Greg Laurie - Reaching the Whole World (Not Just Ours) (01/25/2018)
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Pastor Greg Laurie teaches from Acts 10 on God's heart to reach the whole world, not just "our" people, through the story of Cornelius the Gentile and Peter's vision. He shows how God broke down barriers of prejudice so the gospel could go to everyone, emphasizing that Jesus is the only way, God judges according to what people know, and believers must overcome reluctance to share with those who seem different or even like enemies. The call is clear: will we say "yes Lord" and reach out like Peter, or run like Jonah?
The Question Everyone Asks About the Gospel
All right. Well let's turn in our Bibles now to Acts chapter 10. Acts chapter 10. By the way, how many of you are here for the first time tonight? You have never been to Harvest Orange County. Raise your hand up if you are visiting. Welcome. Welcome. Glad you all could come. It is good to have you. Acts chapter 10. The title of my message is, Reaching the whole world. Not just ours. Let's pray.
Father we ask your blessing on this time as we look in your word. You have given us the great commission. And frankly at times it is overwhelming to us. We don't really know where to start. And then there are times we don't want to go to certain people. Help us to see, Lord, how you love everyone. And you want to show that love through us. So we commit this time of Bible study to you now. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
You know one of the most often asked questions about the Christian faith is, what about the person who has never heard the gospel? Right? How many of you have heard this one before? You know the person out in the middle of the jungle. They are always in the jungle for some unknown reason. Or in the middle of the desert who has never heard about Jesus Christ.
Why People Really Ask About the Unreached
Now at first glance this may seem like a fairly noble question to ask. For it would appear that the person asking is greatly concerned about the eternal plight of someone who has never heard the gospel. This question is usually asked by someone when you are trying to share the gospel with them. They will interrupt you and say, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. What about the person who has never heard the gospel?
Now I am going to tell you the reason they asked this in a few moments. But just for the sake of the record let's just give a quick answer to it. What about the person who has never heard the gospel? Will God send them to hell? This question is generally a reaction to the teaching of the Bible. That would say Jesus Christ is the only way to God. That has never been a popular teaching. Right?
But maybe it has never been more controversial than it is today. If you want to get someone's blood boiling, say that Jesus is the only way to God. I am telling you their coexist bumper sticker on their car will catch fire. You know what I am talking about the coexist sticker. Yeah. The idea that you would have the audacity to say that Jesus is the only way is in effect saying that other religions are not true as well.
Jesus Is the Only Way – What the Bible Says
Well as a matter of fact that is true. That is the way it works itself out. But people don't like that. It is ok if you will say, well Jesus is a way to God. Or Jesus is my way to God. But when you dare to say He is the only way then you are going to have some pushback for sure.
But listen. Here is what it comes down to. We have to say what the Bible says if it is popular or not. It is not for me to edit the message of the Bible. It is for me as a Christian to simply deliver it. It would be like a doctor running tests on someone and discovering a very serious problem. But then not being willing to tell the person what that problem is because it might make them personally uncomfortable. Now that would be ridiculous.
A doctor's job is to diagnose a problem then to recommend a course of action. A doctor's job is to tell a person the truth about their condition and do whatever they can to save their life. Doctors even take what is called the Hippocratic Oath which among other things says do no harm. A doctor's job is to save a life.
Listen. A Christian's life, or rather a Christian's job, is essentially the same. We have to tell people the truth about their real condition which happens to be sinful and seek to save them which is to point them to Jesus Christ as the only solution.
God's Heart for the Lost – He Takes No Pleasure in Judgment
But in our culture of moral relativism this rubs a lot of people the wrong way. Because the statement itself seems so narrow and dogmatic. Well in a way it is. But this is what Jesus said. John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. And no man comes to the Father but by Me."
The Bible clearly teaches that there is one mediator between God and man. And it is the man Christ Jesus. Acts 4:12 says, "Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby they will be saved."
Now many hearing this will automatically assume that that means that those who have never heard about Jesus will be automatically sent to hell. And that is a false concept of God and His nature. Listen. If the cross of Calvary proves nothing else, it proves this. God loves humanity deeply. Why else would the Lord, the Father, send His Son to suffer and die?
Here is God's heart on the matter of His attitude toward lost mankind. Ezekiel 33:11, God says, "I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I just want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live." 2 Peter 3:9, "God is patient. He doesn't want anyone to perish. So He has given time for everyone to repent."
You see, God longs for fellowship with humanity. For friendship with us. He says in Isaiah 1:18, "Come, let's argue this out, says the Lord. No matter how deep the stain of your sin, I can remove it. I can make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you as white as wool."
Going clear back to the Garden of Eden, after our first parents ate of the forbidden fruit, there was a voice of the Lord God crying out, "Where are you?" That is God's heart toward all of us. "Where are you? I love you."
God Judges According to What We Know
If you want to see a trio of stories that really illustrate how God feels about us when we are lost, just read John 15. And in that beautiful set of stories Jesus tells us that God is like a Shepherd losing a sheep. God is like a father missing a son. God is like a woman searching for a coin. He wants to reach lost people.
And listen to this. God will judge you according to what you know. He will not hold you responsible for what you do not know. That doesn't relieve a person of responsibility. But it does say that if you have not heard the gospel you can be certain of this. God loves the person. Alright. He loves the person.
Now let's come back to the reason people ask this. They don't ask it because they care about people in the middle of a jungle or someone in a desert. They ask it to make you go away. You see. Because they think you won't have an answer.
So you can tell them, look God is compassionate. God loves all of humanity. God wants people to be saved. But here is the way I like to answer it. I will say, but listen. God will judge each person according to what they have heard. But listen. You have heard the gospel because I am telling it to you right now. And you are going to be held accountable before God. So don't worry so much about that person. Think more about yourself right now. Bring it back home to them again.
If Someone Truly Seeks, They Will Find Christ
Because here is what God has said. If a person is really seeking truth they will find their way to Christ. God says in Jeremiah 29:13, "If you seek Me you will find Me. If you search for Me with all of your heart."
The reason that people do not want to hear our message and they don't want to believe in Jesus is not generally because they have honest intellectual questions. Though some do. The primary reason that people do not come to Christ is not because they don't understand certain things about the Bible.
The primary reason that people do not believe in Jesus according to Christ Himself is they hate the light because they want to sin in the darkness so they stay away from the light. Excuse me. So their sins will not be exposed. And that is found in John 3:20.
Cornelius – A God-Fearing Gentile Seeker
I know God loves people. And I know He wants to save them. I have a friend whose father died and never had a relationship with God. As a matter of fact my friend wasn't a believer at the time either. But he told me how he went to visit his father in his hospital room and noticed that one day not long before he passed that there was a copy of the Bible there.
So his father clearly had requested it knowing that the end was near. And I told my friend, Look if your father was really seeking God the Lord would more than meet him half way because God wants us to know Him more than we could ever imagine.
When a loved one dies who has not made a profession of faith in Christ don't necessarily assume they are in hell because you never know what prayers go through the heart of a man or a woman when they are entering into eternity. And even if they cried out to the Lord in the last final seconds of their life you can be certain God would save them. Because Jesus extended mercy to the thief on the cross.
And by the way he was worse than a thief. A word that is used there in the original language would imply he was a horrible criminal. And they didn't crucify thieves. But they did crucify murderers and insurrectionists and people that rebelled against Rome. Which he probably was.
My point was God forgave a man who was guilty of murder in the last moments of his life because he simply said to Jesus, "Remember me when you come into your kingdom." And I am not trying to give false hope. But neither do I want to give false condemnation. Let's leave it in the hands of God and remember God loves us and God loves everyone. And we need to care about them and love them as well.
Well, that brings us to an illustration of this. An illustration of a very unlikely man who was seeking God. And this became a pivotal moment in the spread of the Gospel by the early church. And I am talking about the conversion of a man named Cornelius.
Why Cornelius's Conversion Changed Everything
Why is his conversion significant? Because Cornelius was not a Jew but a Gentile. Now that doesn't mean a lot to us today living here in this melting pot called America. We are so mixed in our culture and in our races. Especially here in Southern California.
But it meant a lot to a first century Jew. Despite the fact that Jesus told his disciples to go into all the world and preach the Gospel, that really wasn't happening. Though Jesus told his disciples to be witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea, and Samaria, which would be the area of non-Jews and those that the Jews often hated, that was not taking place.
Somehow running this through their Jewish grid they had missed the point. And Christianity was running the risk of becoming another sect of Judaism. But that was all about to change because God was going to impact one man. And that man was Simon Peter.
Peter's Prejudice – Typical for His Time
Now Peter was like pretty much any other Jew living in his time. He was proud of his heritage. And I don't mean that in a critical way. Because to be Jewish is a wonderful thing. The Jewish people are God's chosen people. And we as Gentiles, I as a non-Jew have been grafted into the promises of God.
It is through the Jewish people that we received the Law of Moses. It is through the Jews that the Bible that we so value today was given to us. It was through the Jews that our Messiah came. So I feel as a non-Jew I owe them a great debt.
But the Jews of this time wanted to have nothing to do with non-Jews or Gentiles. In fact, as a matter of upbringing, Jews were told to avoid all contact with Gentiles. For instance, a Jewish midwife was forbidden to aid a Gentile woman in childbirth for fear that they would help bring more Gentiles into the world.
Strict Jews would not be guests in Gentiles' homes or invite Gentiles to their homes. Jews would not even eat food prepared by Gentile hands. Jews thought that Gentiles were unclean and they were to have no contact with them.
Now that was not biblical teaching. That was religious traditional teaching. This is why I am not a fan of religion. Religion messes things up. Religion substitutes a personal relationship with God with a bunch of rules and regulations that often turn into destructive things that can even keep people from God.
God Prepares Peter – Miracles Among Gentiles
And so this was the problem. You are dealing with a built in prejudice, even a bigotry, toward all non-Jews. And so the Lord is wanting to redirect the church to go now to the non-Jews and bring them the message of the gospel. And the Lord is going to do it through Peter.
And a couple of experiences happen to soften up his heart. They are both found in Acts chapter 9. One of them is a story of a disabled man, a quadriplegic, whose name was Aeneas. Peter was in this town, a non-Jewish city called Lod, which is modern day Tel Aviv.
And in Acts 9:34 Peter goes to this man and says, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed." And he rose immediately. That is real power. Some of us have been saying to our teenagers for years, "Arise and make your bed." Nothing has happened. Peter says it to a guy and he does it. It is a miracle.
So that was the first breakthrough in the non-Jewish world. The healing of the quadriplegic named Aeneas. Number two was a non-Jewish woman named that. In the Hebrew it is a cough. So I wanted it to be as authentic as possible. How was that? Excuse me. Her name was Tabitha. She was also known as Dorcas.
And she had died and all of her friends were in mourning, holding up all the little things that Tabitha or Dorcas had made for them. And the Lord directed Peter to go to her. And He said, "Tabitha, get up." And life came back into her body and she came back to life.
Now Peter, like any other Jew, had been taught to despise Gentiles. But here he saw the heart of God working through him, touching these Gentiles, bringing a quadriplegic back to his feet again, and bringing a girl back to life again. So the Lord was prepping him for what was ahead.
The Vision – A Sheet Full of Unclean Animals
And that brings us now to Acts chapter 10. That was just the introduction. Acts chapter 10. I am going to read verses 1-6 and I am going to read from the New Living translation.
"In Caesarea there lived a Roman officer named Cornelius who was a captain of the Italian regiment. He was a devout man who feared the God of Israel as did his entire household. He gave generously to charity and was a man who regularly prayed to God. One afternoon about three o'clock he had a vision in which he saw an angel of God coming toward him. 'Cornelius,' the angel said. Cornelius stared at him in terror. 'What is it, sir?' he asked the angel. The angel replied, 'Your prayers and gifts to the poor have not gone unnoticed by God. Now send some men down to Joppa and find a man named Simon Peter. He is staying with Simon, a leather worker who lives near the shore. Ask him to come and visit you.'"
Cornelius. Who was this guy? Well for starters he was a centurion. A centurion meant that he was a commander of Roman troops numbering anywhere from three hundred to six hundred men. This was an important position. Not just anyone became a centurion.
The Roman historian Polybius described Cornelius and men who became centurions as not being venturesome daredevils as much as they were natural leaders known for their steadfastness and dependability in the heat of battle. So these were not just loose cannons. These were guys that were sophisticated and clear thinkers. And that is who Cornelius was.
Cornelius's Faith – From Many Gods to One
Like most Romans he would have been polytheistic which meant he would worship many gods. The Romans worshipped many of the gods of the Greeks as well as some of their own. They worshipped Jupiter and Mars and Venus. And then ultimately they were even taught to revere Caesar as gods.
But Cornelius saw the emptiness of this. And instead of being polytheistic he had become monotheistic. Which meant he worshipped one god. And specifically he believed in the god of the Jews. He didn't know that much about him. But he knew enough to believe that he was the true god.
And he demonstrated this by giving money to those in need among the Jewish people. So an angel appears and says, "I know what you have been doing." And that is a good reminder to all of us that God knows what we are doing.
You know when you make a sacrificial gift or when you do something kind for someone that isn't noticed by everyone else, guess what? The Lord watches. And really when it is all said and done isn't that all that matters. Who are we doing this for? We should be recognizing God is aware of every act we do in His name for others. Even giving a glass of water to someone who is thirsty, Jesus said.
The Angel's Role – Not to Preach, But to Direct
Now here is what I find interesting. Why didn't the angel just preach the gospel to Cornelius and he says, Hey God heard your prayers and you need to hook up with this guy named Peter. Okay? So I am going to help you out there. Very loose paraphrase.
But here is the thing. The angel could have given him the message but here is why he did not do it. That is not the angel's job. That is our job. Angels are, according to the Scripture, ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those that are the heirs of salvation.
At times angels protect us. Every now and then they guide us. And we possibly have even heard the voice of an angel speak to us. It was an angel that told Philip to initially go to the desert where he shared the gospel with that man from Ethiopia.
But the thing about an angel is you wouldn't even know it was an angel. You just feel the Lord is directing you. And He is. But He works through His angels. They are like God's secret agents. They don't draw attention to themselves. They don't say, Hey look at me. Certainly we should never pray to angels or through angels. They are just doing their job. And this angel was doing his job to get Cornelius to Simon Peter.
Meanwhile old Peter is waiting for lunch. And he is sitting on a patio overlooking the Mediterranean in a city called Joppa. It is not all that different from the Pacific Ocean. In fact Israel reminds me a lot of California. And so he was just kind of sitting up there. I don't know if he was soaking up some rays. But he just kind of closed his eyes. He was waiting for some food. And he fell into a trance. And what he saw shocked him.
Let's read now. Acts 10 verse 9. "The next day as Cornelius' messengers were nearing the city, Peter went up to the flat roof to pray. It was noon. He was hungry. While lunch was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the sky open. And something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners. And in the sheet were all kinds of animals, reptiles, and birds. And a voice said, 'Peter, get up. Kill and eat them.' 'Never, Lord,' Peter declared. 'I have never in all my life eaten anything forbidden by our Jewish laws.' The voice spoke again. 'If God says something is acceptable, don't say it isn't.'"
The Vision's Real Meaning – Not Food, But People
Let's try to understand what this was like. This would be like a very healthy health conscious person. Having a sheet lowered filled with In-N-Out burgers. Animal style. You don't know what that is. I will explain it later. It is better than regular. And Krispy Kreme donuts. And big fat Chipotle burritos. And pizzas. And malts. By the way, those are all my favorite foods I just named. I love every one of those things.
And then hearing a voice say, "Kill and eat." Or go eat that. "Oh I don't like that. Food is fattening. It is not good for you." Or it would be like a person like me. Having a sheet lowered filled with tofu and vegetables and salads. And I would be like, ugh. I don't even understand why anyone...
I mean I like salads okay as a warm up for real food. To me a salad is like practice. Make sure everything is working. Now let's eat something that will actually fill our stomachs. Thank you very much.
But this was repulsive because this sheet was filled with all the things that were ceremonially unclean to a Jew. See in the book of Leviticus chapter 11 many creatures were declared unclean. So probably in this sheet there were pigs and buzzards. Maybe an owl or two. A seagull. Reptiles. Lobsters.
We had this little children's program for the kids here a couple of days ago. And they brought some reptiles in. So when I was a kid I used to collect reptiles. So I went and held some of the snakes and the lizards. And you know there is this one lizard. He was huge. And he liked to just lay on his back and just sort of sit there like this. You know. Kind of held him like a baby walking around.
And most of the kids were freaked out by the reptiles. Some of them held them. But you know this was the idea. This is repulsive. I don't want anything to do with these creatures.
But this wasn't about eating food as much as it was about a change of mind. This was not about food. This was about people. Here is what God was saying. Peter listen. Time to leave your comfort zone and reach a whole new group of people. The Gentiles.
Breaking Down Barriers – No More "Us Four and No More"
Even in the church today we can write off a lot of people. Sometimes even fellow believers. The slogan is, "Us four and no more." And I am really not sure about the other three. We can divide over minutiae and allow second tier and third tier issues to bring unnecessary division in our ranks.
We can divide over race or politics or some doctrinal issues that aren't as significant as others. And this is not a good thing. And so in the same way we will say, "Well I want nothing to do with them."
I have had people criticize us and me personally for people we will have involved in our crusade. "Why do you let that church come? If that church is coming our church isn't going to participate." Really? Well they are just going to announce it to their church. Well we all know. If they are a part of it we don't want to be.
"Oh why did you let that pastor pray? I don't agree with that pastor because in one of his books he quoted someone who quoted someone else that once had coffee with someone else." And you are, it is guilt by association. I want nothing to do with any of this.
And they will get all hung up on things like this. We will all say, "Look, in the essential areas we are in agreement. And we can get together even though there is a minor difference for the sake of the gospel of Christ." That is all I am trying to do.
And you know, if people want to withdraw over that then I guess that is what is going to happen. But I am going to keep doing what I do. And preaching the gospel and try to get as many people to join me as possible. And I want to join as many others that do it too.
Reaching Enemies – The Hard Call of the Gospel
But here is the thing. Sometimes there are people we don't want to bring the gospel to because if we are honest, though we would probably not verbalize it, we don't want them to get saved. Because if they are saved then they are in the family and we have to love them. We don't want to love them.
Well listen. You are not off the hook here. The Bible says love your enemies. Okay. So you are supposed to love them anyway. But sometimes there are people who have hurt us in life who are non-believers. They have done things to us that should not have been done.
And here is my suggestion to you. Why don't you go to them with the gospel? Why don't you go to the people who have offended you and hurt you with a message of the gospel?
I told you before, my mom was married and divorced seven times. I had a full time ministry sharing the gospel with my mom's old husbands. I am not kidding. I talked to many of them. And I had the opportunity to pray with two of them to accept Christ.
The first one was Oscar Laurie, who is, I got my name from him, Oscar. No, Laurie. And that is a whole other story. I will tell you some other time. But the Lord reached him and brought him to faith. And that was a glorious thing.
And the other one was on his death bed. And I was able to pray with him only hours before he went into eternity. But there was another guy that I went to share with that my mom was married to. And this is the man that tried to kill my mother.
When we were living in Hawaii, he was a raging alcoholic along with my mom. They would get in these huge fights. And they were horrible fights. They would throw things at each other. And one night he hit her with this little wooden statue, knocked her unconscious, and she almost died. And I climbed out the window and ran to a neighbor's and an ambulance came and my mom lived.
But I felt hatred toward this man because of what he did to my mom. And so fast forward a number of years and I come to Christ and he is still living in Hawaii. And I happened to be preaching in a crusade there at the Waikiki Shell.
And I found out where he lived and it was only maybe a quarter of a mile from the Waikiki Shell. And I thought I should go and invite him to the meeting. But I didn't want to invite him to the meeting because I didn't want him to get saved. Because I was mad at him still.
And I just thought that was the wrong attitude. And because I don't want to do it, I am going to make myself do it. And so I went to see him. And when I saw him, instead of feeling anger and hatred, I felt pity for him. He was just a shell of the man he once was. His health was broken down. Age had taken its toll along with his hard drinking and all the rest.
And I shared the gospel with him. And he just politely but firmly said, "I don't want to hear it." And I said, "Why don't you just come down here and hear me speak?" And he is like, "I don't want to."
And you know, it was hard. But here is my point. So what? Go to the person that you don't want to speak to. Go to the person who has hurt you. Go to your enemy with the message of the gospel.
In effect, that is what God was calling Peter to do by going to the Gentiles. So he goes now to the house of Cornelius. Let's pick the story up. The men come to the house of Peter. They tell him the story. They say, you've got to come back and meet Cornelius. And Peter agrees.
Peter at Cornelius's House – A Humbling Moment
Acts 10:24. Verse 24. "They arrived in Caesarea the following day. Cornelius was waiting for him. And had called together his relatives and close friends to meet Peter. As Peter entered his home, Cornelius fell to the floor before him in worship. Peter pulled him up and said, 'Stand up. I am a human being just like you.' Cornelius got up and they talked together and went inside where the others were assembled. And Peter told him, 'You know it is against the Jewish laws for me to come into a Gentile home like this. But God has shown me that I should never think of anyone as impure. So I came as soon as I was sent for. Tell me now why you sent for me.'"
I mean this is an amazing scene. Cornelius was a centurion. This is a high ranking Roman military man. He was in the occupying force in Israel. Peter, he was a fisherman. Effectively a peasant. So now the occupier bows before the occupied. The Roman soldier bows before the fisherman.
And actually because Cornelius didn't really understand what was going on, he worshipped Peter. The word that is used here for worship is the same word that is used when we are told to bring our worship to God. So he was effectively regarding Peter as God Himself.
Peter is like, "Don't do that man. I am a person just like you." But it is fascinating how this Roman centurion was willing to humble himself like this.
Centurions in Scripture – Always Positive Examples
You know I find it interesting to note that every mention of centurions in the Bible is positive. Because you generally don't think of the Romans and the occupying forces as good people. But actually all the mentions of centurions are in a good light.
In Matthew 8:10 Jesus said to a Roman centurion, "I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith." So He said of a centurion, "Your faith is greater than anyone else in Israel."
And then there was a centurion at the cross who said of Christ after His death, "Surely He was the Son of God." It was a centurion that deferred to Paul and spared the prisoners shipwrecked on Malta in Acts 27.
So they are always presented in a favorable light. So here now is Cornelius bowing before Peter. Telling him the story. And I don't think a preacher ever had a more receptive audience than this one right here.
I mean they are like, tell us, tell us, tell us. We know you are from God. We know your message is true. The angel set you up man. Just give us the message. Oh what a great speaking opportunity.
You know sometimes people don't want to hear what they have to say. I have had many situations like that where I get up to speak. And you can just see it on their faces. They fold their arms. They look, what are you going to tell me? And you just say, Lord help me.
And there are times where people are receptive and responsive and drinking in every word and they want to hear it. That was the case here clearly as the people gathered together.
The Gospel Presentation – To Whoever Believes
And this is a great thing to think about as our crusade is rapidly approaching. To utilize this opportunity. Why is a crusade a crucial opportunity as compared to any other church service? Well I would say number one because it is dedicated from beginning to end to the presentation of the gospel.
Everything about our crusade is designed to bring Jesus to someone that is not a believer. You can be sure that the preacher will do all he can to be prepared. And I hope that you will do everything you can to prepare the person you are bringing.
You know I don't believe in tricking people into coming to our crusades. In other words, "oh it is just a great rock concert. Come on." "Oh I forgot to tell you there is a guy that talks about Jesus too." I say be up front. Tell them the truth. You know tell them what it is all about. And be praying for them. Really be praying for them.
And that is why we see such high percentages of people respond. Because it is a prepared event for prepared people. And let's be praying to that end.
Peter gives a classic gospel presentation that you can read over. He reviews the life of Jesus in verse 38. He speaks of His death in verse 39. His resurrection in verses 40 to 41. Telling everyone that He will return as judge in verse 42.
Then He offers salvation. I want you to notice that Peter got the to everyone memo too. He says in verse 43, "And to Him all the prophets witness that through His name whoever believes on Him receives the remission of sin."
Peter understood. Whoever. It is not Jews only. It is Gentiles too. Everyone can get in if they come through Jesus. This was Peter saying this. Thus it carried great weight.
This single sermon by Peter changed church history. If Peter had said, "Never Lord." This could have been the end of it. But he responded.
Joppa – Jonah Ran, Peter Obeyed
You know it is interesting that this all took place in a place called Joppa. Right? Now does Joppa ring a bell to you? Remember Jonah? He was connected to Joppa too. God called Jonah to go to the Ninevites and bring the gospel.
But Jonah 1-2 says, He got up and went the other direction to Tarshish running from God. He went down to the port of Joppa. Found a ship headed for Tarshish. Paid the fare. And tried to get as far from God as he could.
So here is the same place. Joppa. That is the place Jonah went from to get away from God. And that is also the place Peter was at when God wanted him to go reach these people.
The reason Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh was because it was filled with his enemies. And quite frankly he wanted God to destroy them. But the Lord told him to go and he did not go. So the Lord persuaded him shall we say. And he reluctantly went. And guess what happened? The greatest revival in human history.
Well in contrast to Jonah who really did not want to go. We have Peter who is willing to go.
Never Say "Never Lord" – Surrender to God's Will
Let us think for a moment about this statement and bring this message to a close. When Peter does not get this he initially says, "Not so Lord." Or "never Lord." Look. There are words that fit with Lord. But never and not so are not the words.
Here is words that you can attach to Lord. Yes Lord. I love you Lord. Or how Lord. Or when Lord. Or even why Lord. But we should not say never Lord.
I don't think it is a bad thing to ask God why. Some people say don't ever question God. I question God all the time. And when I say I question God I don't mean that I am doubting his existence. I am just saying Lord I don't understand why you have done thus and so. Why Lord?
And if you will read the words of the psalmist you will find that many times he cried out, "Why God? Why is this happening to me? Why have you allowed this in my life?" And guess what? Jesus himself said, "My God. My God. Why have you forsaken me?"
So don't say it is wrong to say, "Why God?" It is not wrong. But let me just add this. Don't expect an answer necessarily. You can ask all you want. There is nothing wrong with asking it. Maybe the Lord will give you an answer. But in most cases he won't. And quite frankly I think if he did we wouldn't get it anyway.
So here is what we need to say. Well Lord I don't understand. But I trust you. And that is effectively what Peter ended up doing. He ended up surrendering himself to the will of God.
Even Jesus struggled with the will of God in the garden of Gethsemane. We read that he sweat as it were great drops of blood. Under intense pressure. Jesus was literally perspiring sweat and blood. And he said, "Father if it is possible let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless not my will but yours be done."
There has to come a point where we just say, "Alright Lord I will do it. I don't feel like doing it. I don't want to do it. I don't even think it is a good idea to do it. But I am going to do it. Because you told me to do." And that is what Peter did. And that is what you need to do.
Your Cornelius – Who Needs to Hear the Gospel?
So here is my question to you. Is there a Cornelius in your life? And by that I mean, Is there a person you would normally not give the time of day to? A person you would not normally engage in conversation? A person you would not normally communicate with?
Let me take it a step further. Is there someone that actually you have ill will toward? You would almost rather they never came to Jesus because then you would like run into them at church.
But wait a second. Don't you think God could change them? Was it all that long ago that you were brought to faith? I mean weren't you a sinner once? Aren't you a sinner still? I know that I am.
And we need to have this heart that God has toward people that don't know Him. And go to those Cornelius's out there.
So here is the choice we have before us. Are we going to be a Peter or a Jonah? Are we going to run from the will of God? How are we going to run in the will of God? It is really your choice. You don't have to do it. And guess what? If you don't do it God will find someone else who will. But you will miss the blessing.
But if you will say, "Lord, yes I am willing to go. I really don't want to. I am really not in the mood. I am not feeling this. But I am going to do it because it is right." Here is what I have discovered. So many times when I don't want to do something and I do it because I know it is right. As I am doing it or right after I have done it the feelings will come. Or at the very least I will know I have done the right thing and that is a great thing to realize. Right?
So by faith we reach out and we forgive a person who has hurt us even though we don't feel forgiveness in our heart. By faith we reach out to a person with the love of God even though we don't emotionally feel love toward them in the moment. By faith we go to someone we might normally be a bit uncomfortable with because they are different than us and we engage them with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
That is what Peter did and it changed church history.
If You're Like Cornelius – God Is Calling You
Hey listen. Maybe you are like Cornelius tonight. By that I mean you believe that there is a God. You have respect for God. But you don't know Him in a personal way.
See Cornelius. He was a good guy. He wanted to know the truth. And because he wanted to know the truth the Lord made Himself known to him. And I believe if a person really wants to know God. Jesus Christ will reveal Himself to them.
And maybe that is happening to you right now. Maybe as you are sitting there you are thinking, You know what? I am kind of getting this. It is like I need Jesus Christ in my life. I need Christ to forgive me of my sin. I need to ask Him to come into my heart right now.
I know you have heard this before but for some reason it hasn't really gelled for you. But right now you are getting it. That happens. That is the work of the Holy Spirit when a man or a woman sees their need for God.
Because we like Cornelius have all sinned. We have fallen short of God's glory. We have broken His commandments. But God loved us so much He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross in our place. And then He rose again from the dead.
And He is here right now at the door of your life. And He is knocking. And He is saying, "If you will hear My voice and open the door I will come in."
It is like this. Jesus is knocking. But think of this as a glass door. You know how some people have glass in the front of their doors? And there are advantages and disadvantages to that. The advantage is it lets the sun in. The disadvantage is someone knocks on your door. They know you are home. They can see you through the window.
So here is Jesus standing at the door of your house. Knocking. Knock, knock, knock. You look. It is Jesus. "Hey Jesus." He is like... He is still knocking. So you just go back to doing what you are doing. You are cooking something in the kitchen. "Honey, Jesus is at the door." "I know, I know." "Are you going to answer it?" "I am not really ready to answer it yet. I am not really ready to let him in my house." "Well do you want me to tell him to go away?" "No. Don't tell him that. Just leave him there. Maybe he will keep knocking for a week or two." "Ok."
Now if you are Jesus knocking at that door, and everyone is going about their business, and no one will make eye contact with you, and no one will answer the door, guess how you would react? I would call that a rejection, right?
So when he knocks at the door of our life, and we do not ask him in, that is in effect a rejection. It is not a rejection, Greg. I am just saying I am not ready. Well you can say whatever you want. It is still a no, right? It is no. I am not going to open the door. I am not going to talk to you. I am not going to let you in. I am just going to ignore you, and hope you will keep knocking maybe for years.
But see, that is why being a Christian is a yes or no proposition. You either ask Him into your life or you reject Him. And I ask you, what have you done? Have you asked Him into your life or have you rejected Him? Those are the only two choices.
Seekers Find Him – Make Your Decision Tonight
Well I am not really in either one of those categories. I am seeking. Okay. If you are a real seeker, God says those that seek Him will find Me. Here it is. Jesus Christ, the answer to everything you need ready to forgive you, are you going to let Him in, seeker? "No I am not." Then you are not a seeker. Don't judge me man.
If you are a real seeker you will say yes to Jesus. If you say no to Jesus you are not a real seeker. You are just saying it. "Oh, how do you know my heart?" I don't know your heart. But God does. And He says those that seek Me will find Me.
So seekers, people that really want to know God, He is here for you now to forgive you. But you must call out to Him. And I am going to give you an opportunity to do that as we close now in prayer.