Good News, Cornelius!
Acts 10:24 – 10:48
Jeff Hughes – July 27, 2003
Calvary Chapel Aggieland
I. Introduction
a. Over the past two weeks, we have looked at a man named Cornelius, a centurion living in Caesarea. He was a man who wanted a relationship with the living God, but he just didn’t know how.
b. Historically, the Jews thought that they had a corner on a relationship with God, and to some degree, this had carried over into the church that had started at Jerusalem.
c. God’s grace had to be extended to Cornelius so that he could come into that relationship, so that he could have not only peace in his life, but also that he would have eternal life.
d. This morning, we are going to see the gospel, the good news about Jesus coming to the house of Cornelius as we continue through our study in Acts this morning. But first, let’s pray, and ask His blessing on our study today.
II. PRAYER
III. Illustration
a. In a 1995 survey by Barna Research Group, it was discovered that non-Christians have no clue what Christians mean when some they use some of the phrases Christians often take for granted.
b. 63% of non-Christians don’t know what Christians mean when they talk about the Gospel. 75% of non-Christians don’t know what John 3:16 is. Add to the phrases like "a broken heart", "I’ve been convicted", and "get into the Word, which non-Christians would hear quite differently. The problem for unbelievers is they hear this unspoken message from Christians, "If you don’t understand the holy lingo, you don’t belong to the holy huddle." However, 40% of Christians don’t know what the Gospel means, and 53% don’t know John 3:16.
c. Cornelius had done some digging in his life, and he had no doubt heard about the things that the Jews were doing, and he sought to emulate that.
d. But, he didn’t need a lot of regulations, he didn’t need a lot of holy doubletalk, what Cornelius needed was to hear the good news – that Jesus had come and died for Him, in a very clear and direct way.
e. So, God chose to send Peter, a clear and direct fisherman from Galilee to tell Cornelius what he was missing, and it would change Cornelius’ life forever.
f. Our study comes from Acts, chapter 10 verse 24, through the end of the chapter, verse 46, as we continue our study this morning. Let’s read along
IV. Study
a. Intro
i. 24 And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, "Stand up; I myself am also a man." 27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together. 28 Then he said to them, "You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. 29 Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?" 30 So Cornelius said, "Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, 31 and said, ’Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God. 32 Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you.’ 33 So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God."
ii. 34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. 35 But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. 36 The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ--He is Lord of all-- 37 that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. 39 And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they F53 killed by hanging on a tree. 40 Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42 And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. 43 To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins."
iii. 44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, 47 "Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.
iv. Peter had a vision from the Lord on Simon’s rooftop while he was staying there in Joppa. Through that vision God revealed to him that the gospel message was for the gentile peoples of the world also.
v. We see the gospel being accepted by Cornelius and his household here, and they are filled with the Holy Spirit. This filling of the Spirit signified to Peter that God had truly saved these people here in Caesarea.
vi. We have a lot of ground to cover this morning, and in our study today, we will look at five points – The man God sent, The meeting, the mercy of God, the message, and last, the manifestation as we continue through the book of Acts.
vii. Our first point comes from verses 24 through 26. We see Peter’s arrival into Caesarea, as he was there doing what the Lord had commanded of him.
b. The Man God Sent (Acts 10:24-26)
i. 24 And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, "Stand up; I myself am also a man."
ii. We see first off that Peter’s group had made it to Caesarea in only one day, this was about a sixty mile journey, so many scholars believe that these guys were on horseback, or in chariots. I would tend to agree with them. Cornelius wanted to hear the gospel, and he didn’t want to wait for Peter to walk up to Caesarea, he wanted Peter there as quickly as possible.
iii. Cornelius was anxious, he was waiting for Peter, he desperately wanted to hear what God had for him. That is so awesome. Cornelius was seeking, and God was going to meet him that day, right where he was – gentile, Roman centurion, no matter what else was wrong in his life, whatever sins, God was ready to meet him that day, just like he is for each one of us, because He loves us so much.
iv. Cornelius didn’t know what was going to happen that day, but he knew it had to be good, so he called all of his friends and relatives together to hear it too.
v. What faith this guy had! He didn’t just want to keep this good news to himself, he had to share, he had to spread it around, and that is God’s heart.
vi. We see in verse 25 though, that even though Cornelius’ heart was in the right place, he still made mistakes and falling down to worship Peter here, while it is understandable, was a mistake.
vii. For the most part, when worship is offered to angels or men in the Bible, it is refused, but when Jesus is worshipped, He accepts our worship. He is more than just a man, He is God.
viii. Later on, in Acts chapter 13, we see Herod accepting worship, and God strikes him dead on the spot. God doesn’t take to kindly to men taking worship away from Him.
ix. Peter doesn’t treat Cornelius badly, he doesn’t scold him or berate him for his mistake, he simply lifts Cornelius up, and corrects the mistake.
x. John Stott said that Peter refused both to be treated by Cornelius as if he was a god, and he refused to treat Cornelius as if he were a dog.
xi. In Rome, there is St. Peter’s basilica, and people walk up to a statue of Peter there, and kiss the toe. When I read this passage, I wonder if Peter would like that. I bet he would stop them, just like he stopped Cornelius here.
xii. Peter was just a man saved by God’s grace, and he knew it. He didn’t think he was special or anything for being chosen by God, it was simply what God had called him to do.
xiii. He wanted to do what God had called him there for, to share the gospel. Cornelius had invited a small crowd to hear Peter, and they were about to get to hear what Cornelius had been waiting for. We see this in the next three verses.
c. The Meeting (Acts 10:27-29)
i. 27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together. 28 Then he said to them, "You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. 29 Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?"
ii. So, Peter enters the house here, talking with Cornelius as an equal. This is a radical event though in Peter’s life. He had entered the house of a gentile. This was strictly forbidden by Jewish custom.
iii. Some commentators have said about this passage that what we are looking at here is the conversion in a sense of Peter. Peter had lived his life by the Jewish standard of not entering a foreigner’s house, but God had instructed him otherwise.
iv. Before Cornelius could hear the message though, God had to break down the barriers in Peter’s life first. That’s what God always does with those who are called into His service, before He can use them to their fullest extent; He has to break down the barriers in their heart.
v. Peter begins his message to the people assembled there, by explaining the circumstances by which he was appearing before them that day.
vi. God had shown Peter through the vision he saw while on Simon the tanner’s roof that men were no longer common or unclean. Jesus had shared with them that foods weren’t common or unclean in and of themselves.
vii. We see that in Mark chapter 7, verses 18 and 19. Here Jesus says - Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, 19 because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods.
viii. God showed Peter that all men were purified through a relationship with Him. No longer would he call a man common or unclean.
ix. Look down at verse 29. It begins with the word therefore. Whenever we get to a therefore, we need to ask ourselves, “What’s it there for?”. What it means is, in light of.
x. So, in light of the fact that God had showed him all these things, Peter came to Caesarea, just like God told him to do, and he entered the house of a gentile man, just like God had showed him to.
xi. So, Peter probably would not have come, unless he had some divine intervention, like we saw last week.
xii. I want us to notice on thing here, that even though God didn’t tell Cornelius to gather his friends and family to hear what Peter had to say, he did anyway.
xiii. The thought is, that is just Cornelius was saved, that he might just be seen as a fluke, just a random act of God’s mercy, but, if many people were saved, it would lend legitimacy to this group of believers.
xiv. Peter himself was still confused as to why he was there at this point though, so he asks, “Why did you send for me?” Cornelius would tell him in short order. We see this in verses 30 – 33.
d. The Mercy of God (Acts 10:30-33)
i. 30 So Cornelius said, "Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, 31 and said, ’Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God. 32 Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you.’ 33 So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God."
ii. In verses thirty through thirty-two, we find Cornelius giving a recap of what had happened to him four days previously. We looked at this two weeks ago.
iii. What happened that day, is that God answered the prayers of a lost man who was seeking Him. Cornelius didn’t know that he needed a relationship with Jesus in order to approach God.
iv. But, Cornelius was seeking God with his whole heart, and God would honor that. Cornelius was seeking, and God was determined to be found. God wanted to show mercy to Cornelius.
v. After his recap, Cornelius makes an explanation as to why he sent men out immediately, to bring him there quickly.
vi. Cornelius uses an odd phrase to invite Peter to speak, saying that they are all present before God. This is the only time we see this phrase used in this sense in the New Testament.
vii. Jesus tells us that where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." We find that in Matthew chapter 18.
viii. Jesus was there, present at that meeting in Caesarea that day, in a big way. These folks were about to find that out. Peter’s message that we see in the next ten verses is an extremely clear presentation of the gospel.
e. The Message (Acts 10:34 - 43)
i. 34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. 35 But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. 36 The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ--He is Lord of all-- 37 that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. 39 And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. 40 Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42 And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. 43 To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins."
ii. Peter begins his message with his newfound truth that God does not play favorites. He is far above anything like that. This works both ways. God does not let people slide that have sinned, but on the other hand, he extends the same grace to anyone who would accept it.
iii. This is monumental. Let me explain why. At this point in history, a Jewish man would begin every day with a prayer thanking God that he was not a slave, a Gentile, or a woman; a basic part of the Jewish religion in the days of the New Testament was an oath that promised that one would never help a Gentile under any circumstances, even to the extent of giving directions if they were asked.
iv. If a Jew married a Gentile, the Jewish community would have a funeral for the Jew and consider them dead.
v. The gentiles, on the other hand despised Jews as weird traditionalists, and believed that they were evil plotters who worshipped pigs - after all, they refused to eat pork!
vi. These barriers would all break down under the spread of Christianity. Christianity was the first religion to not have the walls of race and culture.
vii. Any person that believes in Jesus will be saved. The works of righteousness flow out of that, they are there to let others know about the inward change that has taken place in our lives.
viii. These people hadn’t had the chance to believe. So, Peter breaks the gospel down for them quote effectively.
ix. First, Peter proclaims that Jesus is Lord of all. He is the long awaited savior that the Jews had been waiting for. At this point, Peter’s audience had to have heard some about what had been going on in Judea, concerning Jesus.
x. The message that Peter uses here differs from his earlier ones in that he describes the life and earthly ministry of Jesus first. When preaching to Jewish believers, he assumes that they had some knowledge of Jesus, as many people regarded Him as a prophet.
xi. Peter then spends some time talking about Jesus’s death and resurrection, and that he and the rest of the apostles were witnesses to the fact of the resurrection.
xii. He mentions that Jesus did not appear to everyone, just those that He wanted to be His witnesses. Peter then tells them about eating and drinking with Jesus to stress to them that this was a real experience, not just fairy tales.
xiii. He commanded them, Peter included, to preach that Jesus was the Judge of the living and the dead. All of us will stand before Him one day, to answer for our lives, and what we had done with our lives.
xiv. Peter finishes up by going into a little bit of ancient history. The prophets had foretold the coming of the Messiah, the savior that would take away sins.
xv. There are several passages that Peter might have been thinking about here, but one of those is this, found in Jeremiah chapter 34, verse 34
xvi. 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ’Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."
xvii. This was an effective message, the gospel was presented clearly to those listening, and we see this in verses 44 through 48.
f. The Manifestation (Acts 10:44 - 48)
i. 44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, 47 "Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.
ii. The group listening to Peter had responded to Peter’s message in faith. They believed in Jesus and repented of their sins, and the Holy Spirit fell upon all of the people listening, while Peter was still speaking.
iii. The Jewish believers traveling with Peter couldn’t believe it. They thought that God was just kinda starting to love the gentiles, I guess. They had no idea that God would fill these people with the Holy Spirit, and it would be manifested in the same way that it was on the day of Pentecost.
iv. God doesn’t just kinda do things though. That was where their theology went wrong. God loved the gentiles just like the Jews. No difference. He loves all men, and extends His grace and mercy to any that would accept it.
v. These skeptics heard the gentile believers speaking in tongues and magnifying God. They didn’t have a big seminar on how to speak in tongues. They didn’t have meetings where people ran around.
vi. No, what they had was a genuine move of the Spirit. God’s Word was taught, and people responded to the gospel. Then the Spirit moved in these men’s lives.
vii. I want us to notice something here. We see here that they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.
viii. That is how tongues work. Always one way. Towards God. Praising Him, Thanking Him, Glorifying Him. A lot of what gets passed off as tongues in the church today is not tongues at all.
ix. Some people judge churches by that kind of thing. I know folks that only go to a church where a bunch of that kind of thing goes on, because they think that they are getting so much more there.
x. But what I have seen in many of these churches is that the experiences tend to push out the teaching of God’s Word. The pastor may only teach 10 or 15 minutes, if at all, and that’s not the model I see in scripture. What I see is that God’s Word is taught, then the Spirit moves.
xi. Let’s start to wrap this up though. Peter asks his Jewish companions in verse 47, “can we forbid them baptism?” It’s a rhetorical question of course, seeing as how God clearly had filled these gentile believers with the Holy Spirit, exactly as God had filled them.
xii. The reasoning behind this is, if God has accepted these people, who are we to keep them from the church? Baptism was an outward symbol of the inward change that had taken place in these people’s lives. They were members of the body of Christ.
xiii. Peter then commanded that they be baptized, presumably by the same guys that were shocked when the Spirit filled them.
xiv. These new Christians were hungry for more of God, they were hungry for more of His Word, so they asked Peter to stay for a time and teach them. We will see this a few other times as we continue through Acts.
xv. So, what’s the big idea this morning? What’s the point? If we boil it all off, we come down to this. One point this morning –
xvi. Do Not Make Assumptions about who to share the gospel with and who not to, God may just use you in some unusual situations.
xvii. I‘d like to close with a short story.
g. Conclusion
i. I’d like to tell you about a man named James. James grew up in a farming community north of Dallas. His family had a marginal swine operation that struggled to stay afloat.
ii. James was a pretty troubled kid. He was into drugs and alcohol. He made a lot of trouble. He didn’t do so well in school.
iii. He didn’t get along with his Mom and Dad, or his siblings. His dream was to just get away from home. When he graduated from high school, he moved out, left home, never looking back.
iv. He got a job in Dallas as a security guard, and kept running with the wrong kinds of people, still on drugs, no direction in his life.
v. James met an older lady, and moved in with her, no commitments, you know. His life seemed to turn around somewhat. They moved to Houston, and he got another job, and started going to college.
vi. He finished his associates’ degree, and things kind of trucked along. He came home one afternoon to find an empty apartment, his girlfriend had left him.
vii. He continued to drown his sorrows and get high. He met another young lady, and fell in love. She had been married before, and had a 12 year old son. At this point, he decided to get off drugs, and made a clean break, but the drinking continued.
viii. Over the next 5 years, James would have a lot more turbulence in his life. His marriage was on the rocks, his teenage stepson was on drugs, and got arrested at school.
ix. James lost not one but two jobs in a row. He was at the end of his rope. He didn’t know what else to do. A guy at work had told him about Jesus several times a few years before, and how much peace this guy got from going to church and stuff, so James decided to check it out.
x. After a few weeks of darting out the back at the end of service, James gave his life to Jesus, and he got that peace. His life didn’t get any easier, but everything just seemed better.
xi. He gave up drinking, and started trying to minister to his stepson. He recently reconciled with his family. I just talked to James this week. He’s doing great. The love of the Lord is pouring out of his life.
xii. You see, I prayed for James for three and a half years, and I was shocked when he told me all of this the other day. That was out of the blue for me. I got of the phone and yelled for joy at what God had done.
xiii. James wasn’t normally the kind of guy that I would hang out with, but I let God do all the work, and He brought the harvest.
xiv. Don’t give up on the James’s in your life guys…..
xv. Let’s go before Him now and seek Him.
h. Let’s Pray.
V. Closing Prayer
