This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of “The History of Salvation” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, January 20, 1991.

Again, I’ll be picturing you in Acts, Chapter 9. Acts, Chapter 9, verse 31. We will read to the end of the chapter, and then we will be turning over to the eleventh chapter. Here’s where it goes. So the Church, throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria, enjoyed peace being built up.

Going on, the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit continued to increase. Now, it came about that as Peter was traveling through all those parts, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lyda. And there he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years, and he was paralyzed. And Peter said to him in the end, Jesus Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed. And immediately he arose, and all who lived at Vita and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

Now, in Joppa there was a certain disciple named Camatha, which translated in Greek is called Dorcas. This woman was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity, which she continually did. And it came about at that time that she fell sick and died. And when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upper room.

And since Vida was near Japa, the disciples had incurred that Peter was there, sent two men to him, entreating him, do not delay to come to us. And Peter arose and went with them. And when he had come, they brought him into the upper room, where all the witnesses stood beside him, weeping, and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them. But Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her his hand and raised her up. Calling the saints and widows, he presented her with love. And it became known all over Japa, and many believed in the Lord. It came about that he stayed many days in Japa with a certain cantor, a son.

Then turn it over to the 11th chapter, beginning with verse 19. So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Ammion, speaking the word to no one except the Jews alone. that there were some of them, like the Cypress and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus.

And the Lord was with them. A large number, we believe, turned to the Lord. And news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem. They sent Pilate off to Antioch. Then, when he had come and witnessed the grace of God and rejoiced, he began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord. For he was a good man, full of Holy Spirit and of faith, and considerable numbers were brought to the Lord. He left for Tarsus to look for Saul. When he had found him, he brought him to Enoch.

And it came about that for an entire year he met with the Church and taught considerable numbers, and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. Now, at this time, some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch, and one of them, named Artemis, stood up and began to indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over the world. This took place in the reign of Claudius, and in the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the relief of the brethren living in Judea.

This they did, sending it in charge of Barnabas and Saul to the elders. how we ask You, our Father, that we would be mindful of the power of Your Word, of its work in our lives, how it is able to get to the root of the issue, how we are open to You, how everything is clear to You, how it is impossible for us to hide the truth about ourselves from our God.

So, our Lord, we do come to You as to the light. Realize that if we were of the darkness, we would not come at all. We come to You as to the light. even though it means that those recesses of our hearts will be exposed by the light. But we welcome your judgments and your chastises.

They are a blessing, a kindness to us, that we might be more perfectly conformed to Jesus Christ, your Son and our Savior. May it be, our God, that you recognize in us your Son, who answers to you as your Spirit is at work in us, prompting us to live as we ought, in keeping with your commandments, in keeping with the pattern that is set before us in Jesus. Hear us, Lord, and we ask it now. In his name, amen.

Now, we’ve been at this series for quite some time now, and we’re getting relatively close to the end. But as we move through this series on Bible history, it is appropriate for us to occasionally remind ourselves as to our intention at the beginning. Now, I don’t mean to delay long over this, but I just offer this to you as a reminder of something of a lighthouse for you, as you would think about what we have been spending our time on for so long.

Our purpose here has been to draw your attention to the details, the figures, that is, the personalities, that appear for us in the flow of Bible history. We are setting forth then the flow of Bible history, calling your attention again to those important events and those personalities, those figures that have been so central to the outworking of God’s purpose. Now, as we have done so, I hope we have kept our eye well trained with regard to the centrality of God himself. Our approach to this history of the Bible is for the purpose of setting well before our eyes once more the figure of God, God as He has revealed Himself in His Word. We know, through the complement of that revelation, means for us the unveiling of our divine, His Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Well, that means that we cannot consider this history apart from a theological or doctrinal purpose. We endeavor to set something of that theological and doctrinal purpose before you as we have made our way through Bible history.

Now, there are other considerations, too, that we haven’t delayed long over. It hasn’t been our purpose in this series to take time out to look into literary matters, for instance, that are very important. I hope in other contexts we have attempted to deal with those matters, for instance, on Wednesday night or Sunday morning, as we have expounded the word on those occasions. But here, our focus has been the flow of Bible history.

I might say that as we acquaint ourselves with these central events and these central personalities and think of them in light of the activities of our God, which reveals itself, all of a sudden, the Holy Spirit, we’re better equipped to handle texts as they arise, as we are presented with those, as we have those texts presented to us from occasion to occasion. for your benefit, that you might be able to integrate the Word better, that you might be able to grab hold of the references that are made, that when allusions appear in Scripture, you’re able to leap from place to place, even coming to some of your own conclusions about those things that are mentioned. So, this is for a purpose. Now, I think that as we have moved through, we can see, having arrived at the apostolic period, which we have presented before us here in the Book of Acts, there is laid out before us in it that force of Bible history that is peaking in the Gentile mission, the Gentile And we are watching, as we move through the Book of Acts, how the author, Luke, is setting out before us the incremental stages that then come to full complement in the realization of the call to the Gentiles and their inclusion into the Church of Jesus Christ. Now, by the way, if you mind taking a little bit of a theological detour here, it might be well to remind ourselves of just how central this whole matter of the Gentile mission is to biblical religion.

I would suggest to you here that we are not dealing with a side trash. We are not dealing here with a road that goes off from the main course. It seems that we are on the central path if we see that this path is right at the center of God’s purpose. I can’t think of it for a minute.

Is God really the creator of Jews? God is the creator of all men. That fundamental thought is presented to us at the very outset of revelation. God is the creator of all men. God has made all men from one blood. So Paul tells us later on in the Book of Acts, Chapter 7, verse 26, God’s intention, despite man’s willful disobedience, is to bless all nations, to bless all men, all manner of men.

You might recall that things look bleak. The world descends into sin, God comes in judgment. He rescues the family of Noah, and the rest of the world is judged. And then from Noah’s sea there comes forth the repopulation of the earth, but then the earth descends, even while it tries to ascend in battle, and God’s judgment comes once more, and the peoples are dispersed, and the nations there are distinguished.

If God is not done, as if at Babel his final word of respect to the nations has been given. For we know that there is the call of Abram, Abram arising out of Carneval County, possibly close to the site of Babel itself. Abraham arises out of Ur of the Chaldees, and there is set in motion now that program of God, whereby He plans through Abraham to bless the nations. All people shall be blessed in you.”

Genesis 12.3.

Now, as we read through the Old Testament and we look at the psalms, at the prophets, this message is going to be reiterated again and again. Think of the famous psalm that has meant so much to Presbyterians through the centuries. Think of old hundreds.

A hundredth psalm, verse one, make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye land. Well, that song is prophetic. It envisions a day when the word of the Lord will go to the nations, and all of the nations then will be brought unto the Lord to His sanctuary there to make a joyful noise to Him. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lambs. Then there is promise throughout the prophets.

The light that is to go forth to the nations, God promises that His law will be received in the coastlands, that is, the coasts that lead their way throughout the entirety of the created order. How central. We are not here then on some side road. We are on the main road as we think about the call to the Gentiles and the fulfillment of the Gentile mission.

Is there any question about that after we have read what the Apostle Paul has said in his epistles? I call your attention to his epistle to the Ephesians, the third chapter. This is Ephesians 3, and I have in mind here what Paul says concerning the mystery. Now, he mentions that mystery in verse 3 of that third chapter, but then he goes on to explain what mystery he has in mind in verse 4 of that third chapter of Ephesians. And by referring to this, when you read, you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ. which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to its holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit, to be specific, verse 6. that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I was made a minister.”

Now, that is rather powerful stuff. Here, what Paul is saying is that there has been a mystery. that has been kept back and is now revealing what is the nature of that mystery that God all along had intended to make the nations, that is, the Gentiles, fellow-heirs of all the promises and blessings that are found in the Covenant, real words in Jesus Christ. We are not here on a side road. We are on the main road of God’s purpose and intention.

He has, from the beginning, meant His blessings for all men. universally. Now, of course, that does not mean that everyone universally is saved, but his intention is that from amongst all men there will be brought those who believe and trust in him and profit from his covenant.

Now, we can mark out what has previously been recorded in the Book of Acts. We have arrived at Chapter 9, and we are looking at part of 9 for Chapter 11 this evening, but we can mark out for us what has previously been established. is in impotence, pretending to have this wonderful outwording of God’s purpose as His intention. His intention, from the very beginning, is realizing His fulfillment, His final stuff, final stuff, which He worked through. Go relax from this point of view.

That is the promise, of course, that Christ gives in chapter one. Remember how he says it in verse eight, that his apostles, his disciples, will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon them, and they will be his witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea, in Samaria, even to the remotest part of the earth. There is the outline of it, and that outline will work itself out throughout the book of Acts as you progress through it. There is the promise of Christ, then, with respect to this blessedness that is coming upon the nations, not just one nation, not just the Jews, but the Gentiles mostly.

We read then in chapter 2, remember that marvelous event of the preaching of Peter at Pentecost? and how we’re leading into it here. In Chapter 2, we have an accounting there in verse 9 of all of us who are present and hear of the mighty works of God.

And he is performing now. You have part of him. Verse 9, these two lines. You have residents from Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, districts of Libya and Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and Proselytes, Cretans and Arabs. Verse 11. And all of them are hearing in their own tongues the life deeds of God. You see how we’re making progress.

Then in Chapter 6, the first verse of that 6th chapter, you have the composition of the Church given to you in that point. You have the mixture of those Greek-speaking believers who are of Hebrew descent and those who are Hebrew or Aramaic-speaking Jews who are residents in Judea or in Jerusalem as part of the Church at that time. There is a broadening out, you see. a broadening doubt.

Then, in Chapter 8, you have, as a consequence of Stephen’s death, he’s been martyred. Now, you read of that in the seventh chapter. That’s there at the conclusion. But then, as you begin the eighth chapter, you have this effect, the subsequent dispersion as the effect of Stephen’s death, as those in Jerusalem are pushed out from the city.

They can’t stay there. to push out to the regions around them, to have the dispersion of the Christian testimony and witness throughout that part of the world. That means now, as you move into the rest of Chapter Eight and consider the ministry of Philip, that the Gospel is, in fact, going not to Jews only, but it is also visiting Samaritans. We shall be members of Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria.” Okay. And not only in Samaria, but as Chapter 8 ends, he has Philip’s ministry to the Ethiopian eunuch. We are moving back into territories the Jews once left. down through Egypt and even lower into Ethiopia. Now, we arrive at Chapter 9.

Here is the capstone. Here is the capstone for the foundations. Capstone will be realized in the conversion, transformation of this man, Saul of Tarsus, whose mission, so says Christ, so says Christ, his mission shall be to take the word of the gospel to the Gentiles. That’s what Ananias is told by the Lord. Verse 15, the Lord says to him, Go, for he is a chosen instrument or vessel of mine, to bear my name before the Gentiles.

So, that’s where we are presently. We’ve seen it unfold, God’s purpose being realized before your very eyes. But what happens now as this incremental development continues? We have consideration of three distinctive elements. One calls life after conversion. We find that in Acts 9, verses 19 through 30. Then we have Peter’s ministry. Chapter 9, verse 31 through chapter 11, verse 18. Then we have a remarkable story of the Antiochian ministry at the end of chapter 11.

First of all, Paul’s life after conversion constructed in itself We have the account given here about his sojourn in Damascus and then his visit to Jerusalem. Other portions of scripture, particularly Paul’s account of things in the first chapter of Galatians, suggest to us that this all took about three years.

After his conversion, he went into Aramaic for a while. And then he returned to Damascus and preached there, and after he was driven out of Damascus, he went down to Jerusalem, there to confer with the apostles about the Gospel that he had been given. Afterwards, after his Sojourn in Jerusalem, we have to leave there as well. For as I have been in Damascus, so it proved to be in Jerusalem there were those who hated him and wished to destroy him. So he leaves Jerusalem for Trissus. You might note, And in this section, we are introduced again to Barnabas. It is Barnabas that treats Paul kindly, receives him when others are suspicious, and proves to be a great help to Paul. But you might also note this line.

Consider the three years. Consider Paul’s desire. to confer over those who had the authority. I don’t think he had any doubt about his gospel. He said that. But there is this recognition of the authority that was residing in Jerusalem. It’s important for him to touch base with them. Notice the time, people. Three years, as we’ve already mentioned, and then the retreat to Persis. And some have conjectured that Paul was in Persis for ten more years, but here is the man, you see, who had been the winged and God’s messenger to the Gentiles. I have a ministry, you see. I’ve got to be about my ministry. Don’t hold me back. I’ve got things to do.

A man goes to Arabia. A man has three years before he goes up to Jerusalem. Then, possibly ten more years, he’s sitting in Tarsus. What’s this guy doing? Thirteen years sitting around? How in the world is this mission going to be accomplished if this fellow Paul isn’t doing anything? Rather, he’s gone home. He’s sitting around in Tarsus.

What in the world is he reading? Why? If he was an enterpriser like unto the enterprisers of our age, he would have had a dozen books written by them, and he would have had a line of communication, two-handle lines of communication, that would have built his mystery beyond your wildest dreams. There is a sobriety about them. He waits. He learns. He listens. He grows.

He waits for a glimpse, a common day, to bring him to Antioch. And from that point, the mystery begins, truly, he learns. How unlike our enterprises present, who are so impatient in seeing in their wisdom to know exactly the right time, the right measure, the right amount. So that’s Paul after conversion. The most important of God’s objectives in the balance. And he’s sitting around for 13 years.

Next we have set before us Peter’s ministry. important ministry it is. Peter, that chief figure in Jerusalem, that one who will be the lineage that did it, the messenger to the Jew, as Paul is the messenger to the Gentile. Peter himself will be involved, and that directly, in the outworking of the realization of the Gentile mission.

We hear how the Church is spread throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it’s enjoying peace, verse 31 of that ninth chapter. Then we hear about Peter’s wounds, verse 2, lying on the ground, and how he heals a man dead in eight years. The Gospel is moving on. In a ministry that much parallels the very ministry of Christ, the healing ministry of Christ, Peter is at work.

Then down to Java, where he’s received word of the death of Tabitha, and he raises her up. Just as Jesus had healed the lame, just as Jesus had raised the dead, now Peter is at work. He gives that chapel, but then he receives that friend, that magnificent vision, when he was praying at noon. Remember the story?

There’s a great sheep that has all manner of animals in it, but down in heaven he’s given it to man. Why is Peter killing it? He said, not so, Lord. I’ve never eaten any unclean food. Well, God is at work in the Gospel to declare all foods clean. You remember Mark 7, verse 19? To declare all foods clean, and by way of analogy, all men. Those from all the nations no longer can the Jew look after the Gentiles and say, I’m clean, and anyone who comes in contact with them, I’m clean as well.

And this Cornelius, who is living in Caesarea, he too has had a vision that he sends for Peter. Peter knows now, in keeping with the vision that he has had, that he is to go with those who have been sent by Cornelius, this Gentile who lives in Caesarea.

As Peter preaches to them, there in the Tenth Chapter of Acts, There is a remarkable blessing of God that comes upon this Gentile audience. The very Spirit of God. How wonderful the conclusion. How wonderful the conclusion, as that conclusion is arrived at by way of the conference that follows for those in Jerusalem to hear about what has happened, and Peter must return there to give a defense. For Peter has baptized Gentiles now, not just proselytes, but Gentiles. He’s baptized them, and the Holy Spirit has come upon Gentiles.

And you have verse 18 of that 11th chapter. And those in Jerusalem heard this and quieted down because, again, it is an uproar. Glorify God, saying, well, now, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life. In fact, thematic passage will pull the backs and put the spirit of redemption in front of the gospel. of the Eleventh Chapter. And that’s important, because, as we have already suggested, Antioch will prove to be permanent, as the Gospel now goes forth into Gentile lands. We have the account going back of touching the persecution of Stephen, verse 19.

As those who were scattered preached the word, they were originally preaching the word to Jews alone. And there were those men from Cyprus and Cyrene who came to Manioc, and they began to speak to the Gentiles as well, preaching to them the Lord Jesus, and look what happened. A large number of them turn to the Lord. It’s the spread of the word to these preachers, as that word is brought to Gentiles.

It will be then more than to a family or a household in Caesarea. Many within the city of Antioch of Gentile background now are believing. off to Tarsus and is full of salt. He knows what salt is all about. What’s happening here is something of a signal, it seems to Douglas. He too is an apostle. He turns then with salt in tow, and they begin a joint ministry, and the effects of that ministry are magnificent, as many Gentiles believe.

We are told as well that it was at Antioch that those who did believe, the disciples, were first called Christians. So it is now that that community that is delineated by the person of Jesus Christ and his work, that community is being set apart separated from Judaism. And Judaism is being left behind, as it were, as the new epoch of redemptive history has been reached. Does that mean that those Gentiles who have converted can turn their back on the Jewish foundation and origins of faith which they profess. Not at all. Here come some prophets down from Jerusalem who tell about a famine that is going to spread over all the world during the year’s clients. One is the response of the saints in Antioch as they look to their brothers and sisters in Judea and in Jerusalem. They give. They express their gratitude, their love, and they send gifts.

Not only is the Church moving out to Gentile regions as the nations are being converted by the gospel, but those who are converted now are looking back to Jerusalem and Judea, and they are sending their Gentile life to help Jewish Christians. things that should be well said in our minds as we conclude this eleventh chapter down on the text, the centrality of the Gentile mission, but as well the importance of apostolic authority in the realization of that mission.

Notice how apostolic figures are standing at every point as you make your way through the development that realizes the fullness of God’s purpose. This respect of authority and office is very important, and something, unfortunately, the Church of our time has lost its grip over. There is that respect of order. There is that submission to the authority that arise according to Christ’s constitution. Apostolic authority is respected. The office of the Word is respected.

That ministry is honored by the review. But lastly, with regard to the impressions left upon us by this mission, yes, the importance of the Gentile mission, yes, the importance of apostolic authority, but as well, poor participation. Are these glad times or sad times? Are these times which we are witnesses ourselves to realization of God’s purpose, Or are we left in some sort of dismal state whereby we have no evidence at all with regard to the purposes, the intentions, and the fulfillment of God’s will? You, yourself, are here because the time for the fulfillment of the Gentile mission has arrived. What are your national origins? Do we all come from the same stock? Do we all hail from the same tribe? Did our ancestors all speak the same language? No. Various nations of the world, even here, we see the glories of the fulfillment of God’s purpose. You are testimony to that. The presence here is a witness of God’s glory in fulfilling his will. Amen.

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