered passages that will help us sketch a background picture. There are certain things we need to know, preliminary events that occurred before our story that will help us understand the situation better. 

Quick facts:

 The prophecy: Gen. 25:20-23 tells us that Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah; 20 years later she became pregnant and had twins.  She had a difficult pregnancy, and when she prayed to the Lord and asked Him what was going on the Lord said, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.” This is important to remember because this prophecy goes against the cultural norm of the time; usually the firstborn son became the chief heir.

Favouritism: Look closely at Gen.  25:28 which tells us that Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau (who would hunt game and cook delicious meals for his father) and Rebekah loved Jacob a quiet man who liked to stay at home. Even though this statement seems trivial the favouritism we see early on increased as the twins got older, resulting in serious trouble. 

Birthright Sold: Gen. 25:29-34 gives us the account of Esau selling his birthright for a bowl of stew.  A birthright was a special honour given to the firstborn son -Esau- It included a double portion of the family inheritance and eventually becoming the leader of the family.  The oldest son could sell his birthright or give it away if he chose to, but in doing so he would lose material goods and his leadership position.  By selling his birthright Esau showed complete disregard for the spiritual blessings that would have been his.  These facts, the prophecy, the favouritism and the selling of the birthright set the stage for a serious family crisis.

 

Scripture: Now to our story, it’s found in Gen. 27:1-46

The situation:  Isaac, the father of the twins is now old and blind.  He calls his older son Esau, and asks him to go and hunt some game, prepare him a tasty meal and then he would give him the blessing.  Rebekah, Isaac’s wife overhears this conversation.

Rebekah now has a difficult decision to make because it appears that Esau is going to get the blessing, not Jacob.  Now we need to review what we already know from the quick facts.  There was a prophecy, (what was it? - the older will serve the younger.) Both parents had their favourite son.  Esau had already sold his birthright to his brother for a bowl of stew.  These truths may or may not have entered Rebekah’s thinking, but a decision was made.  Let’s see what happens as a result of Rebekah’s choices.    

Helping God:  As soon as Esau leaves to go hunting Rebekah tells her son Jacob what she has heard and together they plot to fool Isaac into giving the blessing to Jacob. In order for us to learn from this story we need to discover what people said, what they did, and what the consequences were, and finally what we can learn from their behaviour. 

Rebekah: What exactly did she say and do and what does that tell us about her?  See Gen. 27:5-17 she eavesdropped on Isaac’s conversation with Esau, formulated a plan to fool her husband, brought in an accomplice, her son Jacob, and together they fooled Isaac and Esau.  How far was Rebekah willing to go with this plan?  See verses 13, 15, 16 (she was willing to incur a curse; she helped Jacob with his disguise) is there anything missing from Rebekah’s decision making process? (God) Notice that back in Gen. 25:21-23 when confronted with the confusion about her difficult pregnancy, Rebekah had inquired of the Lord.  There is no mention of Rebekah enquiring of God or thinking of any of the consequences of these choices) as we reflect on Rebekah’s behaviour what can we learn about her? (something has changed in Rebekah’s relationship with her God.  She either forgot what He had told her-Prophecy-maybe she didn’t trust God to follow through. She may have panicked, or she was not willing to wait on God and did not seek Him for guidance or insight. This appears to have been a quick decision, one that was not well thought through.   

Have you ever come across a situation like this or do you know of someone who has experienced the same situation as Rebekah? Can you share your experience with us?  As is always the case each decision we make has consequences. 

Consequences:  Several things happened to Rebekah and her family as a result of her poor choices.  Let’s look at Gen. 27:30-46, and Gen.28:5, 8 and see what happened.  (Esau returns with game, makes his father a meal and goes in to get the blessing and finds out Isaac was fooled by Jacob who stole Esau’s blessing.  The blessing on Jacob could not be reversed so Esau held a grudge against his brother and planned to kill him after Isaac died.  When Rebekah gets wind of this she tells her son Jacob to flee for his life and go to relatives that live far away.  She tells him she will send for him when Esau cools off.  Isaac sends Jacob away and Esau decides to marry a Canaanite woman to get back at his dad for blessing Jacob. We are not told what happened to the relationship between Isaac and Rebekah but we can speculate that there were also consequences there.

 Rebekah’s decision to fool her husband alienated her son’s from each other, so much so that Esau wanted to kill his brother.  How do you think this made Rebekah feel?  This in turn led to Isaac being exiled from the family.  How do you think this made Rebekah feel?  (Little did she know that she would never see her son again)  Just to add insult to injury Esau marries a Canaanite woman to further aggravate the family problems.  How do you think this made Rebekah feel? Add to all of this the strain this would certainly put on Rebekah’s relationship with her husband and you have to ask yourself a question.  Could Rebekah have done things differently? Could she have made a better choice? What can we learn from Rebekah?

Letting God be God:       Rebekah did what she did to ensure that Jacob got the blessing.  She wanted to help the process along, make sure Jacob didn’t miss out.  But what had God already told her in the prophecy about the twins?  What was He saying when He said the older will serve the younger?  Right, the blessing would be Jacobs.  Does this mean that Rebekah was striving for something that God had already said would happen?  Absolutely,      

Conclusion: Rebekah’s situation is not unlike similar situations we find ourselves in from time to time in our faith journey.  What can we learn from all of this? 

1.  When you are unsure of what is going on, seek the Lord; that is how Rebekah started out.  Prov. 3:5, 6, 7, warns us Trust in the Lord…lean not on your own understanding…acknowledge Him…He will direct you.

2.  Base your behaviour on the truth of what God has already said Rom. 10:17; don’t strive to get something God has already promised you or given to you. Put your faith in God.

3.  Seek God’s kingdom first and stop worrying that you will miss out if you don’t act right away Matt. 6:33.  God is your loving Heavenly Father and He longs to give you the very best.    

4.  Wait on God; His timing is perfect, He knows the big picture and can see well ahead of you and knows the best time for things to happen Psalm 139.