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Redeemer Community Church is located in the historic Avondale neighborhood of Birmingham, AL. Our church family exists to celebrate and declare the gospel of God as we grow in knowing and following Jesus Christ.
For more information on who we are, what we believe, or how to join us, please visit our website at rccbirmingham.org.
All across the world, Christians are gathering together today to to celebrate the resurrection. The many pastors, they'll be preaching sermons that that deal with the the proofs of the resurrection, which is good. They're it's history, it's fact, and and so we can give proofs towards that, that the show that Jesus rose from the dead. I've preached sermons like that, but that's that's honestly not what I'm that interested in this morning. The New Testament more than giving us proofs of the resurrection, they talk about the power of the resurrection.
Joel Brooks:The apostle Paul, you know, he says that I may know him in the power of his resurrection. And it's a good thing too, because right now, proofs for everything are everywhere, but you can find your own evidence for anything you want to support what you already currently believe. I mean, for the last few days, every time I like, I'm I'm I'm looking or reading news or whatever, people are arguing about, are we going to the moon or not? Are there actually astronauts going towards the moon on Artemis two or not? And everybody pulls out their own proofs to support their world views.
Joel Brooks:But thankfully, as Christians, we don't just have evidence, we don't just have proofs. There's a real power in the resurrection that can't be denied. So that's what we're gonna look at this morning. We're we're actually gonna finish our thirteen week study that we've had on the life of Peter, or if you prefer to think of it, it was a thirteen week introduction to first Peter, where the first word is Peter, and so we'll pick up the pace beginning next week. But the story we're gonna look at is actually the longest story in the book of Acts, which shows you its importance.
Joel Brooks:It's repeated multiple times, each time giving a new detail. We don't have time to read it all, but we are going to begin in verse 19, which comes right after Cornelius, a man named Cornelius, has had a vision to send for Peter, and right after Peter has had a vision preparing him to go to Cornelius. So verse 19. And while Peter was pondering the vision, the spirit said to him, behold, three men are looking for you. Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.
Joel Brooks:And Peter went down to the men and said, I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming? And they said, Cornelius, a centurion, a an upright God fearing man who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you, to come to his house and to hear what you have to say. So, he invited them to be his guests. The next day, he rose and he went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.
Joel Brooks:And on the following day, they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. When Peter entered, Cornelius met and fell down at his feet and worshipped him. But Peter lifted him up saying, stand up, I too am a man. And he talked with him, and he went in and found many persons gathered.
Joel Brooks:And he said to them, you yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. So then when I was sent for, I came without objection. I asked them, why are you sent for me? And Cornelius said, four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, and he said, Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms have been remembered before God. Send therefore to Joppa, and ask for Simon who is called Peter.
Joel Brooks:He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner by the sea. So I sent for you at once, and you've been kind enough to come. Now, we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord. So Peter opened his mouth and he said, truly, I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation, anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ, he is Lord of all.
Joel Brooks:You yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And, we are witnesses of all that he did, both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day, and made him to appear, not to all the people, but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and testify that He is the one appointed by God to judge, to be the judge of the living and the dead.
Joel Brooks:To Him, all the prophets bear witness, and everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name. While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. You pray with me.
Joel Brooks:Father, our simple prayer is this, that your Holy Spirit would fall on all who hear this word. Lord, my words are unimportant, so may they fall to the ground and blow away. Lord, may your word remain, and may may it change us. We pray this in the strong name of Jesus. Amen.
Joel Brooks:If you had lived in the first century, what name would you have given to this Jesus movement that was sweeping across Jerusalem, it's now spreading into the Gentile territory. I know that now, we call that movement Christianity. But, what name would you have given it then? I mean, what word could you have used to adequately describe all that was happening, you know, to to describe that a rapidly growing group of people who are going around telling anyone and everyone that this Jesus of Nazareth, this poor Jewish carpenter was actually the Son of God, He was the risen Lord. And now, all need to surrender their lives to Him and they will find new life and forgiveness in His name.
Joel Brooks:Perhaps, we would have had to make up a word. You know, whatchamacallit, it's not a word. Thingamajig is not a word, but we all know what it means, those words mean. Perhaps that would be what was needed in for this because what you were seeing here is unlike anything the world had ever seen. No one in the world had ever seen people love one another like this.
Joel Brooks:I mean, these these people, they're they're eating together all the time, they're they're serving one another, they're calling each other brother and sister. No one did that, unless they were biological family, but these these people, they they saw one another as family. And, their boldness, and their joy, I mean, as they were being cast to the lions, or thrown in prison, or times that they themselves were being crucified, they went to those things without fear and with joy. These people were being freed in a moment from their sins, from a lifetime of bondage to to addictions, or to to shame, and like that, they were being liberated. Even when being sent to prison, they were feeling free, singing in chains.
Joel Brooks:The world had never seen anything like that. So what do you call a movement like that? If you're struggling to come up with a name for it, you would not have been alone. It's almost like when Luke is writing Acts, he was struggling too. I think the people at the time, they were struggling to come up with a name.
Joel Brooks:The the first name it is given comes in Acts chapter five. It's actually an angel who gives the first stab at it. The angel, he's he frees some of the apostles from prison, and he tells them, I want you to go to stand and to declare to all people, and now he's gotta come up with a word, this life. That's what he names it, life. Just declare this life.
Joel Brooks:What we now call Christianity was first called this life. Later, it was called the way in Acts, but it was the way to life. These people were experiencing that power of the resurrection that we talked about. Eternal life was entering into their body. Now, I know that when we think of eternal life, we think of John three sixteen and that Jesus gives us eternal life if we believe in his name, typically what we think of is, that is something that comes to us after we die.
Joel Brooks:After we die, we are then given a life that goes on and on and on for all of eternity. But actually, eternal life is something that's given to us now. Something we begin to taste and we begin to experience now, as we become a new creation through Holy Spirit and the life that we are given now, then carries us through death into eternity. In other words, eternal life, it's not just a description of the length of life, it's a description of the type of life. It's a life that you cannot plunge to depths in.
Joel Brooks:It's a life that's so rich, and we look back at our old life, and we just think that we were sleepwalking. Now, are awake. I mean, it's true, we ate, we drank, we went to work, we enjoyed conversations, there were times, there were moments that we were even happy, but but in comparison to what we are experiencing now, death, sleep walking, now wide awake and fully alive. Is that how you would describe your Christian walk? Because it's not what I see being described Christianity everywhere else I look.
Joel Brooks:How does one receive this life? Well, one has to be converted or or born again and that's what this text is about. Jesus Matthew 18, he says that you must be converted if you want to enter into the kingdom of heaven, and that word converted means you must become a completely different person. And, as we see in the story, that conversion is needed even for good, upright, moral, religious people living in the bible belt, because that's who Cornelius was. If you grew up singing Amazing Grace since the age of two, you got John three sixteen, memorized probably by the age of four, you still need to be converted.
Joel Brooks:The story begins by introducing us to a man named Cornelius, and the first few verses of the chapter, we're actually told that he was a he was a Roman officer, stationed in Caesarea, which was an important post, he's an important man. And although he is both a soldier and a Gentile, he's actually described as a good, upright man, even a God fearer, which is a technical term there. It's a God fearer was was someone who was outside of the Jewish faith, but had great respect for the faith, even practiced parts of it, yet was not a full convert. Hadn't gone all the way in. But, he does let us know, at the very least, this was a man who had rejected the polytheistic religion of his nation, and he believed that there was one God.
Joel Brooks:He might not have known who this one God was, but he believed there was one God, and we're even told in verse two that he prayed continually to this God, and he gave generously to the poor. In other words, this guy was about as good as they come. I I don't know all of you, but I'm just going to go on a limb and say he was probably better than most of us here in this room. And yet, the Lord sends an angel to him to tell him he needs to be saved. Chapter 11, during one of the retellings of the story, we read that an angel was sent to Cornelius and told him, send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter, and he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved.
Joel Brooks:That's not what you're expecting the angel to say because of all the people around, this is a guy who doesn't look like he needs saving. I mean, it seems like Heaven is made for people like him. Yet, the Angel doesn't say, Cornelius, I want you to know, we've all been in Heaven and we have been watching you, gotta say, we're impressed. I mean, like of all the humans out there, you're you're like the best. We we saw when he gave that man $20 at the gas station.
Joel Brooks:Joel just passed the guy by, not you. Gave him $20. Yeah, we saw like, even though all your friends are watching Bridgerton, you didn't. Not going be part of that, you even cancelled your HBO because you knew the new season of Euphoria was coming on, like, not going to be tempted with that. I mean, you are just a righteous man.
Joel Brooks:Just want you to know God is proud of you. That's not what you hear. Nor does it the angel come and say like, hey, you're you're so close, you're on the right path, you just need to tweak a couple of things and then you're in. It's not what the angel says. Instead, he tells Cornelius, he needs to be saved.
Joel Brooks:Although he's a good religious person, he's dead. There's not life in him. The story is actually very similar to when Jesus met Nicodemus. In John chapter three, Nicodemus was also a very religious, devout man who studied his bible, had great respect for Jesus, even acknowledged that Jesus was a miracle worker and that Jesus had come from God, and yet Jesus looks at Nicodemus and he does not say, thank you for the compliments. That's really good.
Joel Brooks:He looks at Nicodemus and he says, you know what? You've got to be born again if you want to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. You gotta become a completely different person, Nicodemus. Now, most people, when they hear that phrase, you you must be born again or you must be converted, What they hear, and perhaps this is what you hear, is that, okay, I get it, I need to become a better person, I need to turn over a new leaf. Yes, I could be kinder to others.
Joel Brooks:Yes, I could be a better mom, or I could be a better dad, or perhaps I should go to church more regularly, pray more. Yes, I I should I should probably start to give more, maybe to some charities or give more to the church and you're thinking of those things, but Nicodemus and Cornelius were doing all of those things and yet neither were saved because those things can't bring dead people to life. You have to be born again. So the Lord tells Cornelius, he says, you got to sin for this man named Peter, he's going to come and tell you the message that you need to hear in order to be saved. Notice, the angel just doesn't give him a message of salvation there because that's not an angel's job, it's yours.
Joel Brooks:This is this is a job for us as humans to tell other people about Jesus and how to be saved. So messengers are sent, Peter is found, he's brought to Cornelius. When Peter arrives at Cornelius' house, he bows down before Cornelius, I mean, awkward. Peter's like, get up, I'm just a man. I mean, sometimes when we have communion people, and I don't understand why, but sometimes you all come down, and I'm just handed illness, and some of you all bow, and I'm like, what are you doing?
Joel Brooks:Like, I'm just a man. Like, you just don't bow. Okay? Very uncomfortable. Cornelius Peter's like, get up.
Joel Brooks:Cornelius has gathered together all of his relatives, all of his close friends, because he knows this is an important moment. And so, what is this message that Peter has that can save? It's actually quite simple, but for those who perhaps grew up in the bible belt, hearing it all the time, perhaps it's a message that falls on deaf ears. I found that for those living in the the South, many of us have been inoculated against the gospel. You know how vaccination works, we're gonna get real controversial here, okay?
Joel Brooks:Don't worry, guys, mean, something like, he said vaccine. I'm just saying, just raise your hands if you believe in vaccination. No. Alright. I'm not doing that.
Joel Brooks:Alright. Vaccination works this way, you're given a little bit of something in order to protect you from the full amount of something later. And for us, for a lot of us who grew grew up in the bible belt, you got just enough of the gospel, you received just enough of it actually to put up shields in your heart to hearing it all. And so, what's happened is, you've heard the word Jesus, you've heard the word salvation, you've heard the forgiveness, the buzz words all around the South, you're like, I know it, I've heard it, and you shut your heart off, do not shut your heart off. Maybe you've never actually heard it.
Joel Brooks:Peter begins by telling everyone about how Jesus was God's anointed one, who was filled with the Holy Spirit and with power. Now, anointed, that's the word Messiah. Jesus is the Messiah, which is the way of saying, He's the Christ, the King, or the answer to everything. Filled with the Holy Spirit and power, went around doing good, healing people. Jesus lived a perfect life.
Joel Brooks:He actually lived a life that every one of us was supposed to live, but we all have failed that miserably. He was the perfect human. Yet, despite living a perfect life in complete obedience to God, he was actually put to death. Peter, he tells us in verse 39 that they put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree. Now, technically that's not true.
Joel Brooks:Peter here, he's talking about the meaning of crucifixion. Yes. Jesus, he was crucified on on on on a wooden post, but not a tree, but but that's how Peter is telling us what was happening to Jesus while he was being crucified, because Deuteronomy 21 tells us that God curses the person who hangs on the tree. And that's what He says, when when Jesus was crucified, He wasn't just dying, He was being cursed by God, He was receiving judgment. The judgment that we should have been receiving.
Joel Brooks:We see in the crosses what we would call this beautiful exchange, where the reward that was due Jesus for living the perfect life, he gives to us. And the judgment that we should have received for rebelling against God, he takes upon himself. He takes our death, and then He gives us life. So He's hung on a tree in order to be judged by God for you. But, this isn't the end of the story.
Joel Brooks:Peter then tells us that God raised Jesus from the dead, that He and all these other disciples are witnesses to it, and they didn't just see Him, they ate and they drank with Him. This is Peter's way of saying, listen, I'm not making this up, it really happened. I mean, guys, I've already been arrested twice for declaring this. Trust me, I don't want to like I wouldn't make this up. It's brought nothing but like all this persecution upon me, but I can't deny it.
Joel Brooks:Jesus was dead, he's alive, we ate together. So, Jesus, he conquered sin and death. And then, Peter says, because of this, God has appointed him to be the judge of the living and the dead. In other words, Jesus is the one who now stands at the end of the path where every person must someday go. I know as we go through life, we're all taking all these different paths.
Joel Brooks:Some people go to college, some people don't, some people get married, some people don't, some people have kids, some don't, some people pursue a career path. You're all pursuing all these different paths everywhere, but you know, in the end, it's always gonna the path is gonna end at the feet of Jesus for every one of us. He is at the end of every one of our paths. Therefore, the most important question you will ever face in life is this one. What is your relationship with Jesus?
Joel Brooks:When you meet him on the path, what kind of relationship do you have? Do you love him or did you spend a lifetime ignoring him? Have you been trying to save yourself through your own good works, being an upright, good moral thinking thinking those things could save you? Or did you put your trust in Jesus in this life as your only hope in life and death? Did you trust him alone for your forgiveness?
Joel Brooks:Because if you did not trust him for your forgiveness in this life, then you will only receive judgment from him in the next. Peter ends his sermon by saying that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. I say he ended, he really didn't. The Holy Spirit didn't give him the chance. I mean, 44 says, as Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell on those who heard.
Joel Brooks:So, the Spirit of God just interrupts Peter. It's almost like Jesus was saying, you interrupted me so much, my turn. My turn. He's like, you've already communicated really all these people need to know in order to make a decision. I mean, I don't know what Peter is going say, don't know if he's going to expound on the Trinity, which I don't really think he fully understood, predestination, whether babies should be baptized or not.
Joel Brooks:Mean, there's a whole lot. He could have just kept on going. The Spirit is like, they don't need to hear anymore right now. They have heard all they need to know. That's right.
Joel Brooks:You've preached that I am Lord and I am not just inviting people, I am summoning them. I am summoning them to come to me and to be part of my kingdom. So, you've you've preached that and you said that if they come to me, they will find forgiveness in my name because I died for their sins and I rose again. That's right. And, if they come to me, death cannot hurt them.
Joel Brooks:You've preached enough, Peter, my turn. And then, the Holy Spirit just comes. That's resurrection power. That's resurrection power. The spirit just falls on them and gives them life, eternal life.
Joel Brooks:Have you experienced that? Does that describe your faith being born again, receiving new life, receiving this life? If not, that invitation is for you this morning. Jesus is summoning you. Let's pray to him.
Joel Brooks:Jesus, you are the resurrected and ascended Lord. You rule over heaven and earth, and you are such a gracious and loving God. Lord, thank you for the love you have lavished on us and how you have drawn us to yourself. And, I pray there's anybody here who has not heard your call, who has just shut down every time they hear those buzzwords of Jesus, forgive us. Lord, I pray right now you'll break through.
Joel Brooks:Your spirit would fall, and you'd give them life. And, we pray this in the strong name of Jesus, our present and our future savior and king. Amen.