Acts 10:1-8

                                                                         Acts 10:1-8

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.  About the ninth hour of the day 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?” 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.

 

God has commissioned His disciples to take the Gospel to all nations.  They had faithfully proclaimed in Jerusalem.  Persecution spread them throughout Judea and Samaria.  Spreading to the Gentiles was a more difficult jump for them to make.  However, God was at work and His mission is His priority.  This chapter relates the conversion of the first Gentile household.  We are introduced to the leader of this family in this section of Scripture.  There are some valuable lessons to learn about the way God works in the hearts and lives of men to bring them to Himself.  It is a clear demonstration of God’s grace and faithfulness. 

 

CORNELIUS RESPONDS TO INITIAL REVELATION: Cornelius is a Roman soldier who was powerful, wealthy, and had many responsibilities.  He was in a position where he could have easily exploited others.  It would have been common for a man in his position to be proud, self-sufficient, and practice the idolatry of his people.  However, he did just the opposite.  He was generous to care for people who were suffering and in need.  He feared the Lord and prayed to Him regularly.  We do not know how he came to be such an honest, devout, and giving person.  His exposure to the Jewish people and the Old Testament Scriptures may have brought him to this point.  He may have even met Jesus at some point or been impacted by what he had heard.  No matter how he learned to pray, and give does not matter as much as the fact that he was being faithful to respond to the initial revelation he had been given.  All people everywhere have been given the witnesses of creation and conscience that point them to the existence and attributes of God.  While this revelation cannot save a person from sin, men are responsible to respond to this revelation in obedience.  All of us are responsible to respond to what God has revealed to us.  Since we have the Scriptures, we have a great deal of responsibility. 

 

CORNELIUS RECEIVES ADDITIONAL REVELATION: As Cornelius prays, the Lord sends and angel that instructs him to send for Peter and tells him exactly where Peter can be found.  The Lord had heard his prayers and had seen the sincerity of generosity and responds by sending this messenger from the Lord to Cornelius.  When people respond to initial revelation God is faithful to send additional revelation.  There are two important truths to observe in this exchange.  The first is that only faith in Jesus Christ can save man from his sin.  The prayers and alms that Cornelius practiced were pleasing to the Lord but could never have saved him.  He needed to hear about Jesus.  The second truth is that God has appointed men to be the messengers of the Good News.  We saw earlier in Acts how Jesus appeared to Saul and now and angel appears to Cornelius.  However, in both cases, a man was sent to explain the Gospel.  This angel could have told Cornelius about Jesus.  Instead, the angel told him where he could find someone to tell him about Jesus.  We are all responsible to respond to the revelation we have.  As we do so, God is faithful to provide any further instruction that might be needed.  We must be faithful to tell others about Jesus.  The Gospel has been entrusted to us. 

 

CORNELIUS RECOGNIZES HE NEEDS SPECIAL REVELATION: Despite being a God fearing and generous man, Cornelius recognizes that he is missing something.  When the angel tells him to send for Peter, he does not question or hesitate.  Apparently, he knew that he was missing something because when the angel appears, he tells them that his prayers had been answered.  Cornelius was praying for God to show him the truth.  No matter how many good works we do or how sincere we are about praying, there is no salvation apart from Christ.  This powerful leader of men humbly recognized his need and was willing to send for help as soon as he knew where to find it.  One of our main jobs is to help people see their need of the Lord.  It is not natural for people to think that they are insufficient.  Most people feel that they are good enough on their own.  We must pray that God will open their eyes to their need and then be ready to meet that need by sharing Christ with them.

 

APPLICATION: Know that no amount of good works, sincerity, or even fear of the Lord can save us or anyone from sin.  As important as all three of those are, only faith in the Lord Jesus Christ can save us.  The only way that the Gospel will be preached is if we preach it.  We are responsible for telling others about Jesus.  When we need help don’t be afraid to ask for it.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than a...
Read more

2 Timothy 1:3-7

I thank God   whom I serve, as did my ancestors,   with a clear conscience, as I remember you   constantly in my prayers night and day.    As I remember your tears,   I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.    I am reminded of   your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and   your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.    For this reason I remind you   to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us   a spirit not of fear but   of power and love and self-control. It is easy for us to forget many important things especially in the face of difficulty or danger.  Paul is in prison and Timothy is facing difficult times in ministry so there are important reminders that Paul wants to make sure that Timothy understands.  God has given us everything we need to face the difficulties He allows i...
Read more

2 Timothy 1:8-14

Therefore   do not be ashamed of   the testimony about our Lord, nor of   me his prisoner, but   share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,   who saved us and   called us to a holy calling,   not because of our works but because of   his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus   before the ages began, and which now has   been manifested through   the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus,   who abolished death and   brought life and   immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But   I am not ashamed, for   I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until   that day   what has been entrusted to me.  Follow   the pattern of   the sound words   that you have heard from me, in   the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. ...
Read more