Conversion of Cornelius

Now let's turn in our Bibles to the book of Acts, please. Acts, in chapter 10. I'm sure that you've heard this expression that is quite common in Canada, where I come from.

Boys, would I ever like to be a fly on the wall in that place? Do you know what it means? Something has taken place in a room or a building and you just wish you were there. But you were sort of, don't want to be noticed, so you wish you were just a little fly somewhere. And you could see and you could hear what went on in that room.

Well, we're gonna read about a very significant room in Acts, chapter 10. And what the Bible is gonna do for us is it's actually gonna take us into the room and we're gonna be like that fly on the wall. So we're gonna learn a lot of things about salvation.

And if you're here tonight with a desire to be saved, this is why this story is recorded, so that you can be saved. Verse number one, Acts, chapter 10, verse number one. And here's what the word of God says.

There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian Band. So he was a Roman soldier. He was a Gentile.

Number two, a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people and prayed to God always. He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day, an angel of God coming into him and saying unto him, Cornelius. And when he looked on him, he was afraid and said, what is it, Lord? And he said unto him, thy prayers and thy alms are come up for our memorial before God now.

And now send men to Joppa and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter. He lodges with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the seaside. He shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.

And of course, Cornelius calls two members of his household, verse number eight, and when he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to Joppa. Now we are introduced to Peter, and he's actually receiving some advice, some words from the Lord Jesus. Finally, come over to verse number 21.

Then Peter went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius and said, behold, I am he whom ye seek. What is the cause wherefore ye are come? I would like you to pause for just a minute. Why are you here tonight? Why are you here? That question was put to you.

Well, I'm here because mom and dad took me. That really doesn't, that's not what I'm looking for. I'm here because I'd like to be saved.

That's where this man was. Now you just watch what happens. Verse 22, and they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God and of good report among all the nations of the Jews, was warned from God by a holy angel to send for thee into his house.

And hear words of thee. Well, then Peter brings them in right away. Look now at verse number 24.

And on the morrow, after they entered into Caesarea, so now Peter joins these two men and they start to head back to the home of Cornelius. And Cornelius waited for them and had called together his kingsmen and near friends. And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.

But Peter took him up saying, stand up, I myself also am a man. And as he talked with him, he went in and found many that were come together. And he said unto them, ye know, this is sort of a Jewish thing.

The Jews were not supposed to come in unto the Gentiles, but look at the end of verse 28. But God has showed me that I should not call any man common or unclean. Notice this now, verse 29.

Therefore came I unto you without gain, saying without delaying, as soon as I was sent for, I ask therefore for what intent you've sent for me. There it is again. Why am I here? Why have you sent men and you've asked them to come and I'm to preach to you? Why? What would your answer be? Well, keep reading the story.

It's marvelous. Verse 30, Cornelius said four days ago, I was fasting until this hour and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house. Isn't that lovely? I prayed in my house.

You know, if that wasn't in the Bible, we wouldn't know what happened. God knows what you do in your house. Has he ever seen you pray? Here tonight with a desire to be saved.

Have you ever gotten down on your knees? Maybe laid on your bed? God, I want to be saved. But that would make this a very different meeting for you. See, God is very interested in what's happening in this home.

He's interested in your home. This is why this is recorded. This is an encouragement to those of us that preach and to you that wants to be saved.

Just look at what's going to happen here now. This is tremendous. Verse number 30, I prayed in my home and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing and said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard.

You're not just praying to a ceiling. If there was someone here tonight with a genuine desire to be saved and you actually prayed to God, he would hear you. You don't even have to open your mouth.

You don't even have to say verbal words. Just from your heart, just have to think it. God, I would like to be saved.

I wouldn't even hear it. He wouldn't hear it. But the God of heaven would hear that.

This is an exciting story for me, for a gospel preacher. It's tremendous. Let's keep reading.

I gotta keep reading because I'm kind of trying to get into preaching here before I'm done. Anyway, verse number 31, thy prayer is heard and thy alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God. In the sight of God.

Oh, that's important. Send therefore to Joplin call hither Simon, which he did. Verse 33, look at how he responded.

Immediately, therefore, I sent to thee and thou has done well, thou has well done that thou were come. Now, therefore, are we all here present before you? Did you notice the mistake I made? I misread the Bible. Well, now that we got your attention, let's read it carefully.

Now, therefore, we are all here present before God. To hear all things that are commanded thee of God. That's tremendous.

This is not coming from Peter. Peter, some famous disciple, way back there many, many years ago. There is a message for this man, Cornelius, and it's coming from the God of heaven.

And Peter is only gonna be the channel, the mouthpiece that God will use. What's happening here tonight? Tonight, did we just hear from John Meakin or did we hear from God? Did God use his mouth and his words to bring Scripture before you? Yes. See, friend, that's why you're not saved because you've never gotten a hold of that yet.

Oh, these preachers in the gospel are somewhat interesting. At least they're not too boring. They're able to raise their voice, lower their voice, move their body around.

They look kind of entertaining, but we need to get beyond that. God has a message for you, not the gospel hall. Well, we appreciate this building.

We appreciate a place where we can preach the word of God, but the God of heaven, he's got a message for you, dear sinner. That should make everyone just sit up and go, let's listen. Well, let's see what happens.

Verse 34, then Peter opened his mouth and said, of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons, but in every nation, he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted of him. The word which God sent onto the children of Israel, preaching, we heard this, peace by Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all.

That word I say ye know. Verse 38, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power, who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with him. Verse number 39, and we are witnesses of all things which they did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem whom they slew and hanged on a tree.

There's the crucifixion. Verse 40, him God raised up the third day and showed him openly, not to all people, but unto witnesses chosen. Verse number 42, and he commanded us to preach unto the people and to testify that it is he which was ordained, appointed of God to be the judge of the quick and dead.

To him give all the prophets witness that through his name, whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word, listen to 45, and they of the circumcision which believed were astonished as many as came with Peter because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. Come over to chapter 11.

This is added information. This is what else Cornelius was told from heaven in chapter 11, verse 14, who shall tell thee words whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved. And finally, just a little further down chapter 11, look at verse 17.

This is now going back to when Peter was preaching for as much then as God gave them the light gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ? What was I that I could withstand, God? When they heard these things, they held their peace and glorified God, saying, then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. Do you see that last phrase that I read in verse number 18? Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted. Do you know what that word means? Do you know what was happening in that room when Peter stood before a room full of people? God was offering repentance unto life.

He was offering a golden opportunity to respond to the message. That's why it's a tremendous room. This man, unaware that God was watching him in his house.

God was concerned about him. And God reached out to that man and he told him, send for this man, Peter, where you'll hear words whereby you might be saved. Do you know what he had to do at that very moment? He had to accept.

Accept. Heaven is telling me that I'm not saved. I'm not saved.

I am still in my sins and I'm going to be in hell if I die that way. See, friend, once again, that's why you're sitting here maybe with a desire to be saved, but this is why you're not saved because you haven't yet accepted. I'm not saved.

I'm in danger. Not because these men are telling us we're in danger. These men are reading from the word of God.

This is a message that is coming from heaven. And God is wanting me to open up my ears and he's wanting me to accept and to believe I'm not saved. I'm not saved.

But I can hear a message whereby I can be saved. It's amazing. Do you know what makes this story even greater? It's who this man was.

He was a Roman. He was a soldier. If you know anything about the history of the nation of Israel, the nation of Israel, those Jewish people, they were under the iron grip of the Roman government.

And the Roman government, they were cruel to the Jewish people. And the Jewish people ended up hating the Romans. And the Romans were just annoyed by the Jewish people.

Do you know what we found out in this chapter? God is no respecter of persons. God's love is such. He doesn't care if you're a Jew or a Gentile or a Roman.

He doesn't care if you're a male or a female. He doesn't care if you're black or white. He doesn't care if you're French or English.

He just loves everyone. And here's Peter. And Peter has been given the mission.

Go and preach the gospel to the Gentiles. Oh, there's a man in the Old Testament. Do you remember Jonah? Jonah was a Jew, a Hebrew.

He was told one day to go and preach the gospel to the Gentiles, the Assyrians, Nineveh. Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrians. The Assyrians were a very cruel nation.

They had treated the Jewish people terribly. And when Jonah was told by God, go and preach the gospel to them, you know what he did? He went the other way. His heart wasn't big enough to love the wicked Assyrians.

I'm not gonna do that, God, no way. And off he went. Do you know what God had to do? God had to put him in a storm, put him into the whale's belly, and the whale took him over to the Assyrians.

And the whale vomited him out. Now Jonah, go and preach to the Gentiles. Do you know what happened as a result of his preaching? We're told that the whole city turned to God.

Do you know what could happen here tonight? Because of what I've read, God is not only interested in saving Jews. From this story, we find he's interested in saving Gentiles, you and me. Do you know what could happen right here tonight? You could get saved, just like these people.

I mean, it must have been quite a thing when Peter finally came to this house. Well, why have you called me? What is the reason? Well, this man said, I heard from the God of heaven. I have found out that I am not saved.

And we are here, our ears are wide open, and we're waiting to hear what God wants us to know. And Peter comes out into this room, and do you know what he finds? This man, Cornelius, he invited all his neighbors. And the room was full of people.

He must have thought, my, look at this. Now this is interesting. I don't know whether in his mind he might have thought that, oh, a large audience like this, this is what we would do.

I'm fairly weak when it comes to faith in God. I'll have to admit that to you. But sometimes we pray in the little prayer room here that we ask God to save somebody.

Boy, we'd be really excited, God, if it was just one. Okay, let's increase our faith a little bit. Would it be possible to save two? God saved an entire room full of people here.

Just like that. Just like that. The entire room, as one man stood speaking for the God of heaven, with the word of God, he introduced them to the Lord Jesus.

You know about the Lord Jesus, don't you? He even said that to Cornelius. These things are not a strange thing to you people. You know about the God of heaven.

You know about the Lord Jesus. You know about the crucifixion. You know that he was buried, that he rose from the dead.

You've heard these things. And just while Peter was preaching, all of a sudden he saw evidence. They're all saved.

What did we find out was the key in the chapter? It just says they believed. Would you like to know where these people's belief started? It wasn't there in the room. It started the first day Cornelius got a vision from God.

And he believed the God of heaven is speaking to me. And then he believed the God of heaven is telling me I'm not saved. And that put this man into action.

And immediately he sent men down to Joppa to get Peter. He's believing all along. This is thrilling the heart of God.

And God just turns all attention now upon this man in this household. And now all of a sudden Peter comes up. And you can just see the openness of this man.

Come on in, please come on in. We understand that we're not here before you. We're here before God.

We are just waiting to hear from God. What would you like to hear from God? Would you like someone up here to tell you how good you are? You know, there's people. There's people that wouldn't even hang this chair up in a room like this.

Because there's people that stand behind a podium. And there's people that hold on to a Bible. And there are people that read the Bible.

And they don't believe in this. Don't believe in this. It's all gone.

Don't believe in it. And they look at people like I'm looking at you. And they say, you know what? This door, you enter this door.

And you're probably just doing the best you can. If I said that to you, I couldn't sleep tonight. Because when I read this Bible, when God says there's a place called heaven, I believe it.

And when God says there's a place called hell, I believe it. When God says there's only one door, his name is Jesus Christ, I just simply believe it. And when God says, if you die without being saved, you will instantaneously open up your eyes in hell.

That's what the Bible teaches. So I come back to the question, why are you here tonight? Would you like to hear from God? You don't even have to verbally answer me. You could just ignore me.

You could just in your heart say, oh, I would love to hear from God. He'd hear that. You just tell God what you want, just like this man.

I want to be saved more than anything in the world. What a tremendous thing. I find the amazing things that could happen in a simple gospel meeting.

You sat down and you sang those hymns about salvation in your sins. Do you know what could happen before you left this building? You could be on the road to heaven, experiencing the peace of God, just from accepting the Lord Jesus as your personal savior. Why would anyone turn their back and go home and go to sleep as if they heard nothing? Friend, please, listen to the word of God and turn to the savior and trust him.

Let's pray.