The Gospel That Saves Series

Good morning. Let’s commit this time to the Lord in prayer.

Our gracious Father, we come to worship you, our Creator and Redeemer. Thank you for reconciling us back to You through Your Son, Jesus. Thank you for loving us and watching over us. Let us praise You as long as we live and honour You in all that we think, say, and do.

Forgive us for our sins of pride, disobedience, selfishness, and idolatry. Forgive us for disrespecting Your Name and treating You irreverently. Help us to stand firm and not yield to temptation; deliver us Lord from everything sinful and evil.

We thank you for the book of Acts, through which we see your marvellous works of bringing the lost back to yourself. May all who listen to Your Word come to understand Your love and experience Your grace.

Help us see you through your Word today. In Jesus’ Name, we pray, AMEN.

Let us continue from where we left off last week – Acts 10.

God sent an angel to a Gentile, Roman centurion Cornelius and directed him to send for Simon Peter in Joppa, who would have a message for him.

• Meanwhile Peter in Joppa was prepared by the Lord in another vision, to accept the “unclean” that God has made clean, and to go with the visitors to see Cornelius.

• Cornelius and Peter would never have met if not for the workings of God in their lives.

• God broke down the barriers and opened the door of the Gospel to the Gentiles.

We resume the account as Peter and the group of fellow believers left Joppa with Cornelius’ servants and a soldier and headed towards Caesarea [sas-sa-rea].

Let’s read Acts 10:23b-33.

The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went along. 24The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. 26But Peter made him get up. "Stand up," he said, "I am only a man myself."

27Talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. 28He said to them: "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean. 29So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?"

30Cornelius answered: "Four days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me 31and said, `Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. 32Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.' 33So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us."

Luke gave us enough details for us to see the longing of Cornelius’ heart.

• We saw his trust and obedience to the Lord’s message. He responded immediately to the instructions given by the angel and sent men to look for Peter.

• He was confident that Peter would come, since the angel said, ‘Send men to Joppa and bring back Peter’ (10:5), he invited his relatives and close friends to gather.

• When Peter arrived, this commander of a Regiment was so humble he fell at his feet in reverence. Peter was embarrassed: “Stand up, I am just a man like you.”

• Peter stepped into the house and saw that there was already a “large gathering”.

In less than 4 days, Cornelius gathered them all in his house, believing and expecting that Peter to bring a message from God.

• That was what he said, 10:33 “So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”

• They were longing to hear the truth of God, the message from God.

For Peter, it was a difficult and big step for him to enter into the house of a Gentile and to be among so many Gentiles, but the Lord has prepared him.

• Peter said a matter-of-factly, "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him [that’s you, actually]. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean. 29So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection." (10:28-29)