rebellion and redention

1. Lesson 9

2. Key text:
“When they saw
the courage of
Peter and John and
realized that they
were unschooled,
ordinary men, they
were astonished
and they took note
that these men had
been with Jesus”
Acts 4:13

3. The greatest barrier
Jesus faced with His
followers was their
preconceived opinions.
The disciples took little
notice of what Jesus
said if it did not fit in
with their own ideas of
who He should be.
Right up to the time of
His ascension, the
disciples still quizzed
Jesus about freeing
Israel from the Romans.
It was only after 10 days of prayer and close fellowship in the presence of
God that dominant preconceptions were finally beginning to be replaced
with the truth, and the disciples were ready to hear what God told them.
This paved the way for the incredible events at that first Pentecost after
the death of Jesus.

4. Of course, the
church still faced
many challenges,
especially from
local religious
leaders, some of
whom were just as
determined to stop
the church as they
were to stop Jesus.
Thus, in this lesson, we will see the great controversy played out in
different ways. We will see it manifested openly, as those in power are
inspired by Satan to repress the truth. But we will also see it played
out in a subtler but more crucial area: the human heart.

5. Many battles of the Great controversy took place during the birth of the Christian
Church. The first Christians had to deal with personal conflicts and opposition.
Wrong ideas
on the
Kingdom
Communication
issues
Opposition
from the
leaders
• Victory
over
opposition.
• Defeated
by
opposition.
National
preconcep-
tions

6. “Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying,
‘Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’” (Acts 1:6)
After three and a half years and forty days,
the disciples were still waiting for the political
restoration of Israel.
They had their own ideas about the work of
the Messiah, so they couldn’t understand the
true nature of the Gospel (Psalm 22:27;
Isaiah 42:1-4).
Instead of correcting their wrong ideas, Jesus
gave them a work to do: “you shall be
witnesses to Me” (Acts 1:8).
They had to wait for the
Power; the baptism of
the Holy Spirit. Then
they could truly
understand their
mission and they would
be prepared to fulfill it.

7. “And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were
confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language.” (Acts 2:6)
Paul took that opportunity and spoke
powerfully about the work of Jesus. The
audience felt contrite and were
encouraged to repent and to accept
their Savior.
The result was… 3,000 converted people
in one day!
God won a battle of the Controversy
at Babel (Genesis 11:9). He confused
the tongue of the evil forces. In
Pentecost, He did the opposite.
The communication issue of speaking
different languages were solved
instantly. Everyone heard the Gospel
message in his own language.

8. “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all
boldness they may speak Your word.” (Acts 4:29)
Peter encouraged the people to accept
Jesus after the healing of the lame (Acts 3).
The Sadducees got angry because he talked
about resurrection (they didn’t believe in
resurrection), so they took Peter and John
to the Council.
The Gospel was spread unstoppably (5,000
were converted that day), so Satan used the
leaders to try to stop it.
That was a huge victory. Ignorant men
spoke powerful words that made the
erudite leaders keep quiet.
During some time, the Great Controversy
was in favor of the Church. The Gospel was
spread like wildfire in Jerusalem, no threat
could stop it.

9. “And they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses
laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.” (Acts 7:58)
Stephen also invited
the leaders who
were judging them
to accept Jesus, like
Peter and John.
But there was no victory that time. Satan filled the hearts of the leaders
with hatred. He won Stephen’s physical life and allied Saul to persecute
the Church (Acts 8:1).
Nevertheless, God used that defeat to
win another battle. He used the person
Satan initially chose for evil as an
instrument to reach the whole world:
Paul/Saul, the last of the apostles.

10. “Then he said to them, ‘You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to
keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown
me that I should not call any man common or unclean.’” (Acts 10:28)
How did God teach Peter he shouldn’t look down on anyone?
First, He made him hungry! He had to wait for someone to cook for him.
He went up to the terrace and fell into a trance. He was shown a sheet with
unclean animals. He refused to eat despite the voice that ordered him to.
Peter learned the lesson, so he was
ready when the men (Gentiles) who
were sent by Cornelius knocked his
door.
People are not like animals.
Animals can be labelled as clean or
unclean, but God wants to clean (to
save) everyone without distinction.

11. In Joppa, Peter goes up to the rooftop to pray (Acts 10:9). With shelter from the
sun and the cool sea breezes, he relaxes and begins to feel hungry, and while
waiting for his hosts to prepare lunch he sees a strange vision. Heaven opens and
something like a huge sheet tied at the four corners is let down. Inside the cloth is
an assortment of creatures that he regards as either polluted or “unclean” and
from which he is told to kill and eat (Acts 10:11–14).

12. What was Peter’s
reaction when he was
told to eat “unclean”
food, and what did the
vision mean? Acts
10:12–29.
In this vision God teaches
Peter an important lesson.
Some people today think
that this is the time when
God changes the human
diet to allow people to
eat whatever they like.
That is not what Peter receives from the vision. First he wonders what it means; it
is not at first obvious (Acts 10:17). When Cornelius’s men arrive and explain their
mission, Peter feels compelled to return with them (Acts 10:22, 23). When Peter
meets Cornelius, he is able to tell Cornelius the meaning of the vision. Christ is the
Savior of all the world. Gentiles, too, are precious souls for whom Christ died (Acts
10:34–48).

13. Peter was learning a
lesson that we all, still,
need to learn. In Christ
all barriers have been
torn down and the
distinction between Jew
and Gentile, between all
people, no longer exists,
“but in every nation he
that feareth him, and
worketh righteousness,
is accepted with him”
(Acts 10:35).
It’s nice to believe that we are all one in Christ; that’s what
the Bible teaches. Unfortunately, even in the church that’s
not always how we feel in our hearts, is it? First, how can we
recognize the prejudices that we hold, and, second, in the
power of God, how can we be purged of those prejudices?
REFLECTION

14. “This vision conveyed to Peter both reproof and
instruction. It revealed to him the purpose of
God—that by the death of Christ the Gentiles
should be made fellow heirs with the Jews to
the blessings of salvation. As yet none of the
disciples had preached the gospel to the
Gentiles. In their minds the middle wall of
partition, broken down by the death of Christ,
still existed, and their labors had been confined
to the Jews, for they had looked upon the
Gentiles as excluded from the blessings of the
gospel. Now the Lord was seeking to teach
Peter the world-wide extent of the divine plan.”
E.G.W. (The Acts of the Apostles, cp. 14, pg. 135)

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 Rebellion Redemption