Sermon 17

Reaching Out To Gentiles

Acts 10:1-33

Chapter 10 is pivotal in the Book of Acts because it records the church taking the gospel for the first time to the Gentiles. Peter, to whom Christ gave "the keys to the kingdom" (Matthew 16:19) unlocked the door to the Jews at Pentecost in Acts 2, unlocked the door to the Samaritans in Acts 8, and now unlocks the door to the Gentiles at the house of Cornelius in Acts 10.

Bible historians say that the events in Acts 10-11 took place about 10 years after Pentecost. Why did the church wait so long before going to the lost Gentiles? After all, some of Jesus' last words had been been to "go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature", to be "witnesses unto him both in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and unto the uttermost parts of the earth."

I am of the personal opinion (not a strong conviction; not even a strongly held opinion) that these Jewish apostles knew that Gentiles could be saved (after all, Jesus had had personal evangelistic encounters with Samaritans <John 4> and Gentiles <Matthew 15>) but were uncertain as to whether the church was to be strictly a Jewish institution or could include Gentiles.

God used Peter and Cornelius to show them that indeed the church could and should include Gentiles and Acts 10 -11 is where it happened.

This wonderful drama unfolds in 4 acts.

Act 1 - Preparation, 10:1-33.

God sovereignly worked on both ends - preparing Peter to bring the message and Cornelius to hear the message. In this case there were angels at work and visions involved in making the soil ready to produce fruit.

In the city of Caesarea, the Roman capital of Judea, located about 65 northwest of Jersualam and about 30 miles north of Joppa, lived Cornelius, the Roman Centurion meaning that he was a Roman officer in charge of 100 men.

It is clear from the text that Cornelius was a deeply religious man. His heart had tired of the pagan myths and empty religious rituals of Roman religion and he had turned to Judaism in hopes of discovering true salvation. He was religious, v. 2. He is described as "devout" (a man of piety and devotion to the things of God), as a "God fearing man" (he had a deep sense of reverence for God personally and passed that on to his family), a generous man ("gave much alms to the people"), and a praying man ("prayed to God always"). According to verse 22, Cornelius was a "just" man (honest and righteous in his dealings) and of a good reputation. He was religious. He was searching. But he was not saved.

In verses 3-8, we read how the Lord prepared his heart for the gospel through an angel and a vision. God had heard his prayers and seen his generosity. This raises an interesting question. Does God hear the prayers of sinners? We often hear it said that No, God does not hear the prayers of the unsaved. John 9:31 "Now we know that God heareth not sinners..." (Consider the context of this statement). God promises to hear the prayers of his children but He is under no obligation to hear the prayers of sinners. He may, as in the case of Cornelius, choose to hear and answer a sinner's prayer but has made no promise to. God was at work in the life of Cornelius.

God was also preparing Peter to go to the house of Cornelius. Beginning in verse 9, the scene switched from Caesarea to Joppa, from Cornelius to Peter. It's 3:00 in the afternoon, a Peter goes up on the roof to pray while he waits for his hosts to finish preparation of dinner. In fact, verse 10 tells us that Peter was "very hungry and would have eaten!" Instead, verse 10 says that he entered into an altered state of mind (the word for "trance" means amazement or astonishment).

In the trance, Peter sees the heavens open and a sheet knit (bond; tied) at the four corners being let down. On the sheet are all kinds of creatures - pigs, wild animals, reptiles, and birds. Peter hears the voice of the Lord saying to him, "Rise, Peter, kill, and eat!." It's not a suggestion, it's a command.

How did Peter respond to the Lord's command? "Not so, Lord." No, Lord. Wait a minute! You can say, "No." And you can say, "Lord." But you cannot say, "No, Lord." But that is exactly what Peter said to God. This is not the first time for Peter to respond to the Lord like this (see also Matthew 16:21-22; Matthew 26:31-35). Peter had lived as an orthodox Jew all of his life and had never eaten something which was forbidden under the Old Testament law. Now, he is being commanded to eat such beasts.

This is evidence to us that we are not under the dietary laws of the Old Testament. God does not require of us to be vegetarians as some suggest nor forbid us from eating certain meats, see also Mark 7:15; Romans 14:1, 2, 6, 14a; I Timothy 4:3-5.

It took three times to get through Peter's thick skull (denial; love me).

I am not sure whether Peter ever did eat, really but according to verse 17, he was perplexed about exactly what the vision meant.

At that very moment, the men whom Cornelius had sent from Caesarea to find Peter and request him to come arrived. Peter has seen a vision and now he hears a voice. The Spirit speaks to be Peter telling him about the three men and commanding him to go with them without hesitation.

The next day, Peter and Cornelius meet. Peter refuses to be worshipped by the Cornelius and discovers that his audience is much larger than just one man. He "found many that were come together." Cornelius had invited his relatives and his close friends to the meeting.

In verse 28, you discover how far Peter had come. It was considered by Jews to be unlawful to associate with Gentiles and to go to their houses. But the lesson of the vision to Peter that no man was considered common or unclean by God.

The sheet was not just about food, it was about people. God was tearing down the walls - the cultural and racial barriers between Jews and Gentiles.

The world generally expresses intolerance and bigotry and prejudice. Even Christianity is not immune to this tendency. Skin color, social status, educational group, income level, cultural differences often find cause people to get a not-so-subtle message that they are unwelcome in the church.

The gospel and the church are not suppose to show such thinking. That was the first step, the step of preparation necessary in causing the church to reach out to Gentiles.