A1 Theme--God sees all men as sinners in need of salvation.
A2 Objectives
B1 Explain the significance of the conversion of Cornelius and his household.
B2 Provide an argument for the ending of the prohibition of unclean foods.
A3 Scriptures
B1 Acts 10:1-48--Cornelius
B2 Mark 7:14-23--What really defiles a person
B3 1 Timothy 4:1-5--The great apostasy
B4 Romans 14:1-3--The law of liberty
B5 Leviticus 11--The list of clean and unclean
B6 Leviticus 20:25-26--A reason for distinguishing between clean and unclean
A4 Notes
B1 Acts 10:1-48
C1 Outline
D1 Background information Acts 10:1-8
E1 Who is Cornelius?
E2 What happened to Cornelius?
E3 What was the action of what happened to Cornelius?
D2 Peter's vision Acts 10:9-23
D3 Peter at Cornelius's house Acts 10:24-33
D4 Peter's sermon Acts 10:34-43
D5 Holy Spirit given Acts 10:44-48
C2 Personal
D1 Cornelius
E1 Centurion--a soldier leader of 100 men. A Roman Legion had around 6,000 men which were divided into ten cohorts of 600 men which is turn were divided into 3 maniples of 200 men each. Each maniple was then divided into two groups of 100 men and lead by a centurion. Some have that the legion of 6,000 men were divided into 10 cohorts of 600 men each. Each cohort was divided into 6 centuries of 100 men each.
E2 Italian Band--a band had 400 to 600 men most probably from Italy
E3 Roman
E4 Gentile
E5 Devout man who feared God (The term "fear of God" had the idea of fearing or being afraid of God in the sense of God is the Judge and all have to give account of him/herself before His Judgment Seat).
E6 Caesarea
F1 The home of the Roman Procurator Acts 23:23-26, etc.
F2 Commentary note from Mark Dunagan's Commentary as in The Word Bible software:
"Caesarea" "A garrison city named after Augustus Caesar, the administrative capital of the province of Judea, boasting a splendid harbor built by Herod the Great" (Stott pp. 184-185). "Caesarea was the usual residence for the Roman governor of Judea and consequently a garrison of troops was regularly found there" (Reese p. 379). The city was predominately a city occupied by Gentiles, housed some 3000 troops, and was located some 30 miles N of Joppa and 65 miles from Jerusalem. "Cornelius" "Cornelius was a specially common name in Rome ever since Publius Cornelius Sulla in 82 B.C. liberated 10,000 slaves" (Bruce p. 214). "Centurion" "In the Roman military set-up there was first of all the legion. It was a force of six thousand men. In every legion there were ten cohorts. A cohort therefore had six hundred men in it. The cohort was divided into centuries and over each century there was a centurion" (Barclay p. 82). Thus a centurion was over 100 men. "So a centurion corresponded approx. to a captain or company commander in our day" (Stott p. 185). "Centurions were the backbone of the Roman army. Polybuis (History vi. 24) sums up their necessary qualifications thus: 'Centurions are required not to be bold and adventurous so much as good leaders, of steady and prudent mind, not prone to take the offensive or start fighting wantonly, but able when overwhelmed and hard-pressed to stand fast and die at their post'" (Bruce p. 215). We need to be impressed with the precise detail found in the biblical text. Cornelius is placed where we would expect to find him, that is in the garrison town of Caesarea. "The Italian Cohort" "A regular cohort, the tenth part of a legion, had a paper strength of 600 men. We have inscriptional evidence of the presence in Syria c. A.D. 69 of the auxiliary, 'second Italian cohort of Roman citizens'" (Bruce p. 215). "Italian" "Probably because consisting of Roman soldiers, and not of natives of the country" (Vincent p. 496). "The whole cohort was made up a soldiers from Italy (some cohorts were composed of soldiers born and conscripted in the provinces). This cohort was one of the best Rome had; and, since the soldiers were all Italians whose loyalty was above question, perhaps they were the governor's bodyguard" (Reese p. 379).
D2 Cornelius's family were also present
D3 Peter, the fisherman to whom Jesus had promised. See Acts 15:7 and Galatians 2:7-9
C3 Peter's vision
D1 About noon
D2 Peter was hungry
D3 While waiting for the food to be prepared, he went on the room to pray and had a vision.
D4 A large sheet/cloth descends from heaven with all sorts of clean and unclean animals (per Jewish law).
D5 God declares that all the different animals, clean and unclean by Jewish law, are now clean. (Compare Hebrews 9:6-10)
D6 The men ask for Simon Peter.
D7 God tells Peter to go with the men.
C4 Peter and Cornelius
D1 Arrival and gathering together
D2 Introduction by Peter and why he is there.
D3 Cornelius tells Peter why he sent for him.
C5 Peter's message
D1 God treat all people the same now.
D2 Jesus Christ
E1 His message
E2 His life of teaching, healing, and helping
E3 His death and resurrection
E4 His witnesses--the Apostles
E5 His commandment--Go tell others
E6 He is the Judge of the living and dead
E7 His appeal to all people--"To Him all the prophets bear witness, that through His name, everyone believing in Him shall receive forgiveness of sins." (Acts 10:43 EMTV)
C6 The response
D1 The gift of the Holy Spirit
D2 The new believers are baptized.
D3 Peter and the others stay for a few days then leave.
A5 Questions
B1 Who was Cornelius?
B2 In Acts 10:2 what are four characteristics of Cornelius?
B3 Was Cornelius saved before Peter preached the Gospel to him and his family?
B4 Was does a man who is described as "a devout man, and one that feared God" need conversion? Surely he would be good enough?
B5 Does God answer the prayers of the unconverted?
B6 Why does God use people to preach the Gospel? Isn't an angel better? Why Peter?
B7 Why was Peter sent for? Why not Thomas or Philip?
B8 How long did it take for Cornelius to send a request to Peter? Acts 10:7
B9 Where did Cornelius get this devotion to God?
B10 Acts 10:9 Does the timing of this accidental?
B11 Can we eat any animal?
B12 Why does God now approve all types of food and meat? Is God inconsistent?
B13 Who arrives at Simon by the seashore's house just as Peter is having this vision?
B14 How far is it between the towns of Joppa and Caesarea? (About 30 miles). How long did it take them to travel that 30 miles? (About 21 hours)
B14 In Acts 10:24 who is present at the meeting? Who invited them?
B15 In Acts 10:25 is Cornelius really worshiping Peter? (No, just respect. Peter states, "I am no more than you are.")
B16 Is it true that Jews cannot associate with Gentiles?
C1 They could not intermarry.
C2 They could not learn their ways.
C3 They could not worship their gods.
C4 They could not wear certain type of material (cloth) in their clothes.
C5 They could not eat the same foods. Some were clean; some were unclean.
D1 Read Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14.
C6 Compare 'And you shall be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine." (Leviticus 20:26 NKJV)
C7 (Compare Hebrews 9:6-10)
B17 What did God show Peter? How can we apply this today?
B18 In Acts 10:41 why did Jesus show himself to only a few chosen individuals?
B19 Why were the circumcised shocked that the Holy Spirit blessed the Gentiles the same as the Jews.
B20 Do we receive the Holy Spirit the same way? Do we need a holy man/woman to lay hands on us before we have the Holy Spirit?
C1 If we don't have the Holy Spirit we are not HIs, so we receive Him at the time of conversion. "But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. (Romans 8:9 EMTV)
C2 The Holy Spirit is given to all believers as the down payment of future blessings. "who also has sealed us, and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. (2 Corinthians 1:22 EMTV)
C3 The Holy Spirit is the promised helper given to all believers. "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and will remind you of all things which I said to you. (John 14:26 EMTV)
C4 False ideas
D1 The believers who were with Jesus on earth had the gift of the Holy Spirit given to them. It was a separate blessing of something that needed to be asked. It was not automatic, so to speak. But Jesus was clear that the Holy Spirit was not yet given because Jesus had not yet been glorified. Once Jesus had been glorified (the Resurrection and Ascension), the Spirit was given to all at the time of salvation. "And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. (John 20:22 EMTV).
E1 Compare: "
F1 "...in whom you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise," (Ephesians 1:13 EMTV).
F2 "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all given to drink into one Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:13 EMTV)
D2 Need to speak in tongues to have the Holy Spirit. A special, qualified pastor must lay hands on the individual. The speaking in tongues is the evidence.
E1 See here.
E2 The Holy Spirit is given to believers as soon as they believe. This is the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
E3 The filling of the Holy Spirit is for a particular work especially in witnessing. We need to pray, "God help me to be faithful and speak the truth of the Gospel." Compare: Acts 2:4 (speaking in known languages the Gospel to the people), Acts 4:8 (Peter speaking the Gospel to the leaders.), Acts 4:31 (all filled and started witnessing boldly), Acts 9:17 (Paul is commissioned to be the Apostle to the Gentiles and telling them the Gospel),
B21 In Acts 11:15-18 what was the reaction to Peter baptizing Cornelius and the other new believers?
B22 In Mark 7:14-23 what really defiles a person?
B23 In 1 Timothy 4:1-5 when is the great apostasy? Who are these people? What are their sins?
B24 In Romans 14:1-3 what type of things are we to judge and discipline for? (Breaking doctrine or the rules the Jesus has given).
B25 What do we tell someone who insists they must eat only clean animals?
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