Why Did the Holy Spirit Fall BEFORE Baptism? Acts 10

Hello and welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick. An Oklahoma rancher and farmer, Les Feldick has been teaching homestyle Bible classes for 20 years in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas. Les Feldick's unique style of Bible teaching has made the books of the Bible come to life. When Les is teaching, it's so interesting that people say time just seems to fly by. And now, here is Les Feldick. Okay, ready to go for another session? And we'll come right back where we left off in our last program, and that will be back in Acts chapter 10, only we're going to skip a verse or two and come down to verse 33, 34, somewhere in there. And again, we like to always invite our television audience to just sit down and study with us and compare Scripture with Scripture. As I've said so often, we aren't here to try and twist arms out of one group into another, but we just want to get people into the book. Because after all, I'm afraid we may have gotten, as a Christian society, to spending too much time reading a lot of books, and we're not spending enough time in the book. And that's my plea. If you don't agree with me, that's fine. You know, you don't have to agree on every point, and that doesn't mean that I think you're going to hell or that I think you should think I am. I know some people do, but anyway, that's not the point we're trying to make. We want to just get you into the book one way or another. And I've always said, if you can prove me wrong, my, that's your prerogative. I've got open ears. But if you study and if you dig, I don't think you'll prove me wrong. I never have been yet. I'm not saying it can't be done. But anyway, that's our whole purpose for teaching. We're not here to promote any group. We have no organization. People will write sometimes about our staff. Why the only staff we've got is my wife and I. And Margaret, are you here? I saw Harold. Yeah, there's Margaret. She's our bookkeeper. That's the staff. So we're just small potatoes, you know. But my, how the Lord is blessing the tapes everywhere. We've got classes starting all over the country using the tapes. And now the books are catching on. And again, we like to let our television audience know that books 16 all the way back to one are available. Just let us know and we'll get them in the mail to you. All right, back to Acts chapter 10. Peter and six other believing Jews have, by sovereign intervention, made their way up to Caesarea to a house of a Roman army officer and all his relatives and his friends. And as we showed then in the last program, first Peter said he had never eaten anything that was common or unclean because he was still a law-keeping Jew. And then when he got to the threshold of the house of Cornelius, I'm sure he was almost shaking in his boots. But knowing that God was forcing the issue, he went in. And then he said, you know, it's an unlawful thing for me, a Jew, to keep company with someone of another nation. And then Cornelius, of course, in the next few verses, rehearses all that had happened to him. And again, Peter now has confidence that indeed, God is evidently going to deal with this Gentile. As much as he had a hard time comprehending it, yet he has to recognize that God is doing something totally different. All right, now then let's come in at verse 33, where Cornelius finishes his bit of the conversation. And Cornelius says, Immediately therefore I sent to thee, and thou hast well done that thou art come. Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God. Remember I mentioned on the program several weeks ago that God has seen fit to leave his word not in the hands of angels, but in the hands of fellow men. He has chosen to let the word be promoted by you and I. And that's why, you see, he has seen fit to put the Scriptures into the hands of every human being that will pick it up. It isn't limited to the theologians. It isn't limited to the seminaries. It's not limited to the monasteries or anything else. It is for every individual to partake of. Now verse 34. Then Peter, see, when Peter realized that God was in it, Peter opened his mouth and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons. Hey, did he think that a week ago? Why, heavens no, and rightfully. Rightfully. Let's go all the way back. I always like to give a few Scripture references to back my statements. Come all the way back to Exodus. I may have to look for this in a second. I didn't intend to do this. But if you'll come back to Exodus, as the plagues are unfolding, and we come down to the end of the third plague, that would be about in Exodus, oh, where? Nine, ten, chapter eight. Exodus chapter eight. Three of the plagues have fallen. The fourth one is about to fall. But the three first plagues fell on Goshen, where Israel dwelt, as well as the rest of Egypt. But now, just before the fourth plague will fall, God says in verse 22 of Exodus 8, and I will sever or separate or set apart in that day, the day ere this fourth plague falls, I will sever in that day the land of Goshen in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there to the end that thou mayest know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth. And then he repeats it in verse 23. And again the Lord says, I will put a division. You see these words? I will put a division between my people and thy people. And see, that was the beginning then of God totally mandating that the nation of Israel would be separated from all the other nations of the world. And that never left them. All the way on up through the Old Testament, except when they went so far down into idolatry and they lost belief in God. But any time that they had a knowledge of God and His word, Israel was a separated people. And as soon as they lost that separation, God's judgment fell. Well, you all remember the account of Balaam the false prophet, when Balak the king of Moab brought him over to curse them because he knew he couldn't defeat them militarily, there were too many. And he couldn't curse them because God wouldn't let him. So Balaam had another satanically inspired thought. And he said, well, you Moabites, put your prettiest girls out there where those Jewish young men can be seduced by them. And it worked. And what did God have to do? He let judgment fall and 23,000 Jews had to be put to death because they had lost their separated character. And so all the way up through, you have to understand that it wasn't because the Jew had become bigoted and proud or anything like that. God had mandated that they stay separated from the Gentiles. And then I have another verse I always like to show and come all the way back up to Acts, if you will. And I think it's in Acts chapter 2, 22, Acts 22, where Paul has now been out amongst the Gentiles and he's more or less again being called on the carpet fort there in Jerusalem. And as he makes his appeal then to the whole multitude of Jews, he goes through the whole scope of his own conversion and how God had saved him on the road to Damascus and then how that God had told him that he should go, in verse 21 now, after rehearsing the whole thing, then Paul says, and he, that is the Lord Jesus from heaven above, and he said unto me, Depart, for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. Now look at the next verse. And they, this Jewish multitude, they gave him audience unto this word. What word? Gentile. And what did it do? Caused a riot. Just the very dropping of the word Gentile. And the audience, they gave him audience to this word, and then they lifted up their voice and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth, it's not fit that he should live. Why? Because he dared to even mention the word Gentile. Now that's how separated they understood they were to be as a nation of people. That's what God had instructed. That's exactly the way He intended them to be. All right, so now then, coming back to Acts chapter 10, when Peter comes to Cornelius with his trepidations, you can understand, because of the miraculous working and the timing between Cornelius and himself, he says now in verse 34, Of a truth I perceive, I understand that God is no respecter of persons. Verse 35, But in every nation, not just Israel now, but in every nation, He that feareth Him and worketh righteousness, accepted with Him. The word which God sent unto the children of Israel. See? It still came to Israel first. The word which came to the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ, He is Lord of all. That word, Peter says, I say you know, which was published throughout all Judea, began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, went about doing good, in other words, all of His miracles, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with Him, that is, with the Messiah, with the Lord Jesus. And Peter says, were witnesses of all things, which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. What does he leave out? Any Gentile mention, see? He didn't go to Egypt. I think I mentioned in the class last night, Jesus never went up to Syria. He didn't go out east to Babylon. He didn't go down into Africa. Where did He stay? Within the borders of Palestine, Israel, because that was what He came to fulfill, was the Abrahamic promises, the covenant. And so Peter is again making it so plain that His ministry was only within the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem. And then, come down to verse 39. And we, Peter says, are witnesses of all things, which He did both in the land and in Jerusalem, whom they slew, see? Whom Israel, the Jew, slew or killed and hanged on a tree. Now that's another half-hour lesson I haven't got time for. Why does Peter use both connotations? That He was killed and then hung on a tree. That's another lesson. I'll let you hang on a string on that one. Verse 40. Him God raised the third day and showed Him openly, not to all the people, but unto witnesses chose before God's people, and to testify that He it is which was ordained of God to be the judge of the quick and the dead, to Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name, whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sin. Now what I want to point out, and I suppose some people are going to think I'm way out in left field, but all I constantly say is it's just as important to understand what this book does not say as it is what it does say. Now it does not say one word here that Christ died for them, that He shed His blood for them, and that He rose from the dead as a means of salvation. Not a word. If you can find it, you come up at break time and show me. All Peter is rehearsing again is to back up who Jesus was. And at this point in time, what was He? The Messiah of Israel, the Son of God, the One who was to be the Redeemer and the King of the chosen people in fulfillment of that Abrahamic covenant. And Peter knows nothing more than that. Why? Because everything concerning what we call the gospel is still hid in the mind of God. And I've said over and over, and I'll say it until the day I die or raptured one, that you cannot believe something that someone has never said. And how can you believe something that God hasn't said? Well, you can't. No one ever took God ahead of time and said, well, I know that's what He's going to say. They believed it after He said it. And the same way here. God has not yet said that He's going to save the whole human race based on His shed blood, His death, burial, and resurrection. And so Peter couldn't say it. Now let me show you what I'm talking about. Turn ahead a few pages to Romans, the last chapter. I know it takes a little while to see this 40 years ago. Why haven't we been told this before? Well, I don't know. But here it is, plain as day. And I'm not going to twist. I'm not going to interpret. I'm going to let you read it in your mind. Romans 16, verse 25. Romans 16, verse 25, where Paul writes to this Gentile congregation now in Rome, now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery or secret which was kept secret how long? Since the world began. See how plain that is? Paul is preaching something that God had kept secret. Peter didn't know it. It hadn't been revealed yet. All right, turn over for another one. That's just one. We won't use just one. Go to Ephesians chapter 3. Ephesians chapter 3, just jumbled up as everybody else. But all of a sudden, these things just start separating out. And you think, well, why haven't I seen this before? Ephesians chapter 3, and you can start right at verse 1, where Paul is now writing to the churches in the area of Ephesus. Gentiles, predominantly. Of course, there were some Jews in these early churches. For this cause, I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ, for whom? You Gentiles. See? For you Gentiles. If you've heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given to me, to you. How many times haven't I said it even on this program? How did God give the law to Israel? To Moses. Moses came down and gave it to the nation of Israel. Well, it's the same procedure. Now, here he has given the doctrines of grace to the apostle Paul, and Paul has taken it to the Gentiles. Just as plain as day, see? All right? Verse 3. How that by revelation, see? Not by going to a seminary. Not by going to some theologian. But by revelation. He made known unto me the what? The mystery, the secret. How that by revelation, he made known unto me the mystery, the secret, as I wrote before in a few words, whereby when you read, you may understand my knowledge, the apostle says. My knowledge and the mystery are the secret of Christ. You mean there's a secret? Absolutely. Verse 5. Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men as it is now revealed to the holy apostles and prophets. Of course, there were others that followed right behind Paul. We know that Barnabas was his right-hand man. Silas became a right-hand man. And there were others that followed right down the line, see? All right. Come all the way down for sake of time to verse 9. And he says, to make all see. What is the fellowship of this mystery, or this secret, which from the beginning of the world, or the age, has been, what's the next word? Hid. What did I tell you last class? One of the names of deity back in Genesis is that God is the God who is everlasting and everlasting, but He's capable of hiding things. And that's His prerogative. And He did this. He kept it hid, Paul says, from the beginning of the world, it's been hid in God, the same God who created all things by Jesus the Christ. All right. Colossians, another one. Chapter 1. And these are all just as plain as day. You don't have to twist them. You don't have to fool around with them. You just leave them right where they sit. Colossians chapter 1. Oh, my. Where am I going to start? Verse 25? No, verse 24. Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His body's sake, which is the church. Now, you remember a few weeks ago I delineated the different terms for church, and Paul almost always uses that term, the body, which is his church, or vice versa, the church, which is his body. He never, hardly ever refers to just the church. But the church, which is his body, as it is here. All right, verse 25. Whereof I am made a minister according to the dispensation of God, which is given to me for you. See the order again? To fulfill the word of God. Even the mystery or the secret which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints. See how plain that is? All right, now then, come back to Acts chapter 10. Peter hasn't had any revelation of the mystery. This is before Paul is received. He's out there in the desert now, see? He was converted in the last chapter, and he's already down in the desert for his three years, but while God is dealing with Saul or Paul down in the desert, He's now starting the ball rolling for Gentiles up here in Caesarea. But He's also, like I said in the last program, setting Peter up for a crucial situation 12 years down the road. All right? Acts chapter 10. Let's go to the next verse. 44. While Peter yet spake. Hadn't even finished. I think he just thought he was getting wound up. And while he yet spake these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all them who heard the word. Now, who was that? Cornelius and all these Gentiles. Now, verse 45. Now, if you analyze this carefully, you can't help but see it. And they of the circumcision who believed. Now, wait a minute. Where'd they come from? Joppa with Peter. Remember? When Peter left Joppa, he took six believing Jews with him for a total of seven, I mentioned. All right? So now these Jews that are with Peter, I think even before Peter realized it, they're noticing that the Holy Spirit is in evidence on these Gentile listeners. And so when these six Jews who believed. Now, they were believers that Jesus was the Christ. They were, what's the next word? Astonished. Well, if this was a common occurrence, what's there to be surprised about? But this was something that's never happened before. Gentiles? See? Now, I even have my own idea about proselytes, but I'm not going to get into any arguments, so I'm not going to say it. But anyway, these Gentiles were so shocking to these believing Jews that they'd never seen anything like this before. And so they were astonished, those that came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles was poured out the Holy Spirit. Hey, that wasn't supposed to happen, was it? And then verse 46. How did they know the Holy Spirit? Here again, God uses the phenomena of the gift of languages or tongues. For they heard them speak with tongues or other languages and magnify God. Now, that had to stop Peter's preaching in its tracks. So then he says, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit as well as we? And so he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. What's happened? Well, the procedure has been reversed. Totally flip-flopped. What am I talking about? Acts 2.38. Acts 2.38. Keep your hand in chapter 10, verse 44, or 46, 48, so we can flip right back and compare. In Acts 2.38, watch the order. That's what's so crucial. Watch every word. See, people read so casually, they don't read. But watch the order. So when Peter said unto them in verse 38, Repent, be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ. And then what? They'd have remission of sins. And then what's the next one? They would be filled or receive the Holy Spirit. Now, what was the order? They had to repent. They had to be baptized. And then they received the Holy Spirit. What happened in chapter 10 of the Gentile? A reverse in the order. Total reversal. Because, you see, Peter hadn't even finished preaching yet, let alone baptize them, let alone hearing their repentance. And already the Holy Spirit was being evidenced. And then after the fact, Peter says, Now, wait a minute, wait a minute. You know, we've got to do everything right. They've got to be baptized. So he does it after the fact. You see the difference? Why? Because Acts is a transitional book. We're moving out of that Judaic system. We're moving out of law, and we're moving more and more to God dealing with the race in grace. All right, now then. Chapter 11, verse 1. This should tell us something. Or verse 2. Chapter 11, verse 1 and 2. And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, I'm going to stop right there. After this experience amongst Gentiles, and it must have been a glorious experience. It must have been something else. Why in the world did Peter go back to Jerusalem? Why didn't he head out to the regions beyond now? Why didn't he head on up into Syria? Why didn't he go on up into Cilicia and Asia Minor and Greece? Why didn't Peter go and call the other 11 and say, Hey, fellas, things are happening amongst the Gentiles. Let's get down into Egypt. Does he? No. Where does he go? Back to Jerusalem. Back to Jerusalem, and that's where he's going to stay forever so long. You see what I'm driving at? Peter was not commissioned to go to the Gentiles in general, only to the house of Cornelius for a purpose that I'm still going to show you, not in this program, in the next one. But all right. Now, verse 2, continuing on. So Peter goes up to Jerusalem, and they that were of the circumcision, so what kind of people are these? Jews, believing Jews, and they, what's the next word? Contended. What does that mean? Hey, they argued with him. See, they put up a fuss. And they said, Thou wentest into men uncircumcised, and not only that, you sat down and what? Ate with them. Now, just think. What's the mentality of these believing Jews at Jerusalem? It's still law. It's still law. You cannot sit down and eat Gentile food. It's not kosher. You can't go in and visit with Gentiles. They're uncircumcised dogs. And so that was still the mentality of the believers in Jerusalem seven, eight years now, after Pentecost. Why? Because, you see, God hasn't revealed the secret of grace going to the Gentiles. He's been still dealing with the nation of Israel under the law. And I can show you another. I haven't got time now, but for those of you in television, just turn to your Bible in Acts 22, when Paul is rehearsing his own conversion outside of Damascus. And he says, And Ananias, you remember Ananias, and he says, Ananias, a devout man after the law. See? So even Ananias was a law-keeping Jew, even though he was clear up there in Antioch. So these are all things we have to just sort out, that Peter is not aware that God is going to Gentiles. Okay. Thank you for watching Through the Bible with Les Feldick Ministries, a Bible study in your area, or about this program. Write to Les Feldick Ministries, Route 1, Box 760, Kinta, Oklahoma, 74552. That's Route 1, Box 760, Kinta, Oklahoma, 74552. Through the Bible with Les Feldick is viewer -supported, and your gift is appreciated. Thank you, and be sure to tune in next time for Through the Bible with Les Feldick.