The Apostle Peter is challenged about what God did regarding the Gospel being shared with a Gentile. As an example of proper conflict resolution, he doesn't point to himself. He simply tells them what God said and did. That is our common ground. Anything above or beyond that needs to be understood as secondary to what is actually worth arguing about.

1. The first step to avoiding conflict is not to be the cause of it yourself.

2. If God says something once, pay attention. If He says something twice, really pay attention.

3. Nothing qualifies us to share the gospel apart from His Word and His Spirit.

Ezekiel makes several calls back to Israel's history regarding individuals who stood in the gap. These were people who prayed on behalf of Israel to be given mercy especially at times when they didn't deserve it. This is the best place to find ourselves in a day and age that reflects the same attitude that reduced beautiful Jerusalem into little more than a Bloody City.

1. God wants us to understand His promises.

2. God wants us to share His heart, especially towards sinners.

3. God wants more people who act like Him in a world that rejects Him.

The parable of the prodigal sons is an effective example of God the Father's treatment of us and example for us. Like the Father's allowance of the son to learn his own lessons in life, the heart the father had in seeing his children restored, and his willingness to do so the moment they came back to him, so too does every father have that calling to model God's heart to their children.

1. God the Father exemplifies what an earthly father ought to be.

2. The Father allows His children the freedom to make mistakes.

3. The Father receives and fully restores anyone who comes to Him as His children.

God doesn't enjoy judgment. People that celebrate when God drops the hammer make themselves as much an object of His wrath as those experiencing it. The key to avoiding a cold heart is to understand our purpose remains the same during times of mercy as they do in times of wrath. If we're to show patience towards those who are rejecting God, we should also be grieving when the time comes for them to answer for those decisions.

1. God is patient, but He's nobody's fool.

2. When God judges, He judges right.

3. Our job is to share God's heart towards this world. During judgment, that is a heart of grief.

Cornelius the Centurion is the first Gentile recorded in the book of Acts to come to a saving relationship with Jesus. This was not only done in a way that allows us to understand what real salvation looks like, but also a wonderful outline to discern people that claim to exercise or emphasize spiritual gifts beyond what is biblical.

1. Salvation, like any work of God, is a direct work of the Holy Spirit.

2. Tongues, like any spiritual gift, isn't always a fraud. It needs to be biblically defined and tested.

3. Baptism, like any good work, isn't salvation. It naturally follows it.

Israel's leaders finally seek God to understand why they're in Babylon. God answers by reminding them of what He's already spoken in His word. With a reminder of their idolatry, their negligence of the Sabbath years, and the consequences that were spelled out for them, we're reminded of an important truth when hearing from God. If you want to hear what God has to say to you today, start with what He's already written in His Word.

1. If God isn't answering your questions, it's because He already has.

2. Communication with God apart from His word is foolish.

3. Man is pathetic, but God is still good.

Many today talk about their identity, but why is it that the further we go in identity theory, we become more narcissistic and depressed as a society? How has the Gospel brought peace and stability to millions by giving us a new identity in Jesus? 

1. Jesus offers us to be united with Him.

2. The world gives us shaky options to become one with it.

3. Our identity with Christ should be seen by our love for God, and our neighbor.

The Apostle Peter and Cornelius are both given an opportunity to see the grace of God on display. Cornelius is drawn by the Spirit to a desire that we wouldn't have apart from His direct intervention in our hearts. Peter likewise is reminded by the Spirit what He has plainly stated throughout history regarding the salvation of those even his culture had written off as a lost cause.

1. Don't let culture supersede the plain teachings of scripture.

2. God changes hearts and minds. We are simply one part of that process.

3. God isn't looking for a perfect evangelism to salvation ratio. Only faithful people.

Ezekiel writes a song grieving the legacy of the kings of Israel. Its last four kings were much like their first. There were good men whose flaws cost them long term. There were corrupt men who ruined their legacy or ended up being inconsequential. And there were even great men who ultimately died like anyone else. The only one you can truly trust to never fail your source of confidence and peace is Jesus Himself.

1. Any system short of a relationship with Jesus will ultimately fail.

2. Doctrine and Duty will only take you so far in the Christian life.

3. Your relationship with Jesus can’t depend on anyone apart from than Him.