TEXT: Acts 10:1-11:18

SUBJECT: Acts 11

Today, with God's favor, we'll continue our study of Acts and see what Jesus Christ is up to in the world. Thus far, He has worked mightily in Jerusalem, in Judea, and in Samaria. But there's one place He has done much--and that's the Gentile world. He had saved the Ethiopian eunuch, of course, but He had always had a few Gentiles among His people--a Ruth here, a Ebed-Melech there, and so on.

Is that all the New Age is going to be--a repeat of the Old? No, for under the New Covenant, the Lord will redeem a great multitude which no one can number--and they'll be from

The God of the whole earth must become "The Savior of all men".

Starting now.

CAESAREA, VV.1-8

The story begins on a military base in Caesarea. There's a Junior Officer there named Cornelius. He belongs to the Italian Regiment and is a man in earnest about his soul. Luke calls him "devout man" which means he worships the God of Israel, attends the synagogue, though he has not formally converted to Judaism.

He shows his piety by giving generously to the poor and praying to God day and night.

One day, about three o'clock in the afternoon, while praying, he is visited by an angel who calls him by name, "Cornelius!"

The man is scared out of his wits! Barbarians didn't faze him. But angels? That's another story. They are awesome and terrifying creatures.

But this one hasn't come to scare him. No, he wants him to know that God has accepted his faith and wants him to know the full story of His grace.

To get that, Cornelius must fetch a man named Peter who's staying at Simon's house in Joppa.

When the angel departs, the Centurion gets busy. He orders two trusted servants and a devout soldier to go to Joppa and bring the man back immediately--if not sooner!

In this, he stands in sharp contrast to many others. To those who "wanted" to follow Christ--but only after they had buried their dead or planted their fields, or tested their oxen or gotten back from their honeymoon! Or, think of Felix "Trembling" at the Word of God, but asking Paul to "Come back at a more convenient time".

Are they alone guilty on this score? Are we any better than they? We're not defiant, maybe. We want to do God's will--when we have the time. But the fact is, the only time we have to do it is...now!

We have much to learn from the old Centurion. Like David, before him, he "Ran the way of God's commandments".

JOPPA, VV.9-23

The next day, about noon, Peter gets up on the roof at Simon's house to pray. That sounds weird to us, but it was common among the Jews at the time.

No sooner does he bow his head than he falls into a trance. He sees a sheet coming down from heaven, and on it is every kind of unclean animal--pigs and horses, snakes and frogs, buzzards, eagles--you name it.

Being an observant Jew, this must have turned Peter's stomach. But not half as much as what comes next. A voice speaks from heaven telling him to butcher the animals and eat then!

"Not so, Lord!"

But the voice replies with a riddle, "What God has cleansed, you must not call common".

Peter comes to. And wonders what in the world the vision could mean.

It's not long till he finds out. There's a knock at the door. Three Gentiles are looking for Peter.

What do they want he wonders. They tell him about Cornelius and the angel, and ask him to go back with them to Caesarea.

Peter agrees. But it's too late to leave now. So he invites the men in to spend the night. Things are starting to make sense now. If pigs and donkeys aren't unclean, then maybe Gentiles aren't either.

THE MEETING, VV.24ff

The next day, Peter and some friends go to meet Cornelius. Never before had they stepped into a Gentile home. But now, it's not only they who will visit the heathen, but Jesus Christ too!

When Peter walks in the door, Cornelius falls on his face and offers worship. Peter, being the first pope, humbly accepts the worship. Uh, no he doesn't! He commands the Centurion,

Cornelius gets up and explains why he asked Peter to come. And now, he says, we've all come together,

Peter scratches his head, shoots a glance at his friends, and tells the story.

It starts with the character of God,

He goes on to tell what God has done,

How was the Lord treated by men? Not very well,

But--not to worry--for God

He closes with an offer,

With these words, the Gentiles are baptized with the Holy Spirit. And, like the Jews at Pentecost, they praise God with new languages.

Peter and his friends are knocked out! The Gentiles have received the same Spirit as they had--without becoming Jews.

The Jews knew God would one day incorporate the Gentiles into His people. But they thought it would mean assimilating them into Israel--in other words, mass conversion to Judaism, complete with circumcision, and so on.

But God hasn't done that! He has accepted Gentile believers just as they are. By the baptism of His Spirit, He has put them on an equal footing with the Jews.

If the Gentiles are saved, Peter wants to know,

Nobody could think of anything. So Peter,

Cornelius invites the men to stay a few days to teach the way of the Lord more perfectly. They do.

JERUSALEM, 11:1-18

But they're going to have hell to pay when they get home!

The Church demands an answer. They are all Jews, of course, and the Law of God clearly tells them to stay away from the Gentiles. Why have they broken God's Law?

Peter explains they did it because, well, God told them to!

I wonder what they thought of that? I bet they weren't very impressed. Until Peter gave the details. About his dream, the servants of Cornelius, the outpouring of the Spirit, and wraps it up with a proof-text,

Finally, he says it wasn't his decision to make,

When the Church heard this, they quit complaining and glorified God, saying,

THE MESSAGE

That's the story. Now, what's the message for us? The big idea is what I've said several times already: Jesus Christ is advancing His cause in the world.

A few years before, the whole people of God met in one room about the size of this building!

But on the Day of Pentecost, the Lord visited Jerusalem with great power, saving 3,000 in a day. In the weeks ahead, many others would be converted in the city.

A bit later, Christ broke out of the city and won much of Judea to Himself. Then He did the same in Samaria. Then He saved a Gentile from Africa and converted the meanest sinner in the world.

Now, with the household of Cornelius, Jesus Christ is reaching out to the world. In the years to come, the old prophecy would be fulfilled,

Though it is Christ who is doing His work in the world, He's not doing it in Person, but through His people. When He wants the Gospel in Samaria, He sends Philip. When He wants the Gentiles to hear it, He sends Peter. When He wants your neighbors to believe, He sends you with the Gospel.

So, let's get out there and witness! And do it with confidence, for we're not out there alone. Jesus Christ is with us.

...And giving repentance to those who hear us. The Bible says repentance is not something the sinner works up himself, but a gift of God.

This means we don't have to manipulate people or pressure them to make a decision for Christ. What we must do is present the Gospel clearly, support it with love, pray...and let God give repentance.

When He does, it will be the real thing.

Charles Spurgeon told a story about being met by a drunk man one day. He wanted a handout, and to get it he said, "Ah, Mr. Spurgeon, I'm one of your converts". "I believe that--said the preacher--"if you were God's convert, you wouldn't be drunk!"

If God gives repentance, we can witness with confidence. It's not up to us; it's up to God.

Are you a good witness for Christ? Are you out there all the time, pleading with men, praying for them, and showing them your love? If not, remember this: God can use the worst witnessing to bring men to Christ. One of the most successful witnesses who ever lived preached without a drop of love in his heart. His name was Jonah. And it was through his witnessing that the hundreds of thousands of Ninevites came to repentance.

Why? Because it wasn't Jonah giving repentance, but the Lord.

The other application is this: If God gives repentance, then nobody is beyond salvation. Not the worst hypocrite; not the hardest sinner; not the most fanatical Mormon. They can resist you; they can resist conscience. But they can't resist God.

If He gives repentance, the hardest heart will break, and the mouth that had longed cursed Jesus Christ will start saying,

"Lord, what would You have me to do?"

This means: Don't give up hope. Keep witnessing. Keep praying. And "See the salvation of God".