How The Lord saves people

Why did God make laws such as dietary for the Jews?

Does God save Jews differently than non-Jews?

We must be grateful that God chose to save us as well and not only Jews

Is God inconsistent for changing the dietary law?

What is our relationship to visions today?

Acts 10:1–8 “There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!” And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?” So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do.” And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually. So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa.”

What happened? Cornelius believed in God but was not circumcised

Why does that matter?

Because non-Jews were to be avoided by Jews

If all the apostles were Jewish, how were they supposed to share the gospel with non-Jews?

This is a problem

At a quick look it seemed God favored Cornelius because he did good deeds Did God favor Cornelius based on his good deeds?

No, it is completely based on God’s grace

What is grace?

Undeserved favor

So why does Luke describe Cornelius favorably?

Military man, organized, well-off financially, well-liked

Cornelius was favored in the sight of human beings, but not God

Isaiah 64:6 (ESV)

We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.

How does God view our righteous deeds?

Polluted garment

This is literally referring to women’s menstrual cloths

God is not saving Cornelius because he was a good person

He had something even greater in store by choosing to save Cornelius

Do you think God saved you because of what you did or because of His grace?

If you are a Christian you will see your faith, your salvation, completely as an act of grace from God and not give any credit to yourself

1. The Lord saves by grace alone (v.1-8)

Acts 10:9–17 “The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again. Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate.”

Acts 10:17–23 “Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate. And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there. While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you. Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.” Then Peter went down to the men who had been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, “Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what reason have you come?” And they said, “Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you.” Then he invited them in and lodged them. On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him.”

Does this passage mean you need to wait for visions from God?

In the early church, God gave people the ability to do miracles called miraculous gifts

They were designed to authenticate the message of the person doing the miracle

God still does miracles, however not in the same way as in the early church

He typically no longer gives people the ability to do the miracle

Rather God will do it directly himself

In the early church for example, an apostle may touch a blind person’s eyes and heal them completely

Today, if God does a miracle, he would just heal the person’s blindness directly

God still uses people to do great things, just through non-supernatural things

For example, when a surgeon completes a succesful surgery, the credit still goes to God for healing a person’s injury

The reason why it is different today

Is because we have a complete Bible

If miracles were designed to authenticate a person’s message as coming from God

But now you already have the Bible

Then significance of miracles becomes far less

God wants you to just listen to Him through His word

Here is proof

Deuteronomy 13:1–4 (ESV)

“If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams.

For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.

God is saying that even if someone were to do a miracle

And they say something against what the Bible says

Then you are not to follow them

Because you need to check what they say

Even if they do a miracle

With the Bible

Because the Bible has the final authority and say

Not dreams or visions

You want to hear God speak?

Open your Bible

Why did God create dietary laws for Jews in the first place?

Not for health reasons

But to separate Jews from non-Jews

Why did God want to separate Jews from non-Jews?

So that the Jews would not be influenced to become pagans

Why is Peter’s vision so significant?

Because it confirmed to the apostles that the gospel was not just for Jews but for Gentiles too

If not for this vision

We wouldn’t be here at church today

We would still be living in sin

But God mercifully chose to save Jews and Gentiles together

Be grateful that God choose to save you

2. The Lord saves by mercy (v.9-23)

Acts 10:24–28 “And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends. As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself am also a man.” And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together. Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.”

Does God save Jews differently than non-Jews?

No God brought in non-Jews into the same exact gospel the Jews had

Some people think Jews can be saved by doing their rituals and ceremonies

But the reality is that those OT rituals were designed to point Jews to the gospel - Jesus Christ the messiah

And that is the same gospel did God includes non-Jews in too

We are saved by grace alone

Faith alone

in Christ alone

Is God inconsistent for changing the laws?

God didn’t change the laws

All the OT laws were designed to point to Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ fulfilled the law

Not destroy it

Now that the law’s purpose has been complete when Christ came

Jesus explained to Peter that you can still follow dietary laws if you want

But not mandatory because it’s purpose has been fulfilled by Jesus

Appreciate God’s grace and plan

That it was his plan all along to save non-Jews

Isaiah 49:5–6 (ESV)

And now the Lord says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him; and that Israel might be gathered to him— for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord, and my God has become my strength— he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Isn’t it amazing

When you see the OT connect with the NT perfectly and seamlessly?

Thank God for His glorious plan to save not just Jews and non-Jews

3. The Lord saves all who believe (not just Jews) (v.24-28)