Gtcotr/ws082119
By
the time we get to Acts 10, the Gospel of Jesus
Christ was well on its way around the world. After Pentecost and the outpouring
of the Holy Spirit on those 3000 devout Jews from every nation under heaven in
Acts 2, many returned home to share that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. As
well, Believers who were in the Church in Jerusalem were scattered because of
the great persecution which followed the stoning of Stephen. They too had
already gone throughout all Judea and Samaria preaching the Gospel as we read
in Acts 7, 8 and 9.
However,
up until now, the Gospel had only been shared with Jews. Followers of Jesus as
Messiah, although filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, still believed that
Jews were particularly favored by God and that a person needed to be a Jew before
they could become a Christian.
Acts
10 gives us a look at the first time the Gospel was presented to the Gentiles
and how God orchestrated this event. We will conclude this evening with a
better understanding of what God looks for when choosing a person to work on
His team. Let’s begin our study with:
Acts 10 NKJV
1 ¶ There was a certain man
in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian
Regiment,
·
Note:
We don’t want to brush over the facts that:
o Cornelius, is a
Gentile, not a Jew.
o He is evidently an Italian Roman soldier who was
living in Caesarea.
o He was well into his
military career and was a centurion – this means he had 100 soldiers under his
command. Those of you who have traveled with me to Israel will remember
Caesarea as a beautiful moderate size port city on the Mediterranean coast.
Most likely Commander Cornelius was in charge of security for the whole city
and as such was a very important man there.
·
How
did Cornelius get into that position at that place and time in his life? We
know Cornelius did his job well because of his promotions.
o It was no doubt
orchestrated by the hand of God but Cornelius still had to be promotable … God
knew he would be that guy.
o Things like this,
like most things that advance the Gospel, don’t just happen by coincidence.
They are a part of God’s master plan.
o Cornelius, like most
people, was totally unaware that God was working so much in his life.
·
How
does a person get where God wants them to be?
·
What
is the normal course God takes to lead people to their perfect place?
·
What
does it take to hit the waypoints on your journey to destiny?
·
You
see:
o It is God who
promotes one and sets another down.
o God sets us in the
body as it pleases Him.
·
Everyday ordinary life is the chance God gives us to impress Him.
·
God
will love us whatever we do but He may have a hard time promoting us and/or
choose not to use us if we don’t do things right.
·
There
is no doubt Cornelius had been called by God even from his mother’s womb … Just
like Jeremiah and, just like you …
Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I
formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I
ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
·
Great
news for Jeremiah, but we must remember that many are called but few are
chosen. (Matthew 20:16 & Matthew 22:14)
·
What
makes a person a good choice for God?
·
Why
was Cornelius chosen? Well we can’t know all of the reasons, but we do see an
evident pattern running like a thread through the Bible. Suffice it to say …
God knows you better than you do …
o Abraham, for
example, was chosen by God in part because:
Genesis 18:19 For I know him,
that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall
keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring
upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
God
knows us better than we know ourselves. God knows what we will do with the
chances we are given, and He directs us according to His will and not according
to our own aspirations or appetites.
It
is wholly possible that Jeremiah and Abraham, and even Cornelius, felt the very
same way Moses felt when Moses first heard that God wanted to choose and use
him.
Jeremiah
said:
“I don’t think I can do it … I’m not experienced enough…”
Jeremiah 1
6 Then said I: “Ah, Lord
GOD! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”
7 But the LORD said to
me: “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ For you shall go to all to whom I send
you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak.
Moses
said:
“I’m no different now than I was before You spoke to me.”
Exodus 4:10 Then Moses said
to the LORD, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You
have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of
tongue.”
Paul
told Timothy:
“Don’t believe you’re too young to be an example.”
1 Timothy 4:12 Let no man
despise your youth; but be an example of the believers, in word, in
conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
Perhaps
Cornelius experienced something like Saul of Tarsus experienced in the chapter
before. Saul had a dynamic encounter with God that shocked him. God chose Saul
of Tarsus like God chose Abraham; like God chose Moses; like God chose
Jeremiah; and God chose Cornelius. We could go on and on with Believer after
Believer being chosen by God when they least expected it, didn’t deserve it,
didn’t work for it and can’t imagine how they are going to accomplish it. God
finds people who are working hard in everyday life and not people who are
sitting around waiting to be chosen.
These
men and women we see as giants of faith in the Bible weren’t politicking,
campaigning, selling themselves or seeking public support, they were simply on
a mission, sent by God, with no idea how they got there, where they were headed,
or if they’d be successful, except for one thing … they were fully committed to
following the orchestration of God.
In
chapter 10 we are introduced to Cornelius before he knows just how special he
is in the eyes of God. Cornelius is simply going about his life, living his
conviction, being responsible for the things at hand and those under his care …
just like all the rest of the giants of faith in the Bible from Rahab, the
harlot to Matthew, the tax collector … I bet they were really good at
everything they did. They were committed and content. (1Ti 6:6)
Back
to Cornelius:
Acts 10 NKJV
1 ¶ There was a certain man
in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian
Regiment,
2 a devout man and one
who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people,
and prayed to God always.
3 About the ninth hour of the
day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him,
“Cornelius!”
See,
God knew Cornelius would gravitate to doing what he believed was best and
right, just like Moses and Saul and Rahab and you. Now, you may or may not be
right, but you, like the heroes of the Bible, aren’t going to live your life
doing things you believe are wrong.
It’s
hard for anyone to trust someone who can’t even trust themselves to live by
their convictions. Saul of Tarsus wreaked havoc on the Church and persecuted
Believers, binding them and dragging them to prison. However, he was living
fully committed to his convictions. When Jesus showed him that he was wrong …
Saul changed immediately and completely. He didn’t stop living his convictions,
he just changed his convictions to line up with the truth of Jesus Christ.
I
have a feeling Cornelius was just this sort of man.
Both heaven and earth choose aggressive, decisive, and determined
individuals to lead the defining battles of life.
We
can clearly decide whether to fight or to befriend people when we are certain
we know where they stand. We despise a liar. Evidently God feels the same. He
said, all liars will have their place in the lake of fire. Faking is lying.
When we imagine living a lie is better than living the truth we believe, we
deny ourselves and others the opportunity to know who we are. God knows us
anyway. You should live what you believe. (Jos 24:15)
If
you hate your sister, own it before God. I’m not suggesting you go and tell
everyone all the reasons why on Facebook, but, until you own up the fact that
you hate her, you’re going to continue to hate and you may never experience
anything better. Lying won’t make it better. When you own the truth as you see
it, you can go to the word and the word will tell you what to do to please God
in every situation. For liars, God says … “stop!”
For
heaven’s sake, we should have the good sense to at least know who we are and be
who we are and stop deceiving ourselves and others. God can deal with who you
are. I’m not saying stop trying to be better … I’m saying recognize where you
are and then really change where you need to … God wants to use you. God uses
honest, hard working people … those who are committed and living their
commitments. Be hot or be cold …
Throughout
the Bible, the people who are used by God are those who aren’t looking for a
better position or another promotion. God chooses those who are working hard
where they are, content and committed to making life as good as it can be. God
knows: The way you work where you are is the way you
will work in your next place. If we cannot conquer discontentment and
boredom where we are, it is evident we won’t be happy for long when we are
under more pressure. That’s the truth!
Jesus
said, if a person is faithful with little, they will be faithful with much also,
and if they are faithful over what belongs to another person, they will be
faithful if He gives them their own. Cornelius wasn’t seeking God imagining he
was going to be chosen for something great. God is not impressed with those who
always want to be somewhere else, with someone else, doing something else. Many
times people mistake:
·
Passion for Purpose
·
Desire for Direction
·
Charisma for Calling
·
Reason for Right
What
can we conclude about God’s choice to use Cornelius to be the initial
fulfillment of Acts 1:8 and the Great Commission?
Cornelius,
like Joseph in Egypt, was a faithful man at heart. He was content to build a
future in a land that was not his own. Cornelius allowed God to choose the time
and the place of his calling.
Be
faithful where you are … that tells everything to everyone about how you will
be in your next place, if and when God makes it happen.
