God's Message for Veterans
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Acts 10:24-48
24 They arrived in Caesarea the following day. Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends.
25 As Peter entered his home, Cornelius fell at his feet and worshiped him.
26 But Peter pulled him up and said, “Stand up! I’m a human being just like you!”
27 So they talked together and went inside, where many others were assembled.
28 Peter told them, “You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean.
29 So I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. Now tell me why you sent for me.”
30 Cornelius replied, “Four days ago I was praying in my house about this same time, three o’clock in the afternoon. Suddenly, a man in dazzling clothes was standing in front of me.
31 He told me, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been noticed by God!
32 Now send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. He is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.’
33 So I sent for you at once, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here, waiting before God to hear the message the Lord has given you.”
34 Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism.
35 In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right.
36 This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.
37 You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, after John began preaching his message of baptism.
38 And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
39 “And we apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a cross,
40 but God raised him to life on the third day. Then God allowed him to appear,
41 not to the general public, but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be his witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
42 And he ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead.
43 He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.”
44 Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message.
45 The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too.
46 For they heard them speaking in other tongues and praising God. Then Peter asked,
47 “Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?”
48 So he gave orders for them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Afterward Cornelius asked him to stay with them for several days.
INTRODUCTION:
I. A MAN OF POSITION (Acts 10:1-2)
I. A MAN OF POSITION (Acts 10:1-2)
1 In Caesarea there lived a Roman army officer named Cornelius, who was a captain of the Italian Regiment.
2 He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was everyone in his household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God.
A. With position comes influence.
A. With position comes influence.
1. Cornelius was a man of influence.
a. He was an officer (Centurion)
ἑκατοντάρχης = a Roman officer in command of about one hundred men—‘centurion, captain.’)
b. He was part of an elite force (Italian Regiment)
Ἰταλικῆς σπείρης = Italian Cohort (a division of about 600 men)
Cornelius’s division is described as the “Italian regiment,” a group that is documented as occupying Palestine after a.d. 69.69 The place of his residence is of some importance, since Caesarea was from a.d. 6 the provincial capital and place of residence of the Roman governor. Unlike Lydda and Joppa, which were mainly inhabited by Jews, Caesarea was a Hellenistic-style city with a dominant population of Gentiles
c. He was not afraid to use his influence for good.
1- He influenced his family positively.
2- He helped those less fortunate than himself.
B. Every person has influence.
B. Every person has influence.
1. The question is: “how will we use it?”.
a. Will we use it to influence people for God or against Him?
(1) By the things we do?
(2) By the things we say?
(3) By our attitudes and lifestyle?
II. A MAN OF CHARACTER (Acts 10:2)
II. A MAN OF CHARACTER (Acts 10:2)
2 He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was everyone in his household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God.
A. Cornelius was a man of character.
A. Cornelius was a man of character.
1. Devout (εὐσεβής, from eu, “well,” sebomai, “to reverence,” the root seb- signifying “sacred awe,” describes “reverence” exhibited especially in actions, reverence or awe well directed.)
2. God-fearing (φοβουμενος τον Θεον= "one that feared God"
a. Luke describes Cornelius as "a God-fearing proselyte" as in Acts 10:22.
22 They said, “We were sent by Cornelius, a Roman officer. He is a devout and God-fearing man, well respected by all the Jews. A holy angel instructed him to summon you to his house so that he can hear your message.”
This is his usual term for the Gentile seekers after God (Acts 13:16, 26;17:4, 17, etc.), who had come into the worship of the synagogue without circumcision, and were not strictly proselytes, though some call such men "proselytes of the gate" (cf. Acts 13:43); but clearly Cornelius and his family were still regarded as outside the pale of Judaism (Acts 10:28, 34; Acts 11:1, 8; Acts 15:7). They had seats in the synagogue, but were not Jews.
3. A leader of his family “…as was everyone in his household”
a. This was not an accident. The degree of his household’s reverence for the God of Israel gives evidence to his purposeful leadership in this direction.
4. Generous (τε ελεημοσυνας πολλας τω λαω = giving alms to many people or giving much alms to people.).
5. Prayed regularly (δεόμενος τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ παντός= praying to God continually).
6. Well-respected by the Jews (Acts 10:22)
22 They said, “We were sent by Cornelius, a Roman officer. He is a devout and God-fearing man, well respected by all the Jews. A holy angel instructed him to summon you to his house so that he can hear your message.”
Respect is not automatic. It is earned!
B. Character is important
B. Character is important
1- Character is who you really are.
a- Merrian Webster defines character as “the complex of mental and ethical traits marking and often individualizing a person.”
(Proverbs 27:19)
19 As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person.
(Luke 6:45)
45 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.
2- What character traits do you display to the people around you?
a- Toward God?
b- Toward your family?
c- Toward people in need?
III. A MAN WITH A NEED (Acts 10: 4-8, 22-23,32-33, 36-43)
III. A MAN WITH A NEED (Acts 10: 4-8, 22-23,32-33, 36-43)
A. Cornelius’ Character was important, but was not enough.
A. Cornelius’ Character was important, but was not enough.
1. Good character and a right relationship with God are not necessarily the same. (Acts 10: 4-8)
4 Cornelius stared at him in terror. “What is it, sir?” he asked the angel. And the angel replied, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering!
5 Now send some men to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter.
6 He is staying with Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.”
7 As soon as the angel was gone, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier, one of his personal attendants.
8 He told them what had happened and sent them off to Joppa.
a. Cornelius still needed to have a right relationship with God!
2. God wanted Cornelius to hear the gospel message. (Acts 10:22-23, 32-33)
22 They said, “We were sent by Cornelius, a Roman officer. He is a devout and God-fearing man, well respected by all the Jews. A holy angel instructed him to summon you to his house so that he can hear your message.”
23 So Peter invited the men to stay for the night. The next day he went with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Joppa.
32 Now send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. He is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.’
33 So I sent for you at once, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here, waiting before God to hear the message the Lord has given you.”
a. God was working to send the message to Cornelius through Simon Peter.
3. The message of Christ was made clear by Peter. (Acts 10:36-43)
36 This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.
37 You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, after John began preaching his message of baptism.
38 And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
39 “And we apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a cross,
40 but God raised him to life on the third day. Then God allowed him to appear,
41 not to the general public, but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be his witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
42 And he ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead.
43 He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.”
a. The message is about Jesus Christ - who is Lord of all!
b. The message was about the life, death and resurrection of Christ.
c. The message warned of judgment to come.
d. The message is about how to have forgiveness of sins through Christ.
B. Character is good, but it is not enough.
B. Character is good, but it is not enough.
You need to hear and respond to the Good News of Jesus Christ.
You need to be born-again. (John 3:5)
5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.
The message is the same as it was for Cornelius.
Jesus Christ came to earth. (John 1:14)
14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
Jesus Christ died on a cross to pay the price for our sins. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
c. We can have forgiveness of sins by trusting in his death and resurrection. (Romans 10:9-13)
9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.
11 As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”
12 Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him.
13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
d. What is your decision going to be?
CONCLUSION:
Hymn “The Savior is Waiting” By Ralph Carmichael
1 The Savior is waiting to enter your heart,
Why don't you let Him come in?
There's nothing in this world to keep you apart,
What is your answer to Him? [Refrain]
2 If you'll take one step toward the Savior, my friend,
You'll find His arms open wide,
Receive Him and all of your darkness will end,
Within your heart He'll abide. [Refrain]
Refrain:
Time after time He has waited before,
And now He is waiting again,
To see if you're willing to open the door,
Oh, how he wants to come in.