Fullness Of The Gospel Series

THE FULLNESS OF THE GOSPEL

Text: Acts 10:34-43

Introduction

1. Illustration: "Another reason for the gift of tongues was to let the people know that the Gospel was for the whole world. God wants to speak to every person in his or her own language and give the saving message of salvation in Jesus Christ! The emphasis in the Book of Acts is on worldwide evangelization, "to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). "The Spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions." - Warren Wiersbe

2. The great truth of the Gospel is that it is available to anyone who will accept it!

3. “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.” (Jn. 1:12-13).

4. It was Jesus’ plan for his church to take this Gospel to all the world!

5. Read Acts 10:34-43

Transition: Peter tells Cornelius and his household about the…

I. Universality of the Gospel (34-38).

A. In Every Nation

1. Peter begins his message to the house of Cornelius by talking about the universality of the Gospel. He tells them, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. 35 In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right.”

a. He starts by talking about what he had just so recently learned that God doesn’t show favoritism.

b. What he means is that God doesn’t treat one person as better than another. While society makes distinctions among people, God’s love and grace are available for all, and can be received by anyone. (NSFLSB, 1403).

c. He is referring to his vision he received from the Lord in the previous section. He sees that God accepts everyone willing to come to him.

d. Peter sees that Christ’s work on the cross was not just for the Jews, but rather for anyone willing to come to him in faith.

e. Now this brings up a question we need to deal with here. I’ve met people, as I’m sure you have, that say “yeah, I believe in Jesus,” but then they go their own way and do their own thing.

f. In other words, this so-called faith of theirs has not changed them.

g. I want you to notice the second half of v. 35, “he accepts those who fear him and do what is right.” You see, faith is an action, and if your faith doesn’t cause you to do what is right, then there’s something defective about your faith.

h. If your faith doesn’t change you, it’s not real faith. You can’t say, “I believe in Jesus,” and then spend your life smoking dope and living like the rest of society. A life of faith is a life called to holiness.

i. Now, this doesn’t mean God expects us to be perfect. However, there’s a big difference between falling into sin and choosing to live in it.

2. Peter continues to tell them about the message of the Gospel in v. 36, where he says, “This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.”

a. This verse expresses the true meaning of the Gospel, that we can have true peace with God.

b. There is no worse feeling than to know that you are not right with God. It’s a feeling that eats at you because there is a need within every one of us that only God can fill.

c. As it has often been described, there is a God sized whole within all of us that only God can fill.

d. But the Good News is that peace is available if we will only come to a right relationship with God through faith in Christ.

e. However, the key lies in the end of this verse, that Jesus is Lord of all. You see, for us to have peace with God requires that Jesus be Lord of all...including us!

f. You see, if Jesus isn’t Lord of all, then he isn’t Lord at all.

g. The process of discipleship, and that’s the goal, not conversion, but being a disciple of Jesus.

h. In that process, we gradually allow Jesus to have more and more of us until he has all of us.

i. If you are making progress in the process, you’re on the right track.

3. Peter then affirms what Jesus did that proves he was the Son of God and the Savior. In vv. 37-38 he says, “You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, after John began preaching his message of baptism. 38 And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”