WEBVTT

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 We're going to see the beginning of this story of Cornelius and Peter.

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 And what we're going to think about is the fact that God is sovereign in salvation.

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 We're going to see God in charge in order that Cornelius will come to faith in the Lord Jesus.

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 So Acts chapter 10, we're going to read the first 23 verses.

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 At Caesarea, there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian regiment.

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 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing.

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 He gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.

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 One day, about three in the afternoon, he had a vision.

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 He distinctly saw an angel of God who came to him and said, Cornelius.

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 Cornelius stared at him in fear.

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 What is it, Lord?

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 He asked.

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 The angel answered, your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.

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 Now, send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon, who is called Peter.

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 He is staying with Simon the Tanner, whose house is by the sea.

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 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants.

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 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.

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 About noon the following day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray.

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 He became hungry and wanted something to eat.

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 And while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.

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 He saw heaven open and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners.

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 It contained all kinds of four-feated animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air.

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 Then a voice told him, get up, Peter.

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 Kill and eat.

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 Surely not, Lord, Peter replied.

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 I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.

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 The voice spoke to him a second time.

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 Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.

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 This happened three times, and immediately the sheep was taken back to heaven.

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 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.

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 They called out, asking if Simon, who is known as Peter, was staying there.

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 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, Simon, three men are looking for you, so get up and go downstairs.

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 Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.

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 Peter went down and said to the men, I am the one you are looking for.

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 Why have you come?

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 The men replied, we have come from Cornelius the centurion.

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 He is a righteous and God-fearing man who is respected by all the Jewish people.

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 A holy angel told him to have you come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.

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 Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.

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 Amen.

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 This is God's word.

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 Now what I want us to see in this story of Peter and Cornelius is the fact that our stories exist within a larger story.

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 They exist within God's bigger story.

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 And God takes people's lives and weaves them together for his own purposes.

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 Now when I was, I guess, a student, I used to watch a lot of films.

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 And in the late 90s and then into the early 2000s, there was a lot of filmmakers who were doing this thing where they would have multiple main characters.

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 And they would have sort of lives that would be very separate.

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 But then at some point in the drama, those lives would interconnect.

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 Usually at the climax of the drama, you'd see how all these various individuals became part of the same story.

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 And in a sense, what we're being presented by Luke here is two very separate stories.

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 The story of Cornelius and Peter that God brings together so that the gospel will expand into non-Jewish territory.

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 So you've got this man, Cornelius, who's part of Roman special forces.

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 And you've got this guy, Peter.

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 He's an apostle to the Jews.

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 There are some servants and messengers at the same time.

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 And most of all, what comes out is God's directing through angels, through visions, through the Holy Spirit so that Cornelius can hear the gospel.

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 So we've got these two people that would never normally have any contact with each other.

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 They'd never be hanging out.

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 It's an opportunity for the gospel that Peter, I'm sure, would never have anticipated.

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 But God brings these lives together so that he would be glorified.

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 He's the first Gentile convert to faith in Jesus.

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 Comes in Cornelius and his household.

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 And it's the beginning of Gentile mission, just as Jesus had promised.

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 So let's look, first of all, at Cornelius.

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 So who was Cornelius?

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 Now we're told in verse 1 that he was a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment.

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 An elite set of troops stationed in Caesarea, a key city of Roman culture and a place where Rome exercised control.

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 Powerful guy, authoritative guy.

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 But he's also, we're told, a God-fearer.

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 Verse 2.

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 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing.

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 Now that means he is a non-Jewish person who is choosing to worship in the synagogue.

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 He's choosing to follow Old Testament ethics and practices.

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 Him and his family have decided they want to follow the God of Israel.

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 And so this leads him, leads Cornelius to, well, first of all, lead his family in that direction.

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 Here is an example of a man who is leading his family in faith.

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 It leads him also to practice generosity.

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 And we're told also in verse 2, it leads him to regular times of prayer.

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 So on the one hand, you could say, well, here's Cornelius.

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 He's an enemy.

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 He's an outsider.

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 He's far from the covenant.

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 He's far from being one of the people of God.

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 But on the other hand, we can also see clear evidence that he is someone who is seeking after God.

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 That he wants to know the God of the Bible so that he might worship him.

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 And at that point, we just need to remind ourselves that whenever we read of that, we need to recognize that that in itself is a gift of God.

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 Where does that come from?

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 Where does this sense of dissatisfaction with the gods of the Romans come from?

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 Where does his sense of my life is not going in the right direction?

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 I need the God of Israel.

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 Where does that come from?

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 It doesn't come from himself.

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 It's because God's at work.

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 The spirit is at work.

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 And that's true for any of us before we come to faith in the Lord Jesus.

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 So I want us to see next, how does God seek this man, Cornelius?

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 And we're told in verse 3, one day about 3 in the afternoon, he had a vision.

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 He saw an angel of God who spoke to him.

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 And here's a, it seems like a small thing, but it's a remarkable thing that God again is revealing himself to and outside it.

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 Here is a reminder that God's kingdom is broad and not narrow.

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 That because Christianity is about grace and not about law, it tends to be inclusive and not exclusive.

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 And we get another preview of that here.

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 So we get the vision.

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 And what we see as the angel speaks to Cornelius, verse 4, is that God is responding to Cornelius wanting to know him, wanting to please him.

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 So the angel says to him in verse 4, your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.

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 And so the angel then tells him to go and send for Peter.

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 Because if Cornelius is to know God truly, then he needs to hear the gospel.

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 He needs to hear about Jesus, the Son of God, who's come to be the Savior of the world.

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 And so they are to send messengers to Joppa to find Simon Peter.

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 And that's exactly what Cornelius does in verses 7 and 8.

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 He does everything that God said and he sends the messengers off to Joppa.

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 So that's about 32 miles away from Caesarea.

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 And we'll think about that in a few moments.

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 Remember that saying that Jesus had where he said,

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 Ask and it will be given to you.

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 Seek and you will find.

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 Knock and the door will be opened to you.

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 And Cornelius is proving that to be true.

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 He is someone who is seeking after God.

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 God's put that in his heart.

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 He's seeking after God and God responds.

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 God is going to move Peter to bring the gospel so that he can be saved.

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 There's always encouragement to us when we read stories like the stories we find in the book of Acts

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 to pray for people to be open, to pray for people to be seeking for God.

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 Because I guess from an outsider's point of view,

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 Cornelius would be a very surprising kind of a convert.

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 And it's a reminder to us to trust that God in his grace and mercy and love

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 is far more generous than sometimes we imagine or anticipate.

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 And it's true as well.

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 And maybe you know this in your own experience.

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 Sometimes we can be less surprised, perhaps, by the people that God chooses to work in their heart.

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 We would think, I have this friend, and they look like the kind of person that might be interested in faith and religion.

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 And then you get really surprised because this family member or this friend from out of nowhere,

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 so it seems, develops a real desire to read the Bible, to know more about Jesus.

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 God is constantly at work by his Spirit in ways that are surprising.

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 But it always reminds us that it's God who's in charge.

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 It's God's big story that we are a part of.

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 He's in charge and not us.

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 So we've got this story.

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 We've got this story of Cornelius and his vision over in Caesarea.

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 But then we meet our other character.

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 We've got Peter.

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 So who is Peter?

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 Well, we know that he's one of the 12 disciples of Jesus, of course.

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 And the one thing, as I was reading this week, a couple of commentators pointed out,

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 remember that saying, you maybe remember the saying that Jesus delivered about Peter saying,

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 I will give you the keys of the kingdom.

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 And they were saying, well, in part, in Peter's experience,

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 that means that he's going to, first of all, lead mission to the Jews.

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 And we saw that at Pentecost.

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 Peter preaches and 3,000 diaspora Jews are added to the church.

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 And Peter will also begin mission to the Gentiles here as he is sent to Cornelius.

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 So Peter's message, his gospel message, opens up mission to both Jews and non-Jews.

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 But Peter, and it's important we see it in the passage, he's part of the Jewish religious tradition.

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 So he had strict rules about what he could and what he couldn't eat, who he could and couldn't eat with.

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 These laws that created separation.

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 We forgot to speak about holiness.

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 He was raised in a system where the Jews were the people of God.

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 They were the insiders.

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 Because they had the promises, and Romans, by many, would be regarded as both enemies and outsiders.

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 And so for the gospel to take root, for this mission to come from Peter to Cornelius,

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 God's going to need to overcome some cultural and religious prejudice.

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 I like the fact, given that we've just finished studying in Jonah,

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 that here is another example of somebody called in Joppa to go and preach good news to enemies.

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 But unlike Jonah, who ran the other way, Peter will go from Joppa to Caesarea to bring grace to enemies.

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 Now, that being said about Peter, how does God use Peter to seek after Cornelius?

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 We see in verse 9 that he does it again through a vision.

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 So about noon the following day, as they were on their journey,

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 so we're reminded there's another story going on,

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 they're approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray.

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 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.

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 So here is Peter, he's hungry, and he has this dream about food.

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 Maybe that's happened to us, naturally, but only this time this vision is sent from God.

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 There is a teaching purpose in this vision, and we know it's from God,

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 because in verse 16 we're told it happens three times.

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 God is clearly trying to relay an important message to Peter.

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 So what is this vision, and what's it all about?

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 So he sees in verse 11, heaven opens, sheep comes down,

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 you've got this great sheep with clean and unclean animals on the sheep,

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 and then there's this voice,

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 Get up, Peter, kill and eat.

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 And Peter, as an Orthodox Jew, refuses,

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 because you don't eat clean meat that's been mixed with unclean meat.

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 So he says,

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 Surely not, Lord, I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.

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 Verse 15, the voice speaks,

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 Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.

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 So this happens three times.

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 Now notice, we read it in verse 14,

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 Peter refuses the command of the one that he knows is the Lord God.

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 So he knows God is speaking,

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 and still he says,

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 No, I'm not going to do that.

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 Perhaps he thinks this is a test of his orthodoxy.

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 Will he remain a faithful Jew?

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 Or perhaps this is just teaching him something that's such a new reality

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 that he really can't quite get his head around it,

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 and God needs to speak to him three times in order to begin to break down barriers.

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 Because what we discover is that the vision is a parable.

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 And Peter understands that the vision is a parable,

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 and we know this when we,

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 we'll get there next week,

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 but in verse 28,

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 When Peter arrives at Cornelius' house,

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 and there's a crowd gathered,

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 he said to them,

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 You are well aware that it's against our law

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 for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him.

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 But God has shown me that I should not call any man,

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 any body, impure or unclean.

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 So they had clean and unclean food,

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 and in this vision it's a parable for the idea

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 that God's people had divided the world

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 into clean people and unclean people.

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 And God's saying in this new age,

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 this new age of grace,

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 you're not to think that way anymore.

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 That now that Jesus has come,

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 fulfilling the promise of Genesis 12 to Abraham,

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 blessing to the nations,

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 those distinctions no longer are relevant.

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 Again, a reminder that God's kingdom is much wider,

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 his grace flows much deeper

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 than often we recognize.

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 And then in verse 17,

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 we're introduced to a particular aspect

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 of this reality that God's in control of all things

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 and he's in control of salvation.

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 We see his perfect timing.

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 So remember,

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 the servants have left Caesarea,

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 this 32-mile journey,

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 that's going to take them a while.

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 But just as Peter has received the vision

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 and he's wondering about it,

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 these guys arrive right on cue,

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 knocking at the door.

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 Where is Peter?

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 And then he hears this spirit speaking to him,

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 telling him in verse 20,

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 get up and go downstairs.

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 Do not hesitate to go with them.

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 I have sent them.

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 And he discovers from them

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 that he is to go,

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 verse 22,

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 to meet Cornelius.

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 And a holy angel had told him

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 to have you come to his house

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 so that he could hear

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 what you have to say.

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 And Peter very clearly recognizes

00:17:24.640 --> 00:17:26.299
 God's hand in this whole thing.

00:17:26.420 --> 00:17:28.480
 That God has been preparing the way

00:17:28.480 --> 00:17:29.819
 through a vision over here

00:17:29.819 --> 00:17:30.740
 in Caesarea,

00:17:30.940 --> 00:17:31.960
 vision over here

00:17:31.960 --> 00:17:33.039
 in Joppa.

00:17:33.039 --> 00:17:35.079
 He's been tearing down

00:17:35.079 --> 00:17:36.659
 some cultural prejudices

00:17:36.659 --> 00:17:37.559
 in Peter's heart

00:17:37.559 --> 00:17:38.659
 all the while

00:17:38.659 --> 00:17:40.399
 so that Cornelius and his family

00:17:40.399 --> 00:17:41.180
 will get to hear

00:17:41.180 --> 00:17:42.159
 of God's grace

00:17:42.159 --> 00:17:43.879
 in Christ Jesus.

00:17:45.460 --> 00:17:48.059
 Now there's another couple of hints

00:17:48.059 --> 00:17:49.480
 in the text

00:17:49.480 --> 00:17:51.700
 that God has been at work

00:17:51.700 --> 00:17:53.059
 and continues to be at work

00:17:53.059 --> 00:17:54.000
 in Peter's heart,

00:17:54.319 --> 00:17:55.319
 breaking down

00:17:55.319 --> 00:17:57.720
 some of his old barriers.

00:17:57.720 --> 00:17:59.799
 First one,

00:18:00.160 --> 00:18:01.140
 it almost seems like

00:18:01.140 --> 00:18:02.819
 an unimportant piece

00:18:02.819 --> 00:18:03.460
 of information,

00:18:03.640 --> 00:18:04.519
 but did you notice

00:18:04.519 --> 00:18:06.620
 where Peter is staying?

00:18:07.240 --> 00:18:07.960
 Verse 6,

00:18:08.600 --> 00:18:09.380
 it says to us

00:18:09.380 --> 00:18:10.579
 he is staying

00:18:10.579 --> 00:18:13.180
 with Simon the Tanner.

00:18:13.940 --> 00:18:15.420
 Simon who is

00:18:15.420 --> 00:18:17.500
 some kind of leather worker.

00:18:18.500 --> 00:18:21.180
 And to work with dead animals

00:18:21.180 --> 00:18:23.019
 would be the kind of job

00:18:23.019 --> 00:18:24.380
 that would render a person

00:18:24.380 --> 00:18:25.579
 unclean.

00:18:25.579 --> 00:18:26.879
 Therefore,

00:18:27.119 --> 00:18:28.079
 you should not stay

00:18:28.079 --> 00:18:28.579
 in their house,

00:18:28.659 --> 00:18:31.759
 but Peter stays with him.

00:18:32.419 --> 00:18:33.879
 Here is traces

00:18:33.879 --> 00:18:35.299
 of that same attitude

00:18:35.299 --> 00:18:35.879
 of Jesus

00:18:35.879 --> 00:18:37.199
 that moved towards

00:18:37.199 --> 00:18:38.579
 those who were considered

00:18:38.579 --> 00:18:39.599
 by others

00:18:39.599 --> 00:18:41.399
 to be unclean.

00:18:42.019 --> 00:18:43.059
 And then again,

00:18:43.139 --> 00:18:44.000
 and it's significant,

00:18:44.379 --> 00:18:45.899
 who does Peter invite

00:18:45.899 --> 00:18:47.500
 into his house

00:18:47.500 --> 00:18:49.339
 in verse 23?

00:18:50.299 --> 00:18:51.799
 We're told Peter invited

00:18:51.799 --> 00:18:52.679
 the men,

00:18:53.039 --> 00:18:53.939
 these servants,

00:18:54.119 --> 00:18:54.579
 these soldiers,

00:18:54.579 --> 00:18:55.179
 soldiers,

00:18:55.500 --> 00:18:56.240
 these Romans,

00:18:56.839 --> 00:18:57.819
 into the house

00:18:57.819 --> 00:19:00.119
 to be his guests.

00:19:00.339 --> 00:19:00.659
 Again,

00:19:00.759 --> 00:19:01.339
 they'd be considered

00:19:01.339 --> 00:19:01.859
 unclean,

00:19:01.919 --> 00:19:02.500
 they'd be considered

00:19:02.500 --> 00:19:03.279
 enemies,

00:19:03.679 --> 00:19:05.480
 but Peter shows them

00:19:05.480 --> 00:19:06.879
 hospitality.

00:19:07.919 --> 00:19:08.879
 God is at work

00:19:08.879 --> 00:19:09.919
 in Peter's heart

00:19:09.919 --> 00:19:11.220
 and he's beginning

00:19:11.220 --> 00:19:12.019
 to understand

00:19:12.019 --> 00:19:12.720
 that grace

00:19:12.720 --> 00:19:13.839
 breaks down

00:19:13.839 --> 00:19:14.960
 barriers.

00:19:16.460 --> 00:19:16.679
 Now,

00:19:16.759 --> 00:19:17.819
 just as a

00:19:17.819 --> 00:19:20.099
 kind of semi-aside,

00:19:20.279 --> 00:19:21.259
 a couple of times

00:19:21.259 --> 00:19:22.039
 this week,

00:19:22.099 --> 00:19:23.000
 either in conversation

00:19:23.000 --> 00:19:23.900
 or in readings,

00:19:23.980 --> 00:19:24.819
 the topic of

00:19:24.819 --> 00:19:25.740
 what's sometimes

00:19:25.740 --> 00:19:26.259
 known as

00:19:26.259 --> 00:19:28.440
 evangelistic hospitality

00:19:28.440 --> 00:19:30.420
 has come up,

00:19:30.480 --> 00:19:30.779
 which I think

00:19:30.779 --> 00:19:31.180
 is really

00:19:31.180 --> 00:19:32.519
 what's going on

00:19:32.519 --> 00:19:33.359
 in Peter's

00:19:33.359 --> 00:19:34.519
 experience here.

00:19:35.140 --> 00:19:35.559
 Basically,

00:19:35.700 --> 00:19:36.579
 the idea being

00:19:36.579 --> 00:19:38.960
 that nowadays

00:19:38.960 --> 00:19:40.200
 we can use

00:19:40.200 --> 00:19:40.880
 our homes

00:19:40.880 --> 00:19:41.920
 and use meals

00:19:41.920 --> 00:19:43.259
 as a way

00:19:43.259 --> 00:19:44.279
 to share

00:19:44.279 --> 00:19:44.900
 the gospel

00:19:44.900 --> 00:19:45.779
 as we share

00:19:45.779 --> 00:19:46.380
 our lives

00:19:46.380 --> 00:19:46.819
 with people.

00:19:46.920 --> 00:19:47.859
 Nothing particularly

00:19:47.859 --> 00:19:48.940
 radical,

00:19:49.160 --> 00:19:49.539
 but I guess

00:19:49.539 --> 00:19:50.440
 we all recognize

00:19:50.440 --> 00:19:51.200
 that when we have

00:19:51.200 --> 00:19:52.519
 someone in our house,

00:19:53.200 --> 00:19:53.980
 when we sit down

00:19:53.980 --> 00:19:54.740
 and share a meal

00:19:54.740 --> 00:19:55.240
 with someone,

00:19:55.559 --> 00:19:56.720
 that's when conversation

00:19:56.720 --> 00:19:57.819
 tends to go beyond

00:19:57.819 --> 00:19:59.259
 just surface level

00:19:59.259 --> 00:20:00.620
 and moves to

00:20:00.620 --> 00:20:01.319
 deeper level

00:20:01.319 --> 00:20:02.039
 where we can talk

00:20:02.039 --> 00:20:03.460
 about one another's

00:20:03.460 --> 00:20:04.319
 values and what

00:20:04.319 --> 00:20:05.080
 we think about

00:20:05.080 --> 00:20:05.980
 the world

00:20:05.980 --> 00:20:07.700
 and issues of faith

00:20:07.700 --> 00:20:08.640
 or belief in God

00:20:08.640 --> 00:20:09.360
 may come up.

00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:10.640
 And it's also

00:20:10.640 --> 00:20:11.559
 as we invite people

00:20:11.559 --> 00:20:12.860
 into our homes

00:20:12.860 --> 00:20:13.640
 that they can see

00:20:13.640 --> 00:20:14.299
 if we're Christians

00:20:14.299 --> 00:20:15.660
 how Christians tick.

00:20:16.220 --> 00:20:17.299
 How do we operate?

00:20:17.440 --> 00:20:18.279
 How do we treat

00:20:18.279 --> 00:20:18.700
 one another?

00:20:18.799 --> 00:20:19.519
 How do we deal

00:20:19.519 --> 00:20:21.039
 with family dynamics?

00:20:21.200 --> 00:20:22.460
 Those kind of things.

00:20:22.839 --> 00:20:23.539
 And so it can be

00:20:23.539 --> 00:20:24.639
 a really powerful thing

00:20:24.639 --> 00:20:25.139
 and there's a number

00:20:25.139 --> 00:20:25.859
 of new books

00:20:25.859 --> 00:20:27.460
 all on this topic

00:20:27.460 --> 00:20:29.099
 suggesting that one

00:20:29.099 --> 00:20:30.639
 of the most important

00:20:30.639 --> 00:20:31.639
 things that we can

00:20:31.639 --> 00:20:32.660
 discover,

00:20:32.900 --> 00:20:33.220
 recover,

00:20:33.400 --> 00:20:34.900
 or continue with

00:20:34.900 --> 00:20:36.279
 as a Christian church

00:20:36.279 --> 00:20:37.059
 is the idea

00:20:37.059 --> 00:20:38.279
 of hospitality

00:20:38.279 --> 00:20:39.279
 with a purpose.

00:20:40.299 --> 00:20:41.359
 Inviting people in

00:20:41.359 --> 00:20:42.220
 so they might have

00:20:42.220 --> 00:20:42.759
 a chance

00:20:42.759 --> 00:20:43.839
 to discover more

00:20:43.839 --> 00:20:44.359
 about God

00:20:44.359 --> 00:20:44.799
 and that's what

00:20:44.799 --> 00:20:47.160
 Peter does here.

00:20:47.160 --> 00:20:48.680
 But what we see

00:20:48.680 --> 00:20:50.480
 in this whole story

00:20:50.480 --> 00:20:51.700
 is that God

00:20:51.700 --> 00:20:52.900
 is building his church,

00:20:53.240 --> 00:20:55.680
 God is in control,

00:20:56.360 --> 00:20:57.380
 and he's weaving

00:20:57.380 --> 00:20:58.860
 these stories together

00:20:58.860 --> 00:21:02.040
 for his own glory.

00:21:03.720 --> 00:21:05.279
 The story of Cornelius

00:21:05.279 --> 00:21:05.680
 and Peter

00:21:05.680 --> 00:21:06.380
 is really crucial

00:21:06.380 --> 00:21:07.220
 to the book of Acts.

00:21:07.279 --> 00:21:07.820
 It's why it gets

00:21:07.820 --> 00:21:09.560
 so much attention.

00:21:10.140 --> 00:21:10.820
 It gets like basically

00:21:10.820 --> 00:21:11.759
 two chapters.

00:21:12.220 --> 00:21:13.240
 And it's after this

00:21:13.240 --> 00:21:14.519
 that Peter begins

00:21:14.519 --> 00:21:15.460
 largely to fade

00:21:15.460 --> 00:21:16.319
 into the background

00:21:16.319 --> 00:21:17.600
 and Paul,

00:21:17.819 --> 00:21:18.299
 as missionary

00:21:18.299 --> 00:21:19.200
 to the Gentiles,

00:21:19.299 --> 00:21:20.140
 begins to take

00:21:20.140 --> 00:21:21.460
 center stage.

00:21:21.539 --> 00:21:21.960
 It's a really

00:21:21.960 --> 00:21:23.059
 important story.

00:21:23.740 --> 00:21:24.640
 What does it say

00:21:24.640 --> 00:21:26.180
 to us?

00:21:26.819 --> 00:21:27.500
 Well, it certainly

00:21:27.500 --> 00:21:28.600
 reminds us

00:21:28.600 --> 00:21:30.259
 that God's kingdom

00:21:30.259 --> 00:21:31.019
 is broad.

00:21:31.860 --> 00:21:33.500
 It transcends

00:21:33.500 --> 00:21:34.579
 cultures

00:21:34.579 --> 00:21:36.039
 and hostilities

00:21:36.039 --> 00:21:38.079
 and we are encouraged

00:21:38.079 --> 00:21:39.079
 to think like that

00:21:39.079 --> 00:21:40.380
 and to pray like that.

00:21:41.420 --> 00:21:42.200
 It certainly

00:21:42.200 --> 00:21:42.960
 should lead us

00:21:42.960 --> 00:21:44.180
 to worship God

00:21:44.180 --> 00:21:45.680
 and to give him

00:21:45.680 --> 00:21:46.480
 glory for the way

00:21:46.480 --> 00:21:47.080
 that he acts

00:21:47.080 --> 00:21:48.060
 and moves in people's

00:21:48.060 --> 00:21:49.680
 lives to save them

00:21:49.680 --> 00:21:50.680
 as if we're Christians,

00:21:50.820 --> 00:21:52.039
 he has acted

00:21:52.039 --> 00:21:53.279
 to save us,

00:21:53.380 --> 00:21:54.060
 bringing people

00:21:54.060 --> 00:21:55.080
 into our lives,

00:21:55.160 --> 00:21:55.900
 perhaps parents

00:21:55.900 --> 00:21:56.779
 or perhaps friends

00:21:56.779 --> 00:21:57.220
 or somebody

00:21:57.220 --> 00:21:58.759
 that we spend time

00:21:58.759 --> 00:21:59.880
 with at university.

00:22:00.080 --> 00:22:00.500
 None of that

00:22:00.500 --> 00:22:01.680
 is accidental.

00:22:02.000 --> 00:22:02.740
 God weaves

00:22:02.740 --> 00:22:04.120
 our stories

00:22:04.120 --> 00:22:04.980
 into his

00:22:04.980 --> 00:22:06.400
 bigger story

00:22:06.400 --> 00:22:07.820
 and connected

00:22:07.820 --> 00:22:08.299
 with that,

00:22:08.560 --> 00:22:09.360
 we can be encouraged

00:22:09.360 --> 00:22:10.299
 that God is still

00:22:10.299 --> 00:22:10.720
 active,

00:22:10.900 --> 00:22:11.440
 God is still

00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:12.500
 building his church,

00:22:13.000 --> 00:22:13.680
 God is still

00:22:13.680 --> 00:22:15.640
 using our lives,

00:22:16.059 --> 00:22:17.240
 the lives of his people

00:22:17.240 --> 00:22:18.720
 as a way for others

00:22:18.720 --> 00:22:20.059
 to know more about him

00:22:20.059 --> 00:22:21.240
 and to know more

00:22:21.240 --> 00:22:21.940
 of his love

00:22:21.940 --> 00:22:22.720
 so that they too

00:22:22.720 --> 00:22:24.259
 can meet Jesus.

00:22:24.259 --> 00:22:38.039
 I do not trust

00:22:42.039 --> 00:22:42.099
 about this

00:22:42.099 --> 00:22:43.339
 among

00:22:43.339 --> 00:22:44.019
 by