Pattern of Salvation P. 2
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Last week we covered the first two of six universal elements of the pattern of salvation, lets go over them now:
Last week we covered the majority of the first two of six universal elements of the pattern of salvation, lets go over them now:
Sovereign Preparation
Submissive Will
Salvation Presentation
Spiritual Power
Symbolic Confession
Sweet Fellowship
Read:
1 Now there was a man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort,
2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually.
3 About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had just come in and said to him, “Cornelius!”
4 And fixing his gaze on him and being much alarmed, he said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God.
5 “Now dispatch some men to Joppa and send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter;
6 he is staying with a tanner named Simon, whose house is by the sea.”
7 When the angel who was speaking to him had left, he summoned two of his servants and a devout soldier of those who were his personal attendants,
8 and after he had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
9 On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray.
10 But he became hungry and was desiring to eat; but while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance;
11 and he saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground,
12 and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air.
13 A voice came to him, “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!”
14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.”
15 Again a voice came to him a second time, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.”
16 This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into the sky.
17 Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in mind as to what the vision which he had seen might be, behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions for Simon’s house, appeared at the gate;
18 and calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there.
19 While Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you.
20 “But get up, go downstairs and accompany them without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself.”
21 Peter went down to the men and said, “Behold, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you have come?”
22 They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, was divinely directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear a message from you.”
23 So he invited them in and gave them lodging.
And on the next day he got up and went away with them, and some of the brethren from Joppa accompanied him.
24 On the following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends.
25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him.
26 But Peter raised him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am just a man.”
27 As he talked with him, he entered and found many people assembled.
28 And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.
29 “That is why I came without even raising any objection when I was sent for. So I ask for what reason you have sent for me.”
30 Cornelius said, “Four days ago to this hour, I was praying in my house during the ninth hour; and behold, a man stood before me in shining garments,
31 and he said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God.
32 ‘Therefore send to Joppa and invite Simon, who is also called Peter, to come to you; he is staying at the house of Simon the tanner by the sea.’
33 “So I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”
34 Opening his mouth, Peter said:
“I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality,
35 but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.
36 “The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)—
37 you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed.
38 “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
39 “We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross.
40 “God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible,
41 not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.
42 “And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead.
43 “Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message.
45 All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.
46 For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered,
47 “Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?”
48 And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.
Read Acts 10
-Pray
-Pray
In Sovereign Preparation we saw how God had prepared the hearts of both Peter and Cornelius. We saw the vision that God gave Cornelius, telling him what to do. We also saw the preparation due to Cornelius’s actions- Luke describes him as devout, a God-Fearer and that he gave alms to the Jewish people.
Does anyone remember what the term God Fearer means?
-A Gentile that had given up his pagan religion for the God of Isreal. But had not been circumcised.
-A Gentile that had given up his pagan religion for the God of Isreal. But had not been circumcised.
-This reveals God preperation in Cornelius’s heart. He was seeking after God. Scripture tells us that no man, in his natural state, can seek after God. God always chooses the man, not the other way around.
-Then we see how God one specific thing that God used to prepare Peter. The vision of the clean and unclean animals.
What importance did this vision signify?
-Removal of OT Jewish dietary laws and that the church would be made up of Jews and Gentiles.
Then we spoke about Submissive Will, which is man’s responsibility.
-We saw how both Peter and Cornelius obeyed the word of the Lord immediately.
-Now we come to the third element of the pattern of salvation:
3-Salvation Presentation
3-Salvation Presentation
-Peter’s sermon to the Gentiles. In verse 33 Cornelius says that they are all there, him and his entire household. Cornelius has been waiting for several days for this moment, I can’t imagine what he had told his family.
-As commentator John Stott put it, “ No preacher today could ask for a more attentive audience.”
If Cornelius was such a good man, a “God-Fearer”, then why did he need to hear the gospel?
-As we will see, simply doing-good is not enough.
Verse 34 starts with “Opening his mouth”…which is a way of saying that he was about to say something very important. There could be no truer words, for the gospel message is the most important message of all time.
Opening his mouth, Peter said:
“I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality,
-How does he know this? Because of the preparation that God has given him. Peter has been shown this through the vision of the animals and from the journey he has been on over the past few days. He is finally coming to understand the truth about Christ’s church- that it will be filled with people from all nations.
“For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.
:
NASB9517 “For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.
Deuteronomy
17 “For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.
-Nor is it unique to Peter as Paul later states:
Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,
NASB9529 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,
2 Chronicles
“Now then let the fear of the Lord be upon you; be very careful what you do, for the Lord our God will have no part in unrighteousness or partiality or the taking of a bribe.”
NASB957 “Now then let the fear of the Lord be upon you; be very careful what you do, for the Lord our God will have no part in unrighteousness or partiality or the taking of a bribe.”
-Here is a a quote from both the OT and the NT; God doesn’t change- God has never shown partiality. Therefore there should be none with us.
but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.
NASB9535 but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.
We could spend a lot of time on just this part, but suffice it to say that this is universal- God seeks right action, belief and attitude. One cannot help to think of the verse that tells us that we are to love God with all our heart, our mind and our soul.
“The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)—
NASB9536 “The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)—
-Peter preached the peace of Christ.
Why did he use the word peace? Is this significant? Why didn’t he just preach Christ and Him crucified as Paul often did?
-In the Greek, peace means exactly that- peace. It also points toward having a relationship of love and loyalty with God and with one another.
-I believe it does have significance:
-Because natural man is at war with God and his fellow man. We, in our natural, sinful state are nothing but self-centered, selfish and self-motivated. Sure, we can do “good’ deeds- but they are all based around ourselves and what we will get out of them. Our greatest deeds are tainted with sin.
-Therefore we need the peace of Christ. Christ is the only way we can ever know peace with God or with one another. The Jews and gentiles had hated each other so much for so long, there was no other way for peace to come to them either except for through the body of Christ.
-If any of you were wondering, in the Greek, peace means exactly that- peace. It also points toward having a relationship of love and loyalty with God and with one another.
-In verses 37 through 41 Peter gives a short, sweet presentation of Jesus. He tells Cornelius and all his family just the bare bone facts- that he lived, he died and he rose again.
-In verses 37 through 41 Peter gives a short, sweet presentation of Jesus. He tells Cornelius and all his family just the bare bone facts- that he lived, he died and he rose again.
-Verse 38 shows us that Cornelius knew of Jesus and what had happened to him. Now Peter is making them know the importance of this event. Make no mistake, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was the main event of all time, not just Biblical times but of all time.
6 For all of us have become like one who is unclean,
And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;
And all of us wither like a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
-Therefore we need the peace of Christ. Christ is the only way we can ever know peace with God or with one another. The Jews and gentiles had hated each other so much for so long, there was no other way for peace to come to them either except for through the body of Christ.
-In verses 37 through 41 Peter gives a short, sweet presentation of Jesus. He tells Cornelius and all his family just the bare bone facts- that he lived, he died and he rose again.
-Verse 38 shows us that Cornelius knew of Jesus and what had happened to him. Now Peter is making them know the importance of this event. Make no mistake, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was the main event of all time, not just Biblical times- but of all time.
Why did God use Peter to give this message and not the angel?
-Peter needed to understand that the gospel was for the Gentile as well as the Jew. Those on both sides would see this same message.
-The simpleness of Peter’s presentation should give us hope that we do not have to be theological giants to evangelize to the lost. I’’m not saying that knowing the great truths and doctrines are bad, not by any means. But we do not have to be preachers and teachers of the bible to speak the truth of Christ to someone.
-The last part of Peter’s sermon before he was interupted was about forgiveness of sin:
Why did God use Peter to give this message and not the angel?
Why did God use Peter to give this message and not the angel?
-Peter needed to understand that the gospel was for the Gentile as well as the Jew. Those on both sides would see this same message.
-The simpleness of Peter’s presentation should give us hope that we do not have to be theological giants to evangelize to the lost. I’m not saying that knowing the great truths and doctrines are bad, not by any means. Scripture tells us that we are to mature and grow in our knowledge of God. But we do not have to be great theologians of the bible to speak the truth of Christ to someone.
Why did God use Peter to give this message and not the angel?
-Peter needed to understand that the gospel was for the Gentile as well as the Jew. Those on both sides would see this same message.
-The simpleness of Peter’s presentation should give us hope that we do not have to be theological giants to evangelize to the lost. I’’m not saying that knowing the great truths and doctrines are bad, not by any means. But we do not have to be preachers and teachers of the bible to speak the truth of Christ to someone.
-The last part of Peter’s sermon before he was interupted was about forgiveness of sin:
-The last part of Peter’s sermon before he was interrupted was about forgiveness of sin:
43 “Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”
NASB9543 “Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”
-This is the ultimate message of Christ. That we are sinners, bound to nothing but death and destruction. Yet we have hope, but that is only in Christ Jesus- for it is only through Him can we be forgiven and made right in the eyes of our holy God.
-So hopefully that reveals what I see in this passage as the third element - Salvation Presentation.
-Now we move to the fourth of the six total elements of the pattern of salvation.
4-Spiritual Power
4-Spiritual Power
NASB9538 “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
38 “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message.
45 All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message.
After receiving the word of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ- They all immediately believed.
How did they know that these Gentiles had recieved the Holy Spirit?
46 For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered,
Acts 10:46
-This was the same thing that had happened to Peter and the other disciples at Pentecost, Peter says this himself in as he gives his report to those in Jerusalem.
After receiving the word of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ- They all immediately believed.
-Here we see a picture of the Trinity- speaking of the event in where Jesus is baptised by John.
Acts 10:
After receiving the word of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ- They all immediately believed.
Where does it say that they all believed and were saved?
-It doesn’t. Yet the Holy Spirit fell upon them and they began to do works - here it was speaking in tongues, a unique sign of receiving the Holy Spirit. It is also important to note that speaking in tongues is never an individual thing. It always comes to a group as a sign of the Holy Spirit. The same sign that Peter had received at pentecost. This was unique because it was a perfect way to reveal to Peter and those that were with him that these Gentiles had indeed recieved the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, how would they have known?
15 “And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning.
NASB9515 “And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning.
-God has always promised the Spirit to those whom He has chosen:
26 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
NASB9526 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.
-Here we see that the Spirit is a gift. By definition, a gift is not something we can earn. If we earn it, it is a wage- not a gift. We can never earn God’s favor on our own merit.
If we are saved by the Power of the Holy Spirit, then what about the Samaritans in ? Were they saved initially or only when Peter showed up and the Spirit came to them?
-It seems as though this was also a special circumstance. Most commentators believe that the Samaritans were saved, but there was a delay in the coming of the Spirit so that Peter and the Jews could see that the Samaritans had received the same Spirit they had.
-Here in , Peter and the six brothers were already there, therefore there was no reason for a delay.
NASB9517 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.
-Cornelius and those with him could do nothing on his own without the power of the Spirit. He could not save himself- his knowledge, his station in life nor his authority had any power over sin. Not even his good deed- giving alms or his prayers could do what needed to be done. Only the power of the Holy Spirit can change men’s hearts.
Salvation is always accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit:
9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
NASB959 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
-We cannot even know who our Savior is without the Spirit:
“and no one can say, Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.
3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
NASB953 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
Later Peter asks this question”
17 “Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”
NASB9517 “Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”
-Here we see that the Spirit is a gift. By definition, a gift is not something we can earn. If we earn it, it is a wage- not a gift. We can never earn God’s favor on our own merit.
If we are saved by the Power of the Holy Spirit, then what about the Samaritans in ? Were they saved initially or only when Peter showed up and the Spirit came to them?
-It seems as though this was also a special circumstance. Most commentators believe that the Samaritans were saved, but there was a delay in the coming of the Spirit so that Peter and the Jews could see that the Samaritans had received the same Spirit they had.
-Here in , Peter and the six brothers were already there, therefore there was no reason for a delay.
-This tells us that the receiving of the Holy Spirit is a gift. By definition, a gift is not something we can earn. If we earn it, it is a wage- not a gift. We can never earn God’s favor on our own merit.
If we are saved by the Power of the Holy Spirit, then what about the Samaritans in ? Were they saved initially or only when Peter showed up and the Spirit came to them?
-So, there is the 4th element of the pattern of salvation, lets move to the 5th:
-It seems as though this was also a special circumstance. Most commentators believe that the Samaritans were saved, but there was a delay in the coming of the Spirit so that Peter and the Jews could see that the Samaritans had received the same Spirit they had.
-Here in , Peter and the six brothers were already there, therefore there was no reason for a delay.
5-Symbolic Confession
5-Symbolic Confession
-Verse 47 implies that some would have refused these Gentiles the privilege of water baptism. Yet based on the things that Peter has been shown, it is obvious that God has given His saving grace not only to the Jew, but also to the Gentile.
-As Stott comments, “ Since God had accepted these Gentile believers, the church must accept them too.
NASB9547 “Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” 48 And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.
-Verse 47 implies that some would have refused these Gentiles the privilege of water baptism. Yet based on the things that Peter has been shown, it is obvious that God has given His saving grace not only to the Jew, but also to the Gentile.
-As Stott comments, “ Since God had accepted these Gentile believers, the church must accept them too.
47 “Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?”
48 And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.
-Verse 47 implies that some would have refused these Gentiles the privilege of water baptism. Yet based on the things that Peter has been shown, it is obvious that God has given His saving grace not only to the Jew, but also to the Gentile.
-As Stott comments, “ Since God had accepted these Gentile believers, the church must accept them too.
-Verse 47 implies that some would have refused these Gentiles the privilege of water baptism. Yet based on the things that Peter has been shown, it is obvious that God has given His saving grace not only to the Jew, but also to the Gentile.
-As Stott comments, “ Since God had accepted these Gentile believers, the church must accept them too.
-Verse 47 implies that some might have refused these Gentiles the privilege of water baptism. Yet based on the things that Peter has been shown, it is obvious to him at least, that God has given His saving grace not only to the Jew, but also to the Gentile.
-As Stott comments, “ Since God had accepted these Gentile believers, the church must accept them too.”
NASB9529 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,
29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,
NASB9517 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.
What is baptism? Why do we participate in it?
-Baptism is a symbolic confession of faith that Christ is our Lord and Savior. It says to the world that we acknowledge our sinfulness and our need to be cleansed.
Why did Peter command others to baptism them and not do it himself?
NASB9517 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that
-Commentators seem to think that the reason for this was so that the Gentiles would not think too highly of themselves, because they had been baptised by Peter himself.
-Another reason is that it appears that the apostles did not usually baptise people- they devoted themselves more to the word and preaching, leaving the baptism to others.
As Paul said:
-We know that Baptism is just symbolism, the water itself is not special, nor is the preacher who baptizes the person for that matter. It is Christ and the Holy Spirit that truly cleans a person.
17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.
1 Corinthians
-We know that Baptism is just symbolism, the water itself is not special, nor is the preacher who baptizes the person for that matter. It is Christ and the Holy Spirit that truly cleans a person.
-Now we move on to the last, but certainly not the least of the six elements of the pattern of salvation:
6-Sweet Fellowship
6-Sweet Fellowship
48 And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.
Acts 10:
Why did Cornelius and his household want Peter to stay with them?
-It is a mark of a Christian to desire the company of other Christians. We see this later on in the first convert in Europe, in Thyatira with a woman named Lydia:
15 And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.
NASB9515 And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.
-Stott writes, “Peter’s acceptance of their hospitality demonstrated the new Jewish-Gentile solidarity which Christ had established.”
-It also speaks of a special connection that most people have with the person that “led them to Christ”. We know and have seen that it is actually God that had orchestrated everything in a persons salvation, yet He uses people for His glory. This may have been one reason that Cornelius wanted Peter to stay.
-Another reason is that even though someone is saved, that does not mean there is nothing else to be learned or to do. Cornelius and his household were in dire need of teaching. They had heard the most important part- the Gospel of Christ, yet they still had need of instruction in the way of a Christian.
So, as we come to the end of , we have seen:
Sovereign Preparation
Submissive Will
Salvation Presentation
Spiritual Power
Symbolic Confession
Sweet Fellowship