Acts 10 (WEB)
Dr. House explains why God sent Jonah to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria: Israel was placed at the crossroads of three continents to be a light to the Gentiles, and Jonah sailed the opposite way. He sets Jonah's refusal beside Peter's vision at Joppa and the conversion of Cornelius in Acts 10.
Jonah had a command, did he not?
And his command was to function like God had intended Israel to be all the time.
Why did God take this little group of people and put them here in this little strait of land between Asia, Europe, and Africa?
You have three continents that meet at this little place.
All places to be, you're in the way.
Well, you are in the way.
God intended the Jews to be in the way.
He deliberately brought Abraham to this little strip of land that all the armies had to go through.
All the traders had to go through.
He put them here to be in the way, so that he could be a light to the Gentiles, to the people of Israel.
They had a calling.
They just never usually realized that calling.
And we may fault them as much as we do, forgetting that we also have a calling.
And when we find other people in the way, do we do any better than the Jews did with the Gentiles in our proclamation?
Sit on planes and buses and classes where people all the time.
And we sometimes forget we are deliberately put in the way, the place we are to be missionaries for the Lord.
It's not some foreign field, it's where you are.
And so God put these Jews here so that they could be a light to the Gentiles.
Well, they failed in that so many ways over the years.
But God had a plan for Assyria.
Assyria was not a nice group of people.
They make Al-Qaeda look nice.
The Assyrians did some devastating things to prisoners — mean, nasty people.
People hated the Assyrians.
God told Jonah, hey, listen, go to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria.
I got a message for them, that they can be saved.
Jonah said, not a chance — opposite direction.
Assyria is a little northeast here.
I'm heading directly west from Yaffa.
Joppa.
The mission of God to the Gentiles.
Years later, a man by the name of Peter had a vision from God.
And he obeyed — according to chapter 11 of Acts, he said, I obeyed that heavenly message.
Because God said, what I have called clean, you're not to call unclean.
Don't you be the one to decide what's right and wrong.
Let God be the decider.
And so he said, call for this man.
He's waiting to hear this message.
So obviously, I got that backwards there.
The point is, Cornelius had also a situation where he had a visitation, not a dream.
He had a visit from an angel.
Now, Cornelius was not a saved man.
He was not regenerated.
He sounds that way.
He gave alms to the poor.
He attended synagogue as a proselyte.
He was a Roman from the Latin Legion.
He wasn't just any Roman.
He was a centurion, one of the top guys in the Roman army, connected with Rome, Italy, Latin Legion.
And he gave alms.
He prayed three times a day.
He did things probably better than you do in those respects.
Some of you, I'm sure, thank God.
And yet he was not a believer in Jesus.
He was not a saved man.
Because when Peter came in Acts 10, it says, I came in order that you and your house might be saved.
They weren't.
And so we have almost the opposite.
Here God had intended the message to the Gentiles from Jonah, and rejected that message, to find that God made him.
And then we have also another call of God to Gentiles, where the question is, can a person be a Gentile and be a believer in Jesus?
So many of the Christian Jews at that time said, no, you've got to become Jewish.
Yeah, right?
And then God demonstrated, no, you can still be a Gentile and be a believer.
Our issue today is whether you can be Jewish and be a believer.
You've got the opposite problem, where you've got Gentiles trying to make Jews to be Gentiles.
And in those days, you had Jewish trying to make Gentiles to be Jews — the opposite problem.
But here, just south of us, is Joppa, where God has continually, sort of in a microcosm, tried to do what he did in the whole nation of Israel:
that is, be a light to people regarding the salvation.
So this is a wonderful place to be.
You're going to find more when you get over to the place where Paul's judgment seat is.
1Now there was a certain man in Caesarea, Cornelius by name, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, 2a devout man, and one who feared God with all his house, who gave gifts for the needy generously to the people, and always prayed to God. 3At about the ninth hour of the day, he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God coming to him and saying to him, “Cornelius!”
4He, fastening his eyes on him and being frightened, said, “What is it, Lord?”
He said to him, “Your prayers and your gifts to the needy have gone up for a memorial before God. 5Now send men to Joppa, and get Simon, who is also called Peter. 6He is staying with a tanner named Simon, whose house is by the seaside.
7When the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier of those who waited on him continually. 8Having explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
9Now on the next day as they were on their journey and got close to the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray at about noon. 10He became hungry and desired to eat, but while they were preparing, he fell into a trance. 11He saw heaven opened and a certain container descending to him, like a great sheet let down by four corners on the earth, 12in which were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, reptiles, and birds of the sky. 13A voice came to him, “Rise, Peter, kill and eat!”
14But Peter said, “Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.”
15A voice came to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed, you must not call unclean.” 16This was done three times, and immediately the thing was received up into heaven.
17Now while Peter was very perplexed in himself what the vision which he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon’s house, stood before the gate, 18and called and asked whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was lodging there. 19While Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men seek you. 20But arise, get down, and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.”
21Peter went down to the men, and said, “Behold, I am he whom you seek. Why have you come?”
22They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous man and one who fears God, and well spoken of by all the nation of the Jews, was directed by a holy angel to invite you to his house, and to listen to what you say.” 23So he called them in and provided a place to stay.
On the next day Peter arose and went out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. 24On the next day they entered into Caesarea. Cornelius was waiting for them, having called together his relatives and his near friends. 25When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell down at his feet, and worshiped him. 26But Peter raised him up, saying, “Stand up! I myself am also a man.” 27As he talked with him, he went in and found many gathered together. 28He said to them, “You yourselves know how it is an unlawful thing for a man who is a Jew to join himself or come to one of another nation, but God has shown me that I shouldn’t call any man unholy or unclean. 29Therefore I also came without complaint when I was sent for. I ask therefore, why did you send for me?”
30Cornelius 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 31and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer is heard, and your gifts to the needy are remembered in the sight of God. 32Send therefore to Joppa and summon Simon, who is also called Peter. He is staying in the house of a tanner named Simon, by the seaside. When he comes, he will speak to you.’ 33Therefore I sent to you at once, and it was good of you to come. Now therefore we are all here present in the sight of God to hear all things that have been commanded you by God.”
34Peter opened his mouth and said, “Truly I perceive that God doesn’t show favoritism; 35but in every nation he who fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him. 36The word which he sent to the children of Israel, preaching good news of peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all— 37you yourselves know what happened, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; 38how 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. 39We are witnesses of everything he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem; whom they also killed, hanging him on a tree. 40God raised him up the third day and gave him to be revealed, 41not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen before by God, to us, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that this is he who is appointed by God as the Judge of the living and the dead. 43All the prophets testify about him, that through his name everyone who believes in him will receive remission of sins.”
44While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who heard the word. 45They of the circumcision who believed were amazed, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was also poured out on the Gentiles. 46For they heard them speaking in other languages and magnifying God.
Then Peter answered, 47“Can anyone forbid these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just like us.” 48He commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay some days.