Section #2
We are going to answer the question “How are we saved?”Are we saved by baptism? Some
say – “If you are not baptized
in water, you are not saved.” Others say – “If you
don’t talk in tongues, you are not saved.” Others say – “If you don’t keep the Law, you are not saved.” All
these things are added, but the question is “How are we saved?” We want to answer that
question with the help of God – using his Holy Scriptures.
Salvation Made Plain – LESSON 7
A Question – How Are We
Saved?
There are five
sections to this study. We have just concluded the first
section, and now we begin the second section which is a question: “How are we saved?”
We illustrated Salvation
from the story of the dying thief. Now, the text that we are going to read
first is found in Acts 15:1. Let me say it
again – this word “saved” is
a word that we need to be acquainted with. The more you acquaint yourself with
the Bible, the more you are going to find the word. It is a very important Word
in the Bible.
Acts 15: 1
(1) And
certain men which came down from
They came down and said “If
you haven’t done this, you are not fully saved yet.” What we have to do is
connect the history of this.
1. Origin of the Church At Antioch
Acts chapter 11 is where we
have the history of the beginning of the Church at Antioch recorded.
Acts 11: 19-21
(19) Now
they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen,
traveled as far as Phenice, and
Don’t miss that word
(19) preaching
the word to none but unto the Jews only.
(20) And
some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene,
We are not given their
names. There are many missionaries whose names we don’t know, but their names
are all recorded in Heaven. Heaven
knows the names of these men. They were from Cyprus and Cyrene, which is North
Africa. Isn’t that interesting!
There was a day when
(20) when
they were come to
They preached the crucifixion
and the burial and the Resurrection.
(21) And the hand of the Lord was
with them.
It’s a greater thing to have
the hand of the Lord with you, than the hand of the Lord against you. And what
happened? –
A great
number believed and turned unto the Lord.
The hand of the Lord is with Billy Graham,
and that is why people believe. The hand of the
Lord was with these unnamed preachers, and when they preached, a great number believed. That’s
not evangelistically speaking – that’s the Holy Spirit speaking. When God says a great number believed –
I believe it means just that – don’t you?
A great number believed –
and what happened when they believed?
What did we learn in the first lesson?
If thou
shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thy heart –
What happens? – You are saved.
What happened at
1 Thessalonians 1: 9
(9) For
they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how
ye turned to God from idols to
serve the living and true God;
What
I want you to observe is – it doesn’t say, they turned from idols to
God. It says they turned to God, and then from
idols. Do you get the difference? They didn’t give something up in order to find
God – but because they found God, they gave up what they had – their
idols. That’s the
way it ought to be.
.
Illustration
William R. Newal, who has long since gone to Heaven, writes
in his book on Romans – (or it may be in his book on Hebrews). He writes about
a time when he was preaching in China. It was back in the days when they tied
the feet and hands of little girls. He tells of one little baby who had an idol put into her hand. Her
mother had tied
this earthen idol into her hand, and as she grew, her hand grew around it so
that when she was 18, she couldn’t let it go. The mother, because of her superstition
of idolatry, wanted that girl to be protected,
by carrying this idol with her forever.
William R. Newal was preaching the Gospel, and talking about the Lord Jesus Christ,
in a meeting in China. And as he was preaching, this girl who was now 18 years of age suddenly
started to praise God. I’ve
been in meetings like that – when I didn’t touch anybody. It wasn’t human manipulation – it was the Spirit of God.
That girl threw both hands up to Heaven. And as she
did that, her hand opened
up and the idol
fell out and it dropped on the floor. It broke into hundreds of pieces. See –
she turned to God and the idol dropped. Don’t try and take the idols away from
people if they haven’t first found God.
Illustration
Are any of you women still
making mud pies? You’re not making mud pies any more
are you? And the reason you are not making mud pies, is because
you know how to make apple pies. Once you start making apple
pies, you don’t make mud pies any more.
Somebody says: “I can’t come
to Christ because I’m going to have to give up so much. Listen,
it’s like girls giving up mud pies. It’s like that girl giving up her idols. They
turned to God and they left their idols. The greater the Lord becomes to you, the
more the idols of this world are going to drop off.
Now
back to the book of Acts.
Acts
(21) A great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 1: 9
(9) For
they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how
ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,
Acts 11: 22-24
(22) Then
tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in
Remember, Jerusalem was the first church.
Tidings reached
(22) and
they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as
They sent Barnabas. If
you have read the book of Acts – Praise God, they didn’t send Peter! If
they had sent Peter to
(23) Who,
when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with
purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.
What did Barnabas see when he went to
Barnabas saw the Grace of
God. He exhorted them all “You are doing fine,” he said. Then I like verse 24. The
Holy Spirit said he was a good man.
(24) For
he (Barnabas) was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith: and much
people were added unto the Lord.
Thank God there are still
some good men around. And Barnabas was one of those few of whom
the Bible says: “He was a good man.” There aren’t too many. Do you know why he was a good man?
– He was full of the Holy Spirit. Some people
think if you have that combination you can’t be
any good. But God says he was a good man because he
was full of the Holy Spirit!
Illustration
A fellow was driving down the road with a load of hay.
As he is going down with the load of hay, another fellow was coming at him
riding on horseback. And as the horseback rider comes and faces the hay, the
horse shies and runs into the ditch. The fellow that was riding the horse hit
him on the side and said: “you silly fool – being afraid of the thing you ought to be
full
of!”
There are some people today who are afraid of the Holy
Spirit – and that’s
the thing they ought to be full
of. So don’t shy away from it!
Barnabas was a good
man. He was full of the Holy Ghost
(Holy Spirit). And what else was he full of? – He was full of faith.
What does Romans
Faith
cometh by hearing the word of God.
So what do I learn from
that? – Barnabas was full of the Bible. That’s another
little thing that goes in there – a man who is really full of the Holy Spirit will be a man who
is full of the Bible. And if he is not full of the
Bible, he’s not full of the Holy Spirit. Full of the Bible is
full of faith. And full of the Holy Spirit is full of the Bible. You cannot be
full of the Holy Ghost and not be full of the Bible – because the Spirit
will take the things of Christ and make them real unto your heart,
and in this Book are the things of Christ. Well, that’s what the Holy Spirit
tells us about the man.
Acts 11:
25-26
(25) Then
departed Barnabas to
(26) And when he had found him, he brought him
unto
They nicknamed the people of
the church at
2 Timothy
2: 15
(15) Study
to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth.
2. Growth of the Church At Antioch
Acts 13: 1-4 There is a time
element here.
(1) Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain
prophets and teachers; as Barnabas and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius
of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and
Saul.
(2) As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit
said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work where unto I have called them.
I want to say
something in passing. It’s not my subject, but there are things that ought to
be said as we go along.
(3) And when they had PRAYED AND FASTED –
NO – it
doesn’t say that.
And when they had fasted and prayed and
laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
Notice, they
fasted and prayed – then they laid hands on them. They didn’t lay
hands on them until after they had prayed. Timothy says: Lay hands
suddenly on no man. I’m persuaded that if we paid a little
more attention to some of these little
things in the Bible, we would see more things happen. If there was more fasting and praying before laying on of hands, there would be more results. That’s the Bible order. When they had fasted and prayed, then they laid hands on them.
Acts 13: 4
(4) So they, being sent forth by the Holy Spirit, departed.
They sent them out, and the Holy Spirit sent them out. What
do I want you to see in this? Back in chapter 11 they believed
and they are taught for a whole year. And now the church at Antioch is progressing
to such a place where they have so many ministries in
the church that they are sending out missionaries. Don’t you
think it was a wonderful church? Wouldn’t you like to attend the church at
3. Ten Years After Origin Of The Antioch Church, Preachers From
Jerusalem Announced: ----The People Were Not Saved ---- Because They Were Not Circumcised.
Between Acts 11 and Acts
15:1, there is approximately ten years time. I repeat – these people have heard the Gospel
from unnamed evangelists. They had been instructed by no less than
the apostle Paul, and they have grown in the Lord until they are supporting a missionary cause.
Acts 15:
1 again we look at
it
(1) And
certain men which came down from
I use my imagination and I
can’t be sure of this – but from the rest of the book of Acts, I would think
that the visit of these men likely happened on Sunday morning –
because the book of Acts says “On the first day of the week
they came together.” It is referred over and over again in that way. Pentecost
took place on the first day of the week.
The Resurrection took place on the first day of the week.
And they assembled to break bread on the first day of the
week. So I rather think at
I’m going to be extravagant in
order to get my point across. I think that they were ecclesiastical dignitaries
with their collars on backwards. They had their gowns, and they really looked
the part of Cardinals and Popes. They came in, and they have all the signs of
being SOMEBODY. I’m always suspicious of men like that
(who pretend they are somebody,) because I’m afraid they might lie about something
else too!
These big shots from
Now, bring that up to date. Has
anybody ever said to you, “If you are not baptized in water, you can’t be
saved?” If you haven’t met them yet, you are going
to. Have you ever heard people say, “If you don’t keep the law of Moses you can’t be
saved – you better keep the ten commandments or you can’t be
saved?” Have you ever heard anybody say,
“If you don’t speak in tongues,
you aren’t fully saved?”
You are going to meet them
if you haven’t. You can go down the line and add a dozen things. Somebody says
“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had things now, that they had in the early church.” We do! Every
problem they had then, we have now. Don’t
forget, the early church doesn’t end in Acts chapter two.
Corinthians is the early church, and Ephesians is
the early church. And the reason we have these epistles, is because they had problems in
the early church. As long as there are going to be people,
there are going to be problems!
Praise God they had problems 2000
years ago – because if they didn’t have any problems, we wouldn’t have
any answers. We have answers,
because they had problems. The whole church at
4. Paul, the Missionary, Was
Home On That Day
Praise God – He ordered them
to come at the right time. I believe God has His time in
everything. Do you know what happened on this occasion? – the
missionaries were home on furlough. Praise God for the missionaries. Who are
the missionaries? – Paul and Barnabas. They had gone out on their first missionary journey,
and now they are back in their home church at Antioch.
Acts 15:
2
(2) When
therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them,
they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up
to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.
Again I repeat – somebody
says “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had it like in the early church!” – We do! I’m not a German, so I can’t read it in the
German Bible, and I think the Scandinavian Bible is the same. It is stronger in
other languages, than in our English “No small dissension and
disputation.” These fellows got
up in Antioch and told the church they weren’t saved, and Paul
wouldn’t put up with it! He stood up and
argued with them. They had an argument in the early church as to how people got saved. Can
you all see it?
We sing:
Gentle Jesus meek and mild Look
upon a little child
What about the day when Gentle
Jesus meek and mild went into the temple with the moneychangers, and upset the table.
There were some times where He didn’t look very gentle.
Galatians
2: 11-14 A most
interesting story
(11) But
when Peter was come to
Is this in the Bible? Did
Paul believe in the Grace of God? Did Paul believe in the Love of God? – Yes. Do you think he was Spiritual? Do
you think he was a good Christian?
(11) When
Peter was come to
(12) For before that certain came from
James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself,
fearing them which were of the circumcision.
(13) And
the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch
that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.
(14) But
when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter
before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou
the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
Let me tell you the story. At
I say this: A church doesn’t
go to the devil (or to the dogs) when you put a kitchen in the basement. It goes
to the devil when you get a goat in the pulpit. So be more concerned
about the pulpit than the kitchen. God never
called me to herd goats, he called me to feed sheep! You better have
a shepherd and not a thief in the pulpit!
Well, they had church dinners.
I don’t think they had oblong tables. I think they had round
ones. And I think they had about eight plates at a table. And don’t forget –
the church at
Paul and Barnabas are home. And
maybe it was their “welcome home” dinner. Barnabas was at the dinner, and Peter
happened to be there too. And while they are eating their dinner, Peter is
sitting with six Gentile dogs. Did you know that the Jews thought Gentiles
were dogs? Did you ever sit at the table with dogs? And Barnabas broke the law too – he’s sitting with Gentiles. And
I think Paul was sitting with Gentiles.
I believe the Bible teaches
that Peter was fat. The reason I think he was fat is he loved to eat. And I throw in
for good measure – I think he was bald-headed, but I’m not sure. Fat, short and
bald-headed. Where do I get the fact that he was fat and short? In John 20, the morning of the Resurrection,
John outran Peter. Did you
ever see a short fat man who could run? Well, that’s a little bit of evidence
and I have more.
I’d like to visualize this
little fellow sitting at the table. Do you know what they had for dinner that
night? – Ham – baked ham. Peter, for the first time in his life, is enjoying a
ham dinner. He had never eaten anything that wasn’t Kosher before! He is just
cutting into his Gentile dinner and he’s really enjoying it – and the door
opens, and these big shots from Jerusalem come in. You know – those Kosher
men – those men who had never eaten Gentile food.
When Peter saw them come in,
he looked around the room and he saw a table where there were only two Jews, so he took his
plate, and he shuffled his shoes, and he made his way over and sat down with
the Jews. When Barnabas (the Jew) saw him do it, he praised
the Lord, and Barnabas moved his plate and sat down with the Jews.
Paul couldn’t take it, and
he stood up in the dinner meeting. You talk about a wet blanket! He stood up and pointed at Peter and he said
“Peter, why don’t you behave yourself?” Can you imagine a meeting like that? Can
you feel the tension of that kind of meeting? Paul withstood
him to the face.
Paul
said to Peter “Why should you make a Gentile act like a Jew, and a Jew act like a Gentile? Don’t
you know that the blood of Christ cleanses both Jew and Gentile?
And don’t you know that God has broken down the wall of partition?”
Peter should have known all of that – but he was putting up the wall again.
What I want you to see is
Paul withstood him to the face. Can you understand what it was like back at Antioch
when these preachers came in and said, “If you are not circumcised you can’t be
saved?” They had a real hot tongue-lash from Paul.
Did Paul not believe in Love? –
Yes. But he also believed in the value of Truth. Here are a few Scriptures
regarding the value of Truth:
Ephesians
4: 15
(15) But
speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head,
even Christ:
1 Timothy
3: 15
(15) But
if I tarry long that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the
house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of
the truth.
2 Timothy
2: 15
(15) Study
to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth.
If something is not true it
has no value.
5. The First Church Conference Was Held
Let’s go back
to Acts
Acts 15: 2-7
(2) When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension
and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up
to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.
What is the
result of all this?
(5) But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which
believed saying, That it was needful to
circumcise them, and to command them to keep the Law of Moses.
See – If you
don’t keep the Law of Moses you aren’t saved. If you aren’t circumcised you’re not saved.
(6) And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this
matter.
The elders and apostles came together in Jerusalem to
consider this matter. It’s the first church conference. And what is the first conference about? –
“How are people saved? – What is necessary
for Salvation?” The
first church conference was held to answer that
question. I’m glad they had a conference. Have any of you gone to a preacher’s
conference? If you haven’t, go some day. But you better read the Bible before
you go – because Acts 15: 7 describes the conference.
Acts 15: 7
(7) And when there had been much disputing
Isn’t that
interesting? Where were they? – At a
preacher’s conference. Where? – At
Let me show you
the end of the matter – the end of
the conference.
Acts
(28) For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us.
When you put
that along side of verse 7, you have to come to a conclusion. They went to
conference to discuss a problem, and they discussed it wide open, but they did not grieve the Holy Spirit. They did not grieve the
Spirit of God.
Illustration
Forty years ago,
I was in a preacher’s conference. Being a young man, I wasn’t accustomed to
what goes on. I would like to name names, but I won’t. The brother who was the
chairman – the Moderator – was a very gracious brother. If I may use terms that
I hope you understand – on the conference floor there had been put a hot potato – something that was going to be an argument.
You could feel
the tension rising as the dispute started. The chairman
got up and said “Brethren, I think we should have a prayer meeting. There was a bigger preacher there than me.
He was a big fellow and he had a big
voice. He stood up and said “I object.” Object to a prayer meeting? He said “I didn’t come here to pray, I came here to have a conference. I prayed before I
left home. How can you have a conference if you don’t confer with one-another?”
Is he
right? I’m glad that in the book of Acts
– when the tension was as high as it was, they didn’t decide to have a prayer meeting and go home. Because if they had had a prayer meeting, we wouldn’t have had any answers. They talked it out. And they fought it out. And they contributed. And when they were finished, the Holy Spirit was pleased with the result.
6. At Conference Peter Talks About Cornelius
Acts 15: 7
(7) And when there had been much disputing, Peter
rose up and said unto them.
(7) Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us
that the Gentiles by my mouth should
hear the word of the gospel and believe.
I have never
had sufficient language for that statement “God made choice.”
Do you know why Peter was a preacher? Do you know why
Peter was an apostle? – Because of God’s choice. There are certain
people that I look at and say (maybe you say it about me), “If
it had been my business, I wouldn’t have made him a
preacher.” If you haven’t said it – God bless you, but I’m sure you
have said it about somebody. God is
the One who chooses His vessels. God
made choice of Peter – that the Gentiles, by his
mouth, should hear the Gospel and believe.
What is Peter
introducing into the conference? – He is introducing historical document that had to do with Cornelius’ household. Did
you ever hear of Cornelius? Peter said “Brethren I want to share something. Some
years back God chose me to go preach the Gospel to the Gentiles for the first time.”
I want to show
you a key verse
Acts
(13) And he showed us how he had seen an angel in his
house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose
surname is Peter;
The angel said
to Cornelius – “send for Peter.”
(14) Who shall tell thee (not
show
thee)
People are not shown how
to be saved, they are told how to be saved.
Acts
(14) Who shall tell thee
words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.
What was the
reason Peter went to Cornelius’ house? – He went down to tell Cornelius how to get saved.
If I can find out what Peter
said to Cornelius,---I’ll find out how to get saved.
Can you see it?
Peter is going to tell how to get saved. So now we have to go
back and see what Peter said, in
order to answer the question: “How do we get saved?”
7. Facts About Cornelius
Let’s go back
to get the history.
Acts 10: 1-2
(1) There was a certain man in
Do you know
where
He is a centurion of the
band called the Italian band.
What does that
mean? – He’s the head of 100 soldiers. What would that mean to today’s
language? – He had a good job. But
he wasn’t saved.
(2) A devout man, and
one that feared God with all
his house, which gave much alms to the
people, and prayed to God
always.
What does devout mean? – He was religious. Is
it possible for people to be devout, to be religious,
and to go to church, and not be saved? – Yes. There are all kinds of religious people that aren’t
saved. Cornelius feared God – but even though he feared God, he wasn’t saved.
Can a man pray and not be saved? You
are not saved by what you do. If somebody could be saved by what one
does – then that man should have been saved. He wasn’t.
You are not
saved by saying prayers. You are not saved by giving your money. You are not saved by merely fearing God. There
is more to it than that. Like so many people, this
man did all that, but he was not saved.
John 14:1 Jesus said (and here is a key)
(1) Let not your heart be troubled – believe in God.
But that’s not enough –
it is not believing in God that saves. The end of that verse, Jesus
said: believe also in me.
Salvation does not come to one when he
simply believes in A God of some kind. Salvation comes when he believes in Jesus Christ.
This man feared God,
but he wasn’t saved.
There is no
question that Winston Churchill was a God-fearing man. – but whether he was a Christian, or
not, I cannot tell.
Let’s review the
background.
Acts 15: 1
(1) And certain men which came down from
Verse two
revealed the fact that that caused a stir at Antioch – and as a result,
they had a conference in Jerusalem. Acts 15: 6 tells you about them going to the conference. Verse
7 tells us that after there had been much disputing, Peter stands up and he makes reference to the household of Cornelius.
Acts
(13) Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter;
(14) Who shall tell thee
words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.
What we are doing
is showing you that Peter was sent down to the household of Cornelius, to tell that man how to get saved. And our subject matter is “How are we saved?” Now with that background we
go back to the history in Acts 10. Here are the facts of the story:
Acts 10: 3-6
(3) he saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day (in
our time - 3 P.M.) an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto
him, Cornelius
(4) And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it
Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers
and thine alms are come up for SALVATION before
God.
No – it doesn’t
say that
It says:
Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a MEMORIAL before
God.
His prayers and
his doings only came up as a memorial. You see, God is not unjust, and God does not forget. But
the prayers and tears did not save him. He’s not saved yet. He has been
doing all this, but he is not saved. But God is paying attention to what he is doing.
If a man is sincerely seeking God, God will send somebody to him. That is what He did in this story. Here was a
hungry heart, and God sent someone.
(5) And now send men to Joppa, and call one Simon, whose surname is
Peter:
(6) He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the
seaside: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.
In the 9th
chapter, Peter had just raised somebody from the dead. And after he had raised somebody from the
dead, he didn’t go to the biggest hotel in town – he went down and stayed with
his friends. I
love these Bible characters – they are so “down-to-earth.”
Peter is down
there in the tanner’s house. Notice in verse 6 “he shall SHOW thee what
thou oughtest to do” –
NO – a thousand times NO.
Verse 6 does not say
show thee. You do not show a man how to get saved, you TELL him
how to get saved. How do people get
saved? – they get saved by hearing something.
There is
another wonderful thing here. The angel
could come and bring a message to a man in need, but the angel could not preach to him. God has not
chosen to use angels to preach the Gospel. God has chosen people. Don’t argue with God.
God says to you and me “go into
all the world and preach the good news to every creature.”
The angel
brought the message to Cornelius, but he didn’t tell him how to get saved. Maybe
he knew the way to Salvation, but he didn’t tell
Cornelius. It is not God’s will to
do it that way. Men have to preach the Gospel.
8. The Events of the Story
The story lays
a foundation.
Acts 10: 7-33
(7) And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called
two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him
continually.
(8) And when he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to Joppa.
(9) On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh
unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the
sixth hour. (high noon)
(10) And he became very hungry, and would
have eaten: but while they made ready he fell into a trance.
Do you remember
me mentioning that I thought Peter was fat?
And here is one of my reasons. My wife is very thin, but I
have always had a problem with the “battle of the bulge.” I’ve always had to
keep working on it. She’s never hungry and I’m always hungry.
So when I read
that Peter was not merely hungry – he was very hungry – I think it is only somebody like me who
knows what it is to be really hungry.
Here is a word
to all you husbands – the next time dinner is late, do what Peter did. Don’t complain
about the cook, take the opportunity to go and pray. Who knows, while you are
praying, waiting for the cook to get dinner ready, you might have a vision too!
That’s what happened to Peter.
Illustration
When I was a
boy, I thought as a boy and understood as a boy. Everything
didn’t make sense to me when I read it in the Bible –
because I am a Westerner, and the Bible is Eastern. The
only kind of roof I could see in my mind was a gable
roof. When I was ten years old, I had a
hard time trying to visualize Peter sitting up on the peaked roof, trying to pray. But when you go over to the East, and
see the flat roofs, there is no problem at all when you
see it in its setting.
Acts
(11)And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto
him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the
earth.
Now visualize everything you are reading.
(12) Wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth.
Read Leviticus
11. That chapter tells you about all the unclean
beasts. I think a big pig was
in the sheet. You don’t eat pork if you are a Jew. In here are all manner of four-footed beasts, so I think I have leeway to put a pig
in there – don’t you? And dogs were in the sheet. Jews thought of Gentiles as being dogs.
(12) and wild beasts and creeping things and fowls of the air
All creeping things
and vultures and crows. All those things that are listed in Leviticus that were
not fit to eat, were all in there.
(13) and there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
(14) But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything
that is common or unclean.
How would you
like to go through this? Peter says: “I
have never eaten anything not kosher in my life. The only kind of food I eat is
Kosher food.
It has been blessed by the Rabbi, and
it has followed the 11th chapter of Leviticus. There isn’t any ham
in my diet, and there aren’t any snails and crows.”
(15) And the voice spake unto him again the second
time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou
common.
I’m going to
show you a verse, and it might upset you. I don’t want to upset you, but it might have that reaction. I am sure you
will meet people who are very strict about their diet. But if you believe the Bible, maybe you’ve got a bigger diet than you thought you
had.
I Timothy 4:4
(4) For every creature of God is good, and nothing
to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving.
Illustration
Brother McLean was
at Brooks, Alberta for meetings. And when he was preaching, a great big moth
came flying right into his mouth. He had to make a quick decision –“What am I going to do – am I going to spoil the meeting?” He said “I sanctified it,
and I swallowed it, and I went on preaching as if nothing had happened.” God says everything is clean, so you can eat it if you want to.
Illustration
Brother Martin
Davies used to tell about his days in French West Africa, where they roasted corn.
The people over there don’t have the same standard of living we
have over here in this country.
Because of the
dry weather and the heat, the women cover their bodies with a butter. They make this kind of butter, and they oil themselves all
over with it. They don’t wear very many
clothes, and they don’t bathe too
often. When it gets rancid, they put on another
coat, and then another coat of this butter.
Well, the
missionary is invited to a corn roast. They are roasting corn, and one of these
dear ladies takes a cob of corn off of the fire and she drops it in the sand. She picks it up, and rubs it up and down on
her thigh, so it’s well-buttered, – and hands it to
Brother Davies to eat. Let me tell you, he had to Sanctify it! He didn’t want to
offend the natives – he wanted to win
them – so he prayed over it and ate it.
Illustration
I almost lost
my stomach one night watching a T.V. program. Dr. Townsend of the Wycliffe
Translators was shown roasting monkey, with the natives down in Mexico. They were
turning it over on a barbecue. They took a leg off of the monkey, and gave it
to Dr. Townsend, and there he was eating it,
and I could hardly stand it. But I’ve got to believe
what the Bible says – everything is OK if
you Sanctify it. Sometimes it takes a lot of Sanctifying!
Can you see the
situation that Peter was in here? – he had never eaten any monkey before. He had never eaten any moths. And now the Lord says “Peter, rise and eat and don’t you dare call it unclean if I have cleansed it!”
Acts
(16) This was done thrice (three
times) and the vessel was
received up again into heaven.
When Peter went
down to the household of Cornelius he got into trouble over that. The 11th chapter tells about him rehearsing what happened.
Acts
(10) And this was done three times: and all were drawn up again
into heaven.
What went into Heaven
on the sheet? -- All manner of unclean four-footed
beasts, and fowls of the air, and creeping things – owls, pigs, dogs etc. The
whole thing went back to Heaven. Do you see that?
Do you know
what the Lord was teaching Peter? The Lord was teaching Peter that he
was going to save Gentiles. The Jews looked upon Gentiles as being dogs and pigs. And
here is the Lord telling Peter – “Peter I want you to go down and preach to
some Gentile dogs, and tell them how to get saved. If Peter
had not had that vision, he wouldn’t have gone.
Acts 10:17-19
(17) Now while Peter doubted in himself
what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent
from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate,
(18) And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter,
were lodged there.
(19) While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him,
Behold, three men seek
thee.
We are going to
read, a little later on, that when Peter went down to the door, three men were there. This is important. – If the Spirit
speaks, it will be exact. If
Peter had gone down and found two men, or four
men, he should have known it wasn’t the voice of the Spirit. The Spirit said exactly three,
and when he went down, that is what he found. So always remember that about
the voice of the Spirit. When the Spirit
speaks it is going to be exactly right – perfectly
right.
Acts
(20) Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I
have sent them.
That was the
Lord’s message to Peter. These men were men of like passion as we
are. The prayer of Peter should have
been like my prayer. “Lord I believe, but help thou my unbelief.” I
am going to show you that he did doubt.
Acts 11:1-12
(1) And the apostles and brethren that were in
(2) And when Peter was come up to
(3) Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised
(Gentiles, dogs – Do you get the point?) and didst eat with them. You
broke the laws when you sat down with those people.
(4) But Peter rehearsed the matter
from the beginning, and expounded it by order unto them saying.
If you ever get
into trouble, follow that pattern.
Start telling the story from the beginning. And if you always tell the truth, you never have to remember what you said.
Well, Peter
started from the beginning.
(5) I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a
vision, a certain vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet, let down from heaven
by four corners; and it came even to me:
(6) Upon the which when I had fastened mine eyes, I considered, and
saw four footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things and
fowls of the air.
(7) And I heard a voice saying unto me, Arise, Peter, slay and eat.
(8) But I said, Not so, Lord:
for nothing common or unclean hath at
any time entered into my mouth.
(9) But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that
call not thou common.
(10) And this was done three times: and all were drawn up again
into heaven.
(11) And, behold, immediately there were three men
already come unto the house where I was, sent from
The Spirit said three men, and Peter
said it was three men that came to the house.
(12)And the Spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover
these six brethren accompanied
me, and we entered into the man’s house.
I don’t know if
you see the humor in that or not. In the Law it said two or three witnesses are all you
need to establish anything. In the
mouth of two or three witnesses
shall every word be established.
Peter is going
to break the law of
the Jews – he is going to go down and preach and
eat with Gentiles, and he knew he was going to get into trouble. He knew he was going to
get called up on the carpet. So what did he do? – he was going to be doubly sure, – he took six men
with him.
I believe that
when he gave account of himself, here is Peter standing up in front of all the
big shots of
Now I want you
to see something else. Back to chapter ten.
Acts 10: 8
(8) And when he declared all these things unto them, he (Cornelius) sent them
to Joppa.
Verse 20 says “For I (God) have sent
them.”
I thought Cornelius sent them! That’s
what it says in one verse. But in the other verse, the Lord says He sent them. That is just a little indication
of what your life is all about. There are days when men
think they have made decisions, and you look back and
you can see the Hand of the
Lord. Has that ever
happened to you? – “I thought I had just made up my mind – but the Lord was in that – the Lord had
ordered my steps.”
Proverbs says “Commit your way
unto the Lord. Trust also
in him
(and what is the promise?) – and he will
direct your path.”
So here you have an indication of that.
Acts 10: 21-22
(21) Then Peter went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius;
and said, Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the cause wherefore
ye are come?
(22) And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one
that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned
from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of
thee.
Now watch it
again: “to hear
words.” What
is Peter going down for? – To tell them how to get saved. How does a man get saved? – he gets saved by hearing words.
Acts 10: 23-24
(23) Then called he them in, and lodged them. And on the morrow
Peter went away with them, and certain brethren (six
brethren) from Joppa accompanied him.
(24) And the morrow after they entered into
I like that. He
was a real personal worker even before he was saved. He knew
that something was going to happen and he didn’t want to be alone in this. He
wanted his family to get in on it, and he wanted his friends to get in on it too. So they are all
there.
Please remember
that Cornelius was a Gentile. And all of
his kinsmen would be Gentiles. And
all of his friends would be Gentiles. And so here is a house full of Gentiles
and one little Jew.
Acts 10: 25-26a
(25) And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down
at his feet and worshipped him.
(26) But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.
Isn’t that
wonderful behavior for the first Pope! Did you know that Peter was the first Pope? Did you know that is what history teaches? That’s what the church teaches.
I wish all the Popes would act like Peter – don’t
you? If they would take their cue from the Bible, we wouldn’t have the kind of
history we’ve had. I love these men in
the Bible for the way they acted. Peter said “Don’t you know I’m only a man?”
Do you remember
the story in Acts chapters 27 and 28?
Paul was shipwrecked and they landed on the Isle of
Paul the great
apostle gathering sticks? Paul
the great apostle soiling his hands? Paul the great
apostle out there with shipwrecked soldiers, being one
with them? Paul did not
consider himself above them.
I wish all the
preachers would act like these preachers. We have such a division between laity
and clergy, and I don’t like it one little bit. Paul never presented himself as being above his
people. And Peter didn’t either. I think if Cornelius had a lot of hair, he
lost a lot of it here. He is on his knees and I am sure that Peter grabbed him
by the hair and pulled him up and said “man, stand up,
I don’t want that, I’m only a man.”
Praise God – I wish we would all act
like that.
Acts 10: 27-28
(27) And as he talked with him, he went in, and found many (a
whole house full) that were come
together.
(28) And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful
thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation:
but God hath shown me that I should not call any
man common or unclean.
When you read
this story, you are going to find out that Cornelius got
saved and the whole house. They didn’t get saved because of Peter – they got saved in spite of him. Isn’t it wonderful that the Lord can bless in spite of you?
When Peter
stood up – the first thing he does is apologize for being there. And he does it twice. He stands up in front of these people and says: “You know,
if I was really doing what I should do, I shouldn’t be here! – Because you are
dogs and I’m a Jew, and I shouldn’t be talking to you. Can you
imagine anything good happening out of that kind of introduction?
Well, something good did happen.
(28) God hath shown me that I should not call any man common or
unclean.
See what the purpose of the vision
was? And if Peter had not had that vision, he never would have gone. He wouldn’t want to be found dead in this place! But God had taught him
(and maybe God should teach us something) – no man is common. In the sight of God every human being is precious – from little aborted babies, to the
rest of us. Don’t ever forget that. Every
human being is not common in
the sight of God.
Acts 10: 29-33
(29) Therefore came I unto you without gain saying, as soon as I
was sent for: I ask therefore for what intent ye have
sent for me?
(30) And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this
hour; and at the ninth hour (
(31) And said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are
had in remembrance in the
sight of God.
(32) Send therefore to Joppa, and call hither Simon, whose surname
is Peter; he is lodged in the house of one Simon a tanner by the sea side: who,
when he cometh, shall speak unto thee.
How does a man
get saved? – Faith cometh by hearing. You do not show a man how to be saved – you tell him how
to be saved.
(33) Immediately therefore I sent to thee; and thou hast well done that
thou art come. Now therefore are we all
here present before God, to hear all things
that are commanded thee of God.
9. All of Peter’s Words Recorded
Acts 10: 34-43
(34) Then Peter opened his mouth and said, Of a truth I perceive
that God is no respecter of persons:
Can you see the
irony of that? He is looking into their faces and he is really saying: “If I
hadn’t learned that God doesn’t respect persons, I wouldn’t be
here preaching to you dogs. But I just found out God doesn’t make a
difference between a Jew and
a Gentile.”
(35) But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness,
is accepted with him.
(36) The word which God sent unto the children of
He only gets
out three sentences and who is he talking about? – Jesus Christ.
(37) That word, I say, ye know which was published throughout all
(38) How God anointed Jesus of
Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went
about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
(39) And we are witnesses of all
things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in
What has he
talked about? He has talked about Jesus in his life and now in his death.
(40) Him God raised up the third day, and showed him openly;
You’ve got in
here the life of Jesus, the death of Jesus, and the Resurrection. That’s what Peter is talking about.
(41) Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of
God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
(42) And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify
that it is he which was
ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.
Now verse 43 is
the sum of his sermon.
(43) To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name
whosoever believeth and is BAPTIZED
whosoever believeth and is CIRCUMCISED
whosoever believeth and KEEPETH THE LAW
NONE OF THAT IS
IN THERE!
He said:
whosoever believeth IN HIM shall
receive remission of sins.
1 Corinthians 15: 1-3
(1) Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I
preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
(2) By which also ye are saved, if ye
keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
(3)For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received,
how that Christ died for our sins
according to the scriptures;
We are saved by
the Gospel.
10. Proof to Peter That These Gentiles Were Saved
Acts
(44) While Peter yet spake
these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all them which
heard the word.
And Peter
couldn’t say any more. It’s wonderful
when God shuts the mouth of a preacher – but be sure it is God who
does it. Now go to Acts, chapter 11 – which
is most humorous and interesting. You
see, the angel said to Cornelius “You go and get Peter. He will tell you
how to get saved.”
Acts 11: 14-15
(14) Who shall tell thee words, whereby
thou and all thy house shall be saved.
(15) And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, as on us at the beginning.
As he began to speak! Peter had a
big sermon all lined up – but he didn’t get a chance to preach it. The reason
he couldn’t get it out was God shut him up. Why
did God shut Peter’s mouth? – He had said enough. What did he go down there for? One
thing, and one thing only. Peter was to go down and tell Cornelius how to get saved. What did he talk about? – The death, the burial and the Resurrection.
And what did he say in Acts 10:43? – If anybody will believe, he will receive Remission of sins.
What is Salvation? When you are saved, do you not receive Remission of sin? They are interchangeable. Can you see it? If you believe on
the Resurrected Christ, you will be saved.
Peter was to tell Cornelius how to get saved, therefore he must have
gone to present the Gospel. Peter’s words must then be the Gospel. And Peter had the proof
that these Gentiles were saved – the Holy Spirit fell on them.
Mark 16: 15-17
(15) And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach
the gospel to every creature.
(16) He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be
damned.
He is talking
about signs following – the Holy Spirit falling on them.
Romans 10: 9
(9) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and
shalt believe in thine heart that God
hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Acts 15: 8
(8) And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare
them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as
he did unto us;
Going back to
the conference – how are we saved? Let’s
read it again.
Acts 15: 7-11
(7) And when there had been much disputing (at
the conference) Peter rose up, and
said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice
among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear
the word of the Gospel, and believe.
You see, what
we have been reading is the Gospel. And Peter’s mouth spoke the Gospel. And you get saved by
the Gospel.
What have you
learned from Romans?
Romans 10: 9-10
(9) For if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and
shalt believe in thine heart that God
hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
(10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness;
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Acts 15: 8-9
(8) And God which knoweth the hearts, bare
them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as
he did unto us;
(9) And put no difference between us (Jews) and them. (Gentiles)
purifying their hearts by CIRCUMCISION
purifying their hearts by KEEPING
THE LAW
purifying their hearts by BEING
BAPTIZED IN WATER
NO – a thousand times NO!
It says:
Purifying their hearts by FAITH.
11. The Conclusion
What does
Ephesians teach you? – We are saved by grace through faith.
Ephesians 2: 8-9
(8) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
(9) Not of works, lest any
man should boast.
Acts 15: 10-11
(10) Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the
neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
(11) But we believe that through the grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved even as they.
Titus 3: 5
(5) Not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but
according to his mercy he saved us, by the
washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 11: 6
(6) And if by grace, then is it no more of works:
otherwise grace is no more grace. But if
it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work
is no more work.
How do people
get saved? – they get saved by hearing the Gospel – by receiving the Gospel – by believing the Gospel through faith in
Christ. That’s how we get saved. And the conference concluded with that
wonderful statement:
We believe that it’s through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
How are we saved?
– By Grace through Faith and that not of
ourselves,
It is a Gift of God –PLUS NOTHING!