2022-05-15 Acts 10:34-43 A Promise Kept (4): Planting the Seed

A PROMISE KEPT (4): PLANTING THE SEED (Acts 10:34-43) May 15, 2022 Read Acts 10:34-43 - II Pet 3:9b tells us God is "not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." That includes those we dislike. All our real and perceived enemies fall under that blanket of God's good will. Peter learned that the hard way. Israel had failed to keep God's promise to Abe to bless all nations thru them. But in Jesus that promise was kept objectively. He bought eternal life for people of any race, color or creed. But that promise must be subjectively applied by the hated Gentiles. God sends a highly prejudiced man to do that job - Peter. It changed his whole life. Feelings between Jews and Gentiles were like what Billy Graham found on arriving at his 1953 crusade in Chattanooga, TN. Segregated areas were roped off. He immediately began to tear down the ropes. Horrified ushers protested, "Please Rev. Graham, this will be misunderstood." Graham replied, "Please understand this - either these ropes stay down or you can have this revival without me." Peter wasn't in favor of taking the ropes down. But God got his heart, and sent him to fulfill his ancient promise to bless the Gentiles. So, Peter sows the seed, emphasizing how active God the Father has been in providing the redemption that His own holiness demands. Peter's message can be summarized in 6 things God does in bringing salvation to everyone. I. God Sees Peter's first words were humbling to him, but music to Cornelius' ears: "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality." "The gospel is for everyone. Israel was intended to share His grace, not be the exclusive recipient." Peter's always thought God's favor was limited to Israel. Now he sees God accepted an honest and contrite heart whether in a Jew or Gentile. God sees everything in every place, and responds to those who diligently seek Him. Prov 8:17: "I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me." Now, we know that no one would seek God if He didn't put it in their heart first. I Jn 4:19: "We love because he first loved us." But the point is God sees those who respond to whatever light they have and supplies anything they lack, as He is doing in the case of Cornelius. Jer 29:13: "You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart." Peter should have known this. God chose Abe to start with because no one was seeking God. He created Israel by grace, not to be an exclusive club, but as a repository of His revelation to bless the whole world. Israel was never exclusive even in the OT. Rahab was a Gentile who found God (Josh 2), as was Ruth, Naaman (II Kings 5), and the Shunammite woman who housed Elisha (II Kings 4). God even sent a very reluctant Jonah, to the despised Assyrians. Jesus told His disciples in Peter's presence in Jn 10:16 "And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd." Anyone can find favor with and be accepted by God who is ready to fear and follow Him. So, is Cornelius saved? No! He didn't know Jesus yet. According to Acts 11:14, he'd been told Peter would "declare to you a message by which you will be saved." He didn't know Jesus, and Jesus, by virtue of His death for sin, is the only way to the Father. He prays, Jn 17:3, "And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ who you have sent." Cornelius didn't know that yet. But prompted by his seeking heart, God sent Peter to tell him. When Israel was enslaved in Egypt, God says in Exod 3:7: "I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them." Isn't it good that God sees? And comes down? God responds to any heart dead set on finding Him. II. God Sent So Peter introduces the gospel in an interesting way saying 36a) As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ." What "word" does Peter mean? Well, note, this "Word" was "sent" and this "word came" "preaching". This word acts. This is a living Word. The logos. This is the word John wrote about: Jn 1:1: "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God. . . . 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him." Israel as a whole rejected that word. But all who did believe in Him were made children of God. That was the gospel to the Jews. Same gospel to the Gentiles. So God sent Jesus who was "preaching good news of peace thru JC." He was preaching Himself! Really? Of course. Jn 3:16: "Whoever believes in [me] has eternal life." Peace with God. Acceptance by the Father. News doesn't get any gooder than that, does it? But Peter also has in mind peace between Jew and Gentile. That is the whole point of this meeting. Prior there was no peace between Jew and Gentile. But now - good news - there is peace through their common commitment to God's sent one - thru their common acceptance by God, they have peace with each other. Eph 2:14a: "For he is our peace, who has made us both one." Jesus has broken down the barriers that no one else could break down. He is Lord of all - not just Jew - not just Gentile -- but all! Peter goes on: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem." Jesus of Nazareth here, his human identity. Peter's clarifying that a real man - Jesus of Nazareth is the one God sent. And rather than stress His fulfillment of OT prophecies, as he might with a Jewish audience, Peter moves right to His unprecedented life. "This man healed sick people, cast out demons, did only good. You can't deny God had His hand on Him. He was not ordinary. He was sent - by God. In fact, He was God, come on a rescue mission to deliver all from sin." A helicopter searching for 2 lost scientists spotted 2 men standing in a clearing A note was dropped: "If you are the lost geologists, go to the center of the clearing and wave." The men read the note and turned and left. Two hours later, the helicopter crew found the scientists' lost snowmobiles. Footprints led them right to the men at the camp they'd seen before. They asked, "Why didn't you respond to our note?" They replied, "Because, we're hydrologists, not geologists." What they really were was more lost than they thought. But that's all of us outside of Christ - Jew, Gentile, Russian, American alike. Lost! But God sent His own Son to our rescue. He's has come! We must respond. III. God Atoned But how did the world receive Him? 39b) "They put him to death by hanging him on a tree." The world rejected Him. in so doing, Peter said earlier they "killed the Author of life" (Acts 3:15). Paul says they "crucified the Lord of glory" (I Cor 2:8). The Jews killed their own Messiah. How ironic is that? But in killing Him, they unleashed God's plan to redeem any lost sinner who would trust in Him - including themselves. What irony! For on that cross the perfect Son of God, having passed every Satanic test, became the Lamb of God without blemish who, with no sin of His own to atone for, assumed the guilt of every sin of every person who would ever put their faith in Him. He was the ultimate fulfillment of Joseph who, betrayed by his own brothers, was sold into Egyptian slavery. Yet later, having rescued them from the famine told them, Gen 50:20: "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive." Jesus could have said the very same thing from the cross. "You meant evil against me in killing me, but God will turn it to your own salvation if you'll accept this death as yours!" Amazing plan, isn't it? Amazing Savior and amazing God. IV. God Raised This might all sound like fairytales, except for one thing. 40 "but God raised him on the third day." God emphatically overrode the judgment of those who killed Him. And Peter, Paul and more than 500 eyewitnesses validated for all time the truth of Jesus' atoning death. As skeptic Lee Strobel said after an exhaustive 2-year investigation into the resurrection of Christ, "I realized it would require much more faith for me to maintain my atheism than to trust in Jesus of Nazareth." That's the message of the resurrection. Jesus saves! Everything hinges on the resurrection. I Cor 15:17 "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. . . . 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead." Here is God's supreme evidence of the truth of everything the Bible teaches and everything Jesus claimed. The resurrection says, "It's all true, and now Jesus has a claim on every life." We ignore it at our eternal peril. The hope for humanity rests on this single fact. Jesus lives. At the Battle of Waterloo, Wellington against Napoleon, the destiny of Europe hanging in the balance. Dense fog engulfed the English Channel when signal lights messaged: "Wellington defeated." Despair reigned in England. But the fog lifted and the full message was received: "Wellington defeated the enemy." So Jesus' resurrection reverses the defeat of the cross, turning it into ultimate, eternal victory for all who believe. God raised Him - the core of the gospel message. Jesus lives - forever - you can, too! V. God Judges But Peter's not done: 42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. Peter says, "He commanded us to preach - preach what? That "God is love"? Yes, preach that. That Jesus came "to give His life as a ransom for many"? Yes, preach that. That "whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life"? Yes, preach that. But you must also preach that Jesus "is the one appointed by God to judge." You must preach that also. You say, "Not my God. My God is a God of love. He would certainly never send anyone to hell." But do you not see that it is precisely because He IS love that He MUST judge. It is because He loves that He must demand accountability. Otherwise sin, and evil and wickedness and suffering and death and terror would go on forever. What kind of God would allow that - a God of love? Surely you jest. It is because He loves that He will one day bring evil down! It is because He loves that He's made provision for you to escape His judgment. But bc He loves, He will judge. Payday is coming. Those who think God will not eventually judge every human act in perfect fairness are in for an eternal shock. John Piper quotes Virginia Stem Owens: "Let us get this one thing straight. God can do anything he damn well pleases including damn well. And if it pleases him to damn, then it is done ipso facto, well. God's activity is what it is. There isn't anything else. Without it there would be no being, including human beings presuming to judge the creator of everything that is." Piper says, "I like women like that." Me, too! They get the truth that God is Heb 12:29: "a consuming fire" against those who dare refuse His blood-bought gift of life. And rightfully so. Make no mistake, God judges. That's part of the message. VI. God Forgives But there is one more part, right? Peter concludes: 43 "To him [Jesus] all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." Forgiveness! You can't earn it, buy it, negotiate for it or get it by family connections. You can only accept it by faith. Based on Jesus' death, God will forgive your sins - all of them - past, present and future. In that single moment of repentance, you can pass from death to life. Jesus died for you, and so He has a right to our whole life. John 12:48: "The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day." The meek and mild Jesus leaves no doubt. "Be judged by my words, or be saved by my words. The choice is yours." Jn 5:22 "For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son." There is no escape; but there is this: Jn 5:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life." Why? Bc the Father sent the Son to buy your forgiveness you need only ask to receive. Conc - Whoever you are, the message is Jesus. Don't miss Jesus. Michael Dick, a Brit, had a daughter who left home after a violent fight. At first, he assumed she'd gone to some friends, but after awhile he got worried. By the end of 10 years, he was desperate. So in 2007, he got the Suffolk Free Press to help. They wrote a story, and included a family picture hoping it might touch Lisa's emotions. Long story, short, Lisa saw it, and a great reunion followed. Later, examining the fam photo more closely, Lisa noticed a woman walking in the background, and when Lisa found out where the photo was taken, she realized - she was the woman in the background. She was in the very pix taken to find her, but had no idea that was her family. So close, but so far. Perhaps it's that way with you and Jesus. He's here, you know. And today He's not the judge; He's your waiting Savior. Now is the time. Tomorrow is the day of accountability; but today is "the day of salvation" (II Cor 6:2b). Don't put it off. Come to Him now. You'll never regret it. Let's pray. DONE 7