"Clinging" March 10, 2019

Overview

A Pivotal Chapter: The Gospel Breaks Through to the Gentiles

Acts 10 stands among the most consequential chapters in all of Scripture. Until this point, the witness to non-Jews had taken only one significant step forward—the Ethiopian eunuch. The Jewish people understood Gentiles as outside the bonds of God's covenant, excluded from his saving plan. What unfolds with Cornelius shatters that assumption and inaugurates an exponential expansion of the gospel beyond Israel.

Cornelius is introduced as a Roman centurion of the Italian Cohort—a leader of one hundred soldiers in an elite military unit—and, crucially, as a "God-fearer." This was a recognized class of Gentiles who worshiped the God of Israel and attended synagogue but had not become full converts. They were welcomed at the margins, seated in the back, regarded as on the way but not yet in. Devout, generous in alms, and constant in prayer, Cornelius receives a vision directing him to send for Peter in Joppa. Meanwhile, Peter himself receives the famous vision of the sheet lowered from heaven containing all manner of creatures, with the command, "Get up, Peter, kill and eat."

Peter's reaction—"By no means, Lord! For I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean"—reveals something deeper than dietary scruples. The Old Testament law given through Moses functioned in three categories: the moral law (the Ten Commandments), the political law (governing Israel as a nation), and the ceremonial law (governing worship, sacrifice, and clean/unclean distinctions). With Israel no longer a theocratic nation and with Christ having fulfilled the sacrificial system at the cross, the political and ceremonial laws have been set aside. The moral law, however, remains and is repeatedly affirmed in the New Testament. Many today conflate these categories—dismissing biblical commands wholesale because "some things in the Bible we don't do anymore"—but the distinction matters. When the Lord told Peter, "What God has made clean, you must not call profane," he was setting aside the ceremonial barrier that had kept Jew and Gentile apart.

Peter's resistance is not merely confusion; it is a lapse back into self-justification by clinging to the law. The same Peter who had boldly preached repentance and forgiveness through Jesus alone Acts 5:29-31 here reaches for his own righteousness. We see this same impulse in the elder brother of the prodigal son Luke 15:29—"I have never disobeyed your command"—and in the Pharisee at prayer Luke 18:11-12—"God, I thank you that I am not like other people." It is the perennial human reflex: to turn inward to justify ourselves and outward to condemn others, comparing ourselves favorably and refusing to see the log in our own eye Matthew 7:3-5.

We do this too—in subtle ways, in our smugness, in our laments about "what the world is coming to" while ignoring our own contribution to it. The good news is that God will not let us cling to the stone of the law. He pries our fingers loose. Christ has borne our sin, paid our debt, lived the perfect life now credited to us, and claimed us in the waters of baptism. Like the dying saint who recognized himself among the "creeping things" of Peter's vision saved by grace alone, we get it right when we stop reaching for our own righteousness and let his nail-scarred hands embrace us. Having been grasped by him, we find ourselves clinging to him.

Transcript

Would you open your Bible please with me to the 10th chapter of the book of Acts for our study this morning? 0s

As we enter the 10th chapter today, we come to one of the most important chapters in the book of Acts. 7s

In fact, you could make the argument, and I would agree with the argument, 16s

that this is one of the most important chapters in the entire Bible, the 10th chapter of the book of Acts. 23s

We're going to spend a couple of weeks together in this great chapter. 33s

And I think as we conclude this chapter, it'll become apparent to all of us of the importance of this chapter in Holy Scripture. 38s

Want to begin with a pop quiz? 50s

Up to this point, there has been one Gentile convert. 54s

Do you remember who it was? 61s

If you're thinking the Ethiopian Unic, you're exactly right. 65s

It's the one Gentile convert up to this point. 71s

For the Jew. 75s

The Jew understood the Gentiles. 78s

Remember Gentiles are simply non-Jews. 80s

The Jew understood the Gentile as being outside of the bones of the covenant of God. 83s

So that meant then that in the Jews' eye, the Gentiles were not included in God's cell-vific plan. 92s

What we see now in the 10th chapter of Acts is we see an incredible leap forward in terms of the witnessing to the Gentile. 101s

In terms of as Scripture talks about it, the breaking down of the barrier between the Jew and the Gentile. 114s

And we're going to see the one Gentile convert is going to exponentially grow as we continue study in Acts. 125s

So let's start in verse 1, please chapter 10. 139s

Here we come to a person by the name of Cornelius. 142s

And Scripture tells us in Cessaria there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian cohort. 146s

As it was called. 155s

It tells us some very important things about Cornelius. 159s

Number one, he was a centurion. 162s

What was a centurion? 164s

A centurion was a military leader over 100 men. 166s

Century 100, that's what a centurion did. 171s

He oversaw 100 men in the military. 175s

But also the reference here to Italian cohort. 179s

That means he's a higher ranked centurion because the Italian cohort was a more elite military group. 182s

So Cornelius then, he's a military leader, he oversees 100 men. 194s

And this is more of an elite group in the military. 200s

Goes on. 206s

He was a devout man who feared God with all his household. 208s

He gave arms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God. 214s

It's a little phrase here, I want to highlight. 223s

If you're a Bible writer, I'd circle it. 224s

Who feared God. 227s

He was a devout man who feared God. 230s

New Testament tells us of several different groups. 234s

You've got Jews, you've got Gentiles, you've got Samaritans. 237s

Another group were called the God Fiers. 240s

The God Fiers. 244s

Cornelius is part of the God Fiers. 246s

The God Fiers were those who weren't fully converted yet to Judaism. 250s

They believed in God, but they weren't fully converted yet. 259s

Because they weren't circumcised. 262s

So they would go to the synagogue, they would worship. 265s

They would have to sit in the back because they weren't fully apart of Judaism. 270s

They were looked at by the Jews as people that were on the way to becoming full Jews. 278s

This Gentile who now converts to become a Jew. 286s

But they were also understood as not quite yet a Jew. 291s

So he's a military leader. 299s

He oversees 100 men. 300s

He's overseeing this elite military group and he's a God Fierre. 302s

So when he goes to the synagogue, he's with the other God Fiers. 308s

The Gentiles not quite yet Jews in the back of the synagogue. 312s

And this Cornelius has a vision. 319s

We go on, verse 3. 325s

One afternoon at about three o'clock he had a vision in which he clearly saw an angel of God coming in and saying to him, 328s

Cornelius, he stared at them in tears and said, 335s

What is it, Lord? 338s

He answered your prayers and your arms have ascended as a memorial before God. 340s

Now, send men to Japa for a certain Simon who was called Peter. 344s

He's lodging with Simon a tenor whose house is by the seaside. 351s

When the angel who spoke to him had left, he called two of his slaves and a devout soldier from the ranks of those who served him. 358s

And after telling them everything, he sent them to Japa. 366s

God is arranging here a witnessing event, isn't he? 371s

Goes on. 375s

At noon the next day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 377s

He became hungry, wanted something to eat. 384s

And while it was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 388s

He saw the heaven opened something like a large sheet coming down, 392s

being lowered to the ground by its four corners. 397s

In it were all kinds of four-footed creatures and reptiles and birds of the air. 402s

Then he heard a voice saying, Get up Peter, kill and eat. 410s

But Peter said, By no means, Lord, 418s

For I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean. 421s

The voice said to him, Again, a certain time. 429s

What God has made clean, you must not call profane. 434s

This happened three times, and the thing was suddenly taken up to heaven. 441s

Verse 14 is a strong reaction on the part of Peter, isn't it? 451s

When he's commanded to do this and he says, I'm not doing that. 458s

It's a strong reaction to say, By no means, Lord, I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean. 464s

Why does he have such a strong reaction to what he's commanded to do? 473s

When God freed the people out of Egypt and gave them the law, that law was divided into three different types. 488s

Verse 13 is the moral law. 501s

That's the ten commandments. 505s

The moral law. 507s

Second there was the political law. 510s

In the theocracy, where God is in control here in terms of this nation, he gave them the political laws to govern their affairs. 514s

So, you've got the moral law, the ten commandments, then you've got the political law. 526s

Simply the laws of how they would organize themselves, how they would function the affairs of the people. 532s

The third aspect of the law was the ceremonial law. 537s

The ceremonial law governed the worship life and the sacrificial life of the people. 544s

God said, these are the sacrifices that I want. 552s

This is how you're going to do it. 555s

Here's the details of this. 557s

And part of the ceremonial law, where these laws of what it is, you could eat or not eat. 559s

Remember, this was given to God's people here. 572s

God has set these people apart. 576s

He wants his people to be different. 579s

So, the laws given to them, got the moral law, ten commandments. 582s

You've got the political law. 586s

This is how you're going to govern yourselves. 587s

And this is the ceremonial law. 589s

These are the laws that are going to govern the worship life and the sacrificial life. 591s

And I want you to be a pure people. 596s

I want you to be different. 599s

So, this is what you can eat and what you can't eat. 600s

Three different types of the law. 604s

It's so interesting that oftentimes you will hear today people say, 609s

I don't believe that in the Bible because there's stuff in the Bible. 618s

We don't do anymore. 625s

So, I don't believe we have to follow this command. 627s

Now there's a sense that they're right. 638s

Right? 641s

When they say, there's stuff in the Bible. 642s

We don't do anymore. 645s

That's true. 648s

The political law that God gave to his people, 651s

went out of business when the Jews ceased to be ination. 655s

So, we're no longer under the political law that was for the people of old. 661s

The Bible tells us that we're no longer under the ceremonial law. 668s

Thankfully, today, as we gather for worship, 672s

you will not see Pastor Malmeneck and I do a sacrifice up here. 675s

Why? 681s

Because we are no longer under the sacrificial law. 682s

All of the sacrifices were given by God to his people to point to the ultimate sacrifice, 686s

which is the Lord Jesus Christ. 693s

When the Lord Jesus Christ went to the cross and shed his blood, 695s

the whole sacrificial system then was no longer. 700s

It's simply pointed to the sacrifice that was to come. 704s

So, we see that God tells us in the scripture, 711s

we're no longer under the political law. 715s

We're no longer under the ceremonial law. 717s

What about the moral law? 724s

Well, the moral law is constantly affirmed in scripture. 727s

It's affirmed in the New Testament. 730s

So, indeed, there are some things in the Bible. 733s

We don't do any more. 735s

We don't do the political laws. 736s

And we don't do the ceremonial sacrificial laws. 738s

We don't have to worry about the forbidden foods anymore, 744s

us staying away from them. 748s

Nope. 750s

We're not under that. 751s

The moral law, we are still under. 752s

What happens then is people will conflate the three different types of law. 755s

They won't make the distinction. 759s

And they'll say, well, we don't have to do this anymore, 762s

because I don't feel we have to do this anymore. 767s

Did you hear the operative word? 770s

I don't feel that we have to do this anymore. 772s

And then they say, because there are things in the Bible, 775s

we don't do any more. 777s

Therefore, we don't have to do this, 780s

because I don't think we have to do this, 782s

because there are some things that we don't do in the Bible anymore. 784s

See how the issues are conflated? 787s

It all comes back to a very simple misunderstanding 789s

of the three different types of the law that are given. 794s

Political ceremonial done with. 801s

Moral? 804s

Still there. 806s

Absolutely. 808s

Okay, that was the background. 811s

Why then is there such a strong reaction 814s

on the part of Peter when he says, 817s

by no means Lord, I've never eaten anything 824s

that is profane or unclean. 829s

Okay, of the three different types of law, 834s

moral political ceremonial, 838s

what type of law is you talking about? 841s

ceremonial, right? 844s

So when God says, look at this, it's okay. 847s

It's none, none, none, none. 854s

I don't do that. 856s

That breaks the ceremonial law. 857s

He's clinging here to the law 861s

in order to justify himself. 867s

That's what the Jews understood the laws. 871s

The understood that the law was given so that they could make themselves right then before God. 873s

Law was never given to justify ourselves. 878s

But when Peter says, I can't do that. 881s

That breaks the ceremonial law. 884s

There's a return here on the part of Peter 886s

to this justifying of one's self to make one's self 889s

righteous. 897s

I think of the older brother. 900s

In the parable of the prodigal son, 903s

you remember that parable, 908s

remember a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. 908s

Jesus tells the parable about the son who goes to his father 912s

and he says, I want my inheritance. 916s

He takes the inheritance then and he spends it on loose living. 918s

He realizes now he's hit rock bottom. 921s

And so he says that he's going to go back to his father 924s

and he's going to say, Father, I've sinned against heaven 927s

and before you I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. 930s

Treat me like one of your hired hands. 934s

Can as you just coming up the road, 938s

his father sees him coming. 940s

His father runs to him, runs to him, 943s

and embraces him. 946s

And he throws him a party. 950s

You remember what the parable says that the elder son was doing? 955s

Well, the younger son is out totally blowing his inheritance here. 961s

Coming back to that and admitting here his sinfulness. 967s

What was the older son doing? 972s

Why will it tell us now the elder son was in the field? 974s

He did do it. He's working. 980s

He comes back and he hears music. 982s

And he hears dancing and he asks the slave, 985s

this is what's going on. He says, well, your brothers come back. 987s

Dad's throwing a party here. 994s

There's been an embrace here. 997s

What was lost has been found. 999s

You see, that's the source of the party. 1001s

And remember what the reaction was of the elder son? 1005s

Father comes out to him. 1013s

And the son turns to his father and says, listen. 1016s

For all these years, I've been working like a slave for you. 1022s

And I have never disobeyed your command. 1027s

Yet you've never given me even a young goat 1034s

so that I might celebrate with my friends. 1038s

But when this son of yours, interesting way to refer to his brothers, isn't it? 1041s

When this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, 1047s

you killed the fatted calf for him. 1054s

Do you hear it? 1061s

It's the self-righteousness. 1063s

I've never disobeyed you. 1069s

Never done it. 1072s

It's the self-righteousness. 1075s

You think of Peter here? 1083s

Peter says this after he has received the vision. 1087s

Peter says this after what he said to the council in Jerusalem. 1096s

Remember back in Acts the 5th chapter? 1102s

But Peter and the Apostles answered, 1105s

we must obey God rather than any human authority. 1107s

The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 1111s

God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 1120s

And you're in the 10th chapter. 1134s

What has he done? 1139s

He's lapsed back into self-righteousness. 1142s

He lapsed his back. 1151s

I've never eaten anything profane in, notly. 1154s

And he returns in his laps to the law. 1164s

We do the same thing. 1178s

To one degree or another, we are constantly a people that return to the law. 1184s

To try and justify ourselves. 1194s

To try and make ourselves right. 1198s

We can do it in some of the most subtle of ways, 1203s

where we compare ourselves to other people. 1209s

And in our smugginess, 1216s

we think of ourselves as better than, well, certainly him or her. 1220s

We can say, you know, they're good people in the world, 1230s

and there's bad people in the world, and I'm one of the good people. 1234s

As we compare, and we always place ourselves in the good camp. 1237s

And we don't see the log in our own eye. 1252s

We say, I don't know what the world is coming to. 1260s

There's no other world coming to. 1266s

You believe that they said that. 1270s

Can you believe that they believe that? 1273s

Can you believe that they do that? 1276s

I cannot believe. 1279s

How they are contributing to the moral degeneration of the world. 1283s

What they are doing. 1290s

Instead of seeing our part in that process. 1295s

Why we turn inward to justify ourselves and outward to condemn 1309s

the other in order to validate ourselves. 1323s

I think of the one in the 18th chapter of the Book of Luke. 1336s

The Pharisees standing by himself was praying thus, 1344s

God, I thank you for not like other people. 1349s

The thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 1355s

I fast twice a week, I give a tenth of all my income. 1361s

Here it? 1368s

What is it? 1371s

It's the appeal to the law to make yourself right. 1374s

And beloved, beloved, we all do it. 1388s

Amit's our lapsing. 1399s

There is a return to the word as God brings us back to the word as God declares his word to us. 1403s

Think of a guy by the name of Harry Ironside. 1420s

He tells when he was with his father, when his father was dying. 1423s

He was there and other family members were there and under friends were there. 1429s

And he relates how his father was reflecting on his deathbed on the vision from Acts 10. 1436s

And he was talking and he says, a sheet and animals and an, and an, 1446s

and it couldn't, it couldn't remember what came next. 1456s

One of the friends leaned into him. 1463s

His father's name was John and says, John, it says, creeping things. 1465s

That's what's next. 1473s

He's the friend realized he was quoting out of the King James version. 1476s

This verse from Acts 10 chapter. 1482s

In the verse 10 of the 10 chapter of King James, it says, 1487s

Wherein were all manner of forefooted beast of the earth, wild beasts and creeping things, 1491s

foes of the air. 1499s

He said, John, it says, it says creeping things. 1503s

And the man said, that's right. 1509s

That's it. 1512s

Creeping things. 1515s

And he said, that's how I got in. 1518s

Because I'm a creeping thing saved by the grace of God. 1523s

Beloved, Jesus Christ has borne your sin on the cross. 1541s

He's paid your debt. 1548s

He perfectly lived the perfect life. 1552s

And his perfect life has been credited to you. 1560s

You have been claimed in the waters of baptism and washed in his promises. 1569s

And when you understand that you're one of the creeping things, you've got it right. 1580s

You've got it right. 1595s

As God prize our fingers off of the stone of the law. 1599s

As God prize our fingers off of our attempts to make ourselves right. 1612s

As God takes his scarred, nailed driven hands. 1628s

And embraces us. 1635s

We discover that having been grasped, we are clinging to him. 1642s

And we are clinging to him. 1680s