Jan. 29, 1950 UNTO ALL MEN Acts 10:17-20,24,34-43 Pointers on the Lesson
of Jesus as judge (42) and the goal of prophecy (43) and the one through whom sin is forgiven (43). This is the message which is the dynamite of heav en to root sin out of human hearts. This message is unto all men.
to Him, but you have never thought of doing that yourself. Perhaps you have felt that God loves you a bit more than He loves those with skin of a different color than yours. Peter said, “ God is no respecter of persons.” The Lord Jesus did not die for you more than for anyone else.
In the latter part of Acts 10 we have presented what in many respects was an ideal Gospel service. The Spirit of God had carefully prepared the way for it : the congregation was all present (v. 33), there .was a great preacher to declare the message, and the sermon was true to the Word. From the stand point of results, it was a great success (w . 44-48). Some aspects of this serv ice are to be considered in this week’s lesson. Preparations for the Service 17-20, 24 God was getting ready to throw wide open the door of the Gospel to the Gen tiles. An angel had told Cornelius what he should do in anticipation of the great event (v. 3ff). Peter had been given a vision to impress him with the universal scope of the Gospel (w . 9-16). “ Now” (v. 17) the Spirit of God works toward bringing Peter, the Jew, and Cornelius, the Gentile, together in the bond of Christian unity. The heavenly vision of the sheet let down from heaven was fresh in Peter’s mind, but not yet fully understood, when the servants of Corne lius appeared and made known their mission. The Spirit of God made it clear to Peter that he was to go with these men to the house of Cornelius. God was working in the heart of Cornelius as well. He prompted him to wait for the return of his servants and the coming of Peter. While he waited, he was busy gathering his kinsmen and friends together so that Peter would have a good hearing. The Service Itself vv. 34-43 In that early day church service, it is clear that the pulpit occupied the central place. We do not read of any formal opening exercises, though there may have been some, but the sermon is mentioned. The Word of God occupied the conspicuous place. Peter was the preacher. He “ opened his mouth” as he spoke. He declared distinctly, as every preacher should do, the whole council of God. The pulpit is no place for mum bling an uncertain sound. Verses 34b to 37 present the intro duction to Peter’s sermon. He assured his audience that God was no “ respecter of persons.” Literally, He is no “ accept er of a face.” The message of the Gospel is for Gentile as well as for Jew. Evi dently Peter had at last grasped the meaning of the vision that God had given. By the statement of this tremen dous truth Peter quickly gained the in terest of his audience which he never lost. Then in the following verses (38-43), we have the main body of Peter’s ser mon. Centered in Jesus, it covered the whole ground of His work. Peter re viewed the coming of His forerunner (37), His anointing (38), His life (38), His crucifixion (39), His resurrection (40,41), His commission (42), and told D E C E M B E R , I 94 9
Helps for the Children The Gospel for Everyone . Acts 10:21-24, 34, 35
Memory Verse: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matt. 28:19). After the Lord Jesus returned to heaven, His followers thought that the gospel was for the Jews only. One night God sent to a man of a different race a vision or dream in which God told him to send for Peter to tell him about the Saviour. The next day Peter had a vi sion in which God told him to go with the messengers who would be sent to invite him to their master’s home. Peter did not want to preach to others than the Jews, but God commanded him to go. When Peter arrived at the home of Cornelius, all of his friends and relatives were waiting there to hear the message that God had promised that Peter would bring to them. After Peter had told them about the Saviour, they Want ed to become Christians too. When he saw their sincerity, he realized that the gospel was for everyone, not just for his own people. The Lord Jesus had died for all people everywhere. Peter should have known this, because his Lord’s last command to His disciples was, “ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations.” Perhaps you have never thought of talking with a boy or girl of another race about your Saviour. You know that missionaries lead those of different races
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