The Way Church of Sussex County
Sunday 1.11.26
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  • Holy Spirit
  • Santo Espíritu
  • My Heart Is Yours
  • Mi corazón es tuyo

      • Acts 10:34–43NLT

      • Hechos de los Apóstoles 10:34–43NTV

  • Acts 10:34–43 NLT
    34 Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. 35 In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right. 36 This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, after John began preaching his message of baptism. 38 And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 “And we apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him to life on the third day. Then God allowed him to appear, 41 not to the general public, but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be his witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead. 43 He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.”

    Introduction

    Hook: Peter walks into a Gentile’s home and utters words that shatter centuries of religious assumptions: “I now understand that God shows no partiality.” For the early church, this was not a comfortable truth—it was a world-reversing proclamation that forced believers to reconsider everything they thought they knew about who belonged to God’s people.

    Christ: Lord of All Nations

    God is impartial, and in every nation those who fear God and practice righteousness are acceptable to him.
    The original audience faced a concrete crisis: Could Gentiles truly belong to God’s covenant people? This was an upsetting, world-reversing word to those whose faith rested on assumptions of partiality, yet Luke gradually brings us face to face with this Roman soldier so we may feel the full force of the gospel and understand the disciples’ reluctance and the painful journey to grasp its implications.

    Who is Cornelius?

    Cornelius was a Roman centurion stationed in Caesarea, commanding the Italian Regiment. Though a Roman, he was a worshiper of God and a Jewish convert (not Jewish by birth). He was respected by the Jewish community, known as a devout man who regularly prayed and gave to charity.
    His significance lies in his role as a pivotal figure in early Christian history. God publicly opened the doors of the church to the Gentile world through Cornelius’s household, making him the first Gentile convert to Christianity. While praying, Cornelius received a vision from an angel instructing him to find Peter, who was staying in Joppa at the house of Simon, a tanner. When Cornelius and his household listened to Peter’s preaching, they believed and received the Holy Spirit, whereupon they were baptized at Peter’s command.
    The declaration that Jesus “is Lord of all” becomes the foundation for including Gentiles within salvation’s scope. One cannot have a Lord who rules only part of creation.
    Scriptural Connection:
    Jesus traveled doing good and healing all dominated by the devil because God was with him. Though executed, God raised him on the third day, and he instructed the apostles to preach and witness that he is the judge of the living and the dead, with all prophets bearing witness that everyone who believes receives forgiveness through his name.
    Practical Implication:
    If Christ’s lordship is truly universal, then our fellowship, witness, and welcome must reflect that reality. Whom do we exclude? Whose table do we guard? The vision concerns not simply unclean food but unclean people—and our own inability to determine who is clean or unclean. Living under Christ’s lordship means surrendering our categories and embracing His.

    Conclusion

    Summary:
    Peter’s sermon announces that God’s covenant is no longer restricted by ethnicity or status. The risen Christ rules over all creation, making salvation accessible to anyone who fears God and does what is right.
    Call to Response:
    Will you trust that Christ’s lordship extends beyond your comfort zones? Will you remove the barriers you’ve constructed to God’s welcome? Jesus is coming back! Jesus gave his life for all and he will be judge of all.
    Application:
    This week, identify one person or group you’ve mentally excluded from God’s kingdom. Pray for them. Invite them. Let the lordship of Christ change your understanding of who belongs. Let’s ask the Lord to make us bold to witness what He’s done in our lives.
    Pray

    Sources

    William H. Willimon, Acts, Interpretation, a Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Atlanta, GA: John Knox Press, 1988), 97–98.
    Carl R. Holladay, Acts: A Commentary, The New Testament Library (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2016), 235–236.
    Michael R. Wagenman, The Power of the Church: The Sacramental Ecclesiology of Abraham Kuyper (Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications, 2020). [See here.]
    Got Questions Ministries, Got Questions? Bible Questions Answered (Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2014–2021). [See here, here, here, here.]
    F. F. Bruce, “Cornelius,” in New Bible Dictionary, ed. D. R. W. Wood et al. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 228.
  • I Surrender All
  • Yo Me Rindo A Él
The Way Church of Sussex County
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