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Acts chapter 10, the incident 
or the scene where Peter is sent to the household of Cornelius 
to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, the significance is seen 
in Gentile inclusion in the covenant promises of God Almighty. So 
I wanna read beginning in Acts 10 at verse 17. Now, while Peter 
wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen 
meant, behold, the 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 surname was Peter, 
was lodging there. While Peter thought about the 
vision, 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? And they said, Cornelius the 
centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation 
among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a 
holy angel to summon you to his house and to hear words from 
you. Then he invited them in and lodged 
them. On the next day, Peter went away 
with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him. And 
the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting 
for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 
As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his 
feet and worshipped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, 
Stand up, I myself am also a man. And as he talked with them, 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. But God has shown me 
that I should not call any man common or unclean. Therefore, 
I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask then, 
for what reason have you sent for me? So Cornelius said, four 
days ago 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 heard, and 
your alms are remembered in the sight of God. Send, therefore, 
to Joppa and call 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. So I sent you immediately, and 
you have done well to come. Now therefore, we're all present 
before God to hear all things commanded you by God. And 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 witness that through his name, whoever 
believes in him will receive remission of sins. Amen. Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, 
we thank you for the written word of the living and the true 
God. We thank you for this great historical book, this theological 
history concerning the beginning of the church. how we thank you 
that the disciples are made, the disciples formed together 
at local churches. We see how in this passage a 
great and significant event happens where the Gentiles, according 
to the promises of God, are brought in. And Lord, I pray that our 
hearts would be stirred up and encouraged I pray for any and 
all who have come here this morning that do not know you, saving 
me through Jesus Christ our Lord, that you, by the power of the 
Holy Spirit, would convict them of their sin and show them the 
glory of Christ and His ability to save to the uttermost all 
who draw nigh unto God through Him. Do forgive us now for our 
sins and our rebellion and our transgression. Wash us in that 
precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and fill us with your 
Holy Spirit. And we pray these things in Jesus' 
name. Amen. Well, as we look at this particular 
section, I do want to try to get to all of this, because what 
we find in verses 17 to 33 is pretty repetitious in terms of 
what we've already seen in this chapter. We saw the vision given 
to Cornelius, and then we saw a vision given to Peter, and 
now in God's providence, he is bringing these parties together. So in the first place, we have 
the arrival of the messengers in verses 17 to 23. Secondly, 
the meeting with Cornelius in verses 24 to 33. And then finally 
in this section, the preaching of Peter in verses 34 to 43. 
So let's look, first of all, at the arrival of the messengers 
in verses 17 and 18. We see the providence of God, 
again, bringing these two parties together in his blessed government. J. A. Alexander says, this coincidence 
of time between Peter's anxious meditations and the inquiries 
of the men from Caesarea bring the two parts of the providential 
scheme into conjunction and cooperation. Certainly in our studies in Genesis 
on Wednesday night, we are appreciating the providence of God. We see 
how God does govern all his creatures and all their actions according 
to his wisdom, according to his purpose and plan, and how he 
does bring to pass all that he has decreed in history, and this 
is no sort of exception. So we see that Peter is musing 
on the vision, he's meditating, he's wondering, he's doubting, 
as the old King James says, he's provoked as he's rehearsing what 
he has seen previously in verses 9 to 16. And as he is doing that, 
these messengers arrive. These messengers come to the 
gate, they ask if there is in fact a Simon, whose surname is 
Peter, lodging there. And then in verses 19 and 20, 
we have the Holy Spirit directly speaking to Peter to interpret 
for him the various events that are transpiring. And I think 
in this, we see two things concerning the Spirit. In the first place, 
He is personal. You'll know that Jehovah's Witnesses, 
who are not Jehovah's Witnesses, deny the personality of the Holy 
Spirit. They say He's God's active force. Well, we see the personhood of 
the Spirit as he communicates directly with Peter in this particular 
instance. But we also see that the Spirit 
is God because the Holy Spirit has sent these men to contact 
Peter. The Holy Spirit is over all of 
the details involved. the angelic vision given to Cornelius, 
the vision that Peter gets in terms of those animals comes 
from the Lord, so the Holy Spirit is directly responsible over 
this particular situation. And so the Spirit gives him this 
information in verse 19. While Peter thought about the 
vision, 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. And then in verse 21, we see 
the men meet with Peter, and then the men explain themselves 
in verse 22, again, with data that we've already received from 
the beginning of the chapter. But one thing we ought to appreciate 
before we leave this brief scene is the hospitality of Peter in 
verse 23. Now, I don't emphasize this because 
we should all show hospitality, we should, but because Simon 
Peter is entertaining Gentiles. You see this sort of breaking 
down in his experience. Later on in verse 28, he tells 
his Gentile audience how they even know that it's not the case 
that Jews associate with Gentiles. But God is bringing this down, 
this sort of barrier wall between Peter and these Gentiles. And 
that is precisely what the case is in verse 23. Notice he says 
that he invited them in and lodged them. On the next day Peter went 
away with them and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him. And 
so what we are finding in this particular instance is that what 
Simon Peter had been accustomed to is now breaking down. He's 
staying at the house of a tenor, which was taboo with reference 
to the book of Leviticus. He is receiving these Gentiles. He is feeding them. He is eating 
with them. They are spending the night. 
It's too late in the day for them to embark on the 30-mile 
journey to Caesarea. so they spend the night there, 
and then ultimately he's going to go to the house of a Gentile, 
he's going to preach to a bunch of Gentiles, he's going to see 
the Holy Spirit fall upon those Gentiles, and then he's going 
to make the case in Jerusalem that we're not supposed to burden 
these Gentiles with having to first become Jews. They don't 
have to be circumcised, they don't have to follow the ceremonies 
of Moses, but rather they are saved by grace through faith 
in our Lord Jesus Christ. So this in bits and pieces is 
breaking down in the heart and life of Simon Peter. So that 
Simon Peter will be an outspoken voice at that Jerusalem council 
to highlight that God in his mercy is including Gentiles in 
the covenant of grace. Now, notice secondly in terms 
of the meeting with Cornelius in verses 24 to 23. I think verse 
24 indicates something to us about Cornelius as a man. It shows his expectancy and it 
shows his compassion. Notice in verse 24, in the following 
day they entered Caesarea. Now, Cornelius was waiting for 
them. There's that expectancy. He knows 
that he's gonna hear from God, and he has that expectancy. I 
wonder if you and I have that same sort of expectancy when 
it comes to our Lord's day. Is it just something we do because 
that's what people do? They show up at church on Sunday? Or is there an expectancy? We 
wanna hear from God. We want to know what the mind 
of the Lord is. Later on, he's gonna tell Peter 
that very thing. We are here before God and we 
want to know all the things that have been commanded by God to 
you. Do you have that expectancy? Jesus pronounces the beatitude, 
blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. 
That's a hard one to try to convince people you follow if you don't 
have any interest in the word of God. A hunger and a thirst 
after righteousness is gonna be manifested and demonstrated 
by our approach to God's word. If you never read scripture, 
if you frequently miss church, if Bible study is something that 
is just contrary to you, then you need to readjust your priorities. You need to think about what 
really matters. Blessed are those who hunger 
and thirst after righteousness. A vivid expression of this is 
in the way that we respond to the word of God. So he has this 
expectancy. He knows that his servants and 
this soldier have gone to Joppa. He knows that they're going to 
fetch Peter. And he's not just sitting around, he's got this 
expectancy waiting. But the compassion of Cornelius 
is evident as well, because notice what he has done. And had called 
together his relatives and close friends. He wants them to hear 
the truth of the gospel as well. He has reckoned that if this 
angel has given me this vision, and if this angel has told me 
to contact this Simon Peter, then what God has for me must 
be most important. And if that is the case, then 
I want my family here. I want my close associates here. 
I want everybody who I know to be present. When Peter gets there, 
there are many present at that particular time. So Cornelius 
has an expectancy for himself, but he also has this compassion 
manifested for others, and he assembles them together, and 
it's really a beautiful thing, and a blessed thing, and I think 
as we move through this section, we see the emphasis of the apostolic 
ministry was not on so many things that occupy churches today. What 
really consumed them was the proclamation of God's holy word. Now I know that may sound like 
a no-brainer, but that's the main issue that the church is 
tasked with. That's our function, that's our 
role, that's why we're here. It is to make known the glorious 
gospel of Jesus Christ to sinners, to call sinners to repentance 
and faith, and to call the people of God to an increased faithfulness 
in their service to Him. That's the bottom line. Now, 
that doesn't mean we can't do other things. That doesn't mean 
we can't have this or that or whatever. But we can't have this 
or that or whatever to the neglect of the main thing. Preach the 
word, Paul says. Be ready in season and out of 
season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching. 
The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. 
We don't let them determine what they get or what they want. You 
preach sound doctrine to them. I don't want sound doctrine. 
You're going to get it anyway. That's Paul's emphasis in 2 Timothy 
chapter 4. Now notice the reception in the 
meeting here. Cornelius shows Peter great reverence. He doesn't know all the particulars, 
and he doesn't know all the ins and outs, but he knows this, 
that if the angel has orchestrated this meeting with him and Simon 
Peter, and this angel has appeared to him on behalf of the God of 
Israel, then whoever this Simon Peter is, he's pretty important. 
He's a man that is worth revering in this particular instance. 
And that's precisely what Cornelius does in verse 25. As Peter was 
coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and 
worshiped him. Now there's some dispute or debate 
as to the nature of the worship. Did he actually think that he 
was deity? Did he actually think that he 
was God? Or was this just a high form of reverence that he would 
show to a man, a man of esteem, a man of position? Whatever it 
is, we see that reverence is given and expressed to Simon 
Peter, but notice what Simon Peter does. He doesn't accept 
it. He doesn't say, good for you, 
Knave. That's what everybody should 
do when I come into their presence. That's not the response of Simon 
Peter. He does what Paul and Barnabas 
will do in Acts 14, and he does what the angel does in Revelation 
chapter 19. He rejects this. He refuses this 
in contrast to our Lord. In the gospel narratives, there 
were instances where people came and they would reverence the 
Lord, or they would worship the Lord. Did Christ ever say, don't 
do that? Did Christ ever say, oh, I refuse 
that? No, Christ accepted that because 
Christ is the Son of God Almighty. Christ is the second person of 
the Trinity, and therefore religious worship is due and fitting for 
Him, but not for Peter. and not for angelic beings, and 
that is precisely what Peter says in verse 26. Peter lifted 
him up saying, stand up, I myself am also a man. Turn to Acts 14 
for just a quick second to see this same emphasis with Paul 
and Barnabas. Acts 14 at verse 13, then the 
priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought 
oxen and garlands to the gates, intending to sacrifice with the 
multitudes. But when the apostles Barnabas 
and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among 
the multitude, crying out and saying, man, why are you doing 
these things? We also are men with the same 
nature as you. Literally, we are men of like 
passions. God is impassable, but we as 
passable men are like you. Worship the one true and living 
God. Don't express religious worship to us. We also are men 
with the same nature as you and preach to you that you should 
turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the 
heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them. 
So we look at these particular responses by the apostles and 
by the angels, we ought to hold in contempt this mindset where 
men receive the adulations of men. Brethren, it's not wrong 
to show respect, it's not wrong to show esteem, it's not wrong 
to show common courtesy, but no creature is worthy of worship. 
No creature ought to receive the accolades of men. No creature 
is over other creatures in the sense of superiority or supremacy. If Simon Peter rebuffs this attempt 
to reverence him, then certainly the lesser than Simon Peter's 
ought to be the same sort of man. It is a celebrity culture 
that we live in, in terms of evangelicalism, and I think so 
much of this is wrong. It is not the case that men that 
preach are somehow better than men that don't preach. Everybody 
has a job, everybody has a function, Christ is Lord of all, and he 
is over the division of labor. That's all. Certain men have 
been given certain gifts, certain men are to exercise them in particular 
ways, but they're not to be held up as if there's some champion 
in Israel or as if there's something worthy to be worshipped and glorified. 
That is for God alone. Now note the introductions. These 
two men introduced themselves, first Peter and then Cornelius. And in Peter's instance, he highlights 
what they all knew. Verse 28, 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. Now they knew this because 
Cornelius was a God-fearer. Remember, we've studied that 
or we saw that. It wasn't the case that he was 
saved, but it was rather the case that he was interested in 
the true and living God, the God of Israel. So as a God-fearer, 
he would have been somewhat familiar with their scriptures. He would 
have known the sacred writings. He would have known the Torah. 
He would have known the prophets. He would have known those things 
to some degree or other. And so Peter says, you know how 
this doesn't normally happen. It's not typically the case where 
Jews hang out with Gentiles. Now, perhaps it was overstated 
a bit in terms of no association whatsoever. I don't think the 
Old Testament taught that, but as was often the case, they would 
have a particular command and then they would pad that command 
so they wouldn't get anywhere near violating it. For instance, 
keep the Sabbath, or remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 
So they came up with, in interpretation, all these rules so that you would 
never breach the Sabbath command. Well, we weren't supposed to 
be unclean, or the Jews weren't supposed to be unclean, and one 
of the vital means by which uncleanness came was through meats, through 
foods, through things that God had forbidden. So the argument 
went that if Gentiles eat this unkosher diet and they are unclean 
beings as a result, we shouldn't eat with them because if we ingest 
their whatever it is, then we will be unclean. But nevertheless, 
this obtained and everybody knew it that Jews didn't hang out 
with Gentiles and Peter reminds them of this in verse 28. You 
know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go 
to one of another nation. Now here's Peter's interpretation 
of the vision that he had seen. Verse 28b, but God has shown 
me that I should not call any man common or unclean. Again, 
the particulars with reference to the vision was that Peter 
was to rise, kill, and eat. Peter says, I've never done that. 
I've never ingested these unclean foods. And God says, what God 
has cleansed, don't call common. In other words, Peter understood 
that what is happening now is the formal inclusion of Gentiles. 
Not to say that Gentiles couldn't be proselytes in the Old Covenant. Ruth was a Moabitess and appears 
in the genealogy of the Savior. There were other pagans or others 
outside of the Commonwealth that were brought nigh. They got circumcised, 
they engaged in obedience to Torah, they did what was required 
of them as Jews. But this is the formal dissolution, 
or at least a reference to the formal dissolution of that barrier 
that is now down. It's broken. The ceremonial law 
has been fulfilled by Christ such that now Jews can receive 
Gentiles and preach the gospel to them and eat with them with 
the goal that they come to know the Savior. as their Savior. So that's what's happening in 
this particular instance. Bach says Peter interprets the 
vision's provision to eat food as freeing him to associate with 
Gentiles, since their dietary habits would be one of the Jewish 
concerns about purity, especially being hosted in a Gentile home. 
Let's just think about it. Peter's in a Tanner's house. 
Peter has lodged other Gentiles. Now Peter has traveled to Caesarea, 
and he's in a Gentile's house, and he's going to eat with them. 
But even more importantly, he's going to preach to them the great 
gospel of Jesus Christ. So he understands what the vision 
was and its significance. It has to do with man, Gentile 
man, being counted clean at least outwardly so that he can come 
to hear the truth as it is in Jesus. So hopefully he's cleansed 
inwardly, purified by that precious blood and associating with the 
very people of God Almighty. And so he asks, what'd you call 
me for? Now notice what Cornelius says in terms of his introduction. 
He speaks about the vision that he had in verses 30 and 31. Again, 
ground we've already seen, the instruction he had received in 
verses 32 and 33a. And then finally the desire he 
had. And brethren, I can't overestimate this because it's so absolutely 
important and it's so crucial what Cornelius says at the end 
of verse 33. Now, therefore, we're all present 
before God to hear all the things commanded you by God. There's 
an earnestness about Cornelius. There's a seriousness about Cornelius. Does he on some level want to 
get to know Peter better? Maybe, I don't know. Does he 
want to know about his wife? Does he want to know about his 
kids? Does he want to know about the best day ever that he had 
fishing? He may want to know all that 
later on while they're breaking bread together, but right now 
what he wants is what God has commanded. See, brethren, that's 
what it's about. It's what God has commanded. 
That's why in churches it ought not to be the case that it's 
story time, or it's illustration time, or it's just happy time. It's instruction time. The church 
is the pillar and ground of the truth. It is the household of 
the living and true God, and we are to play by His rules. 
It is not a free for all. It is not a session to be innovative. It is not about expressing our 
creativity. The public worship of God is 
to express our obedience to God, doing what he calls us to do 
in terms of preaching, listening, in terms of sacraments, in terms 
of all the other sort of elements that are involved in the worship 
of the living God. He has a deadly earnestness with 
reference to this scenario. Now, therefore, we're all present. 
I love this phrase, before God, If in this pagan's house, in 
Caesarea, in the first century, he is conscious of the presence 
of Almighty God, how is it that we can come into the church of 
the Lord Jesus Christ and have our minds wandering a million 
different directions? We are before God right now. Not that you're not on Thursday 
in your living room because God is omnipresent. God is omniscient. God is omnipotent. He's overall, 
but there is a special sense where God has purpose to dwell 
with his people in the church of Jesus Christ. I think we ought 
to reflect on that prior to entering into this place. We are before 
God, and we are here to hear all the things commanded you 
by God. We don't want Peter. We don't 
want whatever celebrity pastor. We don't want the anecdotes. We don't want story time. We 
don't want amusement. We don't want entertainment. 
We want the truth of the living God. We want the word of God. And that's why the emphasis throughout 
the Bible, I was going to say the New Testament, but what was 
the task of the prophetic ministry? You know, Ezekiel, I want you 
to go there and go to those rebel sinners and entertain them. You 
know, Isaiah, I want you to tell them stories about how life was 
growing up on your father's farm. That's not it. It's preach the 
word. What part of that have we missed? What part of that have we sacrificed? You've got these sermonettes, 
you know, 12-15 minute sermonettes, typically for Christianettes. 
We need preaching, 16 ounces to the pound, biblical exposition 
and application of God's holy word. That's the expectancy in 
the heart of Cornelius and no doubt in the hearts of those 
who had assembled together with him. And that brings us to the 
preaching of Peter in verses 34 to 43. Peter brings it. Peter doesn't say, well, let's 
first get to know one another. Let's have some therapy time. 
Let's have a group hug. No, he gets right to the task 
at hand. He preaches the word of the living God. Notice in 
the first place, he highlights the impartiality of God in verses 
34 and 35. This is key to understanding 
what's happening in the inclusion of Cornelius in his household. 
He says in verse 34, Peter opened his mouth and said, in truth, 
I perceive that God shows no partiality. This does not militate 
against sovereign grace. This does not argue against discrimination 
on the part of God, choosing according to his own good pleasure. But what it simply means is that 
it's not a race, it's not a nationality, it's not a particular people 
group that God alone favors. He shows no partiality. The gospel 
goes where? To every tribe, every tongue, 
every people, every nation. Here's another fundamental flaw 
with dispensationalism. They still have a Jew-centric 
mindset. They still think that the Jews 
are the primary people of God. And that is... contrary to what 
we find in scripture. The movement of redemptive history 
is not to a geopolitical state in Palestine. The movement and 
redemptive history is the new Jerusalem, where the Israel of 
God will be with our covenant head, where we will worship and 
praise and glorify and honor him, world without end, amen. 
It isn't that we have this earthly sort of kingdom that we're tied 
to. If there's one aspect of dispensationalism 
on a practical level that is really not cool, who wants to 
be tied to this earth? I mean, even if it is geopolitical 
supremacy, wouldn't we rather be in Immanuel's land? Wouldn't 
we rather be in that new heavens and new earth? Now, that may 
sound like I'm denigrating this earth. I guess I can't think 
beyond what I presently see. I don't want to be tied here 
forever. I don't know if any of you want to be tied here forever. 
There ought to be that sense where we sing with the children 
in the Sunday school, this train is bound for glory. And that 
is a great and encouraging theme that scripture lays out before 
us in so many instances. There's no impartiality with 
God. He's no respecter of persons. 
He doesn't see a white guy and say, oh, I'm going to convey 
privilege on you, or a black guy, I'm going to take privilege. 
That's not the way God operates. You know, there's this mindset 
out there among some that God is the God of the white people. 
That's not true. Every tribe, tongue, people, 
and nation, wherever there are sinners to be saved, Christ ought 
to be proclaimed with power and with the Spirit present. He then 
highlights the access that all nations have. Now for us, we 
appreciate and we are grown up knowing this. But remember for 
Peter, some of these things for Peter are new. He's heard the 
Lord's great commission, go make disciples of all the nations. 
He has heard the Lord purify meats or foods according to Mark 
chapter seven. He sees all this, but it's become 
practical. It's become real in the sense 
that now he's been given this vision, he's been given this 
command by Christ to arise, kill, and eat. And when he demurs on 
that, or when he rebuffs that, God says, what I've cleansed, 
don't call common. So he is by little bits and pieces 
coming to that place, and now he makes this confession in verse 
35. He says, but in every nation, whoever fears him and works righteousness 
is accepted by him. Now the emphasis here is not 
that there are saved people that populate the nations of the earth, 
but rather that the salvation of Christ has come to all people 
groups. Sometimes people mess up verse 
35 and they teach the doctrine of holy paganism and everybody's 
okay based on the light that they have and the light of nature 
in them. No, that's not what Peter's emphasis 
is. Peter's emphasis is simply this, 
the barrier's broken down. The ceremonies have been fulfilled. The preaching of the gospel is 
to go all over the earth. and wherever there are sinners 
who, by the grace of God, believe that gospel, have that imputed 
righteousness of Jesus Christ given to them and received by 
faith alone, God is not ashamed to be called their God. In fact, 
one commentator, I think, explains verse 35 better than most. He says, the emphasis is that 
Cornelius' 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. See, 
there's a distinction there. What Peter is saying in verses 
34 and 35 is that it's not requisite for Gentile believers on the 
Lord Jesus Christ to get circumcised, to obey the ceremonial law. but 
rather from all nations, from all people groups. They don't 
have to first stop and become Jews, simply believe the gospel. It's gonna come out in Acts chapter 
11, it's gonna come out in Acts chapter 15, when Peter gives 
the interpretation and explanation of the events associated with 
the salvation of Cornelius' household. So he highlights the impartiality 
of God, and then the bulk of his sermon is taken up with what 
we would expect, the revelation of the Son of God. It is Christocentric. It's about Jesus. This is what 
Christian preaching ought to be. If preaching satisfies Jews, 
if preaching satisfies Muslims, it's not Christian preaching. 
We preach the triune God, the living and true God, the God 
of the Bible, the God of unrivaled sovereignty, power and glory, 
and the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has sent 
his son in the fullness of the times, born of a woman and born 
under the law to do what? To redeem those under the law. 
We preach Christ crucified, the apostle Paul says. So when Peter 
takes up the task and says, or when Cornelius says, we wanna 
know everything that's been commanded by God, We want to hear that. What does Peter do? He preaches 
Christ. I want to look at four things in this sermon. First, 
the peace of God. Secondly, the person of Christ. 
Third, the work of Christ. And fourthly, the prophetic witness 
to Christ. But first, notice the peace of 
God. You want peace, Cornelius? You want peace, whoever? The 
way to peace is through salvation by grace in Christ Jesus the 
Lord. Everybody wants peace, don't 
they? Everybody hates chaos. I mean, there's the odd duck 
here and there that likes to stir up things, the odd duck 
that likes to... finance people to stir up things 
and particular common political situation. There are some sick 
twisted minds out there that like to have ruckus and chaos. 
But most normal people like peace. Most normal people like cosmos. 
They don't like chaos. Most normal people like stability 
and security. It's intriguing that as Simon 
Peter begins his message, he does so with the peace of God. 
Verse 36, the word which God sent to the children of Israel, 
preaching peace through Jesus Christ. Not a geopolitical peace 
where our king will beat up your king, but that peace which results 
in peace between heaven and earth. Romans 5.1, therefore having 
been justified by faith, what? We have peace with God. If you want peace this morning 
and you have none, come to Christ. As well, there's peace between 
Jew and Gentile according to Ephesians chapter 2. Christ has 
broken down the barrier. Christ has taken the two men. 
He's made them one new man. He has brought them peace together. 
He has brought together these two warring factions and now 
they are united as one man. commonly bound under the Lord 
Jesus Christ. The word was proclaimed throughout 
all Judea, having begun in Galilee after the baptism of John. That's 
what Peter says here, and some suggest that he's following Mark's 
gospel in this brief sort of sermon. Now, for the relationship, 
Peter and Mark had the kind of relationship that Paul and Luke 
had. Luke was the beloved physician, 
and Paul was very bright to take him along when he'd go into these 
various climes and places where he could fall sick. I mean, yeah, 
pray to God and keep your powder dry, as Cromwell would later 
say. The apostle Paul already had 
that bit under control. He takes the beloved physician, 
yeah, because he can write theological history, and yeah, because he's 
a beloved physician. And if something happens along 
the way, it'd be nice to have a beloved physician. but they 
bore a very close relationship and it was Paul that no doubt 
helped Luke or at least spoke to Luke a lot in terms of the 
composition of Acts and probably the Gospel of Luke. Well, Peter 
and Mark sustain that kind of a contact as well. Some suggest, 
and I think they're right, is that the Gospel according to 
Mark was a series of lectures preached by Peter in the city 
of Rome, and that Mark was the scribe. Mark wrote it all down. 
And after the conclusion of the sermon, people said, hey, can 
we get a copy of that? And that's what started circulating 
as the gospel of Mark. It reads in a sermonic manner. It reads like lectures having 
been preached. So there's this close relationship, 
and some suggest that he's basically rehearsing or resting on his 
knowledge of the gospel according to Mark. And then notice as well, 
he highlights, after having mentioned the peace of God, the person 
of Christ in verses 36 and 38. In other words, we need to tell 
people who Jesus is. What's unique about Jesus? See, 
every religion has sort of a leader. Every religion has sort of a 
one that persons follow. What's unique about the Lord 
Jesus? What's different about Jesus? Well, Peter tells us in 
this instance, two things in particular. One, he has absolute 
Lordship, and two, he was true humanity. He has true humanity. Now, when he says he is Lord 
of all, notice what he says there in verse 36. The word which God 
sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus 
Christ, he is Lord of all. That Lordship was expressed by 
Jesus to the disciples in the Great Commission. All authority 
in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Christ has comprehensive 
lordship, but you see how that functions, that reference to 
the lordship of Christ over all. In the context, over Jew and 
Gentile, over all kinds of people, from every tribe, tongue, people, 
and nation. Remember when those Samaritans 
in John's gospel come to the Lord Jesus Christ, not based 
on the testimony of that Samaritan woman, but having spoken to him 
themselves, they said, we know now that he is what? The savior 
of the world. It's not the case that all roads 
lead to heaven. If anybody ever gets to heaven, 
it's based on the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. He has lordship 
over all. Again, Bach says, even though 
the remark is parenthetical grammatically, it's sort of set off that way 
in our translation. He is Lord of all. It is the theme of the 
speech conceptually. Jesus is the one with authority 
to deliver the peace that comes from God to those of every nation. So he asserts the lordship of 
Christ in this particular sermon. Now, could Christ be, or is Christ, 
God? Yes, he is certainly God, and 
that comes out through Peter's preaching. But he also stresses 
the true humanity of Jesus Christ, again, rehearsing the gospel 
narrative. Notice in 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. I think this harkens back to 
Isaiah 61, the Spirit of the Lord is upon me. Christ reads 
that in a synagogue in Nazarene in Luke 4 and he says today this 
scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. Christ was anointed 
by God the Father with the Spirit without measure so that Christ 
could go and take care, not only of the bodies of men, but the 
souls of men as well. So as he moves in his message, 
he moves from the lordship of Christ to the true humanity of 
Christ, that's who he is in his person. And that is crucial for 
each and every one of us. We need to know what the Bible 
says concerning Jesus Christ. He's not an amalgamation, a little 
bit of God and a little bit of man. He is true man, true God. There are two natures in the 
one person. Theology calls this the hypostatic 
union. Before you say, well, that's 
way off, you know, that's not in my wheelhouse. It needs to 
be in your wheelhouse. Even if you don't know the language 
hypostatic union, you need to know what it signifies. Christ 
is two natures in one person. Christ is true humanity. Christ 
is true deity. Everything that is true of us 
was true of Him, except, of course, sin. Everything that is true 
of the Father and of the Spirit is true of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is crucial information, 
for Jesus Himself says, if you do not believe that I am, you 
will die in your sins. In other words, he's not just 
a little bit of a better version of man, but he is in fact the 
God-man. And if we reject his deity, if 
we reject his humanity, we reject the person of our Lord Christ. 
That's what the history of heresy has done for 21 centuries. It's at this point either a denial 
of his true humanity or a denial of his deity. You end up with 
some sort of a third thing, a tertian quid, and it is not the scriptural 
Christ. Now he moves from that person 
of Christ to the work of Christ. And here, verses 38b to 42. Notice his earthly ministry. 
Don't you love what he says in verse 38? He can only say this 
about Jesus. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth 
with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good. Does that describe your day? 
He went about doing good. Yeah, for about 38 seconds. You 
have this idea, this desire, and you might actually fulfill 
it for about 38 seconds. But it's not the overarching 
sort of statement of our lives, according to our true humanity, 
that we go about doing good. Now, you kind of look like you're 
ready to battle with me on that. OK, prove your case. I'm just 
kidding. It's a glorious statement. He went about doing good. So 
why the antipathy? Why the enmity of the religious 
leaders at the time? You know, yesterday there was 
a pro-life walk, and there were literally hundreds of people, 
I think. I don't know. I could probably describe this 
as hundreds of people. Evangelistic numbers, right? But there was 
one sole voice standing on the street corner that says, you 
know, abortion is health care, and my body, my choice. So, you know, at least that I 
saw the one sort of testimony against what we were trying to 
accomplish. Now, I get it. Free speech. Everybody is allowed 
their particular opinion. But just think about what underlies 
that. We're out there trying to promote 
life. You think that's just what species 
do. They try to promote life. They 
can't die. They can't engage in, you know, 
self-destruction. It should be sort of part and 
parcel of our DNA that we promote life. So it's a good thing. And then of course, people drive 
by and they either, you know, honk and give you a thumbs up 
or they give you a thumbs down or a different finger up. And 
they just want you to know that what you're doing is horrible. 
Look at the life and ministry of Jesus. He went about doing 
good. And yet they despised him. They 
hated him. Never forget the doctrine of 
total depravity. The darkness hates the light. 
It doesn't want to be exposed. It's like cockroaches. You turn 
on the light and off they go. Or turn on the light and off 
they go. Not that we had cockroaches, but I've seen that sort of thing 
happen. It is the case that there is this enmity expressed toward 
those who actually try to do what's right in society. So it 
happens to our Lord Jesus Christ. He went about doing good. What 
did it end up with in him? Crucifixion, as Peter will continue 
in his sermon. This is the emphasis of the apostle. 
He went about doing good and evil. That good was seen in his 
care for the souls and bodies of men. He healed all who were 
oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And then notice 
in verse 39, he says, 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 see what Peter is doing? 
And you see what gospel preaching should be doing? We tell people 
who the person of Christ is, and we tell people the work of 
Christ. His earthly ministry was about 
fulfilling the righteousness of God. His earthly ministry 
was about expressing the goodness and compassion and kindness of 
God, for God was with him. But his earthly ministry was 
associated with death, and that death was absolutely crucial 
as well. And it's just here, those who have never heard Christianity 
say, well, why did that have to be the case? What was the 
purpose behind that? Well, verse 43 will make that 
clear. Unless Christ died, unless Christ was raised again, then 
we all stay in our sins. See, Peter not only states the 
facts, death, resurrection, exaltation, but he gives the explanation 
or the interpretation of those facts. Because you see, there 
are martyrs out there that have died for the faith. There are 
those who have suffered grievously for the faith. Does their suffering, 
does their death have any positive effect upon the people of God? 
It might serve as an encouragement, might serve as an example, but 
it's not redemptive in nature. And the apostles don't simply 
declare that Christ died, but they tell you why Christ died. And when you understand the reality 
behind it, you ought to again appreciate just how sinful we 
are. For God to bring us into His 
presence, it took the death of His Son. For God to reconcile 
sinners so that we will stand before Him in righteousness, 
it took the death of His Son. Life and death of His Son. It 
took that resurrection. Again, Paul, summarizes the entirety 
of the gospel in Romans 4.25. He speaks of Jesus who was delivered 
up. Why? Because of our offenses, 
and he was raised for our justification. Again, they don't just stress 
the facts, but they give you the interpretation of the facts. 
Just like that preface to the Ten Commandments, I am the Lord 
your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt. I'm not 
gonna just tell you what I've done, but I'm gonna tell you 
why I did it. I set my love upon you. You are my firstborn. I 
want you to live in the land. I want you to be that country 
from whom Messiah comes. You see, we need to not only 
tell the facts of the Bible, but give the theology concerning 
those facts as the apostles do in their preaching. When he mentions 
the tree, I think he does this in chapter five at verse 30 as 
well. And I think it hearkens back or it's reminiscent of Deuteronomy 
21, 22 and 23. 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 has given you as an inheritance 
for he who is hanged is accursed of God. Paul speaks of this in 
Galatians chapter three, verse 13, telling us in particular 
that Christ became a curse for us. Substitutionary curse bearing 
on behalf of the Messiah for us wretched, vile, guilty sinners. This is what Peter is doing to 
Cornelius and to his household. Notice as well, he doesn't stop 
there. He highlights the resurrection of Christ in verses 40 and 41. 
Him God raised up on the third day and showed him openly. Now 
there's a contrast. We saw it in Peter's preaching 
in Acts 2, you see it in Acts 3, and you see it in Acts 4. 
He essentially says, this is how the Jews dealt with Christ. 
They killed him. This is what the Father does 
with Christ. He raised Him. There is this great contrast 
that is highlighted by the Apostle in his preaching to show the 
corruption of man, the wickedness of man, the deceitful heart of 
man, and to show the grace, the glory, and the power of God in 
the salvation of sinful man. But when he mentions this witness, 
notice in verse 41, 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 see, the apostles functioned 
as witnesses. The apostles functioned as those 
who would testify concerning the glory of Jesus Christ. I 
think this is part of the reason why Peter rebuffs the attempted 
worship or reverence on the part of Cornelius. What is an apostle? An apostle is a witness. An apostle 
is a testifier. An apostle is not a savior. We don't look to that class of 
men, that body of ruling men within the context of the church, 
and somehow think that they're able to take care of all of our 
problems. They preach the Savior, but they're not saviors. And 
in terms of that having eaten and drank with our Lord Jesus 
after the resurrection, it's when he ate the broiled fish 
in the honeycomb. He ate the honeycomb in the King 
James tradition. If you are not using a Bible 
in the King James tradition, he only had broiled fish. I like 
to think my Savior enjoyed a bit of sweet and savory when he had 
his post-resurrection meal. But that's what he's referring 
to. He wasn't an apparition. He wasn't a phantom. There was 
an early heresy called docetism, and it said Jesus just appeared 
to be a man. He just appeared to be a physical 
body. Well, Jesus himself blasts that 
out of the water in Luke 24. He says, reach, touch. You see, 
I'm flesh and I'm bones. I'm not an apparition. I'm not 
an idea. I'm not just some ethereal thought. 
I am flesh and bones. I am the one that went into the 
ground. I've come up out of the ground, transformed to be sure, 
glorified to be sure, but the selfsame Jesus that went into 
the tomb comes out of the tomb. We sing that song, five bleeding 
wounds he pleads, received on Calvary. Brethren, we will see 
him as he is according to 1 John 3. And Peter highlights not only 
the death, but the resurrection. But he doesn't stop there because 
in verse 42, he highlights what we call the exaltation of Christ. Verse 42, he commanded us to 
preach to the people. Again, context. All kinds of 
people. When did Jesus command the disciples 
to preach to the people? He commanded them in Matthew 
28, go make disciples of all the nations. Peter is saying 
that what our Lord has said, we are now doing. And the gospel 
has come to this pagan household. The gospel has come to this centurion. 
This gospel has come to liberate, to free, to bring redemption 
and salvation and the remission of sins to Cornelius and all 
that many people that were gathered together to hear what the Lord 
had commanded. He's exalted. First of all, he tells them to 
go and preach. And then it says, and to testify that it is he 
who was ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 
If you're not a believer here this morning, I want to encourage 
you that one day you will see Jesus. All men everywhere will 
see Jesus. Every knee shall bow and every 
tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the 
Father. But may I encourage you and exhort 
you and even command you in the name of God Most High to believe 
and confess now Because on that day, it will be a confession 
unto shame, confessing him as Lord and then being discarded 
from his presence, cast away from the presence of the Lord. 
Confess him as Lord now, because you see he's not only judge then, 
but he's savior now. And do not tarry, do not wait, 
do not say, well, I want to live, I want to do, I want to engage, 
I want to, you know, wait until I'm an old man, when I'm 50 or 
60, then I'll get serious about these things that the Bible talks 
about. No, don't do that. It is now, 
it is imperative, and this is what Peter says. He says he was 
ordained by God to be the judge, or to be judge of the living 
and the dead. I think Daniel 7, 13 and 14 are in the scene. I think Jesus' statement, John 
5, 27, is gonna come up again in Paul's preaching at the Areopagus 
in Acts 17. that God furnished proof that he's going to judge 
the world in righteousness by raising Jesus Christ from the 
dead. 2 Timothy chapter 4, same emphasis with reference to Jesus 
Christ as judge. But Peter's sermon doesn't stop 
there. If it was just about scaring people, anybody could preach. 
But that's not all it's about. You probably have all heard of 
Harold Camping. He made a name for himself several years ago. 
He passed away a few years ago. He wrote a book called 1999, 
I think. That was the first attempt when 
he thought Jesus was going to come. Obviously, he was wrong. I think you'll all sort of testify. 
And then he retold it, and I think he picked a date, maybe 2-15 
or something, 14-13, I think it was somewhere. That obviously 
was wrong as well. And certainly, as a prophetic 
forecaster, he was not correct. You know, something a bit more 
troubling about Harold Camping was that he used to have a radio 
program, a radio show, a call-in show. And I remember one time 
somebody calling into that show, sounding convicted of sin. I 
mean, this person sounded desperate. This person wasn't, you know, 
treating in theory. This person was crying out for 
the answer. And he didn't give it to them. 
He was a hyper-Calvinist. Yeah, he was bad as a prophet, 
to be sure, but he was bad as a preacher of Christ and Him 
crucified. Hyper-Calvinism kills men. We 
preach Christ and Him crucified. To the Jews, a stumbling block, 
and to the Greeks, foolishness. But to those who are being saved, 
Christ, the wisdom and power of God. So you don't just tell 
men, oh Jesus is going to judge you, without giving them the 
encouragement to flee to the Savior Christ. This is verse 
43. He says to him, this is the crescendo, 
this is the pinnacle, this is where the sermon is coming. Certainly 
you need to know something of this person. You need to understand 
the hypostatic union. Certainly you need to know His 
work, His life of obedience to the Father, His going about doing 
good. You need to know something about 
the death of Jesus Christ, that it was substitutionary in nature. He stood in the place of all 
those whom the Father had given Him. You need to know that He 
was raised from the dead. But without being urged to flee 
to Jesus Christ, the job ain't done. You don't simply lay out 
this information and say, well, I hope everything works out well 
for you, which in a sense is what exactly Harold Camping did. 
It's almost like somebody coming to your front door and you're 
doing what James tells you not to do. They're hungry and they're 
cold, and then you say, be warm and be filled, and you send them 
on their way. There's a sort of preaching that's 
like that. Lots of law, lots of sin, lots 
of misery, lots of judgment, lots of punishment, lots of torment, 
but not lots of Christ. When you look at the apostles 
and you ask them, how do we preach Christ and Him crucified? They 
preach Christ and Him crucified. They proclaim the glory, not 
only of the life and the death and the resurrection, but in 
the efficacy of his blood to shed or to save sinners, guilty, 
vile, helpless we. Notice what he says in verse 
43, to him, all the prophets witness that through his name, 
whoever believes in him will receive remission of sins. Kids, 
remission is just another way of saying forgiveness. You're 
a sinner, kids and adults. The way of salvation is not based 
on your works and a little Jesus. It is based solely and alone 
upon God's grace that comes to us freely through Jesus Christ 
the Lord. So what Peter says here is that 
he shows the soteriological significance of the life, the death, and the 
resurrection of Jesus Christ. Why did he do this? It's so that 
you and I might have forgiveness. Why does he go to the cross? 
So that he can wash us in his precious blood. Why did he live 
a life of obedience for 33 years? So that we can receive a righteousness 
that avails with God. Don't you love that top lady 
hymn that we sang? It just speaks of the glories 
of justification by grace alone through faith alone. We're forgiven 
and we've received a righteousness. It's imputed to us and it's received 
by faith alone. This is Peter's point. And Cornelius, 
it's him alone. It's not him and the ceremonies, 
it's not him and circumcision, it's not him and Moses, but rather 
it's him alone. He is preaching to this man the 
doctrine of justification by faith alone, and I think this 
functions in this particular context in another significant 
way. What's happening throughout the 
book of Acts? As the apostles go from place 
to place and preach, as the apostles go from place to place to teach, 
as they make disciples, as they form churches, what they are 
saying in essence is that the religious leadership in Israel 
has missed the point of the Bible. to him all the prophets witnessed. Now we could think of particular 
prophetic passages, the 53rd chapter of Isaiah, the 49th chapter 
of Isaiah that Steve read at the outset of worship, the 55th 
chapter of Isaiah, Daniel chapter 9 and the 70 weeks prophecy. You could think about Zechariah 
13.1, in that day there will be a fountain open for sin and 
uncleanness. There are certainly prophets 
that we could invoke and speak of, but I think Peter's point 
is this, The focus of the prophetic ministry was on Christ. Everything 
scriptural focuses upon that darling of heaven. He is heaven's 
gem, he is heaven's prize, and that's what scripture is about. 
As a God-fearer and one familiar with the Old Testament, he must 
not miss the point as fellow Jews or other Jews are doing. 
Again, Cornelius is not somebody who has no inkling whatsoever 
of Old Testament religion. He has been exposed to Jews. 
He has been exposed to Israel. In fact, the servants come and 
tell Peter, he's highly favored among the Jews, right? Certainly 
he knew Isaiah. Certainly he knew Daniel. But 
Peter doesn't want him to make the mistake of these Jews that 
didn't see Jesus in Isaiah and Daniel. He wants Cornelius to 
understand that the whole drift of prophetic scripture was to 
focus upon the person and the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
So there are particular prophets that we could speak concerning, 
there are particular texts, of course, that we could speak concerning, 
but I think Alexander is right when he says the whole drift 
of the prophetic scriptures is in this direction. That's the 
point. To him, all the prophets witness 
that through his name, whoever believes in him will receive 
remission of sins. It's a beautiful statement and 
one that does deserve all acceptance. It's a faithful, trustworthy 
statement and everybody on the face of the earth should hear 
it. Everybody on the face of the earth should know that if 
they come, they will not be turned away. Doesn't Jesus say that 
in John 6, 37? He says, all that the Father 
gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will 
certainly not cast out. If you have heard preachers before 
say, well, there's no hope for you. There's never going to be 
any hope for you. Can I just tell you, honestly and candidly, 
there is hope. There's hope in Jesus. There's 
hope in verse 43 in Acts chapter 10, because to him, all the prophets 
witnessed that through his name, whoever believes in him will 
receive remission of sins. And for those of us who, by grace, 
have tasted that, by God's grace, who enjoy that forgiveness of 
sins, there's nothing better, is there? There's nothing better. 
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. Brethren, I 
just don't know how anything could make you happier than that. 
If you don't know the forgiveness of sins, you are missing out 
on that piece of information that is most excellent, most 
wonderful, and most glorious. But it's not esoteric, it's not 
just to the few, but the gospel goes forth to every tribe, tongue, 
people, and nation, including Canada, including British Columbia, 
including whatever your ethnicity may be, including whatever your 
age may be, this text holds true. Whoever believes in Him will 
receive remission of sins. Beautiful! Whoever believes plus, 
no, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins. Well, 
in conclusion, first, we ought to appreciate, we ought to stand 
in awe of the providence of God. And I think that providence of 
God is seen in our particular Narrative in two ways. First, 
the details in this narrative. It really is amazing. Think about 
this. I mean, Peter happens to be at 
Joppa at the house of Simon the Tanner. Cornelius happens to 
get this vision from the angel. Peter happens to get... No, it's 
not happened. It's not haphazard. It's not 
random. It's not fortuitous. It's not chance. This is of God. The Spirit comes and speaks specifically 
to Peter, saying, I sent these men. I'm bringing this together. In this, the Spirit honors the 
very means he's ordained in the life of the church. Certainly, 
as we saw, the angel could convict and convince Cornelius that Jesus 
is the way of salvation. Certainly they didn't have to 
walk these 30 miles if there were angelic beings involved 
who could have published this gospel to Cornelius. But God 
honors the preaching of his word. God honors the ongoing ministry 
of the word. And so we see in these details 
the hand of God all over it. but then stepping back, going 
perhaps to Wednesday night, to Genesis chapter 27, and that 
family. You know, you think about that 
instance where Isaac is deceived by Jacob, and you say, oh, dirty, 
rotten, scoundrel Jacob. Well, we don't, because he's 
the son of promise, but it just doesn't sit right, the way that 
Rebekah and the way that Jacob sort of dupe Isaac. But as we 
saw that night, Isaac and Esau had their issues as well. Isaac 
and Esau were not, you know, lily-white, beautifully perfect, 
spotless sinners. They had their issues also. So 
the reality is that God, in the history of His ancient people, 
managed, by His providence, to bring about the seed. He brought 
Jesus in the fullness of the time, born of a woman, born under 
the law, even though at so many points, the very people themselves 
tried to sabotage it. Remember that scene in Nehemiah 
and Ezra, where they're marrying the pagans. You're not supposed 
to marry the pagans because the seed is going to originate from 
this people group. You can't pollute the gene pool. 
You've got to keep it pure. You see, there was all these 
attempts, not perhaps consciously on the part of the people of 
God at that point, to sidetrack the very promise. God in His 
grace, God in His power, God in His majesty brings it to pass 
according to His decree. Secondly, as we see in this passage, 
as we see throughout the New Testament, we need to appreciate 
the ministry of the apostles and then after them the ministry 
of elders. Because you see, the ministry 
of the apostles ceased. There were the twelve, and once 
they died, that was it. These religions that have apostles, 
they're wrong. There's no apostle in, you know, 
Mormonism. There's no apostle, I don't know 
if Jehovah's Witnesses have them, but, you know, these charismatic 
groups, they have an apostle of this, or an apostle of that. 
What was one of the fundamental requirements of an apostle? He 
had to witness the resurrection of Jesus. You know, whatever 
apostle and whatever charismatic church that may be out there 
today hasn't witnessed the resurrection of Jesus. So it is the elders 
that have been then given that task to preach and teach the 
Word. That's a fundamental requirement in 1 Timothy chapter 3. If you 
look at elders at the top and then you look at deacons at the 
bottom, and I don't mean that in some class sort of way, I 
feel like I have to qualify that because I have elder privilege," 
or whatever they might sort of say about that. But you look 
at that, there's a great deal of similarity. The elders and 
the deacons are supposed to possess the same sort of virtues. It's 
not the elder has to be a one-woman man and the deacon can have five 
wives, or the elder has to not be given much wine, but the deacon 
can get hammered. That's not it. The virtues are 
very much the same. There's a lot of overlap. There's 
one key ingredient that differentiates the eldership from the deaconate, 
and it's an aptness to teach. Why do you think that is? Because 
that's the stress of the eldership. That is the emphasis of the pastoral 
ministry. Not apt to entertain, not apt 
to cajole, not apt to guilt manipulate, not apt to nag, not apt to just 
be a CEO, but apt to teach. And that's precisely what the 
apostles did. Peter walks from Joppa to Caesarea. Why? Because he's going to preach 
the gospel to this heathen. This is the emphasis that carries 
through the New Testament. This is the emphasis that must 
carry through our era with reference to the church. Thirdly, we see 
in this passage, and if we don't, we need to pray to God to have 
the eyes and the heart to see it, the glory of Jesus. Look 
at what Jesus is about. Look at what Jesus did. He went 
about doing good. He always fulfilled the law of 
his father. You wanna know what righteousness 
looks like? Study the 33 years of Christ's life. That's it. 
There's not 33 seconds in your life or mine where we see this 
utter spotless righteousness. But for that 33 years, Jesus 
fulfilled all righteousness. He goes to the cross, not because 
he's a sinner, but because we're sinners. God made him by way 
of imputation, by way of constituting, by way of legal, by way of forensic. He made him who knew no sin to 
be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him. 
The significance of the cross death is simply this. He stood 
in the place of sinners and he took in himself the wrath, the 
penalty, and the judgment that you and I deserve, such that 
through his blood, we are washed clean. His resurrection, He was 
raised for our justification, Paul says, to show He wasn't 
simply a martyr. He didn't just do something for 
a good cause, but rather He is a factual. Rather, He is declared 
to be the Son of God with power, and that is evidenced by His 
resurrection from the dead, according to Paul in Romans 1-4. You see 
the glory of Christ is all over this small sermon. Brethren, 
it's a tiny sermon. It's probably a specimen of the 
amount of what he preached. We know that he continued because 
while Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit 
fell upon all those. But the bottom line is, is that 
it was filled with Christ. The glory of Christ, the excellence 
of Christ, the majesty of Christ, the goodness of Christ, and the 
saving ability of Christ. And you will, and I will, one 
day meet Christ. It's gonna happen. I think for 
the saints of God, when we see that he is the judge of the living 
and the dead, we can rejoice. We can be encouraged, because 
we know we're clothed in a righteousness not our own. We made a bit of 
a spiritual or allegorical application of that scene in Genesis 27. 
Actually, Ambrose did, and I quite liked it, as did John Calvin. 
Remember when Isaac, or rather Jacob, is engaged in his deception. 
And Isaac pulls him near to smell him. He wanted to smell that 
he was indeed his son that was out there shooting game, that 
son that was out there in the bush, in the wilderness. Well, 
Ambrose made the observation that when we're pulled near to 
the nose of God the Father, he smells Jesus on us. He smells 
Christ on us. We've been given that cloak, 
that righteousness, that garment. And there's that odor that comes 
from us, not because of us, but because of our position in the 
Savior. So that reality that the judge is our Savior should 
encourage us, it should cause us to walk through this life, 
though afflicted, though tried, though having hardships, nevertheless, 
singing with the kids, this train is bound for glory. But for those 
of you who do not know Christ, those of you who are not perfumed 
with Him, those who have not got that garment, listen to the 
Apostle. Whoever believes in Him will 
receive remission of sins. Whoever believes in Him will 
receive remission of sins. This couldn't be any more clearer 
from Simon Peter to a pagan. to a centurion, to a military 
man, to a commander of troops. I mean, all the things that are 
so backward in our society, we look down upon such persons. Well, this person had lots of 
strikes against him, but he is told that whoever looks to Christ 
in faith will receive the forgiveness of sins. That holds true for 
everyone here, that will look to him in faith, they will receive 
the remission of sins. Well, let us pray. Father, we 
thank you for your word. We thank you for the Lord Jesus 
Christ and that the whole scope of prophetic scripture, the law 
itself, the writings, the New Testament all point us to that 
one who is altogether lovely and chief among 10,000. We thank 
you for clothing us in his righteousness. We thank you for accepting us 
in the beloved. We know, God, that we are not 
the sorts of people that go about doing good, but we have all gone 
astray like sheep. We have all rejected. We have 
all resisted. We have all turned from you, 
and yet you sought us out, and in your grace you called us, 
and you have shown us the beauty of Jesus, and you've given us 
faith and repentance. and we rejoice in this and we 
pray that wherever this gospel is preached and we would say 
specifically here God that your spirit would be in attendance 
and that your spirit would bring that conviction for sin and your 
spirit would give that grace of faith that sinners may come 
to know Christ as Lord and Savior and we ask these things for your 
glory and for the good of souls in this place and we pray through 
Jesus Christ our Lord amen well you can take