2022-04-24 Acts 10:1-8 A Promise Kept (1): Preparing Cornelius

A PROMISE KEPT (1): PREPARING CORNELIUS (Acts 10:1-8) Date: April 24, 2022 Read Acts 10:1-8 - Two thousand years before this event, promised Abraham: Gen 12:3b: "in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." God called Abe not only to give him a land and make him a great nation, but also to bless the whole world thru him. But you know the story. Abe's descendants became vainglorious about their unique calling as God's people. They split time between ignoring Jehovah altogether in favor of the gods of the neighbors, and treating God as their exclusive possession, not to be shared with anyone. Their only interest in other nations was to want them obliterated. But God's promises never fail. So, when Jesus arrived on the scene as Abe's ultimate descendant, He fulfilled those promises. His goal was not to defeat the Romans, but to deliver people from sin. He did not die just for Jews, but for the whole world. So, at the place of greatest weakness - the cross - God's promise to bless all families on earth was fulfilled -- potentially. Forgiveness for believers, of any ethnic background, was bought and paid for. The problem was that the early church was little more than a Jewish sect. They still went to temple; still practiced Jewish traditions, and still looked down their noses at outsiders. That needed to change, and by HS power, that did change. Luke devotes 2 chapters to this without which you and I would never have heard the gospel and would still be on the outside looking in. Instead, today no religious faith in the world as widespread as the Xn faith. All others have local flavor and physical boundaries, but not Xnty. It remains to this day the fastest growing faith in the world -- and it all started here. It wasn't easy. It's 10 years after Pentecost. The apostles were slow to absorb the inclusiveness of the gospel. Even now, it took two divine visions to prime this pump. But in the end, God wins, as always. So here's how God prepared the Roman Cornelius, not for annihilation as the Jews desired, but for inclusion in a new kingdom. It's a wonderful story of God's grace. I. The Honest Seeker Luke begins, "At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius." We're now beyond Jerusalem. Caesarea was a beautiful coastal city about 60 miles NW of Jerusalem - the Roman capital of Palestine. Herod made it the showcase of the East with a theater, amphitheater, public buildings, racecourse, palace aqueduct and magnificent harbor. Beautiful to this day, until you realize at the amphitheater you're looking at where hundreds of Xns were fed to the lions. Cornelius was "a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort - volunteer soldiers from Italy serving in Israel - 3,000 of them. Each centurion commanded 100 men - non-commissioned, but like a modern captain. They were the backbone of the Roman army. Roman historian Polybius says: "Centurions are required to be good leaders, of steady and prudent mind, not prone to take the offensive or start fighting wantonly, but able when hard-pressed to stand fast and die at their post." Centurions get good press in the Bible. Cornelius got his rank by being strong, responsible and reliable. But he was more than that. He was 2 a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. Quite a description! One might ask if most believers could be described in such terms. This description makes Cornelius a fascinating character. He knew the Roman pantheon of deities - Jupiter, Augustus, Mars, Venus and others. But he had seen the bankruptcy of polytheism. While stationed in Palestine, he'd been exposed to the Jewish belief in one true God. He became "a devout (reverent) man who feared God." That he also "gave alms" and "prayed continually to God" implies he attended a local synagogue - observed the Sabbath, prayed at set times and kept the Jewish dietary laws. F. F. Bruce says, "One may say that he had every qualification, short of circumcision, which could satisfy Jewish requirements." He was what Ryrie describes as a "proselyte at the gate" - believing in the God of the Jews, practicing Jewish tradition, lacking only baptism and circumcision for full acceptance. So, was Cornelius saved? He was clearly on his way, but he was not yet saved. We know that bc when Peter later reports back to Jerusalem believers, he quotes Cornelius as telling him an angel told him, Acts 11:13b: "Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; 14) he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved." That's future tense, Beloved. At the time the angel said that, Cornelius was not yet justified despite his belief in the true God, his prayer and good works. All of that wasn't enough to justify him. He lacked Jesus! But his heart was seeking truth. God make sure he got what he needed. Now we know even his seeking heart was a gift of God. Jesus says in Jn 6:44: "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him." He reiterates in Jn 6:65b: "No one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father." Cornelius responded to the light that he already had. He opened himself to the pull of the Spirit on his life. He's a good guy. But he doesn't yet know Jesus. And Peter says in Acts 4:12: "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among me by which we must be saved." By grace, God sent Peter to introduce him to Jesus. Believing in Gid is great, but it is not enough. Jas 2:19: "You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe-and shudder!" But they're not saved. Saying daily prayers, tho a good thing, is not enough. Doing good and giving to the poor, is commendable, but it will not save you. We are saved by repenting of sin and accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. It's the world's greatest gift, but it will never be imposed; it has to be accepted by faith. Cornelius is like John Wesley, also a good man - devout and filled with good intentions. He founded a religious club at Cambridge devoted to promote Godliness. He went from England to America as a missionary, preaching to others, but he was not saved. On his way back from America, his ship was in a mighty storm which terrified him. Yet he saw some Moravian believers who "seemed as happy in the hurricane as they were when the sun was shining." After reaching England, he attended a small meeting where someone read from Luther's commentary on Romans. He testifies, "About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed, I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, and saved me from the law of sin and death." It wasn't good works that saved Wesley, nor Cornelius. It was Christ alone when they put their trust in Him to forgive them and give them a new heart. So, our question is what James Kennedy always asked, "If you died today and God asked you, 'Why should I let you into My heaven?', what would you say?" Would you point to your pile of good intentions, your baptism or confirmation certificate, your gift to the building fund? Or would you point to Jesus and say, "My trust is in Him alone." That's the only right answer. II. The Divine Intervention Okay, so Cornelius is a good Roman. He's already thrown over the pantheon of Roman gods in favor of the true God. He prays, gives to the poor and has led his household this direction. What he knew about Messiah, and what he'd heard of Jesus over in Galilee, we don't know. But he's a good guy who has been as responsive as possible to the light he has - truly seeking God. And - God intervenes. 3 "About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, 'Cornelius.' 4 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.'" Ninth hour - 3:00 - prayer time. But on this day as Cornelius prays, the unbelievable happens. An angel appears and terrifies Cornelius. He thinks it may be the Lord Himself. The angel puts his mind at ease and gives him some good news. God has heard his prayers. And God has seen his generosity. God acknowledges his human goodness. So what's the message? From a human perspective, it would be a no brainer. "Cornelius, you are doing well. Out of the whole human race, you are one of the best ones. You pray. You're powerful and wealthy, yet you give it away. You haven't let privilege go to your head and corrupt you. So - just keep on doing what you're doing!" That would be the expected response. "Keep up the good work. You're so good that we're sure if you just keep going, you're going to make it to heaven. You're on the right track." Instead, what he gets is, "You're a really good person. But you need to be converted. Send for this guy Peter down in Joppa. You need to hear his message about Jesus. You need to be born again." That's stunning, isn't it? It's like Nicodemus who came to Jesus and says, Jn 3:2, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God." He's a rich, powerful man. Jesus calls him "the teacher of Israel" (9). He's an accomplished man of impeccable credentials - and without the self-righteous condescension of his fellow Pharisees. He's a good guy. So what does Jesus say? "Nic, you're a good guy. You just need to top it off a bit - and little finishing." No! He says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." Born again -- start from scratch. You need to be radically converted. These were men, as was Paul, who had moral values out the wazoo. In religious credentials and morality, they topped the list - yet they had to be born again - to be converted - to start over with Jesus as Lord and Master. Being incredibly religious and incredibly moral was not the answer. The answer was to repent of their self-justifying ways and accept the gift of eternal life provided through Jesus' death and resurrection! That was the answer - Not religion, but relationship. When Israel tried to buy God off with their sacrifices, He said, Isa 1:11b: "I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts . . . 13) Bring no more vain offerings." "Away with your sacrifices. No more offerings. Bring me your heart!" Martin Luther was incredibly religious. He was in confession sometimes for six hours a day - literally wearing out his confessors. He'd get absolution, but never could get assurance. He later wrote: "I was a pious monk and kept the rules so strictly I can say: If ever a monk gained heaven through monkery, it should have been I. I would have martyred myself to death with fasting, praying, reading, and good works had I remained a monk much longer." It was only when God intervened and he discovered justification comes by faith alone in Christ alone that he was converted and his life was revolutionized. That's the message Cornelius needed. And as he responded the light he had, God intervened and said, "Get Peter. He's got good news for you." So, if you are counting on your own good works to get you to heaven, if you are here without Christ, if He is just a name to you, but not the Lord of your life, then God has intervened in your life as well. Your very presence here signifies His amazing grace giving you opportunity to receive Him by faith. III. The Obedient Response 7 "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, 8 and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa." Cornelius couldn't obey fast enough. He called a couple of his best men and a devout soldier and off they went on the 35-mile trip to Joppa to get Peter and bring him back. So, why didn't the angel share the gospel with Cornelius? According to Rev 14:6 one day in the future an angel will deliver the gospel to earth-dwellers. But for now, God has chosen to use human instruments to fill out His mission. Further, this isn't just any seeker. This is a Gentile who along with Peter is going to bridge the impassable gulf between Jew and Gentile in blatant rejection of God's original promise to Abe. And so, Peter must come. But meantime, Cornelius continues to pursue God with a diligent heart. Conc - Let me close with this. There is a verse in Isa 55:6 that says, "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near." The Lord is near this morning because he kept His promise to Abe and brought the blessing of the gospel to the Gentiles at the home of the Cornelius. The inclusive gospel was about to explode on the Roman world with the result that it is readily available to even us this morning. The Lord is further near in that He has brought you this morning to hear the message that all your goodness is not good enough. But the goodness of Jesus is more than sufficient, and it's available to all. God has been amazingly gracious to you this morning. So, your time is now - while He is near. Robt Morgan, a TN pastor, gave an invitation one morning by quoting "Seek the Lord while he may be found.". A woman responded and accepted Jesus that day. Two days later, she went to pick up her son's bicycle at the home of her estranged huz. The man came out of the house and without any word pumped her full of bullets as she got our of her car. Morgan says, "I prayed with her on Sunday and preached her funeral on Friday." What if she had put off that decision? She had not promise of tomorrow. Neither do you. "A burden weighs on my soul I can no longer bear; / Unless removed this night, 'Twill sink me into despair. / It must be settled today, I can no longer wait, / Peace with God I now must have, / Tomorrow may be too late." God says in II Cor 6:2b: "Now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." Not tomorrow. Today. Let's pray. DONE 7