Acts - 28

Acts - 28

Acts 10:34-48

Introduction

“Incident and Emergency Management,” also known as “prepping” has seen a dramatic rise in recent years. Once a fringe movement of people (doomsday preppers) who lived in remote locations with gas masks on, prepping has now gone a bit mainstream due to the current realities of food shortages, supply chain delays, and the ever-increasing threat of catastrophic forms of warfare. Though it was already on the rise, Covid sparked a dramatic upturn. In fact, the week that lockdowns were ordered in March 2020, one popular prepping website noted a 25-fold increase in site traffic. It is estimated that emergency prepping will increase to a $425 billion per year industry by 2025.

When you step into a situation where you know everything has been covered, where you know it has all been prepared, your confidence is going to soar. Everything has been thought of. All the necessary steps have been taken. Now, it is time to step up and deliver. This is the situation that the Apostle Peter finds himself in as he steps into the home of Cornelius.

God has set everything up for him. Earlier in chapter 10, an angel appears in a vision to Cornelius to tell him to call for Peter. God then appears in a vision to Peter himself and educates him on what is truly clean and unclean. God orchestrates all the events to bring Peter and Cornelius together. God has so prepared all the details that Peter now stands in the house of Cornelius in front of a room full of Gentiles who are eager to hear whatever it is that God has commanded Peter to preach to them.

Acts 10:34-48 - 34And opening his mouth, Peter said:

“I most truly comprehend now that God is not one to show partiality, 35but in every nation the one who fears Him and does righteousness is welcome to Him. 36As for the word which He sent to the sons of Israel, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all— 37you yourselves know the thing which happened throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. 38You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. 39And we are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree. 40God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He appear, 41not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42And He commanded us to preach to the people, and solemnly to bear witness that this is the One who has been designated by God as Judge of the living and the dead. 43Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”

44While Peter was still speaking these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the word. 45And all the circumcised believers who came with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and magnifying God. Then Peter answered, 47“Can anyone refuse water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?” 48And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for a few days.

TS - In this little sermon by Peter, his last in the book of Acts, he explains salvation to them, telling them how it works and what it means. Information that we need to know.

THE MESSAGE OF SALVATION (V. 34-36)

Peter opens by acknowledging the magnitude of what is happening right now. For centuries, since God made His original covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12, salvation has been for the Jews. God chose the nation of Israel to be His treasured possession on the Earth. God had promised to work in them and through them. He would be their God and they would be His people. God blessed them. God protected them. God saved them.

Sadly, the Jews took that glorious doctrine of election and twisted it into wicked favoritism. To them, God only loved them. To Hell with the rest of the world. They were God’s treasured possession and the rest of the world were pagan, dirty, heathens. These nations were called Gentiles (everyone who was not Jewish) and they were to be avoided. Jews are holy; Gentiles are unholy. Jews were loved by God; Gentiles were hated by God. Clear, black and white distinctions.

But now Peter stands, directed by God Himself, in the home of one of those pagan, dirty, Gentile men. Quite a reorienting experience. v. 34 - I most truly comprehend now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the one who fears Him and does righteousness is welcome to Him. The truth is, though, God never did show partiality. The Jews did, not God. From the very beginning, God’s concern was global.

Genesis 12:1-3 - 1And Yahweh said to Abram,

“Go forth from your land,

And from your kin

And from your father’s house,

To the land which I will show you;

2And I will make you a great nation,

And I will bless you,

And make your name great;

And so you shall be a blessing;

3And I will bless those who bless you,

And the one who curses you I will curse.

And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

Isaiah 19:24-25 - 24 In that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25 whom Yahweh of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”

Amos 9:7 - 7“Are you not as the sons of Ethiopia to Me,

O sons of Israel?” declares Yahweh.

“Have I not brought up Israel from the land of Egypt,

And the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans from Kir?

God has always been at work in the nations. He has always had people in the nations. And now through the gospel it is official…in every nation people can come to God. No demographic of person is rejected. Anyone, from any nation, who fears Him and does righteousness is welcome to Him. This is salvation language. To ‘fear God’ is to worship Him, to love Him, to revere Him. Only the saved do that. To ‘do righteousness’ is to be right with God and live rightly in response. God is willing to save people from any and every nation.

The message of salvation is the good news of peace through Jesus Christ. It is good news, as opposed to the bad news of your sin. Your sin has separated you from God and you are in open rebellion against Him. The good news is that He is willing to forgive. This is why it is good news of ‘peace.’ Because outside of Jesus Christ, you are not at peace with God, no matter how moral you might be. On your own, in your sin nature, you are at war with God. But there can be peace…through Jesus Christ. His sacrifice for sin, paying the un-payable debt your sin owed to God, declaring a cease fire with the Creator, is the only way to have peace with God. Nothing you can do, nothing you can say, could ever accomplish that peace. But the good news is that Jesus accomplished it for you. Your only step is to trust in Christ.

THE MEANS OF SALVATION (V. 37-43)

From this point on in his sermon, Peter outlines how exactly salvation works. He gives an overview of the person and work of Christ…or as we say it here, who Jesus is and what Jesus has done.

He begins with Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist. John was the forerunner for Jesus, the one prophesied by the prophet Isaiah who would come prepare the way for Israel’s Messiah to arrive. Upon baptizing Jesus, John saw the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus like a dove and heard the audible voice of God declare Jesus to be His Beloved Son. Peter starts with John’s baptism of Jesus because Jesus’ baptism is Heaven’s endorsement that Jesus really is God’s Son, Israel’s promised Messiah.

He moves on to cover Jesus’ life and ministry, His healing power, and all the good He did for people who were oppressed. And Peter declares it all to be true because he was an eyewitness. v. 39 - And we are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. But Peter doesn’t stop at Jesus’ incredible life. He quickly got to the message of the cross. End of v. 39 - They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree. That’s an odd way to refer to the crucifixion, don’t you think? But this is not the first time this particular phrase is used in Acts. In Acts 5, Peter and the other apostles had been arrested for preaching about Jesus and were called in to testify before the Jewish Sanhedrin. When they command the apostles to immediately cease preaching about Jesus, here is how Peter responds: Acts 5:29-30 - But Peter and the apostles answered and said, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you put to death by hanging Him on a tree.”

This is a reference back to the OT in Deuteronomy as God lays out the laws of Israel. Listen to Deuteronomy 21:22-23 - 22“And if a man has committed a sin, the judgment of which is death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, 23his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (because cursed of God is he who is hanged), so that you do not make unclean your land which Yahweh your God gives you as an inheritance.

Those hanged on a tree are shown to be cursed by God. And of all the ways Jesus could have been executed, it happens to be this one. He is crucified specifically to show the He takes the curse of our sin upon Himself so that we might go free. Paul says in Galatians 3:13-14 - Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us - for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” - in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

So why this imagery? Why this particular statement by Peter about hanging on a tree? The gospel is presented in the starkest of terms…the Beloved Son of God is crucified and treated as a reprehensible criminal, enduring the curse and wrath of God Almighty for sin He never committed. For sin you committed. All so that Gentiles, the nations, could experience the unspeakable blessings of new life in Christ!

But Peter doesn’t stop at the crucifixion. If you stop there all you have is a dead religious leader who did some nice things and said some inspiration things, but that’s it. v. 40-41 - God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He appear, not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. The crucifixion means nothing without the resurrection. God raised Jesus from the dead, securing His victory over sin and death, validating that everything Jesus said and did was actually true. He really is the Son of God. He really is the only hope for salvation. He really is the forgiver of sins. He really is the only way to have a relationship with God.

And this is verified yet again by eyewitnesses. Jesus met with them…even eating and drinking with them. This is a critical detail. The Greeks believed in the eternal nature of the soul, but not in physical resurrection. So Cornelius and friends would not have had any problem with Jesus’ spirit rising from the dead and hovering around with the disciples. But that is not what happened. Jesus literally and physically rose from the grave, as will all who place their faith in Him. Jesus even ate and drank with them…ghosts don’t do that. Spirits don’t eat fish with Peter on the beach. But Jesus did in His resurrected physical body.

And by His victory over sin and death, Jesus commanded, v. 42 - solemnly to bear witness that this is the One who has been designated by God as Judge of the living and the dead. This is a reference back to Daniel 7 that Jesus is the Son of Man, the Sovereign Judge over the nations. Listen to Daniel’s vision:

Daniel 7:9-10,13-14 - I kept looking Until thrones were set up,

And the Ancient of Days was seated;

His clothing was like white snow And the hair of His head like pure wool.

His throne was ablaze with fire, Its wheels were a burning fire.

10“A river of fire was flowing And coming out from before Him;

Thousands upon thousands were attending Him,

And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him;

The court sat, And the books were opened…

13 “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven

One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days

And came near before Him.

14“And to Him was given dominion, Glory, and a kingdom,

That all the peoples, nations, and men of every tongue Might serve Him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not be taken away;

And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.

So Jesus is Israel’s promised Messiah, He is the Son of Man who sits in judgment over all peoples (all will stand before Him), anointed by God, doer of miracles, crucified and risen Lord…all leading to one final statement. v. 43 - Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins. Ultimately and primarily for Cornelius and for sinners like us, Jesus is the Forgiver of sins. By faith in this Jesus, all the sin, all the debt owed to God, is all forgiven.

THE MARK OF SALVATION (V. 44-48)

It is a good sermon by Peter. It is very Jesus-y. It is quite gospel-y. But we don’t even know how he finished it, because God cut him off before his time was up. V. 44 - While Peter was still speaking these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the word. The Gentile audience is definitively saved. The indwelling presence of God’s Holy Spirit is the distinguishing mark of salvation. His presence in a life means they are saved. His absence means they are still lost. So even though faith isn’t clearly mentioned on their part, it is clearly implied. While Peter is preaching the gospel to them and calls them to faith in Christ, they obviously respond internally with repentance and faith. And in response, God graciously and generously pours out His Spirit upon them all.

The other Jewish Christians who had accompanied Peter cannot believe their eyes. The Spirit has fallen on the Gentiles! And it is verified by their miraculous speaking in tongues, that just as in Acts 2 at Pentecost, symbolizes that the Gospel knows no language/ethnic barrier. God has welcomed Gentiles into His family. Pagan sinners have been forgiven and adopted as sons and daughters of God the Father. This event has rightly been referred to by many as the Gentile Pentecost. In Acts 2, in response to a gospel sermon by Peter, the Jewish audience in Jerusalem experienced the same thing. Then in Acts 8 we saw the Samaritan Pentecost as the Spirit falls in Samaria as Peter and John pray for them. And now, the promise of Jesus in Acts 1:8 that the gospel would go to the nations has officially come to pass.

But they aren’t finished yet. They are saved. They’ve been forgiven. They have the indwelling presence of God the Holy Spirit. But they aren’t done. It’s time to get in the water! End of v. 46 - Then Peter answered, “Can anyone refuse water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?” Can anyone refuse? It is the same word the Ethiopian eunuch used after hearing the gospel from Philip in Acts 8 and said, “What would hinder me from being baptized right now?” Nothing and no one. Can anyone refuse? Absolutely not. God has welcomed them, so now it is time for the Church to welcome them in. Galatians 3:27-28 - 27For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

What a sermon by Peter! And what a response! Here is what I love about Peter’s sermon…it is so simple. He doesn’t complicate it at all. He doesn’t try to get creative with his new Gentile audience. He simply declares, this is who Jesus is and this is what Jesus has done. And God saves. But let me close out by drawing your attention to a phrase that Peter uses a couple times right at the very beginning of the sermon. v. 37 - you yourselves know…v. 38 - you know…

They knew some things already. Cornelius knew the God of Israel was the one, true God. He knew he needed to live a righteous life, as evidenced by his generosity and prayers. He knew some truths about Jesus. He knew all that…yet remained unsaved. Knowing some bible facts does not save anyone. Faith in Jesus Christ saves. Biblical faith, saving faith, has 3 components: 1) knowledge; 2) agreement; 3) trust. For example, that chair is stable. That’s a fact. You agree. But you don’t trust that until you sit in it. This is who Jesus is, and this is what Jesus has done. That’s a fact. You have to agree. But then you have to trust. You have to rest in that. Trust in the work He alone accomplished to save you.