The Gathering 3-24-19

Overview

The Gathering: God Assembles His People Around the Word

Scripture is filled with gatherings. Israel gathered around the rock that gave forth water in the wilderness. Moses was "gathered to his kin" on the mountain after viewing the Promised Land. Crowds gathered around Jesus as He taught, and in Mark 1 the whole city assembled at the door as He healed and cast out demons. Each gathering raises a key question: what is its purpose?

That question stands at the heart of Acts 10:24-33. Cornelius, a Gentile, has been told by an angel to send for Peter. Peter, meanwhile, has received his own vision of a sheet filled with unclean animals, preparing him to cross a boundary no orthodox Jew would normally cross. When Peter arrives in Caesarea, he finds a remarkable assembly: the messengers Cornelius dispatched, fellow believers who traveled with Peter from Joppa, and Cornelius's relatives and close friends. When Cornelius bows, Peter refuses worship—"Stand up; I am only a mortal"—just as Paul and Barnabas would later refuse it in Acts 14 and the angel refused John's worship in Revelation 22:8-9. Worship belongs to God alone. Then Cornelius gives the purpose of the gathering plainly: "All of us are here in the presence of God to listen to all that the Lord has commanded you to say." God had assembled this unlikely group around His Word.

This is what God still does. As Luther confesses in the Small Catechism's third article, the Holy Spirit "calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies" the whole Christian church. The Spirit is active—a verb, not a noun—making the Word jump and come to life. When the church gathers, the Word goes forth through many avenues: the Scriptures read, the sermon preached, the hymns sung, the liturgy spoken, the choir's anthem, the sacraments administered. Through every one of these, God declares to His children: forgiven, mine, life eternal—the gracious word of Christ crucified for sinners and the baptismal claim that we belong to Him.

If God gathers His people in community around His Word, Satan wants the exact opposite: isolated believers listening to the monologue of their own minds or absorbing the voices of the culture without the depth to test them, caught in the undertow of false belief. So do not underestimate the gift of being assembled. You are not in the pew by accident; you are there by divine action—gathered to receive the Word, then sent through the doors to encourage one another and to carry a word of grace into a world that desperately needs it. What God did in Cornelius's house, He is still doing today.

Transcript

The gathering, the gathering. 1s

We see various gatherings throughout Holy Scripture. 6s

I think for example in numbers, when people are complaining against Moses and their thirsty, 9s

and so God grants them this water that comes rushing out of Iraq. 16s

And the Scripture says that the people were gathered around the rock. 21s

I think of Moses being led up on the high mountain in God, giving to Moses a view into the promise 29s

land, but then God also saying, on this mountain you will die, and you will be gathered up with your kin. 35s

They can look, the chapter. 46s

There is Jesus teaching and the crowds are gathering around him. 48s

And mark the first chapter. 52s

There Jesus is healing and he's casting out demons. 56s

And the Scripture says the whole city had gathered. 60s

Gatherings. 65s

And so also in the 10th chapter of the Book of Acts, 68s

what we have is we have a gathering. 73s

Here's my question. 77s

What was the purpose of the gathering? 81s

What was the purpose of the gathering? 86s

We have been studying the 10th chapter of the Book of Acts is one of the most important chapters in all of the Bible. 92s

And just a recap where we've been, remember Cornelius received a vision that he should go and talk with a person by the name of Peter. 102s

Meanwhile Peter receives a vision of a large sheet coming down. 111s

And in the sheet are reptiles and for footed animals and birds. 115s

And he's given the command to eat and Peter says, I can't do that. 121s

I've never eaten anything on clean. 124s

I can't break the dietary law. 126s

So you've got these two visions here. 129s

The men sent by Cornelius to get Peter show up with Peter. 133s

Peter invites them in, which is a dramatic event to begin with. 138s

Because you've got an orthodox Jew here in viting the non Jew to lodge together. 143s

One wonders by the spirit was he already getting the message of the inclusion of the Gentiles. 151s

And then they head off to Cessaria to meet up with Cornelius. 159s

That's where we pick up. 167s

Let's pick up in verse 24 of 10th chapter. 169s

The following day, they came to Cessaria. 172s

Cornelius was expecting them. 176s

And they said, called together his relatives and close friends. 177s

On Peter's arrival, Cornelius met him and falling at his feet. 182s

Worshiped him. 187s

But Peter made him get up saying, stand up. 189s

I'm only immortal. 192s

See, Peter's not going to have any of that. 196s

Hey, that. 198s

I'm reminded of what we'll study when we get to the 14th chapter. 199s

When the pagans fall down to worship, 202s

Paul and Barnabas and Paul and Barnabas. 204s

I'll have none of that. 207s

None of that. 208s

Or I think of in Revelation in John, where John bows down to worship the angel. 209s

And the angel said, no, that. 215s

None of that. 218s

There's only one that deserves worship. 219s

And that is God Almighty. 222s

Peter says, you don't worship me. 225s

He goes on. 229s

Verse 27. 230s

And as you talked with him, 231s

he went in, found that many had assembled. 233s

And he said to them, 236s

view yourselves, no, it's unlawful for a Jew to associate with or to visit a Gentile. 238s

But God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean. 246s

So when I was sent for, I came without objection. 254s

Now may I ask, 258s

why you sent for me? 261s

He's asking for the purpose of the gathering. 265s

And it's an interesting gathering, isn't it? 268s

Who's involved in this gathering? 270s

Back up to verse 7, please, chapter 10. 273s

When the angel who spoke to him had left, 276s

he called two of his slaves, 278s

and a devout soldier from the ranks of those who served him. 280s

And after telling them everything, 285s

he sent them to Java. 287s

So that's the three here that's dispatched from Cornelius, 288s

that's going to be part of the gathering here. 292s

That comes together. 295s

Who else is in it? 296s

Let's look at the second part of verse 23. 297s

The next day he got up and went with them 301s

and some of the believers from Java, a company then. 304s

So you've got Peter now headed to go see Cornelius in Cessaria 308s

and some of the believers here are joining with Peter. 312s

Who else? 317s

Verse 24. 319s

The following day they came to Cessaria. 321s

Cornelius was expecting them and called together his relatives 323s

and close friends. 327s

Who's an interesting group here, isn't it? 330s

You've got the three dispatched from Cornelius. 332s

You've got Peter and some of those that went with him 335s

from Java fellow believers. 339s

And now you've got friends and relatives with regard 341s

to Cornelius. 345s

This is an interesting group that has been gathered together. 347s

What is the purpose of the gathering? 353s

What's the purpose of the gathering? 358s

Last week we had some visitors that were from California. 367s

They were here in town for a convention. 371s

As they were leaving, the man had sureed on 374s

and it had stitched on it, the name of a college in Southern California. 377s

I looked at that, my pointed at him and I said, 383s

I know exactly where that college is. 386s

There's about 20 minutes from my childhood home in Southern California. 390s

And I said, and they, at least when I was there, 396s

had the best rocky road ice cream in all of Southern California. 399s

He said, I know exactly what you're talking about 403s

and they still do. 407s

They still do. 409s

I said, when I was growing up there, 411s

what we would do is a family is many times on Sunday afternoon 413s

we'd go for a drive and we'd go to the college. 416s

We'd go to the student center, we'd get some rocky road ice cream 419s

or sometimes we'd go on a Saturday and we'd specifically go 423s

because that's where, at that time, the Dallas Cowboys had their training camp. 427s

So we would sit there and the stands and we'd have our rocky road ice cream 431s

and we'd watch the Cowboys, what a fun, a fun day. 434s

He says, I know exactly what you're talking about. 437s

He said, where did you go to church? 442s

I said, we went to Shepherd of the Valley in Canaga Park. 445s

Said, I know exactly what you're talking about. 450s

Because was your pastor Bill Voswik? 455s

I said, sure, he confirmed me. 457s

He was my pastor. 459s

He was we know Pastor Voswik? 460s

In fact, we were involved when we were in the state of Washington 463s

in terms of his prayer ministry up there. 465s

We know Pastor Voswik. 469s

I said, well, I know exactly what you're talking about 471s

because I knew his son John. 475s

His son John was one of my best friends. 478s

In fact, I would sleep over at John's house 482s

quite often on Saturday night. 485s

I said, remember the very first time I did it. 488s

They had a TV room, a family room, that then there was 491s

a little counter and then it overlooked the living room. 495s

So there were these two boys, of course, 499s

given the command there to turn the TV off at 11. 501s

Well, that didn't happen. 505s

So that, we would watch TV lay early into the morning. 507s

But John said to me, he said, my dad gets up. 511s

Early on Sunday mornings, and he goes into the living room. 516s

And he goes through his sermon. 521s

He says, when he does that, if you're awake, 523s

don't go in there. 529s

Don't say anything. 531s

Okay. 532s

Well, I happened to wake up early. 533s

And I noticed that the light was on in the living room. 535s

And there was Pastor Voswik. 540s

And he was giving his sermon. 542s

I thought that was kind of neat, because I got a preview 545s

of what I was going to hear in a couple hours. 549s

And so I would listen to him as he preached in the living room 556s

to the couch. 564s

Few hours later, there we were in church, because I had slept over with John. 567s

We were sitting on the right wing there. 572s

My family was in the first few, where they always sat. 576s

Pastor Voswik got up and he started to preach. 580s

And I knew what he was going to say. 583s

Physiocyid, I had heard it. 586s

There we were in community. 590s

We had gathered around the word. 591s

But the word was going forth, not just from Pastor Voswik. 595s

The word went forth from the lecture, who got up the read the Scriptures. 599s

The word went forth from the choir that sang the anthem. 605s

The word went forth from the very hymns that we were singing, 610s

that extoled the majesty of God and the gracious action of God 615s

and the Lord Jesus Christ. 620s

The word went forth from the liturgy that we moved through. 623s

That was just echoing God's words that he has given us. 628s

We had been gathered into community around the word, around the word. 635s

So quickly please, verse 30. 650s

Cornelius replied, 655s

four days ago at this very hour at three o'clock, 659s

I was praying in my house, suddenly a man in dazzling clothes stood before me. 662s

He said, Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, 668s

and your arms have been remembered before God, 670s

send therefore to Japa and ask for Simon, 674s

who is called Peter. He's staying in the home of Simon a tenor by the sea. 677s

Therefore I sent for you immediately, and you've been kind enough to come. 683s

Here he comes. 690s

So now, all of us are here in the presence of God, 692s

to listen to all that the Lord has commanded you to say, 699s

what was the purpose of the meeting? 706s

Why did God gather them together? 712s

They were gathered in community around the word. 717s

God had gathered them together community to hear the word. 727s

Okay, if God wants to gather us into community, 740s

what then does Satan want? 746s

He'd want the exact opposite, right? 753s

The exact opposite. 756s

If God wants to gather us in community around the word, 759s

then take its opposite. 762s

Satan wants the exact opposite of that. 764s

Satan wants to think that we can live outside of gathering together in community, 769s

that we can somehow just be the lone person there outside of community, 775s

but Satan knows the vulnerability of the lone wolf. 786s

That's not in community. 792s

So he wants the exact opposite of what God wants. 797s

What a Satan want. 801s

If God wants us in community around his word, 803s

then Satan wants us outside of community to listen to the monologue in our own minds. 807s

If God wants us in community and around his word, 815s

then what the Satan wants us outside of the community, 819s

where we don't receive the inheritance and fallible word of God, 824s

and its multiplicity of avenues to which it comes to us, 828s

as we gather for the study and the worship of his holy name, 831s

he wants us to listen to the voices of the culture. 835s

So that when we hear those voices from society, 841s

we've got no depth to be able to evaluate with regard to truthfulness 845s

and we're caught in the undertow of the pull into false belief. 850s

If God wants us in community around his word, 855s

then Satan wants the exact opposite, the exact opposite. 864s

And how to one degree or another, 872s

we can all succumb to what Satan wants. 878s

But what is God up to? 889s

What is God doing? 894s

I had a professor in seminary, Jim Ness, Nessdigan, 901s

big guy from South Dakota. 906s

And he sounded like he was right off the farm, South Dakota. 910s

And when he would teach, he would start to sway just a little bit. 915s

And when he would get going and it's teaching in the classroom, 921s

or when he would preach in chapel, when he got going, 924s

he was swaying back and back and forth there, 927s

almost he wanted to study it. 930s

Nessdigan would say that when you think of the Holy Spirit, 934s

think of verb. 938s

The nouns don't really, he said, go with the Holy Spirit. 940s

verbs go with the Holy Spirit. 943s

So he wrote this in one of his books. 946s

He said, the Holy Spirit is always at work, 948s

always moving active, making words jump and come to life. 950s

Holy Spirit enverts. 956s

Think of the third article, small catacus. 959s

What is it that Luther wrote? 962s

What's the Holy Spirit doing? 965s

But the Holy Spirit calls in enlightened and sanctifies, 968s

and I intentionally left out the second word. 973s

That's what it is. 975s

He calls gathers in lightens and sanctifies. 977s

God gathers us together in community, 989s

because he's got something that gives us his word. 996s

He's got something that gives us his gracious word 1003s

of what he has done in the Lord Jesus Christ. 1006s

The gracious word of the second member of the Trinity, 1010s

taking our sin upon him at the cross, 1013s

paying our sinbed. 1016s

The gracious word that we are claimed in the waters of baptism, 1018s

that we are forgiven and his. 1022s

And God says, I've got something for you. 1026s

And he gathers us together as his children, 1031s

and he declares the words to us, 1037s

forgiven, mine, life, eternal. 1040s

It's his word and the beauty of it. 1046s

You are not here today, 1056s

by accident. 1060s

You are here by divine action, 1064s

as God gathers us together in community, 1072s

to hear the word through all of its avenues. 1078s

Then descend us forth out of those doors into the narthex, 1082s

where we encourage one another through the word, 1088s

then descend us out through the doors into the building, 1093s

with a word of encouragement and grace for a world 1099s

that so needs it. 1105s

See, you're not here by accident. 1109s

It's divine action. 1113s

And you receive the word for purpose. 1115s

He did that a long time ago, didn't he? 1128s

And he's still doing it today. 1135s

How beautiful. 1141s

How beautiful. 1144s

Is that. 1146s