Bookmarked for life Baptism Sermon for 20th March 05
By Paul Collins
What are some uses for bookmarks?
1) Return you to the place you last read from.
2) To stop the pages from getting damaged.
3) To get a message across to others.
4) To clean your fingernails with.
5) Gives you something to fidget with as you read.
6) Helps you to find the next line when used like a ruler.
I think that we all can agree…bookmarks can be incredibly handy cant they.
Today we have a day of baptisms (Praise the Lord)
Two – in our 9am service and two – in our 7pm service.
I have always looked upon baptisms as being
1) A step of obedience to the Word of God - for the person being baptised and a time of testimony of that which God has doing in their lives
but also
2) A bookmark that they can recall - it encourages them to hang in when times get tough.
Our lives as Christians should have a heap of bookmarks in them, recent events that we can recall where we saw the Living God at work in our lives.
We have heard from two people how God broke into their lives, it’s placed a bookmark that they can go back to when times get tough.
I want us to look at an event in Acts 10, which started as a bookmark but has become more like a hallmark…
The whole event starts with a Roman Centurion called Cornelius.
Cornelius Calls for Peter
10 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” 4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.
The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”
7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. 8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.
Can you imagine this happening to you? Seeing an Angel would be one thing but old Cornelius – he doesn’t real off backwards in fear – instead he say’s…“yo! – how’s it hangin?”…then he starts talking with this Angel as if it’s no great thing.
But it doesn’t stop here. (Peter is one days walk away and we read about something similar happening to him) V9
Peter’s Vision
9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. 13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”
14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
17 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. 18 They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.
19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, threea men are looking for you. 20 So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”
You gotta be kidding me – what does Pete do? He goes down stairs and here they are…just as he was told!!!
21 Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?”
That to me sounds like a really fair question, doesn’t it.
22 The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to have you come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” 23 Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.
We need to take a quick look at something here.
Peter is a Jew and at this point all the Jews see themselves, as the select group. Cornelius is a Roman Centurion…NOT A JEW He’s what’s known as a Gentile. Spit on him…God is not smiling on any Gentile…or so the Jewish think anyway.
The trance that Peter falls into must have been a goodie (in fact the word “trance” ekstasis translates astonished) this trance has got to be, “life changing and astonishing” because he invites the Gentiles in to stay with him with the intention of going to speak with Cornelius (the Gentile) the next day. Jews did not do this sort of thing in fact it was even against the law!!!, yet this trance was a revelation from God that changed his mind, his thinking, Peters whole way of life and that’s what Kevin and Lynne / Emily and Victoria have just testified to today…Jesus broke into their lives and they want you to know…something radical has happened to them – and there in lies a very important bookmark for them. All they have to do is return to this bookmark and it reminds them, and encourages them at where God broke in at that point.
Let’s keep reading now from v23
Peter at Cornelius’ House
The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went along. 24 The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. 26 But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.”
27 Talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. 28 He 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. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?”
That revelation from God was so intense, he risked his career, he risked his reputation, and he even risked his life to go into the house of a Gentile and not only that, he had no idea - why he was even going there.
So he asks and…
30 Cornelius 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 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. 32 Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.’ 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.”
34 Then Peter began to speak…
He had no idea what he was going to say until the Spirit grabbed him and gave him the very words that have continued to change lives for over 2000 years and as both Kevin and Lynne / Emily and Victoria have testified today – is continuing to change lives this very day.
What did Peter say to those Gentiles that were gathered?
He shared with them the greatest love story of all time.
He said…dudes, I am not part of the chosen, special Jewish cultural group that has the smile of God upon their life, I am part of God’s chosen family that even you, my Gentile brothers can belong to.
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.
Holy Spirit please come upon all those need that touch from you now
45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tonguesa 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.” 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.
The “bookmark that then became a hallmark” was the fact that all people on the face of this earth could now see that they could find the reality of their Creator in their lives.
Everyone that’s here today can have that very bookmark put into your life – right this very hour. The choice is yours.
Life will be full of our differences; some of us are as different as a Jew from a Gentile.
One person will do something because they have thought it through and the next will do it because it feels right. Some people are “in yer face” type people while others are…“don’t get near my space” type people
We can be so radically different and for most of us we come out of the same culture but one thing we all have in common is told in Romans 3:23
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
ILL Let’s just say I stole $5000. I had it for a few weeks and got caught. I gave the money back, said sorry but then got taken to court. The judge asks me, “Are you innocent or Guilty?” I hang my head as I say I am guilty but then look at him and say, “But sir, I gave the money back and will never steal again”
Would the judge let me off? – Off course not, I did the crime. He couldn’t let me off because the law was broken.
That verse says the one thing we all have in common, is that we are all sinners. We have broken Gods laws. God is a God of Love so he has to be fair and just. When we break Gods law…He must be just and then Romans 6:23 becomes horrifying
23 For the wages of sin is death
We are hopelessly doomed…except for the “but” in the verse…it tells us there is a way out
It’s the bookmark that comes into your life when you understand and accept a free gift offered in the second part of that verse
23b but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
That’s the message that Peter brought and that’s the message that is continuing to change lives over 2000 years later.
If you have never accepted that free gift of life then it is time to guys.
Kevin and Lynne / Emily and Victoria stand here transformed by simply accepting a gift and submitting their lives to their Creator to use - so as to bring purpose into their lives.
If your sitting there saying “I know all this”, great!!! – be reminded of how blessed you are to have received your promise of an Eternal life in the presence of your Creator…but you pray for those that haven’t.
If you are sitting there saying…I want to find out more then get out of your seat as we sing the last song…walk to the front and we can tell you how to accept the gift that’s waiting for you, a gift of a transformed life.
Let’s pray….
