Acts Bible Study: Chapter 10:1-8
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Acts 10:1–8 (NASB)
1 Now there was a man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort, 2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually. 3 About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had just come in and said to him, “Cornelius!” 4 And fixing his gaze on him and being much alarmed, he said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God. 5 “Now dispatch some men to Joppa and send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter; 6 he is staying with a tanner named Simon, whose house is by the sea.” 7 When the angel who was speaking to him had left, he summoned two of his servants and a devout soldier of those who were his personal attendants, 8 and after he had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
1 Now there was a man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort,
Mark 15:16 (NASB)
16 The soldiers took Him away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium), and they called together the whole Roman cohort.
Acts 27:1 (NASB)
1 When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, they proceeded to deliver Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan cohort named Julius.
[Caesar Augustus, aka Octavian. This would have been Roman soldiers that guarded Caesar, this legion/cohort, instituted by Augustus]
Cornelius would have been triply on the black list. He was a Gentile which was bad enough for Jews, but he was also a Roman soldier, like the one that crucified Christ, and worse, not just a man that followed orders day in a day out, he was a man that gave orders too.
2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually.
Proverbs 9:10 (NASB)
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
[The word for “devout” is “eusebes” and it is only used three times in the NT. Twice in this passage and once in 2 Peter 2. It means “godly”]
2 Peter 2:9 (NASB)
9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,
Acts 10:7 (NASB)
7 When the angel who was speaking to him had left, he summoned two of his servants and a devout soldier of those who were his personal attendants,
[There is another word for devout in the NT. “Eulabes”. It means deeply religious but it could be said of believer in Christ, a Jew or even a worshiper of a false god. It isn’t exclusively connected to the God of the Bible. It is used 4 times in the NT, every time by Luke.]
Luke 2:25–26 (NASB)
25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
Acts 2:5 (NASB)
5 Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven.
Acts 8:2 (NASB)
2 Some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him.
Acts 22:12–13 (NASB)
12 “A certain Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the Law, and well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, 13 came to me, and standing near said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very time I looked up at him.
[All that to say, there were two options of words to describe Cornelius and Luke used the one that is exclusively, specifically connected to the one true God.]
1 Thessalonians 5:14–17 (NASB)
14 We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. 16 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing;
3 About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had just come in and said to him, “Cornelius!”
Exodus 29:38–42 (ESV)
38 “Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old day by day regularly. 39 One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight. 40 And with the first lamb a tenth measure of fine flour mingled with a fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and a fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering. 41 The other lamb you shall offer at twilight, and shall offer with it a grain offering and its drink offering, as in the morning, for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord. 42 It shall be a regular burnt offering throughout your generations at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the Lord, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there.
Acts 3:1 (NASB)
1 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer.
Daniel 9:20–21 (NASB)
20 Now while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, 21 while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering.
4 And fixing his gaze on him and being much alarmed, he said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God.
Acts 9:3–6 (NASB)
3 As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; 4 and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, 6 but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.”
Hebrews 11:6 (NASB)
6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Revelation 5:8 (NASB)
8 When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
Psalm 141:1–2 (NASB)
1 O Lord, I call upon You; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to You! 2 May my prayer be counted as incense before You; The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.
5 “Now dispatch some men to Joppa and send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter; 6 he is staying with a tanner named Simon, whose house is by the sea.”
Acts 8:40 (NASB)
40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he kept preaching the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.
Acts 21:7–8 (ESV)
7 When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for one day. 8 On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.
Acts 9:43 (ESV)
43 And he stayed in Joppa for many days with one Simon, a tanner.
7 When the angel who was speaking to him had left, he summoned two of his servants and a devout soldier of those who were his personal attendants, 8 and after he had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
Five final observations before we go into our discussion groups:
He immediately acted upon the instruction from the Lord. Obedience without delay indicates much about his heart.
He did exactly what he was told to do. It was not only immediate obedience but complete obedience.
He was a centurion. He commanded respect and obedience himself.
Matthew 8:8–9 (ESV)
8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
And yet, it isn’t to Rome that his servants seemed devoted but rather to the Lord. Again, this speaks to the heart of Cornelius.
4. Notice who he sent. His personal attendants. It speaks to the seriousness of which he responded to this vision.
5. Notice also that he explained to them everything. This was not required for them to obey his commands but rather it tells us he wanted them to know the details because they would have been even greater motivated to obey his orders because the command came not only from him but from God.