Sermon On the Net

OPEN TO ALL

Acts 10: Cornelius, a centurion in the Italian Regiment, saw an angel of God in a vision one day and was told that his prayers and gifts to the poor have not gone unnoticed by God. He was a very generous man. The angel told him to send some men to Joppa to ask Peter to return with them to him, which he did.

About noon the next day as the men were on their journey, Peter was up on a roof top to pray, when suddenly he fell in a trance and saw Heaven open and something like a large sheet came down. In it were all kinds of animals and birds and Peter was told to kill and eat. This happened 3 times and Peter did not know what it meant. At first Peter did not want do what he was told because he had never eaten anything that was unclean. The voice told him not to call anything impure that God has made clean.: Acts10:15, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." While he began to wonder about the meaning of the vision the Spirit told him about the 3 men who were now downstairs and he was to go to them and accompany them on their return journey. Peter agreed to go and invited them to stay for the night and proceed to Cornelius the next day.

When Peter arrived at Cornelius' house he was greeted by him and his family. He got on his knees to Peter who promptly told him to get up as he was just a man like him. Peter told the gathering that he was not to look upon anyone as being unclean but was to think of everyone as the same. He said this because it was at one time, before Christ, for Jews not to mingle with Gentiles; it was actually against their law.

Peter began to speak to them and explained that it was now proper for him to speak to everyone; that God in the vision he had was teaching him that salvation was open to all who would believe in Jesus. Peter talked about the ministry of Jesus and how He did good and was ultimately crucified and subsequently raised from the dead. Peter and his followers were witness to His resurrection. He explained that Jesus told them to preach the Word to the world, for those that would believe on His name would not perish but would have eternal life. John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

While Peter was speaking to them the Holy Spirit came upon all those who heard the message. The believers who had accompanied Peter on the journey could hardly believe what was happening. They just couldn't imagine the Holy Spirit entering the lives of Gentiles. After this they were baptized as a symbol of their conviction Of Jesus.

Well my friends, there you have it, as was the splitting of the veil in the Temple when Jesus gave up His Spirit to the Father, which symbolized open access to the Father by anyone who believes; we now have salvation officially opened to the Gentiles. One might say, in a perverse sought of way, that we Gentiles have the Jews to thank for our direct access to God. What I or anyone else might think is totally immaterial because God has spoken and He has the final word. If we want to be with Him in His eternal Kingdom we must believe in what Jesus did and accept Him as our Savior. Speaking personally, I can confidently say you will be most pleased accepting His free gift.