SUNDAY - AUGUST 10, 2025 "Chasing Reality" Acts 10:17-33

Welcome to DeSoto Hills Baptist Church.

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God bless.

If you have your Bibles, this morning we'll be in Acts, chapter 10.

Acts 10 · chapter mention

I'm going to start reading in verse 17 today.

Last week, in the first 16 verses of Acts, chapter 10, we talked about two different visions how this man named Cornelius had a vision when an angel came and spoke to him.

Acts 10 · chapter mention

And then we talked about Peter, and Peter had a vision when God spoke to him.

But we talked about how those two visions really revealed to us one single reality.

The reality of the two visions was this was that from the very beginning, even before the beginning, what Paul writes in the book of Ephesians, even before the foundation of the world, god has been working salvation and his plan for salvation before the foundation of the world and we know that was for all peoples we talked about how God entered into a covenant with Abraham and how he told Abraham that he was going to be a blessing to all the peoples of the world.

And so we saw how that worked out through Jesus, how Jesus came, how he lived a perfect life, how he died on the cross, how he arose from the grave, obtaining salvation for all those who believe in him, no matter where they come from.

For all people, salvation was, was, was made available and we know that guy, that was the plan of god from before the foundation of the time and these two visions that that they had pointed to, that single reality for us.

But as we come to today's passage, what we're going to see is we're going to see Peter and Cornelius chasing that reality.

They may not realize that they're chasing the reality, they may not realize that they are moving towards and God is using them to reveal how his plan for salvation has been for all ethnicities.

They may not realize that they're doing that, but God is leading them and they are chasing this reality.

And we see that because we see Peter, we see him listen to the Spirit and obey the Spirit and go to Cornelius and we see Cornelius was waiting and expecting to hear from God.

As we examine these two men and as we examine the Scriptures and what they did, we can see that we can obey what God has told us to do and as we obey, we can expect to hear from Him.

But the challenge for us the challenge for us to listen and hear is is that we need to trust and trust in God and prepare our hearts, prepare our hearts for him to move, prepare our hearts to see him, prepare our hearts to hear from him.

So the question that we want to answer this morning is how did Peter's and Cornelius's actions demonstrate that they expected a movement from God?

So let's read this morning.

I invite you, if you are able, to stand with me as we give honor to the reading of God's Word.

We're going to begin in Acts, chapter 10, verse 17, and read down through verse 33.

Acts 10:17

Now, while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon's house, stood at the gate and called out to ask whether Simon, who was called Peter, was lodging there.

While Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him Behold, three men are looking for you.

Rise and go down.

And the men and said I am the one you are looking for.

What is the reason for your coming?

And they said so.

He invited them in to be his guests, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.

So he invited them in to be his guests.

The next day he arose and went away with them and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him, and on the following day they entered Caesarea.

Cornelius was expecting them and they called together his relatives and close friends.

When Peter entered, cornelius met him and fell down at his relatives and close friends.

When Peter entered, cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.

But Peter lifted him up, saying Stand up, I too am a man.

And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered and he said to them you yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to 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 said four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing and said Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God.

Send, therefore, to Joppa and ask for Simon, who is called Peter.

He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner by the sea, so sent for you at once and you have been kind enough to come.

Now.

Therefore, we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that.

You have been commanded by the Lord.

Let's pray together.

God, I thank you for this opportunity that we have to open your word.

I thank you for the gift of your word that you have given us, that that it is the revelation of yourself to us.

And father, we pray now as we open, as we explore, as we investigate the depths, the riches of the knowledge of your word, god, that that you will reveal yourself to us.

You will show yourself, god, and you will change us for all eternity.

We love you, jesus.

It's in your name that we pray.

Amen, you may be seated.

So, again, the question that we are seeking to answer is is is how did Peter's and Cornelius's actions demonstrate that they expected a movement from God?

Well, first of all, we need to see Peter.

What we see in Peter is that he obeyed the, the spirit, and when the spirit talked to him, remember, let's remember the vision that Peter had we've talked about it for just a moment and that he had one, but let's remember what that vision looked like Peter was praying and fell into a trance.

What scripture tells us, and as he was in that trance, the heavens opened, the skies opened and something like a sheet was lowered down by the corners before Peter and he looked on the sheet and he saw all kinds of animals he saw according to Jewish dietary laws.

He saw clean animals, he saw unclean animals.

He saw all these animals on the sheet and God spoke to him and said rise Peter, kill and eat.

Peter said no, god, I've never, I've never done anything like that.

I've not put anything in my mouth or done anything that was common or unclean.

And God said to him he said what God has made clean, do not call common.

So three times Scripture tells us that they had this conversation and then it says that the sheet was taken up at once into heaven.

And Peter was perplexed, he was left in bewilderment.

God, what is going on?

I don't understand.

I don't get it.

What are you trying to tell me?

I don't understand God.

What are you doing?

I don't understand God.

What are you doing?

And as he was perplexed, it happened that the three men sent from Cornelius and we'll get to them in a minute.

They stood at the gate and they called out for Peter.

And as they were calling out for Peter again.

He was pondering, still pondering in his heart, what was happening and what was taking place, and the spirit spoke to him again and said and I think it's interesting what he says to him in verse 20 in verse 20 he says rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I've sent them now.

I know it's not the exact same words, but it begins.

That begins the same way when God spoke to Peter.

In the vision, he sees all these animals and he says rise, peter, kill and eat.

And we have the privilege, we have the opportunity to look back on this passage and look back on this vision, which Peter didn't have.

So we know because hindsight is 20-20, we know that the vision is more than just about dietary eating laws.

We know that the vision was more than that.

We know that the vision was God saying hey, salvation is for all.

But Peter, let's give him some grace here.

He's just in the middle of it.

And so, as he is looking back and pondering, god speaks to him and says again hey, rise, peter, go down to these Gentiles, I got something to show you.

So then the question is what does Peter do?

Well, he gets up, he goes down and greets these men and talks to them.

They tell them his story, that an angel came to Cornelius and told him to send for Peter.

So here they are, standing before Peter I love in verse 23,.

It says this he invited them in to be his guests.

So understand what's happening with Peter.

We talked about this last week.

But let me remind you, peter is in a tanner's house.

He is at the house of Simon the tanner, and we talked about last week how that would have been unfathomable for any Jew in their right mind.

Because it's a tanner, because the job of the tanner was to to work with dead animal hides.

He is going to be perpetually unclean because daily he's out working with dead things and so he's always unclean.

So so any jew, any self-respecting jew, would not go into a Tanner's house.

But here's Simon in the Tanner's house, here's Peter in the Tanner's house.

And not only is he here in the Tanner's house.

Look what happens.

He invites Gentiles into the house and entertains them overnight, and entertains them Overnight, overnight.

And why does he do it?

Very simple, simple answer here because God told him to.

This is what God said, do.

And he did it.

And he didn't just halfway do it.

Listen, he's all in on this.

He invited them in, he entertained them and then what we find out is, on the next day he rose and he went with them Just what God said to do and listen.

Let's pause here for a moment and understand.

Peter doesn't have the full story.

Listen, there's lots of blanks in the story that's coming up.

Listen, while God has had the plan before the foundation of the world, peter doesn't know it.

He's going step by step and there's tons of blanks in the story and there's tons of holes in the story and Peter hadn't all filled them in.

We know that because he's perplexed.

We know that because he's pondering.

Listen.

But there's one thing that Peter does know.

Here's what he knows.

He knows God is trustworthy and he knows he can trust God in whatever God tells him to do.

So what Peter is going to do, even with holes in the story and even with blanks in the story, peter is, step by step, just going to do what God's told him to do.

He's not looking for all the answers at one time.

He's not looking for God to lay the plan out all the time.

He's not waiting for that.

He's not sitting back and saying God, if you'll just show me exactly what to do for the next five years.

I'm all in God.

Nope, he's saying God, I know, you know what's going to happen the next five years.

Show me what to do this minute, show me what to do the next minute.

And, step by step by step, he is chasing the reality of God's plan because he trusts God with everything that he has.

Church, let me ask you is there something God's called you to do?

Is there something that God's asking you to do, that he has revealed to you and that he is showing to you to do?

Listen, you may not have all the answers and you may not know how it's going to work out.

The call is not for us to know all of that.

The call is for us to, step by step by step, obey.

It's what Peter did, and his actions demonstrate to us that he was expecting God to work.

He didn't know how, he didn't know what, but he trusted God was doing something and he was expecting it to happen.

So he just, step by step, obeyed.

Second person that we see here is Cornelius.

Cornelius, he received this vision to send for Peter and he did it.

Now remember who Cornelius is.

Cornelius is a wealthy centurion.

He is a wealthy Roman soldier and just as Peter, just as a Jew any self-respecting Jew in their right mind wouldn't have been at a tanner's house and wouldn't have entertained Gentiles on that night.

Any self-respecting wealthy Roman soldier would not have even asked a Jew for help.

But what did Cornelius do?

He sent for Peter Just what the angel told him to do.

Cornelius did it and he sent for Peter.

But listen, he didn't just send and wait and go.

God, would you hurry up?

God, I mean, can you show me something now?

God, what did he do?

He says?

He tells us down in verse 30, 30, that they were gone for four days.

Four days they were gone.

And in that time we see what Cornelius did.

He gathered family and friends.

It tells us right here.

It says and on the following day they entered Caesarea.

Cornelius, expecting them, had called together his relatives and close friends.

Cornelius was expecting something to happen.

He thought something was happening.

He thought God was doing something big and he didn't want to keep it to himself.

So he reached out to his relatives, he reached out to his close friends.

Now imagine for just a moment that you're a Roman living in Caesarea, which is kind of remember we talked about last week.

Caesarea was kind of the capital.

There were a lot of Romans there and a lot of official Romans there in Caesarea, and Cornelius.

He comes to you Imagine I'm Cornelius and you're one of his relatives and he comes and says, hey, I had this vision.

This Jewish guy is going to come and he's going to give us the answers to life.

They would have said what in the world are you talking about?

What do they know about anything?

But he went Because he thought God was doing something big.

He was expecting God to do something big.

He had had this vision and he invited them to come.

And then here comes Peter.

He shows up and as Peter comes in, it tells us that he bowed down and worshiped Peter.

Now, before we give Cornelius a hard time, let's understand.

Cornelius feared God.

He was a God fearer, but he was still not a Jesus believer.

He was still a Roman citizen.

And and their background, their culture, I mean, that was what you did.

Anybody could have been a god.

You could have been a demigod walking around.

So Peter shows up and he's heard these stories about Peter and an angel told him to send for Peter.

So he just did what he thought was right and he bowed down and he worshiped him.

But Peter, thank goodness, said no, no, get up, get up, get up, I'm just a man, just like you, which would have shocked Cornelius, peter said.

He looked around and he looked at the people gathered together.

There were a lot of people there and he told them.

He said hey, listen, you realize that according to Jewish law, it is unlawful for me to be here.

I shouldn't be here.

But here's what he says.

But God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.

Listen, while Peter was perplexed about the vision, when they showed up, little by little, god's revealing it to them, to him, and at this point he has realized hey, the vision was not about unclean animals, the vision was about unclean people.

I shouldn't call anybody common or unclean.

If God's sending me to them, what I need to do is I need to go to them Little by little.

God's revealing the plan and Peter is just trusting and he's following.

But I love, I love what happens in verse 33.

Peter, first of all, before we get there, he asked him Now, why did you send for me?

Peter's still trying to fill in blanks.

He asked him again hey, why did you send for me?

Cornelius basically tells him the same thing that the people, that the men he sent, told him.

So not a lot new.

Not a lot of new information to work on.

But I love verse 33 and how it ends.

He says so I sent for you at once and you've been kind enough to come Now.

Therefore, we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.

Listen, they had gathered together an expectation to hear what God is doing, an expectation to hear what God is doing.

They are gathered to get together, wanting to hear what God is doing.

Now, church.

We're going to tie these two points together in just a minute, but let's investigate this one a little bit further.

Why are you here this morning?

Did you enter these doors this morning with an expectation to hear from God, or are you just here going through the motions?

Listen, listen, listen.

I grew up in northeast Mississippi.

Seafood was not something that we commonly got.

For me, captain D's was a great little seafood place.

Used to love it.

I mean, that was a treat To go to Tupelo and there wasn't one in Pontotoc To go to Tupelo and get to go to Captain D's man real seafood.

I married a lady from South Mississippi who didn't get it all the time but knew what real seafood was.

She says, grant, I don't like Captain D's, it's not, it's not real good seafood.

And I said, listen, if you expect to go to Captain D's and get real seafood, you're going to be disappointed every time.

But if you go in expecting to get a battered piece of cod with some crusties that fall off that you get to eat, you're never going to be disappointed because that's what you're expecting.

Listen, if you go to church and you're just expecting to go through the motions, more than likely this is what's going to happen.

But what the author of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews, chapter 10, verses 24 and 25, he says this.

Hebrews 10:24

He says and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near, if you come to church expecting to stir one another up to, to encourage one another, to push one another, to challenge one another, to grow in our faith, to grow towards love and good works, to grow in our relationship with God.

If we go expecting to receive that, then guess what's going to happen.

If we're expecting to receive that so often, we're going to be giving that as well and we're going to stir one another up, and that needs to happen.

The more and more as we're going to stir one another up, and that needs to happen, the more and more as we see the day of the lord drawing near, we've got to expect.

So the staff meets every every thursday morning to talk about sunday morning, and then we meet before church on Sunday morning just to tie up, just if there's something we've missed, and we pray together.

And so often I walk in I hate saying it, I just hadn't figured out a better way to say it but we go in and I say, well, we got a normal service today, and I hate saying that service today, and I hate saying that.

What I mean is we really don't have anything out of the usual in our line up, in what we're doing, but never do I want it to be a normal service.

I'm expecting God to move.

So here's where this leaves us.

It leaves us kind of in a paradox.

You know what a paradox is?

It's when you have two statements that seem contradictory and when said together, they're really kind of illogical.

But upon investigation, even though they don't seem to go together, they do so.

That's where it leads us.

They do so, that's where it leaves us.

We are left in a paradox if we're looking and seeing how Peter and Cornelius, in their obedience, are chasing this reality that God is moving and bringing salvation to everyone, and how so.

Well, first of all, what we see is God's movement and God's plan being carried out.

Let's call it providence.

We see God's providence.

Before the foundation of the world, god has had this plan and he has been working and he has been moving this plan and carrying it out.

And guess what?

He is involving Peter and he is involving Cornelius, even when they didn't ask for it.

Remember, cornelius is not even a believer at this time.

Is he a God-fearer?

Yes, and we know that God's working in his life because he's doing things, because he's praying, because he's giving alms, because we see him doing these things.

So we know God's working in his life because in and of ourselves, we're not going to do that, but God is using Cornelius and he's using Peter and he's giving them these visions and they're not even asking for it.

God's at work and he's moving and he is going to carry out his plan, and he is going to carry out his plan.

But on the other side of this, we see the responsibility of Peter and Cornelius.

They have a responsibility to obey, they have a responsibility to answer this call If Cornelius is going to come to become a believer, while salvation is from the Lord and it is of God and it is given to us by God at the same time, while these two seem mutually exclusive, they are not.

God is working, he is sovereign in salvation, but Cornelius has a responsibility to hear that call and to answer that call.

And while those two don't seem to go together and just to be honest with you, I don't know how they do here's what I know from Scripture is that they do.

God's using Cornelius.

He's involved Cornelius in a plan that Cornelius had no idea about, but, thank goodness, cornelius is listening and obeying and what we're going to see next week is salvation come and Peter.

Peter doesn't have all the answers.

We've talked about it.

We've talked about how God's using Peter and he's doing things through Peter, and Peter doesn't understand and listen, listen, understand.

Salvation is going to come to the Gentiles where Peter says yes or not.

If Peter doesn't obey and he doesn't go to those men and he doesn't go to Cornelius, guess what's still going to happen?

Salvation is still going to come to the Gentiles, but Peter's missing out.

God's plan is sovereign and he is going to work it.

Yet we still have a responsibility to obey.

We still have a responsibility to move and trust and follow, not just for salvation.

Understand Peter, he is saved.

We have a responsibility to listen and obey as God works in our lives.

Paul writes about this paradox over in Philippians, chapter 2.

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

In Philippians, chapter 2, verses 12 and 13, he says this Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence, but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Philippians 2:12

Listen, if you just read verse 12, sounds like he's talking about work, salvation.

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Is that what he's saying?

By no means, because Scripture does.

Scripture, all throughout Scripture.

It is abundantly obvious that salvation is not a work of man, it is a work of God.

It is God who works salvation.

We know that.

We hear that from Scripture.

So is he telling them to work out their salvation, so to earn their salvation?

No, what he is telling them because we go on and we don't read just verse 12, we read verse 13 as well what we understand is he is telling them to exercise, to exercise their salvation, because here's what he says in verse 13, for it is god who works you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Listen, these two things are paradoxical because they don't seem to go together.

But the truth of Scripture is, while I don't understand it and there are blanks, what I've got to do is step forward, trust God and, because Jesus has come and lived and died and arose, and because I have believed in Him, he has made me holy.

Now there is the process of me living the holy life that he has given me, to exercise my salvation because god is at work in me.

So what does this mean for us?

What do we do with this?

So what does this mean for us?

What do we do with this?

Listen, if you say, grant, this is great, I don't know what God wants me to do.

Okay, let me tell you.

Let me tell you We've said this before.

He has told you what to do.

Every week I say it, acts 1.8.

But you will receive power after the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all Judea and Samaria, to the uttermost parts of the world.

Here's what he's called you to do To be a witness of what he has done for you.

To be a witness of what he has done, that Jesus lived, that he died, that he arose.

Start there.

If you don't know what you're supposed to do, start there.

Start doing that.

And as Peter did, he didn't have blanks filled in.

He didn't know the next five years, he didn't even know the next four days.

But he said okay, god, you've called me to be a witness, you've sent these people.

I'm going to be a witness.

Okay, god, I'm here in the middle of all these Gentiles.

You've called me to be a witness.

While it's weird and I don't understand it, I'm going to be a witness.

Okay, god, here I am.

Listen, just start there.

Tomorrow, when you go back to school, tomorrow, when you go to work, tomorrow, when you go, do the things that you do today, when you go to the restaurant after church.

Step by step by step.

Start with what you know he's called us to do and then see what he reveals to you as you grow in that.

Listen.

I don't know where you are today.

I do know this.

If you have never trusted Christ for your salvation, listen, you are where Cornelius at this point is.

You may be a God-fearer because you're here at church.

Cornelius is not a God-believer.

Next week, we're going to see the Holy Spirit be poured out on Cornelius and all those people in his house and we're going to see salvation come to them.

But at this point he is not there.

He is only a God-fearer.

And that may be you today.

But if that's you, I need you to hear this.

What Peter is going to tell them is this Jesus came and he lived a perfect life and he died on the cross because there is sin in this world.

He died on the cross because I have sinned.

He died on the cross because you have sinned, and on the cross he took upon himself the wrath of God.

That was intended for me, that was intended for you, that was intended for you.

And he died on the cross and he was buried in the grave and he arose three days later and in the resurrection, what we find is my sin has been defeated, death has been defeated, and what he offers to me now is life, true life, pure life, holy life, sanctified life.

He offers it to me right now.

And listen.

If you are only a God-fearer, he has done the same for you.

Stop standing on the sides and step in and know that God and salvation has come to you.

Believe in him, listen, or you may be a Peter and God is speaking to us and saying listen.

This is where I want you to go and you have a responsibility to answer.

Are you going to trust, do you trust God enough to take that next step?

Listen, because if you're unwilling to take that next step, that's what you're saying.

My trust in God is not that big.

Are you going to trust him to take that next step?

So we're going to enter into a time of invitation.

I'm going to pray for us.

They're going to come up.

We're going to sing a final song.

If you've never trusted Christ as your Savior, we are inviting you to come.

We want to pray for you.

There will be counselors who will take you out and share with you how you can trust God, or if you have and God is calling you, or you just don't know what God is calling you to do, but you're ready to say hey, let me start with what I know.

Listen, we'd love for you to come forward and pray with you.

These steps here can be an altar where you can come and pray, or you can pray at your seat.

Cry out to God.

Listen, if you're looking for a church home where you can come together and we can stir one another up in love and good works, we invite you to come to DeSoto Hills.

I'm going to pray for us as we sing.

If you have a decision to make make, we invite you to come forward and make that decision.

Let's pray.

God, I thank you for today and I thank you for how you love us.

God, I am so thankful.

I'm so thankful.

I'm so thankful that before the foundation of the world, you had a plan of salvation for me and, god, I pray that I can trust you enough to take that next step forward.

God, I pray that we as a church can do that.

But, god, now, as we enter this time of invitation for any decision that needs to be made here today, god, I pray that you give us the faith, the courage, the strength to make that decision.

God, we love you as you're moving now help us to respond.

Jesus, it's in your great name we pray, amen.

Thanks for listening to this week's sermon.

If you have any questions for our pastor, feel free to reach out at desotohillscom.