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This morning we're going to look 
at the conversion of Cornelius and his household. When Peter 
the Apostle preached, I want to read beginning in Acts 10 
at verse 34. Then Peter opened his mouth and 
said, In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But 
in every nation, whoever fears Him and works righteousness is 
accepted by Him. the word which God sent to the 
children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ. He 
is Lord of all. That word, you know, which was 
proclaimed throughout all Judea and began from Galilee after 
the baptism which John preached. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth 
with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good 
and healing 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 up on 
the third day and showed Him openly, not to all the people, 
but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and 
drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And He commanded 
us to preach to the people and to testify that it is He who 
was ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To 
Him all the prophets witnessed that through His name, whoever 
believes in Him will receive remission of sins. While Peter 
was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all 
those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision 
who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because 
the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the 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. And they asked Him to stay a 
few days. Amen. Let us pray. Father, we 
thank You for Your Holy Scripture and we pray now for the Spirit 
to guide us and to instruct us, to encourage and edify Your people 
and to cause us to reflect again upon the glory of the Gospel 
of Jesus Christ. And our Father, we pray that 
there would be those today who respond to this Gospel There 
would be those who come in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ. They 
would know the remission, the forgiveness of sins. They would 
know the joy that that brings. They would know the blessing 
of being found in Christ, not having a righteousness of their 
own which is from the law, but having that righteousness which 
is from God through faith in the Lord Jesus. And it's in His 
most blessed name that we pray. Amen. Well, the Lord's Table 
is an excellent time for us to consider the Gospel or the Good 
News of Jesus Christ. There's a lot of question in 
the church today, or in churches today, as to the nature and description 
and the function and the identification of the Gospel. And that's a good 
thing, because without the Gospel, the church is nothing. Without 
the Gospel, the church is just another social context, another 
gathering place for people to come and just sort of hang out. 
The gospel is what gives us our foundation. The gospel is what 
brings us together. The gospel is that which binds 
us. And so, as we consider what the 
gospel or good news is, it is good to review the book of Acts. 
Because the primary purpose of the book of Acts is that the 
people of God, the church of Jesus Christ, would be His witnesses. That they would be witnesses 
first in Jerusalem, and then in Judea and Samaria, and then 
to the uttermost parts of the earth. So as we survey apostolic 
preaching, we're able to see what is intrinsic, what is necessary, 
what is essential in gospel preaching. Now, I want to just consider 
primarily the passage that we read, but it's good for us to 
understand how Peter got into this particular situation. There 
was a man by the name of Cornelius, who we've read of. He's identified 
in chapter 10 at verse 1. There was a certain man in Caesarea 
called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian 
Regiment. a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, 
who gave alms generously to the people and prayed to God always. Now, more than likely, he was 
a Gentile who followed the God of Israel. Some say that he was 
a holy pagan, that he was already converted. But that renders nonsensical 
what Peter does. Peter comes and preaches the 
Gospel so that Cornelius would be saved. Having a general notion 
or following the God of Israel without understanding blood atonement 
through our Lord Jesus is ineffective. We need to understand who Christ 
is, what He has accomplished, and believing in Him, we will 
have forgiveness of sins. So, Cornelius has a vision in 
verses 1-8. Then Peter has a vision in verses 
9-16. And then he is summoned to go 
to Caesarea in verses 17-23. And then these two men meet, 
according to chapter 24, chapter 10, verses 24-33. And so now 
we come to Peter's report. Notice what Cornelius wants. 
Look at chapter 10, verse 33. I often reflect on this passage 
and hope and pray that the church would have more Corneliuses. 
It says, So I sent 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. He wanted the Scripture. He wanted 
the Word of Truth. He didn't want to just learn 
about Peter. He didn't just want stories that made him feel good. 
He didn't want just a bit of a shot in the arm so that he 
could tackle a busy week. No, he wanted God's Word. He 
wanted the Scripture. He wanted to understand the truth. Reverend, shots in the arms and 
a bit of encouragement to tackle a busy week are ineffective with 
reference to our peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. 
It is ineffective with reference to our witness before others. We need the Scriptures. We need 
exposition and application. We need the Spirit to fall upon 
our meetings so that we'll understand His truth and so that we'll take 
it to heart. Now notice, Peter preaches Christ 
to Cornelius. The first thing to notice is 
the impartiality of God. The impartiality of God. Notice 
what he says in verses 34 and 35. Then Peter opened his mouth 
and said, in truth, I perceive that God shows no partiality. I think the thrust here, the 
idea here, is that He is not just the God of the Jews. That 
He is not just a ghetto mascot. But rather, He is the Lord of 
all. The Lord of all history. The 
Lord of all persons. The one who has universal sovereignty 
and crown rights over all men. He doesn't show partiality. He 
doesn't just confine this good news to the Jews. But now with 
Peter coming to Cornelius, The Gospel is going out. The Gospel 
is being universalized. The Gospel is conquering, going 
forth conquering and to conquer. He says, but in every nation, 
whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. Again, He's 
not teaching works righteousness there. The idea is that in every 
nation, those whom God has graciously saved, those who respond in faith, 
Those who follow the Lamb. He is not confined simply to 
Palestine. John Stott says the emphasis 
is that Cornelius' Gentile nationality was acceptable so that he had 
no need to become a Jew. He didn't have to become a Jew 
first and then come to the Lord Jesus. It says, not that his 
own righteousness was adequate so that he had no need to become 
a Christian. We misread the text if we take 
it that way. Then notice, he gets to the bulk 
of his preaching. What makes the gospel good news? 
If I were to ask you that, what makes the gospel good news, you 
might say, well, it makes me happy. What makes the gospel 
good news? Think about it for just a moment, 
in your mind, in your head. What is good about the gospel? Is it about the feelings that 
we derive? Is it about a bit of holy contemplation 
on our part? The Gospel is good news because 
it centers in and focuses upon Jesus. Jesus Christ is central 
in the Gospel, and that is what Peter is doing. God brings these 
two people together in a supernatural way, such that Cornelius says, 
tell me all that God has commanded you. And so what does Peter do? 
He doesn't give him just a bit of his own heart, but rather 
he elevates Jesus. He lifts up Christ. He highlights 
His person and His work. With reference to His person, 
He describes Jesus as God. He says He is Lord of all. Some people deny this. Some people 
do not accept this. In fact, you might be here this 
morning thinking, I don't think that Jesus is God. I don't think 
He is what the Bible declares Him to be. Well, your thinking 
otherwise doesn't change reality. Holy men spoke as they were moved 
by the Holy Spirit. And Peter here shines the spotlight 
on this aspect of Christ. He is Lord of all. Realize this, 
that when you deny Him, you're not denying me. You're not denying 
a spouse. You're not denying a parent. 
When the gospel call goes forth and you are summoned to believe 
this and to repent from your sin, your rejection is against 
God Himself. You are like those men in Psalm 
2 who raise their fist at God and against His Christ. Who want 
to cast off His fetters. Who want to be the governors 
of their own destiny. Well, you may try as you might, 
but you cannot. He is Lord of all. He has crown 
rights over everything. And then Peter highlights His 
humanity. When we consider the Person of 
Jesus, He is both God and man. How does Peter describe Him? 
He's a man anointed by God. He went about doing good. When 
you look at the life and ministry of Jesus, it's defined by good. I submit to you, when you look 
at your life, when you look at your service, when you look at 
your conduct, good is probably not the adjective you would use. 
Am I right? When you look at your life, when 
you look at your relationship to God and to men, can you honestly 
say that it is good? If it is good, then Christ died 
in vain. Christ did not come to call the 
good people, but He came to call sinners to repentance. Christ 
is good because we're not. Christ is perfect because we're 
not. When God looks upon human history, 
as I mentioned in Bible study the other night, there's only 
33 years that He sees as good. It is the life, the ministry 
of our beloved Lord Jesus. So when Peter preaches Jesus, 
he highlights the fact that He's God, the fact that He's man. 
He had to be such in order to be the mediator. There is one 
God and one mediator between God and man. the man Christ Jesus, 
who gave Himself as a ransom for our sins. You see, Peter 
focuses on Jesus. There's a lot of people out there 
focusing on a lot of things, but if it isn't upon Christ, 
it's not the Gospel. Notice what he goes on to say. 
He speaks of Jesus' work. We know who Jesus is. He is God. He is man. But what did Jesus 
do? That's what Peter goes on to 
describe. He speaks of His life and ministry. Verse 38, how God anointed Jesus 
of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about 
doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, 
for God was with Him. Read the Gospel account sometime 
and you'll see that fleshed out. Just watch Jesus live and move 
and have His being. Does He turn His head to human 
suffering? Does He forget the downcast and 
poor? Does He forget the downtrodden 
and poor? No, He goes about doing good. He's at a gravesite and 
He calls a man forth from the tomb. He's at places where people 
are hungry. They've been with Him for three 
days. He doesn't say, well, go to Taco Bell or go to McDonald's 
and find something so you can satisfy your hunger. No, He multiplies 
bread and fish. He feeds people. There's an instance 
in Luke chapter 7 where He comes into the city called Nain. And 
there's a woman there whose son had died. And she's beside herself. She's crying. She's sobbing. 
Yes, because of filial love, she loves her son. But a widow 
with no son? Who's going to fend for her? 
We like to think, oh, that's not a good, legitimate concern. 
It is a concern. What does Jesus do when He comes 
into name? He sees this woman and He has 
compassion on her. And then He raises this boy up 
from the dead. Jesus didn't think it was a small 
thing to be without a son as a widow. He raised that young 
man from the dead. We see Christ going about doing 
good. God delights in obedience. Obedience is better than sacrifice. We need a sacrifice to take away 
our sins. But we need His obedience so 
that we can have a righteousness, an alien righteousness taken 
from Jesus and imputed unto us. Brethren, there's a great exchange 
going on in the Gospel account. God takes our sin and heaps it 
upon His Son and punishes Him. He takes His righteousness and 
heaps it upon us so that one day we'll stand before Him and 
able to enter into His presence. Why? Because Jesus was a man 
who went about doing good. His life and ministry is described 
in this way. And then He goes on to specify 
His death. Notice in verse 39, 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. 
You ask the question, why would you kill a good man? I mean, 
think about it, right? Why would they have ever killed 
a good man? Because they were very bad men. And we might say, oh, those wicked 
people, look at what they did. I guarantee you, brethren, outside 
of the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ, we would have been 
numbered among that mob saying, away with him, away with him, 
crucify him. Because we are evil by nature 
and we don't want to come to the light, because the light 
exposes us. I haven't noticed a big cockroach 
problem here in Chilliwack. I'm sure they're here. But in 
Southern California, we have that. Not we, particularly. You know, we would see the occasional 
one. But I remember living near somebody, and they basically 
got thrown out of the place they were renting. And you looked 
in the window afterwards, and there were all these cockroaches. 
They had bug bombed, and they were littered all over the floor. 
Well, an interesting thing about the cockroach is that when you 
flip the light on, they run away. They don't hang out and say, 
hey, what's going on? They scatter. They leave. They flee the city. 
That light disperses that. That's a picture of Christ and 
His holiness when He came into this world. Men like cockroaches. You think, oh, that's pretty 
sick that you're equating men with cockroaches. I personally 
think men are a lot lower than cockroaches, myself included. 
I think men are a lot worse than the cockroach. The cockroach 
does what God made it to do. We're the ones who rebel. We're 
the ones who sin. We're the ones who raise our 
fists at the living and true God. But they killed a good man. Why is this? Peter blames the 
Jews here, as he does in Acts 2, but in Acts 2 he highlights 
a greater purpose, a greater design behind the whole affair. 
He says this happened according to the predetermined plan of 
God. Why? Because if we're going to 
be forgiven of our sins, we need blood atonement. If we're going 
to be forgiven of our sins, it's not going to be with the bulls 
and the goats and the pigeons and the whatevers of the old 
covenant sacrificial system. We need the Lamb of God who takes 
away the sin of the world. Our sins are that bad, brethren. 
Our sins are that monstrous and that high and that appalling 
to the Lord God that it took the death of His Son to atone 
for them. And Peter highlights this fact. Gospel preaching that 
is cross-lets is not gospel preaching. If we take Jesus as an example, 
He's a good man, we need to go and do likewise. We have stripped 
the guts right out of the gospel. This is not moralism. This is 
not go out and be better people. Go do like Jesus. You go do like 
Jesus and you'll end up in hell. We need blood atonement through 
this Savior and we need, by God's grace, to believe on Him for 
the forgiveness of sins. Peter sets forth the cross. But he doesn't stop there. He 
doesn't leave Jesus on the cross. Peter wouldn't be wearing a crucifixion 
around his neck. He wouldn't have a cross with 
Jesus outstretched on it. You see, the cross led to exaltation. The cross led to the crown. The 
cross led to that state of blessed, blessed exaltation. He goes on 
to say in verse 40, Him, God, raised up on the third day and 
showed Him openly. It was dateable. It was verifiable. It was factual. It didn't happen 
in some small corner of the world where no one was privy to it. 
But God bolted him from the grave. He appeared to men. He saw women. 
He engaged in ministry post-resurrection. You see, the tomb is empty. As 
Paul will say in Romans 4.25, he was crucified or he was delivered 
up because of our offenses, but he was raised up because of our 
justification. It's a completed package. It's 
a wondrous thing. It's good news. It is gospel. Gospel preaching without a cross 
or without an empty tomb is not gospel preaching. You might say, 
Jim, what's the deal? Everybody says they're preaching 
the gospel. Now, a lot of people tell you they're only interested 
in your good all the time, too. I hate to break this to you, 
but the world's a brutal place. It's a sinful place. People will 
actually lie to you. People will even do it in the 
name of Jesus. People will even do it wanting their own benefit. That's what the book of Galatians 
is about. Paul says, I'm amazed. I'm amazed that you're turning 
so quickly from the grace of God who called you to another 
gospel, which is not another. But there are those who want 
to pervert it. There are those who want to distort 
it. Brethren, there's a lot going on in Christianity that is moralism 
to the core. It's just a shot in the arm to 
go out and do better. The Scriptures are a lot clearer. We can't do better. There is 
none righteous. No, not one. There is none who 
understands. There is none who seeks after 
God. The grand summary in that section in Romans 3 is this. 
There is no fear of God before their eyes. Isn't that amazing? There is no fear of God before 
the eyes of men. How dare us? Paul later describing 
those, or before that, when he's describing the Gentiles in Romans 
1, it says, they don't even like to retain the knowledge of God. 
I don't want to think about God. Oh really? You don't want to 
think about God? He made you, He sustains you, 
He is responsible for that bread you're eating, for that water 
you're drinking, He's responsible for that bank account, and yet 
we don't want to retain Him in our knowledge. Very similar to 
the prophet Jeremiah's day. God, through the prophet, says, 
they turn to Me the back and not the face. What does He mean 
by that? We're to be bowing in worship before our God. Not turning 
our back on Him. Not slighting Him. Not belittling 
Him. Not treating Him like He's an 
equal or an inferior. We're to bow before this God 
who made us and all things in this world. We're to bow before 
this sovereign and glorious Being who is from everlasting to everlasting. This God who is infinite, eternal, 
and unchangeable. This God who is excellent in 
His justice, His power, His holiness, His goodness, and His truth. 
And yet, we sinners don't want to retain the knowledge of God. 
We live each and every day as if God really doesn't matter 
that much. We may come on a Sunday and we may perform some religious 
service and we think we've done something good. How is it with 
you each and every day? Is God in your thoughts? Is God 
the first being in your mind and in your heart? This is why Jesus came to die. Because we're sinners. Because 
guilty, vile, helpless, we, spotless Lamb of God was He. Full atonement. Can it be? Hallelujah. What a 
Savior. Peter preaches the cross. Peter 
preaches the empty tomb. And Peter preaches the exaltation 
of our Lord Jesus. Notice in verse 42, And He commanded 
us, the apostles, to preach to the people and to testify that 
it is He who was ordained by God to be judge of the living 
and the dead. That's a scary statement for 
anyone who is not a Christian. A very scary statement for anyone 
who is not a Christian. If you're not a Christian, it's 
because you reject Jesus. Follow me here. I'm not trying 
to be too difficult or complicated. I realize you stayed up late, 
but hop to it. Get your minds engaged. Think 
with me. If you are not a Christian, I'm not talking about everybody 
out there right now. I'm not talking about the politicians, 
or the guys on death row, or the drug users, or the whatever. 
I'm talking about right here, right now. If you're not a Christian, 
the reason is, is because you don't believe the Gospel. It's 
simple. Let's not make it difficult. 
I'm not a Christian because I'm not that good. No, you're not 
a Christian because you reject the One who is good. So think 
about it with me for just a moment. A little logic here. If P, then 
Q. P, therefore Q. If you are not 
a Christian, it's because you reject Jesus. Do you think your 
rejection of Jesus removes Him? This is what just amazes me about 
atheists. I don't believe in God. Oh, really? So that means there is no God? 
If I mugged you in the parking lot at the bank and I put a gun 
in your head, you'd say, well, I don't believe in guns. Oh, 
really? I guess it must not exist then. That's foolish. Crazy. That's 
how people operate. I don't believe there's a God, 
so God must not be. So just be honest with me. I 
don't want you to stand up. I don't want you to raise your 
hands and say, yeah, that's me. But just think about it for a moment. 
If you're not a Christian, it's because you reject Jesus. That does not mean He goes away. That does not mean you will never 
meet Him. It simply means that when you 
do meet Him, it will not be His Savior. It will be His judge. That's terrifying. The One alone 
who can save you from your sins and you continue to reject Him. 
That's just mind-blowing. That's the power of sin. That's 
how bad depravity is. That is how far extending it 
is. The One who can save you is the 
One who you reject. But He is the One that you will 
ultimately stand before. He was ordained by God to be 
judge of the living and the dead. Turn over to Acts 17 for just 
a moment. Acts 17, Paul preaching the Gospel, 
highlights this reality of an empty tomb, of a resurrected 
Savior. But it's interesting how he does 
this here. He doesn't argue. He doesn't 
try to prove the resurrection. But rather, he uses the resurrection 
as a proof of the coming judgment. Notice in Acts 17. Acts 17, verse 29, Therefore, 
since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that 
the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, something 
shaped by art and man's devising. What was the sin in Athens? Idolatry. What's Paul speaking to? Idolatry. The Gospel is relevant in every 
culture because the Gospel addresses the sin problem. We have a lot 
of cultural analysts today. It's very simple. All cultures 
are sinful. All cultures need the gospel 
of Jesus Christ. Notice verse 30, "...truly these 
times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere 
to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge 
the world in righteousness by the man whom He has ordained. 
He has given assurance of this to all by raising him from the 
dead." This is essentially what Peter says. Crucified. But He was raised up. God stationed 
Him at His right hand so that He would be the judge of the 
living and the dead. You will face Jesus Christ someday. You will stand before Him. I 
do not know when. I know what James says. Your 
life is like a vapor. You're here for a time and then 
you're gone. Moses said, if by reason of strength we have 70 
or 80 years, then we fly away. Every single one of us will stand 
before the Lord Jesus Christ. You've heard the saying, there's 
only two inevitable things, death and taxes. You can not pay your 
taxes if you like to live in jail, but it's not inevitable. Hebrews 9 tells us it is appointed 
for man to die and then what? Then comes judgment. You say, 
but I don't believe that. It doesn't matter. Whether you 
realize it or not, you're not the center of the universe. You're 
not God. Your thinking doesn't shape worlds. Your thinking does not shape 
things. Your thinking very often cannot 
even get you out of bed on time for work. And yet, you are in 
a posture and a position to try and wish God away. You will stand 
before Him. All of us will stand before Him. 
And there's only one way to be prepared, and that's where Peter 
goes. He says to Him, to this Jesus who is the Judge, to Him 
all the prophets witness. They all witness this particular 
fact that through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive 
remission of sins. There's one way to avoid condemnation 
on the Day of Judgment. Not two ways, not three ways. Peter is not teaching that all 
roads lead to heaven. If Cornelius was already a saved 
man, if he was already a holy pagan, if he was already rightly 
related to God, then this is superfluous. But he realizes 
this man is a sinner in need of a Savior. And that is to whom 
he directs his attention now. He says to him, all the prophets 
witnessed. So I read Daniel 9. When you 
think of prophetic witness to the Lord Jesus, your mind starts 
to survey the Old Testament Scriptures. Moses was a prophet. We believe 
Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. Genesis 3.15 is 
the first statement concerning this coming Deliverer, this Conqueror, 
this One to whom all the prophets witnessed. That the seed of the 
woman would crush, would destroy, would obliterate, would smash 
the head of the seed of the serpent. I love that language, brethren. 
It's martial. It's victorious. The church today 
is anemic and it's weak. We're effeminate. We need a crushing 
Savior. We need One who doesn't just 
play games with Satan, but puts His foot upon His head and smashes 
it into smithereens. That's our Jesus prophesied in 
the prophets. And then Genesis chapter 22. 
What's the grand statement of Abraham to Isaac? The Lord will 
provide the Lamb. Isn't that a beautiful statement? 
A beautiful testimony. If you don't see Jesus in Genesis 
22, you need to re-read it. You need to see that Lamb caught 
in the thicket is prophetic, it is a type, it is a shadow 
of the Lamb of God who would come to take away the sins of 
the world. You turn to the Psalms, and what do we learn of there? 
Psalm 22, written before Roman crucifixion, describing it in 
detail. Jesus says, My God, My God, why 
hast Thou forsaken Me on the cross? That is a direct quote 
from Psalm 22. Psalm 110 speaks of a priest 
coming in the order of Melchizedek. The prophets, as we continue 
on, Isaiah. Isaiah 53 is almost like the 
fifth gospel. You have Matthew, Mark, Luke, 
John and Isaiah. He's talking about substitutionary 
atonement. He's talking about the servant 
of the Lord. He's talking about one who is oppressed. A man of 
sorrows and acquainted with grief. The one upon whom the Lord was 
pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief for our iniquities 
and our sins. You see what Peter is saying? 
It is this one. The Scriptures. Not only the 
Gospel, but the entirety of the Scriptures are Christ-centered. 
Jesus said to His opponents, you search the Scriptures, for 
in them you think you have eternal life. And these are they which 
testify of Me. Abraham rejoiced to see My day, 
Jesus says. He is the center point of all 
of redemptive history. He is the center point of all 
of history. And the Scriptures constantly 
declare that. Brethren, this is apostolic preaching 
of the Gospel. It is the Person of Christ. It 
is the work of Christ to include His spotless life, His ministry, 
His death, and His resurrection. It is the exaltation of Jesus 
Christ as Judge and as Lord of all. It is the reality that all 
those who believe in Him will receive remission of sins. Do 
not reject this Christ. And today, believer, remember 
this Christ. How often do we live our lives and we just go 
day to day and we get so busy? We don't stop to think. Jesus 
saved me. I think that's a great remedy 
when we have issues in our lives. We've got problems. We've got 
trials. We've got difficulties. Stop for just a moment and say 
to yourself, be of good cheer. Your sins are forgiven. Then you can go, yeah. Yeah. Justification by God's free grace. Wherein He pardons all our sins. 
All our sins. Do you get that? Jesus doesn't 
deal with 80% of your sins or 90% of your sins or 99% of your 
sins and then you've got to go out and make it up. Jesus paid 
it all. Everything. Paul says so clearly 
in Galatians 2.21, if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ 
died in vain. Christian, realize that Jesus 
is your all in all. Jesus is everything. Not just 
the first Sunday when we eat this bread and we drink this 
cup and we do so in remembrance of Christ. Let us live in light 
of Calvary each and every day. Let us consider Him in His person. The reality that God the Son, 
the Logos, the second person of the Triune God would come 
into this world. That right there is enough to 
just cause us to stand in amazement. That the birds had their nests 
and the foxes had their holes, but the Son of Man had nowhere 
to lay His head. that he only ever went about 
doing good, and then he was spat upon, he was slapped in the head, 
he had a crown of thorns embedded into his head until he bled, 
he was mocked, he was treated scornfully and shamefully, and 
then ultimately died on the cross, forsaken, not first and foremost 
of man, but of God. Brethren, we ought to think in 
these terms. We ought to consider these things. 
Not just on the first Lord's Day of the month. Peter preached 
the Gospel. To him, all the prophets witnessed 
that through his name, whoever believes in him will receive 
remission of sins. Isn't that a beautiful statement? 
We hold the Reformed theology here. We believe in sovereignty. 
We believe in election. We believe in predestination. 
We believe in all those truths. And we affirm Peter's statement 
that whoever believes in him will receive remission. You believe 
in Him today and your sins are covered. There's no greater joy. I know that some of you men, 
all you men, you have noble jobs, there's virtue, there's good 
things. There's no greater joy than to tell people, look, you 
believe the Gospel and your sins will be forgiven. Not that you 
can't do that as witnesses to Christ, but what great joy that 
is and what a great privilege. You don't have to fix you. You don't need therapy. You don't 
have a syndrome. You don't have a complex. It's 
not because you were victimized. All those things are real. You've 
got issues. Everybody's got baggage and all 
that. But the simple message of the Gospel is this. God is 
holy. You're a sinner. And God sent 
His Son. You believe on His Son and you 
will have forgiveness of sins. You will have the peace of God 
which surpasses all understanding. You'll be able to say with Paul 
in Romans 5, 1, Therefore, having been justified by faith, We have 
peace with God through our Lord Jesus. That doesn't mean the 
absence of trials, the absence of issues. Show me one Christian 
that doesn't have trials and issues. You can't. That waits for us in the eschaton. 
That waits for us in heaven, where God wipes away every tear 
from our eyes, where there's no more sorrow, no more pain, 
no more hunger, no more thirst, no more calamity, no more death, 
no more loss, no more aches. But right now, brethren, we have 
issues. We have trials. But God, by His grace, has forgiven 
us. What could be better than that? 
That's the testimony of the prophets. What does God want us to take 
from this passage? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 
and you will be saved. And then, beautifully, what happens 
here? While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit 
fell upon all those who heard the Word. Isn't that great? You 
believe the Gospel by God's grace, you receive forgiveness and the 
Holy Spirit. You receive forgiveness and the 
Holy Spirit. We saw this in Galatians 3, when 
Paul appeals to their experience. You receive the Spirit, not by 
your works, not by your law keeping, but by the hearing of faith. 
By hearing the Gospel, by believing it. You not only are justified, 
you receive the Holy Spirit. Those are two gifts that come 
to every man, every woman, every boy, every girl. You don't have 
to do something extra. You don't have to go out and 
serve. You don't have to go out and perform in order to get this 
second work of grace. No, as soon as you believe, God 
justifies you. As soon as you believe, you receive 
the Spirit. According to Ephesians 1, 13 
and 14, He is the seal and the guarantee of this possession 
that we have. If you don't have Christ today, 
believe. Believe on the Lord Jesus. If you want to think in 
larger terms, this is a Gentile Pentecost. Remember the day of 
Pentecost in Acts 2? God sends the Spirit in a powerful 
way upon the church. What do they do? They speak in 
tongues, communicating. Not gibberish, not babble, not 
vain thoughts. Communicating the marvelous works 
of God. The Gospel comes on the day of 
Pentecost. And Jerusalem is baptized with 
the Spirit of the people that believe there. Acts chapter 8. 
Acts chapter 8. The Samaritans hear the Gospel. They believe the Gospel. And 
what happens? The Spirit comes on them. Acts 
chapter 10. What happens? The Gentiles hear 
the Gospel. The Spirit comes upon them. What 
is God communicating? The self-same spirit comes to 
you by God's grace when you believe the Gospel, irrespective of the 
fact if you're a Jew, a Samaritan, or a Gentile. God shows no partiality. The Gospel is universal in its 
implications. The Gospel is to be globalized. 
The Gospel is to be proclaimed. specifically the person and the 
work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and 
for righteousness imputed. Raymond says, here then is the 
real significance of Pentecost in the history of redemption. 
It was Jesus' self-attestation to the truth that He was Israel's 
Lord and Messiah. And the non-repeatable Samaritan 
Pentecost, the non-repeatable Gentile Pentecost are to be viewed 
in the same light. Both were Jesus' self-attestations 
to the church and to the people involved at the critical junctures 
of the missionary endeavor that He had delineated in Acts 1-8 
of His Messiahship and saving Lordship, get this, over the 
nations. The Gospel is to be proclaimed. We have a good guide here as 
to what the gospel is about. We need to go to the law and 
to the testimony. We need to go to the pages of 
the scripture. We need to evaluate everything by the written word. 
The gospel is simply a message about you going out and being 
a better guy or a better girl. That's not good news. Because 
we can't be better guys or better girls. That's why Jesus came 
to die and to rise again. The exclusivity of the Gospel 
is set forth too. It's not only universalized, 
globalized, it's to go out to all nations, but it's an exclusive 
message. Some, as I mentioned, try to 
point to Cornelius here as an inclusivistic message. Look, 
Cornelius was a pagan and he was saved. No, the message here 
is to him, all the prophets witnessed. To him and no other. There's 
no salvation outside of Jesus Christ. You may leave the Free 
Grace Baptist Church at 1210 or 1215 on August 1st and think 
to yourself, I'm going to go stop this, I'm going to go start 
this, and everything's going to be right with me. No. The 
prophets didn't witness to that. The prophets didn't testify to 
you being a better guy or a better girl or moral reformation is 
all you needed. The prophets testified concerning 
the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. There is no hope without 
Him. There is no forgiveness without Him. There is no atonement 
without Him. If you do not cast your soul 
upon Jesus Christ in faith, you will suffer in hell for eternity. You say, well, that's not fair. 
Well, God is fair. God is just. God is right and 
shall not the just God do what is right. Believe. Come. Understand. Sop. Dine. Love. Honor. Live. Commune with Christ. That's living. That's life. When we take the Lord's Supper 
in just a few minutes, when we remember the bread and the wine, 
it's not for non-Christians. There's no power in that bread. 
There's power in the blood. Power in Christ. You don't eat 
and drink in order to be saved. You eat and drink because by 
God's grace, you have been saved. It's for the church. It's for 
the believer. It's for the one who can say, by God's grace alone, 
I am in Him. If you are not in Him, believe. 
Belief. And you will be saved. What a 
blessed message from a great God. Let us pray. Father, we 
thank You for Your Word. And we thank You for the prophetic 
testimony, the apostolic testimony, all pointing to the same reality 
that through Christ is the remission of sins. And I pray today, God, 
that as this Gospel is proclaimed throughout the earth, that it 
would run swiftly and be glorified. That the Spirit of God would 
fall upon a great multitude that many would come to understand 
that Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation. And I pray 
that, especially for our meeting here this morning, God, I pray 
that you would be well pleased to save sinners of your will. Bring them forth by your word 
of truth. We ask this in Jesus' holy name. Amen.