and that waited on him continually. When he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to Joppa. On the morrow, as they went on their journey and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the house-stop to pray about the sixth hour, and he became very hungry and would have eaten. But while they made ready, he fell into a trap, and saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheep knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth, wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls on the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter! kill and eat, showing those in the sheet were alive. Kill and eat. But Peter said, not so, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, what God hath planned that call not thou come. this was done thrice, and the vessel was received up again into heaven. Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold the men of which were sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate." Notice verse twenty-two. And they said, Cornelius, and here's the seventh thing, Cornelius the centurion, a just man. The eighth won that fear of God, and the ninth a good report among all the nations of the Jews, and then was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house and to bring word. of thee. Over to verse thirty. And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting, there's another thing concerning him, he was fasting. Four days ago I was fasting until this hour, and at the ninth hour, I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing. And said, Cornelius, Thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God. Send therefore to Joppa, and call hither Simon, whose surname is Peter. He is lodged in the house of one Simon at Tanner by the seaside, who when he cometh shall speak unto thee. Immediately therefore I sent to thee, and thou hast well done that thou art come. Now, therefore, are we all here present before God to hear all things that are commanded thee of God? Then Peter opened his mouth and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons. For in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him. the word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ, he is Lord of all. That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism with John preached, how God anointed Jesus of passions with the Holy Ghost and with power. who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with them. And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they slew and hanged on a tree. Him God raised up the third day and showed him openly, not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the judge of quicken death. To him give all the promised witness that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins while Peter yet spake these words the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word they of the circumcision that is the Jews which believed were astonished as many as came with Peter because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Spirit. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to carry certain things. We come now to a very important section of the book of the Acts. This is eleven years after Pentecost. Up until now the gospel had been preached to the Jews and Samaritans only. It was preached to the Jews in the second chapter, and then we find in the eighth chapter the gospel being preached to the Samaritans. And the Samaritan was half Jew and half Gentile. But now in chapter ten we have a pure Gentile in Cornelius. And it only fulfills what was said in the opening chapters concerning the gospel was to be preached at Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth. And here we have God visiting the Gentiles that take out of them a people for his name. Now in other words, you have God's wonderful plan. He told Peter that Peter was going to have the keys. In fact, the Lord Jesus told Peter he would have the keys. And what does that mean? The keys simply mean you have that fish open it. A key opens a locked door. Well, Peter opened the door of the gospel to the Jews in chapter two. Here he's using the same keys to open the door of the gospel to all people, to all the Gentiles upon the face of the earth. And so the gospel now is not circumscribed to the Jews or the Samaritans only, but thou... Every man under heaven has the privilege and the glorious opportunity of hearing the gospel and being saved. This startled the Jews. More as Peter preached, these Gentiles got saved in Cornelius' house, and the Spirit of God entered them, and they caused the Jews, those strict biased Jews, that thought it could be impossible for God to bless. outside the Jewish fold. Their belief in that was shaken somewhat when they saw the Samaritans say, have you an agenda. But now to see agenda, say, and the Spirit of God entering it, this somewhat surprised us. But this is the thing God wanted them to see and to know that God was no longer partial, partial to one nation, the gospel was to every nation under heaven. And so God for these nineteen hundred years has been visiting the Gentile nation to gather out to them a people for his name. Now this is a very interesting chapter and section of the book of the Acts. Peter does very little after this. We find him in prison chapter twelve, and we'll be speaking on next Sunday morning. But Peter's labors are about done as far as the record and the Acts are concerned, because now he's opened the door of the Jews and the Gentiles, and the apostle to the Gentiles, the apostle Paul, takes over, and he gets the prominent place in the book of the Acts from here on. You know it's very significant. You have a very notable character saved in chapter eight. He was the Ethiopian unit, the man of high authority. Then in chapter nine you have the Apostle Paul's conversion. Here in chapter ten you have Cornelius' conversion. And all three of these men were men of character. the one in chapter eight. He was a man of character and responsibility. He was Chancellor of the Exchequer or the Queen of Ethiopia, Queen Candies. And so you have these men and the Apostle Paul certainly was also a man of character. And this centurion in charge of a hundred soldiers, he too was a man of character. So all three of these men were men of character. They were honest men, and they were sincere men. They were religious men. And they were men of authority. But I'm going to mention something very strange. The first one of these three was a colored man from Ethiopia. The second was a Jew. The third was a Gentile. Now there you have the three sons of Noah. After the plot, Noah and his wife and his three sons, and their wives came out of the ark, out of the ark, onto the earth. And these three were not going to populate the earth. And you have Ham, the father of the Hamites, or the colored race. Then you have the Apostle Paul, a descendant from Shem. That's the truth. Then you have Cornelius, a descendant from Jephthah. And so you have all three of Noah's sons represented in Chapter Eight, Chapter Nine, and Chapter Ten. Now this is a little humbling to true southerners that are colored man should get the priority over... the gym. In grace, God saved the colored man first. I fully believe in social life a man has the colored man as his first. But before God, God is no respect for the mission. If a colored man comes to Christ acknowledging his law, God will save him. God will save him. When I first came to Albany, I shuddered one day in visiting a man, and he said, colored folks are just like animals. They don't have a soul. Let me say this. And I fully sympathize with the views held here in the South, relevant to segregation. I don't believe God intended the races to elect After his time, after his time, you never see a blackbird and a robin made up. Nevertheless, when it comes to salvation, God says the gospel is for all. Now, whether we're all going to have the same color of skin in heaven, I don't know and I don't care. Because I know one day we'll all reflect the likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ. and in heaven there is no segregation for they are singing out of every kindred tongue and nation unto him that loved us and loosed us from our sins in his own blood now that's plainly thought in your Bible so you have the three sons of Noah mentioned here and all three of these men were men of character also you have another line of thought here The first one, the colored man, was won by personal work. Philip led this man to Christ as they sat in the church. That's personal work. Then in connection with the conversion of the Apostle Paul, God didn't use an instrument at all. It was a direct revelation of Christ to the Apostle on the Damascus Road. and God can get along without human instrumentality if he's so pleased. But when you come through Cornelius, here you have souls being saved by preaching. So you have personal work in chapter eight. You have the work of God alone, a direct healing of God with the heart of the Apostle Paul. But in chapter ten you have the preaching of the gospel. and this is the way God reaches most people today it pleases God by the foolishness of preaching it doesn't say foolish preaching the foolishness of preaching to save them that belief and so you have all kinds of ways of reaching precious souls I want you to notice now seven or twelve things relative to this man pretty much first of all in verses one and two he was a trusted man for he wouldn't have held that office the centurion then he was a devout man and he feared god and he ruled and influenced his family his house because he gathered all the people Not only his own family, but other folks too. He gathered them in his home to hear the gospel from Peter. And also he was a liberal man. He gave much alms to the Lord. And he prayed to God only. That's the sixth thing. Isn't that strange? No doubt he was praying for life. He was a very sincere man. And he was praying for life. And also you have in verse twenty-two others said, imagine Jews said he was a just man. Now the Jews hated the Gentile. But here's a Gentile centurion who is ruling and a representative of Rome. He was ruling over the Jews. Yet the Jews had to admit that he is a just man. A just man. Then they also said he fears God. There's a man that fears God. And the ninth thing says he is a good report among all the Jews. Well, that's quite a testimony. Another thing you'll find is he's a humble man. He fell down before Peter. And that was something for the centurion, a military official, falling down before a Jew. And yet the Romans were ruling over the Jew. Yet this man was humble. He fell down before Peter. And then he fasted in verse thirty. That's the eleventh thing. He fasted. And also in verse thirty or verse twenty-five. Yet where he was humble. And verse thirty where he fasted. And in verse twenty-two he was warned of God in a dream. I wonder what he was warned about. Now, if he were a Christian, he wouldn't have been warned. But he was being warned by this dream, and also that he had to grow the people, lest he trust in all these good things, lest he trust in himself, his character, his reputation, his good works, and his prayers. And so he was warned. With all these twelve days, I don't suppose we have one person here, or possibly in Albany, who could fit into the frame of this man. Just think of it. Trust it, devout, feared God, ruled, and influenced his home. A liberal man, he prayed to God only. Others said he was just. He feared God than a good report, a good reputation, a humble man. He fasted and he was warned. But you say he must be saved. Oh, he wasn't saved at all. You want to read a very interesting verse? It's in verse fourteen of the next chapter where this incident is also related. Verse fourteen of chapter eleven. Who shall tell thee words whereby thou and all thy heart shall be saved? Now Peter didn't go to him and tell him about works. He had plenty of them. He didn't tell him about his pernature, his reputation. No, we're saved by words, not words. he shall tell the word whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved. And you'll notice in reading this incident that it's the emphasis upon words, not words. And I trust we'll be able to explain that a little later on. So here's a man and he needed to be saved with all his group watch. And you'll notice they were all present to hear... God's word. You have that plainly in verse twenty three. Gather together to hear, not Peter, but to hear what God had given to Peter. And that's the book. If a congregation just goes to hear the man, they're not going to get much. But if they go to hear God's word presented, through the human instrument, they ruled itself. And so they were all gathered to hear all things that were given to Peter by God. And Peter delivered the message. And it certainly was from God because it was all about the Lord Jesus Christ, as we'll see a little later on. What was the real message that Peter delivered that day? Well, he had received a message from God. And what was that message? A message that implied sheep let down from heaven by war porn. Now, in that day, they didn't have the Bible. We've mentioned that and emphasized in our studies on the Acts that there were miracles performed in that day because they did not have them and passed them as yet. And so God did speak by dreams and visions and miracles. And so we find God teaching Cornelius a lesson. And he had this vision. He fell asleep, and he saw this great sheep left down from heaven, left down by the poor corals. Now why did God tell us Peter to go to Cornelius. Couldn't the Spirit of God or the angel of the Lord, as mentioned here, have gone directly to Cornelius and delivered the message? That would have simplified the whole situation. God could have sent the angel to Cornelius, but no, it pleased God. It said, well, Cornelius, the angel told Cornelius, you go down there, John. And there's a man down there, and he's living beside the sea with another man, and he shall tell thee. Words whereby thou and thy house shall be saved. Well, now, why didn't God send that angel directly to Cornelius and tell Cornelius what his trouble was, that he wasn't saved yet with all his good works, and tell him to God? Angels can't do that. God has entrusted the gospel story to men and women who have been saved by Him. My work has been abandoned for forty-one years. I think one of the points, the stronger point, that seems to reach men and women is to tell them how God saved them. Many a time I've gone into a home and talk to people. And if I can, the first opportunity, I'll tell them how God saved me. Because oftentimes, you know, they think of the preacher and the black. Well, well, he's telling us to do these things. Well, what about himself? Well, I'm always glad when people say, well, what about you? Well, the thing is this. I'm happy to tell people how I got saved. I'd be delighted if people stood in line over at my apartment, and each one came in and said, Look how you get there. I'd be delighted for more than the light of hell. How God saved me! But angels didn't do that. Angels never knew the joy of God's salvation. They were there. Christ didn't die for people. Angels didn't sin. are assigned to everlasting change the word that they have promised. There is no proof for an angel. There's not one verse in your Bible that teaches God-saved angels. But God saved men and women. Now he says, I can tell the angel to go to that man or that woman and tell him what to do. I couldn't go to Cornelius and tell Cornelius how to be saved. But I don't know anything about salvation. I never experienced it. Angels have never experienced love salvation. And so that's why the angels told Peter to go and deliver this message. Peter was a biased undoubtedly and a very prejudiced Jew, and that's why God... gave him this vision, this experience. Peter was still a little shady in his mind in thinking about the Gentiles being included in this marvelous movement of the Spirit and grace of God and salvation. So God gave him a lesson, an optic lesson, in this vision. He saw a sheep descend. And here's where Peter was taught. Don't you call anybody, Tom, Peter. That which God has claimed, don't you call God. For the angels read the voice of God to Peter when he saw the sheep and all kinds of creeping things, beasts of the earth, cows of the earth. Why, Peter? cries, Peter, killing me for all those people. I'm a strict Jew. There are things in that sheep that I would think of him that would violate my indoctrination as a Jew. I can't eat those things. They were very strict in their life. God says that which God has cleansed, Peter, won't you call God? And to show that what he was talking about were men. You find that very plainly. That what God was talking about is verse. Nine-twenty-eight of chapter ten. And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company or come in unto one of another nation, that is to the Gentiles. But God has showed me, says Peter, that I should not call any man God. So these things that were in the sheep were figurative of human beings. But just let us think about this sheep for a minute or two. It was knit at the forefront. Four is the number of universality, north, south, east, and west. And this speaks of the universal nature of the gospel. Universal love for God so loved the world. Universal salvation. That's right. God's salvation is universal. It's to all and not to any select group, but to all men. You have also the universal depravity of man seen in this year. More for the people. poor for the beast. Uncertainly, there were some unclean in that sheep. Unclean animals in the Old Testament, God says, any animal that doesn't have the clothes and foot and does not chew the cup, it's unclean! Unclean. The sheep was used for sacrifice, but it chewed the cup and divided the hoop. How? were used for sacrifice. Both, they threw the guts, and they also divided the food. That's how God differs between the clean and the unclean. The guts that I don't want that, of course, was not accepted, but we thought. And so you see these animals in this sheep, and also the creeping thing, that which is low down, dribbling in the mire of sheep. and also foes of the air go to the earth. You know, I'm always, always part of the heart in this case. Here you have these keys, and he sees an old bird getting into the office, and he doesn't want to come down to the level of that room. I don't know whether they had buzzards in that day, but if they did, a pair of them went into the ark. But here is the eagle. The eagle's a very proud bird. Old eagle with his keen eye sees a couple of birds down there that he, oh, I'm superior. I'm faster in flight. I'm keen in sight. I'm a bird of flight. well, Mr. Eagle, you'll have to go down and go through the same gore as that buzzer. I was thinking the other day, and I saw this on the TV, I suppose you've seen it, quite a, quite an ad for those who use insecticides to kill termites in your hope. You'd like to see how all kinds of animals, and that went into the ark, and right at the end you have two termites hopping over. And they went up the plank and got into the ark, and the next picture was the ark sank. You see that? Let me tell you one thing. There weren't any termites in the ark. And if there had been a million, the ark wouldn't have sunk because the ark was in the ark. The Bible says that with your... come now and all thy house came to the ark. God was in the ark, and you can't shake anything with God's in. We're so secure because we're in Christ enough when the ark's speaking. That's all right for a commercial when there's no good for conversion. God's salvation is enthrased and you're secure and you're not going to see you that. And so you have the creepy things, the fouls at the end. Universal depravity. This is often found in your Bible. In Romans five you have four kinds of sinners that God saved. Sinners, enemies, ungodly, without strength. Now there are the four that you find in Romans five. That speaks to universality. Universality of sin, but universality of God's wonderful salvation. Then you remember when you have the gospel feast in Luke fourteen, who were invited? Four classes, the poor, the maimed, the haught, the blind. And in Revelation, where you see the deemed humanity, four classes, every kindred, toned, people, nation, four classes. The number four speaks of universality. And all in the sheep were cleansed. God says, Peter, what God has cleansed. Now under your rigid Jewish training, I know there were certain beasts you couldn't eat. And there were certain creeping things that God said you were not to eat. And there were certain birds that God said you were not to eat. But Peter pondered great, and as these things in the sheet represent humanity, all classes and castes. Peter, I want you to get this straight. But God is no respect for the Christians. And if I cleanse a person from sin to the blood of my son, don't you call him talk? Call him nothing. But I cleanse. common. Oh, I'm good. You know, when you stop to think of God's people, there are no common law. God speaks of his people as the blue bloods of heaven, the aristocracy of the skies. You've got a pretty good position in heaven. We're sons and daughters of the king. Why wouldn't they look at you if you were not some person and said, you know, I'm a king. I'm a son of the, I'm a prince. I belong to the royal family. Blue blood runs in my veins. Well, that's true, Spirit says. God says, don't you call my people, come. They're the excellent of the earth in whom is all my delight. God gives us a pretty high flame, Lord. Yes, I hope we live up to it. You know, as we noticed last Sunday night, the disciples were called Christians, not Jesuits. Jesus was his name of human beings. Jesus spoke of him as a man, for Christ is the name of the anointed one, the exalted one. They were called Christ ones, not Jesuits. And God thinks a lot of his people, whom God is cleansed, don't you call come? Don't you come? All classes in the sheep were cleansed. And all in Christ are saved and saved eternally. He knows how the sheep was let down three times. Christ came down to earth at deathly end. To die upon the cross, Then he went back to heaven, just like the sheep. Then the sheep came down the second time. On the day of Pentecost, the Spirit of God came down to seal them. The church, to seal every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, to seal them onto the day of the redemption of their God. The third descent of the sheep is Christ coming back earth to take off all who are in the sheep or in himself and when he takes them back the sheep didn't come down again it came down three times we went back and that was it and for those of us who were saved by grace the sheep came down nineteen hundred years ago and all who did into that sheep by virtue and value of the blood of Christ not by works of righteousness that we have done. And to him that believeth, unto him that believeth, he is justified for all things of which he could not be justified, but the law of those. And so we get into the sheep by way of faith in a crucified Christ, and we're safe in Christ. The Spirit of God came down to see us, as the one body in the Lord until the sheep comes down and Christ returns at the rapture. And all who are in that sheep and have got into it for the last nineteen hundred years through faith in Christ, Christ will come down and take us all up. It will be forever with the Lord. The sheep came down three times. And here you have a beautiful type of God's wonderful salvation. I want to notice the message that Peter treats. It's a very interesting message, as you'll notice in verses thirty-eight to forty-three. He speaks of Jesus Christ as the anointed one. It speaks of Jesus Christ as the compassionate one. He went about doing good. It speaks of Jesus Christ as the mighty one, healing all that would oppress. It speaks of Jesus Christ as the suffering one, whom he slew and hanged on a tree. It speaks of Jesus Christ as the risen one, him God raised up the third day. It speaks of Jesus Christ as the exalted one. ordained to be the judge of the cricket and the dead. It speaks of Jesus Christ as a universal saving one. That's the seventh day. How wonderful that verse is concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. To him give all the prophets witness. That whosoever in verse thirty three. To him give all the prophets witness that is through his name. whosoever believeth in him should receive revision of sin. And notice, and while Peter yet spake these words, not words, he spake these words, the Holy Ghost, having all then must heard the word. Then down the end they were baptized. It was very simple that Cornelius was in the Christian. he had to hear the gospel and he hadn't yet the spirit of God within his heart for he didn't receive the spirit until here and he hadn't at that time and so it's quite evident that Cornelius with all his good traits was not a born-again believer now baptism doesn't have a thing to do with putting our sins away it's the answer of a good conscience before God And Cornelius hadn't accepted Jesus Christ as a saker. He hadn't been engulfed by the Holy Spirit. The Bible said, if any man had not the Spirit of God, he's none of me. And so it was impossible for Cornelius to become a Christian. It goes to show how searching the Word of God is. How a person can have a life like Cornelius. engage in all the good work that he engaged in. Praying, yes. Giving arms, he's a liberal man. A wonderful character, yes. But not saved. And God sent Peter to tell him words whereby he and his household should be saved. And it's all through the word. Christ says in John five twenty four, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that set me hath everlasting life, and shall not come to condemnation, but his tax from death unto him. Here you find Cornelius, and he heard the word. He believed the word. He was saved, and he was sealed. Finally to prove the reality of the experience he had in his heart, saved by grace, he now wants you to be baptized in order to have a public testimony as Christ on the cross, identified himself with fallen man with Nicodemus. Now, O'Rourke, now the Lord wants Cornelius. you publicly identify yourself with me. That's what baptism is. Christ faced the cross and it was a baptism. And how am I straight in the Trinity accomplished? Peter and John wanted equal position with Christ in the coming kingdom. Christ says, can you be baptized with the baptism that I will be baptized with? Yes, they said, hardly knowing what they said. All right, you shall indeed be baptized. That's the way you'll end your life. You'll be crucified as I am going to be crucified. He speaks of his death on the cross and the baptism, meaning he was immersed in the judgment of God. All my ways and bills have passed over me. He didn't get sprinkled with a little of God's judgment. No, he was immersed in the wrath and judgment of God at Calvary. He took his place. He identified himself with the sinful race, publicly. And friend, he expects those who accept him to do so and make it public. You can do that by coming up to the front after the meeting, confessing Christ publicly before men, and then in baptism. So you see the conversion of this remarkable man through the evenings. And what a wonderful message Peter gave me in those few verses. I would, to God, that every preacher in the country would read these few verses and ponder them, pray over them, praying them into his soul and then preaching. There's nothing here about civil rights. There's nothing here about guilt. There's nothing here about politics. It's all about Jesus Christ, the anointed one, the compassionate one, the mighty one, and the suffering one, the risen one, the exalted one, and the universal, the saving one. Whether it be it, one, an Eskimo, a way out in the north, or whether it be one in the deep south of the far west or the east, there's only one way people are going to be saved, and that's through the Lord Jesus Christ, who suffered, bled, and died upon the throne. And you have these three remarkable men, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, of the Queen of Ethiopia, the Candice, The saint, as Philip pointed the gospel to him, out of a passage he was reading in Isaiah fifty three, you have the Apostle Paul stricken down by a risen Christ, and upon, as the Savior revealed unto him, Christ was the answer. Here you have this man, Gernadius, and Peter preached unto him the gospel. Now prove ye by a risen Christ, And he is the only answer. And there are many people today that have problems. But I'm going to tell you one thing. If you want to minimize Earth's problems. You get the main problem settled. The spiritual problem. And that's in Jesus Christ. If you have Christ. What wants you more. If you have Christ. You have. the king to unlock the lock of problems and settle it. Will you receive Christ? Will you open your heart and deceive him this morning right now as Peter preached the Holy Spirit fed upon the people who believe? You know, I've had a lot of people in the hospital. I'm coming out of the chapel as soon as I get one. You don't have to wait for me. You can be saved right here in your hospital. I know, but I want to wait and let them out of the chapel. I've known some who told me that who died in their sins. And I've heard those who are except Christ. They're in the hospital. You know, I'm going to wait for it. I should have... They didn't do it. Friend, you can be saved right here where you are. Cornelius was saved in his own house. He wasn't saved in the synagogue. God will save you any place. Feet were saved of the cross. Fall under the mask of the road. Linear down by a walk. Look in jail and jail. Cornelius in his own house. God will save you right here. Listen here. If you will open your heart, let it not that you will. For his name's sake shall we do. Our Father in heaven, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, he commends to thy presence. We ask thy blessing upon thy word that the precious souls may open their heart and receive the Savior. They're either in the sheep, cleansed from the blood of Christ, or they're outside. Oh, Father, grant that Son may come to the sake of the Swami. We ask that His worthy and precious name, Amen.