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)
• The hostility was a well-known fact in society then but prejudice has no place in the Kingdom of God. No one is disqualified from God’s salvation.
Peter went on to speak the MESSAGE of God, proclaiming the Gospel (the good news) to the all-Gentile audience. Let’s read Acts 10:34-43.
34Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favouritism 35but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. 36You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached - 38how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
39"We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, 40but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen - by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
God shows no partiality (10:34-35). He has no favourites.
• Whatever our background, social class, station in life, it makes no difference to God. God wants us to come back to Him.
• God does not pay more attention to one than the others because of their race, education, or social status. His love and grace extend to all.
• One day we shall see people of every nation, tribe, people and language all standing before the throne of God and worshipping Him (cf. Rev 7:9).
• The truth is everyone needs Jesus. The only way we can be reconciled to God is through faith in Jesus Christ.
Look at the thrust of Peter’s message. Luke might have given us a synopsis of Peter’s sermon, but clearly, there’s only ONE theme – Jesus Christ. It’s all about Jesus.
• The message that transforms lives, that saves lives, has to do with Jesus!
10:36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.
He is our Peacemaker.
• The message of God to Israel (and through Israel) was this good news of peace through Jesus Christ.
• The fact that He brought peace means there was hostility or alienation between men and God, between sinful men and a holy God.
• But Jesus bridged the divide when He died on the cross as the ransom price for sin, so that men can be reconciled to God through His atoning sacrifice.
• We made peace with God through Christ
He is the Lord of all.
• He is no ordinary man. It is a reference to His deity and authority.
• Peter mentioned at the end that Jesus is appointed as the Judge of the living and the dead (10:42). He is the Lord of all creation.
10:37-38 37You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached - 38how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
He is the Anointed One.
• Jesus of Nazareth was anointed with the Holy Spirit and power, which was seen by His miraculous works throughout Judea and Galilee.
He is Stronger than Satan.
• He was able to heal those who were under the power of the devil because God was with Him.
10:39-41 "We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, 40but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen - by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
He Died and Rose Again.
• If God was with Him and He was killed, there is only one explanation – His death was God’s will.
• The sin of humanity caused it. Jesus paid the ultimate penalty for it. God accepted it and raised Him on the third day.
• Peter says, “We are witnesses of everything He did…” And we, the chosen witnesses, saw Jesus after He was raised from the dead and ate and drank with Him.
He is the Final Judge.
10:42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.
• Ultimately, everyone will stand before Jesus, the Judge of the living and the dead.
• Death is not the end. We are all accountable to God. We are answerable to Jesus.
• The Lord of all will decide where we spend eternity, either with Him or away from Him.
He is our Saviour.
10:43 All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.
• It is only through Jesus Christ that our sin can be forgiven. Forgiveness of sin is the fundamental need of every human heart.
• Sin separates us from God. Without God, we are lost without bearings in life.
• We have no compass in life. Only God and His Word can provide us that.
So this is Jesus Christ. The only way back to God is through faith in Jesus Christ.
• Peter said earlier in Acts 4:12 "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
• Only then can we know why are we living and what we are living for. Only then can we understand what is good and righteous, what is meaningful and purposeful.
We are talking about faith in Jesus of Nazareth, the One that Peter saw and heard, ate and drank with, the Jesus of Nazareth that God anointed with the Holy Spirit and power (10:38).
• And not any other Jesus from Korea or China or anywhere else, or in any era or times.
• Our faith is in Jesus of Nazareth, the One who died for our sin and rose again for our salvation.
• The One who is the Lord of all, the Judge of the living and the dead. There is only one Lord, one Judge, one Saviour, and His name is Jesus of Nazareth.
We see the transforming power of faith in the Name of Jesus. Acts 10:44-48.
44While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. 46For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.
Then Peter said, 47"Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have." 48So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.
Although there was no explicit mention of them believing Christ, it was implied. The Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the Word because they believed.
• The Gentile believers began to speak in other tongues and praise God.
• This was miraculous; it was an act of God, not the work of Peter.
• There was no altar call. God saw their faith. God saw their believing hearts.
The truth of the matter is that only God can validate our faith in Christ.
• No one can see our hearts. We can pretend to be Christians and say we believe in Jesus, but only God knows. This was more authentic than many altar calls.
• Heb 4:12-13 “12For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
Imagine the sight, this large gathering of Gentiles now praising God together.
• The sins of these Gentiles have been forgiven. They were brought into the same experience like the apostles themselves at Pentecost.
• Peter said in Acts 11:17 “So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?”
• When recounting this to the Council at Jerusalem in Acts 15:8 Peter said, "God, who knows the heart, showed that He accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us."
Are you saved? God sees your heart. Have you trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour?
• We are all in need of God’s salvation. We come before God as sinners in need of His forgiveness.
• Jesus paid that price when He died on the cross for us and set us free from the penalty of sin.
• Without Him, we have to face God’s judgment for sin. No one can escape that.
• Even good people, who are respectful of God, need to come to Jesus and trust Him for WHO He is and WHAT He has done for them. No one is an exception.
In closing, I like to share with you this picture of Jesus knocking on the door in Rev 3:20, which I shared before.
• Dear brothers and sisters, is Jesus in your life? You know that He is your Saviour, but is uninvolved?
• The Lord spoke to the church in Laodicea in Rev 3:20 “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”
This is odd. If someone is standing at the door calling and knocking, the natural response is to answer it. It should be WHEN and not IF.
• But for this church, the reality is, they are not responding. They can choose not to act. Jesus can be left outside and be uninvited. He is not involved in their lives.
• He wants to come in and dine with them, and they with Him, but that can only happen IF they open the door.
Is Jesus left out of your life? Is he still standing outside? Is he involved in the decisions you make? Invite Him in.
• Make time for God. Cornelius and Peter were spending time with God in prayer when the Lord came and spoke with them, and directed them on what to do.
• Let Him show us the way and guide us in our path.
PRAY:
Yes, Lord Jesus, we want to invite you into our lives as our Saviour and our Lord.
Dear God, we have all sinned and deserve your judgment. Yet you sent your only Son to satisfy that judgment for us who believe. We thank you, dear Jesus, for taking the punishment that we deserve. Thank you, Lord, for your mercy and grace.
Pray that the message of the Gospel will reach every searching soul that you place in our paths. We pray for our families, co-workers, and friends, that they may hear and see the truth of the Gospel through us.
May the grace of Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all, now and forevermore, AMEN.
