What Does The Gospel Bring?

They remembered. In World War II, on the shores of France, a great war was won. During those months the people of France who had been conquered and oppressed by the Nazis were freed. And after the war was over, they remembered. They took the bodies of the men who gave their lives and buried them there on their own shores and on their own land. They did this for a very simple, but important reason: They remembered. They remembered the sacrifice the soldiers gave. They remembered the result their sacrifice brought: Freedom. They remembered. Their children remembered. And still today, their grandchildren remember. And still to this day, when there are children and grandchildren of those who died who travel over to France, the people there set aside time to welcome them and tell them and show them that they remember. This morning, that’s what God’s word invites us to do: to remember. The gospel has brought us freedom. And we hear about that freedom in these words from Acts 11: “1 The apostles and the brothers and sisters who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. 2 When Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, 3 saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” 4 Peter began to explain to them step by step: 5 “I was in the town of Joppa praying, and I saw, in a trance, an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners from heaven, and it came to me. 6 When I looked closely and considered it, I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky. 7 I also heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ 8 “‘No, Lord!’ I said. ‘For nothing impure or ritually unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But a voice answered from heaven a second time, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call impure.’ 10 “Now this happened three times, and everything was drawn up again into heaven. 11 At that very moment, three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were. 12 The Spirit told me to accompany them with no doubts at all. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we went into the man’s house. 13 He reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is also named Peter. 14 He will speak a message to you by which you and all your household will be saved.’ 15 “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on them, just as on us at the beginning. 16 I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 If, then, God gave them the same gift that he also gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I possibly hinder God?”” (Acts 11:1–17 CSB17)

Here in these words, Peter eats with Gentiles. That might not seem like a huge, massive matter to spend time on for us today. But it was in the book of Acts. In fact, the Holy Spirit guided Luke to write many words on this topic. In the previous chapter, we hear about Peter having a vision. In this vision, there is a sheet that is lowered from heaven. God’s voice tells Peter to slaughter these animals and eat. Peter says, “No way!” All the animals on that sheet were ceremonially unclean animals. Three times the sheet is lowered. Three times Peter says, “no.” And the Lord tells Peter to not call unclean what he has made clean. But my friends in Christ, realize that he was not just speaking about animals. He was also speaking about us non-Jewish people, us Gentiles. Jesus rose from the dead. He guaranteed that these Old Testament ceremonial laws do no apply to us anymore. In so many ways, we are set free.

But this is where our temptation to sin comes into the picture. The people of France on the coast of Normandy remember. And not only do they remember the freedom they have, they also thank