This transcript was generated by whisper.ai. Welcome to week 3 of our look together through the book of Acts. This is day 2, chapter 10. Yesterday we began to look at how God works incredible changes in our lives as believers. We looked at Saul who becomes Paul and how God began him in a new direction on that Damascus road. This week we're going to look at Peter and how even though he's known Jesus for some time now, there's still some miraculous changes that are going to come about in his life. And this change starts on a rooftop for him, a place where he is praying. It's a reminder of the fact that salvation does not finish our change. It's not as if I get saved, I come to know Jesus and then I just live that way the rest of my life. No, the rest of my life he is continuing to challenge change in our lives. Major areas of change in the lives of believers are the change of opinion. He helps you to see things differently or the change of character. He helps you to become a different person. And there is also the change of agenda. He causes you to have different plans. And it is more than any other this last change that Peter faces in Acts chapter 10. What he thought God was going to do wasn't at all what God had in mind. And you see dramatic change in this chapter. In fact, you see dramatic change in two people's lives. You see dramatic change in the life of a Gentile, a man who did not grow up as a Jew, did not have a Jewish heritage, a Gentile by the name of Cornelius, and you see dramatic change in the life of Peter. And as you see their lives changing, you get an idea of how God changes us. How does God work dramatic change in the life of his people? Throughout scripture, both Old Testament and New, there are three simple ingredients that you see again and again and again that we're going to see in this chapter. You see vision plus opportunity plus obedience. That equals change. When you have vision and then you have opportunity and then you have obedience, then you have change. It starts with vision. I want you to see with me the vision that happened both in Cornelius' life and in Peter's life and how God matches them up. First, the vision of Cornelius in Acts chapter 10, verses 1 to 5. At Caesarea, there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing. He gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon, he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God who came to him and said, "Cornelius! " Cornelius stared at him in fear. "What is it, Lord? " he asked. The angel answered, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now, send men to Joppa and bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. " That's the vision of Cornelius. Now, about that time, another man is having a vision, a man by the name of Peter. The following day, just in the right timing, here's what happens, beginning in verse 9 down through verse 16. About noon, the following day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, the men whom Cornelius had sent to meet Peter, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven open and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat. " "Surely not, Lord," Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean. " The voice spoke to him a second time. "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean. " This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back up into heaven. Peter had a vision, and in a vision you see things you haven't seen before. A vision does not have to be falling into a trance or seeing an angel. You can have a vision that God places into your mind. You can have a vision that's just a thought in the back of your mind that grows and is strengthened as you read God's word. That's how most visions happen in our lives. We read God's word, God plants an idea through the Scripture. You might even be starting a vision right now in your life as you're listening to this today, and based on that we respond. It's interesting to notice their first response. Cornelius' first response to this vision was fear, and Peter had often responded in fear also when he first encountered visions. Peter's response is to stand and wonder. He's become a little more used to visions in his life, and Peter's particular vision is about what he can eat. Now, there's a side note here about what we can eat and the question of whether we're to keep the Old Testament food laws, and this clearly says to us, "No, God has set them aside in this vision that Peter has. " Those laws were put into place in the Old Testament to keep the Jewish people pure, and for whatever reason, God has said those can be set aside now, maybe because we have different ways of cooking now, maybe because they needed different ways of separating themselves from those around them then. I don't know all the reasons, I just know that God changed things, and when he changes things, we trust him. Here's Cornelius, he has a vision. Here's Paul, he has a vision. One of the questions you and I probably have is how do I get a vision? How do you have a vision from God? Two things, don't try, do pray. That's what you do, you don't try, you do pray. You don't try to have a vision because visions are sent, they're not sought. Notice that these visions came in just the right time. Just when the men were arriving, Peter has the vision, it's sent from God. It wasn't a matter of him trying hard enough to have a vision, it was a matter of him being available to hear. So you don't try to have a vision, you do pray. If you'll make prayer a regular part of your life, Cornelius did, Peter did, they were both men of prayer, that means you're listening. And if you're listening, you're going to get the vision that God wants you to get in the time that God wants you to get it. Because they listened to God regularly, he was able to get their attention at the moment needed. I'm afraid sometimes I'm rushing too fast in the day, I don't take the time to stop and listen. That's how you get a vision, you don't try, you do pray. It starts with vision, that's how this dramatic change happens. And the next thing that happens is opportunity. Vision is met with opportunity. Listen to what happens in verse 17 down to verse 23. "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. They called out, asking if Simon, who was known as Peter, was staying there. Meanwhile, 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. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them. ' Peter went down and he said to the men, 'I'm the one you're looking for. Why have you come? ' The men replied, 'We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He's a righteous and God-fearing man who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told us to have you come to this house so that he could hear what you have to say. ' Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests. The next day Peter started out with them and some of the brothers from Joppa went along. Then down in verse 24, 'The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. 'Stand up,' he said, 'I'm only a man myself. ' Here is God at work in their circumstances. How do you see God at work in your circumstances? That's the question that's behind what happens here. Well, it starts with a vision. How do you see God at work in your circumstances? You make prayer a part of your circumstances. I know I'm repeating myself from what I said in the first point, but it's just so key and crucial to God's work. You see God at work in your circumstances by making prayer a part of your circumstances. But there's something else. There's another question behind what Peter does here, and that is the question, do you ever question your circumstances? Not get mad at your circumstances or not just accept your circumstances, but question your circumstances. Lord, why have you allowed this to happen? Lord, what's happening here, whether it's good or whether it's bad? Do you ever have that kind of conversation with God? Peter certainly did. He questioned those who came. He questioned Cornelius. We should question our circumstances and then trust the Lord. Too often we do exactly the reverse. We trust our circumstances and we question the Lord. But whatever is happening in your life, you question, Lord, why have you allowed this to happen? I don't know whether it's Satan that's brought this about or you that's brought this about. I have no idea. And even if I don't get an answer to that, Lord, I know you've allowed this for a reason. And so I ask you, what do you want me to learn from this? What direction do you want me to go from this? You question your circumstances and out of that comes the opportunity. You have vision. They both see that something's going to happen. And then God begins to bring about an opportunity where they can act. But then comes the crucial point. And without this, nothing happens. Vision is wonderful. An opportunity can be very exciting, but nothing happens without the third key, and that is obedience. They obeyed. Verses 34 to 48. Then Peter began to speak. I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism, but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard this message. Wow. And in verse 48, he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. And then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days. Peter followed God's directions. He may not realize the depth to which Peter followed the directions of Jesus here. He stayed in their house. As a Jewish man, it was against the law for Peter to stay in the house of a Gentile. Just like he'd said he had never eaten of these foods, he had never stayed in a Gentile's house. And yet when he is invited, he stays with them. He allows Jesus Christ to change a lifetime of habits because he's had a vision, he's seen the right opportunity come in his circumstances, and now he obeys. I found in my own life that God does not give direction if I'm not willing to follow in obedience. God doesn't give direction to those who are not willing to follow directions. Oh, he'll show you the next step to take, but if you say no to that step, then you get no further direction until you take that next step. Why should he give you the third or fourth step if you're not obeying in the first step? Now I know we want the third or fourth step because we want to get it all figured out. That's not the point. The point is your obedience. The point is doing what God has called you to do. You want to see change happen in your life on a regular basis? It takes vision, and vision comes out of spending regular time with him. It takes opportunity, and opportunity comes out of making prayer a part of even your circumstances, and it takes obedience. And obedience means that I do what he says and not what I've always thought. Let's pray for strength to do that today. Jesus, I guess we'd all love to have a vision, some great grand vision of heaven. But when it gets to obedience, that gets tough for us. And we need your strength. We need your strength today to do the thing you're asking us to do, even though we're afraid, even though we've never done it before, even though it feels uncomfortable. Whether it involves a relationship or a step of integrity, whether it involves a new way of spending time with you, whether it involves letting go of some habit in our lives or picking up some new habit in our lives. Jesus, give us strength today to obey, just the next step. And then help us as we take that step to know that you'll be with us. In your name we pray. Amen. Tomorrow we're going to continue to see together how the life of Christ gets revealed in us in the Church of Jesus Christ.