The Hidden Secret Behind All Conversions (Part 2)

This time our children are dismissed to Children's Church right now.

If you want to go down, meet your teacher out in the foyer there you can go downstairs for a Bible lesson and come back up a little later.

We are continuing the sermon series in the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament this morning, and there is an outline of the sermon if you'd like one.

If you didn't get one, our ushers would be happy to give you one now.

The book of Acts, as we've said before, is about the earliest Christianity.

Luke is recording the events that happened right after Jesus' ascension and Jesus sending his apostles out to preach the gospel.

And then, at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descends on those who believed in Jesus and they began this massive explosion of the gospel of people coming to Christ, and the church grew exponentially through conversions to Christ by believing the gospel.

So far, luke has told us about thousands of people who were converted to Christ at the beginning of Acts and mostly through Peter's sermons.

But then Luke slows the story way down, beginning in about chapter 8 of Acts, and begins to focus on key individuals who hear the gospel and are converted to Christ, on key individuals who hear the gospel and are converted to Christ, and he does that, I think, to help us understand the process of conversion.

What does it mean and how does that happen.

First we looked at the foreign Ethiopian eunuch, who was converted to Christ in chapter 8.

Then we saw the Jewish Pharisee, saul, converted to Christ in chapter 9.

And in Acts, chapter 10, which we opened last time, we're seeing how the first Gentile was converted and we're learning about how God is the hidden secret behind every conversion.

Acts 10 · chapter mention

God was doing something in Cornelius' life Acts, chapter 10, who was a pagan Gentile, roman centurion, to turn him away from pagan religions and somehow came to believe in Israel's God and began to worship him.

Acts 10 · chapter mention

When he started to pray to Israel's God, god heard him as we looked at last time and he began to put in motion a plan to send Cornelius a witness who could share the gospel with him.

And last time I said that the case of Cornelius' conversion has convinced me that if there is a person out there anywhere in the world who is truly seeking God, god will move heaven and earth to make sure they can hear the gospel and have an opportunity to believe in Jesus.

God desires everyone to come to repentance.

He's told us this and Jesus said he came to seek and save the lost.

That's the dynamic in our world that began at Pentecost.

And not only is God working behind the scenes to prepare someone who's seeking God to hear the gospel, god is also working providentially behind the scenes to prepare those who will share the gospel with them.

That's what we're going to look at today.

This is where we pick up the story of Cornelius' conversion to Christ.

We'll see how God prepares the witness, peter, to share the gospel with him.

So, jumping in Acts, chapter 10, beginning of verse 9, and we'll read Peter's story about what God has to do with him to help equip him to share the gospel.

Acts 10 · chapter mention

So let's look at it.

And while you're listening, obviously those of us who do know Christ and believed in him, this is a message for us, the witness.

How is God working in our lives?

Well, let's look at Peter.

See what happens here In Acts 10, verse 9,.

Acts 10:9

On the next day, as they went on their way and approaching the city, peter went out on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray.

But he became hungry and was desiring to eat.

But while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance and he saw the sky opened up and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air.

And a voice came to him Get up, peter, kill and eat.

But Peter said by no means, lord.

I have never eaten anything unholy or unclean.

Again a voice came to him a second time what God has cleansed no longer consider unholy.

This happened three times and immediately the object was taken up into the sky.

Now, while Peter was greatly perplexed in mind as to what the vision which he had seen might be, behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions for Simon's house, appeared at the gate and calling out.

They were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there.

While Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him Behold, three men are looking for you, but get up, go downstairs and accompany them without misgivings, for I have sent them myself.

Peter went down to the men and said behold, I'm the one you're looking for.

What is the reason for which you've come?

They said Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man, well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews was divinely directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear a message from you.

So he invited them in and gave them lodging.

We're going to stop there today.

God is involved in all conversions.

Today our focus is on Peter as we see God providentially preparing him to be a witness to Cornelius.

But he's got a lot of work to do.

As we follow Peter in this passage, you've got three main points First we see him as a reluctant witness, Then we see him a radical witness and finally a renewed witness.

By all accounts, you'd have to say Peter was a reluctant witness to send to Cornelius.

Jews did not associate with Gentiles.

To Jews, gentiles were unclean, sinful pagans and they referred to them actually as dogs.

And Cornelius was not only a Gentile but a Roman soldier, an enemy occupier of Israel.

So not only does God have to help the Gentile Cornelius overcome his racial, pagan, cultural background to seek the one true God in order to send Peter to share the gospel with him.

God has to help Peter overcome his racial, religious, cultural differences and prejudices in order to share the gospel with Cornelius, the first Gentile convert to Christ, the gospel with Cornelius, the first Gentile convert to Christ.

Again, we're witnessing how God's moving heaven and earth to seek the lost, and when someone is seeking God, he makes it happen that someone shows up to share the gospel with him.

The day after God prepared Cornelius, god prepares Peter to share the gospel with him.

Now I look at this from a.

I think God has a sense of humor if you really look at it closely.

To reach Peter, god gets his attention by using Peter's own natural tendencies and even personal weaknesses.

Peter gets hungry.

Apparently, he liked to eat.

Okay, the context of this incident is very interesting.

Peter, get this.

He goes up on the roof to pray.

The roof was a big open area, and it says that he went up to the roof to pray at the sixth hour, which that's noon.

Okay, this was not the normal time to pray for Jews, this was the normal time to eat.

He's hungry and guess what's happening down below?

They're cooking.

So to use the time wisely, peter, I'm just going to pray, waiting for the food, waiting for lunch, but I'm sure while he's praying he's probably smelling food coming up and he's getting hungry.

Well, so get this.

So God doesn't give Peter a vision of an angel, he gives him a vision of food.

Oh, that's great.

In Jewish law, some food was absolutely forbidden for devout Jews to eat because if they ate it that would render them unclean in Jewish law, which meant they were disqualified to come into any part of the congregation or the temple to worship God until they made sacrifices and ritual washings to cleanse themselves.

The sheet that Peter sees in his vision have these clean and unclean animals, we think, which meant they were disqualified.

The unclean animals were disqualified for him to eat or even touch if he wanted to continue to be a faithful worshiper, and those pictures of these unclean animals would have disgusted any practicing Jew, any observant Jew.

Now, in the vision Peter has, god tells Peter to get up, go kill some of those animals.

Eat your hungry Peter.

Go kill some of those animals, eat You're hungry.

Peter.

Go kill an animal and eat it.

And Peter answers with a firm and emphatic absolutely not, I've never eaten anything impure or unclean.

God answers by telling Peter well, what God has cleansed, by telling people well, what God has cleansed, stop calling it unclean, okay.

And that happens three times.

Peter walks away perplexed what is that Okay?

At this point he thinks he's probably pretty smart.

He knows the Lord Jesus.

He's witnessed the resurrection, the ascension.

He's out faithfully preaching the gospel, mainly to Jews.

He doesn't get it yet, but he needed to see this and needed to hear God pronounce this little statement about food.

The Holy Spirit now gives Peter some clarity when he told him to go with the Gentiles who are coming.

Go with them without misgivings, because God said I sent them myself.

While Peter's receiving all this, the men sent by Cornelius show up and they're asking for Peter.

So far, peter is a reluctant witness.

He doesn't really get what's going on.

He sees these unclean things and he hears about this Gentile, but he's given assurance go with them.

Okay, all right.

He moves from reluctant witness to radical witness.

He's going to step out of his comfort zone and do something he probably would have never, ever been willing to do if he hadn't had this vision of God's leading.

After the vision, peter goes with this Gentile committee to meet this Gentile, commander Cornelius, at his home, which was about 30 miles away, which would have taken him quite a trip, quite a long time.

I think, from the text here probably took an entire day, and then the next day they were able to arrive.

To arrive, but for Peter to do this was very radical and scandalous to other Jews.

Jews weren't allowed to associate with Gentiles.

Their enmity, long-standing differences between their races and cultures were huge barriers the church early church had to overcome, and Peter starting with Peter, if they're going to share the gospel with Gentile people.

It was unlawful for Jews to eat with, enter the house of any Gentile.

And yet that's what God wants Peter to do.

And yet that's what God wants Peter to do.

Peter is confused, obviously because he's going against his tradition.

He feels like he's violating God's word from what he's been taught.

Nevertheless, he's listening and he obeys.

Using this vision of the sheet of animals is what God's using to help Peter overcome his resistance and have the freedom to share the gospel with this Gentile.

Peter really didn't understand initially what on earth God was showing him in the vision, how radical it was, until later, when he meets Cornelius.

And now he perceives what God has been doing.

Acts 10, verse 28,.

Acts 10:28

Peter said to them this, cornelius and these people, all kinds of people assembled to hear this special message from Peter.

Peter said to them this, cornelius and these people, all kinds of people assembled to hear this special message from Peter.

Peter said to them.

You yourselves know this is what I'm talking about how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him.

And yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.

He got the lesson he was listening.

Do you see what's happening here?

Before God sends Peter to convert Cornelius, god has to convert Peter to the truth of the gospel's reach before he'll go and talk to him.

Well, this leaves us with a question Does God need to convert us to something in order to be his witnesses?

To something?

In order to be his witnesses?

For we'll step out, for we'll notice some things God's doing.

What is hindering us from sharing the gospel with others?

How do we need to be converted to share the truth of the gospel?

Are you thinking, perhaps, that that person you're thinking of would never be converted to war their way?

Oh man, then you need to be converted to the truth of the gospel's power.

Do you believe that person is beyond hope?

Hope, then you need to be converted to the gospel's reach.

There's no barrier.

Do you believe that God can't use you?

You don't have credentials, you don't have enough training?

Well, then you need to be converted to the gospel's calling to be a witness.

Sometimes we need to be converted first before we become a proper witness, because in our minds there are huge barriers still, just like there was with Peter.

Where do you need to be converted?

What does God have to do to convince you that the gospel is powerful to Jew and Gentile or whoever you're having a problem with?

For Peter, it was race and culture.

For us, it may be fear and unbelief.

What is it?

What do we need to be converted to?

One place?

To begin for Peter and us, that I think he began to do is he began to see people as God sees them, not how their culture sees them or other people see them.

How does God see them?

Lost, in need of salvation, people for whom Christ died, just like us?

That brings us to see how God brought the witness and the convert together.

In the last point, where we see Peter a renewed witness, god takes him through this little training program to equip him to be a witness that he's been called to be.

A common feature of most conversions is when the witness and the person converted begin to see how God has providentially brought them together, just like we saw with Peter and Cornelius.

For some, like Peter and Cornelius, they knew their meeting was not a coincidence, a happenstance.

This was a miracle.

This was divine intervention.

They both recognized it was divine intervention.

They both recognize it.

How was God able to bring two very different people together over a gospel message Kind of the lesson of this passage.

Well, I think one reason they were able to meet together because of something they shared in common.

They both had stories to tell about these miraculous visions, and what they shared in common was how God spoke to each of them in prayer and their willingness to listen and follow what God was saying.

They overcame their fear, their reluctance, their pride, their vast differences, because they were both willing to listen and submit to what God was saying.

You know, I have to laugh honestly because this passage and this point reminded me of some of the providential ways God has brought me together with people to share the gospel.

People to share the gospel.

It begins with something you share in common.

I think Many times that's how it begins God's providential leaving.

Most of you know I love hunting.

Two guys I'm friends with here in Elmhurst hunters asked me to go hunting with them.

I reluctantly agreed not, so I went with them to go hunting and on our two-hour drive to hunt, one of them asked me a question.

He says, jim, how is it that you're a pastor again?

How do you explain that?

What's that all about?

So for two hours thank you for asking I shared my testimony.

They kept asking questions.

I'm answering their questions about God, about faith, about Christianity.

Now, they didn't bow and believe in Jesus.

I'm just saying we shared something in common and I saw it as okay.

This is maybe the first step for these guys.

I'm still talking to them In another example.

One day I walked into the gym where I work out and I was wearing a T-shirt with the Hebrew word mishtot on it.

I just wrote it on there, something like that.

You recognize that, don't you?

It's just funny to me.

I didn't intend anything by it, it was just something I was using for another thing here at church.

So I wore the t-shirt in and right away this Jewish guy saw me, ran up to me and said hey, what's that?

Oh, okay, what's that mean?

He knew it was Hebrew and I explained what the word meant to him.

If you want to know, I'll tell you afterwards not today and why I put it on my shirt and that began an ongoing weekly meeting with him over coffee where he had all kinds of questions about the gospel, about Christianity, about the Jewish faith, and how a t-shirt brought us together Something I had in common he was Jewish.

I just put out some Hebrew word, a Hebrew word, Hebrew word, conversation, I mean it's.

I could keep going on and on, but I literally marvel at how God works to bring a witness to people who need Jesus.

I marvel at it and it's usually something you share in common, some connection.

Is there someone in your life where you can see, boy, god has brought us together?

Perhaps you could be the witness he's sending to share the gospel with them?

In Peter, we see now how God has taken a reluctant witness.

In Peter, we see now how God has taken a reluctant witness, helps him become a radical and renewed witness, purely on the basis really of his willingness to listen to God's leading and come out of his comfort zone.

Peter was risking his own reputation among other Jews.

Peter was risking his own reputation among other Jews.

He moved out of his comfort zone on the basis of faith in the Lord.

And what's happening here?

If you haven't picked it up, god wanted Peter to change the way he saw people.

They're not just your co-worker, they're someone for whom Christ shed his blood.

For what do you see?

You know, a teenager was outside in his driveway playing basketball once and all his playing around with shooting hoops and running around out there, he lost one of his contact lenses and he started searching everywhere.

He's looking all around, he can't find it.

I don't know how long he spent.

He spent a long time looking at he can't find.

He can't run into the house and told us my mom lost my contact, can't find it.

We're gonna have to buy another one.

Well, the Well, the mom went outside and in a few minutes returned with his contact lens and the son said how did you find that?

He says well, we weren't looking for the same thing.

What do you mean?

Well, you were looking for a small piece of plastic.

I was looking for $150.

Okay, when you see other people, what do you see?

Peter was no longer a reluctant witness.

He began to see Cornelius as God sees him, someone for whom Christ died, someone who needs to hear the saving message.

How do we see people?

It means the difference between a reluctant witness and a confident one when the gospel takes hold of us and we believe in Jesus, we're no longer the same pronouncement by the scriptures.

We're not the same people.

Consider the trajectory of the Apostle Paul's life.

He began by hating Christians, hating Christianity, trying to stamp it out.

Then he believed in Jesus, was born again and then became a passionate advocate, witness of the gospel, proclaiming it wherever he went.

That's quite a trajectory, yet it's exactly what God tells us.

He just followed the trajectory God has for everyone who believes in Jesus.

Listen to what Paul said his own mouth 2 Corinthians 5, 17,.

Through the rest there Paul says therefore, if anyone is in Christ, meaning they believe the gospel, they put their trust in Jesus and are born again.

If anyone is in Christ, he's a new creature.

The old things have passed away.

Behold, all things become new Now.

All these things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and then gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely that God was in Christ, reconciling the word to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God himself were making an appeal through us.

So to the Corinthians he says we beg you, on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God of Christ.

Be reconciled to God Because he made him, jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

So, working together with him, working together with God, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.

I think what he means by that is we're sharing the gospel to you.

You're hearing it, you're receiving it.

Now, don't just hear it, believe it, respond to it.

Don't let it just sit there without a response, because he says in the favorable time, I've listened to you.

In a favorable time, I've listened to you.

In the day of salvation, I've helped you.

Now is the favorable time, now is the day of salvation.

We're not done with Cornelius yet, but it's always the right time.

From what Paul said, now is the time.

It's always the right time to believe in Jesus and be born again, to be converted, to receive his promise of forgiveness and eternal life.

Now, if you're still stuck in your indifference to Jesus, I invite you to listen carefully to Jesus' own words Inventor, out of your comfort zone, to be converted by opening your heart, to receive Jesus as your Savior and Lord, to open your heart, like both Cornelius and Peter did.

We hear you, lord, we'll do what you're asking.

Here's Jesus' own words from the Gospel of John, and there's many verses I could use, but I've chosen two John 5, verse 24, jesus said Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life.

John 5:24

You believe what he's saying to you, that he promises to give you forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

That's what he's saying to you.

That he promises to give you forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

That's what he said.

He believes in him who sent me has eternal life.

He does not come into judgment but is passed out of death into life.

And then the second verse Jesus said, which I love it's just this very crisp, clear gospel message for those hearing it.

He said you know what?

This is the will of my Father that everyone who beholds the Son Jesus and believes in him will have eternal life.

And I myself will raise him up on the last day.

He'll be with me forever.

Anyway, if you've never, they'll be with me forever.

Anyway, if you've never taken that opportunity to express to God your belief in Jesus, you can do it now, because I'm going to close in prayer.

Father, thank you that to receive your salvation, you don't ask us to prove ourselves worthy, because you know we're not.

You only ask us to believe in Jesus, the only one who is worthy, because you know we're not.

You only ask us to believe in Jesus, the only one who is worthy, so that we may receive the gift of eternal life.

We ask you, father, today, convert us to be your witnesses, if necessary, to the truth of the gospel's power, to the gospel's reach, to the gospel's calling.

And, lord, send us out as your witnesses.

Give us your witnesses the awareness, the awareness to see how you're leading us to share the gospel with some.

And then we ask you please, lord, by your spirit, give us the boldness, confidence and grace we need to share it with others.

I ask this in Jesus' name, amen.