Two Men, One Message

Sermon Summary

Big Idea: Jesus Christ is Lord of all.

In this week’s sermon from Acts 10:1-33, we meet two very different men. Cornelius, a devout Roman centurion, and Peter, a faithful Jewish apostle, but they both need to hear and submit to the same gospel message. This sermon explores how even the most moral, generous, and religious people still need to be saved through faith in Jesus Christ, and how those already following Jesus must be stretched to embrace the radical inclusivity of God’s salvation. No one is too good to need saving, and no one is too far to be reached.

Sermon Outline

1. If Cornelius needs to submit to Jesus’ lordship, then so do you.

2. If Peter needs to submit to Jesus’ lordship, then so do you.

Sermon Text: Acts 10:1-33

At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.

Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon’s house, stood at the gate and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.” And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?” And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.” So he invited them in to be his guests.

The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.” And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered. And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.”

And Cornelius said, “Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”

Herman Bavinck on Total Depravity

This is the quote I read during this sermon:

Sin, however, is not a substance. It does indeed inhabit and infect all of us, but it is not and cannot be the essence of our humanity. Also, after the fall, we human beings remained humans. We have retained our reason, conscience, and will, can therefore control our lower sensual drives and inclinations, and thus force them in the direction of virtue. Augustine, who called the virtues of Gentiles “splendid vices,” candidly acknowledged this truth. Many of their actions not only do not deserve to be reprimanded but are worthy of our praise and emulation. While Lutherans spoke of the “natural man” as stocks and blocks in matters spiritual, in the so-called lower hemisphere of civic life they still credited “him” with all sorts of powers for good. And more than them all, Calvin and the Reformed have honored the virtues of unbelievers and frequently held them up as examples to Christians themselves. The doctrine of the total corruption of human nature by no means implies, therefore, that the sinful disposition that lies at the bottom of the human heart always erupts in the kind of deeds that betray clear hostility and hatred toward God and one’s neighbor. There are various circumstances that intervene and keep the disposition from fully expressing itself. Not only are many sinful deeds restrained by the sword of the government, common civil decency, public opinion, the fear of disgrace and punishment, and so on, but a variety of factors—such as the natural love still inherent in every person; the moral character fostered by upbringing and struggle; favorable circumstances of constitution, environment, or job; and so on—all these frequently lead people to practice beautiful and praiseworthy virtues. Note, however, that while these factors may subdue the sinful disposition of the heart, they do not eradicate it. In all kinds of nasty considerations, thoughts, and desires, it keeps rising to the surface. When conditions are favorable and the need arises, it often breaks through the dams and dikes that restrained it. And those who show by their appalling words and deeds that they hate God and their neighbor have no other nature than the one all people share.¹

1. Herman Bavinck, John Bolt, and John Vriend, Reformed Dogmatics: Sin and Salvation in Christ, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2006), 120–121.