Sermon notes from Sunday 22 October 2017
Acts 10 verses 1 - 16
The vision for God`s work
We read of Cornelius sitting on his knees
lifting up his heart unto the God of heaven.
God took notice of this man on this particular day. His instructions were to send for Peter. He would come equipped with the words needed. Here was a man with desperate spiritual
need. He is praying for his people. He realised the depravity in which the
community lived in - "come over and help us". There are many today who don`t know what they
need. Their hearts are empty, there is a
void in their souls, searching, calling out for something as if they are saying
"come and help us". Paul was
looking for service, trying to go this way and that but somehow God was closing
doors because God had a particular route for him. The attention Paul had for the work of
God. His heart and mind were open at one
priority - to see souls saved. An
awareness to God`s voice. He was asking
the Lord which way he should go.
Bithynia and Asia. We need to be
there to preach the word. God said
no. The alertness he needed to
have. This is the way the Lord wants him
to go. The assurance in his heart. We need to be attending to the things of God,
alert to the challenges all around us.
We need to have assurance that we are taking the word of God to our
community today. We have something that
has power to transform and change lives.
Romans 12 verse 2. Paul maps it
out for us. Perhaps look at it from a
different angle in this same portion of scripture.
Notice the responsibility Paul had
- verse 9. A vision appeared to
Paul. He was sincere about what he was
doing and asking. Paul had a great
responsibility about what he was doing.
We need personal responsibility on each one of us this morning. As Paul slept it might have been a dream. Thinking of those souls perishing around
him. That responsibility was on his
shoulders. What a tremendous
responsibility. Think of these great
missionaries - William Carey went into the darkest continents to take the
gospel of saving grace to a people dying and going into a lost Christless hell. Many of these great missionaries left
families, homes, good comfortable jobs and lives and set out to take the
message of the gospel to people who were lost.
Paul could say "I am a debtor." He felt the great burden for souls now
because he was saved and on his way to heaven and home. He wanted to reach out to others, to see them
saved. What a responsibility today. There are souls dying and perishing all
around us, going out into a lost Christless hell. We have that responsibility today to these
people. We have something to reach them
with. In the gospel parable of the Good
Samaritan in Luke 10, Jesus begins to explain who is our neighbour. A man went down and fell among robbers, took
everything he had, left him lying in the dust, blood was running down his
face. They had beat him and left him
there ready to die. He was badly beaten and bruised. We see a priest coming
along. He has a great responsibility now
to pick this man up and help him yet the Bible says he looked him over and
passed on the other side. A Levite then
came along. He was of the priestly
family too. He sees the same picture and
passed over on the other side. The
Samaritans and Jews had no time for each other, they wouldn't speak to
them. Then another man comes along. Here he finds this man, looks on him with
compassion, walks to where he was. He
cradles this man, lifts him up, he pours in oil for his wounds and bandages them
up, he sets him on his animal and took him to a place of safety. He felt a sense of responsibility for this
man. Responsibility to help him. There is a responsibility on our fellowship
today to reach men and women with the gospel of saving grace. When Paul heard this man`s voice compelling
him to come over and help him, waving to him, he had a tremendous
responsibility on him. Like the child
who fell into the pit called for his daddy.
Then his daddy heard his voice and ran to where he was, reached down and
picked him up. The child asked him
"daddy why didn't you come quicker?"
There are people sitting in their homes today who don`t know what they
need. They are looking across to where
we are, looking at us coming and going to the house of God, crying, why didn't
you come quicker? Peter had that same compulsion. He didn't want to go to this house - a
Gentile and he was a Jew. God was
opening a door to him. it was his responsibility
to go. Next weekend will be the darkest
in the demonic calendar. Satan will be
making of the very date yet it will be celebrated by families around the
province. Shops are just full of it all,
it is on a par with Christmas.
Decorations are everywhere. We
have a great responsibility that we might guide our children and direct them
another way. Satan is working out his
evil plan. Manipulating minds, being told
it is fun and good. When those same
children become 19 and 20 and older and have children of their own what are
they going to tell them? That is the
responsibility you have. Suppose you
were at the swimming pool and 2 children got into difficulty what would you do
- would you sit there and allow them to drown?
Or would you raise concern with the attendant. It would be your responsibility to draw
attention to these 2 children.
The readiness with which Paul was about
to act - verse 10
"immediately". He doesn't waste
time. He doesn't stop to think about
this. There was someone crying. The need represented work to be done, souls
to be saved. Paul went immediately. Think of Gideon in the Old Testament. He had brought in some wheat from the harvest
and was threshing it in his house. The
angel came down with a message from God.
He was to be a mighty man of valour, to go out and lead his people. He was to go out and bring down his
enemy. The times were difficult. He began his ministry like Jeremiah of
old. Judges 6 verse 13. He began to make his mistakes. That angel came and said "the Lord is
with you." An argument was put up
"if the Lord is with us why is all this happening all around us?" When we get into difficulties we call, sometimes
we raise our voices and ask why is this happening to us, where are the old
miracles our father`s told us of, we have heard so much of what the Lord has done
but where are they now? This is a
tremendous argument he is putting up. Didn't
the Lord bring us out of Egypt and now the Lord has forsaken us and brought us
into the hand of the Midianites. The
Lord gave him a promise "have I not sent thee?" A personal responsibility. Gideon said he was from one of the smallest
of all the families, the weakest of all. Why would you pick me? Paul didn't do that. He immediately got up and obeyed God. He was ready to do service at a minutes
call. Maybe today we need to say
"Lord here am I."
The resources Paul took - verse 10. He rose up to his feet and he took the old old
story. That is all he took. After Paul and Barnabas were commissioned for
the work they came to Paphos. They were
invited by a man, a very prosperous man, a deputy of that country. He wanted most of all the bible. It says he "desired to hear the word of
God". There is a hunger today, a
desire. Paul would take into that man in
that area nothing but the gospel. Has
God spoken to you? To as task you don`t
feel you have resources for? All Paul
had was the gospel. That is all you
need, to take with you today. You don`t
need great intellect or ability. Yes it
may be useful but all you need today are the resources of the gospel
message. Just to tell a man or woman the
greatest news that ever came into the world.
There is an onslaught today to put this book far out of the reach of
generations. They will try to silence
you. They have all the academics and
professors then someone is sitting with a verse of scripture. People in the past days, in the Reformation
days was all they wanted to have this book, to know it and to use it. Peter in prison in Acts 4 praying that the
word would go forth. Acts 24 that is the
familiar account of Felix. He came with
his wife Druscilla and they were sitting in the court. What was on his heart? That Felix heard him concerning the faith in Christ. We don`t know whether there was hunger in his
heart, wanted to hear something of Paul`s faith. The gospel is more that sufficient.
The reaction Paul found.
We don`t find out if he met the man in the vision. Paul went and did what he was asked to
do. The reaction was out by the
riverside Lydia was saved, a girl from the streets was lifted from demonic
practice, a man in the prison house was saved.
All saved by the grace of God.
Paul took the old message of Jesus Christ dying on the old rugged cross,
brought it down to the level of men and women.
Will you not be saved? Trust him
as Saviour and Lord. That is the old
message we need today - in the pulpits, in the open airs and around the doors.
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