Open your Bibles to the Book of Acts. Our text today is Acts 9 verses 36 through 43. Our text today is a springboard to one of the most significant events of human history. We might not think of it that way, but actually I believe that is true. Unknown to Peter, God was preparing him for this monumental event, and this monumental event that we will get to next week as we continue through the Book of Acts was the gospel being taken to the Gentiles. Our text today, Acts 9 verses 36 through 43, hear the word of the Lord. Had Japa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds, which she did. But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. And since Liddah was near Japa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them. Then Peter arose and went with them, and when he had come, they brought him to the upper room, and all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and the garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them. But Peter put them all out and knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, Tabitha, arise, and she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive. It became known throughout all Japa and many believed on the Lord. So it was that he stayed many days in Japa with Simon, a Tanner. This is the word of the Lord. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for this gospel. Father, would you take your word and would you buy your Holy Spirit and dwelling your people? Lord, mold us and shape us. Father, would you transform our minds that we would be a people conformed to the image of Jesus? Do this for your glory. Father, we ask in Jesus' name, amen. God prepares us in unknown ways for His great purpose. At Japa, there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorkas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did. At Japa, Luke begins this section, Japa was about eight miles west of Liddah. Japa was a city on the coast. So Japa was about as far from Liddah where Peter was. Remember, he healed a neus, the man who had been paralyzed for eight years. He healed that man in Liddah. Liddah was about eight miles from Japa. So it's about like Taylor to Huttow. Japa was on the coast. Japa was 40 miles northwest of Jerusalem. Japa today is called Japa. It's in the northwest corner, very near the northern boundary of ancient Judea on the coast. Japa is one of the oldest cities in the world. Japa is where Jonah fled to to get on a boat to run from God. Japa is the port city for Jerusalem. It is where all the cedars and all the materials that were brought by ship were unloaded and transported to Jerusalem to build Solomon's temple. Also, where all the cedars came from to rebuild the temple after the first, the captivity of Judah. Japa was a very significant port city for importing and exporting and trade. Now the Lord has sent Peter to Japa and whether Peter realizes it or not, he will use Peter now to export the Gospel message. Luke tells us at Japa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. Tabitha was her name in Hebrew or Aramaic. The name means Gazelle. Dorcas was the Greek equivalent of that name, with the same meaning. It was not uncommon for Jews to have a Hebrew name and a Greek name, especially if you lived in a city such as Japa, where there was a large Gentile population and it would have been a Hellenized city, so it would have been inundated with the Greek culture. So it was not uncommon for people to have a Greek name and a Hebrew name. The symbolism associated with this name with the Gazelle carries a lot of meaning. So her name signifies grace and beauty. It testifies not only of her outward qualities, but her name matches her inward qualities as well. Luke uses the feminine form of the word disciple, methodria, in this verse, and it's the only place in Scripture, it's the only place in the New Testament this word is used. Luke seems to be emphasizing the sincere devotion of this woman as a disciple of Jesus. He goes on to describe her godly character, writing this woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did. The inner beauty of Tabithus character as described by Luke seems to match the outward beauty that her name implies. She's called a woman full of good works and charitable deeds. If you have a King James Bible, you'll see the word there, arms, arms deeds, giving arms, charitable deeds to the poor. Luke says her life was full of these works. Her life seemed to be devoted to the work of helping the poor and ministering to widows, something the Scripture tells us that we are to do. Luke describes her as a woman full of good works and charitable deeds. This word full used by Luke indicates Dorcas walked in the fullness of the Spirit and the manifestation of that Spirit's fullness of the Spirit's power was seen in the good works and the charitable deeds that she did. When you think of the fruit of the Spirit as recorded by Paul in Galatians 5, 22 and 23, you can see how the life of this disciple demonstrated that fullness. Now the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control against which there is no law. Her life would have demonstrated all of these qualities. In fact, Luke said her life was full of these qualities that showed themselves in her good works. In our own lives, it is the manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit that is the greatest witness that we are indeed filled with the Spirit. To be filled with the Spirit is to live under the Spirit's control. It is to allow the Spirit, the will of the Spirit, the guidance of the Spirit to lead us, to guide us, to dictate how we live our lives. And the best example of that is the manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit as described for us in Galatians 5, 22 and 23. As a follower of Jesus, Dorcas let her life so shine before men that her father in heaven was glorified. And this is how the Lord Jesus has instructed us to live. He writes in Matthew 5.16 or he says it is recorded for us his words in Matthew 5.16, let your life so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven. Verse 37, but it happened in those days that she became sick and died. And when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. In those days, Luke writes these words, but it happened in those days she became sick and died. In those days, refer to the days that Peter was in Lida. The days that Peter was in the region, Peter was normally in Jerusalem, but God led him to go throughout this region and he led him as we saw last week to Lida and he owed the layman, the man who had been paralyzed for eight years, and he still in Lida when Tabitha becomes sick and dies. And it was in those days that God allowed her to become sick and to die. The days that Peter was in the area traveling through the region, Luke presents her death in a very matter of fact manner. He gives no other detail or commentary on the cause or the nature of her death simply that she became sick and died, not an uncommon occurrence in the human condition. People become sick and die all the time. The untimely death of this beloved disciple though had a great impact on those that she ministered to. Dorkus was obviously a great benefactor in the city of Jaffa, but her life and her good works only pointed to the greatest benefactor, the father in heaven who gave the greatest of gifts when he gave his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And so Tabitha becomes sick and she dies. And Luke says when they had washed her body, they laid her in an upper room. Upon her death, as was the custom, they washed and prepared her body for burial. And after they washed her body, they laid her in an upper room. The detail of laying her in an upper room could be consistent with custom or it could indicate something different. It could indicate that they had hope that her death was not final. An indication of that possibility is the fact that they sent two men to implore Peter to come without delay, verse 38. And since Lida was near Jaffa and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him imploring him not to delay in coming to them. Lida, as I said, was about eight miles from Jaffa. It said that it's about a three hour walk. And since Lida was near Jaffa and they had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to give Peter the news about the death of Dorkus and implore him to come without delay. This verse cannot help but remind us of the occasion when Jesus received news of Lazarus, his friend who had fallen ill. And the scripture tells us in John's Gospel that Jesus purposefully delayed his coming to the aid of Lazarus so that he would already be dead and in the tomb for days. These disciples who no doubt would have known the story of Lazarus and would have known that Peter was present when the Lord Jesus raised Lazarus, they would have made the point to implore Peter to come without delay. They laid the dead body of Dorkus in an upper room, not in a tomb. Next we see that Peter arose in what with them, verse 39, then Peter arose and went with them. And when he had come, they brought him to the upper room and all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and the garments which Dorkus had made while she was with them. Peter did not delay in coming to Japa, he arose right then and went with the two disciples that were sent to fetch him. And when he had come, they brought him to the upper room. In other words, they took him straight away to the upper room where the body of Dorkus lay. Some commentators say there was no indication that the disciples in Japa had any expectation that Peter would raise Dorkus to life. There certainly seems to me to be some sort of expectation that God would do something or God could do something, you have not because you asked not so they asked. If there was no expectation of anything happening, why make the three-hour journey and implore Peter to come without delay? It is possible it was to provide support for the grieving saints, but there seems to be much more at play here. There seems to be an expectation that God could do something miraculous. Thus they took Peter immediately to the upper room where the body was waiting. And then Luke tells us that all the widows stood by Peter weeping, showing the tunics and the garments which Dorkus had made while she was with them. When Peter comes into the upper room, all the widows are there by him weeping. They are showing him the tunics and garments which Dorkus had made for them. The language here indicates that they are showing Peter the garments that they had on. They were wearing the garments. They were wearing the very garments that Dorkus had made and supplied to them. This was obviously a major part of her ministry to the poor widows. It was obviously an important ministry as well. We take for granted the clothes that we wear. She realized in that day, especially the poor of that day, they did not have walk-in closets full of clothing. They had very limited clothing and their clothing was very important. It had to cover them. It had to keep them warm on cold days. It had to function not just as a fashion statement. No. It had to function for their lives, for the daily lives and the daily work and the daily things they had to do. Clothing was very, very valuable. For these poor widows who had no one to provide for them, except the church. Obviously, Tabitha, Dorkus, took it upon herself. This was her ministry and it was no doubt a very important ministry to those poor of Japa. Verse 40. So all these widows are there showing Peter the garments that Tabitha had made for them. Verse 40, but Peter put them all out and knelt down and prayed and turning to the body. He said, Tabitha, arise. She opened her eyes and when she saw Peter, she sat up. The scene here is no doubt reminiscent of when Jesus raised up the daughter of Jairus. When Jesus came to the room where Jairus daughter, the little girl, was laying. It was filled with the noisy crowd just as this room was filled with people. And Jesus ushered them all out and then he raised up the little girl saying these words to her, Talitha, Kumi or little girl, arise. Talitha, Kumi, Tabitha, arise. Do you see the similarity there? Once Peter had put them all out, he knelt down and prayed, turning to the body and he said, Tabitha, arise. In that moment, she opened her eyes and when she saw Peter, she sat up. The similarities between Peter raising this woman and the words Tabitha, arise. And Jesus raising the little girl with the words Talitha, Kumi or little girl, arise, are strikingly similar. Perhaps that similarity prompted the people to act. There is no doubt the story of Jesus raising up the daughter of Jairus would have been familiar to the disciples at Japa. It is not unreasonable to think that they were prayerful and hopeful that God may also raise up their beloved Tabitha. I do believe that it is why they went with such urgency to get Peter and to bring him to Japa. Their urgency and prayer and expectation was rewarded. God had mercy upon them and raised up their beloved Tabitha. Once she opened her eyes and sat up, Peter gave her his hand and lifted her up. Verse 41, then he gave her his hand and lifted her up and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive. There are striking differences also between what happened when Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus and what happened here. If you remember, when Jesus goes to raise the daughter of Jairus, they made fun of Jesus. They mocked him when he said she is about to sleep. There is no mocking here. These widows are imploring Peter to do something. They have faith that God can raise their beloved Tabitha. There was no mocking. There was faith. There was a desperation on the part of these widows to see this beloved disciple raised up. And God honored their faith. Peter gives his hand to Tabitha and lifts her up and presents her alive to all the saints and to the widows. There was no doubt a joyous occasion but it also did something much more than create joy among the disciples. It propelled the gospel forth with great fervor. So when you couple the healing of Anias, the man laying for eight years, paralyzed for eight years. Now you have the beloved Tabitha who was raised from death to life. The word began to spread of what God was doing and what the power of the gospel was accomplishing. We could ask why Peter had to be the one to raise her up but God had no doubt strategically placed Peter in Lida. God led Peter to heal the paralyzed Anias and that testimony when abroad in the saints of Japa would have heard of the healing of Anias. This was such a powerful testimony in the Apostle Peter who had been with Jesus and himself worked miracles being so close by it made perfect sense that these saints would have had faith that God could possibly raise up their sister. God was in this time of transition doing miraculous things to see the gospel spread from Jerusalem to all Judea and Samaria even to the ends of the earth. God used these miracles to strategically add fuel to the evangelistic fire. And during this time God was also using his chosen vessels to compose the inspired words of holy scripture. We have the completed and authoritative canon today. It was not the power of Peter or any other man that brought the healing of Anias or raised up Tabitha from the dead. It was the power of God working through a chosen and submitted vessel that was graced to be used in such a powerful way. God in his grace chose to heal Anias and chose to raise up Tabitha from the dead. God did this in his grace to give witness to the gospel. God can still heal and even raise the dead today, I believe that. He can do that if he so chooses. But that is not the rule of how God works. That is even as it was then the rare exception. We read the Bible that spans thousands of years of history and we read the miracles that take place in the Bible is though they were happening every day. They were not. They happen over the span of years, centuries. There were times this time of transition when miracles became much more prolific. During the ministry of Jesus, He performed certain miracles as a sign that He was the Messiah. He did that to fulfill prophecy. We make the mistake of creating theologies or doctrines out of what we read in the Bible that were never meant to be doctrines that we are to live by and practice. And pretend as though they are commonplace as if we can just do them at will. That is not how the miraculous works. There are many false miracle workers and prophets today who want you to believe that God can be manipulated into doing miracles. For some people, it is giving me an offering. Give me this much of an offering. And God will do what you want Him to do. No. That is a false and dangerous belief. You cannot manipulate miracles as you will or operate in the gifts of the Spirit as you will. Why do I say that? Because that is what the Scripture says. The Scripture is clear teaching us that one in the same Spirit works all these things distributing to each one individually as He wills. As He wills, 1 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 11. You can read on in that chapter and get to the end and Paul asks this rhetorical question, do all work miracles? No. Do all speak in tongues? No. Do all have the gift of healing? No. No. They don't. I am taking time to emphasize this because in over four decades of being a believer, I came to faith in Christ in 1984. I have been in ministry for over three decades. And I started out in ministry in that world. I spent very many years with the miracle workers and the prophets and the people who claim to have all the power. But it's God who has the power. That is a false and dangerous belief to believe that you have the power or that you can move God. You cannot manipulate miracles as you will. You cannot operate in the miraculous as you will. I have seen real miracles. That's why we pray for them every week. I believe God still performs miracles. We pray for healing because God is a healer. I have seen a lot. I have experienced a lot. You will never convince me God does not do the miraculous because I have experienced it. I have also seen an experienced even more false miracles, false prophecies and false doctrines of emotional manipulation. I myself have been emotionally manipulated by the best of them. Much of the false teachings and false experiences were offered in good faith by men and women who truly believed they were doing God's work and following God's word. What we know to be true, just like bad habits, bad characteristics and bad behaviors that are perpetuated and taught through lived experience. Do you understand what I mean? I tell parents all the time. I tell fathers and mothers, husbands and wives. You're teaching your children whether you realize it or not. You don't have to teach your children to have anger issues. Your anger issues are teaching your children how to have anger issues. You can teach your children to be patient but your lived impatience is actually teaching them how to be impatient. So bad teaching, bad theology, false teaching, false prophecies. Those things doesn't matter how well intentioned people are. The enemy could care less how well intentioned you are. In fact, he loves it when you have very good intentions but have very poor or false doctrine. And you practice that and perpetuate that and pass that along to the generations. That's how that bad teaching is perpetuated in the very same way that the bad habits and bad characteristics are perpetuated in our lives. There is a great temptation to give in to the emotional manipulation especially when you're being convinced it is God. And you have many others around you following and doing the same things. It's the classic herd mentality. And this is why knowing the whole council of God through his word is so vitally important. The word of God, not your experience, is to be the final authority. The Bible is clear your heart is deceptive above all things. We're never told to walk by our feelings. We're never told to judge by our experience. We're instead commanded to walk by faith. I don't care how legitimate your experience may be. The word of God void of any experience, any emotion is infinitely more powerful than your experience. Jesus did not say heaven and earth will pass away but your experience will never pass away. Now Jesus said heaven and earth will pass away but my words will never pass away. This is important because we live in a world that has become very good and it's not accidental. It's not very good at manipulating our emotions. This is not just what happens from behind pulpits and churches. Those little devices you hold in your hand and stare at incessantly have a technology to manipulate you emotionally in ways you can't even imagine. Yet that's exactly what they're doing. They listen to you. They monitor you. They have algorithms that play on your emotions, that lead you and guide you emotionally. So you'll hit that little button by that product or subscribe to that, whatever it is. The enemy knows us well and this is why God points us back to his word. And he says don't allow yourself to be manipulated by your heart, by your feelings. But go to the word. Read the word. And then say the word. Follow the word. Walk by faith in what I have declared in my word. Don't trust your experiences, your feelings. Trust my word. And this is why knowing the whole council of God through his word is so vitally important. The word of God, not your experiences, is to be the final authority. This is also why the doctrine of God's absolute sovereignty is so important. God cannot be held hostage by our faith or lack of faith or by our experiences. Even in the gospels where it is recorded that Jesus did not do many mighty works because of their unbelief, Mark 5 and Matthew 1358, it is not that Jesus could not, it is that Jesus did not. And Mark 6, 5 where it says he could not, we must understand that in the face of such hostile unbelief, it was not fitting to do many, many, not any, but many mighty works in the face of such unbelief. God is able to do as he wills, but he knows when it is fitting and when it is not. Lord sovereignty chose the Lord in his sovereignty chose not to work because of unbelief. Other times in his sovereignty, he did work. And as a result of his work, men went from unbelief to belief. God sovereignly moves and works as he wills. Sometimes it coincides with our own will. Sometimes not. However, in whenever God moves or does not move, he is good. Do you hear me church? However, in whenever or whenever he does not move. God is good all the time and his love never fails. On the last thing, one last thing on verses 40 and 41, the miracle of raising Tabith from death to life took place in an upper room. I do not believe that is insignificant. In the New Testament in particular, we see God moving in significant ways in upper rooms. The last supper with his disciples to the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost and other instances, the upper room was used as a place where the purpose and the presence of God in his glory was made manifest. With the rejection and the murder of the Messiah, the temple in Jerusalem was no longer the place of his presence. The temple narrative had changed from a fixed point in Jerusalem to the living, moving temples of the Holy Spirit being built up from the living stones who are his church. Jesus indwells his people through the indwelling Holy Spirit poured into our hearts by which we cry, Abba Father. Jesus for told this when he talked to the woman at the well, when he said, you worship on the mountain, us Jews worship in the temple, but there is coming a day and now is when the Father seeks such to worship him in Spirit and in truth. That is now how we worship the Father in Jesus Christ, in Spirit and in truth. It has nothing to do with our style of worship or the style of music or the liturgy. It has everything to do with whether you are in Christ or not in Christ. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6.19, your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit as a member of his body as the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, you are the temple of the Holy Spirit. And the presence of God dwells in you. Now be it in an upper room or in the room of this sanctuary, the presence of God goes with his people. As Jesus said, we are two or three are gathered in my name. I am there in the midst of them, Matthew 1820. The healing power that worked through Peter was sourced in heaven and brought to earth through prayer and submission. And that upper room that day became the place of temple intercession. So today your upper room, your prayer closet, this very sanctuary is a place of temple intercession. The place where through prayer and submission to God we can see the saving and the healing power of heaven brought to earth. God manifests His power in and among His people to see the gospel of the kingdom go forth to the ends of the earth. God knows how to motivate His people. He knows His plans and purposes to a thousand generations and moves and works accordingly. And He does this in all things great and small each and every day of our life. Oh the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsurczable are His judgments and His ways past finding out Romans 11, 33. Truly as the prophet wrote in Isaiah 55, 8 and 9, for my thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither are your ways, my ways declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways. And my thoughts, then your thoughts, when we are tempted to think we know better than God, let us remember His word that reminds us of this truth. Verse 42. And it became known throughout all Japa and many believed on the Lord. This is what God was doing, making known His power and glory and bringing many to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. God was preparing to launch the gospel to the Gentiles and He would use Peter and Paul to accomplish His purposes. Little did Peter know or even the saints of Lida or Japa little did they know how God was getting ready to move by taking the gospel to the Gentiles. Japa was an important port city for the region, much trading took place there so that it was a melting pot of Jew and Gentile with very many of the nations of the Roman Empire coming and going from that port to all parts of the world. The gospel message would become the most important import and export item traveling through Japa in all other regions. God positioned Peter to make this happen and you and I do not know all the ways that God has positioned you, all of us to accomplish His purpose but He has. You are not an accident, you are not here by accident, you are not hearing these words today by accident. Verse 43. So it was that He stayed many days in Japa with Simon a Tanner. It was certainly no coincidence that Peter stayed at the home of Tanner. I believe it was divine providence. If you do not know a Tanner is a person who makes leather. A Tanner makes leather goods. That leather belt you men are wearing or you women are wearing was once an animal walking around somewhere. So it went from an animal walking around eating grass or whatever the animal your belt is made out of eats to that piece of leather holding your pants or your skirt up. That is what Tanner did. They made leather goods. That meant that Tanner had to deal with dead animals. Putrid substances and putrid smells and things unclean. It was in such a household that Peter stayed while he is in Japa. Peter stayed with Simon who was a Tanner. To Jews, Tanner's were typically considered unclean due to the nature of their work with dead animals. Besides dealing with dead animals you had the smell and the filth that was associated with this type of work. Therefore Tanner's bore a stigma due to their work. In Acts chapter 10 verse 6, as the angel directs the servants of Cornelius to find Peter, they are told Peter is lodging with Simon who is a Tanner whose house is by the sea. The fact that Simon's house was by the sea was not accidental. Tanner's built their homes and operated their businesses from their homes near the sea, usually right on the water. Tanner's typically lived by the sea and on the outskirts of a town because they needed salt water for processing their hides and they needed to be further away from the general population because of the byproducts and the smells associated with their work. Nothing is accidental with God and it certainly was not accidental that Peter finds himself staying in Japa at the house of a Tanner. Luke does not tell us how Peter came to stay at the house of Simon but we may have a clue from Scripture. We know how Jesus instructed his disciples when he sent them out to take the gospel of the kingdom to the villages and cities of Israel. We find the instruction of Jesus and sending out the 70 in Luke chapter 10. And as we look at the words of Christ, consider that Peter was very aware of how his Lord taught him. Jesus says this recorded for us in Luke 10, 5 through 9. But whatever house you enter first say peace to this house and if a son of peace is there your peace will rest on it. If not it will return to you and remain in the same house eating and drinking such things as they give for the labor is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house whatever city you enter and they receive you eat such things are set before you. Heal the sick there and say to them the kingdom of God has come near to you. It is possible Peter stayed many days in the house of Simon the Tanner because this is how Jesus had instructed his disciples to operate. It is this if this is the case this Simon who was a Tanner was not just a Tanner but he was a son of peace. In obeying Jesus Peter remained in Simon's house rather than going from house to house this enspired the fact that many Jews would not stay in the house of a Tanner. But Peter submitted to the words of his Lord being a fisherman Peter would have known the house of a Tanner would be located in a more remote area near the sea. Perhaps this was somehow comforting or at least familiar for Peter who was now fishing for men. Perhaps Peter welcomed the quiet seclusion that lodging in the house of a Tanner might provide. Perhaps it was some of all of these factors we do not know. But what we do know is that it was the Lord's will that he be there and that is the most important thing to know. In Luke's account of Peter raising tapeth from death to life the account ends noting that Peter stayed many days in Joppa with Simon a Tanner. The Lord put Peter in a house with a man most Jews would have considered unclean. There is no doubt that the Lord was using Peter's time with Simon as preparation. It is significant that Peter stays with a Tanner considered unclean by the Jews. By placing Peter in the home of a Tanner God was working in ways unknown preparing Peter for what he could not possibly foresee. As Peter stayed daily in the house of Simon he had no idea that God was preparing him for a much greater leap of faith. This would become clear in the near future when two servants of Cornelius the Gentiles and Julian would call for Peter. Gentiles were unclean. It was against the law for a Jew to associate with or enter the home of a Gentile. God had been preparing Peter all along and Peter did not yet realize what God was doing. Peter became unclean the very moment he went up into the upper room where Tabitha lay dead. When he touched her in her state of uncleanliness he became further unclean. Then Peter leads or God leads Peter to the home of an unclean Tanner to stay with him in extended period of time. All of this was preparation for Peter and he did not yet know what God was planning. It is very possible for Peter the fisherman that staying in the home of a Tanner was not as difficult as it could have been for some Jews. But even for a stout Jewish fisherman like Peter what would come next would indeed test his faith and his obedience to the Lord. Enduring the home of a Tanner is one thing but enduring the home of a Gentile is entirely another matter. God was working and preparing Peter for the day when the Lord would declare to Peter that the Gentiles are now called clean by God. They are no longer to be counted as unclean. They too are now made heirs of salvation in Christ. This would change not only Peter but it would change the whole world. Today you and I are products of that changed world by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. God has been working since the beginning. He is working in you even now. God is working through the worship of his name, through our prayers and submission to him, through the preaching of his word, through our communion with him and through our obedience to his commission for the church. God is working as we walk by the Spirit in obedience to his word. God is working as we make known his glorious gospel which is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Here is your church. It is much easier to look back at the life and ministry of Peter and see how God worked in him and used him to bring about his divine plan and purpose. It would have been impossible for Peter and those around him to see what we can clearly see now. In other words, Peter couldn't see it. He could not have known what God was preparing him for. Thus the saying hindsight is 2020. He hindsight is a luxury not afforded you in the moment yet hindsight can teach you in the moment. He hindsight can remind you that God is always working, always moving, always bringing about his plan and purpose. He hindsight can remind us that the word is true, that God does really work all things together for good to those who love him and are the call according to his purpose. As you face your future, you can recall your past and the past of countless other saints who live to see God bring good and glory out of what would seem impossible situations. You can also have the assurance of knowing that when God does not do what we want or give us what we think we need, there is ample evidence for us to trust him in those unknown moments. For many have gone before us. Trust him for hindsight reveals that he is faithful. He does indeed reveal that what your enemy meant for evil, your God and your Savior long before meant for good. You cannot see that in the moment but you can know that is how your God works. That is how God works in your life and in the world around you for he is sovereign. Just as God did with Peter, God is working in you in ways you do not yet know. God is positioning you right where you need to be even when it may seem inconvenient or there may be good excuse for you to flee or to run. Don't run, don't flee. Trust your God. Trust his sovereign providence. Trust that his ways are not your ways. Trust they are the best ways. Even when his ways are beyond finding out. Trust his love for you. It will never fail. Fear not. Let his perfect love for you cast out all fear and all torment. Know and trust that Jesus is Lord over all. And go and make disciples in his name with his authority and fulfill the commission he has given to each and every one of us. Amen.