That They May Know

That All the World May Know

Psalm 117 NIV

1 Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. 2 For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord.

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That They May Know

Imagine you go to a luxurious restaurant. You sit in a table with a window. You order steak and it turns out to be the best steak you have ever had. On top of that, you are served a luscious lobster with garlic butter, a soft, yeast dinner roll, asparagus, and for dessert, they bring you a large piece of cherry cobbler with ice cream on top. This meal has been provided for you at no cost. It is a gift. Then, you look out the window and a woman in rags, who looks to be starved is looking at the food you are eating. How would you feel? Would you continue to enjoy your meal?

There are people in our world that are hungry to know that there is a God who cares about them. Today’s text shares about just such a man.

Please open your Bibles to Acts 10 where I will read verses 1-8.

Acts 10:1–8 NIV

1 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.

The Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God!

I. That They May Know

Can you imagine being devoted to something you do not totally understand? Cornelius was. Cornelius was tired of the empty pagan worship that went on around him every day. Then he observed the Jews. They did not worship a pantheon of gods but instead served one God. They shared stories of their God’s intervention in their affairs.

Now since Cornelius was a Gentile, he was unable to worship in the temple of the Jews. Oh, there was a Gentile court, but it was on the outside and full of business being conducted there. You could not make out much.

However, Cornelius began to worship in the only way he knew how. He prayed…He tried to treat others well, especially to poor. He encouraged others to join him.

There are some important things we can learn from Cornelius. Today, we will focus on him and how God used him to open the door for the Gentiles to understand God’s love for them.

The first thing we notice about Cornelius is...

A. Cornelius was hungry for a relationship with God

Cornelius was not some poor person who needed lots of things. No, Cornelius was a Roman Centurion in an Italian regiment. As a Centurion, he would have had wealth and power. Being in an Italian regiment meant he was well-connected politically.

Yet despite all his connections, wealth and power, he felt something was missing. Something that was not filled by any of the gods that were worshipped by his countrymen.

The next thing we notice about Cornelius is that...

B. Cornelius was seeking to know God

Something about the Jewish God connected with Cornelius. He became a God-seeker, so he obeyed and worshiped God in the only manner he knew.

1. He prayed to God regularly

This was not much of a stretch. Prayer is a constant in all religions. Yet, we are told that he prayed regularly. This shows a desire to truly connect with God.

2. He gave generously to the poor

In observing the Jews, he evidently caught on enough to realize that God had a desire for His people to take care of others less fortunate. So, Cornelius gave to the poor, but it was not some token action on his part. He was generous in his giving. He sought to please God by doing those things He understood as things God wanted him to do.

But there was something more that he did.

3. He called for his whole household to believe.

Verse 2 tells us that he and all his family were devout and God-fearing. We know that in those days, the man of the house set the standards. However, people may follow instructions with no real interest. Yet, we are told that “all his family was devout and God-fearing.” That tells me that Cornelius was a man they respected and were willing to follow. They saw something in him that helped them to desire God as well.

I suspect many people would say that Cornelius was in a good place and what he was doing was enough. However, God understood that it wasn’t enough. If all God desired was our worship, then Cornelius’s job was complete. But our God is a relational God. He wants a relationship with us not just empty worship and God knew that Cornelius desired the same. It is here that we see,

B. God’s desire that men know Him.

Cornelius had proven himself sincere in his desire for God. It would not have been easy for an Italian Centurion to so openly be an Elohim worshipper. Yet, Cornelius was faithful to do so. God desires to satisfy seeking hearts. Here are some things we find out about God from this passage.

1. God reaches out to Cornelius.

God sends an angel to Cornelius with a message. God responds to anyone who is seeking Him. He wants people to know Him. However, we quickly notice that the angel does not share with Cornelius anything more than to tell him to send for Peter. I will talk to you more on that in just a moment. But the second thing we need to notice is God’s response to Cornelius’ actions toward God.

2. God accepts Cornelius’ worship.

Cornelius never had instruction on how to worship God. Instead, Cornelius humbly responded by doing those things for which he had understanding. In this case, praying regularly and being generous with the poor. Look at what the angel says about these.

Acts 10:4 (NIV)

4 ...The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.

Cornelius was neither Jewish nor Christian, yet God accepted his actions as an offering that was obviously pleasing to God. This demonstrates that God is open to all those who seek him.

Next, we see that...

3. God uses His people to share the gospel.

Sharing the salvation message is the place of God’s people. God did not use the angel messenger to do it. Instead, the angel directed Cornelius to send for Peter. Peter would open the Gentile world to the gospel by his response to Cornelius’s request.

Jesus instructed us in this when He left. It is our job to take the message of salvation to the world. It is not the task of angels. We also notice that...

4. God wanted Cornelius and his family to know about the gospel.

It wasn’t enough that Cornelius was devoted to God, or that He was trying to serve God. God wanted Cornelius, his friends, and family to be saved. Salvation can only come through faith in Christ. Cornelius knew about God, but he needed to know and accept Jesus as God’s Son who died on the cross for his sins.

Finally, I want you to notice Cornelius’ response.

5. Cornelius eagerly obeys.

Without hesitation, Cornelius sends for 2 servants and a faithful soldier to do just as the angel had instructed. Why? Because he was hungry to know more. What he had been longing for was finally coming true. He would finally know God in a personal way. He would finally know that his devotion and offerings were received and acknowledged. He would come to know he needed saved and could know God as a loving Father.

Conclusion:

Their are Cornelius’s all over the world. I often think of the man from India who sat under a tree and being award that his Muslim faith was wrong. He longed to know the God who had created the trees, grass, and animals. His longing brought him to a church and later to the U.S. and now he teaches and preaches to others. He supports himself in doing so by driving a taxi and even there, he loves to share his story.

In the U.S., there are many people that sit in their homes every Sunday and if you ask, they will say, they are believers. However, they obviously do not understand the truth or they would not be home alone. If they knew and understood God’s word, they would understand that just knowing is not enough. They need to be acting on what they know. They have a responsibility to share with others that they also may know.

There are also many people sitting in front of televisions on Sunday morning watching too many pastors who are preaching what people want to hear. They are not so interested in people’s salvation as much as the income they receive from people.

But they are not alone. We now live in a day when many didn’t attend Sunday school as children. They have all kinds of ideas about spirituality but no real idea what it means to be Christian.

Whether people understand it or not, many have worshiped at the altar of our republic nation. Now they are lost as they cannot understand where their freedoms are disappearing to. They are confused and fearful of what the future will hold for them.

Now, think about my beginning illustration. We have been fed a bountiful meal. We have access to God’s Word. We have a wonderful church family that comes together and encourages each other. We pray for each other. We have heard the gospel message and have some understanding of what is happening in our world and that we have a wonderful future yet to come. It is the feast set before every Sunday. But who is outside our window looking in? Our they starving while we sit and eat our wonderful meal in front of them? How can we feed them? Do we understand that we are Peter and they are our Gentile brothers and sisters eagerly waiting to hear the message of salvation?

Jesus died on the cross for us, but He also died on the cross for them. They may be living according to their understanding, but that understanding may not be enough for their salvation. It is time we became the messengers God has created us to be. It is time we left the restaurant and carried the meal out into our community.

Today, we will close with Communion and as we do, be thinking of who is not at this table that needs to be.

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