The Boundary-Breaking God

Welcome to the Enduring Grace Sermons Podcast.

This is the home for the weekly teaching and ministry of Pastor Ben Hill.

Our mission is to share the timeless truth of God's Word with a world in need of hope.

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And now, here is this week's message.

If you have your Bibles, please turn to Acts chapter 10.

Acts 10 · chapter mention

As you turn there, I want to just spend a few minutes this morning talking to you about the boundary-breaking God.

The boundary-breaking God.

And we're going to do it a little different because I'm going to ask you to go ahead and stand, and we're going to read our text here this morning.

If you found your place in Acts chapter 10, verse 44, would you say word?

Acts 10:44

It says, While Peter Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.

And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.

For they were hearing them speaking in tongues, extolling God.

Then Peter declared, Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?

And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

Then they asked him to remain for some days.

Let us pray.

Father God, I ask that you would be with us as we study your word here in Acts chapter 10, Lord, that you would allow us to see that you are the boundary-breaking God, that it is not a mere coincidence that you are in the midst of even the Gentiles before Peter, Lord.

Acts 10 · chapter mention

And we're so thankful for that.

That you're not a God of just some people, but you're the God of all people.

Lord, we love you.

May you be a blessing in this service.

May you be honored in this service.

May you be glorified in this service.

In your name we pray.

Amen.

You may be seated.

So in the book of Acts, we have been studying and seeing how God has been acting throughout the region.

We have seen that the church was birthed, that a great multitude has been saved, that the church has come under extreme persecution following the death of Stephen, and that Saul was really leading the charge in that endeavor.

And then on Easter Sunday last week, what we saw was that we have a Savior who can overcome even the most hardened of hearts, and Saul, who is persecuting the church, who is finding pleasure in persecuting Christians.

And then Luke transitions.

He transitions from Saul's life to Peter's.

We pick back up and see what Peter's been up to while God is saving Saul and how God is still using Peter.

And Peter is healing people, and we see that he made his way to Joppa, a city there.

And here is what we see in Joppa is that there is a lady named Tabitha.

Now Tabitha is a special lady.

She has a special ministry.

In fact, her ministry is to the widows, and she is now dead.

So Peter comes, hears the words of how people are mourning over her death, and so he seeks the Lord's face, and the Lord heals her, bringing her back to life for the church.

And so Peter is having a great ministry that is unfolding in this little city named Joppa.

But in the midst of all that God is doing in Joppa, God is still moving in another place in Cassarea.

And that is where we're introduced in Acts chapter 10 to a man named Cornelius.

Acts 10 · chapter mention

Now, Cornelius is a man that is not a Jew.

Notice in verse 1 a little bit about him.

He says, a satyrian of what was known as the Italian cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God.

So the person that we're introduced to is this Gentile man named Cornelius, who is a person of influence.

His whole household is under the worship of the Lord, that it says that they fear God and that he is a generous man, giving alms would have been giving generously to the needs of those in the community, to the people.

And he also is known as a man of prayer.

Notice that it says that he was praying continually.

And it's as he is praying and going about his normal day, that about the ninth hour of the day, he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, Cornelius.

Now what we need to understand here is simply this that he is doing what he normally would have been doing.

The ninth hour is about 3 p.m., and this is a common time for people to pray in this period of time and in this particular setting.

So 3 p.m.

would be a normal prayer time.

He was doing his normal daily devotional prayer to the Lord at around 3 o'clock, and the Lord comes and speaks to him through a messenger, an angel of God, says his name, Cornelius.

Reflecting back on what we saw in Saul's experience when Jesus appeared to him and said, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?

Here the Lord is yet again sending a messenger and calling them by name.

Did you know that God knows you by name?

He knows you by name.

When you seek his face, he calls you by your name.

And so here's Cornelius being called by God by name.

And it says in verse 4, and he stared at him in terror and said, What is it, Lord?

And he said to him, Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God.

In other words, the Lord is sent a messenger to tell him, I have heard your cries.

Your gifts, they are memorial to me.

That you are worshiping me both in how you give and how you live and how you pray.

And so I have heard you.

And now, verse 5, send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter.

Remember, Peter's doing a ministry work in Joppa.

He is there, things are going well, and he is quite the happy man, I am sure, because he's seeing God move continually amongst the people in Joppa.

And here is God telling Cornelius, you're going to send for this man to come to you.

You're going to ask for him to come.

And he is lodging with one that is also named Simon, if you notice in verse 6, a tanner whose house is by the sea.

The Lord says, This is where he is.

Go find him, send your messengers and bring him to you.

He is lodging with one Simon.

So Simon is residing with Simon.

That's a common name, apparently.

I know bins shared a lot, because I've got a lot of bins in the world, right?

But here's the thing is that he is intentionally, God is intentionally giving him the direction so that God can do a work.

He is preparing the way.

Look at what it says in verse 7.

When the angel who spoke to him and had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

In other words, he says, Hey, I'm a man of position.

I'm sending you on my behalf to Joppa to find this man named Simon, who is also called Peter.

And the next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray.

So he's actually praying on the next day a little earlier, about noon, about lunchtime, about everyone when their stomach starts growling.

So no wonder why he's hungry, right?

We're sitting there, we're looking at Peter, going, okay, you're starting to pray, and it's noon, and I would be hungry too.

The text says, and he became hungry and wanted something to eat.

But while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance.

Now I don't know about you, but I might be guilty when I'm tired of getting stuck and just staring, right?

Like so when I imagine a trance, I'm imagining him just kind of being like, okay, I'm just staring at the sky, right?

Like I'm praying and I'm just stuck looking at something.

You might uh know that feeling all too well.

I do, my kids do, my wife does.

We just get stuck in a stair sometimes.

But here, this stair is not like our stairs where we're just looking at a wall for no good reason.

The Lord is revealing something to him.

Look at verse 11.

It says, And saw the heavens opened, and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth.

In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air.

And there came a voice to him Rise, Peter, kill and eat.

Did you notice all the different animals here?

Look at what it says.

All kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air.

I don't know about you, but uh eating a lizard does not sound very appealing to me.

I've had snake before, I'd just rather have chicken.

I'd rather have fish.

It isn't it just doesn't appeal to me, but here the Lord has brought a table full of animals.

But notice Peter's response.

The Lord has brought this and told him to rise and kill and eat.

He says, By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.

Peter is saying, I'm a Jew of Jews, Lord.

I would never dare touch that unclean food.

How like what why?

Is this a test?

Like, seriously, is it a test?

But look at what the Lord does.

And the voice came to him again, a second time.

What God has made clean, do not call common.

Just imagine sitting there being Peter.

You're getting scolded by the Lord again.

It's not like this is uncommon to him.

He's been scolded plenty.

And here Peter is being scolded again.

But not only one time, three times.

This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.

You think it takes Peter a little longer than most to get it through his head what he needs to do?

I know I can relate to that because I'm a little thick-headed too, right?

But three times, just like he denied Christ, three times.

Three is a common occurrence for Peter.

And here he is telling the Lord three different times, Lord, I do not eat what is unclean.

And the Lord says, Do not call what I have called clean, common or unclean.

As some of your translations might have.

God is doing something unique.

God is doing something that only he can do.

And he has talked to Peter and told Peter that this, what I have called clean, do not call unclean, for a purpose.

Because he's preparing the way.

Verse 18, and called out to ask whether Simon, who was called Peter, was lodging there, and while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, Behold, three men are looking for you.

In other words, I've given you this vision, and now guess what?

The guys that are here that you are going to resist are now at the door, at the gate, because these are Gentile people.

And Peter went down to the men and said, I am the one you are looking for.

What is the reason for your coming?

And they said, Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.

So he invited them in to be his guests.

The next day he rose and went away with them.

And some of the brothers went from Joppa, accompanied him.

And on the following day they entered Cassarea.

Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.

In other words, Cornelius is throwing a party because Peter's coming.

He says, Gather everybody, everybody needs to be in this room.

And when he spoke, people listened.

He's a man of position.

So they gather together, relatives and close friends.

And then verse 25, when Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.

But Peter lifted him up, saying, Stand up, I too am a man.

Now keep in mind, Peter's been going around healing.

It's no secret that Peter has risen people from the dead, that he's healed the lame, that just like Jesus has, and so his response is very similar to if Jesus was there before him.

He bows down to worship, but Peter understood that he was no man of authority, that he was a lowly man that was serving the one true God in Jesus.

That his authority came from Christ and Christ alone.

Just like no pastor is perfect.

Peter was not perfect.

They simply are messengers of God's word.

And so here is Peter declaring to them, Hey, here I am.

And Cornelius is bowing down, and Peter says, No, no, no.

Stand up.

I am just like you.

And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered.

I'm sure Peter walked into the room and was like, Wow, y'all have got quite the gathering.

Uh I didn't know that I should be prepared for so many people.

But okay, here I am.

Verse 29 says, So when I was sent for, or sorry, verse 28, and he said to them, You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or visit anyone from another nation.

But God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.

In other words, Peter would not have gone had God not prepared the way.

Peter would have never gone if God had not prepared the way by chain revealing to him that he was doing something special.

God prepared the way for Peter.

But not only did God prepare the way for Peter, what we see also is that God persuades the heart.

We see that God persuades the heart.

See that Peter, he says, It is not lawful for me to be here.

But God, in preparing the way, persuaded Peter to be willing to go by revealing to him that nothing that God has called clean is common.

That he is to go wherever God calls, wherever God leads, that he has a purpose being here.

God has persuaded the heart of Peter to obey the call to go to this Gentile group of people.

Says any of any of any other nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.

So when I was sent for, I came without objection.

I asked then, why you sent for me?

I think that's a fair question.

Why has God brought me here?

Is the words that he's saying is what is the purpose of my being here?

I need to know.

Cornelius answered, Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing.

Did you notice how long he had to wait for God to answer what he revealed was the direction that he needed to go?

It took four days for Peter to arrive once he obeyed and sinned.

Sometimes we have to wait for the Lord.

Sometimes we have to wait for God to answer the prayers that he's already confirmed.

We have to wait on the Lord and his timing.

Verse 31, and it says, And said, talking about the angel who appeared before him, the man that stood before him, Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms have been remembered before God.

Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon, who is called Peter.

He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner by the sea.

He's going through what happened.

In verse 33, this is why.

When was the last time that you simply asked the Lord, can you help me see how to be faithful?

When was the last time you asked even a pastor or your Sunday school teacher, how can I help you?

How can I serve alongside you?

Because God has prepared your heart for that by your salvation.

And he should be persuading your heart to live, to glorify Him.

We have to be willing to go and to take the gospel to all who hear.

This week I had the opportunity, thanks to your faithfulness and giving, uh, to go to a special meeting in Dallas, Texas for this uh it was for the cooperative program, uh, the International Mission Board president, which uh, if I use the acronym IMB, that's what we're talking about.

If you think about the Lottie Moon offering, that's what we're talking about.

Um, Paul Chitwood was there uh and also Kevin Azell with the North American Mission Board, also known as NAM or SYN Network.

He was there along with Jeff Orge with our executive committee uh president for the Southern Baptist Convention.

And we were having a conversation about cooperative program giving.

Now, if you don't know, uh a percentage of every dollar you give to our church to support the mission work here also gets sent off to support the Southern Baptist Convention and the mission work abroad.

And so we are in the top 250 givers in the SBC by number.

So your giving allowed me to be in the room this week.

It was both encouraging and enlightening and also a little discouraging in some regards.

Uh, one specific endeavor, which I personally have a soft spot for the International Mission Board, because there are so many people who do not have the gospel like we do in America.

It is the most important ministry, I think, that we do as Southern Baptists is to equip and send missionaries.

Uh, we had a statistic of from 2006 to today as far as giving, with inflation included.

Now, back uh in 2006, the giving wasn't much different than it is today, but it equals out to be$61.3 million more than it would go, like how much further it would go than today.

Now, I know that you and the Pew feel that at the grocery store when you go and buy groceries, or or more recently, the gas pump, because it's gone up like crazy.

Um, but here's the thing is that in other words, our missionary funds do not go as far as they once did.

And so they've had to make cuts on ministry expenditures to basically streamline some of the things to try to keep safe.

Uh but what is and uh what's in danger is there's over three thousand people groups that have never heard the gospel as far as we know.

Over three thousand.

And for when money is tighter, it means we can't send as much or as many missionaries abroad, which means that it gets slower.

And slower to reach those unreached people groups.

And so what I'm going to say is thank you, church family, for being faithful to give, because that is a lifeblood and how you're involved in taking the gospel to these people groups that we will never meet.

Peter got to go on the field.

He got to go out there and see God persuade the hearts.

And what we can do is both in our faithful tithes and offering, as you're so faithful to do, but also in your prayers, pray that God uses our International Mission Board missionaries to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.

Because that's their goal, that's their desire.

That's what they're there for.

But the fact is, the dollar doesn't go as far as it used to.

And so what we were doing was talking through strategies of how we can be better stewards, but also how we can maybe even restructure some things with the SBC, along with talk about the importance of transparency and a united heart behind the gospel.

And so it was a good meeting, but it was also a very hard one because it does paint that picture that we all feel, but it's on that grand scale as well.

And so thank you, church family, for allowing me to be in the room with your faithful giving.

It was an honor, it was a pleasure to represent you in that room this week.

But God does persuade hearts, but it has to require people being willing to go.

Peter had not been willing to go, they would have never heard.

Are you willing to go?

Are you willing to go to your one and share the gospel?

Because their heart cannot be so persuaded by God if they do not hear God's word preached to them.

The good news of Jesus.

Is your heart persuaded to be all in for the Lord, regardless of who they are or where they are from or their background?

Are you persuaded to pray for the salvation of the Iranians, even though they are supporting terrorist endeavors?

Are you persuaded to pray for that neighbor that just gets on your nerves?

That the Lord would save them.

So maybe you could be best friends.

Are you persuaded to serve in the skills and ministries that God has given you, whether it be singing in the choir, working with children, students, or serving with hospitality, greeting, protecting in other areas of ministry?

Are you persuaded to follow the Lord in all endeavors of your life?

Are you persuaded?

Because if you are, then that leads to God's good news, his proclamation, being able to be sent out to change lives.

God's proclamation changes lives.

When Peter was persuaded by the Lord to go to the Gentiles and to be there, and he listens and God persuades his heart to teach, look at what transpires.

You yourselves know what happened through all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism, that John proclaimed, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with the power.

He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.

For God was with him, and we were all witnesses of all that he did, both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.

They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear.

Not to all the people, but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to judge of the judge of the living and the dead.

To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.

He preaches the gospel.

He hears their desire and he preaches the gospel.

And the people respond.

As we've already seen, it says, while Peter was still saying these things, as he was preaching to them, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.

And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.

These Jewish people are sitting there going, even the Gentiles are getting saved.

That it's not just for the Jews.

It's for everyone.

It's for all of us.

God's proclamation saves all who responds in saving faith.

Period.

And so it says in verse 46, for they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God.

Then Peter declared, Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?

It's the same Holy Spirit in them as it is us.

And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

Then they asked him to remain for some days.

God comes through Peter and shows up and allows Peter to be a part of something great, but he had to prepare the way first.

He had to prepare the heart of Peter to be willing to go.

He had to persuade Peter to go on his behalf so that they could hear the proclamation of salvation through Christ so that they could receive.

Church family, people cannot get saved if we as a church do not do our part, if we are not persuaded to preach the gospel as we go.

People cannot respond to in saving faith.

They cannot get saved unless we're willing to teach them the word of God.

We are not capable, apart from God, which means that you have to have a salvation that is yours, not your grandfather's, not your grandmother's, not because you've grown up in church and been in church all your life.

It has to be a personal salvation.

You have to have experienced it.

In Peter's expression of the gospel, he talks about how he himself received it.

Have you received it?

Have you received salvation through repentance of your sins and having saving faith in Christ in Christ alone?

Because unless you're persuaded to follow Christ, you will never be persuaded or usable for God's kingdom.

Are you persuaded to follow Christ?

Are you persuaded to sacrifice everything, even your own reputation, to serve Christ?

Are you willing to proclaim the gospel no matter the cost?

I can't help but wonder.

If we don't have the pastors we need because too many people have been too comfortable in the pew.

I don't know if you know this, there's a pastor shortage all across the country.

People not willing to serve student ministry like they used to, not being able to find senior pastors like they used to.

I simply wonder if it's because we have lost sight of the fact that God has called us.

And we're simply not persuaded enough.

Because we're too comfortable where we are.

The old saying that 20% of the church does 90% of the work is pretty true universally across the country.

In fact, 9,000 churches in the SBC make up 90% of the tithing, the CP dollars of the SBC.

We have 46,000 churches in our churches in the top 250.

I know I'm preaching to the choir in many regards because many of you have served faithfully in the church as pastors.

I'm uniquely blessed to have so many pastors in this church.

To be able to be poured into by them, encouraged by them.

I I would not trade it for anything.

Pastor Ted is incredible.

Because most pastors don't love their pastor like he does.

And I love it.

We're uniquely blessed as a church.

I don't think we understand how great our church really is.

Do we have things that we need to grow in?

Absolutely.

And one of them is taking the gospel to our community so that this room can look like it.

We have to step up to the plate of church and proclaim the gospel.

Because if we don't, who will?

Are you persuaded to give up everything for Jesus?

Are you willing to proclaim the one thing that can truly transform lives?

Money's fine, but it doesn't change a heart.

I don't know about you, but I want to see people saved.

I want to be used like Peter.

I don't want to see anyone as too far gone to be reached.

Because many of you in this room know that if that was true, you would never have been saved.

Don't lose sight of that.

Hold on to Jesus and be willing to serve.

Because God is the boundary-breaking God.

But there is nothing that He can't break through.

And it begins with salvation.

With every head bowed and eye closed this morning.