|
July 6, 2023
Leading verses 34-36: " 34 Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism, 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.’"
About 500 years ago, everyone believed that all the stars in the sky, including the sun, revolved around the earth.
But in 1543 Copernicus said that the earth revolves around the sun. This was a revolutionary discovery. It is called "the Copernican Revolution."
In the work of salvation through the gospel, there was a "Copernican revolution " that made possible the worldwide spread of the gospel.
Today, we want to learn about this Revolution.
We can call this turn "Copernican turn of the saving work."
May God help us to understand and gratefully accept the universality of the gospel for all the peoples of the world. We want to make the gospel accessible to all peoples.
1. The supernatural vision of Peter (1-16).
The Jews believed that a gentile must first become a Jew by keeping all the Jewish laws before he becomes a child of God. But keeping all the Jewish laws is not easy, because they are very extensive. Even a Jew had difficulty keeping all the Jewish laws.
Cornelius was a Roman soldier. He had to do his duty as a soldier even on the Sabbath from time to time. He would have had to change his profession if he wanted to keep Jewish laws perfectly and become a Christian or a child of God.
Peter, the first disciple of Jesus, was raised Jewish from an early age. Therefore, he was convinced that every person had to keep all Jewish laws in order to become a Christian. His opinion gave him no trouble as long as he preached the gospel only to Jews. But if he were to preach the gospel to any Gentile, his Jewish attitude would be a great obstacle to the Gentile's salvation.
There was an Italian detachment of soldiers stationed in Caesarea. The captain of this detachment was named Cornelius. Cornelius was therefore a Roman officer. The Romans were the rulers of the world at that time. Cornelius would have been very proud as a Roman officer and could have considered Jews as a second rate people.
However, verse 2 tells us something amazing. Cornelius was pious and God-fearing with his whole household, because he believed in God. His faith changed his mind. Cornelius did not consider the Jewish people as a secondary people, but as his brothers and sister. And he served God and loved the Jews as himself. Therefore, he gave donations to the needy of God's people and worshiped God.
But he did not yet know God personally. But he had a desire to know God personally and to become His child.
God knew his desire. Therefore, God wanted to lead him to faith in Jesus Christ through Peter. Therefore, God showed him a supernatural vision. In this vision, an angel of God said to Cornelius:
"Cornelius! God has heard your prayers and seen your deeds to those in need of help. Send some men to Joppa and send for Simon, whose surname is Peter. He is now a guest in the house of Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea."
Peter believed in Jesus Christ and preached the gospel. But his understanding of the gospel was unfortunately limited by his nationalistic mindset. God wanted to help Peter overcome his limited understanding of the gospel and understand the universal validity of the gospel for all people. He wanted to help Peter see that every person, regardless of culture, can be saved through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
Peter was staying in Joppa at that time. While the envoys of Cornelius came near Joppa to fetch Peter, Peter climbed onto the flat roof of the house and wanted to pray there undisturbed. But he was hungry, for it was just about noon. His hosts were cooking something for him in the kitchen. Just at that hour, Peter saw a supernatural vision:
He saw the heavens open and a large linen cloth - held together at its four corners - be lowered to the earth. Inside the cloth were all kinds of four-footed animals, which the Jews considered "unclean" and therefore did not eat from it. For example, the Jews considered "swine" unclean and did not eat pork.
But Peter heard the voice of God, "Peter, slaughter these animals and eat of them!"
Peter was horrified and replied, "Oh no, Lord! Never in my life have I eaten anything (in the Old Testament) forbidden or unclean."
But the voice of the Lord said to him, "Do not contradict God! If He says something is 'pure,' it is pure."
The same thing happened three times. Then the cloth was lifted back up to heaven. The repetition three times was to emphasize the teaching of God.
While Peter was still pondering the meaning of the apparition, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men are seeking you. Arise, therefore, and come down from the roof, and go with them, and doubt not, for I have sent them."
Through this supernatural appearance, God wanted to help Peter to be freed from his nationalistic mindset and to understand the validity of the gospel for all nations.
2. Peter's sermon to Cornelius (17-43)
When Peter came down from the roof, the messengers of Cornelius came to him to pick him up. Therefore, the next day, Peter went with them to Cornelius in Caesarea.
His visit to Cornelius seems like an ordinary thing for us today. But it was forbidden for a Jew like Peter at that time.
Therefore, when Peter arrived at Cornelius' house, he said to him:
"You know that it is forbidden for a Jew to go into the house of a gentile or to meet only him. But God has shown me that I should not consider any man unclean and avoid him. That is why I have come to you. So now I ask you, why did you send for me?" (28-29).
Then Cornelius explained to Peter that God had said to him through his angel Peter to send for Peter and to hear God's message through him.
Peter then said, "Now I understand that God does not favor or discriminate against any person because of his background or culture, but that he accepts everyone who fears him and follows his command. You know God's message of peace, which he proclaimed to the people of Israel through Jesus Christ, because Jesus is Lord over all." (34-36)
Peter explained to Cornelius the gospel of Jesus Christ:
"You know about Jesus Christ from Nazareth, who began to work after John the Baptist called to repentance in Galilee through baptism. Jesus was anointed by God with the Holy Spirit. After that, he went around doing good everywhere. He delivered all who had been in the power of the devil because God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did in the Jewish land and in Jerusalem. This Jesus they nailed to the cross and killed. But this one God raised from the dead, so that he appeared on the third day. He did not appear to all the people, but to us who God had chosen in advance as witnesses. We even ate and drank with him after his resurrection. And he gave us the commission that we should testify to all people that at the coming judgment he is appointed by God to be the judge of the living and the dead. Of this Jesus Christ, all the prophets testify that through his name all who believe in him shall receive forgiveness of sins." (37-43).
Peter explained here that Jesus is God's Son and the Savior, and that every person can receive forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spirit through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.
While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell on all who listened to Peter's word. The believing Jews who had come with Peter were very surprised that gentiles also received the Holy Spirit.
Then Peter said, "Who then could refuse them baptism, since they have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" (47).
He had them all baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Thus were saved Cornelius, his family members and his friends.
This incident shows us that despite the different cultures and ways of life, God gives the Holy Spirit to every person who believes in Jesus Christ as God's Son and Christ and accepts him as his child.
Peter previously thought that Gentiles must first adopt Jewish customs in order to be saved. He had only contacted those who adhered to Jewish customs. But God showed him through the salvation of Cornelius and his relatives that every person, regardless of their background, is saved by honestly repenting and believing in Jesus Christ as God's Son and Christ. This is the Good News for all peoples of the world.
God also loves us and sent His Son Jesus Christ into this world. So the gospel is God's gift to us. Believing in the gospel gives us forgiveness of sin, eternal life and the Kingdom of Heaven. We will be resurrected after our physical death and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This is because God has delivered us from the power of the death force. He saves us from hell and gives us eternal life and the Kingdom of Heaven. This is true, perfect salvation. I rejoice that Esther, my wife, received eternal life after falling asleep and is now alive.
The gospel also works in our practical lives as God's power:
Faith in the gospel frees us from something negative. It frees us from sin and guilt. That is why we feel very comfortable.
Some people suffer from feelings of guilt. That is why they do not sleep well. But Jesus Christ has freed us from all sin and guilt. He also gave us the Holy Spirit; this Holy Spirit refreshes and comforts us. The Holy Spirit also frees us from fear and inferiority complex.
Therefore, we become free from our sad, pessimistic thoughts.
The Gospel also frees us from pride so that we become humble and peaceable. It purifies us from hypocrisy and worldly lusts so that we can enjoy a sanctified life.
Faith in the gospel also gives us positive, good attitudes toward life. We receive abundant grace and become very grateful for God's presence and grace. We also become grateful to other people. Therefore, we can have deep peace of heart and live joyfully. Because of this peace and joy, we can praise God. We can have positive, bright attitudes about our present and future. Thus, we can laugh cheerfully and live confidently. We are grateful to God for His grace and give glory to God.
|