Naturally Super Natural • Acts 10:1-48

Review & Overview

1. Last Week

COMMENTARY: We began a new series titled Naturally Super Natural. And we looked at two Super Natural events that happened. We seen a man who was bed ridden for 8 years and was paralyzed and then was healed, second we seen a lady by the name of Tabitha who died but was revived.

COMMENTARY: And we learned according to Vs. 34 that it was Jesus not Peter who Super Naturally healed and revived these two people.

COMMENTARY: And we learned that when we see Jesus for what He is, Super Natural, it will cause us to Repent and turn to Him. Jesus is not a regular person like you and I, Jesus is Super Natural because He is God Almighty!

COMMENTARY: So last week we seen that God was Naturally Super Natural as it pertains to "Restoration". Because these two people were healed and revived they were in essence Restored.

2. This Week

COMMENTARY: We want to look at God being Naturally Super Natural as it pertains to Communication. We are going to look at how God Super Naturally communicates to two men, Peter & then a man named Cornelius.

COMMENTARY: And before we look at God's Super Natural Communication, lets learn a little bit about this man Cornelius. Look at Vs. 1...

3. Who Is Cornelius Vs. 1-2

His Occupation Vs. 1

COMMENTARY: So Cornelius is from a town called Caesarea and towards the end of Vs. 1 we learn that he is also a centurion.

COMMENTARY: A centurion is a Roman commander who was in charge of 100 men. So he is a man of authority.

His Life Vs. 2

Devout: He was faithful regarding religious things, religious observance. Catholic examples

Feared God: This is a technical term indicating one who forsook pagan gods & embraced the true & living God.

Family Man: He taught his household & his family about God.

Giving: This speaks of his charitable giving to others.

Prayed: It says he prayed always, he kept on praying.

COMMENTARY: So here is a guy who was doing all the right things and from all appearances he had it all together.

COMMENTARY: Yet he was a million miles away form salvation, all the good deeds in the world won't get you into heaven. BUT, he was seeking, and he was searching, in...

Jeremiah 29:13 NKJV

13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

COMMENTARY: And this is what we are going to see in today’s study.

COMMENTARY: So let's look at...

God's Super Natural Communication Vs. 1-23

COMMENTARY: And the first thing that involves God's Super Natural Communication...

1. Gods Super Natural Communication Vs. 1-23

1.1 Involves a Vision Vs. 3-6

COMMENTARY: Cornelius' prayers & alms were a sweet aroma to the Lord, they were acceptable to the Lord. Because he was truly seeking & searching.

COMMENTARY: When one who is not saved and does not know God but seeks & searches for God with a sincere heart, the Lord will hear them out. Because...

Proverbs 15:29 (NKJV)

29 The Lord is far from the wicked...

Isaiah 59:2 NKJV

2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.

COMMENTARY: However, if a person who is not saved comes to God with a genuine heart and a sincere heart, like Cornelius, God will give this person all the time they want.

Psalm 51:17 (NKJV)

17 ...A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.

Isaiah 66:2 (NKJV)

2 ...“But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word.

COMMENTARY: And you know, I think of those people who are in the deepest darkest jungles or the driest deserts. We have to remember that God is a Super Natural God and if there is a person at a secluded island and searches for God, God will Super Naturally reveal Himself to him, just like Cornelius.

Romans 1:20 NKJV

20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

COMMENTARY: Those people that are on remote locations of the world, they are without excuse.

1.2 Involves Obedience Vs. 7-8

COMMENTARY: I guess if an angel told you to do something, you'd do it.

COMMENTARY: Interesting the angel told him to send for Peter, why didn't the angel tell him about Jesus?

APPLICATION: God desires to use us to spread the Good News of the Gospel. God wanted to teach Peter that the Gentiles are God's people too because the Jews hated the Gentiles.

COMMENTARY: So the second thing God's Super Natural Communication involves...

1.3 Involves Prayer Vs. 9-16

Preparation Vs. 9 - The Lord will often prepare us for what He has in store for us as we Pray.

Because prayer is simply talking to God, communing with God so we can hear from God.

Trance Vs. 10 - Trance Greek= e'k-stä-sēs; Ekstasis; where we get our english word ecstacy. And the literal definition of this word is "Change of Place".

COMMENTARY: Which is interesting because the bible tells us in Ephesians 6:12 that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but we wrestle in the heavenly places.

COMMENTARY: This is definitely Super Natural! EXPLAIN HOW THIS HAPPENS TO YOU.

COMMENTARY: So while Peter was praying he fell into a trance and look what he saw in Vs. 11...

What He Saw Vs. 11-12 - A sheet full of animals included clean & unclean animals according to Vs. 14

COMMENTARY: From a Jewish viewpoint it represented the Jews who were clean & Gentiles who were unclean.

COMMENTARY: So that is what he saw look at what he heard in Vs. 13...

What He Heard Vs. 13-16

What He Heard Vs. 13-16 - It was unthinkable for a Jew to eat anything unclean of common, we see that in Leviticus 11.

COMMENTARY: But what we see here is the Lord was preparing peter to reach out to the Gentiles with the Gospel message, because like food people are not clean or unclean based on their nationality. God loves all people.

John 3:16=

2 Peter 3:9= He is not willing that any should perish

COMMENTARY: And as a side note, there is no restriction on eating certain foods.

Romans 14:14= Nothing is unclean

1 Corinthians 10:25= eat whatever is sold in the market place...

Colossians 2:16= let no one judge you in food...

1 Timothy 4:4= every creature of God is good & nothing is to be refused

COMMENTARY: Some of you guys know about my new lifestyle change, I feel like maybe God is telling me to stop? IDK?

COMMENTARY: So the third thing God's Super Natural Communication involves...

1.4 Involves The Holy Spirit Vs. 17-23

The Holy Spirit Vs. 17-20 - So the Holy Spirit confirmed the message of Cornelius' two servants & his one soldier.

COMMENTARY: So we see that God Super Naturally communicated with Peter by prayer and now by the Holy Spirit.

COMMENTARY: God Super Naturally through the HS, tells Peter what was going to come his way.

John 16:13 NKJV

13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

COMMENTARY: You see God had to give Cornelius a vision of an angel because Cornelius did not have the HS. But because we who are children of God do have the HS, God is able to speak to us through the HS.

Romans 8:14 NKJV

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Peter Is Understanding Vs. 21-23 - So Peter obeys and trusts what the HS tell him to do. And this is a big deal here in Vs. 23, Peter invited them in and lodged them.

COMMENTARY: We already discussed that the Jews never had communion with the gentiles. And now we see Peter inviting them to stay under the same house? In fact in the next chapter when Peter goes back to Jerusalem some Jews attack him for this reason. Look at Ch. 11:2-3...

Acts 11:2–3 NKJV

2 And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him, 3 saying, “You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!”

COMMENTARY: Maybe Peter finally came to the understanding of the vision? How God was accepting Gentiles into the Kingdom of God, how they weren't unclean & that God loved them too.

COMMENTARY: And here is the point, Peter was obedient to the Lord, He was open to the Spirit leading & guiding him.

APPLICATION: Talk about how maybe God through the HS is guiding you and leading you to share the Gospel?

2. God’s Super Natural Salvation Vs. 24-48

2.1 Saves Us From Idolatry Vs. 24-26

COMMENTARY: So Cornelius was really eager to meet Peter because he knew that Peter had a message for him.

COMMENTARY: and it says in Vs. 25 that he fell down at peters feet and worshiped him!

APPLICATION: How many of you guys know that before we came to the feet of Jesus to worship Him, we were at the feet of someone or something else worshiping that?

APPLICATION: You see, we were all like Cornelius once, worshiping someone or something else rather than Jesus. Which is called Idolatry.

ILLUSTRATION: You know before I got saved I grew up in Idolatry. I grew up literally worshiping statues of false gods and spirits.

I remember watching my dad and he would give food, money, cigars, liquor to these statues.

He would talk to them and ask things from them. It sounds crazy, but because I didn't know Jesus I was so susceptible to worship whatever came my way.

COMMENTARY: Now you might be here telling yourselves well thank God I am not like that. I don't worship any idol statues and pray to statues and ask things from them. But before you say that let me give you a biblical definition of what idolatry is.

COMMENTARY: Idolatry is anything you put above God. Anything you put first before God. And the way you figure out what you put above God is by looking at your life and your actions.

Because you may agree that God comes first and accept it but it's another thing to actually do it!

APPLICATION: What do we spend most of our time doing? Are we always on our phones, on social media, Video games?

APPLICATION: What do we constantly think about? A boy? A girl? Money? Clothes? Friends?

APPLICATION: Whatever you think about most, and whatever you do the most, is your idol. If it's not God.

Colossians 3:5 NKJV

5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Jonah 2:8 NKJV

8 “Those who regard worthless idols Forsake their own Mercy.

COMMENTARY: Here in Vs. 25 the word worship literally means devotion. What are we devoting our time to and focus to? It should be God.

COMMENTARY: We see here that Cornelius is devoting himself to Peter which is idolatry, but Peter saved him from that. God's Supernatural Salvation saves us from Idolatry.

2.2 Does Not Discriminate Vs. 27-28, 34-35

COMMENTARY: So what Peter is telling Cornelius and the people he invited over, is that in the Jewish culture it was frowned upon to hang out with anyone from a different nationality.

Especially under the same roof, like they are now.

COMMENTARY: But then Peter tells them that God has shown him that he should not call any man common or unclean.

In other words, God told Peter that he should never assume anyone is not worthy or deserving of God.

APPLICATION: And you know this is so true for us today. We should never look at anyone and think God does not love them, God does not want them.

APPLICATION: But I am hear to tell you today, that God loves and wants your worst enemies, God shows no partiality to anyone. Drop down and look at Vs. 34-35.

COMMENTARY: God's Supernatural Salvation does not Discriminate.

2.3 Requires Hearing Vs. 29-33

1. Saves us from Idolatry 2. Does Not Discriminate

ILLUSTRATION: President Franklin Roosevelt, often had to go through long receiving lines at the White House, where he would greet dozens on top of dozens of people. And he complained one day that no one really paid any attention to what was said.

One day, during a reception, he decided to try an experiment. To each person who passed down the line and shook his hand, he murmured, "I murdered my grandmother this morning."

The guests responded with phrases like, "Marvelous! Keep up the good work. We are proud of you. God bless you, sir."

It was not till the end of the line, while greeting the ambassador from Bolivia, that his words were actually heard. The ambassador leaned over and whispered, "I'm sure she had it coming." True Story!

COMMENTARY: I pray everyone here understands that God is always trying to communicate with us, but the question is are we listening? Can you hear and understand what God is saying?

COMMENTARY: In Vs. 33 Cornelius and the people he invited were there to hear all things commanded by God.

STINGER: “For one to hear from God, one must be near to God”

COMMENTARY: And when I say that, im not speaking physically, im speaking spiritually. When you come to church are you intentional and bringing you heart your focus.

COMMENTARY: Are you listening to the noise that is coming out of my mouth? or are you listening to the ideas, the concepts, the image that is coming from my mouth?

ILLUSTRATION: Good listening is like tuning in a radio station. For good results, you can listen to only one station at a time.

Trying to listen to my wife while im doing something else is like trying to receive two radio stations at the same time.

I end up with distortion and frustration. Listening requires a choice of where I place my attention.

To hear from God, I must first choose to put away all that will divide my attention.

That might mean laying down our phones, being by ourselves, putting down the book I'm reading, setting aside my projects.

COMMENTARY: God's Supernatural Salvation requires hearing, because there many today that believe God wants to send a bunch of people to hell, where in actuality the Bible says in...

2 Peter 3:9 NKJV

9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

2.4 Brings Peace Vs. 36a

1. Saves us from Idolatry 2. Does Not Discriminate 3. Requires Hearing

Romans 5:1 NKJV

1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

John 14:27 NKJV

27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

John 16:33 NKJV

33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Philippians 4:6–7 NKJV

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 26:3 NKJV

3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.

2.5 Reveals Our Lord Vs. 36b

1. Saves us from Idolatry 2. Does Not Discriminate 3. Requires Hearing 4. Brings Peace

COMMENTARY: It says Jesus is Lord of all! He is the boss's boss's Boss. In fact, in...

Revelation 19:16 NKJV

16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS

COMMENTARY: Many of us accepts Jesus as our Saviour but, do we accept Him as our LORD!

Lord Greek= kü'-rē-os; which means having power or authority. This word is used for people who are owners.

ILLUSTRATION: If you work for a company and the Owner of the company walks in, are you going to treat him like a random person? No! Because he is your boss' boss, the Owner.

He can fire you, change the menu, change the prices, change your hours, because he has power and the authority to do so.

APPLICATION: And you know this is something my generation and your generation struggles with. Submitting to Authority. If Jesus is telling you to do something or to stop doing something are you doing it?

COMMENTARY: Yes, Jesus is our Friend, He loves us, He is our saviour but also our Lord. This is why Jesus said in...

Luke 6:46 NKJV

46 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?

2.6 Involves Eye Witnesses Vs. 37-43

1. Saves us from Idolatry 2. Does Not Discriminate 3. Requires Hearing 4. Brings Peace 5. Reveals Our Lord

Witnesses of Jesus’ Life Vs. 37-39 - So here in Vs. 37-39 Peter is telling Cornelius and his guests that he was a witness to all things that Jesus did, look at Vs. 39 again.

COMMENTARY: Peter is pretty much saying, look I know you've heard of the rumors of the man named Jesus how He was anointed by God and He went out healing and doing greats signs and wonders. Well I'm here to tell you that I witnessed all of that! Including His death on the cross.

Witnesses of Jesus’ Resurrected Life Vs. 40-42 - Peter said look, after Jesus died God raised Him from the dead. I ate with Him, drank with Him and He even commanded me to preach to people that Jesus is the one who is the Judge of the living and the dead.

APPLICATION: And this is important to us because many say that these stories of Jesus were legends and these stores evolved to what they are now.

APPLICATION: But what we have here is that Peter and all the apostles all claim they witnessed Jesus' life and resurrected life. How do we know they were telling the truth?

APPLICATION: Well, because they all died horrible deaths for their Faith in Jesus. People die for lies they believe, but never for lies they make up.

APPLICATION: Why is it that all the Apostles either were crucified, beheaded, stoned to death, not one of them recanted their faith in Jesus. Not one of them said ok I will deny my faith in Jesus. They didn't because they were eye witnesses they knew it was the Truth!

Witnesses of Jesus’ Name Vs. 43 Peter is saying that even the Prophets in the OT new that through Jesus, whoever believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins.

Acts 4:12 NKJV

12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

John 14:6 NKJV

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Romans 4:7 NKJV

7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered;

COMMENTARY: God's Supernatural Salvation Involves Eye witnesses #EXPLAIN.

2.7 Involves Baptism Vs. 44-48

1. Saves us from Idolatry 2. Does Not Discriminate 3. Requires Hearing

4. Brings Peace 5. Reveals Our Lord 6. Involves Eye Witnesses

Baptism of the Holy Spirit Vs. 44-46 - Turn with me to...

Acts 1:5 NKJV

5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

COMMENTARY: And the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is explained by a preposition, go back to ch. 10 and look at Vs. 44 again.

COMMENTARY: You see the HS has three jobs that are described by three prepositions. #EXPLAIN.

COMMENTARY: and look at VS. 45 again because it says the Jews were astonished because God gifted the HS to Gentiles.

2 Corinthians 5:5 NKJV

5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

Baptism of Water Vs. 47-48 - Pop Off, what is water baptism for???

Romans 6:3–4 NKJV

3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.