EASTER IS A PARTY AND EVERYONE IS INVITED
ACTS 10:34-43
MARCH 27, 2005 EASTER SUNDAY
INTRODUCTION: Have any of you been watching the NCAA basketball tournament. Two of my Accountability partners are very happy. Chapel Hill is still in as of Friday night! Do you know what The NCAA tournament, American Idol, The Apprentice and Survivor all have in common? Only a select few get to participate and the group is whittled down until only ONE remains. This is called Exclusionism. Now this may be a new word to you, but when I came to it, I realized that it fits most of life. How many of you have applied for a job and were turned down? How many of you went out for a team and didn’t make it? How many of you applied for a loan and didn’t get it? How many of you just wanted to be included in something and were left out for one reason or another? I have felt this way many times in my life and when you are excluded, the pain is real!
TRANSITION THOUGHT: Our text for today is the exact opposite of Exclusionism. Our text for today is all about Inclusion! Inclusion was a hard lesson learned. Even the great Apostle Peter was having trouble with what the Resurrection meant. Here he was, one of the most out spoken of all the disciples, the one who seemed to get it the quickest (Who do you say I am? Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!”). Now, after a vision from God and a trip to a Roman Soldiers house, Peter gets a new revelation: God doesn’t pick favorites, He accepts people from every nation that fear Him! Peter saw and understood something that is vital to all our lives! God wants us all! You see Peter understood Easter is a Party and Everyone is invited!
THESIS SENTENCE: The gospel of Easter is that God has opened up Eternity for ALL who will believe in His Son Jesus Christ!
This day is the greatest day in all of Christianity! Today is the day we together celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
BUT, has it ever dawned upon you why this is the key day? Yes, I know, it is not everyday someone rises from the dead! And yes I know, He died for our sins! And Yes I know, His resurrection brings us life! Yes I know all these things, but here we are again singing Hallelujah Christ Arose and yet I feel we maybe missing the real meaning of it all. Has the story become overly familiar to you and me?
WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING: Just because a person is religious doesn’t mean that they belong to God! Cornelius was a man like many we know! He is a good ole boy. He cares about the people in his life and even helps out folks he doesn’t know. If he were around today, he would probably have sent money to the Tsunami relief fund after watching former Presidents Bush and Clinton! Cornelius was known as a God-fearing man. He was devout, and as I mentioned before, he gave generously to those in need. He was also known as a man of prayer.
As you look at the life of Cornelius, is there anything missing? Don’t you think we would take him into membership in a heartbeat! He was focused on God, cared about others, and was generous with his money to boot! What more could the man need??
Well, there was something missing and God got involved (VERSES 1-6). The Lord sent an Angel to Cornelius in a vision and told him to send for a man named Simon who is called Peter! You see, when God answers prayer, which Cornelius was faithful to pray, He often gives us something to do! Prayer resulted in Cornelius having to send for a stranger!
The other character in our story is Peter. I mentioned him before, but he plays an interesting part in the life of Cornelius. You see, Peter had been praying and the Lord had given him a vision also. Not only had God called Cornelius to go get Peter, He had called Peter to go to Cornelius! Our God covers all the bases!
What even gets better is that when Peter arrives, he tells Cornelius he should be there because Jews and Gentiles are not to mix. Jews are considered pure and clean and Gentiles were considered impure and unclean!
AND NOW THE BIG SERMON! VV. 34-43
Today I am preaching a sermon on a sermon. Peter preaches a sermon to Cornelius and I am preaching about the sermon Peter preached! If you can say that four times quickly, you can have a left over biscuit from breakfast.
The Gospel of the sermon, the good news Peter preached, is that God accepts all people who fear him and do what is right (VERSES 34-35). But how did this come about. Where does it start and what made the difference?
The difference is Jesus! The Good News is Jesus! The truth Peter preaches is Jesus! God made peace with mankind through Jesus! Peace is the opposite of war! Peace is the opposite of confusion! Peace is the end of punishment! THIS IS THE GIFT OF JESUS!
But how did all this come about? What was it that Jesus did? Peter makes it clear, it all started with the Baptism John preached – how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power (verse 38). How did Peter know and what evidence would he give to validate his statement? Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him (verse 38).
Jesus changed things! When He showed up those that were helpless were helped! Those that were oppressed were set free! Those that were marginalized found there way back into the heart of society!
How was Jesus rewarded for all this good He did? Peter continues the sermon by telling us that he was a witness to all that happened and that Jesus was killed on a cross! He died for doing good and changing lives!
But, this was not the end of the story for Peter and for Cornelius! God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen by those of us who ate and drank with him after He rose from the dead.
Peter had seen it all and Jesus had risen from the dead! Peter has just shared with us the complete story of the Gospel! The Good news is that Jesus came, changed lives, died on the cross and was raised from the dead. Why is Peter telling Cornelius all this? Is Peter trying to make a point?
Peter continues by telling Cornelius that Jesus has commanded the disciples to go and preach, which is what he is doing. They are to preach and testify that Jesus is the one whom God appointed as Judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through His name (verse 43)!
There you have it! The whole point of the sermon was that Cornelius and his whole household were to know that Jesus is the judge of all mankind and that those who believe on His name are forgiven of all their sins!
KEY THOUGHT: Cornelius was missing something! He was missing the forgiveness of sins that came through Jesus Christ alone. He was missing the fact that God had raised Jesus from the dead for this very reason, to redeem all of mankind to himself! Jesus was God’s invitation to the greatest party ever thrown! Jesus came to teach us that Easter is a Party and Everyone is invited!
CONCLUSION: Did you know you were invited to belong? Did you know that in God’s perfect plan He chose to include you? No matter who may have excluded you in this life, Our God wants to include you! He was so desperate to do this that He sent His one and only Son to die on a cross that you may know Eternal life by believing in His Name. The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Rome and shared this truth with them, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved (Romans 10: 9-10).” Today is the greatest day in the Christian year. Today we celebrate that Jesus rose from the dead and in so doing offers eternal life to us all! On this very day, Jesus stands before you, with arms outstretched and Welcomes you to come! “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost… Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live (Isaiah 55: 1&3).” Today I want to ask you, are you a Cornelius? Do you have everything but Jesus? The end of the story is that Cornelius and all his house were baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ! They believed on the name of Jesus! Will you chose this day to believe in His Name. Will you confess “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead?” IF you do, you will be saved! Will you?
BENEDICTION: HEBREWS 13: 20-21
