Sermon Tone Analysis

Good morning Calvary Chapel Lake City!

Please turn in your Bibles to Acts 10.

Acts 10:1-23.

today.

It’s good to be with you here today.

Last time, the author of Acts (Luke), shared a high point in the early church, where the church was at peace, revering God, encouraged by the Holy Spirit, and grew in numbers.

And, Peter was sent from Jerusalem to Lydda where he encountered Aeneas… a man paralyzed for 8 years.

Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you.

Arise and make your bed.”

Aeneas was immediately healed… and all the people of Lydda and Sharon “turned to the Lord.”

Then, two men came from the neighboring town of Joppa because a dear saint named Tabitha (in Ara.) or Dorcas (in Gk.) had died.

She lived her life abounding in good works making clothing for widows… and was sorely missed.

Peter knelt down and prayed over her lifeless body, and said, “Tabitha, arise” and she opened her eyes!

And “… many believed on the Lord.”

And, from these two miracles we saw that God often uses physical healings as a set up to the greater healing- Salvation… the only healing that will last eternally.

If you are saved here today, YOU were formerly dead, whether you know it or not, and you were raised from the dead the moment you said, “Yes” to Jesus.

You were born again spiritually… and we praise God for salvation through Jesus Christ.

We closed out Acts 9 where Peter was staying in Joppa at the home of one Simon the Tanner.

Tanners were considered unclean by Levitical Law each day they handled animal hides.

They were forced to live outside of town because of the foul smells of the tanning process…

There are even provisions in Jewish oral law allowing a woman to divorce a husband who becomes a tanner after they married.

This was NOT a loved occupation amongst Jews.

So, the fact that Peter stayed at the Tanner’s house was a big deal.

And, it’s possible that God was preparing Peter’s heart for what was next…

To go to an unclean Roman Gentile… a double whammy of people groups Jews hated… Romans & Gentiles.

Today we will see how God breaks down this division in order bring the gospel to the Gentiles… starting with a man named Cornelius.

The title of today’s sermon is “Cornelius Seeks the Lord.”

Let’s pray!

Acts 10:1 “There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment,”

Let’s stop there for an introduction to Caesarea, Cornelius, and his position in the Roman Army.

You history buffs will enjoy this background…

Caesarea Maritima was a city built by Herod the Great.

I have a slide of Caesarea Maritima with the Italian words “Yesterday” and “Today.”

Herod the Great named this city after the Roman Caesar Augustus.

As brilliant of an architect as Herod was… he was equally crazy.

Herod was a paranoid tyrant and a murderer…

Today, Caesarea is the home of Caesarea National Park… with remains of it’s Amphitheater, Hippodrome for horse racing; aqueducts (an amazing feat of engineering), and so many other archeological sites.

This is the same city where the Pilate Stone was found in 1961… engraved with the name of the Roman Governor) Pontius Pilate.

This discovery silenced Bible critic who doubted Pilate was real.

Archeology has consistently proven you can trust your Bible.

Caesarea is also the hometown of one of our main characters in Acts 10… Cornelius.

His name surged in popularity after 82 B.C. when General Cornelius Sulla liberated ten thousand slaves, and they all took their patron’s name.

Cornelius in Acts 10 is likely a descendant of one of these liberated men.

Cornelius was a Roman Centurion.

A captain of 100 soldiers who was part of “the Italian Regiment.”

Romans ethnically considered themselves Italians…

Have you ever wondered how Rome of the Bible become Italy?

Well if that question has been burning in your mind, today’s your day!

Rome developed in three stages: A Roman Kingdom, a Roman Republic, then a Roman Empire… altogether in existence for over 1200 years.

King Romulus (thus the name Rome) founded the kingdom in 753 B.C. where Rome was ruled by kings.

Italy is the ancient name of Calabria, the tip of the boot, which was called ‘Vitalia’ “the land of young cattle.”

‘Vitalia’ morphed over time to ‘Italia’, then ‘Italy.’

And, what was a name for originally Southern Italy, became a name for the whole peninsula… influencing Cornelius being of “the Italian Regiment.”

In 509 B.C. Rome became a Republic where, generally speaking, it was run through a representation of the people until 27 B.C.

Speaking about Republics…often the United States is erroneously titled a democracy, but we are in fact a “constitutional republic” where a representative is elected by the people to govern over them, according to the rules established in the law of the land.

Article 4 Section 4 of the US Constitution reads, “The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government.”

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands…”

We are not a true democracy as was Ancient Athens, where the citizens voted on all laws to be passed.

The US is a “constitutional republic” with a federalist form of government (meaning each State is controlled by two levels of government.

Federal government, our strong central government, oversees national concerns.

State government governs local issues),

And we follow democratic principles, but, we are NOT a democracy…

Scary, but a proponent to democracy was Karl Marx.

Our founding fathers deemed democracy as the worst form of government as it’s essentially “mob rule” where majorities can abuse minorities.

To quote a friend, “Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what's for dinner.”

Republics protect against mob rule as they are ruled by law…

Democracies are ruled by man… and wolves.

Lot’s of free information today…

Back to Rome.

Rome ceased as a Republic and became an Empire in 27 B.C. until it’s fall in 476 A.D.

As an Empire it was run through a single sovereign ruler- the Emperor, who was titled “Caesar.”

After the Fall of Rome, the Italian peninsula was fragmented into feudal kingdoms… and ‘Italy’ became the collective name for diverse states.

Now… check out this pattern.

Remember Rome was a Kingdom, Republic, then Empire?

Well, in 1861, Italy was unified again under a king, and was called “The Kingdom of Italy.”

After WWII, Italy was left with a wrecked economy, a divided society, and anger towards the monarch.

Thus, in 1946, Italy voted and again became a republic… still to this day it’s “The Republic of Italy” with Rome as it’s capital.

And, very interesting… Prophecy speaks about a future “Revived Roman Empire” (Dan 7:7; Rev 13:1)… ruled by a single evil dictator… the Anti-Christ.

What a pattern!

Kingdom, Republic, Empire.

Keep your eyes up! Jesus is coming soon!

So, Cornelius of the Italian Regiment… there is great history in that ethnic identity which shaped Italy as the name for their country today.

Cornelius was part of a regiment… or “cohort.”

A Roman legion, led by 6 Tribunes, consisted of 6000 soldiers… broken into 10 cohorts (roughly 600 men each).

There were 6 Centurions per cohort & 60 Centurions per legion… and Cornelius was one of these rugged Roman Centurions.

Well let’s look at the good character of Cornelius… Look at V2

Acts 10:2 “...a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always.”

A Gentile who revered the God of Israel was titled a “God-fearer” and Cornelius seems to be such a man.

There was another God-fearing Centurion in Luke 7, who had a sick servant, and elders of the Jews pleaded to Jesus on his behalf.

Luke 7:3–5 “So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant.

4 And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, 5 “for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.”

The Centurion’s message was: Luke 7:6-7 “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof.

7 Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You.

But say the word, and my servant will be healed.”

It’s the only time we read that Jesus marveled, and it was regarding the faith of a Gentile.

Jesus said, Lk 7:9 “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!”

So, more than once in scripture, we observe an authentic openness to Jesus amongst these Centurions.

They have a desire to follow the true God…

They seem to have forsaken the pantheon of gods in Roman mythology.

They were not hindered by religion as were the Scribes and Pharisees.