Acts 10 Lesson

THE OBEDIENCE OF CORNELIUS

Acts Chapter 10 is a fascinating chapter! 

It tells the story of two people from different backgrounds, who shared a common love for the Lord:

1. Cornelius,
2. Peter.

While their backgrounds were different, their obedience to God was the same.    

Cornelius was a centurion soldier. 

The term “centurion” means that Cornelius oversaw one hundred soldiers. 

He was in a position of power and would have been accustomed to people obeying his orders. 

Luke tells us that Cornelius was visited by an angel of the Lord in the middle of the day, about the ninth hour (3:00 PM). 

Cornelius was given specific instructions, and he obeyed them. 

The Angel of the Lord told him to:

• “Dispatch some men to Joppa and send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter; he is staying with a tanner named Simon, whose house is by the sea.” – Acts 10:5-6.

THE OBEDIENCE OF PETER

Peter was also visited by an Angel of the Lord.

This visit happened while Peter was on a rooftop praying. 

A voice came to Peter and said:

• “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!” – Acts 10:13.

The message that Peter received was against what he was accustomed to doing. 

As a devout Jew, Peter would not have eaten anything that was considered unclean. 

That is why he responded:

• “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.” - Acts 10:14.

Peter did not realize at the time what the Angel was telling him. 

The command that he received was not talking about the food that he put in his body. 

The Angel of the Lord was talking about Jews and Gentiles, and how God loves both. 

The Angel responded to Peter:

• “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” - Acts 10:15.

This was God giving His approval to preach the good news of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, as well as the Jews. 

And to his credit, Peter would obey the command that he was given. 

PETER PREACHED TO THE GENTILES

Peter met with the messengers that Cornelius had sent to him, and the next day he traveled to Caesarea where he would preach to the Gentiles. 

Peter acknowledged the direction that he had been given, and shared with the Gentiles the reason that he came to Caesarea:

• “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.That is why I came without even raising any objection when I was sent for.” – Acts 10:28-29. 

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM CORNELIUS AND PETER?

There are four things that we can learn about God from the stories of  Peter and Cornelius:

1. God does not care where we are from,
2. God does not care what we look like,
3. Peter and Cornelius were obedient to the message they received from God,
4. God does not show partiality.  “In every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.” – Acts 10:34-35.

The fourth bullet point above tells us about two things that are important to God:

1. That we fear Him and give Him the respect that He deserves,
2. That we do what is right.

These are the same two points that Solomon made at the end of Ecclesiastes:

• “The conclusion, when everything has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.  For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.” – Ecclesiastes 12:13-14.

That is our role as Christians:

1. To fear God,
2. To keep His commandments.

FEARING GOD 

Are we really supposed to fear God?

As God’s children, are we supposed to fear our Heavenly Father?

The short answer is yes!

Today, many people seem to have adopted the point of view that God is our friend and that He is incapable of hurting us regardless of how we live our lives.

That way of thinking is dangerous and in complete disagreement with the scriptures.  

Consider the following two verses about fearing God:

1. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.” - Proverbs 1:7,
2. “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” - Mathew 10:28.

And just because we are commanded to fear God, does not mean that we should not love Him.

God wants us to love Him.

In fact, loving God is the most important commandment in the Bible!

Jesus said:

• “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment.” – Mathew 22:37-38.

But we must also understand the power that God has and the judgment that awaits all of us.

Just as our desire to go to Heaven should motivate us to obey the Gospel, fear of God and going to Hell should motivate us not to disobey the Gospel. God uses both the “carrot” and the “stick” to motivate us and shape our behavior.  

CONCLUSION

Acts Chapter 10 is a chapter that reminds us to:

1. Fear God,
2. Keep His commandments.

Solomon also wrote about this in the Book of Ecclesiastes:

• “The conclusion, when everything has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.  For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.” – Ecclesiastes 12:13-14.

Peter and Cornelius were people from different backgrounds who feared God and kept His commandments.

Their stories teach us four things about God:

1. God does not care where we are from,
2. God does not care what we look like,
3. Peter and Cornelius were obedient to the message they received from God,
4. God does not show partiality.  “In every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.” – Acts 10:34-35.

We will end today’s lesson with a proverb about fearing the Lord:

• “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.” - Proverbs 1:7.