What would you open up to act 10? So we take a look at the story of Cornelius, the unclean soldier of Italy. the conversion of soul and being brought to an understanding of who Christ was. And though we won't focus there this morning looking more at the story of Cornelius, I just want to mention as we see the transition from the story of Saul and his coming to a true understanding, a true faith in Jesus as the Messiah, God continues to work signs and wonders all throughout the land as we saw with as we saw beforehand through Jerusalem, as we continue to see in God-making known, the demonstration of the growth of His church. In preceding the bursting of this church, there's an accompaniment of tremendous signs that are seen. And so, we find that verse 32, for instance, of chapter nine, He goes to a place called Lydda, that's out there on the coast by the Sharon Plain. He finds a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, paralyzed. Peter said to him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Rise, make your bed. And immediately he rose, and all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. A very brief account And yet even in that, we see as Peter comes down, there's a transition now from the story of Saul to Peter out on the plains, out on the coast. And there's a healing of this man who was bedridden eight years. And just down the road near Joppa, there's another girl named Tabitha, a disciple. Translator means Dorcas. She was full of good works, active charity, well-loved in that community. and she'd become ill and die. Similar story that we find with someone like Lazarus. And since litter was nearby, Peter had come up, he rose, he arrived, he took them to the upper room, and all the widows stood beside him, weeping. And they bring all of the things that she had blessed them with, the tunics and the careful crafting. The love that she poured into that community, and they are weeping for her. And over her, he says, Tabitha, arise. She opens her eyes, sees Peter, stands up, and many believed in the Lord. This was the purpose of those signs, as it was even when Jesus was among them. There were various things that were done as a preparation for the gospel going out into the nations, and people turned to Him. Many people believed, and yet of those people that believed, I hope that we have the echo in the back of our minds that even those who are described as believing in Jesus, believing on Him, it may not have been indicative of a saving faith. Most specifically, we find in John 2, where Jesus does not entrust himself to those other men. He knows what is in their heart. There are many that follow him because they want their mouths filled, they want him to be king because he cares for the specific needs, the signs in themselves. But many here turn to a recognition of who the Lord is. His work is seen. I was thinking even of a testimony that we've heard from times in Nepal. In 2015, there was an opportunity to go and visit several believers that are based there in Kathmandu, near the capital of Nepal. And they've been ministering out in a variety of different ways throughout that region, mountainous area. There's a lot of different communities. And in that southeastern community, one of those three men, had decided that during the next five years, he's going to visit every single one of the villages in that region, and he's going to share the gospel in every one of those places. So he went out, and one of the things that they've been doing, not only he, but many of the Christians in Nepal, have been doing prayer walks. They find spiritual strongholds, whether temples to idols and to gods, or places where people are being sacrificed. Even still, there are some places that children are being sacrificed, though very scarcely. But there's a lot of spiritual strongholds within that country, and people would take walks every day for a month, for two months, and so on, until God broke down the spiritual strongholds, mapping out, walking and praying that God would bring his light into those dark areas. So those Christians were doing this sort of work, and as they met people, Hindus, who were in those areas, they would ask them, what are some things that you've been praying for? What are some things that you've been putting before your gods? 30, 40, 50 years that they've been praying to their gods for various things. And several times, these Christians would say, can I put those requests before my God, before the living God, not these idols, but before the one who created us, and see how he will answer? And it says, gospel is going out God has prepared a number of places. I've heard testimonies from people who are lame and who are walking, who are blind, who see. There, that was in central Nepal as well as southeastern. And I asked someone there, I said, what happens when you pray and you don't see God answer? And he thought and he said, I can't think of a time that that's happened. where we pray and we're going out, he's been answering in amazing ways. Those same things that are put before idols and dead gods are put before the living God, and he is able to do, I suppose he is able to answer those. Now I've only gotten to hear a handful of them, but I've heard in broad strokes, it seems that there's testimonies of a lot of this happening. God works his signs in a preparation of his gospel going forward and opening up an area in some of those dark Hindu areas, demonic. He's opened up doors for the gospel, eagerness to see this one is the living God, this one is the God in whom there is power. This is the one who hears us. But as we then move just down the coast from Joppa. We find the story of Cornelius. Caesarea is also one of those coastal cities. We've heard it before. We've had a couple stories passing through Caesarea so far in Acts. Acts 10, then we get out to Caesarea, there's this man named Cornelius. He's a centurion of the Italian cohort, a Gentile, a pagan, But how is he described? He's an Italian cohort, a centurion, and yet he's described as a devout man who feared God with all his household. How had he heard about God? Did he recognize the truth of who he was? We don't know. It seems later on in the discourse between he and Peter that there had at least been stories that were heard about who Jesus was. There was at least some inkling of the work of Christ throughout Galilee and throughout the surrounding areas that Cornelius was aware of. But however much he recognized of who God was, he's described as fearing God with his household, giving generously to people, praying continually. How did God work in his life? Well, about the ninth hour of the day, he's so clearly in a vision. An angel of God come into him and say, Cornelius, And he stared at him in terror. Notice again, we see the angel come in. It's never a, oh, how are you doing? It's a don't be afraid sort of response that we tend to get. And there he stands in terror and said, what is it, Lord? And he said to him, your prayers and your honors have ascended as a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon, who's called Peter, he's staying with another Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. When the angel departs it, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, and he sends them out to John. Last night we mentioned even as God works through dreams. So many times in Muslims, God decides to use dreams. Something that in their culture is so central to their understanding of God's revealing his will. Even in the interpretation books of Muslims. Islamic interpretation books. God shows himself to these people that as they go to those interpretation books, they are pointed toward a person or toward the scriptures that can show them the message of life. It can show them the savior that they must worship. It can show them who God is. The visions are not unendable in scripture. They are so often a pointing to something or someone else. And here is the case with Cornelius. But we get another vision as well. The next day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, so now these men are coming up to Joppa, Peter went up on his housetop about the sixth hour to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat. But while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance. He saw the heavens open and something like a great sheet descending let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air, and there came a loud voice to him, rise, Peter, kill, and eat. Peter said, by no means, Lord. I've never eaten anything that's common or unclean. Far be it from me. I wouldn't do that, Lord. The voice came to him a second time. What God has made clean, do not call common. This happened three times when it was taken out. This cheatable manner of filthy, unclean animals was brought before him, rise, kill, eat. God, I can't do this. I can't do this. I've never eaten something that is expressly forbidden in your law. I can't eat this meat, Lord. Please don't make me do that. What I have called clean, do not call common. Take note, all vegetarians. This is not centrally about dietary particulars, is it? No. Even in Ezekiel, when he was given instructions and he was told to bake something in Ezekiel 4. Bake for yourself this cake and use dung as the fire underneath to cook it with. It was a filthy image, a filthy description. And the point wasn't that in itself, the point was in pointing to something that would come down the road. So is it here with Peter. This vision pointed to something that God was doing among the Gentile audience. He was working a vast plan of salvation to stretch out across the Gentiles. That was the same thing that had been promised from Abraham. Through you, all nations will be blessed. Those who bless you will be blessed. Those who curse you will be cursed. So here we have Cornelius, we have Peter, They both had these visions of sorts, the one about where to go, the one about what to eat and not to call unclean. And Peter's vision leaves him rather confused. Cornelius, he has quite clear instructions, this is who you must go to. Peter's left somewhat dazed. He doesn't know what to make. to make of this. Verse 17, Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean. He didn't assume to interpret it on the basis of whatever came to his mind first. I think that's important. It was a vision that he had had and the language perhaps in other vernacular is, he treasured it up in his heart. He thought about it, he put it to mind, but there's no specific action right now that's being taken. There's a confusion, there's perplexing. And as he's pondering about it, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon's house already, they stood at the gate and called out to us whether Simon, who was called Peter, was lodging. Notice that God stirs some men to pray long before He fulfills the direction in others to work His answer. Have you heard testimony of that happening with Bible translations, for instance? Going into the most remote areas, take some of the translations going into Papua New Guinea. People that have prayed for decades for a Bible, for a book that would show them the way, show them what they must do, show them who's creating them, and they pray, and they pray, and they pray, and they pray, and finally some missionary, years later, he senses a burden to go to this people, and he says, Lord, if that's where you're leading, I'll go. He goes, and this is maybe in the span of a year or two years, He goes over to answer what he sees the Lord putting on his heart, and as he goes, in fulfillment to what the Lord is directing him, they see him, and before he even introduces himself, they say, There you are! Finally! We've been waiting decades for you! Where have you been? Where are the books you have for us? What? What do you mean, the books? How did you know I... Has someone been here beforehand? I thought there was just one plan out here. How did you know about? No, we've been praying for years and years and years that someone would come who would have a book for us to read that would show us the message of salvation. God stirs some men to pray long before he fulfills that in other people to answer their prayer. And so Peter here, he sees now the unfolding of what's happening, slowly but surely. While Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, behold, three men are looking for you. Rise, go down, accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them. So he does, he rises, he goes down, looking for, apparently. What's the reason for your coming? They relay that Cornelius, a centurion, upright, God-fearing man, well spoken of, was directed by a holy angel to send for you, to come to his house, to hear what you have to say. So he invited them in. That's the sort of thing that we see with so many Muslims today, an answering, a stirring up, or a vision, pointing people to someone where they can find that message of salvation, and answering it in time. Perhaps God would use us to relay that message to friends in our areas. Pray that God would open doors to share the gospel wherever that might be. So he ends up joining those men, meeting up with Cornelius finally the next day, goes over to Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them, he called them all his relatives and close friends together. And Cornelius meets him, falls down and worships him. This is something that comes up in several other places as well among Gentile nations. I think even in the reading recently yesterday, as he goes to Lystra, Everyone falls down the voice of a God and not a man. They worship him. There's been this sign that's been done, and they just wanna throw flowers, roses, kisses, whatever to him. Let's bring our offerings, bring everything out. These are the gods, Zeus and Hermes. Here, back closer to home base, same thing happens to Peter. They're not as intensely described as we find in Lystra. But these men bow down, Cornelius and his whole household, and he says, look, get up, stand up, I'm a man too. As he talked to them, he went and found many people gathered, said to them, you yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or 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 asked then, why you sent for me? And Cornelius shares exactly what had come to him, that vision, the angel that had come to him, told him about Peter, told him about where he might go, and this clarity that's reached. It's quite a fascinating juxtaposition of stories. You have Cornelius, this Gentile, Italian, Centurion. We have Peter, this Jewish disciple of Jesus Himself. Both of them are given a vision. Both of them play the role of messenger. Cornelius sends his messengers out to Peter, and Peter comes as the messenger of God, not as God Himself. Get out! I'm not God. I'm a man, just like you. I'm a witness. And that's where we get this profound thing after Cornelius clarifies how he was led to come to Peter. From verse 34, Peter says this incredible thing. If you're looking for another passage to memorize or at least spend good time in, verse 34 to 43 is an incredible description of what God is doing here among the Gentile nations. He opens his mouth and says, truly I understand. God shows no partiality. But in every nation, anyone who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him. God shows no partiality. Friends, that was the same thing that we find at the Passover with the Exodus. Anyone who will paint the blood over their door, anyone, whether Israel or whether Egypt, that spirit of death, that angel of death will pass over the house. The firstborn will be spared from that death. God shows no partiality. Only those who are covered by the blood of the Lamb will be saved. And every nation, anyone who fears Him and does what is right, is acceptable to Him. Does it remind you of another passage that we spent some time in a week ago? End of Ezekiel. And by Ezekiel, I mean Ecclesiastes. The end of the matter. All that's been heard. Fear God, and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. That final verse of Ecclesiastes continues in this way, to close that book up. Four, God will bring every deed into judgment with every secret thing, whether good or evil. Fear God and keep his commandments. Here, God shows no partiality, but in every nation, anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. And even in this little sermonette, He comes to the end in verse 42. And He commanded us, that's God, commanded us to preach to the people, to testify that He is the one appointed by God. That is, Jesus is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. That's textbook Ecclesiastes. He's basically given a little devotional from the last two verses of Ecclesiastes. This is for everyone, everywhere, who repents, who turns to the Lord, who fears Him, who does what He commands, repents, trusts. That one is acceptable to Him. And God is the judge of the living and the dead. Is God unfair in His judgment? No. That comes up so much as Paul writes to the Romans. Is he not unfair then, that if everything's decided beforehand, then who can resist his will? How is it fair that people die and they've not turned to him? How cruel a judge is he? No. People don't go to hell because they have not heard the gospel. People are not sent to hell because they have not heard. People are sent to hell because they are wicked, because they stand before an impartial judge who is a respecter of no persons, who lays bare all the thoughts and God offers to every nation for everyone who trusts in Him, who fears Him and does what's right, that one will be saved, that one will be accepted. Notice this role of witness that comes up here within this message. As for the word that God sent to Israel, preaching the good news of peace, through Jesus Christ. Again, borrowing now not from Ecclesiastes, but from Isaiah. How beautiful in the mountains the feet of him who bring the gospel, good news, who publish tidings of peace. He's looking in light of Christ, fresh of the life of Jesus, an understanding of how the Scriptures have been fulfilled. all of what we see through the Old Testament, from Abraham and the promise to the Gentiles, Ecclesiastes, the recognition of all that we are laid bare before God, Isaiah, the gospel that will come as a savior and a messiah is born. He's simply linking up, even for his Gentile audience, these Old Testament themes, and he's clarifying for them that this is not in vast ways to the Gentile audience. You yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning in Galilee. There's where he indicates that Cornelius may have had some inkling of the ministry of Jesus. He had heard something of who Jesus was. After the baptism, John proclaimed how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing. Healing all who were oppressed by the devil. For God was with him. And we are witnesses. There's the theme of the whole book. We are witnesses. We testify to what we've seen. That's how John writes the beginning of his first letter. what we've seen, what we've heard, what we've looked upon, what we've handled, this is what we declare to you. We're witnesses, we're simply describing what we've seen, describing what's happened around us, the truth of who God is. 39, 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, but to the people, sorry, not to all people, but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to judge the living and the dead. To him, Now he summarizes his message altogether. All the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. Everyone who believes. As Egypt, there was no respecter of persons. There was simply a look at the obedient painting of the blood of a lamb over their doorposts. as Solomon had called in his examination of the futility of everything in life, but fearing God, serving Him, obeying Him. Where God begins a work, where He initiates a work, He will finish it. He had initiated that work here in Cornelius. He had brought in this vision to stir in his heart a longing after understanding who God was, and it brings it The Holy Spirit falls on the Gentiles then, as Peter was saying these things. He wasn't sent down through some contrivance, through some formula. It was as the Word was being preached, as the Gospel was going forward, the Holy Spirit came down. Believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter, they were amazed. they were hearing them speaking in tongues, an extolling God. Notice even at Pentecost as well, this gift of tongues that came at Pentecost. The focus even there was that people heard, they understood in their own language what was being said. That was the miracle, that was the incredible thing. Everyone looking, it wasn't simply a jumble, they looked on and they said, Who are these ignorant Judeans who are simply gathered up here in a little hilltop, in this little room, as all of these other nations are gathered around, I'm hearing into my leg, you're hearing into your leg, we're all hearing and understanding what's being said and preached. The hearing and understanding was central, not simply the production, but the witness as it was heard. And so as it comes to Cornelius' household, The gospel is preached, the Spirit is poured out on the Gentiles, and there is a hearing of speaking in tongues and extolling God. And Peter declares, can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit as we have? And they were baptized. We have a role as witnesses of what God has done We have his testimony before us. Are we sharing that with the nations? Or are we hiding it in our shells? Are we hiding it away in our hearts as though it's something for us and only us and not for anyone else? If that's the sort of hiding that we're doing, it has not penetrated our hearts well. But if this takes root in our hearts and lives, we can echo with Peter We are not God, we're not gods, we're witnesses. Because he's chosen to reveal himself to us by the grace of his, the working of his spirit, in light of the finished work of Christ on the cross, we can now bring this message to the Gentiles, we can bring this message to the Jews, we can bring this message to all creation. until God's church is completed and he returns. That's the call that we have as witnesses. Peter goes out as a witness. Paul goes out later as a witness with Barnabas. And the church is grown as these men share what had been revealed to them. What a blessing we have in the word of God at our fingertips. Now, as they come to Jerusalem, we won't spend detail there, but I just want to consider the way that as we think about ministry in areas where there are differences in backgrounds, differences in understandings, in cultures, how is that addressed here within the Jew-Gentile distinction in the early church? Because now we see, as he goes back to share with everyone in Jerusalem, guys, you won't believe what happened out on the coast. This is the dream I had. here's what was done, these men came to my house, I went to his house, shared the gospel with him, the spirit came down, he trusted, he was baptized. There's an amazing work in outpouring of the spirit on the Gentiles. But now rubber meets the road, because now there's Jews and Gentiles in the same sort of audience. Those of you who had time to dig into the chapter that we were in for devotion this morning, Acts 15, the Jerusalem Council, where just later down the road, after Saul and Barnabas have been sent away on their first missionary journey, and they return bringing testimony of what God's done, they go back down to Jerusalem, and they see there's this meeting that's been had. How do we do this whole thing with the Gentiles? Do we make them follow our laws? Do we make them follow our traditions? This is how God has directed us to live, but they're coming in from a different sort of background. How do we manage this whole thing? where they had decided, as James had gotten up and spoken, he gives the summary judgment as far as how people can interact with one another, in grace, in understanding. In chapter 15, verse 19, here's James' judgment. My judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, specifically regarding circumcision and other laws that were put out. But we should write to them, one, to abstain from the things polluted by idols, two, from sexual immorality, three, from what's been strangled, and four, from blood. There's nothing unclean in themselves at this point, are there? In the food itself? It's not what goes into someone that defiles a person, but that which comes out, which proceeds from the heart. So why is this included in this advice, this instruction that James passes along? Abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, we can understand very much so. But also then, from what's been strangled, and from blood. And also on the other side, hang on, but even for the for the Jews, for the Gentiles, this shouldn't be a big issue. If something is, as came down on the sheet, okay for the Gentiles to eat, why should you say, even to them, they should abstain from eating that? There's a longing, I think, in what James is advising here, for considering the living together of these communities, the Jews and Gentiles together. On the one hand, those cultural understanders, the backgrounds of those things that have been done in worship to idols, which in themselves are not unclean, but which are tied together with the whole realm of what's been done in offering those up and worshipping and putting those before idols, as to not Indicate to those people that it's okay to worship idols. It's okay. We're behind you. We're eating this great We're acknowledging what we're doing what you're doing in worshipping idols or on the other way around The Gentiles coming together with the Jews and saying look it's not a problem if we have blood Don't you realize this is clean you can eat me. Okay. Look this is not a big deal. I But yet in both of these cases, there's an understanding of the connotation for the Jews and for the Gentiles in practices which were heavily tied in the one case to their idolatry, in the one case to the ceremonial role that God had laid out for the Jews far earlier on. And they're living together in the same place. I think in search of a unity among the Jews and the Gentiles, we see this reasoning. Not necessarily because right or wrong, though in one we can certainly see the abstaining from sexual immorality. There is a part of that that's included. But some of these being simply for an understanding of what is tied for the Jews, for the Gentiles, the connotations that go along, not just with an action, not just with a food, but with our worship of God. Are we nodding to idol worship? Are we nodding to disregard God's law? No, but we're seeking to build up the church in an understanding way, coming together. As we think through ministering in Muslim areas, ministering even in Hindu areas, I can think even on the trails walking with one believer there who we went from town to town with in the hills of Nepal. He'd never had any beef in his life before and we had some beef jerky there with him. And we had offered him at that point, we said, you know, would you be interested in trying beef? I don't want to push it on you, but if you'd be interested, you're very welcome. He said, yeah, that's fine, that's fine. So he tasted it, he said, ah, this is very good, this is very good, I've never had this before. And we asked him about it, we were just chatting, he said, yeah, you know, I wouldn't have this around at home. Because if people were to see this, they would get a very bad image, very wrong impression of what was going on. And I don't want to cut off ties that I have with them. Though I can eat this, and I really enjoy it. You must bring some more back next time. But I wouldn't do this around my family. I wouldn't do this around his relatives, his family. But God's grace has come to you. Repentance has come to trust in Christ. But we must be careful what we do, how it's seen, how it's understood. We may think one thing, oh, look, everything's lawful for me, everything's right for me. Not everything is helpful. We may be able to stand and to say, this is not a problem, this does not pollute me, but for the sake of those around us, are we actually looking to do things that are pointing them to Christ? Or that are distractions? that are stumbling blocks, that are obstacles to sharing the gospel. God uses these visions, uses the witnesses that he's called out to testify to his work, that his gospel would be proclaimed through all the earth, to Jews, to Gentiles, until the end. Let's pray. God, what a marvel that you used someone as Peter, who denied you three times at the very hour of your crucifixion. That you would use him as a witness. What a school of hard knocks you brought him through, Father. What a school that you must bring so many of us through in our stubbornness. Father, we pray that you would continue to grow our recognition of who we are in the light of Christ, that we would trust all of our righteousness as yours, all of our goodness as being in you. Father, we thank you for the grace that you've given us in Christ, that he has been made known not simply to the Jews, but through Abraham and his seed to all generations, Father. that everyone in any nation who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. We thank you, Father, for that blessing. May we not lose heart, may we not take it for granted, but remind us of it, refresh us in it. We would enjoy the sweet savor of what you've given us in Christ. In his good name we pray.