Didn't See That Coming - Inside Outside
One thing that’s constant in our lives is change. We believe God never changes, but things are constantly changing around us. And when it seems like we’ve finally gotten used to the way things are in one season of our lives, change happens.
Navigating change always requires a lot of effort and investment. The whole Book of Acts is full of change – Jesus's entry into heaven, the coming of the Holy Spirit, the beginning of the church, and the beginning of persecution. It’s pretty intense.
Saul became the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus, and what a transformation story that was. We look at that and say, “Wow! God is good!”
But have you ever had someone who was your enemy or adversary who sought to do you harm and is now supposed to be on your team? Saul had harmed people they knew, he even killed some of them. That’s a lot to work through. It takes time and struggle to come to grips with that.
Acts 10:1-23
10 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” 4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.
The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.” 7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants.8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.
9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. 13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” 14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” 15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” 16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
17 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. 18 They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there. 19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. 20 So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.” 21 Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?” 22 The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” 23 Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.
In this part of the Book of Acts, Peter is staying at the house of Simon the Tanner – lots of dead animals, smelly, basically the worst Airbnb ever. Observant Jews weren’t supposed to be around ceremonially unclean things, but here’s Peter staying at this house. Suddenly, it seems like the rules that were so important for so long maybe weren’t so important.
So, there are 2 parts to this change:
In a time where everyone has “their truth,” very few people like to hear that they’re sinners, they can’t save themselves, and they need a savior. Owning up to that is uncomfortable. For us to see how radical, scandalous, and far God is willing to go is hard for us.
Sometimes the greatest transformation God does isn’t when He transforms a sinner into a saint, it’s when He softens and changes the hearts of those who are already his people.
Is there a limit to how far Jesus will reach? To how far He’ll go?
Cornelius’ invitation:
The Jews would not invite a Gentile into their homes. They could not participate in the lives of Gentiles, from dietary restrictions to the actual plates they used. They were thought to be contaminated (non-Kosher, unclean).
If a Gentile wanted to follow God, they had to become Jewish and follow the Jewish law – circumcision, diet, all of it. The Jewish law was built around the idea of the unclean contaminating the clean. Think of when your muscle memory takes over, and you inadvertently put a dirty dish or utensil in a clean dishwasher.
There’s something we can’t miss here. An angel appears in a vision to Cornelius. Angels weren’t supposed to appear to Gentiles, at least favorably. Cornelius is frightened. It seems like a good time for the angel to break out the Gospel invitation, but the angel doesn’t. He tells him to go find Peter, and Peter is the one who shares the Gospel with him.
God shows up in the world when you show up in the world with God.
God doesn’t need us for Him to be God or to do His work, but it’s what He invites us into. The work God calls us into isn’t so much about efficiency as it is about participation. But there’s another part to the why – it changes us. And sometimes, it changes us profoundly.
Occasionally, we avoid listening when we know God is calling us into something because we know it will change us. And we don’t really like change because it requires something of us.
Maybe that change in us is as much the point as how God uses us to impact others.
So, Cornelius sends some of his men off to find Peter, and these guys head off to Joppa. Meanwhile, Peter is hanging out at Simon the Tanner’s house and has his own vision, like Cornelius.
Peter gets hungry while he’s praying, so he gets distracted. Have you ever tried to pray and gotten distracted by something? It’s just like God to use our distractions from Him to speak to us. But remember the context – Peter is an observant Jew, even as a follower of Jesus.
Some animals were clean to eat, and others were unclean. And this voice says, “Rise, Peter, kill and eat.” Peter probably thought this was some kind of test. So he said, “Not so, Lord!”
Peter says no to God a lot.
In Old Testament Jewish law, unclean or common things could desecrate clean or holy things. So, whatever was unclean could contaminate anything pure or set apart. But in this moment, God flips the script.
It’s not the unclean that contaminates the clean, it’s the holy (God) that purifies the unclean, making it clean.
This is a massive shift that has a direct impact on us today.
So, Peter gets up and goes. And when he gets there, there’s discomfort, but then he preaches the same sermon he’s preached several times – repent, believe, be baptized. And Cornelius and his household are. There’s a whole transformation that takes place here.
Peter realizes that God is the one who makes people clean, and it’s not our job to referee how the Holy Spirit is moving but to show up in those places. Anytime someone repents and believes, it’s a miracle. But the bigger miracle is the shift in Peter’s heart.
There’s a parallel between Peter and Cornelius – what God is doing in the heart of Cornelius (outside) and what God is doing in the heart of Peter (inside).
The thing we didn’t see coming is that often the biggest change is what has to happen in OUR hearts, not theirs.
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Navigating change always requires a lot of effort and investment. The whole Book of Acts is full of change – Jesus's entry into heaven, the coming of the Holy Spirit, the beginning of the church, and the beginning of persecution. It’s pretty intense.
Saul became the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus, and what a transformation story that was. We look at that and say, “Wow! God is good!”
But have you ever had someone who was your enemy or adversary who sought to do you harm and is now supposed to be on your team? Saul had harmed people they knew, he even killed some of them. That’s a lot to work through. It takes time and struggle to come to grips with that.
Acts 10:1-23
10 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” 4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.
The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.” 7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants.8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.
9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. 13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” 14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” 15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” 16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
17 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. 18 They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there. 19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. 20 So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.” 21 Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?” 22 The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” 23 Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.
In this part of the Book of Acts, Peter is staying at the house of Simon the Tanner – lots of dead animals, smelly, basically the worst Airbnb ever. Observant Jews weren’t supposed to be around ceremonially unclean things, but here’s Peter staying at this house. Suddenly, it seems like the rules that were so important for so long maybe weren’t so important.
So, there are 2 parts to this change:
- External Change – All the people believing in Jesus, coming to faith individually, by families, or by the thousands. Christians love dramatic and controversial stories.
- Internal Change – For the God’s work to continue to move outward, the people of God have to change.
In a time where everyone has “their truth,” very few people like to hear that they’re sinners, they can’t save themselves, and they need a savior. Owning up to that is uncomfortable. For us to see how radical, scandalous, and far God is willing to go is hard for us.
Sometimes the greatest transformation God does isn’t when He transforms a sinner into a saint, it’s when He softens and changes the hearts of those who are already his people.
Is there a limit to how far Jesus will reach? To how far He’ll go?
Cornelius’ invitation:
- Cornelius is an officer in the Italian Regiment in Caesarea. You can see by the name (Caesar) that this is a Roman town.
- Cornelius would’ve grown up with the Roman deities, but somehow, he discovered God. Maybe he found the Roman gods unsatisfying. Maybe he encountered God in the practices of the Jewish people he was stationed among.
- But even as one who worshipped God, he was profoundly separated from the people of God – the Jews.
The Jews would not invite a Gentile into their homes. They could not participate in the lives of Gentiles, from dietary restrictions to the actual plates they used. They were thought to be contaminated (non-Kosher, unclean).
If a Gentile wanted to follow God, they had to become Jewish and follow the Jewish law – circumcision, diet, all of it. The Jewish law was built around the idea of the unclean contaminating the clean. Think of when your muscle memory takes over, and you inadvertently put a dirty dish or utensil in a clean dishwasher.
There’s something we can’t miss here. An angel appears in a vision to Cornelius. Angels weren’t supposed to appear to Gentiles, at least favorably. Cornelius is frightened. It seems like a good time for the angel to break out the Gospel invitation, but the angel doesn’t. He tells him to go find Peter, and Peter is the one who shares the Gospel with him.
God shows up in the world when you show up in the world with God.
God doesn’t need us for Him to be God or to do His work, but it’s what He invites us into. The work God calls us into isn’t so much about efficiency as it is about participation. But there’s another part to the why – it changes us. And sometimes, it changes us profoundly.
Occasionally, we avoid listening when we know God is calling us into something because we know it will change us. And we don’t really like change because it requires something of us.
Maybe that change in us is as much the point as how God uses us to impact others.
So, Cornelius sends some of his men off to find Peter, and these guys head off to Joppa. Meanwhile, Peter is hanging out at Simon the Tanner’s house and has his own vision, like Cornelius.
Peter gets hungry while he’s praying, so he gets distracted. Have you ever tried to pray and gotten distracted by something? It’s just like God to use our distractions from Him to speak to us. But remember the context – Peter is an observant Jew, even as a follower of Jesus.
Some animals were clean to eat, and others were unclean. And this voice says, “Rise, Peter, kill and eat.” Peter probably thought this was some kind of test. So he said, “Not so, Lord!”
Peter says no to God a lot.
In Old Testament Jewish law, unclean or common things could desecrate clean or holy things. So, whatever was unclean could contaminate anything pure or set apart. But in this moment, God flips the script.
It’s not the unclean that contaminates the clean, it’s the holy (God) that purifies the unclean, making it clean.
This is a massive shift that has a direct impact on us today.
- Holy purifies the unholy
- Light shines in the darkness
- God has overcome the world
So, Peter gets up and goes. And when he gets there, there’s discomfort, but then he preaches the same sermon he’s preached several times – repent, believe, be baptized. And Cornelius and his household are. There’s a whole transformation that takes place here.
Peter realizes that God is the one who makes people clean, and it’s not our job to referee how the Holy Spirit is moving but to show up in those places. Anytime someone repents and believes, it’s a miracle. But the bigger miracle is the shift in Peter’s heart.
There’s a parallel between Peter and Cornelius – what God is doing in the heart of Cornelius (outside) and what God is doing in the heart of Peter (inside).
The thing we didn’t see coming is that often the biggest change is what has to happen in OUR hearts, not theirs.
For more LHC content, subscribe to our newsletter below or follow us on Instagram.
Want to play catch-up, or are you looking for a specific topic? Check out our collection of sermons here.
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