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Turn with me in your Bibles to 
Acts chapter 10, a fitting sermon for a baptismal service. As I 
said, we are baptizing Joy and Amy this morning. So I want to 
read beginning in Acts chapter 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. Then they asked him to stay a 
few days. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father, we thank you for the written word of the living and 
true God. We thank you for this passage of Holy Scripture. We 
pray now for the ministry of the Spirit to guide us and to 
illumine our hearts and minds and to feed our souls with the 
knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, to see his power in redemption, 
to see his glory magnified, to see his ability to save. And 
God, we rejoice in conversions. We rejoice in persons, wanting 
to identify publicly with the triune God in the waters of baptism. As well, our Father, we pray 
for that city of Lytton. We just ask God in heaven that 
you would undertake on behalf of those there. We thank you 
for returning Chris. We thank you for preserving Christoph 
and the other firefighters. And we just pray, God in heaven, 
that you would be merciful to that community as they rebuild. 
And we ask this in the name and for the glory of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. Amen. Well, Acts 10 is a significant 
passage in redemptive history. What we have is the official 
inclusion of Gentiles in the covenant promises of God. Remember, 
originally, the gospel is revealed in Genesis 3.15, and then that 
gospel is expanded, or rather amplified, in terms of promise. And Abraham is told to look north, 
to look south, to look east and look west, that it wouldn't just 
be Israel that received the benefit of the seed of Abraham, but it 
would also be Gentiles. You see that promise as well 
in the Psalter. You see it in the prophets. You 
see that emphasis in Isaiah, for instance, that the knowledge 
of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. 
So as I said, the inclusion of Cornelius and his household into 
the church was significant in terms of redemptive history. 
Just to give you an overview of chapter 10. In the first place, 
Cornelius himself has a vision in verses 1 to 8. Peter then 
has a vision in verses 9 to 16. And then Peter, along with messengers, 
arrive at Joppa according to verses 17 to 23. And then there 
is this meeting with Cornelius between Peter and his associates 
with Cornelius in verses 24 to 33. And then what I want to look 
at are two things. First, the preaching of Peter 
in verses 34 to 43. And then secondly, the conversion 
of Cornelius and his household in verses 44 to 48. So the proclamation 
of the truth and then the conversion of those who had received the 
truth by the power of the Holy Spirit. So let's look first at 
verse 34. Notice the impartiality of God. And verses 34 and 35 are curious. Notice what it says. Then Peter 
opened his mouth and said, In truth I perceive that God shows 
no partiality. That's not curious. We know that. The Old Testament and the New 
Testament, everywhere celebrates that reality. There is no impartiality 
with God. It doesn't depend upon where 
you live or what age group you are, what socioeconomic stratosphere 
you tend to belong to. God shows no partiality. But 
then when he says in verse 35, in every nation, whoever fears 
him and works righteousness is accepted by him. The point is 
simply this. that Gentiles can also come to 
the Lord Jesus Christ. Just because Jesus is Israel's 
Messiah, that does not mean that Gentiles are excluded. The emphasis 
is, is that Cornelius's Gentile nationality was acceptable so 
that he had no need to become a Jew. Not that his own righteousness 
was adequate so that he had no need to become a Christian. John 
Stott said that, and I think he's bang on. Remember that when 
the spirit falls upon Cornelius and his household, those of the 
circumcision, those companions of Peter are surprised, they're 
shocked. As I said, though it had been 
promised in the Old Testament, though it had been celebrated 
in the Psalms, though it had been prophesied by the prophets, 
nevertheless, these Jews are a bit surprised and disturbed 
at the inclusion of Gentiles in terms of the service of the 
true and living God. So we have this impartiality 
stated in verses 34 and 35, which is good news. The Christian does 
not, or people that become Christians don't have to first become Jews. 
And again, an emphasis in this part of the book You don't have 
to first be circumcised. You don't have to follow the 
laws of Moses, but rather you must come to Jesus, the one whom 
Moses testified and wrote concerning. And that moves us into the preaching 
of Peter with the revelation of the Son of God. See, gospel 
preaching is just that. It is gospel. It is good news. It isn't good news for you to 
hear self-help. It isn't good news for you to 
be given therapy. It isn't good news for you to 
be given advice on how to be a better you. What man in sin 
desperately needs is the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is outside of us. It is accessible 
by grace through faith in Christ, but it's the message of Christ 
and him crucified and resurrected. It involves his life of obedience, 
his death on the cross as a substitute, as the one who bore the penalty 
of those who believe, and of his resurrection the third day. 
That's the gospel. The good news of Jesus Christ 
isn't a message of self-help. It isn't a message of try a little 
harder and maybe God will receive you. Do a little better and then 
maybe you can be accepted by the whole high and lofty one. 
No, the blessed emphasis in terms of gospel is believe on this 
one and you shall be saved. So it shouldn't surprise us that 
after having been divinely arranged, Peter now comes before Cornelius 
and his household, and what Peter preaches is not Peter. Peter 
doesn't say, yeah, I have a lovely wife, I have a few kids, we live 
in this region, and I'm a fisherman. He doesn't take the time with 
that. In fact, Cornelius doesn't want 
that. Cornelius says, tell me all the 
things that God commanded to you. In other words, we don't 
want the man, we want the man, Christ Jesus. And that's Peter's 
emphasis. So under the revelation of the 
Son of God, there are four things to observe. First, the peace 
of God. Secondly, the person of Christ. 
Third, the work of Christ. And fourth, the prophetic witness 
to Christ. But notice in the first place 
at verses 36 and 37, the word which God sent to the children 
of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ. Isn't that what 
we all want? I know there's a lot of, not 
a lot, there is a minority, there is a handful of people out there 
that seem to thrive on chaos. They seem to like a bit of confusion 
in their life. But for the most part, I think 
the consensus of mankind is a desire for peace. And so as the apostles 
and the prophets before them went about preaching, the main 
emphasis, or at least a sort of a way to identify what they 
were emphasizing, was peace. And when Christ is preached, 
what comes is peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 
After discussing or engaging in a discussion of justification 
by faith alone, the Apostle Paul in Romans 5 says, therefore, 
having been justified by faith, we have peace with God. Again, 
brethren, we have a lot of trouble in our world. We have a lot of 
issues in our personal world. We may have a lot of confusion 
in our family lives, but one thing we have that is rock solid 
and never ending is peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ afforded that peace in 
John 14. My peace I give you, my peace 
I leave with you. Not as the world gives. The world 
has an offer of peace, but it's futile, it's vain, it doesn't 
satisfy. But what Christ gives to the 
needy soul satisfies because it's peace with God. But not 
only do the apostles preach peace with God through faith in our 
Lord Jesus, they also preach peace with one another. There 
was a great disparity between the Jews and the Gentiles at 
this particular time. A faithful Jew would rise up 
in the morning and thank God that he wasn't born a woman, 
he wasn't born a slave, and he wasn't born a Gentile. In other 
words, this was a bad thing to be considered a Gentile. But 
under the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord, and the realization 
of the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we have peace 
one with another. And that's the emphasis in Ephesians 
chapter 2. Christ came to preach peace, 
Christ makes peace, and Christ brings peace between Jew and 
Gentile. He doesn't keep them as two distinct 
peoples, but he makes one new man out of them, having removed 
the barrier that existed before. And so when it comes to gospel 
preaching, this is the methodology by which peace is promoted. That's why the church's witness 
is fundamental in the world. It's not just Canada. It's not 
just the US. It's not just, you know, North 
America. But wherever we look throughout 
the globe, there is a lack of peace. What's going to fix it? 
Politics? How's that working out? Are they 
that good at what they're doing as to provide and promote peace? I surely hope that we're not 
banking on that. I mean, sometimes they actually 
do something right on occasion, but it's the proclamation of 
the gospel that brings peace. Remember at the announcement 
of the coming of the Messiah in Isaiah chapter 9 at verse 
6, he is called, what? prince of peace. If we want peace 
in the earth, we ought to want gospel preaching to flourish 
and to thrive and to go forth. That's why we pray for Mike. 
We pray for Ryan. We pray for the Currys. We pray 
for the missionary enterprise. We pray for local churches in 
our community that are faithfully handling the word of God. because 
this is the promotion of peace that man desperately wants. Now 
notice, secondly, the person of Christ in verses 36 and 38a. In other words, we need to know 
who the Redeemer is and what he does. And typically in theology, 
we refer to that as the person of Jesus and as the work. So 
what he is, or who he is rather, and what he does. But notice 
with reference to his person. In the first place, Peter declares 
his lordship, which I believe is an ascription to the divinity 
of Jesus. We're going through John's gospel, 
John 1 in the prologue. In the beginning was the Word, 
the Word was with God, and the Word was God. So Jesus, the word 
is co-eternal with the father. He's distinct from the father 
and he is consubstantial with the father. He is in fact God. And so as Peter is going through 
his message, he highlights that reality. Preaching peace through 
Jesus Christ. Notice in verse 36, he is Lord 
of all. So Christ, the Word of God, the 
Son of God, is in fact divine. Our Savior is God Most High. In fact, Athanasius, one of the 
sort of lines of evidence to prove the deity of Christ, as 
Athanasius basically was contra the world itself, was that only 
God himself could save fallen humanity. It's only as the son 
of God comes into this world, takes on our humanity, identifies 
with us in all points and yet without sin, and he does this 
in order to live, to die, and to be raised again to save us 
from our sin. So he is divine, but also that 
humanity is stressed in verse 38. Notice what he says, how 
God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with 
power. Now Jesus, as the second person 
of the Trinity, Jesus as the Word who was in the beginning 
with God, the Word who was God, doesn't have the Spirit anointed 
upon Him. He is intrinsically at one in 
terms of essence with Father and Spirit. But according to 
his humanity, when he takes on our flesh, when he identifies 
with us, he goes into the waters of baptism. The Spirit descends 
upon him like a dove. He hears the voice of approbation 
from the Father. This is my beloved son in whom 
I am well pleased. And then in the Mount of Transfiguration, 
God the Father says, hear him. So he is both God and man, and 
Peter brings that out. And that is crucial and essential 
information. The gospel isn't just about a 
friendly fellow in the ancient Near Eastern world who went about 
and set a good example. No, it's God the Son who took 
on our humanity, who lived for us, who died for us, and who 
was raised again for us, for us men, and for our salvation. 
That whoever believes on him shall not perish, but have everlasting 
life. So Peter brings this out. He 
is anointed with the Spirit for the role of mediator, specifically 
to function as prophet, priest, and king. Now notice thirdly, 
the work of Christ. Peter goes, not from the person, 
to his work. Notice the earthly ministry. 
Verse 38, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit 
and with power, who went about doing good. Isn't that beautiful? 
He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed 
by the devil, for God was with him. It's his earthly ministry. 
How do we identify what Jesus did? Jesus went about doing good. He raised the dead. He healed 
the blind. He enabled the lame to walk. 
He fed the multitudes. He did glorious and wondrous 
things. Why? Because God was with him. Again, according to the humanity 
of Christ, according to the function as mediator, as prophet, priest, 
and king. He didn't just hoard those things. 
He didn't just have those resources, but he went out. He engaged in 
ministry. He did wonderful things. He stood 
at the grave site of Lazarus, and he told that dead man, come 
forth, and Lazarus came forth. What Christ does in his earthly 
ministry is typical of who Christ is according to his blessed person. Notice as well, he highlights 
the death of Jesus. It's very important, brothers 
and sisters and friends, when we consider Christ, that we consider 
all that the Bible says concerning Christ. There is that mindset 
out there that he was a good example for us. We just do a 
little better, try a little harder, follow him a little more closely, 
and be kind to one another, and everything will pan out in the 
end. That is a complete rejection of the gospel of Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Christianity is a redemptive 
religion. Christianity is a religion of 
bloodshed. Christianity is blood atonement, 
wherein those who by God's grace believe on Jesus are washed clean 
through that precious blood. We're sinners. We're dead in 
Adam. We do the deeds of our father. 
We engage in wickedness and lawlessness. So not only do we need a savior 
who lived for us and obeys God's law perfectly such that we receive 
that righteousness, but we need a savior who dies for us because 
the wrath of God must be spent. And he pours it out upon the 
son of his love. The prophet Isaiah says in chapter 
53, it pleased Yahweh to bruise him. Speaking of the son, Have 
you ever considered or contemplated that? Have you ever pondered 
that? It pleased the father to bruise the son. Why? Is the father 
some sick, sadistic child abuser? No, the father is in the plan 
and purpose of saving his people from their sins. And the son 
willingly submits himself to that in order to pay the debt, 
to pay the penalty, to go in their place and take the wrath 
and fury of God that they deserve. Notice what Peter says in verse 
39b. He says, they killed whom they 
killed by hanging on a tree. Tree is utilized as well in chapter 
5 and verse 30. Not every time. Peter uses it 
in his epistle as well. He uses the reference to tree, 
cross or tree. You see that in the New Testament. I think that the background, 
I think it is reminiscent of a law in the book of Deuteronomy. 
Deuteronomy 21, 22, and 23 tells us, If a man has committed a 
sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang 
him on a tree, his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, 
but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not 
defile the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an 
inheritance, for he who is hanged is accursed of God. Paul emphasizes 
that in Galatians chapter 3. He was made a curse for us. Again, you have to understand 
the theology involved. The beauty of the cross is that 
Christ went and took our place. We refer to it as substitutionary 
atonement. If I would have been hit by a 
car on the way to church this morning, Somebody else would 
have preached. I believe that. I hope that. And we ought to have a contingency 
plan in place. But that person would have been 
my substitute. He stood in my place to do what 
I was purposed to do. Think about that in light of 
substitutionary atonement. Christ is on the cross, not because 
he's a sinner. Christ is on the cross, not because 
he's a criminal. Christ is on the cross because 
we're sinners. Christ is on the cross because 
we're criminals. Christ is on the cross and it 
pleased Yahweh to bruise Him because this was the means by 
which we are washed free from all sin and transgression and 
iniquity. You have to get this and appreciate 
this and hold onto this because it's the very lifeblood of the 
Christian faith. So Peter sets forth that blessed 
reality, but he doesn't stop there. Notice under the work 
of Christ, you've got his earthly ministry, you've got his death, 
but you've got his resurrection in verses 40 to 41. We're not 
a Roman Catholic church. If we were a Roman Catholic church, 
there'd be a big cross with Jesus, or at least an apparition or 
a depiction of Jesus on it. But no, he went into the tomb, 
but he was raised again the third day. Sin had no dominion over 
him. It wasn't the case that he would 
remain dead. It was the case that he'd be 
raised again in accordance with the promise of the prophets to 
show his triumph over death, over hell, over our sin. And notice what Peter says, verse 
39, 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. Now notice the contrast. Him, 
God raised up on the third day and showed Him openly. There's 
a great contrast that's set forth by Peter in other places as well. 
What they did, they hung Him on a tree to crucify Him. But 
what did God do? God raised Him from the dead. Paul captures these two elements 
in that blessed summary statement of gospel truth in Romans 4.25. He tells us that Jesus was delivered 
up because of our offenses, but he was raised for our justification. When we consider the waters of 
baptism, this isn't a reward for a virtuous life. This is 
to identify with the victor, with the Savior, with the Redeemer, 
with the blessed God of heaven and earth. It is a public declaration. As these two ladies go in and 
come out of that water, that salvation is of the Lord. It is a most glorious testimony 
concerning the sovereign grace of God and what He does in the 
salvation of sinners. It's not just that He chose us 
in Him, it's not just that He applies that redemptive work 
to us, but it's that the Son of God does come down from heaven 
for us men and for our salvation, and He goes through His life 
and His death, but His resurrection as well. And then notice Peter 
doesn't stop there. I think at times the church stops 
there. At times the church doesn't go 
on to the exaltation of our Lord. Notice what Peter does in verse 
42. Well, he says concerning the 
witness, God raised him up on the third day, verse 40, 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. You might think that's a bit 
of awkward information. Why do we need to know that you ate 
and drank with him? Because the body that went into 
the ground came up out of the ground. self-same, glorified 
to be sure, but it wasn't that he was a phantom, it wasn't that 
he was an apparition. He says to his apostles, touch 
me, you'll see that I'm not, you know, I have flesh, I have 
blood, I have bones, I have all that stuff. It wasn't some apparition 
or cunningly devised fable, but Peter says we saw him. And then 
notice in verse 42, 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. So you see this Jesus who lived, 
this Jesus who suffered and died, this Jesus who was raised again 
is now sitting enthroned at the right hand of the father. And 
the Bible tells us, and this ought to cause some of you, those 
of you who are not believers to fear. You will stand before 
this Christ one day to give an account of deeds done in the 
body, whether good or evil. Look at what the text tells us. 
Verse 42, 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. You will meet this Jesus. You 
will stand before Him on the day of judgment. Again, I don't 
think many people think about this today. They don't think 
beyond, you know, dinner tonight. They don't think beyond their 
four-year degree. They don't think beyond a wife 
or a husband and a few kids. They don't think beyond the grave. They don't take into consideration 
what the apostle says in Hebrews 9. It is appointed unto men to 
die once, and then what? Judgment, we will all stand before 
that glorious throne. Revelation 20 depicts that scene, 
that great white throne judgment, where we stand in the presence 
of Christ. If you do not receive him now by grace, through faith, 
and call him Lord and Savior, you will ultimately hear those 
words, depart from me, I never knew you. Again, just let that 
sink in for a moment. See, one of the travesties that 
I'm observing, and I'm sure a lot of you are in Western civilization, 
is the decline of due process. The idea that if you're upset, 
you can just burn down a church building. No, if that person 
was guilty, they should be tried in courts, there should be rules 
of evidence observed, there should be cross-examination. We are 
basically seeing the suspension of due process. But this much 
I assure you, there is no suspension of due process in the court of 
God. Every single one of us will stand 
before Jesus. Every single one of us will give 
an account of deeds done in the body, whether good or evil. Every 
single one of us will have to testify. And with reference to 
cross-examination, you're gonna be standing before the omniscient 
God of heaven and earth. He knows you better than you 
know you. So the idea is, is that you believe 
the gospel. You look unto the Lord Jesus 
Christ. The only way to be ready for that day of judgment is to 
be clothed in his righteousness. It is to receive that Father 
falling on the prodigal, putting the ring on his finger, putting 
the robe on his back, and celebrating with the fatted calf. It is to 
receive that righteousness by which we enter in to that great 
marriage supper of the Lamb. If you are not clothed in His 
righteousness and you stand before Him on that day, you will be 
consigned to hell. That is the grim reality. I know 
there's a lot of preachers today that say, well, you know, hell 
is a fiction, or hell is temporary, or hell is annihilationism, or 
hell is conditional. That's not what the Scripture 
says. Do not take the word of men who cannot exegete scripture 
properly. The Bible teaches, in fact, Jesus 
teaches more on hell than he does on heaven. Not to suggest 
that he doesn't teach on heaven, but the bottom line is there 
is a real hell. There is real rejection for those 
who reject Jesus Christ. You get a form of it even on 
this side of the judgment to come. Romans chapter 1, what 
happens when men do not honor God as God, neither are their 
hearts thankful to Him. They know God exists. They see 
all the evidence around them. The problem isn't a lack of evidence. 
The problem is the hardened heart of man that suppresses that truth 
and unrighteousness. But what you see happen in society, 
and it should shake us up a bit, believer and unbeliever, when 
we read Romans 1 to see how God responds to those who reject 
Him. Three times it says, God gave them up. God gave them up. God gave them up. To what? A 
reprobate mind. In other words, when they reject 
the God of heaven and earth, God of heaven and earth rejects 
them. Hell is the absolute application 
of that reality. If you, young people, you old 
people, continue to reject Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, continue 
to resist gospel preaching, continue to resist the overtures of loving 
and faithful parents calling upon you to believe on Him, if 
you continue to reject that, you'll be rejected on that day. 
See, that's the reality, and Peter doesn't just sort of leave 
it out there. When he's tracing the person 
and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, yes, his true humanity, 
yes, his true divinity, yes, his earthly ministry, yes, his 
suffering and his death, yes, his resurrection, yes, his exaltation, 
but yes, his coming again in glory to judge the living and 
the dead. It's a good time to ponder, are 
you ready for that day? Are you ready to meet him? Because 
even if it isn't the day of judgment, there could be your own personal 
eschatology wherein perhaps today I wasn't hit by a car, but you 
might be. What happens if your life ends 
today and you stand in the presence of a thrice holy God? Are you 
going to say, you know, I've been a good person, I've tried 
my best, I've done everything I was ever told? All three of 
those statements are absolute lies and you know it at some 
level. The only means by which we are 
accepted with God is through the beloved, in whom we have 
redemption through his blood, Paul exclaims. Hebrews 9.22, 
it says, without the shedding of blood, there is no remission. And this is a good place to transition 
into the next point. Notice the prophetic witness 
to the person and the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. What's 
the book of Amos about? What's the book of Hosea about? What's the prophet Isaiah about? 
What's Ezekiel about? What is Jonah about? Well, Peter's 
going to tell us. He's going to tell Cornelius 
and by extension us. Notice in verse 43. He says to 
him, this one he's just declared, life, death, resurrection, exaltation, 
judge of the living and the dead, to him, this Lord Jesus Christ, 
all the prophets witness. Here's a great help to you when 
you're reading those prophets, find Jesus in them. Because according to Peter, Jesus 
is in them, and any pastor, any preacher, any Bible teacher, 
any Bible scholar who says, well, you really don't need the Old 
Testament, is a fool. You certainly need the Old Testament, 
because the scope of the whole is the glory of God and the salvation 
of sinners by Jesus Christ the Lord. But notice, with reference 
to the prophetic testimony, they emphasize the selfsame things 
that Peter emphasizes. In other words, he's come to 
Cornelius, who's described as a God-fearer. And God-fearer 
simply meant that he was a non-Jew, but he was interested in Israel's 
God. So he would go to the synagogue, 
he would surround himself with Jewish people. He wanted to understand 
something about this Yahweh of Israel. So he had this modicum 
of understanding. But Peter is giving him the Christocentric 
interpretation. Peter is giving Cornelius something 
that Cornelius hadn't heard in the synagogue. Because the Jews 
in the first century, except those who believe the gospel, 
would have still been waiting for Messiah. But as far as Peter 
is concerned, as far as Paul is concerned, as far as the history 
of the church is concerned, the Messiah came in the person and 
in the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. And so notice what Peter 
says, verse 43, to him, this is Jesus, all the prophets witness 
that through his name, whoever believes in him will receive 
remission of sins. Again, the way these two men 
met, Peter and Cornelius, was amazing. They both had separate 
visions calling upon them to take journeys and to meet with 
one another. And so when they come together 
and Cornelius says, tell us everything that God had commanded, Peter 
doesn't engage in his life story. He doesn't tell him biography 
or autobiography. He testifies concerning faith 
in the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. Why? Because you're going to stand 
before this one, one day, to give an account of deeds done 
in the body, whether good or evil. Let's just step that up 
one more, you know, one more bit of emphasis. In Matthew's 
gospel, in chapter 12, do you know that Jesus says that on 
that day men will give an account for every idle word that they 
had spoken? How many idle words do you and 
I engage in? How many idle words do we say 
on a given day? How many idle words do we cloud 
the cloud with in terms of our ongoing blabbering? How many 
idle words? But think about that. What about 
the blasphemies? What about the rejection? What 
about the despising? What about the contempt we show 
for God by our words? You see why Peter goes to where 
Peter is going? He wants Cornelius to be saved. He wants Cornelius to be rescued. He wants Cornelius to be redeemed. 
He wants Cornelius to stand before God on that day of judgment, 
clothed in the righteousness of another, such that he won't 
hear, depart from me into hell, prepared for the devil and his 
angels, but such that he'll hear, well done, good and faithful 
servant, enter into the joy of your rest. So all of the prophets, 
every single one of them, they witness, they testify that through 
the name of Jesus, whoever believes in Him will receive remission 
of sins. So in other words, there is a 
salvation emphasis relative to the life and the death and the 
resurrection of Jesus. It's not just exemplary. It's 
not just a model for good behavior, but it is rather redemptive in 
nature, and it is what sinners desperately need to hear. So 
when you read Isaiah 53, you better see Jesus there. When 
you read the Old Testament, the law, Moses writings, you see 
Jesus there. Remember, we looked at that in 
John chapter five, Jesus upbraids the religious leaders of his 
day. He says, you read the scriptures, you read Moses, but Moses testifies 
of me. So the whole scripture tells 
us, sets forth before us, not us, not our happiness, not our 
glory. There's not a narcissistic way 
to read the Bible, but rather it's about God in Christ reconciling 
the world to himself. So to him, all the prophets witnessed 
that through his name, whoever believes in him will receive 
remission of sins. Now it's at this point, that 
I think any preacher worth his salt ought to give a bit of autobiography. By way of personal testimony, 
there ain't anything better in this world than having been forgiven 
of your sins. There is nothing better than 
Psalm 130 verses 3 and 4, where David says to Yahweh, if you, 
Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? That's 
a truism. If God should mark every one 
of our iniquities or just one of our iniquities, who could 
stand? But David doesn't stop there. He says, but there is 
forgiveness with you that you may be feared. John the Apostle 
tells us if we confess our sins, he's faithful and just. Think 
about that statement. Faithful we get, but just? When I come to God for forgiveness, 
do I want justice? Yes. It speaks of atonement. It speaks of cross. It speaks 
of blood. It speaks of the penalty bearer. 
It speaks of Jesus Christ. So we want his faithfulness and 
justice to forgive us of our sin and to cleanse us from all 
unrighteousness. David in the Psalter in Psalm 
25 pleads his own sinfulness as the reason why God should 
forgive him. In fact, look there. I don't 
think people even get this. Psalm 25, 11. Good place to take 
a little sip of water too, by the way. Psalm 25, David's statement here, 
it's so counterintuitive to us. We think we need to come to God 
having cleaned up our act. You know, God, I've really tried 
hard this week. I've really done well this week. I obeyed my parents. I was kind to my spouse. I worked 
hard in school or at my job. And so therefore God, could you 
just give me a bit of a reward? That's the way we tend to operate, 
isn't it? That's the way we tend to function. 
We do good, we expect good from God. Notice David in Psalm 25 
at verse, well, verse 10. All the paths of the Lord are 
mercy and truth, to such as keep His covenant and testimonies. 
For your namesake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity. Why? Because I've 
done well, I've tried to mitigate some of it. No, for it is great. Did you ever consider that? People 
don't always consider this. We've gone out, we've passed 
out tracts to various people in the neighborhood, we've tried 
to talk to people, and once in a while you'll meet a, you know, 
sort of a crabapple of an old man who'll say things like, well, 
I'm just so sinful, God would never have me. David's argument 
is precisely the opposite. I am so sinful, only God will 
have me. I am so wretched that only God 
can avail. I am so wicked that only blood 
atonement by Jesus Christ is the answer. I am so wicked that 
the only hope for me, the only help for me, is not in reform, 
it's not in improvement, it's not in trying harder, but it's 
in Christ and Him crucified, Christ and Him resurrected, Christ 
delivered up because of our offenses, and Christ raised for our justification. If you are a sinner, I can tell 
you with firsthand knowledge that there is nothing better 
than the forgiveness of sins. And those of us who have been 
here for any amount of time know it's at this point that I quote 
one of my favorite stanzas written by a non-inspired author that 
is contained in our hymn book. My sin, oh the bliss of this 
glorious thought, my sin not in part but the whole, is nailed 
to the cross and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, praise 
the Lord. See, nothing better for the soul 
of the weary sinner than the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son. If you don't know this, if you've 
not come to Him, if you are still dead in your trespasses and sins, 
then if you listen to one thing this morning, listen to this. Believe. Look unto Him and you 
will be saved. That's the emphasis. The doctrine 
of justification by faith alone wasn't a Protestant invention 
in the 1500s, but rather it is what Scripture teaches. Whoever 
believes in Him will receive remission of sins. That would 
have spoke volumes of encouragement to Cornelius at two points. Whoever, 
not just Jews, you mean Gentiles? And secondly, whoever believes 
in Him. Not believes and is circumcised. Believes and does the works called 
upon, given to Him. Not the one who believes and 
goes through the Roman Catholic sacramental system. No, it's 
whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins. It 
is the doctrine of justification by faith alone and it is Glorious. It is wonderful. It is most blessed 
and most excellent. And for those of you who are 
not believers here this morning, again, listen to this statement, 
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. And that 
brings us secondly, in terms of the overarching theme of the 
sermon, to the conversion in Cornelius of his household. Conversion 
of Cornelius and his household in verses 44 to 48. He listened. 
He listened to Peter. He knew the prophetic testimony 
concerning Messiah. And now, by God's grace, he believes 
that gospel. He looks and he lives. He goes 
from death unto life. He goes from darkness into light. He is now one of the church. He is now saved by God's grace. Notice, the power of the Holy 
Spirit comes upon them. Verse 44, while Peter was still 
speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who 
hear the word. I try to encourage our church. 
If you're visiting this morning, it's an encouragement you should 
take back to your church. Pray every Sunday morning that 
the Holy Spirit comes. Not that so-and-so comes, I mean, 
it's okay that you pray that so-and-so comes, but pray the 
Holy Spirit comes. Because if we engage in gospel 
preaching according to the flesh, then it will not avail. But we 
need the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit to fall upon 
the preaching, to fall upon the hearing, such that sinners will, 
by God's grace, lay hold of the mercy offered them in the person 
and in the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Spirit works in the 
hearts of the hearers of the word to enable the elect to believe 
the gospel. As well, the fact that the Holy 
Spirit comes in power in the way that he does, evidence is 
that what Peter is doing here wasn't Peter's initiative. Peter wasn't the guy who woke 
up one morning and said, hey, I'm going to go find this Gentile 
named Cornelius, and I'm going to preach the gospel to him. 
That's not it at all. No, Peter is given this mission 
by God the Lord, so that when the Spirit falls upon this meeting, 
when the Spirit works in the hearts of Cornelius and his family 
members, when the Spirit does that blessed task, it evidences 
that this is divine initiative. Just like when God comes in the 
garden to Adam and Eve, they run from him. Just like after 
the tower builders at Babel, they make this big tower, they 
try to reach up into heavens, they try to make a name for themselves. 
Well, God confounds them by confusing their lip. But on the next, the 
very next chapter, God comes to Abram and calls him out of 
Ur the Chaldeans. It's God's initiative that is 
uppermost in the salvation of sinners. It's not your free will. It's God's free grace. And in 
that is a world of hope. It is a most blessed reality 
that it's up to God, that salvation is of the Lord. Notice the astonishment 
of the Jews that were there. The statement, those of the circumcision 
who believed were astonished. They were Jewish believers who 
accompanied Peter from Joppa. There were six of them according 
to chapter 11 and verse 12. What you have in chapter 11 verses 
1 to 18 is basically Peter's explanation of what happened 
with Cornelius. Because again, more Jewish believers, 
those of the circumcision, are curious and they want to know 
what happened. Why are you going in? Why are you having table 
fellowship with a Gentile? So Peter explains to them that 
this is God's work of grace in the adding of Gentiles into the 
covenant of grace. Notice the reason why they were 
astonished. Verse 45. Those of the circumcision 
who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter. Why? 
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. Now, it's not been that long 
ago that we were in the Book of Acts, but just by way of reminder, 
it's not the case that every time somebody gets the Holy Spirit, 
they speak in tongues. Old school and perhaps modern 
school Pentecostalism and some forms of Charismaticism teach 
that, that the true sign that somebody has the Spirit is that 
they speak in tongues. They go to Acts chapter 2, they 
go to Acts chapter 8, and they go to Acts chapter 10. They say, 
see, these people believed, they received the Spirit, and therefore 
they spoke in tongues. But that is to neglect the emphasis 
in Acts 2, Acts 8, and Acts 10. This isn't underscoring or highlighting 
individual responses to the gospel of the Lord. It's corporate reception. In Acts 2, all the nations of 
the earth are gathered in Jerusalem, and we have this day of Pentecost. 
Acts chapter 8, they go with the gospel to Samaria, and we 
have this Pentecost. Here the gospel goes to the Gentiles, 
and we have this Pentecost. The emphasis isn't upon tongue 
speaking on the part of individual converts. The emphasis is that 
Christ at the right hand of the Father in this church age sends 
the Spirit upon these people groups at key junctures in the 
missionary enterprise. One man by the name of Thompson 
understands it this way, and he writes, Luke's focus in these 
texts, Acts 2, 8, 10, and 11, and then he adds 19, the John 
the Baptist believers, is on the fulfillment of prophecy, 
salvation history, and the beginning of the last days, rather than 
paradigms for individual experiences. In each of these chapters, Luke 
emphasizes corporate experience. So if you neglect that, you're 
gonna end up as a charismatic and somehow think that if you 
don't speak in tongues, you must not be saved. Brethren, that's 
simply false. You don't have to speak in tongues 
to be saved. In fact, at this juncture, there's 
no more tongue speaking. There's no more prophesying because 
these were revelatory gifts. And now that the New Testament 
canon is complete, we don't have need for those revelatory gifts. But then notice finally the baptism 
of Cornelius and his household. Verse 47 is a question. It's 
kind of like expect to know. It's kind of like saying to somebody, 
you don't like liver, do you? Well, no. It's kind of a question 
that leads or elicits that particular response. If you happen to like 
liver, then sorry, I guess this doesn't apply to you. But some 
of us, they'd say, you don't like liver, do you? And I'd probably 
say, well, no. Because it's a question that 
not only leads it, but experientially, I just don't want to eat liver. 
Of course, I'm not starving. I'm sure a piece of liver would 
look very nice if I had been three days without food. So, 
you know, that puts a whole different spin on things. But notice what 
Peter says. Peter answered, can anyone forbid 
water that these should not be baptized who have received the 
Holy Spirit just as we have? Remember, they're astonished. 
He's believing Jews are astonished at the fact that the Spirit has 
come. But Peter's logic is impeccable. They've received the Spirit. 
Why shouldn't they receive the new covenant sign of baptism? 
They've received the Spirit. Why shouldn't they be immersed 
into that water in identification with the triune God? Of course, 
it's an answer that expects a no, or a question that expects a 
no. John Gill says, since they had the greater baptism, the 
baptism of the Spirit, the lesser baptism of water could not be 
denied them. It's a good logic. And then notice 
what Peter does in verse 48. He commanded them to be baptized. See, baptism's not optional. 
Baptism's not suggested. Baptism's not just recommended 
for a special class of initiates. No, Peter says, if you've believed 
on him, whom the prophets testified concerning, that through his 
name, everyone who believes in him will receive remission of 
sins. If you believe in him, And if you've received the Holy 
Spirit, again, it's not an optional sort of act, but rather you are 
commanded to be baptized. Not in order to be saved, because 
we know that can't be. You're saved by grace through 
faith in Christ. But baptism is in the life of 
sanctification. We are justified freely by His 
grace, and now the Spirit indwells us, and guess what? We wanna 
do what God commands. We want to do what the Lord says. 
And with reference to baptism, we don't have to be coerced. 
We don't have to be cajoled. We don't have to be promised 
carrot or stick. We simply obey God, especially 
the blessed commandment of our Savior when he says, go, therefore, 
make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them. in the name of 
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." And then 
notice, this is a them passage. Verse 48, he commanded them, 
to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him 
to stay a few days, which he did and would have to instruct 
them further. But it's a then passage. This 
is a household baptism. And Baptists do not reject this. 
Baptists do not resist this. Baptists do not say, oh, those 
household baptisms aren't for us. Basically, we teach that 
the Bible teaches household baptism here, and that Baptists affirm 
household baptism. All those in a household who 
hear the gospel, verse 44. All those who in a household 
believe the gospel, look at 1117. I've already mentioned, this 
is Peter's explanation. Verse 17 and chapter 11, if therefore 
God gave them the same gift as he gave us when we believed on 
the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God? 
And those who are receivers of the Spirit, of course they should 
be baptized. Of course, this is a blessed 
expression of a household baptism. Of course, God is to be praised. 
God is to be glorified. And that is precisely how those 
who heard this story responded. Look at 1118. When they heard 
these things, they became silent and they glorified God saying, 
then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life. So it is a most blessed example 
of a household baptism. Now in conclusion, just a few 
thoughts and then we'll transition into the water. In the first 
place, the inclusion of Gentiles in the covenant promises of God. 
I don't think this thrills us the way it probably would have 
in the first century, but it's something that should thrill 
us nevertheless. The promises made by God to Abraham, to Isaac, 
to Jacob are fulfilled in and through the person and work of 
the Lord Jesus Christ. They certainly involve people 
from Israel, but they involve people from every tribe, tongue, 
people, and nation. In one of the servant songs of 
the Lord, in the prophet Isaiah, God the Father says to God the 
Son, it's too small a thing for you simply to save the tribes 
of Jacob. I will give you as a light under 
the Gentiles. This is the foundation upon, 
or one of the foundational pillars upon which we preach the gospel 
to every creature indiscriminately, wherever there's creatures, wherever 
there's image bearers, wherever there are sinners, we testify 
of salvation by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Secondly, you see underscored 
here, the unity of the people of God. There's a common and 
popular way of reading the Bible out there today that's wrong. 
They continue to keep the Jews and the Gentiles distinct. That's 
not what the apostles do. The apostles, understanding rightly 
the Lord Jesus, and understanding rightly the prophets, see the 
combination. See that in Christ, whether you're 
Jew or Gentile, you're Israel. You're the Israel of God. You're 
a spiritual Israelite that believes the gospel. In 1 Corinthians 
12, 13, we read, Ephesians 2, 14-22 is an extended statement 
of the unity and the solidarity that Jew and Gentile has in our 
Lord Jesus. And then that classic text in 
Ephesians four, four to six, there is one body and one spirit, 
just as you were called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, 
one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all, who is above 
all and through all and in you all. And when Paul says that, 
he affirms the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. And when we come 
to baptism, we should remember the Trinity. because it's at 
the baptism of our savior that we see the doctrine. We see the 
truth rather of that doctrine. The son of God goes into the 
waters of baptism. The spirit descends in the form 
of a dove. The spirit isn't a dove. He descends 
rather in the form of a dove. And then you have the voice of 
the father. This is my beloved son in whom 
I am well pleased. So at the baptism of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, we are encountering the Triune God. In fact, the 
ancients used to say, Arius, if you want to see the Trinity, 
go down to the River Jordan. But then at the baptism, the 
Great Commission and the command for baptism, we are encountering 
the Triune God, baptized in the name singular of the Father, 
the Son, and the Holy Spirit. You have the one name singular 
representative of the substance or essence of God, the oneness 
of God in his simple essence. And then you have the reference 
to the persons or subsistences, father, son, and spirit. There was a church father by 
the name of Gregory of Nazianzus. And he gave an oration on holy 
baptism, and he made this statement. No sooner do I conceive of the 
one than I am illumined by the splendor of the three. No sooner 
do I distinguish them than I am carried back to the one. When 
I think of any one of the three, I think of him as the whole, 
and my eyes are filled, and the greater part of what I am thinking 
escapes me. I cannot grasp the greatness 
of that one, so as to attribute a greater greatness to the rest. 
When I contemplate the three together, I see but one torch, 
and cannot divide or measure out the undivided light." When 
we come to the waters of baptism, we are encountering, we are seeing, 
and we are identifying with the triune God of Holy Scripture. 
And I would give a great encouragement to Joy and to Amy that this baptism 
ought to serve you well for the coming days in your Christian 
experience. Romans chapter 6, the theology that Paul sets forth. 
He starts off in Romans 6.1, what shall we say then? Shall 
we continue in sin that grace may abound? May it never be. 
Guess how he counters the argument? Not with law, but with gospel. Not that law doesn't have its 
place in the destruction of sin in the life of the believer, 
but he turns to the gospel, specifically that gospel they experienced 
when they were baptized. You went into the water, you 
were dead with him, you were buried with him, and you were 
raised again with him. So water baptism is not salvific, 
but it demonstrates outwardly what God has done inwardly. It 
isn't a converting ordinance. They don't go into the water 
as unbelievers and come out of the water as believers. They 
go in as blood-bought children of the living and true God, identifying 
with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And may this day always stick 
in your heads. and be a great encouragement 
to pursue holiness, to pursue righteousness. And as they enter 
into the life and membership of this church, we pray for them, 
we encourage them, and we trust that they will pray and encourage 
us as well. Well, let us close in a word 
of prayer. Our Father, we thank you for 
your word. We thank you for your grace. 
We thank you for the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
in whom there is salvation. And God, we affirm and confess 
the doctrine of justification by faith alone, not just because 
it's in our documents, but because it's in our hearts, it's in our 
minds. We see it throughout scripture. 
Abraham believed God and it was credited unto him as righteousness. We see that emphasis always in 
the prophets and in the New Testament and throughout the history of 
the church, that the just shall live by faith. Thank you for 
blessing Amy. Thank you for blessing Joy. Thank 
you for calling them out of darkness into marvelous light. And again, 
Father, I pray for any who are dead in their trespasses and 
sins today. May you awaken them by the power of your word, and 
may they see and behold the glory of Jesus Christ as the one in 
whom alone there is forgiveness and a righteousness that avails 
with you. And we ask this in his most blessed name. Amen. Well, please take your