Sermon notes from Sunday 8 September 2019 am
Acts 10 verses 1 - 8, 34 - 44
Revival is something we all pray for. We pray for the Lord to revive, to open up the windows of heaven and pour out his Holy Spirit. As we consider our mission I want us to think of it like Cornelius. "O for the floods on a thirsty land, O for a mighty revival, O for a sanctified fearless band ready to hail its arrival." That is the crux of it. I want us to see what happens when a man or woman seeks after God in a real way. See it through this Roman soldier, a lonely solitary figure sitting in his own room. Everyone else is away from him. It is only him and God. He is on his knees lifting his heart because of the great vacuum in his life. "Lord I need you to come and help me." Then we see the word of God coming in verse 44. Peter opens the door into the house, amazed at all who are gathered there. While Peter spoke the gospel the Holy Ghost fell. It all stemmed from one man alone with God, seeking after him. The Holy Ghost falling on the congregation. See much of that through the Bible. Hezekiah brings a whole nation back to God. What a difference one man can make when wholly sold out for God. The woman at the well coming to faith in Christ, how she goes into the city. One woman and the message is spread througout all the region thereabouts. Gideon threshing alone in his home when the Lord comes. How he implicated a nation to come back to the Lord. Cornelius at this point is not saved, a helpless man who could do nothing for himself. Helpless and hopeless. He comes with a real hunger and thirst, that something needs to be done. God moves in a mighty way in his life.
Here was a man who had a leaning in prayer. In verse 1 we read that he was a "devout man". He was not a proselyte Jew. If he had been Peter would have had no problems coming to him. His heart leaned towards the things of God. "He feared God" a reverential fear. He respected and esteemed God "with all his house." He led by example. This man walked in the light that he had. The people in his house in response had respect to him. not just talking about family but his servants as well. They all knew that when he said something he meant it. "He prayed to God always" leaning to prayer. Notice the feature of prayer in revival. God heard his prayers. God is no respecter of persons. It is not a question of someone graduating in the school of prayer. It is not a matter of God looking down and seeing someone who can really pray. God can hear your prayers. You say "I could not pray like the others in prayer meetings" but God hears you. He is no respecter of persons. He can hear the humble prayer as well as someone who prays for 20 minutes. We are not told what Cornelius actually prayed but the Lord heard him. He has a respect to the Jewish religion. Verse 3 refers to the ninth hour - look back to Acts 3 verse 1. Cornelius was aware that the Jewish people came together to pray at the ninth hour. He is sitting in the place of prayer at the ninth hour. It is at this time that God gave him this vision. We do not know how many times he had prayed at that exact time before. Psalm 55 verse 17 "Evening and morning and at noon will I pray and cry aloud and he shall hear my voice." The ninth hour for us is 3 pm in th afternoon. He was praying, meeting with God. I`m quite sure Cornelius was a centurion. I`m sure he was asked to conduct many activities yet he found time to pray. We need to find time to pray, to get back into the prayer times. It meant that he would have to leave aside some commitments to be alone with God. The scriptures were the means to lead him to prayer. In those early days in the Christian church this was something that was established. On the day of Pentecost 3000 souls were saved and we read "they continued in prayer". They learned that lesson. Cornelius had also learned it. He prayed and God heard his prayer. In Acts 2 when the people heard the gospel lives were tranformed and they began to follow the apostles doctrine which was prayer. In chapter 6 they gave themselves over to prayer and the word of God. Young converts realised what prayer really meant. Things happened as a result. The great awakening in Ulster refers to 4 men in a Kells schoolhouse who opened up the word of God then got down to prayer. Revival broke out as a result. What a great thought. A leaning to prayer. Let`s get into serious times of prayer. Cornelius while waiting on Peter coming rallied the people together, inviting them to come into his house.
A longing for God. We can come into the prayer time and know what we have to pray for but there has to be a longing for God. Cornelius wanted to be directed by God. We are not told what words he used in prayer. It must have been for God to fill the void in his heart concerning spiritual matters. He saw a need in his heart for change and for God when we see how he gathered his friends together. Verse 24 he saw the state of his own heart but also of those around him. One man seeing the state of his own heart, of those around him and doing something about it. He asked for more from God. This man wanted a living experience with the living God. Praying and living for change. We will never see revival if we don`t want change in our hearts. God will not revive something that never had life. The Laodicean church had so much going for them but the Lord said "I am on the outside." Solomon when he was newly appointed king realised he was in charge of a great nation. The Lord came to him and said to him "what will you ask of me?" Solomon reflected on his role sitting on the throne as king. He thought of the people around him. 1 Kings 3 verse 9 he opened up his lips "give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people that I may discern between good and bad; for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?" Solomon finished building the temple and the spirit of God came down and filled the place, Solomon asked God "will you keep your eye on this house and this people because there may come a time when this people will turn from you and rebel from you, if they stand up in this house will you stand for them?" God`s reply - "I have heard thy prayer." Remember Isaiah the prophet in chapter 6 when he saw the Lord high and lifted up. He declared "I am a man of unclean lips and I live amongst a people of unclean lips." In Philippians 3 verse 14 Paul said "I press towards the mark." He was not sitting still, not waiting but pressing on. Pressing speaks of endurance. There were many enemies trying to keep Paul down. Nothing was happening. It was a discouraging time. We need to be growing, stretching, pressing on, going through with God.
He is looking to God. This is a reality for this man. When I get into prayer am I looking for God? Has the devil got into our minds when we pray, to take us away from looking to God? There is a battle for each of us. When those 4 men prayed in the Kells schoolroom they knew they needed what only came from God. We need to pray for a movement from God. We see that in Nehemiah`s day. When Nehemiah heard what was happening in Jerusalem he was very sad. The king noticed his countenance and remarked on it. To be sad in front of the king could have meant death. Nehemiah lifted up his heart to God for an answer. When he went down to Jerusalem and told the people what to do the people rose up to build, they were one in tune with God.
He is listening to God`s word. There was a course for Cornelius to follow. He needed to send for Peter who was in Joppa. He was listening for God. We need to listen for God to speak when we pray. In Acts chapter 8 we read the story of Philip. In Samaria great things happened as he preached. People with unclean spirits were released, those that were lame and with palsies were healed. Then God called him down to the desert place of Gaza to speak to one man, a eunuch in his chariot. The chapter finishes with these words "But Philip was found at Azotus and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea." Now we read of this man Cornelius who lived in Caesarea. Why did the Lord send a message asking Cornelius to send for Peter when he was in Joppa 30 miles away when Philip was near at hand? Much work was being done through Philip yet God chose Peter to speak to Cornelius. He was the man that was needed at that moment in time. Really it was to remind Cornelius that it was to the Lord he needed to look to, he would be the one to move in a mighty way.
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