Acts 10:9-22
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
9 About noon the following
day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on
the roof to pray. 10 He
became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being
prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large
sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds
of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. 13 Then a voice told him, “Get
up, Peter. Kill and eat.”
14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything
impure or unclean.”
15 The voice spoke to him a
second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
16 This happened three
times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
17 While Peter was
wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house
was and stopped at the gate. 18 They
called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.
19 While Peter was still
thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. 20 So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go
with them, for I have sent them.”
21 Peter went down and said
to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?”
22 The men replied, “We
have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who
is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to have you come
to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.”
I
have always thought that this scripture was regarding the eating of all kinds
of food, unlike the Jewish tradition but today I realized it has so much more
meaning than that. One verse stood out
to me like it never has before, 15 The voice spoke to him a
second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” That verse, paired with the sermon I heard
yesterday brought a whole new meaning and challenge to me. The pastor I heard speak yesterday spoke on
the lineage of Jesus, as written in Matthew 1.
As you read the lineage it means nothing to most people but when you
look at the names of those who were the grandmothers of Jesus, you see that He
chose the most likely women to make clean, to become the lineage of Jesus. Many
of these women we would have not wanted to associate with yet they became the
mothers of men who became great in fulfilling the will of God.
This message is for those who are in that type of lifestyle, who think
they could never be forgiven by God. His
love is so great that He can and will forgive all sins, it is up to the sinner
to ask for that forgiveness and recognize that only God, through Jesus Christ,
can make you whole again. He is the only
one who can wash away those sins through the blood of Jesus Christ.
This message is also for those who have been raised in Christian homes,
who have grown up knowing the love of Christ.
Often times we tend to think that maybe we are a little better than the
person on the street begging for money or walking the streets looking for
pay. These verses tell us that only God
can choose what is clean and unclean. It
is not up to us to judge, it is up to us to associate with those who in society
who might be of a lower class than us.
It is up to us to share the Gospel with them. It is the power of the Holy Spirit to open
their ears to the message and ours to proclaim the message.
As you seek Him today, tell Him how thankful you are that He has made you
clean. If you have not received this
cleansing from Him, ask Him to do so today.
We need to all remember that God is the One who makes clean those who
were once unclean. All of us have been
unclean and we need to share how through Christ we are now clean.
Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila