"Cornelius' House"

17 May 2009

Sixth Sunday in Easter

U.S. Army Chaplain (MAJ) Ken Harris

Fortress Chapel

Contingency Operation Site (C.O.S.) Sykes

Tall-afar, Iraq

BIG IDEA: When the Holy Spirit fell on the people in Cornelius’ House, before they knew it, they were transformed (and had become new), and were prophesying.

REFERENCES: John 14:16 (ESV) And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever; O.T. – Ruah/Spirit of God; N.T. – Pneuma/Spirit of God; John 15:26 (ESV) But swhen the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me; Hebrews 11:6 (ESV) And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God mmust believe that he exists and mthat he rewards those who seek him; 1 Corinthians 14 (ESV) – Prophesying and Tongues; 1 Corinthians 14:10 (ESV) There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning; 1 Samuel 10:9-13 (ESV) After Saul left Samuel, the promised signs came to pass.; Proverbs 24:3 (ESV) By ywisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; Cornelius – means the beam of the sun. Pitiless/hard/merciless and ruthless; Cornelius of Acts was the First Gentile Convert to Christianity. Centurion: There were grades among the sixty centurions serving in a legion, with the highest ranking centurion achieving a position similar to that of a knight among the Roman nobility. Such men were prestigious members of the relatively small class governing the military. Acts 10 (ESV) – One of the most important chapters in the entire book of Acts, because it records the opening of the doors of faith to THE GENTILES; Acts 2:4 (ESV) And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began kto speak in other tongues las the Spirit gave them utterance; Acts 2:6 (ESV) And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language; Acts 2 (ESV) – The keys of the kingdom to the opening of the doors of faith to the Jews on the Day of Pentecost; Acts 8:14 (ESV) the opening of the doors of faith to the Samaritans; Acts 15:6-11 (ESV) – Peter’s Meeting in Jerusalem; Acts 11:1-18 (Peter’s account – to the Church at Jerusalem - of what happened at Cornelius’ House); Proverbs 21:9 (ESV) It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife; Matthews 21:13 (ESV) He said to them, it is written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer; but you make it a den of robbers; Ezekiel 37:1-10 (ESV) The Valley of Dry Bones; 1 Samuel 9:1-27 ESV (Saul Chosen to be King); 1 Samuel 10:5-7 (ESV) After that you shall come to Gibeath-elohim, where there is a garrison of the Philistines. And there, as soon as you come to the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down nfrom the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre before them, prophesying. Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you, pand you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. Now when qthese signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you ; 1 Corinthians 6:19 ESV (What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?);

I. ANNOUNCE THE PERICOPE: Acts 10:44-48 (ESV)

II. READ THE PERICOPE: Acts 10:44-48 (ESV)

III. READ THE TEXT: Acts 10:44-46a ESV (While Peter was still saying these things, ithe Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45 And the believers from among jthe circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because kthe gift of the Holy Spirit lwas poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they were hearing them mspeaking in tongues and extolling God …)

IV. PURPOSE: To motivate the hearers to affirm to others that when the Holy Spirit fell on the people in Cornelius’ House - their hearts were transformed and they began to prophesy.

V. SERMONIC THEME: “Cornelius’ House”

VI. INTRODUCTION:

Hebrews 11:6 (ESV) says … without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

The Good Book tells the Story of Israel’s First King – Saul, Son of Kish – who was chosen by God to be King in 1 Samuel 9:1-27. The people of God had been prophesied to by Moses in Deuteronomy that they would one day want a king in order to be like the other nations.