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The gospel for all
The gospel for all
Good morning Mt.zion. It is a real joy to be with you this morning. I was thrilled when Briton Asked me to come and share with you all today. I am trusting you’ve had a good week and I am excited about all Jesus is going to do this morning.
If you have your bibles Go ahead and opening up to Acts chapter 10 as we continue to walk through the book of Acts this morning.
In some ways this is the moment we have been waiting for, for much of the book of Acts. In
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Yet up to this point we haven’t really seen the early church go much outside of Samria. For most of the book of Acts we see the words “in Jerusalem.” Then Stephen is executed and the church begains to move.
We see the gospel go to Samaria and this is the moment the gospel begins to go to the ends of the earth.
and something we can’t miss is that this movemnt is a movement of God. This is not just the early church in their own effort advancing the gospel.
No this is the work of God throuhh the power of his spirit pursuing those who are far from him.
something that’s interesting in this story is that it is told 2 times in Acts. It’s told in chapter 10 and then it’s told again by Luke in chapter 11.
This is so we don’t miss the signifigance of hat is going on here.
Read
At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him,
Acts 10:1-
right here we are introudced to the first main charcter in the story. His name is cornelius and he was a noncomissioned officer in the Roman Army. He was in many ways part of the backbone of the Roman legion.
He commanded 300-600 men
and we learn something interesting about him almost right away.
He was a devout man who feared God....he gave to the poor…he prayed continually to God
We might see someone in this picture and think this is someone right with God. But as we continue to move through this narritive we realize he was anything right with God.
In fact what Luke goes to great lenghts to show us in thought this man external was doing “good” Internally his life was still a mess.
He had come from from the polthesitic culture of the romans, the worship of many gods, to the monothoestic ways of the jews but in many ways he was still on the outside looking in.
He was doing everything in his own efforts to be right with God but it wasn’t working.
and it’s in that moment. That moment of work and effort that in Grace God comes to him. He does this through an angel and tells him there is something still lacking, something that is still missing and there is someone in Joppa who can help
and make no mistake. God isn’t pursuing Cornesluis because there is an external “goodness’ in cornesulus no he is pursuing him because he is still lacking something. there is still something that is missing in his life.
so Cornelius sends his men to Joppa
and Just a side note that’s really interesting to me is that Joppa is the place Jonah goes as he runs from God when god tells him to go and share good news with people who are racially, and cultrally different from him. And now it is at Joppa that peter filled with Gods spirit will be confronted with similar challenge.
and the story contniues
The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.
Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon’s house, stood at the gate
Acts 10:
Something Luke is showing us here in the narritive is that As God is working in Cornelius life at almost the same moment God is doing something in Peters life.
Just reminding us of this amazing truth seen all thorughout Scripture that often God is doing thousands of things behind the scenes at any moment for our good and his glory.
and in this moment Peter has spare time to go pray something amazing happens, but it’s also something pretty offenisive to peter.
He falls into a trance and has this vision of a great shet desciding and in at where all sorts of clean and unclean animals. To a jew in the first centruay this is horrible.
The jews had food laws that went back all the way to .
and they would mark out Jewish peoiple from non-jewish neighbors. And they would go all the way to this point where jews wouldn’t even eat with non-jews
The reason for this was clear. The jewish family was called to be seperate by God. And it’s in this moment that God was showing peter things were chaning.
That god was going to invite more to the table
God is not only working in Cornelius life he is working in Peters
Peters offended he says I’ve never done this
So it happens a 2nd time and a 3rd time
and thier is a wieghtyness to this moment. You see this in verse 17 don’t you?
Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon’s house, stood at the gate
He is inwardly perplexed. It’s like he doesn’t know what to do in this moment. But it doesn’t mattered. God doesn’t let him sit in that moment for very long. In fact as he is pondering Cornelius men show up.
They ask for him. and peter comes. When he comes he wants to know why they’ve come?
and they share
And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.”
Don’t miss this. This is the second moment moment Luke has pointed out The external goodness of Cornelius.
Think about the irony here: They answer that they are there becasue
there boss
who is
That bei
An upright man
A god fearing man
a person well spoken of by the Jewish nation needs you a jewish fiherman to come to his house sand speak to him.
Looking from the outside we might think Cornelius isn’t really someone who needed anything. He had status, he had power, he had authority, he had a great family who followed his lead but he was still empty.
so peter invites them to stay at his house and the next day they go to Joppa. Instead of going to Joppa to escape Gods plan for the nations peter is going to JOppa to be part of Gods plan for the nations.
When he gets there Cornelius falls at this feet and worhsips him. and it’s an ackward moment for peter. He tells him to get up. They are both just people.
but then there is something telling that peter says in verse 28 that shows maybe he doesn’t beleive that compelty.
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.
It’s almost like Peter is talking out of both sides of his mouth. In verse 26 he says I am just like you
but in verse 28 he is reminding them that even though God has shown him he shouldn’t call any person common or unclean it’s still not lafewful for him to be there.
but because god has asked he has come without objection
and it’s in this moment that cornelius tells him what God has been doing. and everything begins to come together for peter.
Look at verse 34
So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality,
Something happens inside of peter so profound that he must speak it outloud. It’s almsot in this moment he’s like I get it God. I see wehat you are doing here and I agree, I understand. I get it.
God is doing something in peter that will be for peters good but also serve to advance the gospel.
so peter begins to share the gospel.
As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: 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. 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, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, 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. 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. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Act 10:36-
Peter shares the gospel.
He is telling Cornelius that even in all your effort you still lack something. He is saying that Jesus came and he’s the only one rightous
and he died the death we deserved, but he didn’t stay dead he rose from the grave and we know this becasue we ate and rank with him after he rose from the dead.
I love that just futher edivdence that Jesus really did rise from the grave. They contintued to share meals with him.
and it’s in this moment The first Gentiles are saved
While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.
Acts 10:44
Cornelius is coming to understand in this moment that he had spent his life running after things that coulnd’t save him
he is coming to this moment where he realizes what all his efforts could not achieve the love of Christ achievers.
It was wiinging him to love God and love others with true sincerity and freedom in the first itme in his life.
He would repent and belive the gospel in this moment. as would the others that day. That is why the recived the holy spirit. Most have said this is the gentile pentecost
Cornelius Identiy would no longer be
Soldier
father
god fearer
man of great charcter
no his idenity would be a son of God in Christ. The core of his idenity would be Chrisitan from that day forward
Peter understands this and says it’s time to baptize them. God has invited them to his table and peter says nothing should hold them back from being baptized.
that’s what the gospel does
It brings people who are far from God, it transforms them and brings them into a forever family. Not based on who they are or what they have done but based on who God is and what he has done.
What cornelius had to do that day was to go from Trusting his works, his life, his charcter to trusting that of Jesus and realizing in Christ he is accepted.
that’s one of the best defentions of Trust: accepting acceptence.
that’s what peter had to do that day also. He was remided that it was becasue of Jesus he as accepted. Not his relgious rules or laws…becasue he had blown it, he had denied Christ, he had missed it over and over....yet Jesus died for him, jesus prused him and Jesus had changed him.
as much as Peter was having an impact on Corniulus that day, corniulus was impacting peter and GOd was transforming Peter through this expiernce. He was taking peters prejudice, his former religious idenity, his preconciviced notions about how God would work and his transforming peter so the gospel woudl continue to spread
that’s what happens often
ENO PR STORY- Stayed in aercibo, we are told to go door to door. Very bad projects. We start hearing gun shoots. ANd i am like
and it’s from this moment that we have seen the gospel go from Jerusalem and move across city lines, and country boaders that i would begin to move to the ends of the earth
and over the next weeks you guys will contiue to study that.
but this morning I think there are a few takeaways for us
Maybe it’s in this moment today you realize you are like cornelius and you have done everything you can to be made right with God…but you still have this empty feeling. You still aren’t sure what to do.
That you might realize today that God went to great lengths through Jesus so you could know him.
so you could expierence his love, his grace, his forgivness, his acceptence and in that moment you might come to bleive the gospel.
You would stop trusting in your own effort and work and you would begin to trust in his
myabe you are like peter you’ve been saved but your predjudice towards certain people is keeping you from fellowship with them. It’s keeping y;ou from sharing the gospel with them.
maybe you are carrying some things you brought into your faith(man made rules and regelations, or things that you learned when you first came to faith in Christ) and they are hindering you from sharing your faith.
and I will tell you this. If you are still trying to earn Gods approval by keeping standerds and rules that arent’ in the Bible then you are missing out on some of the greatest initimacy with the father becasue of that. Maybe today
you would be reminded in this story if it wasn’t for God. If it wasn’t for his pursuit of you, if it wasn’t for someone sharing the gospel story for you, you would still be lost, hopeless and empty.
Yet becasue of his grace his saved you. And you would echo what Peter says Truly god doesn’t show partiality.
I wonder who in your life: A friend, a fmily member, coworker, someone in this city, someone in a mission field have you dismissed form the kingdom of God that you need to go to and share the gospel with.
and what you will when you go to them with the gospel you will realize Gods already been there, at work andthey’ve been waiting for someone to share.
and maybe in this room. You are doing it. The gospels transformed you and you are sharing it with anyone who will listen but you are discouraged. You arent’ seeing any fruit. Just be encouraged you can’t bring the change that’s needed only the Holy spirit can. So today you can rest, free from guilt and shame and trust in the spirits work in thier life.
Lets pray