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Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, and we shall walk in his paths.

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Welcome to Come On Up, the radio ministry of the Mountain Cross in Waynesville, North Carolina.

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Too often, though, we get so caught up in, look how God has used me. And I can teach the word of God like no one else. And thousands are coming to hear me. But it's not me, are they? It's the word of God that they're coming to hear. It's Jesus coming to speak to people, and he uses people in order to do it. And if we humble ourselves before the Lord, he can lift us up and use us in powerful ways to glorify him and bring others to him.

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Scripture says that God humbles the proud, yet it is so easy to slip into pride. In today's message, Pastor Carl says you must remind yourself that when you're sharing the gospel, it's not you, but God through you. Next time you start to feel yourself becoming prideful, I encourage you to get on your knees and bow before God. There's something powerful about getting low before the one who has authority over all. And now, here's Pastor Carl.

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All right, let's get into a study of God's word. We are in the book of Acts, and today we are in chapter 10 of the book of Acts. If you go ahead and find that in your Bibles, Acts chapter 10, and we pick up here in our continuing adventure in the book of Acts in the town of Joppa. And there was a certain man in Caesarea, which was down the road, called Cornelius. He was a centurium of what is called the Italian regiment. This was a leader of the Roman army, and he had a regiment in Caesarea, which is a town on the coast there where there's a harbor. And of course, Rome was in charge of the whole area and they kept everybody in line. And of course, the Romans were big enemies of the Jewish nation. And yet this man, as we go on, seemed to be one that the Jews enjoyed. They liked him because he feared God. It says that he was a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people and prayed to God always. So somehow he came into a knowledge of the God of Israel and wanted to serve and learn more of that God. And it reflected in his life, and people recognized it. Now a centurion is one that's over a hundred soldiers. That's why the word centurium. And the Italian regiment refers to, I saw two comments on that. One is a group that uh use arrows, bow and arrows, and I'm not sure if that is accurate. It might be. Or these were Italian soldiers. They were from Rome. They're not just brought in citizens of Rome from different areas, but they were born and raised in Rome. These were Roman soldiers. These were the most serious of the serious soldiers. And he was over them. That's who he is, and that's where he is in Caesarea. And in verse 3, about the ninth hour of the day, he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, Cornelius. And when he observed him, he was afraid, and he said, What is it, Lord? He recognized authority. And he recognized that somebody that was in higher authority than him was speaking to him. So he addressed the angel as Lord, as in, You're higher than me. As you see, it's a it's a lowercase L in that. And that's of course what the scribes put into here. But he's not referring to him as God. He's referring to him as somebody that's higher in authority than me. And he said to him, Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa and send for Simon, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do. So an angel comes to Cornelius, and apparently Cornelius has been seeking God and asking to learn more about the God of the Bible. And of course, everybody's heard about Jesus and his followers and what was that all about. And so he's praying, What is all this about? Could you come? Could you tell me? Could you change me? Draw me near, show me more of what this is all about. And then the angel tells him to specifically send for a man in Joppa by the name of Simon, whose surname is Peter, who's staying at a house by the name of Simon. So you've got Simon Peter and Simon the Tanner staying together at this point. A tanner is somebody who makes leather, who deals with animal skins. And when you deal with animal skins, you deal with a lot of dead animals. And there's a lot of questions whether this is even a job that a Jew, a good Jew, should be involved in because you're dealing with dead animals and so forth. And so Peter, is this the same Peter that was with Jesus? Is now at this house of a tanner with dead animals? Okay, Lord, if that is what you're telling me to do, I'll do it. And verse 7, he says, and when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually. And so when he explained all these things, he sent them to Joppa. He had authority. He was a centurion over a hundred soldiers, and he has the power of Rome behind him, so they will submit to him. He had servants, and he had particularly one soldier, that were devoted to him, that were would do anything for him because of their relationship with him, not because of fear of who he was. So this is a guy who has built relationships, who has proven himself to be strong and loyal to Rome, but at the same time compassionate and kind and helping out others. And there are people around him that come alongside to encourage him. All folks in positions of leadership need those people around. They need people that trust them, that can come around and encourage them and do whatever they need to be done. And we're thankful for folks like that. Now, in the meantime, verse 9, the next day as they were on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up to the house stop to pray, and it was about the sixth hour. Traditionally, Jews would pray three times a day, at about nine in the morning, noon, and three in the afternoon. This was at the sixth hour, counting from about six in the morning, about the time that the sun comes up. It's about six hours since then. So it's about twelve o'clock in verse 10. Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat. It's about lunchtime. He's going to pray, and he's becoming a little hungry. And while they made ready, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven open and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creepy things, and birds of the air. This is an interesting dream. And it wasn't because I ate something, because I'm hungry, I haven't eaten yet. What is this about? Peter's starting to scratch his head. Verse 13, and the voice came to him and said, Rise, Peter, kill and eat. And Peter said, Not so, Lord. Do you remember another time when Peter said, Not so, Lord? When he was telling Jesus, you know, you're not, no, you're not going to go to Jerusalem and you're not going to be crucified, because I'm going to stick up for you. And you remember what Jesus said after that? Get behind me, Satan. And later on he would tell Peter, too, you're so for me, really, Peter. You're going to deny me three times. Right? You remember that? Well, keep that in mind as we continue here. Not so, Lord, for I have never eaten anything common or unclean. I'm a good Jewish boy. And I've lived by the law. And I watch what I eat. I can't eat these things. And verse 15, a voice spoke to him again a second time. What God has cleansed, you must not call common. If God has a way of changing things around, we're not to argue with him. And this was done how many times? Three times. How many times? I mean, I wonder if this rang in Peter's head. How many times did he deny the Lord? Three times. How many times in essence did Jesus forgive him? Three times. When they met after Jesus was resurrected, he came back in person and he spoke to them at the lake. And they're he was fixing fish for them for breakfast after they decided to go back fishing because they didn't know what else to do. And Jesus addressed Peter three times. He said, Peter, do you love me? You know I love you, Lord. He said, then feed my sheep. And he basically did that three times and restored Peter back into good fellowship with the Lord. He did this three times, and the object was taken up into heaven. And Peter was scratching his head. Now, while Peter wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made an inquiry for Simon's house and stood before the gate. And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there. All right, you've got at least one Roman soldier and a couple of servants along with him coming and asking about a specific person in a specific house. What do you think is going on in that situation? You would think Simon Peter's in trouble, right? He's done something wrong, and the authorities have come to get him. And so there might be a little uneasiness there. And then at verse 19, while Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, Behold, three men are seeking you. Arise therefore and go with them, doubting nothing, for I have sent them. So the Lord, through the through the Holy Spirit, spoke to Peter, and he said, Peter, there's some guys here. And Simon the Tatter is a little nervous about them because they're after you or something, but you go down and let them in because I sent them. You have nothing to worry about. I've got something for you to do for them. So go down, I've sent them, I'm doing this thing. Okay. So verse 21. Then Peter went down to the men who had been sent to him from Cornelius and said, Yes, I am he who you seek. For what reason have you come? And they said, Cornelius, the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and to hear words from you. Now to hear those words from a Roman soldier at your door is not normal, is it? These words are not, you know, by the authority of Rome we we command that you come with us right now. They could have said that, they would have been perfectly just to do so. But instead they appeal to Peter and to the God that he knows, you know, making the case that Cornelius is seeking after the same God and has been directed by this God to ask him to come. He's a just man. He doesn't take his position for granted, he doesn't throw his weight around, but he really serves the people that he's over and the people that he's protecting. He fears God. He might not totally know who this God is, but he fears God and he hears from God, which begs the question: can God talk to people who aren't Christians? And the answer is yes. And if he doesn't, how in the world can we be brought to him? He speaks to us, he calls us, he says, You're a sinner, you need to come to me because I have the way that leads to life. I have the way that bridges this gap between God and man. And we thank the Lord for speaking. We thank the Lord for coming to us before we come to faith in him. But the question is, how do we respond to that? Do we respond by saying, I don't want anything to do with you, or do we respond by saying, Lord, I surrender. I give my all back to you because you've given your all for me. Then he invited them in and lodged them. Now that's another thing you don't do. The enemies of the Jewish nation are the Romans, and you don't want anything to do with the Romans. And now you're letting Roman soldiers and their servants come into your house and you lodge them. You take care of them, you feed them, and you have some fellowship with them. This is a little different, isn't it? And on the next day Peter went up with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him. The church in Joppa was growing. The Holy Spirit was using Peter to work some miracles there, and people were growing in their faith in the Lord. And so some of the brethren, some of the brothers from Joppa went along with Peter on this excursion. In verse 24, and the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and he had called together his relatives and close friends. So he's like, something's going to happen here. This is great. And he invited his family and some of his close friends to be there when Peter got there. And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshipped him. Because Peter has been with Jesus. And I've heard a lot about Jesus, and I believe God is doing something here. And so he again is this, he's not worshiping Jesus as much as he is kneeling before him as one in higher authority than he is. This is a centurion, the head of a hundred soldiers, who is kneeling before Peter, acknowledging that Peter has more authority than he does. God is at work in this situation. This is not natural, is it? But Peter lifted him up, saying, Stand up, I myself am also a man. I am nothing. God used me, God changed me. It looks like God is working in your life as well, but we don't worship each other. We worship the Lord. He's the one that's in authority above us. And you hear the humbleness of Peter in that situation, and the centurion for that matter, too. Humility is big in representing the Lord, isn't it? Too often, though, we get so caught up in look how God has used me. And I can teach the word of God like no one else. And thousands are coming to hear me, but it's not me, are they? It's the word of God that they're coming to hear. It's Jesus coming to speak to people, and he uses people in order to do it. And if we humble ourselves before the Lord, he can lift us up and use us in powerful ways to glorify him and bring others to him. Verse 27. And as he talked with him, he went in and found many had come together. I mean, he didn't know what to expect. He's just doing what God told him to do. And so often, I don't know about you. I like to see the big picture. Okay, Lord, so where are you taking us to? We're going to end up at this spot, right? Well, I can just find my way to that spot and meet you there. And uh it's more like the Lord says, Well, I want you to go to this step and don't ask any questions, just take that step. Once you get there, we'll take you to the next step, and then the next step, and the next step. I think Peter, to some degree, has learned this after three years with the Lord, and now ever since the resurrection and ever since uh day of Pentecost, things had changed, and Peter was more mature in the faith and due with the power of the Holy Spirit, and and he trusted. The Lord really does guide me step by step. So he was going step by step and found out that there's this house full of people that he arrived at. He thought he was just going to meet with maybe the centurion and a few of his soldiers and servants, but uh he has a house full of family and friends. And in verse 28, then he said to him, You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or to go into another uh one of another nation. You know that uh uh we're not to fellowship with Gentiles. Now, again, this centurion Cornelius was seeking after the God of Israel. And as we saw what they said about him, he gave a lot of alms and gifts, and and the Jewish people in that area actually considered him in high regard because he did take care of them. He helped them to work on projects and he looked out for them, and yet he could not enter into that synagogue and worship with them. He could stay outside if he wanted to. If he went down to Jerusalem, he could stay in the outer courts, but he couldn't go into the temple and offer sacrifices. There was this idea that if you're going to be part of the Jewish nation, you can be part, but only to a certain degree, because you are a Gentile. And they realized that there was some grace that God gave toward the Gentiles, but they were still Gentiles, and they couldn't work that out in their minds. And Peter's, you know, starting to think this out out loud in front of them. You realize that I'm not to come in and fellowship with you. You will defame me, you will defame my God because you are of another nation. He didn't even say Gentiles, he just said of any other nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. The vision finally clicked. There are these things that, these animals and these bugs and the stuff that we aren't supposed to eat that came down, they represent relationship with other nations. That God desires to have fellowship, that God desires to bring salvation to the whole world, not just the Jewish nation. Now he started with the Jewish nation. It was through the Jewish nation that he brought the Messiah. And at this point the church was comprised of Jewish believers, but it's this next step. Do you see the big picture? God is opening it up for the whole world to come and to know Jesus. Therefore, verse 29, I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. And I ask then, for what reason have you sent me? I was just having this dream, and I had no idea what it's about. And then the Holy Spirit sent these men, and it began to click. This is what God is telling me to go into fellowship with those who are not under the law. But they're they're sinners nonetheless, and they're in need of a savior nonetheless. So I don't understand exactly why you called me. I'm understanding that the Lord is calling me to come, and He's told me not to consider common or unclean anyone else, because God is doing a work in cleaning us all up. So why did you call me? What's going on in you? At verse 30, Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour. He was serious. He was seeking God. And he didn't fully know God, but that should tell us something too. Even as we've come to faith in Jesus Christ, do we fully know God? There's still room for us to be serious about seeking after the Lord, fasting and asking God, reveal yourself more to me. So he said, I was fasting up until this hour, and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing and said, Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God. God recognized his heart. His heart is wanting to glorify God, wanting to know God and acting accordingly, and he's being commended for that. 32 Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon a tanner by the sea, and when he comes, he will speak to you. Which is consistent with what the soldier and the servants said to Peter when they found him in Joppa. So, verse thirty one uh thirty three I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God to hear the things commanded you by God. Cornelius is not saying, I order you to tell me what it is about this God that has you doing what you're doing and why, you know, people like Saul have been coming after you to persecute you and and and to shut you down. He's saying, I've been seeking God, and he brought you here, and we are submitted before God. We are here seeking God, and we want to hear the things that He's told you. What He's told you to do, what He's told you about life, what He has revealed to you. Do we come with that sort of attitude to church? Do we come saying, Lord, I am here because of you. I am here to seek you, to find you. I am here to learn from you, to be changed from you. Not because I want some blessing, not because I want these prayers answered and you ignored, but Lord, I it's it's really all about you. I want to meet with you. I am here because you have changed me. I am here because you have brought me. I am here to learn from you. May we have that heart. Because when we have that heart, then the Lord can come and He can move and He can change us and He can use us for His glory. Verse 34. Then Peter opened his mouth and said, Well, in truth, I perceive that God shows no partiality. This is a big revelation to him. God shows no partiality, and isn't that true? We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We all, like sheep, have gone astray. No one seeks after the Lord. No, not one. Ever since the fall, ever since Adam and Eve sinned and disobeyed God, things have been turned upside down, and we've been separated, and we're born into sin. We're born separated from God. And so there's nobody better than anybody else because we're all separated.

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You've been listening to Come On Up with Pastor Carl of the Mountain Cross. We're going through the book of Acts, which documents the life of the apostles and believers after Jesus Christ had died and was resurrected. Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior? He came to earth to live a sinless life, to be the blood sacrifice needed to save all of mankind. Jesus died, but more than that, he rose again and has given us a hope and a future. We are no longer under the law of Moses, and instead we have the Holy Spirit. Hallelujah! If you'd like to learn more about Jesus, visit our website, themountaincross.com, and click on how to know God. Again, that's themountaincross.com. Another great and fun resource we have is Faith Film Night, featuring great Christian movies from yesterday and today at the Smoky Mountain Cinema. Join us on the first Monday of every month. Learn more at themountaincross.com or Faith Film Night on Facebook. Come on up is the radio outreach of the Mountain Cross, a ministry out of Waynesville, North Carolina, and we would love to meet you in person. We meet at the Smoky Mountain Cinema Sunday mornings at 10 in order to grow in our faith by simply going through the Word of God verse by verse, chapter by chapter. Learn more about us at themountaincross.com. Thanks for listening, and we hope you come on up to the mountain with us again next time as we seek to learn more from the Lord through His Word. Come on Up is sponsored by The Mountain Cross, a Calvary Chapel fellowship.