March 21, 2008
THE GOOD NEWS OF PEACE
Acts 10:34-43
Today and Sunday, Christians around the world are observing the two holiest days in the Christian calendar. Good Friday, marking the day that Jesus was crucified, and Easter Sunday, the day that Jesus rose from the dead. These two events lie at the very heart and soul of our faith. They make up the very core of what we commonly refer to as the Gospel or the Good News. This is the message that we have been commissioned to take to the nations of the world (as we discussed in the sermon last week).
I have always been intrigued by the examples of the Apostles’ preaching which we have preserved for us in the Book of Acts. As I survey their preaching, it is obvious that every message the apostles preached was a Good Friday/Easter message.
I want to focus on one particular example of the Apostles’ preaching this morning. It is found in Acts 10. It is the first gospel message that was deliberately preached to a Gentile audience, in the house of Cornelius, a Roman centurion. I like this message because there are no wasted words. It is a sermon by one man of action (a fisherman) to another man of action (a Roman soldier and officer). During my student years, I briefly had a history teacher who was a retired Captain in the U.S. Army. He didn’t last long at our school. I don’t think he could handle being around teen-agers all day. I don’t remember much that he taught us. But I do remember the 3 C’s he drilled into us at exam time. He wanted our answers to be Clear, Concise and Complete. Maybe those are values common in the military world. If so, I think he would have appreciated Peter’s sermon to this Roman centurion. Peter’s sermon in Acts 10:36-43 is a model of a Clear, Concise and Complete Gospel sermon.
The first thing that strikes me from this message is…
I. The gospel is a historical message.
By that, I mean that it is based on a history of actual events; events that took place in space and time. It isn’t myth. It isn’t legend. It isn’t parable or fable. It is history.
A. Actual places.
Notice the specific geographical references in these few verses. Judea, Galilee, Nazareth, Jerusalem. Actual places that exist on the map. Places you can visit today.
B. Actual time.
While Peter here does not give dates, he uses time references in terms of events; after the baptism of John, on the third day. The gospel accounts themselves are full of time references. In the days of Caesar Augustus, for 40 days, on the next day, all night, the next morning, after 4 days. This is history, taking place in real time.
C. Actual events.
Specifically here, Peter summarizes the events of Jesus ministry. He speaks of “what has happened.” He tell of how Jesus, “went about doing good, healing all who were under the power of the devil.” This is a kind of shorthand, but profound description of the 3 years of Jesus’ public ministry. And of course, the account of the events of Jesus’ life would not be complete without the events of Good Friday and Easter. “They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen.” (verses 39-40) These are the events that we are remembering today. But I just want to stress here, that they are actual events, taking place at a specific place and time. It actually happened. They killed him by hanging him on a tree. But God raised him up on the third day.
D. Actual eye-witness accounts.
In other words, there were actual people who were in those places, at those times, with their eyes and ears open who witnessed those actual events. And they have given us their accounts.
“We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem” (v. 39) “He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen – by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.” (verse 41)
Now as Peter preaches to that gathering in Cornelius’ house, he can say: “I am one of those witnesses. I actually saw those events.”
You and I were not present in the first century. We did not see the events for ourselves. Nor do we have any eye-witnesses alive today who can tell us what they saw. But we do have the writings of those witnesses recorded for us in the Scriptures. We have their written testimonies to study and to learn from.
So the first thing that stands out to me from Peter’s gospel message is that the gospel is history. “Let me tell you what happened,” he says. So as we commemorate Good Friday and Easter this weekend, let us remember that we are commemorating actual historical events.
But is the gospel message just a historical message? Of course it is more than that. And we see that in Peter’s message. He doesn’t just relate the history. He also goes on to point out that…
II. The gospel is a theological message.
In the historical facts of the gospel, there are huge theological implications and truths. We could spend a long time combing the Scriptures for those truths. But for the sake of this message, I am going to confine myself to the theological truths that Peter himself mentions in this sermon.
A. Jesus Christ is Lord of all.
You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. (v. 36)
Paul also points out this implication of the gospel message in Romans 1:4 which says: “Who was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.”
I am reminded once again of Paul’s great statement in Philippians 2:6-11. (Read.)
One of the great theological truths that we proclaim when we proclaim the Gospel, is that Jesus Christ is Lord of all.
Words of chorus: He is Lord. He is Lord. He is risen from the dead and He is Lord. Every knee shall bow, Every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
B. Jesus Christ is the judge of all.
He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. (v. 42)
This is a theological implication of the gospel message and the resurrection that is not as well known or as popular. But it was clearly a part of the gospel that the apostles preached. And Peter says: “God commanded us to preach this and bear testimony to this.”
Interesting how Paul also introduces this implication in his sermon to the Athenians. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.” Acts 17:31
One of the theological implications of the resurrection is that God has appointed Jesus to be the judge of all. Everyone will stand before him to give an account of his life. Every one of us in this room this morning has an appointment to stand before the living Christ.
The Bible actually gives us a preview of that day. You know how, if you go to a movie theater they will show you a preview of coming attractions. We have such a preview of the risen Christ in his role of the coming Judge. It is found in the book of Revelation, chapter 1, verses 12-18. (Read)
Several features of this vision of the risen Lord speak of his role as judge. First of all, his eyes were like blazing fire.
The writer of Hebrews says it this way in Hebrews 4:13: Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
This one to whom we must give account is the risen Christ as Peter points out in I Peter 4:5: But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. Notice that in this verse he uses the very same words he used in his sermon to Cornelius. This one who is ready to judge is the one whose eyes are like blazing fire.
He is also described in this vision in Revelation 1:15 as having feet…like bronze glowing in a furnace. The use of bronze, especially molten bronze, is a symbol of judgment, as well as the reference to Christ’s feet, as he is spoken of in Revelation 19:15 as “treading the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.”
Out of his mouth “came a sharp double-edged sword.” This also symbolizes his judgment as it is expounded in Revelation 19:15, “Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations.”
Most significantly of all is how the description closes in Revelation 1:18: I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
This crucified and risen Christ is the coming judge. “He is the one whom God has appointed as judge.” (Acts 10:42)
So far, the theological implications of the gospel message may be sounding rather ominous. So why do we call it good news? It is good news because of a third implication which Peter announces to Cornelius.
C. Jesus Christ forgives all who believe in him.
All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. (v. 43)
Here is the heart and soul of the good news of the gospel. Forgiveness is available from the judge. Jesus Christ died for our sins. He paid the penalty to satisfy the holiness of God, so that if we will believe in him and accept his sacrifice, we might receive forgiveness of sins.
This is a recurring theme of the apostles’ preaching: Acts 13:38-39, 26:17-18
This is the good news. Yes, Jesus is Lord of all. As Lord of all, he is judge of all. We must all stand before him. But because of his death on the cross for us, he offers us forgiveness of sins if we will put our faith in him.
Finally, I would point out…
III. The gospel is a personal message.
There are many people who will acknowledge that the gospel is a historical message. They even come to church on special occasions to prove it. There are even some who will go the next step and acknowledge that the gospel is a theological message.
But that’s where it stops. It is still something out there. It is abstract. It is theoretical.
But Peter’s conclusion makes it clear that the forgiveness of the gospel is not for everyone. Notice his very clear words in Acts 10:43. Who is it that receives forgiveness of sins? It is “everyone who believes in him.” And believing in him must be a very personal decision.
A young man by the name of John had labored with all his might to live a life that pleased God, a life that would bring him the strong assurance of salvation. He associated with others of like mind, and founded a group at university which was dubbed the “Holiness Club.” They spurred each other on to greater feats of diligence and prayer. John and his brother joined a religious order and even journeyed from England to Savannah, Georgia to preach as Christian missionaries. Yet, wrestle as mightily as he could, he could never escape the sense of condemnation and failure. He says at one point in his journal:
“Being ignorant of the righteousness of Christ, which by a living faith in him bringeth salvation "to every one that believeth," I sought to establish my own righteousness, and so labored in the fire all my days.”
He says a little later, “In this vile, abject state of bondage to sin I was indeed fighting continually, but not conquering. Before, I had willingly served sin; now, it was unwillingly; but still I served it. I fell and rose, and fell again.”
His struggle reached a crisis point in his life. As he narrates, “I continued thus to seek it (though with strange indifference, dullness, and coldness, and unusually frequent relapses into sin) till Wednesday, May 24th. I think it was about five this morning that I opened my Testament on those words "There are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, even that ye should be partakers of the divine nature," 2 Pet. 1: 4. Just as I went out, I opened it again on those words: "Thou art not far from the kingdom of God."”
“In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate-street, where one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.”
And so it was that the story of Martin Luther’s journey to salvation by trusting in Christ led to the conversion of young John Wesley, and not long afterward to the conversion of his brother Charles. Their preaching launched a movement of God which swept across England and throughout the world bringing countless thousands to Christ and to eternal life. For years John had believed that the Gospel was a historical message. He even understood it, however imperfectly, to be a theological message. But it was only when the message became personal and he “trusted in Christ and Christ alone for salvation” that he was given the assurance that his sins were forgiven.
What about you? Have you heard the message of the Gospel? Do you believe the historical accounts of Christ’s life, his death and his resurrection? Do you understand the theological implications of this message? That Jesus Christ is Lord, he is the coming Judge, and that he offers forgiveness of sins to all who believe and trust in him? Has that belief gone from being theoretical to being personal? If not, wouldn’t this Good Friday be a great day to take that step?
Suggested prayer: Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I know that I have rebelled against you and broken your commandments. I know that as a sinner I deserve your condemnation. But I also believe that you are the Son of God. I believe that you died for my sins. I believe you rose again from the dead. I put my trust in you and you alone for salvation. Forgive my sins. Give me a new heart and place your Spirit within me. Amen.