Acts 10: Peter's Response to God's Word

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Introduction

1)     In recent chapters we have seen a couple different responses to the Gospel:

A)   The Ethiopian (8:35-36).

B)    Saul – He thought he knew everything and could not be taught anything new. God rocked him hard to wake him up (9:1-9).

C)    Cornelius – He didn’t know anything and was very open to hearing the truth.

1)     10:3-8

2)     10:24 – He called his relatives and close friends.

3)     10:33 – “So I sent for you at once” (NASU/NKJV/NIV – immediately).

4)     10:43, 48 – He responded to the Gospel.

2)     In this lesson, we will watch how Peter responds to God’s word.

3)     The practical question we are asking is, “How to I respond to God’s truth when I hear it?”

A)   Am I open and eager to hear it.

B)    Am I quick to respond?

C)    Am I stubborn and hard-headed, and think I already know everything?

D)   Or is there an in-between option?

Peter’s Reaction to God’s Word

1)     First, this is the first time God has sent someone to the Gentiles; but this is not the first time Peter has ever heard of anything like this before.

A)   Mk. 7:1-5 – “Why do your disciples no walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?”

B)    Mk. 7:14-23 – “Thus he declared all foods clean.”

C)    Acts 11:15-16 – “And I remembered the word of the Lord…”

D)   Clearly, nobody understood what Jesus was saying at the time, but later (when Mark was written) they remembered that Jesus was teaching them this all along.

2)     10:9-11 – Peter “saw the heavens opened”

A)   cf.

1)     Lk. 3:21-22 – This is what happened when Jesus was baptized.

2)     Acts 7:56 – This is also what happened when Stephen saw Jesus.

B)    Peter didn’t just “hate a feeling.” He experienced God’s word with multiple senses.

1)     v. 10b-11a – “he fell into a trance and saw the heavens opened”

2)     v. 13 – “And there came a voice to him…” (and he has a conversation with it)

3)     v. 19 – “While Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him…”

3)     10:12-16 – He saw a vision and heard the Lord’s voice…THREE TIMES.

4)     10:17 – “Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean.”

5)     10:20

A)   Trans.

1)     ESV – “Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.”

2)     NASU – “go downstairs and accompany them without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself.”

3)     NKJV – “go down and go with the, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.”

4)     MSG – “Don’t ask any questions. I sent them to get you.”

B)    “In fact, the use of ἀλλά (alla) at the beginning of the sentence may suggest, “You may object, but go without refusing.”[1]

6)     Positive response – 10:28-29

A)   v. 28 – Peter: I’m not supposed to be doing this.

1)     Lev. 20:25-26 – “I the Lord…have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.”

2)     Jn. 18:28 – “Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor’s headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover.”

3)     Jewish legal tradition: “The Dwelling places of Gentiles are unclean.”[2]

4)     Jubilees 22:16 – “Separate yourself from the nations, And eat not with them: And do not according to their works, And become not their associate; For their works are unclean, And all their ways are a pollution and an abomination and uncleanness.”[3]

B)    v. 29 – “So when I was sent for, I came without objection.”

7)     10:34-35 – “Truly I understand…”

A)   He’s still have more to learn.

B)    vv. 44-46 – God confirms his understanding.

8)     When Peter learned something new, he did something about it.

A)   v. 47-48a – Gentiles were baptized.

B)    v. 48b – “Then they asked him to remain for some days.” (Fellowship)

C)    He told other people the hard truth.

1)     11:1-4 – He was criticized.

2)     11:17-18 – “Who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”

3)     15:1, 7-11

9)     Gal. 2:11-14 – Old habits die hard.

A)   Remember that Barnabas was “the son of encouragement” who brought Paul into the family.

Practical question: How do you respond to God’s word?

I’m asking you to gauge your openness to the truth that God has revealed in his word. When you read the Scriptures and come to understand what God has said, how do you respond?

1)     Do you dig in? I know everything. I can’t possibly be wrong. I will never change my mind.

A)   Nobody will actually say these words, but it is true for some of us. We WILL NOT back down and change our minds about things.

B)    Baptism example:

1)     Acts 2:38

2)     2 Pet. 3:21

3)     Response: “No.”

C)    I can open the Bible and show people the Word and some will say, “I don’t agree with you, and I’m not coming back.”

2)     Do you accept it God’s truth? Quickly and gladly. Great!

3)     Peter’s response: Reluctant and cautious acceptance.

A)   My guess is that this would be most of us.

B)    Peter’s example:

1)     He hears the word and he doesn’t like what he hears.

2)     He doesn’t understand it.

3)     I don’t get the sense that he agrees with all of it.

4)     He’s not a perfect person, and he’s not going to be a perfect person anytime soon. It’s going to take a lot of effort to make the Word a part of his life.

5)     But he’s still willing to say, “This is what God said; and he’s God, and I’m not; and my job is to hear and respond to the truth and the word of God.”

[1] Bock.

[2] Bock.

[3] Bock.