Acts 10

Discussion Questions

• How does the Holy Spirit talk to you?
• What opportunities do you have to share the gospel? What prevents us from offering a gospel invitation to others? What can we do to find others outside of our normal circle of people?
• Per the C.S. Lewis quote, “Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses”, who are your neighbors? Are there people you need to think differently about, and why is that so? What can we do to better understand those with different life experiences, beliefs, and backgrounds?
•  As John Piper says, the Holy Spirit is doing 10,000 things, and we are aware of 2 or 3. Where are you seeing the Holy Spirit move in your life, others’ lives, or in the world?
• What fruit do you have to offer to others to assist the Holy Spirit’s work? Do we walk in awareness of what we have to offer?

Transcript

We study through books of the Bible here at The Village Chapel. And if you would like a copy to follow along with, raise your hand, and someone will gladly, cheerfully, happily deliver to your seat. And we say this often, if you need a copy of the Bible at home, please feel free to take one with you as our gift. We’d love that for you. And up on the screen, you’ll see our QR code. There it is, if you want to download the sermon notes and quotes. And welcome to you folks who are joining us this week, whether it’s today or later this week, from online. We are so glad to have you with us. This past week, we have been joined by folks from Sydney, Australia; from Angeles, Pampanga in the Philippines; from Winnipeg, Canada; and from Los Angeles, California. So welcome, friends. May the Lord bless you richly this coming week. Well, this morning, we’re going to cover all of Chapter 10 of Acts. It’s an exciting, robust challenge in front of us. It is a barn-burner of a passage with a considerable amount of text but have no worries. We will make it through just fine. And I’m calling this message “A Light So Lovely.”

Well, throughout the book of Acts, we’ve witnessed the wildfire-like growth of the Gospel from Jerusalem out to Judea and Samaria. If you remember, that’s a people who were enemies with Israel for some 700 years. But Philip goes up to Samaria, he shares the Gospel, the Samaritans believe and they receive the Holy Spirit. Well, this morning in Acts, Chapter 10, Luke’s going to recount an even more remarkable moment when the Holy Spirit working behind the scenes is going to bring two men together, and He’s going to radically change their lives. Cornelius, a Roman centurion, a devout man, a God-fearer, and then Simon Peter, who is still a rule-follower despite his faith in Christ. And we’re going to see how God’s working in both of these men’s lives, and then how He’s going to use this meeting to fling wide open the door of the Gospel to the Gentiles. And here’s another look at a map where you can see Caesarea and Joppa on the coast. They’re about 30, 31 miles apart, kind of 50 kilometers for you, marathoners in here, a good 50K. Anyway, about 31 miles apart. Well, Caesarea, it was a very important city. It was built by Herod the Great. It was the Roman provincial capital for Judea. The religious center and the temple might have been in Jerusalem, but the seat of the Roman government was in Caesarea.

Herod was a great architect and a great builder. The city contained a beautiful royal palace, a temple dedicated to Caesar Augustus. The town was named after him, a theater, an amphitheater, and a hippodrome, this great oval racetrack for hosting chariot races. And it was a key port in a key strategic zone because Rome needed and depended on the grain that came from Egypt. And that grain came through the port city of Caesarea and then on to Rome. We’ve got a picture of Caesarea. That’s from a trip that we took with TVC back in 2023. We’ve taken a number of trips to Israel over the years. We certainly hope we can get back. And I encourage you, if you haven’t been on this trip, I highly recommend it. If you go, you walk where Jesus walked, and you come back, you just read your Bible differently when you get back. It’s an amazing experience. So let me pray for us and then let’s dive into this text together: Lord, we come to You this morning bearing all sorts of things in our lives and our hearts. Some things that are good and light and easy, other things that are really difficult and hard. So, we come to You this morning wanting to hear from Your Word, hear from Your truth. Holy Spirit, we ask that You illuminate this word and meet each one of us right where we need to be met. You are faithful and we trust that You will do so. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Well, alrighty, here we go. This is a lengthy passage, and I’m going to do my very best to keep commentary really short so we can fly through this and get on to a few other things I’d like to talk about. So here we are. I’m going to start the last verse of Chapter 9. Pastor Tommy reminded us about this last week that Simon Peter he stayed in Joppa for many days with one Simon the Tanner. And this is a little bit of a hint that God is already doing a work in Peter to open him up to the idea of the Gentiles receiving the Gospel, because a tanner who worked with the skins of dead animals, that house would have been unclean to a Jewish person. So, the fact that Peter’s even staying there is something we should take note of. Well, here’s verse one of Chapter 10: “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.” So, a centurion was in charge of a hundred soldiers, the Italian cohort that would have had about 600 men in it, with six centurions leading. As I said earlier, Caesarea is a really important city. And so, the fact that Cornelius is there, he would have been wealthy. The centurions made five or ten times the amount of the salary of a regular soldier. He would have been wealthy, probably elevated social position, and yet we read that that there’s something different about his life than the other soldiers.

He’s hungering after God. He comes from Rome, where in Roman Greece there’s a pantheon of “little-g” gods. We don’t know what work God has been doing in his life, but somehow, he’s realized the vacuity and emptiness of those little-g gods, and he has a hunger for a real, living God. Verse 3: “About the ninth hour of the day [that’d be about 3 p.m., the hour of prayer] 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?’” Remember his response. What do you want from me, Lord? But also says that he responded in terror, which I’ve got to say, if some supernatural being pops into your room and doesn’t just say, “Hello, human,” but pops into your room and calls you by name, that would be terrifying. So, he asked the angel, “’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, and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.”

Well, the angel gives him very clear instructions. And Cornelius, he’s a soldier, he’s used to receiving orders and giving orders, he’s used to obeying orders, and so are his men. So, he sends them on their way to Joppa. And here’s where it starts to look a little bit like a movie, like the split screen of a movie, because here God’s working with one hand over here in Cornelius’ life and sending these men on. And then we’re going to see He’s working at the very same time with the other hand in Peter’s life, getting him ready to receive these men and embark on a new ministry to the Gentiles. It’s just amazing watching this come together. Well, verse 9: “The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, same time they’re headed to Joppa, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray, [about noon, about lunchtime] and he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw the heavens open, 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. [Some great combination of animals deemed clean and unclean by God.]

“And there came a voice to him: ‘Rise, Peter, kill and eat.’ [And look at this response of Peter.] But Peter said, ‘By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.’” Basically, as opposed to Cornelius’ “What is it, Lord? What do you want me to do?” Peter’s like, “No way, God. That’s against my religion.” I cannot believe that’s his response! Verse 15: “And the voice came to him again a second time, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common’ [or unclean]. This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.” What a curious thing! Now, while Peter was inwardly perplexed, I would imagine that he is thinking, “What are you asking me to do, God?” “While he was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, [Here at the same time these things are converging.] the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon’s house, stood at the gate and called out to ask whether Simon, who was called Peter, was lodging there. And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, ‘Behold, three men are looking for you. Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.’” Peter responds and obeys.

He has no idea what is going on. Okay, three guys here to see me. “And Peter went down to the men and said, ‘I am the one you’re looking for. What is the reason for your coming?’ 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.’ So, he invited them in to be his guests.” And that’s another clue that Peter was changing. These three Gentiles, he invites them into his house to be his house guests. And I can imagine that there must have been quite the conversation that night. “The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. And on the following day [so this trip took them two days] they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. [There was a houseful waiting on Peter.] When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, ‘’Stand up; I too am a man.’”

This is an amazing thing that just happened. Here is a Roman soldier, a captain, a centurion, being an occupier in this land of Judea. And here comes this local Jewish man, and Cornelius humbles himself and falls at his feet. “Stand up. I’m just a man.” Verse 27: “And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered. And he said to them, [He’s just letting them know what an unusual thing this is for him.] ‘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. So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.’” He may be getting a glimmer, but he’s he still doesn’t really know how he’s found himself in this house full of Romans and Gentiles. “And Cornelius said, ‘Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing and said, “Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms have been remembered before God. Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon, who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.” So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now, therefore, we are all here in the presence of God, being aware of that, to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.’”

So here we go. Peter’s prepared. The Holy Spirit has orchestrated this moment. Cornelius is hungry. All of the people gathered at the house are hungry. This is an easy thing for Peter to hit this out of the park, and he does. Verse 34. “So Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘Truly, I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation, anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ, (he is Lord of all)’” That itself would be a very bold statement to Romans who worshiped the emperor as God. Jesus Christ is Lord of all. “You yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed.” So evidently, however news traveled in those days, the news of the life and death and resurrection of Jesus had made its way to Caesarea, and even Roman citizens knew about it. Verse 38, Peter says, “…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.”

He rose as a resurrected flesh and blood body, not as a ghost. Verse 42: “…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.” No longer is this just a vague, distant God. This is personal. This man, Jesus, who is Lord of all, has been appointed 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.” And I love what’s fixing to happen next. The Holy Spirit is going to interrupt Peter because verse 44: “While Peter was still saying these things, [He hadn’t got to the end, he hadn’t done an altar call, hadn’t done a final prayer, he’s still in the middle of his sermon.] …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.

“And 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. And then they asked him to remain for some days.” Well, goodness, we made it through the passage. This passage has at least three great truths for us to embrace. And the first truth is that the gospel invitation is offered to all. But here we are, no longer outcasts, no longer separated from God’s family, but brought near and grafted in the family of God through Jesus. Paul tells us about that glorious truth in Ephesians 2. He says, “But now in Christ Jesus, you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” And that is us. And actually, the truth is, even the Jews were once far off from Christ, separated by sin. Because there is a universal need, the beauty of the Gospel is that there is a universal invitation and offer. Alistair Begg says: “The message of the gospel, the good news, is universal. It’s for everyone, it excludes nobody.” And as Cornelius and his whole household and friends learned that day, nobody is left off the invite list. Jesus told Nicodemus about that in John, Chapter 3, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him, should not perish, but have eternal life.” Friends, it is a big guest list. My name is on it, and your name is on it.

And the question just remains: Will we accept the invitation? Well, the next truth that the passage reveals to us is that the Gospel erases every division. So, if the offer of the Gospel is universal, if it’s offered to everyone, then there is no longer any us and them. There’s no dividing line left. The Gospel erases every division. Paul talks about this also in Ephesians 2. He says, “…for he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.” So, there is a unity and a oneness through Christ that overcomes all of the walls between us. The question becomes: How do we react to the person or people in our lives who fall into the category of other? There’s a phrase that will probably have a little more context to anyone here who’s over 40, especially for anybody who’s 50 and over, and that phrase is called “living on the wrong side of the tracks.” When I was a kid, we lived in this little, tiny town in the southwestern corner of New Mexico. I mean, it had one little store, had a doctor’s office, two churches; a Catholic church and a little Protestant community church. And out towards the edge of town, heading towards the highway, there was a set of railroad tracks that bisected the town. And those tracks served as a de facto cultural divide. They represented a divide. There was a dividing line between us and them, and that line was the railroad tracks. I don’t think I realized it as a kid. It wasn’t till I was an adult that I realized there was a sense of the other that was living inside me.

And in general, if we’re being really honest with each other, I think many of us have a sense of us and them. Some way of defining who we are and who they are, “those people” we might say. Or maybe we only refer to them as a category, devaluing their personhood, you know, those Democrats, those Republicans, those rich elitists, those homeless, those Christians. Just like Simon Peter, it’s easy for us to have a category of people that offend us, whom we could never imagine God calling us to them to be the hands and feet of Jesus. To those people. That’s exactly what happened with Peter. Nothing, nothing could be further from the Gospel of Jesus, this idea of us and them. Every human being is a living, breathing, image-bearer of God, no matter what the circumstances or details of their lives. Man, that is a very different way of looking at our neighbor. Very different way of looking at someone we see standing on the street corner asking for money or for someone who cuts us off in traffic. And the apostle Paul in Galatians describes this radical new way of looking at other people. And what I love about this statement, it encompassed all of life, all of the divisions in first century Israel. It covered all of the divisions that we have, political and ethnic differences, social status, cultural differences, even down to our most intimate relationships and how we regard each other.

Paul says, “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to a promise.” There’s no looking down our nose at someone because their skin is a different color from ours, or their ethnicity is different from ours because they believe or act or vote differently than we do, because they’re richer or poorer than we are. There’s absolutely no room in Christ for racism, elitism, nationalism, or any other kind of ism that divides us and allows us to dehumanize others by putting them into a category. There is no room for that. Well, the last truth from this passage is this the Holy Spirit is moving. And how will we respond to Him? It’s amazing to read what the Holy Spirit was doing in the lives of Cornelius and Peter, how much He was changing both of their lives. What’s even more amazing is the fact that the Holy Spirit is moving throughout the world all the time with all sorts of people. John Piper says that God is constantly doing 10,000 things in our lives, and we’re aware of maybe two or three of them. We know from this passage that the invitation to the Gospel, the call goes out to all peoples. We know that it is the Holy Spirit who points to Jesus, who moves in our hearts, to the believer and non-believer alike, because daily the Holy Spirit is moving on unbelievers, presenting them with the Gospel. Some people will respond now, some later, some people will never respond. But the call is there.

And daily the Holy Spirit is moving on believers too, calling us and enabling us to become more like Jesus, prompting us and moving us in ways that are sometimes, sometimes just boringly ordinary and yet sometimes mysterious. Sovereign over all creation. He is totally faithful, totally trustworthy, no matter how He moves, and we might call it the divine orchestration of our everyday moments. There is purpose and meaning there. N.T. Wright says it like this: “We cannot tell in what strange ways God will work. We can be sure He is utterly worthy of our trust.” We can trust Him. So, I don’t know where you are this morning. Some of you may be a little bit more like Cornelius. You know there’s a God. You may ponder, you may think about God, you might be living a really good life, but there’s more to it. You know, maybe you’re feeling a whisper of a movement in the back of your mind and your heart, telling you that there’s got to be more to life than a vague awareness of something or someone out there, impersonal, distant, something more than a way of living that you may feel like you need to live a certain way, but you don’t even really know why. You know what? You’re right. There is more. The Holy Spirit is going to bring people into your life to connect with you, to provide opportunities to hear more about Jesus.

Some of us here this morning, we might be a little bit more like Peter. You know, we may follow Jesus, but we also have a laundry list of people, places, and things that we consider unclean, and we don’t want to have anything to do with them. And I am praying for all of us that we be open to the Holy Spirit, reminding us that in God’s eyes there are no repugnant others. There’s no dividing line. The invitation is open to all because Christ died for all. Before Jesus, we were all in the same position, and yet he died for us. Yet he loves us and invites us to come to him. If you look back at verse 2 of our passage, it tells us a little bit about the way Cornelius lived his life. The passage says he was a devout man who feared God with all his household. So, the way he lived his life, whatever state his faith was in, it affected people. First, his household, those closest to him, and then later his servants, his co-workers, his soldiers. That was, again, even before he was a believer. So, do you know that your life is like that, and mine is too? Our lives are communicating something to everyone we come in contact with. Each of us, we have faith in something. Even the atheist has faith. His faith is that this universe is all there is, what we can see and taste and touch and feel. So, whatever we believe in gets communicated to the people we are around. We affect others.

My question for us this morning: What are we communicating? Knowing again that the Holy Spirit is continually working in our lives behind the scenes, orchestrating events, both ordinary moments and out of the ordinary moments. What kind of message do we communicate? What fruit are we bearing in our lives? How are we walking through our days? Paul talks about this in Ephesians, Chapter 5. He says, “Walk as children of light.” For the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true. Every person that we come into contact with holds the potential for this possible Peter and Cornelius moment. Every single day, can we walk in awareness of that possibility? Are our lives carrying with them and communicating this aroma of Christ to those that we come in contact with? Here’s some encouragement for us to carry with us as we walk through this coming week from our brother John in 1 John. He says, “This is the message we have heard from and declare to you, God is light, and in him is there is no darkness at all. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” Friends, let’s walk in the light this coming week, and then enjoy the fellowship we’ll have with one another through the Holy Spirit. And we’re reminded as we walk that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin and unrighteousness, and then we can interact with the server at the restaurant, the construction worker, the police officer, the businessman in a way that reflects God’s presence, and it’s going to make people curious.

What is it? I’ve got to know. What is it? It’s not just about being a nice person, which is great, but that’s not it. It’s creating this curiosity, pointing to something that draws people in and makes them want to know. My favorite quote ever is from Madeline Lingle, and I only allow myself to use it once a year because I’d use it every week if I could, but we’re six months into the year, so I think it’s time. She says, “We do not draw people to Christ by loudly discrediting what they believe, by telling them how wrong they are and how right we are, but by showing them a light that is so lovely that they want with all their hearts to know the source of it.” Friends, the Holy Spirit can, will, and wants to work through us in this way, creating something in us, something about our lives that’s not from us, something that doesn’t condemn or reject others, doesn’t put them in a category to be dismissed, but instead shows them a light that is so lovely that they want with all their hearts to know the source of it. So, friends, let’s walk in that light. Amen. Let’s pray, church: Holy Spirit, we thank You that You are God. You are sovereign, You are constantly at work in ways that we’re aware of and unaware of. You are constantly working in the ordinary, everyday moments of our lives and even the mysterious and out of the ordinary moments. Lord, we ask for the grace this morning to respond to Your invitation. We’re asking for the grace to be open to Your leading. Give us ears to hear, help us pay attention to what You are doing, how You’re guiding us, and what You want us to do. You are trustworthy and faithful. We lift this up in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Songs, Readings & Prayer

Songs

“Come People Of The Risen King“ by Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty, and Stuart Townend
“May The Peoples Praise You“ by David Zimmer, Ed Cash, Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty, and Stuart Townend
“Grace Greater Than Our Sin“ by Julia H. Johnston
“There Is A Fountain“ by William Cowper and Lowell Mason
“It Was Finished Upon That Cross“ by Jonny Robinson, Nigel Hendroff, and Rich Thompson
“Doxology” by Thomas Ken and Louis Bourgeois
All songs are used with permission. CCLI License no. 2003690

Looking for our Hymns of the Week or resources to worship anytime? We’ve curated a playlist of hymns TVC Worship has led on our YouTube Channel!

Call To Worship: Eternal God

Eternal God, You set Jesus Christ to rule over all things and made us servants in Your kingdom.
By Your Spirit, empower us to love the unloved and to minister to all in need.
Then at the last bring us into Your eternal kingdom, where we may worship and adore You and be welcomed into Your everlasting joy.
We offer this prayer through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Amen.

Classic Prayer: William Barclay

Eternal God, grant that we may count it a day wasted when we do not learn something new, and when we are not a little further on on the way to goodness and to Thee. Help us to try to do our work better every day. Help us to try to add something to our store of knowledge every day. Help us to try to know some one better every day. Grant unto us each day to learn more of self-mastery and self control. Grant unto us each day better to rule our temper and our tongue. Grant unto us each day to leave our faults farther behind and to grow more nearly into the likeness of our Lord. So grant that at the end of this day, and at the end of every day, we may be nearer to Thee than when the day began: through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Confession of Sin

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against You this day, in thought, word, and deed; by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved You with our whole hearts; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.

For the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us, that we may delight in Your will, and walk in Your ways, to the glory of Your Name.
Grant to Your people pardon and peace, that in Your great mercy, we may be forgiven all our sins, and serve You with a quiet and contrite heart.
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

TVC Prayer Ministry

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