Instantaneous
(Acts 10:30-48)
1. Gary Dougherty, a co-worker at RBC Ministries, was walking home from church one evening when he saw a young man coming from the opposite direction. A strong urge came over Gary to talk with him about becoming a Christian. He hesitated at first, but then he said to this total stranger, "Pardon me, but I believe God wants me to tell you how to become a Christian."
"I just asked my girlfriend’s mother that question," said the man, "but she didn’t know." "You mean you want to become a Christian?" Gary asked. "Yes, I do!" he replied. Still incredulous, Gary asked him again and then shared the plan of salvation with him. That night a young man met Jesus as his Savior. [Source: Our Daily Bread]
2. This might be a little different in the case of Cornelius. I believe Cornelius was born-again under the Old Covenant, but His faith had to be migrated to the now completed work of Christ. Still, this migration does exemplify conversion.
Main Idea: Jews and Gentiles may be distinguishable peoples, but there is only one message and one way of salvation for all.
I. The Lesson SOLIDIFIED: Gentiles Saved the Same Way As Jews (10:30-48)
A. Cornelius explains WHY he called Peter (30-33)
In obedience to God’s command
B. Peter connects the DOTS (34-36)
Deuteronomy 10:17 reads, "For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes."
"I am a creature [of God] and my neighbor is also His creature… We have learnt that it matters not whether one does much or little, if only he directs his heart to heaven" (Berachot 17a).
• The implications of that phrase, "Lord of All" now take on new meaning…
How would Peter have understood the Great Commission’s urgency for worldwide evangelism before this event? Many of the ancient rabbis held the there always were, among the gentiles, righteous people "who have a share in the world to come" (Tosefta, Sanhedrin 13:2).
C. The message is JESUS (37-43)
1. HISTORICAL (37-41)
Some people -- including some ministers -- will say that "The Christ Event" (cross, burial, and resurrection) did not happen in literal history, but in a "higher history," in a spiritual way; this is an escape from reason. Christianity is a historical faith! It is not a philosophical set of beliefs with myths added to accentuate the philosophy.
a. throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee--location
b. after the baptism which John proclaimed--time
c. Jesus of Nazareth--actual person
d. anointed Him with the Holy Spirit --Messiah
e. He went about doing good and healing --signs
f. they crucified Him-- atonement
g. God raised Him --victory
h. we are witnesses --veracity/truth
2. PROPOSITIONAL (42-43)
A proposition is, "something offered for consideration or acceptance" It can be taken or left, accepted or rejected.
a. He will judge, so you had better act
b. Old Testament bears witness (fulfilled prophecies)
c. Everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness
d. What have YOU done about this proposition
D. The entire CROWD is immediately converted (44)
• This is the "Gentile Pentecost"
• The "tongues" were the same kind of tongues as in Acts 2, real foreign languages.
• In Acts 11:17, Peter comments: " So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?"
E. The implications gentiles saved without becoming JEWS (45-46)
It took God’s miraculous intervention: Peter’s vision and then Cornelius and his extended family speaking in foreign languages to convince the Jewish believers that God accepted gentile believers as equals. These are the first true gentiles who are brought into the church family without becoming Jews first.
Not only did Peter need to be convinced, but so did the other 6 Jewish believers who were with him. The ingrained perspective embraced by Jews for centuries was now about to change. Today, few of us can appreciate how monumental a change this was.
When a major, controversial change of perspective is in the works, it is important that leaders are in solidarity.
F. The same entrance RITE is given to gentiles (47-48)
In early Acts 11:15-18, Peter rehashes all this material to satisfy the Jewish believers who had confronted him about fellowshipping with gentiles. Peter explained his vision, and then why he ordered these new believers to be baptized:
"As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ’John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?"
When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, "So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life."
Up until this time, baptism was strictly a Jewish ritual.
"It must be stressed that what we have here is indeed a story of conversion; indeed, it could be said to be a tale of two sorts of conversions -- Peter was converted to a new point of view about Gentiles as part of God’s people, and Cornelius and his household were converted to a new view of Jesus Christ." Ben Witherington III
Jews and Gentiles may be distinguishable peoples, but there is only one message and one way of salvation for all.
II. A Paradigm for EVANGELISM (30-48)
A. God PREPARES (30-33)
1. Perhaps not all of us agree that Cornelius had been regenerate under the Old Covenant, but we can agree that God was pleased with him.
2. Later Scripture tells us that "they who are in the flesh cannot please God." (Romans 8:8). But that refers to pleasing Him as far as merit goes.
3. But there are different senses of pleasing God in the Scripture; for example, God is pleased when lost people fear Him; God is pleased when lost people praise Him because they see our God works.
• The angel’s message indicated that God was pleased with Cornelius
4. God loves all, and all who are saved are saved by grace through faith; but God is more pleased with some of us than He is others. How pleased do you think God is with you these days? Does the direction of your life please Him?
5. Note that "God grants repentance" to the gentiles; repentance is a gift God gives. The Holy Spirit must prepare our hearts if we are to respond in faith.
B. A Christian SHARES (34-36)
1. When it comes to authority in the church, the Apostles were at the top of the church’s earthly leaders. When it comes to sharing the Gospel, however, rank doesn’t matter.
2. The message itself carries with it the full authority of God.
C. Jesus presented as SAVIOR (37-43)
• The "Scarlet Thread of Redemption" runs throughout the Word
• Jesus Christ is the focus of Scripture
• Jesus was not some great philosopher or moralist; He was and is first and foremost the Lord and Savior!
D. Conversion is INSTANT upon faith (44-46)
In 11:18, please note the conclusion of the early Jewish believers, "When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, "So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life."
In our family, relatives begin preparing for Thanksgiving Dinner with a shopping list, perhaps a week in advance. They begin cooking perhaps two days before Thanksgiving, and certainly the evening before. But when we sit down at that table, we pray. Then we shovel the food in like there is no tomorrow, with hardly a word spoken beyond, "Please pass the potatoes" or "this is good." In a few minutes, we are full, bloated, and have gluttonized. It only takes a few minutes to eat that meal, but a long time to prepare. So it is with salvation. Someone may seem to be converted in a few moments, but the Holy Spirit has been working sometimes for a very long time.
E. Baptism is an important step after SALVATION (47-48)
• On the one hand, we need to distinguish baptism from salvation
• On the other hand, salvation is supposed to lead to baptism
• It is, in a sense, a test of our faith and repentance
Jews and Gentiles may be distinguishable peoples, but there is only one message and one way of salvation for all.
CONCLUSION
Perhaps God has prepared your heart. You are done with living life at your own helm. You are ready to turn from you sin, turn to God, and let Him have control. You understand your lost condition, a sinner who needs to be forgiven. You understand that Jesus died to pay for you sins, and that He arose to be declared the Son of God. You want to receive that forgiveness and follow Him.
