The Letter to the Colossian Church- 11

Subtitle: Living out Your New Identity- 2

Colossians 3:12-17.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, October 5, 2025.

In the previous section, Paul had given us a list of the things that Christians need to put off, or to take off.  He generally mentioned in verse 10 that we should then put on the new self that is being renewed into the image of Christ.  The section before us gives a summary list of the virtues and character of Christ that we need to put on.  Essentially, we are putting off everything that is not Jesus and putting on everything that is Jesus.  In order to do that, we will need to get to know him by reading the Word of God and by spending time in prayer with him.

Let’s look at our passage.

Those who have been chosen of God (v. 12-14)

Back in verse 1, Paul used the conditional “if” to challenge them.  “If you have been raised with Christ, then set your mind on the things above.”  This was talking about having a heavenly perspective about things on the earth, doing earthly things for God’s purpose.  This is what the Lord’s prayer is getting out.  “Your Kingdom come; Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

The conditional is not used to disqualify them, but rather to underline the importance of the command.

In verse 12, he does something similar.  Here, we have, “As those who have been chosen of God, then…”  This has the effect of tying the theological truth (you have been chosen of God) with a practical result in the way we live life- we will get to what that is in a moment.  Our theology should be logically connected to the way we live our life.  Our walk needs to line up with our talk.  We cannot claim to be a child of God while living like the devil.

So, who are these chosen ones?  God has chosen all those who will put their faith in Jesus, the Christ. 

There are some who challenge this understanding of God’s choice.  They believe it puts us in the place of saving ourselves.  They will typically say that the only reason you choose to follow Jesus is because God first chose you individually.  If He had not chosen you, then you would have never truly believed in Jesus.  At least, this is what they would say.  The problem here is that God from eternity past knew who would do what.  Yet, the contention of such theologians is that God chose people without any thought about what they would do.  He sovereignly chose some and didn’t others.  You may appear to choose Christ, but it is only because God first chose you.

I believe this is a misunderstanding of God and of His sovereignty.  All through Scripture, God is calling for us to choose Him.  “Choose this day whom you will serve!”  “Whose on the Lord’s side?  Come over here!”  The Gospel of Jesus is always presented as something we need to believe without coercion.

Thus, the character of God is such that He will not force us to come to Him.  Both because He is loving and because He is just, it is wrong to conceive of God controlling our ability to choose Him.  However, in the name of upholding the sovereignty of God- by saying He controls everything without anything from us- they actually end up limiting the sovereignty of God.  Essentially, they are saying that God cannot be sovereign enough to carve out a place wherein people can be free to choose Him. 

Truly, we cannot save ourselves even by believing.  The only reason faith can save is because God through Jesus did a real work of paying the price for sins.  A simple analogy is that of a meal.  If God never cooked the meal and put the plate in front of us, none of us are capable of feeding (saving) ourselves.  However, when God in His sovereignty cooks the meal, spreads the table, and calls whosoever will respond to eat at His table, the responding person is not saving themselves.  Rather, they are submitting to the sovereign choice of a God who is demonstrating His saving love to them.  When God puts the plate of grace in front of a person, they are able to believe and respond.   We are not save by our faith, but we are saved through it.

Paul further describes them as holy and beloved.  When you put your faith in Jesus, you become holy.  This does not mean that you walk on water and never sin.  A holy person is a person who has been set apart by God for His purposes.  Similar to a holy bowl in the temple of old, an Israelite should never take the holy bowls from the temple in order to impress people they are having over for dinner at their home.  The distinction is that there are common things that we all do, and there are holy things.  Christians are no longer to live their lives like everyone else, the common people.  We are to live our lives solely for the purposes of Christ.  In fact, the New Testament actually increases the concept of being holy because everything in our life becomes holy now.  We are to do all that we do for the purposes, glory, and honor of Christ.

You are also a loved one (beloved) of God.  The word for beloved is speaking of something done in the past that has continuing effects into the present.  You have been dearly loved by God by the work of Jesus Christ and the bringing of salvation to your door. 

In all of these things, being chosen, holy and loved of God, it is not intended to make us look down our noses at those who do not believe.  God’s love calls all to join the chosen and holy community.  He calls all to repent and join those who have stepped into Christ by faith.  Of course, none of us deserve to be in this place of His love.  However, we have been brought in through the work of Jesus and through our faith in him.

This leads up to a “therefore” moment.  Since you are chosen of God, holy and beloved, you should put on some things that we will get to in a moment.  This begins a list of virtues, or rather, the character of Christ.  It is using the language of clothing that was started earlier in the section on the vices we need to “take off.”  We undress our lives of the things of this world, and we dress ourselves with the character of Christ, the image of Christ.  We are taking off the works that our flesh generates and putting on the character and works that the Lord Jesus Christ generates through the Holy Spirit working in us.

Let me take humility- which we will talk about in a bit- for an example.  We are not called to put on humility as we might define it, or as the world defines it.  We are called to put on humility as it is defined by God and especially revealed through the words and actions of the Lord Jesus.  It is His image we are donning.  We look to him to understand the what and the why of humility.

This world loves to give lip service to love, toleration, justice, equality, and inclusivity.  However, the definition of these things, and how they are actually lived out, often lead to a perverted expression of them.  Seeking these things for the sake of saying we are doing them puts us in the driver’s seat.  It is a form of self justification.  Society will continue to adjust the definitions of these things according to the desires of their sinful flesh.  Christians are called to embrace Christ and let his humility be lived through us.

So what are we putting on?  First, we put on a heart of compassion.  There are two words here, even though some translations will translate it with one word.  The first word refers to a deep place in the guts of a person.  It is best translated as heart, but we might get a glimpse of the meaning in our description of “getting the butterflies.”  Notice that we do not speak of the butterflies as being in our heart, but rather our stomach.  So, the type of compassion they are describing comes from a deep place that is deep within you and is accompanied by a feeling in the pit of our stomach.  In this case, it is not the butterflies (nervous excitement of what is ahead).  It is compassion for someone’s predicament.  You did not cause their plight, but their misery has touched something deep within you and motivated you to action.

Compassion is the first word that God uses to describe Himself to Moses in Exodus 34:6.  That Hebrew word also has the emphasis on a deep-seated compassion for those in misery.

We want to be careful of only having a heart of compassion for people that we like, or for people in which it is socially acceptable to help.  Putting on the compassion of Christ will put you at a Samaritan well talking to a woman who is very far from God.  The people around you (even the woman herself) may protest that you shouldn’t do this.  However, Christ expressed the great compassion that God the Father had for her by giving her his compassion in the moment.

We are also told to put on kindness.  Kindness somewhat speaks for itself, but it speaks of a general disposition of goodness towards others.  A person who is kind has a kind of default setting.  They are predisposed to being good, benign towards others.

We are to put on humility as we said before.  This is a lowliness of mind towards others (and God).  Our position or standing does not influence the way we speak and deal with people.  We do not approach them as superiors, nor even as equals.  We come with lowliness of mind, knowing that God helps the humble, but resists the proud.

It is easy to think that you are humble when you think about God.  The real test is in our relationships with one another.  When we think we are smarter than others around us, when we compare ourselves to them and think that we are better than them, we will act in ways that are anything but humble.  How smart and how much better than us Is Jesus?  Yet, how humble was he in the face of men who were clearly wicked?  Did you deserve Christ to come down and serve you by taking your place on a cross?  No, you do not; none of us do.  Lay down your pride and judgments and simply serve others for Christ.

We also put on gentleness.  The gentleness of a person says nothing about how strong they are.  Gentleness at its core is not about weakness, but about control of strength so as not to cause injury.  What is true in the physical is also true in the way we approach one another.

Of course, we should remind ourselves that these virtues of Christ are not some kind of law.  When Jesus whipped the men out of the temple, it did not look gentle.  We are to be gentle with one another, but sometimes a strong word and strong action is necessary.  However, it must be the image of Christ and the Spirit of Christ that is governing our words and actions in that moment.

We are to put on patience.  The word here has the idea of a long fuse.  We need to be slow to anger (another virtue that God uses to describe Himself in Exodus 34:6).  You need to take off your short fuse and put on a long fuse, and not long as you define it.  We put on the long fuse of Christ with one another.

In verse 13, Paul moves deeper in the virtues, showing how they lead to virtuous actions.  It is not enough to think virtuous thoughts.  Such virtues will and must always lead to virtuous action.

Bearing with one another is the picture of someone who may need to be carried from time to time.  It is never convenient to have to carry someone, but love compels people to use our strength to help the weak in whatever form it occurs.  In fact, we all need to be carried, whether metaphorically or literally, at times.

What do I mean about a metaphorical carrying?  None of us are perfect, despite the attitude of some.  There is a certain heaviness that others experience in those less than perfect moments.  The choice to either overlook, i.e., not make an issue of something, or to bring up the issue, but with an attitude of love, is a heaviness that others must carry in the presence of my differences from Jesus.  Some of these are sin.  I am disobeying the commands of Christ.  Others are simply offenses.  My personality is grating on yours, and of course, those differences can lead to overt sinful choices.  When we ask for forgiveness and extend forgiveness, we are choosing to carry the weight of one another.  When we step in and help in moments that were even caused by the lack of foresight of the other, we are choosing to carry them.  We should make room for one another by not holding on to the sins and the offenses that others have done to us.  Perhaps we should think of it this way.  Our sinful flesh would rather hold on to the weight of the sins and offenses, never letting go, when Christ would have us drop the list we are keeping and carry a different weight, the burden of love for a person.

The best way to begin carrying a person is to pray for them.  Ask God to change your heart.  Ask Him to help you see what you can say, or not say, do, or not do.  Be committed to a good relationship in the name of Jesus.  Ask for wisdom on how what things should be overlooked as trivialities and what things need to be addressed in love.  Ultimately, be committed to carrying the weight of working things out with a person who may not be easy for you.  In fact, I am sure that all of us have people who have found it hard to carry us in such a way.

Paul’s next point of forgiveness is a natural next point as I mentioned above.  We all need to learn to forgive each other.  Of course, there are times when people persist in belligerence and refuse to get along.  However, Paul is calling us to this commitment of love.  Love forgives.  Love refuses to hold on to a record of wrongs.  Love never quits!

Paul says the same thing in another way.  “Whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.”  Think about this.  Did Christ forgive you of your sins because you became perfect?  No.  It was first because he loves you and secondly because you responded to the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  We must be quit to let go of complaints in forgiveness.  If a person refuses to deal with offenses, we are still to move forward by keeping the door open for reconciliation.  Here is a prayer to try.  “Lord, this offended me, and it is hard to let go.  I turn this over to you and trust you with whatever happens.  Let me do only what you want me to do.  Let me say only what you want me to say.”

Verse 14 then states, “Beyond all these things…”  Some versions say “Above all these things…”  Since Paul has been using the language of clothing, it may be better to translate this as “On top of all these things…”  This final thing is like the outer cloak that everyone would recognize as your cloak.  It is the signature touch to getting dressed in the Character of Christ.  We are to put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

Thinking of love as if it were clothing may seem strange.  However, it makes sense.  Love is something that is not generally welling up from within our soul.  It is often the conviction of the Holy Spirit pointing us to this thing called love that challenges us to pick it up and clothe ourselves with it.

Although love will help people to have a bond of unity, this most likely refers to love as the virtue that ties all of these character traits together into a bond of perfection, or a unity of full maturity.  If we only contemplated these character traits as individual items on a list, they may be twisted beyond the point.  It is love that teaches us when gentleness must give way to a firmness and perhaps to a harsh word.  All of these things should be seen as facets of love which ties them all together into a perfect man, the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Love is being committed to the good and well-being of another as God defines it.  Jesus said it best.  “Love one another as I have loved you!”

How did Jesus love us?  He did it with his whole heart, even when it hurt, sacrificially, undeniably, outwardly, etc., etc., etc.  He is calling us to love one another this way.

Some further exhortations (15-17)

In verse 15, Paul gives them an imperative. However, it is an imperative about letting something happen to you that God will do, if you yield.  You are the question here, not God.

We are told to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts.  The word for “rule” here has the idea of an umpire.  In other words, let the peace of Christ have such a position in your heart and mind that it is calling the shots and grading our attempts.

The Colossians were dealing with some men who were coming into their church and making judgments about how they were serving Christ and what they believed.  Some disconcerted Colossians were listening to these men and following their judgments.  Yet, Paul knew that these men were leading them into the philosophies of men and the legalism of religionists.

This admonition to let the peace of Christ call the shots in your life would be a protection against those who would try to trouble our hearts about whether we were acceptable to God or following Him correctly.

The peace of Christ can be seen in different ways.  First, it is the peace that Jesus creates between us and God the Father.  In Jesus, we can know that God the Father does not see us as an enemy.  He sees you as His child.  This knowledge can be a protection when others try to scare you about how God sees you.

However, the peace of Christ can also be seen as something that is an internal experience.  Just as Jesus stood up in the boat and cried, “Peace!  Be still!,” so we have many times when we need the Spirit of Christ to silence the internal troubled waters.  This comes as we spend time in prayer, seeking His wisdom and direction.

Finally, the peace of Christ can also be the external experience that believers have between one another. In the context of this passage, all of these have their place.  They work in a three part combination.  My relationship with God the Father leads to an inner experience, which can then lead to working for the external peace between brothers and sisters.  We have been called to this peace of Christ in one body (vs 15) by One Lord and One Spirit!

This is the work that the Spirit of God will do and is even now doing in our fellowship with one another.  However, you, I, need to cooperate with this purpose of His.

He qualifies this activity with the phrase, “and be thankful.”  This is the first of three times that he reminds the Colossians (us) to do these things while also being thankful.  Have you ever done something you were supposed to do, but with the wrong heart, perhaps begrudgingly?  Yes, we need to work for peace between us, but we need to do so without complaining to God about others.  Yes, this is hard, but God is in it.  Trust Him!  Give thanks that you are not doing this by yourself.  You are partnering with One who is greater than anything you may face!  Give thanks!

The second thing that we need to let happen is that we need to let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly.  The Word of Christ is firstly the Scriptures.  Not just the words that are in red, but the whole thing.  All Scripture is God-breathed, and the spirit of prophecy is Jesus.  Read it and bring it into your heart and mind.  Take ownership of this need to have God’s Word dwelling in you.  Yes, churches and pastors are handy, but take time to go further.  Ask God for a love of His Word.  The idea of the Word dwelling richly in our hearts has to do with the fruitfulness of the Word of God.  It is a seed that is intended to grow the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.  Take time to prepare the soil of your heart.  Till up the hard parts, roll out the big rocks, and spend some time weeding in your heart so that God’s Word may be fruitful in your life.  This is its normative effect.  This is why we do not read the word as a mere exercise in quantity.  Rather, we spend time praying about what we read and meditating on it.  We spend time fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit over what the Word is saying to us.

Paul adds to do this with all wisdom.  This does not mean our wisdom, but the wisdom of Christ.  This too is a part of our prayers and meditations.  They had received wisdom about the Scriptures from Christ and his apostles.  When others come along later and try to trouble the waters, wisdom would say to be careful.  You already have everything you need in Christ.  Turn back to Him instead of looking to a man on this earth.

He continues telling them to be teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.  Of course, we can teach and admonish without singing, but there is something about singing that takes God’s Word to the next level.  In some ways, it is a spiritual warfare that pushes out the enemy.  It is easy to say words that you don’t believe, but it is much harder to sing them.  In fact, a person may begin singing half-heartedly, but songs have a way of lifting us and calling us to a higher place of worship. 

Yet, notice the second occurrence of thankfulness.  “Singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”  In the midst of heavy brothers, offenses, and forgiveness, in the midst of attempts to take off cruddy clothing and to put on the attire of Christ, we can sing with thankfulness and gusto because we are doing it for Christ!  He ain’t heavy; He’s my brother!  How can a heart sing this, say this, without first coming to grips with the Lord who has carried us all and made us to be brothers to Himself?  Even in the midst of stony hearts and hurtful actions, we can be thankful that the God is working out His salvation in us and through us!

Singing to Christ about the glories of who He is, what He has done, and how we are called to be like Him, can drive the devil out of a situation and put our hearts in the right way.

Verse 17 then becomes a summation to this section.  “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”  Everything I do or say should be done in the name of Jesus.

What does that mean?  “In the name” speaks to doing these things in His place.  You are to be Him in the lives of others.  Your goal should be to let Jesus do through you what He would do if He were there.  It also has the idea of doing it in the reputation of Christ.  Everything we do can affect how people see Christ.  Of course, this can be intimidating because we are not perfect.  Still, I am representing Him and should not act in such a way to dishonor Him.  What do I do if I have acted selfishly and not as Christ would have me?  Be honest.  Confess your error and ask for forgiveness.  Point people to the truth of Christ rather than yourself.

Finally, “in the name” also speaks to doing these things in His purpose, as an ambassador, and as a service unto Him.  If we were more conscious of this in everything we said and did, we would be far more circumspect in our actions towards one another.

He then reminds us for the third time to be “giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”   How can we get a heart like this, a heart that does tough stuff with a thankful and cheerful heart?  We can only get it from Jesus, one day at a time, one dying to self at a time.  May God help us to truly believe that He can help to transform our hearts over time and lead us in living out the image of God that He so perfectly revealed and is even now inspiring within us.

New Identity 2 audio

The Acts of the Apostles 86

Subtitle:  Charged before Man

Acts 24:1-21.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on November 10, 2024.

By the time we finish the book of Acts, Paul will have been put on trial before many different groups and men for the sake of the Gospel, not because of any crimes that he has committed.  Paul had gone from being a man who arrested and put people on trial, to the one that was being arrested and tried.  The tables had turned on his life.

Like anything in this world, we find that this area of arresting people and determining their guilt by trial is, first, necessary in a fallen world.  Even if we could find one very honest person and give them complete authority over what information we could receive, and even if they were able to give  us a perfect education on every topic under the sun, There would still be people who disagree and refuse to comply.  Part of this is the image of God within us.  We are not automatons.  We can think for ourselves, when we choose to do so.  Also, we tend to chafe at gatekeepers who hide all the choices from us.

However, on the negative side, we are all sinners and don’t like to be told that the thing we like is sinful.  Even a society that cast off complete restraint from the Bible and totally followed a morality designed by elite social scientists (yes, I know…an oxymoron) would find that not all people would go along with it.  Yes, we are bent towards sin, but we still like choices in our sin.

As long as humans are in this mortal state, we will need to have a monitored system that holds us accountable to truth.  However, such systems and the people in them are easily corrupted because of sin.  We might throw up our hands and say, “Damned if you don’t, and Damned if you do.”  However, this is what is on display in the book of Acts.  In the face of corrupt Jewish leaders and corrupt Roman leaders, the Spirit of God worked through lowly people to bring a greater hope to this world.

With that said, let’s get into our passage, where Paul has been kept in jail in Caesarea on the coast of Judea.

Paul is accused of causing dissension (v. 1-9)

The passage opens with the high priest and the elders arriving to make their charges against Paul.  They have also brought along a man named Tertullus.  He is most likely not Jewish.  Orators were essentially like having a lawyer.  If you think about it, the best lawyers are those who are skillful in their oratory.  We can see this on display with the opening speech of Tertullus.  He is declaring the praises of Governor Felix in order to soften him up towards their position.

The main charge is that Paul causes dissension among the Jews wherever he goes.  The colorful metaphor of being “a plague” is used of Paul, and he describes the extent of Paul’s activity as “throughout the world.”

This may not seem important to us, but Felix would pay close attention to such a charge.  Do you remember Aquila and Priscilla earlier in the book of Acts?  They had left Rome because of a decree from Caesar kicking out all of the Jews.  This banishment was due to riots among the Jews.    Many historians believe that these riots were precisely because of tension between Jews who embraced Jesus and Jews who did not.  Paul had a similar activity in Corinth and, no doubt, in other places.  Rome did not like anything that messed with the Pax Romana, the peace of Rome.  This heavy-handed peace would either land on the heads of men like Paul, or it would land upon the governors and magistrates who failed to keep their areas under control.  Thus, Tertullus points to Paul as a guy who is a threat to Rome, but also to Felix himself.

Second, they charge Paul with being a “ringleader” of  the “sect” of the Nazarenes.  In English, “ringleader” has a circus feel, as if these guys are only interested in money.  However, the word translated “ringleader” is more about the guy who is the leader of the group in question.  The refer to the group as a sect.  We would use the term cult today.  It is a smaller group that has broken off of a larger group, at least intellectually.  The Jewish religion had been recognized by Rome.  However groups that broke off from Judaism would not necessarily have that same recognition.  Tertullus presents Paul as a leader of a group that is heretical to the official views of the religion of the Jews.  Of course, the men with him hold the highest religious offices within Israel.

It is interesting that they are called the “sect of the Nazarenes.”  Jesus was from Nazareth, and those who followed him are labeled by the authorities as the sect of the Nazarenes.  Of course, most Christians were not Nazarenes.  The people of Nazareth were not very accepting of Jesus.  Still, it is a recognition that Paul is with a group that follows a man who was executed for heresy against Israel’s God and a threat to Rome.

We might ask ourselves this question.  Is Paul the ringleader of those who followed Jesus?  Paul doesn’t control the church, and he is definitely not in this for the money.  He is, however, one of the proven leaders within the group.  Regardless, Tertullus wants to give Felix the hope that this whole movement can be controlled, or ended, by simply eliminating Paul.

Lastly, they charge Paul with profaning the temple.  Rome was big on leaving the religion of the people they dominated stay in place.  As long as the people showed deference to Roman Power, they could worship their own specific gods.  They are not concerned about other gods so much as they are concerned about threats to their control.  People are very touchy about religious things, particularly shrines and temples.  The accusation that Paul was profaning the temple would be directly connected to an attempt to create a riot.

What does it mean to profane something?  To understand profaning something, we must first understand the concept of holy.  Something is holy when it has been set apart for a particular purpose by God.  Of course, in the Roman world, there were many so-called gods.  The temple was the place where Israel was to worship and sacrifice to the One True God.  It was a place set apart for those purposes prescribed and described in the Law of Moses. 

Profaning is something that a person does to something that is holy.  It happens when you use a holy thing for a purpose other than what God has prescribed.  This can be as simple as using the bowls and plates of the temple, that are only to be used for the sacrifices of Yahweh, at home for a dinner with special guests.  There is nothing wrong with serving a meal to someone.  This is a common act.  Yet, you do not use holy things for a common activity.  It would be even worse if we used the holy thing for immoral purposes.  Thus, Eli’s sons would profane God’s tabernacle (essentially a portable temple) by using it to hit on women who came to it, even sleeping with them.  Such disobedience to the stated purposes and decrees of God profanes those holy things.  We can even profane the name of our Lord when we use it without the reverence it is due.

Paul had not been doing any such thing when he went to the temple.  Everything he did there was respectful of God’s purposes for the temple.  He had done the proper purifications, brought the proper offerings, and participated in the sacrifice of the required animals for completing his vow.  If anyone was profaning the temple, it was the high priest and the elders themselves.  Do you remember Jesus turning the tables over and whipping the money lenders out of its courts?  God intended the temple to be a place of prayer for all nations, but they had turned into a place of merchandise.  To add insult to injury, this commercialization was set up in the only area that Gentiles could go.  They were mainly affecting the experience of Gentiles, rather than their own.

Though it is not stated, we saw earlier that they were accusing Paul of bringing a Gentile into the sacrificial area where Gentiles could not go (God’s decree).  If he had done this, it would be a profanity, an act of profaning the holy things of God.  However, this is completely untrue and only an assumption made by the Jews of Asia who recognized him in the temple.

We should also notice in verse 7 that they tell the story in a way that makes them look  better and Commander Lysias look worse.  They present themselves as calmly arresting Paul and preparing him for a reasonable trial.  Yet, Lysias came “with great violence” and seized Paul from them.

Paul defends himself (v. 10-21)

Paul’s defense roughly falls into three sections.  He first makes the case for his innocence at inciting dissension.  He then shares his faith, which is the true source of their charges against him.  He lastly explains the circumstances of his arrest and why the charges are therefore baseless.

Let’s look at his case.  He first emphasizes that he had only gone up to Jerusalem twelve days ago.  At this point, we should remember that Paul has been under arrest and in Roman custody for around 5 and a half days.  This would give Paul a total of 6 to 7 days to draw people to his alleged plan to stir up a riot and execute it.  If it is the contention that he hadn’t created a riot yet, but was about to do so, then the intelligence gathering skills of the Jews must be really good to catch him within such little time.

He then explains that he was not found by anyone disputing with people in the temple, especially not inciting a riot.

He then essentially says that they have no evidence and cannot prove the charges they allege against him.

We might ask ourselves exactly what was Paul doing in the temple?  He had gone with several other Jewish men to fulfill their vows.  This would have included purification rites, donation of money, and the proper sacrifices.  He was not “profaning” the temple.  He was doing exactly what the Old Testament says was to be done in the Temple.

He then turns to talk about his faith.  Paul is not focused only on getting himself off of the charges, although he surely wants to do so.  He also wants to please the Lord by seizing the opportunity to share his faith and the reason he holds it.

He rebuffs the charge that he is part of a “sect,” or cult.  Paul and his fellow believers in Jesus worship the God of Israel (“of our fathers”) and believe everything that is written in the Law and  the Prophets.  Of course, the Sadducees cannot say this, since they only followed the Law.  However, this was a strong doctrine of the Pharisees and is quite within the mainstream of the Jewish faith.  In fact, the Pharisees were much closer to biblical faith than the Sadducees ever hoped to be.

Paul mentions in verse 15 that he has hope in God, which is a fundamental teaching of Scripture.  He also accepts the teaching that God will one day resurrect the dead.  The Sadducees rejected this idea, but Pharisees and most of Israel at least gave lip-service to the idea that God would resurrect the righteous and the unrighteous one day.

Paul ends in verse 16 with describing his personal goal.  He strives to live in such a way that he would have a conscience without offense towards others.  These others would be God and his fellow humans (especially his countrymen, the Jews).  Of course, this is easier said than done.

It is hard enough to please a majority of the people, but adding God into the mix makes it impossible.  Paul will not accept displeasing God.  So, what does he do when pleasing God angers a person, Roman or Jewish?  He will always choose to please God first and then ask how he can do it in a way that doesn’t purposefully offend others (at least having a conscience that believes he tried his best).

In verse 17, Paul moves to talk about the circumstances of his arrest.  He had not gone to Jerusalem to cause dissension.  He had been absent for a long time (this would highlight his necessity to go for religious reasons).  Secondly, the guys who actually accused him in the temple of profaning it were interestingly enough absent in these proceedings.  They were the eye-witnesses and cannot be properly cross-examined, whether by Paul or Felix.

Lastly, Paul states that he hasn’t done anything wrong.  The only thing he did that could be faulted to him was to declare his faith in the resurrection when he was questioned by the Sanhedrin. 

We are going to stop at this point, but let me point out a few things.  We can be tempted to approach difficulties like this in a way that tries to avoid it.  We can be afraid of losing money, jobs, family, a marriage, church membership, etc.  Paul knows that religion and beliefs are at the root of this.  In a way, he has set up the Gospel for Felix.  I’m on trial because I believe in the resurrection.  However, deeper than this is particularly the resurrection of Jesus, who was crucified as a heretic to Israel and a rebel to Rome.

This is important because the enemy of our soul, the devil, wants you to focus on what you will lose so that you will act out of a desire to keep what you have.  What did Jesus say about this?  “He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”  (John 12:25 NKJV).  Also, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?”  (Mark 8:36 NKJV).

When we are in tough situations, we can think only of ourselves and not the opportunities to share Jesus.  We should beware of looking at others as being on our side or against us.  In this scenario, we give our love to people who are “on our side,” and protect ourselves from those who are “against us.”

I have entitled this sermon, “Charged before Man.”  You could end up in a court like Paul did, unjustly charged by others.  Yes, it is okay to defend yourself, but never lose sight of the opportunity to show Jesus to those involved, and anyone watching.

We even have general charges within our society against Christians.  If we focus only on avoiding those charges, then we will be an obstacle to the Gospel and our Lord Jesus.  It is not our job to convince people that we are the good guys.  Jesus was put to death as a criminal by those who claimed to be the good guys.   What is the truth?  Who knew this truth at the time of his death?

The best we can do is make sure that we are firmly entrenched on the Lord’s side.  A charge against us is a charge against us should only make us pray harder to the Lord.  “Am I guilty, Lord?  Let me hear the leading of Your Holy Spirit for this situation.” 

The enemy like to use charges against us to tie up our heart.  No righteous person wants to be called a heretic or a trouble-maker.  The fear that others will believe the accusations can trap us in all the wrong actions and all the wrong words.  Only the Spirit of Jesus can help us to navigate such troubling circumstances.

Yet, there is one more level in which we face the charges of man.  Our very own heart and mind can charge us.  “I’m a failure.  Surely, if God was with me, all of this bad stuff wouldn’t be happening.”  The only thing that can silence such charges is the truth of Jesus.  His word cuts through all the lies of our society and the lies entrenched in our heart.  Sometimes, God is using difficult circumstances to bring those lies we believe to the surface.  He then speaks to us to scrape it off and let it go.

The truth of the love of Jesus also helps us.  The love of Jesus did not come to us because we were innocent of all charges.  Rather, even while we were yet sinners, Christ Jesus died for us.  God is not willing for you to spiritually perish.  He is on your side.  The real question is this.  Am I on His side?

May God help us to keep our eyes upon Jesus, to be people of the Word of God, people of prayer and seeking the wisdom of His Holy Spirit.  And, may we be a blazing light of hope in this severely dark day!

Charged before Man audio

Sermon on the Mount XI

Subtitle:  Correcting the Righteousness of the Hypocrites II

Matthew 6:5-9.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on February 18, 2024.

We continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus exposes, or corrects, the supposed righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, which he calls “hypocrites” in this section.

Last week we looked at the issue of charitable giving.  We now deal with the area of prayer.

Let’s look at our passage.

The way of Righteousness in prayer:

This section is expanded compared to the section on deeds of mercy (charitable deeds) and the coming section on fasting.  In fact, it has three sections: this first one that explains the teaching of Jesus regarding prayer (5-8), a model prayer (9-13), and then a last section that gives a further explanation (14-15). 

An explanation (v. 5-8)

This section does exactly the same thing with prayer that Jesus did with the section on charitable deeds.  It contrasts how the hypocrites pray with how Jesus wants his followers to pray.  It essentially boils down to wanting to be seen and heard by people versus wanting to be heard by God.

We should take this as a challenge to us from the master not only to pray, but to pray rightly.  Today, the Spirit of God helps us to sense that original challenge that Jesus gave to the people when he taught.  Do I pray?  And, how do I pray?

Just as the hypocrites did charitable deeds only to be seen by others, so they pray in order to be seen by others.  In fact, Jesus adds the descriptive word “love.”  They love to pray in the synagogue or on the street corner because people will see them.  They love the glory that people give to them for their apparent righteousness.  Yet, they neither love God, nor love others.  In truth, they pretty much love themselves.  They for sure do not love praying in secret.

If you are the kind of person that marvels at certain people when they pray- maybe their flowery language stirs your heart, then you should be careful.  Seek to become a praying person yourself, rather than marveling at the praying abilities of others.  In fact, when are We the People going to stop being so easily stirred up by the presentations of others, both for the good or for the bad?  We should stop being so easily amazed because we are atrocious at knowing whether the image that is presented is only skin deep, or whether it goes all the way to the bone.  When we are not in tune with the Holy Spirit through prayer, we do things like help out in stoning Stephen in Acts 7.

Jesus tells us that such praying receives the reward it wants, the glory of people.  God may be offended by such praying, but He lets them have what they want, the adoration of the people (at least as much as the people will give).

God is not offended like we are as humans.  Rather, He removes the restraints would have spared you great damage.  Humans were never designed to have the adoration of crowds, the worship of them as people do for Musicians, Actors, Athletes, etc.  If you look at the lives of people who reach the top of glamor and glory, their lives collapse under the weight of such false worship.

Of course, not everyone who prays in public is fake.  In fact, we could not even have a public worship service without praying, singing, preaching in public.  However, the point is not to put more value on such public acts than they are truly worth.  If public prayer does not have a foundation of secret prayer, then it is worthless, whether people know so, or not.

Thus, Jesus tells his followers not to love to pray like that.  Instead, we are to find a secret place to pray in.  The word for “room” in verse six is a word that was used for a storage closet.  They were typically small rooms in the middle of a structure that would not have windows.  His point is not so much the exact place, but that it is a place where no one will see you.  It could actually be translated “hidden place.” 

I know, I know.  Mom’s are saying right now that there is no such thing as a hidden place!  Of course, how much glory would you expect to receive from your child seeing you pray, or knowing that you are praying?  Jesus is not creating a law of prayer.  He is doing heart surgery here, and we should not become bogged down in snarky retorts. Jesus is pointing us to the intention of our prayer.  A person who only prays in public has a heart problem.  They are not in relationship with God, but seeking satisfaction somewhere else.

Jesus emphasizes that your (singular) Father in heaven is also in the secret, or hidden, place.  This phrase would have reminded them of the same phrase in the Old Testament, like Psalm 91.  David learned that,  even though God was in heaven, He was also in those hidden places when no one was looking.  David spent tons of time praying out in the field with the sheep.  God met him there. 

Even though God is everywhere, He recognizes that prayer done when no one is watching truly has the intention of relating with Him.  This private audience with the King of the Universe happens to also be a private audience with your heavenly Father.  Have you ever thought about the reality that our minds are the original secret place?  You can be in public, but meet with God in the secret place of your mind, and those in the place would never know.

Let me just point out that God as a Father is mentioned 17 times in the Sermon on the Mount.  One time it is “our Father” (The Lord’ Prayer, Matthew 6:9).  Also, Jesus refers to God as “My Father” one time in Matthew 7:21.  The other 15 times Jesus says that He is “your Father.”  Five of these are a singular “your/you.”  The other ten are plural.  Yes, God is individually your heavenly Father, but the emphasis is on us as a group.

Again, Jesus promises that secret prayer will have its reward in the open.  He doesn’t guarantee what that will look like.  In fact, the resurrection and being with Jesus is put forth as our ultimate reward.  We must be careful of thinking that if we pray alone enough, then God will have to give us some really cool things publicly.  Pray because you want to know God, not because you want stuff from Him.  He is your reward!

Jesus gives another warning in the practice of prayer in verse 7, but this time, he looks to the religious practices of the Gentiles, instead of the hypocrites within Israel.  The word translated “vain repetition” is hard to translate without more context.  It is clear though that it has to do with praying many words.  The point has to do with lack of true heart-content.  It is more about rituals, incantations, or techniques that are supposed to help gain the attention of the “gods.”

In Gentile spirituality, the so-called gods did not care for humans, so they had to learn techniques and formulas for drawing their help.  They would even hedge their bets by worshiping many different gods.  Surely one of them would come through for them.  We should not repeat phrases like a mantra over and over.  We should not speak a certain power syllable over and over.  There really is no end to the empty techniques that false religion will conjure for its acolytes.

The One True God in heaven, your heavenly Father, is not impressed by such empty tricks.  We cannot treat God like some sort of cosmic machine that we can put in the right amount of quarters, or pull the lever just right, in order to get what we want.  Instead, we are to speak to our Father simply, and clearly.

Can you imagine speaking to your earthly dad in such ways?   He would probably call the men in white coats to come and take you away, if you did.  God wants us to approach Him as a child to a Father.  He wants to have real relationship with us as that signals.

Jesus even tells us that our heavenly Father already knows what we need before we ask.  God is omniscient.  He knows what you need way better than even you do.  He is intimately aware of your needs.  He is paying attention to your life, regardless of what it seems like to you.  You think you are cursed because of your experience of life, but Jesus tells you that you are blessed (Matthew 5:3-12).  You don’t have to employ tricks and techniques to draw His attention.  You just have to really pray to Him in the hidden place.  Don’t pray rote prayers over and over again in particular sequences while making certain signs.  This is not what Jesus wanted our prayers to become.

A Model Prayer (v. 9-10)

Let’s look at the first part of this prayer.  It starts out with the words, “In this manner, therefore, pray.”  The emphasis is that this creates a template or model that we can use in our own praying times.  Yes, we can pray it, but it is not a mantra or incantation that “always works.”  If we will pay attention to the components of this prayer, then we will be instructed in how to pray, and in what to pray about.

I will lay the prayer out to demonstrate the structure of the prayer.

“Our Father in heaven,

          Hallowed be Your name.

          Your Kingdom come.

          Your will be done.

                  On earth as it is in heaven.”

The first line is the address.  Who am I addressing when I pray?  It is interesting that Jesus has made the point that God is “your (singular) Father.”  Yet, in this model prayer, he uses the plural concept of “Our Father.”  Think of it.  You are approaching God alone in a hidden place, and yet you address Him as a part of a group. 

There is an obvious lack of the concept of “I” and “me” in this prayer. I am reminded of the prayer of the Pharisee in Luke 18:12-14.  His prayer keeps repeating “I,” and when he does mention others, it is in contempt and derision.  Yes, the tax collector also uses the first person pronoun of “me.”  However, the prayer of repentance and humility is always heard.  This is not about never using first person pronouns.  Rather, it is recognizing that Jesus is signaling something important to us by their absence.  Perhaps my prayers are far to self oriented?  Do you think?

The key is not so much never using the pronouns, “I,” “me” or “mine.”  It is about being fully aware that your heavenly Father is also your brother’s heavenly Father.  We should approach God alone, but not as ones who are alone.  Even people who are not God’s child are desired to be so by Him.  He is bringing us into a larger community, His family.  And, He wants us to care for one another, even in our secret prayers.

This address is followed by three requests that focus on God and His purpose, rather than on me and my purposes.

Israel had fourteen centuries of wavering between focus on God’s purposes and focus on their own purposes.  At some point, we must become a broken person that realizes “our purposes” generally get in the way of God’s.  Also, His purposes are more beneficial to us and others than the purposes that we come up for ourselves.

We generally even pray for God’s purposes selfishly.  You can pray for God to bring in the Kingdom, but why do you do so?  Do you want the Kingdom because then you will be bossing people around?  Are you focused more on how good your experience will be instead of the glory of God blessing all the earth?

Israel, in general, had come to a place where they couldn’t wait for God to put the Romans in their place under the boot of Israel.  Yet, Jesus showed the remnant the heart of God wanted to take the light of the Gospel to that Gentile world and invite them into the Kingdom in a good way.

Let’s look at the form of the three request first.  The form of the first one, “hallowed be Your name,” is true of them all.  The verb is first followed by the subject.  The other two would look something like this: “Come be Your Kingdom.  Done be Your will!”  These are also imperatives (commands).  However, they are in the third person singular.  This has the effect of begging the question of just who is to do these things.  Perhaps, it is both God and us.

The first request speaks of God’s name.  This is His reputation, and the way people view Him.  The prayer is that God’s name, person, and reputation be seen and treated as holy.  In fact, the most holy thing in the universe.  Holy means that something is set apart for God’s purposes.  This may seem redundant (how can God not be holy, i.e., about His own purposes).  Yet, the emphasis is on how others see Him.  God is perfect in His character and attributes.  He is not like sinful humans, nor like the sinful spiritual beings.  However, we don’t always see and treat God as such.  People have no problem slandering God, and attributing things to Him that are not true.  It is a prayer for God to be respected by all.  So, this should start with me.

The second request is that the Kingdom of heaven would be brought in, or that it would come.  This is clearly a reference to the Kingdom of Messiah.  We are praying for its full realization on earth, instead of just being in heaven.  This does involve living out the Kingdom today in our lives.  We are to be an expression now, of a coming Kingdom later when Christ returns.

Is my life an ever-clearer expression of the values of Jesus?  May God help us to give ourselves to being an expression of the coming King and His perfect Kingdom that is coming.

The third request is that God’s will would be done.  Sometimes God’s will seems to be at odds with His Kingdom.  When Jesus went to the cross, it seemed to be the opposite of bringing in the Kingdom.  Submission to God’s will as the All-Wise One is important.  We can be a person who expects God to do particular things in our life, and when He doesn’t, we can be disillusioned.  “God, you said I would be blessed, but now there is a cross in front of me!”  We don’t always understand why God does what He does.

When we pray for God’s purpose, we are praying for the greatest good to come about.  In fact, there are layers to the will of God.  God put a curse upon the earth.  Is it His will that it last forever?  No!  What I do with it is important.  Wrestling with God like Jacob did is rewarded with intimacy.  Yes, the wicked man will be judged and go to the Lake of Fire, but God wants us to resist that by telling him the Gospel, the love of God.  God wants us to plead with the man that He resist God’s will properly, that is, through repentance and seeking mercy.

All of this connects to the greatest commandment.  When you love God with all of your being, you will pray for His purposes to come first.  All of this is a desire to have the goodness of God expressed on the earth, and not just in my secret times of prayer with Him. 

For the sake of time, we will pause here and pick up on the second half of the Lord’s Prayer next week.

Correcting Righteousness II

The Acts of the Apostles 43

Subtitle: A Critical Juncture

Acts 10:17-33. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on June 4, 2023.

Last week, we saw that both Cornelius the Centurion of Caesarea and the Apostle Peter had a vision from the Lord.  The content of the visions are different, but they are essentially about the same thing.

This is a critical juncture in the book of Acts.  Chapters 10 through 15 portray the Lord opening a door for the Gospel to be preached among the Gentiles.  And, let's be clear.  The goal of the Gospel is not only to have it preached all over the earth, but that every person on earth would have a proper hearing of it.

Even though Saul of Tarsus, the Apostle Paul, would come to be used mainly to reach the Gentiles, it is  Peter that God uses to initiate the Gospel being preached to Gentiles.  His witness will be incredibly important in Acts 15 at a council of the Church regarding this issue.

Turmoil is always going to come to the Church simply because we are human.  Some look to good leadership as the key to protecting the Church, to which I would say, "Yes."  However, it is the leadership of Jesus through His Holy Spirit that should be leading.  There have been many people in the Church through the centuries who are very skilled at commanding others, but are they headed in the same direction as the Spirit of God?

Jesus spent time with these Apostles, teaching them and correcting them.  He also poured His Holy Spirit out upon them so that the Church would be enabled to have a strong and sure foundation on which to build.  The faith of the nations is not up to skilled leaders today.  Rather, the faith of the nations is to be put precisely upon the faith that was once and for all delivered unto the saints (Jude 1:3) in the first century.

All of this is led and helped by the Holy Spirit.  As the Holy Spirit works on the hearts of lost people, He also works to connect them with true believers in Jesus so that they can have a good hearing of the Gospel.

Let's look at our passage.

Peter is led by the Spirit (v. 17-23)

Peter has been filled with the Holy Spirit, and we see him in a daily communion with the Lord in prayer.  The filling of the Holy Spirit is not a one and done event; it is not something that you "move on" from.  He takes up residence within your heart and daily works with you to become like Jesus.  He is twice called the Spirit of Christ.  That is, when the Spirit moves upon us, He is relating the desires and commands of Jesus to His disciples.  Of course, we must never take this for granted.  We must actively cooperate with the leading of the Holy Spirit.

You may not receive great directives from the Lord every day in visions, dreams, or angelic visitations.  However, we all start our life as a believing disciple with a set of great directives, commands, from the Lord Jesus.  We are to believe on Jesus and his righteousness to remove our sins.  We are to be a people of the Word of God, prayer, and seeking the leading of the Holy Spirit through them.  We are to seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that we can be enabled to become more like Jesus, and to share his Good News with those who do not know him.  That can keep us all busy for a lifetime.

Several aspects of the enabling of the Holy Spirit are seen here.  Peter is given instruction, and he is given direction.

We know that this instruction has to do with the Gentiles receiving the Gospel.  However, this was not as clear to the early Jewish Christians.  For various reasons, it was easier to see preaching the Gospel throughout all of the nations as having more to do with reaching Jews, or Israelites, who had been dispersed to the nations in the prior centuries.  The Old Testament prophesied that Messiah would draw the dispersed of Israel back to the land, and he would restore true worship.  Yet, a close reading of any version of the Great Commission (see Matthew 28:18-20) will show that it is honestly impossible to restrict his commands to simply reaching Jews among the nations.

This social and cultural hurdle has to be overcome by the work of the Holy Spirit.  Notice that the Holy Spirit gives Peter clear instructions, but they do not answer every question that he might have.  The men from Cornelius are arriving.  The Holy Spirit tells Peter that they are there and that he needs to go with them because they are sent by Him.

This is a signature style of the Lord.  He is faithful to give us enough instruction and direction that we can obey, and yet, not enough that it no longer  requires faith on our part.  There will always be plenty of things that we just don't know.  Don't let yourself be frozen by questions and analysis at such times. 

Part of our humanity is that we are generally uncomfortable with not knowing the answers to our questions.  Yet, God values faith over robotic obedience, which we could never give anyways.  He is more interested in you growing to become like Him than you mimicking Him without a change of heart.

In many ways, this is a stronger teaching technique.  We are forced to move forward in faith that it will be clearer down the road.  As we are faithful to what we do know, God helps us to discover more of the truth as our questions experience the fruit of our faith. 

Jesus did this with his own identity as Messiah.  Many of the disciples had come to Jesus on the testimony of John the Baptist.  Yet, Jesus does not emphasize the disciples learning by rote a list of doctrinal teachings on his Messiahship.  Rather, they experience life with him and come to discover that Jesus is doing what Scripture says Messiah would do.  Jesus blessed Peter because "flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."  These men had been convinced by God's Spirit and not the teaching of a human being.

Here, Peter is learning that he does not need to worry about being defiled by the company of Gentiles, as well as the fact that God was going to save and fill them with the Holy Spirit too.  He didn't have perfect understanding of these things at first.  However, following Jesus is not about being perfect.  It is about being perfected as we rely upon the Spirit of God in our life.  It is about being in the harness with God, and having Him help us along the way.

Thus, God gives us enough to believe him, but leaves room requiring us to walk forward in faith.  I know that I don't have all of the answers.  But, this one thing I do know.  Through His Spirit, God will be with me all the way.  This is what enables us to face a world that is under threat of nuclear destruction without fear.  My life is in God's hand, which doesn't mean a nuclear bomb cannot explode (remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki?).  My life is in God's hands so I know that He is leading me to that which is good.  My hope for tomorrow is not about God controlling everything so that I do not have a bad day.  Instead, it is about knowing His plan for me is good and eternal.  Even death cannot separate us from the love of God and the eternal love He wants to pour out upon us.  God has a plan for you and me.  He intends to bring us through this life to the goodness that He has reserved for us on the other side.  And, good news, there is good even now in the midst of the difficulties of this life.

Peter is also told in verse 20 to go while "doubting nothing."  This is not a categorical statement for everything for the rest of his life.  He doesn't have to answer that cell phone call from "Scam Likely" and do whatever the person on the line says.  This word is specifically about these men and the situation they will create.

When Peter goes downstairs, he is going to see that these men are Gentiles.  He will have doubts about receiving them, lodging them, and going with them to Caesarea.  And while we are at it, let's recognize that we always have doubts.  The point is not so much to get to a theoretical place where doubts never rise in our hearts and minds.  Rather, it is about not letting the doubts cause you to resist, or even rebel against, the clear command of Christ. 

When doubts pop up, you must remind yourself that God has spoken to you.  I see this with those who become Christians, but then have a nagging fear that they may have committed the unpardonable sin.  They fear that the "salvation" is not real.  The only answer to such a thing is to go back to that moment of turning to the Lord.  Most of them could point to a very real moment in which the Spirit of God convicted them of their sins and their need to believe on Jesus.  The Holy Spirit is not playing a game with people.  He would know if someone had committed and unpardonable sin or not.  It is the work of the Spirit of God that gives us confidence that we should keep walking forward in faith trusting God.

Even when we know what God wants us to do, our fleshly mind and heart can come up with doubts.  This is why it is important to have a daily communication with God in prayer, and in the Word.  This can strengthen our confidence in God's leading.  What we do for Christ will be done by faith in him, not simply by feeling and reason.

With all of this leading of Peter by the Holy Spirit, it is interesting to note that the Holy Spirit leaves some of Peter's instruction, or understanding, to come to him through other people.  Thus, we need to seek the Holy Spirit's leading within us, but also learn to hear and see it through others. God also works in and through other people. 

Of course, this is an area where it is important for us to be mature enough in the Lord to recognize when the Lord is working through another person.  In the end, I am responsible to hear what the Spirit is saying and then bring my life into conformity to it.  All of us came to Christ through the work of other people.  However, we then had to take responsibility for what God was saying and make the choice ourselves.  We will see this dynamic throughout this story.

Peter lodges the men over night, and then they head out on the 40 miles trek to Caesarea.  Verse 23 tells us that Peter takes some of the brethren from Joppa with him.  It will be important for others to be witnesses of what transpires in Caesarea.

Sometimes in questionable areas, we can try to do things in secret out of fear.  However, it is always wise to have other believers with us.  In cases where they can't go with you, you can at least talk with them about what is coming up, and ask them to be praying for you.

Peter knows that God is leading him.  He just doesn't know what all God is leading him to do.  When the council in Acts 15 convenes, there will be a large number of witnesses of what God has been doing among the Gentiles.  Each one of them were individuals who stepped out in faith with others.

Peter meets with Cornelius (v. 24-33)

The next morning the group heads out.  Though Peter is headed to see Cornelius, this is more than a meeting with a man.  God is in this meeting and has an agenda of His own.

We are told that Cornelius was waiting for them.  He wants to know what he should do, but he also wants his relatives and close friends to know as well.  We don't know the number of people who have gathered, but the number is less critical than the fact that God is using Cornelius to draw a crowd.

We are not always sure how God is going to use us as well.  A good prayer is this.  "Lord, I want to accomplish what You have for me to do, so help me to recognize it and to do it." 

May God bless those faithful people like Cornelius who have the fire of God within them to gather others to hear the Word of the Lord.  There is no idea that God told him to do this.  We generally do not need a direct word from the Lord in order to do something.  This is in keeping with the God of Israel.  He continually calls for people to hear what He has to say.

The fact that Cornelius meets Peter at the door is a sign of great respect.  This is not the normal way that a Roman centurion would deal with a Judean. 

On the other hand, an angel of God told Cornelius to send for Peter.  If God did something similar in your life, that person would go way up in your estimation.

However, Cornelius falls to the ground and worships Peter.  This word for worship does have a range of meaning.  Thus, the question is this.  Is Cornelius simply showing great respect to Peter as one of greater authority (spirit) than he, or, is he actually worshiping Peter as a divine man.  The gentiles had a mentality that the gods and demi-gods could appear as people and walk among us.  We see this in Acts 14 when Paul and Barnabas heal a man crippled from birth.  The people cry out that "the gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!"

Peter probably would have been uncomfortable with both ends of the spectrum.  He definitely would not allow someone to worship him as divine.  Yet, he also knows that he is nobody to be bowed down to.  Only Jesus deserves such honor.  At the cross, Peter had found out just how great he really was.  He was not Peter the Great, but rather, he was Just Peter the Pebble.  It was to Peter the Pebble that Christ spoke the tender words.  "Do you love me?  Feed my sheep."  Peter is not full of himself and needing a fragile ego stroked.

The Church would be in a far better place had those who served in the Church of Jesus through the centuries had the same humility that Peter came to have.   Throughout the years, powerful people within Christianity have done a great disservice to God by requiring too much undue homage to be paid to persons of authority.

Peter was not this way.  He took Cornelius by the shoulders and pulls him up.  He impresses on Cornelius that he is just a man.  Cornelius is a devout believer, but he clearly is in need of godly instruction.  This is why the Lord has enabled this meeting.

It is then that Peter discovers a whole group of Gentiles have gathered.  The elephant in the room is that this would not normally be done by a godly Jew.  Peter begins by clearing out this social issue that had become a wall between Jews and Gentiles. 

Verse 28 says, "You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation."  This was not so much from a specific command in the law as it was a protection that developed from the laws of ritual cleanliness.  Gentiles did not operate according to the Law of Moses, and so were generally defiled through the foods they ate and activity they did.

We should take some time to explain that the word "defiled" or "unclean" in this context has to do with a ritual (ceremonial) defilement.  A defiled person could not go before the altar of God, period.  Thus, it is more about the ability to approach God.  Of course, at the altar, a person could then offer sacrifices for their sins, which Jesus is the once-and-for-all offering for sin.  Of course, no godly Jew ever wanted to be defiled and unable to participate in festivals, or offerings.  Over time, a safe set of instructions had been built up like a wall against accidentally becoming defiled. 

This wall had then become a wall between God's people and the ones that God wanted to reach, Gentiles.  It can get so thick that we no longer have a concept that maybe God still cares about them and wants to reach them.  Yet, if you closely read the Old Testament, you will see that God's heart for reaching the Gentiles was all through it.

Peter tells the group that God has shown him not to call any man common or unclean.  Notice that Peter is making the connection that the Holy Spirit is leading him to make.  The unclean foods was representing the Gentiles.  Just as God had cleansed all foods so that they could now be eaten under the New Covenant, God had also cleansed all Gentiles so that they could now interact with Jews and directly approach God for forgiveness.

When  you run into people who ridicule Christians not following their own Bible because they eat pork or shellfish, point them to this verse.  The death of Jesus on the cross had fulfilled the law and made the foods and the Gentiles clean.  This doesn't mean Gentiles were all saved at the cross, but that they now can approach (have access to) the throne of Grace and believe on Jesus Christ!  There would be no restrictions.  This is not a whimsical change.  It is a change that is made possible through the Incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus!

In verses 30 through 32, Cornelius tells his story of the angel in the vision.  Back in verse 6, the angel says of Peter, "He will tell you what you must do."  In verse 33, Cornelius says that they are gathered "before God to hear all the things commanded you by God."

There is a necessary component to what God wants Cornelius to do.  He is a God-fearer, but he still needs to put his faith in Jesus as the Messiah and Savior.  The same commands given to Peter and his fellow Jews, as well as the Samaritans, are intended for these Gentiles.

This is a good picture of how we should always be when we gather to hear the word of the Lord.  Whether I am an individual in times of devotion (reading the word and praying), or a family honoring God at home, or a church gathering for weekly fellowship, we need to have an attitude that we are gathered before God in order to hear what He would have us do.

God accepts the worship of Cornelius, but He also expects him to grow in his understanding, his worship, and his obedience.  If Cornelius wants to participate in a deeper walk with God, then he will need to mix his hearing with faith.

If this was a group of Jews, Peter would not hesitate to tell them about believing in Jesus.  Yet, now he is faced with the obvious desire of God.  Who is he to tell God that He can't save Gentiles this way?  Who am I to stand in the way of people hearing the Gospel?  For Peter, it was the barrier of "unclean" Gentiles.  God tells him not to call unclean what He has cleansed.

This work of Jesus makes it possible for "whosoever" desires to come before God and ask for cleansing of sins from Jesus.  Everybody needs to hear and have the opportunity to believe.  We have our own ideas about who can possibly come to faith in Christ and deserve a hearing.  For you, it may be a person with tattoos, piercings, and colored hair.  Yet, for them, it may be a person who wears a suit for a living.  The Spirit of God wants to break down these barriers and bring us into situations where we can share the Good News about the sacrifice of Jesus, and the promise of the Holy Spirit.

Peter sees in this moment that God has broken down this wall that had developed between Jews and Gentiles.  May we be a people who are led by the Spirit and not our cultural sensibilities.  The Assemblies of God was always a missionary movement.  The founding generation sought to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that people around the world would have a Spirit-filled witness in their life.  This would give them the best possible chance to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.

God help us to desire, to hunger, for the baptism of the Holy Spirit so that we can be a powerful testimony in the lives of others.

Critical Juncture audio