Honoring God with Your next step
Slide
I want to tell you about 2 sons.
One was asked to do something by his father and He told him he would do it.
Another one was asked to do something as well and he went and did it.
Has each one honored his father, from what you know?
Yes.
Now if I told you the one who said he would do what his father asked, ended up not doing it, would he still be someone who honored his father through hiss obedience?
No.
So it is fair to say that action is more important than our words in bringing honor to someone if there is no truth in our words.
Ok, another scenario.
One father asked his son to bring in the garbage cans and he did.
Another father asks his son to come over and help him trim his bushes and he did..
Would you say that each one is someone who honors his father?
Yes.
Now what if I told you that the son who was asked to come over and help the father trim his bushes did, but since that time 5 years ago, he won’t do anything to help his father out because he doesn’t have enough time to do the things he likes.
And the son who cut the lawn did that yesterday and is planning to help his dad out again next week.
Now who would you say is a son that is known to honor his father.
The one who has been doing it more recently and is planning to continue.
So it would be fair to say that those who are honoring to their parents in the present is more important in determining if this is an honoring person than someone who did something a long time ago.
Well in honoring God the same thing holds true.
We don’t honor God just by saying that we do, our actions need to show it.
And we can’t rely on our past to say that we are someone who honors God, our actions right now need to show it
And even more so, the next actions we take, our very next step, needs to show it.
This is what we are going to be talking about today and looking at one of my favorite stories of the Bible. This is about Cornelius, the Roman Centurion, found in Acts chapter 10 (p. 778)
Slide
We are going to see how He honored God not only in the past, but also with his next steps and try to discern how we might be a Cornelius and honor God with our next steps.
Turn with me to
Acts 10:1-7, 24-48
1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, "Cornelius!"
4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. "What is it, Lord?" he asked.
The angel answered, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea."
7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. 8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.
They go and get Peter and Peter goes with them.
23b The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went along. 24 The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. 26 But Peter made him get up. "Stand up," he said, "I am only a man myself."
27 Talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. 28 He said to them: "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?"
30 Cornelius answered: "Four days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me 31 and said, ’Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. 32 Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us."
34 Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached- 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
39 "We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen-by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.
Then Peter said, 47 "Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have." 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.
(from New International Version)
Wow! I love hearing about that.
I would have loved to meet Cornelius.
I am sure if Cornelius was around today, he would be someone that each of us here would like to be friends with.
Through this story, we see him to be a real and authentic person who does not go around putting on airs.
Most people like others who are authentic and real, Cornelius was not a phony. He is who he is.
I want to take a little closer look at this passage and at Cornelius today and see if there is something we can take away for our own lives.
The first thing we see in reading is that
Cornelius was a Religious Man, According to God
Slide
Acts 10:2
2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly
Now what does it mean to be devout?
One definition is “earnestly devoted to religion.
When we think of a religious man, we may think of someone who is
constantly at church or
always in a meditative trance
slow and measured in everything.
Always walking around with hands folded.
But I don’t think that is what is being said about Cornelius.
First, he could not go to the Jewish temple to worship God because He was a gentile.
And second, he was a man who had many responsibilities so he could not just be in some meditative trance 24/7.
So what does it mean to be a religious person according to God?
Well, let’s read what it says.
Acts 10:2
2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need
So we see that
He was a …
Practicing man
Slide
He was a man who practiced what he believed.
Being religious is not about being at church or in some meditative trance 24/7.
Being devout or being religious means practicing what we believe, living it out.
James says this about religion.
James 1:27
27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
That is what Cornelius did. He gave to the poor and widows and orphans that were in need and it came up as a memorial offering before God.
Up to this point, Cornelius had only been given limited information about God. But He was faithful with what God had revealed to him.
Some things are basic.
Cornelius knew there was a God, because it is apparent to anyone who will open their eyes and their hearts.
Being that there is a God, Cornelius knew He should worship Him.
So how does Cornelius worship God?
By loving people with his actions.
Too often we think of worship or giving honor to God as singing some songs.
But true worship is practiced day in and day out by loving others with our actions.
1 John 4:20
20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
Cornelius acted on what He knew to be true, on what he believed.
He thought people should help people.
He did not say to himself others should help out.
He did it.
He was a living example of what James tells us.
James 2:14-17
14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
True Faith, true worship, true religion is active.
And it is that active religion that Cornelius practiced.
Application
Is your religion active?
Are you living out what we believe?
I want you to ask yourself,
“Am I spending more time wondering
why other people aren’t doing what they should be doing,
or Am I doing what I should be doing?”
Cornelius was a doer. He was a man who lived out his beliefs versus just talking about his beliefs.
We need to do the same thing.
We as Christians need to be putting our faith into practice.
We need to be helping those in need.
Do you give when a need arises for someone whom God places in your path? Or do we look for a way that we can legitimately say I can’t help so we won’t feel bad about it?
We need to be serving in the church.
Are we doing our part within the body of Christ?
Are we using our gifts to serve others?
Or do we say we are just too busy at this point in our life to be servant in the church that Jesus died for?
Are we practicing what we say we believe?
I want you to ask yourself that question.
We honor God by following Him and doing the things He wants us to do.
Going on in Acts 10:2
2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly
So we see that
Cornelius was also a
Praying Man
Slide
He prayed to God regularly.
He recognized that he
wasn’t anything great and that he
needed God’s help in this life.
If we are going to be devout and religious the way Cornelius was then we need to be a praying people.
Not just praying at meals and before we go to bed, but as a way of life.
Paul tells us to “pray continually” in 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
How do you do that?
By being in constant communication with God throughout the day.
Mindset – God is with you
Have as a mindset that God is right there with you in everything you do. Then as we face choices, we can just ask Him.
God, what should I do in this circumstance?
God, how can I honor you in this decision?
Be in a state of open communication with God through prayer.
Well, Cornelius was not only a religious man according to God, but
Cornelius was a Good Man, According to his Friends
Slide
Acts 10:22
22 The men replied, "We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people.
Cornelius was a good man and he had gained the respect of those around him. He had the respect of the Jews, he had the respect of his men and his family.
We see that he invited many of his friends and family to come and they came.
There are many of us who know others that we would describe as good people.
They live life with respect for other people,
they help out others,
they are friendly and considerate people.
I am certain that you know friends or family that would be described like this or maybe this is describing you.
You try to live the best that you can with what you believe to be true.
And I do believe that we honor God with these actions, just like Cornelius did.
He honored God by living faithfully in accordance with what God had given him.
Did you know that God has given each one of us here, no matter what our background or upbringing knowledge about Him and about how we should be living.
Paul writes about this in Romans
Rom 2:14-15
Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15 since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts
God has hard wired us with a certain knowledge of Him and of what is right for us to do.
Some things are apparent to everyone that they are right while other things are wrong.
So as we are faithful to being obedient to those things, we honor God, just like Cornelius did.
Transition
Now we see that Cornelius was a religious man and a good man, maybe just like many of us. We try to live out our faith and be good in accordance with what we know is right and wrong.
But this next thing is essential, because even though Cornelius was a religious man and a good man,
Cornelius was a Lost Man, According to God’s Word
Slide
In the next chapter, as Peter is explaining what happened to the other Apostles, he says this about Cornelius
Acts 11:13-14
13 He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, ’Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. 14 He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.’
So here is Cornelius, living a good life, a devout religious life, but it is apparently not good enough to merit heaven because he was not saved, not guaranteed a spot in heaven yet.
So wait a minute, we can go about this life living a religious life, and acting in accordance with those beliefs and being good, but still not assure ourselves a spot in heaven?
Yep.
That is because no matter how much we try to be religious or how much we try to live a good life, we are still sinners.
And because we have sinned against God, disobeyed Him in some way, we are in a state of separation from God.
But thankfully there is Good news!
It was Good news for Cornelius and it is Good News for you
God has not left us here without hope.
He has made salvation, an eternity with Him in heaven available to everyone in the whole world including you, me and Cornelius.
And it gets even better than that. He is doing the work to get us to that point of receiving that salvation.
Now in Cornelius’ case, and in many people’s case, as we are faithful with the information that God has given us, He gives us more.
For instance, God has made his existence plain to the whole world. We are going to talk about this next week as we start our next series. But the fact that is there is a God, and He has given this information to everyone.
Now it is how we act on that knowledge that determines if we honor God or not.
Do we believe that there is a God and act as if there is?
Or disregard it and act as if there is NOT a God.?
When we can be faithful with that knowledge, God will give us more to be faithful with.
This is what happened in Cornelius’ life.
Application
Maybe this is what God is doing in your life.
Perhaps God has you here today, because you have been seeking to honor Him by the way you live and being faithful to what God has revealed to you and you are here at Hickory Creek today so that God can speak through this message right to you.
God spoke to Cornelius through Peter and maybe today He is speaking to you through this message and this church.
Maybe some of your actions have come up as a memorial before God and He is wanting to draw you into a deeper relationship with Him.
The question for you now is
Are you willing to listen?
Are you willing to hear not only with your ears,
but also with your hearts?
That is what Cornelius did.
Acts 10:33-34
33 So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us."
And what was it God commanded Peter to tell Cornelius?
The same message
that has been being told for the past 2000 years and the same message that we preach here at Hickory Creek, the same message
that you are going to hear today.
That if you receive Jesus as your Savior believing that
He is the Christ, the Son of the living God,
that He is truly God in the flesh, and that
He died for your sins and rose 3 days later,
you will be forgiven for your sins and have the gift of eternal life.
And not only do you receive the gift of eternal life, but you bring honor to God at the same time by honoring the Son He sent.
John 5:23
He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.
And the opposite is true. When you honor the Son by believing in Him, you honor the Father who sent Him.
So the question for some of you here today is
“Are you going to continue to honor God with your next step, by honoring the Son and receiving Him as Savior?
That is what Cornelius did.
We see that
Cornelius was a Humble Man and willing to take the next step
Slide
Acts 10:44
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message…
He was humble enough to receive the message that God was speaking to him through Peter.
His response wasn’t
Hey, I have honored God with all that I have done up to this point, I am not doing any more. If what I have done is not good enough for God then too bad.
Cornelius was humble enough to recognize who God is and that God did it all and the best thing we can do is follow whatever he says.
The next step for Cornelius was to receive Christ as Savior and He did.
And then following that, his next step was to be baptized.
No matter where you are, there is always a next step.
Baby Dedication
Rob and Laura Jackman have recognized a next step for their family to dedicate Stuart to the Lord today.
slide
Jackman’s and Pastor Tom Come up
In dedicating Stuart, they are making a commitment to raise Stuart in the ways of the Lord. To teach him and guide him.
Deuteronomy 6:4-7
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
As parents one way we honor God is by
committing to training our kids in the ways of the Lord and
dedicating their lives to the Lord so He can bring glory to Himself through our children.
Tom Newton is Laura’s uncle and has been there to dedicate Rob and Laura’s other children so He is going to do the prayer of dedication this morning for Stuart.
Tom Newton dedicates Stuart
Thank you Tom and thank you Rob and Laura for taking the next step for your family.
Maybe there is a step you need to be taking.
Maybe God has brought you here today to here the gospel just like He did for Cornelius.
Maybe you have been living a good life and an honoring life, but have yet to receive Jesus. Maybe you are in the same spot as Cornelius.
Well take the next step, just like Cornelius did and
receive forgiveness for your sins by receiving Jesus Christ as your Savior.
Cornelius even knew about Jesus perhaps like some of you, but had never made that step of receiving Him.
If that is you, then honor God by receiving Jesus today.
You can do that by believing and just expressing your heart to God about your belief in prayer to God.
Tell God,
Lord I know I am a sinner in need of a Savior and
I know Jesus is that Savior, that He is God in the flesh and that
He died for my sins and
rose 3 days later.
Not been baptized
Maybe you have already received Jesus as Savior, but you have not been baptized. Baptism needs to come after you receive Jesus as Savior. That is why we don’t baptize babies.
While Baptism doesn’t save you it is an important act of obedience for everyone who has received Jesus as Savior.
Next Step is something else
Maybe you have done both of these things. Maybe your next step is something else.
Serving
Maybe honoring God with you next step is found in serving in some new way.
Turning from sin
Maybe honoring God with your next step is found in removing something from your life that does not honor Him.
Maybe there is some sin you need to take steps at overcoming so you can honor God.
Whatever the case pray with me and commit to taking that next step right now.
Pray
As for me and my house.
