3.7.25 5.19.2024 Acts 10.34-43 New Audience, Same Message

Start:

Entice: It is hard for us with our modern conveniences, global culture, and national allegiances to really understand the differences between Gentile and Jewish culture in the ancient world.

Each side settled uncomfortably into the pattern of

us vs. them

that the division implied.

By the First Century ethically minded pagans, often with a philosophical bent had discovered in the Greek translation of the Jewish Scriptures an ethical and spiritual system unlike anything offered in their own emerging global culture.

Cornelius was such a man.

Cornelius is Seeker #1.

Engage: My focus this morning is not so much on what made Cornelius ready for the Gospel as it is on how the Church was becoming able to reach people like him. The Church was becoming more nimble. Disciples were able to move quickly with the same message of Jesus, when a new audience appeared. Acts 10 opens with parallel stories of how God worked through His Spirit to get Peter and Cornelius to the same place at the same time to open the next chapter in redemption.

Expand:

Acts 10:24–33 ESV

24 And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.” 27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered. 28 And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.” 30 And Cornelius said, “Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. 32 Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”

Peter was a seasoned messenger.

Having been with Jesus,

he knew the story.

He had been taught by Jesus

how to read the Old Testament

connecting its fulfillment to the Gospel of Jesus.

Every time he preached; he got better at connecting his audience with the life-changing story of Jesus.

Now suddenly, he is in a new environment, addressing a new audience, leading the movement of the Church into the Gentile world.

For Peter, this is a repeat performance. He was the first to preach the message to Jews and now is the first to preach before a purely Gentile audience. The same message, new kind of audience. A different audience. A gentile audience. His sermon that day was like a rock falling into the great sea of humanity, and we still see and feel the ripples moving across humanity to this day.

Excite: Peter helps the earliest Church take a halting step beyond its comfort zone. Twenty centuries later it sometimes seems that we still struggle. Retracing those halting, hesitant steps when called to tell the story to those who are different than us.

Jesus died for everyone.

His salvation is for everyone.

His Church must embrace everyone.

Even those unlike us.

Explore:

The Gospel Message is universal.

Expand: Continuing in this text we find three basic observations about the Gospel…

Acts 10:34–43 ESV

34 So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), 37 you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Body of Sermon:

The Gospel is

1 About People.

Peter reminds us that God is

1.1 Impartial.

He continues by telling us that the saving story of Jesus is

1.2 Universal.

This story applies to all, but it is fiercely

1.3 Particular.

The events took place at a particular time, in a particular place, to accomplish a specific result. It is a story for all people about the one and only Son who can save us.

Next we are reminded that the Gospel is

2 About Proclamation.

Proclaiming Jesus is like a game of show and tell.

2.1 We tell the story of Jesus.

2.1.1 Life.

2.1.2 Death.

2.1.3 Resurrection.

2.1.4 Appearance.

This is what the message says and what the message does. It is the unique story of Jesus becoming incarnate to win our salvation.

And

2.2 We bear Witness.

2.2.1 Choice.

2.2.2 Relationship.

Finally, The Gospel is

3 About Purpose.

The story of Jesus contains a

3.1 Prophetic warning.

42=we preach that Jesus has been appointed to judge the living and the dead.

The story of Jesus contains a

3.2 Promise of salvation.

43=we preach that our response of faith brings forgiveness.

Shut Down

We have been in the book of Acts for several weeks. You may have noticed that in it the “Gospel” is always a version of this story.

God’s ultimate purpose is to save all people who believe, by the proclamation of the Gospel.

The story of Jesus reaches beyond all boundaries.

The unchanging story requires faithful messengers in every generation. Men and women who will immerse themselves in the scriptures, following the precedent set in the early Church for telling the story anew in different circumstances and situations. Between lost people and God’s saving purpose in Jesus we proclaim the greatest story of all.