ACTS 10:34-48 THE FATHER SON AND SPIRIT IN SALVATION2017 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Acts 10:34-48 The Father Son And Spirit In Salvation

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2017. Here in Acts chapter 10, we are looking at a very interesting account. It's an interesting account because, well, it's the first time that Gentiles are saved in this record of the early church.

Now, a Gentile was basically anybody who was not a descendant of Abraham. Jews are descendants of Abraham, and anybody not descendant from Abraham was referred to as Gentiles. And as the gospel came forth, and Jesus resurrected, and the church began, the ministry that was taking place, and the people turning to God and being born again, they were all from Jewish descent. They were all descendants of Abraham, right?

who were practicing Judaism and believing in Jesus Christ. And so they became, you know, the church that began there.

But God's plan and intention for the church was not to be limited only to the Jewish people, but to be expanded to any who would believe in Jesus Christ. And it took a little bit of time for the Jews to recognize that that was God's plan. And so here in chapter 10, we have the door opening now and God showing the Jews that salvation was not just for the Jewish people.

But salvation was for all nations and all people who would believe in Jesus Christ. And so it's a very interesting passage. Now, Cornelius, this Roman centurion, he, it tells us in verse 2, was a devout man. And he feared God. He gave alms and he prayed to God always. And so we see that he was not a Jew, but he did believe in the God of the Jews, right?

Now, there was a process for a Gentile to become a Jew, and it involved them subscribing to the law of Moses, beginning with circumcision, and they could become a Jew in that process. But Cornelius had...

believed in the God of the Jews, but had not gone through that process. He had not proselytized to become a Jew. And so we find him a Gentile, as well as his family Gentiles. He's a Roman centurion, a Roman captain, over a hundred men. And yet he believed in the God of the Jews. He honored the God of the Jews, and he prayed to the God of the Jews. And

And here in chapter 10, we find that God sends an angel to Cornelius and says, Cornelius, I've heard your prayers. You need to send for Peter.

To find out the fullness of what I have for you. And we're going to jump down past what we read in verses 1 through 8 to verse 34. But in between the verses that we read in verse 34, while the messengers are on their way to go get Peter, God begins to work in Peter's heart and speaks to him through a vision.

He gives him a vision of this blanket or this sheet that comes down out of heaven that has all kinds of animals on it that would be referred to as clean and unclean according to the Jewish law. And as this vision of this blanket came down with these different animals, the Lord spoke to Peter and said, rise, Peter, kill and eat. And Peter refused and said, no, not so, Lord, because

Some of those animals are unclean, and I've never eaten those kinds of animals. It's against our law.

But then God gave him the message, do not call common or unclean what I have cleansed. And this happened three times. Peter gets this message three times to help him begin to understand that, well, God's work was bigger than he originally expected or thought. And it's immediately after he receives this vision that the messengers arrive.

And the Holy Spirit tells Peter, go with those messengers. Don't doubt anything. Just go. And so Peter goes to Cornelius' house. Now, according to Jewish teaching and tradition, according to Peter's background and upbringing, he was not supposed to enter into the house of a Gentile. That was unlawful according to Jewish teaching. That was not to be done. They were to be completely separate from the Gentiles.

But because of this vision, because of what the Lord has been speaking to Peter, he goes ahead and goes. And as he arrives, he asked Cornelius, well, I'm here now. I'm not supposed to be here. I'm not usually one to enter into a home like this, but I'm here. God told me to be here. So why have you called me? And Cornelius essentially says, I don't know why I've called you. An angel appeared to me and told me to go get you and to bring you back. And so Cornelius says, and so thank you for coming.

We've all gathered together here. Cornelius had his whole house together and he says, we're ready to hear the things commanded you by God. And now Peter's going to go on to share the gospel with them and they're going to receive salvation at this declaration of the gospel, which is an incredible thing as the Gentiles now are brought into the kingdom of God.

Now, it is an incredible passage, and there's some very noteworthy things in that it is the first Gentiles to be saved. But as I was reading through this this week, what the Lord highlighted for me was different than I would have expected in this passage. What really stood out as the Lord was speaking to me was different than kind of the usual customary things that I would pay attention to in this passage or in this chapter. And

And what really caught my attention was verse 45. Would you look at that briefly with me? In verse 45 here of chapter 10, it says, When Peter comes from Joppa to Caesarea to Cornelius' house, there's a group of Jews who believe in Jesus, they're Christians, that go with Peter.

And as Peter preaches the gospel and the household of Cornelius gets saved and filled with the Holy Spirit, it tells us here in verse 45 that these Jews who came with Peter were astonished. They were absolutely shocked. They were flabbergasted or whatever other word you might use in there that they were just not expecting. It rocked their world. It changed everything. They could not believe that

that the Gentiles could receive the Holy Spirit. That was the last thing they would have ever expected. They were shocked that they received the Holy Spirit. And we could understand from their context why that was. But as I read through that this week, I began to think about that shock and to consider that, you know, I think today...

As we read this passage, and maybe as others around us might read or hear of this account, we also would be shocked, but not by the same thing. We wouldn't be shocked that Gentiles could be saved. That's probably something that we recognize and take for granted, or maybe even don't even think about it. It's just something that we know that all can be saved by Jesus Christ. But I think the shocking thing that many would find in this account is that Cornelius was

wasn't already saved. As you look back at verse 2 and as it describes Cornelius as a devout man who feared God, who gave alms and who prayed to God always. I think that many in our midst or maybe in our society and the people around us, many would expect then that Cornelius was already saved at that point just from that description that he feared God and

But as we look through this chapter, as we look through the text, we see that that wasn't the complete picture. There was more to the work of salvation than what Cornelius had experienced up to that point. And God is arranging for him to experience real salvation. Now, as we talk about God this morning, I'm going to be referring a lot to the triune nature of God because God is a God.

Well, he feared God the Father. He was a devout man in that sense, and he prayed to the Father always, but he had not experienced the Son or the Holy Spirit. And so his experience and his relationship to God was very limited. And so again, not the fullness of the work of salvation that God has for us, because God is triune. I've titled the message this morning, The Father, Son, and Spirit Triune.

in salvation. That the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all have a part in our salvation. And we relate to the full Godhead, the full triune nature of God, in order to be saved and have everlasting life. Now, the triune nature of God is, of course, pretty difficult for us to understand. As I refer to the triune nature of God, I'm talking about the reality that God is one and

And yet there is also a distinct separateness to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, often referred to as the three persons of the Trinity. And persons isn't a perfect word, but it kind of gets the point across, that there's a distinction between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and

And yet at the same time, there is a oneness to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And so I have a couple of diagrams just to help illustrate this truth a little bit. Again, we're not going to fully grasp and explore all the mysteries of the triune nature of God, but just to get a little glimpse of

and to get our minds thinking in regard to salvation and the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And so the Father is God. That's throughout the scriptures. We can see that. In fact, usually when we refer to God, we're thinking of the Father, the one who sits on the throne, the creator of the heavens and the earth. We talk about God being spirit and God being love, and typically we're referring to the Father in those types of references.

But we also see taught throughout the scriptures that the Son is God, that Jesus Christ is God. This is something that he claimed and the Old Testament declared he would be God. And so we see that Jesus is God. The Son is God. And then we also see taught throughout the scriptures that the Holy Spirit is God. And so the Bible teaches all three being God.

The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. And yet, in the same scriptures, we find another distinction is made that the Father is not the Son, as well as the Son is not the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is not the Father. And this is where it really begins to boggle the mind that God is one, and that the Father is God, and Jesus is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, but Jesus is not the Holy Spirit, and

The Holy Spirit is not Jesus. The Father is not Jesus. The Father is not the Holy Spirit. They're distinct and separate from one another, and yet they are one God. And so we have this concept then of the Trinity or the triune nature of God, where somehow in some incredible way that is, well, beyond our full comprehension, you have the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. One God in three distinct persons.

Now, there's been many attempts throughout the years to try to illustrate this truth using a variety of means. And so here's some of the common illustrations. One is water. For water, you can look at the different states that water can exist in. You have the solid, as in ice, the liquid, and the vapor, the gas. And so you have the three states, and yet it's one state.

substance. It's water. And that's a pretty good illustration. Of course, it doesn't come close to fully encapsulating who God is and the nature of God, but maybe it gets you thinking and understanding a little bit how God can be three in one. Another illustration is that of an egg.

And it's pointed out as you can have the shell of the egg as well as the egg white and then the yolk in the middle. And there you have three distinct pieces of the egg or elements of the egg. And yet combined, they are one egg. And perhaps that gives you a little bit of a glimpse of the nature of God in his triunity.

And another popular example is that of a human. And as you look at your own self, you can see that you have a body, you have a mind, and you have a spirit. And so there's three elements to you as well. It's often referred to as an inferior trinity, that we have a triune nature somewhat similar to God's. And so those are some examples. Again, none of them quite fully capture the full nature and essence of who God is, but

but helps to illustrate the reality that God is one. And yet, at the same time, he is the Father, he is the Son, and he is the Holy Spirit. And the fullness of the triune nature of God is at work in

in the process of salvation and in this promise of salvation that God offers to us. And to have just one piece, well, it's not the full picture. And so as we look at these things, I want to encourage you to be considering your own relationship with God and make sure that you are interacting with God

in the fullness of God, that is, interacting with the Father, with the Son, and with the Holy Spirit. And so there's three points I'd like to walk you through this morning as we look at Acts chapter 10, verses 34 through 48. Three points, of course, corresponding with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Point number one is the Father finds those who seek Him.

The Father finds those who seek him. Verse 34 and 35 say this. Then Peter opened his mouth and said, In truth, I perceive that God shows no partiality, but in every nation, whoever fears him and works righteousness is accepted by him. Peter, as he begins to speak at the invitation of Cornelius, he begins by sharing the truth that he is just learning.

And as Peter is sharing this, you need to understand this is earth shattering truth. Peter's whole world has changed in this process, in receiving this vision from God and seeing what is about to unfold. This is contrary to everything that he's ever been taught. Even in verse 28, just a few moments earlier, Peter declared, you know how it is unlawful for a Jewish man to keep company with or to go to one of another nation.

Peter says, it's unlawful for me to enter into the house of a Gentile. Now that was not unlawful in the sense of the scriptures, but it was an unlawful in the sense of what the Jews taught. They taught that it was against God and against God's law, although it wasn't, to associate and to be close with a Gentile. But Peter believed that. This teaching he'd heard all his life.

He grew up in this culture. He grew up expecting this and knowing this. And so this is changing everything for him. His whole world is turned upside down. And so he begins by sharing that. And he says, I perceive that God shows no partiality. All his life, he thought God did show partiality, that God would save the Jews only and not the Gentiles. But now he's beginning to realize that

that in every nation, whoever fears God and works righteousness is accepted by him, he says. The commentator William MacDonald says that Peter prefaced his message with a frank admission. Up to now, he had believed that God's favor was limited to the nation of Israel. Now he realized that God did not respect a man's person because of his nationality,

but was interested in an honest, contrite heart, whether in a Jew or a Gentile. The reality is that the father is primarily concerned with a person's heart. Not their background, not their nationality, not even their behavior up to that point so much, but where is the heart concerned?

of a person. That's what the father is paying attention to. And so Peter realizes this. He's kind of learning this and admitting it out loud. Whoever fears God and works righteousness is accepted by him. Now this was an accurate description of Cornelius. Again, we're told in verse 2, Cornelius was a devout man who feared God. He feared God. He honored God. He had a reverence for God. He recognized that God exists in

And he honored God in that way. And he worked righteousness. Not that he was perfect, but that he did his best to do what was right. He worked righteousness. This was a description of Cornelius. And Peter says, whoever does this is accepted by God. Now, he's not saying that, again, Cornelius was already saved. Not accepted in that sense. But

He's accepted in the sense that God has found Cornelius and is going to now bring him the full message of the gospel so that he might be saved. And I think it's important for us to recognize and to note Cornelius was a devout man. He did fear God. He prayed to God always. And God here in chapter 10 of Acts says, that's not enough. To fear God and give alms and pray to God always, that's not salvation.

That's not everlasting life. That's good. It's a good starting place. It's the right place to start, but it's not the finish. And again, I think that's why many would be shocked to understand that Cornelius at that point is not saved. He hasn't experienced the full work of salvation in that sense. He's only at the starting line in that he feared God and that he prayed to God always. It's the starting point because now,

in this place of seeking God, of honoring God and fearing God, now God is able to reveal himself to Cornelius. And that's God's promise to those who will seek him. In Deuteronomy 4, verse 29, God gives this promise. He says, but from there, you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. God says, if you seek me with all your heart,

If you're genuine in your desire to know me, if you're genuine in your desire to walk with me, God says, you will find me. Again, that's why I made the point. The Father finds those who seek him. Whoever genuinely seeks to know God, God will find you and he will reveal himself to you. This promise was given to the people of Israel and the context is this.

Well, when you've rebelled, so you knew about God and you walked with God, but then you've run away from God and lived your own life and done your own thing and lived in wickedness and pursued all kinds of sin. And when you find yourself in that situation, you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a situation where you're going to be in a

And then from there, seek me with all your heart. God says, you will find me. Which is important because, well, that means that no matter what condition we're in, no matter if we should have known better or not, no matter where we come from or what we know, from any point when we seek God with all of our hearts, we will find him. He will find you. That is a promise. Whoever genuinely seeks to know God

God will reveal himself to them. And here we find Cornelius. He's genuinely seeking God. He's a devout man. He feared God. Wasn't quite saved yet, but he's at the starting point. And so God meets him where he's at and sends him an angel to deliver a message, to bring in Peter, to get him so that he can experience the fullness of what God has for him. The father met Cornelius right where he was at.

Because he genuinely sought the Lord. As we consider this example of Cornelius, I'd like to throw out a little bit of a side note to those who perhaps you're praying for a Cornelius in your life. You're praying for someone that knows of the things of God, but is not quite there fully walking with God or desiring to walk with God. And you're kind of wondering,

When that's going to happen and you're praying that's going to happen. And I would just like to encourage you in this. God's promise is that whoever seeks him will find him. But that promise of finding is not always in the timing that we would want or expect. It's not always instant. I would ask you to consider how God waited until this moment to bring Peter to Cornelius.

We don't have an exact timeline, but as we look at the book of Acts in these 10 chapters, that it's probably about eight years that have passed since Jesus has resurrected to now Acts chapter 10, Cornelius receiving salvation from God. He's probably been around for some time, maybe even that full eight years, but God chose right now, this moment, the right moment where he was at a place where he was ready to receive salvation

what God had for him to bring this opportunity of salvation to him. And so as you pray, as you share the gospel with people around you, recognize if they genuinely seek God, he will find them. It will be at the right time where they are open and ready to receive all that God has for them. The commentator George McDonald says, when God finds a man who has lived up to the light he has received about the Lord,

He makes sure the man hears the gospel and thus has the opportunity to be saved. Whatever light a person has received, Paul talks about in Romans chapter 1 verse 20, that the creation of the world manifests the character and nature of God so that all men are without excuse. That the reality of God is declared and proclaimed by creation itself and that is enough.

That if someone will recognize there is a creator and genuinely seek God, God will meet them where they're at. And so according to the understanding and the light that you have, if you have the New Testament, well, God would expect you to respond according to the New Testament. If you have only the Old Testament, God would expect you to respond. If you have only creation, God will expect you to respond according to the light that you have received, the understanding that he has provided. But he's provided us

understanding of his existence to all of humanity. And anyone who will genuinely seek him, he will meet them. He will find them. And he will find means to bring the gospel to them. That's what happens here with Cornelius. An angel appears to him and says, send for Peter. Because there's more to this account. There's more to the story than just fearing God and praying always. You need to receive Jesus Christ.

and what he did for you. And so that brings us now to point number two in verses 36 through 43, and that is the son forgives those whom the father brings him. And I'd like you to pay attention to the interaction here. The father finds those who seek him. He has promised those who are seeking him will find him. He will meet with those who seek him, and he will draw them to Jesus.

There is no way to have salvation apart from the Father and the Son. It's a combination. It's a work together. The Father and the Son and the Spirit are at work in this thing called salvation, in this eternal life that is given to us. And so the Son is interacting with the Father. The Father is interacting with the Son as the Father draws them together.

The son forgives them. Verse 36 and 37 say this. The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all. That word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached. And he's gonna go on now and deliver the gospel message. But he lets them know right up front, this is all about Jesus. Peace is preached through,

Through Jesus. That is, through Jesus Christ, you can have peace with God. He also points out in verse 36 that Jesus is Lord of all. He's not just a man, but he is God. He is Lord of all. He is the Lord over all creation. He is the creator. He is also the one that we will stand before to give an account of our lives. So come to that point in the next couple of verses. Verse 38 says,

He says how 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. As he talks about Jesus, he says, look, you know about Jesus. You're here in the region of Israel. You know about the life and you've heard about Jesus, how God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and talks about his earthly ministry, how he worked with power and brought healing and

Released people from demonic oppression and possession. I think it's cool. There's a subtle reference to the triune nature of God here in verse 38 also. He says how God, the Father, anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit. And you have again the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit at work in the life and ministry of Jesus as well as in this work of salvation. Verse 39 says,

And we are witnesses of all things which he did, both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, who they killed by hanging on a tree. Him God raised up on the third day and showed him openly, not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with him after he arose from the dead. And so Peter here gives a quick summary of the life and ministry of Jesus.

He was anointed by the Father with the Holy Spirit. He lived a perfect life. He worked miraculous things going along with his message that he is the Savior, the promised Savior that had been promised from the beginning of creation. But this same Jesus was killed, hung on a tree. He was crucified, he says.

But then in verse 40, him, God raised up the third day and showed him openly. So Jesus, Lord of all, being God, became man, lived a perfect life, sinless life, died upon the cross, and then rose again from the dead. That resurrection solidifying and proving once and for all that he is who he claimed to be. He is the savior of the world. The way, the truth.

And the life. And he solidified his resurrection by appearing to the disciples. Appearing to these who would now bear witness and testify that Jesus indeed has risen from the dead. And those that saw him, he commissioned. In verse 42 he says, he commanded us.

to preach to the people and to testify that it is he who was ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him, all the prophets witness that through his name, whoever believes in him will receive remission of sins. Peter says us who saw him, our job now, our commission is to testify that Jesus indeed rose from the dead.

Our job is to preach the gospel that Jesus, who is ordained by the Father, notice in verse 42, he says, who is ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead. The one that every one of us will stand before and Jesus will be the judge over every one of us. The one that we will have to stand before and give an account. That one is the one that also offers the opportunity to be forgiven of sin.

to receive remission of sin. That's a forgiveness, a cleansing of sin, so that whoever believes in Jesus will be forgiven. And Peter says in verse 43, all the prophets witnessed that. You can look back and work your way through the prophets of the Old Testament and see the prophecies about this Savior, how Jesus is the fulfillment, that forgiveness and life would be given through him.

And so Peter says, that's our job now. That's what we do. That's our mission. We testify to people of who Jesus is and what he has done. The son forgives those whom the father brings him. Those who seek God genuinely, God finds them. He meets them where they're at. And what does he do? He brings them to Jesus. Jesus declared this in John chapter six, verse 44. He said, no one can come to me

unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. There's no way to come to Jesus for salvation without the Father drawing you. The Father is at work in salvation just as Jesus is. You know, sometimes we get this idea, it's a common misunderstanding about God that

We look at the Old Testament and we think, man, that God is harsh and judging. And we get this picture of God, like the Father just waiting to rail on us. He just wants to like wipe us out and lose his temper and beat us senseless. But then there's Jesus, you know, and Jesus is like, oh no, Father, you know, I love them. Please don't do that to them because I love them and they believe in me. And so, you know, don't hurt them. Don't punish them. We kind of get this idea that

There's this tension between the Father and the Son. The Father's like, I got to take him out. And the Son's like, no. But that's not the reality. The reality is the Father loves you. Again, the Father, the Son, the Spirit, they're one. They're working together to bring you to salvation. And if you genuinely seek God, the Father will reveal himself. He will meet with you. And his mission will be to bring you to Jesus. That's what the Father does. He draws you to Jesus.

And Jesus says, I will raise him up at the last day. Those who respond to the Father and come to Jesus are given everlasting life, that resurrection just like Jesus was given. That's the promise of Jesus. The only way to get to Jesus is through the Father. And the opposite is true also. John tells us in John 14, 6, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

So think about this with me. The only way to get to Jesus is through the Father. And the only way to get to the Father is through Jesus. The Father and the Son are working together for your salvation. And you cannot have one without the other. Now this is extremely important, especially in our day and age, where there is great pressure externally, great pressure around us

to succumb to the idea that, well, you can get to heaven a variety of ways. You can get to heaven by believing this, or by believing that, by practicing this, or practicing that. And there's great pressure for us to kind of come in line and say, okay, yes, that's true. You can get to heaven, you know, basically however you want. As long as you're sincere in your practice of your religion, then that's enough. That's sufficient. That's fine. You will be saved. But

But that is not the truth of the scriptures. You cannot have eternity apart from Jesus. And you cannot have eternity apart from the Father. There's only one way of salvation. It's the Father drawing you to Jesus and Jesus ushering you to the Father. That is the only way for us to be saved. The Father draws us to Jesus. And as he draws us to Jesus, well, the Son forgives us.

Those whom the father brings him. And so again, Cornelius was at the right place to start in that he feared God and prayed to God always. It was a good place to start, but he needed to come to Jesus. And so the father met him where he was at, brought him an angel, a messenger to bring in Peter, to give him the opportunity to hear the full message of the gospel. And now Cornelius and his family are going to be able to respond and receive the

that message of forgiveness as they believe in Jesus. What does it mean to believe in Jesus? We've talked about this many times, but to believe in Jesus is more than just an intellectual acknowledgement. It's more than just, this is the knowledge of the facts or the truth about the life and death of Jesus. It's a personal acceptance of the truth, not just acknowledging the fact that Jesus died upon the cross, but

for sin, but now personally accepting that and looking to Jesus to forgive me of my sin, recognizing that I am hopeless and lost without his forgiveness, without his work upon the cross for me. To believe in Jesus goes beyond just accepting some truths or accepting some realities, but it means making it personal and then living my life

Walking with him according to his word, according to his ways. And we see that demonstrated in the following verses. It brings us to point number three. The spirit fills those who believe in the son. And again, notice the interaction here. All the fullness of the Godhead, the triune nature of God is at work in this thing called salvation. The father, the son, and the Holy Spirit.

The Father finds those who seek him. The Son forgives those whom the Father brings him. And then the Holy Spirit fills those who believe in the Son. Those who believe in Jesus receive the Holy Spirit. I'd like to read to you verses 44 through 48, and then we'll talk about it. Verse 44 says, while Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.

And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days."

So here in this account, as Peter is bringing forth the gospel message, he's not quite finished yet. It is the full gospel message, but in Peter's mind, he still had more to say. Maybe some more examples, maybe some more illustrations. We don't know exactly what Peter intended to say further, but it tells us in verse 44, while Peter was still speaking these words, right in the middle of his message, the Holy Spirit fell on those who heard the word.

What's happening here is that as the household of Cornelius is hearing the gospel, they're believing in Jesus Christ. They're receiving the forgiveness that he offers to them. As they do, God responds and pours out the Holy Spirit upon them. When does salvation actually happen? When is it that a person is saved? It's when salvation.

They believe in Jesus. And it's interesting because, you know, we have developed some traditions, you know, over the years. And in our church culture, in our society, we have, you know, the concept of a sinner's prayer. And okay, you want to believe in Jesus? You want to be born again? You want to be saved? Okay, great. Here's this prayer that you pray. And it could take a variety of forms, but there's a basic model of, you know, Lord Jesus, I believe that you died upon the cross for me. I believe that you died upon the cross for me.

Forgive me of my sins. I receive your offer of forgiveness, and I ask you to come into my heart that I could live for you. Something along those lines. And it's often stated, if you pray that prayer, then you are saved. You are born again. And that is true, but I'd like to suggest that actually, the moment of conversion is not so much the end of the prayer when you say amen, but

But if you come to the point where you're about to pray that prayer and then you have a heart attack and keel over, you're saved. Even though you didn't pray the prayer. Because you came to the point already in your heart where you believed in Jesus. And that's why you were ready to pray that prayer. Unless, of course, you're just faking it and going through motions. But assuming genuineness, you believed in Jesus. That's why you're ready to pray that prayer. There's the concept of an altar call. Not necessarily a biblical prayer.

concept, not that it's unbiblical, but just we don't see that modeled for us necessarily. Come forward if you'd like to receive Jesus, right? Raise your hand, pray this prayer, go onto the field. We have all of these things and all of those are good. I'm not trying to smirk any of those things, but just to make the point, to respond to any of those, well, it means you've already come to the place where you believe in Jesus. Not that you shouldn't respond to those invitations, but

There's other reasons that are good for us for responding to those invitations. But notice what happens while Peter is still speaking. Now, if you look back at the chapter two of Acts of the day of Pentecost, as Peter preaches the gospel similar to this, then there's an interaction and the people say, what do we need to do? And okay, here's what you need to do. And that's more like the altar call sense that we have today.

In Acts chapter 3, Peter preaches to another group. And again, similar thing. What do we need to do? They're cut to the heart. And Peter says, repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus. Here's what to do. But salvation is not at the end of the prayer. It's not at the end of, you know, this response. It happens at the moment that you internally, for real, genuinely,

Believe in Jesus and receive the offer of forgiveness and salvation that he offers to you. There is a life that is lived after that in response to that. And you'll see that as Peter says, hey, you need to be baptized in the name of the Lord now. Now live your life according to this truth that you've accepted. But the moment of salvation is not the result of those things. Those things are the result of that moment where you internally believed in Jesus Christ and

and received the salvation that he offers. Pastor Dave Guzik puts it this way, the moment of a person's salvation isn't necessarily when they raise a hand or come forward at an evangelistic invitation. It is more likely at the moment they surrender to God and embrace Jesus in the sincerity of their hearts. And when you do that, when you embrace Jesus, here's the truth of the scriptures, you receive the Holy Spirit. You are born again.

There's a new life that is birthed, given to you, a spiritual life that is given to you by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within you. And so it tells us in verse 45, the Jews there, the circumcision, they were astonished. God had prepared Peter for this truth with the vision of the unclean animals, but the Jews who came with Peter, they didn't fully understand that truth yet.

In the next chapter, in Acts chapter 11, the Jews at Jerusalem will challenge Peter and say, hey, we heard you went to the house of a Gentile. What do you think you're doing? You can't offer salvation to the Gentiles. And Peter has to explain, no, look, this is what God did. I didn't come up with this idea. And as he walked through how God accomplished this, in Acts chapter 11, verse 18, it says, when they heard these things, they became silent and they glorified God saying, I

then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life. Brand new information for them. Life-changing, earth-shattering. I can't believe this is not anything like I imagined. They were surprised that Cornelius could be saved. But again, I would suggest there would be shock at what happens in Acts chapter 10 for us in our day and age as well. But most people would be shocked, not that he could be saved, but that he was not saved already.

Because he feared God and prayed to God always. But that wasn't the fullness of the work of salvation. He needed to have a relationship with not just the Father, but with the Son and with the Holy Spirit. And God confirms this work by pouring out the Holy Spirit upon them. And they speak forth with tongues, it says in verse 46, and they magnify God.

And so Peter says, can anyone forbid that they should be baptized? They've received the Holy Spirit just as we have. They need to start now living the Christian life, living a life in walking with God. The first step of that is baptism, to be identified with Christ.

To publicly and openly declare, I have received what Christ has done for me. And I'm going to live the new life that he's called me to live. And so he commands them that they be baptized in the name of the Lord. Again, that moment of conversion happens as we believe in Jesus. At that moment, we are baptized.

regenerated. We're born again by the Holy Spirit. We have the Spirit dwelling within us. And then that brings us to a life of obedience to God, beginning with baptism. Thomas Constable, the commentator, says, baptism with the Spirit was Jesus' sign of his acceptance of them. And baptism with water was their sign of their acceptance of him. Jesus accepted them. He gave them the Holy Spirit as they believed in him.

And now they, well, they demonstrated their acceptance of Jesus by being baptized with what? It wasn't baptism that saved them, in other words, but it was their statement, their declaration. They have believed in Jesus Christ. He has changed them, and they're going to live that new life in him. You see, Cornelius wasn't good enough just fearing God and praying to God always. He needed to believe in Jesus, and he needed faith.

To be born again by the Holy Spirit. That's a necessity. No one can be saved without being born again. Jesus said that in John chapter 3. You can't enter into the kingdom of heaven without being born again. You must be born. Paul says it another way in Romans chapter 8 verse 9. He says, but you are not in the flesh but in the spirit. If indeed the spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, he is not his. Paul makes it very clear as well. If you have the spirit of Christ...

you are born again. And if you don't have the Holy Spirit, you are not born again. In Romans chapter 8 verse 14, it says, for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Are you led by the Spirit of God? And that's where we want to wrap up this morning. To finish up with this understanding of the reality of salvation is more than just

fearing God more than just acknowledging that there's a creator more than just accepting the truth that Jesus died upon the cross for your sins but but have you accepted have you received the fullness of salvation which which requires which necessitates a full interaction with the triune God the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit make sure you have the full package are you led by the Spirit do you have the Holy Spirit at work in your life

Again, Paul says, if you don't have the Spirit, you don't have the Son. You might be very devout. You might be a great Cornelius, but that's not salvation. That's not everlasting life. That everlasting life is a product of us interacting with the never, you know, we could never fully understand all that God is and His nature, but we are interacting with the Father, with the Son, and with the Holy Spirit, accepting the fullness of Him.

in the fullness of what he has for us. True salvation involves all three members of the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. If you genuinely seek after God, the Father will find you. If you really want to know God, he will reveal himself. And you know what he's going to do? He's going to bring you to Jesus. And as you believe in Jesus and accept Jesus for who he is and what he's done for you, he forgives those whom the Father brings to him.

And the Holy Spirit is given to those who believe in the Son. You're born again. This is the reality of salvation. It's a truth that we need to accept and live according to. Now, this is important for us in a few ways. First of all, if you've never believed in Jesus Christ and you've never accepted this truth personally and lived a changed life as a result, well,

This is the way of salvation. This is the only way to have everlasting life and forgiveness from God. And so you need to know these truths. You need to respond to these truths. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are at work in salvation. For those who have been believers already, you've been born again, but sometimes we get caught up in some ruts and some rituals and some religious activities. We go back to being devout already.

but not having a real relationship with the Father, with the Son, and with the Spirit. And I would encourage you this morning, you need to get back in. If you're not being led by the Spirit, you need to be led by the Spirit. If you're not trusting in Jesus, sometimes we accept Jesus and His forgiveness, and then we try to work for His forgiveness, and that doesn't work. We go backwards, and we need to come back to this place of believing in Jesus and trusting Him for salvation as we seek after God. And thirdly,

As we seek to, like Peter, now turn around and bring forth that message to the world around us, we need to bring forth the full message. It's the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Believing that God exists, that doesn't quite cut it. That's not salvation as the Scripture teaches it. There's more to the story. You must believe in Jesus, be filled with the Spirit, and live the life that He's called you to live. That is

is the full message of salvation. Let's pray. God, I pray for each one of us and wherever we might be in this process, Lord, in this thing called salvation that you've provided for us, I pray that you would help us to have a clear understanding, a clear perspective of where we are. And God, any who are genuinely seeking you right now, I pray that you would speak very clearly

to their hearts, Lord, that you would reveal yourself and bring them to Jesus, that they would see and know the truth of the salvation and forgiveness that you offer. I pray, Lord, that as they believe in you and receive who Jesus is, that you would pour out your spirit, that they would be born again, enabled and equipped to live the new life that you've set before them. I pray for all of us, God, that you would help us

to not be satisfied with mere religiosity and rituals and habits and things that just are on the surface, but Lord, that you would help us to develop a real and deep and meaningful relationship with you in all of your fullness, relating to you as the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Lord, help us to embrace you fully and to live out lives according to the reality of who you are.

And God, I pray that you would give us great boldness and clarity that we'd be able to pass on this message. Lord, that we would be like Peter, used by you to bring forth the message of truth to those who are like Cornelius, who are genuinely seeking you, but need the truth brought to their attention. Lord, help us to be able to deliver this message to those that you've placed around us that need to hear from you. Help us to connect people to you. In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.