That All May know | Joy Teh

You're listening to a message to go from X church.

We hope this message will light up your day.

Today. We're going to look at X chapter ten. Now,

this morning I took a little bit longer because I

realized I like a little bit shong hair, a bit

long winded. I try not to be so long winded

today this morning again, So we're going to look at

X chapter ten, the entire chapter, all right, So I

hope you can stay with me. I hope you brought

your bibles to church, all right, So if you have one,

you can bring it along so that we can turn

to the world of God together. But of course XTV

will assist us this morning by putting up the scripture.

We'll read the entire chapter. There are forty eight versus,

but in different chunks, so that we can follow and

let us glean again what the Lord has to say

to us. Immen imen. Now this is a famous story

on Cornelius and Peter. Now, some of us, or most

of us, in our Sunday school time, we already learn

about this. Some of us, I think, okay, maybe familiar.

So let's read again and see what where God is

leading us. Okay, okay, So let's start from XTS. Chapter ten,

verse one to eight, so that would be the first

set of scripture that we will be reading. Now, there

was a certain man in I think it's Zasuria, called Carnelius,

a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a development,

and one who feared God with all his household, who

gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always.

About the ninth hour of the day, he saw clearly

in a vision an angel of God coming in and

saying to him, Cornelius. And when he observed him, he

was afraid and said, what is it? Lord? So he

said to him, your prayers and your arms have come

up for a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa,

and send for Simon, whose surname is Peter. He is

lodging with sign a tenor whose house is by the sea.

He will tell you what you must do. And when

the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called

two of his household servants and a devout soldier from

among those who waited on him continually. So when he

had explained all these things to them, he sent them

to Joba. Okay, I shall pause here for a while. Okay,

in the story of X chapter ten, so before X

chapter ten, in X chapter nine, just we just seen

the story of how Saul was converted and then later

on known as Paul. All right, So Saul was on

the way to damassacers, trying to persecute Christians, trying to

put them into jail because he was so zealous for

the Lord, and he was thinking he taught that he

was serving the Lord. Okay, and then you know the story,

God appeared to him in a bright light, and then

he was blinded for a while. And then later on

God sent another of his servant and a Naias, who

came to minister to Saul. And then of course Saul

became a became a believer, and say night, he gave

his heart to the Lord and later known as Paul.

So that just happened in chapter nine. And now we

are reading in chapter ten, so earlier on, since the

day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples,

there were already some form of persecution already. Okay, by

the time we reached here in X chapter ten, so

extra to nine was on Paul. But then we switched

back to Peter in x chapter ten. So Peter was

lodging in Jopa, in the home of another person called Simon.

All right, okay, so then we know of this Cornelius.

So Zazaia was a predominantly Roman city on the shores

of the Mediterranean in Judea. So it's like the headquarters

of the Roman governor of the province of Judea. And

obviously Cornelius being an officer of the Roman army, he's

non jew all right. He was a gent town Okay,

so it's not Jewish he was. And not only he's

a gentle he was an officer. He was a centurion, basically,

someone of some okay, got some ranking one, all right. So,

and because he was such a loyal servant of the

oppressors of Israel. Remember at that time Israel were under

the oppression of the Romans. Most Jews will not like

a centurion naturally, all right, Okay, naturally, and they will

naturally be prejudiced against Cornelius. But Cornelius, if you read

the Bible as you read just now, he was in

the category of what the Jews would call them god fearing,

meaning they were gent towns, non Jews, they're not they

don't leave the Jewish ways and practice all the practices.

But they love God. They love the God of Israel,

they know the God of Israel. They love the God

of Israel. They were sympathetic to the lifestyle and supportive

of the Jewish faith, just that they do not live

that livestyle themselves, and they are not circumcised, okay, okay,

So he was in that category. So Jewish people of

that time they respected and they appreciated these God fearing gentiles,

just that they do not really share their life and

their homes and their food with the Gentiwers. Okay, because

again they are gentiles and they are not Jews. So

because of the way of life and the heart of Cornelius,

we see a man who may be a gentile, a

pre believer in our to dais themline, okay, said simply

say prebeliever, but yet he actually fears God and has

a relationship with God. Okay. Yeah. And because of that,

he was praying and he was also fasting. So on

the ninth hour, if it's read in verse three, right

about the ninth hour, and then when Cornelias saw the

vision that was in the Jewish time, it's three o'clock

in the afternoon, all right, and that is the usual

time that the Jewish people pray as well. So he

also followed, and he was praying and he was fasting, okay,

and he saw a vision about an angel telling him

that he is to call this man named Peter. I

don't think Cornelius knew who Peter was. Maybe he heard

of Peter, but I don't think he knows who this

Peter was, just that he All he knows is that

this Peter is going to have a message for me

and to tell me what I must do. But like mam, God,

very long winded, right, You're going to call Peter and

Peter will tell you. I wonder whether Corninists was thinking, God, cat,

you just tell me yourself, right, you send an angel

to tell me. But all you tell me is, oh,

you're going to call this man and this man is

going to tell you. Like there's no shortcut, lit. But

God had a plan. God wanted Peter in the plan,

understand Okay. So God had a plan and he wanted

Peter to be involved in it. Okay. So Cornelius, who

didn't know anything else, just know that God asked me

to call this Peter, and he sent his two of

his family members, two of his household servans or servants,

and a soldier to go and get Peter. Now let's

read on in verse nine. We're going to read verse

nine to verse sixteen. Are you following me, Yeah, Now,

let's read verse nine to verse sixteen. Now before I'm

on the fact that Cornelius being a gentle and his

whole household right, and having said that, his household and

those under his command, seems to be all believers too,

and under his influence. So he was a man of influence,

and he influenced them. It was contagious. His faith in God,

the God of Israel, was contagious among even his own family. Okay,

let's move on. So let's read verse nine to verse sixteen.

The next day, So the next day, after he received

the vision Cornelius, as they went on their journey, these

three people that Cornelius sent and ju near the city,

Peter went up on the house stop to pray about

the sixth hour. So in the meantime, all these three

people are making their way to Joba. Peter went to pray.

Then he became very hungry. Any hungry people in the

house now ha ha ha okay. And Peter wanted to eat,

but while they made rady, he fell into a trance.

So he wanted to pray, but then he became hungry.

So okay, never I gonna eat first, but not radiate

the food, so continue bring. And then God gave him

the vision hahaha, don't so faraz okay, okay, and verse eleven,

and saw heaven open, and an object like a great

sheep bound at the four corners, descending to him and

let down to the earth. In it were all kinds

of four photoed animals of the earth, while be's creeping

things and birds of the air. And a voice came

to Peter. Rise, Peter, kill and eat, But Peter said,

not so, Lord, for I have never eaten anything common

or unclean. And a voice spoke to him again the

second time. What God has claims must not call common.

And this was done three times, and the object was

taken up in heaven again. Hmmm. Repauls here for a

while now. So as God was speaking to Cornelius to

send for Peter. Okay, And while cornelist was sending that,

God also spoke to Peter. Isn't that amazing that when

God wants you to do something, he will do his

part also hallelujah. So typically this is how God operates,

so right, he will speak to several people about the matter,

not just one. Then confirmation is provided and out of

the mouth of two or three witnesses usually a word

is established. And that's how God works. So okay, So

while Peter was praying, Peter pays to Peter became very hungry. Okay,

so sometimes it happens to us too, write how many

of you feel hungry when you pray? Sometimes no just

mean okay, I oh, okay, like maybe not just hungry.

Can be anything. It can come in a form of

any form of destruction. So sometimes it can be like

and suddenly or you remember something, oh then you haven't

don this or you know, okay, yeah, so distruction, So

destructions in our body comes when we try to direct

ourselves to God and it happens. However, God used these

very distractions to speak to Peter because and I think

God needed a time when Peter is going to feel hungry, God,

it's going to tell you something to kill and to eat.

So yeah, so God had a message for Peter even

in his distraction. Okay, so Peter saw all sorts of animals, right,

and kosher and non Kosture basically means food that Jewish

people can eat and those that they are not allowed

to eat. So there are certain dietary requirements, okay, and

that's why they call koshure or non culture basically, and

all displayed on this white this sheet, white sheet. Right.

And then God said Peter, get up, kill and eat.

Remember when Peter became very hungry and he wanted to

eat during his prayer time, no doubt it was a distraction,

but God spoke to him so that Peter can pay

more attention. And now again all these food are not awful,

that are lawful for a typical Jew to eat. And

that's why Peter responded, not so Lord. Okay. So that

was Peter's response. Do you think that it's the right

response that we should give to God? Ha ha ha Okay, No,

but that is quite typical of us sometimes if we

are not careful, we are sometimes saying no God, no,

like a much you know better than God. Okay. So

I'm not sure whether parents here you ever face these

or you tell your kids this, but I told my

kids this when they were very young, at least when

they can understand English the time. When I talk to them,

I said, oh, you cannot say no to mammy. And

so from young I told learn that a no cannot

say no to me? Okay, So I brain will not

brain moreh from youngly cannot say no to me. There's

no such thing as no Tommy, okay. So that's why

I say I'm longer. We're going back to aha a.

So sometimes we need to say that to ourselves, that

you cannot join. You cannot say no to God, ah,

because some of us we say no to God. Oh

yo okay. So we cannot say no, no God, okay. But

because the only legitimate answer we should give to God

is a yes. Hey, how can we say no to God?

But Peter had this habit of saying no to God

already in the New testamenty you can really, For example,

when you just want to wash his feet, he said no,

you cannot. Right. So on when Jesus predicted his death

and go and said I'm going to die on the cross,

No Jesus. Why not? He was the one, so he

already had this tendency to say no to Jesus. But

did God still use him. Yes, So what's what's Peter perfect? No,

Peter was not perfect, but Peter was filled with the

Holy Spirit. Peter, Peter is ready and available, and he

was willing to be obedient to God. And that's why

God still use him to minister to Cornelius and his family.

All right, So yay, come to your neighbor and say,

God can use you. Because we're all not perfect. Just

like Peter, we sometimes say no to God. But the reminder,

let's not say no to God. Okay, yes, And that's

why God had to repeat his instruction to better the

division three times, the same thing. The Okay, So again

God repeated to Peter Peter three times meaning what And

God said to Peter, what God has clans or what

I have plans? You cannot call common, just means what

God declared clean. You cannot say it's unholy, it's impure,

or it's unacceptable to God. Now, in the Old Testament

there was this holy and the common right. So just

for us to understand, the holy was made common when

it comes into contact with something common. That's why they

cannot mix the holy things and the common things. Okay,

so it will become common or like contaminated, like once

it's come in contact and to be holy again, it

got to go to a ritual cleansing in the Old Testament.

So when something is made holy, it is called consecration.

It's just sometimes when we sing songs or worship song,

let's consecrate our hearts. Let's set apart our hearts for

God versus holy right. But when it is made common,

something is made common, then it's called desecration. So the

holy thing that has become it's just for us to know.

So at this point, Peter believed that God was just

talking about food. Know that moment, Okay, he only thought

that God was talking about food. Okay, don't call the food.

I'm clean clean, okay. So but shortly God is going

to show Peter that what he is really getting and

it's not about the food. It's about people, all right. Yeah.

So by the time God be bittered three times to bitter,

I think Peter really got it. God, you must be

telling me something. I don't know how you feel, but

if I'm bitter, I'll be like, oh, my dear God

is telling me something. Okay, let's read on verse seventeen

to verse twenty. Now, now, while Peter wondered within himself

what this vision which he had seen. Ment Behold, the

treatment is Suda Sambai. That men who had been sent

from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon's house and stood

before the gate, and they called and asked whether Simon,

whose name was Peter, was lodging dead. While Peter thought

about the vision was nineteen the spirit said to him, behold,

three men are seeking you. Arise. Therefore, go down and

go with them, doubting nothing, for I have sent them.

Then Peter went down to the men who had been

sent to him from Cornelius and said, yes, I am

he whom you seek. For what reason have you come? Then,

they said, Cornelius, a centurion adjustment, one who fears God

and has a good reputation among all the nations of

the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to

summon you to his house and to hear words from you. Okay,

So then what happen is in the end. Then Peter

invited them in and launched them. And the next day

Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Jopa

accompanied him with us. So you hold on there first,

hold honor, so Peter was in the trans white seeing

the vision. We pittered three times to him. Remember at

the time, right, God didn't tell Peter anything else. God

just say rise, que and eat, so he stopped thinking

about the food. And then suddenly these treatment arrived at

the gate. And what was the spirit? What did the

spirit say to Peter? A rise, go with them, for

I will be with you. Did God tell Peter that

these are gentles? So heavenia. So when he come down

first and he saw them jan jang and like, okay,

I can I can imagine. I don't know how you imagine,

but I imagine. So it's probably a shot of his

life that they are gentiles. But the Holy Spirit already

told Peter go with them like a rise, something like

a rise quill and eat a rise, go with them.

And it's exactly treat men. It' why God had to

repeat go go go ladella, okay, treat men. Okay. So

but Peter didn't know yet, So I imagine Peter is

still one dream. Of course we read like Macha, Peter

no emotional. I don't know whether Peter no emotion or not,

but I believe because Peter has never never is the

word never done this in his life before. Okay, so,

but God already prepared Peter's heart to go with these

tree gent towns, and that's why when he met them,

he asked them, so why did you come here? And

they explain about Cornelius, and that's when Peter knew that

not only is to go and meet them at the gate,

it was an invitation for Peter to go to the

house of Cornelius. Hallelu yah. Okay, so again God hasn't

told Peter that again, a normal Jewish man like Peter

would not associate in this manner with the gentle. They

won't go to their house, they won't eat with them.

And that's why the first in nation of Peter, when

when God spoke to him in the vision to eat,

to kill and eat those food, he straight away said

no because all but then all Peter needed to know

from God the Holy Spirit is I have sent them

a man a man. But I'm sure Peter must have

been shocked to find out that they were not Jews.

And worse still, this is centurion punar orun meaning and

Centurian means they are of a certain rank and hierarchy

meaning the whole town will nola that you go to

his house. Okay, all right? So so uh yep, now,

and but remember Peter's response clearly showed his obedience to

God love, all right, So what was his first response?

Come come in and what? So he invited them in

and he lodged them. So the meaning of lotch them

doesn't mean just okay, since it's too late to start

the journey gay back to sasarea. Wei was the journey tomorrow?

You just stick that in my house? No, it was

treating them as his esteem guests. So he treated the

tree men sent from Cornelias and treated them as his

guests into his own home. And definitely that will include

foot one okay, and laying them and welcoming them and

hosting them. So again, normally, a Jew at Peter's in

Peter's shoes. If the gentile is God fearing, the gentile

respect the God of Israel the most. They will say,

it was nice meeting you, But they will not eat.

They will still not eat, They will still not go

to each other's home okay, okay, and they will not

sit down and have fellowship. It was forbidden. No, no,

it's a taboo. No no means no way all right. Yeah.

So again by entertaining these gentile guests into his own

home or in the home of the other signmon, Peter

went against the customs and the traditions of Israel, but

again not against God's word. And I think at that

moment Peter is start thing to have an understanding of

what God said in the Old Testament, because God said

before and at which later we will refer to it,

that God wants all people, including the gentiles, to come

to the like imen. So now we move on verse

verse twenty four to verse the de three. So this

is the next chunk of verses we're going to read.

So verse twenty four and verse the de three. So

they were lodging, and the next day they are heying,

so verse twenty four. And the following day they entered cesarea.

Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and not alone. He

had called together his relatives and his close friends, all

the best to Peter. So as Peter was coming in,

Cornelius met him and fell out at his feet and

worshiped him Salah. Okay, of course he didn't know. I

didn't know, okay. So but Peter lifted him up, saying,

stand up, I myself am also a man, and as

he worked with as he talked with him, he went in.

Peter went inner that itself is a victual gay. He

went in and found many who had come together. Then

he said to them, you know how unlawful it is

for a Jewish man to keep company with or go

to one of another nation. Okay, But God has shown

me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

The word nation here means people group, not the country. Okay, Okay.

So then therefore Peter said, I came without objection as

soon as I was sent for. I asked them, for

what reason have you sent for me? Okay, So Corneadius said,

four days ago. So now we know a little bit

more about Cornelius. I was fasting until this hour, and

at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and

behold a man stood before me in bright clothing and said, Cornelius,

your prayer has been hurt, and your arms are remembered

in the sight of God. Send them for the Joba,

and called Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is

lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner by the sea.

When he comes he will speak to you. I sent

to you immediately, and you have done well to come now.

Therefore we are all present before God to hear all

the things commanded you by God. Wow. A gentle a

pre believer so ready for the word of God. He

was so ready. And not only he ready, he makes

sure all his and all his he's gon too, control

all his soldiers all ready to hear. Wow, I mean

praise the Lord. I think that's the dream of every

every preacher, every pastor, you know, and before they preach, right,

everyone is ready to hear the word of God. Amen. Amen.

So coming back to the to the verse twenty four again.

The next day, so Peter again after hosting them in

his home, and all went with them, all right. But

Peter brought along certain men and these Jewish brothers, okay,

Jewish brethren, Hey, from Joba, a company. We don't know

how many, we don't know who, all right, Why? And

I think that was a very wise thing for Peter

to do. He probably anticipated already some of the white

some of the misunderstanding, some of the opposition that he

will get from his fellow Jewish brethren, isn't it because

he's going to Ceseria into the home of the centurion.

So he brings you him not so that got accountability

right now? Yes, and there is a team that if

anything at all, there will be other Jews with him

to verify the outcome as well. Say good job on Peter, right, Okay,

now I pause here for a moment, Joba, this is

sound familiar to someone else? Yes, aha, don't say okay.

So centuries ago there was a prophet who was also

called like Peter, to go to the gentile non Jews

to preach to them a message of repentance that God

will not destroy them. But that prophet didn't want to.

And that prophet is Prophet Jonah. That's right. So Jonah

was sent by God asked God called him to go

to the people on Niniveh, the people who are non

Jews right, who don't know God. And they were and

God wanted to save them. God wanted them to hear

the message of repentance, but Jonah didn't want to. To him,

it's like, let him die. It's okay, they deserve it.

Let him die. So he walked in this obedience the

other direction instead and wanted to go to Tashish, but

to board the sheep he had to go to Joba,

all right, to board the sheep, and that was where

the Joba is. So Jonah, the prophet in the Old Testament,

took a ship from Jobah and refused obedience to God's call.

He ran away from God's call, thinking that he can

run away from God. Right, But of course we thank

God for the beautiful ending.

Right.

Ja repented and Joba preached, and God saved the people

on me. But Peter, on the other hand, again he

was willing to re examine his traditions and prejudices in

light of God's words, immen. And he was willing to

leave Joppa to come to Ceseria. Imen. Maybe all be

like Peter today, hallelujah. So Convenience was praying and he

heard a vision. He sent his messengers now for convenience.

If you're in his shoes, he bobbitting, I don't know

what's going to happen to my tree. As in my tree,

my servants are my soldier and my servants because whether

or not Peter's going to follow them, who this Peter

we are And he knows that the Jews will not come.

But he did it by faith. But he had a

lot of faith in God, and this is a gentile.

We consider them non believers yet at this point. Okay,

but he waited and he trusted in God that God

would bring the plan to completion, immen imen. So he

was waiting, okay, okay. So again now, so when Peter came,

he was so happy, and again he didn't know. To him,

Peter was like God. Okay, he didn't know better. So

it's like a messenger of God. So he fell down

and he worshiped Peter. All right, okay, but of course

that was wrong, and Peter corrected him and pull him

up and said, no, don't worship me. So in the

Bible we have also seen some instances whereby angels were worshiped.

Peter was worshiped, and it was corrected. Correct. But only

Jesus when he is worshiped, he's not correcting you for

watching him, because he's God, a man. Amen. Only Jesus

deserved our worship. So Peter refused both to be treated

by Carnelius as if he was a god. He also

refused to treat Carnelius like a dog, because in those

days they treat the gentiles as dogs. All right, okay,

so they consider themself dogs. So and the powerful part

is in verse twenty twenty five, as Peter was coming in.

So Peter went in the house, although it's like a

by the way, as we read, right, but that is

one probably one of the most powerful things because that

is where he realized there's so many people in the

house as well, so as he actually entered the house

of a gender, something that a Jewish man would never

have done because the traditions, they strictly prohibited a Jewish

person to go into the home of a gentle and again,

and then Peter started to explain why, and he explained

that a godly Jew like him was entering is completely

unacceptable in his days, all right. And the reason that

he's doing this is only before God has showed him

in the vision immen imen, and that he understood at

that time that God is not just showing him about food.

So that's why Peter said, I should not call any man.

He told them I'm here because God has told me, huh,

I should not call any man common or unclean, because

he understood in the vision that it's not it was

about people and not food. But the principle relates to

food though, why because again. The Jewish people, they have

so strict laws about all these things right again again,

because yeah, sometimes we also we eat or we don't eat.

It's for the sake of our health, correct, But it

doesn't make us closer to God. Want. It doesn't bring

us or make us right with God. Okay. It's not

what goes in that make us clean, right or unclean

in what comes out? Okay. And so Peter said, therefore

I came. I came with a message, okay. But God

firstly had to prepare Peter's heart with the vision, okay.

And so God prepared Cornelius's heart because Cornelius again was

a man who really seek after God. He was praying,

he was, and what was he praying about? Maybe what

do you think I cause Corneiaus doesn't know the Gospel,

so he's woid praying God, send your savior Cordin still

praying for the Messiah. No, because he didn't know, doesn't know, right,

And that's why God wants to send Peter to share

the good news with Cornelius and his family. But all

Cornelius did was he sought God the way he knew.

He sought God diligiently. He did whatever that he could. Okay, however,

does it make him a Christian? Just because he sought God,

he prayed, he fastered, He sounds just so christianed, But

does it make him a Christian? Okay? Let's read in

God's Work later and we will answer that question. Okay,

but God said he hurt his prayer. So can God

hear the prayers or unbelievers? Of course, God can hear

their prayers. So God can hear their prayers. God remembers them, right,

but that doesn't mean that they are they are believers

yet lam All right? Okay, so hallelujah. Now, therefore, when

we read in the verse just now, we are all

present before God. Cornelius told Peter to hear all the

things that God is going to say. Now, this, like

I mentioned, is the dream of every preacher. So but

the question here and something for us to think about,

is when we are prepared our blessing, will we greatly

increase imen So our blessing, what we receive from God,

is greatly increased when we prepare ourselves to hear the

word of God. Question for us, when we go to

church today seated here or every week, every time we

have a chance. Are we ready to receive God's work

in our hearts? Are we?

So?

The best way to come is to come prepared with

the prepared heart. Again, the preacher is prepared. But what more,

when the people are prepared, hallelujah, great things is going

to happen. Amen. How I know because in the next

few verses we will see what happens next. Okay, So

this is the last portion. We're going to end the

extra the tenility. So we're going to read verse thirty

fault do verse forty eight. Okay, let's read then now

after they introduce right, So Peter say, okay, so now

why do you call me here? And cornelis explained because

because because and so now we're all here now only

Peter Peter is preaching. Okay, okay, So Peter opened his

mouth and said, now pay to what Peter is preaching about.

Very short by he preached Jesus. Okay, let's read in truth,

I perceived that God shows no partiality. But in every nation,

whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by him. Again,

the word nation here means every people gruma, whoever fears

him and works righteousness is accepted by him. The word

which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace

to who Jesus Christ. He is lord of all that

word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea and

began from Galilee after the baptism with John Fish. So

Peter went all the way back to join the Baptist

time and talk about Jesus. And I said, how God

anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power,

who went about doing good and heeding all who were

oppressed by the devil. For God was with him, and

we are witnesses of all things which he did, both

in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom

they killed by hanging on a tree. Him. God raised

on the arp on the third day and showed him openly,

not to all people, but to witnesses chosen by God,

even to us who ate and drank with him. After

he rose on the day, and he commanded us to

preach to the people and to testify that it is

he who was ordained by God to be judged of

the living and the day to him. All the prophet's

witness that threw his name. Whoever believes in him will

receive remission of sins hang on for a while. So

in this you verses Onino, he preached the whole message

of the Gospel from the Old Testament, prophesied by the

Old by the prophets, And then how Jesus came, and

how Jesus died, how Jesus rose again, and Jesus coming back,

and what Jesus commanded them to do, all in these

verses only then verse for defourg While Peter was still

speaking these words, the worst was still coming out his mouth.

The Holy Spirit fell upon all those who hurt the word. Oh,

and those of the circumcision, meaning those who came with

Peter came from Joppa who believed were astonished, as many

as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy

Spirit had been poured out onto gentiles. Also, for they

heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered,

can anyone forbid water that these should not be baptized

who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have,

And he commanded them to be baptized in the name

of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a

few days. Hallelujah. So basically, holy Spirit just took over

the meeting, a meeting that they called Peter so bitter

see them for the first time. And then Peter just

pished a very short message before he can finish the

worst Holy spiritel hallelujah. I pray that God will do

that for ex church before we finished. Okay, So it's

not about me. I shouldn't be talking so much, right,

Holy Spirit will fall amen. But Holy Spirit came why

because the hearts of the people was so ready. They

were so ready, they were so hungry. And when the preacher,

who is in line with the flow of the Holy Spirit,

preached about Jesus, all he did was talk about Jesus,

that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus came that for your scenes.

He rose from the date and he's coming back. Par

that's it. That okay, So the Holy Spirit took over.

And what's the amazing thing? Why would the Jewish people astonished?

Because maybe you and I re read the story before.

You know, remember, up to this point, right, none of

the gentile received the Holy Spirit. Okay, so far when

Pentecons and the Day of Pentecons in the xt chapter two,

is the one hundred and twenty people in the upper

room they were all Jews. So at the moment, yes,

the Holy Spirit came, Jesus assented to heaven and day,

go you therefore and make disciples all nations. Da da

dada say the great commission given it, and then wait

in Jerusalem. And then after that they penticoss came one

hundred and twenty in the Upper Room ext. Chapter two,

Holy Spirit Camemitty, and then all the way under ext.

Chapter ten. Not yet it has not been reviewed to

the Gentiles, means non Jews. It's still within the Jewish community.

So this is the first time. And that's why they

were all like that. They cannot believe it. What is

it that they cannot believe? They always thought that it's

for the juice on me. And now they are being

revelation and given a revelation that is for the gentiles.

And you can look at the words carefully. Essays and

Peter say in verse forty seven, they have received the

Holy Spirit just as we have. They also speaking tongues

and spoken tongues. They receive the everything the same. There

was no distinction. The Holy Spirit is like that one

when the Holybek comes upon the Jews. But the hospeit

is like that when they come upon the gent Toles,

no Holy Spirit comes upon everyone. Amen. Amen. So this

is the foundation for Peter's understanding that the Gospel should

now go forth to the gentiles. And of course from

now onwards it went out to the gentiles. But this

is where God needed to speak and prepare Peter and

use Peter to reach the gentiles. All right, But again,

at that time it went against everything that the Jewish

people understood, even the apostles and the disciples. Okay, So

again when the Jews showed this kind okay they So

when the Jews at the time they taught that God

only loved the Jewish people, and they God doesn't count

in the gentiles. But let's look at the verse. Member,

I say that even in the Old Testament, it was

already part of God's plan. Let's look at deuteronomage of

the ten verse seventeen. It says, for the Lord your

God is God of Gods and Lord of lords, the

great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no passion, charity,

no takes a bribe a man and man. And of

course all this has changed once the Gospel spread to

the gentile. So coming back to the question, let's say,

like a Cornelius. Is it that he is considered safe

because he was he was a righteous man, He honored God,

he loved God in his way that he knew how Okay? Yeah,

the Bible says no, only in Jesus, all right. Okay,

So in verse thirty five when we read but in

every nation, whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted

by him. Peter is not trying to say that someone

like a Cornelius do not need to become a Christian. Instead,

he's trying to say that no one is excluded because

of just because of their national or their ethnic background.

All right, So we think that God sees us in

our color, in our economic status, in our background, our

physical you know, distinctiveness. But no, God looks straight at

your heart. God looks at my heart. Amen. And he

is a lord of all. Really means both the Jew

and the gentile. Hallelujah. So when Peter preached to them,

Peter preached who he preached, Jesus. He preached the person

and the work of Jesus Christ. So I put it

on a slide so that you can follow us, so

you can follow me. He preached about Jesus of Naturul.

Jesus came in the form of a man, so Jesus

was baptized in identification with humanity. Jesus was anointed with

the Holy Spirit and with power. Jesus went about doing

good and healing, delivering those who were oppressed by the devil.

Jesus did this with the power of God, for God

was with him. Jesus did these things in the presence

of eyewitnesses. Jesus was crucified. He was raised on the date,

resurrected in view of many witnesses. Jesus commanded his followers

to preach the message of who he is and what

he did. And Jesus is ordained by God to be

the judge of the entire world, and he is the

one foretold by the prophets in the Old Testament. So

Peter sum everything up in his short message that was

so attractive to the Holy Spirit to come and zep

here yeah. So hallelujah, Amen Amen. So the verse that

we need to look at is whoever believes in him.

Peter ended his message to say that will received remission

of sins, So that means whoever slave or free, Jew

or gentile, rich or poor. Amen. So that is the

amazing thing is that while Peter was still speaking. So

the question is salvation didn't just come. Sometimes when we

have a mindset and salvation come when we give salvation caller,

then only salvation come right, or we have a call

and people respond. But at that time, salvation came to

the hearts of the gentiles when they were listening to

Peter's message quietly, subtly and secretly because they haven't any

outright and respond said, but in their hearts they believe,

and God sees their hearts. Amen. And maybe with some

of you here you have not given your heart yet

to the Lord. But God sees your heart, and God

hears what you are saying. And if you want to

make a commitment, God sees it and God hears it. Amen.

And you can also make a bold declaration later on

if you want to accept Jesus. Amen. Amen. So it's

in their hearts, kay. And these people made a secret

and invincible transaction in their hearts with God by setting

their faith in Jesus. And that is salvation. Amen. So

it's not necessarily just a raise of hand, but the

Holy Spirit is the one Hallelujah. So Peter allowed the

Holy Spirit to interrupt his message, and the Holy Spirit

is the one who did the great work a man. Hallelujah,

Thank you Jesus. So the people, Cornelius and his family

and his soldiers, they received the exact same spirit, the

exact same blessing as the apostles and the first followers

of Jesus did in the morning of Pentecosts. As I

mentioned just now, All right, hallelujah. So what can we

learn from this story? I drew out a few points, right,

So before we end here, First of all, everyone needs

a savior, do you agree, Even those who may be

very respectful to our God, they can even be they

do everything quite like a Christian as well, and they

do good, they work righteousness. So even I told you

back in verse thirty five, it does sound like Cornelius.

Yeah yeah, But that's not what Peter was trying to say.

So in verse thirty five says, but in every nation,

whoever fears him and works righteousness is accepted by him.

So but Peter said again in verse forty three to him,

all the prophets witnessed that true his name, and only

in the name of Jesus, whoever believes in him will

receive remission of sins, and that is salvation. So Peter

make the point at the end of his sermon that

forgiveness of sins is salvation. No one is safe who

sins against God are not forgiven by God. And Peter

says that forgiveness comes true but living in Christ, and

it comes to the name of Jesus. Or right so,

and Peter is not saying that I'm here to announce that, Oh,

just because you fear God, you don't need to receive forgiveness.

So Cornelius is a type of man, a type of

man that some of us. We have these in our

in maybe in our influence and all. He was undoubtedly

a good man, but yet he needs Jesus. Do you

know that good people needs Jesus? And I'm sure seated

you can even think of your someone you know who

needs Jesus. But they are really good people, They are

respectful towards God, but they still need to come to

Jesus as their Lord and their savior. Would you be

the Peter to Cornelius a man? So if you're those

of us were Cornelius in our lives, let's be the

Peter to our Cornelius and the Gospel. Again, the Gospel,

because it's starts among the most diva people in the world,

the Jews. Okay, but yet even the Jews, even among them, Yeah,

they are works of righteousness, and their religious sincerity is

not enough to save them from the problem of sin. Amen.

So that's the first one that we can draw from here.

Everyone needs a savior, imen. Imen. So let's be the

Peter to our Cornelius right now. Second one I can

draw out from here, All people are acceptable candidates for salvation. Amen.

Remember what God told Peter. What I call clean, you

cannot call common or unclean? Correct. So that is verse

twenty eight. Hey, so verse so, And that is the

earlier verse. In verse twenty eight, Peter told Cornelius, you

know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to

keep company with or go to one of another nation.

But God has shown me that I should not call

any man common or unclean in a new living translation

is that I should no longer think of anyone as

impure or unclean. So the word common or unclean just

mean rejected, despised that I said, taboo. Okay, it's like

leprosy cannot means cannot. That's what they understood at that time.

So Peter is explaining to the gentiles why he has

come because if you say, if you only know in

my law, I am not allowed to do this right.

But God has shown him okay. So what this means

to Christians is that we should never look down on

a person for his race, for his ethnic group, or

to say to someone that you are not fit to

hear the gospel. You are too unclean for me to

go into your house and share the Gospel with you.

It's not worth evangelizing to you. We should never say that, amen,

or you have too many offensive habits that I cannot

get near to you. So the powerful part about us

twenty eight is any man or anyone. So again God

has shown to us that we cannot call anyone or

any man common or unclean. So God rules no one

out in his favor on the basis of race or

ethnic origin, or your physical distinctiveness or your cultural distinctiveness.

No one, all right, everyone is an acceptable candidate for salvation.

So let us not write anyone off. Yeah, tell you myself.

Let us not check them out like, okay, this one

cannot want to this one cannot one cannot get safe

on Hallelujah. Okay, No, all right, so all people are

acceptable candidates for salvation now. And the third point I

drew out is that God has prepared the hearts of

people in every nation. A nation again means people group,

not just a country. Let's do adverse thirty five again.

NKJV says, in every nation, whoever fears Him and works

righteousness is accepted by him in an analty. In every nation,

he accepts those to fear Him and do what is right.

The word every nation here there is every ethnic group

of people in the world, meaning there are people being

prepared by God to seek Him with acceptable prayer. Hence,

that's why I think older roles did say it right.

We need to go right. If those of us who

can go for missions go someone needs to hear. Cornelius

would not have heard if Peter didn't go right. And

no one will be saved today without the Gospel. So

if no one took the Gospel to him, he wouldn't

have been saved. Okay, So again we should be hoped,

we should be full of hope and expectancy that again God,

this is a God who is willing to work in

making connections. As long as we are willing, he will

make the connection between us and the unriched people group.

Because God has prepared in the hearts of every group,

every nation, every people group, hearts that are ready for

the Gospel. Hallelujah. Amen. So it shows you again that

the people were hungry, they were waiting for a messenger.

Let us be that messenger. Amen. Amen. And finally I

also learned from here is that Peter preached Jesus and

that's all he did, and the Holy Spirit to over immen.

So the Holy Spirit's mission is to come and glorify Jesus. Right,

So when Jesus is lifted up and today as we

have sung right the first two songs and so it's

just lifting the name of Jesus, hallelujah and make him

the center of our fooks. And that's why we praise

God and lift him up. When we make him the

center of focus. When we lift him up, the Holy

Spirit will come hallelujah, because he will glorify the Son

of God. He will glorify Jesus, and he will clothe

us with power, so that Jesus is not just going

to be a concept. This is an ideal and he oh, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, No,

he will be a living person in our lives, amen,

helleli Yeah. So what is our part here today? Church?

So as we have drawn out from here, everyone needs

the Lord God has prepared people and we can be

that Peter to the Carnelius in our lives. Amen. So

as we wrap up even our missions weekend. You know,

those of you who were who sign up for conference,

have you all received an email after that? Now? If

you didn't notice, right, okay, if you're already great, but

if you notice in the email, there's a little box

that you can click one. Ah, so you click on it.

It says partner with X awesome. So you on it.

You will bring you to a page. I got this

page right, I can show uh this this are We

call it the easy skill of evangelism. So there's e

zero all the way to eat four of how ex church,

your church, my church, helleli Jah. We are already involved

right now, seated here. You're already easero. Did you know that?

AHAs you do know I'm talking about never mind, go

and read okay, okay, and if you are not, you're

not at conference and you don't have visit link in

your email. I think home leaders we can send to

our people. And if you're not your part of the homes,

be part of a home. That's your first step. You're

E zero, okay, be part of a homes Okay, okay.

So this is where God because basically God has placed

each one of us in X for a reason, in

easy row. And there are many things that we can

already do. No need to create new you can do

already one all right, and then you move on to

E one. What is E one? I put here engaging

the community that God has placed X in and then

you move on to E two and getting the different nations,

the people groups that God has brought to be among us,

and then finally engaging and reaching those outside of Malaysia.

Now when you go in into the link and you

go in, you click, they will also lead you to

other links and explain many many more things that X

Church is already involved in, hallelujah, and how we can

participate and be a part of this. So I'm so

proud of X Church. Are you proud of your church?

Be proud of your church? Okay? This church not sleeping

while not like don't do anything right. We know what

we're doing. Allelujah. Amen. So and if you cannot go,

you can always give, and you can always pray. Turn

to your neighbor, go, second neighbor, give, third neighbor. Praying now.

And for those of you who were at conference, if

you remember what passed the Palen pitch about the kids

had to take notes and they got goody bags. So

you have got no goodibag for you today. Okay, Yeah,

there were points that he pished, very simple englishmen, very good.

I like being and people like that one. Okay, just

straight to the point and give it to you. That's it.

But again and then I was reflecting my oh it

also reflects X chapter ten exactly what we're talking about.

What other three points come? Can you remember? No race,

no blessing, got three points, no obedience, no blessing, third one,

no going, no blessing, same thing like Peter and Cornelius.

If Peter didn't take any risks, do you think it

was whiskey for him? Super risky? Okay, risky, didn't there

any risk? If he did not work in obedience or

if he did not go, there will be no blessing

of Cornelius and the gent House being saved. Amen.

We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more

information on our church, please visit aschurch org. We are

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week is going to be a good week.

I hit for you.

God bless